Snow's eyes widened as he snapped out of his daze, the sting of a slap still burning on his cheek. The one who had struck him was none other than Lora Winchester—a globally recognized beauty and the newest S-Rank hunter. Ever since receiving her title, she'd been thrust into fame and fortune. And now, she used that spotlight to humiliate him publicly—all because he dared question her loyalty after seeing her wrapped around her guildmate, another well-known hunter.
But Snow wasn't shocked by the slap. No, it was something else—something far more surreal. In an instant, memories he didn't recognize began to flood his mind. Flashes of a different life. A different him.
In that life, he had been powerful. A Double S-Rank hunter feared and admired alike. A late bloomer who had awakened his abilities just before his death. Betrayed by a friend. Killed at the height of a life that had only just begun.
And then, just as suddenly, a translucent screen materialized before him. A system prompt. Something impossible.
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WELCOME TO THE HEART SYSTEM
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UNIQUE SKILL ACQUIRED: PATHFINDER
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DUE TO AN ERROR, THE SYSTEM HAS ADJUSTED REQUIRED INHERITANCE DATA
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YOU HAVE BECOME THE INHERITOR OF THE LOST SOUL OF PATHFINDER
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THE USER HAS DETECTED AN ERROR IN THE INHERITANCE ABILITY
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AN UPDATE HAS BEEN INITIATED
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UPDATE COUNTDOWN: 00:00:25
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Snow stared at the blinking notifications, his mind reeling. Around him, murmurs rose. The summit center—the world's most important hub for hunters—was full of high-ranking individuals today. They were gathered to witness the appointment of the newly crowned S-Rank hunter, Lora Winchester of the Stinger Guild, who had risen to Vice Guild master within a year of joining.
And now, all eyes were on him.
"You're just a nobody! How dare you think you're worthy to judge me!" Lora snapped, her voice sharp with disdain.
Snow's eyes, however, remained fixed on the floating text before him. "I see," he muttered, not to her—but to the system that was feeding him fragments of a life he'd never known.
"We were never a thing," she spat. "And from now on, don't come anywhere near me!"
With a flick of her fingers, a blast of wind surged toward him. The crowd gasped—yet Snow barely budged, his stance unwavering. The force that should have thrown him across the hall did nothing more than rustle his clothes.
Lora's pride flared.
"Not like anyone would date a loser like you anyway. Get the hell out of my way!"
Snow sighed. Her words were sharp, but they no longer pierced him. Something inside him had shifted.
"You think you're special just because you barely made it to S-Rank?" he said with a faint smirk, turning his back on her and walking away.
He no longer cared. Not about her. Not about the humiliation. Not even about the stares. What mattered now was the strange system that had suddenly latched onto him. And just as he moved to step away from the crowd, a new notification appeared before his eyes.
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UPDATE QUEST
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QUEST: Your unique skill, PATHFINDER, has detected a path. Walk it and claim your reward.
CLEAR CONDITION: Propose to an A-Rank Hunter
REWARD: Dagger of Truth
PENALTY: Death
======================
Snow chuckled bitterly to himself.
"A proposal or death? Just what kind of system did I get pulled into...?"
And with that thought, he took his first step forward—onto a path only he could walk.
Before Snow stretched a glowing path—light trailing like threads of destiny—leading him directly toward a girl standing at the far end of the summit hall. She looked confused, watching the recent commotion from a distance. By her side stood two other young women—both famous in the hunter world. One was a gifted healer. The other, a known manipulator of ice. But it was the girl at the center, with long scarlet hair, who drew Snow's attention.
She was Ruciel Faithhood—an A-Rank hunter who had been stuck at the same level for six years.
Despite her strength and effort, her growth had plateaued. Her peers had long surpassed her, and though the world mocked her as "the fallen flame," her two friends never once left her side. They stood now in silent defense as they watched a man—Snow—walk straight toward her.
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YOU HAVE DISCOVERED A BROKEN GEM
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Would you like to see how you could repair and evolve this broken gem?
