The fractured Seoul sky still bled red light when the first wave of hunters arrived.
Min-joon stood in the middle of the ruined intersection, the newly evolved **Hero's Golden Sword** (now a jagged black-and-gold greatsword) resting on his shoulder like it had always belonged there. Blood—mostly his enemies'—dried on his torn shirt. Lee Seo-yoon stood half a step behind him, dual blades sheathed but ready, her ice-queen expression cracking into something that looked suspiciously like respect.
The Global Announcement had done its job too well.
[Global Announcement – Sector 7 Update!]
[Overlord Candidate Kang Min-joon has eliminated another Candidate!]
[All players within 30 km have received temporary quest: "Hunt the Threat"]
[Reward: 3,000 EXP + Rare Skill Book + Nexus Shard fragment]
[Failure: None. Death is the only option.]
Red arrows appeared in every player's vision, all pointing straight at Min-joon's location. He could almost hear the greedy footsteps converging from every direction.
Lee Seo-yoon clicked her tongue. "We need to move. That announcement painted a target on your back the size of Mount Baekdu."
Min-joon's lips curled into a cold smile. "Good. I was getting bored of small fry."
He opened his status window with a thought. The numbers had grown beautifully.
**Status Window**
Name: Kang Min-joon
Level: 17
Class: None (Nexus Overlord Authority Active)
Title: Candidate Slayer (Unique)
HP: 680 / 680
MP: 420 / 420
Strength: 38
Agility: 29
Vitality: 24
Intelligence: 21
Wisdom: 12
Luck: 9
**Skills:**
- Dimensional Theft (Lv.1)
- Overlord's Descent (Lv.1)
- Butcher's Roar (Lv.1)
**Unallocated Points: 0** (all dumped after last fight)
The power felt… right. Like the System had finally stopped pretending and handed him the cheat code.
Before he could close the window, new notifications flooded in.
[You have 14 unclaimed World Boss loot orbs from Grom the Butcher!]
[You have absorbed Park Ji-han's inventory: 1x Legendary Hunter Coat, 47x Health Potions, 12x Mana Potions, 3x Rare Skill Books.]
Min-joon didn't hesitate. He equipped the Legendary Hunter Coat. Black fabric with faint gold threading materialized over his shoulders, repairing itself to fit his frame perfectly. The coat's passive effect popped up:
**Legendary Hunter Coat (Legendary)**
+30% movement speed in urban terrain
+15% damage reduction against projectile skills
Auto-repair (Nexus Overlord enhanced)
"Better," he muttered.
He tossed one of the Rare Skill Books to Lee Seo-yoon without looking. "Consider it payment for the assist. Don't die on me yet."
She caught it mid-air, eyes widening as she read the title. **Blade Phantom Step (Rare)**. A movement skill that would turn her into a ghost on the battlefield. "You're really just giving this away?"
Min-joon shrugged. "Allies get stronger. Enemies get dead. Simple math."
She activated it instantly. A faint blue afterimage flickered around her boots. "I'm starting to like your math."
That was when the first group arrived.
Six players burst out of a side alley, all Level 8 to 11, armed with scavenged weapons and desperate eyes. Their leader—a bulky man in a torn construction vest—pointed a steel pipe wrapped in rebar straight at Min-joon.
"Hand over the shards and the coat, freak! The System quest is worth more than your life!"
Min-joon didn't even draw his sword.
He activated **Overlord's Descent**.
The world slowed. His stats tripled again.
**Strength: 38 → 114**
**Agility: 29 → 87**
He blurred forward, coat flapping like a war banner. The greatsword wasn't even fully drawn when he shoulder-checked the leader. The man flew thirty meters and smashed through a concrete wall like a cannonball.
-1,920 HP (Fatal!)
The rest of the group froze for half a second—long enough.
Min-joon's sword sang out of its sheath in a black-and-gold arc. Three heads left shoulders before the System could finish displaying the damage numbers. Blood painted the street in perfect crimson lines.
[You have killed 3 players attempting to claim the bounty!]
[You have gained 1,240 EXP!]
[Level Up!]
[You are now Level 18!]
Five points. Straight into Wisdom. He needed better mana management for the bigger fights coming.
Lee Seo-yoon appeared beside him like a phantom, her new skill already online. Her blades carved through the remaining three players in a spinning dance of death. She didn't even break a sweat.
"Six down," she said, flicking blood off her swords. "And the real ones haven't even shown up yet."
She was right.
The ground trembled. A black SUV—reinforced with System metal plates—screeched around the corner. Four more players jumped out, all Level 13+. Behind them, a man built like a walking tank stepped forward. Muscles straining against a torn hoodie, a massive tower shield strapped to his back.
**Choi Tae-sung**
Level 14
Class: Iron Wall Guardian (Rare)
Title: None
The man grinned, showing perfect white teeth despite the apocalypse. "Yo! You the Overlord guy everyone's freaking out about? Name's Choi Tae-sung. Former pro gamer, now professional meat shield. Heard you killed that pretty-boy Ji-han. Respect."
Min-joon narrowed his eyes. The man's aura was loud, cocky… but not hostile. Yet.
"And?" Min-joon asked, sword still dripping.
