Downtown Seoul.

A neatly suited employee handed a file to the man seated at the table.

“I think we’ve found him.”

The man who received the file was Gu Bonseung. Guild leader of the Babylun Guild, and Rank 21 on the world Ranking.

Gu Bonseung opened the file and narrowed his eyes as he read.

[Ha Gangwoo]

Player Grade: L

Level: 100 (estimated)

Trait: Demonfolk lineage (estimated)

……..

…..

….

.

The document contained information about one man.

Most of it was speculation,

“Interesting.”

But the photos and video clips attached lent credibility to the uncertain data.

Gu Bonseung seemed pleased with the material. A chilling smile touched his lips.

“Looks like we really did find him.”

For a moment, a faint green light flickered in Gu Bonseung’s eyes.

“Handle it cleanly.”

“Understood.”

No sooner had Gu Bonseung finished speaking than the employee stepped out the door. Alone in the office, Gu Bonseung gazed outside.

The fierce sun rose over a blue sky—a peaceful cityscape.

But none of that scenery registered in Gu Bonseung’s sight.

*Samyun’s side is starting to move, and the old man’s surfaced too. There’s no time. I need to find *that person* as fast as possible.*

A fierce green light rippled in Gu Bonseung’s pupils, as if he were yearning desperately for someone.

***

In the silent center of My Room.

Ha Gangwoo sat on the soft bed, staring at his phone.

[Emily Nancy]

Resurrection Skill – Related Information

-This information must not leak outside. Please be cautious. I’ll await your contact.

“I’ll have to pay this back for sure.”

The file Emily Nancy sent contained far more valuable information than he’d expected.

Especially the past atrocities committed by Players—and the reason they craved a Resurrection skill.

Among it all, the details about Untake were what really hooked him.

‘To think there was a connection…’

Untake.

An institution in charge of monster corpses, said to have conducted all kinds of experiments.

The crystallization of those experiments, their so-called magnum opus, was—

“Lee Ayeon, is it…”

An artificial lifeform named Lee Ayeon.

Honestly, he still couldn’t believe it.

Wasn’t Lee Ayeon someone he’d met face-to-face and talked with?

Unsettling as it was, her gestures, her speech—all of it was just like an ordinary person.

But to think she was a lifeform artificially created by an institution.

Ha Gangwoo made up his mind and began tapping at his phone.

Ding-

[Message sent.]

‘Was I too late replying?’

After sending the message, Ha Gangwoo stood up.

Then he turned to Mimic, who was sitting in the center of My Room, fiddling with something and eating it.

“Let’s go.”

Now, after a full seven days of setup, he needed to confirm just how much his combat power had increased.

“Yes!”

Ha Gangwoo and Mimic stepped toward the Gate blazing fiercely in the center of the training room.

***

*Kiiiiik-*

The massive door swung open with a grating screech. Then Lee Ayeon stepped inside.

“You’re finally here!”

Like a child, Lee Ayeon hopped forward across the room.

At once, a fragrant floral scent filled the air. *Shhhk*—a soft, plush flower bed enveloped her surroundings.

Though indoors, the space was lush with blooming flowers.

An alien yet dreamlike place.

As if searching for someone, Lee Ayeon pushed through the flower field toward the center.

And there, she found it.

*Crunch! Crunch-*

At the heart of the splendid flower bed.

A slender woman was tearing into something and eating it.

A massive monster, charred black, screaming in agony.

The slender woman was chewing on the monster.

Its upper body was already half-devoured.

Sight alone was enough to make one’s skin crawl, but Lee Ayeon’s face was filled with nothing but joy.

“Jia! You finally contacted me!”

Lee Ayeon looked as giddy as a kid heading off on a field trip.

“That guy I told you about! The one who completely ruined my grandfather’s plan!”

Ayeon grabbed the woman’s hand — the one that was tearing into a monster’s corpse with a wet crunch.

Black blood from the woman’s grip smeared across Ayeon’s fair skin.

But Ayeon didn’t care. She pressed on.

“Just wait a little longer. I’ll definitely bring you back.”

Ayeon kept talking in that cryptic way, and then—

Ding-ri-ri-ri-ri-ri— a phone call put an end to the conversation.

“Oh! It’s Grandpa. Hang on, I’ll be right back!”

With a face full of excitement, Ayeon hurried into the building swallowed by darkness.

