[Illustration: Night scene — Lee Shin training alone under moonlight, the ring glowing with ancient runes.]
Night descended over Seoul Hunter Academy.
Under the pale glow of the moon, Shin trained alone. Sweat dripped down his jaw as his sword danced through the air. Each swing carried the weight of old memories and new purpose.
His mana control improved with each session. The once-fragile circuits within this body were strengthening.
He could feel it—his old instincts returning.
Images of his family flickered in his mind. His daughter's laughter. His wife's gentle smile.
And then—the betrayal.
I'll find them. I'll make them answer for everything.
A chill ran down his spine. He wasn't alone.
"Impressive," a voice said from the darkness.
Shin turned sharply, blade raised.
A figure stepped from the shadows—tall, cloaked, his presence radiating danger. A faint tattoo glowed beneath his collar: a serpent coiled around a dagger.
The Shadow Hand.
The man chuckled. "So, the dead hunter lives again. Welcome back, Ryu Min-Seok."
Shin froze.
He shouldn't have known that name.
Before he could move, the stranger vanished—leaving only the whisper of his mana behind.
Shin's heart pounded. The ring's glow pulsed violently, reacting to something unseen.
They know I'm alive.
Then let them come.
He raised his sword to the moonlight, his expression hard as steel.
The winds howled, carrying the faint echo of a storm approaching.
The world thought peace had returned.
But the real war was only beginning.