A faded, oil-painting-like scene unfolds.
A world shrouded in darkness.
Screams and cries of agony tear through the air from every direction.
Destruction.
The fall of a nation.
The annihilation of a people.
It was the moment calamity descended upon the Kingdom of Ravianglily.
Amidst it all, a female knight with long black hair raised her voice in the center of the plaza.
“Vice-Captain! All knights are to focus entirely on evacuating the citizens!”
A female knight standing beside her cautiously spoke.
“As you command, Captain. But… what about you?”
“I… will go to punish the traitors who sold out this kingdom.”
With those words, the scene wavered dizzyingly.
Before I knew it, the surroundings had shifted to the crumbling outer walls of the royal castle.
Thud!
The black-haired female knight collapsed to her knees on the hard stone floor.
Her condition was horrific.
Her right eye was crushed, her left arm severed, and dark blood poured ceaselessly from a wound in her abdomen.
Clang!
She dropped the broken sword she’d clung to until the end.
Her face was etched with regret, rage, and despair.
“I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed…”
At that moment, a shadowy hand gripped her head.
An unforgettable voice—etched in her soul even in death—whispered into her ear.
[You shall become a guest of no return, doomed to wander the netherworld for eternity.]
Thus began an endless darkness that would never fade.
***
[Aaaaaah!]
“Waaah!?”
Two screams intertwined.
The Death Knight’s sudden cry startled me, making me jump.
Goddamn, that scared the hell out of me.
Why’s it screaming right after waking up?
But the shock wasn’t just from the sudden scream.
No matter how many times I looked, the Death Knight’s face was terrifying.
Horrible scars covered its body, and its skin was deathly pale, devoid of any color.
Its eyes had inverted whites, and a red glow occasionally flashed within them.
This was a matter entirely separate from beauty.
It’s literally an undead.
Well, it’s a Death Knight, so of course it’s undead…
Meanwhile, the Death Knight looked around with a bewildered expression.
At that moment.
[Grrrrr!]
The Pseudo-Dragon, sitting at a distance, let out a low growl.
I’d kept it on standby in case the Death Knight went berserk again.
Is it following me because I’m the warehouse keeper?
I don’t know why exactly, but that’s a relief.
At that moment, tears streamed down the Death Knight’s cheek.
Normally, tears from such a beautiful face would evoke pity.
But I could only feel terror.
Why the hell is it crying like that…?
Blood-red tears were flowing from its eyes.
I’d never heard of an undead crying before.
The academic consensus was that undead lacked emotions.
Then, the Death Knight abruptly stood.
Clack!
It knelt on one knee before me.
A chilling voice emanated from its lips.
[…Thank you. You are my benefactor who restored my freedom.]
Unlike before, its voice carried a sense of intelligence.
I tried to speak as calmly as possible.
“Freedom? What do you mean…?”
At that moment.
The entire Forest of Blade Trees began to tremble violently.
This is…!?
The dungeon was collapsing.
Why?
The dungeon’s master was still alive and well right here!
Whatever the reason, one thing mattered now.
Time to run!
I quickly scanned my surroundings.
A collapsing instance dungeon meant the exit gate had opened.
Sure enough, in the distance, space-time was shimmering.
Rumble! Crash! Crash! Crash!
Blade fragments embedded in the ceiling began to shatter and fall.
Getting through that hail of blades to reach the gate safely seemed impossible.
If I die here after coming this far, what a pathetic way to go!
I sprinted toward the gate with all my might.
At that moment.
Whoosh!
A massive blade fragment fell toward my head.
Oh…
I’m dead.
That was the thought as the blade loomed closer.
But then.
A dark shadow soared over me and kicked the blade away.
Thud! BOOM!
The blade flew with tremendous force, embedding itself into the wall.
The Death Knight landed in front of me.
[Are you unharmed?]
“Uh… yeah, thanks to you…”
[Please forgive my rudeness.]
Before I could finish, the Death Knight scooped me up.
The problem was how it did it.
“Uh… wha… what!?”
A princess carry.
A 24-year-old, fully discharged military veteran being princess-carried.
By a woman, no less!
The Death Knight smashed the ground and leapt high into the air.
Whoosh!
The wind roared in my ears, threatening to burst my eardrums.
[Hold on tight.]
The Death Knight began sprinting through the air, stepping on the blades embedded in the walls.
***
[…Breaking news! The instance dungeon that appeared in Dongjakgu, Seoul, along with its cause, the Death Knight, has been completely eradicated by the swift intervention of Swordmaster Cheok Junseong and Red Mage Tower Lord Shin Sodam! Despite being an A+ rank high-danger dungeon, it’s been confirmed that there were no civilian casualties, showcasing South Korea’s exceptional public safety on the global stage…]
Beep!
The 140-inch TV shut off, cutting off the anchor’s voice.
Inside the dimly lit hospital room, a man sat quietly on a sofa, lost in thought.
