The moment they stepped into the underground corridors of the Global Hunters Corporation, Ju-Won felt something was wrong.
The air was too still.
Too quiet.
This level of the building was supposed to be cleared—no guards, no hunters. Their inside man was supposed to have handled everything.
But the silence felt unnatural.
Elias seemed unfazed, signaling for the group to move forward. Ju-Won kept close to the wall, his hands ready at his sides. The others advanced cautiously, their weapons drawn, senses heightened.
Then, just as they reached the junction ahead—
"INTRUDERS! TAKE THEM DOWN!"
Red lights flashed, alarms blared, and suddenly the entire hallway erupted with gunfire.
Ju-Won barely had time to react before bullets tore through the air, the metallic ping of ricochets bouncing off the walls. Gideon let out a roar, raising his massive sword to deflect the incoming shots, while Seo-rin and Min-Soo dived for cover behind the reinforced pillars.
"FUCK! IT'S A TRAP!" Kieran shouted, pulling out his twin daggers.
Ju-Won's heartbeat hammered in his ears. His mind raced. The inside man—he sold us out.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
Elias cursed under his breath, his face twisting in rage. "That bastard… He fucking betrayed us."
Ju-Won didn't need to be told twice. Their entire plan had collapsed in seconds.
The corridor ahead was swarming with armed security forces, their rifles unloading round after round of armor-piercing bullets. They weren't standard guards.
These were elite Hunter enforcers.
And they weren't holding back.
"MOVE! GET TO COVER!" Elias shouted.
Tae-jun snarled, swinging his sword. The sheer force of the blade sent a shockwave through the hallway, momentarily knocking back some of the guards.
Seo-Rin, moving like a shadow, darted forward. In a flash, she was behind one of the enforcers, her blade slicing across his throat before he even realized she was there.
Blood sprayed against the wall.
Min-Soo followed suit, lunging toward another, but—
BANG!
A single gunshot rang out.
Min-Soo staggered. His eyes widened.
Ju-Won barely had time to process it before Min-Soo collapsed onto the ground, unmoving.
Dead.
For the first time, Ju-Won felt it.
The realness of it.
This wasn't some small-time heist.
This was war.
"FUCK! FUCK!" Tae-Jun bellowed, cleaving through another guard, but even as he fought, Ju-Won could see it—they were outnumbered.
More and more guards poured into the hallway, their weapons locking onto them.
They were losing.
Ju-Won gritted his teeth. He had to think—fast.
Elias glanced at him. "We need to get out of here. Now."
But before they could make a move—
The air shifted.
Something entered the battlefield.
And then—
BLOOD.
The next three seconds happened in a blur.
One of the guards screamed as something blurred past them, his body snapping like a twig.
Another was lifted off the ground, a single hand pressing into his skull.
Ju-Won's breath caught as he saw it—
A man.
No, a monster.
Dressed in dark combat gear, his entire presence radiated absolute power.
His hand tightened.
CRACK.
The guard's skull popped open like an overripe fruit, blood and brain matter splattering across the walls.
Silence.
Utter.
Fucking.
Silence.
The guards—the ones who had just been winning—now looked paralyzed with fear.
And Ju-Won understood why.
This wasn't just a strong enemy.
This was an S-Rank Hunter.
And he wasn't here to take prisoners.
Elias' face twisted. "Shit."
Ju-Won swallowed. They were fucked.
The Hunter moved faster than humanly possible.
One second, he was across the hallway.
The next—
He was among them.
Tae-Jun roared, swinging his massive sword.
The Hunter sidestepped.
And in the same movement, he reached forward—
SHLK!
His bare hand PIERCED through Tae-jun's stomach, the blade of his arm stabbing clean through the other side.
Tae-Jun's eyes widened in horror.
The Hunter leaned in, voice cold.
"You thought this was going to be easy?"
He ripped his hand out.
Tae-Jun collapsed.
Dead.
Ju-Won's breathing grew erratic.
Seo-rin tried to move, but before she could—
The Hunter grabbed her by the throat.
She slashed at his arm, but—her blade barely cut through his skin.
He was too fast. Too strong.
He squeezed.
Seo-Rin choked. Her hands clawed at his grip—desperate—
And then, with one swift motion—
He twisted her neck.
A sickening snap.
And just like that—she was gone.
Ju-Won felt the bile rise in his throat.
This isn't real. This isn't real.
Elias grabbed him. "Run."
Jin-Ho's body moved on instinct.
They bolted down the corridor, the Hunter watching them go.
He didn't chase them.
Didn't need to.
He had made his point.
They weren't worth his effort.
Ju-Won didn't stop running until they were deep within the facility.
His lungs burned. His legs screamed.
Elias was right beside him, face pale, sweat dripping from his brow.
