The shrill cries of goblins echoed all around.
Asher Vaos collapsed to his knees, his clothes torn and drenched in blood.
The shard of iron trembled in his grasp, his fingers slick with crimson.
Every attempt to rise was like driving needles through his body.
[ HP: 10 / 100 ]
His breath came in broken gasps. Vision blurred. Death loomed mere steps away.
The goblins, still snarling, pressed closer—eyes gleaming with a hunger for flesh.
> "So this is it…? Is this how I end?"
---
Suddenly—
the very air shifted.
A crushing pressure rolled out from the darkness behind him.
Waves of mana surged through the cave, so heavy that the goblins froze mid-charge.
Some collapsed outright, trembling as though their very instincts screamed at them to kneel.
A shadowed figure stepped forth.
Moonlight piercing the gate's barrier glinted off obsidian armor, and the long blade etched with runes he carried at his side.
His sharp features were cold, his gaze cutting across the remaining goblins for only a heartbeat—before he raised his sword.
A flash split the air—
The sound of rending flesh and bone echoed as dozens of goblins were cleaved apart in an instant.
Blood sprayed across the cavern, the stench of iron so thick it clawed at the lungs.
Asher's eyes widened. His whole body trembled.
Not from fear—
but from the shock of witnessing true power.
With a single strike, the mysterious hunter erased the horde that had nearly ended Asher's life.
---
The man turned, his face devoid of emotion. His voice, low and cold, cut through the silence.
> "Brat… how the hell did you get in here?"
The words sliced like a blade across Asher's chest.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself upright despite the blood streaming down his legs.
"I… I was just… pulled in."
The lie was pitifully thin. And in that brief clash of gazes, Asher knew—the man didn't believe him. But he didn't press further.
---
The hunter stepped closer, his eyes scanning Asher from head to toe before letting out a quiet sigh.
> "Worthless. Just another reckless kid playing hunter. If I'd arrived even a moment later, you'd be a corpse."
Asher clenched his fists.
Anger flared in his chest—not at the insult, but because he knew.
The man was right.
He was powerless. Too weak to even protect his own life. Too weak to do anything but be saved.
---
[ Side Quest Complete: Survive the E-rank Gate ]
[ You gained EXP: 200 ]
[ EXP: 250 / 200 ]
[ Level Up! → Lv. 3 ]
Asher's body shuddered, warmth coursing through his limbs.
The bleeding slowed, his breath steadied. For the first time, he felt the faint trace of growth.
Yet when he lifted his eyes back to the hunter, the gap between them still yawned wide—like an unbridgeable chasm.
---
The man sheathed his sword and turned away without a second glance.
His voice echoed one last time, colder than steel.
> "Don't expect anyone to save you next time. If you want to live—get stronger yourself."
His footsteps faded into the darkness, leaving Asher slumped against the stone wall, blood and sweat dripping down his chin.
His eyes trembled, then sharpened—burning with a fierce, unyielding light.
> "Yes… one day… I'll surpass you all."
---
As the gate's barrier shattered, the light of the city's nightscape bled back in.
Dragging his battered body through the aftermath of the slaughter, Asher's bloodshot eyes gleamed with resolve.
He knew the path ahead would be paved with blood, despair, and scorn.
But so long as his heart still beat—
he would never stop moving forward.