[Lee Joon – Status Update]
Level: 15
HP: 580
MP: 440
Strength: 30
Agility: 38
Vitality: 27
Perception: 30
Intelligence: 22
Luck: 12
Unused Stat Points: 10
Skills:
Phantom Blink (Lv. 1)
Shadow Step (Lv. 3)
Piercing Thrust (Lv. 2)
Hunter's Instinct (Lv. 3)
Focus Surge (Passive)
Ghost Sense (Lv. 1)
Dimensional Resistance (Lv. 1)
Day of the Clash – Unregistered Gate, Old Military Bunker, Gyeonggi Province
I wasn't supposed to be here.
This Gate wasn't even recorded — no civilian reports, no Guild tags, nothing on the Association's radar.
It pulsed beneath the foundation of a ruined military facility, hidden in the mountains like it had been waiting.
[Gate Detected: ???]
[Type: Spatial Breach]
[Status: Incomplete Invasion]
[Warning: Monarch Energy Present]
That last line stopped me cold.
A Monarch.
Not the real one, no — but a piece of their power. A shadow. A scout.
I should've left.
But I didn't.
Because fear wouldn't save the world seven years from now.
Inside the Gate – Cracked Sky Realm
The moment I stepped through, I felt it — the pressure. Like gravity had doubled. Like something was watching.
The landscape was gray and frozen, half-formed — broken mountains, glass rivers, floating platforms in a midnight void.
Nothing moved.
Until it did.
A figure descended from above, its body wrapped in black smoke, face covered by a skeletal mask with glowing blue cracks.
[Dimensional Warden – Monarch Fragment]
[Level: Unknown]
[Threat Level: S]
[Combat Directive: Erase]
It raised one hand.
And space shattered.
The Fight Begins
I dodged sideways as a blade of pure darkness cleaved the air.
[Phantom Blink – Activated]
[Hunter's Instinct – Triggered]
I reappeared behind it — but it was already turning.
Too fast.
I ducked, slid between its legs, and struck upward at what looked like a core embedded in its torso.
My dagger clanged against a barrier of invisible force.
The Warden didn't even flinch.
It spun, dragging its scythe across the stone floor.
I backstepped — just barely avoiding the arc — and launched a Piercing Thrust at its back.
[Critical Hit! Barrier Damaged.]
It hissed — a hollow, broken sound — and turned its glowing eyes on me.
My mana dropped faster than usual.
This fight wasn't just physical. It was mental — a war of pressure, will, and aura.
"You are not bound to this timeline," it whispered.
"You walk two paths."
Then it raised its hand again, and reality warped.
Time Rift Detected – Initiating Dimensional Resistance
[Dimensional Resistance – Activated]
[Temporal Displacement Slowed – 70% Reduction]
Even with the skill, time bent around me like syrup. My arms were slow. My breath shallow.
But my mind was clear.
Focus Surge – Triggered
I broke through the distortion, lunged, and slammed a dagger into the Warden's neck.
Black smoke erupted from the wound. The barrier shattered.
But the Warden didn't fall.
Instead, it extended both arms — summoning two swords of raw Monarch energy.
[Monarch Blade – Shadow Variant]
[Effect: Instantly disintegrates lesser beings on contact.]
I am not a lesser being.
I took a deep breath, entered a wide stance, and activated every skill I had in sequence.
Phantom Blink.
Shadow Step.
Piercing Thrust.
And then I pushed the system.
Override: Full Sync – Hunter's Instinct
For a brief moment — I saw it.
The next movement. The angle of its slash. The exact moment I could strike.
It came down on me with the fury of a fallen god.
I stepped inside the arc.
And drove my dagger through the glowing core in its chest.
[Critical Strike – Core Penetrated.]
[Monarch Fragment – Destroyed.]
Aftermath
The world cracked like glass.
The Gate collapsed inward — pulling smoke, blood, and fragments of that broken reality with it.
I landed hard on my back outside the old bunker, coughing blood and blinking against the sun.
[Special Quest Complete.]
[Reward: Fragment of the Monarch's Memory]
[Stat Bonus: +3 to All Attributes | Trait Gained – Anti-Monarch Instinct (Lv. 1)]
[System Sync Progress: 12%]
Anti-Monarch Instinct (Passive – Lv. 1)
Grants minor resistance to Monarch aura, and allows limited prediction of Monarch-class entities' attack patterns.
(Upgrades through direct combat with Monarch-aligned beings.)
I stared at the screen.
I'd Evolved.
And the Monarchs knew it.
Later That Night – At Home
Mom was humming a tune in the kitchen. Dad sat by the window reading a newspaper.
I walked in, bruised but smiling faintly.
"You're limping," Dad said, not looking up.
"Tripped during PE," I lied.
He grunted. "You lie like a soldier."
Mom served soup, patting my shoulder once.
"Be careful," she said quietly. "Even the strong can fall."
"I know," I said.
Meanwhile – Monarch Throne of Frost
"He killed a Fragment?" the Frost Monarch hissed.
"Impossible."
"Not impossible," replied another voice. "Dangerous."
The Monarchs began to move.
And the world had no idea what was coming.
___________________
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