Long ago...
Humanity waged a war unlike any before.
The war was not born from hatred.
But from their own arrogance
They Believed that they had reached the pinnacle of power.
They believed that nothing remained beyond their control.
But They were wrong
Before the war could even end.
The Gate appeared.
At first, Humanity dismissed it.
They thought it was just a small variable.
It did not bring destruction.
It simply.... just stood there.
Silent.
Unmoving.
Bu then, more gates began to appear.
One after another.
Scattered across continents.
Just like a mark left by something invisible.
Then, curiosity turned into action.
The first expeditions entered the gates.
Some never get returned.
Those who came back.... Told a story no one could fully understand.
The worlds beyond gates.
Place where the laws of reality no longer apply.
A place where creatures, both from ancient and unknown, appear.
That was when humanity realized.
The gates were not just small variables.
They were something bigger than humanity expected.
They bring terrorism.
They needed to be conquered.
Thus, the first raid began.
They challenge the gate with their advanced weapons.
But something unexpected happened.
Only one person came back.
And what he said gave more terror to the world.
Those creatures cannot be damaged by human weapons.
At first, they were hopeless.
There's nothing they can do about the gate.
And there's one person who came after the first raid failed.
He calmly said, "So this is the Gate you are talking about? "
The military who defended the raid from intruder began to shooting him.
But the bullet never gets into him, just floating around him.
"Interesting power," Said calmly.
Then he entered the gate.
After a minute, he came back and brought a monster head in his hand.
He threw the head and the gate began to disappear.
He gave no title to himself.
But the world began to label him as The First Hunter.
The world began to ask, "how can you fight that monster?"
"Even the advanced human weapon cannot harm those monsters from gate."
The hunter just said, "If humanity wishes to survive.... then make a contract with the gods"
That single statement just makes the whole world shocked.
"Gods? How can you make a contract with them? "
"The gods will choose their own contractor," his reply.
After that humanity abandoned its pride again.
At first, they thought they were apex predators.
But now, they're nothing without the power of the gods.
The world now turned to the gods.
From the power of the Gods.
The new era was born
The Hunter Era.
Yet until now...
The gates still remain.
Silent.
Endless.
Waiting.
As if what lies beyond those gates...
It was never meant for humans.
Ethan breath trembled
Not from fear.
But from something far deeper.
Recognition.
A presence Stirred within him
Faint Yet suffocating.
Like the echo of a throne, long lost to time.
Fragments of memory flickered behind his eyes.
Once....
He was Nox Arden
Emperor of the Unyielding Dawn.
Sovereign of ten Kingdoms.
A man who forged peace through bloodshed.
And bent destiny to his wall.
A ruler who never bowed.
And now...
He sat in the body of a child.
Small.
Fragile.
Powerless.
A world where strength came not from will....
But from the gods.
Ethan lowered his gaze to his hand.
They trembled slightly.
Not from fear.
But from an unfamiliar weight of weakness.
"So... this is what I've become."
His voice was quiet.
Almost indifferent.
Yet beneath it....
Something burned.
This world was different.
Here, those who held power were not kings....
Not even a conqueror....
But those who chosen by the gods.
For the first time in his life.
A question surfaced.
Can i rise again in a world like this?
Can a man, with nothing but himself... stand among blessed by gods?
Or...
Am i nothing more than a remnant of a past that no longer matters?
Silence followed.
Then.... A faint laugh escapes him
Low.
Cold.
"Gods...?"
His eyes sharpened.
There was no fear within them.
Only defiance.
" i didn't kneel before men."
His voice hardened.
" i won't start now."
Power.
No matter its source...
He would definitely obtain it.
Break it.
Surpass it.
No matter how long it took
No matter what it demanded.
To Ethan.... This world was not a prison
It was a test
And he had never lost to one.