My phone wouldn't stop ringing.
I'd made it exactly three blocks from Association headquarters before the first call came in. A recruiter from some mid-tier guild called "Iron Fang" offering me a signing bonus and a C-rank party position.
I declined.
Second call: "Azure Sky Guild." Better reputation, worse terms.
Declined.
Third call: Unknown number. I answered out of curiosity.
"Kang Hajun? This is Kim Sangwoo from the Knights Guild. We'd like to discuss—"
I hung up.
The Knights Guild was one of the top five in South Korea. The fact that they were calling me personally meant either they saw potential... or they wanted to control the narrative before I became a problem.
Neither option appealed to me.
By the time I reached the subway station, I'd received twenty-three calls, forty-seven text messages, and somehow, someone had already made a fan page for "The White Hunter" with my combat assessment footage.
Fame. I'd gone from invisible to viral in three hours.
And I hated every second of it.
[Quest Alert: "Path of the Sovereign"][A ruler must choose their domain wisely][Objective: Decide your next move within 24 hours] **[Options:
Join an established guild Remain independent Form your own guild]** [Reward varies by choice]
Form my own guild? I was level 3! I could barely afford rent!
But the System apparently thought I had options.
I ducked into a convenience store to escape the crowd that was starting to recognize me. The clerk—a college kid doing overnight shifts—did a double-take at my white hair but thankfully said nothing.
I grabbed a triangle kimbap and an energy drink, then found a corner table in the back.
My phone buzzed again. This time, a text from an unknown number:
"Rooftop of Dragon Tower. 8 PM. Come alone. —Someone who knows what you really are."
My blood went cold.
Dragon Tower was a Hunter-owned building in Gangnam—expensive, exclusive, and far above my pay grade. And that message...
Someone who knows what you really are.
Did they know about the System? The Shadow Knight?
This could be a trap. Or it could be important.
[Warning: Potential threat detected][Recommendation: Increase combat readiness]
Helpful advice, System. Very helpful.
I checked the time: 2:47 PM. I had five hours to prepare.
First priority: get stronger. I pulled up my status screen.
[Name: Kang Hajun][Level: 3][Class: Shadow Sovereign][Title: Rising Star, Sole Survivor]
[HP: 150/150][MP: 90/90]
[Strength: 15][Agility: 15][Vitality: 15][Intelligence: 13][Sense: 13]
[Available Stat Points: 10]
Ten points from the last quest reward. I needed to be smart about this.
If tonight was a fight, I needed survivability and damage. If it was a negotiation, I needed to look strong enough to not be pushed around.
I distributed the points: 3 Strength, 3 Agility, 2 Vitality, 2 Intelligence.
[Stats Updated!][Strength: 15 → 18][Agility: 15 → 18][Vitality: 15 → 17][Intelligence: 13 → 15][HP: 150 → 170][MP: 90 → 100]
The changes rippled through me. My shoulders felt broader. My reactions sharper. Even my thoughts seemed clearer, faster.
With these stats, I was pushing mid-D-rank, maybe even approaching D+ rank territory. Not bad for someone who was E-rank yesterday.
But still nowhere near enough if I ran into a real threat.
I needed equipment. And I needed money to buy equipment.
I checked my bank account: ₩47,000. About enough for a decent meal, not enough for proper Hunter gear.
Wait.
The bodies from yesterday's gate dive. The Association would have recovered the loot—mana crystals, equipment, whatever the party had collected. As the sole survivor, I was technically entitled to the porter's share of the profits.
I pulled up the Association's website and logged into my account.
[Settlement Available: Gate Dive #D-2847][Your Share: ₩847,000]
My jaw dropped. Eight hundred thousand won—about $630 USD. That was more than I usually made in a month of porter work.
I transferred it immediately to my bank account before the Association changed their mind.
With money in hand, I had options.
The Hunter's Market in Itaewon was exactly as chaotic as I remembered.
Rows of stalls selling everything from basic mana crystals to enchanted weapons. Hunters browsed in groups, their expensive armor gleaming under the market's magical lights. Street vendors hawked potions and talismans, promising everything from increased strength to better luck in gate dives.
Most of it was garbage. But if you knew where to look...
I found the stall I was searching for in the back corner: "Old Man Jo's Curiosities."
Jo Daeshik was a retired C-rank Hunter who'd lost his leg in a gate accident fifteen years ago. Now he sold equipment—mostly used stuff recovered from gates or bought from desperate Hunters. His prices were fair, his products were genuine, and he didn't ask questions.
"Hajun?" Jo looked up from the sword he was sharpening, his weathered face splitting into a grin. "Didn't expect to see you here. Heard you made quite the scene at the Association today."
News traveled fast.
"Need gear," I said simply. "Weapon and armor. Eight hundred thousand budget."
Jo whistled. "Moving up in the world, aren't we? Let me see what I've got."
He rummaged through his inventory, muttering to himself. Finally, he pulled out a long dagger—about forty centimeters of dark steel with a simple leather grip.
"Shadow Steel Dagger. D-rank. Nothing fancy, but it's durable and has decent mana conductivity. The steel is harvested from shadow-type monsters, so it works well in low-light conditions." He set it on the counter. "Three hundred thousand."
I picked it up. The weight felt right. When I channeled a bit of mana into it experimentally, the blade hummed with energy.
[Item Acquired: Shadow Steel Dagger (D-rank)][Attack Power: +15][Special Effect: +10% damage in darkness]
"I'll take it."
"Smart choice. Now for armor..." Jo pulled out a black leather jacket reinforced with thin metal plates. "Light armor set. D-rank. Leather and mana-infused steel plates. Won't stop a fireball, but it'll keep you alive in close combat. Four hundred thousand for the full set—jacket, gloves, and boots."
