The air inside the Rank-E Dungeon was thick with the smell of sulfur and decayed flesh. Aether wiped the sweat from his forehead, his hands trembling as he gripped a rusty carving knife.
"Hurry up, trash! We don't have all day," a high-ranked Hunter shouted from the exit.
Aether didn't look up. He was a 'Scavenger'—the lowest of the low. While Hunters fought for glory, Aether crawled in the dirt to collect mana crystals from the guts of monsters they left behind. Suddenly, a faint blue light flickered beneath a pile of rubble. Aether reached out, pulling a cracked obsidian necklace from the dust. The moment his skin touched the stone, a cold shiver ran down his spine.
[System Initializing...]
[Host Identity Confirmed: Aether]
[Emergency Protocol Activated: The Vanguard Inheritance has been unlocked.]
A holographic screen appeared before his eyes, invisible to the shouting Hunters nearby.
[New Quest: Survival of the Fittest]
[Reward: Level 1 Access, Skill: 'The King's Gaze']
Aether's heart hammered against his ribs. For twenty years, he was the weakest. Today, the shadows started to speak back.