The sun rose slowly over the horizon, and the warm morning light spread across the quiet streets of Korea, while the city gradually began to awaken from the stillness of night. The distant sounds of cars mixed with the few pedestrians moving about, and the cool morning air passed between the tall buildings, carrying the feeling of a new day beginning.
Seong Song Ho, the SS-rank hunter, was walking alone through the streets of Seoul with calm, steady steps. His hands were inside his coat pockets, and his expression was cold as usual, as if he didn't care about anything happening around him. But in reality, he was observing everything with sharp eyes that missed no detail.
He was heading to one of the cafés in the city, a relatively quiet place located at the corner of a busy street. Its glass façade reflected the sunlight, and customers inside sat quietly sipping their morning coffee.
Song Ho's eyes fell on someone sitting near the window. His features were unclear because of the shadow, but Song Ho recognized him immediately, without changing his expression or slowing his steps.
He walked toward the café slowly, as if he didn't care about that person's presence, while his mere presence alone was enough to create a hidden pressure in the surrounding air.
The unknown person inside the café looked at him through the window, then waved his hand as if calling him. But Song Ho passed by without showing any reaction, as if he hadn't seen him at all.
The unknown man's hand froze in the air for a moment, and clear anger appeared on his face from this deliberate disregard.
Song Ho entered the café slowly, glanced around briefly, then walked toward the table where the unknown man was sitting and sat directly in front of him without permission, his expression showing no interest.
"What do you want?" Song Ho said with clear coldness.
The unknown man smiled lightly with mockery as he leaned back in his seat.
"Oh… why are you so angry? Take it easy, man."
Suddenly, a faint blue aura surrounded Song Ho's body, and his eyes began to glow with a cold blue color. He released only a small portion of his power, but that portion was enough to make the air itself seem heavier.
The unknown man felt enormous pressure falling on him. His breathing slowed, and fear began to creep into his body against his will.
"Easy… easy… I was just joking." he said quickly, trying to maintain his composure.
The blue aura gradually faded, but Song Ho's eyes remained glowing, and his gaze became sharper.
"Get to the point."
The unknown man laughed lightly, then looked at him with a cunning gaze.
"In truth… I want you on a mission… to kill someone important."
Song Ho's gaze stiffened, and he leaned slightly forward.
"Are you insane? I'm a famous hunter… how can I kill an innocent person?"
The unknown man smiled wider, and a faint black aura began to surround his body, as if the air around him had become colder.
"It seems Mr. Song Ho doesn't know… that we know you enjoy killing humans."
He paused for a moment, then continued in a deeper tone.
"And your cousin Kang was killed during one of the missions… after he tried to kill other hunters."
He leaned closer, his eyes gleaming with malice.
"And you're just like him… you enjoy killing… after all, your family's evil blood runs in your veins."
Song Ho slammed the table forcefully, and the blue aura spread around him again, this time more violently.
"Stop this nonsense."
But this time, fear did not appear on the unknown man's face. He remained smiling while looking at him confidently.
"No need to lie… I know everything about you… so show your true face."
Silence filled the air for a moment, then a sinister smile appeared on Song Ho's face, almost identical to the man sitting across from him.
"Alright…"
He leaned slightly forward, his blue eyes glowing.
"But I don't want anyone to know… that I killed this person… understood?"
The unknown man smiled in satisfaction, as if he got what he wanted.
"That's my job… no need to worry."
The wind moved the leaves of the forest trees in Riko's usual training place. The tall trees made a faint friction sound with every gust, as if the forest itself was silently watching his training.
Riko was panting heavily while doing push-ups. The muscles of his arms were tense, and sweat fell onto the dirt beneath him.
"77... 78... 79... 80."
Riko counted while panting from the difficulty of the training, then clenched his teeth and completed his final movement slowly.
Riko was training because he wanted to prepare for entering the Preliminary Test Gate. He felt his current level was not enough to enter this gate. He did not want to rely on luck, but on his body and strength.
Riko moved from push-ups to sit-ups and began lifting his body repeatedly. His abdominal muscles, which had been weak in the past, were now clearer and firmer, as if every day of training left a permanent mark on him.
