Ten thousand years ago, the sky split open.
Not with light, but with endless black.
From that darkness came them — monsters born from the nightmares of other worlds. Humanity's weapons were useless; bullets melted against their skin, bombs turned to dust before they exploded.
Cities fell. Nations burned.
Sixty percent of the human race vanished in one month.
Then came the angels.
From a rift above the heavens, they descended — beings of light who handed humanity the Stone of Heaven. With it, mortals could awaken powers hidden deep in their souls.
That was how Hunters were born.
And with every new Gate that appeared, blood and glory ruled the world.
Present Day — Seoul, Korea
Ten years before the end.
Jim Sung stood in front of the Awakening Stone, his dark hair brushing his shoulders, his face calm — too calm. The other young men around him trembled with excitement.
But Jim wasn't nervous.
He had already lived this day before.
[Awakening Stone Detected]
[Please place your hand for synchronization.]
He pressed his palm against the glowing crystal. Light exploded around him — divine and blinding.
[Awakening complete.]
[System initializing…]
[Memory Restoration — 100% complete.]
Jim exhaled slowly. "So it really worked…"
The boss's words echoed in his mind:
'Ten years from now, come back and defeat me. If you fail, the world ends.'
This time, he wouldn't die a forgotten E-rank.
This time, he would change fate.
For weeks, Jim disappeared.
He trained in silence, hunted small beasts, and studied the cracks between worlds. Every night, he dreamed of the boss's smile — that wicked grin sitting upon the abyss throne.
Then came the day of the first Class A Gate — a dungeon that would soon cause thousands of deaths.
But this time, Jim entered first.
Inside the dungeon, the air was thick with the stench of blood and sulfur. Shadows crawled along the walls like living things.
In the distance, he heard voices — a party of low-ranked hunters entering after him. One of them was the man he remembered all too well:
the F-rank who would later become a monster that destroyed half the world.
Jim didn't plan to kill him — not yet.
He wanted the man's skill.
A cursed ability that grew stronger the more others tried to harm him.
But he didn't know where or how the ability was stored.
The System didn't tell him.
So Jim followed quietly. When the monsters attacked, he observed — watched the F-rank fight in terror, watched how the aura around him twisted and changed every time fear entered his heart.
Then Jim realized something.
Whenever someone attacked the F-rank, a dark mist wrapped around his body for a second — and vanished into his chest.
"That's it…" Jim whispered. "The skill lives inside his soul."
He stepped forward, transforming his boss-gifted weapon into a black dagger.
The blade shimmered faintly — hungry.
The F-rank spun around, terrified. "Who the hell are you?"
Jim's gold-and-black eyes glowed faintly. "Someone who needs what you have."
The fight was short, brutal.
Every strike from the F-rank made Jim stronger. Every ounce of killing intent made the power in Jim's veins roar louder.
When the man finally fell to his knees, Jim didn't kill him.
He placed his hand over the man's chest — and the dagger pulsed.
[Soul Fragment Absorbed.]
[Skill Acquired: Fear Devourer.]
[Effect: Power increases with hostility directed toward the user.]
Jim staggered back, clutching his chest as black energy surged through him.
He didn't know exactly how it worked yet — but the taste of power was undeniable.
He looked down at the unconscious F-rank, then placed a healing potion beside him and a note:
"I'm sorry. But I have no choice. I'm trying to save the world — even if it means breaking it first."
As he left the dungeon, the ground trembled.
And in the distance, the boss's voice whispered faintly through his mind:
"Your path to the Abyss begins now, little hunter…"
Jim looked toward the blood-red horizon.
"The Oath of the Abyss," he murmured. "I'll keep it… no matter the cost."