Delhi, the heart of India, was no longer just the capital of politics and culture.It had become a fortress city, one of the main strongholds of humanity after the Gates appeared.
Every street carried signs of this new world. Billboards didn't advertise soft drinks or smartphones anymore. They advertised guild recruitments, potion discounts, and raid highlights. Television channels played live-streamed dungeon raids, hunters treated like cricket stars once were. And every child in school secretly dreamed of awakening to become one.
Hunters—those blessed with the ability to fight the monsters pouring through Gates—were the world's most powerful class of people. They were ranked:G, F, E, D, C, B, A, A+, S, SS, and the legendary SSS.
Rank decided everything. Your salary, your status, even whether or not people greeted you with respect on the street.
But of course, if rank decided everything… then where did that leave Rian Sharma?
"Oi, F-rank, you're blocking the line!"
Rian sighed as he stepped aside. The hunter behind him, a buff D-rank with too much hair gel, smirked and strutted forward like he owned the Hunter Association hall.
Rian looked down at his badge.
[Hunter Rank: F]
[Age: 24]
It was pathetic. He had awakened six years ago and still hadn't moved past F. Not even to E.
Meanwhile, his younger brother, Aryan, was not only the pride of their family but also practically the pride of Delhi itself—an A+ rank at just twenty years old.
Rian rubbed his face and muttered under his breath. "God must've rolled the dice wrong when handing out talents in this family."
He shuffled forward in line, ignoring the chuckles around him. F-rank hunters were treated like jokes, and he was the punchline everyone loved.
At the front of the hall stood a guild recruitment booth. Bright banners flapped, and recruiters smiled as they scouted for talent.
"B-rankers to the front, please! We're looking for elites today!""A-rank applicants get a bonus signing offer!"
No one even looked at Rian. Instead, every pair of eyes locked onto the young man walking behind him.
Aryan Sharma.
The crowd shifted. Hunters whispered, journalists clicked photos, and a couple of recruiters practically shoved each other to get in front of him.
"Mr. Aryan, our guild would be honored—""Join the Ashura Guild, we'll make you vice-captain immediately!""Vajra Guild is willing to pay double—no, triple—what they're offering!"
Aryan, dressed casually in a black jacket, raised a hand awkwardly. "Uh… I'm just here to register a raid, not—"
"Impossible! We can't let a prodigy like you walk away!" a recruiter barked.
Meanwhile, Rian leaned on a nearby wall, watching the circus. He clapped slowly, voice dripping with sarcasm."Wow, little bro, look at you. Human magnet. Careful, or they'll start offering you their kidneys next."
Aryan shot him a look, half-annoyed, half-guilty."Bhai[1], please. Don't start again."
"Start what? I'm just applauding my talented brother. Can't an F-rank support family pride?"
"Support? You mean sulk in the corner and throw commentary?"
Rian chuckled. "Exactly. It's my only talent."
The recruiters glanced at Rian briefly, recognized the "trash brother," and quickly turned away. Their smiles returned to Aryan like bees drawn to honey.
Finally, Aryan escaped the crowd and walked up to the Hunter Association counter."We'd like to register for a C-rank dungeon raid."
The clerk raised an eyebrow. "Together?" She looked at Aryan's badge, then Rian's."…Are you sure? Your brother is F-rank. Taking him into a C-rank dungeon is… risky."
Aryan straightened. "He's a hunter. He deserves the right to raid."
The clerk gave Rian a doubtful look. "You mean he deserves the right to slow you down."
Rian smiled weakly. "Don't worry, I'm like a cockroach. I survive everything."
That earned a laugh from a few hunters in line. Aryan sighed and pinched his nose. "Bhai…"
Still, the registration went through.
Two hours later, Rian stood at the entrance of Gate 17—a shimmering portal pulsing in the middle of a cordoned-off street in South Delhi.
A team of six hunters gathered. Aryan was clearly the star of the group. The others were a B-rank tank, a C-rank mage, two C-rank warriors, and… Rian.
The tank, a tall man named Rajiv, eyed Rian's badge. "F-rank, huh? Why'd we bring dead weight?"
Aryan answered coldly. "Because I trust him."
Rajiv snorted. "You trust him to die, maybe."
Rian raised his hands innocently. "Relax, buddy. I'm here to pick up your scraps. Think of me as your personal loot-vacuum cleaner."
