Alex glanced at Erie, lowering his voice. "She's one of the war heroes," he whispered.
The woman stepped forward, positioning herself in front of the two boys. She studied them, her sharp gaze moving from their worn-out shoes to the dirt-streaked fabric of their clothes. "You two definitely aren't from the city," she observed. "Your clothes are old and dirty."
Erie's jaw clenched. "What, you gonna call us street rats too?" he snapped, balling his fists. "That won't affect us—we've been called that all our lives!"
The frustration in his voice was raw. He had spent years stealing clothes from hangers, market stalls, or lost-and-found bins just to survive. They never fit right, never lasted long. Torn fabric, mismatched colors—his clothes were like him, out of place wherever he went.
City kids had it easy. They had parents, homes, schools—even if they weren't rich, at least their clothes were clean. You could always tell the difference between a city kid and an outsider.
The woman didn't react to his anger. Instead, she let the silence stretch between them. Erie could feel her sizing him up, measuring something he didn't understand. Let him use it as fuel, she thought. He'll need it.
She straightened. "My name is…" A pause. A flicker of hesitation before she found her composure. "Stacy Burke."
Without another word, she strode toward the beast's lifeless body. "I saw you two struggling, so I stayed back in case you needed help. And, well… turns out you did. I mean, who struggles with a Double F-ranked beast?"
Her words stung, but she wasn't wrong.
Double F-ranked beasts were weak—so weak that they usually traveled in packs just to pose a threat. Killing one wasn't impressive. Erie and Alex had simply been too slow.
Stacy knelt beside the carcass, drawing a blade and slicing open its chest with practiced ease. Reaching into the still-warm body, she rummaged through flesh and bone before pulling out a glowing core. Wisps of wind seemed to swirl inside, like a storm trapped in glass.
She slid the core into a pouch and glanced at the boys. "The city uses these cores as an energy source," she explained. "Keep in mind that being drafted will be one of your tests."
Alex, still caught between awe and nerves, hurriedly bowed. "Uh… please forgive my friend, Erie! We're grateful for your heroic work!"
Erie shot him a look. "Alex, what are you doing?!"
Stacy chuckled. "Please, get up. There's no need to thank me."
She turned toward the towering city walls beyond the trees. "I'll escort you to the gates. We need to move before the first calling ends."
As Stacy led the way, Erie glanced back at the two hares he had taken down. His system had mentioned extracting their cores, but now wasn't the time. He'd come back for them later.
Then, a familiar chime echoed in his mind. His system notifications flashed before his eyes.
[Quest Complete: First Battle]
"Congratulations! You have defeated three out of five hares."
"You are now Level 2."
"One stat point earned."
"You have been rewarded for strenuous running."
"+1 Stamina, +1 Speed."
"Skill Tree Unlocked."
"Health Bar Unlocked."
"Energy Restored."
Erie smirked as he read through the notifications. Finally. He had unlocked features that were previously inaccessible. His mind raced with questions. What exactly was this skill tree? And what did the system mean by energy?
Before he could explore further, Alex's voice pulled him back.
"So, Hero Stacy?" Alex asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "What was it like? Fighting them? Were they as strong as they said on television?"
Stacy let out a soft chuckle. The silence had been weighing on her anyway.
"They are the strongest beings I've ever encountered," she admitted, her voice losing its lightness. "And I've had too many close calls to count."
Alex listened intently. He glanced at Erie, who looked distracted but was still within earshot.
"For starters, they have their own language," she continued. "That alone gave them an advantage. We couldn't understand their tactics, but somehow… they understood us."
She hesitated before adding, "And the strangest part? They evolved when they got here. The moment they arrived, they changed."
Her gaze darkened. "Now… they look exactly like humans."
Erie had been half-listening to Stacy's words, but his focus kept drifting to his system messages. He opened his status window, eager to see the changes.
[Status Window]
Level: 2
Strength: 5 → 6 (+1 Applied)
Speed: 16
Stamina: 11
Agility: 15
Experience Points: 35 / 200
Stat Points: 0 (1 Spent)
His speed was already high, so he had thrown his first stat point into strength. Not bad.
He scrolled further down. Something new caught his eye.
[Skill Tree: Concentration]
1 of 10 Skills Unlocked
His brows furrowed. "System, what is the skill Concentration?"
[Skill: Concentration] (Passive)
"When the user senses danger, their mind enters a heightened state of focus. Time seems to slow down, allowing the user to process threats faster and react accordingly. Effectiveness depends on the user's ability to remain calm under pressure."
Erie's eyes widened. So that's what happened earlier.
He recalled the moments when he dodged the rock, avoided the hare's lunge—it had felt as if time slowed, but now he realized it was his passive skill activating on its own.
His excitement grew, but when he tried to access other skills, they were blurred out. Then he noticed another tab labeled "Race".
Race: ???
Erie frowned. Why is my race unknown?
He tapped it, but an ERROR message flashed across the screen.
His irritation must have shown on his face because Stacy suddenly turned back. "If you don't believe me, you can try it for yourself."
Alex nudged Erie with his elbow. "Hey, pay attention! She's telling us something important."
Erie laughed awkwardly, scratching his head. "Oh yeah… haha… sorry."
They walked in silence for a while until another notification flashed before Erie's eyes.
[Hare Core Obtained: Double F-ranked Orb]
Can be used to craft equipment. Additional options currently locked. Requires Level 40 to unlock full functionality.
He sighed. Level 40? That's gonna take forever.
His eyes drifted to his Energy Bar, but all it displayed was:
Energy: 100%
Before he could think further, Alex's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Erie!"
Erie blinked, realizing they had reached the city gates.
A guard stepped forward. "State your name."
Erie hesitated, eyes lingering on the lightning coursing through the armor.
"Uh… Erie Sunheart, sir."
The guard nodded. "Erie Sunheart. Orphan from the outer city." He turned to Alex. "Alex Shine. Orphan from the outer city."
Then he looked at Stacy and bowed. "Hero Stacy, it is an honor. I see you have taken these orphans under your training."
Erie's brow furrowed. "Under her training?"
Before he could question it further, the guard smacked him across the face.
"Learn your manners, boy."
A surge of energy rushed over them—and suddenly, they were no longer outside the city.
They had been teleported inside.