Renji moved before the man's hand could fall.
A soft thud echoed as his fingers closed around the hunter's wrist.
The tall man's eyes widened. "What the—"
Renji's voice was calm, almost quiet, yet it cut through the noise of the lobby.
"Striking a receptionist is that how a hunter resolves disputes?"
The man tried to jerk his hand free, but Renji's grip didn't budge. His expression didn't change, yet there was a weight behind it like standing before an unseen cliff's edge.
"Let go, stranger" the man growled, his voice carrying more bluster than confidence.
Renji's gaze drifted to the red scarf. "Scarlet Fang Guild I knew guilds had power but shouldn't they protect the weak from the portals and not hurt them?" He released the wrist, but only after ensuring the man had taken a step back.
The receptionist, still pale, murmured, "Sir please, the Association has rules. If you wish to appeal—"
But the hunter's pride had already been wounded in front of too many eyes. "You've got a big mouth for someone who just walked in," he snapped at Renji cracking his knuckles ready for a fight. Renji didn't answer. His eyes held steady, unblinking.
The man's brow furrowed. "What? Cat got your tongue?" He shoved Renji's shoulder. It was meant to knock him off balance, but Renji's feet barely shifted.
A flicker of irritation crossed the hunter's face. He swung. Renji tilted his head. The fist brushed past his cheek, close enough for him to feel the wind of it. Before the man could pull back, Renji's hand shot up, catching his wrist. A light twist just enough to make the hunter grunt and Renji stepped in, letting his other hand press firmly against the man's chest.
The push wasn't hard, but it sent the hunter stumbling two steps back, his boots squeaking against the lobby floor.
"You—" the man started, but his guildmates had already stepped in, grabbing his arms.
"Enough, Jinho. Not worth it," one muttered.
Renji released his grip without a word. The air felt heavier, the lobby hushed.
Chaewon finally exhaled, glancing at him. "You didn't even move your feet."
Renji's gaze drifted back to the counter. "Didn't need to."
She shakes her head, half amused. "You're either the most confident E-rank I've met or the craziest."
They walk toward the registration desk. Chaewon explains as they go, "Normally, fresh hunters take F or E-rank runs. Safer, builds reputation. Don't expect anything higher unless you've got connections."
The clerk looks up as they approach. Her gaze lingers on Renji a moment longer than necessary likely recalling the lobby scene. "Hunter Renji E-rank, swordsman class. We have a D-rank subjugation request. Normally, I wouldn't offer it to someone your level" She tilts her head slightly. "But I have a feeling you can handle it."
Chaewon blinks. "A D-rank? For him?"
Renji meets the clerk's gaze. "I'll take it."
The clerk hands over the mission slip. As they step aside, Renji's eyes scan the details.
Chaewon frowned, falling into step beside him as they left the counter. "You really just took the first one they offered? No checking, no questions?"
Renji folded the mission slip neatly and tucked it into his jacket. "It's a hunt. Details don't matter."
"They do matter," she said, quickening her pace to keep up. "D-rank portals aren't playgrounds. And I've seen more than a few cocky newbies get carried out on stretchers."
"I'm not a newbie," Renji replied, his tone flat.
"That's what they all say." They passed through the guild hall's heavy glass doors, stepping into the brisk air outside. The massive arch of the portal gate loomed at the far end of the plaza, its surface shimmering with faint ripples of mana. Hunters milled about, checking gear, laughing in small groups, and tightening straps before their runs.
Chaewon glanced sideways at him. "You don't even have a party. Planning to go in solo?"
"Is that a problem?"
"Yes, it's a problem." She sighed, then shook her head. "Fine. I'm coming with you. Someone has to make sure you don't get flattened."
Renji didn't answer, but the faintest smirk tugged at his lips. By the time they reached the portal's entrance, the low hum of mana filled the air like an unspoken warning. Chaewon adjusted her gloves, her eyes narrowing at the swirling gate. "Last chance to back out."
Renji stepped forward without hesitation twirling around the sword he borrowed from the Association. "After you."
ChatGPT said:
The moment they stepped through, the world shifted sky dimmed to an overcast gray, trees gnarled and twisted, and the air thick with a metallic tang. From the underbrush, three wolf-like beasts with jagged black fur slunk into view, their crimson eyes locked on them.
Chaewon lifted her rifle-bow hybrid, loading a mana-charged bolt. "D-rank Direwolves," she muttered. "Fast and nasty."
One lunged Renji blurred forward, his blade flashing once. The wolf's head hit the ground before its body realized it was dead. The other two darted around, trying to flank. Chaewon's shot rang out, piercing one's hind leg, staggering it. Renji closed in, slicing deep before pivoting to meet the third.
