Ch 9 - Awakening

Evan never expected to witness a sight like this in his life.

Reid stood before the boss, pointing an ordinary handgun at it. Anyone else might have laughed at what his brother was doing, but Evan knew without a doubt that he could defeat the mutated tree.

After Reid restored his body, Evan was almost certain that he was Reuel. The novel had described the sensation of being healed by Sacred Light, and what Evan had just experienced matched it perfectly. An all-encompassing warmth enveloped him, as though the sun itself had wrapped him in its embrace. The sensation was so soothing that he could have drifted off.

Not that he could relax after confirming his suspicions. He was about to witness Reuel, the Legendary Demon Hunter, face off against a Rift Boss.

The tree roared in fury and swung both arms at Reid. He leaped into the air, avoiding the blow before landing atop one of its limbs. He sprinted along the enormous branch with astonishing speed. The creature tried to crush him with its free hand, but Reid raised his gun.

Bang!

The pistol fired. It should have fired nothing more than an ordinary bullet, the kind found in any police officer's handgun. Yet this one shimmered with an intense golden hue as it slammed into the monster's hand.

Kaboom!

Instead of bouncing off, it detonated on impact. When the light faded, a crater had been blasted into the creature's palm.

Evan recognized what Reid was doing the moment Sacred Light flowed into the round. His breath caught. An ordinary bullet couldn't contain such power, and a single mistake could make it detonate before ever leaving the barrel. Yet Reid infused it without the slightest hesitation, as if he'd done it thousands of times before. Only Reuel could pull off something so absurd.

"Grrraaaaaaaaaah!" The tree roared as countless vines burst from its body and shot toward Reid.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Reid fired in rapid succession. Some of the vines were blown apart, while the rest failed to touch him as he darted between them. Breaking through the creature's defenses, he sprinted up its arm and launched himself into the air, his weapon trained on its face.

BLAM!

The tree recoiled as the round struck home. When the smoke cleared, its face had been torn apart, revealing the inside of the trunk. Deep within, a crimson core pulsed like a beating heart.

Reid landed on the creature’s shoulder, his footing steady despite the tree shifting beneath him. Without wasting the opportunity, he emptied the rest of his magazine into the exposed core. As the final shot rang out, he holstered his pistol and drew a short dagger forged from dark metal, its surface gleaming beneath the sunlight.

In one fluid motion, he dragged the blade across his palm. Fresh blood spilled onto the dagger, coating it crimson. Reid’s expression remained unchanged, as though the self-inflicted wound were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

"Aeth Luxara Ven," he chanted.

The blood coating the dagger began to shine. As the creature struggled to remain upright, Reid pushed off its shoulder and leaped away. At the peak of his jump, he hurled the dagger toward the center of its torso.

"Thaevareth."

The blood stirred. Intricate runes emerged across the blade, shifting and reforming into new symbols with each passing moment.

"Volkaris!"

FWOOOOSSSHHHH!

The blood erupted. Sacred flames burst from the dagger and spread across the creature like wildfire. The half-conscious beast thrashed, trying to beat out the blaze with its massive limbs, but every frantic movement only fed the inferno. The flames raced across its bark-covered frame, devouring every branch in their path. Within seconds, the towering beast had become a colossal bonfire.

The burning spectacle reflected in Evan’s dark eyes as he rose to his feet and made his way toward the arena. He had no fear of the creature rising again to attack them. His attention remained fixed on the man standing before the fallen giant, surrounded by swirling embers and smoke. The glow from the burning tree cast his shadow across the ground, making him seem almost larger than life.

"Bro—" Evan began as he ran toward him.

[Hidden Achievement Unlocked!]

A System window appeared before Reid.

[Hidden Achievement: Impossible Variable!]
[You have defeated an A-rank Boss without undergoing Awakening.]
[Special Reward Issued.]
[Reward: Awakening]

Reid studied the message, his expression tightening. Then he slowly raised his hand.

What kind of abilities would Reid gain after becoming an Awakener? He was already ridiculously strong with his Demon Hunter skills and experience, but now he would become even stronger.

However, instead of pressing the confirm button, Reid's hand crackled with power. With a single strike, he shattered the System window into countless fragments.

"I've no need to make an agreement with some unknown entity," Reid said. "Begone."

Evan's jaw dropped as the glittering pieces of the System window fluttered through the air. This crazy overpowered bastard. Who the hell just says no to the System?

As if unwilling to accept the rejection, the System flooded Reid's vision with even more floating windows. Reid swatted them away one after another with a casual wave, like persistent flies that refused to leave him alone.

A laugh almost escaped Evan as he watched the absurd scene unfold. In the first place, there hadn't even been a "Reject" option when the System offered that reward. Anyone else would have accepted it without a second thought and celebrated their good fortune. But Reid was a Demon Hunter. There was no way he'd make a contract with some mysterious entity. Evan wouldn't have expected anything less from the Legendary Demon Hunter.

Evan's mouth curled into a schadenfreude-fueled grin. Good. He had always been the one getting stomped beneath the System's whims. Now, watching his mortal enemy get rejected outright, his heart skipped with joy.

That's what you get for trying to mess with an overpowered protagonist!

[(凸ಠ益ಠ)凸]

Another System window appeared before him.

[The Curse of ■■■■■■ stirs.]

Swoosh!

Evan looked up and barely had time to register a flying branch, broken off from the fallen tree, hurtling straight toward him like divine punishment.

Thwack!

It smacked him squarely in the head, sending Evan stumbling backward before he hit the ground in a spectacularly dramatic fall.

"Evan!" Reid shouted, watching his brother face-plant onto the ground. He rushed over and picked him up. "Are you okay?"

