Is This Still the World?

You have slain Goblin ×3

Achievement Unlocked!

+3 Stat Points Gained!

Another notification appeared before my eyes; I was no longer surprised, merely accepting every new truth in silence. But this time, a small hope, a tiny wish passed through me. My breath was erratic, my body trembling, and all I could think was:

"Please… endurance."

And as if the world had heard me…

3 stat points have been allocated to 'Endurance.'

Your wounds are healing…

In that moment… something inside me unraveled.

The burns on my skin, the knife wound on my arm, the cramps in my legs—one by one, they began to fade. I took a deep breath. The dark pain that had been crushing my chest lightened. There was a tingling in my fingertips, but it wasn't pain. The pain had been replaced by coolness, by a healing sense of peace.

But it was only my body that had healed. Inside me, there was still a weight… something beyond words, beyond description. My body was recovering, but my soul was crumbling. My hands were still soaked in blood. I was breathing, but each breath made me nauseous.

I didn't want to collapse. "Stand tall," I told myself. "You survived."

But even in that moment, I felt this victory meant nothing. What about my family? Where were they? Who was I anymore?

Suddenly, my eyelids grew heavy. Blurred texts began to flicker before my eyes. One last notification appeared, echoing as if from within my mind:

Mental Health: Critically Low.

Loss of consciousness imminent…

The world began to slip away from me. Sounds grew muffled, my heartbeat slowed. I could no longer feel the door beside me or the corpses on the ground. The threads of reality slipped through my fingers, pulling me into darkness.

My head grew heavy, my body relaxed. I was leaning against the door, but I no longer had the strength to stand. My ankles gave way, my knees buckled, and I slowly collapsed to the ground. In that moment, like a whispered prayer, only one thought passed through me:

"Please… let this not be in vain."

My eyes closed. Everything slowed down.

My life flashed before me—my mother's voice, my father's advice, my brother's laughter… childhood, school, the gym, that first punch…

…and then the goblins.

Every moment I had ever faced myself, now swelled in my mind like an avalanche. No pain or trauma I had run from had ever truly left me. They were all here, rising in this darkness once again. But this time, I had no strength left to suppress them.

It was as if someone whispered in my ear:

"Fighting isn't enough… you must have a reason to live."

And in that moment, I exhaled one last time.

Into the darkness.

Into the silence.

My consciousness faded.

But still, a spark lingered inside me.

To wake again.

To go on.

When I opened my eyes, the ceiling was pure white.

Lost in the blinding chill of fluorescent lights, I tried to grasp it—I was alive.

My first instinct was to take a deep breath. An indescribable sense of relief spread through me. "Thank goodness…" I whispered inwardly, my eyes stinging slightly.

A soft sob came from nearby.

I turned my head slowly. My mother and father were right there beside me. My mother's eyes were bloodshot, her hands trembling. My father couldn't hold back his tears, yet as always, he tried to remain strong. When they realized I was awake, they both hugged me tightly. When my mother's warm breath touched my neck, all the walls inside me crumbled.

It was impossible not to cry. I, too, began to weep silently, slowly, like a child crying in secret. I wanted to believe it had all been just a bad dream. Maybe I had fainted. Maybe everything was just my mind's game, a reflection of my fears. But those goblins' eyes… the weight of that sharp blade… and the guilt I felt… they were all too real.

Suddenly, the door burst open. Someone rushed in—my older brother.

Stationed in Seoul, a brother I had only seen during holidays for years, now stood breathless by my side. His eyes were filled with confusion: joy and fear at once. He came close, held my head and repeated, "Are you okay?" over and over. The questions started. What had happened? Where had they found me? How had I been brought to the hospital?

My mother explained they had found me unconscious at the doorstep early in the morning. She wept like it was the end of the world. My father's hands had trembled as he called the ambulance. Even the neighbors had cried. In that moment, a question echoed in my head:

"Then… was it all just a nightmare?"

I rested my head on the pillow. Closed my eyes. Repeated to myself: "A dream. It was all a dream…"

But then…

A window opened. Again, with that blue digital glow. If it was a dream, why was this system still here?

