'I hunt to temper my soul and body, chasing the heaven of immortality like the two who came before me—yet my era is not quite the same.'
The sky bled red like freshly spilled blood. Gaping wounds bore witness to the brutal hunt that night, and the monsters—vomiting rainstorms of blood onto the blackened earth—shivered, mourning their cursed fate.
'Is he not also a monster, merely disguised as a man? Perhaps the rumors are true—that the northern hunter drinks the blood of hell.'
Screams and howls rang out, clashing with the sound of colliding blades, while thunderous magic erupted, annihilating hundreds of beasts.
The ground beneath their feet had turned to sludge—not from rain, but from the blood spurting out of the monsters' hearts, flowing endlessly into crimson puddles and thick red mire.
The Northern Hunter had shown no mercy. He tormented the monsters with cruelty—ruthless, unrelenting. And yet, he found another hunter amidst the chaos—one he deemed an intruder in his hunt.
The ragged breaths of two hunters gasping for air marked the end of the massacre. One of them struggled to rise, staggering with every breath. A vicious wound tore across his wrist, exposing the pale gleam of bone. A deep gash, clawed into fresh flesh—Bin, the Southern Hunter, had taken the hit.
Even so, his hand clung tightly to his silver sky-blade, refusing to falter.
At the very least, his wounds were born of battle.
Bin was still taken aback. The other hunter—mad and meticulous—stood untouched. From his crown to his heels, there wasn't a single mark.
"The Northern Hunter… is he a demon?" Bin muttered.
His gaze turned cautious, fixed on Zhen—the final hope of the northern clan. Among hunters, the name "Cursed Hunter" stirred fear. He was the sole survivor of the great explosion in the northern region—what they called The Northern Doomsday Blast.
The Northern Hunter bore a lineage of predecessors—brutal, enigmatic, terrifying. Bin remembered that well. Long ago, the clan elders spoke in hushed tones of the two legends who once bore that title.
Zhen was keen—painfully so—and he knew when he was being watched. His eyes scanned the subtle motions of the hunter across from him, who was still piecing together the situation. That gaze—it was like a wave anticipating movement, calculating his every breath.
He longed to unsheathe his blade and gouge out those greenish eyes with his left hand.
"My pet would be thrilled to receive them."
Blinding eyes like those—so disruptive during a hunt—ought to be part of his collection.
Suddenly, a mechanical chime diverted his attention.
[Hell Hunt System Activated]
[Target: Bin, Southern Hunter]
[Clan: South]
[Class: Blood Rager]
[Skills: 2 main skills | 9 variant skills]
[Threat Level: — ]
[Location: Blackened Grounds]
[Reward]:
• 50,000,000 Goldi
• Silver Sky Blade
"Wasting my damn time," Zhen muttered in his mind.
Bin caught the flicker in his opponent's eyes—a subtle flare, cold and hateful, piercing into his chest like a spike. That murderous aura… he had smelled it the moment Zhen arrived.
There was no mistake now.
He's hunting me!
[Hell Hunt System Activated]
[Target: Zhen, Northern Hunter]
[Threat Level: — ]
[Skills: 7 main skills | 13 variant skills]
[Location: Blackened Grounds]
[Completion Requirements]:
• Damage at least 90% of his body
• Seal his Air Soul
• Seal three of his pet skulls
[Reward]:
• 1,000,000,000 Goldi
• Heavenly Dragon Blade (Legendary Weapon)
[Warning]: 90% failure prediction. If you fail, your soul will be consumed.
'Three pet skulls? A Goldi hoarder? Damn it! Tempting as hell… but suicide. Damn it!'
Bin took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm in his chest. This wasn't just a hunt.
This was judgment.
A gamble—where the winner was already written in fate.
But Bin was ready.
He rose like flowing silk, his axe and sword thirsting for battle.
"So, you're the Northern Hunter, huh?" Bin's voice echoed—gruff, and yet with a strange hint of humor.
But the only response he received was a cold, detached stare.
Not a word. Not a twitch.
Could the rumors be true?
That he was...
A mute hunter.
"You know this resistance is meaningless, right? Especially if your goal is to destroy the Hell System. Let me warn you, Zhen! The System World isn't yours to claim. This is the era of official Blood Hunters. I'll hunt every last demon and monster, seal them, and forge a new world!"
At last, Bin revealed the vision he had long kept hidden. And in doing so, he felt a strange satisfaction—relief, even—as the words poured flawlessly from his own lips.