The mage chuckled. "At least he's funny."
"Funny doesn't kill monsters," Rajiv muttered.
"Neither do you," Rian shot back, "if you keep wasting time worrying about me instead of fighting."
The group burst into laughter. Rajiv's face turned red. Aryan shook his head, but even he smiled faintly.
The raid leader gave the signal."Alright. Let's move in."
One by one, the hunters stepped into the Gate. The shimmering blue light swallowed them whole.
Rian followed, muttering, "Here goes nothing… again."
Inside was a stone cavern lit by eerie green crystals. Growls echoed in the distance. The air stank of sulfur and damp moss.
The system message appeared in glowing runes above them:
[Dungeon: Rank C – Goblin Nest]
[Objective: Eliminate the Goblin Chief]
Rian sighed. "Ah, goblins. My favorite little green friends. Always so… stabby."
The C-rank mage laughed. "You sound like you've fought them a lot."
"Yep. Almost died to them a lot too."
The group pushed deeper. Soon, the first wave of goblins attacked. Dozens of small, green-skinned creatures rushed forward with crude weapons, screeching.
"Formation!" Rajiv barked. He raised his shield, blocking the first strike. The warriors flanked, and Aryan moved like lightning, his sword slicing through goblins with terrifying efficiency.
Rian hung back, dagger in hand. He wasn't useless—just… outclassed. He stabbed one goblin sneaking around the flank, then quickly dodged another's spear.
"Not today, ugly!" he shouted, kicking it into a wall.
"Bhai!" Aryan called out. "Stay behind me!"
"I am behind you! They just have a bad sense of direction!"
Aryan rolled his eyes and cut down three more goblins in a single motion. The younger brother was a whirlwind, his A+ rank overwhelming everything in his path.
Meanwhile, Rian fought like someone who knew he wasn't strong—dodging, stabbing, running, and cursing the whole time.
"Seriously," he muttered, "why do they always chase me? I'm not even the main dish. I'm like the free pickle you get with the meal!"
The mage burst into laughter mid-spell. Even Rajiv cracked a grin before slamming his shield into another goblin.
By the time the first wave ended, the cavern floor was littered with green corpses. Everyone was breathing hard—except Aryan, who looked like he'd just gone for a jog.
The C-rank warrior whistled. "Damn, Aryan. You're insane. No wonder guilds are chasing you."
Aryan sheathed his sword. "I'm not interested in guilds."
Rajiv muttered, "Shame. A guy like you could make it to SS-rank one day." He glanced at Rian and added, "Unlike some people."
Rian patted Rajiv's armored shoulder. "Thank you for your confidence, O Great Shield. Truly, your words inspire me to achieve new heights of mediocrity."
The group burst out laughing again. Rajiv glared but didn't reply.
But as they marched deeper into the dungeon, Rian felt something strange.
A faint tug in his chest. Like invisible strings pulling at him. His vision blurred for a moment, and he thought he saw glowing runes flicker at the edge of his sight.
He shook his head quickly. "Get a grip, Rian. Probably just low blood sugar."
Still, the feeling lingered.And somewhere deep in the dungeon, something stirred in response.
The cavern grew darker as the group pressed forward, their footsteps echoing against damp stone. Strange whispers filled the air—low, guttural sounds that made even the C-rank warriors uneasy.
Rian tightened his grip on his dagger. "Lovely place. Smells like someone's socks after monsoon season."
The mage chuckled. "You really can't shut up, can you?"
"Talking keeps me alive," Rian said with a shrug. "If I stop, it means a goblin's already chewing on my face."
Rajiv rolled his eyes, but even he seemed a little less tense after that.
They entered a wide chamber. Torches flickered along the walls, lighting crude goblin drawings of blood, fire, and monstrous idols.
And then came the growl.
A hulking figure emerged from the shadows—the Goblin Chief.
Twice the size of a man, armored in bones, with glowing red eyes. Behind him, more goblins poured from the tunnels, surrounding the hunters in every direction.
"Formation!" Rajiv shouted.
Aryan stepped forward, blade gleaming. "Stay close. Don't give them an opening."
Rian gulped. "Sure, sure… easy for you to say, Mr. A+ Rank."
The goblins screamed and rushed in.
The battle was chaos.The warriors swung their blades, Rajiv's shield clashed against clubs, the mage hurled fireballs that lit the cavern like a storm.
