The next morning after the Rogue Gate, I walked into our small apartment in northern Seoul just as the sun was rising.
The kitchen smelled like soybean soup and toasted garlic. Mom was already cooking.
"You're up early," she said, her back still turned to the stove.
"I went jogging," I replied, dropping my school bag quietly by the door.
She didn't respond right away.
"Your shoes are dusty," she finally said. "Like you've been out in the hills."
I paused, then gave a small smile. "Took a detour."
She turned then — eyes tired, but warm.
"Eat. You're too thin for all this training."
I sat at the table. My chest ached from yesterday's fight, but I hid it. The soup warmed my hands.
Dad came out of the bedroom next, yawning, rubbing his shoulder like always. He glanced at me, then smiled faintly.
"You walk like a boxer lately," he said. "Shoulders forward. Feet light."
I chuckled. "You used to say the same thing before your matches."
He nodded. "Means you're either fighting or preparing to."
He didn't ask questions, and I didn't offer answers.
But the unspoken truth hung between us.
They knew something had changed.
They just didn't know how much.
Later That Day – Association Briefing
I sat in a quiet corner of the Seoul Hunter Association lounge, pretending to read a training manual while monitoring the room.
Hunters passed by in and out, laughing, shouting, comparing loot or complaining about guild politics.
I ignored them — until someone slid into the seat beside me.
It was Mi-Na.
"Hey," she said. "Still pretending to be a rookie?"
I gave her a sideways glance. "Still pretending to be normal?"
She snorted. "Touché."
She lowered her voice. "Word is, a few B-Rank Hunters scouted the warehouse district last night. They felt... echoes."
She watched me.
"You went in, didn't you?"
I said nothing.
She exhaled. "You're crazy. Brave — but crazy."
I turned the page of my manual.
"I'm not ready yet."
She blinked. "What?"
I looked her in the eyes.
"B-Rank? A title. Numbers. But the real power... the kind that stands up to dragons and Monarchs?"
I shook my head.
"I'm not ready."
Mi-Na frowned. "So that's why you're still clearing E and F-Ranks?"
I nodded.
"Low-rank dungeons are stable. Predictable. They let me test skills. Train movement. Master the system without surveillance."
She leaned back.
"You're grinding like it's a game."
"It is," I said. "Only difference is… if you die here, you don't respawn."
Private Gate – Northern Hills
I entered another unregistered E-Rank Gate after dusk — this time in the foothills outside Seoul. It was an abandoned quarry, its mana signature faint enough to slip under the radar.
[Gate Detected: E-Rank – Status: Stable]
The dungeon was a misty forest full of fang-beasts and bone snakes. Quick, vicious, and relentless.
But I didn't care about them.
I was here to push a passive skill — Hunter's Instinct.
As I moved deeper into the woods, I let my senses go wide.
Every sound. Every vibration. Every flicker of motion.
I closed my eyes and walked blind.
A snake struck.
My body moved before I gave it a command — ducking, spinning, dagger slicing upward in a single clean arc.
[Hunter's Instinct (Lv. 2) – Activated]
[Enhanced Reflex Chain: Success]
[Bonus EXP Gained]
Another beast lunged — this time a fang-cat from a tree above.
I rolled before the branches cracked, drawing its movement before it landed. My blade met it mid-leap.
[Critical Hit!]
Blood sprayed. I didn't blink.
This was the real test.
Training the mind as much as the body.
No overkill. No magic spam. No flashy effects.
Just precision.
30 Minutes Later – Dungeon Boss Chamber
The boss was an armored boar three times the size of a truck.
[Dungeon Boss: Irontooth Boar – E-Rank]
[HP: 1,500]
[Traits: Charge, Earth Skin, Stun Roar]
In raw stats, I could overpower it.
But I didn't.
Instead, I spent the next ten minutes using nothing but footwork, timing, and three carefully placed skills.
Phantom Blink → Dodge the charge
Piercing Thrust → Kneecap
Shadow Step → Circle and flank
Rinse and repeat.
When I finally ended it, I was barely scratched — and my instinct skill ticked upward again.
[Skill Level Up – Hunter's Instinct → Lv. 3]
New effect unlocked:
Battleflow: Slight precognition during sustained combat. Increases evasion rate and critical hit awareness.
I exhaled.
Not flashy.
But lethal.
That Night – At Home
Mom found me sleeping on the balcony. The wind was cool, and the stars bright.
She sat beside me, silent.
Then: "Are you scared of something?"
I looked at her.
"No," I said. "But something's coming. I can feel it."
She looked at me then, her gaze steady, motherly — but sharper than usual.
"You're stronger than you let on."
I didn't deny it.
She nodded, almost to herself.
"Just don't forget who you are. Or who you were… before all this."
I looked out over the city lights.
"I won't."
Elsewhere – Monarch's Domain
"He sharpens the blade instead of showing it."
"He trains in shadows."
"He waits."
A Monarch of Plagues hissed into the void.
"He is not yet a threat."
Another answered:
"But he will be."