The morning sun spilled gold over the horizon, but Suho barely noticed. His eyes were fixed on the road as he and Han Yura trudged out of the gate site, still stained with dried ichor and faint traces of arcane decay. Suho looked more like a rogue than a hunter — tattered jacket, mud-caked boots, and hair that hung low over his face in matted strands. But Yura wasn't letting that pass.
"Your hair's a mess, Suho," she said, wrinkling her nose. "And you smell like you've been living in a grave."
"Technically, I kind of have been," he replied dryly.
She shot him a look. "Not funny. Come on, go to a salon. Get some new clothes. Just... try to look like someone who hasn't been resurrecting the dead in a sewer."
Suho blinked. "You knew?"
"I'm not an idiot," she said with a soft snort. "You didn't use any elemental skills, and yet corpses moved when you raised your hand. It wasn't hard to guess."
He scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "And you're... okay with it?"
"I'm not sure yet." Yura hesitated. "But if you're still you... if you're still Suho, then I'll deal with it."
He looked at her. Looked. Her expression was concerned, but not afraid. She was his childhood friend, the only one aside from Areum who'd ever really stood by him.
"Also," she added, her tone hardening, "go to the Hunter Association and get reevaluated."
"...What for?"
"You're unranked. That's going to cause problems now. A no-rank hunter clearing a D-rank gate alone? That'll make people suspicious. Associations might think you're a rogue agent. Or worse."
"You're worried about me?"
She folded her arms. "Don't make a big deal out of it. Just get reevaluated. It'll make things smoother."
Suho gave a small smile. "Thanks, Yura."
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't die."
That night, Suho stood outside his family's house — a tidy two-story home tucked in a quiet suburb. He hadn't been here in months.
He rang the bell.
His uncle answered, clad in sleek armor from his recent A-rank sweep. "Suho?"
"Hi," he said.
His uncle's nose wrinkled. "You smell like the dead."
"I've been busy."
Before he could answer, two of his cousins came down the stairs — both recent B-rankers. They looked him over with thinly veiled disgust.
"I thought he dropped out of the Association exam," one of them muttered.
Suho ignored them and walked past into the living room. His mother didn't even look up from her tablet. His father, at least, acknowledged him with a grunt.
"I need some money," Suho said.
His mother scoffed. "Again?"
But his father turned, studying him quietly. There was something different about Suho now — a gravity in his eyes, a steel beneath his voice.
"I cleared a D-rank gate," Suho said. "With no party."
The room fell quiet. Even his cousins turned.
"Then get a job," his mother snapped.
His father, however, reached into his wallet and handed him a bundle of bills. "I never understood you," he said. "But Areum believed in you. That's enough. If you're serious, go make something of yourself. Don't come back here with excuses".
Suho took it with a nod. "I won't."
By noon the next day, Kim Suho was reborn — at least in appearance.
His long hair was trimmed cleanly, revealing sharp cheekbones and a surprisingly regal face beneath the dirt and strands. He wore a clean, dark hunter's coat with urban plating, minimalist and efficient.
When he walked into the Seoul Hunter Association lobby, heads turned.
At the receptionist's desk, a young woman blinked up at him, momentarily stunned. She recovered and said, "Name?"
"Kim Suho."
"Reason for visit?"
"Reevaluation. Unranked."
She tilted her head, surprised. "You cleared a gate?"
"Yes. A D-rank."
That got her attention. She typed quickly and glanced back at him. "We'll set you up for mana capacity test and class affinity diagnostics. Please wait."
The administrator whistled. "No way that's a fluke."
The system accepted him. A card slid into his hand—black, clean, new.
Hunter License: Kim Suho – C Rank – Class: Summoner.
Suho passed the test.
Not only did he pass — but he scored high on synchronization rate and was registered as Class: Summoner.
His official rank was marked C-Rank. Just high enough to give him legitimacy. Just low enough to avoid scrutiny.
But more importantly, he was now free to accept missions — or so he thought.
He browsed the mission board and found what he was looking for: a D-Rank gate, unregistered by any guild. Perfect.
However, the clearance rules stated a minimum of 5 participants.
Suho hesitated but then noticed four names already registered. He added his.
"Looks like fate," he muttered.
That night, Suho stood in his cramped apartment, looking at the Necrosystem screen.
[Undead Army Status]
Total: 11 Undead
Limit for Soul-Memory Synchronization Quest: 20
He clenched his fists.
One more gate. Nine more soldiers. Then the next step toward Areum's memory.
Toward truth.
Toward the day he could finally say: "I'm strong enough now."