***

Ding-

[You have entered the Forest of Lament.]

Sshhhhh—

Cold rain from the dark sky soaked his body.

Ha Gangwoo stepped onto the muddy ground and narrowed his eyes.

‘What the hell.’

He could feel it.

The Forest of Lament.

Hadn’t Ru been hunting here, dragging the Ruin Constructs along?

By all rights, the monsters around the Gate should’ve been wiped out.

But the number of monsters he felt now told him one thing.

“It’s just like before.”

The monsters that had been here when he first entered the Forest of Lament — the presence he felt now was exactly the same as back then.

That made Gangwoo grin.

‘Resets after a set amount of time, huh.’

He’d originally planned to close the Gate with this hunt, but who knew it had a feature like this.

If he used it right, there was no better place to raise the Ruin Constructs.

Gangwoo moved immediately.

“Mimic, get it.”

First, he needed to check Mimic’s growth.

No sooner had the words left Gangwoo’s mouth—

“Yes!”

—than Mimic’s small feet kicked off the wet ground and launched her forward.

Whoosh—

A simple movement.

‘Fast.’

Gangwoo marveled at Mimic’s speed and followed right behind her.

Mimic couldn’t possess more than 75% of his own Stats — that was certain.

But even just chasing after her was a strain, and the moment he thought he’d caught up, he couldn’t help but be amazed.

“Crazy.”

Thwack — Skreeeek!

Ding-

[You have defeated a Forest of Lament Lizardman.]

[You gain 150,000 EXP!!]

[You have gained an additional 300,000 EXP due to the Perk effect.]

[You have gained an additional 150,000 EXP due to the Aura of Growth effect.]

[You have defeated a Forest of Lament Lizardman.]

[You gain 150,000 EXP!!]

[You have gained an additional 300,000 EXP due to the Perk effect.]

[You have gained an additional 150,000 EXP due to the Aura of Growth effect.]

……..

…..

….

.

He’d lost sight of Mimic for thirty seconds at most.

In that brief instant, Mimic had butchered thirty Lizard Men.

Each Lizard Man Mimic faced was at least level 100 — comparable to a B-Rank Monster.

Even most max-level Players would hesitate before thirty Lizard Men, yet she carved through them like they were F-Rank fodder.

“The gear really does carry.”

Ha Gangwoo watched Mimic and curled the corner of his mouth.

A greenish light shimmered around Mimic’s body.

[Ruin-Imbued Rainbow Dagger]

Grade: L

Crafted by: Violet

Durability: 610/610

Attack Power: 1520

Strength: +510

Agility: +600

Vitality: +410

Mana: +450

Description: A masterpiece by the Legendary Blacksmith, Violet. It channels the power of Rainbow, spoken of only in legends.

Effects

-Grants a random Rainbow Buff. (Duration: 1 minute)

-Mana is replaced by the energy of Ruin.

*Rainbow Buff

-Red: Attack Power +100%.

-Orange: Skill Attack Power +100%.

-Yellow: Movement Speed +100%.

-Green: HP/MP Recovery +100%.

-Blue: All Status +100%.

-Indigo: All stats +100%.

-Violet: Random Rainbow Buffs stack.

It was all thanks to the L-Grade weapon he’d given Mimic.

Its stats easily surpassed his own main weapon, Barzel’s Appetite.

And the attached Rainbow Buff outperformed most S-Rank class buffs.

He knew it was good, but he hadn’t expected this level of amplification.

“Whoa… this is awesome!”

Mimic seemed to sense the dagger’s brokenness too — she stared wide-eyed, amazed.

She looked ready to spring off the ground and charge any second.

So Gangwoo spoke up at once.

“Good work. For now, get to school.”

“Huh? But I wanna fight more…”

Of course Mimic was reluctant, but Gangwoo had no choice.

Mimic’s enrollment was a law set by the Association. Breaking it would definitely bring consequences.

At Gangwoo’s command, Mimic fidgeted with the dagger, looking disappointed.

But Gangwoo remained firm and repeated himself.

“No. Go to the Academy for now. I’ll let you fight all you want starting tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Mimic trudged into the forest, dejected, and soon her presence vanished from the Forest of Lament.

Once Gangwoo confirmed she was gone, he moved immediately.

-All of you, come to me.

Ding-

[You have issued a command to the Ruin Constructs.]

At Gangwoo’s order, the eight Ruin Constructs strode forward.

