Seoul was a city that thrived on chaos. Its neon-lit streets were alive with movement, a city that never slept. Amid the bustling crowds and the endless hum of cars, few paid attention to the man walking down the side streets.
Kang Jiho was the kind of person no one noticed. Dressed in a plain black hoodie and faded jeans, he looked like any other 27-year-old office worker heading home after a long day. But Jiho wasn't heading home. Not yet.
The news had been filled with reports of another dungeon appearing in Gangnam, just a few blocks away from his route. Most people would avoid the area, but Jiho couldn't resist. Dungeons were dangerous, yes, but they were also opportunities.
Jiho wasn't a Hunter, one of the officially registered individuals trained to clear dungeons. He wasn't even a part of any guild. But what the world didn't know was that Jiho had entered a dungeon before—six months ago, completely by accident.
And he had never been the same since.
It happened during his lunch break. He'd been sitting at a nearby park, eating cheap kimbap, when the Gate had appeared. It was small and unassuming, a swirling black vortex that hovered in mid-air. Before he knew it, Jiho found himself standing inside a dark, twisted forest.
Welcome, Challenger.
You have been selected as a Nexus Walker.
That was the first time he'd seen the system—a mysterious interface that only he could interact with. It spoke to him in a monotone voice, guiding him through the dungeon. Jiho should have died in that place. He had no weapons, no combat experience, and no idea what was happening. But the system was different. It didn't just guide him—it adapted to him.
Skill Unlocked: Rule Bender.
That one skill had saved him. It allowed Jiho to manipulate the rules of the dungeon itself. Traps didn't work on him, enemies' abilities became weaker, and even the environment seemed to bend to his will. He had survived, barely, and when he exited the Gate, he realized no one else could see the system.
He wasn't like the Hunters. His powers weren't flashy or visible. And that's how he liked it.
Now, Jiho stood in front of the new Gate, tucked away in a quiet alley. The swirling black energy pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat. Hunters from a nearby guild were setting up barricades, their faces grim.
"Another C-rank Gate," one of them muttered. "It's been three this week."
"Yeah, but where are the A-rankers when you need them?" another replied.
Jiho slipped past them, unnoticed. He'd become good at blending into the background, a skill that served him well. He approached the Gate, feeling the familiar pull of its energy.
Warning: Entering Gate without authorization is punishable by law.
Jiho smirked. The system's notifications had always been sarcastic, a detail that reminded him it wasn't entirely a mindless tool.
He stepped through the Gate.