Morning silently infiltrated the skyline of Neo-Seoul wrapped in a shroud of smog, thin and cold like metal. The neon lights began to illuminate the dark city gradually and for a very short time it looked like the city was exhaling.
Lee Jaehyuk got up from a rented capsule room's stiff cot, staring at the cracked ceiling. His brain was still very slightly active with the aftertaste of the Aegis system's synchronization. Underneath his skin, the subtle geometric patterns of the Prototype Core vibrated one time only, then quieted down.
The city streets were up and running already vendors cooking oilbread, hunters getting their swords ready under the fluorescent lights, non-combatants rushing to the kiosks to change their Soulmarks for food credits. The city was full of people and their issue which was basically to eat or to live.
Jaehyuk concealed the badge of the Hunter Association into his coat and headed for Gangnam Guild Plaza, where the official raid listings were located.
The plaza was a battlefield hunters bickering, recruiters yelling, holographic announcements showing mission costs in Silver Soulmarks. Posters were flying around.
> [AVAILABLE RAID — Rank C / Location: Jamsil Underground Ruins / Reward: 3,200 Silver Soulmarks]
[REQUIRES MINIMUM PARTY: 5 MEMBERS]
When he was trying to absorb it, a voice cut the cacophony.
"Hey newbie. Going to a raid all by yourself?"
Jaehyuk looked around. The person who spoke was a man clad in battered armor, his black hair tied back in a carelessly arranged bun. His guild sign was .
"Kang Joobin's the name," said the man. "We need one more for a C-rank sweep. Are you with us?"
Jaehyuk didn't think twice. "Yes. Count me in."
Joobin grinned showing teeth. "If you don't hinder us, we all will be alive."
The entrance to the ruins was the place where their group was put together. Joobin was the leader of the party and among the three stood:
Han Soorin, the team's dual-blade fighter, silent and efficient.
Park Taesung, a heavy shield-bearer with arms like iron.
Kim Haneul, the healer, her scarf wrapped high over her mouth.
Choi Rian, the team's mage, whose eyes glowed faintly blue from Aegis attunement.
And then, there was Jaehyuk the outsider. No guild tag, no record, no reputation. Just the faint hum of something unknown behind his calm stare.
The dungeon gate loomed before them, a circular wound in the ground thrumming with dark light.
> [Entering Instance: Jamsil Underground Ruins]
[Tier: C — Moderate Corruption Detected]
[Objective: Purge Hostile Entities / Raid Completion Reward: 3,200 Silver Soulmarks]
The moment they crossed, the air turned damp and cold. The floor was slick with residue, and eerie chanting echoed through unseen corridors.
From the darkness, Wraith Wolves emerged gray bodies flickering like smoke, eyes burning red.
"Formation!" Joobin barked.
The fighters surged forward, shields locking; Soorin spun between them like a blade herself. Jaehyuk hung back for half a breath, reading the rhythm of their movements the tempo of the fight.
Then he moved.
His blade traced a clean arc, cutting through a wolf mid-leap. No wasted motion. No sound.
> [Target Eliminated — +42 Bronze Soulmarks]
The others glanced at him some impressed, others suspicious.
Joobin chuckled. "You fight quiet, rookie. I like that."
The battle deepened. More wolves. Then, deeper still, a Corrupted Cleric its robes tattered, its chant warping the air.
Rian shouted, "It's charging a ritual! Get back!"
But Jaehyuk didn't move back.
His Aegis Interface pulsed lines of blue light spreading across his vision.
> [Skill Unlocked — Energy Pulse Scan (Passive)]
He could see it now the flow of energy between the cleric's staff and the sigils carved on the floor. He sprinted forward, cutting precisely through the junction point.
The ritual broke. The cleric screamed. The explosion of spectral energy lit the ruins blue.
When the light faded, the others stared. Joobin's expression was a mix of awe and suspicion. "You sure you're a rookie?"
Jaehyuk just cleaned his blade. "Lucky guess."
They finished the raid soon after. Each received their cut Soulmarks, glowing like molten glass in their Aegis screens. Enough to live for a week, maybe two.
Joobin clapped him on the shoulder. "If you ever want a place in Steel Fang, come find me. We could use a guy like you."
Jaehyuk only nodded. "I'll think about it."