Rain poured endlessly over the city of Virel, turning the streets into mirrors of neon lights and blurred shadows. Thunder echoed across the dark sky while people hurried through the wet roads, trying to escape the storm.
But deep beneath the city, inside the underground headquarters of the Hunter Association, the atmosphere was far heavier than the storm outside.
Hunters filled the large briefing hall.
Some wore shining armor covered in glowing magical runes. Others carried massive swords, spears, or strange mechanical weapons that looked too heavy for normal humans to lift.
Every hunter in the room had one thing in common.
They were powerful.
All except one.
Standing quietly near the back wall was a young man wearing cheap black armor that looked worn and scratched. His name was Arin Voss.
Unlike the other hunters, Arin looked completely ordinary. His armor didn't glow. His weapon wasn't impressive. In fact, the small iron dagger hanging from his belt looked almost laughable compared to the massive weapons carried by the others.
Some hunters nearby whispered and laughed quietly.
"Why is he even here?"
"Isn't that the weakest hunter in the association?"
"Yeah… Arin Voss. Rank F."
The lowest rank possible.
Arin heard every word.
But he stayed silent.
After all, they weren't wrong.
Three years ago, when the mysterious Gates first appeared around the world, humanity discovered that some people possessed the ability to awaken supernatural powers. Those people became known as Hunters.
Hunters were ranked based on strength.
S Rank.
A Rank.
B Rank.
C Rank.
D Rank.
E Rank.
And finally…
F Rank.
The weakest of them all.
And Arin Voss was known as the weakest hunter in the entire city.
Even normal soldiers were stronger than him.
Still, Arin continued working as a hunter for one simple reason.
Money.
Dungeon raids paid well, even for low-ranked hunters. And Arin desperately needed the money.
His mother was sick.
Hospital bills kept increasing every month, and without hunter income, there was no way he could afford the treatment.
That was why he kept risking his life.
Even if everyone called him useless.
Even if every dungeon raid felt like walking toward death.
Suddenly, the large screen at the front of the room flickered on.
A tall woman wearing a military-style uniform stepped forward.
"Attention."
The room instantly fell silent.
She was Mira Valen, an A-Rank hunter and the leader of today's raid.
"A new Gate appeared two hours ago in Sector 17," she said calmly.
The screen behind her displayed a swirling vortex of dark purple energy floating in the middle of an abandoned subway tunnel.
"This Gate has been classified as a D-Rank dungeon."
Several hunters relaxed slightly.
D-Rank dungeons were dangerous, but manageable for a proper team.
Mira continued.
"Our objective is simple. Enter the dungeon, eliminate all monsters inside, and destroy the dungeon core."
She paused for a moment.
"Estimated completion time: three hours."
A few hunters nodded confidently.
For experienced hunters, this kind of raid was routine.
But Arin felt a familiar knot forming in his stomach.
Even a D-Rank dungeon could easily kill someone like him.
Still…
He had no choice.
Thirty minutes later, the raid team stood in front of the Gate.
The swirling purple vortex floated silently inside the abandoned subway station. The air around it felt cold and unnatural.
Arin tightened his grip on the small dagger in his hand.
"Alright everyone," Mira said.
"We enter in formation."
One by one, the hunters stepped into the Gate.
The moment Arin crossed the threshold, the world around him twisted violently.
The cold subway station disappeared.
And a completely different world appeared.
A dark stone cave stretched endlessly in front of them.
The air smelled of blood and damp earth.
Growls echoed from deep within the shadows.
Monsters.
Mira raised her sword.
"Formation!"
The hunters spread out instantly.
Then the monsters attacked.
Three massive wolf-like creatures burst out of the darkness, their glowing red eyes locked onto the hunters.
"Shadow Wolves!" someone shouted.
An armored hunter rushed forward and swung his massive axe.
The blade crashed into one of the wolves, splitting it in half instantly.
Another hunter fired a bolt of lightning from his spear.
The second wolf collapsed immediately.
The battle ended within seconds.
Everyone relaxed.
Except Arin.
He stood quietly at the back, heart pounding.
He hadn't even moved.
Not because he didn't want to help.
But because he knew the truth.
If he stepped forward…
He would die first.
The team continued deeper into the dungeon, defeating monsters along the way.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
Until they reached the final chamber.
The massive stone door slowly opened.
And everyone froze.
Inside the chamber stood something enormous.
A monster nearly three meters tall.
Its body looked like twisted stone and flesh, with glowing cracks running across its skin.
Two burning eyes stared down at the hunters.
The air instantly became heavy.
Mira's expression darkened.
"That's… impossible."
Someone whispered behind Arin.
"D-Rank dungeons don't have monsters like that."
The creature moved.
The ground shook.
Then Mira said the words that made everyone's blood run cold.
"That's a B-Rank monster."