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Chapter 12: Whispers of the Black Gate

  Daesong City – Evening

  Daesong City buzzed in twilight, its skyline a blend of glass towers and glowing signs. In a quiet high-rise apartment, the sound of running water echoed softly.

  Seraphine’s Apartment – Bathroom

  Warm steam clung to the walls as Seraphine leaned back in the bath, golden hair draping over the edge like molten sunlight. Her limbs floated loosely in the water, tension melting away—until her phone buzzed.

  Buzz. Buzz.

  Without opening her eyes, she tapped the speaker button.

  Elira’s voice chimed in, smooth and teasing.

  “Yoh~ Just wanted to thank the guy who saved my friend.”

  Seraphine cracked an eye open. “…Who?”

  “Ryo. Tall, sharp eyes, that kind of mysterious ‘don’t-talk-to-me’ aura. You know, your type.”

  Her brows furrowed faintly. “You met him?”

  “In an alley, of all places. Unexpected, right?”

  A pause. Then Elira added with a soft laugh,

  “He’s really handsome up close. Like, unfairly so. It was hard to focus on what I was saying.”

  Seraphine sat up slightly in the tub, splashing water over the edge. “Tch. He’s not that special.”

  “You sure?” Elira teased. “He remembered your name. Said it in that low voice of his, like it actually mattered.”

  Seraphine's mouth opened, but no words came out.

  “Oh, and guess where I am now? Daesong City.”

  “…You’re not in Brightport?”

  “Nope. Took a trip out. Funny, right? World’s big, and yet I bump into your mystery man.”

  Seraphine stared blankly at the wall. Her voice was steady—too steady. “I wasn’t thinking about him.”

  “Of course not~” Elira said with a laugh. “Anyway, if I see him again, I’ll make sure to say hi.”

  The line clicked off.

  Silence.

  Seraphine blinked, then sighed, sinking deeper into the warm water. Her heart thudded for a reason she didn’t quite want to admit.

  “…Stupid guy.”

  But she was still smiling.

  Meanwhile, in another country on Earth—Valentia, Spain…

  The once-lively city was in chaos. Over three hundred goblins rampaged through the streets, shrieking, slashing, setting fire to everything in their path. Sirens had stopped. Hope was fading.

  But then—everything froze.

  Atop a crumbling church bell tower stood a lone figure, unmoved by the madness below. As the sunlight broke through the smoke-filled sky, it struck his body—just as it began to grow.

  Muscles bulged. His shirt tore apart at the seams. His veins lit up with radiant energy. And as he raised the massive greatsword on his back, the steel caught the light of the sun—blinding, brilliant.

  His voice, calm and prideful, echoed over the burning city:

  "Let the sun mark your grave."

  The sword ignited—blazing with solar fury—before he swung it in a single, majestic arc. A wave of searing heat exploded outward, consuming every goblin in a divine inferno.

  Ash. Silence.

  Then, with his sword still glowing in hand, the man spoke once more—his tone slow, noble, unshakable:

  "Glorious Flame."

  And just like that—he vanished with the wind.

  Back in Brightport, South Korea…

  The moonlight peeked through the blinds, casting a soft glow on the modest apartment. Ryo lay sideways on his bed, completely knocked out—one leg over the blanket, the other tangled beneath it. His chest rose and fell in a calm rhythm, face buried in a pillow like the world didn’t exist.

  [System Notification]:

  “Behold… the mighty warrior, slayer of dragons… currently losing a fight against his own blanket.”

  Ryo muttered something in his sleep.

  “…more spicy…less rice…”

  [System Notification]:

  “Brightport’s strongest, ladies and gentlemen. World-ending threats in the morning, food-themed mumbling at night.”

  He rolled over and kicked his blanket off the bed entirely.

  [System Notification]:

  “Tactical blanket ejection complete. Mission accomplished, Commander.”

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  And there he remained—drooling, snoring softly, and absolutely unaware that his system was roasting him harder than his enemies ever could.

