Echoes of a Forgotten Self

Chapter 4 - Echoes of a Forgotten Self

A chill morning breeze swept through the forest, carrying the scent of blood and death.

Seojin sat motionless, staring at his bloodstained hands. The metallic scent clung to his skin, mixing with the dried black ooze of the fallen Scenario Cleaners. His fingers trembled slightly, though whether from exhaustion or fear, he couldn't tell.

Did I... really do all this?

The battlefield was a mess. Corpses of Elite Cleaners lay in shredded piles, some barely recognizable. Trees were snapped in half, their remains scattered like broken spears. The once-still forest now bore the scars of something unnatural.

And in the center of it all-him.

Seojin swallowed, his throat dry. He had no memory of the fight. One moment, he was fleeing. The next, he woke up covered in their blood.

A system notification still hovered in his vision.

[Scenario Cleaners Defeated: 50]

[Reward: 25,100 Coins]

[Stable Demonic Synchronization: 4%]

His hands clenched. 4%.

What the hell did that mean?

And-why were there 50 Elite Cleaners?

He frowned, trying to recall. When the system first deployed the Scenario Cleaners, it had only sent ten.

Seojin swallowed hard. "Where did the others come from?"

Chae-won, who had been crouching nearby cleaning one of her daggers, glanced at him and sighed.

"They probably spawned as reinforcements for the first batch."

Seojin snapped his head toward her. "Reinforcements?"

Chae-won leaned back, resting her arms over her knees. "Yeah. Think about it. The system treats this world like a game, right? You triggered anemergency event when you became an anomaly. When the first group failed to eliminate you, the system likely escalated the threat level and sent in backup."

Seojin felt a chill creep down his spine.

So it wasn't just a random attack.

The system was actively adjusting the scenario to ensure he was deleted.

Seojin swallowed hard. "So what happens if I keep surviving?"

Chae-won smirked. "Guess we'll find out

But before that..."

Char-won questioned seojin with changed tone and suspicious face

"Why is the system doing all this to you? And how did you became an anomaly?"

Before Seojin could respond-

"Aera, get away from him!"

Do-yun's sharp voice cut through the silence.

Seojin flinched. He turned his head just in time to see Do-yun gripping his sword, his stance tense, his eyes locked onto him like he was a beast waiting to strike.

"He's dangerous," Do-yun snapped. "You saw what he did. No human could have done this!"

Aera hesitated. Her hands, which had been hovering over Seojin's wounds, trembled for a split second. But she didn't move away.

"He might be a monster," she said quietly, "but he's not evil."

Do-yun scowled. "That's not a risk we can take."

Ji-ho sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Enough. We're all exhausted, and this isn't helping."

Chae-won clicked her tongue. "Honestly, if he wanted to kill us, he already would have. But you still have to explain what's going on with you after you recover and get healthy again."

Do-yun's grip on his sword tightened.

Seojin could see it in his eyes-the doubt, the fear, the uncertainty.

And yet...

Do-yun wasn't wrong.

Seojin wasn't sure of himself either.

What if he lost control again? What if next time, it wasn't just monsters lying in pieces, but-

He shut his eyes, forcing the thought away.

I need answers.

Taking a deep breath, he focused on his status screen.

[Name: Seojin]

[Level: N/A]

[Synchronization: 4%]

[Skills: ??? (Locked)]

His stomach dropped.

What?

He hadn't purchased any skills.

So why was there a locked skill in his status window?

[Skill Corruption Detected. Unlock Conditions Unknown.]

A cold chill ran down his spine.

Why is it locked? What is it? And why does it say corruption?

Seojin tried to interact with it, willing the system to show more information-but nothing happened. The skill remained shrouded, hidden from him.

It was as if the system itself was keeping it a secret.

Or worse... suppressing it.

Before he could dwell on it, a faint pulse of energy ran through his body.

A new notification appeared.

[Your demonic essence has stabilized.] [New trait acquired: Predator's Presence.]

Seojin barely had time to read the description before he felt the change.

A weight settled around him. The air felt heavier.

Then-Ji-ho, Aera, and even Chae-won instinctively stepped back.

Their bodies reacted before their minds did. A deep, primal instinct warning them: Danger.

Seojin's stomach dropped.

What... is this?

Aera was the first to shake off the feeling.

She cleared her throat. "Seojin, are you... feeling okay?"

He wanted to open his mouth to answer his teammates, but still intrigued as to why was there a locked skill in his status window?

Just as he was about to focus on it—

The status window flickered.

For a split second, unreadable text glitched across the screen.

> [Error: ■■■■■■ Override Detected]

[Skill: The ■■■■■■ Within]

[System Suppression Active]

Then, just as quickly, the screen snapped back to normal. The text disappeared, as if it had never been there.

Seojin's breath hitched.

What was that?

A strange feeling crawled up his spine—déjà vu.

It wasn't just confusion. It was something deeper.

I've seen this before.

But he couldn't remember when.

His pulse quickened. He tried to interact with the skill, willing the system to show more information—

> [ACCESS DENIED.]

[WARNING: SYSTEM INTERFERENCE DETECTED.]

The window refused to respond. Every time he tried to focus on the skill, the system blocked him.

Then—

A faint whisper brushed against his mind.

A voice, distant but eerily familiar.

"You're not ready yet."

Seojin's blood ran cold.

And before he could process anything—

The status window forcibly closed.

Then Aera offered her hand to support seojin to get up.

Then all of a sudden....

BOOM!

A shockwave tore through the air.

The entire group snapped to attention.

From the east, smoke was rising above the tree line.

Chae-won's expression hardened. "That came from the village."

Do-yun cursed. "We don't have time for this."

Ji-ho turned to Seojin. "Can you fight?"

Seojin hesitated. His body still ached, his mind still foggy from what had happened. But whatever was going on, they had no time for doubt.

He gripped his sword tightly.

"Yeah."

Ji-ho nodded. "Then let's go."