Ethan leaped off the side of the ship, his white and black sneakers hitting the cracked dock with a solid thud. The sky above Verusa Island was thick with smoke and desperation. Helicopters roared overhead, overloaded with survivors, while ships jammed to the brim with people pushed off from every inch of the port.
A girl screamed for her girlfriend, fighting to swim back to shore, but the tides dragged her farther. Ethan raised his head slowly. He could smell the blood staining the air, hear the sobs of people mourning everything they had lost. Somewhere near, a broken man knelt, mumbling to himself, "Where do I even start...?"
Ethan's hood stayed low over his face.
[Congratulations! Quest Complete!]
[Rewards: +10 Free Stat Points, +5 to All Basic Stats.]
[Current Stats:]
[Strength: 25 ]
[Agility: 25]
[Intelligence: 25]
[Endurance: 25]
[Charisma: 25]
[Stealth: 25]
[Perception: 25]
[Combat Skills: 25]
[Mana: 25]
[Speed: 26]
[New Skill Acquired: Shadow Step. Effect: Instantly teleport behind a target within a 10-meter range. Cooldown: 30 seconds.]
[New Weapon Acquired: Mana Crystal Needle. Effect: Absorbs a target's mana within 5 meters, converts it into raw energy. Low base damage.]
[New Item Acquired:]
[Venomous Pins of Krazar. Effect: Paralysis in 5 seconds, death in 30 seconds if untreated. Max Range: 100 meters. (Poison extracted from the Serpent Beast, Krazar.)]
He kept walking through the chaos.
A man, half-wild from panic, stopped him. "Hey—hey, you a hunter?"
Ethan nodded once.
"You should head for the shelter...the hunters are gathering there." The man hesitated, staring into Ethan's dead-cold eyes. He thought about asking for Ethan's hunter card, but the words shriveled in his throat. Something told him it didn't matter anymore. Whether he lived...or died.
Ethan said nothing. He simply kept walking.
Through a crushed tunnel on the outskirts, Agung sat hunched against the icy wall, knees pulled to his chest. His eyes hollow.
A clatter echoed—a can rolling across the broken floor.
Agung's head jerked up.
Sean stood there, hoodie on, kicking the can with a lazy smile. "You look like sh*t," Sean said cheerfully, picking up the can and tossing it in the air.
Agung turned away. "We're doing the wrong thing."
Sean chuckled, tossing the can behind him. "Wrong thing? Man, you're a cold-blooded killer now. This..." he spun in a circle, arms wide, "this is who you are. Forget your old life. It's dead."
Agung's fists clenched. "I swore to protect people...not slaughter them."
Sean's smile faltered. "Then maybe throw yourself out into the sun, old man. If you're that broken about it."
Silence stretched between them.
Agung stared down at his hands. "You're just a child. You wouldn't understand."
Sean's eyes narrowed, his playful grin gone. He turned on his heel. "Tch. Whatever. Just don't drink too much blood," he tossed over his shoulder. "Or you'll end up like the others. Addicted...mindless."
Agung didn't answer. He just sat there, hollow.
At the shelter—an abandoned warehouse on the north edge of the city—Ethan slipped inside.
The air was thick with tension. Hunters filled the place—some doing frantic push-ups, others flexing their weapons, spinning blades, checking their armor. Some showed off flashy abilities, sparks lighting the dusty air.
Ethan made for a seat by the wall, but a cocky man and two of his friends rushed ahead and flopped down first, laughing like they owned the place.
Ethan said nothing. He just lowered himself onto the ground nearby, leaning back against the cold wall, arms folded.
Ethan sat against the wall for about an hour, arms crossed, eyes half-closed. The warehouse buzzed with noise—hunters laughing, shouting, sparring—but none of it touched him.
Outside, the sun was starting to bleed into the ocean, throwing gold and fire across the broken city skyline.
Without a word, Ethan got up, stretched his neck, and walked out the warehouse doors.
He moved straight toward the main gate leading into the heart of Verusa.
A soldier standing guard spotted him and stepped forward, rifle lowered but ready. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?"
Ethan didn't answer.
The soldier frowned and moved to block him. "Hunter or not, nobody goes past this point without clearance. Orders."
Still no answer.
"Name? Affiliation? Hey, I'm talking to you—"
Before the soldier could even finish, Ethan bent his knees and jumped—higher than anyone thought possible. In one smooth motion, he soared straight over the top of the watchtower, the wind snapping at his hoodie.
Alarms flared instantly.
"Get down! Now!" multiple soldiers shouted, raising their rifles at him.
At the watchtower's communication booth, a man leaned lazily into the mic, smirking. "Stand down. Lower your weapons."
The soldiers hesitated, confused.
The man inside the booth kept his eyes on Ethan, who had landed effortlessly and kept walking without looking back. He chuckled to himself, muttering, "These hunters...they're getting too cocky. All they think about is closing the damn gates..."
But inside, he was shaken.
How strong was that guy...to jump like that?
Meanwhile, at another corner of the island—
Five figures slipped onto the shore, black tactical gear blending into the growing night.
One of them, a tall man with an easy grin, pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"We're in," he said, voice casual.
The man on the other side laughed lightly. "An E-rank hunter walking into this mess? That's basically suicide."
The tall man laughed too, shaking his head. "Yeah. Poor guy won't even know what hit him."
He hung up, slipping the phone back into his pocket as the team started moving deeper into the ruins.
The hunt had officially begun.