The world always felt loud to Seo Joon.
Traffic.
Voices.
Screens.
Life screaming in every direction.
But tonight… Seoul felt hollow.
Not peaceful — hollow.
Like the city had exhaled once and forgotten to breathe again.
Wind swept along the Han River in thin, cold sheets, rattling abandoned snack carts and swaying police barricades. Bridges that were once overflowing with cars were silent. Soldiers patrolled in tight formations, boots striking against asphalt like clockwork.
Above it all, the Tower loomed — a spear of obsidian light stabbing into the sky, humming with an almost biological pulse. Its walls shifted subtly, like something inside was breathing.
Seo Joon stood alone near the riverbank, the Tower's reflection stretching across the water like a wound.
He lifted his hand.
The Summon Gate mark — faint blue lines — pulsed gently under his skin.
"Tomorrow…" he muttered, voice cracking in the cold.
"Tomorrow it really begins."
He hated how his breath shook
The Hunter Association Base — 8:14 p.m.
The temporary command base was a hybrid of military steel and panic. Cables snaked across the ground. Screens flickered. Radios spat out static mixed with nervous voices.
When Seo Joon entered, the noise dipped.
They didn't stare at him like a celebrity or a savior — more like someone carrying an unexploded bomb.
A man in his late 40s walked toward him.
Broad shoulders.
Eyes sunken from lack of sleep.
General Park.
"You came," the General said. "Good."
Seo Joon nodded, though his chest felt tight.
"Sit. We need to talk about your role tomorrow."
Seo Joon sat. His fingers trembled under the table.
General Park tapped his tablet. A hologram of the Tower crackled to life — rotating slowly, revealing narrow entry points and shifting layers.
"Every country is preparing to send their Candidates. Pakistan's first ranker, Waqar, will enter their Tower at the same time as ours. India, the U.S., Russia, China — all lining up."
He zoomed in.
"The first floor is estimated to be a Selection Floor. No one knows what that means."
Seo Joon swallowed.
"And me… I'm supposed to enter too?"
"You're not just entering," Park said.
"You're one of Korea's four Candidates."
The words stabbed deeper than any monster could
A Moment of Silence
Seo Joon looked down at his hands.
"General… why me?"
His voice was barely audible.
Park raised a brow. "Explain."
"I'm not a soldier. Not trained. I don't have a powerful ability. Just a Summon Gate that—"
He stopped, remembering the failed summon, the heatwave figure dissolving like mist.
"That barely works."
There was a long pause.
General Park leaned back. "Do you want the truth?"
Seo Joon nodded.
"You were chosen because your Skill is… unpredictable. And in a situation where no one knows anything, unpredictability isn't a weakness — it's a weapon."
Seo Joon exhaled shakily.
Park lowered his voice.
"And there's another reason."
He turned the tablet toward him — showing a list of global Candidates.
KOREA — 4
JAPAN — 3
USA — 5
PAKISTAN — 3
INDIA — 2
EU — 4
BRAZIL — 2
CHINA — 6
OTHERS — …
Next to each name was a type.
Firebearer
Mana Devourer
Rune-Breaker
Thunder Divine
Beast Linker
Soulcaster
Each sounded like something out of myth.
Seo Joon's type was listed last:
> Unique — Summon Gate
Origin Unknown
"Every Candidate is clearly categorized," Park said.
"Except you."
For the first time, Seo Joon felt something like fear curl around his spine.
Waqar's Broadcast — 9:22 p.m.
The base suddenly fell into commotion.
"General! Pakistan emergency broadcast!"
Seo Joon's head snapped toward the screen.
The camera shook violently — sandstorms blowing past armored vehicles. Soldiers scrambled behind makeshift barriers.
And then the feed focused on one man — standing tall in the desert winds like he was carved from stone.
Waqar.
White shawl whipping behind him. Black armor dusted with sand. An aura burning around him, rough and wild like an uncaged beast.
He wasn't shouting. Wasn't posturing.
He just looked at the Tower in the desert, expression unreadable.
Then he spoke quietly into the mic:
> "I'll go first."
Simple. Calm.
The aura of a man who didn't fear the unknown.
The whole base went silent.
Seo Joon felt something inside him shift — not intimidation, but respect.
Waqar didn't look like a hero from some flashy manhwa.
He looked tired.
Human.
But determined.
He could picture meeting him one day — not as rivals, but allies standing on the same battlefield.
General Park crossed his arms.
"Hm. That man's presence alone is pressure. If he's the first Pakistani ranker… then he and you may stand shoulder to shoulder one day."
Seo Joon looked at the footage again.
His heart thudded harder.
"Do you think… I'll be strong enough?"
General Park didn't lie.
"I don't know."
The honesty hurt — but it also grounded him.
Late Night — 11:48 p.m.
