Chapter 1 — Party of Two, Problem of Thousands
Yun Seojin woke to the sound of screaming.
Not terrified screaming—angry screaming.
"SEOOOOJIN! WAKE UP!"
He opened one eye.
Harin stood over him, hair messy, face dusty, clothes torn, holding a broom like a spear.
"Are we being attacked?" he croaked.
"No! But we will be if you don't MOVE!"
She dragged him out of the ruined convenience store they'd used as shelter.
Daehan City looked worse in daylight. Broken cars. Collapsed walls. Blood smears. Smoke rising from half a dozen places.
And monsters—wolf-like, beetle-like, humanoid—roamed streets like wild dogs.
"Okay," Seojin said, rubbing his face. "That's… a lot."
"No kidding," Harin muttered. "HQ says more dungeon gates are opening across the city. We need to reach a survivor stronghold."
"We have an HQ now?"
"No," she admitted, "but people with swords are shouting really loudly, so they feel like one."
Gomchi climbed onto Seojin's head, tail curling around his neck.
"Meep!"
"That's right," Seojin sighed. "We're all going to die."
Harin groaned. "Shut up and follow me."
Chapter 2 — The System That Watched
As they moved, Seojin noticed something odd.
Every time a monster got close —before Harin stepped in —before the creature lunged —before Seojin panicked…
…Gomchi's shadow twitched.
Not like an animal. Like a predator waiting for permission.
[SUMMONER'S LINK ACTIVATED] [Your summon detects hostility.]
Seojin froze.
"Harin."
"What?"
"I think… my fox is trying to kill things without me."
Harin glanced back. Gomchi stared at a monster. The monster took one step forward.
Gomchi vanished.
A black line tore across the air— the monster fell apart silently.
Harin blinked. "Oh. Okay. That's… actually helpful."
Seojin lifted the fox.
"Gomchi, we talked about murder."
"Meep!"
"That's not a defense!"
The System chimed—
[Summon has used: Shadow Rend — Incomplete Form] [Warning: Summoned Creature Skillset Exceeds Rank Expectations]
Seojin choked.
"Incomplete what?! Exceeds what?! What did I summon?!"
The System remained politely unhelpful.
Chapter 3 — Survivor Stronghold No. 7
They found it inside a collapsed shopping mall.
Hundreds of survivors —children —office workers —security guards —retirees —newly awakened Fighters and Mages
All crowded together behind improvised barricades of shopping carts, steel shelves, and broken escalators.
A man with a glowing shield yelled orders. A woman stitched wounds with literal threads of light. A kid with a beginner Mage class accidentally set a trash bin on fire while sneezing.
Seojin stared.
"This is… actually impressive."
Harin nodded. "People adapt fast."
A Fighter approached, glaring at Seojin.
"You the Summoner?"
Seojin braced. "Uh. Technically? Barely?"
"We heard you killed a Tier-1 monster."
Seojin pointed at Gomchi. Gomchi licked its paw.
"It killed a Tier-1 monster. I panicked in its general direction."
The Fighter nodded gravely.
"We want you in the vanguard group."
Seojin froze.
"Vanguard? As in… front? As in… where the dying happens?"
"Yes."
Harin slapped Seojin's back. "You'll be fine."
"I won't!"
"You have a shadow murder fox."
"…okay that's fair."
Chapter 4 — Dungeon Gate: Red Zone
The mall shook.
A new crack tore open near the food court—pulsing red, warping the air around it.
[SYSTEM WARNING] [Gate Type: Rift Breach] [Rank: Unknown] [Recommended: Evacuate.]
Monsters spilled out like boiling tar.
Harin gripped her metal pole. Jin paled. Gomchi shook with excitement.
"Meep!"
Seojin gulped. "Gomchi… please don't enjoy this."
The Fighter shouted, "All awakened forward! Support classes, healers, stay back!"
A dozen novices charged.
Harin ran beside them.
Seojin reluctantly followed —Gomchi perched on his shoulder like a tiny demon whispering violence.
The first monster—a hulking red beast—roared.
Harin rushed in, dodging a claw swipe.
"SEOJIN!"
He reached out instinctively as Gomchi dissolved into shadow.
"PRIMAL SUMMON!"
A blast of darkness erupted— Gomchi appeared above the monster's back —eyes glowing— —fangs bared—
One strike. One kill.
The ground trembled.
People stared.
"Holy—" "That little thing did THAT?!" "No way—"
Seojin tried to smile and instead croaked a terrified wheeze.
Chapter 5 — The Overseer Wakes
The System chimed.
But this time… something was wrong.
Text flickered. Glitched. Broke apart like static.
[SUMMONER CLASS DETECTED.] [INVALID ENTITY.] [ERROR CODE: 001 — UNAUTHORIZED SUMMON.]
Seojin's heart froze.
"Harin…"
"What?"
"The System says my summon is… unauthorized."
Gomchi stared at the flickering text.
The air distorted behind Seojin.
A ripple. A tremor. A presence.
Something was observing him. Not a person. Not a monster.
A consciousness.
Cold. Ancient. Mechanized.
[RECALIBRATING WORLDLINE.] [LOCATING UNREGISTERED SUMMONER.] [STATUS: TRACKING.]
Seojin trembled.
Harin stepped closer. "What is it?"
Seojin swallowed hard.
"…I think the System just found me."
Gomchi growled— a low, unnatural sound, nothing like a cub and far too intelligent.
And the red gate pulsed a second time.
Not opening—
Expanding.
And from inside it…
Two glowing eyes stared out.
Not monster eyes. System eyes.
Searching. Scanning. Locking onto Seojin.
The Overseer had awakened.
And it wanted its mistake back.