Chapter 19: Players of the New World

The world had changed. Again.

Two years after the collapse of EvoCore's original simulation layer, Raven—formerly Yuto—had stopped using the Nihilos system entirely. He lived quietly, far from the chaos, in a city now littered with dungeon entry gates, glowing in hues of violet and deep crimson.

His sister, Ava, now fourteen, was alive—but fractured. She had no memory of the game, of being trapped, or of the things they once shared. She remembered Raven as her brother, but not as the boy who once dove into hell to bring her back. And Raven… he didn't tell her.

Not yet.

He worked in a delivery hub on the edge of the city, masking his strength, suppressing the system that still whispered at night, the power that wanted to return. The sync percentage hadn't moved in years—stuck at 50.01%, like a scar trying not to reopen.

Then one day, as the city buzzed with morning haze and coffee steam, a headline flashed across the giant holo-display on the skyline:

> "EvoCore Announces Official Global Integration of Dungeon Protocol"

"Players Will Now Be Recognized as Licensed Skill Users"

"Economy Shifts Expected As Dungeon Drops Enter Market"

Raven stopped in the street. The traffic froze around him. The words "Players of the New World" glowed like prophecy on the glass.

He exhaled.

> "They did it…"

It wasn't a war anymore. It was a marketplace. Dungeon gates had appeared in 112 cities. Each gate was monitored. Regulated. Sponsored. You could now pay for a class, auction monster loot, and earn government contracts for clearing threat zones. EvoCore had embedded itself into civilization like a shadow made of opportunity.

And still… Raven hadn't stepped into a gate. Not once.

That night, sitting by the apartment window, watching Ava sleep peacefully on the couch, he thought of Kyra. Of Saito. Of all the broken code that screamed for silence.

And then it happened.

His system pinged for the first time in two years.

> [NIHILOS SYSTEM: REACTIVATED] [Sync Stabilized: 50.02%] [New Skill Generated: Revenant Bind]

Description: When faced with fatal damage, the user's body will not die. However, all pain is transferred at 300% intensity for the next 30 hours. Cannot be canceled.

Raven stared at it.

> "I didn't activate you…"

> [Trigger: External World-Level Threat Detected Near You.]

> [Dungeon Gate #78 — Breach Containment Failing.]

He stood. Moved to the window.

Across the skyline, where the dark towers of the business district met the night, a black fog swirled unnaturally. Lights flickered. Sirens echoed faintly in the distance.

> "Of course…"

He turned back to Ava, asleep under a blanket, her hand clutching the corner of a worn plush toy—one he'd given her in the hospital, the day she woke up.

Raven closed his fist.

> "If I go back in… I might never come out again."

> "But if I don't—this world won't survive the second breach."

His system pulsed.

> [New Quest Received: Gate 78 – Unknown Boss Detected] [Difficulty: S Class] [Reward: Memory Recovery Fragment (Ava_27)] [Warning: Skill "Revenant Bind" Will Auto-Trigger on HP Threshold.]

Raven exhaled.

> "Looks like you planned this all along."

> "Run interface."

> [Initializing Overlay…] [Preparing Combat Mode in Real World Layer.]

> "Let's see what the new world has made of itself."

And with that, Raven stepped out.

The world outside glitched—not in error, but in anticipation.

Something was coming.

And this time, players were at the frontlines.

(𝚂𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢)

That night, after the system re-synced and the world quieted, Raven sat on the rooftop, watching the glowing skyline.

A sudden prompt opened without command — almost like the system chose to reveal it now:

> [Hidden Ability Unlocked: "Mirror Shell"]

– Temporarily forge a fake identity.

– Customize appearance, name, and class at will.

– Immune to scans, trackers, and system recognition.

Duration: 10 hours per use

Cooldown: 3 hours after effect ends

Note: Cannot be used inside system-forbidden zones.

Raven raised a brow.

> "So I can walk through their world… without being their enemy."

He didn't activate it. Not yet. But knowing it was there — knowing he could vanish into the system and walk among the rising players — that mattered.

---

(Next Morning – Ava's Advice, Now With Context)

At breakfast, while Ava poured cereal, Raven hovered nearby.

> "If you could be someone else for a while," he asked, "but still be you after… would you do it?"

She tilted her head. "You mean like... a mask?"

He nodded. "One that makes you invisible to danger. But only for a little while."

Ava stirred her spoon thoughtfully.

> "A mask's fine. Just don't forget your real face underneath it."

Raven smirked. "That's deep for someone eating soggy cereal."

She threw a spoon at him.