005. A call

An emergency unit arrived five minutes later, as per Reon's request to come pick them up. But as usual, Kael was left there because he was the lowest in rank.

"It's not like I mind anyway—would have actually been surprised if they had picked me up," he mumbled as he walked toward the city side to get a cab, because dungeons in this world appeared in places where people were less, and that meant far from the city—sometimes in deep parts of the forests, and hunters get paid to go there to stabilize them so they don't attack the main city.

He kept staring at his stats on the system screen in between moments, to make sure he wasn't hallucinating inside the dungeon about having a system—because it felt way too real for him to believe.

[STAT SCREEN]

Name — KAEL REVENHART

Designation: Extra / Narrative Anchor

Level: E+

Title(s):

• [The Extra]

• [Narrative Anchor]

• [Deviation Catalyst]

HP: 390 / 420

Mana Points (MP): 102 / 140

Strength (STR): 11

Agility (AGI): 17

Vitality (VIT): 13

Intelligence (INT): 20

Dexterity (DEX): 15

Luck (LCK): 999 (Hidden stat – Affects flag deviation, unseen outcomes)

TaleWeaver (SYSTEM ONLINE)

A story-layer system exclusive to the owner. It recognizes its owner as a narrative aberration and rewards deviation from canon.

Narrative Points (NP): 2

Cipher Points (CP): 0

Deviation Rate: 11%

Progress to Tier 2: 08%

Plot Anchors Active:

• [Saved Reon]

• [Prevented Main Character Death]

Skill Tree Unlocked: ANCHOR PATH – Tier 1

Usable against beasts up to Level 10

Available Tier 1 Skills:

• «Pierce Line» – Your next strike goes through armor for 1 hit 〔5 NP〕

• «Lure Step» – Draw enemy aggro toward you for 5 sec 〔3 NP〕

• «Instinct Flash» – Auto-dodge one close-range attack 〔8 NP〕

• «Mark Weakpoint» – Highlight enemy weak spot (10 sec cooldown) 〔6 NP〕

• «Split Throw» – Curve-throw an item toward target 〔4 NP〕

Locked Skills – TIER 3 Required

For use on Level 100+ foes

• «Zone Rewrite» – Alter terrain (illusion trap, slow field, etc.) 〔600 CP / 800 NP〕

• «Absolute Feint» – Evade even unavoidable attacks once 〔150 CP〕

• «Command Rewrite» – Force enemy to repeat last move 〔180 CP〕

• «Second Life» – Survive fatal damage with 1 HP (1 use/battle) 〔300 CP〕

• «Shadow Feint» – Create a short afterimage to dodge 1 non-magical attack 〔250 CP〕

• «Beast Control» – Temporarily command one weaker beast 〔100 CP / 150 NP〕

• «Rewind Step» – Undo a movement (max: 3 seconds back) 〔250 CP〕

Special Ability – ZERO (LOCKED)

A forbidden fusion of Light and Shadow. Not a spell, not a skill. A contradiction given form.

Trigger Conditions:

• Break a Tier 3 Flag

• Stack 3 Fatal Tags

• Activate Zero Zone during scripted death of a Main Character]

"I can't believe I actually awakened a system near death… what are the odds?"

In a bit, he arrived at the edge of the city, the city lights flashing across his face as he breathed in the city's fresh air.

"As much as I hate this place, it's good to be back."

He skidded down the hill toward the road and called for a passing cab—the only group of people that didn't look at ranks before they helped.

The cab drove through the city toward the destination he had pointed out, which was the main guild, so he could collect his reward as per the contract.

Soon after, he arrived at the main guild. The media had surrounded the front gates, interviewing Reon, while the others stepped inside for treatment and their rewards. But as usual, no one would recognize him or his actions.

He sighed as he stepped out of the cab and headed for the main gates. The media was so crowded, it was hard to get into the gates at first, but he eventually pushed through and got in.

He went straight to the guild leader, ignoring all the stares at him as he walked. Some were shocked as to how he came back unscathed, unlike the others who were considerably stronger than him.

"How is it possible? He only has a few scratches on him."

"Don't overthink it. He probably just hid while they fenced off the ogre, like the loser he is."

"You must be right!"

He opened the door softly and walked in without asking for permission. And what he saw left him speechless.

He opened the door softly and walked in without asking for permission. And what he saw left him speechless.

A group of men dressed in black suits with intimidating auras stood by the guild master's table.

They noticed his entrance and immediately turned toward him, examining him for a brief moment before one of them spoke out.

"I'm guessing you're the extra everyone has been talking about?"

