The alley was dark. Wet. Cold.
Jin Haru stood in the middle, blood dripping from his nose. His jacket was torn. His knuckles were bruised.
Around him, five boys circled like hungry wolves. They wore the red jackets of the boxing gang—tough students from another school.
"Thought you were hot stuff, huh?" one of them spat, cracking his neck. "Beating some low-level punks doesn't mean you can touch us."
Another one laughed, stepping forward. He had a metal bat in hand. "We're elites. And you? You're just a poser."
Jin Haru didn't move. His hands were shaking.
Earlier, he had followed a message from Baek Jinho, asking him to come to this alley. But it wasn't Jinho. It was a trap.
"REI," he whispered in his mind.
No response.
He tried again. "REI… system… respond."
Still silence.
They had used some kind of EMP device. A cheap one, but enough to shut down REI temporarily. He was alone.
One of the boys stepped in and punched him hard in the gut.
Haru gasped, falling to one knee.
Another kick hit his side. Then another.
The pain was real. The world spun.
He tried to fight back, swinging a fist. He hit someone, but his body was too slow. His copied skills—half-finished—couldn't keep up without REI's support.
They grabbed him and slammed him into the wall.
Blood ran down his forehead. His chest burned.
"Why don't you scream, huh?" a boy laughed. "Too proud?"
One of them punched his face again.
Something cracked.
His vision blurred. His heartbeat slowed.
Then…
A memory flashed.
A dark room. A failed experiment. A boy screaming in pain, begging for help.
"Let me go!"
He remembered the sound of bones breaking.
The blood.
The guilt.
And then—he remembered his promise.
"I'll never hurt anyone again."
But now… these boys… they didn't care.
They wanted to break him.
They wanted to make him feel powerless again.
The blood on his lips tasted bitter.
His fists curled.
Then—his eyes changed.
A soft blue glow lit up in the darkness.
One of the gang members stepped back. "Wh-What the hell?"
"His eyes… they're glowing…"
The glow spread. His veins pulsed. His muscles tightened. His posture straightened.
But this time—he didn't fall unconscious.
He knew what was happening.
He was still awake.
Combat Mode: Activated. Conscious State.
He could hear REI's voice again.
:: SYSTEM ONLINE. WELCOME BACK, CREATOR. ::
The air grew heavy. The boys froze.
Jin Haru took a slow step forward. Then another.
The first boy screamed and charged with his bat.
Crack!
A perfect block. Jin twisted the boy's wrist, flipped him over, and slammed him into the ground.
Second attacker rushed in with a flurry of punches. Jin moved like a ghost—dodging, weaving, striking.
Every punch he blocked. Every move he countered.
He wasn't copying anymore.
He was perfecting.
Three seconds later, two boys were down.
The fourth hesitated, throwing a wild kick. Jin caught it, twisted the leg, and sent the boy flying into the trash cans.
The last one dropped his weapon and ran.
But Jin was already behind him.
One chop to the back of the neck—and silence.
Only the sound of wind.
And heavy breathing.
Jin Haru stood in the center of the alley, five bodies lying around him.
His hoodie was soaked in blood. His fists were shaking.
But his eyes—still glowing blue—were calm.
"...I'm awake," he whispered. "This time, I didn't lose control."
REI's voice returned in his mind.
:: You have entered a new state: Controlled Combat Mode. System evolution beginning. ::
He looked down at his hands.
"Is this… who I really am?"
The streetlights flickered. Sirens echoed in the distance.
He turned and walked away, leaving the broken gang behind.
But he didn't feel proud.
He felt cold.
Heavy.
As if something inside him had opened up.
And once opened…
It would never close again.