Two days later.
All over campus… whispers began.
"He killed an Executor."
"No way—those things aren't even human."
"The guy who was a punching bag in Class 1-C?"
"Not anymore…"
The school had changed.
Jihan's name carried weight. Not just fear—but possibility. The weak were watching. The oppressed. The ignored.
And some of them… were awakening.
Meanwhile – Inside the Black Layer Core
The Chainbreaker sigil burned across corrupted system files.
The death of the Void Widow triggered a silent alarm.
Hidden agents. Rogue sleepers. Test subjects long forgotten by the System—anomalies like Jihan—were now stirring.
One by one, their codes awakened.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Black Layer Stability – CRITICAL]
Chainbreaker effect: Viral propagation detected
Rogue Protocols 003-A to 009-C reactivated
Glitched Users awakening: 4/99
Containment status: Failing
Back at Hana's Facility
Jihan sat cross-legged, bandaged and recovering. His left arm was in a brace. His right still wrapped in bloodstained gauze.
Hana showed him the broadcast footage.
"Look."
She played a leaked video—blurry, taken from a distance.
It showed Jihan slamming the Void Widow into concrete. Her head caving. Her helmet shattering.
"Someone leaked it. Probably one of the Watcher Factions. You're viral."
He didn't smile.
"What's the price?"
Hana looked serious.
"Every gang will want you dead or on their side. Every system-run elite will hunt you. And…"
She tapped a screen.
"Four other students… just had their systems mutate. Chainbreaker Code propagation confirmed. You're not alone anymore."
Jihan stood.
Despite the pain. Despite his injuries.
"Then it's time to move."
"To do what?"
"Start building my real faction."
Elsewhere – Underground Fighting Ring
A tall, skeletal figure in a prison collar stood in the center of a bloodstained arena. Dozens of bodies surrounded him.
He cracked his neck. Chains hung from his wrists.
An old Dominance Code HUD flickered in his vision.
"Chainbreaker Detected."
He smiled—half-mad.
"So... one of us survived."
"Let's see if he's worth my chains."
Another Location – Rooftop in District 9
A girl with black hair and cybernetic eyes stared at a screen showing Jihan's face.
Her lips curled into a smirk.
"Chainbreaker… huh?"
She tossed a knife between her fingers.
"He'll need someone to watch his back. Whether he likes it or not."
Back in School – Jihan's First Move
Jihan stood at the edge of the school's underground market—a lawless zone where drugs, illegal mods, and black-tier missions were traded.
Beside him stood a familiar face—Kai, the former gang enforcer Jihan had broken back in Chapter 17.
Kai now wore Jihan's symbol: a chain, split down the middle, carved into his neck.
"You sure we're ready to make noise again?"
Jihan looked ahead. Calm.
"I'm not just breaking systems anymore…"
"I'm building one."
[SYSTEM NOTICE – FACTION CREATION UNLOCKED]
You have become a Core-Node User. Access to Faction System granted.
Faction: Chainbreakers (Level 1)
Perk Unlocked: Rogue Network
– Gain intel and recruitment options for other anomalies.
Members: 1 (You)
Requirement: Recruit at least 3 awakened anomalies to activate Faction Core.
Jihan's goal was clear now.
Recruit. Build. Prepare.
The System had sent its best to kill him—and failed.
Now it would come harder, faster, stronger.
But he wasn't alone anymore.
"Time to hunt my own anomalies," he whispered.
"And break the system from the inside out."
End of Chapter 31