January 1st, 2026. Seoul, South Korea, 9:30 AM.
"My name is Myurei Natsuya. With desire and hope, I'm confident of being a hunter. Not a hunter itself, but a hero. This is my story of how I reclaim my strength once again."
"Hunters were supposed to save people—but today, I was the one being tested."
He was back at his old school again.
The hallways lay empty, ruled by silence. His footsteps echoed too loudly as he passed the moonlit benches outside his favorite English Literature classroom.
Alone, he walked deeper into the corridor.
A chill crawled up his spine, as if unseen eyes were tracing his every step. The shadows along the walls twisted unnaturally, bending just enough to feel wrong. The silence pulsed faintly, whispering like a memory struggling to resurface. His chest tightened with urgency and inevitability, as though an unseen force had already chosen his path.
From the darkness ahead, a tall, distorted humanoid silhouette emerged. Natsuya froze.
Glinting orange eyes scorched through the shadow as it advanced, spears clutched tightly in its hands. His instincts screamed at him to run, but his feet refused to move, glued to the floor. Panic flooded his mind as the figure closed the distance, each step heavy with intent, and the silhouette raised its spears.
A sharp pain flashed.
Natsuya jolted awake, screaming.
His breath came in ragged gasps as the nightmare shattered. Moments later, the door to his room creaked open. From the hallway, his younger sister hurried inside, worry written across her face.
Young Sister: "Big bro?"
Natsuya: "T-thank... goodness... it was just a nightmare..."
Young Sister: "Are you okay?"
Natsuya: "Y-Yurika..."
Yurika: "Did you have another one?"
He pushed the blanket aside and grabbed the glass of water from his desk, draining it in one breath.
Natsuya: "What day is it?"
Yurika: "Thursday. January first. Happy New Year."
Natsuya: "Thanks... you too."
He pulled the curtains open.
Outside, the city of Seoul glowed beneath the setting sun. Traffic flowed endlessly, hunters moved through the streets, and portals loomed in the distance. He watched them walk with confidence, daggers in hand, everything he wanted to become.
Natsuya: "It's recruitment day. I need to be there by ten."
Yurika: "You're really applying for the hunter program? It's dangerous. You could die."
Natsuya: "I've had enough of these demons. They ruin my sleep and turn my dreams into nightmares. Back in Miseong City, I made a promise to exterminate them with everything I have."
Yurika: "There's no guarantee you'll even get accepted. You see hunters fighting them like it's nothing, like they're saving everyone."
Natsuya: "Then I'll be the one saving our family."
Yurika's expression hardened.
Yurika: "Don't say things like that."
A brief silence passed.
Yurika: "Good luck with your acceptance."
A few minutes later, Natsuya finished getting ready. He wore a blue jacket, a white shirt, black pants, and light-blue shoes.
Yurika: "You're heading out already?"
Natsuya: "Yeah. Recruitment takes a while. I won't be back soon."
Yurika: "Don't come home at midnight again, hanging out with your friends."
Natsuya: "They're not in Korea. We've been here for weeks since the city shutdown."
Yurika: "Then at least message them. Did they reply?"
Natsuya: "Nothing. Thirty-five messages, and the group chat's still a ghost town."
Yurika: "Then make new friends here. Forget them. They probably don't care anymore."
Natsuya: "They do. Someday, they'll see my messages. I'll wait for them."
Yurika: "*Sighs* Then... good luck. With everything."
Natsuya: "I'll see you later."
He stepped into the hallway, rode the elevator down to the first floor, and walked toward the recruitment center a few blocks away, unaware that the nightmare he had escaped was only the beginning.