The warning window remained suspended in front of Han Jiwon's vision, its faint red glow pulsing slowly, as if mimicking a heartbeat.
[Warning]
[An abnormal entity has detected Monarch Authority.]
Jiwon stared at the words, his mouth dry.
Abnormal.
That single term carried far more weight than "strong" or "dangerous." In dungeon classification, an abnormal entity meant something outside the expected parameters—monsters that exceeded the dungeon's rank, creatures affected by corruption, or beings that should not have been able to manifest at all.
In other words, something that killed rookies without effort.
His instincts screamed at him to turn back.
This was an E-rank dungeon. Even with the Monarch System, he was still an E-rank hunter with a dagger and barely improved stats. Facing an abnormal entity now was reckless to the point of insanity.
Jiwon took a step back.
Then stopped.
If he ran, he would live.
But the thought of retreating—of leaving power behind—made his chest ache far more sharply than fear ever could.
Three years ago, he had always retreated.
And three years later, he had died anyway.
"…Damn it."
He let out a shaky breath and steadied himself.
"I'll at least look."
Slowly, cautiously, Jiwon moved deeper into the dungeon, keeping close to the wall and minimizing his footsteps. The mana pressure thickened with every step, weighing down on his shoulders like invisible chains.
The tunnel opened into a wide chamber.
The moment he saw it, his blood ran cold.
At the center of the chamber stood a creature that did not belong there.
It was humanoid—roughly twice his height—with elongated limbs and a body made of dark stone fused with pulsing veins of crimson mana. Cracks ran along its surface, leaking an ominous glow. Where its face should have been was a smooth, featureless mask, except for a single vertical slit glowing faintly red.
A Stone Sentinel.
No—
Something worse.
Jiwon's breath hitched.
Stone Sentinels were mid-tier guardians, usually found in B-rank dungeons or higher. They were slow but overwhelmingly strong, capable of crushing armored hunters with a single blow.
This one, however, radiated something different.
Something wrong.
The system responded instantly.
[Abnormal Entity Identified]
Name: Fractured Sentinel
Threat Level: Unknown]
Status: Incomplete Manifestation
Incomplete.
Which meant it wasn't fully formed yet.
Jiwon's heart pounded violently.
If it finished manifesting, he wouldn't stand a chance.
If he left now, he would lose the opportunity forever.
The sentinel's head turned slightly.
The red slit widened.
It had noticed him.
Jiwon's Monarch Authority flared instinctively, a faint pressure pushing outward. The sentinel paused, its body trembling as if resisting something.
"So you can feel it too," Jiwon whispered.
His legs shook.
Every rational thought told him to run.
But the system window flickered again.
[Hidden Condition Met]
[Monarch Authority resonating with abnormal entity]
A new window appeared.
[Emergency Quest]
Suppress the Fractured Sentinel before full manifestation
Failure: Forced Retreat or Death
Reward: Authority Evolution Chance
Jiwon laughed quietly, almost hysterically.
"Of course."
The system didn't give him easy paths.
It never would.
He lowered his stance, dagger held tightly in both hands.
"I'll do it," he murmured. "Even if it kills me."
The Fractured Sentinel moved.
Its foot slammed into the ground, cracking the stone floor like glass. The shockwave sent Jiwon flying backward, his body slamming hard against the wall.
Pain exploded through his back.
He coughed, barely managing to roll aside as a massive stone fist smashed down where his head had been a moment earlier.
The chamber shook violently.
Too strong.
Jiwon forced himself to stand, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
The sentinel was slow—but its range and power were monstrous.
If he fought head-on, he would die in seconds.
"Think," he muttered. "You're not stronger… you're smarter."
His eyes darted around the chamber.
Cracked pillars. Uneven terrain. Mana leaking erratically from the sentinel's body.
Incomplete manifestation.
That was the key.
The sentinel raised its arm again, crimson veins pulsing brighter.
Jiwon moved.
Instead of retreating, he rushed forward, sprinting straight toward the monster. The sentinel hesitated—just for a fraction of a second—caught off guard by the reckless charge.
Jiwon slid under its arm, stone fragments tearing at his skin as he rolled across the ground. He came up near the creature's leg, immediately driving his dagger into one of the glowing cracks.
The blade sank in deeper than expected.
The sentinel roared—an ear-splitting sound like grinding boulders.
Mana surged violently.
Jiwon was thrown backward, tumbling across the floor. His vision blurred, and for a moment, he couldn't feel his left arm.
[Warning]
[Critical Injury Detected]
"Not yet!" he shouted, forcing himself up.
The sentinel staggered.
The crack he had stabbed was widening, leaking unstable mana like blood from an open wound.
That was it.
Its weakness.
The incomplete core.
Jiwon gritted his teeth and charged again, ignoring the pain screaming through his body. The sentinel swung wildly, its movements becoming more erratic as the unstable mana disrupted its balance.
A stone fist grazed Jiwon's side.
He felt ribs crack.
But he didn't stop.
He leapt, planting a foot against the sentinel's chest and driving the dagger in with everything he had—straight into the glowing fissure.
The world seemed to freeze.
Then—
The Fractured Sentinel exploded from within.
Crimson mana burst outward in a violent shockwave, tearing the chamber apart. Jiwon was thrown back like a ragdoll, slamming into the far wall as everything went dark.
Silence.
Then, slowly—
[Emergency Quest Completed]
[Abnormal Entity Suppressed]
Warmth—no, power—flooded his body.
Far stronger than before.
It burned through his veins, rebuilding shattered muscles and knitting fractured bones together.
Jiwon gasped, consciousness barely holding on.
Another window appeared, glowing gold.
[Monarch Authority – Evolution Successful]
[Authority Lv.1 → Lv.2]
He collapsed to his knees, breathing raggedly.
Alive.
Barely.
But alive.
And stronger than he had ever been.
As the dungeon began to stabilize around him, one final message appeared.
[Notice]
[Your existence has been recorded.]
Jiwon's eyes widened.
Recorded.
By what?
Before he could think further, exhaustion claimed him, and darkness pulled him under.
Somewhere beyond the dungeon, something ancient had turned its gaze toward the weakest hunter—
And acknowledged him.