The Hunter Association building was louder than Jiwon expected.
People moved in and out constantly—hunters in gear, staff carrying tablets, new awakeners nervously clutching their IDs. The air buzzed with confidence and fear mixed together.
Jiwon stood in line, hands in his pockets.
Minjun had wanted to come with him.
"Just to see!" his brother had said.
Jiwon refused.
Some things were better kept hidden.
"Next," a woman behind the counter called.
Jiwon stepped forward and handed over his awakening certificate.
She scanned it quickly, her expression neutral. "Name?"
"Han Jiwon."
"Class?"
Jiwon hesitated for half a second. "Summoner… support-type."
That wasn't a lie. Just incomplete.
Her fingers paused. "Rank?"
"Unmeasured."
She nodded. That alone placed him near the bottom. "You'll be assigned to a low-risk gate as a temporary support. Observe, assist if needed, and survive. Do you agree?"
"Yes."
She slid a thin bracelet across the counter. "Hunter identification. Don't lose it."
Jiwon fastened it around his wrist.
"This gate opens in two hours," she continued, tapping her screen. "E-rank. Four members. You'll make five."
She glanced up. "Don't get in the way."
Jiwon bowed slightly. "I won't."
Two hours later, he stood outside the gate.
It floated in the air like torn glass, edges rippling. Dark mist leaked from its surface. The pressure alone made his chest feel heavy.
"New guy?"
Jiwon turned.
A tall man with short hair and a sword strapped to his back looked him up and down. "You're the support?"
"Yes."
The man sighed. "Great. Another newbie."
A woman leaned against the wall nearby, cleaning a dagger. "Be nice, Taesung. Everyone starts somewhere."
She looked at Jiwon. "I'm Yura. Scout."
Another man waved lazily. "Healer."
The last member, a shield-bearing tank, nodded silently.
Taesung stretched his neck. "Listen, kid. Stay behind us. If things go wrong, run. Got it?"
Jiwon nodded. "Understood."
The gate swallowed them whole.
The world changed instantly.
Cold stone. Damp air. The smell of mold and iron.
A ruined hall stretched before them, broken pillars lining the sides. Somewhere deep within, something growled.
"Stay sharp," Yura whispered.
They advanced slowly.
Jiwon's heartbeat quickened.
*This is it.*
From the shadows, creatures emerged—skeletal shapes wrapped in rotten cloth, bones clacking as they moved.
"Skeletons," Taesung muttered. "Easy."
The team charged forward.
Steel clashed against bone. The healer stayed back. Yura moved like a shadow.
Jiwon watched.
Not the fight.
The skeletons.
*They're… familiar.*
One collapsed near him, bones scattering across the floor.
Something stirred inside Jiwon.
A pull.
He clenched his fist.
*Not now.*
Another skeleton lunged toward him.
Before Taesung could react, the skeleton suddenly froze.
Its bones trembled.
Then it turned—slowly—and knelt.
Everyone froze.
"What the hell?" Yura whispered.
Jiwon's blood ran cold.
He hadn't spoken.
He hadn't commanded it.
It had responded instinctively.
Taesung stared. "Did you do that?"
Jiwon forced his face into confusion. "I—I don't know!"
The skeleton crumbled into dust moments later.
Silence filled the hall.
Yura narrowed her eyes. "Support classes don't do that."
Taesung exhaled sharply. "We'll talk after."
They continued deeper.
But Jiwon already knew.
Inside gates…
Death listened to him more closely.
And this was only an E-rank.
Jiwon lowered his gaze.
*I need to be more careful.*
Because if anyone realized what he truly was…
He wouldn't be allowed to stay weak.