You have completed your first day in Seal of the Night.

Congratulations on surviving!

+500 Lumen

Market feature unlocked.

You can now purchase equipment, skills, and special items with Lumen.

My heart raced. Nausea returned. This message… this system… it hadn't been a nightmare.

It was real.

A wave of ice poured over my head. I looked around. My mother was still beside me. My father was watching me from his seat. My brother stood by the door. They were all here. But my mind was elsewhere—in that cursed place called Seal of the Night.

The system was still active. This wasn't a dream; it was a parallel reality. And I… I was now a part of this world.

With trembling fingers, I reached for the TV remote on the hospital bed. My family didn't understand what I was doing. They looked at me as if to say, "TV, now?" But I was after something else. A confirmation.

I turned on the screen. News reports were flashing across the world with red breaking banners. The anchor's voice trembled, but she tried to stay calm:

"Between 00:00 and 01:00 AM, thousands of people reportedly collapsed simultaneously across the globe. Some individuals' physical bodies have gone missing. Upon waking, hundreds of witnesses claim they fought in a place called 'Seal of the Night,' giving identical details: overgrown cities, non-functioning vehicles, monsters, game-like systems…"

"Many say they battled goblin-like creatures. Moreover, there is security footage proving that powers gained in these battles—strength, speed, endurance—are manifesting in the real world. Survivors speak of stat screens, earned skills, slain monsters, and rewards. Experts have yet to explain the origin, technology, or nature of this system."

"But one thing is clear: The world will never be the same."

I muted the sound and slowly placed the remote on the bed. My mother stared at me, eyes wide.

"Riven… what's going on, son? Are you hiding something from us?"

I couldn't answer. What could I possibly say? How could I tell them about those monsters? That spear, that shattered glass, the sound of the blade in my hand… how could I explain any of it?

I simply turned my head and looked out the window. Morning had come. The sun had risen, casting a soft light on the hospital glass. But I knew.

The nights would never be the same again.

And this was only the beginning.

Despite their repeated questions, I kept telling my parents, "It's nothing, I'm fine, I didn't experience anything like that." My voice trembled, but I sounded resolute. More than truly denying it, I just didn't want to worry them. When the shadows of concern on their faces faded a bit, I said, "Go rest… I just need some sleep." They exchanged glances, nodded, hugged me a few more times, and eventually left the hospital room.

When the door closed, an indescribable emptiness settled inside me. But then, my brother stepped closer. He touched my shoulder, bowing his head slightly.

"They left you in my care," he said. He smiled, but his eyes were serious. "Let's get some air."

We went out to the hospital garden. The morning air was cool, like a leftover breath from summer. The leaves rustled gently, the sky was a deep blue. It felt like a moment of peace… but beneath it, a truth lurked. That night. That blood. That terror.

We sat on a bench. My brother took out a cigarette, didn't light it, just rolled it between his fingers. Then suddenly, as if a voice from another world, he spoke quietly:

"Seal of the Night…"

I turned my head. His eyes were lost in the distance.

"You killed goblins there… didn't you?"

His words jolted me. My heart skipped. Something caught in my throat. He knew I couldn't hide. It was like he had understood everything. As if he had been there, watching me.

I didn't speak for a while. I lowered my head. Staring at my shoes, my eyes burned. The silence was heavy, but he softened it.

"I'm glad you did. I was there too. I killed them too," he said gently. "They were so scared of losing you… Mom and Dad. You are everything to us, Riven. Live there for them… no matter what."

My throat tightened. Tears welled up again, but this time, I didn't hold back. I cried in silence. My brother sat beside me, placing his hand on my shoulder, gripping tightly.

Those words… they were the kind you never forget in a lifetime. "No matter what, live…"

After a while, I turned to him and asked, trying to smile:

"Since when do you say such poetic lines?"

We paused for a moment… then smiled despite ourselves. A short, sincere laugh escaped my brother.

And in that moment, I understood.

I was not alone.

No matter how dark this world would become, the hope inside me was reborn in the hands of those who reached out to me.

No matter what… I had to live.