Deep in the untamed wilderness of Russia, a new threat had taken root.
And it wasn't just some scattered monster infestation, a giant tribe of monster appeared.
A massive stretch of land, once sovereign Russian territory, had been completely overrun by orcs.
And these weren't your average wandering brutes. Not the kind mid-level hunters can handle. No this was something far more terrifying.
They were organized. United. Evolving.
A savage race turned militarized. A tribe that can be comparable to a kingdom.
Tens of thousands of orcs residing in this tribe, From D-rank grunts used as frontline fodder, to wild, to an orc warriors that was a strong as A-rank hunters to berserkers that was been said rivaling S rank.
The orcs crafted their armor and metal swords. They had structure houses and a palace. They had ranks.
They had a system.
And worst of all they had generals.
At the top of this brutal hierarchy stood ten King -rank Orc Generals—each one a living catastrophe, capable of leading armies and holding their own against elite hunters. In a standard dungeon, even one orc general would require ten or more S-rank hunters just to have a chance at victory. But ten?
No one wanted to imagine what ten could do.
The Russian Standstill
Despite housing some of the largest numbers of S-rank hunters in the world, Russia stood helpless. They still lacked power and also because they couldn't afford the risk.
Every military simulation ran by the Hunter Association led to one inevitable result:
Failure.
High casualties. Total collapse. A potential domino effect that would see the nation's borders fall one by one.
So, they made a decision.
They drew a line.
They redrew their maps, quietly designating the entire region as a red-level danger zone.
They don't want to provoke a Hornets nest.
In desperation, the Russian Federation reached out to the world. They offered a proposition:
Any country willing to help eradicate the orc tribe, would receive the full support of Russia's military and elite hunters in return in the future.
They also welcome all hunters that would want to help the raid, they offer generous rewards.
It was more than just a plea for help. It was a deal.
And the neighboring nations?
They didn't hesitate.
If Russia fell, they'd be next.
So, ten nations signed the pact.
They waited for the orcs to made a moved, but to their surprised more than a year now the orcs did not invade, and it seems like living peacefully.
Some scouts made a report that female orcs even given birth.
"Theres also a video from one of the hunterd that orc children were playing, while adults are working"
No attacks.
No raids.
No movement.
But no one felt safe.
The silence hanging over the orc kingdom was thick and unnatural. It didn't feel like peace.
It felt like a storm held back by a thread.
Something was coming and the world could feel it.
At the heart of the orc territory, something horrifying was underway.
A throne of bones was being constructed massive and grotesque.
Built from the skulls and spines of monsters, it resembled an altar for something ancient… something powerful.
The orcs gathered around it, chanting in guttural, arcane tongues as crystals cracked with red, green, and violet mana energy extracted from years of hunting monsters. The air shimmered with thick ritual energy.
The World Holds Its Breath
The news spread like wildfire. Global media outlets broadcasted the situation on massive LED screens across cities.
One reporter stood in front of a digital graph on-screen.
"For the past three years, dungeon appearances have surged worldwide," he explained. "The number of S-rank gates has doubled. Some countries are seeing three to five appear in a single week."
Economies were booming thanks to dungeon loot and mana-powered industries but that silver lining was razor-thin.
The hunters couldn't keep up.
Many were burning out.
Some guilds stopped accepting missions entirely.
The Hunter Association issued a chilling global advisory:
"Prepare for the worst."
In the Philippines, the situation was dire.
Within just a month, over 100 A-rank and 7 S-rank gates had spawned.
Thanks to the emergence of two new S-rank hunters, the major safe zones had held barely.
But outside those zones?
Luzon was overrun by rogue monster zones.
Visayas had been marked as critical danger, with 20+ S-rank gates left uncleared.
And Mindanao… Mindanao was a dead zone.
A King-class monster had emerged an apex predator commanding lesser S-rank creatures like pawns. Even elite hunters avoided the area. It was suicide to enter.
Monster Classifications (Global Threat Levels):
God-tier – Beings said to rival deities,a monster. Than can potentially destroy the world.
King-class – Highly intelligent monsters that can lead armies. Each one rivals 10 S-rank hunters in combat power. Highly strategic and extremely dangerous.
Calamity-class – Mindless juggernauts of destruction. Titanic, unstoppable beasts that wipe out everything in their path. Entire cities are evacuated when one appears.
