“What the hell is this! Min-ah!!!!”

Thud!

A man pounded against the transparent barrier with all his strength.

Thud! Thud!

Despite his desperate struggle, the membrane remained utterly intact.

“When are the Hunters coming!”

“Dad!!! Someone help us!!!”

A scene of pandemonium. This was the world outside where the Field had been generated.

“Where did everyone disappear to!”

“No way! Are you saying the Monsters have already shown up?”

“Shit! Don’t jinx it!”

The people outside the barrier stared inward, their faces twisted in dismay.

There had clearly been hundreds of people inside that barrier just moments ago.

All of them had been pounding on the wall, their desperate gazes begging for help.

But at some point, the people’s figures had vanished.

As if they had been abducted by someone.

“Has something already happened?”

People fidgeted anxiously, thinking of their families trapped inside.

And then—

“The Association is here. It’s dangerous. Back away as far as you can.”

Polished armor. Bladed weapons.

Association employees and dozens of Players from various guilds emerged into view.

Those swallowed by despair rushed toward the Players in desperation.

“My brother’s in there! Please, help him!”

“My friend’s trapped too! The phone won’t go through—do something!”

Cries for help erupted from every direction. They knew, too.

Once a Field was generated, there was no way to break through. But still, they begged.

Their only hope was the superhuman beings who had just arrived at the scene: the Players.

At the center of the commotion,

a woman who had been put in charge of this Field stepped forward.

Her face was expressionless, her hair a neat bob. She looked young, but the moment she opened her mouth, people fell silent and focused on her words.

“There’s no way to break through the field. Survival rate inside it is under 20%. Don’t get your hopes up.”

A verdict delivered with clinical, fact-based finality.

People froze, their faces blank for an instant before they clamped their mouths shut.

They realized that no matter how much they threw a fit, nothing would change.

The woman in charge turned on her heel, leaving behind the people who had slumped to the ground in despair.

“Still, I’ll do my best.”

She left those low-spoken last words behind and began to walk.

‘Of all places, a field…’

The woman in charge was none other than Seo Hyorin.

Her expression was always calm and dry. But not now.

As if recalling something, her eyes chilled over, and she bit down hard on her pretty lips.

It was at that moment—when Seo Hyorin stood there, fury simmering as she watched the barrier.

“Sunbae, don’t you think that’s going too far?”

Chae Hanseon, Hyorin’s direct junior at the Association, spoke up.

Seo Hyorin tightened her grip on the object in her hand and murmured low.

“I didn’t come here to offer empty words of comfort.”

“……”

With those words left hanging, Seo Hyorin began to erupt—a furious roar of Mana pouring out of her.

“Ugh!”

Chae Hanseon staggered back from the wave of searing heat, her face twisting.

And she could see it.

There was Seo Hyorin, her brow furrowed in a terrifying scowl, teeth grinding.

‘Sunbae being *this* angry?’

Chae Hanseon knew Seo Hyorin well. She’d been watching her for over a year now.

But she had never seen her this furious before.

Was there some kind of history tied to this field?

Chae Hanseon just stood there, dazed, watching Hyorin’s rampage.

About ten minutes passed.

Whoosh—

“Whoa! She’s got some serious power.”

The Players winced against the intense heat.

“Is that woman an idiot? How the hell is she gonna break the field?”

They were guild-affiliated Players, waiting for the field to fully form.

“But hey, who is she? That skill’s output is insane.”

“Don’t you know? Just look at her Trait—it’s obvious. She’s that Player, the one Cha Yuseong talked about, right?”

“Ah! Seo Hyorin? The one picked as this year’s top prospect? No wonder she’s getting attention. Someone who didn’t know better would actually think she could punch through the field.”

They were heavily armed, and as they watched Hyorin hammering at the barrier, they mocked her.

And it made sense—the field was an absolute barrier, unbreakable.

They knew all too well that no matter how much she struggled, it was a pointless act.

“If you don’t know what you’re talking about, just shut up!”

Unable to bear the mockery any longer, Chae Hanseon snapped, shouting at the men.

“What the hell?! This bitch.”

“What?! Bitch? Did you eat a rag for breakfast?”

“What?! Rag?!”

And so the pointless argument between the men and Chae Hanseon dragged on—until that moment.

“If you want to fight, just clock out and go home.”

A woman’s resonant voice stopped them in their tracks.

*Crack—*

The man, already boiling over from Hanseon’s words, roared back.

“Ah… fuck. Why the hell are all the crazy bitches coming out today? ……”

He swiveled his head, shouting, toward the source of the voice—and then snapped his mouth shut.

