The city collapsed faster than Ethan expected.

Not physically.

Not completely.

But socially.

Mentally.

Structurally.

Fear spread quicker than destruction ever could.

Sirens echoed endlessly through the streets as Ethan Carter stepped out of the convenience store into a world that no longer felt stable. People crowded intersections in confusion, staring at their phones, screaming at loved ones, trying desperately to understand what was happening.

But ordinary people couldn’t see the full truth.

Only fragments.

System users saw everything.

Distortions.

Signals.

Markers.

Assignments.

And now—

Targets.

Rain poured steadily from the gray sky above as Ethan walked through the growing panic with controlled breathing.

Focused State remained fully active.

His senses stretched outward carefully.

Every movement mattered now.

Every decision carried weight.

Because the moment the system assigned him Hunted Status, everything changed.

The interface remained visible in the corner of his vision.

FIRST JUDGMENT TASK

SURVIVE FOR 72 HOURS

SPECIAL CONDITION: HUNTED STATUS

TIME REMAINING: 71:42:13

Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly.

"...Seventy-two hours."

Three days.

That was all.

Three days to survive whatever the system planned.

And something told him the danger wouldn’t come from only monsters.

The cashier exited the store behind him quietly.

Gone was the relaxed employee act from earlier.

Now he looked like a completely different person.

Alert.

Sharp.

Prepared.

He lit a cigarette calmly despite the rain.

"You should leave crowded areas."

Ethan glanced at him.

"...Because of panic?"

The man shook his head once.

"Because of users."

That answer was worse.

Ethan looked around carefully again.

At first glance, the crowd appeared normal.

But once Focused State deepened—

He saw them.

Several individuals scattered throughout the street weren’t panicking.

They were observing.

Watching.

Calculating.

Some already staring directly at him.

Ethan immediately understood.

"...They can identify me."

The cashier exhaled smoke slowly.

"Not all hunted users are marked visibly."

A pause.

"But strong users can sense abnormal signals."

Ethan’s eyes sharpened slightly.

"...And I’m abnormal."

The man gave a faint humorless smile.

"Very."

The system suddenly pulsed softly.

WARNING:

HOSTILE USER INTENT DETECTED

Ethan reacted instantly.

He turned sharply—

A figure sprinted through the crowd toward him.

Fast.

Too fast for a normal human.

People screamed as the man shoved civilians aside violently.

His eyes were locked entirely onto Ethan.

Not anger.

Not hatred.

Hunger.

Focused State activated further.

Predictive Analysis aligned automatically.

The attacker reached him within seconds.

CRACK!

Ethan sidestepped instantly as a fist smashed into a metal street sign behind him, bending it unnaturally.

The crowd exploded into panic.

People scattered in every direction.

Cars slammed brakes.

Screams echoed across the street.

The attacker smiled wildly.

"Found one."

Ethan stepped backward calmly.

Analyzing.

Male.

Mid-twenties.

Enhanced strength.

Unstable emotional state.

Dangerous—

But reckless.

The cashier sighed quietly behind Ethan.

"First-stage predators."

Ethan didn’t look away from the attacker.

"...Predators?"

The man answered calmly.

"Users who hunt others early to grow faster."

That confirmed Ethan’s suspicion immediately.

The system rewarded elimination.

Or at least survival through conflict.

The attacker lunged again.

Faster this time.

Wild.

Aggressive.

But Ethan saw the pattern instantly.

Too direct.

Too emotional.

He shifted sideways smoothly.

The attack missed.

Counter.

CRACK!

Ethan’s elbow struck the attacker’s ribs precisely.

A clean hit.

Efficient.

The man staggered backward with a snarl.

But instead of caution—

He became excited.

"Good."

His smile widened unnaturally.

"That means killing you matters."

Ethan’s expression remained calm.

But internally—

Everything sharpened.

This was different from previous fights.

Before, encounters happened naturally.

Randomly.

Now?

Users would actively hunt each other.

The Judgment Phase wasn’t testing growth anymore.

It was accelerating conflict.

