I sat on the edge of the bed in my hotel room, my body still sore from the intense battle earlier. The faint hum of the city outside barely reached my ears. Every muscle in me begged for rest, but my mind wouldn't settle. The transformation I unlocked during the fight still lingered in my head—the fangs, the white hair. What was that…?
I leaned back against the wall, exhaling sharply.
The door creaked open.
I turned my head slowly, already annoyed. Standing there with his usual smug grin was Kuro, his hands tucked casually into his pockets.
"Oh boy," I muttered through my mask, giving him a deadpan glare. "What do you want, Kuro?"
He tilted his head, smirking wider. "Relax, Tarek. You get more interesting every single day, you know that?"
I crossed my arms. "Interesting, huh? You mean because of the fight?"
"Exactly," he said, stepping inside uninvited. "That power you pulled out at the last second? That wasn't normal. I like that. I like people who aren't normal."
I groaned, rubbing my temples. "Cut the cryptic stuff. Why are you smirking like that? Didn't you lose to Astrid? I thought you'd be sulking in a corner somewhere."
His smirk faltered for just a moment, and he sighed dramatically, running a hand through his hair. "Ouch, man. That's harsh. Don't remind me, alright? I lost and got eliminated, yeah, but…" His smirk returned, sharper than before. "I'm not here about that."
I gave him a suspicious look. "Then what are you here for?"
He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "I came here because I want you to join our faction. And maybe… become friends with us."
I blinked. "Our?"
"Us?" I tilted my head, narrowing my eyes behind the mask. "Who's us supposed to be—"
Before I could finish, the door swung open again.
Astrid walked in. Her silver hair caught the dim light of the room as her sharp blue eyes fixed on me. She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at both of us.
I stared at her. "Wait… you're part of this too?"
Kuro grinned knowingly. "Surprise."
Astrid let out a quiet sigh. "Kuro, you could at least explain things properly instead of barging into his room and looking suspicious."
"Where's the fun in that?" Kuro shrugged.
I stood up, facing them both. "Okay, hold on. First, you—" I pointed at Kuro— "randomly walk into my room asking me to join some secret faction. Then you—" I pointed at Astrid— "just stroll in like this is the most normal thing in the world. So, what is going on?"
Astrid stepped forward calmly. "We've been keeping an eye on the strongest participants in this tournament. The faction Kuro mentioned isn't official—it's a group of fighters with similar goals. We don't follow the crowd. We don't play by the rules. We… hunt bigger threats."
"Hunt threats?" I echoed.
Kuro smirked again. "Demons. Monsters. Cursed entities. Things most people don't even want to believe exist. We could use someone like you."
I hesitated. "…So, you're saying you want me to join this vigilante demon-hunting club?"
Kuro grinned. "Pretty much, yeah."
Astrid added, "You'd fit in better than you think."
I stared between the two of them, trying to process it.
Before I could answer, however—
Beneath the Arena.
The air was damp and heavy with the stench of iron and smoke. Torches flickered faintly along the cavern walls as the cloaked figure, known only as ???, dragged a limp body across the stone floor. The boy's whimpers echoed before going silent as he was chained to a black altar etched with pulsating red runes.
"Another one for the collection," ??? whispered darkly, their sharp teeth glinting in the firelight.
From the shadows, they gazed upward, their voice dripping with malice.
"Soon… so very soon." Their clawed hand traced the runes with unsettling reverence. "We'll bleed this arena dry, one soul at a time… and then…"
Their head tilted back unnaturally, grinning wide.
"The Demon King shall rise."
They turned their gaze toward the glowing scrying crystal that showed the faces of fighters aboveground. Their finger stopped on one.
"…Let's see how you handle this next, Jae Hoon."
The torches flared violently.