Kai Ren shouldn't be alive.
And yet, he stood.
His body was still weak. His strength was still insignificant.
But something had changed.
The Red King, the unstoppable monster that had slaughtered his entire team, now stood motionless.
And for the first time, it wasn't Kai who was afraid.
It was them.
Because when he spoke—
The dead listened.
The Battlefield Stands Still
The blood-red sky of the Red Gate loomed above them, twisted and unnatural. The ground beneath Kai's feet was cracked obsidian stone, still stained with the blood of his fallen comrades.
But he felt… different.
Not stronger. Not faster.
Just… aware.
As if something ancient and unseen was now part of him.
His mind was racing, but he could see everything with unsettling clarity.
The Red King, frozen in place.
Hana, barely standing, her tears mixing with blood.
Min-Jae, who had tried to run, now staring at him with disbelief.
Even the system itself seemed hesitant.
And then—
A new notification appeared.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
🔹 [Class Updated: ??? → Harbinger]
🔹 [New Abilities Awakening…]
🔹 [The Path Has Been Opened.]
Harbinger.
That was his new class.
And deep in his chest, Kai felt something stir.
Then, as if acting on instinct, he spoke a single word.
"Kneel."
And the Red King obeyed.
The Red King Kneels – A Power Beyond Understanding
The air rippled, as if the very laws of the world were being rewritten.
The massive, armored titan, the field boss that had slaughtered everyone, slowly lowered its greatsword.
Then—
It fell to one knee.
A deep, grinding sound echoed across the battlefield—metal scraping against stone—as the Red King bowed its head.
The others watched in stunned silence.
Min-Jae's breath hitched. "What… the fuck…?"
Hana staggered backward, nearly collapsing.
This shouldn't be possible.
This was a boss monster.
A force of pure destruction.
And yet—
It had submitted.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
🔹 [New Skill Unlocked: Sovereign's Command]
🔹 [Effect: The Harbinger may impose their will upon lesser entities. Success rate varies by power difference.]
Kai's hands trembled.
He had no idea how or why this was happening.
But the truth was undeniable.
He had issued a command.
And the Red King had obeyed.
He stared at his hands.
"What… am I?"
Then—
Another notification.
🔹 [System Response Delayed… Analyzing Anomaly…]
Kai felt it.
The system was hesitating.
As if it didn't recognize him anymore.
Min-Jae's Fear – A Rift Between the Survivors
Min-Jae took a step back, his face pale.
"Ren." His voice was hoarse. "What the hell did you just do?"
Kai turned to him.
Min-Jae flinched.
For the first time, his gaze wasn't looking down on Kai.
For the first time—there was fear in his eyes.
Hana, still injured, clutched her staff. "Kai… is that really you?"
Kai didn't know how to answer.
Everything had happened so fast.
One moment, he had been dying.
The next, he had been reborn.
And now, he had power.
But what kind of power?
Something told him—this wasn't normal.
This wasn't something a hunter should have.
This was something else.
The System Responds – A Force Beyond Control
Then—
🔹 [WARNING: SYSTEM ERROR DETECTED]
A shockwave of invisible energy surged through the Red Gate.
The very sky cracked, and a sound like thousands of whispers filled the air.
🔹 [Correction Protocol Initiated.]
🔹 [Foreign Authority Detected.]
🔹 [Countermeasure Deploying…]
Kai's heart pounded.
"What the hell is happening now?"
And then—
The Red Gate began to collapse.
The Red Gate Collapses – The End of the Nightmare
The ground trembled as the very fabric of the dungeon began to tear apart.
Crimson lightning crackled through the sky, and the air itself shimmered like a distorted illusion.
Kai's vision flickered.
Something was pulling him back.
🔹 [Dungeon Clearance Confirmed.]
🔹 [Red Gate Closure in Progress.]
The world warped, the Red King's form fading into static.
Hana screamed, her body lifting into the air as the dungeon forcibly ejected them.
Min-Jae disappeared in a flash of white.
And as Kai's body was pulled into the void, a final message appeared.
🔹 [Your existence has been recorded.]
🔹 [The System is watching.]
Then—
The Red Gate collapsed.
And the nightmare was over.
Reality Returns – The Aftermath of the Raid
The first thing Kai felt was rain.
Cold. Sharp. Real.
Then, the sound of alarms.
His body hit the pavement, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, he was back in the real world.
The Hunter Association Headquarters was in chaos.
Guild officers, medics, and government enforcers were rushing to the dungeon's location.
Flashing red lights filled the air. Emergency sirens blared.
But Kai could barely process any of it.
Because as he lay on the ground, staring at the storm-filled sky—
He saw his status screen appear.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Kai Ren
Level: 2
Class: Harbinger
Title: The One Who Returned
HP: 300 / 300
MP: ???
Fatigue: 0
[Stats]
Strength: 15
Stamina: 15
Agility: 15
Intelligence: 30
Perception: 25
(Available Points: 5)
[Skills]
Passive Skills:
Eidetic Memory (Lv.1): Remembers everything in perfect detail.
Sovereign's Presence (Lv.1): Lesser beings instinctively recognize your authority.
Active Skills:
Transcribe (Lv.1): Write down battle details with system assistance.
Sovereign's Command (Lv.1): Issue direct orders to lesser entities. Success rate based on power difference.
Kai's fingers trembled.
He had gone into that dungeon as a weakling.
He had been betrayed.
He had died.
But now—
He had returned.
And as he sat up, feeling the weight of his new power, he finally understood.
This was only the beginning.
And the world wasn't ready for him.