The air outside the Gate was tense.
A cold wind swept through the barren landscape, yet the dozens of personnel stationed outside barely noticed. All eyes were locked onto the shimmering veil of the still-active Gate.
It should have started collapsing by now.
It wasn't.
The field officers and emergency response teams shifted uncomfortably, their earpieces buzzing with frantic communication from the Hunter Association.
Something had gone wrong.
And then—the first survivors stepped out.
However, they did not walk out as victorious Hunters returning from a successful raid.
They staggered. Limped. Fell.
The medics rushed forward instantly.
"What the hell happened in there?!" one of them gasped as a Hunter collapsed into his arms, his armor soaked in blood.
Stretchers were rolled forward. Healing abilities were deployed. Stimulant injections were administered.
And yet, for many, it was already too late.
The first responders froze when they saw Mirae.
She had to be carried out, barely clinging to life.
Her armor was shattered, her body covered in deep wounds, her breathing dangerously shallow.
The medics didn't hesitate.
"Critical condition! We need immediate evac!"
The hover-transport was already waiting.
Within moments, Mirae was secured inside, her vitals being monitored. The door slammed shut, and the vehicle lifted off at full speed, heading straight for a specialized Hunter hospital.
The sight of South Korea's strongest A-rank being carried out half-dead sent a ripple of unease through the crowd.
If even she barely survived…
Then what the hell had they just faced?
And then, Kael stepped out.
Unlike the others, he was unharmed.
His armor, though scratched, was intact. His movements were steady, controlled, unaffected.
Compared to the broken Hunters around him—he looked almost untouched by the battle.
Silence fell.
The first to notice were the emergency personnel, some staring in disbelief.
Then, the field officers whispered among themselves.
And finally—the reporters' cameras turned toward him.
A low murmur spread through the crowd.
Who was this man?
---
The news feeds exploded almost instantly.
🔴 LIVE BROADCAST: Catastrophic Raid at Remote Gate – Survivors in Critical Condition!
🔴 Breaking: A-Rank Squad Wiped Out?
🔴 Unidentified Hunter Walks Out Unscathed – Who Is He?
The reporters pushed forward, their microphones raised.
"Sir! Sir, can you tell us what happened inside?!"
"Were you part of the raid team? How did you survive when so many others didn't?"
"Can you confirm the identity of the Dungeon Boss?"
Kael barely spared them a glance.
He continued walking.
The whispers grew louder.
And just like that—his name became a mystery the world demanded to solve.
.
.
The atmosphere inside the Hunter Association's war room was suffocating.
A long, rectangular table stretched across the room, its polished surface reflecting the grim expressions of those seated.
Screens lined the walls, displaying various data streams—raid logs, satellite footage of the still-active Gate, and video feeds from the disaster zone.
The most unsettling image, however, was the paused frame of Kael Ardyn stepping out of the Gate—completely unharmed.
A weighty silence hung in the air. The highest-ranking officials of the Hunter Association, Guild Leaders, and the government were gathered.
None of them looked pleased.
---
Kim Seung-Ho, Director of the Hunter Association, spoke first.
"Let's get straight to the point." His voice was measured but firm.
He gestured toward the screen showing Mirae being carried into emergency care.
"The raid team barely made it out alive."
He then turned toward a still image of the Abyssal Knight, standing over the corpses of fallen Hunters.
"The entity they encountered inside the Dungeon has been classified as S+ Rank."
Murmurs spread across the room.
Jang Tae-Min, Guild Leader of Phantom Dawn, tightened his jaw.
He didn't need the reminder. His top Hunter—Jung Mirae—was still in critical condition.
"We should have been informed about the Dungeon's instability before sending a team in," he said coldly.
"An A-Rank Gate suddenly spawning an S+ Rank enemy? That's beyond a miscalculation—that's a death trap."
Chae Do-Gyun, the Chief of Hunter Operations, exhaled sharply.
"The Dungeon's mana signatures didn't indicate a higher threat level before the raid. By all measurements, it was a standard A-Rank Gate."
He narrowed his eyes at the footage of the Abyssal Knight.
"But that thing… it shouldn't have been there."
A heavy pause.
Then, Yoon Hye-Rim, Guild Leader of the Korean Guild Federation, spoke up.
"This isn't just about the Abyssal Knight."
She glanced at the screen, where a side-by-side comparison of the injured Hunters and one single unscathed figure was displayed.
Her gaze hardened.
"We need to talk about him."
---
The room shifted.
The footage of Kael Ardyn—walking out of the Gate with not a single visible injury—played in slow motion.
Everyone watched in silence.
Yoo Sang-Min, Leader of Shadow Fang, leaned forward.
"You mean the unregistered Hunter who survived an S+ Rank monster without a scratch?"
His voice was laced with undisguised suspicion.
"Yeah, let's talk about him."
Kim Eun-Jae, Minister of Hunter Affairs, sighed as she folded her arms.
"We don't have much to go on. His official record is nonexistent. There's no past data, no registration, no background. He just… appeared."
Baek Ji-Hoon, Leader of Titan Guild, steepled his fingers.
