1. The Ashen Furnace

The sky, dark as the abyss, split in two with a loud crack. A massive bolt of lightning strong enough to cleave the sky apart struck right above his head. A deafening blast filled his ears, and the sharp smell of burnt air hit his nose.

“Kugh…!”

He barely got out of the danger zone, but a blinding flash of light filled his vision. At the same time, his body started to convulse. His muscles spasmed, his fingertips shook, and the veins on the back of his hand holding the sword popped out.

[Item: The effect of “Flame Bead” activates Curse Resistance (S)!]

The passive effects of all his equipped items activated instantly. Still, full defense was impossible. His opponent was a monster that kept stacking S-rank debuffs.

“…Tch.”

The vein in his throat protruded, and he spat out a mouthful of blood that had filled his esophagus.

“This damn monster is putting up quite a fight.”

He held the sword’s handle tightly, slick with blood and sweat, and stared at the darkness stretching endlessly ahead. In the darkness as thick as blood, something was there.

A head wearing a bright crown, like it was made of molten gold, slowly emerged from the darkness. The face underneath was roughly human, but the skin gleamed like polished obsidian. 

From the empty eye sockets, a dazzling light flashed intermittently, like electric currents running through them. His opponent’s overwhelming presence made even the air around him vibrate.

– Just surrender.

The S-class boss monster that appeared seventh in this world, Baal, had its face shrouded in dark shadows, with its mouth stretched into a terrifying grin. If it were human, its mouth would have been torn nearly to the ears. Inside the wide-open jaws, teeth packed tightly like those of a deep-sea fish clicked together as if searching for prey.

– Surrender and worship me.

A grotesque voice echoed, as if striking directly into his brain. The longer he faced the monster, the more his health and mana drained. 

Normally, a boss like this would be fought by multiple damage dealers working alongside tanks and healers. 

But he had deliberately entered the boss room alone, so he couldn’t expect any help from the other party members. Blood already staining his teeth, he clenched them hard as he pushed himself back to his feet. 

The monster was preparing another wide-area attack. If that huge mouth fired lightning again, he wouldn’t be able to endure it.

[Support Skill: ‘Blazing Gaze’ (S) has been activated! Locking onto the target perfectly.]

It was his last chance. He poured all his remaining focus into the skill. The monster’s throat was exactly at the center of the target. As its pitch-black throat opened, a burst of bright light was about to shoot out.

[Attack Skill: ‘Abyssal Hellfire’ (S) has been activated!]

He gripped the sword with both hands, and its blade split into seven, spewing deep-red hellfire. The blade’s center was dark, while its edges blazed like the sun, as if made of pure light. 

The heat was so strong it made the air around him ripple. The flames spread wide like rolling waves, as if trying to light up all darkness. In the next moment, all that heat compressed into a single point and pierced the target.

Boom!

Lightning spewed from the monster’s mouth and struck the fire head-on, bursting into a tremendous explosion.

“Ugh…!”

Caught in the swirling heat, he rolled helplessly across the ground. But more than his own condition, what mattered was whether he had defeated the creature. Beyond the dust rising like mist, the ominous darkness was finally gone.

He thrust his sword deep into the ground, using every bit of strength left to stay on his feet. His trembling muscles screamed in pain, and the metallic taste of blood from deep in his lungs filled his mouth.

Finally… was it over? His mind, pushed to its limit, slowly went hazy and began to drift.

…Get… up…

…Stay… conscious…

It felt like his eardrums had burst. Being deaf wouldn’t have been surprising—after all, Baal’s main debuffs were nerve seizures and ringing in the ears.

“…Hunter Hong-jun!”

Someone called his name, but the voice sounded muffled, like it came from underwater. He forced his blood-covered eyelids open, but his vision was filled with red, making it hard to see anything. Five or six silhouettes appeared before him—probably the reinforcements who had come to clean up the dungeon.

A gate was a passage connecting this world to another dimension. The dungeon was both a monster’s nest and a place where people could find treasure. But once the boss monster, the core of the dungeon, was defeated, the space would disappear after a short time. They had to grab the remaining loot and items and escape before that happened.

‘…I’d need to find a healer in the incoming group if I wanted to leave here.’

His whole body was battered. A few years ago, when he cleared an S-rank gate for the first time, he had ended up in almost the same condition. He had taken down an S-rank boss monster alone, without any help from party members. But he didn’t regret it—because the reward was worth it.

[G-5316 Dungeon Boss, “Baal” (S), has been defeated!]

[Attack skill “Abyssal Hellfire” (S):

Damage increased to 23%.

Casting range increased to 120 km.

Cooldown reduced to 1 minute 30 seconds.]

Then the rest of his S-rank skills started showing upgrade messages one by one. If he’d been with a party, the experience would’ve been split, and he wouldn’t have gotten rewards like this. 

He leaned his wrecked body against the sword stuck in the ground and held his pounding chest. It had been so long since he’d seen messages like this that a thrill rushed through him.

‘Ha… so now I have to risk my life just to level up my skills.’

Joy surged in his chest, and his competitive spirit flared. The S-rank skills he’d spent the past ten years honing had become almost impossible to level up. He’d cleared every dungeon he could find across the country, but those skills never showed the slightest sign of leveling.

‘…I’m clearing the next S-rank gate solo, no matter what.’

Just a moment ago, he had barely survived a fight that nearly killed him—but that memory was already fading. Hunters were simply like this. He wanted to get stronger. Strong enough to break past every limit. 

His hunger for power would never be satisfied. If he could make his skills stronger, he was willing to sell his soul. That was when he felt it—a touch as cold as ice creeping up the back of his neck.

…Like this… wait… soon…

‘…What?’

Unfortunately, he didn’t catch the attacker’s final words, though they were clearly meant for him.

“Cough….”

With a puzzled look, he coughed violently, and a lump of cold, clotted blood gushed from his mouth. It was already coagulated.

‘Why… me…?’

A sharp, unbearable pain ran along the cut in his carotid artery. A freezing chill spread through the air, as if everything around him had instantly frozen.

‘Remember, people are more dangerous than monsters.’

Why did the advice he had heard when he first awakened as a hunter come to mind now? He had completely forgotten it. Back then, as a rookie, he had kept it close to his heart.

No matter how skilled a dealer was—even one who had cleared an S-rank gate alone—if their neck was cut, they would die. Especially after a battle that had drained every ounce of energy. He never thought he would have to prove that fact himself. 

His blood-crusted eyelids slowly closed. Instinctively, he knew—this was the end. His body collapsed like a sandcastle, and someone caught him just before he hit the ground. 

If he was going to die, he had always imagined it would be after taking down a high‑rank dungeon boss. But being assassinated by someone he didn’t even recognize… it was such a ridiculous way to go. 

It all felt meaningless. He hadn’t known death could feel this empty. Everything he had built disappeared in an instant. Well, at least leveling up his skills one last time had been nice.

A cool breeze seemed to brush past him. Even as his senses faded, he felt no pain—only a peaceful feeling. His consciousness sank slowly, like he was slipping underwater. 

He felt as if he were being pulled somewhere, swiftly—like starlight drawn into a black hole. Just before he lost consciousness, the last face he saw was a female doctor with round glasses, and the bright white hospital ceiling behind her.