"Congratulations."
"You have completed the First Tutorial."
"Would you like to receive a reward for completing the first tutorial?"
The voice of the system echoed clearly in Kim Haru's mind, as if it descended from the heavens themselves.
He froze in place, eyes widening in disbelief.
"The first tutorial...? But didn't I go through all of that with Shaara and Liriena? Are they... part of the tutorial too?"
Without hesitation, Kim Haru stepped out from the underground station.
As he looked up, his gaze locked onto a massive tower piercing the sky.
A tower.
Dark, imposing, and filled with an aura of something far greater than anything he had ever faced before.
"So all this time... I was just completing the first tutorial?"
"And Shaara... Liriena... even Kim Dohyun... were all part of a tutorial mission?" he muttered, barely audible.
[Ding! Do You Wish to Claim the First Tutorial Reward?]
The system interface hovered before him once again.
Kim Haru raised his hand and pressed the button without a second thought.
A flash of light engulfed him as the reward was granted.
He stood still—stunned.
[Reward Acquired! | Demon Sword Forged from Archduke's Fang | Demonic Armor Forged from Archduke's Body.]
The sword pulsed with dark energy, almost as if it were alive.
The armor felt like it breathed—conscious, dangerous.
Kim Haru stared silently, then muttered under his breath.
"Damn... this isn't a gift from Shaara or Liriena.
But fine. I'll use this to conquer the tower."
His eyes burned with ambition and unshakable resolve.
---
Later — At Home
Returning home, Kim Haru walked straight to the balcony.
He gazed at the tower from a distance as the wind brushed past him.
But it wasn't just the wind that unsettled him.
There was something—or someone—watching him from within the tower.
"You... whoever you are, I know you're watching me."
Without another word, he stepped back inside and turned on the TV.
[BREAKING NEWS!]
"The renowned guild Scorpion has just conquered the 30th floor and received rare rewards!"
The news echoed from the television across the living room.
Kim Haru narrowed his eyes.
"Only the 30th floor?" he murmured coldly.
"I could catch up to them fast... maybe even surpass them."
His words weren't arrogance. They were a promise.
The world might have changed. But Kim Haru had already changed long before it.
And as the system appeared once again before him, Kim Haru simply turned his head, ready for whatever was coming next.
---
[Ding! Your Host Receives Your First Quest — Enter a B-Rank Dungeon and Eliminate 300 Goblins Within 5 Hours.]
Kim Haru narrowed his eyes as the system notification floated in front of him, glowing faintly.
"Alright. This is my first mission… in the real world."
"I'll finish it in three hours."
He didn't speak with arrogance, but with quiet confidence—confidence forged through countless battles in another realm.
Without hesitation, Kim Haru put on his black jacket, tied his shoelaces, and stepped outside. The air felt crisp, as if the world itself was welcoming him back. A subtle smile crossed his lips—not from joy, but purpose.
He was moving again. And soon, this world would feel the weight of his steps.
---
[A few minutes earlier…]
On his way to the dungeon registration terminal, Kim Haru paused as he noticed a small commotion in the public queue.
There, standing awkwardly at the end of the line, was a girl—simple clothes, nervous expression.
She clutched a rusty short sword, barely worthy of being called a weapon. Her status window flickered faintly above her head:
[Kim Hari – Rank F | Level 2 | Class: ???]
Her name made Kim Haru stop in his tracks for a brief moment.
Kim Hari…? That name…
But he quickly shook his head. It was a big world—similar names happened.
Yet something in her presence felt strange… like a forgotten memory trying to resurface.
Their eyes met for a fleeting second. The girl flinched and quickly looked away.
"I… I want to register for the F-Rank dungeon…" she muttered to the staff.
"Even if I have to enter alone."
The staff member frowned. "Are you sure? That's dangerous at your level."
She nodded quietly.
Kim Haru stood still for a few more moments, then turned and walked away.
"Too early," he muttered under his breath.
"She's not ready yet."
He left—unknowingly stirring a ripple in a fate he had yet to understand.
But the system recorded the encounter quietly.
[Hidden Flag Triggered: ???]
[Connection Detected: Dormant Blood Resonance]
---
Later — At the B-Rank Dungeon
Upon arriving at the towering stone gate of the B-Rank dungeon, Kim Haru instinctively scanned the surroundings.
The system began feeding him critical data.
[Information: The Tower has 10,000 floors.]
[Outside the Tower, dungeons of varying ranks exist across Earth—ranging from F to SSS.]
[Each dungeon has its own unique mechanics, species, and spatial laws.]
He nodded silently.
"So… it's not just the Tower. This world is now filled with fractures and trials."
