Kai closed the door to his small apartment with a tired sigh. It was dark. The only light came from the street lamps outside, seeping through the worn curtains of the window.
He turned on the light. The ceiling lamp flickered briefly before bathing the room in a dull yellow glow. He slowly removed his shoes and hung his backpack on a hook near the entrance. From it, he pulled out a broken puppet —one of many failed attempts— with an arm dangling by barely intact threads.
He placed it gently on the table, as if wanting to let his creation rest with some dignity.
With another sigh, he grabbed the remote and turned on the television.
"...We're reporting live from the outskirts of Sector 9, where an A-class Rift has emerged in the past few hours. The area has been evacuated, and the elite team from Hunter Guild #7 is currently in operation," announced the reporter, as aerial footage from a helicopter displayed the chaos.
The camera zoomed in on three well-known hunters battling against massive, indescribable creatures —twisted masses of flesh, glowing eyes, and multiple contorted limbs. Each hunter radiated with different forms of magic: one commanded lightning, another wore living metallic armor, and the third launched massive fireballs. They were powerful, yes… but the creatures were too many.
Kai swallowed hard as he watched one of the hunters get taken down.
"This can't be…" he murmured.
And then, it happened.
A silver flash streaked across the screen.
Descending from above came a woman. Her long, straight silver hair floated around her, adorned with glowing crimson streaks that shimmered in the Rift's light. She wore a long black coat with red metallic details, open at the front to reveal a kind of corset inscribed with arcane symbols. Floating behind her was a spear of pure energy, spinning elegantly. Her expression was one of total seriousness —ruby eyes cold as steel, lips tight, posture upright and imposing.
The camera trembled as the creatures charged at her… but it was useless.
With a simple wave of her hand, the spear shot forward, slicing through the air with overwhelming force. The creatures burst into clouds of dark mist as the Rift began to collapse. In under a minute, it was over.
She turned around, giving her back to the battlefield now littered with remnants, while the Rift disintegrated behind her as if it had never existed.
The camera zoomed in on her face.
"There she is," the reporter said, breathless. "Eira Stormfell, the Queen of the Rifts! Considered one of the most powerful hunters in the world, her magic—known as 'Judgment Spear'—can eliminate A-class creatures with near-perfect efficiency. And all of that in just 54 seconds! The guilds have officially declared that her intervention saved thousands of lives. A true example of what it means to be a real hunter!"
Kai watched in silence as the screen filled with praise, astronomical reward numbers, and comparisons to other famous hunters.
"They probably paid her a fortune for that…" he muttered as he turned off the TV.
He picked up another flyer still lying on the table that he hadn't posted yet. On it was an exaggeratedly sad image of himself and the phrase: "Looking for a partner. Offering room and hot soup. I don't die easily (though I do lose sometimes)."
Kai stared at it for a few seconds… then sighed.
"Maybe… I should get a real job… before I lose this place too."
He dropped onto the couch in defeat. The broken puppet beside him seemed to share his sadness.
But his eyes, though tired, hadn't lost their spark.
Not yet.