I'm going to die in here.
The thought kept looping through my head as I pressed my back against the cold dungeon wall, trying to make myself invisible. Not that it would matter. The Razorback Boar twenty meters away could probably smell the fear dripping off me.
"Hajun! Stop cowering and get over here!"
That would be Park Minseok, the C-rank Hunter leading our little party. Well, "leading" was generous. He was mostly barking orders and taking credit for kills.
"I'm coming!" I called back, adjusting the massive backpack full of mana crystals and loot. My shoulders screamed in protest. Three hours into this D-rank gate, and I'd already hauled out enough equipment to fill a small warehouse.
This was my life. Kang Hajun, twenty-four years old, E-rank Hunter, professional pack mule.
"Hurry up, white-haired freak," muttered Jung Daeho, one of the damage dealers. He didn't bother lowering his voice. They never did.
I kept my head down and jogged over, my white hair falling into my eyes. I'd been born with it—white as fresh snow, paired with blue eyes that looked almost unnatural. In another life, maybe I'd have been a model or something. In this one, I was just weird. The albino Hunter who couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag.
The party was gathered around the boss room door—a massive stone slab covered in glowing red runes. Minseok cracked his knuckles, grinning.
"Alright, listen up. Standard D-rank boss. Jung and Kim take DPS, Lee handles healing, and I'll tank. Hajun..." He looked at me like I was a particularly stupid dog. "You stay by the entrance. Don't touch anything. Don't do anything. Just... exist quietly."
"Got it," I said.
Same as always.
The door groaned open, and we filed inside. The boss room was huge—easily fifty meters across, with a ceiling that disappeared into darkness. In the center, something stirred.
It was a Dungeon Ogre. Three meters of solid muscle, gray skin like leather, and tusks that could gore a car. Definitely D-rank, maybe pushing C-rank if we were unlucky.
"Positions!" Minseok shouted.
I backed toward the entrance like I was told, setting down the pack. My job was simple: survive, carry stuff, split 5% of the profits. It wasn't glamorous, but it kept food on the table.
The fight started.
Minseok charged in with his shield up, drawing the ogre's attention. Jung and Kim circled around, firing off mana-infused attacks—arrows of light and blades of wind. Lee stood back, her hands glowing with healing magic, ready to patch up injuries.
I watched from the sidelines, feeling the familiar burn of inadequacy. This was what real Hunters looked like. Strong. Capable. Useful.
The ogre roared and swung its club. Minseok blocked it, but the impact sent him skidding back.
"Hit it harder!" he yelled. "What am I paying you for?"
The DPS duo doubled down. The ogre's health was dropping—slowly, but steadily. This was a routine clear. We'd be done in ten minutes, grab the loot, and head home.
Then the ogre did something weird.
It stopped fighting.
Just... stopped. Mid-swing, it froze, its tiny red eyes going wide. Then it looked straight up at the ceiling and screamed.
The temperature in the room dropped twenty degrees.
"What the hell—" Minseok started.
The ceiling exploded.
Something fell from above—no, not fell. Descended. A figure wreathed in shadows, moving with liquid grace. When it landed, the entire room shook.
I couldn't breathe.
It was humanoid, maybe. Seven feet tall, wrapped in black armor that seemed to absorb light. Where its face should have been, there was only darkness and two glowing red eyes.
[Warning: Hidden Boss Detected]
[Shadow Knight - Rank: B]
The words appeared in my vision, floating like a video game prompt. I blinked hard. Was I hallucinating?
"Run!" Minseok screamed.
The Shadow Knight moved.
One moment it was standing there. The next, Jung's head hit the floor, separated from his body so cleanly I didn't even see the blade move.
Kim tried to cast a spell. The knight backhanded him into the wall. I heard bones crunch.
Lee turned to run. Shadow tendrils erupted from the ground and dragged her screaming into the darkness.
Minseok lasted the longest—almost five seconds. His shield shattered like glass. His armor crumpled like paper. He hit the ground and didn't move.
Four Hunters. Dead in under ten seconds.
And now the Shadow Knight was looking at me.
I couldn't move. Couldn't think. Couldn't even scream.
It walked toward me slowly, deliberately. Each footstep echoed like a countdown to my death.
This is it. This is how I die.
My back hit the entrance door. Locked. Of course it was locked—boss rooms always sealed until the boss died.
The knight raised its sword—a massive black blade that dripped with shadow.
I closed my eyes.
The blade came down.
And then... nothing.
I opened my eyes.
The sword had stopped. An inch from my face. The knight stood perfectly still, its red eyes boring into mine.
Then it spoke. The voice was like grinding metal and whispered screams.
"Interesting..."
Its hand shot out and grabbed my throat, lifting me off the ground. I clawed at its grip, but it was like fighting stone.
"You have... potential."
Potential? I was E-rank! I was worthless!
The knight's eyes flared brighter.
"The Shadow Monarch has been waiting... for one like you."
Its free hand plunged into my chest.
Pain. Pure, absolute pain. It felt like my entire body was being torn apart and reassembled. I screamed, but no sound came out. The world went white, then black, then gray.
And then I heard it.
A voice. Deep. Ancient. Absolute.
[The Shadow Monarch extends an invitation.]
[You have been chosen to inherit his legacy.]
[Will you accept the trial?]
[Yes / No]
I didn't know what was happening. Didn't understand any of this. But I knew one thing with absolute certainty:
If I said no, I would die.
I thought the word with everything I had left.
Yes.
[Trial Accepted.]
[Congratulations! You have unlocked the System!]
[Level: 1]
The Shadow Knight released me. I collapsed to the floor, gasping. When I looked up, it was dissolving into smoke.
"Survive... and grow strong... Shadow Sovereign..."
Then it was gone.
The boss room door clicked open. Emergency alarms blared—the Hunter Association must have detected the anomaly.
I lay there on the cold stone, my heart hammering, my entire body shaking.
In front of my eyes, translucent blue screens floated in the air. Screens only I could see.
[Name: Kang Hajun]
[Level: 1]
[Class: Shadow Sovereign]
[Title: None]
[HP: 100/100]
[MP: 50/50]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Vitality: 10]
[Intelligence: 10]
[Sense: 10]
[Available Stat Points: 0]
[Skills: None]
At the bottom, one more message pulsed:
[Quest Available: "First Steps"]
[Objective: Survive and exit the gate.]
[Reward: ???]
I started laughing. Couldn't help it. It was either laugh or cry, and I'd done enough crying for one lifetime.
Around me, four bodies lay cooling. Four Hunters who were stronger, faster, better than me in every way.
And I was the one still breathing.
I pushed myself to my feet. My legs shook, but they held.
The weakest Hunter in South Korea just got a second chance.