YES / NO
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THE GEM BEFORE YOU HAS REACHED ITS LIMIT. UNLESS IT ACCEPTS YOU, A PATH SHALL NEVER BE CREATED. PLEASE DO YOUR BEST TO HAVE THIS GEM ACCEPT YOU.
=======================
"A broken gem?" Snow muttered, now standing face to face with the red-haired girl, her blonde and silver-haired companions eyeing him with suspicion.
"You've got some nerve," the blonde said sharply. "Are you calling my friend broken?"
Snow blinked, then quickly waved his hands, trying to dispel the tension. "Please, that wasn't directed at any of you. I didn't mean it in a bad way," he said, offering a small, apologetic smile.
The silver-haired girl narrowed her eyes. "Then what do you want?"
"My business is with the scarlet-haired lady," he replied politely.
Ruciel's crimson eyes narrowed. "So, I was the one you were referring to?" she said, her voice low and rising with fury. "You really have some attitude, walking up to me like this."
Snow hesitated, unsure of what to say. But then, without warning, he stepped in close. His hand slipped around her waist, pulling her forward. With a gentle tilt of her chin, he pressed his lips against hers.
Gasps rippled through the hall.
Ruciel stood frozen, stunned into silence.
When he pulled away, he smiled faintly. "Apologies. You looked too beautiful—I couldn't resist."
A moment later, like a cannonball, Snow was launched across the summit center. He slammed into a wall, stone crumbling around him. Before he could even recover, another force hurled itself toward him—Ruciel, now ablaze in flames, grabbed him by the neck, eyes filled with murderous intent.
"I can help you break through," Snow said, calm even as his skin burned under her heat.
His words struck her harder than any physical blow. Her fire raged around her, melting the marble beneath their feet. She trembled with fury, yet something in her eyes shifted.
"What did you just say?" she hissed.
"It's exactly as you heard."
"You? A nobody?" she screamed, and with a burst of power, flung him back. He crashed near her friends, the floor splitting beneath him.
But to everyone's shock, Snow stood up again, unfazed. His coat was gone, his shirt scorched to ashes, and his pants tattered from flame—but he walked forward with steady steps.
"Indeed, I am a nobody," he said, stepping out of the crater with a smile.
"But I'll make it simple for you—become my woman."
For a moment, the entire summit fell silent... and then laughter broke out.
It was absurd. Hilarious, even. The so-called "nobody" was proposing to the Fallen Flame, the woman who hadn't risen in rank in six years.
"You... You bastard!" Ruciel roared, flames erupting from her body as the ceiling cracked and the walls groaned. Hunters and officials scrambled to give her space.
But Snow didn't flinch. He walked through the inferno casually, like fire couldn't touch him.
"My, my," he said softly, now standing directly before her again.
"Do you hate the idea so much? Becoming the woman of a loser like me... in exchange for everything you've ever desired?"
Ruciel stared at him in disbelief. He stood within her flames without even blinking.
Snow gently took her hand, placing it over his bare chest. "You could end this right now," he said with a gentle smile.
She didn't move. Speechless, Ruciel finally stepped back. Her fury dimmed, her flames dying down as emergency personnel rushed in from the side. But Snow said nothing more.
"I'll give you time to think about it," he said quietly. Then, walking up to her once more, he leaned in and kissed her forehead. A soft smile followed as he turned to leave.
"Hey!" she called out suddenly.
"I accept your deal."
Her blonde friend gasped. "Ruciel, what are you saying?!"
"He's probably just trying to trick you!" her silver-haired friend added, clearly alarmed.
Snow waved casually over his shoulder. "Alright, babe. See you tonight."
And with that, he walked away.
As Ruciel watched Snow's slim figure walk away, something about him gnawed at the back of her mind. She couldn't pinpoint it—but as a hunter, her instincts screamed that something was off. No records, no credentials, no backing... and yet, he was the first person who dared to offer a solution to her stagnation.
