Back Home
He blinked, and everything went white.
When he blinked again, he was lying flat on the ground just outside the forest. The morning sky above him was a dusty orange, birds chirping like nothing had happened. A breeze ruffled his hair. His face was in the dirt.
"Thanks for the graceful exit," Lanz mumbled, spitting out a leaf.
He sat up slowly, groaning as his back popped like a bag of microwave popcorn. The fake armor was still on him — shredded and grimy — and the helmet felt like it had fused to his sweat glands.
With a long sigh, he pulled it all off and shoved the gear into a bag that he hid near the gate. Black cloak, gloves, the boots with one toe busted, and even the busted dagger — all gone into storage. Zero was off-duty, and unfortunately, Lanz is back.
Now, he looked like some unlucky high schooler who lost a bet and got yeeted through an abandoned cosplay convention.
Shorts: ripped.
T-shirt: a war crime.
Face: dirt plus blood, but with extra handsomeness.
He stretched his arms, shouldered the bag, and started walking home.
And as he limped along the gravel path toward the city outskirts, the system updates began trickling back in, like a delayed power-up montage narrated by an unpaid intern.
"Okay," Lanz muttered. "Let's do the roundup."
[LEVEL 7 — Skill Slot Unlocked + Bonus Feature: Quick-Equip Loadouts]
"Right, that one." He nodded. "New skill slot... which I haven't used yet because I have commitment issues. And a Quick-Equip menu. Because I am, apparently, the kind of person who needs a shortcut to change outfits. Thanks, System–chan, you're really catering to my fashion anxiety."
[LEVEL 8 — Inventory Expansion + Sorting Function]
"Basically, I can now hold twice the amount of trash I don't need," Lanz muttered. "But hey! That's still good... I guess?"
[LEVEL 9 — Skill Fusion Access Unlocked]
Now that one had sounded cool, until he opened it and realized it looked like a spreadsheet made by an angry cryptid.
"I still don't know how it works. I'm afraid if I touch it, it's going to combine my skills into a passive called 'You Tried.'"
[LEVEL 10 — Stat Affinity Bonus Unlocked]
"Oh yes, the stat bonus," Lanz said. "Picked Agility, obviously. Because nothing says 'heroic' like running away slightly faster."
He kicked a rock into the ditch, still limping slightly.
"And then there's…"
Another update had pinged, different from the rest.
[DUNGEON REWARD – TIER 1 GATE CLEARED] [DEV TREE ACCESS GRANTED – WARNING: SYSTEM ANOMALY DETECTED]
He paused, scratching the back of his head.
"I still don't understand this one," Lanz admitted. "It's not like the other stuff. It doesn't even look like part of the system."
He tapped it again, expecting loot or a cutscene now because he's outside the dungeon, instead he got the same half-corrupted list of terrifying phrases.
[Ghost Trace]
[Node Sync]
[Skill Fork]
[Memory Fragment – Locked]
[Override Tag Detected]
[Class: ??? – Inaccessible]
"And I still don't know what half of those mean," Lanz muttered. "Like what the f*ck is a Ghost Trace?"
His pace slowed as he reached the edge of town. A few cyclists passed on the opposite side of the road, one of them gave him a double-take, probably wondering why some teenage gremlin was limping out of the woods like he just survived a nuclear gym class.
Lanz just nodded back like this was a perfectly normal Tuesday.
"I mean… I DO get it," he said out loud. "The Dev Tree's not supposed to be here. It's not part of the main system. I'm basically holding a beta build from hell. And yet…"
He looked down at his palm, opening the menu again and glancing at the still-glitching hexagon icon.
"…I want to see how far this rabbit hole goes."
The wind picked up a little as he reached the cracked sidewalk near the apartments. His legs still ached, and dirt clung to his shirt. But the heaviness in his chest had lifted.
Sure, he was one accidental death away from being system roadkill. Sure, he had just unlocked what was probably illegal debug tools. But at least he wasn't back at school being told to run laps.
He smiled weakly.
"Honestly?" he muttered, "This sh*t is still better than PE class."
The walk back didn't take long, but every step felt heavier than it should have.
His legs had started to ache again around the second alleyway, his arm still throbbed from where the hobgoblin tried to crush it like a soda can.
Even the bag on his shoulder — which weighed basically nothing — felt like he'd packed a dead boar in it. Which, to be fair, wasn't entirely off-brand for how his day had gone.
When he finally reached their building, the familiar cracks in the sidewalk felt like the warmest welcome in the world. It was late, just past dinner judging by the quiet hum behind the windows.
The light spilling from the kitchen was dim, the kind that only stayed on when people were winding down, not expecting anything else to happen.
Lanz reached for the door. His fingers hesitated on the knob for just a second.
He wasn't scared. He just… hadn't been home since leaving as Zero.
He turned the doorknob, and the door creaked open softly, letting out a tiny wooden sigh like even the house was sad to see he's back.
He stepped inside, slow and careful, like the floor might squeak too loud and blow his cover.
