My Afterlife System!

The café felt unusually quiet, but Jihwan's mind was far from peaceful. He stared down at the body of the assassin, his expression unreadable. The man had collapsed before him in a violent spasm, the suddenness of his death unsettling even to someone like Jihwan.

Sohyun, ever calm, sipped her drink, almost indifferent to the blood spilled at her feet. "You seem unbothered," she observed, setting her cup down.

Jihwan's gaze flickered toward her, but his mind was elsewhere. The assassin had been swift, and the attack precise. But there was something about it that didn't add up.

A flicker of recognition passed through Jihwan's mind, pulling him back to the events in Death's Mansion.

The power he had gained there, the way the system had reacted to him—it should have been a secret, a power that no one else could access. But here he was, facing an assassin who knew exactly where to strike and how to deal with someone like him.

"Who sent you?" Jihwan muttered, looking down at the lifeless body.

The assassin's death had been too controlled. A part of Jihwan suspected the man had been programmed to self-destruct once he failed. The assassin's last moments weren't his own—someone else was pulling the strings.

A sudden realization struck Jihwan like a cold wave. Only one entity could have known about the Death's Mansion transformation—the event was exclusive to him.

The system hacker.

No one else had access to that knowledge. No faction. No organization. Only the hacker who manipulated the system could have known what had happened within the confines of Death's Mansion.

He exhaled slowly, his fingers curling into fists. The hacker had been watching, pulling the strings from behind the scenes, aware of Jihwan's every move.

"Someone is watching the system from the outside," Jihwan finally spoke, his voice low.

Sohyun's eyes narrowed slightly, but she remained silent, allowing him to continue.

Jihwan leaned forward, his expression tense. "The system hacker… they're the only ones who could have known."

Sohyun, ever the enigma, gave no outward reaction. "And how are you so sure?"

"Because they've been tracking me," Jihwan replied quietly. "Death's Mansion was meant to be an event that only I experienced. But somehow, the hacker knew about it, and now they're testing me."

He stood up suddenly, his eyes cold and focused. "I'm not just some player in their game."

Sohyun watched him carefully, her eyes not missing a beat. "You're a threat to them now."

Jihwan met her gaze, his voice hardening. "And I'm going to make sure they know it."

The night was silent, but Jihwan couldn't escape the feeling that he was being hunted.

The assassin's body lay discarded in the corner, but the tension in the café was still palpable. The air felt thick with the weight of unseen eyes, and Jihwan's instincts screamed at him that the real danger wasn't over.

Sohyun remained seated, her gaze fixed on him as if waiting for something. A flicker of uncertainty passed over her face, though she hid it well.

"You're still thinking about the hacker," she observed.

Jihwan didn't respond immediately, his thoughts drifting back to the eerie calm of the system message: "You have survived."

Survived. But that didn't mean he was safe. It meant that the hacker's game was far from over.

He clenched his fists, the sharp sensation of power surging within him once again. The transformation from Death's Mansion had given him a strength he couldn't fully comprehend, but it also burdened him with an undeniable awareness—that the forces behind the scenes were more dangerous than anything he had ever faced.

Sohyun's eyes narrowed, her lips curving into a half-smile. "You think you know what's going on, but do you really? There's more to this than just surviving."

Jihwan exhaled sharply, pushing away the uneasy feeling that gnawed at the back of his mind. Sohyun wasn't wrong. The hacker's influence wasn't just confined to this moment; it reached further than he could see, pulling at the strings of his fate with malicious intent.

"If the hacker wants me dead, they'll try again," Jihwan muttered, his voice low. "But they're underestimating me. I won't be their pawn."

The room felt colder as his words lingered in the air. The game was set, and now it was only a matter of time before the hacker made their next move.

Sohyun leaned back in her chair, her gaze unwavering. "Do you even know what you're up against? The hacker isn't just some random player in the system. They have control over things you can't even begin to imagine."

Jihwan's gaze snapped to her, his expression hardening. "So why are you still here, Sohyun? You know more than you're letting on, don't you?"

For a moment, she said nothing, her eyes locking onto his with an unreadable depth. Then, she shrugged casually. "Maybe I like the view. Or maybe... I'm curious."

Jihwan's frustration flared, but he controlled it, narrowing his eyes as he stood up. "You're playing a dangerous game too."

Sohyun tilted her head, a flicker of something akin to amusement flashing in her eyes. "You're not the only one with something to lose."

Before Jihwan could respond, a sudden sound pierced the stillness. The café's door opened with a faint chime, but the atmosphere shifted immediately. A new presence entered, dark and unfamiliar.

Jihwan's senses sharpened, his body tensing as he glanced toward the door. It wasn't the typical customer who wandered in late at night. This figure was purposeful, their movements calculated. The air itself seemed to thicken as the stranger walked toward their table.

Jihwan's hand instinctively reached for the small knife he kept hidden, his eyes never leaving the figure. Sohyun, however, seemed almost bored by the intrusion, taking another sip of her drink.

The figure stopped a few paces away from their table, pausing to glance at both Jihwan and Sohyun.

"Ah, I see you've met already," the man said in a low, gravelly voice.

Jihwan's gaze flickered to the man, a sense of recognition tugging at the edges of his mind. This wasn't just another random stranger. His aura felt... familiar. Dangerous.

"And who might you be?" Jihwan asked, his tone flat but edged with caution.

The man smiled slowly, his teeth sharp in the dim light. "Someone who has a vested interest in your survival. Or perhaps, your downfall."

Jihwan's eyes narrowed as he sized up the man, every muscle in his body tense and ready for a fight.

"Another puppet of the hacker?" Jihwan asked, his voice colder now.

The man chuckled, a low, rumbling sound. "Not exactly. But I am... someone who can give you an opportunity. A chance to move forward, away from the hacker's shadow."

Jihwan said nothing, but his mind raced. The hacker's network was vast, and anyone who claimed to offer an alternative was either a potential ally or another enemy.

Sohyun remained silent, her eyes flicking between Jihwan and the man as if waiting for something to happen.

"How do you know about the hacker?" Jihwan asked, his voice steady, though his mind raced with suspicion.

The man leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. "I know because I've been watching. The hacker isn't the only force pulling at the threads of this world. You're tangled in something much larger than you realize, Jihwan."

Jihwan's heart skipped a beat. He knew something was off. The hacker was dangerous, but this new player was even more unpredictable.

The man smiled again, his eyes glinting with a knowing darkness. "You have a choice. Join me, and together, we can take the hacker down. Or continue down the path they've set for you."

Jihwan's grip on the knife tightened, his gaze hardening. "And if I don't trust you?"

The man shrugged. "Then the choice will be yours. But be warned, Jihwan. You won't always have the luxury of making choices. Sometimes, you'll only have time to act."

Jihwan's mind raced, but he didn't flinch. He could feel the weight of the decision pressing down on him.

And deep inside, he knew one thing for certain.

The hacker wasn't the only threat lurking in the shadows. This man—this figure—was a new puzzle he couldn't ignore.