Zhen remained silent, only his brow twitching in mild irritation.
'Empty barrels make the loudest noise,' he thought.
Southern Hunters—official Blood Hunters—were always the same. Loud. Preachy. Boring.
And all of them... puppets of the System.
"You're right, oh mighty official hunter."
"The System World doesn't belong to me. Nor does it belong to you. It is the prison of cursed demons and monsters. That, I can accept as truth. And if I must die today—then I will die as the Northern Hunter."
Bin froze.
'He can speak?'
Hadn't the entire Oliga sworn he was mute? All hunters loathed the Northern one... yet now—
He wasn't mute. He never had been.
"You—disappointed?" Zhen asked, brushing his hair back with a hand, revealing a gaze as sharp as daggers.
"Did my voice ruin your perfect illusion of me? Too perfect for a Cursed Hunter, was I?"
Zhen's words struck like a slap. Bin's blood boiled.
To be looked down upon by a rogue hunter—a barbarian—was an insult to everything Bin stood for as an official Blood Hunter.
"Isn't a brutal hunter still bound by the system all the same? You didn't even go through Oliga in Central City. What, were you trained by northern bears!?"
'Arrogant bastard.'
Bin would never acknowledge the greatness of another hunter—as long as there was still a chance to defeat them. His reputation in Oliga was gold to him.
Even though deep inside, he knew...
Defeating Zhen would be no simple feat. One misstep—one opening—and it would all be over.
And that thought sparked a conclusion in his mind. A suspicion.
'You've allied yourself with the demon sect, haven't you?!'
"I can hear you," Zhen murmured—like a prayer to no one.
The words chilled Bin. His expression twisted in restrained rage, like a bomb ready to detonate. He snapped.
With a furious roar, he charged, sword glowing bright—like the rising sun in the grand east.
His Silver Sky Blade was aimed straight for Zhen's neck.
But...Seconds before, Zhen had already begun chanting.
The Southern Hunter had overestimated himself.
And now— Bin's motion began to slow. His sword felt heavier, as though the weight of a mountain pressed upon his limbs. He gasped, watching helplessly as his blade crawled forward in slow motion.
"Bastard!!!!"
"This... this is magic!!"
A surge of magic detonated like a time bomb, sending shockwaves that shattered the ground around them. Sparks erupted in bursts of light, accompanied by the metallic clang of steel. The Southern Hunter froze.
Time seemed to crawl—each second dripping with tension so sharp it made the body tremble.
Zhen had unleashed a magic skill: Exorcist's Wrath.
"A sacred energy wave… one that burns demons within a set radius. Damn it!! What kind of fool uses that against me?!"
"You're far more cunning than I thought."
"And far more terrifying."
The sheer force of Zhen's attack wasn't something any ordinary human could endure.
But then again—Bin was no longer a mere human.
"You sold half your soul to the System," Zhen said, a grotesque smile curling on his lips, revealing a hidden fang.
The words struck Bin like an arrow to the heart. He froze. Pale.
No one knew.
In that brief silence, their eyes locked. Brown met green—and Zhen smiled. A cold, devouring grin meant for prey.
A hungry wolf had just found the perfect victim.
"Pathetic," Zhen whispered, his voice hoarse, but clear—and brutal.
With one motion, Zhen shoved him backward.
Bin was thrown several meters, rolling across blood-soaked soil. He coughed—tasting iron—but kept his focus. He would not fall so easily. Not after that humiliation.
An official Blood Hunter had no right to be disgraced!
Bin pushed himself up, his grip on his sword tightening—even as his body screamed in protest.
"Is that all you've got, oh Southern Hunter?" Zhen mocked.
"Is this the Blood Hunter who claims he'll forge a new era?"
Bin didn't answer.
He was dying. His breath shallow. His gaze, however, burned with hatred.
He understood Zhen's game now—
Break the mind before the body follows.
But, official Blood Hunters had already undergone the Fear Threshold Trials. At the very least, Bin still clung to his instincts—the final hope he could hold on to.
"Bin!"
A voice called from afar.
It was Lyn, the Central Hunter—the only one who still stood beside him.
She chanted a protective spell, summoning a holy shield to hold off the influence of Exorcist's Wrath. At least she tried. Though they both knew, sooner or later, her power would erode and fade.
"Do it now!" Lyn shouted, her eyes pleading.
She wanted him to cast the same incantation, to raise another holy barrier. But it was too late. Bin had already lost that ability—his voice could no longer speak the sacred words.
