The portal measured about five to six meters in height. The wind had drastically decreased, and the area was already surrounded by police. A few minutes later, the hunters arrived.
One of the officers, holding a tablet, listed the names of those present: It was a group with four Rank B hunters—accompanied by a Rank...
— Rank S Hunter... Luce Van Hell?!
— Hey, what's up? — he replied casually.
Luce Van Hell was a famous hunter, more than that, he was the hero of the first raid on the Shadow Zone. They say he was capable of eliminating entire armies just by opening his left eye.
He wore a sort of eyepatch and a wide-brimmed hat, dressed like someone who knew darkness up close. His overcoat was made of a resistant technological fabric, black as pitch, with lightweight protective plates integrated into the shoulders and chest.
Under the coat, he wore a fitted shirt made of thick cotton, with a semi-open collar and rolled-up sleeves, revealing the metallic bracelets on his wrists—artifacts inherited from an ancient lineage of hunters.
A dark tactical vest held vials of liquid silver, talismans, and rune-sealed ammunition. His hair was white, like a wolf's.
— It's a pleasure to see you, sir. Is this some kind of training or something? the officer asked curiously.
— It's more or less that. I'm going to evaluate them to see if they're suitable to join my guild.
The conversation was interrupted by one of the Rank B hunters who was impatient.
— Are we going to stand here talking, or are we going to hunt? He huffed like a valiant buffalo; his way of speaking was rude, even when referring to a Rank S.
Another adjusted his glasses, which gleamed in a blue hue, carrying a book—likely the group's mage.
There was also a warrior-class member with a smile that exuded courage and an introverted archer.
But Luce didn't care. He knew that in a fight, they wouldn't even come close to a single strand of his hair.
— Let's just get this over with, huh? — Luce replied, still keeping his casual tone.
The group gathered in front of the portal.
— Well, kids, I'll see you on the other side.
Before jumping into the portal, the dagger he kept at his waist began to glow faintly.
— Oh... looks like this is going to be interesting.
None of the Rank B hunters noticed, but Luce looked at the blade as if seeing a ghost. In ten years, this was the first time it had reacted to something... or someone.
Then he jumped in with the others.
But meanwhile, on the other side...
. . .
— Mirella! Mirella!
It had been so long since he'd entered a Shadow Zone that he'd forgotten what it was like. Shadow Zones are like an alternate reality of ours, a reality where chaos prevailed.
He realized that this place was identical to the real world—he even found a sign with the name of the neighborhood café.
"Where could she be?"
It was only when the adrenaline faded that he realized there was no way back to the real world. He had no return stone, not even a weapon to defeat the boss.
"What do I do?"
Kaen bit his lip until it bled. No weapon. No way out. The only thing he had was Mirella's name screaming in his mind.
He slapped his own face.
"Don't panic. Just find Mirella and wait for rescue."
"Wait for rescue?"
Doubt took hold of his heart. The weight of feeling weak grew heavier.
— I can't act like this. — He told himself, lifting his head and continuing his search. But then he stepped on something slippery.
He looked down and saw... the red hair ribbon, stained with blood. In fact, the blood was still fresh. His hand trembled; his heart pounded harder. He closed his eyes and...
Picked up the ribbon.
— Mirella...
He clutched it fervently in his hands, closed his eyes, and pressed the ribbon to his forehead.
"Mirella, please..."
— Be alive!
His voice echoed off the worn walls of that place, which looked more like a desert—or so he thought.
He heard footsteps behind him. A cold wind settled on the back of his neck. He turned slowly and looked at the shards of mirrored glass.
It wasn't just one. There were many.
Many Blood Wolves—their defining trait was their red fur and four eyes.
Kaen had never seen them in person, only in reports and hunter manuals. That was when he realized what kind of portal he'd entered.
A Rank...
B portal!
He stuffed the ribbon into his pocket and started running through the rubble. He couldn't do anything against a Rank B monster, let alone several at once.
Kaen stepped on something sharp—a bone shard—but didn't stop, even though it pierced the leather of his boot. The stench of rotting meat filled the air, and growls came from all directions. A wolf lunged, its claws scraping the stones inches from his heel.
"Dammit! Damn it all!!"
"How can I lose them?"
"Think, useless brain, think!"
Before the hunter exam, Kaen had to study the manual fervently. In this world, becoming a hunter wasn't just about entering a room and being analyzed by a bunch of mad scientists. There were physical tests and a specific exam once the ranking was revealed.
Kaen bit his lips. The growls grew closer. Then he remembered: page 78 of the manual.
"Blood Wolves: sensitive to heat patterns and..."
Without thinking, he grabbed a sharp piece of metal and cut his forearm. The blood dripped onto the stones, which—strangely enough—were hot, forming small steaming puddles. The wolves hesitated, confused by the new heat sources.
— Now! — He kicked a pile of barrels. The crash echoed like a gunshot. Two wolves ran toward the sound.
