The park looked ordinary to anyone passing by.
Families walked their dogs, an elderly couple sat on a bench chatting, and kids ran with ice creams in hand. But Jihoon's eyes saw something different.
Through the V-Lens, faint data trails shimmered in the air like heat haze. The spawn beacon pulsed faint blue, a digital marker that only hunters could see.
Jihoon's niece, Nari, tugged on his sleeve. She was barely twelve, her oversized hoodie half covering the little plush keychain bouncing from her bag. "Uncle, this is the place. It says Slime event. Beginners love this one!"
Her voice carried excitement that he hadn't heard in a long time—at least, not directed at him.
Jihoon adjusted the Lens strapped around his head. A translucent interface flickered in his view.
[Spawn countdown: 04:00].
He crouched slightly to look Nari in the eye. "Stay behind the boundary, alright? No wandering."
She gave a small salute, grinning. "I'll cheer you on! You better not embarrass me."
Despite himself, Jihoon let out a short laugh.
Around them, players began to gather. Some were in groups of three or four, laughing as they compared weapon skins.
Others stretched like athletes before a match. The mood wasn't tense—it was alive, buzzing.
A young man with a staff caught Jihoon glancing at him. "First time?" he asked.
Jihoon nodded once.
"Relax. These are Slimes. Good for practice. Just focus on landing clean hits. Don't rush."
"Remember stamina," a woman with twin daggers added. "AR drains your real body, so pace yourself. You're not in a fantasy anime—you're still you, just sharper."
Jihoon dipped his head in thanks.
[Spawn countdown: 00:10]
The beacon pulsed rapidly. The ground beneath his shoes shimmered, colors bleeding as the AR overlay deepened.
Shadows stretched unnaturally, and then—squelch.
Dozens of translucent blobs oozed into existence. Their jellylike bodies bounced as they jiggled forward, digital overlays giving them faint eyes and little snarling mouths.
[Slime (Lv.1)] floated over each.
Around him, players summoned their weapons.
Jihoon felt a sudden weight in his palm. His sword materialized—digital steel, simple and undecorated, but perfectly balanced.
He curled his fingers around the hilt. The ache in his injured hand flared, but the Lens corrected his grip slightly, stabilizing the hold.
He exhaled once. This wasn't bamboo. This wasn't a practice hall.
The first Slime lunged.
Jihoon's body moved on instinct. His feet slid into chudan stance.
Blade lifted, shoulders aligned, his entire being narrowing to the single instant of the cut.
Crack!
The Slime split under his descending strike. His arms jolted with haptic feedback, like striking into heavy water. The creature's HP bar dipped, reforming with a wet slap.
He didn't hesitate. His follow-up horizontal cut slashed across its body, then he spun to bring the blade back down in a diagonal. The combo drove the Slime's HP bar into the red.
It dissolved into light.
[EXP +10]
A cheer rang out nearby. "Nice form!, uncle"
Jihoon smiled. His gaze swept forward. Another Slime bounced toward him, then another. Sweat began to form at his temples.
His strikes were clean—every kumdo cut drilled into muscle memory—but these weren't opponents who respected form.
They squirmed, absorbed blows, and lunged with uncanny rhythm.
A Slime slammed against his thigh. Pain flared, dull but biting, as if a heavy sandbag had hit him. His HP bar shrank by a quarter.
"Uncle, watch out!" Nari's voice cut across the field.
Jihoon gritted his teeth. He steadied his stance, ignoring the sting. His blade rose, cutting clean through the Slime's core. It burst apart, showering digital fragments.
Wave after wave followed. Hunters fought in small groups, coordinating casually.
Jihoon noticed their teamwork—two pinning a Slime while a third finished it off. Efficient, fast.
But he kept his distance.
His sword carved arcs of light. His breath grew heavier, shoulders tightening with strain. Every step had weight; every strike drained him.
Three Slimes surrounded him.
He turned, parried one, slashed into another, but the third lunged. It crashed into his side. Pain spiked like an electric pulse.
His HP dropped into yellow.
The world tilted. His weak hand trembled, the hilt threatening to slip.
Jihoon steadied his breath. Focus. Form. Don't break.
He roared silently, cutting in a furious burst—three strikes in succession.
The first Slime burst. The second staggered, its HP crumbling. He spun, blade tracing a perfect diagonal through the third.
All three dissolved in light.
Jihoon's body sagged, his breath ragged. His HP hovered at a sliver above red. His knees trembled, but he forced himself upright.
Nari's voice reached him again, breathless. "Uncle! You did it! That was so cool!"
He looked toward her—her little figure at the boundary line, waving frantically, pride shining in her eyes.
His chest tightened.
For a moment, the fatigue, the pain feedback, the sting of sweat—they all blurred.
Then the system chimed.
[Hidden Condition Met.]
Trait Unlocked: Solo Instinct (Lv.1)
—Your senses sharpen when fighting without allies. Evasion and reaction speed slightly increase.
A faint aura tingled at the edge of his vision.
His body felt a fraction lighter, as though his strikes were just a little sharper, his footing steadier.
Jihoon blinked. The ache in his hand hadn't vanished, but it felt… manageable.
Around him, other hunters were finishing their Slimes in groups, laughing as they collected drops.
Jihoon tightened his grip. He didn't laugh.
But he didn't stop either.
The next wave spawned, and he stepped forward.