The wind picked up as Su Chen left the park behind, tugging gently at his coat, carrying with it the scent of street food and blooming flowers. The sun had begun to dip low, casting elongated shadows across the pavement. Yet, despite the casual evening calm, Su Chen's senses were sharp—his instincts heightened by the lingering effects of Beginner's Insight.
Someone was still watching him.
Not from the park anymore. He'd lost them there.
But the feeling hadn't vanished—it had just moved.
He glanced across the street. A delivery rider idled by a lamp post, helmet still on long after the bike had stopped. A pair of teenagers leaned against a wall, not talking, not even pretending to scroll their phones. Just… watching.
Su Chen's steps didn't falter. He didn't change direction. But in his mind, a shift occurred.
> Fame draws attention.
And attention draws… other things.
He turned down a quiet alley—not one of those cliché, ominous types. Just a shortcut. Familiar. Narrow enough that someone would have to get close to do anything.
Exactly what he wanted.
He passed a rusted bicycle. A boarded window. His shadow moved with him.
Then stopped.
So did he.
Footsteps echoed softly behind him.
One set.
Calm. Measured.
Su Chen turned around, slowly.
A man stood there. Older than him. Tall, with a trench coat too expensive for the part of town they were in. His eyes were sharp, almost gleaming beneath his mop of salt-and-pepper hair.
"You've got good instincts," the man said. "Didn't expect you to notice so soon."
Su Chen didn't answer.
The man smiled.
"No need to be tense. I'm not here to hurt you."
"That's what people usually say," Su Chen replied, voice low.
"Fair," the man nodded. "But I'm not interested in violence. I'm interested in... potential."
A pause.
"What do you want?" Su Chen asked.
"To see if you're real," the man said. "There's been talk. Someone pulling off clean saves. Quiet, honest work. No cameras, no PR stunts."
Su Chen raised a brow. "You followed me for that?"
The man chuckled. "No. I followed you because you're glowing."
Su Chen's pupils contracted slightly.
The man tapped his temple. "Not literally, of course. But I've… seen things. Felt things. You're carrying something. And if it's what I think it is… then we're going to have a lot more of these little chats."
Su Chen said nothing. He wasn't sure if this man was another system user, or just someone with a sharp intuition.
"You're not alone, Su Chen," the man said. "But you are early. Most don't awaken until later. You're... ahead of schedule."
Then he turned and walked away, hands in his pockets, humming a soft tune.
> [Beginner's Insight deactivated.]
As the world returned to its normal, unfiltered clarity, Su Chen felt something shift inside him.
He wasn't alone.
And he wasn't just being watched by bystanders.
Others were moving, hidden behind normal faces, normal lives. And the game was much bigger than he'd thought.
He stepped out of the alley, a soft breath escaping his lips.
His first fame point. His first strange encounter. And already, cracks were showing in the world around him.
But he didn't feel fear.
He felt something else.
Anticipation.