The item he’d given Mimic was only a single piece.

Of course, it was a masterpiece poured with the finest materials and care — but the setup Gangwoo had invested the most effort into all along was Ru.

Ding-

[Ru][Equipment Window]

Weapon: Severing Longsword:破

Weapon: Salamute:破

Helm: Wailing Armor Helm:破

Top: Wailing Armor Top:破

Bottom: Wailing Armor Bottom:破

Belt: Wailing Armor Belt:破

Shoes: Wailing Armor Shoes:破

Necklace:

Ring:

Ring:

Ring:

Bracelet:

Bracelet:

Ru’s equipment set was fully kitted out, save for the accessory slots.

Just the Gold sunk into that loadout? Ten billion Gold.

A mountain of coin, sure—but the results were more than satisfying.

[Ru]

Grade: D

Type: Ruin Construct

Level: 95

HP: 8780/8780

MP: 662/662

Strength: 250(+642)

Agility: 80(+556)

Vitality: 168(+710)

Mana: 50(+612)

Sense: 70(+140)

Luck: 70(+140)

Even the raw Stat gains alone were insane—but that wasn’t what had Ha Gangwoo this hyped.

[Severing Longsword:破]

Effects

-10% chance to generate an Orb of Ruin on attack.

[Weapon: Salamute:破]

-17% chance to generate an Orb of Ruin on attack.

[Helm: Wailing Armor Helm:破]

-23% chance to generate an Orb of Ruin on attack.

……..

…..

….

.

It was all because of the effects these items carried.

Almost as if they were tailor-made for Ru.

What kind of synergy would she show?

Ha Gangwoo immediately gave Ru her order.

-Ru. Kill every monster around here.

Ding-

[You have issued a command to your Ruin Construct.]

The moment the command left his mouth, Ru’s small hand closed around the longsword’s hilt. Pat—she shot into the forest.

Had ten minutes passed?

Ding-

[You have defeated a Forest of Lament Lizardman.]

[You gain 150,000 EXP!!]

[You gain an additional 300,000 EXP from the Perk effect.]

[You gain an additional 75,000 EXP from the Aura of Growth effect.]

……..

…..

….

.

The System windows flooded Ha Gangwoo’s ears like a maddening cascade. And then—

[Ruin Construct: Red’s level has increased!!!]

[Ruin Construct: Orange’s level has increased!!!]

[Ruin Construct: Yellow’s level has increased!!!]

……..

…..

….

.

The Ruin Constructs standing around Ha Gangwoo began to stretch and grow — a slow, steady expansion.

***

Center of the training ground, packed with fine earth.

“Free time today.”

Before the academy instructor’s words had even finished, smiles bloomed across the children’s faces.

“Anyone up for sparring!”

“Hey! How long’s it been since we got free time? Let’s go play soccer.”

The academy was a place only for Awakened children — which meant most of life here was repressed.

So free time? Of course everyone was ecstatic.

“Hmm…”

But Mik’s expression stayed flat.

It was her Sense Stat that told her.

No matter what sport she played with those kids, it would be boring.

So she gave up on running around, plopped down onto the ground, and started watching something else.

An ant smaller than her own thumbnail. Moving in a single-file line toward somewhere.

‘What’s it doing?’

Mimic was tilting her head at the ant when —

Crunch!

A small foot began ruthlessly grinding the ant she’d been watching into the dirt.

Mimic lifted her head slowly, gaze tracking up to the owner of those small feet.

“Hey! You—come with me!”

The sharp, ringing voice lingered in Mimic’s ears.

The feet belonged to Kim Yuna, a classmate—an elite student who’d placed just below Mimic in the entrance exams.

Two other students flanked Yuna, staring at Mimic as if she were beneath notice.

“Why?”

Mimic tilted her small head at the sudden command, puzzled.

“No backtalk. Just follow. Unless you want to die.”

Yuna’s voice was a low, coercive murmur.

Watching Yuna’s receding back, a flicker of curiosity stirred in Mimic.

‘Why is she calling me?’

A month into school life.

For reasons she couldn’t grasp, she had no friends. Every classmate kept their distance, walling her out.

And today—for the first time—someone had noticed her.

With an innocent expression, Mimic trotted after Yuna, her small steps pattering on the concrete.

Their destination: the alley behind the gymnasium.

