Thousands of years ago, the world had been nothing but a battlefield between Celestials and Demons. No mana. No monsters. No summoners.
Only bloodshed between these two races.
Over time, their numbers dwindled, and to turn a tide in the war, desperate Celestials blessed living beings with fragments of divine energy.
That blessing, when merged with the human body, caused their cells to undergo automatic mutation while developing a core that absorbs cellular energy and transforms into unique energy that can be manipulated, which is called mana. With armies of humans serving their cause, the Celestials tipped the battle to their favor.
Demons, unwilling to fall behind, corrupted wild animals with their own power, twisting them into the first monsters.
However, it still went insufficient due to humanity's extraordinary ability to grow intelligence and adaptability.
In the end, the Demon Empress was captured and thrown into imprisonment, which only resulted in civil war among the demon clans and caused chaos all over the world with the unchecked power of monsters.
While this went on for years, something unexpected bloomed in the Celestial Empire—a forbidden love emerged between the Celestial King and the Demon Empress.
From that union was born a cosmic child: Tempus, who carried an unimaginable power of the cosmos.
However, unlike its parents, Tempus had no desire for war. He didn't side with either of them. Instead, he brought chaos to both sides.
So great was the destruction that Celestials and Demons, long-time enemies, were forced into an uneasy truce to suppress one single entity after Tempus massacred his own parents.
Eventually, with the combined might of his enemies, Tempus was defeated.
However, before his fall, he shattered his essence into nine crystals, each holding a fragment of his dominion— Time. Creation. Venom. Pact. Strength. Rebirth. Shadows. Desire. Authority.
All of them were waiting for their hosts to date…
31st December, 1978;
The city of Hanyang was filled with celebrations for the New Year. And in one of the residential districts, just like everywhere in the city, thousands of people came out of their homes and started their countdown together.
However, a young detective was seen rushing up the stairs in panic; a layer of mana covered his body, increasing his speed by ten times. Soon, he reached Apartment 703, which had half of its door open. Sweating down to the neck, and with a trembling heart in nervousness, he slowly opened the door.
*Creak*
As the door creaked open, his eyes widened, spotting a dazed five-year-old boy sitting amidst dead bodies, a dozen in number, eleven of them in armed suits and weapons, and one in casual wear. Attached to him was a dark wraith, irregularly shaped, but its aura got thicker and thicker as it absorbed the energy from the corpses. In his hands, there was an unconscious baby boy, roughly a few months old.
*Tap*
The mana pistol in his hand fell to the floor. "Seok-Jin-ah…"
Psssh*
Soon, as the fireworks display dazzled the skies, outside the glass doors of the apartment, the boy turned his head to look at the man without an ounce of expression on his face. "Dad." He called.
"What…" The officer gasped as he slowly walked forward, "What happened?"
The boy responded to him with a swift turn to the baby he was holding and then looked back at the officer. "Everyone is dead, including mom. Jun seems fine though…" He still didn't have any expression on his face as if he wasn't feeling any emotions.
"You…" The officer asked in a hushed tone, slowly approaching the boy while keeping his wary gaze on the dark wraith. "What… what did you do?"
18 years later;
Year 1996;
Unnamed Island, Zuania Continent;
An 18-year-old young man in a navy blue suit was walking through a long corridor with several rooms with metal doors located side by side, while giving brief nods along the way to the passing by armed soldiers.
He was roughly a head taller than an average man, had messy black hair, his left eye was covered by a patch, and possessed a face that could be considered charming and manly instead of boyish charms that a typical 18-year-old would have.
Maintaining steady steps and a serious face, he made his way to a metallic door with two more men in suits guarding the room.
*Beep*
"Identity Verified. Welcome, Mr. Han."
As he stepped inside, someone was waiting for him. He was tall and bulky, wearing a coffee-colored trench coat. Even the clothes couldn't hide his bulging muscles. In front of him, Sungjun was like a little kid.
Cheng Hu, a Lieutenant Commander of the Special Forces of the newly formed World Federation, gave a firm nod. "Welcome, Agent White Wolf."
