The news of Hwang Chul's defeat spread through the Hunter channels like a wildfire. A Rank-A hunter, completely drained of his mana, reduced to a shivering husk—it was unheard of.
In a luxury penthouse in the heart of the United States, a man who looked more like a mountain than a human sat staring at a tablet. His golden hair was pulled back, and his muscles looked like they were carved out of granite. This was Thomas Andre, the Goliath. The strongest hunter in America.
"Who did this?" Thomas's voice was a low growl that made the glass of scotch on his table ripple.
"A new one, sir," his assistant stammered. "He was seen with Seong Jin-Woo in a fractured S-Rank gate in Tokyo. They call him Ren. Our scouts say his power... it doesn't register on mana meters. It just absorbs them."
Thomas stood up, his massive frame casting a shadow that filled the room. "The Scavenger Guild doesn't forgive, and it certainly doesn't forget. If Jin-Woo thinks he can protect a brat who cripples my men, he's mistaken. Prepare the jet. We're going to Japan."
Back in Japan – Ren's Temporary Shelter
Ren lay on a ragged couch, his skin still pale. The mana he had 'eaten' from Hwang Chul was fighting against his own Void energy. It was like trying to mix oil and fire.
"You should have let me handle it," Jin-Woo said, standing by the window, his eyes scanning the horizon. "Draining a human's mana is... different. It leaves a stain on your soul, Ren."
Ren sat up, clutching his stomach as a surge of nausea hit him. "He was going to kill us, Jin-Woo. I didn't just take his mana; I felt his greed, his filth. It's sitting in my gut like lead."
[System Alert: Assimilation Incomplete.] [Foreign Mana detected. Purification required.]
"The world is already looking at you," Jin-Woo warned, turning around. "The Association, the Great Guilds... they don't see a hero. They see a monster that eats other Hunters. You've become the ultimate villain in their story."
Ren looked at his hands. For a split second, they flickered out of existence again. "Maybe that's what I am. A monster designed to break their 'perfect' system."
Suddenly, the air in the room became incredibly heavy. It wasn't the cold chill of the Void or the dark pressure of Shadows. It was raw, golden, overwhelming physical power. The windows of the building shattered simultaneously.
"He's here," Jin-Woo whispered, his daggers appearing in his hands instantly.
Outside, in the middle of the street, Thomas Andre stood alone, his aura crushing the pavement beneath his feet. He didn't look at the building; he looked straight through the walls, his eyes locked onto Ren.
"Come out, little glitch!" Thomas's voice roared, shaking the foundation of the city block. "Let's see if the Void can swallow a mountain!"
Ren stood up, his legs shaking, but his eyes burning with a purple flame. "Jin-Woo... stay back. This isn't a raid anymore."
"It's a war," Jin-Woo finished, his shadow army emerging from the floorboards, ready to defy the world's strongest for the sake of his ally.