They had lost everyone.
Min-Soo. Tae-Jun. Seo-rin.
All dead in an instant.
And now—it was just them.
Ju-Won leaned against the cold steel wall, trying to control his breathing.
"Fuck," he whispered. "Fuck. Fuck."
Elias didn't speak for a long moment. Then, finally, he exhaled.
"We keep moving."
Ju-Won's eyes snapped to him. "What?"
Elias stared at him, unblinking.
"We're already here. That S-Rank bastard isn't following us. That means he doesn't care about the vault."
His voice was calm.
Dangerously calm.
"We finish what we started."
Ju-Won wanted to argue. Wanted to scream.
But—
He thought of his sister.
Of the life he had fought so hard to keep together.
And in that moment, despite everything that had just happened—
He knew.
There was no going back.
Ju-Won exhaled.
Then, slowly, he nodded.
As they reach the Vault door. Everywhere was quiet but the red alarm light still flashing.
The doors to the vault hissed open with an ominous groan, revealing the darkened interior lined with rows of ancient artifacts. The air inside was cool, untouched by time, as though the treasures within had been waiting for someone like them to discover them.
Ju-Won stepped in first, eyes immediately drawn to the glimmering relics that filled the expansive chamber. There were weapons—swords, spears, and daggers—each one more intricate than the last. Golden shields lay scattered among ancient armor, and ornate vases from long-forgotten kingdoms were stacked neatly in glass cases.
Everything seemed to have a history, each item calling out with an ancient energy. It felt like the past was alive in this room, whispering secrets from an age long lost. But Ju-Won wasn't here to admire the treasures. He was here for one thing, and one thing only.
Money.
He bent down and opened one of the storage boxes, his fingers brushing against a strange, obsidian stone. The texture was rough, but the stone seemed to hum with a faint power, almost as if it was aware of his touch. Artifacts like this could be worth millions.
He stuffed the stone into his bag, then moved to the next case.
Meanwhile, Elias was pacing slowly, his gaze drifting over the artifacts. His fingers traced the air above a golden crown, adorned with intricate runes and gemstones. He tilted his head, seemingly lost in thought for a moment.
"This crown…" Elias murmured under his breath, more to himself than to Ju-Won. "It's from the last monarchy. The one before the rift." He turned to face Ju-Won. "The one that held the most power of all the kings. This is… priceless."
Ju-Won didn't look up from the box he was raiding. He was too busy grabbing anything of value. He couldn't afford to care about crowns or history. His mind kept playing back to what had just happened—Min-Soo, Tae-Jun, Seo-Rin—all of them dead in an instant. The S-rank Hunter had moved so fast, so deadly, that Ju-Won didn't have time to blink before everything went to shit.
He clenched his jaw, trying to shake the images from his mind. That wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't supposed to be like this.
His sister's face appeared in his thoughts, and it only made the dread settle deeper in his stomach. The medications she needed, the rent he couldn't afford. All of it was tied to this moment. Stealing, selling, surviving.
He grabbed a ruby-encrusted dagger from one of the shelves, its blade as red as blood. He wondered if it was cursed. No one would care.
"Is it worth it, Ju-Won?" Elias's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Ju-Won didn't respond at first, just carefully placed the dagger into his bag and continued scanning the room. His eyes were scanning for something big. Something that would make the difference.
"I mean…" Elias's voice broke through again, rubbing the crown between his fingers, like he was savoring the feel of it. "…we came all this way. It's a shame to just take the little stuff. You saw what happened outside. We made it this far, but—" Elias paused. His gaze flickered to the crown one more time. "…There's no turning back."
Ju-Won barely heard him, his focus entirely on the task at hand. He needed more. He needed everything.
As he bent down to pick up a golden chalice in the far corner, he heard the distinct sound clicking of a trigger.
Ju-Won froze. His breath hitched. He stood up and saw Elias standing tall, right above him.
A gun was aimed at his face, and Elias's fingers were already on the trigger.
Ju-Won's mind spun. His heart was still racing, the world moving in slow motion.
"I'm sorry, kid." Elias's voice was smooth, almost too calm. His expression was unreadable, like this was some sort of routine for him. "But this how it ends."
For a brief, horrifying moment, Ju-Won thought he might be dreaming. This couldn't be happening. Not Elias.
The man who had brought him in. The one who had promised him a way out.
This couldn't be happening.
But it was.
Elias's finger tightened on the trigger.
The gunshot was deafening.
BANG.
Ju-Won didn't have time to react. His skull exploded, the impact so sudden that his body slammed into the cold stone floor. Blood splattered across the ground, a trail of crimson pooling around his head. His eyes were wide, unseeing. The world was already starting to fade away as his life poured out.
Everything went black.