Damn you, System, he cursed. One day he would break free from this damned curse and hunt down whatever demented being was casting it.

This was a promise!

With the Awakened Thornwood Tree now down, Reid went to heal Harlan, Yuyan, and Marcus. He used his Sacred Light to treat only their worst injuries before handing them the usual red potions to recover the rest.

When Harlan regained consciousness, he shot upright and shouted, "The kids!"

"Please calm down, sir. The Awakened Thornwood Tree has been defeated," Reid said.

"R-really?" Harlan looked around, taking in the charred tree before his attention shifted to Evan, who was pouring a healing draught into Marcus's mouth.

"Cough, cough! I'm... alive?" Marcus muttered, still groggy.

"Yeah," Evan said, helping him sit up before handing him the vial so he could finish the drink himself. He glanced at Yuyan, who was finishing hers, then averted his gaze.

"B-but how?" Harlan asked.

"My brother awakened and beat the boss," Evan said, covering for Reid.

"Really?" Marcus exclaimed. "Then he has to be at least an A-rank Awakener to take that thing down!"

"Thank you, mister!" Yuyan said with a smile.

Reid gave a small smile. "It's nothing, but I would appreciate it if you refrain from discussing what happened here for now."

"What do you mean?" Harlan frowned.

Evan could guess what Harlan was thinking. An Irregular Rift of that size couldn't simply be covered up, and Harlan hadn't been close enough to fabricate a story on Reid's behalf. Once they got out, someone would have to file a report. That was standard procedure after every Rift operation, and an irregular gate would draw even greater scrutiny.

"Nothing major," Reid said, pulling out his badge. "I just… entered the gate without authorization, so my supervisor isn’t exactly pleased with me right now."

Seeing the Rift Support Technician ID, Harlan's guarded expression softened slightly.

He added, "I'm not asking you to lie for me, but I would really appreciate it if you didn't say anything about this to the press. It could cause serious problems for me."

"I see. I understand," Harlan said, nodding. "And I’m grateful you came to save us."

With the wounded now able to walk on their own, they all headed toward the exit portal the System had created. Stepping through the Rift, they were greeted by the chaotic wail of emergency sirens and a crowd of Awakeners, police officers, and medical personnel. Voices overlapped as people shouted orders and exchanged updates, but the commotion fell silent the moment they saw the group of five emerge. Behind them, the unstable Rift sealed itself and disappeared into nothingness.

Many blinked in disbelief, while others pinched themselves to make sure they weren't imagining it. The first to move was a woman in her early fifties who marched straight toward them.

Fine lines marked the corners of her eyes and mouth. Her dark brown hair, streaked with gray, was pulled into a low bun at the back of her head. Her irises were a deep brown, framed by faint crow's feet. She wore a dark gray tailored blazer over a plain white blouse, with a simple ID badge clipped to her chest. Her sleeves were buttoned neatly at the wrists.

Evan glanced at the ID. Shin Soo-jin, RCB Director. Why was such a big shot here? He blinked as she stopped in front of him, his mind scrambling to figure out whether he was supposed to know her.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, Director Shin looked him up and down. "You're okay. That's good." Then she turned to the paramedics. "Take care of the wounded."

Hearing that order, the paramedics moved and rushed over to the four survivors.

Meanwhile, Director Shin faced Reid. After giving him a quick once-over, she said, "You seem uninjured. Come with me. We have to talk."

Evan watched his brother follow Director Shin toward her car, wondering if he was about to get scolded.

***

Soo-jin and Reid sat inside her car. The spacious interior was lined with soft leather seats stitched in neat patterns, while polished wood trim accented the doors and dashboard. The cabin was quiet, insulated from the bustle outside, with only the faint hum of the engine disturbing the stillness. Lighting a cigarette, she offered the pack to Reid, who accepted and lit one of his own.

"I don't think I need to tell you how stupid you've acted," Soo-jin said.

"I just think it was necessary," Reid said.

Soo-jin took a long drag and closed her eyes. Not for the first time, she cursed the fact that Reid was his mother's son through and through. The same stubbornness. The same fierce independence. Losing his parents hadn't changed him. Neither had the years spent raising Evan alone. No matter how much life piled onto his shoulders, Reid remained frustratingly, unwaveringly himself.

"So, care to explain how you managed to not only escape the Irregular Rift, but also bring the four survivors out alive and well?" Soo-jin asked.

Even at a glance, their condition was strange. Their torn, bloodied clothes told one story, yet all four stood straight without wheezing or grimacing in pain. And she was sure she wasn't the only one who had noticed. The paramedics had likely already realized that someone else had treated their injuries before they arrived.

"I awakened," Reid said, as if he were talking about the weather.

"Of course you did."

Her mind flashed back to that incident nearly a decade ago. Reid was crouched amid the wreckage of their home, clutching an unconscious Evan in his arms. Countless monster corpses surrounded him, while those bright golden eyes silently warned her to keep her distance.

"What did you awaken as? A Healer, I presume," Soo-jin said. "But how will you explain defeating the boss? Don't tell me that C-rank Awakened did it. That Rift was B-rank."

"He managed to damage it with a fire crystal before I arrived. I just finished it off," Reid said.

"That's your answer?" Soo-jin arched an eyebrow.

"Yes." Reid took a drag from his cigarette.

"You're giving me enough paperwork as it is."

"I'm sorry, Director."

"If you're sorry, make sure you stay out of trouble for a while."

"I'll ensure that I won't create any problems for you in the future."

Soo-jin scoffed. "Don't make promises you can't keep, brat."

A/N:

Reid: I won’t cause any more trouble. Pinky promise.

Soo-jin: Press X to doubt.

What chance does the System have against an overpowered protagonist? None! XD

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