Three days passed.
The city didn't sleep — not since the incident at Gate 17.
Whispers spread through every guild hall, through every back alley and newsfeed.
> "A lone E-rank slaughtered an entire B-rank dungeon?"
"No one saw him come out alive…"
"They said his eyes were red — glowing red."
The Hunter Association called it a "malfunction."
But the ones who'd seen the footage knew better.
And so they sent someone — not to protect the city,
but to hunt him down.
---
At the same time, Ryn stood at the edge of an abandoned industrial zone,
the wind slicing through the rusted metal and broken glass.
He was training — or rather, fighting himself.
He swung his katana again and again,
each motion slicing the air into black trails of shadow.
When he exhaled, his breath came out like smoke.
> [Host Synchronization: 57%]
[Warning: Emotional instability detected.]
He ignored it.
Pain meant nothing now — the fire in his veins burned brighter than fear.
Then he heard it.
Footsteps.
Light, but deliberate.
Someone was watching him.
---
From the shadows stepped a man in a dark coat,
his badge gleaming with the insignia of the Association's Special Division.
His gaze was calm, sharp — a predator studying another predator.
"Ryn, the E-rank," he said flatly.
"Or should I say… whatever you've become."
Ryn didn't reply.
The stranger continued walking closer.
"Your record doesn't make sense. You cleared a gate solo that killed twenty-four trained hunters."
He stopped, only a few steps away.
"Tell me. What did you bring back from that place?"
Ryn's lips twitched.
> "Something that finally made me alive."
The man's eyes narrowed.
"I see. Then I'm afraid I'll have to end you before that thing inside you spreads."
---
Lightning cracked in the distance.
Neither moved — until the first drop of rain hit the ground.
Then, both vanished.
Steel met steel in a burst of sparks.
The agent's sword technique was perfect — disciplined, elegant.
Ryn's movements were chaotic, wild — yet faster.
Every strike he delivered carried the sound of wind splitting open.
The ground beneath them cracked.
Shadows twisted around Ryn's legs like smoke alive.
> [Partial Transformation: 68%]
The agent gritted his teeth. "You're losing yourself, boy!"
> "Then maybe that's the point."
Ryn disappeared — and reappeared behind him.
His katana pierced through armor, blood spraying into the storm.
But the man didn't fall.
His eyes glowed faintly blue.
> "Interesting. You really are something else…"
He slammed his palm into the ground.
A surge of energy exploded, forcing Ryn back, tearing through the field.
Ryn's arm smoked, skin splitting under the pressure.
He grinned through the pain.
> "You're strong."
> "And you're cursed," the man spat. "The next time we meet, I'll be ready."
The wind howled between them, the smell of ozone and blood thick in the air.
When Ryn looked up again, the man was gone — only the echo of his voice remained.
> "Ryn of Sector 7… your hunt begins."
Ryn stood alone in the rain, chest heaving.
The system spoke again:
> [New Objective Unlocked: "Survive the Hunter."]
[Synchronization: 71%.]
[Unknown entity tracking host signature.]
His reflection in a puddle stared back — half man, half beast.
And he whispered to himself:
> "So they're sending hunters after me now…"
"Good. Let them come."
The rain fell harder.
The darkness within him smiled.
---
Tomorrow is another chapter
Enjoy