The attacker rushed forward again.

This time pulling a knife from his jacket. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The crowd screamed louder.

Several civilians ran directly into traffic trying to escape.

Ethan adjusted his breathing carefully.

Focused State slowed his perception slightly.

Not time itself.

Just processing.

The attacker slashed violently—

Ethan leaned back narrowly.

Blade passing inches from his throat.

Counter movement.

Precise.

He grabbed the attacker’s wrist—

Redirected—

Knee strike—

CRACK!

The attacker lost balance instantly.

Ethan twisted the knife away smoothly.

Predictive Analysis activated deeper.

He saw it.

A hesitation.

A flaw in movement.

Enough.

Ethan moved first.

Fast.

Controlled.

CRACK!

The knife handle slammed against the attacker’s temple.

Hard.

Precise.

The man collapsed onto the wet pavement unconscious.

Silence spread briefly.

Heavy silence.

The civilians nearby stared in shock.

Terrified.

Confused.

Because what they had just witnessed—

Wasn’t normal human combat anymore.

Ethan stepped backward slowly.

Breathing steady.

No wasted movement.

The system pulsed immediately.

HOSTILE USER DEFEATED

ADAPTATION RATE INCREASED

No rewards.

No celebration.

Just acknowledgment.

The cashier studied Ethan carefully now.

More seriously than before.

"...You adjusted mid-fight again."

Ethan glanced toward him.

"...I had to."

The man shook his head slightly.

"No."

A pause.

"You evolve instinctively."

That statement lingered heavily.

Because Ethan was beginning to realize it too.

His growth no longer felt entirely deliberate.

The system was changing how he processed conflict itself.

Another pulse spread across the city suddenly.

This one stronger.

Both men immediately looked upward.

Distortions appeared in the sky again.

Far larger than before.

And then—

Something descended.

Not human.

Not stable.

Not natural.

Several massive shadow-like forms emerged high above the city skyline, partially concealed within distorted space itself.

People below began screaming immediately.

Cars crashed.

Crowds scattered everywhere.

Ethan’s heartbeat slowed.

Not from calmness.

From focus.

The system reacted violently.

JUDGMENT ENTITY DESCENT DETECTED

The cashier’s expression darkened immediately.

"...They’re early."

Ethan looked toward him.

"...What are those?"

The answer came quietly.

Too quietly.

"Cleanup units."

That phrase sent immediate tension through Ethan’s body.

One of the giant distorted figures moved suddenly.

Fast despite its size.

Then—

A section of the street several blocks away exploded.

BOOM.

Concrete shattered upward violently.

People screamed.

Buildings trembled.

Ethan’s eyes sharpened instantly.

That wasn’t random destruction.

It targeted something.

Or someone.

The cashier immediately started walking away.

Fast.

Purposeful.

"If you want to survive your seventy-two hours..."

He glanced back briefly.

"...stop thinking like a human."

Then he disappeared into the chaos.

Ethan stood still for a moment as panic spread across the city.

Rain poured harder now.

The Judgment Event was escalating rapidly.

And somewhere above—

Those massive entities continued descending slowly toward the city.

Focused State deepened automatically.

Ethan analyzed everything.

Escape routes.

Movement patterns.

Crowd density.

Possible attack zones.

Then—

The system pulsed again.

SPECIAL NOTICE:

HUNTED USERS HAVE INCREASED ENTITY AGGRESSION

Ethan froze slightly.

"...What?"

Too late.

One of the distant shadow entities suddenly stopped moving.

Then slowly turned—

Directly toward him.

The pressure that followed was overwhelming.

Even from blocks away.

People nearby collapsed instinctively from fear.

Car alarms exploded across the street.

Windows cracked.

And Ethan understood immediately.

It had noticed him.

The giant distorted figure began moving.

Straight toward his location.

Fast.

Far too fast.

Ethan’s eyes sharpened completely.

No panic.

No hesitation.

Only one clear thought remained.

Run.

He turned instantly and sprinted into the collapsing city as the first true hunt of the Judgment Phase began behind him.