The beast's jaws clamped down on his forearm guard Renji twisted, driving his sword upward through its throat in a single brutal motion.
Chaewon reloaded, scanning the treeline. "You fight like this is nothing."
Renji shook blood from his blade. "Because it is."
Before she could reply, a low, guttural growl rumbled deeper in the woods—heavier, slower, and far more dangerous than the wolves they'd just faced. The underbrush ahead shifted, branches snapping as something massive pushed its way through.
Chaewon's grip on her rifle tightened, eyes darting toward Renji. "That's not a D-rank wolf."
The trees parted, revealing a hulking beast twice the size of the wolves, its hide a patchwork of scars, eyes glowing like molten gold. The scent of blood clung to it.
Renji rolled his shoulders, hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "An evolved wolf?"
"Yeah," Chaewon said, steadying her aim. "And way out of our assignment range."
The monster's roar ripped through the clearing, birds scattering into the sky. Then it charged. Renji moved first so fast that Chaewon's eyes almost missed it. His blade flashed in a clean, arcing strike, forcing the beast to skid back with a snarl.
Chaewon squeezed the trigger, her mana-infused bullets piercing into its flank. "Keep it turning!" she called.
Renji didn't reply, already sidestepping a crushing swipe of its claws. His counterattack was precise, cutting deep along the creature's foreleg. The monster reeled, snapping its jaws at him, but Renji's expression never changed calm, calculating, relentless.
Chaewon reloaded in one fluid motion, firing again to drive it back. "You're making this look too easy."
The beast lunged one last time, but Renji's sword met it mid-charge, cutting clean through its neck. The head hit the ground with a dull thud, the body collapsing a heartbeat later.
Renji exhaled, wiping the blade on the grass. "Not bad for a warm-up."
Chaewon stared at the corpse, then at him. "Remind me to never underestimate you again."
He gave the faintest smirk. "Noted."
Renji crouched beside the beast, brushing away the thick fur near its neck. His fingers paused over a jagged, metallic shard embedded deep in the flesh blackened with mana burn.
Chaewon frowned. "What is that?"
"Not natural," Renji said, prying it free. The shard was smooth on one side, engraved with faint runes that pulsed weakly before flickering out. "Looks like a control tag."
Her eyes widened. "Control tags are banned. Hunters caught using them get blacklisted."
Renji studied the faint scorch marks around the wound. "Then whoever put this here didn't care about laws."
A faint rustle came from behind them. Chaewon spun, gun ready, but instead of another beast, a half-shredded corpse tumbled into the clearing its armor bearing the faded crest of a minor guild.
Chaewon's voice dropped. "That's Scarlet Fang Guild's insignia."
Renji slipped the shard into his pocket. "Guess that explains why an elite variant wandered into a D-rank portal."
Chaewon's jaw tightened. "And if Scarlet Fang's involved, this isn't just an accident."
Renji stood, scanning the tree line. "Then we finish this portal and keep quiet until we know more. Whoever's behind this they won't stop here."
She nodded grimly, reloading her weapon. "Fine. But if this blows up, we're already in deep."
Renji started walking toward the faint glow deeper in the forest. "I've been in deeper."
Renji started toward the faint glow deeper in the forest, Chaewon close behind. The air grew heavier with every step, the mana hum sharpening into a near-constant thrum in their ears. The twisted trees began to thin, revealing a jagged rock formation ahead its center dominated by a massive, rune-inscribed stone gate.
Chaewon slowed, her hand brushing his arm. "Renji we're not alone."
From the shadows near the entrance, armed figures stood in a loose perimeter. Their crimson armbands and jagged fang insignia left no doubt Scarlet Fang Guild. A couple leaned casually on their weapons, but their eyes were sharp, scanning the tree line.
Renji's gaze flicked over them, counting. "Seven," he murmured. "Four melee, two ranged, one mage. And..." His eyes narrowed.
Chaewon followed his line of sightand her breath caught. Standing near the largest of the Scarlet Fang hunters, smirking like he owned the place, was Jinho.
Chaewon whispered. "What the hell is he doing here?"
Renji didn't answer immediately. He just studied the way Jinho chatted with the others, laughing like he belonged. Finally, he said, "Looks like we're about to find out."
As they crouched behind a boulder, Chaewon kept her gun ready. "Boss room's just beyond that gate. But if Scarlet Fang's guarding it, they don't want witnesses."
Renji's smirk was cold this time. "Then we stop being witnesses and become the problem."
Without another word, Chaewon lifted her gun, her eyes narrowing to razor focus.
BANG—BANG!