“M-Ms. Emily Nancy…”

The owner of that voice was none other than the world’s top-ranked female Player, Rank 9—Emily Nancy.

“You’ve got quite a mouth on you, don’t you?”

Emily Nancy tilted her head with a bright smile aimed at the man.

Her tone was perfectly businesslike and polite, but—

“I-I’m sorry!”

The man immediately dropped to his knees and prostrated himself in apology.

Rumor had it that Emily’s vendettas were relentless enough to end a Player’s career.

But that apology already seemed like a lost cause.

“Ah, Kim Guseong Player from Cora Guild. I’ll make a note of that.”

The man’s identity had already been laid bare.

“Ah…”

The man watched helplessly as Emily Nancy walked away, while Emily Nancy jotted down his details on her phone, taking in the scene before her.

*Whoosh—*

A woman wreathed in fierce flames.

Behind her, the legendary Fire Spirit King was burning everything to ash.

‘So she has that side to her.’

Emily saw that version of Seo Hyorin and *grinned—* her lips curling up.

For the ever-cold, always-rational Seo Hyorin to show such recklessness.

‘Not bad.’

Emily Nancy felt a spark of interest in Seo Hyorin as she walked slowly closer, then— *Thump—* she grabbed Seo Hyorin’s shoulder as the latter hammered on the barrier.

“Huh?!”

Seo Hyorin flinched in surprise and turned to look at Emily, who then murmured in a low voice.

“That won’t break it. Let me show you.”

No sooner had those short words ended than *Hwooom—* a surge of intense Mana began to writhe within Emily Nancy’s grip.

***

“Aaaagh!”

“W-What do we do now…”

By the window of the two-story building.

People peering outside stared straight ahead, their faces twisted in terror.

The man who’d blustered about trusting him now lay crushed and mangled, rolling across the ground.

*Squelch—*

A Monster stood planted there, stepping through the man’s blood.

“What the hell… is that…”

It was a Monster of a form they’d never seen before.

Its shape was eerily close to human, but one look at its face made it clear.

Sharp teeth that evoked a *dokkaebi*, and violet-gleaming eyes that seemed to have lost all reason.

This Monster that had just appeared was a high-grade one.

That was the moment people, on the brink of despair, began to well up with hopeless tears.

*Slowly—*

That dokkaebi-like Monster turned its gaze toward the second floor of the building where the people were gathered.

*Flinch!!!*

Those who met the Monster’s eyes quickly dropped to the floor.

But—

*Grin—*

The Monster smiled a chillingly wide smile, then— *Stomp—* *stomp—* it began walking toward the building full of people.

*Thump—* *thump—* *thump—*

The people, who had fallen into despair, snapped back to alertness at that sight.

And then only one thought circled in their minds.

—Run!!!!

Get out of this building right now, run and survive!

“Fuck! Run!!!!”

“Somebody save me!”

Inside the second-floor building, where hope had briefly flickered, screams and cries of despair now echoed.

Meanwhile.

“Already… taken down…”

Chae Seohyun set the child in her arms down on the floor and turned to look behind her.

The man she’d asked to hold on for just a moment hadn’t lasted a single second. He lay crumpled on the ground.

From his shoulders down to his waist, his flesh was torn open.

If she left him like this, his life would be cut short in moments.

So Chae Seohyun made her decision immediately.

‘No choice.’

She’d wanted to move the kid somewhere safe first, but there was no time.

Chae Seohyun grabbed the child’s shoulders — the little one was staring at her halo with sparkling eyes, going “Whoa~! What’s this?” — and locked eyes with him.

“Run as far as you can!”

“Huh? Why should I run?”

The kid didn’t seem to understand, but Chae Seohyun had no choice but to rise to her feet.

She spread her palm toward his face.

Ding-

[Brace’s Blessing has been activated.]

Wooong — a golden aura enveloped the child’s body.

A barrier that could block around 4,000 points of Damage.

It was enough to survive about three monster attacks — the best she could manage.

“Whoa~! What’s this?”

The kid stared at the barrier with wonder, holding up both hands to look at it.

Chae Seohyun thrust her hand into the air and pulled out a weapon.

Ding-

[Grimoire of Lament has been equipped.]

‘Should’ve brought it if I knew this would happen.’

Her main weapon was with the repair shop for Enchant work — she grimaced.

Weapon in hand, Chae Seohyun stared straight ahead.

Thud-

The monster that had emerged from the Gate, for better or worse, wasn’t interested in her.

Its attention was on —

“Civilians.”

