Ryu looked up at the sky—the dark smoke between the distant mountains was growing thicker. His face was no longer calm like a tourist; there was a gleam in his eyes—the gleam only a hunter has.
"High-Level Entity, huh? Finally, something worth seeing."
The villagers were looking at him with fear and hope.
"Sir, don't go there… that's death!" an old man said fearfully.
Ryu gave him a casual smile.
"Death is for those who can die."
He gently adjusted his golden cloak and began walking. With every step, the grass beneath his feet was crushed, and a strange pressure filled the air, as if something big was about to happen.
By the edge of the mountains, the forest had turned into scorched land, trees were burning, and a massive black wolf had surrounded its prey.
Dark flames were erupting around it, and its red eyes glowed with fury.
Ryu checked its level for a moment, and a slightly mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"Level 4500? You're not even a warm-up. Alright, let's play a little game."
The wolf didn't waste any time and jumped at Ryu. Ryu simply snapped his fingers—a transparent barrier formed and the wolf crashed into it, falling backward and cracking the ground.
"Tch tch… getting angry so quickly?"
Ryu gestured with a finger, and a golden magic circle began spinning around him. A gravitational pull spread through the forest, dragging the small corrupted monsters into one place—next moment, they turned to dust and scattered.
The wolf roared and leapt at him again, releasing black flames. Ryu took a step forward and instantly teleported right in front of it. He placed a hand on the wolf's head and softly said,
"Sleep now."
The red glow in the wolf's eyes vanished instantly, and it dropped to the ground.
Ryu flicked his hand and said softly,
"That's it? Is Hardcore Mode going to stay boring?"
As he said that, a system window lit up—
[Warning: Sealed Memory Fragment Triggered]
In front of him, a small blue projection appeared—his old avatar standing on a battlefield, thousands of players dying, and a gentle smile on his face.
"If I ever return… maybe I'll meet those again… who have forgotten me."
Ryu went silent for a moment. His face was calm, but the old pain returned in his eyes.
He reached toward the blue projection, but it suddenly disappeared.
"…Are you all here?"
For a moment, the wind was completely silent. Then came a loud crack.
Behind him, a dark rift opened in mid-air, as if space itself had torn. From the rift, a cold and terrifying aura emerged, withering the trees of the forest.
The system gave a loud warning—
[Emergency Alert: Dimensional Rift Opening – Unknown Boss Entity Emerging]
Ryu slowly turned and looked. The rift was growing deeper, and a massive black claw began to emerge from it. The ground was shaking, trees were falling, and the air filled with a strange pain.
The old arrogant smile returned to his lips. He snapped his fingers, and golden light began swirling around him.
"Finally… something interesting."
The black claw hit the ground with a loud thud, and a powerful heartbeat echoed.
A massive black beast was slowly emerging from the rift. Its eyes glowed red, and its presence tore through the air. It locked its gaze on Ryu, and for a moment, the wind stopped.
Ryu stepped forward and said softly,
"Warm-up is over… let's play the real game."
---
— TO BE CONTINUED —