Rain poured endlessly over Iron City.
The streets of the slums were filled with mud, broken buildings, and the smell of rust and smoke. Neon lights flickered above the crowded alleys, but their glow could not hide the poverty that swallowed this part of the city.
Ethan Vale pulled his thin jacket tighter around his body as he walked through the rain.
He was seventeen years old, but life had already carved exhaustion into his eyes.
"Move it, trash!"
A loud voice shouted from behind him.
Ethan quickly stepped aside as a sleek black car sped past, splashing muddy water all over his clothes.
Inside the car were students from Iron City Academy, the most prestigious school in the city.
Students who had Systems.
In this world, systems were everything.
Every year, when someone turned sixteen, a mysterious phenomenon called System Awakening occurred.
Some people would hear a voice in their mind.
A System choosing them.
Those chosen would gain abilities—strength, magic, skills beyond imagination.
And their lives would change forever.
But Ethan?
Nothing happened to him last year.
No system.
No power.
Nothing.
He was just another useless orphan from the slums.
Ethan sighed and continued walking.
Tonight he had a job.
A dangerous one.
Monster corpses had appeared outside the city walls, and scavengers like him could earn money by collecting valuable parts.
Normally, hunters from the Academy would handle monsters.
But sometimes... they missed things.
And poor people like Ethan risked their lives to collect whatever remained.
"Just grab something and leave," Ethan muttered to himself.
"I need money for food."
After nearly an hour of walking, he finally reached the city wall.
Beyond it stretched a dark wasteland.
The place where monsters roamed.
Most people were too afraid to go there.
But hunger was stronger than fear.
Ethan climbed through a broken section of the wall and carefully stepped into the wasteland.
The wind howled across the empty land.
Broken bones and dark stains covered the ground.
Signs of battle.
Hunters must have fought monsters here earlier today.
Ethan's eyes quickly scanned the area.
Then he saw it.
A dead monster lying near a crater.
A large wolf-like creature with black fur and sharp claws.
"Jackpot," Ethan whispered.
He quickly ran toward it.
Monster claws and teeth could sell for a lot of money.
Maybe enough for several weeks of food.
But as Ethan approached the corpse, something strange happened.
The air suddenly became cold.
Very cold.
A dark mist slowly began to rise from the monster's body.
Ethan froze.
"What… is that?"
The mist moved like a living thing.
Then it rushed straight toward him.
Before he could react—
The darkness entered his body.
Pain exploded inside his head.
Ethan collapsed to the ground.
"AAARGH!"
His vision turned black.
Then suddenly—
A voice echoed inside his mind.
Cold.
Ancient.
And powerful.
[System Activation Detected]
Ethan's eyes snapped open.
"What…?"
More words appeared in front of his eyes, glowing in the darkness.
[Warning]
Forbidden System Detected
[Shadow System has chosen a new host]
Ethan's heart began to pound violently.
"A… system?"
But the messages continued.
[Initializing Shadow System...]
[Level 1 Host Confirmed]
[First Ability Unlocked: Shadow Absorption]
Ethan slowly stood up, trembling.
He didn't understand what was happening.
But deep inside…
He could feel something.
Something dark.
Something powerful.
The dead monster beside him suddenly began to dissolve into black smoke.
And the smoke flowed directly into Ethan's body.
A new message appeared.
[Monster Essence Absorbed]
[Host Strength Increased]
Ethan stared at his hands in shock.
"I… got stronger?"
Then the system spoke again.
[New Quest Generated]
Quest: First Hunt
Kill your first living monster.
Reward:
Shadow Skill Unlock
Failure:
Death
Ethan's face turned pale.
"What…?"
Then he heard something behind him.
A low growl.
Slowly, he turned around.
In the darkness of the wasteland…
Two glowing red eyes stared back at him.
A monster.
And it was very much alive.
Ethan swallowed nervously.
The system message appeared again.
[Quest Started]
And at that moment…
Ethan realized something terrifying.
His life as a normal human…
Was already over.
To Be Continued…