Yuna stopped dead, then fixed Mimic with a spiteful glare through narrowed eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

Mimic asked, her heart fluttering with excitement, but the answer that came back was cold.

“Ugh, could you back off a bit? You stink.”

“Huh? Oh. Okay.”

When Mimic stepped back at Kim Yuna’s words, Kim Yuna scrunched her brow in annoyance, as if Mimic’s very presence grated on her.

“Oh my, look at her. Acting all innocent.”

She strode right up to Mimic, then looked at her face with a contemptuous glare.

“Ugh, I’m gonna die from all this filth.”

Mimic was indeed a mess.

She’d just come from rampaging through a mud-soaked Gate, after all.

But from a classmate’s perspective, Mimic looked like a total beggar.

“Why are you spreading rumors around?”

That was when Kim Yuna finally began to recite why she’d called Mimic out.

“Rumors?”

“I heard you spread rumors that you ranked first. And that your dad is an L-Grade Player? You should know where to draw the line with your lies!”

Kim Yuna simply couldn’t stand Mimic’s existence.

The way she dressed, the way she acted — and this insignificant thing had the nerve to be the one who beat her to first place.

Kim Yuna spread her small palm and thrust it toward Mimic’s shoulder, intending to shove her.

But *whoosh* — Kim Yuna’s hand sliced through empty air, and losing her balance, she tumbled to the ground.

“Ow-ow…”

Kim Yuna looked at her palm, scraped raw by the sand. Her face twisted into something ugly.

“How—how dare you, you little beggar!”

*Rumble-*

Faint Mana writhed around Kim Yuna’s body.

Maybe that was what it meant to be second place at enrollment. For her age, it was an immense talent.

“?”

Mimic didn’t understand why Kim Yuna was angry — but one thing was clear.

The little girl in front of her was hostile, and that hostility was aimed at her.

Kim Yuna’s palm, now charged with Mana, flew toward Mimic’s cheek.

In that instant, Mimic’s gaze went cold.

—Give and take.

What you receive, you return.

And so Mimic’s little hand twitched.

But just then.

—You can’t bully the weak.

A girl’s voice echoed through Mimic’s mind.

Mimic’s movement halted. *Crack!* Kim Yuna’s palm slammed into Mimic’s cheek.

“KYAAAAAAK!”

But it was Kim Yuna who screamed.

“It hurts! It hurts!”

She had put all her strength into that blow — Mana and all.

And it had rebounded straight off the System’s protection guarding Mimic’s body.

“Yuna, what’s wrong?”

One of Kim Yuna’s friends asked, worried. Kim Yuna ground her teeth and wailed.

“Don’t just stand there watching — do something!”

At that screeching cry, the other girls stepped forward.

The quiet alley behind the gym hummed with a tension that could snap at any moment.

But just then.

“My, my. Our students certainly have bright futures ahead of them.”

A clear voice rang out from atop the wall.

“Huh?!”

Kim Yuna’s friends, rattled, shifted their gaze to the source of the voice. And there they saw him.

A boy, about their height.

“And who the hell are you!”

Spotting him, Kim Yuna bellowed and spread her palm.

*Vwoom-*

A faint blue Condensed Entity flickered into being.

“Oh~!”

The boy saw it and lifted the corner of his mouth, intrigued.

Kim Yuna hurled the Condensed Entity with all her might.

In an instant, a fierce mass of Mana tore through the air — *Thwack!* — and exploded on impact.

“Huh?!”

Kim Yuna stared at where the boy had been, unable to close her mouth.

It was because the boy who had stood there only moments ago had vanished like a breath, leaving no trace behind.

And as Yuna stared at the empty ground, frozen in confusion—

“So you’re the one.”

The boy’s voice came from behind her.

That insufferable kid was looking at Mimic’s face and grinning, smirking.

Crack—

Yuna was already irritated with Mimic.

In that instant, rage flooded her, numbing her reason.

“Hey, you—”

A curse too harsh for a child’s mouth was about to slip out—

Shiiink—

And then a massive shadow rose before the boy and Mimic.

Even at a glance, it was a giant well over two meters tall.

“Whoa…”

Yuna and her friends froze in terror at the sight of the giant.

That object of their fear knelt before the boy and spoke slowly.

“President. I’ll handle this. Just go on in.”

That’s right. The boy’s true identity was none other than the President of the Hunter Association.

The hero who had saved humanity.