Kim Haru approached the dungeon gate and waited calmly.
Soon, his temporary party—three adventurers randomly assigned by the Dungeon Association—arrived.
As soon as they saw Kim Haru, their expressions shifted.
They looked him up and down with clear skepticism. No armor, no visible weapon—just regular clothes and a strange, silent aura.
One of them whispered to the others.
"Is this guy serious?"
"No gear? What is this, a cosplay shoot?"
Kim Haru paid them no mind.
Instead, he closed his eyes and listened to the sealed energy vibrating behind the dungeon gate.
Three hours, he thought to himself.
Let's see if I still remember how to slaughter goblins… efficiently.
And deep within the system, something began to stir.
A dormant protocol, long locked away, began to awaken.
[Observation Level Increased: Host Has Entered Adaptive Evolution Phase.]
[Warning: Dungeon Anomaly — Unstable Readings Detected.]
None of the other party members noticed what that meant.
Not yet.
"You're too weak. How could you possibly survive a C-rank dungeon?" said one of the Hunters with a smug, arrogant tone, his voice laced with disdain.
Kim Haru simply responded with a calm smile. Without saying a word, he took a step forward with quiet confidence. His party members turned to glance at him with cynical eyes, as if questioning his worth among them.
Moments later, they stepped together through the shimmering gate—into the heart of the B-rank dungeon, where true combat awaited.
---
Entering Dungeon B
A cold, heavy atmosphere greeted them. The stone corridor stretched out with towering ceilings, adorned with ancient carvings and massive statues that seemed to bow in eternal reverence. One particular statue stood taller and older than the rest, with faint cracks across its face—like a forgotten relic of an age no one dared to remember.
Kim Haru's gaze lingered on that statue just a bit longer than the others, something about it stirring a whisper of familiarity within him. But the feeling passed, and he moved on, following his party deeper into the dungeon's depths.
The silence grew thicker with every step—too thick. As if something unseen was watching, waiting.
One of the more experienced C-rank Hunters came to a halt, raising his hand.
"Hey, look at that. Over there—on the wall. Looks like a carving of someone holding a sword, like they're mid-swing?" he said, pointing toward a faint relief partially hidden under layers of dust and decay.
Kim Haru looked at the carving silently. Something about it made his chest tighten.
His eyes followed a thin crack that ran just beside the relief—and for a brief moment, the world shifted.
Suddenly, he was no longer in the dungeon.
He stood in a long white hallway. The sterile scent of disinfectant filled his nose. Bright fluorescent lights buzzed above, reflecting off the clean hospital walls. At the far end of the hallway, a young boy sat alone on a waiting bench, gazing silently out the window where the sun spilled golden light across the floor. The boy's face was obscured by the glare—but his posture, his stillness, felt hauntingly familiar.
Kim Haru blinked—and he was back, standing before the cracked wall of the dungeon.
"…What was that?" he whispered under his breath.
The rest of the party had already moved ahead, unaware of what had just happened. Kim Haru let out a quiet breath and followed them, burying the strange feeling under the shadows of the dungeon.
The party started walking ahead, their boots echoing softly against the ancient stone floor. Just as they were about to pass another stretch of wall, Kim Haru suddenly stopped. His sharp eyes caught something odd—an indentation, a hollow in the center of a mural where the head of the figure should've been.
"Wait a second," he said firmly, halting the group. "There's a hole here. It looks like something's missing from this image… like a stone piece that fits right into the wall."
The rest of the party gathered around the spot, inspecting the incomplete mural. A strange tension filled the air—as if the wall was waiting for something, guarding something.
Kim Haru narrowed his eyes. "There might be a hidden room behind this wall. Let's split up and find a stone that fits perfectly into this hollow. It could be a key."
Without further questions, the party dispersed across the chamber, scouring every corner, lifting debris and shifting rubble. Minutes passed. Some began to grow skeptical.
Then Park Souyoung, one of the younger members, tripped over a loose stone near the edge of the room. Her hand brushed against a strange object—smooth, carved, and heavy. She turned it over.
"Guys! I think… I found something!"
The others rushed to her side. She lifted the stone into the light. On its surface, faint carvings could be seen—an expressionless face, perfectly matching the mural's missing head. The party leader carefully took the stone and guided it toward the wall.
With a soft click, the stone settled into place. The ground trembled. A low grinding echoed through the room as the wall slowly opened, revealing a hidden doorway bathed in shadow.
"You were right, Kim Haru," the captain said, eyes wide. "There was a secret room."
They entered cautiously, their senses sharpened. The room was vast and dimly lit. The ceiling arched high above them, and in one corner stood a massive statue, seated with its head lowered, hands resting on its lap. Silent and imposing.
