[Illustration: Ryu Min-Seok awakening in a hospital bed, disoriented, staring at an unfamiliar hand wearing the same ring.]
Pain.
That was the first thing Ryu Min-Seok felt.
A dull, aching throb through every limb, as if his body had been shattered and poorly reassembled.
He opened his eyes slowly, blinking against the light. The ceiling above him was white—too white.
Where am I?
He sat up, heart racing. The room was strange—sleek walls of glowing glass and mana conduits humming softly. He looked down at his hands…
Smaller. Younger.
His reflection in the window sent chills down his spine.
A boy, maybe seventeen, stared back—dark hair, gray eyes, and unfamiliar features.
And on his hand…
The ring.
The same black ring from the dungeon.
Then came the memories—flashes of another life. A woman's laughter. A man's scorn. A mother's death. A name.
Lee Shin.
He clutched his head as pain seared through his mind. Two lives—his and this boy's—collided violently. When it finally stopped, he was drenched in sweat.
I… died.
And now I'm inside this body.
The door slid open with a hiss.
A woman entered—tall, elegant, wearing healer's robes that shimmered faintly with mana. Her warm smile was a small comfort.
"You're awake, Lee Shin. How do you feel?"
Ryu hesitated, forcing a nod. "I… think I'm fine."
"You were unconscious for three weeks. It's a miracle you survived."
When she left, silence returned.
Ryu—now Shin—stared at the ring on his finger.
You brought me back, didn't you?
But why?
He clenched his hand, eyes burning with renewed fire.
If I've been given a second chance, then I'll use it.
I'll find the ones who betrayed me—and I'll make them pay.
Outside, the city of Seoul glittered under a crimson sunset—a world reborn from ashes.
Inside, a hunter reborn from death made his silent vow.