All he asked in return... was that she become his woman.
Absurd. Laughable. But tempting.
Her career was plummeting with no signs of recovery. If things continued this way, she'd be forced into retirement within the year. This might be her only shot.
"What do you think you're doing—calling yourself the girlfriend of a nobody?" her white-haired friend, Silvia, snapped.
"Silvia, calm down," Ruciel said coolly. "I have my own thoughts on the matter."
"You're just trying to test him, right?" her blonde friend, Maria, asked, suspicion in her eyes.
"You're right, Maria," Ruciel replied, her voice even. "I just want to see what kind of scam he's running."
But deep down, Ruciel didn't care. Not really. She knew these two—Silvia and Maria. They'd played dirtier games behind her back, and now they wanted to act like protective friends?
"I'll take my leave," she said.
Then, without warning, she smiled. "Oh, and kindly send the bills to my estate."
Her words left everyone in the room stunned.
Hours passed, and night fell.
Ruciel drove through the city in her black luxury coupe, the city lights flickering across her windshield. It was a beautiful evening, full of unknown gains and inevitable losses. Her destination loomed ahead—a towering, prestigious building known across the country.
The Bright Hotel.
A hotspot for elite hunters and top-tier business moguls, access was restricted to only those with twenty million points or more in assets. Yet here she was, pulling up for a private appointment.
Ruciel frowned as she parked. What the hell is an F-rank nobody doing in a place like this? He never gave her an address, yet she'd managed to track his location after digging into his background. What little there was of it, anyway.
Walking through the grand entrance, heads turned immediately.
Her entrance was like a breeze of royalty sweeping into the lobby.
Tonight, she wore a dark silk gown that shimmered under the chandeliers. Her golden diamond-studded bracelet sparkled on her wrist, a matching necklace graced her collarbone, and her earrings glinted like starlight. Her designer glasses, made of diamond-crusted gold, framed her sharp crimson eyes. A coat hung over her shoulders, giving her a commanding, business-like air.
No one dared stop her—not even the press.
When she reached the elevator, only then did it hit her.
I'm going to see a man who just claimed to be my boyfriend... in a hotel room. Alone.
She blinked, as if waking from a dream. But before she could change her mind, the soft ding of the elevator announced her arrival on the twelfth floor.
She walked down a long, quiet hallway, her heels clicking with each step. Room 123. She stopped.
Before she could knock, the door opened.
Snow stood in the doorway, his gaze calm.
"You sure took your time," he said, turning away and walking back inside.
She stepped in without a word, closing the door behind her.
"I had doubts," she admitted, walking toward the bed and sitting at its edge. Nearby, Snow sat on the couch, the television glowing behind him.
"It's fine," he said, glancing at her.
"So," Ruciel began, "you claim you can help me break through. Is that true?"
Snow stood. His smile faded. "You're still doubtful," he said, walking toward her.
He raised her chin, locking eyes with her. "I said I could. I will. All I ask is that you devote yourself to me—as my woman."
"So you're asking me to... love you?" she asked, brow raised.
"Love?" he repeated, and his smile faded into a cold stare.
"I... isn't that what you wanted?" she stammered, thrown off by the sudden shift in his tone. "To have a girlfriend—someone reputable, like me?"
Her voice grew sharper. "So far, you've failed in every relationship. The last one cost you everything... including your family."
She smiled, thinking she'd struck a nerve.
But Snow only smirked. "You're surprisingly cute, you know that?" he said, reaching out to run his fingers through her scarlet hair.
"If that's how you want to interpret it, then so be it."
He stepped back. "Now then... shall we get started?"
"W-what?" Ruciel blinked, confused.
"Take them off," Snow instructed.
Her eyes flared with anger. "Do you seriously think I—?"
"Now, now," he interrupted calmly. "Just be quiet and do as I say."
She clenched her fists, furious—until he added:
"I'm not interested in your body. Not tonight. I've prepared a medicinal bath for you. You need to soak in it for an hour."