Sharp, charcoal-drawn eyebrows and chiseled features.
To a stranger, he might be mistaken for an idol.
But those who knew him knew better.
His fame wasn’t due to his looks.
South Korea’s 6th-ranked A+ hunter, Swordmaster Cheok Junseong.
At just twenty years old, his potential for growth was limitless.
Then.
Creak—
The hospital door opened, and someone entered.
“Man, why’s it so dark in here? Are you Dracula or something?”
Fiery red hair and eyebrows, a sharp jawline, and piercing eyes.
A charismatic woman with a confident smile.
Red Mage Tower Lord Shin Sodam.
The 7th-ranked A+ hunter, just below Cheok Junseong.
She was also his longtime rival and friend, the same age as him.
Shin Sodam grinned and spoke.
“What’s with the long face? Why’s our great Swordmaster Cheok Junseong looking so glum?”
“…”
Shin Sodam continued, her tone mocking.
“What’s wrong? Shouldn’t you be celebrating? You defeated the Death Knight, after all! You should be hanging banners and throwing a grand party! Oh, wait, my bad. ‘Defeated’ isn’t the right word—you stole the prey someone else already took down!”
“…”
“Our guild’s unmanned submarine in the Mariana Trench detected a magical beast signal, so we rushed out excitedly! But who would’ve guessed the great Swordmaster, lounging on vacation in Jeju, would swoop in and steal it! Who could’ve predicted that? I sure didn’t!”
Despite her taunts, Cheok Junseong remained silent.
Shin Sodam furrowed her brow and pressed on.
“Hey, Cheok. You deaf or something? I know we’re rivals competing for achievements, but don’t you think this is a bit much?”
“…”
“Our guild spotted it first and reported it first. We were tracking it from the Western Pacific, and you just snatched it?”
“…”
“Come on, Swordmaster! Say something! What was it last time? ‘The citizens were in danger~’ or ‘It was a situation that could’ve caused massive damage~’? Oh, right, play the hero of justice like you always do!”
“…”
“You secretly tracked the Death Knight all the way to Seoul and took it out? Impressive, so impressive. Our guild was scrambling to find that beast, and then the news reported we lost it, making us look like fools. I’ve never been so pissed at our guild’s intel team. No tracking skills, no security skills—just feeding the dog a spoiled meal!”
“…”
“But wait, what’s this? My name’s all over the news! ‘The Death Knight was eradicated by the swift intervention of Swordmaster Cheok Junseong and Red Mage Tower Lord Shin Sodam!’ Oh, really? I did that? When did I team up with the great Swordmaster? I don’t recall taking down any Death Knight!”
“…”
“You jerk. If you took it down yourself, fine, but why drag my name into it? Oh, I get it! ‘Pity’! Is that it? That thing I’ve only ever heard of… never experienced in my life, so even saying the word feels awkward.”
“Hey, Cheok Junseong. Are you pitying me? You? How dare you pity me, the Red Mage Tower Lord Shin Sodam!?”
Shin Sodam’s red hair began to rise, crackling with fiery sparks that heated the hospital room.
At that moment.
Swoosh—
Cheok Junseong stood up.
Shin Sodam frowned and said, “What? You wanna fight? Ready to duke it out? Is today the day the A+ rankings change?”
But Cheok Junseong just stared at her silently.
After a long pause, he spoke quietly.
“It wasn’t me.”
“…What?”
“I didn’t take down the Death Knight.”
With that, Cheok Junseong left the hospital room.
Left alone, Shin Sodam blinked in confusion.
But only for a moment.
“What the hell is he talking about, that crazy bastard!?”
She ruffled her hair in frustration.
“He didn’t take down the Death Knight? Then what’s with the news!?”
Cheok Junseong wasn’t one to lie.
As much as I hate that jerk, I’ll give him that.
That justice-obsessed idiot wouldn’t make up stories.
So what’s going on?
Did the Association pull a stunt?
Swordmaster Cheok Junseong had failed to defeat the Death Knight.
Even with dozens of A-rank and B+-rank hunters dispatched by the Association.
They called it a draw, but a failure was a failure.
But the Death Knight was actually eradicated.
Its magical signature completely vanished.
And the instance dungeon disappeared too.
Shin Sodam kept thinking, over and over.
If it wasn’t that Swordmaster jerk, then why did the Association release a statement with his name and mine?
Her red eyes gleamed.
Aha… The Association doesn’t know who took down the Death Knight.
An A+ rank monster appearing in the city was massive news.
And an A+ rank monster being defeated was even bigger news.
But not knowing who did it?
That was an unprecedented event.
Who was it?
A vigilante?
Some unknown powerhouse?
Or… one of those lawless hunters who sneaked into Seoul from overseas…?
Shin Sodam raised her smartwatch.
To order a far more thorough investigation, she issued a command.
“Red Mage Tower, full assembly.”
The world was about to be shaken.