The halls of Hwanseong Guild echoed with quiet discontent. Their master, Kim Dong-hyun, weighed matters with a mind as sharp and cold as a blade. Unlike his reckless younger sibling, Kim Dong-jun, he was a man who lived by calculation. Every action he took was shaped by endless scenarios—best case, worst case, and all that lay between.
Kim Dong-jun stormed in with loud excuses, insisting that Lee Seong-jun was dangerous, painting him as the reason for his failures. His words spilled endlessly, desperate to regain favor. But Dong-hyun had long seen through this brother's incompetence. To him, the Director of Returnee Management was useful only as a pawn, not as a man. Cutting him away now would stir needless variables. Better to keep him close, if only for appearances.
So with smooth words and the promise of a grand party, Dong-hyun dismissed him. The foolish brother left, pacified by vanity, while those who mattered remained. Silence thickened as Lim Jae-hoon, the head of personnel, waited. He knew better than to disturb his master's thoughts.
It was in this silence that the truth of Hwanseong's rise gleamed. The world saw them as a guild propped up by the wealth of the Honor Group, but money alone could never reach the top five. The true spine of their power was Kim Dong-hyun himself—a man with patience like a serpent, eyes fixed on the greater game of succession among his siblings. Against his eldest brother, who held sway over Earth's hunter industries, his victory was not yet certain. And so, every new recruit, every piece of leverage, mattered.
Lee Seong-jun, the returnee who refused to bow, had become a thorn too sharp to ignore. Alone, he had slain an Earth Worm, a feat beyond most A-rank hunters. A man with such power, left unchecked, could not only reject Hwanseong's offers but grow into a threat against their very future. Returnees grew fast. Given time, he could no longer be stopped.
Kim Dong-hyun's eyes narrowed. The conclusion was clear—there was no need for risk, no need for half measures. Seong-jun must be removed.
And so he whispered the order that sealed the hunt: "Call the Shadow Brothers."
These were not ordinary villains. Kim Ki-jun and Kim Ki-yeol, notorious twins, A-rank criminals who moved as one. Hunters called them "shadows" not only for their speed and stealth, but for their unbreakable teamwork. Alone, they were deadly. Together, they were feared even by A+ ranks. With them unleashed, the guild's victory seemed inevitable.
Lim Jae-hoon bowed, a grim smile tugging at his lips. The outcome was already written.
Far from the guild's plotting, Lee Seong-jun remained vigilant. The veiled threats toward his family weighed heavy, but he was not without allies. The Hunter Association, with its vast information network, had already moved. Jo Kang-hyun, their sharp-eyed officer, confirmed what Seong-jun had suspected: Hwanseong was infamous for their ruthless methods. Hunters who refused them often found their families threatened, or worse—vanished. Whispers even spoke of hired killers finishing the job when money failed.
Yet the Association did not hesitate. Special escorts from the Second Police Division, their strongest armed unit, were assigned to guard Seong-jun's family for three months. It was not only protection—it was time. Time to grow, to build his strength beyond the reach of guild politics and villain blades.
Seong-jun's resolve sharpened like steel. He had endured far worse trials on the distant continent. No guild, no shadow, no threat of violence would shake him. If Hwanseong thought to touch his loved ones, he would rise so high they would never dare again.
And so began a new chapter of his growth.
For four days, he immersed himself in the hunt. Gates spilled forth red wolves—Blood Wolves, D-class beasts infamous for their savage packs and bloodthirsty nature. In the heart of the crimson mist, Seong-jun moved like a storm. His feet flowed over the ground, every strike carrying brutal precision. Heads burst beneath his fists, claws shattered against his skin, and one by one the wolves fell.
The ground shook as the final beast collapsed with a cry, its skull crushed beneath his strike. Notifications rang like chimes of victory. His level surged—forty reached in mere days, what should have taken over a month for others. The Association had supplied prime hunting grounds under the guise of "safety inspections," and Seong-jun's speed, honed by the system itself, devoured them with impossible efficiency.
But it was not the level alone that made his heart race.
The system's voice declared what he had long awaited: he had reached the threshold for his second job advancement.
A smile curved across his face. This was no minor growth—it was a rebirth. The power of the system ensured that with this advancement, his strength would leap forward, raising his combat rank as though dozens of levels had been crossed in a single step. For most hunters, such progress took years of toil. For him, it was the gift of his past life's mastery and his present will to climb again.
With no hesitation, he answered the call.
Yes.
The path to greater heights had opened.