Tring!
[Special Quest from the Ambrosia Constellation has been completed!]
[Congratulations! You have received a title!]
[Title: Undying Hunter]
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Let's go back to before the incident. Long before Val met the Demon King of Darkness; Byrhemmoth.
A cloudy afternoon sky hung over the city, but the hustle and bustle of the streets were as lively as ever. The sound of horns and the thump of people busy filling the sidewalks, as if they were running after something that would never stop.
Val, the 24-year-old young man, walked with a limp step. A thin, worn jacket hung from his shoulders, showing his living conditions that were no better than the clothes he was wearing.
He paused in front of a large window, a row of large televisions in the display case electronics store that displayed. Val was not one to stop watching the news, but the image on the screen caught his attention.
"Over 500 people are estimated to be missing, and hundreds more are injured or dead from the Dungeon Break in Daegu downtown…"
Val stared at the TVs, yet his mind was wandering far away without really listening to the news. The report was just a faint background noise in his mind that was cluttered with his personal problems.
'Daegu? That's far away. Hopefully, nothing will happen here,' he thought. But even the voice in his head sounded tired and weary.
He was 24 years old, but he didn't go to college, didn't have a steady job, and only had a high school diploma that felt meaningless.
Every day, Val walked around killing time, pretending to be busy so that he wouldn't look unemployed in the eyes of others.
Seeing college kids walking across the street, with their backpacks full of books, he felt even more bitter at his own fate.
"Must be nice…" he muttered, unconsciously tightening his palm. "I would've been an entirely different person…" He chuckled as he imagined being in their shoes.
Her mind wandered to the same regret that always haunted her.
'If only I had also Awakened,' he bitterly thought. 'I would have been able to support her, mother wouldn't be sick right now.'
His mother, the only remaining family he had left, was bedridden at home. The high medical bills made his heart feel even tighter.
'I'm a burden,' he thought again, kicking an empty can lying near his feet. The can flew away, hitting the wall with a small but painful clink in her ear.
'I can't even pay for my mother's treatment.'
"Everyone has a role in this world," Val said, trying to calm himself down, even though it sounded like a lie.
"Except for me."
His steps stopped in front of the TV screen. The sound from the television switching back caught her attention.
"Breaking news! There has been a Dungeon Break in Sehwa City. Hunters have been deployed. Residents in the area must seek shelter immediately. Sehwa City is now on [Level One] alert!" 'Sehwa?'
Val's gaze suddenly focused. 'Sehwa is just a few towns away. That's… too close.'
A sense of dread began to creep into him. 'This can't be happening here, can it?'
Emergency sirens began to wail in the distance. People on the streets quickened their pace, some panicked, while others were still unsure whether this dungeon break was truly a dangerous situation or not.
Val felt his body stiffen. There was nowhere to run, no shelter. This city no longer felt safe.
"No… it's too close!" Val muttered in panic, trying to convince himself that the Hunters would come and take control of the situation.
But the increasingly loud sirens and the constant echoing of the emergency announcements only reinforced one thing in his mind.
'Danger is coming!!'
Val walked quickly, his breath ragged and the blaring emergency sirens made his head spin even faster as if to announce the sound of the destruction that was coming.
He only had one thought in his mind,
'Mother. I have to go home. I have to save her.'
The sky that was previously bright with a cloudless blue color was now gradually turning dark. Val didn't care about the change at first, his mind was full of anxiety about his mother who was still weakly lying in bed. He knew that his mother would not be able to escape on her own.
Before his eyes, the air split, tearing apart space and time. A large crack in the sky began to form, like an open wound, emitting a terrifying dark red light.
Its shape was terrifying—like a giant claw that stuck into the sky and sucked the life around it.
The [Gate] hung in the air, gaping, as if ready to spill the horror hidden behind it. Its voice roared, like a whisper of death that enveloped the entire city.
"Dungeon Break…," Val muttered hoarsely, his throat dry with fear.
He stared wide-eyed, his blood running cold. He can feel his drumming heartbeat. No way, this is too close!
The Gate towered high, emitting a terrifying red aura, as if ready to sting anyone who dared to approach.
Thick black clouds gathered around it, covering the sky and extinguishing the remaining sunlight. The red light from the Gate reflected off the ground, creating dark shadows that moved wildly, as if alive.
People began to panic. They screamed, pushed each other, tried to escape, but where?
Every corner of the city felt filled with darkness and the eerie shadows of the Gate that were slowly enlarging. The buildings around them began to shake, cracks appeared on the walls, and the sound of buildings collapsing could be heard in the distance.
"Run! Run!!" someone shouted in the crowd, his voice hoarse and desperate.
"Run! My god!"
Val stood back where he was, suddenly feeling like his feet were planted on the ground.
'My mother… what about her?' he thought, panic starting to creep into his mind, making his body tremble.
His heart was pounding, his throat was tight, while his eyes remained fixed on the Gate that was now almost completely open. He knew what would come out of there—a monster, a horror that he had only seen on TV screens. But now, that horror was right in front of him.
Suddenly, a loud cracking sound was heard from the building next to him. A wall collapsed, followed by a deafening roar. Val gasped and immediately backed away.
'I have to get away from here. I have to find a way out!'
He started running again, trying to navigate the now crumbling streets, looking for a safe path. But in the middle of his escape, his eyes caught something on the corner of the street.
An old woman stood there, shaking and confused. She couldn't run, and the fleeing people didn't care about her, pushing her aside mercilessly.
"Help… help me…"
The old woman whispered hoarsely, her frightened eyes staring blankly at the sky.
'Shit!'
Val bit his lip, his gaze shifting between the old woman and the road ahead. He could run and leave her behind. After all, this was about survival.
But… Val couldn't. Guilt began to cloud his heart.
'I can't let her die here!'
"No, no–" Val immediately shook his head, feeling conflicted inside. "I have to save my mother, but…"
He looked at the old woman again, his breath quickening. Fear gripped his heart, but at the same time, he knew he couldn't just stand there and watch.
'I won't be able to live with myself if I let him.'
"Come on!" Val approached the old woman, grabbing her trembling arm. "We have to get out of here!"
He began to pull her along, trying to lead her through the rubble and debris that littered the streets. But the sound of heavy footsteps in the distance made Val freeze in place. The sound grew louder, closer.
'Monsters!? They've come out of the Gate.'
Val's gaze slowly turned toward the sound, and in the distance, he saw it. A massive creature with a body that seemed to be made of stone and fire, standing towering over the ruined city. Its eyes glowed red, reflecting the light from the Gate, and with each step it took it destroyed the buildings around it.
Val felt his blood stop flowing. His breath came in short gasps.
"This… this is impossible," he whispered in a barely audible voice.
The horror he felt was beyond words. His body shook uncontrollably.
The old woman beside him screamed in terror, but Val stood there, frozen, watching the creature draw closer. The fear that had previously been suppressed now exploded, filling every corner of his body.
Val knew that if they didn't move now, they would die here. But, his body felt stiff, difficult to move.
"Run! We have to run!" Val finally shouted, forcibly pulling the old woman while trying to hold back the fear that was crushing his soul.
'Am I going to die here?' he thought, desperately.
But deep down, there was a strong desire, a regret that haunted his every step.
'If only I could also Awaken... I might be able to save everyone. I might be able to save my mother.'
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