“I told you. I won’t attend. I’m busy with the dungeon raids.” Uno slid his gears into his inventory without even looking up.
Professor Grish exhaled sharply. “But you’re the face of this guild. We need at least one new recruit this year. Would it hurt to show up? Motivate them?”
Uno finally turned his gaze on her. His voice was flat, his expression unreadable. “If they need me to motivate them, they shouldn’t be hunters.”
Her brow twitched. “You’re impossible.”
“I’ve been like this since day one.” He adjusted the strap of his gauntlet, more focused on the curve of the leather than her frustration.
She already knew the futility of pushing further. When Uno said no, it’s no.
“What about the banquet, then?” she pressed one last time.
“Not going.” His tone didn’t shift, as if he were stating the weather.
“That’s your engagement party with the city mayor’s daughter.”
That earned her the smallest flicker of a reaction. His head turned with his eyes narrowed.
“You know my commitments better than I do.”
“Because I manage the guild members’ schedules,” she shot back.
“Especially yours, since you’re the leader.”
He dismissed her words with the barest shake of his head.
“I don’t plan on marrying anyone. I don’t have time for it. Don’t waste mine with this again.”
She let out a quiet sigh as he left the room. Always the same answer. Always the same wall.
Uno was, without question, a man who stood out. Whether he intended to or not.
His eyes were a cold silvery gray, threaded faintly with hazel, a gaze that seemed to cut through whatever it landed on. His midnight-black hair that only served to accentuate the stark clarity of his eyes.
His features were refined. A straight nose, lips that rarely softened into expression, skin warmed by a light tan.
There was nothing gentle about him, but neither was he monstrous. He carried the kind of presence that demanded notice, even from those who didn’t want to give it.
And yet, for all that, he was unapproachable. A wall of ice wrapped in flesh. Handsome or not, no one ever got past that wall.
“Oh well…” She shook her head and returned to her paperwork.
Uno’s phone buzzed. He didn’t bother checking the name before answering.
“Everything is set to motion,” Junha’s voice came through, steady and precise. “Noah will bring three healers with him. Oliver and I will meet you at the plaza in an hour.”
“Got it.” Uno ended the call without another word.
He gathered his equipment with the efficiency of someone who had done this routine too many times to count.
A faint ripple of power followed as he drew a circle in the air. The portal widened, humming faintly with distortion before stabilizing. Only five hunters in the world could open such gateways. But even that privilege had boundaries. He couldn’t leap from dungeon floor to dungeon floor, nor chain the ability without burning himself out. Space bent for him, yes, but only on its own terms.
The phone buzzed again. He glanced at the screen this time.
City Mayor calling…
His expression was unreadable. He silenced the call then set the device to Do Not Disturb and slipped it into his pocket.
One step forward, and he was swallowed by the portal.
When the world stitched itself back together, he stood just outside H Hospital in City B. A cold gust brushed past, carrying with it the sterile scent of antiseptic and iron. He rolled his shoulder absently, wincing at the familiar ache that ran down his side.
Seven years. The scar was old, but it still burned like fresh fire whenever he moved too sharply. The doctors had called it a psychological response, not physical. He prescribed him neat bottles of pills with labels for trauma and memory.
But Uno knew better.
Scars didn’t just cling to flesh, they carved themselves into the bones of a man.
He had earned it on the top floor of the dungeon. He hadn’t even faced the true Leviathan. Only its clone. The real colossal monster was laying dormant in its deep hibernation while the fight was happening.
He had believed, with unshakable pride, that he could clear the floor. Yet even after tearing down its fortress, all that awaited him was bitter, undeniable defeat.
That defeat had left him one year in an asylum and countless more clawing his way back through relentless training. He had sworn, with every wound and every sleepless night, that he would one day return to finish what he started.
He stepped out of the hospital, rolling his shoulders as though to loosen the weight clinging to him.
There’s still time. He thought, letting the afternoon air brush past him.
But as he turned toward the street, a prickle crept along his skin. It was sharp and undeniable.
His stride slowed. His instinct flared.
A monster.
The sensation wasn’t faint, nor was it mistaken. He had lived too long with this awareness etched into his bones. His eyes narrowed as he glanced down at the radar strapped to his wrist.
No portals.
No alarms.
And it’s not some wandering A-class. The pressure in the air told him otherwise. This presence was heavy and suffocating. Like a storm swelling behind the clouds.
Stronger. Far stronger.
He activated the comms. “Possible high-level threat near the plaza. Make a discreet call. Don’t let the civilians panic.”
Professor Grish’s voice came clipped but alert on the line. “Understood. I’ll reach the guilds.”
The ground trembled before she could say more. An earthquake! People screamed as the ground shook and glass shattered in the distance.
“What’s happening!?” The professor asked in a frantic voice.
Uno didn’t answer. Instead, he ended the call.
He moved against the current of bodies, slipping through the chaos like a blade cutting water. There’s still no indication of portal openings. No alerts. Nothing that should cause this sudden situation.
Thankfully, no one was harmed. Relief flickered for only a moment before his jaw tightened in frustration. The presence he’d felt just moments ago had vanished without a trace like smoke slipping through his fingers.
His gaze swept the chaos around him, searching.
Whatever it was, it was still out there. And when he found it, he would end it with his own hands.
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