[Warning: Presence of high-threat awakened detected.]

  [The quest details have been changed.]

  [Deal with the normal humans in front within 10 minutes.]

  [And then immediately go to the 3rd floor.]

  [Quest failure: Death.]

  Johan made a ridiculous face. “Ah, not again!”

  Rushin stepped forward, his dagger glinting faintly in the dark as he licked his lips with a greasy grin. “Hey pig, I don’t know who you are, but you shouldn’t have come here. You see, you just interrupted our work. So, you must pay for that, don’t you think that’s right? Don’t blame us now. We don’t have any choice, hehehe.”

  The corridor reeked of antiseptic and fear. The nurses pressed themselves flat against the wall, their eyes wide and trembling. The rest of the gang spread out, their knives and pipes catching shadow, their smiles like hungry wolves circling prey.

  Johan reached up and removed the Oblivion Mask while speaking, his tone calm and steady. “I see.”

  As the mask vanished, his figure began to change. The pudgy, sluggish body melted away, replaced by a lean and toned physique. Muscles tightened under skin, his shoulders broadened, and his posture grew sharper. Even though the darkness hid his face, the transformation was undeniable.

  Rushin’s grin faltered. His eyes widened.

  “So, what if I refuse to pay?” Johan said, his voice turning serious.

  He exhaled, and the air itself seemed to grow heavier. His aura spread outward like an invisible storm front.

  The gangsters froze, their instincts screaming. A suffocating intent to kill pressed down on them, and every heartbeat seemed to hammer louder in their ears.

  Rakib stumbled back, his voice cracking as he shouted, “He... He’s also an awakened! Step back immediately, RUSHI—”

  But before he could finish, Johan moved.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  His fist slammed into Rushin’s stomach with brutal speed—BANG!—the impact exploding like thunder. Rushin’s body shot backward, a blur too fast for the eye to follow. The air whistled as he flew, and then—CRASH!—his body smashed into the wall, shattering tiles and stone in an eruption of dust and splinters.

  Silence followed, broken only by falling debris. The nurses gasped, staring in horror. The gang’s confidence evaporated in an instant.

  Johan lowered his fist slowly. His voice was calm but carried like steel through the corridor. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have the time to play with you. So, I’ll take you all at once.”

  His aura surged again, sharper and colder, cutting into their nerves like a blade.

  “NOW... COME AT ME ALL AT ONCE!”

  The gang hesitated, faces drained of color, but fear and pride forced them forward. And with a shout, they charged into the storm Johan had unleashed.

  Rakib’s mind raced as he watched the corridor erupt into violence. Rushin was the strongest among us. But that person took him with just one punch. I’m sure he is an awakener. Even if we all act together we can’t deal with an awakener. But we don’t have any choice. If we don’t do anything we will die eventually.

  He forced his eyes away from the fallen Rushin and glanced at the nurses, pale and huddled against the wall. Yeah, we can just take the nurses as the hostages. It’s the only way to deal with that person now.

  Rakib’s breath fogged in his chest. He tightened his grip on his weapon and prepared to act — and then his eyes widened, frozen on the darkness ahead. Johan’s feast was suddenly in front of his eyes. When did he—?

  Before Rakib could finish the thought, Johan’s fist hammered into his face with a brutal WHAM! The impact sounded like a sledgehammer on a bell. Rakib’s head snapped back; blood sprayed; bone and air protested in a wet explosion.

  He flew backward in a blur—whoosh!—and then CRASH! slammed into the wall. Tiles shattered, plaster rained down, and Rakib’s body crumpled, unconscious amid the rubble.

  Damn it. I was thinking too much that I didn’t even realize when he came in front of us, Rakib’s fading thoughts protested as darkness closed over his vision.

  The remaining gang members trembled, hands shaking as they fumbled for weapons. Their knives and pipes glinted weakly in the dim light; their bravado had drained away like blood from a wound.

  “D-Don’t come near us. We will kill you. Stay away from us.” they stammered, voices brittle with fear.

  Johan moved like a blade. He charged, a quiet, lethal force—no wasted motion, no show. “How pathetic.” he said, his tone flat and cold.

  THUD! CRACK! One by one his blows landed—precise, devastating, each strike a punctuation of finality. Bodies flew, arms went limp, heads struck tiles. Within heartbeats the entire group lay unconscious, a scattering of groans and soft thuds filling the corridor.

  The nurses watched in horror, their hands over mouths, eyes wide and glistening. Their breaths came in shallow gasps; the world had narrowed to the bloody, silent shapes on the floor and the lone figure standing among them.

  Johan exhaled, glancing at the red panel still pulsing in front of him. Time was running out—he had to reach the 3rd floor.