Juan blinked as the hum from the steel door intensified. The handle rattled. Then, silence.
He glanced at Althea—still asleep, peaceful. He didn't want to wake her. Didn't want to worry her.
The door creaked open.
Two men stepped inside. Not doctors. Not nurses.
The first wore a black leather coat over tactical gear, a Hunter Guild badge clipped to his collar. Sharp-eyed, with a scar tracing his jawline. The other looked older, in a formal Barong Tagalog—his eyes calculating, the kind that read people like folders.
Juan sat up slightly, wincing. "Who...?"
The man in tactical gear nodded. "Juan Taraki?"
"That's me."
"I'm Agent Roco, Guild Affairs. This is Director Salonga from the Awakened Registration Bureau."
Salonga gave a small smile. "We're here to ask a few questions. May we?"
Juan's throat was dry. "Go ahead."
Salonga glanced at Althea. "Your sister?"
"Yes."
"We won't take long."
They pulled chairs closer.
Roco spoke first. "You were inside an S-rank portal. That's not something many non-Awakened survive. In fact... none do."
Juan swallowed hard. "I didn't fight. I just hid."
Salonga leaned forward. "And yet the system activated. You manifested a skill."
Juan said nothing. His hand instinctively twitched.
The IV stand beside his bed rattled again, faintly.
Roco noticed. "That's what we want to confirm."
Salonga opened a small black case. Inside was a rectangular crystal device, glowing faint blue.
"This is a Detection Core. Place your hand on it."
Juan hesitated.
"It's safe," Salonga assured. "If you are Awakened, we'll know."
Juan took a breath and placed his palm on the crystal.
The light flickered.
Then pulsed.
[AWAKENED SIGNATURE DETECTED]
Class: UNKNOWN
Attribute Affinity: METAL - 100%
Designation: FORGED ONE
The room went quiet.
Even Roco looked surprised. "That's... a pure affinity. Very rare."
Salonga was already scribbling notes. "No element contamination. No hybrid tags. This is unprecedented."
Juan pulled his hand back. "What does that mean?"
Roco straightened. "It means you're officially Awakened, Juan Taraki. You survived an S-rank portal, awakened with a unique-class power, and have the potential to become a licensed Hunter."
Juan blinked. "Me? A Hunter?"
Salonga nodded. "We'd like to sponsor your immediate evaluation. If you pass, you'll be issued a Class E Hunter License. Training and advancement can follow."
Juan's heart raced.
"But... I don't know how to fight. I'm not like those guild guys. I was just a porter."
Roco gave a rare smile. "Everyone starts somewhere. But people don't get powers like this by accident."
Juan looked at his hand. The metal on the IV pole began to coil gently, responding to his thoughts.
He wasn't dreaming.
He had power.
Salonga stood. "Think about it, Mr. Taraki. The world has changed. And so have you."
Roco added, "There's a place at the Bureau. A training center. You'll be safe. Fed. Paid."
Juan glanced at Althea.
He thought of tuition. Of monsters. Of revenge.
His jaw tightened.
"I'll do it."
As they left the room, the system whispered again in his mind:
"Quest Accepted: The First Step."
"Objective: Obtain Hunter License. Reward: Skill Upgrade Token + System Access."
Juan smiled faintly.
The game had begun.
TO BE CONTINUED...