Kai Ren knew the moment he stepped inside that something was wrong.
The air inside the dungeon was too still. No dripping water. No monster growls. No echo of footsteps. Just silence thick and heavy, pressing against his chest.
"This is a normal Erank gate, right?" one of the hunters asked, laughing nervously.
Kai didn't answer. He tightened his grip on his chipped dagger.
He was used to being ignored anyway.
As the world's weakest hunter, Kai had learned one rule: stay alive by staying out of the way. While others charged forward with confidence, he lingered at the back, watching, calculating, praying nothing noticed him.
The gate suddenly shut behind them.
Not faded.
Not collapsed.
It slammed shut.
A cold system message echoed through the dungeon something no hunter had ever heard before.
[Emergency Condition Detected]
[Dungeon Difficulty Reassessing…]
The walls shifted.
Stone cracked.
Statues lining the chamber opened glowing red eyes.
RUN!" the team leader screamed.
Too late.
The statues moved.
Blades of stone cut through armor like paper. Spells shattered uselessly against bodies that refused to break. One by one, hunters fell screams swallowed by the dungeon's silence.
Kai ran.
His lungs burned. His vision blurred. Blood soaked his sleeve from a deep cut.
I'm going to die here.
He stumbled into a massive hall. No exit. No escape.
The final statue stepped forward, towering, its sword raised.
Kai collapsed to one knee.
So this is it…
Then
something appeared before his eyes.
[Hidden Condition Achieved]
[You have survived longer than expected.]
[You have chosen not to abandon your will.]
Would you like to become the Player?
YES / NO
Kai stared.
A hallucination? His brain shutting down?
The statue's sword descended.
"I don't want to die," Kai whispered.
He pressed YES.
Darkness swallowed the world.
Then
Light.
Kai woke up gasping, drenched in sweat, lying on a hospital bed.
Monitors beeped. White walls. The smell of disinfectant.
"You're awake?" a nurse gasped. "You were the only survivor."
Only survivor.
Before he could process the words, translucent blue text appeared again.
[Welcome, Player.]
Name: Kai Ren
Level: 1
Class: Unassigned
HP: 100/100
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 10
Kai's heart pounded.
"I'm not dreaming.
Another message appeared.
[Daily Quest Issued]
Do 50 push-ups
Do 50 sit-ups
Run 5 km
Failure will result in a penalty.
Penalty.
Kai swallowed.
He slowly clenched his fist.
For the first time in his life…
The weakest hunter had been given a chance.
And somewhere far away
One of the Seven Great Hunters suddenly opened her eyes.
Interesting," she murmured. "That dungeon shouldn't have produced a survivor."