"And I hate bullies," Tae-sung replied, slamming his shield into the ground hard enough to crack the asphalt. "Those other idiots chasing you? They're just farming the quest. Me? I wanna see what a real monster looks like up close. Mind if I tag along? I tank, you smash. Win-win."
Lee Seo-yoon raised an eyebrow at Min-joon. "He's either brave or suicidal."
Min-joon scanned the man's stats with his Overlord Authority. Solid defense. High vitality. Perfect for what was coming.
"Fine," he said. "Stay alive for ten minutes and you're in. Die and I loot your shield."
Tae-sung laughed like it was the best joke he'd heard all day. "Deal, boss!"
More footsteps. Dozens this time. A guild group—twenty players strong—rounded the opposite block. Their leader wore a blood-red cloak and carried a glowing scythe.
**Im Dong-wook**
Level 15
Class: Blood Reaper (Epic)
Title: Guild Master of Crimson Fang
He stopped fifty meters away, eyes gleaming with greed. "Kang Min-joon. The System flagged you as Threat Level 1. My guild gets triple EXP for bringing your head. Surrender the shards and I'll make it painless."
Min-joon's inner voice turned to ice.
*First real guild. First real test. Good. Let's see how many I can steal before breakfast.*
He cracked his neck once. "Painless? Cute offer."
**Overlord's Descent** was still active. He blurred across the distance in a single leap, greatsword leading. Im Dong-wook swung his scythe in a crimson arc, but Min-joon was already inside his guard. The sword smashed down.
-2,840 HP (Critical!)
The guild master staggered. His guild members roared and charged.
Lee Seo-yoon and Choi Tae-sung moved like they had trained together for years. She became a phantom whirlwind, blades reaping legs and throats. Tae-sung planted his shield and bellowed, drawing every aggro skill like a magnet.
"COME AT ME, YOU PIXEL-BRAINED NOOBS!" he roared, voice carrying across the battlefield.
Min-joon carved through the front line like a storm. Every swing stole lives and EXP. Notifications flooded his vision so fast they blurred.
[You have killed Player…]
[Level Up!]
[You are now Level 19!]
[You are now Level 20!]
Ten more points. He dumped them all into Strength. The sword grew heavier, deadlier in his grip.
Im Dong-wook activated his trump card.
**Blood Reaper's Harvest!**
Crimson chains exploded from the ground, wrapping around Min-joon's arms and legs, draining HP directly into the guild master.
-340 HP per second
Min-joon laughed—cold, low, terrifying.
[Dimensional Theft (Lv.1) – Target Acquired: Im Dong-wook]
[Stealing one random skill…]
[Success! Rarity upgraded!]
[You have stolen "Blood Reaper's Harvest" (Epic → Overlord Variant)!]
[New Skill: Overlord's Dominion Drain (Lv.1)]
[Effect: Drain 15% of all nearby enemies' HP every 5 seconds and convert to your own. Range: 30 meters. No cooldown while Overlord's Descent is active.]
The chains shattered. Red energy reversed direction, flooding into Min-joon. Im Dong-wook's eyes widened in horror as his own HP bar plummeted.
Min-joon stepped forward, sword raised.
"You picked the wrong guy to hunt."
The greatsword flashed once.
Im Dong-wook's head rolled across the asphalt.
[You have killed Guild Master Im Dong-wook!]
[You have gained 5,600 EXP!]
[Level Up!]
[You are now Level 22!]
[Guild "Crimson Fang" has been disbanded by System decree! All remaining members marked as deserters.]
The surviving guild members turned and ran.
Min-joon didn't chase. He let them go. Let the fear spread.
Choi Tae-sung lowered his shield, breathing hard but grinning like a maniac. "Holy shit, boss. That was insane. You just one-shot an entire guild!"
Lee Seo-yoon wiped her blades, eyes shining with something new—loyalty. "He's not just strong. He's rewriting the rules."
Min-joon sheathed the greatsword. The coat settled around him like a second skin. The red Nexus authority burned brighter than ever in his chest.
But the sky was cracking again.
Larger this time. Multiple rifts opening at once. Not just Seoul players anymore. Foreign names started appearing in the distance—Japanese, Chinese, even a few European hunter tags. The multiverse had noticed.
[Global Announcement – Worldwide!]
[First Overlord Candidate has eliminated a full guild in under five minutes!]
[Nexus Hub attention level increased!]
[New Quest for all players: "Eliminate the Seoul Anomaly"]
[Reward: One free Legendary class upgrade ticket]
Min-joon looked up, eyes glowing red.
"More coming," he said quietly. "Good."
He turned to his two new companions—Lee Seo-yoon and Choi Tae-sung.
"First hunt is over. Now we start the real game."
A new portal ripped open directly in front of them, this one pulsing with purple energy. A single line of text appeared only for Min-joon.
[Hidden Nexus Quest Generated: Enter the First Dimensional Rift]
[Reward: Overlord Class Fragment + 10,000 EXP + Mystery Companion Slot Unlock]
[Warning: Failure = Permanent death of all allies within 100 meters]
Min-joon gripped the hilt of his sword tighter.
The rift beckoned like an open mouth.
He took one step forward.
"Try to keep up."