The alarm rings.
Tristan lets out a deep breath as he sits up on his bed, his hands shaking. He stands, walks to the bathroom, and splashes water onto his face. He stares at his reflection in the mirror—his breathing uneven, his hands still trembling.
The sound of the TV snaps him out of his daze.
"Good morning everyone, and welcome back to Everything News. I'm your anchor, Susan McCartney, and I hope you all had a wonderful night," Susan's scuffed voice says through the TV.
Tristan leaves the bathroom and walks toward the living room, his gaze fixed on the screen.
"In this segment, we'll be going over the most recent gate and hunter news."
"S-rank party Foresight has decided to raid the SS-rank gate Final Destination today after their last retreat. Their declaration was made just yesterday, almost out of the blue. After the scene popular S-rank hunter Tristan made at the gate site last time, the media believed they wouldn't dare raid the gate again," Susan continues.
Tristan clicks his tongue, his hands clenching.
"The gate was said to have an outbreak approximately one year after its opening, but miraculously, Foresight has come forward after just five months to clear it. Currently on-site is gate and hunter analyst Peter McCartney. Peter, over to you."
"Thanks, Susan. I'm currently here with S-rank hunter Kade, the Immovable, and I'll be asking him a few questions. Sorry—how are you?" Peter asks.
"I'm alright. You?" Kade replies.
"Oh, I'm doing great. If you don't mind, I'll be asking you a few questions."
"Sure, go ahead," Kade responds, folding his arms.
"First question: why was Tristan in that state during your previous attempt?" Peter asks, his gaze shifting up to Kade's massive frame.
"Well…" Kade sighs. "He had a revelation of our deaths inside the gate through his power of foresight. It was unexpected—but it was precedented. We did avoid death."
"Okay, makes sense. Second question: what preparations has Foresight made during these five months of silence?"
"We just trained really hard," Kade replies with a chuckle. "That's it."
"Oh. Okay. Last question—can you guarantee your victory today?"
Peter's playful tone disappears. Kade notices, placing his hands behind his back.
"Yes," Kade declares. "I promise all of you here and now that today, we, Foresight, will come out of this gate victorious."
"Have we not given you enough proof? Before this incident, we cleared every gate we entered. Nothing changes. Believe in me. Believe in us. Believe in our leader—and believe in humanity itself! We will be victorious!"
A smile forms on Tristan's face. His worries fade away.
"Stand strong."
"!"
Tristan's eyes widen as his master's words flood his mind.
If you see no hope, become hope.
If the path ahead is dark, become light.
Where light exists, darkness ceases.
Where hope is realized, worry fades.
The words resonate deep within him.
He raises his head and exhales—calm this time.
He leaves the living room, showers, puts on his coat, and sheathes his sword at his hip. His eyes burn with a fiery resolve.
"I'm ready," he affirms as he steps outside, taking one last look back before closing the door.
Thud.
The door shuts. He sets off, determined to defy fate.
---
The gate collapses behind them with a thunderous echo.
Their footsteps reverberate through the cavern—a cavern Tristan knows all too well. The place where he and his comrades died countless times. The memories replay in his mind.
His steps halt. Sweat trickles down his brow. He clutches his chest, his heart racing.
Trust our leader.
Kade's words resurface. Tristan exhales. His heart steadies, his grip loosening.
"!"
They all feel it simultaneously.
A presence.
A massive figure emerges from the darkness, its wings generating violent gusts as it descends. The ground cracks beneath its feet. An unbearable heat radiates from its scales.
The dragon.
Rage crashes over Tristan. The being responsible for his death—his comrades' deaths—his endless mental torment—stands before him.
His brows knit together as he unsheathes his sword. Radiant golden mana surges through the blade. He channels mana into his feet, shattering the ground as he dashes forward.
The dragon senses the threat and launches a ball of fire.
"I see it, bastard!" Tristan roars.
Veins bulge across his face. He halts before the flames, gritting his teeth as mana floods his forearms.
In one clean motion, he cleaves the fire in two.
The dragon retaliates instantly, swinging its massive tail.
Tristan snaps his head to the right. His eyes widen, pupils glowing gold.
Clang.
Kade's shield intercepts the strike. His hands tremble under the force as he lets out a nervous laugh.
"Did you really think…" he mutters, straining, "that you're the only one here?"
He deflects the blow with everything he has.
"Remember—we're the ones clearing this dungeon. Not just you."
"He's right," Jin says, leaping from the shadows.
He pulls both arms back, then snaps them forward—unleashing a rain of daggers. Each blade slips precisely between the dragon's scales.
The dragon opens its mouth, preparing another attack.
A massive shard of ice crashes into its face, injuring its right eye. The ice melts against its burning scales.
"Now, let's finally put an end to this gate," Mira says, her staff glowing pink as icy-blue snowflakes spill from its tip.
"Alright!" Tristan shouts, tightening his grip.
"Foresight—engage!"
He dashes forward, golden mana raging around his blade. He leaps, the ground cracking beneath him.
Kade charges ahead, raising his shield overhead.
Tristan lands on it and launches again, a violent gust sending debris flying.
He plunges his sword into the dragon's injured eye.
The dragon shrieks, its roar shaking the cavern as it thrashes, flinging Tristan skyward.
Green wind energy wraps around Tristan's body, propelling him back down. He pours mana into his arms, amplifying the strike.
The dragon raises its claws. Steel meets scale in a deadlock.
Time slows.
The dragon opens its jaws.
Tristan plants his foot on its claw and pushes off just as the fire erupts. The flames graze his clothes.
He lands hard, skidding backward as dust explodes behind him.
Kade and Jin surge forward.
The dragon lashes out.
Kade blocks the first claw. Jin slashes the second.
Kade parries again, slamming his shield into the dragon's limb and pinning it into the ground.
Jin vaults over Kade, sprinting up the trapped arm.
The dragon turns, fire roaring toward him.
"Shadow Clone!"
Jin splits in two. The shadow launches him upward as flames scorch past.
Midair, Jin releases another volley—daggers piercing through scale and flesh.
"Out of the way!" Mira shouts.
A massive sphere of fire forms behind her.
"Incinerate."
The explosion engulfs the battlefield, the shockwave tearing through the cavern.
"!"
Tristan rushes in, pulling Mira aside just as the dragon bursts from the flames.
He slashes in a wide arc—severing its left claw.
The dragon stumbles. The ground collapses beneath it.
It turns—
Its remaining eye meets a golden blade.
Splurt.
Blood erupts.
The dragon screams, the cavern shaking as another slash takes its other arm.
It collapses.
Tristan climbs onto its head, sword raised.
"Goodnight."
He plunges the blade down, piercing its brain.
Silence.
Relief washes over him.
"Finally," he murmurs.
Then—disappointment.
"…Too easy."
He sheathes his sword and joins his teammates.
"Tristan!" Mira calls.
He emerges from the dust, scanning them—no injuries.
He exhales.
"We did i—"
He stops.
Fear grips their faces.
They tighten their weapons.
Tristan turns.
A humanoid figure stands beside the dragon's corpse—armored, battered, silent. One hand rests on the dragon's head, almost mournful.
"What th—"
Gold flashes in Tristan's eyes.
The figure vanishes.
Instinct takes over.
Clang.
Their blades collide.
The impact shatters the bones in Tristan's arms.
He's hurled into the wall.
Rubble crashes down.
He can't move.
Footsteps.
Calm. Light.
He looks up.
His comrades lie dead.
Rage consumes him.
The system whirs.
[Second Phase Begin]
[Objective: Defeat the New Boss]
[Dragon Master: ????]
"!"
"…Just who are you?"