The adrenaline faded, leaving only the crushing weight of reality.
The dark alley was dead quiet except for the ragged, wet sound of Jin-Woo's breathing. He lay flat on his back, the cold asphalt digging into his spine. Blood pooled rapidly beneath him, thick and dark, creeping toward the scattered trash. He tried to lift his hand, but his muscles completely refused to obey. He was paralyzed by his own broken limits.
[System Warning] [Vessel Integrity: 22%] [Emergency Stabilization Required]
"So this is the cost..." Jin-Woo thought, his consciousness slipping into the dark.
The sharp clatter of metal broke the silence. Seo-Ah dropped her bloodstained bat and fell to her knees beside Jin-Woo, her tough, defiant facade finally shattering.
"Hey... hey! Don't die here!" she pleaded, her voice cracking in pure panic. Her hands shook violently as she grabbed the hem of her jacket, pressing it desperately against his bleeding shoulder to staunch the flow. She wasn't just the brave girl anymore; she was terrified.
"Pressure on the wound! Don't let him bleed out!" Tae-Soo's voice cut through the chaos. He didn't freeze. Dropping to his knees on the other side, his eyes were sharp and focused behind his glowing glasses. He immediately took control, his role as the anchor of the group instantly solidifying.
A few feet away, the delivery boy was still trembling. He dragged himself closer, his eyes wide as he stared at the boy bleeding out on the pavement.
"You... you came back for me..." the kid whispered, a raw, entirely personal kind of awe in his voice.
As he spoke the words, a brilliant blue interface forcefully projected itself into Jin-Woo's fading vision.
[System Prompt] [Apostle Contract Available] Target: [Unregistered Human] Condition: Mutual Consent Cost: Authority Fragment (Temporary Loss) Benefit: Shared Vitality / Faith Amplification
Jin-Woo gritted his teeth, forcing his heavy eyelids open. He looked at the trembling boy, his voice reduced to a broken, bloody rasp that carried absolute weight.
"If you accept... you don't get to run anymore."
The delivery boy hesitated, his breath catching in his throat as the sheer gravity of the choice pressed down on him.
"He'll die if you don't!" Seo-Ah screamed, tears finally spilling over her cheeks.
The boy looked at Seo-Ah's panicked face, the pooling blood, and finally, Jin-Woo's fading eyes. He clenched his fists into the dirty asphalt.
"...I don't want to die."
[System Alert] [Consent Confirmed] [Contract Initiated]
A brilliant, ethereal thread of pale light snapped into existence in the dark alley, bridging the space between Jin-Woo's chest and the boy's. Warmth instantly flooded Jin-Woo's freezing veins. The suffocating pain receded just enough for him to draw a desperate, full breath.
[System Status] [Vessel Stabilized: 22% → 31%] [Faith Link Established] [Apostle Slot: 1/3] [Passive: Damage Distribution (Minor)] [Passive: Emotional Resonance Boost]
The bleeding slowed. His body... held together.
The delivery boy stared at his own trembling hands, watching the faint glow of the ethereal tether fade into his skin. "What... what am I now?"
But the system wasn't done. The comforting blue light of the text suddenly flickered, turning a menacing crimson.
[System Warning] [Authority Reduced: -2%] [Critical Warning: Overuse may degrade divinity]
Jin-Woo stared at the red text. The message was loud and clear. Something inside him felt... thinner.
The immediate danger was over, but the suffocating pressure in the air hadn't lifted. Jin-Woo slowly tilted his head back, looking up at the pitch-black sky. That thing... the unseen presence from before... it was still watching them.
[System Alert] [Observation Logged] [Unknown Entity: Class ???]
Tae-Soo slowly looked up, following Jin-Woo's gaze. The color drained from the strategist's face as paranoia set in. "We were seen... weren't we?"
Slowly, leaning heavily on Seo-Ah's shoulder, Jin-Woo sat up. Seo-Ah wiped her eyes, exhausted but fundamentally hardened by the night. Tae-Soo adjusted his glasses, his mind already rapidly calculating their next move. And the delivery boy sat there in silence, unable to look away from Jin-Woo.
"We're not done," Jin-Woo muttered, looking at his newly formed team.
Before anyone could reply, the system delivered one final, chilling blow.
[System Alert] [New Directive Unlocked] [Expand Faith Network] [Next Target: Pending]
[Warning: Competing Authority Detected]