Three days after the Busan incident, the skies over Japan split open.
A sound like thunder rolled through the clouds, followed by a blinding light. From that light, hundreds of shapes began to fall
black silhouettes with glowing red lines across their bodies. They landed near the coast and began spreading outward, devouring everything in their path.
By the time the military arrived, the entire shoreline had turned into a field of ash.
Around the world, the same thing was happening. In Russia, a gate opened above a frozen lake, releasing beasts made of living ice. In Egypt, creatures of sand and fire crawled out of the pyramids, attacking nearby cities. In the United States, the ground itself began to crack as rifts spread through the deserts.
Every screen, every network, every nation broadcast the same message:
The Second Wave has begun.
In Seoul, Jinwoo stood on the balcony of his apartment, watching the clouds twist in unnatural patterns.
He could feel it mana currents flowing wildly across the air, unstable and alive.
Behind him, Igris appeared from the shadow, kneeling silently.
"My lord, the balance of this realm is breaking. The air grows heavy with enemy presence."
Jinwoo nodded. "The Second Wave."
Beru emerged next, his wings folding close behind him. "Shall we act, my liege? The world is already burning."
"Not yet," Jinwoo said quietly. "We move when the heart of the storm appears. Not before."
He looked down at the city. Life continued below him people rushing, cars moving, lights flickering but there was fear in every motion. Humanity could sense what was coming.
A faint shimmer appeared in the corner of the room. The System interface flickered before his eyes.
System Notice
Global Dungeon Count: 312 Active Gates
Average Mana Density: Critical
System Message: "The Awakening Protocol has begun."
Jinwoo frowned. "Awakening Protocol."
It was a term he had never seen before, even during the first age of hunters.
He turned toward Igris. "Prepare the scouts. I want eyes on every gate within a hundred kilometers."
"As you command."
The shadows slipped away, vanishing into the floor.
At the same time, in the headquarters of the Hunter Association, chaos filled the halls.
Dozens of operators shouted into their headsets as reports came flooding in.
"Three new gates in Busan."
"Five more near Tokyo."
"One opening in Paris."
The director of the Association slammed his hands on the desk. "How many of our S Rank hunters are active?"
"Only eight confirmed, sir," an operator replied. "Half of them are already deployed. The rest are unreachable."
"Unreachable?" The director's voice trembled. "What do you mean?"
The operator hesitated. "Their signals vanished. Their mana signatures disappeared completely."
The room fell silent.
Then, the screens around them began to flicker again — the same ancient symbols that had appeared before.
They rearranged themselves, forming a sentence that made everyone in the room freeze.
System Notice: The Second Wave is irreversible. The world must adapt or perish.
Far above Earth, in the realm of shadows and stars, Agnorath watched it unfold.
He stood at the edge of his floating throne, gazing down at the countless glowing gates scattered across the planet.
A low laugh escaped his lips. "Beautiful chaos. Every soul that falls strengthens the void."
Beside him, the creature known as the Watcher knelt. "Shall we send the commanders, my lord?"
"Not yet. Let the beasts run wild first. When the Shadow Monarch shows himself, then we strike."
The Watcher bowed deeply. "As you will, master."
Agnorath turned his gaze toward the darkness. The faint image of Jinwoo appeared in the void before him — calm, silent, and dangerous.
"The System chose him once," Agnorath murmured. "Now it will choose me."
---
By nightfall, the world was drowning in panic.
Cities burned. Hunters fought without rest. The air was thick with fear and smoke.
In one of the smaller towns near Seoul, a group of new hunters gathered at the edge of a freshly opened gate. They were inexperienced, barely trained, but they refused to run.
The gate pulsed like a living heart, light spilling from its surface.
One of them, a young man holding a sword with trembling hands, whispered, "If we don't stop it here, no one will."
The others nodded, stepping forward together.
The ground split open. A roar shook the sky.
A beast with six glowing eyes crawled out — its body covered in blades of bone, its breath burning the air.
The hunters charged.
For a moment, there was hope. Then the creature moved.
It was too fast, too strong.
Within seconds, screams filled the air.
The gate grew brighter, feeding on their deaths.
Then, suddenly, the light dimmed.
A shadow spread across the ground.
From the darkness, Jinwoo emerged — silent, calm, his eyes glowing faintly purple.
The beast turned toward him, roaring. Jinwoo did not move. He raised one hand, and the shadow behind him exploded outward.
Igris appeared first, his greatsword cleaving through the air. Beru followed, wings flaring. Tank roared as he charged forward.
The battle lasted less than a minute.
When it was over, the field was silent. The creature dissolved into black mist, and the gate slowly began to close.
The young hunter, still alive but wounded, looked up at Jinwoo in awe. "You… you're real."
Jinwoo looked at him, his expression unreadable. "Get stronger. The next ones will not fall this easily."
He turned away, his shadows fading into the ground.
Behind him, the System chimed again.
System Notice
Battle Complete.
Classification: A Rank Beast.
System Synchronization Progress: 43 percent.
Jinwoo exhaled slowly. "It's only the beginning."
As he walked away, the wind carried the sound of distant thunder.
In the far horizon, dozens of new gates opened at once, filling the sky with light.
The Second Wave had fully begun.