A shorter man with a well-built body and a more intimidating aura spoke out as he walked out of the crowd. He seemed like the leader or head of the group of individuals that stood there.

"Yes I am, my name is Kael though. Not 'extra,'" he responded, shifting his gaze slightly to the guild master to check for any signs of aid, but he didn't seem to be in trouble from his expression and body movement.

"Oh, you're worried about him? Don't worry, we're no threats. I am just simply interested in you," the man walked forward, gesturing for the others to leave the desk so it wouldn't call for an alarm.

"Yeah, they're here because I called them," Guild Master Chang spoke, standing up from his chair and walking toward him.

"What, why?"

"Because we wanted to test Reon as per his father's request. Mr. Wong here wanted to admit him into Grimlight Academy, but he wanted to test him first to see how he fares in real-life battles, which his father approved of. And like we expected, he came out unscathed. But your survival is the one thing that surprised him."

The shorter man, now introduced as Mr. Wong, came forward toward Kael, raising his hand for a handshake. "How would you like to be admitted into Grimlight Academy and train to be better than you already are?"

"We're looking for exceptional kids—not just strong or weak teenagers—but those who can go past their limits, and you both just survived a very difficult test. So what do you say?"

Kael stared at the both of them in shock. "So this whole dungeon raid, the deaths no matter how mild they were, the injured hunters... was all just a test for Reon? Do you know we could have died in there if we didn't have luck on our side?!"

Mr. Wong felt the pressure in his words and bowed his head. "Indeed, we didn't expect any of this to occur. The dungeon was ranked D+ when you got in, but it shot up to A+ with five mini bosses and a level 50 boss at the end of the trial."

"We tried getting you guys out, but the gates refused to open after you got in. And so, we gave up on your survival—and that's why I'm curious how you made it out alive."

Kael's eyes widened and his brain almost shut down. "So the battle ogre we fought was just one of the five mini bosses in that dungeon?"

Guild Master Chang nodded slowly. "Yes, and we are indeed surprised how you all survived, especially you both. Reon is only a Rank B+ individual who can fight level 20 beasts at mid difficulty, so we aren't really surprised that he defeated the ogre."

"But you? Yes, we can assume you hid somewhere mid-fight like the rumors say, but a guy with this attitude sure doesn't seem like the type to hide during something like this."

Kael stood there, his brain numb. He didn't know what else to say to this absurd information they just fed him.

Were they just playing with him to get a reaction from him? Or was this all just a plot to keep him from getting his reward money? Because they could have literally gotten anyone else from the raid to fill in for his school if that's what they wanted so bad—since they were all elites.

Then he raised his head and asked:

"Did Reon know all about this?"

"No, we kept it all to ourselves. We intended to watch and evaluate him from a distance without his knowledge so we could see him fight for real and not for the camera."

"So basically, you sent us—teenage kids, excluding our ranks—away from our homes into some shit-ass hole to evaluate some guy because you wanted to see him fight for real?!"

"What happened to judging him based on normal school tests and evaluation processes? You could have literally gotten him to spar with an elite teacher or something to gauge his abilities—there was literally no need to put anyone in danger because of this!"

Kael shook his head and turned toward the door. "Nothing you guys said to me made sense and I'm glad it didn't. Just send me my money via postcard. I'm leaving this place."

Mr. Wong glanced at his bodyguard and gestured something to him, in which he nodded in response, then walked up to Kael as he walked out.

"In case you change your mind, here is my phone number. Your whole time spent in my school will be on scholarship, including everything—it's my way of apologizing."

The man opened his hand forcefully and handed him the card without saying a word, then he moved back to his position.

Kael glanced one more time at them before he turned, opened the door, and banged it forcefully behind him.

"I can't believe those guys, putting us in real danger because of one individual just because he's rich?"

Kael mumbled with anger as he walked out the gates, his hatred for rich guys—especially people like Reon—increasing by the minute.

He walked past Reon as the cameras glazed him, and the journalists surrounded him like flies.

Some cameramen came up to him to ask about the dungeon raid, as a survivor.

"Uhm, sir, could you tell us about how you all survived an A+ dungeon raid that takes elites above your level time to clear through?"

Kael stared at them with a glare, but his expression changed into something soft.

"Sorry, I'm currently not in a good state of mind to be questioned at this moment. Could we do this another time?"

"Understood, sir. Please carry on."

Kael moved along, though it had always been his dream to be on live television—but definitely not like this.

He got home later that evening to his small apartment, tucked far from the main city. But as he stepped through the gate, he stopped cold.

Something was waiting on the porch—

something he wasn't expecting.