Sungjun greeted him with a standard salute, "Sir."
Taking a deep breath, the lieutenant commander spoke. "I will come to the matter directly. Do you know the reason why we saved you?"
Sungjun furrowed his brows, but it only lasted a moment, and his calmness returned. With his hands to the back, he replied. "At first, I thought it was because you responded to the SOS. But seeing myself in such a location where an outsider like me isn't allowed, I believe you need my services for something."
To that, the Lt. Commander gave a smile, "That's right, Agent. The main reason we brought you here and treated you is because of the Temple of Horus Dungeon. In four decades, many failed and died. But you were the only one ever to escape alive."
"It's confidential, Sir. I can't reveal the details…" Sungjun maintained a firm tone, to which the Lt. Commander leaned forward, placing his hands on the table as he stared at him with an intense gaze. "Agent, I didn't know what you did, but the Dungeon's break has sped up because of you and your mentor's mistake. Based on our investigation, we only have twelve days to clear it. Or else, we would be facing a catastrophe."
"Twelve days?" Sungjun's eyes widened as he took a step back in surprise, "That's…"
Cheng Hu took a deep breath as he collapsed on his seat. "Agent, I'm aware that it is a mission of Black Commando, and I won't ask for you to reveal the details. All I need from you is to lead the team to the secret entrance that you found. Even though you aren't a part of Special Forces, we will give you complete access to this facility until this case is done. And don't worry, you will report to others as an Academy Cadet who just joined the forces. I already got permission from your superior for the job, and this mission will be labeled as a joint secret mission between Special Forces and Black Commandos. However, it was only after it was completed. So, I expect you to hide your identity to the end, Agent."
Sungjun gave a nod and saluted. "Yes, Sir."
"You may be dismissed."
Sungjun returned to his ward and continued with the physical tests.
Once he was done, he asked around for directions to the dorm. A soldier escorted him to the gender-neutral dorm. As if the hospital wasn't deep enough underground, the dorm was located even deeper. They had to take an elevator to go down nine more levels, reaching the deepest part of this underground facility.
Upon entering the entrance hall of the dorm, his eyes wandered around. The dorm was a three-story structure, circular in shape, with space in the middle like a huge hollow. It appeared to be modeled after those shopping malls in the cities.
There was a reception counter, a bar, an elevator, a gym, a cafeteria, and a couple of unknown stores placed on the ground floor, well, it is technically underground, so it can only be described as the lowest floor.
Sungjun observed around as he walked towards the reception counter. It was already evening, so the bar was quite lively with everyone chattering around and some arguing.
Due to Sungjun's young age, he didn't expect to draw much attention as several of them are rookies from various parts of the world. However, he underestimated his looks. Even if it was for a moment, he felt the gazes of the young female Hunters as he passed by them, and some of them were quite flirtatious.
But then again, it isn't something unexpected. The Hunters usually go through either battles or other missions all week and rarely get time to have proper relationships. So, most of them would be single, and they generally tend to hook up with people they find attractive without any strings attached later.
Sungjun understands it and hence didn't pay any attention. He simply went ahead to find his room: 214.
"Here I am."
Along with the number, there was a paper stuck on the wooden door. On the paper, the horrible drawing of a pink dolphin was seen.
"I don't feel good for some reason," Sungjun mumbled as he looked at the drawing. "It's not a female, is it?"
Taking a deep breath, he unlocked the door with the pass he was given at the reception counter.
*Beep*
As the door was opened, a woman appeared in his vision, who seemed anything but ordinary. Watching the sleeping girl on her bed while hugging a dolphin plush toy, he muttered. "Oh, boy…"
A pink room that is decorated – check
Female – check
Adult age, but has child-like looks – check
Twin tails hairstyle – check
Underdeveloped body – check
"Oh boy, not this kind of roommate," Sungjun's face darkened as he stared at the girl. "The troublesome type of woman that only looks good in Japanese anime, not in real life. I hope she isn't the one I'm thinking."
*Knock* Knock*