The quiet hum of the Hunter's Guild branch in Handol Village contrasted sharply with the grim atmosphere inside the vice guild master's chamber. The room was spacious but simple—lined with weapon racks, hunting maps, and shelves stacked with guild reports.
At the heavy oak desk sat Armand Velrow, the vice guild master of the Handol branch. His sharp, commanding presence was unmistakable, even in silence. A seasoned B-rank hunter, his aura carried weight, the kind that reminded others of the line between predator and prey.
Knock. Knock.
"Enter," Armand said without lifting his gaze from the parchment he was signing.
The door creaked open, and Aldric Veynor, his assistant and a C-rank hunter, stepped inside and bowed respectfully.
"Sir," Aldric began, voice steady, "the E-rank hunter Lucian Jun, the one who survived the double dungeon incident… woke up this morning."
Armand finally looked up, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. His pen stopped mid-stroke. "…Lucian Jun, you say?"
"Yes, sir."
A pause filled the chamber, heavy with the weight of unspoken thoughts. Then, Armand leaned back in his chair, tapping the desk with his fingers. "Good. Call him to the guild tomorrow. I want to meet him personally."
"As you command, Vice Master." Aldric bowed again, then quickly left the chamber.
"In an incident where two C-rank hunters and three D-rank hunters died…" Armand's voice was low, almost a whisper meant only for himself. "…an E-rank survived." He smiled a little. "…How strange."
---
The world around Jun shimmered—then vanished in a flash of light.
When his vision cleared, he found himself standing in a place that didn't resemble anything he had ever seen.
"…What the—?"
A long, gleaming corridor stretched endlessly before him, the floor smooth and polished like marble. Cold white light radiated from unseen sources above, washing the space in an unnatural glow. On both sides of the corridor, doors lined the walls—each identical, metallic, and sealed shut.
"What is this place? I've never seen anything like it." Jun gave a surprised look.
The sterile, uncanny atmosphere pressed down on him. It felt less like a dungeon and more like he had been thrown into the underbelly of some alien building from another age.
And then—
[DING!]
A glowing blue panel materialized in front of him.
[DAILY QUEST: CLEAR THE FIRST FLOOR OF THE TRAINING TOWER.]
Jun stared at it, his lips twitching before curling into a half-smile."…Are you kidding me?!"
The words had barely left his mouth when a guttural growl echoed down the corridor.
"Grrrrrr…"
Jun snapped his head toward the sound. From the shadows ahead, a creature padded forward on all fours. Its fur was matted, its eyes bloodshot and wild. Saliva dripped from its jagged fangs as it lowered its head, preparing to pounce.
Above its head, glowing letters shimmered in the air—bright red text.
[WILD DOG]
Jun's breath caught in his throat. His fingers clenched into fists. "…Tch. Guess this isn't a joke after all."
The wild dog let out a feral SNARL and charged.
The wild dog's muscles coiled—then it sprang forward with a vicious SNAP!
Jun threw himself to the side. The beast's claws raked through the air where his throat had been a second earlier. He stumbled, heart pounding in his chest.
"Damn it… I don't even have a weapon! How the hell am I supposed to fight this thing?"
As if in answer—
[DING!]
A glowing blue panel unfolded before his eyes.
[REWARD FOR FIRST TIME PARTICIPATING IN THE TRAINING TOWER.][BLACK SWORD.][RANK: ?][DESCRIPTION: ?]
With a low hum, a weapon materialized in front of him—floating briefly before clattering onto the polished floor.
Jun blinked, then bent to pick it up. The moment his fingers wrapped around the hilt, a faint shiver ran through his arm.
He half-smiled, the corner of his lips twitching."Huh? You call this a sword? A dagger would be even bigger than this thing."
The blade was absurdly short—barely longer than his forearm—and its surface gleamed an unnatural, pitch-black sheen.
"Tch. Better than nothing."
He shifted his grip, raising the black sword in his right hand.
The dog snarled and lunged again—BAM! Its claws slashed forward, aiming straight for Jun's chest.
"Come on—!"
Jun swung desperately, but his strike went wide. Pain shot up his arm as the beast's claws grazed his shoulder. Blood welled hot and sticky down his sleeve.
"Arghh—!"
He staggered back, clutching the wound. His breath grew ragged, his hands trembling. The dog lowered itself, teeth bared, creeping toward him with deliberate, predatory steps.
Jun's vision blurred. For a moment, his knees locked in place."What… is this? Am I… scared?"
The memory of stone statues flashed in his mind—their blades, their fists, the sound of his bones breaking. His body being trampled again and again while he screamed in silence.
That had been hell.
And yet—here he was, frozen in front of a mutt?
His jaw clenched.
"No… after I came from that hell, you're telling me I'm scared of something like this? I refuse."
He steadied his grip, forcing his body to move despite the fear gnawing at his gut. His eyes sharpened.
"It's nothing compared to that."
The dog snarled and pounced—
—SWISH!
Jun twisted his body and drove the black sword forward in a clean arc.
SLAASH!
The blade cut through flesh. The beast's eyes widened in shock before its head separated cleanly from its body. Blood splattered across the pristine floor as the corpse crumpled lifelessly.
Jun stood there, chest heaving, gripping the black sword tight.
Then—
[DING!]
[YOU HAVE KILLED A WILD DOG.][EXP +1000.][LEVEL UP.][LEVEL UP.][BLACK SWORD HAS LEVELED UP.]
The weapon in his hand pulsed faintly. Its blade extended, lengthening by several inches until it finally resembled a true short sword instead of a dagger.
Jun stared at it, wide-eyed."Huh… This sword can level up? And…" His eyes flicked back to the glowing panel. "Did this thing just say… I leveled up?"
The panel shifted again.
[STATUS WINDOW.][NAME: LUKAS JUN.][LEVEL: 3.][MAIN WEAPON: BLACK SWORD (LEVEL: 2).]
Additional stats scrolled below:
[STRENGTH: 14][AGILITY: 13][STAMINA: 12][MANA: 5][STAT POINTS AVAILABLE: 10]
Jun's brows furrowed as he read, trying to process it all.
Then—
GRRRRRR.
A low growl rose from behind him.
Jun turned, his grip tightening around the black sword. Emerging from the shadows, three more wild dogs padded into the corridor. Their fangs dripped, their eyes glowing with bloodlust.
All three lowered their bodies, ready to tear him apart.
Jun exhaled slowly, planting his feet."…So round two already, huh?"