Kai Ren was now Korea's Most Wanted.
Labeled a rogue entity.
Declared an anomaly.
Hunted by the Hunter Association.
And yet, he wasn't afraid.
Because he had been given something far greater than fear.
A chance to rise.
A chance to evolve.
A chance to become something more.
And those who came for him—
Would soon learn the true weight of their mistake.
The Aftermath – A City Turned Against Him
The air was thick with tension.
The heavy rain poured down in sheets, washing the blood and dust from the battlefield.
The emergency sirens blared, their crimson glow casting long, shifting shadows across the ruined cityscape.
Kai stood motionless, his body screaming in exhaustion.
His vision blurred.
His breath was ragged.
His mana reserves were running dangerously low.
But none of that mattered.
Because now—
The Hunter Association had made its move.
🔹 [Emergency Broadcast Initiated.]
🔹 [Nationwide Notice: F-Rank Hunter Kai Ren Has Been Labeled a Rogue Entity.]
🔹 [All Hunters Are Authorized to Engage on Sight.]
A suffocating silence fell over the enforcers.
Even Joon-Hee hesitated—her golden eyes narrowing as she absorbed the implications of the system's decree.
Then—
A single command.
"Take him down."
The Hunter Association Moves – Kai's Final Warning
🔹 [Mana Suppression Activated.]
A wave of crushing pressure descended upon Kai, his knees nearly buckling under the sheer force.
The Hunter Association Enforcers were already moving—
Mana-infused rifles aimed.
Runic barriers ignited.
Chains of light surged forward, locking onto his presence.
This wasn't just an arrest.
This was an execution.
But Kai… didn't move.
Not yet.
His mind was racing, analyzing every possible scenario.
And then—
A voice whispered in the depths of his consciousness.
🔹 [You have been given a choice.]
🔹 [Submit.]
🔹 [Or rise.]
His fingers twitched.
His breath slowed.
And for the first time—
He understood.
"No."
The First Command – A Glimpse of Sovereignty
The instant he spoke, the battlefield shifted.
The fallen corpses twitched.
Joints snapped into place.
Armor creaked.
Lifeless eyes snapped open.
A cold, ominous voice echoed in his mind.
🔹 [The dead do not rest.]
🔹 [They only wait for a Harbinger to call them.]
And when Kai spoke—
They listened.
"Block their advance."
The undead hunters surged forward, their movements jerky but relentless.
The enforcers faltered.
For the first time, their formation broke.
Then—
🔹 [Emergency Alert: Unknown Authority Interfering with System Designation.]
🔹 [Forces Beyond the System Are Watching.]
A second force had taken interest.
And Kai knew—
The system was no longer the only one keeping an eye on him.
📍 The First Escape – Vanishing into the Shadows
🔹 [Skill Activated: Death's Veil.]
A pulse of dark energy rippled through the air.
The moment the undead engaged the enforcers, Kai moved.
His body blurred, his presence fading like mist.
The Association's mana signatures lost track of him in an instant.
Joon-Hee's golden eyes snapped toward the disturbance.
"Where did he—?"
Her words were cut off by the chaos.
And by the time she turned back—
Kai was already gone.
The Underground Tunnels – A World Beneath the City
The moment Kai broke free, his instincts guided him down.
Through forgotten subway passages.
Through abandoned maintenance tunnels.
A city beneath the city.
His breath was ragged.
His body burned from exhaustion.
But he couldn't stop.
Not yet.
Because now—
The entire world wanted him dead.
And the only way to survive…
Was to disappear completely.
The Cost of Power – A Forced Reset
Then—
A searing pain exploded in Kai's chest.
His vision darkened.
His body collapsed against the cold steel walls of the tunnel.
And before he could react—
His status screen flickered violently before him.
🔹 [System Interference Detected.]
🔹 [External Authority Overriding…]
🔹 [Core Synchronization Reset in Progress.]
A force unlike anything he had ever felt began tearing through him.
Something was rewriting him.
Something was resetting his abilities.
And then—
A voice.
Not spoken.
Not heard.
But felt.
🔹 [You are not ready.]
🔹 [Sleep.]
And his consciousness shattered.
[Status Window] (Updated – Reset Applied)
🔹 [Name: Kai Ren (Hidden)]
🔹 [Level: 2 (Skill Reset Applied)]
🔹 [Class: Harbinger | Shadowblade (New)]
🔹 [Title: The One Who Returned]
🔹 [HP: 300/300]
🔹 [MP: 0]
🔹 [Fatigue: 99]
[Stats]
Strength: 15
Stamina: 15
Agility: 15 → 22 (+7 from Shadowblade)
Intelligence: 30
Perception: 25
🔹 (Available Points: 5)
[Active Skills]
🔹 [???] (Unavailable)
🔹 [???] (Unavailable)
🔹 [Transcribe] (Lv.1) – Active
[Passive Skills]
🔹 [Eidetic Memory] (Lv.1) – Passive
🔹 [Shadow Veil] (Lv.1) – Passive
🔹 [Necrotic Core Suppressed]
🔹 [Summoning Capabilities Locked]
Kai's fingers twitched.
His necromantic abilities had been sealed.
And in their place—
A new profession had been granted.
A whisper lingered in his mind.
🔹 [This is for your own safety.]
Kai's eyes snapped open.
The first thing he saw—
Was darkness.
The second—
His new status screen.
And as he exhaled, his lips curling into a slow, deliberate smirk—
He whispered.
His chest rose and fell with slow, measured breaths.
"Sealed…"
His necromancer abilities were completely locked down—his summons, his connection to undeath… everything.
For now.
A quiet chuckle escaped him, but it wasn't amusement.
It was frustration.
It was determination.
It was the sound of someone who had been broken once before—but had still gotten back up.
Kai let his head rest against the cold tunnel wall, closing his eyes for a brief moment.
They thought this was over.
They thought they had erased him.
But they had only delayed the inevitable.
"You should have killed me when you had the chance."
His fingers curled into a fist.
Because now—
He had time.
And time…
Was all he needed.