The Unwanted Attention
Kael sat in the back of an armored transport, his mind still spinning.
The battle was over, yet he wasn't sure if he had won or lost.
The myth-tier monster had fled. That should have been a victory.
But instead of being celebrated, he was captured.
He looked down at his hands.
They weren't trembling, but they felt strange, like they belonged to someone else. He clenched his fingers into fists. Something inside him had changed.
The air inside the vehicle was heavy, filled with unspoken tension. Hunters clad in high-tech armor sat across from him, their weapons ready. Their fingers didn't move toward the triggers, but Kael could tell—they didn't trust him.
Neither did he.
A single man sat at the front, relaxed despite the suffocating atmosphere. Cain Velcrow.
Kael knew that name.
The strongest Hunter in the world.
And the man who had brought him here.
Kael took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts.
"What is this?" His voice was hoarse, his throat still raw from the battle.
Cain didn't turn to face him. "You'll see soon enough."
Kael's fingers twitched.
Everything was happening too fast. The fight, the power awakening inside him, the sudden shift in his life.
Why did Cain care?
And more importantly—why did he feel like a prisoner instead of a survivor?
---
The Cage of the Strongest
The vehicle came to a stop.
Kael barely had time to react before the doors slid open. A rush of cold air hit his face.
A facility. Underground.
He was led down a metallic corridor, bright white lights casting eerie reflections on the steel walls.
They entered a vast training hall, reinforced with barrier runes glowing faintly on the walls.
Kael exhaled sharply.
This isn't normal.
This wasn't a place to rest.
It was a cage.
The moment he turned, he saw the doors slam shut behind him.
Kael whirled around, anger flickering in his chest. "What the hell is this?"
Cain finally turned to face him. His expression was unreadable.
"A reality check."
Before Kael could respond, a blade came flying toward his face.
---
A Lesson in Reality
His body reacted before his mind.
Kael barely caught the weapon, the cold steel biting into his fingers.
Cain had thrown it.
And now, he was drawing his own sword.
"Fight me," Cain said simply.
Kael's pulse quickened. "You're joking."
Cain's smirk sent a chill down his spine.
"Dead serious."
Kael tightened his grip on the sword.
This isn't a fight I can win.
He knew that much.
But Cain wasn't giving him a choice.
---
Cain vanished.
Kael's instincts screamed at him to move—
BOOM.
A fist slammed into his stomach.
The impact cracked the floor beneath him.
Kael was thrown backward, his breath ripped from his lungs.
What…?
He hadn't even seen Cain move.
Pain shot through his ribs as he struggled to breathe. He barely had time to blink before—
Another hit.
Faster than he could track, Cain appeared behind him, slamming an elbow into his back.
Kael crashed into the floor.
His vision blurred.
This isn't a fight.
It was a slaughter.
---
The Monster Awakens
Kael groaned, forcing himself to his knees.
His head pounded.
His ribs felt cracked.
Cain sighed, tilting his head. "That's it? I expected more."
Kael clenched his fists.
He could barely think through the pain.
But something inside him was boiling.
Not fear. Not pain.
Something else.
It was anger.
No.
Rage.
A memory flickered in his mind—
The monster he couldn't kill.
The people he couldn't protect.
Himself, standing at the edge of death.
Something inside snapped.
His body moved on its own.
Before he even realized it, his fist was flying toward Cain's face.
Cain grinned.
BOOM.
Their fists collided.
A shockwave ripped through the training hall.
The walls shook.
The runes flickered.
Cain's eyes widened slightly.
For a brief moment—Kael had matched his strength.
Cain chuckled. "There it is."
Kael was panting.
His arm burned.
But he had felt it.
That power.
The same power that had opened the Gates.
---
The Power That Shouldn't Exist
Cain stepped back, rubbing his wrist. "That's enough for today."
Kael barely remained standing.
"What… is happening to me?"
Cain's smirk faded.
"You have power that shouldn't exist," he said. "A power that defies everything we know."
Kael swallowed hard.
Cain exhaled. "You felt it, didn't you?"
Kael didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Cain nodded. "The moment that Gate opened—you weren't supposed to come back."
Kael's chest tightened.
He knew.
Cain knew what had happened in that moment.
The power that allowed him to return.
But Cain's next words made his blood run cold.
"That power doesn't belong in this world."
Kael's hands clenched into fists.
He wasn't ready.
He wasn't strong enough.
But one thing was certain.
If he wanted answers—
If he wanted to survive—
He had no choice but to follow Cain.
---
Meanwhile…
In a distant city, a barrier shattered.
A tremor rippled through the earth.
The Strongest Association reacted immediately.
A red warning flashed across their headquarters.
A voice echoed through the war room:
"A Myth-Tier threat has surfaced."
The Hunters moved.
And at the heart of it all—
Kael's existence was now being watched.