"Argh... what the hell...?"
Theo woke with excruciating pain coursing through his entire body.
For a moment, his vision was a blur. Thunder still rang inside his ears, and flashes of blinding white light flickered through his mind like broken memories. He blinked several times, trying to piece everything together.
The park.
The shouting.
The vow he made to the sky.
Then the blinding light.
Then the thunder.
Then pain so intense it felt as if his body had been torn apart and dragged through time and space.
Theo stared upward.
Instead of the open sky and the massive Floating Islands above Cindrel, all he saw was a ceiling.
A familiar ceiling.
The soft mattress beneath him was familiar too.
He wasn't lying on grass.
He was in his bed.
Theo sat up abruptly, then sucked in a breath as pain shot through his bones and a violent headache pounded at his skull. He looked around his room, at the table, the closet, the television, and the framed pictures of Lara on the wall.
His chest tightened at the sight of her.
But there was something more urgent right now.
"How the hell did I end up here?"
He was certain of what had happened in the park. The memory was too vivid to be a dream, and the pain in his body was proof enough of that.
Theo frowned.
"I'm missing something."
He quickly checked himself. Aside from the pain, nothing seemed wrong. His loose black suit was still on him, and his phone was still in his pocket.
He took it out and checked the time.
His eyes narrowed.
Twenty-four hours had passed since he was still in the park.
Theo's expression darkened.
For some reason, he had lost an entire day and woken up back in his own home without any memory of how he got there.
"That commotion was too big for the city to ignore," he muttered.
He opened the news on his phone.
Cindrel Central News
Mysterious Light Phenomenon Covers Entire City
Residents across Cindrel reported seeing multiple Floating Islands emit intense white light late yesterday afternoon, followed by a deafening thunderclap that echoed across every district. Witnesses claimed the islands appeared to connect through beams of light moments before the sky above the city turned completely white. Authorities have yet to release an official explanation, while the Hunters Association confirmed that an investigation is underway.
Top Comments:
Lina_88: I saw it from the south district. The whole sky turned white for a few seconds. I thought we were all going to die.
OldDockWorker: This is why I keep saying those islands are disasters waiting to happen. One day this city is going to get wiped out.
CindrelTeacher: My students started crying during afternoon class. We had to evacuate them under the desks because nobody knew what was happening.
HunterFan99: Everyone calm down. If the Hunters Association is already investigating, then let them do their job.
GreyWindow: Right. Just like they "did their job" during the last Fallen Break?
Theo's thumb froze briefly over the screen.
Then he scrolled down.
Hunter Main News
A Sign of Calamity? Unprecedented Floating Island Activity Sparks Fear
The strange event above Cindrel City has triggered widespread panic and speculation. Several veteran Hunters stated that this is the first recorded time the Floating Islands have reacted on such a scale simultaneously. While some believe it may signal a large Fallen Break or an approaching catastrophe, officials have urged the public to remain calm until further information is released.
Top Comments:
SteelVow: Veteran Hunters are saying this has never happened before? That's not calming at all.
CynthiaVale: My brother works near the outer wall. He said even the on-duty Hunters looked terrified.
GuildShield: Stop spreading panic. Until there's an official statement, this is all speculation.
AshRain: Funny how they always say "remain calm" when they have no answers.
NamelessCrow: Something descended yesterday. I don't care what anyone says. That lightning wasn't normal.
Theo continued reading, gathering as much information as he could. After a while, he turned off the phone with a frown.
"Is this all... because of me?" he muttered.
It was ridiculous.
Impossible, even.
And yet, everything pointed to him.
"I triggered something..."
Theo's breathing slowed.
Then his eyes widened.
Before he lost consciousness, he had heard a voice.
Cold.
Monotone.
Almost robotic.
"Don't tell me..."
He took a deep breath as the missing piece finally fell into place. His heart began to pound. His hands trembled despite his effort to calm himself.
"It's impossible," he whispered. "It should be impossible..."
