Time: April 16, 2032. 11:00 AM.
Location: Tokyo Central Highway. Inside the armored limousine of the "White Tiger" Guild.
The car glided smoothly along the road. Kenji watched the world pass by through the tinted window.
In his eighty subjective years within the game, he had seen thousands of ruined cities, but this... this Tokyo was different. The city was alive, yes, but it felt like a man living in the same room as a caged predator.
Kenji's attention was drawn to the colossal structures piercing the clouds on the horizon. They were not merely buildings. They were Towers, constructed of pitch-black metal, each as large as a small city, surrounded by pulsating rings of violet electricity.
These Towers were driven into the earth like massive stakes at various points across the metropolis. From them emanated a constant, low-frequency hum—a sound only those with heightened senses, like Kenji, could hear.
"Laylo," Kenji asked, his eyes fixed on the monoliths. "I remember what you said in the hospital. 'There are monsters outside.' But the streets seem relatively peaceful. People are going to work, cars are driving. Are these Towers... some kind of protective wall?"
Laylo looked out the window and shuddered visibly.
"They aren't walls, brother. They are Traps. We call them the 'Siren Towers' (Lure Towers)."
"Siren?" Kenji frowned.
Kaori joined the conversation, turning back from the front passenger seat.
"Mr. Kenji, while you were asleep, scientists studied the psychology of the monsters. It turns out that the predators entering this world aren't just driven by a hunger for human flesh, but by an instinctual attraction to high-density Mana waves. They are like moths drawn to a flame."
Kaori gestured toward the Towers.
"The governments and the major Guilds united to build them. Inside every Tower is an artificial 'Mana Reactor.' It broadcasts a signal and sound so powerful that it drives the monsters into a frenzy. Instead of destroying the city, the beasts run straight for the Towers."
Laylo continued:
"Once they enter the Tower gates, they fall into the Labyrinth inside. There is no way out. The monsters gather there and fight each other, or Hunters go in and slaughter them like livestock on a farm. It... it's the only way we survived."
Kenji nodded slowly.
An Aggro system, he thought. Humanity turned the whole world into a giant server and forced the mobs into specific spawn zones. Clever. Very clever.
"But," Kenji noticed the lingering fear in Laylo's eyes. "If all the monsters go into the Towers, why are you still afraid?"
Laylo swallowed hard.
"Because not all monsters are 'stupid,' brother."
She leaned closer to the window, pointing down at the narrow alleyways below the highway.
"There are some... we call them 'Strays' or 'The Deaf Ones.' They don't hear the Tower's call, or they can resist it. They roam freely in the city. They hide in the sewers, in subway tunnels, in abandoned buildings."
"Last night..." Laylo whispered. "When I was going to the pharmacy, I saw something in the distance. It looked like a dog, but it had no skin. If a 'White Tiger' patrol hadn't passed by... I would be dead."
Kenji clenched his fist.
So, safety was a relative concept. Humanity wasn't living behind walls; they were simply surviving by offering a distraction. From any corner, from any shadow, a "Stray" could emerge.
Suddenly, the limousine slammed on its brakes.
The screech of tires was followed by a sickening thud.
The heavy vehicle shuddered. Laylo screamed.
"What happened?!" Kaori barked into her radio. "Status report!"
The driver's panicked voice crackled back:
"Ma'am! Attack on the highway! It's... it's a Stray Black Panther! It jumped down from somewhere!"
Kenji looked out the window.
In the middle of the highway, amidst a sea of stopped cars, stood a beast the size of a minibus. Its fur was midnight black, and its eyes burned with a mindless red light. Saliva dripped from its maw.
It was a Stray—one that had ignored the Tower's call, driven only by hunger.
The Panther roared, staring straight at the "White Tiger" car. It could smell the Mana Stones and the Elixir inside.
Kaori gave a cold command:
"Guards! Eliminate it!"
Four armored hunters leaped out of the escort vehicles in front and behind the limo. They were C-Rank fighters.
They immediately encircled the Panther.
"Shields up! Fire Strike!"
The battle began.
Kenji watched from inside the car, analyzing every move.
The Panther is fast. Its front left leg is favoring a limp—an old injury. The Hunters' movements... too sluggish. They're managing the Aggro poorly. The tank is too far forward; the mage is exposed.
The Panther leaped. It soared right over the shield-bearer, lunging straight for the mage in the back.
"Watch out!" one of the guards shouted.
The mage barely managed to dodge, but the Panther's claws tore through his armor. Blood sprayed onto the asphalt.
Laylo squeezed her eyes shut in terror.
Kenji remained calm. He simply tapped his finger against the window glass.
If things got critical, he would intervene. For now, he wanted to see the strength of the "White Tiger."
At that moment, Kaori opened her car door.
She stepped out without a weapon in hand.
"Incompetent fools," she said icily.
The Panther turned toward Kaori. New, powerful prey.
The beast launched itself at her. A ton of muscle and fury flying through the air.
Kaori didn't move an inch. She simply raised her right hand and opened her palm.
[Skill: White Pressure]
BOOM!
It was as if an invisible mountain had crashed down onto the Panther. It froze in mid-air and then slammed into the ground with a wet crunch. The asphalt cracked beneath it. The monster couldn't move; the sound of its bones snapping echoed in the silence.
The guards immediately seized the opportunity and severed the Panther's head.
Kaori lowered her hand, adjusted her hair, and got back into the car.
"Apologies, Mr. Kenji. A minor inconvenience," she said calmly.
Kenji smiled.
"Not bad. Gravity Magic? That's rare."
"You have sharp eyes," Kaori replied. "Yes. It is the standard for 'White Tiger' officers. We do not waste time on Strays."
The car began to move again.
Laylo was still trembling. Kenji took her hand.
"Do you see?" he told his sister. "In this world, if you are strong, the monsters don't hunt you. They kneel before you."
Kenji took one last look at the massive Tower passing by the window.
The Towers... they aren't just traps. They are massive energy sources, he thought. I need to get inside one of them. That is where the real Essence I'm looking for is hiding.
"We have arrived," Kaori announced.
Ahead of them rose a massive structure built of white marble, resembling a cross between an ancient fortress and a modern corporate skyscraper.
Above the gates stood a giant statue of a White Tiger, and the inscription:
"WHITE TIGER GUILD — TOKYO HEADQUARTERS"
Kenji stepped out of the car. It felt like entering a new Dungeon.
"Well then," he said to himself. "Let's see what kind of house these 'kittens' keep."