The laws of reality do not apply to me. I can do anything—I'm limitless.
….
"So… you model?"
Seo Yeon's voice was flat, her expression perfectly deadpan. Only a faint, involuntary twitch beneath the alabaster skin of her brow betrayed her—a live wire of either anger or suppressed amusement.
Nearby, the trio's parents had arrived in a wave of frantic murmurs. Their hushed, worried voices still drifted down the hall. Zeke and Seo Yeon stood apart, watching the scene in a silence that had grown thick and suffocating over five long minutes. She was the one who finally broke it.
At the sound of her voice, Zeke's jaw tightened. Annoyance, not pleasure, coiled in his gut.
I just want to go home.
But her words sparked not anger, but confusion, followed by a cold drip of dread.
'Zero!! What did you do?'
{Heh. Check this out.}
A blue screen materialized before his eyes, its ethereal glow casting long shadows across his face. It displayed a popular social media app, an account under his name. Follower count: over three million, climbing steadily. The feed was a gallery of himself—half-naked shots that burned his cheeks, images of him tying a towel with practiced ease, and poses of almost predatory grace.
'How did you get these pictures? You've turned me into an erotic model.'
A traitorous thought flickered.
I do look good, though.
{It's easy. You're a total poser.}
'A poser? How dare—' He paused. 'Hmm. I do hit a nice pose.'
{Do you know how many thirsty DMs I've seen?}
'And you didn't think to tell me?' Zeke groaned inwardly.
"Are you deaf as well?" Seo Yeon's sharp tone sliced through his internal dialogue. She waved a pale hand in front of his face, the movement deliberate and swift, trying to pierce his distraction. "Hmm, maybe a mental problem."
'Who is this bitch?' A scowl darkened Zeke's features, his patience worn to a frayed thread.
"So, your name's Yawn?" he snapped, his voice low. "Did you yawn instead of crying at birth? Maybe that's why you can't shut up. Wide mouth."
He pushed past her, his hands making contact with her face to move her aside. Her skin was surprisingly cold beneath his palms—like touching marble in winter.
"I don't like you," Yeon stated, her voice edged like cut glass. She turned and walked toward her parents with measured, echoing steps. Halfway, she spun back, her dark hair whipping around her neck. "Kai and his friends had me first. Don't think you can steal my people." She turned again, her hands vanishing into the depths of her trench coat as if sheathing weapons, the fabric rustling with finality.
"What the hell?" Zeke muttered to the empty space she left behind. "Is that what this is about?"
'How old is she, anyway?'
He activated Observation, a familiar tingling spreading behind his eyes as her status window appeared.
'Wow. She's strong.'
'We're the same age?'
'Why does everyone have an overpowered ability? It's like they're the protagonist. Hey SAGE, do something about this. What about the mission? Did I complete it? Hey SAGE. At least answer.'
[MISSION COMPLETE]
[REWARD INITIATED]
[D-RANK TRAIT: RESERVOIR GRANTED]
{Reservoir (D Rank): Your energy reserve and recovery speed exceed the average. Grants 50 stat points to Endurance and 75 stat points to Magic Power.}
…
'Now would be a great time to explain stat points to me.'
{Alright. Each stat—Strength, Agility, Endurance, Perception, Magic Power—has a numerical value determining its rank, from F to SSS. Hit a threshold, and the stat levels up. For example, 200–349 points is C Rank, 350–549 is B Rank, and so on. Stat points are earned through Tower trials or rare resources like mana stones. They're what differentiate individuals within the same rank. If we're both S Rank in Strength, but my points are 850 and yours are 830, I have the edge. Same tier, different bite.}
'I see. I'd deduced that, somehow.'
{Sure you had.}
'What part of my speech was not convincing?'
{I am convinced. Super convinced. You should prepare for the social trouble heading your way.}
Tuning back into the world, Zeke saw the trio's parents approaching, their footsteps a symphony of worry on the concrete. The trio walked beside them, faces pale and drawn. Yeon brought up the rear like a stalking predator.
'Ah. Shit. Fuck you, SAGE.'
…
{So, what are you planning now?} Zero asked as they walked home. The streets were bathed in the golden light of late afternoon, long shadows stretching across the pavement like dark fingers. The awkward, thanking conversation with the parents was finally over.
'What do you think?' Zeke's face hardened, his anger giving his features a stony cast. 'A coincidence or a statement?'
