[IMAGE:1]
⚡ BREAKING NEWS ⚡ Emergency Breaking News!
Korea's first prospective S-rank Hunter, Seo Hunter, has met his end in a gate today.
Government offices and guilds nationwide have entered a state of emergency...
LIVE | [CHANNEL NAME] — [Location] | [Time]
Crash!
The pot clattered to the floor, spilling its contents.
Hot ramen broth like molten lava seared my foot.
⚡ BREAKING ⚡
NEWS!
One day in 202X.
"...H-Hyung."
In a B-rank Abyss Gate.
My greatest pride had died.
It was something that shouldn't have happened under normal circumstances.
I'd quit my job. Before the company could notify me that my contract had expired, I'd beaten them to the punch and resigned first.
I threw myself straight into the Hunter industry.
"Isn't that guy Seo Hunter's little brother?"
I had the bare minimum requirement for a Hunter: an Awakening ability.
"Now that you mention it, his face does look a bit familiar."
I also had the halo effect from my half-brother, Korea's strongest Hunter.
⚡ BREAKING ⚡
⚡ NEWS! ⚡
In an instant, I became a celebrity in the industry.
And sure enough, I had talent.
"Th-this can't be right for the rank."
Talent that left the staff—seasoned from evaluating countless Hunters—stunned.
"F... no, E-rank...?"
The looks directed at me changed in a heartbeat.
"What? Isn't he Seo Hunter's brother?"
"...Yes. We double-checked thoroughly, but..."
A glance.
"Isn't his Awakening ability a Blessing, like Seo Hunter's?"
Blessing.
A superhuman ability one dimension above ordinary Awakening powers.
"We can't identify it right now... but even if it is, the rank is ridiculously low."
E-rank.
I was branded with the stigma of the lowest tier, mockingly called F-rank.
From that day on, people's attention toward me shifted in volume to disdain.
"Tsk tsk, such a waste of bloodline. Seo Hunter's brother, my ass."
"What can you do? And he's not even full blood—half-brother. Genetics don't lie."
Sneers and mockery followed me everywhere.
I endured it all with one single goal: uncovering the truth behind my brother's death.
I was pretty stubborn.
Confident in my pride, at least.
That's how I rolled like gravel in the field for 10 years.
Maybe my desperate struggles looked pitiful.
In the year I turned 34.
A man claiming to be my brother's best friend bought me a drink.
It felt poignant that a busy A-rank Hunter had sought me out personally.
"You think carrying on like this will bring your brother back? Get your shit together and return to society already."
My glass, which I'd been downing steadily, paused.
"You know it. My brother wasn't the type to go out like that."
"I know, better than anyone. But Wonseok, even monkeys fall from trees sometimes, right?"
"My brother wasn't a monkey."
My brother was my pride. There was no way he'd die in a B-rank gate.
He was more cautious than anyone. His field sense and crisis response were flawless.
"Brother and little brother, both so damn stubborn."
His gaze held some inscrutable meaning.
He left, stirring up a chill wind in his wake.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Two years slipped by in a haze.
I ran into that so-called best friend again.
This time, not at our usual bar. In an Abyss Dungeon.
B-rank.
It showed just how desperately a perennial E-rank like me had clawed my way up.
There were more changes.
His rank. He'd become Korea's first S-rank Hunter in the interim.
And crucially, I'd become his enemy at that drinking table.
I dropped my widened eyes. A blade plunged into my gut.
"...Damn, brothers just like your brother—needlessly upright. Pissing people off."
Cough!
A glob of blood slid down his cheek.
Smack!
"What makes you so cocky? Your almighty brother? The one who got stabbed by me and croaked?"
Not surprising. Obvious, even.
But what followed exceeded all expectations.
"You know? Your brother—I wasn't the only one who wanted him gone."
"...?"
"Your brother was a way bigger monster than you think. Not that I should say that after killing him, but man, the way he went was a work of art."
Mocking me.
"Frustrating, right? The government offices and guilds that made a huge fuss about his death—they all banded together for this. I just had a tiny grudge against your brother. Never meant to outright kill him?"
What?
"So I was just the knife hand."
Why the hell?
"Hunter work gets dirtier the higher you go. Gotta get your hands a little bloody. But your half-brother? Too damn straight-laced."
He picked up a twig and bent it at both ends.
"Should've been flexible."
Snap.
"Too rigid, so they snapped him."
"...Ha."
A hollow laugh.
"Of course."
"What 'of course'?"
"No way my brother loses to trash like you."
"...? Trash?"
Whoosh!
I shot out a fist like lightning.
"What're you doing?"
Too far; it didn't connect.
I strained with all my might, flipping him the bird stiffly.
"Fuck you."
Amazed by my defiance, he swung again.