A building full of people.

If she let it go, hundreds would be torn apart and die horribly at that monster’s hands.

‘What do I do.’

She had to choose.

Stop the monster — or save the dying man.

Her expression hardened coldly.

‘Save him.’

Decision made.

The monster was leisurely.

It knew it was the apex predator here.

So its movements were slow. It looked like it would take about five minutes to reach the building full of people.

“Are you okay?”

Chae Seohyun secured the man whose body was chilling rapidly.

Splatter-

Black blood soaked the floor in a gruesome pool.

“Haaah…”

Judging by his breathing and the blood he’d lost, the man had less than a minute left.

Chae Seohyun immediately gathered her Mana and channeled it into his body.

Ding-

[Michael’s Blessing settles into Kim Daeseong’s body.]

The moment golden light infused his flesh —

Shhhk — the torn tissue began knitting itself back together.

“Haaah…”

His breathing improved at once.

Everything seemed to be going according to plan.

But that was the moment.

Slosh!

The monster, which had been walking toward the people, stopped abruptly.

Grrrrrr-

Then it turned its head and stared straight at where Chae Seohyun and Kim Daeseong stood.

‘So it really is a high-ranking monster.’

Only monsters with high intelligence behaved this way — the Aggro had snapped to her healing skill.

Thump-thump.

Seohyun watched the monster lumber toward her, her brow furrowing.

“Haa-ahh.”

The man’s breathing had steadied. The shredded flesh had fully knitted back together.

But it wasn’t enough yet.

Just one more minute and he’d be fully lucid.

If she could layer her Buffs on top of his full combat power, this monster in front of them would be nothing.

‘I’ll heal him.’

So she made the reckless call: push the man’s recovery at all costs.

The moment Seohyun poured everything into healing him —

Slosh! Slosh!

The monster reached her side.

Its three-meter frame loomed over Seohyun and Daeseong, staring down at them like they were nothing.

‘Ten seconds! Nine!’

Seohyun pushed her last surge of power, maintaining the skill. But the monster didn’t give her the time.

With a slow, deliberate motion —

It raised its razor-sharp claws high into the air, lips curling into a ghastly smile.

‘Just a little more.’

That was the instant the monster’s claws were about to descend on Seohyun’s slender neck —

Whoosh! CLANG!!!!

A sharp blade slammed into the monster’s shoulder.

Slowly —

The monster’s violet eyes tracked the source of the flying blade.

“Aaaghh!!!”

There stood a small boy.

He collapsed onto the ground, trembling as if terrified of the monster.

‘Shit. Should’ve just run.’

That boy was Yoo Junsik.

Junsik had always been confident.

His loser school life had flipped the moment he Awakened.

Friends looked up to him; teachers bowed out of his way.

And so he’d grown arrogant.

He’d believed he was superior, that he’d grow stronger than anyone and aim for the Rankers.

But right now, in this moment, Junsik understood.

He was just one of thousands of Awakeners — a middle schooler shaking in his shoes at a single monster.

Slosh-

Junsik trembled as he watched the monster approach.

‘Run!’

His mind knew: Run now. Sprint.

‘What the hell am I doing?!’

But his body wouldn’t move. Paralyzed by pure terror.

In that moment of hesitation, the monster was already right in front of him.

The stench of blood and rotting filth hit Junsik’s nostrils.

‘I’m going to die! Die! Die! Die! Die!’

One image flashed through his mind.

The image of a man standing confidently before the Gate, only to be brutally torn apart by a monster’s claws.

If he stayed still, he’d end up just as dead.

“KyaaAAAA!!!!”

As if snapping back to his senses, Yoo Junsik lashed out—blades streaming toward the monster in a fluid arc.

Shing-shing-shing—

Dozens of blades burst from his body like a hedgehog’s quills.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Those razor-sharp edges hammered the monster’s hide like buckshot.

Crack—

But the blades shattered pitifully, crumbling into nothing.

“Huh?!”

And then he saw it.

A sharp blade already arcing straight for his head.

Junsik stared blankly at the blade that would carve him apart.

‘What a fucking joke.’

He thought it was all over.

But in that instant—

“HUNTING TIME!!!”

A sharp, ringing voice cut through—

Whoosh—

And a blaze of violent fire engulfed the monster’s body.

“Huh?!”

Junsik slumped to the ground, then lifted his head. That’s when he realized.

“Whoa~! We won.”

He was relieved by the laugh of the kid who had seemed so terrifying just moments ago.

And so, inside that field choked with despair, a flame of hope roared back to life.