The rain grew heavier as the Great Ancestor stood face-to-face with three trembling hunters. Red sirens reflected on the puddles, scattering broken shadows across the wet asphalt.
His younger sister, Hana, clutched his shirt tighter.
"B-Big Brother… a-are they going to catch us?"
The Great Ancestor lowered his head slightly.
"No."
A simple word. But spoken by someone who once made the Immortal Mountains kneel… it echoed like a newly written law of nature.
The hunters scrambled to fix their formation. One wearing a black tactical jacket with the Iron Banyan Guild emblem lifted a small megaphone.
"Unidentified subject! You are emitting abnormal energy pressure that threatens the stability of this are"
TUK.
The megaphone popped before he could finish. A tiny spark. A soft fizz. No clear cause.
The hunter flinched and dropped the now-smoking device.
Hana stepped back half a pace, face pale.
"B-Big Brother… that was because of you, right?"
The Great Ancestor looked up at the sky for a moment.
"I haven't even taken a deep breath yet."
The familiar blue panel trailing behind him flickered back into view.
━━━━━━━━━━
[System Notice:]
– Your spiritual pressure is damaging low-tier devices.
– Please… please reduce your existence?
━━━━━━━━━━
He raised an eyebrow.
"Reduce… my existence?"
His tone was flat, edged with sarcasm. The panel practically trembled in fear.
The hunters finally drew their weapons not guns, but Aura Compressors, devices used to restrain monster energy.
The rule of this world was simple:
If someone emits abnormal energy → Capture.
If unprocessable → Eliminate.
The first hunter shouted, "Activate suppressor mode!"
A loud hum filled the air as the weapons projected bands of light meant to bind the Great Ancestor.
And what happened next…
Was downright sad.
The light bands shriveled, trembled, then dissolved like sugar threads in boiling water.
Silence.
The third hunter cursed under his breath. "Damn it… all the devices are fried!"
The Great Ancestor tilted his head.
"If you want to try again, I'll wait."
It wasn't a threat.
Just a statement of fact… which somehow made them step back twice.
Hana tugged softly at his sleeve.
"B-Big Brother… don't fight them… w-we're just normal humans…"
At that, the Great Ancestor froze.
Just normal humans.
The original owner of this body lived and died under that phrase.
Mocked for it.
Crushed by it.
He looked down at his new hands thin, scratched, weak.
But the little sister staring at him with fear and love…
…was the reason he kept this fragile vessel instead of shattering this world and making a new one.
He patted Hana's head.
"Relax. I won't fight… unless they force me."
Of course, the world wasn't that lucky.
From the main road, a thunderous roar erupted.
The ground shook.
Black smoke burst upward.
People screamed.
The hunters turned in panic.
"A monster broke out of Portal C-17!"
"Class-B Titan! All hunters prepare!!"
A massive creature like a steel-skinned gorilla with three glowing red horns tore through the asphalt as it climbed out of a widening portal crack.
It rampaged, flinging cars like toys.
Hana screamed and clung to him.
The hunters quickly shifted into formation.
"Class-B! We need a main guild unit!"
"Keep it away from the residential zone!"
Their squad leader glanced sharply at the Great Ancestor.
"You! You were at the portal point earlier did you trigger this monster?!"
The Great Ancestor sighed.
"Not every disaster is my fault."
The monster lifted a small building piece, ready to hurl it.
Hana was crying now.
And at that moment… the Great Ancestor moved.
His steps were slow. Casual.
Yet every raindrop near him hesitated mid-air for a heartbeat.
The hunters stared with widening eyes.
"What… what is he doing…?"
The Great Ancestor approached the roaring monster. The creature raised its head, fury shaking the windows around them. It prepared to strike.
He lifted one finger.
One.
Human.
Finger.
And softly said,
"Be still."
No aura surged.
No glow.
No dramatic effects.
Yet the space around the monster froze.
It wasn't a technique.
Not a spell.
Not an ability.
It was authority.
The kind possessed only by beings older than stars.
The monster collapsed instantly unconscious.
Just like that.
The hunters stood speechless.
A few nearly dropped their weapons.
The Great Ancestor turned back.
"Done."
The squad leader stared at him as if witnessing something that should not exist.
"Y-You… you… are you even human?!"
Hana ran into his arms again, crying in relief.
He stroked her hair gently.
"No need to be afraid."
His voice was soft.
Human.
Fragile, yet unwavering.
The blue panel flickered again.
━━━━━━━━━━
[Your status has been updated.]
New Title:
System's Greatest Fear
━━━━━━━━━━
The Great Ancestor let out a long breath.
"A terrible title."
He lifted Hana into his arms.
"Let's go home."
And behind them
the hunters still trembled, staring at the back of the man who had just subdued a Class-B monster…
…without even trying.
This world…
had just met its greatest threat.