As the others fanned out to explore, Kim Haru lingered near the wall once more. Another image had been carved—this one more abstract, like a person channeling energy or preparing to release a technique.
He blinked.
And then—for a moment—he wasn't in the dungeon anymore.
He stood in an underground station. The air smelled faintly of metal and concrete. A faint announcement echoed in the distance. Just ahead, he saw a boy wearing a school uniform, sitting quietly with the sunlight pouring through the glass roof onto his back. Two others—one male and one female—stood nearby, chatting. Their faces were blurred, unrecognizable, but… something about them felt familiar. Intimately familiar.
Before he could process the scene, Kim Haru snapped back to the dungeon, a cold sweat forming on his brow.
"Kim Haru?" the captain called, noticing his silence.
Haru turned his gaze back to the statue. His instincts screamed that this wasn't just decoration.
"There's something wrong with this room," he muttered.
At that moment, a loud thud echoed through the chamber—the main door behind them slammed shut.
Lights flickered. The statue began to move.
Everyone froze.
Then… a deep, ancient voice rumbled from the statue, its stone face cracking into motion.
"Welcome… to the Guardian's Chamber."
The tone was solemn. Ominous.
And then, bizarrely, it added in a crackling, broken voice:
"Damn… why must I always sound like I'm speaking through a plastic bag?"
Everyone stared.
"…What?"
Kim Haru didn't laugh.
Because he saw something else—behind the statue, etched faintly into the wall—was yet another mural. And this one… felt like it was watching him back.
Kim Haru's gaze turned sharp as he stared at the towering statue before him. His calm expression revealed no fear—only readiness.
To his surprise, the statue suddenly spoke. Its voice was deep, resonant, yet not hostile.
"Relax… I won't strike without warning."
The silence that followed was heavy, almost reverent, before the statue's voice echoed once more.
"Hey, kid. Why aren't you with your party? Or… could it be that you were sent by that system?"
The statue bowed its head slightly, as if scrutinizing Kim Haru's very soul.
"How do you know I'm here to complete this task? Who exactly are you?" Haru asked with quiet caution.
"I am… a Guardian," the statue replied. "I was ordered to wait here—for someone."
Kim Haru narrowed his eyes. "Who ordered you?"
"I don't know," the Guardian said flatly.
Before Haru could respond, the statue lifted one of its heavy legs without warning. But Kim Haru was faster. He leapt aside, evading the crushing blow with smooth precision, and immediately drew his sword.
With a thunderous boom, the statue's foot slammed into the ground, cracking the stone floor and shaking the entire chamber. Dust filled the air, but Kim Haru had already repositioned beneath the colossus.
In one swift movement, he jumped upward, slashing his blade at the statue's lower body. Sparks flew as metal met stone.
Without hesitation, Haru channeled his energy.
"Flame Sword—Ignition."
His blade erupted into blazing fire. He swung again, the flames searing across the statue's body. Chunks of its stone armor cracked, scorched by the sheer heat.
But even as fire spread across its surface, the Guardian remained standing—undaunted.
Then, the deep voice returned, now softer… almost respectful.
"That's enough. You've won."
Haru didn't lower his guard just yet.
"I do not wish to destroy the carving left by my master. If I keep fighting, I will lose my true form."
The Guardian's body shimmered faintly, and for the first time, it felt less like a statue and more like a relic of something ancient and forgotten.
"Very well… this is your reward—for defeating me."
A small, glowing crystal emerged before Kim Haru, floating gently down toward his palm. He took it without a word, then turned and walked away from the chamber, his steps steady and unwavering.
He made his way back through the dark corridor, toward his party—who had been waiting beyond the trial.
Yet far away from that dungeon, in a quiet corner of the world…
At an airport bathed in rain and fog, a man stepped off a plane. Draped in a dark blue cloak, he carried an old magic staff, its wooden handle etched with runes. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes told a different story—of countless battles, of lifetimes lived in shadows.
This was Shenyang—the most powerful magician the world had ever known. The one who once saved humanity from destruction… and vanished into obscurity.
He looked up at the grey skies above, then muttered to himself with a strange warmth in his voice.
"…We meet again, Kim Haru."
Elsewhere, in a place untouched by time—a man and a woman sat quietly on an old bench beneath an ancient tree, leaves swaying softly in the wind.
"We have to succeed this time…" the woman whispered.
The man beside her nodded solemnly. "Yes… there won't be a third chance."
And the world spun on, unaware that the gears of fate had already begun to turn once more.
---
Volume 2 Chapter 1 End