The rain hit the cracked pavement of the slums with a rhythmic thud. Kang-woo dragged his body up the narrow stairs of his semi-basement apartment. Every step felt like a needle stabbing into his bone marrow.
The 'Viper's Sense' was no longer tingling. It was screaming, a high-pitched siren at the back of his skull that told him his territory had been breached.
He reached his door. The rusted lock was intact, but a thin trail of frost coated the handle.
Kang-woo gripped the hidden dagger in his sleeve. He pushed the door open.
The cramped studio, usually smelling of cheap ramen and damp wood, was filled with the scent of dried lilies and incense. A man sat at the small, wobbly wooden table where Kang-woo usually ate his lonely meals.
The man wore a pristine, white Victorian-era suit that glowed softly in the dark. His face was porcelain-smooth, but his eyes were voids—pure black pits that sucked in the dim light of the streetlamp outside.
"You're late, Usurper," the man said. His voice sounded like crystal glasses clinking together.
[Entity Identified: The White Steward.][Rank: Envoy of the Abyssal Throne.]
Kang-woo didn't lower his guard. "A 'negotiation' usually starts with an invitation, not a home invasion."
"The King does not invite. He manifests," the Steward replied, gesturing to the empty chair across from him. "Sit. Your body is failing. You've used three years of your life tonight just to keep your heart beating."
Kang-woo sat. He didn't have the strength to stand anyway. "What does a King want with a Level 9 Hunter?"
"The Gray Paradox," the Steward said, leaning forward. "You merged Holy Radiance with the King's Breath. It is a feat that should have turned your soul into ash. Yet, you live. The King finds your... durability... amusing."
The Steward placed a small, silver coin on the table. It was etched with the image of a weeping skull.
"The King offers a choice. Return the Relic of the Defiled King and provide the coordinates of the woman you marked with silver. In exchange, your lost years will be returned, and you will be granted a seat as a True Lord of the Grave."
Kang-woo's eyes narrowed. "Give up Seol-ah?"
"She is a defect. A holy vessel tainted by the King's shadow. She must be harvested to balance the scales."
Kang-woo looked at the silver coin. Returning his lifespan. Becoming a Lord. It was the shortcut every Hunter dreamed of. No more scraping by. No more fear of dying tomorrow.
He thought of Seol-ah's hand gripping his in the hospital. The way she had trusted a 'monster' like him with her mana.
"And the second choice?" Kang-woo asked.
The Steward's smile didn't reach his void-eyes. "The second choice is the path of the Rebel. You keep the girl. You keep the Relic. And you face the 'Debt Collectors' that will arrive with every sunset."
[Warning: Choosing the second path will lock the 'Rebel's Fate' hidden quest.][Difficulty: S-Rank (Scaling)]
"I've spent my whole life being a nobody," Kang-woo said, picking up the silver coin.
The Steward tilted his head. "Wise."
Kang-woo flipped the coin in the air. As it reached its peak, he didn't catch it. He lashed out with his foot, kicking the table into the Steward's chest.
CRASH.
The Steward didn't move, but the table shattered against his white suit. Kang-woo lunged, his silver-black mana flickering around his fist.
"I'm tired of people telling me what my life is worth," Kang-woo hissed. "If your King wants the girl, tell him to come fetch her himself."
The Steward stood up, the shards of the table falling around him like snow. He wasn't angry. He looked almost... satisfied.
"The King expected as much," the Steward whispered. "A Butcher never gives up his meat."
The Steward began to dissolve into white mist, but before he vanished, he pointed at Kang-woo's shadow.
"The 'Debt Collectors' start tomorrow. Oh, and a gift from the King—to ensure the game stays interesting."
The mist exploded.
[Quest Declined.][Hidden Quest Triggered: 'Road of the Lone Sovereign'.][Reward: The 'Broken Soldier' has evolved.]
Kang-woo's shadow began to boil. The four-armed skeleton emerged, but it was changing. The bones turned pitch black, and a crown of jagged iron fused into its skull. It knelt before Kang-woo, slamming a now-burning greatsword into the floorboards.
[New Summon: 'Black Guard Centurion' (Rank: C)][Warning: The King has placed a 'Bounty' on your head.][Every Hunter within a 5km radius has just received a notification.]
Kang-woo froze. He checked his phone. An emergency alert was flashing on the screen, visible to every Hunter in the city.
[S-Rank Emergency: Target 'Kang-woo' identified as a Dimensional Traitor. Reward for capture: 10 Billion Won / Rank-A Gear.]
The sound of sirens began to wail in the distance. Not ambulances this time. Hunter Association pursuit vehicles.
Kang-woo looked at his Centurion. "Looks like we're not sleeping tonight."