Inside a house, a woman could be seen hitting a punching bag again and again.
She moved around the punching bag, throwing punches without stopping. Thud… thud… thud… each hit deep and heavy. A right hook landed, the bag swung. She kept going — jabs, hooks, straights, uppercuts.
The bag bounced with every punch. Thud… thud… thud… The sounds filled the room. Sweat ran down her face and body, and finally, with a final roar— Boom! The bag swung heavily.
"Hahh... hah..."
She gasped for breath for a few minutes before grabbing the towel nearby and rubbing the sweat off her face and body.
Leaving the room, she walked toward the fridge, opened it, and grabbed a bottle of water before closing it and heading to the living room.
Stopping in front of the couch, she sat down, opened the cap, and drank while at the same time turning on the TV.
"Breaking news: Yesterday at the Hunter's Association, Thomas Andre has been confirmed as the first ever National Rank Hunter of America since the emergence of Gates five years ago, rising to the same status as Liu Zhigang and Christopher Reed—"
Click.
Turning off the TV, the woman—Scarlett—clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Hunters... again. All the news and social media are full of them."
Scarlett frowned at what she had just heard. 'National Rank, huh? How interesting...' she muttered before resting comfortably on the couch.
"Hunters... must be nice," she said with a hint of longing in her tone.
She had been a top assassin before the world changed. Everyone in the underground world feared her name and reputation.
Politicians, corporate giants... every big name in the world, you name it — all afraid of one day suddenly dying without knowing why or who killed them in their own bed.
That was until the 'Gates' emerged and magic beasts came from them. The beasts ran rampant, killing civilians and destroying everything they saw.
People despaired when soldiers fired their guns — only to find them useless. But just as the world began to lose hope, they appeared.
People with special abilities. Some could manipulate fire, some could kill beasts with their bare hands, and some could even fly. They alone wiped out the monsters that broke through the Gates, and people began calling them 'Hunters'.
From then on, the people who once feared her reputation began to mock her, saying: "You're just a normal human."
'And they were right', she thought with a wry smile.
An unawakened human will never beat an awakened one. It's frustrating — but that's reality. That's fact.
Except for myself. Don't get me wrong. I can probably beat an E-rank or maybe a D-rank Hunter if I'm armed properly. But C-ranked? Nah, I'm not that suicidal. Why? Because a C-rank Hunter's body — regardless of type, be it fighter, tank, healer, mage, or support — is completely immune to any kind of firearm.
That's why I decided to retire. Not because I can't beat a C-rank hunter, but because I'm tired of killing people... and because I want to live a normal life, even just a little.
"Hahh~... all this internal monologue is so exhausting. Might as well take a bath and sleep."
Putting the empty bottle on the table, she stood up and began walking towards the bathroom.
Arriving in front of the door, just as Scarlett was about to open it, she suddenly stopped and frown.
Not because something was wrong, but because she felt a warm sensation spreading all over her body.
Others might dismiss it as nothing, but not her. 'What's happening!? 'she thought, alarmed.
"Strange..." she muttered, touching the center of her chest where she first felt the heat. Her brows furrowed in confusion.
She decided to just open the bathroom door to check if something was wrong with her body.
Staring into the large mirror stood a woman — long wavy reddish-brown hair, a well-toned athletic body, wearing a black shirt that ended at her midriff, black pants, and golden eyes.
"Hm... everything looks normal," she muttered after checking every part of her body. 'Is it really my imagination?' she thought, confused, then shrugged. 'Whatever. I'll think about it later'.
Twisting the faucet— Snap!
Psshh!
"What?!"
She stared at the water bursting out of the faucet, then at the handle currently in her hand.
"Did I just do that?" she muttered. To confirm, she put the handle aside and clenched her right hand into a fist, then spread it open again and again.
'Now that I think about it... I feel stronger than before... and—As if moving on instinct, she spread her right hand, and a ball of fire appeared above her palm.
Fascinated by the flame that's floating above her palm , she tried to willed it in the shape of an arrow and surprisingly it worked.
" Fufu~ .. now that's interesting ", she said with barely contained excitement.
'Doesn't this mean I'm a hunter now ? ', she can't help but think , but decided to file the thought away for now .
" Let's try to control my strength first lest I destroy more things " she said before leaving the bathroom and arrived at her self-use gym.
Standing in front of a punching bag , Scarlett decided to not use gloves to get a better feel of her strength.
She planted her feet firmly, a little wider than her shoulders. Her knees bent slightly, ready to push, and her weight was on the back foot. Hands up, chin tucked behind her fists, elbows close to her body. She twisted her hips and shoulders just a little, like a coiled spring ready to snap.
She exhaled sharply and drove her fist straight at the bag. Power came from her feet, through her legs and hips, into her shoulders, and finally into her fist. Her knuckles hit the bag with a Boom—and for a moment, everything seemed to slow down.
The bag spun in the air and shot toward the wall like a heavy ball thrown full force. It slammed into the wall with a loud crash, bouncing back and kicking up dust. The floor shook, and small bits of chalk flew around.
She stood there, chest heaving, staring at the bag, dumbfounded.
---
After a few minutes of being dazed, she straightened her posture and pulled back her outstretched fist, stared at it for a few seconds, then she grinned.