Min-ho moved through the dark streets with a precision that felt foreign to his own mind. Every jump over a fence and every silent landing on a rooftop was a reminder that his body was no longer the one he grew up with. He needed to hide this transformation before the Association tracked the mana trail back to his front door.
He detoured through the city's underbelly, heading toward a rusted shutter in an alleyway marked with a faint, glowing rune. This was the entrance to the Gray Market, a place where Hunters bought gear without questions.
Min-ho stepped inside, the air thick with the smell of old parchment and cooling mana cores. He didn't look at the high-end swords or the glowing staves. He went straight to a shelf of utility gear and grabbed a simple, matte black ballistic mask and a heavy, hooded tactical windbreaker.
"How much?" Min-ho asked, his voice naturally deeper and more resonant after the synchronization.
The merchant squinted at him. "Fifty thousand won for the set. You look like you're in a hurry, kid."
Min-ho tossed the cash on the counter without a word. He pulled the mask over his face just to test the fit, feeling the cold polymer against his skin. It was perfect. To the world, he would be a ghost. To his family, he had to remain the lazy brother. He stuffed the gear into his bag and sprinted home, reaching the back window of his room just as the streetlights flickered on.
He changed into a fresh pair of sweatpants and a baggy hoodie to hide his new frame, then headed downstairs. The smell of stew was there, but the air in the living room was cold.
Agent Kang was sitting on the sofa, a notebook open on his lap. Min-ah sat across from him, her face pale and her hands trembling. Their parents stood in the kitchen doorway, looking confused and terrified.
"Ah, Min-ho. You're late," his father said, his voice tight. "Agent Kang is here to ask Min-ah about the incident at the gym."
Min-ho walked into the room, yawning and rubbing his eyes as if he had just woken up from a twelve hour nap. "What incident? I was in the library and fell asleep in the back rows."
Agent Kang's eyes snapped to Min-ho. He stood up, his gaze scanning Min-ho from head to toe. "The library? That's strange. The entire school was evacuated two hours ago due to a C-Rank Gate Break. You didn't hear the sirens?"
Min-ho shrugged, walking toward the kitchen to grab a bowl. "I'm a heavy sleeper. You know how it is. What happened to the gym?"
Min-ah looked up, her eyes wide. "A monster, Min-ho. A huge snake. Someone saved us. He had white hair and he killed it with his bare hands. He was like a god."
Agent Kang stepped closer to Min-ho, his presence radiating a subtle pressure meant to make low-tier hunters buckle. "We're looking for that individual. He's an unregistered powerful enough to solo a C-Rank. I don't suppose you saw anyone like that while you were 'sleeping' in the library?"
Min-ho ignored the pressure, his own suppressed mana acting like an invisible shield. He dipped a ladle into the pot of stew, filling his bowl to the brim. "Sounds like a movie. I just want to eat."
Kang's eyes narrowed as he looked at Min-ho's feet. He was checking the floor tiles again. Min-ho noticed and immediately shifted his weight, leaning lazily against the counter to distribute his mass.
"Your sister says the savior felt familiar," Kang said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "She said he had the same build as someone she knew. But she couldn't place it."
Min-ah nodded fervently. "It was the way he moved. It was so fast, but it felt... I don't know. Like I've seen it before."
Min-ho took a massive bite of beef, the calories fueling the remaining reconstruction in his cells. "Maybe you're just traumatized, Min-ah. You should eat. It helps with the nerves."
Agent Kang watched Min-ho eat for a long minute, his suspicion clashing with the reality of the F-Rank test results from earlier that day. He eventually closed his notebook and tucked it into his jacket.
"I'll be staying in this district for a while," Kang said, looking at the whole family but staring directly at Min-ho. "A monster like that doesn't just appear and disappear without leaving a trace. I'll find him."
As Kang walked out the front door, Min-ho felt the tension in the room snap. He finished his bowl in seconds and reached for another, his eyes meeting Min-ah's.
"You really didn't see anything?" she asked, her voice small.
"I told you," Min-ho said, his face a mask of boredom. "I was dreaming."
He headed back upstairs, his mind already racing. Kang wasn't going to stop; He needed to reach Level 10 before the next Gate opened.