The entire world watched Seoul.
Broadcast drones filled the skies within minutes after the floating structure appeared above eastern district airspace. Emergency sirens echoed endlessly through the city while military aircraft circled from a safe distance, unable to approach the silver platform hanging above the skyline.
No one dared attack first.
Because every instinct screamed the same warning.
Those beings were not ordinary monsters.
And if a fight started—
Seoul might disappear.
The silver-haired elf remained standing near the edge of the floating structure, glowing symbols drifting calmly around him while dozens of armored figures stood silently behind him like royal guards.
Not one of them showed hostility.
That somehow made the situation worse.
Because calm meant confidence.
And confidence meant power.
Suho stood among the gathering hunters below, eyes fixed upward as the pressure descending from the structure spread slowly across the city.
Not mana.
Authority.
A completely different existence from ordinary hunters.
Even S-Rank hunters arriving throughout Seoul looked visibly tense beneath it.
The system continued reacting violently inside Suho's vision.
[Authority Signature Detected]
[Dimensional Compatibility: Unknown]
[Ancient Realm Connection Confirmed]
[Realm: Elfaine]
The notifications kept increasing every second.
Almost like the system itself was struggling to process what stood above them.
Sera moved beside him, her expression unusually serious.
"…Please tell me you know what's happening."
"…I know less than you think."
"That answer isn't comforting anymore."
Before Suho could respond, several powerful mana signatures suddenly erupted nearby as high-ranking hunters arrived at the scene.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
One after another, elite hunters landed atop nearby buildings surrounding the district, their pressure spreading through the streets below.
Guild masters.
Association executives.
Top-ranked hunters.
And at the center of them—
Han Minji.
[Hunter: Han Minji]
[Rank: S]
[Title: Frost Authority]
[Status: Combat-Ready]
Cold mist spread faintly beneath her feet as she stepped forward, blue eyes fixed entirely on the floating structure above Seoul.
Even she looked cautious.
That alone unsettled the surrounding hunters.
One of the guild masters nearby clenched his fist tightly.
"…Should we attack before they fully stabilize?"
Han answered instantly.
"No."
The man frowned. "…Director—"
"If they intended to destroy the city," Han said calmly, "we would already be dead."
Silence followed.
Because everyone knew she was probably right.
The silver-haired elf suddenly stepped forward again.
Then—
he descended.
Not falling.
Walking.
The air beneath his feet formed glowing silver platforms as he calmly crossed the distance between the floating structure and the streets below.
Every hunter present tensed immediately.
Weapons activated.
Skills prepared.
Mana surged throughout the district.
But the elf ignored all of it.
His attention remained fixed on one person only.
Suho.
The moment his feet touched the ground, the system nearly exploded with warnings.
[WARNING]
[High-Level Authority Detected]
[Ancient Entity Synchronization Beyond Parameters]
[Threat Assessment Failed]
The elf stopped several meters away from the gathered hunters, silver eyes calmly scanning the surroundings before settling once more on Suho.
Then he spoke.
"You are not the one I expected."
His voice sounded strange.
Gentle.
But impossibly heavy.
Like each word carried ancient weight behind it.
Han Minji stepped forward immediately.
"This is restricted territory," she said calmly. "Identify yourself."
The elf finally looked toward her.
For the first time, faint surprise appeared in his expression.
"…A mortal carrying partial authority."
Han's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Answer the question."
The elf placed one hand lightly against his chest.
"I am Eryndor of Elfaine."
[Entity: Eryndor]
[Race: High Elf]
[Realm: Elfaine]
[Threat Classification: Unknown]
[Authority Level: High]
Gasps spread quietly among nearby hunters as the system notifications became visible across several interfaces.
Because the system itself was acknowledging him as a real entity.
Not a monster.
Not an NPC.
A living dimensional being.
Eryndor slowly looked around the city again.
"…So this is Earth."
There was no mockery in his voice.
Only curiosity.
Like someone finally seeing a forgotten place from ancient history.
One of the hunters behind Han stepped forward aggressively.
"…What do you want?"
The elf's silver eyes shifted calmly toward him.
Then—
the hunter froze.
Completely.
His body locked in place instantly as invisible pressure crushed the air around him.
Panic spread immediately through the gathered hunters.
"Release him!"
Skills activated everywhere.
Mana erupted across the street.
But Eryndor merely sighed softly.
"…Your world remains fragile."
Then the pressure vanished.
The hunter collapsed to one knee gasping violently, sweat pouring down his face.
No one moved after that.
Because now everyone understood.
The gap between them was enormous.
Eryndor turned back toward Suho once more.
"…Interesting."
Sera immediately stepped slightly closer to Suho instinctively.
The elf noticed.
A faint smile appeared briefly on his face.
"…Resonance-born."
Sera blinked. "…What?"
But Eryndor ignored the question.
Instead, his gaze sharpened slightly as he looked directly into Suho's eyes.
"…You carry the old system."
The streets became silent.
Even Han Minji's expression changed.
Suho's instincts screamed danger immediately.
"…I don't know what you're talking about."
"That is expected."
Eryndor stepped closer.
Not threateningly.
But naturally.
As though barriers between strangers meant nothing to him.
"…The seal weakened far earlier than predicted," he said quietly. "…Yet the Administrator's echo still remains."
The system flickered violently.
[Unauthorized Information Detected]
[Hidden Protocol Reacting]
Eryndor noticed instantly.
Then—
his expression shifted for the first time.
Surprise.
Real surprise.
"…Ah."
His silver eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Now I understand."
Suho's gaze hardened.
"…Understand what?"
For several seconds, Eryndor remained silent.
Then he smiled faintly.
Not warmly.
Not cruelly.
Almost thoughtfully.
"…Why the Outer Eyes awakened."
The temperature across the street dropped instantly.
Even the air felt heavier after those words.
Han Minji stepped forward sharply.
"…Explain yourself."
But Eryndor looked upward toward the fractured sky instead.
"…Your world was hidden for thousands of years," he said quietly. "…Protected behind dimensional seals created by the Last Divine Administrator."
The surrounding hunters stared at him in silence.
Because none of this sounded like dungeon lore anymore.
This sounded ancient.
Real.
"The gates were never invasions," Eryndor continued softly. "They were preparation."
Suho's heartbeat slowed.
Because deep down—
he already suspected that.
Eryndor's gaze returned toward him once more.
"And now the one carrying the Administrator's echo has awakened fully enough to be noticed."
The system exploded with warnings.
[WARNING]
[External Recognition Escalating]
[Priority Risk Increasing]
Then Eryndor said the one thing that changed everything.
"…The Outer Gods know your existence now."
Silence consumed the entire district.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Even the hunters who didn't fully understand the meaning behind those words felt the terror hidden beneath them.
Because Eryndor—
looked genuinely concerned.
And beings like him probably did not fear easily.
Far above the city, the dimensional fracture suddenly pulsed again.
Then another crack appeared beside it.
And another.
Small.
Thin.
But spreading.
Like fractures across glass.
Eryndor slowly closed his eyes.
"…Too fast," he murmured quietly.
Then his gaze snapped toward Suho one final time.
"…You must grow stronger before the boundary collapses."
For the first time since arriving—
his voice carried urgency.
Real urgency.
And that frightened Suho more than any monster ever had.