Ruciel froze.
A bath?
It was bizarre. Suspicious. Yet something about the way he said it...
Eventually, she relented.
An hour later, she stepped out of the bathroom, her body wrapped in only a small towel. Her figure was barely concealed, her hair damp and clinging to her shoulders.
Snow stood nearby with a tray of food in hand. He raised a brow and smirked at the sight of her.
Ruciel blushed, quickly slipping into the silk nightgown that had been laid out for her in the wardrobe. She joined him on the couch, sitting beside him as he calmly watched the TV.
"You're strange," she muttered.
"How so?" he asked, feeding her a bite of food.
"You were labeled as an F-rank hunter," she said between bites. "Brought in by Lora Winchester... and now here you are, with me, Ruciel Faithhood."
She smiled softly, as if still trying to understand the man beside her.
"You want to know my relationship with Lora, don't you?" he asked.
Ruciel didn't answer. She looked away, chewing slowly.
Snow chuckled. "Lora and I go way back. She approached me during our university days. And, well... we became a thing."
"Before she ever became a hunter," Snow said, placing another piece of food gently into Ruciel's mouth, "I made sure she never lacked anything."
His voice was quiet, almost distant.
"I spent my entire inheritance, my savings... everything. I prepared herbs, equipment, potions—buffs of all kinds—just so she could grow."
He smiled faintly, though his eyes lingered on Ruciel's face, watching the way she chewed in silence.
"I believed we'd walk the path together. I truly thought... she'd stay with me."
He leaned back, arms draped over the couch.
"But in the end, I was just another donor—supporting someone who had her own motives."
His smile was short, bitter.
"And the rest... well, you've probably found out on your own."
There was a pause between them.
Then Ruciel spoke.
"Have you ever thought of looking for your kid sister?"
Snow's expression shifted.
"My kid sister, huh..."
He stared off for a moment, and something in his gaze darkened.
"The last memory I have of her... we were fighting. It wasn't a good one."
He stood slowly, voice quieter than before.
"She wouldn't want to see a scumbag like me."
And with that, he turned toward the bathroom.
"I'm going to take my bath. Finish eating."
"...Sure," Ruciel murmured.
The hours melted away.
They didn't speak much after that. And yet, when night came, they lay on the same bed—not as lovers, but not quite strangers either. Snow did nothing, simply laying on his back in silence.
Ruciel, curled beside him, had used his arm like a body pillow.
Snow didn't sleep.
He couldn't—not with her peaceful face resting so close, her breath slow and even, the faint scent of her hair lingering near him.
She was breathtaking in sleep.
"Good morning," he said softly as her eyes fluttered open.
She blinked, then jolted upright in sudden embarrassment. With a swift kick, she shoved him off the bed.
"YOU—!!" she shouted, pulling the blanket up to cover her face.
"You sure sleep beautifully," he chuckled, brushing dust from his shirt as he stood. He was already dressed—simple casual wear, neat and clean.
Beside the bed was a neatly folded outfit—a new one, just for her.
"Shut it," she muttered, turning away.
"Haha, now you're just being shy," he teased, grinning.
"I've prepared your clothes," he said, nodding toward the outfit. "Breakfast is ready too."
He headed toward the door, then stopped.
"I'll be away for three days. While I'm gone, I want you to solo clear C-rank dungeons. Five per day."
Ruciel's jaw dropped.
"...Are you serious?"
"Very," he replied.
"Is there a reason you want me to run C-rank dungeons five times a day?" she asked, confused.
"Yes. The medicinal bath you took last night? The effects will last four days. All you need to do is play with monsters for three of them."
"Play...?" she muttered.
"I'll come pick you up on the third day," he added, already walking to the door.
She frowned. "Don't tell me you're bringing me to another hotel?"
Snow paused, then glanced back with a grin.
"Yikes. You really do look down on your man just like everyone else."
He raised a hand lazily in farewell.
"See you then," he said—and shut the door behind him.
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to be continued....