After ten minutes, Riko finished the daily mission and fell sitting on the ground, panting heavily from exhaustion, placing his hands behind him while trying to catch his breath.
[Daily missions completed]
[You will be healed automatically]
As usual, Riko felt a sudden refreshment flowing through his body. The fatigue gradually disappeared, and his energy returned completely. This was the reward for completing daily missions that he had become accustomed to.
'Where is the reward? Why didn't the system give me anything?'
[Reward for completing daily missions]
(Reward: Elixir of Hope)
(Elixir Information: Gives hope to the player when in great danger and unable to use adaptation, and greatly increases his power for a temporary period)
Riko looked at the system window with narrowed eyes, thinking about the usefulness of this elixir and why there might come a time when he couldn't use the adaptation technique.
'Is the system warning me that I won't be able to use adaptation in one of the gates?'
Riko knew that adaptation required a long battle with the opponent to activate.
He felt that the system was warning him about facing monsters much stronger than him, monsters that might not even give him enough time to adapt.
'Is it possible that at my level I will face monsters far stronger than me?'
Riko raised his gaze to the sky while sitting on the forest ground. The sky was clear, and the cold air passed over his face. He remembered his family… his mother, his sister, his brother… and Hana, his fiancée.
He clenched his fist tightly, then said in a low but firm voice:
"I don't care about being the greatest in this world… it's enough for me to be the person no one dares to step over his corpse to reach them."
Night had already fallen over Korea. In Riko's house, he had been asleep since returning from training, but his mother quietly opened his room door.
She said:
"Riko, wake up. Someone wants to meet you."
Riko woke up with difficulty and said sleepily:
"Who is this person?"
His mother replied:
"Someone who says he is a close friend of yours."
Riko was immediately shocked and began thinking:
'Why did Ryu come here?'
'Why did that idiot come here?'
Riko got out of bed with difficulty and said to his mother while yawning:
"Mom, let him wait a little."
She smiled and said:
"Alright."
Riko rushed to the wardrobe, quickly put on his clothes to see what Ryu Myung wanted at this late hour. After finishing, he went downstairs and exited the house.
He found Ryu Myung waiting for him. Ryu raised his hand and said:
"Hey brother, can you come with me for a bit? I want your help with something."
Riko said, surprised by Ryu's strange behavior:
"Alright."
The streets of Seoul were empty at night, and the wind blew scattered trash across the ground. Elsewhere, Tsuma Tsukura was walking alone in the streets of Seoul, lost in his thoughts about his strength and why he was this overwhelmingly powerful.
While walking through the empty streets, he felt an extremely strong aura behind him.
"Insects always trying to kill me... when will you stop attempting to assassinate me?"
Behind him appeared a person wearing a scarf and a black mask hiding his features. It was Seong Song Ho, disguised.
Song Ho said in a cold voice:
"Oh boy, it seems you're arrogant as the rumors say."
Tsuma replied coldly:
"It seems you're different from those insects I killed before."
Tsuma focused on Song Ho's aura, trying to measure his strength.
'This person really seems different from those insects.'
'He's almost SS rank.'
'Could it be Song Ho... the number one hunter in Korea?'
With a sudden attack from Song Ho, he managed to scratch Tsuma's cheek with his dagger.
Tsuma immediately stepped back, looking at the scratch.
'As I expected... this person is strong.'
Song Ho said arrogantly, as a blue aura surrounded his body and his eyes glowed blue:
"It seems you're weak... not as the rumors say. This mission will be easy."
Tsuma Tsukura asked:
"Who sent you, Seong Song Ho?"
Song Ho was shocked that Tsuma mentioned his name, meaning his identity was revealed.
"How did you know I'm Song Ho?"
Tsuma said coldly:
"Your aura is that of an SS-rank hunter, and your style relies on a dagger. These traits belong to only one person in the country... and that's you."
Song Ho felt happy because he finally found a worthy opponent.
"You seem very smart... you truly deserve your popularity."
Song Ho took a fighting stance, preparing to face Tsuma Tsukura.
"But unfortunately... a genius like you will die in this miserable place and won't be able to move forward."
End of Chapter (23)