Two sharp cracks split the air, echoing off the stone walls. The two Scarlet Fang ranged fighters didn't even have time to scream one fell backward with a neat hole between the eyes, the other collapsed clutching his chest, his bow clattering to the ground.
Before the others could even register what happened, Renji exploded from cover like a drawn arrow released. His blade flashed in the dim light, and the nearest melee fighter barely had time to raise his axe before Renji's strike slammed into him. The force of the blow sent the man skidding back, blood spraying in a fine arc.
"Enemies! Take them down!" the mage barked, mana already crackling around his hands.
Chaewon kept firing, each shot precise and punishing, forcing the melee fighters to split their focus between her and Renji. Renji moved like a storm one moment slashing through a spear-wielder's guard, the next pivoting to block a hammer swing and driving his sword through the man's chest in the same motion.
Jinho stumbled back toward the gate, shock flashing across his face. "What the—It's you again?!"
Renji didn't even look his way. His blade came up, parrying another attack with lethal calm. "Guess the rumors about Scarlet Fang liking easy prey are true."
The last of the Scarlet Fang grunts crumpled to the ground, their weapons clattering uselessly against the stone floor. Only Jinho remained, his face pale but twisted with fury.
"You think you can just walk in here and mess with my guild?" he spat, drawing a curved blade from his hip.
Renji turned to face him at last, resting his sword casually against his shoulder. "Guild? Looked more like a pack of hyenas to me."
Jinho's eyes flared. "I'll show you a hyena's bite!" He lunged, his sword arcing toward Renji's head.
CLANG!
Renji barely shifted his wrist, deflecting the blow like it was nothing. He didn't counter he let Jinho come at him again, and again, each strike swatted aside with almost lazy precision.
"What's wrong?" Renji said, sidestepping another slash. "You're making it too easy."
Jinho gritted his teeth, mana flaring around his blade as he unleashed a flurry of attacks. Sparks lit the air as steel met steel but Renji's stance didn't even waver. He blocked, redirected, and stepped just out of range, like a predator toying with prey.
"You're fast, huh?" Jinho panted, frustration breaking into his voice.
Renji's smirk deepened. "You're slow."
Before Jinho could react, Renji stepped in, the flat of his blade slamming into the side of Jinho's ribs with bone-rattling force. The guild leader stumbled, wheezing, but Renji didn't follow up.
"Stand up," Renji said, almost bored.
Jinho roared and swung again, but Renji ducked under it, flicking the hilt of his sword upward into Jinho's jaw. The man reeled, his legs buckling.
"Come on," Renji murmured. "Show me something worth my time."
Jinho charged one last time, but Renji sidestepped, hooked his leg behind Jinho's, and sent him crashing to the ground. A single motion brought Renji's blade to his throat, cold steel kissing skin.
"You're lucky I'm not in the mood to make a mess," Renji said quietly, before kicking Jinho's weapon away.
Chaewon approached, lowering her rifle. "You done playing?"
Renji glanced at her and sheathed his sword. "Yeah. Let's see what your boss has been guarding so desperately."
Renji opened the heavy double doors with his strength. The stench hit them first blood, rot, and something acrid that made the back of their throat burn. Inside, the dim torchlight revealed rows of crude cages. Dire wolves, their fur matted with blood, snarled weakly from behind iron bars. Some had grotesque bulges along their spines, mana flickering unnaturally under their skin but it wasn't just wolves.
Chaewon's hand froze halfway to her mouth. "Oh my god."
In the far cages, several people were slumped against the bars hunters, their gear torn, eyes glazed with exhaustion and pain. Chains bound their wrists, and strange runes pulsed faintly across their skin.
She stepped closer, her voice trembling. "Renji I've seen their faces before. These are the missing hunters from the Association reports."
One of the captives stirred, lifting his head with a weak groan. "H-help please"
Renji scanned the room, his eyes narrowing at a makeshift workstation in the corner glass vials filled with a glowing, red-tinged mana fluid. Scarred notes were scattered across the table, diagrams of runes drawn over wolf anatomy and human anatomy.
Chaewon's jaw tightened. "They were fusing monster traits into people. That's why the elite variant was here it wasn't born like that. They made it."
Renji's gaze shifted to a large, locked iron door at the back of the chamber. "Then whatever's behind that door is their final product."
Chaewon chambered a fresh round into her rifle, her voice sharp. "We put a stop to this. Now."
Renji gave a curt nod, stepping forward until his shadow fell across the back door. The lock snapped under Renji's kick, and the iron door groaned open. The air inside was thicker humid, reeking of blood and mana.