Aryan was everywhere at once—fast, deadly, unstoppable. Every swing of his sword dropped goblins in pairs. Hunters who watched him couldn't help but whisper: Monster. Prodigy. Future S-rank.
Meanwhile, Rian ducked and weaved, stabbing goblins only when absolutely necessary. His dagger work was clean—he wasn't clumsy—but compared to Aryan, he looked like a child with a kitchen knife.
A goblin lunged at him from the side."Not today, Shrek!" Rian yelled, slashing across its throat.
Another nearly skewered him, but he tripped on a rock, accidentally dodging the spear. The goblin impaled itself on Aryan's sword instead.
"Bhai!" Aryan shouted angrily. "Stop running around blindly!"
"I'm not running blindly! I'm running strategically! There's a difference!"
Aryan groaned.
Then the Goblin Chief roared. His massive club swung down, cracking the ground where Rajiv stood.
Rajiv's shield held, but barely. The impact rattled him, forcing him back several steps.
"Damn it, this thing's strong!" Rajiv shouted.
The mage hurled a fireball at the chief. Flames engulfed the monster, but it emerged with only minor burns, growling in rage.
Aryan leapt forward, his blade flashing. He slashed across the chief's arm, drawing black blood. The monster bellowed and swung at him, but Aryan danced away with impossible speed.
The other hunters cheered. "He's actually pushing it back!"
Rian, however, wasn't cheering. His eyes darted around. More goblins were slipping through the cracks in their defense, circling the weaker fighters.
"Damn it," he muttered, sprinting to intercept.
He stabbed one goblin in the chest, kicked another in the knee, and barely avoided a third's blade. But there were too many.
A spear caught him across the ribs, shallow but painful. He staggered, clutching his side.
Another goblin raised its weapon, aiming for his throat.
Rian's mind screamed: Move!
But his body was a second too slow.
The spear shot forward—
And Aryan appeared, slicing the goblin in half before it touched him.
"Bhai!" Aryan roared. "You're going to get yourself killed!"
Rian forced a smile through the pain. "Relax… I almost had him. Ninety percent of a plan."
"Ninety percent dead!" Aryan snapped, pushing him back toward the rear line.
But the chief wasn't slowing down. Rajiv's shield was denting. The warriors were tiring. The mage was out of mana.
Aryan fought like a demon, his blade flashing in arcs of steel and blood. But even he couldn't do it alone.
The Goblin Chief slammed his club into the ground, sending a shockwave through the cavern. The force knocked everyone off balance.
And in that instant, three goblins leapt toward Rian from behind.
He turned too late. His dagger sliced one, but the other two crashed into him, dragging him down.
The world blurred. Fangs sank into his shoulder. Claws tore at his chest. Pain exploded through him.
This is it, he thought dimly. This is how I die. An F-rank nobody chewed up in some C-rank dungeon… while my brother shines like a star.
And then…
Ding.
A sound, clear and alien, rang in his head.
[Unique Condition Met.]
[Activating Hidden System.]
Glowing runes filled his vision. His body, broken and bleeding, froze as if suspended in time.
[Welcome, Rankless Hunter .]
[You have been chosen.]
Rian's eyes widened. His heart thundered. Pain vanished, replaced by a burning heat spreading through his veins.
He gasped, staring at the glowing letters no one else could see.
"Wh… What the hell is this…?"
Aryan cut down the goblins attacking him, turning in panic."Bhai! Stay with me! Don't close your eyes!"
But Rian wasn't hearing him anymore. His vision was filled with lines of text.
[First Quest: Survive.]
[Reward: Activation of Core.]
[Failure: Death.]
A new strength surged in his limbs. His wounds glowed faintly, knitting themselves shut. The goblins still clinging to him snarled—only to be thrown back by a pulse of dark energy bursting from his body.
The other hunters froze, staring.
"What the—what was that?!" Rajiv shouted.
Aryan's eyes widened. "Bhai…?"
Rian staggered to his feet, breathing hard. His dagger trembled in his grip, but his eyes… his eyes now glowed faintly, a strange light flickering deep within.
A grin tugged at his lips despite the chaos.
"Well," he muttered, voice low. "Looks like ninety percent of a plan… just turned into a hundred."
The Goblin Chief roared, charging straight for him.
And for the first time in his life, Rian didn't feel fear.
He stepped forward.
[1] bro or brother in hindi