Chapter 4: Not Just an NPC Anymore

It worked.

Another thug lunged, but Ren dodged clumsily, adrenaline fueling his movements. He wasn’t a trained fighter, but he didn’t need to be. He just needed to keep pushing forward.

He slammed his foot into another thug’s stomach, then bashed his makeshift weapon into another’s knee. One by one, they fell.

By the time the last thug hit the ground, Ren was gasping for breath, sweat dripping from his forehead.

[Level Up!]

A small window popped up in his vision, and he grinned.

This was only the beginning.

He wasn’t an NPC anymore.

He was something new.

Something unstoppable.

Ren stood over the unconscious thugs, his chest rising and falling with each deep breath. His hands were shaking—not with fear, but with exhilaration.

I actually did it.

He glanced at the blue notification still glowing in his vision.

[Level Up!]

New Skills Acquired: [Beginner Combat Instinct], [Endurance Boost Lv.1]

Ren flexed his fingers, feeling the difference. His body felt lighter, his reflexes sharper. It wasn’t a huge change, but it was proof. Proof that he could grow.

I don’t have to follow a script.

I don’t have to be forgotten.

I can change my own fate.

A grin tugged at his lips. This is just the start.

A Dangerous Encounter

He turned to leave the alley when—

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Slow, deliberate applause echoed through the darkened street.

Ren froze. His instincts screamed at him.

A figure stepped out from the shadows, their presence far more dangerous than the thugs he had just fought.

A tall man with piercing violet eyes and jet-black hair, dressed in sleek, form-fitting black attire. A dagger spun effortlessly between his fingers, glinting under the dim light. His expression was unreadable, but there was a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

Ren’s breath hitched. This guy… he wasn’t an NPC.

No, he recognized him.

Riven.

An elite assassin from Celestial Chronicles, originally an antagonist in the early arcs. He was a ghost in the shadows, feared even by the protagonists for his deadly precision.

And right now—he was looking directly at Ren.

“That was quite the unexpected display,” Riven murmured, tilting his head. “An NPC… fighting? Leveling up? I’ve never seen that before.”

Ren’s pulse raced. He saw everything.

This was bad. If someone as dangerous as Riven was interested in him, it meant trouble.

“You’re not afraid?” Riven asked, stepping closer. His gaze sharpened, scanning Ren like he was something new—something unknown.

Ren forced himself to stay calm. “Should I be?”

Riven chuckled. “Perhaps. Or perhaps… you’re more interesting than I thought.”

He stopped just a few feet away. The air between them was heavy, charged with something Ren couldn’t quite define.

Then, to Ren’s utter shock, Riven smiled.

“I think I’ll be keeping an eye on you, little anomaly.”

With that, he turned and disappeared into the shadows, vanishing as if he had never been there.

Ren let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.