"Where the hell have you been?" Miko's voice came from the couch immediately.
Lanz froze.
She was curled up with a throw blanket and one leg dangling off the side, still in her school shorts and a hoodie three sizes too big.
She blinked at him once, took in the state of his clothes, his dirt-smudged arms, and his scraped knees.
"…You look like a mugging victim," she said, tilting her head.
Before Lanz could even think of a reply, their mom stepped out of the kitchen holding a dish towel.
Her hair was tied back, sleeves rolled up, like she'd just finished wiping down the stove for the fifth time.
"Lanz?" she asked, stopping mid-step.
He straightened up like a kid caught sneaking in past curfew, which, technically, was exactly what he was.
"Hey," he said lamely.
"How was your time with your 'friend'?" she asked, the towel still dangling from her hand.
"It was nice," Lanz replied. "He's got this dumb presentation due and needed someone to help him, like, build a thing."
"A thing," she repeated, unimpressed.
"Yeah. Cardboard, glue gun, and maybe there was possibly regret."
Her eyes narrowed, but then she just sighed and walked up to him, placing a hand on his head. She didn't say anything for a second. Just gently pressed her palm against his hair like she was checking if he was really there.
"I'm hoing to let this slide, just once. But next time," she said quietly, "just tell us. Please."
He nodded. "Yeah. Sorry." He didn't know that it was this painful to lie to his mother, but he can't risk his situation being found out.
He don't know what will happen to his family if it ever gets out that he has a system that even the World Hunter System didn't know existed.
Footsteps thudded down the hallway behind them.
Kaz appeared with a towel slung over one shoulder and a bottle of water in the other. His expression was neutral, like always, but he raised one eyebrow after getting a good look.
"…Dude."
"What."
"You smell like you lost a fight to a campfire."
He tossed the towel and water to Lanz, who caught them easily with one hand. "Thanks."
"Shower," Kaz said, already walking back toward his room. "Before mom Lysols you."
Lanz dropped his bag beside the entryway and wandered into the kitchen. He didn't go to the bathroom yet, he just sat down at the table first, towel draped over his shoulder.
The cool plastic of the chair squeaked under him. The water bottle clicked once as he opened it.
And he just… sat there.
The house was still warm. The air smelled like leftover garlic rice and dish soap. There was a pan soaking in the sink, a spoon resting on the counter, and someone's slippers were flipped over by the fridge.
Outside, a scooter buzzed down the road and some neighbor's TV played a drama too loud through their window.
But here... here it was quiet.
Lanz took a slow breath, then let it out.
"It's only been a couple of days, but I missed this place."
He rubbed his eyes with the edge of the towel, wiping away a smear of dirt and what was probably dried blood from a goblin's final thoughts, but whatever.
He didn't need the system to tell him this was the real checkpoint.
"Hey," Miko said from the living room, still watching him. "Did your project involve a boar?"
Lanz took a sip of water.
"Yeah," he said. "A boar named Regret."
There was a a few seconds of awkward of silence.
Then Miko snorted.
Their mom rolled her eyes but smiled. Kaz's door stayed closed, but Lanz was pretty sure he heard a faint chuckle from behind it.
Lanz leaned back in his chair, wiped his face again with the towel, and just let his muscles melt for a bit.
He didn't level up, he didn't even gain a skill.
But somehow, this was the best reward he'd gotten all day.
End of Chapter 13.
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ALT SYSTEM — USER PROFILE: ZERO
Level: 10
EXP: 2 / 100
Next Unlock: Skill — Crimson Slash
Global System Tracking: DISABLED
World Rank Association: UNLINKED
Stats:
STR: 8 | AGI: 8 (Affinity: AGI) | VIT: 3 | DEX: 1 | INT: 4 | WIS: 0
[Available Stat Points: 3]
[Derived Stat — MANA: 20 / 20]
Skills:
[Basic Footwork Lv.2]
[Blade Control Lv.1]
[Parry Timing Lv.1]
[Feint Step Lv.1] (Active Skill)
[Reflex Sync Lv.1] (Passive Skill)
[Combat Awareness Lv.2] (Passive Skill)
[Skill Slot Available — Unassigned]
[Skill Fusion Menu: Active]
[Dev Tree: Tier 0 Access Granted]
Equipment:
Aged Blade Fragment (??? Rarity) (Bound)
Goblin Dagger (Looted – Rusted, Jagged, Minor Bonus to DEX when equipped)
Spiked Boar Tusk Shard (Trophy Item – No bonus, kept as memento)
Lightweight Chest Padding
Boots of Basic Mobility
Fingerless Gloves (Basic)
Starter Cloak: Faded Black
Training Ring (+1 VIT)
System Highlights:
Title Slot Unlocked
Skill Fusion Menu: Active
Inventory Capacity: 10 Slots
Stat Affinity Bonus (AGI: Slight EXP Scaling Bonus)
[DEV TREE: Unstable Tag Detected — Handle With Care]