I tried on the jacket. It fit perfectly, molding to my body like a second skin.
[Item Acquired: Shadow Light Armor Set (D-rank)][Defense: +20][Agility: +2]
"Deal."
"That leaves you with one hundred thousand." Jo stroked his beard. "I've got potions, mana crystals, some basic talismans—"
"Health potions," I said immediately. "As many as you can give me for the rest."
He raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. Ten minutes later, I walked out of his stall with five health potions in my inventory.
I was as ready as I was going to be.
Dragon Tower's rooftop was exactly as pretentious as I'd imagined.
The entire top floor was open-air, with a glass-walled garden, water features, and a view of Seoul that probably cost more than my yearly rent. The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple.
I wasn't alone.
A woman stood by the edge, her back to me. She wore an expensive black suit that screamed money and power. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a severe ponytail.
When she turned, I recognized her immediately.
"Baek Sera," I said.
Baek Sera—A-rank Hunter, vice-guild master of the Crimson Lion Guild, and one of the most powerful Hunters in South Korea. She was in her early thirties, beautiful in a dangerous way, with sharp features and eyes that seemed to see right through you.
"Kang Hajun." Her voice was smooth, cultured. "Thank you for coming."
"Your message said you know what I really am."
"Direct. I appreciate that." She gestured to a seating area—expensive outdoor furniture arranged around a low table. "Please, sit. We have much to discuss."
I didn't sit. "How did you find out?"
"Find out what? That you survived a gate dive that killed four other Hunters? That's public record." She smiled. "That you suddenly jumped from E-rank to D-rank overnight? Also public, thanks to your dramatic display this morning."
"That's not what you meant."
"No," she admitted. "It's not."
She pulled something from her pocket—a small crystal that glowed with purple light. When she held it up, the air around us shimmered.
"Privacy barrier," she explained. "No one can hear or see us now. We can speak freely."
My hand drifted toward my dagger.
"Relax, Hajun. If I wanted you dead, you'd already be dead." She sat down, crossing her legs. "I asked you here because I have a proposal. One that benefits both of us."
"I'm listening."
"Three years ago, I entered a gate in Busan. A-rank difficulty. My party and I cleared it easily—or so we thought. But in the final chamber, we found something... unusual. A monument. Black stone, covered in symbols we couldn't read."
She paused, studying my reaction.
"When I touched it, I heard a voice. Ancient. Powerful. It spoke of rulers and monarchs, of shadows and light. It offered me power beyond imagination." She leaned forward. "And then it rejected me. Said I wasn't worthy. That only one chosen by the Shadow Monarch could claim its legacy."
My blood ran cold.
"Yesterday, that same monument activated. Every detection device we had registered a massive mana surge coming from a D-rank gate in Seoul. And then, hours later, I see footage of a white-haired Hunter who suddenly has abilities he shouldn't possess."
She stood up and walked toward me.
"So let me ask you directly, Kang Hajun: Are you the Shadow Monarch's chosen?"
I could lie. Should lie. But something about the way she was looking at me...
"What if I am?"
"Then you're in danger." Her expression was deadly serious. "The Shadow Monarch isn't just legend, Hajun. He was real. One of the ancient rulers who existed before the gates appeared. And there are people—powerful people—who would kill to possess his legacy. Or kill anyone who does possess it."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I'm offering you protection." She held out a business card—black, with a crimson lion emblem. "Join the Crimson Lion Guild. Not as a regular member, but as my personal protégé. I'll keep you safe, help you grow stronger, and in return..."
"In return?"
"You help me unlock the secrets of the Shadow Monarch's power. There's a war coming, Hajun. Between guilds, between nations, between forces you can't even imagine yet. When it starts, I want the Shadow Monarch's chosen on my side."
[Quest Update: "Path of the Sovereign"][Option 1: Join Crimson Lion Guild (Baek Sera's offer)][Reward: Protection, resources, training access][Consequence: Limited freedom, political obligations]
It was tempting. Really tempting. Baek Sera was powerful, connected, and apparently knew more about my situation than anyone else.
But something felt wrong.
"You said there's a war coming," I said slowly. "Who's fighting?"
"Does it matter? Wars happen whether we want them or not."
"It matters to me."
She sighed. "The short version? Some guilds believe the gates are the beginning of an invasion. That something on the other side is planning to come through. Other guilds think we should be preparing to go in—to conquer whatever's on the other side first. And then there are those who just want to maintain the status quo and keep profiting."
"Which side are you on?"
"The winning side." She smiled, but it was cold. "I don't care about ideology, Hajun. I care about survival. And the Shadow Monarch's power might be the key to ensuring my guild survives what's coming."
Honest, at least.
"I need time to think," I said.
"I'm afraid I need an answer now." Her expression hardened. "Because if you won't join me willingly, I'll have to consider... alternative arrangements."
The temperature in the air dropped.
"Are you threatening me?"
"I'm protecting my investment." She raised her hand, and mana swirled around her fingers—crimson and gold, beautiful and deadly. "I went to a lot of trouble to find you, Hajun. I'm not letting you walk away to become someone else's weapon."
[Warning: Hostile Intent Confirmed][Boss Battle: Baek Sera (A-rank Hunter)][Recommendation: RETREAT IMMEDIATELY]
An A-rank Hunter versus a level 3 wannabe. This wasn't a fight. It was a slaughter waiting to happen.
But running meant living in fear. Always looking over my shoulder. Always wondering when she'd come for me again.
The Shadow Knight's words echoed in my mind: "Survive... and grow strong... Shadow Sovereign..."
I drew my new dagger.
"Sorry," I said. "But I don't take orders well."
Baek Sera's smile widened. "Good. I prefer my protégés to have spirit."
She attacked.