"But we do know two things."
He raised a hand.
"One: He was able to defeat the Abyssal Knight. That alone puts him on par with at least S-Rank Hunters."
His fingers curled into a fist.
"And two: That level of power—with zero history in our system—makes him an unpredictable factor."
The tension in the room grew heavier.
Jang Tae-Min, who had been silent, finally spoke.
"If he was powerful enough to fight that monster… why didn't he protect my people?"
A sharp silence followed.
His voice was controlled, but there was undeniable anger beneath his words.
His top Hunter, Mirae, was on death's door. And yet, the man who had the strength to stop it walked out unharmed?
Chae Do-Gyun cut in before the argument escalated.
"We don't have enough information yet." His eyes flicked to Kwon Tae-Hyun. "That's where your department comes in."
The Director of HA Intelligence, Kwon Tae-Hyun, adjusted his glasses.
He had been silent until now, merely observing. But the moment he spoke, the entire room focused.
"We've already compiled combat footage and preliminary analysis on both the Abyssal Knight and Kael Ardyn."
He tapped on a tablet, sending a data stream onto the main screen.
"In short… we may have just uncovered the most dangerous Hunter to ever exist."
.
.
The war room's atmosphere had shifted.
Where there had been anger and debate before, now there was an unsettling quiet.
A massive screen flickered to life, displaying combat logs, motion tracking data, and mana fluctuation graphs.
Park Do-Yun, Representative of the HA's Research Division, stepped forward.
"We've analyzed all available combat data from the recent raid."
His voice was calm, but the underlying tension was unmistakable.
"The results are… unprecedented."
---
Song In-Ho, Head of Combat Research & Data Analysis, adjusted his glasses.
"As per protocol, we recorded and analyzed the fight using our latest mana imaging systems and biomechanical tracking software."
He gestured toward the screen, where two combat silhouettes appeared side by side.
One figure moved with precise, calculated motions.
The other—raw, erratic, yet terrifyingly effective.
"These are the combat trajectories of Kael Ardyn and the Abyssal Knight."
Chae Do-Gyun, Chief of Hunter Operations, narrowed his eyes.
"You mean to tell me that… thing was fighting like an intelligent warrior?"
Song In-Ho's expression darkened.
"Not just intelligent. It was adapting."
The screen shifted, showing slowed-down footage of the battle.
Side-by-side comparisons of Kael and the Abyssal Knight's movements appeared—overlaid with data streams.
Park Do-Yun spoke next.
"The Abyssal Knight displayed reaction speeds averaging 0.12 seconds—which is consistent with S+ Rank combatants."
"The problem?"
He tapped the screen.
"It wasn't fighting with brute force alone. It was analyzing its opponents in real-time and adjusting its swordsmanship accordingly."
---
Silence.
Kim Seung-Ho, Director of the HA, leaned forward.
"This is the first time we've encountered a monster capable of such adaptive combat strategy."
Kwon Tae-Hyun, Director of HA Intelligence, steepled his fingers.
"This isn't just a new type of monster," he muttered.
"It's a combat specialist."
Song In-Ho switched the display.
The Abyssal Knight's combat signature faded, replaced by a single figure.
Kael Ardyn.
Data charts appeared, showing:
- Mana fluctuations
- Biomechanical strain readings
- Attack vectors and kinetic force outputs
"Now, let's talk about him."
---
Yoon Hye-Rim, Guild Leader of the Korean Guild Federation, exhaled.
"This should be good."
Song In-Ho tapped a key.
"We compared Kael's combat performance against our top S-Rank Hunters. And…"
He hesitated.
"The results are beyond anything we've documented before."
🔹 Speed & Reaction Time:
-Average reaction speed: 0.09 seconds. (Faster than S-Rank Hunters, approaching theoretical human limits.)
-Able to dodge high-speed attacks with minimal energy expenditure.
🔹 Biomechanics & Movement Efficiency:
- Muscle fatigue output: 60% lower than S-Rank Hunters. (Displays near-perfect energy conservation.)
- Displays *flawless weight distribution and footwork, indicating extreme combat refinement.
🔹 Mana Usage & Combat Efficiency:
- Generates mana waves unlike any modern Hunter.
- No visible channeling delays—suggesting mana control at an instinctual level.
- Mana-infused strikes displayed characteristics unseen in modern swordsmanship.
---
Jang Tae-Min, Leader of Phantom Dawn, clenched his jaw.
"So, you're saying…"
Song In-Ho nodded.
"Yes. Kael Ardyn does not fight like a modern Hunter."
He turned back to the screen.
"In fact, based on the data, his swordsmanship predates any recorded combat style we've analyzed."
Kim Eun-Jae, Minister of Hunter Affairs, exhaled slowly.
"This… doesn't make any sense."
Park Do-Yun's expression was unreadable.
"It gets worse."
He clicked the screen again.
A final set of data appeared.
Kael's neural response times—his reaction speed in processing combat stimuli.
The result?
Far beyond human limits.
A sharp silence followed.
Baek Ji-Hoon, Leader of Titan Guild, finally spoke.
"So, what the hell are we dealing with?"