October 31st. 8:00 PM.
The night sky over Seoul was usually glowing with the neon lights of a metropolis that never slept. But tonight, a thick, unnatural fog had rolled in from the Han River, choking the streets and dimming the city's vibrant aura.
Inside the Kim Family Manor, the tension was palpable.
An emergency siren wailed in the distance. A Purple-Rank Gate in the heart of Gangnam had just suffered a sudden, artificial Dungeon Break. Thousands of low-tier monsters were flooding the commercial district.
Kim Do-hyun, the eldest son, stood on the balcony of the main estate, watching the distant plumes of smoke rise over the city. His Purple-Rank aura simmered just beneath his skin, but his mind was chillingly calm.
"Do-hyun."
The heavy, granite-like voice of the Patriarch, Kim Hyeon, echoed behind him.
Do-hyun turned and bowed deeply. "Father. The Association has requested our immediate assistance. The Guilds in Gangnam are being overwhelmed. They say the monster spawn rate is unnatural."
"It is a coordinated attack," Kim Hyeon stated, strapping a massive broadsword to his back. His Gold-Rank aura flared, making the very air in the room feel heavy.
"Someone is testing the city's response time. I will lead the Vanguard to crush them."
"I will come with you, Father," Do-hyun offered, keeping his eyes lowered.
"No. You will stay here," Kim Hyeon commanded. "With me gone, the manor is vulnerable. You are the acting head of the family tonight. Protect your mother, and above all else, protect Hajin. He is the future."
Do-hyun's jaw clenched. He is the future. Those words had haunted him for ten years.
"I understand, Father," Do-hyun replied smoothly. "I will guard the estate with my life."
As Kim Hyeon vanished into the night, a cruel, twisted smile crept across Do-hyun's face.
Protect the future? Do-hyun thought, turning toward the East Wing where Hajin slept. I am securing my own future.
He walked to the security control room. The captain of the guard, a veteran C-Rank Hunter, saluted him.
"Sir! The perimeter is secure. Wards are at maximum capacity."
"Captain," Do-hyun said with absolute authority. "The monsters in Gangnam are spreading. I want you to take the elite guards and reinforce the outer walls of the estate. Leave the East Wing to me."
"But sir, the Youngest Master is in the East Wing. We shouldn't leave it unguarded—"
"Are you questioning my orders?" Do-hyun's mana flared, pressing the captain to his knees. "I am an A-Rank Magic Swordsman. Do you think I cannot protect my own brother? Move out!"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
As the guards scrambled to the outer walls, Do-hyun walked over to the primary ward console. With a few swift keystrokes, he disabled the magical barriers shielding the East Wing.
The invisible dome protecting the manor flickered and died.
"The door is open," Do-hyun whispered into the darkness. "Take the vessel."
The East Wing.
Lady Seo-yun sat beside a large oak bed, gently stroking the hair of her ten-year-old son, Hajin. The boy was sleeping peacefully, clutching a wooden training sword to his chest.
Despite the serenity of the room, Seo-yun felt a cold sweat breaking out on the back of her neck.
Her body was broken, her mana circuits poisoned, but her instincts as a former Solo Hunter were still razor-sharp. The air in the room tasted wrong. It carried the foul, suffocating stench of Abyssal Miasma—a corrupted mana that devoured natural light.
"Hajin," she whispered urgently, shaking the boy. "Hajin, wake up."
The boy rubbed his eyes. "Mother? What is it?"
"We need to leave this room. Now."
She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door. But before her hand could touch the brass handle, the heavy oak door was violently kicked open.
Three figures stepped into the room. They wore deep black robes with the emblem of an eclipsed sun stitched in purple thread.
"The Swordmaster," the lead Cultist hissed, his eyes swirling with dark magic. "The Master will be pleased."
Seo-yun didn't scream. She didn't panic. With a fluid motion that defied her sickly constitution, she pushed Hajin behind her and summoned her remaining mana. A brilliant, blinding white aura enveloped her hands.
