The city seemed ordinary at first glance. The morning sun reflected off the buildings, people moved through streets as they always had, and cars passed silently along the avenues. Yet beneath the calm, something was shifting. A faint hum, almost imperceptible, vibrated through the air, like the distant pulse of a heart that had been dormant for too long.
Sung Jinwoo sat quietly in his apartment, his eyes fixed on the boy resting on the cot beside him. The faint blue light running beneath the child's skin seemed brighter than the day before. He could feel it in the air, the subtle tug of mana that reached out in all directions, calling to those who were waiting.
Igris knelt beside him, scanning the readings with sharp precision. "Master, the disturbances are increasing. E Rank and D Rank beasts are appearing, but there is a faint trace of something stronger, something S Rank. It is subtle, but it is there."
Jinwoo's eyes narrowed. "Subtle does not mean weak. We have learned that the hard way. Keep monitoring, Igris. Make sure nothing slips by unnoticed."
From the corner of the room, Beru shifted silently, wings folded against his back. His eyes were fixed on the boy, glowing faintly in recognition of the strange energy. Even he seemed aware of the tension in the air, moving just slightly closer to the source of the energy.
---
In another part of the city, hunters moved cautiously through an abandoned warehouse district. They had received reports of small E Rank beasts appearing in empty streets. The creatures were weak, disorganized, easy to handle for experienced hunters. Yet the pattern was troubling. The beasts appeared in clusters, almost as if they were drawn by an invisible force.
Hyunwoo, a trusted friend and hunter, communicated through the comm system. "Jinwoo, these clusters are different. It is not random. They are moving toward one point, and we cannot yet determine why. Civilians are safe so far, but the concentration of mana is increasing."
Jinwoo responded calmly. "Keep them contained. Do not engage unless they cross a danger threshold. I will observe the situation personally."
---
Later that evening, Jinwoo walked through the quiet streets with the boy. The glow under the child's skin pulsed with every step, reacting subtly to the faint mana surrounding the city. The boy's eyes scanned the environment nervously. "Master, I can feel them," he whispered. "They are watching. Some are stronger than the last ones."
Jinwoo placed a hand lightly on the boy's shoulder. "I know. That is why we move slowly. We watch and learn. We do not rush into a fight that has not yet begun."
Igris appeared silently beside them. "Master, S Rank readings are increasing. At least two entities are forming nearby. Their presence is faint but detectable."
Jinwoo nodded. "Then we observe. Let them reveal themselves naturally. Rushing will alert Agnorath or his agents."
---
In a nearby industrial area, the first S Rank beast began to emerge. It was a massive creature resembling a tiger, but its fur shimmered like molten metal, and its claws were sharp enough to tear through steel. Its eyes glowed with a deep red intensity, scanning the streets as it sniffed the air for the boy's energy.
System Message: Detected Entity – Molten Fang, Type S Rank Beast.
The creature's presence caused the smaller E and D Rank beasts in the vicinity to scatter, as if they recognized the dominance of its power. Jinwoo watched from the shadows, the child by his side. Shadows gathered at his feet, ready to respond, yet he did not act immediately.
"This one is different," he murmured. "Even among S Rank beasts, it is unusually alert. It is aware of him, aware of the energy."
The boy flinched slightly, his aura reacting. "It knows me," he whispered. "It can feel me. There are others too, Master. More like this one, hidden."
Jinwoo's gaze sharpened. "Then we will prepare, not attack. We need to understand the pattern. Agnorath's influence is at work. This is not random."
---
Back at the base, Jinwoo contacted his sister, Yoo Jin-ah. Her voice was filled with worry. "Jinwoo, I can feel it too. The mana is different, stronger than the normal fluctuations. Please be careful."
"I will," Jinwoo said softly. "No one moves without my orders. But we must watch closely. The S Rank beasts are the beginning. ES Rank thresholds may appear soon. We are preparing for what is coming, not rushing blindly into it."
As night fell, more S Rank beasts appeared quietly in other parts of the city. Hunters observed from safe distances, taking note of patterns, while the boy's energy pulsed faintly in response. Jinwoo remained close, feeling the subtle resonance of Agnorath's reach, the unseen strings that tied the beasts' appearances to the awakening energy.
The shadows around Jinwoo moved as if alive, forming silent guardians that waited for his command. He looked down at the boy, who was exhausted but alert. "The Second Wave is not here in full," he said. "These are only the first ripples. When the real storm comes, every beast, every demon, every rank will come into play. Until then, we wait. We watch. And we learn."
---
In the distance, the sky darkened with faint mana clouds, barely perceptible yet ominous. Jinwoo knew that each of these S Rank appearances was a signal. Agnorath's plan was moving forward. The boy was the focal point, and the world would soon feel the pull of something far greater than any hunter had faced.
And in the shadows beyond the city, unseen, the faint outline of a figure moved silently. Agnorath's influence touched the world, observing, waiting. The calm was deceptive. The Second Wave had begun, and the true threat was still beyond the horizon.