Because the blood flowing through his body had already mingled with demon blood.
Zhen understood what the female hunter meant.
"I can't…" Bin muttered—barely audible beneath the roar of magic overtaking him.
Zhen laughed. "Oh, this is going to be fun. And also... utterly meaningless."
A wave of dread surged through Lyn's chest. The Northern Hunter—the one whispered about in fear—was right before her eyes.
'This was real.'
"Do whatever you can to survive, Bin!" she cried out again.
Bin gritted his teeth.
"All right."
He raised his sword high above his head. A chorus of whispers echoed around him. The blade trembled—not from fear, but from the system's power awakening, resonating, merging with half of his soul.
Crimson flames wrapped around the blade, glowing brighter with each passing second.
'You'll lose yourself,' the voice warned. 'Once you call upon me, there is no turning back.'
"I don't care," Bin answered—silently, from within.
"If this is the price to kill Zhen, the Northern Hunter… then I'll pay it."
Zhen arched a brow, though his crooked smile remained.
"Kill me? What a waste of your precious time."
In an instant, the flames erupted—engulfing Bin's entire body. His hair whipped like a war banner, and his eyes now blazed like twin suns. Something had shifted—the searing heat of the system from the Seventh Hell, the deepest inferno, scorched the air.
Bin had fused with the system. Of course, that figure was no longer him—his soul had been traded, no price attached.
"At last," Zhen said, his voice shifting from mockery to grim resolve. He tightened his grip on his sword. "Show me your power, Official Blood Hunter."
Bin gave no answer.
With a single step, he vanished—shooting toward Zhen like a streak of red lightning. Bin swung his axe with full force, his afterimage already behind Zhen as he countered with his golden blade.
Before the sacred weapon struck the Southern Hunter's armor, a brutal, merciless slash had already torn through—the blow severing Zhen's cloth cloak, its fragments drifting into the air.
The northern hunter wielded many other blades—along with another hand that moved without being seen.
Zhen laughed. His laughter thundered like lightning splitting the sky, as beads of blood dripped down the southern hunter's temple.
"Damn bastard!" Bin cursed.
Though blood trickled from his temple, he remained composed—his grin wild, and his eyes blazing. "Let's finish this, savage hunter from the annihilated clan! Only one hunter will walk out of the Dark Land."
Bin lunged—this time faster—unleashing a flurry of slashes that tore through the air. Zhen spun his sword, deflecting every strike with lightning speed.
Lyn still held up her holy shield—her magic power shielding her from the Exorcist's wrath. She was a hunter of the central clan, with blood ties to both the South and East, making her magic reliable. Unfortunately, her dominant lineage came from the southern clan.
Zhen also noticed the girl across from him with her holy shield. Something stirred in his memory—his three pets were hungry.
In the midst of battle, he released the soul cage that bound them. Three ravenous skulls emerged, visibly joyful.
"Go. Your appetizer awaits."
The terrifying skulls, invisible to most, could only be seen by Zhen and pureblood eastern hunters trained in the dark arts of Broukirakh magic.
"You act like a madman!" The southern hunter mocked again and again, still swinging sword and axe with relentless fury.
Zhen caught the cursed axe—absurdly massive—and smirked, "Madness suits me."
The clang of metal filled the air. Each collision sparked fire and bursts of energy that pushed Bin back farther and farther.
"You're not bad… it turns out," Zhen said between rapid strikes, his breath steady, his smile wicked.
"I thought you were a mute hunter. Turns out your tongue is sharp too."
With a vicious roar, Bin swung his axe in a full circle, sending a wave of fire surging toward Zhen.
"The mute hunter from the North. Not bad," Zhen replied coolly.
He blocked it with his sword, but the force hit him like a storm, flinging him into the air. He crashed down, carving a small crater into the earth.
Bin stepped closer. "Look at you, Zhen. Even with magic skills aiding you, you're still losing."
I've already unleashed the three pets that devour magic and souls—of course the spells would vanish.
Including the soul of the girl across the field.
Zhen gritted his teeth, trying to stand. The surrounding flames dimmed for a moment—but then flared brighter than ever.
"I'm not done either, friend," Zhen muttered.
Bin moved to finish it right then. He was possessed by lust for the northern hunter's Goldi. He raised his axe, ready to end it. But before the blade could fall, a burst of blue light exploded—engulfing the Dark Land.
'Such useful pets.'