A series of notifications flooded Erie's mind as his eyes fluttered open.
"Thirty minutes have ended. Your time is up."
"User is now waking up from Meditation Mode."
"Meditation Mode has ended."
He blinked, disoriented.
"Huh? Did I fall asleep? How long was I out?"
As he sat up, a wave of energy coursed through him. He felt… refreshed. Before he could dwell on it, another chime echoed in his head.
"Daily quest complete: 10 experience points gained."
"Progress: 10 out of 100 experience points."
"Quest update: Six hours remaining to complete the task."
Erie groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Ugh, I actually fell asleep! Well… at least I feel more energized."
Before he could process anything further, a loud voice rang out from outside his window.
"Hey, street rat!"
A sharp thud followed.
"What the—?!" Erie jolted upright and rushed to the window. Just as he peered outside, another rock came hurtling toward him.
Something felt… different. Time seemed to slow, the rock's movement becoming oddly sluggish. Without thinking, he reached out and caught it mid-air, his fingers curling around the rough surface with ease.
His gaze snapped downward to find the culprit—a tall boy with black hair, piercing blue eyes, and tattered clothes. He smirked, casually tossing another rock in his hand.
"Well, well, you actually caught one this time… Impressive!" The boy's tone dripped with amusement. Without warning, he threw another rock.
Erie's body reacted instinctively. He reached out with his left hand and caught it just as easily, his grip firm.
The boy let out a chuckle. "Have you been training, Erie?" His smirk widened. "Anyway, hurry up! We need to get moving. It'll take us a day to walk to City Hall from here!"
Erie frowned, glancing at the distant skyline. The government had shoved all the homeless kids into a rundown neighborhood on the outskirts of the city while those with homes and status lived comfortably within its walls. If you were poor, you had to walk, bike, or find some other way to get around.
A full walk would take nearly twenty-four hours, but if they jogged the entire way, they could cut it down to twelve. With a bike, they could make it in six.
It wasn't always like this. Before the war, there were cities, homes, and thriving communities in between. The landscape had once been rich with life—houses lined the streets, schools stood tall, and families filled the neighborhoods. But when the war ended, it left devastation in its wake. Most buildings had been reduced to rubble, their remains overtaken by nature.
The only reason their small orphan settlement still stood was sheer luck—it had somehow survived the destruction. Over the years, as ability users worked to clear out the wreckage, the wild reclaimed the land. Trees grew thick, their roots cracking through old roads, and the beasts… they came in droves. Many had developed elemental affinities, making them even more dangerous. Now, traveling alone was a death sentence.
People moved in groups of two to five just to make it to the city. Those who ventured alone rarely returned.
Erie turned his attention back to Alex—his only real friend. They had survived together for years, learning how to navigate the wilderness, avoiding the worst of the beasts, and even carving out their own safe route to the city.
They called it "The Easy Route."
"Wait, aren't you using your bike, Alex?" Erie asked.
Alex smirked and pulled his bike into view. "Got mine right here! I just didn't pull it out earlier 'cause I know you don't have one."
Erie grabbed a set of clothes and stepped outside. The moment he did, the sun bathed him in its golden light. He took a deep breath, savoring the warmth, and smiled.
"This feels good."
His body felt stronger, more awake than ever. A thought crossed his mind—he wanted to push himself, to test his limits.
"Hey, Alex! I'll run as far as I can to keep up with you!"
Alex shrugged. He didn't particularly care if Erie fell behind. He just didn't want to see a fellow orphan end up in jail for draft evasion.
Without another word, they took off—Alex pedaling steadily while Erie broke into a determined jog.
"System update: Training sequence in progress."
"Training mode alteration locked."
"Basic Training activated."
"Energy: 100%."
At first, Erie ran at a normal pace. But the more he pushed, the more he realized—he wasn't tiring. His muscles didn't ache like they used to.
Then, something even stranger happened.
His speed picked up.
Before he realized it, he was running right alongside Alex, keeping pace with the bike's tires as they rolled over the cracked pavement.
Alex glanced at his gear. "I'm in top gear… and he's keeping up with me?"
Frowning, he pedaled harder, pushing his bike to higher speeds—but Erie was still right next to him.
They were both nearly at full speed now.
Erie concentrated on keeping up, unaware of how fast he was actually moving.
"System update: 95% complete."
"Quest update: 3 hours and 47 minutes remaining."
"Quest reminder: Meet at Beachside Hall to make a good first impression."
He swiped the notification away and focused on running.
As they passed through the overgrown ruins, Erie noticed something odd—burn marks on the trees, deep claw marks scarring the bark. Some trees had been split clean in half, while others had massive craters near their roots.
A fight happened here.
Elemental users? He dismissed the thought and kept going.
His legs burned now, but he didn't stop.
"Energy level: 76%."
He was starting to feel the exhaustion creeping in. But he pushed through.
"Energy level: 48%."
"Just keep going, Erie! Keep pushing! You're almost there!"
What he didn't realize was that he had been running at top speed for three hours straight—something no ordinary human could do.
Alex had fallen behind almost thirty minutes ago, watching in disbelief as Erie stretched the distance between them.
"Did he use magic…? Does he have an ability?" Alex thought, gripping his handlebars tighter. He pedaled harder, activating the small motor assist on his bike to keep up. "How is he not even breaking a sweat?"
Lost in thought, he didn't notice the rock in his path.
One second, he was riding—
The next, he was on the ground.
Erie, still focused on the road ahead, didn't notice at first.
"Hey, look!" he said excitedly. "The city—it's right there!"
But when he glanced over… Alex was gone.
"Alex?" He slowed his pace, scanning his surroundings. "Where is he? Did he run off?"
He looked back down the trail.
Alex's bike lay on the ground.
His stomach tightened. "Alex?"
This area was known for having FF-rank and F-rank beasts. The city allowed them to roam just outside its borders, though Erie never really understood why.
What he did know was simple—avoid them at all costs.
A deep, guttural growl rumbled through the trees.
Then—
"Aaaaahhhhh!"
Erie's head snapped toward the sound.
"There!"
He sprinted, weaving through the trees until he finally saw him.
Alex stood in a clearing, panting, clutching a rock.
He was surrounded.
New Quest Received!
"Defeat the threat in front of you."
Erie stared at the system notification in disbelief.
"Wow… this is really like a game," he muttered