  Brightport, Morning...

  Ryo slowly sat up in bed, hair messy, eyes half-open.

  “I had a weird dream…” he mumbled. “A thousand keyboards were slapping me in the face with their keys…”

  [System Notification]:

  “Makes sense. You’ve committed so many grammar crimes, the Alphabet finally took revenge.”

  Ryo blinked. “Huh?”

  [System Notification]:

  “You got smacked by the spacebar, punched by Enter, and Shift hit you like she meant it.”

  “…Why is this turning into some kind of weird anime?”

  [System Notification]:

  “Because your sleep was so chaotic, even autocorrect gave up on you.”

  Ryo sighed and flopped back into bed.

  “I’m going back to sleep…”

  [System Notification]:

  “Nope. You’ve been summoned by the Keyboard Council. Court starts at dawn.”

  Brightport – Morning Continued...

  After the usual roast session from the system, Ryo dragged himself to the kitchen.

  He cracked some eggs into a hot pan, tossed in sliced sausages, and fried rice on the side. The aroma filled the small apartment. He sat at the table with a plate full of food, flipping channels lazily on the TV.

  Just as he took the first bite—

  FLASH.

  The spoon froze in his hand.

  A vivid image struck his mind like lightning—

  A quiet field under a dusky sky.

  A younger version of him—barely seven—stood before a girl with teary eyes. Her hair danced in the wind. They were small. Maybe five or six years old.

  He was holding her hand tightly, dirt and blood smeared across their faces like they had escaped something.

  “I will always find you,” the young Ryo said softly.

  The little girl trembled. “But… what if I disappear?”

  He smiled, eyes fierce. “Even if death finds you…”

  Both of them spoke together in the same breath—

  “We always cling to life.”

  FLASH.

  Back in the present, Ryo snapped out of it. The fork clattered onto the plate.

  “What the hell was that…” he whispered.

  [System Notification]:

  “Error: Memory fragment recovered. Accessing… denied.”

  Ryo frowned, staring at his food, now cooling.

  “Was that… really me?”

  A silence hung in the room—he didn’t notice the goosebumps on his arms.

  After finishing his breakfast, Ryo set the plate in the sink without a word. Something in his chest still lingered—like the echo of a forgotten promise.

  Moments later, he stood on the rooftop of his apartment building. The city of Brightport stretched endlessly before him, the morning light casting a golden hue over glass and steel.

  The wind brushed his hair back, cool and soft.

  He looked up at the sky, eyes distant. The memory still clung to his mind like fog refusing to lift.

  “Just… who are you?” he muttered under his breath.

  His fingers clenched slightly at his side.

  “Are you really… that important to me?”

  For a moment, there was no answer. Just the breeze and the quiet hum of the city below.

  But in his chest, something stirred—an ache. A longing.

  And far away, somewhere in the cracks of his lost memories... a little woman's voice whispered faintly.

  “Always cling to life…”

  Brightcore Guild Hall — Seoul, South Korea

  The largest and most advanced hunter guild facility in the entire nation, towering like a fortress in the heart of the city. Inside the marble-floored strategy chamber, three of Korea’s top S-Rank hunters sat at a sleek obsidian table, glowing with projected data and gate analysis.

  1. Raze Hiroto — S-Rank Swordmaster of the Crimson Blade

  A tall figure leaned back in his chair, his crimson-red hair tied loosely behind him, katana propped casually against his shoulder. A smirk tugged at his lips as he kicked his feet up on the table, clearly unbothered.

  "Seriously? A B-Class gate and you called me in? I clear these in my sleep."

  He was cocky, loud, and lethal with a blade. His title, Swordmaster of the Crimson Blade, represented his expertise with a katana and his ruthless, precise style of combat. The kind of guy who smiled while slicing through a demon.

  2. Jinwoo Park — S-Rank Silent Sniper

  Sitting across, silent but focused, was a sharp-eyed man wearing rimmed glasses. One eye brown, the other icy blue. His gloves were high-tech, and a precision bow rested at his back. His quiet demeanor made him an enigma among his peers.