"Get away from my son," she commanded, her voice ringing with the authority of a veteran Hunter.
The Cultist laughed. "A poisoned, broken woman. You should have died years ago."
He raised a hand and fired a concentrated bolt of Eclipse Mana—a highly destructive, void-like energy—straight at her chest. Seo-yun swiped her hand, shattering the spell with pure martial aura. But the recoil was devastating. The poison in her veins flared, causing her to cough up blood. She dropped to one knee, gasping for air.
"Mother!" Hajin cried out, trying to run to her, but a second Cultist grabbed the boy by the collar, lifting him off the ground.
"Let him go!" Seo-yun screamed, trying to stand, but a heavy boot slammed into her shoulder, pinning her to the floor.
She looked up. It wasn't a Cultist who had pinned her.
It was Do-hyun.
"Do-hyun... what are you doing?" Seo-yun gasped, staring at her eldest son in sheer horror. "Help us!"
Do-hyun looked down at her with cold, empty eyes.
"I am helping the family, Mother," Do-hyun said flatly. "Hajin is a liability. His talent casts a shadow over the rest of us. The Cult requires a sacrifice, and in return, they will make me the strongest. It is my rightful path."
"You... you traitor!" Seo-yun spat blood onto his pristine boots. "He is your brother!"
"He is a stepping stone," Do-hyun replied. He looked at the Cultists. "Take the boy. The Patriarch won't return for hours. Leave the woman; the poison will finish her soon enough anyway."
As the Cultists dragged the screaming, struggling Hajin out the window and into the fog, Seo-yun reached out, tears streaming down her face. Her vision faded to black as the pain finally overwhelmed her.
Ten Miles Away. An Abandoned Warehouse.
The glow of holographic monitors illuminated the dark, concrete room.
Logan stood by a bank of screens, tracking a single, blinking red dot on a digital map of South Korea. The dot was moving rapidly away from the Kim Manor, heading south. Toward the mountains.
In the center of the room, Han-wool was tightening the straps on his combat vest. His face was completely devoid of emotion.
Woojin sat on a crate nearby, loading a glowing blue mana-cartridge into the Star Piercer. He looked up at Han-wool, feeling the heavy, suffocating aura radiating from him.
"Young Master," Logan spoke up, his voice tight. "The signal is moving. They took the bait. The Cult has successfully breached the manor and abducted Young Master Hajin."
Woojin gripped his gun tight. "They actually did it. Even with the Sword Saint there..."
"The Cult used an artificial Dungeon Break to draw my father away," Han-wool said, his voice as cold as absolute zero. "And Do-hyun lowered the gates. It went exactly as expected."
Woojin stood up, his eyes wide. "Wait. You knew they would take him? Why didn't we stop them at the manor? Your mother could have been hurt!"
Han-wool paused. He turned his gaze to a secondary monitor, which displayed a live, encrypted feed from a microscopic camera Logan had hidden in Lady Seo-yun's room days ago. He saw his mother lying on the floor, unconscious but breathing.
It tore at his heart to see her hurt, but he knew she would survive this. He had carefully calculated the Cult's methods. If he had stopped the kidnapping at the manor, the Cult would have just retreated, hiding their main base and trying again later.
He needed them to feel safe. He needed them to gather their leaders, their priests, and their high-tier monsters in one place to conduct the ritual.
He needed all the rats in the same trap.
"If we fought them at the manor, we would have only killed pawns," Han-wool said, his voice steadying. "To stop the apocalypse, we have to cut off the head of the snake. And thanks to the micro-GPS tracker I slipped into Hajin's pocket this morning... they are leading us right to their den."
Han-wool picked up his dagger and strapped a duffel bag full of Dwarven explosives to his back.
"Logan. Bring the car."
"At once, Young Master."
Han-wool looked at Woojin. "Are you ready, Sniper?"
Woojin racked the slide of the S-Rank Mana Gun. The runes on the barrel flared with a deadly blue light.
"Point me at the target, Boss."
Han-wool smirked. "Target: Mount Chiri. We're going to crash a Halloween party."