In the center of the chamber lay the boss monster, a hulking dire wolf with midnight-black fur and streaks of glowing crimson running along its body. It was chained to the floor by rune-etched restraints, its breathing shallow, eyes clouded with pain. Jagged scars crisscrossed its flanks, and tubes filled with red mana fluid snaked from its veins into humming apparatuses along the wall.
Chaewon's breath caught. "They nearly killed it."
A slow clap echoed from the shadows.
From behind the monstrous wolf, a tall man stepped forward—broad-shouldered, wearing the crimson insignia of the Scarlet Fan Guild. His slicked-back hair glistened in the torchlight, and his eyes carried a cruel glint.
"Well, well," he said, his voice rich with mock amusement. "The Association's little dogs. You've come just in time to witness history."
Renji's stance lowered instinctively. "You're the guild leader."
The man smiled thinly. "I prefer visionary. Do you see it? This creature is just the beginning. Wolves, humans fused into something greater. A new breed of hunters who can crush dungeons with their bare hands. Imagine the power. The fear."
Chaewon's grip on her rifle tightened. "You're insane."
"Insane?" He chuckled. "No, my dear. I am evolution."
From the workstation nearby, he picked up a thick glass vial filled with the same red, pulsating mana fluid they had seen in the experiments. Without hesitation, he yanked the cork out with his teeth and drank the contents down his throat.
The change was immediate. His veins lit up like molten cracks in stone, his skin tightening and darkening as muscle cords swelled unnaturally. His fingers split into clawed talons, and jagged bone-like protrusions pushed through his back.
A guttural roar tore from his throat a sound neither human nor beast.
Renji exhaled slowly, drawing his sword. "Guess the final product's here."
The guild leader's monstrous grin widened, saliva dripping from fanged jaws. "Let's see if you can survive the future."
The guild leader's roar shook dust from the ceiling as the chains on the dire wolf rattled violently. Renji stepped forward, sword in hand, his voice calm. "Chaewon, stay back."
The beast-man lunged first, his speed far greater than before. His claws raked across the floor where Renji had stood a second earlier, gouging deep trenches into the stone.
Renji sidestepped effortlessly and countered with a slash that would have cleaved most monsters in two. The guild leader caught the blade between his claws, grinning then Renji twisted his wrist, breaking his grip and sending a shallow cut across his forearm. Black-red blood hissed as it hit the ground.
The guild leader staggered, then laughed, the sound bubbling and distorted. "Good let's take this higher."
His back split open as a second set of arms erupted, each ending in grotesque talons. His torso elongated, his jaw distending into something almost lupine, teeth jutting out like knives. His speed doubled, his movements now erratic less human, more predator.
Phase two had begun.
Renji blocked a flurry of strikes, each blow sending shockwaves through the room. He deflected, parried, ducked never losing his composure. It was almost insulting how relaxed he looked.
"You're too slow," Renji said quietly before driving a knee into the creature's gut, launching him across the chamber.
The guild leader slammed into the wall, rubble raining down. But instead of falling, he pushed off with explosive force, his body now rippling with mana surges. His skin cracked like porcelain, revealing glowing crimson muscle underneath.
Phase three.
His mind was clearly slipping now, words turning to snarls. "K...kill... eat..."
Renji's expression hardened. He knew this thing was no longer fully human. "Fine. No holding back."
In a single blur of movement, Renji closed the distance, his sword flashing in rapid arcs. Each strike sliced through mutated flesh, severing one arm, then another. The beast screamed, its voice echoing through the dungeon like a banshee's wail.
Chaewon could only watch, stunned not because Renji was winning, but because it was one-sided. He wasn't fighting for his life. He was toying with it.
With a final upward slash, Renji split the monster from shoulder to hip. The body collapsed, twitching, black blood pooling across the floor. The light faded from its eyes, leaving only a broken, mangled corpse. The chamber fell silent, except for the labored breathing of the dire wolf behind them.
Chaewon's heart pounded in her chest. She had seen powerful Hunters before A-ranks, even an S-rank once but none of them moved like this. Renji's fight hadn't been desperation. It had been control. Every strike precise, every movement calculated, as if the outcome had been decided from the start.
She stared at him as he stood over the corpse, the dim mana lights in the chamber flickering. From her eyes, his silhouette seemed to shift. A faint, ominous glow almost black yet tinged with violet radiated from his body, distorting the air around him. It wasn't the glow of mana she knew this felt heavier, colder.
She swallowed, her throat dry. This man... he's not someone to mess with.
Renji slid his blade back into its sheath and finally turned to her, his voice calm as if nothing had happened. "Let's move. We still have work to do."
Chaewon nodded automatically, unable to look away from him not because she couldn't, but because some part of her knew if she ever stood against him, she wouldn't stand at all.