The neon glow of the city flickered like dying stars as Seun walked through the streets, his hood pulled low. The stench of blood and dungeon rot still clung to his clothes, but the crowds didn't notice. To them, he was just another exhausted Hunter—another faceless survivor.
*Humans see what they want to see.*
His apartment was a shoebox on the outskirts of the Redlight District, wedged between a fried chicken stand and a pawn shop that never closed. The lock was broken, but the wards he'd carved into the doorframe pulsed faintly as he entered.
**"Home sweet hellhole,"** he muttered.
---
### **The Ritual of the Living**
Seun stripped off his ruined gear, tossing it into a corner where shadows *twisted* to devour the bloodstains. The shower ran ice-cold—no hot water since the landlord cut costs—but he stood under it until his skin turned numb.
*Dungeon stink doesn't wash off easy.*
Clean, he rummaged through his fridge. A half-rotted takeout container, two energy drinks, and a single egg. He cracked the egg into a pan, watching the edges crisp black.
**[System Notice: Caloric Intake Insufficient]**
**[Recommendation: Consume High-Protein Meal to Sustain Enhanced Metabolism]**
Seun scoffed. **"I'll rob a steakhouse later."**
He ate standing up, staring at the cracked mirror across from his kitchenette. His reflection looked… *wrong*. Eyes too dark. Shadows clinging to his jawline like they were part of him.
*Because they are.*
---
### **The Training**
Midnight. The rooftop of his building was deserted, the concrete littered with cigarette butts and broken bottles. Seun stretched, his muscles humming with leftover adrenaline.
Then he *moved*.
**[Shadow Step]** carried him across the roof in a blur. A backflip off the AC unit, a dagger strike aimed at an imaginary foe—
**"Again."**
He repeated the motions until sweat dripped down his spine, until his lungs burned. The System didn't just *give* power—it demanded **perfection**.
A notification flickered:
**[Combat Reflexes +5%]**
**[Stamina Efficiency Improved]**
Seun collapsed onto his back, chest heaving. The sky was starless, choked with smog.
*How long until I stop feeling human?*
---
### **The Visitor**
The knock came at 3 AM.
Seun's dagger was in his hand before the second rap.
**"Who?"**
**"Delivery for 'The Guy Who Owes Me 50,000 Won',"** came a woman's voice, dry as bone dust.
Seun yanked the door open.
**Lee Yuna**, black-market augment dealer and the closest thing he had to a friend, leaned against the frame. Her cybernetic eye whirred as it scanned him.
**"You look like shit."**
**"You smell like cigarettes and bad decisions."**
She tossed him a paper bag. Inside: a protein bar, actual coffee, and a syringe of **Mana-Stabilizer**—illegal, expensive, and *exactly* what kept his shadow-saturated blood from killing him.
**"Payment?"** Seun asked.
Yuna smirked. **"I need a dungeon cleared. Low-rank. Nasty little pest problem."**
**"Pests?"**
**"Yeah."** Her smile vanished. **"The kind that used to be people."**
---
### **The Offer**
Seun studied her. Yuna didn't do favors.
**"Why me?"**
She lit a cigarette, exhaling smoke through her nose. **"Because the Association's sniffing around my suppliers. And you? You're the only Hunter I know who *likes* getting his hands dirty."**
A pause. Then—
**[New Quest: 'Extermination']**
**[Location: Abandoned Bio-Research Facility]**
**[Target: Corrupted Human-Types (Former Test Subjects)]**
**[Reward: 70,000 Won | Favor from Yuna | +10% Shadow Resistance]**
Seun pocketed the stabilizer. **"I'll do it. But no questions about the bodies."**
Yuna's eye gleamed. **"Wouldn't dream of it."**
---
### **The Calm Before**
Dawn crept in as Seun lay on his mattress, staring at the water-stained ceiling. The Voidfang Alpha's shadow curled at the foot of his bed like a loyal hound.
He closed his eyes.
Tomorrow: killing.
Tonight?
*Just a man. Just for a little while.*