Two Days Later — Baekho Sub-Division HQ, Sector 8
The scout division wasn't glamorous.
It operated out of a repurposed parking garage with peeling paint, low-budget gear, and Hunters too weak to qualify for elite teams. But it was a foot in the door. And that was enough for Joo Yeong-su.
He stood in line wearing a black scout vest, his temporary ID clipped to his chest. Around him, half a dozen other low-ranked recruits shuffled their feet, yawning or joking about wanting to go home early.
Then came the mission briefing.
> "Dungeon reading just spiked," the squad leader barked. "Location: Songwon Tunnel. Previously marked E-rank. New mana surge detected—possibly C-rank. This is recon only. No engagement unless necessary."
Half the team groaned.
> "C-rank? That's too high!"
"We're not even equipped for that!"
But Yeong-su's eyes sharpened.
> 'A misranked dungeon. That's how most rookie teams die.'
The leader continued.
> "New guy—Yeong-su. You're quiet, but Tae-gun spoke well of you. You're with the forward sweep team. Don't die."
---
[Mission Brief – Recon Sweep]
Dungeon Type: Tunnel / Ambush Class
Estimated Rank: C
Team Size: 7
Objective: Confirm boss type, layout, and threat level. Do not engage unless cornered.
---
Inside the Dungeon
The moment they crossed the gate, the air turned dry and electric. A long, dark highway tunnel stretched endlessly, with flickering lights and pools of red mist. Broken-down vehicles littered the path like a graveyard.
Yeong-su scanned the area, feeling something… wrong.
> 'Too quiet.'
The rest of the team fanned out, whispering back and forth.
> "No monsters?"
"This place is empty…"
Then it began.
THUD.
THUD. THUD.
Something heavy landed on the roof of a nearby bus.
> "Contact—above!"
From the shadows dropped a creature unlike anything Yeong-su had seen.
Long limbs. A pale mask. Its body rippled like stretched rubber, arms trailing like knives. Its name appeared in his vision—
---
[C-Rank Elite – Shadow Leaper]
Type: Ambush / Assassin
Speed Class: High
Danger: Critical in confined spaces
---
The thing lunged.
Before anyone could react, it slashed through one Hunter's neck, dropping him instantly. Blood sprayed across the cracked asphalt.
> "BACK!" the leader screamed.
Panic erupted.
Two more monsters crawled out from under nearby cars, fangs bared.
The team scattered.
One of the trainees froze in fear—back pressed to a van, eyes wide.
[Foresight Activated]
> 'She'll die in 3 seconds—throat puncture.'
Yeong-su moved.
He leapt across the broken pavement, grabbed a tire iron from the ground, and swung it upward just as the Shadow Leaper came down.
CLANG!
The hit deflected its claw for a moment. Not enough to kill it—but enough to redirect it.
It slashed across Yeong-su's shoulder instead.
Blood poured. Pain flared. He grunted, spinning away.
[System Alert – Life Threat Detected]
Echo Vision – Triggered
New Skill Awakening Progress – 89%
Another Leaper dove at him.
Too fast.
No time.
---
[New Skill Unlocked – Phantom Strike Lv. 1]
Active: Convert momentum into a mana-infused instant strike.
Effect: Ignores armor. Causes internal rupture.
Cooldown: 90 seconds
---
The moment he felt it activate, instinct took over.
His foot hit the ground, and he vanished in a blur.
FLASH.
The Shadow Leaper's head snapped backward. Its skull ruptured from the inside—as if the hit passed through armor and detonated beneath.
It collapsed, spasming.
The other Hunters didn't even see the move. They only saw the aftermath.
> "What… what did you just do?" one of them asked, wide-eyed.
> "Just got lucky," Yeong-su said, gripping his bleeding arm. "It was exposed."
The leader didn't look convinced. His eyes lingered on Yeong-su for a beat too long.
But the monsters were still coming.
---
After the Battle
They fought their way back through the tunnel, covering each other. Two team members died. One was unconscious. The squad escaped before the boss appeared, and the gate was marked for lockdown.
Outside, emergency response teams were already arriving.
Yeong-su sat on the curb, shoulder bandaged, eyes dull.
The system chimed again.
---
[Phantom Strike – Level Up Available]
[System Evaluation Increased – Combat Tier Recalculated: B-Rank Potential]
[Class Unlock Progress – 22%]
New Title Unlocked: Shadow Killer (Hidden)
Effect: Increased damage against ambush-type monsters by 10%.
---
But none of that mattered.
His thoughts returned to the two rookies who died.
> 'They weren't weak. Just… uninformed.'
That's what the Guild system was. A machine. A ranking game. One wrong match, one misranked gate, and even promising Hunters got buried before their names were known.
He clenched his fists.
> "I won't be another cog in their machine."
> "I'll become strong enough that even the system can't classify me."
---
Back at Baekho HQ
The squad leader wrote his report slowly.
One part kept bothering him:
> "E-rank support trainee saves scout team by predicting monster ambush… and kills a C-rank with a single strike?"
He looked again at the footage.
There was no clear recording of the attack. Just a blur.
> "This kid… he's hiding something."