  "That gate was in the middle of a hospital zone. It’s not about rank—it’s about risk."

  He spoke rarely, but every word struck clean. As the Silent Sniper, Jinwoo's calm, calculated attacks from afar made him a feared presence on the battlefield.

  3. Daehyun Kim — S-Rank Thunderfist Brawler

  The third leaned forward, elbows on the table, both fists wrapped in reinforced knuckle gear. His short black hair spiked slightly, and a wild energy burned behind his brown eyes.

  "I say let’s stop whining and just blow the damn thing open. I haven't smashed anything all week!"

  Fiery, loud, and impatient. As the Thunderfist Brawler, Daehyun’s monstrous strength in close combat made him a whirlwind of destruction in any fight.

  The room's atmosphere shifted as a holo-screen lit up, displaying a swirling dark portal.

  [Gate Classification: S-Rank / UNKNOWN TYPE — Color: Black]

  Everyone went quiet.

  Raze narrowed his eyes, then snorted.

  "A black gate? We haven’t seen one of those since… the Incident."

  Jinwoo adjusted his glasses, brows furrowing.

  "They’re unstable. No readings. No visibility inside. This could be a disaster."

  Daehyun cracked his knuckles, a grin spreading across his face.

  "So what? That just means it’s fun. Let’s get this party started."

  The conversation shifted again as the mention of a Class B hunter came up on a side monitor. Raze's smirk returned.

  "Speaking of disasters... I see there's a B-Class hunter causing a bit of a buzz. What's his name again? Ryo?"

  He laughed, the sound dripping with amusement. "A B-Class? Why are we even wasting time talking about him?"

  Jinwoo and Daehyun exchanged a glance, and Jinwoo gave a quiet sigh.

  "It's not just any Class B hunter. Apparently, he’s been getting attention for his... unorthodox approach. But Raze is right. It's not like he’s a threat to us."

  Daehyun, already bored, leaned back in his chair.

  "Sounds like some rookie trying to make a name for himself. Good luck to him."

  But Raze didn’t let up, his grin widening as he added,

  "The guy's probably got more guts than brains. I’d love to see what he does against the real monsters."

  There was a brief silence before Jinwoo’s voice cut through again, quieter but serious.

  "It’s worth noting that even B-Class hunters have their role to play. Ryo may be more than he seems."

  Raze waved him off, clearly uninterested.

  "Sure, sure. But until he shows up with an S-Rank gate or something worth our time, he’s just a mosquito buzzing around. Let’s move on."

  The room fell into silence again as the dark portal continued to pulse on the screen, looming large in their minds. Something told all three hunters this wouldn’t be an ordinary mission. But still, their attention lingered on the mystery of this Class B hunter named Ryo... for now.

  Inside the Black Gate

  The darkness inside the Black Gate was suffocating. The air was thick, heavy with malevolent energy. The distant echoes of something scraping along the walls reverberated, as if the very place was alive. The humanoid figure, cloaked in shadows, stood before an ominous altar—a dark silhouette against the backdrop of swirling, unnatural shadows.

  "Applaud me..." the voice rang out, resonating within the hollow chamber. It was slow, deliberate—filled with dark amusement. The figure slowly raised its arms, basking in the foreboding atmosphere of the Black Gate. "For soon, there will be no more humans. No more hope, no more light. Only the void remains."

  It paused, relishing the weight of its words. Then, with a malicious grin, it continued.

  "I will hunt every last one of you down, and when your screams echo in the void, that will be my symphony. This world is mine to burn... and you, pathetic humans, are merely kindling."

  With a slow, confident stride, the figure walked deeper into the chamber. The sound of its footsteps echoed like a grim drumbeat, marking the countdown to an inevitable slaughter.

  A dark laughter rumbled from deep within the humanoid's chest as it uttered its final, chilling words:

  "Let the hunt begin. Prepare for extinction."

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