{Digging into archives and general Awakened research—dungeon outbreaks like this are rare but not nonexistent. Even rarer for an S-ranked monster to appear. It's simply a case of a survivor. The last monster standing in a dungeon brawl, then emerging. Judging from the Minotaur's traits, it had a tough time in there. Why it emerged without a full outbreak? That's either coincidence or fate. You can't change what happened. Though its intelligence may be a factor. S-ranked incidents are too uncommon for a defined theory.}
'Is a Minotaur having intelligence rare?'
{No. Observation proves monsters gain notable intelligence at S-rank, often communication abilities by SS. There's even a recorded case of communication between a Hunter and an SSS-rank monster in a Danger Zone.}
'The hunter survived?'
{Of course. Went on to be a forefront tower climber.}
'That… is as expected. Common tropes don't lie.'
Zeke walked on in silence, his footsteps a steady rhythm against the concrete, until he suddenly stopped. He pointed to the sky, where clouds drifted like smoke across the deepening blue.
"You may send adversaries," he declared, a wild, untamed grin transforming his face. "You may plot against me. But I won't dance to your tune. I'mma do my own thing."
He addressed Zero with renewed energy.
'Hit me with that good music.'
…
"So, sis, what do you think about my friend?" Kai nudged Yeon with his elbow, a sly smile spreading across his face. His eyes gleamed with mischief.
Jude had recounted their first meeting with secondhand embarrassment still in his tone. They'd all seen the tense, crackling exchange between Zeke and Yeon afterward.
"Your friend?" Yeon snickered, shifting away in mock disgust. "You mean the one who needed saving?"
"Hey, he saved our asses, too. And called you. Without him, we'd probably be dead." Kai defended Zeke with fervor. Jude and Aaron nodded in vigorous agreement.
"Tch." Yeon's sound was sharp, dismissive. "That erotic model?"
"Ha! You've seen his social media! That's peak male aesthetics!" Aaron's eyes sparkled as he gestured enthusiastically.
"What aesthetics?" Yeon gave a hollow, mocking laugh. "He's a male slut."
The argument swelled, the trio defending their bro with passionate determination while Yeon—her negative perception already solid as armor—surgically debunked every praise.
Jae Min, father to Kai and Yeon, interrupted with the quiet authority of a man used to command. His presence filled the space like a mountain's shadow.
"Kai, it would be nice of you and your friends to tell us more about your friend." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "And when I said more, I meant everything you know about him."
The room's temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
"Su…sure." Kai's voice cracked. He knew he had no choice. Every time his father wore this particular smiling mask, it meant business.
Shudder.
It was best to obey.
Even Aaron and Jude were quivering, their earlier bravado gone. They knew the terror of the guild master they called uncle—a man whose gentle demeanor concealed steel beneath silk.
…
"Hmm." Jae Min hummed from his seat, the sound rumbling like distant thunder. "Terrifying regeneration. And an ability to copy other abilities." He let the word hang in the air. "Terrifying."
"Indeed. What are you going to do, Dad?" Yeon asked, sitting with relaxed posture but a mind sharp as a razor. She contemplated what she'd heard with newfound interest. He could have left them to their fate but stayed. That wasn't what moved her—she'd been the one to save her brother in the end. What intrigued her was the ambience the trio described—the impossible feats, the dramatic confrontation. It sounded like peak brain-rotting anime content. She'd earned a break from tower climbing.
"What's to do? He doesn't seem the type to join a guild, so there's no point trying to recruit him. I only wanted to know for your safety. From what I've seen and heard, he seems like a good guy." With that, he rose, his movements fluid and purposeful. He walked away, then turned back with finality. "You've made a good friend. But know this—your strength was inconsequential in a battle that would have decided your fate. You couldn't determine your own. Now, you will undergo harsh training." The last part was delivered with a smile that promised months of suffering.
"Well. No more anime. Hand over your phones. With the passcodes, of course."
Yeon smiled, her expression predatory and satisfied.
'Hehe. Let me see this anime of yours.'
"Ughhh." The trio groaned in unison, a sound of collective defeat as they reluctantly surrendered their phones. They couldn't say no. If they did, Zeke would be picking up their corpses next time.
What they didn't know was that there wouldn't be a next time for a long while.
…
{You have a visitor, Zeke. An interesting one.}
"What?"
Disoriented, consciousness clinging to him like wet fabric, he walked to the door on unsteady steps that echoed through the mansion. He was still half-asleep, mind foggy, wondering why he was hearing knocking.
BOOM!
The sound reverberated through the foundations.
Is the front door broken?
He increased his speed. Upon reaching the entrance, he saw someone he never dreamed would be standing in his doorway.
"My door!!"
His voice cracked with disbelief and rising anger.
"Yawn?!!"