S-class monsters – The kind that can flatten a city. They require elite, coordinated teams of S-rank hunters to defeat. Dangerous, but manageable for now.
Across the globe, dungeon energy meters devices used for nearly a century to determine dungeon threat levels began to fail.
D-rank gates were turning into death traps.
S-rank gates were being misread as harmless.
For the first time in 96 years, the system was breaking down.
And that terrified the Hunter Association.
"This could be the precursor to a global disaster," said one analyst. "It's very possible… a God-tier monster most likely will descend around five years from now.
Eighty years ago, the last God-tier being the Lich King almost destroyed humanity. It took over 60 S-rank hunters from America, Europe, Japan, and the Arab Coalition to bring it down.
They won but at the cost of countless lives.
The Current Strongest Hunter: Jian Wuhen
Now, only six hunters worldwide are above Level 500.
Among them, Jian Wuhen, the Sword Saint of Guangzhou, stands at the top.
A 5-star S-rank hunter, Level 530, wielding the legendary Plum Blossom Swordsmanship.
For over twenty years, he stood as China's shield, personally turning back monster invasions and closing S-rank gates no one else dared approach.
But even Jian…
Was far from Victor.
The Legend of Victor
Only one man in history had ever slain God-tier monsters and he did it three times.
Victor.
Level 1300.
Wielder of 10 Legendary Skills.
Bearer of a Mythical-class sword.
He was the strongest hunter to ever live.
His final battle against three God-tier beasts left him fatally wounded.
He died a hero.
And right now?
The world was nowhere near ready to face the same threat again.
Kael sat on the worn leather couch of a small corner café, a mug of coffee warming his hands. The bitter taste didn't bother him it was the only thing keeping him grounded. His eyes stayed fixed on the wall-mounted TV, where the news ran a live report about white tiger and blue dragon guild conquering a high-rank gate.
A deep, heavy sigh escaped his lips.
"They're moving faster than ever just wait I'll catch up to the both of you," he muttered. "the white tiger and blue dragon guild rises the fame a year ago they were even recognized as part of the major guilds,
Every day Rowel and Anthony gets ahead of him."
His fingers tightened around the mug.
"I need my own force… my own guild."
It sounded ridiculous just a few months ago. Back when he was still a dungeon cleaner, hauling corpses and monster parts for chump change.
But things were different now.
He had money. More than most F-ranks could dream of.
Rare potions so powerful, that can increase mana capacity without a limit.
A city, a future base of operations, once he claimed it.
A dimensional rift his own personal space.
It should be enough. Right?
But…
"How the hell am I supposed to recruit people," he muttered, setting the mug down with a dull clink, "when everyone looks down on an F-rank like me?"
He imagined the faces of those arrogant elites. The smirks. The snide remarks.
"At the awakening day on his graduation ceremony. "
It pisses him off.
The thought burned.
"Damn it…"
He leaned back, staring at the flickering ceiling lights.
"Even if I have everything else, without proof of my strength no one will follow me."
Not in a world where strength meant everything.
And yet, a small flame flickered in his chest. A stubborn spark that refused to die.
"Then I'll just become strong enough that they can't ignore me."
His eyes narrowed. That was it. The only path forward.
"I need to level up. First things first, I have to clear dungeons. Real ones. No more waiting."
He pulled up system status.
Still Level 4. Still F-rank.
"1 million mana? Hmm good"
He'd never even cleared a single dungeon solo. All his progress so far came from grinding inside his personal rift, growing mana tomatoes, and selling potions. Useful but not enough.
"I don't even know how strong I really am."
But he would find out. He had to.
"If I can hit level 30… that's a good target. That should put me on the radar."
He nodded to himself, more to push away the doubt than anything else.
"One step at a time."
He opened the map app on his phone and zoomed in on the outer zones of City 23. That area bordered the wilderness uncharted land where F to D-rank monsters roamed freely. No guild claimed it. No permits required. No witnesses either.
"I'll go there."
The idea made his heart race, but not with fear.
Excitement. Purpose.
"I can level up there. Train. Get stronger."
He stared at his reflection in the café.
"dad look over me, I would make you proud"
He downed the last of his coffee in one gulp, grabbed his bag, and stood up.
It was time.
He go to the hunter mall to pack some supplies, he bought a healing potions, also a sword.
He make a note on the table, that he will be out for weeks for business trip, to make sure her mom and siblings will not worry.