The world didn't fade to black; it shattered.
One moment, Min-ho was gasping for air in a damp, trash-strewn alleyway. The next, the smell of rain and ozone was replaced by the biting, metallic chill of the Slumber Realm.
He collapsed onto the black sand, his school uniform tattered and soaked in the Serpent's black ichor. In the real world, his heart was barely beating, but here, the 110x time dilation took over.
[Emergency Slumber Initialized.]
[Physical Integrity: 1.2%]
[Warning: Cellular Collapse Imminent. Forced Synchronization Engaged.]
'Everything... hurts,' Min-ho thought, his fingers twitching in the sand.
Even in this dream state, he could feel the phantom echoes of his muscles tearing. He had used Rank D power with a body that was still settling into its new frame. It was like putting a jet engine into a sedan; the frame was buckling under the pressure.
[Slumber Credits Detected: 1,500]
[Automatic Purchase Triggered: 'Basic Cellular Regeneration' (Scripture)]
[-800 Credits]
A warm, golden light erupted from the black sand beneath him, snaking up his limbs like glowing vines. The pain didn't stop, but it changed—it went from a sharp, tearing sensation to a deep, throbbing heat.
'I'm a fool,' he thought, staring up at the violet vortex in the sky. 'I almost died back there. If I'm going to protect Min-ah... if I'm going to be the Sovereign... I can't just be a glass cannon.'
He looked at his remaining points.
'System. Put 4 points into Stamina and 3 into Agility. I need to be fast enough that they can't touch me, and tough enough to survive the recoil of my own strength.'
[Allocating Points...]
[Physical Reconstruction 2.0 beginning in Real-Time.]
Back at the school, the atmosphere was chaotic. High-tier Hunter ambulances lined the streets, and the "Iron Tiger" squads were sweeping the gym for any remaining rift energy.
Agent Kang stood by the shattered window, his radio crackling with reports.
"Sir, we've checked the perimeter," a junior agent said, breathless. "No sign of the white-haired individual. But we found something in the alleyway behind the convenience store."
Kang turned, his eyes sharp. "What?"
"Blood. High-concentration mana residue. It's fresh."
Kang sprinted to the alley, his heart racing. He arrived to find a team of mages hovering over a patch of damp pavement. The trash was disturbed, and there was a clear indentation in the mud where a body had been lying only moments ago.
"He was here," Kang whispered, touching the ground. It was still warm. "The mana signature is... erratic. He's injured."
He looked up at the surrounding rooftops. "Seal the district. I want every student's mana file re-checked. If he's a student, he can't hide that weight forever."
Min-ho's eyes snapped open.
He was no longer in the alley. His body had moved on autopilot during the forced slumber, dragging himself into a crawlspace beneath an abandoned construction site a few blocks away.
He felt... different. The "heavy" feeling was gone, replaced by a dense, coiled energy. He stood up, and his movements were silent. The grit under his boots didn't even crunch.
[Skill Acquired: Silent Step (Passive)]
[Description: Your movements produce 80% less noise. Footprints are minimized.]
He looked at his hands. The blood was gone, absorbed or washed away by the sheer heat his body had produced during the reconstruction. His school blazer was ruined, but his skin was unblemished.
'I stayed under for two hours in the real world,' Min-ho calculated, checking his phone. 'That's over 200 hours of recovery and training in the Slumber Realm.'
He stepped out of the shadows, his white hair catching the moonlight. He could see the search lights of the Association drones circling the school.
'They're looking for a monster,' he thought, a cold smile touching his lips. 'Let them look. By the time they find me, a C-Rank Gate will look like child's play.'
He headed home, moving through the shadows like a ghost. He had a sister to check on, and a massive bowl of stew to eat.