But there was only one way to know.
Theo stared into the empty air in front of him and spoke slowly.
"Open System."
The moment the words left his mouth, a translucent screen materialized before him.
[Ding!]
[Scales of Judgment System has successfully activated.]
Host: Theo Flitcher
Status: Bound
Primary Role: Judgment Candidate
Authority Rank: Low
Core Directives:
Truth must be uncovered. Guilt must be proven. Judgment must be delivered.
Notice:
Case File #001 has been generated.
[Open Status Window?]
[Open Case Files?]
Theo's eyes trembled.
"System..." His voice came out hoarse. "I have my own System?"
He still couldn't believe it, but every instinct in him screamed that this was real.
"But how...?" Theo's gaze shook slightly as he stared at the screen. "The lightning? Did the Floating Islands give me a System?"
This was unprecedented.
No one had ever activated a System outside a Floating Island. No Hunter had ever awakened outside one either.
To become a Hunter, a person had to enter a Floating Island and trigger the tutorial inside. They had to clear as many levels as possible to obtain a good Skill. Those who failed died. Only a small number returned as Hunters, and even fewer came out with A-Rank talents or higher.
Even so, countless people entered the islands every single day.
To become Hunters.
To gain power.
To live far above ordinary people.
A Hunter...
Theo's expression darkened.
"I became a Hunter?"
There were many people who hated Hunters, and he was one of them.
He knew how rotten they could be.
He had seen how the government favored them over justice.
And now...
He had become one of them?
Theo didn't know what to feel.
Anger still burned inside him, but somewhere beneath it, something else flickered to life.
A possibility.
His eyes shifted back to the floating screen.
Two options stood before him.
[Open Status Window?]
[Open Case Files?]
Something about it felt strange.
This wasn't how Systems were described in news reports, online forums, or official Hunter records. Normally, the Status Window appeared first. Stats, Skills, Rank, those were supposed to be the foundation.
But his was different.
There was a Notice.
A generated Case File.
Theo's gaze narrowed.
Case File #001.
Slowly, he raised his hand and tapped the second option.
[Case Files Window]
Case File #001
Title: The Death of Lara Flitcher
Classification: Unresolved Homicide
Victim: Lara Flitcher
Primary Suspect: Enzo Vhal
Affiliation: Hermes Guild
Case Rank: D
Current Status: Buried by judicial interference
Known Facts:
Victim died during a minor Fallen Break two weeks ago.
Monsters involved were primarily F-Rank and E-Rank goblins.
Primary suspect was present at the scene as the responding D-Rank Hunter.
Primary suspect abandoned the victim despite confirming her presence.
Primary suspect falsified the circumstances of the victim's death.
Judicial authorities ruled the death an accident.
Evidence Collected:
Witness statements
Security footage
Dispatch timeline
Inconsistencies in suspect testimony
Unresolved Elements:
Full extent of Hermes Guild interference (Optional)
Court officials involved in suppressing the verdict (Optional)
Whether additional parties participated in the cover-up (Optional)
System Evaluation:
Truth acknowledged.
Primary guilt confirmed.
Judgment pending.
Primary Objective:
Deliver judgment upon Primary Suspect: Enzo Vhal
Optional Objectives:
Expose Hermes Guild interference
Identify court officials involved in suppressing the verdict
Uncover additional participants in the cover-up
Completion Reward:
Authority +1
Skill Unlock
Verdict Authority
Title Progression
Theo's breathing stopped for a moment.
His eyes locked on Lara's name.
Then on Enzo's.
Then on the line beneath it.
Current Status: Buried by judicial interference
Theo felt something twist violently in his chest.
The court had called it an accident.
The city had moved on.
But the System had not.
For the first time since Lara died, the truth was not being denied.
It was being recorded.
Theo stared at the glowing words, his fingers curling into a fist.
Then his gaze fell to the bottom of the screen.
[Would you like to accept Case File #001?]