The night air was sharp, crisp with the scent of rain-soaked asphalt. The ruined cityscape stretched out before Asher, neon signs flickering weakly in the distance, a ghostly reminder of the world before the dungeons appeared.
And yet, despite the devastation, hunters thrived.
Even now, outside the dungeon's entrance, the gathering of hunters buzzed with barely concealed whispers.
All of them staring at him.
"Asher Damien…"
"A D-Rank just cleared a C-Rank Dungeon… alone?"
"That's impossible."
Asher ignored them. Words didn't matter.
He sheathed his blade, stepping past the murmuring crowd. His boots echoed against the pavement, leaving behind a trail of black monster blood. The scent was thick, clinging to him like a second skin.
Then
"Hey, kid."
A heavy hand clamped down on his shoulder.
Asher stopped.
Slowly, he turned his head, his eyes meeting the broad chest of a towering man a hunter.
Not just any hunter. An A-Rank.
The man had a jagged scar running from his temple to his jaw, his muscular frame wrapped in a dark tactical coat. His badge glinted under the streetlights.
Hunter Association Enforcement Division.
Trouble.
"You're coming with me," the man said. His grip tightened.
Asher stared at the hand on his shoulder.
Then, he sighed.
Here we go.
The Hunter Association's main headquarters loomed over the ruined city, an imposing skyscraper reinforced with enchanted steel.
A relic of the old world, now repurposed as the governing force of awakened hunters.
Inside, the air was sterile, cold, humming with quiet power. Hunters and officials moved through the halls, their conversations hushed.
Asher was led into a dimly lit interrogation room. A simple metal table. A single chair.
He sat down, leaning back, arms crossed.
The A-Rank hunter his "escort" stood near the door, watching him like a caged animal.
A moment later, another figure entered.
A woman.
Dressed in a crisp Hunter Association uniform, long platinum-blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. She adjusted her glasses, eyes sharp and calculating.
Evelyn Cross.
Head Investigator of the Association's Internal Affairs Division.
The Hunter Executioner.
Asher recognized her immediately.
If she was here this wasn't a casual meeting.
Evelyn placed a folder on the table, flipping it open. "Asher Damien." Her voice was smooth, clipped. "Twenty-one years old. D-Rank Hunter. Cleared a C-Rank Dungeon alone."
She glanced at him over the rim of her glasses. "Care to explain how?"
Asher tilted his head. "I killed everything inside."
Evelyn's expression remained unreadable.
The A-Rank hunter scoffed. "Don't play games, kid. We both know that's not normal."
"Define normal," Asher said smoothly.
The air in the room shifted.
Evelyn tapped the table. "The dungeon you entered had an Elite Variant. C-Rank. Highly intelligent. Difficult even for a team of seasoned hunters."
She leaned forward slightly. "And you, a freshly awakened D-Rank nobody, walked out without a single critical injury."
Asher met her gaze.
"So?"
Silence.
Then, Evelyn smirked. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"
Asher smiled slightly.
"No."
The A-Rank hunter stepped forward. "I can beat it out of him."
Evelyn raised a hand, stopping him.
She studied Asher for a long moment, then sighed. "Fine. Be mysterious."
She pulled out a black badge and slid it across the table.
"From this moment on, the Association is classifying you as an Unranked Hunter."
Asher raised an eyebrow. "Unranked?"
Evelyn nodded. "Your official rank is still D-Rank. But internally, you'll be watched. Closely."
She smiled.
"Congratulations. You're a threat now."
Asher left the interrogation room, stepping into the dimly lit hall.
Evelyn's warning still echoed in his head.
"Stay out of trouble. You're attracting the wrong kind of attention."
He didn't care.
He had bigger problems.
He had felt something in that dungeon. Something awakening.
And he needed to understand it.
As he moved toward the exit, he noticed someone leaning against the wall, waiting for him.
Silva Kain.
She smirked. "Well, well. Still breathing?"
Asher ignored her, walking past.
She fell into step beside him. "Unranked, huh? That's a fancy way of saying, 'we don't trust you, but we don't know what to do with you yet.'"
Asher said nothing.
Silva watched him. "You're planning something."
"Good observation," he muttered.
She tilted her head. "Want some advice?"
"No."
She grinned. "I'll give it anyway. If you're really planning on climbing the tower…"
She glanced at him, her expression unreadable.
"Be ready. The gods are watching."
Asher stopped walking.
He turned to her.
"…What did you just say?"
Silva's golden eyes gleamed.
"Figure it out yourself, shadow-boy."
Then, she vanished into the night.
Asher clenched his fists.
The gods were watching?
That meant they were involved.
That meant they were responsible.
And that meant
He was going to kill them.
The Tower of Gods and Demons.
A massive monolithic structure that had appeared in the heart of the ruined world, stretching beyond the sky, piercing into dimensions unknown.
The source of the monsters. The disasters. The apocalypse.
And the place where the strongest hunters climbed, seeking power beyond human limits.
No one had ever reached the top.
Asher stood at the base of the tower, looking up.
This was where it all began.
Where answers could be found.
And where his revenge would start.
Asher approached the massive gates at the tower's entrance.
Several hunters stood nearby, preparing for their own ascents. Some wore guild insignias. Others were independent, like him.
A loud chime echoed through the air.
[Entry Sequence Engaged.]
The gates of the tower creaked open.
A shimmering barrier of light separated the outside world from the inside. A threshold between mortals and the unknown.
Hunters stepped through, their figures disappearing into the light.
Asher took a deep breath.
The he stepped forward.
The moment he crossed the threshold everything changed.