The sky slowly brightened again.
Not because the sun returned immediately, but because people forced themselves to keep moving. Cars restarted. Pedestrians resumed walking, though now every step felt uncertain, as if the ground itself might suddenly disappear beneath them.
Nothing looked different.
Yet everything had changed.
Arin remained standing near the convenience store, his plastic bag still hanging loosely from his fingers. Around him, glowing rank symbols hovered above people's heads—letters shining faintly in the daylight like invisible crowns made visible.
Rank E.
Rank D.
Rank C.
Everywhere he looked, someone had been labeled.
Except him.
He glanced upward again, almost expecting the letter to appear late.
Nothing.
"No rank…?" he muttered.
A middle-aged man nearby noticed the absence as well and frowned. "Hey, kid, what's your rank?"
"I… don't have one."
The man stepped back slightly, confusion turning into suspicion. "What do you mean you don't have one? Everyone has one."
"I said I don't—"
Before Arin could finish, the black screen in front of him pulsed again, drawing his full attention.
[SHADOW SYSTEM] Activation Complete
A faint pressure spread through his chest, subtle but unmistakable, like a second heartbeat syncing itself with his own. He inhaled sharply as the sensation passed, leaving behind a strange clarity in his thoughts.
Another line appeared.
[SHADOW SYSTEM] Skill Available — Shadow Sense Lv.1
"Shadow Sense…?" he whispered.
Unlike the blue system windows floating around other people, his interface felt quieter—almost hidden, as if it were never meant to be seen by anyone else.
The street suddenly erupted in screams.
People near the intersection began running without direction, some dropping their phones, others grabbing children or pulling friends by the arm.
"What happened?!"
"Something's coming!"
Arin turned toward the source of the panic.
At first, he saw nothing unusual—just a row of parked vehicles lining the street. Then he noticed the shadow beneath a large delivery bus.
It was moving.
Not shifting like a normal shadow, but stretching unnaturally, twisting like liquid darkness spreading across the asphalt. The shape grew larger, thicker, as if something underneath the bus were pushing upward.
A long, pale limb emerged first.
Too thin.
Too long.
It bent at the wrong angle as it pulled the rest of the creature forward. Its body followed slowly, crawling onto the street with jerky, unnatural movements. Where its face should have been, there was only smooth gray skin without eyes, without a mouth—just an empty surface that somehow still felt as if it were watching everything around it.
Someone screamed, "Monster!"
Panic spread instantly.
People ran in every direction, bumping into each other, knocking over street signs, abandoning bags and belongings in their rush to escape. Several individuals with glowing rank symbols hesitated, exchanging uncertain looks.
A tall man with a faintly glowing Rank C above his head stepped forward, trying to appear confident.
"Relax," he said loudly. "If this system gave us ranks, it means we can handle this."
He clenched his fists and charged toward the creature.
For a brief moment, it looked as though he might actually succeed.
Then the monster moved.
Faster than anyone expected.
Its elongated arm swung sideways, striking the man across the chest with a dull cracking sound. His body lifted off the ground instantly and slammed into a parked car, the impact denting the metal door before he collapsed onto the pavement, unmoving.
The crowd froze for half a second.
Then the panic doubled.
Arin's heart began pounding violently.
"This thing just destroyed a Rank C…"
The creature tilted its head slowly, its smooth face turning toward the fleeing crowd. Though it had no visible eyes, Arin somehow felt its attention moving from person to person, as if choosing its next target.
Then it stopped.
Facing him.
His screen flashed again.
[SHADOW SYSTEM] Emergency Directive — Survive
A cold chill ran down his spine.
"Why me…?"
He took a step backward, his shoes scraping lightly against the pavement. People rushed past him on both sides, but for some reason, he felt unusually aware of the space around him—of where everyone was moving, of where the creature might step next.
The shadows near his feet trembled faintly.
He blinked.
"Did that just… move?"
The monster began walking forward, its movements uneven but steadily closing the distance. Every instinct told Arin to turn and run, yet something else held him in place—something quieter than fear.
Focus.
His breathing slowed slightly as the strange sensation in his chest returned, the same pulse he had felt when the Shadow System first activated.
The world didn't slow down.
But his awareness sharpened.
He noticed the angle of the creature's limbs, the direction of its weight, the subtle shift of its shadow stretching forward before each step.
A faint whisper appeared at the edge of his thoughts.
Move before it moves.
Arin swallowed.
"Is that… the skill?"
The creature suddenly crouched, preparing to lunge.
People behind Arin screamed, pushing against each other as they tried to escape the path between them. There was no time to think anymore.
His screen flickered once more.
[SHADOW SYSTEM] Shadow Sense — Standby
The creature's body tensed.
And for reasons he couldn't fully explain, Arin already knew where the attack was going to land.