Seo Joon wandered toward the river again.
The city lights flickered weakly, like Seoul was afraid to stay awake.
He sat on a cold bench, staring at the Tower.
The air felt thick.
Heavy.
Like a storm waiting for permission.
His mind drifted.
Am I going to die tomorrow?
He hated that the thought felt logical.
I'm not a fighter. Not a warrior. I barely had a future already… Now I'm supposed to save a nation?
His throat tightened.
If I fail… people die. If I succeed… more people will expect more from me.
He pressed a hand to his forehead.
"I didn't ask for this…"
Wind brushed past him, cold enough to sting.
Why give this power to me? Why choose someone who didn't even want responsibility?
He wasn't crying — but his eyes felt painfully hot.
A soft chime rang.
> [SUMMON GATE — COOLDOWN COMPLETE.]
He inhaled.
"…Now?"
A faint ripple appeared beside him — small, swirling, uncertain.
He stood, legs tense.
Thin blue lines formed a summoning circle on the grass.
Light gathered.
A figure began to take shape — humanoid, shimmering, more defined than last time, like the system was slowly calibrating.
Seo Joon held his breath.
But then—
> [Summon Failed.]
[Rank Insufficient.]
The figure scattered like dust into the air.
Seo Joon exhaled heavily, shoulders slumping.
"…Not even one successful summon."
He kicked the ground lightly in frustration.
"I'm supposed to be a Candidate with this?"
For a moment, he wished he never got chosen.
He wished someone stronger got the power.
Someone like Waqar…
Someone who deserved it.
1 Hour Before Midnight
A sudden vibration buzzed in his pocket.
A global emergency alert.
He opened it.
> [WORLD TOWER STATUS UPDATE]
— All Towers synchronized.
— First Floor opens at 00:00 KST.
— All Candidates must be within 500 meters.
Seo Joon's breath caught.
The time had come.
The Call
He rushed back to the base — soldiers running, technicians shouting, screens lighting up with global feeds.
General Park grabbed a radio.
"Move to Entry Point A! Now!"
Seo Joon's legs moved on instinct as he followed the group through the chaos.
When they reached the riverside again, armored vehicles lined the area.
Drones hovered like insects.
Spotlights illuminated the Tower's surface.
Standing near the front were Korea's other three Candidates.
Yun Ha-yul — a calm-eyed woman with a Rune-Breaker mark glowing on her wrist.
Kang Do-min — a muscular man breathing like a bull, his veins faintly pulsing with mana.
Lee Haneum — the youngest, barely 19, trembling visibly.
They stared at the Tower with the same fear he felt.
When Seo Joon arrived, the three turned toward him.
Lee Haneum whispered, almost relieved:
"Thank god… I thought I'd be the last one."
Seo Joon wasn't anyone's leader.
He wasn't strong.
But in this moment, just showing up made them feel less alone.
He nodded to them.
"We go together."
It was the first time he said anything that sounded like confidence.
The Tower Awakens
The Tower suddenly pulsed — a deep, resonating hum that seemed to vibrate through their bones.
Rings of dark light rippled outward — bending the air, warping the sound, sending a deep pressure across the entire area.
Soldiers flinched.
Cameras glitched.
The river itself rippled unnaturally.
Then, the ground beneath the Tower cracked — forming a staircase of floating obsidian slabs leading upward.
General Park shouted:
"Candidates! Step forward!"
Seo Joon inhaled sharply, legs trembling but moving.
With each step closer, the air felt heavier, like gravity itself was twisting.
Yun Ha-yul whispered:
"Do you hear it? The Tower is… calling."
Kang Do-min grunted. "As long as it's not screaming."
Lee Haneum swallowed loudly.
Seo Joon didn't speak.
His heart was hammering too loudly.
The Threshold
When they reached the bottom of the floating stairs, the Tower's gate opened — a vertical slit of pure white light.
Cold air poured out, smelling faintly of old stone and rain.
Seo Joon looked over his shoulder.
Beyond the barricades were drones, soldiers, scientists — and a city holding its breath.
He wasn't a hero.
He wasn't brave.
He wasn't ready.
But he took one more step.
Wind swept around him like a whisper.
General Park yelled from behind:
"Seo Joon! Remember—whatever you summon in there might be the difference between life and death!"
Seo Joon managed a weak smile.
"Then I better get lucky."
A pulse of blue light appeared on his palm.
The Summon Gate thrummed — unstable, eager, hungry.
His fate.
---
The First Step In
The Candidates exchanged brief nods.
Seo Joon stepped forward first.
The white slit swallowed him whole.
Then the others followed, one by one, until the Tower sealed shut — city lights flickering as if the world had just lost something irreplaceable.
And outside…
The Tower breathed again.
Awaiting their fate.