Kaen slipped through the rubble, his knees bleeding against the cracked asphalt. The wolves' howls were less than twenty meters away. That was when he saw it:
A manhole with its cover torn off, the opening dark like a throat. Without thinking, he threw himself inside, sliding down the damp concrete pipe. His body hit the bottom of the tunnel with an impact that knocked the air from his lungs.
The wolves arrived three seconds later. Six pairs of eyes gleamed at the entrance, but...
They didn't descend.
They snarled, pawing at the edge as if afraid of what lay below.
But luckily, there was nothing. Kaen waited until the wolves' stench of rotting meat faded, then climbed out of the manhole.
He began to feel pain in his foot—only then did he realize the bone shard had pierced through the leather of his boot.
He searched his jacket for something to help. Avoiding more wolves would be ideal.
In one of the pockets, he found a bandage. It was old and worn, but it was the only one.
He sat among the rubble, took off his boot, and applied the bandage to the wound. Then he put the boot back on.
— I'd forgotten how big this place is.
An idea shot through his mind like an arrow.
"Will it work here?"
Mirella always kept her phone inside her dress—but it was a dress. How did she manage to carry it?
For a brief moment, Kaen thought of the bra. That made him blush.
"Stop thinking about that."
He searched for his phone, found it, and when he saw it...
"Seriously?"
It was broken. He tried to turn it on, but only his weird wallpaper appeared—a middle-aged man dressed as a rabbit. He hadn't chosen it; it came with the used phone.
Kaen put the broken phone away with a frustrated sigh. The silence around him was unsettling—very different from the constant howls earlier. He stood up carefully, leaning against a half-destroyed wall, when...
A metallic sound rolled across the ground. His eyes followed the object—a small vial of liquid silver, almost empty but with a few drops left. It must have fallen from his pocket when he dodged.
"Liquid silver... page 79 of the manual," he murmured, picking up the vial. "Blood Wolves: vulnerable to..."
A sudden roar cut through the air. Kaen turned too quickly, losing his balance. The last wolf—an alpha male, judging by its size—was just ten meters away, its four eyes fixed on him. It must have stayed behind as a sentinel.
The monster lunged in a death-defying leap. Kaen reacted on instinct, hurling the vial. It shattered against the wolf's snout, the last drops of silver splashing into its eyes.
The howl of pain was deafening. The wolf fell, rubbing its paws against its face as gray smoke rose from its wounded eyes.
Kaen didn't wait. He ran in the opposite direction, entering a ruined commercial building. Stairs. He had to go up. The wolf's heavy footsteps echoed behind him, but now without its earlier precision.
On the second floor, a door was slightly ajar. Kaen threw himself inside, rolling onto the debris-covered floor. He heard the wolf run past, sniffing but failing to detect his trail because...
"The smell..." Kaen realized. The place reeked of a strong chemical odor—acid or bleach—masking natural scents. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
That was when he saw it. In the darkest corner of the room, something glowed faintly. A human figure, curled up.
"Mirella?" he whispered, hopeful.
The figure moved. It wasn't Mirella. It was an emaciated man, wearing tattered remnants of a Rank C hunter uniform. His eyes were covered in a black, sticky substance.
— You... you came through the portal too?
The man's voice was rough, as if he hadn't spoken in weeks.
— She said she'd send someone... but you're just a Rank E.
Kaen swallowed hard.
— Who said? Mirella?
The man laughed—a wet, sickly sound.
— Mirella? No... The Spider. She weaves destinies, you know? And yours...
He leaned forward.
— Is almost complete.
Before Kaen could respond, a crash shook the building. The wolf had returned—and brought reinforcements. The walls trembled as massive bodies slammed into the structure.
The blind man smiled.
— Welcome to Rank B, kid. The Spider is hungry.
Kaen watched as the man unraveled like a spider's web. But before disappearing, he spat out a golden thread—it looked like a spider's silk.
But Kaen was too scared to think. One thing was clear: he couldn't stay here any longer.
He ran to the rooftop and looked back. There was no escape. The wolves had arrived.
"What do I do?!"
He was many meters up. He'd die the moment he hit the ground.
"Damn it!!"
— Mirella... I'm sorry.
She appeared in his thoughts, smiling gently—but he couldn't see her eyes.
Before he realized it, one of the wolves lunged and bit his leg. Kaen managed to shake it off with a punch.
But something was wrong with his leg. Then he remembered an effect these wolves had.
Poison in their fangs—but not ordinary poison.
It was hallucinogenic. His fingers already looked transparent, as if his body were dissolving into threads of blood.
No matter what anyone did.
— What the hell!
He realized there were no more chances. He took a deep breath, turned, and ran with his eyes closed.
Whether he'd survive or not—that was up to fate.
And then... he jumped...
In midair, he turned and saw the wolves watching him.
"I'm sorry..."
A tear rolled down his face.
"Mirella..."
. . .
Is this really the end of Kaen Luzena?
Or the beginning?