Suwon, South Korea – 6:42 PM
Jung Family Neighborhood
Dinner was nearly ready.
The smell of garlic, soy sauce, and grilled mackerel filled the apartment. Ha-Joon's mother moved with practiced grace between the stove and counter. His father, fresh from work, was watching a comedy show on mute while flipping through the news on his phone. Ha-Rin was adjusting the pricing stickers on a new shipment of rice bags.
To anyone else, it was a perfect evening.
Peaceful. Familiar.
But outside, three blocks away—the quiet broke.
---
The First Rift
A ripple tore the air above an old bookstore.
No warning siren. No mana scan. No red classification tag on the network.
It just opened.
Silently.
Like a knife slicing silk.
Pedestrians didn't notice at first. Then someone screamed.
A pressure—crushing and ancient—poured through the crack like a breath held back for eons. Light flickered. Electrical poles bent slightly toward the distortion, and birds in a five-block radius fell from the sky.
Then, something stepped out.
It had no eyes. No face. No voice.
Only shape.
And intention.
---
Hunter Association Emergency Dispatch – 6:44 PM
> "Unknown gate emerged in Suwon—Tier Unclassified."
> "All sensors malfunctioned."
> "Sending emergency reconnaissance squad."
> "WARNING: Entity exhibits Void-Level pressure. No visible mana readings. Reality distortion—5%."
The voice on the comms cracked with panic.
> "It's not stopping. It's... it's walking toward residential—"
> Signal lost.
---
Ha-Joon – Two Blocks Away
He felt it before the wind changed.
Before the lights flickered.
Before the scent of dinner reached his nose.
It was here.
His expression didn't change.
He simply placed his chopsticks down and stood from the table.
> "I'll take a walk before dinner," he said.
> "You okay, Joon?" Ha-Rin asked, looking up from her phone.
> "Yeah," he smiled. "I just need some air."
He opened the door.
And vanished.
---
Moments Later – Site of the Rift
Civilians had begun to run.
Shouting. Screaming.
Phones recording.
The being—the Echo—was halfway down the street, its presence warping gravity and sound.
Cars tilted slightly as it passed. Glass cracked without impact. Lights shorted one by one.
Suddenly—silence.
It stopped.
And turned.
Even though it had no face… everyone felt it watching something behind them.
And then…
He appeared.
---
Ha-Joon Stepped Onto the Street
His hood was down.
His eyes were glowing crimson in the dimming dusk.
He didn't speak.
Didn't posture.
Didn't summon weapons.
He just walked forward, calmly, as if confronting a child who had misbehaved in his yard.
The Echo responded.
A tremor surged outward, making several people collapse unconscious.
Ha-Joon didn't blink.
---
The First Strike
The Echo moved.
It didn't leap or sprint.
It warped.
A distortion of space, blinking through reality like a skipping stone.
Faster than any human eye.
But not faster than him.
Ha-Joon raised his hand.
And the world stopped.
Only for an instant.
But in that breath of time, everything froze.
Dust halted in the air.
Sounds cut off mid-echo.
The being paused mid-phase, trapped.
Ha-Joon's fingers touched its core.
> "This is your only warning," he said softly.
His palm closed—
BOOM.
---
The Street Exploded in Red Light
Not flame.
Not heat.
Just force—pure, compressed power rupturing outward like a gravitational pulse.
The Echo screeched—not audibly, but spiritually. Everyone nearby felt it like nails across their souls.
And then—
It was gone.
Not dead.
Not banished.
Erased.
A clean circle of pavement now steamed in the night, surrounded by broken lamp posts and unconscious witnesses.
---
Ha-Joon Stood Alone
The wind moved again.
The world resumed.
People began to wake up slowly, groaning.
None of them had truly seen what happened.
None of them would remember clearly.
But they would feel it.
That something had protected them.
Ha-Joon exhaled.
> "They sent a scout."
> "Next time, it won't be so passive."
---
Minutes Later – Rooftop of a Nearby Building
Baek Seo-Yeon watched from above, stunned.
She had followed the ripples.
Had seen the being form.
Had watched Ha-Joon walk into it alone.
She hadn't blinked once during the confrontation.
And even she—
Couldn't understand what he did.
He looked up suddenly.
Met her eyes.
No fear.
Just calm.
She took a step back.
> "What… are you?" she whispered.
---
Back at the Apartment
Ha-Joon returned quietly.
His hoodie had no burn marks. No scratches.
His mother was just placing the side dishes.
> "That was a quick walk."
> "I saw a cat stuck in a bush. Freed it."
> "Such a kind boy," she smiled.
He sat, smiled back.
His father changed the channel.
Ha-Rin glanced at him briefly.
There was a faint glow in his eyes again—but she said nothing.
The warmth of home returned.
As if nothing had happened.
---
Meanwhile – Deep Void Nexus
The failed Echo's energy shattered across dimensions, returning in threads to its origin.
The one waiting on the other side felt it.
And for the first time in eons—
Laughed.
> "So… you've truly grown, Crimson."
> "Then let us test your will once more."
And across Earth, ten other gates began to stir.