My name is Ren.
One day… the world changed.
No warning. No explanation.
Unknown creatures suddenly appeared across the globe, tearing through cities like they were nothing. Skyscrapers collapsed. Roads shattered. Entire nations fell into chaos within hours.
Modern militaries tried to fight back.
Tanks. Missiles. Air strikes.
None of it worked.
Every day, soldiers died in numbers too large to count. Humanity, once confident in its power, was reduced to desperation.
And slowly… hope began to disappear.
Just when it seemed like extinction was certain—
something impossible happened.
Humans began to awaken abilities.
Fire. Lightning. Strength beyond human limits. Powers that defied logic itself.
Those who gained these abilities stood against the monsters and fought back.
They became humanity's last line of defense.
They were called…
Hunters.
20 Years Later
I turned eighteen today.
I lived with my grandmother—the only family I had left. She raised me. She protected me. She was everything I knew.
But now… she was sick.
And we were drowning in debt.
"I need money…"
I stared at my reflection in the mirror.
I looked exhausted. Empty. Like someone already halfway gone.
Without hesitation, I left the house and went to buy medicine for her.
"Excuse me… do you have this medicine?"
The nurse glanced at me.
Then scoffed.
"Do you even have money?"
Her words hit harder than I expected.
I stayed silent for a moment.
Then replied coldly,
"I do."
I opened my worn-out wallet.
Inside—only 200 pesos.
That was everything I had.
After a long pause, she finally handed me the medicine.
No apology. No expression.
Just judgment.
I took it and left immediately.
I ran home.
As fast as I could.
Clutching the medicine tightly in my hand.
But when I arrived—
I stopped.
Police lights filled the street.
An ambulance stood outside.
A crowd surrounded our house.
Something was wrong.
A terrible feeling sank into my chest.
"What happened…?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly.
A man nearby answered.
"There's a thief inside the house. He took an old woman hostage."
My heart stopped.
"The old woman… what happened to her?"
The man hesitated.
Then spoke again.
"The police tried to intervene… but things escalated. The thief threatened to blow the place up."
"One officer fired… and everything went wrong."
He looked away.
"…She didn't make it."
The thief was also shot and killed on the spot.
For a moment…
I couldn't process anything.
No sound reached my ears properly.
No thoughts formed.
Just silence.
Then pain came.
Not the kind that fades.
The kind that breaks something inside you.
"…Why?"
My voice cracked.
"What did she do wrong?"
Tears fell before I could stop them.
My legs gave out.
And I collapsed to my knees in front of our home.
I screamed.
Until my voice disappeared.
After that day…
Everything stopped.
I stopped eating properly.
I stopped talking.
I stopped sleeping.
I was still alive…
but only barely.
Days passed like a blur.
Until one night…
something changed.
A voice echoed in the darkness.
"Do you want to live?"
I didn't hesitate.
"…I don't."
My voice was weak. Hollow.
Then the voice spoke again.
"Do you want to die?"
"F*ck you…"
Silence followed.
Then—
a figure stepped forward.
And I saw it.
My face.
The Truth
The figure looked at me calmly.
"I can return your memories."
"But only if you trust me… and close your eyes."
I didn't care anymore.
There was nothing left to lose.
"…I'm already screwed anyway."
I closed my eyes.
And then—
something shattered inside my mind.
A force beyond understanding crashed into my consciousness.
Pain. Light. Darkness.
Memories flooded in all at once.
I saw worlds beyond Earth.
I saw battles across galaxies.
I saw beings that defied life itself.
And I remembered everything.
I was not from this world.
I came from a place called Higashi.
A world where strength decided existence.
A world where monsters and gods fought without end.
I once served under the Grand Martial... a being who governs and protects entire galaxies.
But even that world was not safe.
A threat was approaching Earth.
So a decision was made.
A volunteer was needed.
Someone to descend to Earth.
To forget everything.
To live as human…
until the age of eighteen.
Now I understand.
My life was never random.
I was sent here for a reason.
"I remember…"
I clenched my fist.
"This body is weak."
"But I am not."
The next day, I went to the mountains.
A place crawling with monsters.
Perfect for testing.
"This is where I begin."
A creature appeared.
B+ Rank.
It looked at me like prey.
Smiling.
"Stage One."
In an instant—
I vanished.
A flash of movement.
A single strike.
Green blood splattered across the ground.
The monster fell.
"…Too weak."
But something was clear.
This body could barely handle 5% of my original power.
Interesting.
That day, I learned three things:
My body is heavily restricted.
Earth's monsters are weaker than expected.
And something far greater… is approaching.
If I want to protect this world…
I will need to become stronger.
End of Chapter 1