The night fell heavy over Seoul, a black canvas veined with red neon.
Inside the Celestial Dragons Guild, silence pressed against the walls like a living thing. Only the faint hum of mana crystals cut through the air.
Jin sat before the guild master — the man's presence was imposing, but Jin's was… overwhelming. Even sitting still, he radiated quiet menace, like a storm sealed behind human skin.
"You came here for the Tear of Drakar, didn't you?"
The guild master's voice was calm, but his hand trembled as he poured tea.
Jin's eyes were cold, empty pools of darkness.
He didn't answer. He didn't need to. His intent alone was louder than words.
"Listen carefully," the master continued. "That artifact… it's no legend. But it's not something a man can simply obtain. It chooses its bearer."
Jin finally spoke — his tone flat, quiet, almost detached.
"Then where is it?"
The guild master took a deep breath.
"The Tear lies beyond the Forgotten Abyss, an ancient domain buried beneath Mount Baekdu. It's said that a Guardian of Rank SS protects it — a being not of this world."
He leaned forward, eyes grave.
"Even the strongest hunters who dared step inside never returned. The Tear consumes those who are unworthy."
For the first time, Jin's expression shifted — just slightly.
A faint, dark smirk formed at the corner of his lips.
"Then I'll make it accept me."
The master's pupils dilated, almost in disbelief.
"You're serious… Aren't you afraid of dying?"
Jin rose slowly, his shadow crawling across the marble floor, splitting into tendrils of black mist.
"I've already died once."
The light in the room flickered.
A silent gust rolled through, and in an instant, Jin was gone.
Only the teacups rattled in his absence.
The guild master stood, staring at the faint afterimage Jin had left behind — the scent of cold steel and ash.
"That man… he's not human," he whispered.
Outside, under the bleeding glow of the Seoul skyline, Jin's thoughts were razor-sharp.
"The Forgotten Abyss… the Guardian of Rank SS… If that's what it takes, then so be it."
The shadows around him trembled — alive, awaiting command.
His voice came low, almost like a whisper to the darkness itself.
"Lead me there."
And as the city lights flickered behind him, Jin vanished into the night —
walking the line between man and monster, chasing the relic that could either crown him…
or consume him whole.