I took the punch. My neck snapped with a sickening crack.
Fine.
Sacrifice flesh to take the bone.
Crunch!
I lunged, biting his throat like a textbook vampire ambush.
"Grrraaah!"
He struggled to pry me off.
"Let go, you won't?! You fucking bastard!"
Desperate, he yanked his upper body back. A chunk of flesh tore free.
He frantically poured potion over the wound.
"Crazy... haa... bastard."
"A-rank perks, huh? ...Haa, dumping top-grade potions worth thousands of credits like that."
"Fuck, fuck! Why won't the bleeding stop?!"
His face paled.
Even I was a bit surprised.
Despite chugging that much potion, the blood kept flowing.
Was my unidentified Awakening ability something like this?
"You goddamn brothers!"
Enraged, he drew the curved sword from my gut like pulling a radish. More bandit than Hunter tool.
Blood streamed from his neck, but he still postured.
"...Don't leave any last words, like your brother."
No thanks.
"In hell, my sins are lighter than yours, so I'll make you my slave for sure."
The blade flashed—and darkness swallowed my vision.
No pain.
Pure black.
Death really ends it all...
Then.
A crimson thread fluttered in the dark. It trailed from my index finger.
🩸 Bloodline Awakening 🩸 True Awakening's Final Trial: Death Achieved!Eternal Blessing
Trait: Great One. Lead the Saha world with blood.
A sticky voice clung to my eardrums.
Tick-tock.
Gears meshing echoed in my ears...
"&%^%."
What was that?
Half-dreaming, half-awake—hard to hear.
"Wonseok! Seo Wonseok!"
A groan escaped me.
Aigoo, my head.
Did that bastard coat his blade in deadly poison? Tormenting my skull even in death.
"Snap out of it!"
Thud, thud.
"Gah...!"
He pounded my back so hard my heart nearly jumped out.
I slowly arched my upper body back. Ow. The sudden light stung my eyes.
"Where am I?"
"Aigoo. Should've known when the lightweight was pouring booze into his beer mug."
A blurry-faced man handed me a glass of water.
Glug.
Feels like I'll live.
Only then did my vision clear fully. My eyes widened like saucers at the same time.
"...Hyung?"
"What? Why're you staring like that, creepy."
What the hell is this?
Throb.
I clutched my temple, swallowing a groan. The pain wracking my body felt all too real.
Too vivid for a dream.
"Hyung."
"Quit calling me like you're spooked."
"Can you hit me once?"
"Outta nowhere?"
"Yeah."
To tell if it's a dream or reality.
"If it's to sober you up, sure."
My brother wiggled his fist.
"Can't control my strength—might kill you by accident?"
Common knowledge, but my brother was Korea's top Hunter. Even a light tap could crush an orc's skull.
"Even in a dream, pass."
"Told you, not a dream. Drink more water. I'm heading out first."
He slipped a bill under the fish cake bowl from his wallet. His phone rang right then.
"Aigoo, your sister-in-law's nagging me to come home quick. Niece's fourth birthday eve, and here I am wandering. You know how intense she gets."
"...Fourth birthday."
Those words hit like a hammer.
Suddenly, the hazy surroundings sharpened into focus.
The quiet pojangmacha.
A place I could never forget.
The last spot I'd seen before my brother made headlines with his death notice.
No way. Me.
'Did I regress?'
The puzzle pieces clicked.
"I'm off."
"Hyung."
I tossed it at his retreating back.
"What now? Acting all creepy for a guy."
I hesitated, then forced the words out.
"Can I come to the birthday?"
My niece.
Our complicated family—half-siblings—meant I rarely visited. Especially after what happened to him; I lacked the courage.
"Why ask something like that."
...As expected.
"Of course you come. But bring a gift. For real."
With that, he vanished, leaving me alone. Still couldn't believe it.
Regression.
While I reeled, my thigh buzzed. A text from hyung.
───Seo Boseok───
-Transfer sent-
1,000,000 won sent.
Sender can cancel from details screen before accepting.
-Accept Transfer-
Ding.
───Seo Boseok───
Hyung: Take a cab home
Hyung: Buy niece gift with the rest
Hyung: And quit whining about contract ending, grown-ass man. You can land better
Hyung: Anyway gg
Tap, tap.
Drops of liquid formed on my smartphone screen—one, two.
Soon, my reflection stared back from the dark display. Squeezing out tears unbecomingly.
"Who sends a million won for cab fare, you idiot..."
Murmurs from the family table nearby.
"Mom, that brother's crying and laughing! He's hot, why's he like that?!"
"Shh. Don't study hard, and you'll end up like him."
"Aha!"
Ignoring the provincial noise, I stepped out of the pojangmacha. Looked up at the sky.
I'm back.
I can grab it right now.
I'll seize it for sure.