He staggered down the hallway, leaning against the walls, gasping for breath. His face was smeared with blood, his right arm broken.
— Why...
— Why!?
The anguish grew with each passing moment.
— Why am I so weak?
He could see his family sprawled across the living room floor - he'd never seen so much blood. A werewolf-like creature held his mother's severed head between its teeth.
— You damn monster!
He grabbed a kitchen knife and charged, adrenaline surging through his veins.
He was just a child. He didn't deserve this.
His vision began to darken, and then...
.
. .
. . .
BZZZZZ
BZZZZZ
He reached out and turned off the alarm. For several minutes, he simply stared at the white ceiling. Though it was still early morning, he could already hear the neighbors' music box through the thin walls of his cheap apartment - the only place his Rank E Hunter salary could afford.
He'd thought life would improve when he qualified as a Hunter.
But soon learned life wasn't so simple.
He might not have been the absolute weakest in his rank, but parties rarely chose him. Once, they'd even picked an old man in a wheelchair over him.
Complaining wouldn't change anything.
BZZZZZ
BZZZZZ
He grabbed his phone - unknown number, but he answered anyway.
— Mr. Luzena, your rent is overdue!
— I'll pay, just give me a little more time.
— It's been two months already! I'll have to evict you.
Kaen scratched his neck and took a deep breath.
— It's not easy finding raid parties for the Dark Zones.
— Not my problem! Figure it out!
The call ended.
Kaen rubbed his forehead - he needed to find Hunter work fast.
He'd never been a good student - always causing trouble, getting mediocre grades. When he failed to get into a decent college, becoming a Hunter seemed his only option.
Passing the Hunter exam felt like a miracle at the time. But was it really?
He scrolled through job listings, but most required Rank D or C Hunters. It was like Rank E didn't exist anymore.
Finding nothing, he turned off his phone and went to shower.
. . .
The sky was overcast, the newspaper predicting rain. Kaen wore his outdated black jacket - he didn't care about appearances.
It was remarkable how the world had adapted. Massive gates with grinning skull motifs now appeared daily across the globe.
Fifteen years ago, the first Dark Zone appeared in a major city center. After days of chaos, authorities contained it, and the first survivors emerged - with unprecedented abilities.
Since then, these Zones kept appearing worldwide.
Kaen wandered aimlessly through the streets, the very image of a lone wolf. Who'd want to approach someone like him?
Only one person in this world ever had. Her name was...
— Mirella!
He startled as she appeared suddenly.
— Hey, how are you?
She was his opposite in every way - wearing a long blue dress with a red hair ribbon. Despite being Kaen's age, her energy made her seem childlike.
— I'm... okay, I guess.
His voice was hollow.
Mirella threw an arm around him like they were old comrades.
— Such a beautiful day, and you're making that face.
— What's wrong with my face?
He sounded embarrassed.
— Changing the subject, do you know what day it is?
Kaen genuinely had no idea. He scratched his chin, making a funny face as he thought.
— Seriously? You forgot again?
Mirella frowned.
— I've just been really busy.
A weak excuse - this wasn't the first time.
— Liar!
She pouted.
— Still having trouble finding raid parties? That's weird - the news says there are tons of E-Rank Dark Zones.
— It's not like that.
The words hit like a gut punch. Since becoming a Hunter, few parties would take him. Those that did swore never to invite him again, calling him "hopeless."
Before leaving his village, he'd vowed to become an S-Rank Hunter in the capital. They'd all laughed at him. Yet he'd persevered.
Was this really his destiny?
He knew he'd been useless in those early raids. But why wouldn't anyone give him another chance?
These thoughts tormented him daily.
— Hey Kaen, why did you want to become a Hunter?
The question snapped him back to reality.
— What else would I be? High-rank Hunters get fame, money, the good life.
Mirella's smile vanished. She lightly smacked his shoulder.
— Dummy, I know you're not that shallow.
Suddenly she grabbed his arm, turning his cheeks pink.
— Let's get coffee. My treat.
Kaen froze, his expression shifting dramatically.
— Mirella, answer me honestly. Did you go back to... that job?
Her smile disappeared.
— You know I need money for Mom's medicine.
Kaen gripped her arm tightly, almost without thinking.
— I'll help you, Mirella! You don't need to go back to that.
She avoided his gaze.
— Really? You can't even pay your rent...
The words cut deeper than they should have. Kaen released her arm. Silence fell between them, broken only by distant thunder.
But it wasn't just thunder.
The previously overcast sky tore open with a grotesque fissure of light. Clouds darkened instantly, as if time itself held its breath. Mirella and Kaen looked up as a deafening roar shook the ground beneath them.
A portal.
It hung in midair like fractured glass frozen mid-shatter. A vicious wind erupted, tearing signs, bags, even people off their feet. Screams filled the whirlwind.
Kaen instinctively grabbed Mirella, but she was being lifted off the ground.
The wind pulled hungrily, as if the portal had chosen its prey.
— No! Mirella!
He clung to her arm with all his strength.
But it wasn't enough.
His mana was weak. His body trembled. His arm ached. His feet began sliding across cracking asphalt.
— Kaen!
Her eyes widened in terror.
His grip slipped.
In an instant, his fingers lost contact, and Mirella was swallowed by the portal's distorted light - consumed by a maw of pure chaos.
— MIRELLA!!!
His scream echoed between buildings, louder than the approaching sirens.
The wind died, but the portal remained.Kaen collapsed to his knees, heart pounding, mind blank.
Again.
Once more, he'd been too weak to protect someone he loved.But there, kneeling before the horror, something inside him ignited.
Heat. Pain.
A promise.
— I'll save you... even if I have to walk through hell.
The portal still swirled like liquid glass.
His last chance.
People shouted for him to stay back. An officer grabbed his arm, yelling something incomprehensible.
— It's too dangerous!
— But I'm a Hunter!
— What rank?
— Rank E.
The answer came automatically.
— Idiot! That's a Rank B or C gate! Proper Hunters are coming!
Kaen knew no normal person could survive long in a Dark Zone - and the qualified Hunters wouldn't arrive in time.
— I know! But she's in there, and I'm going after her!
The officer tried pulling him back, but Kaen twisted free with almost animalistic desperation.
Then he ran.
Each step grew heavier. The wind pushed. Voices faded.
The world fell silent as he jumped.
And passed through the portal.