“Please take me to Sanggye-dong.”
When I said that from the back seat of the taxi, the driver widened his eyes in surprise and asked again.
“Sanggye-dong?”
“Yes.”
The driver turned on the meter and stepped on the accelerator.
“What are you going there for? That gloomy neighborhood?”
“…Haha, I just have some business to take care of.”
“Most people avoid that place. You know, because of that strange tower.”
“That’s true.”
They called it the Overlay Phenomenon.
Scholars explained that the sudden appearance of otherworldly monsters and never-before-seen plants on Earth in recent years was due to another world being layered over ours.
Of course, it wasn’t just flora and fauna that had been transferred to Earth.
Artifacts from another world.
Languages from another world.
Civilization from another world.
And most importantly, ruins from another world had also appeared.
Ancient imperial palaces, floating gardens, dragon nests, underwater cities—though they were devoid of inhabitants, they were undeniable remnants of another civilization.
One such ruin had manifested in Seoul, South Korea.
A massive tower, which had been transposed along with the Overlay Incident.
Seoul, already home to Namsan Tower and Lotte Tower, had suddenly gained a third tower. But people didn’t welcome this new landmark.
“There are so many eerie rumors about it,” the taxi driver said.
“They say it attracts monsters, or that it’s swarming with creatures planning to invade the world.”
I nodded. The people who had suffered irreparable losses from monsters had developed a deep hate to anything from the other world.
In reality, the area surrounding the tower had become a restricted zone due to frequent monster appearances.
“They say even the military tried to demolish the tower, but no matter what they used—bullets, missiles, you name it—they couldn’t even scratch it!”
“Amazing.”
“Judging by your gear, you look like a Hunter. Be careful, alright?”
I nodded and gave the talkative driver a faint smile.
There was something I couldn’t tell him.
I wasn’t a Hunter.
I was a mage.
And that tower—
It’s mine now.
Six Months Ago
Ever since the Overlay Incident, when another world overlapped with Earth, humanity had been forced to confront a new predator—monsters.
Like weeds sprouting in an untended field, monsters would suddenly appear without rhyme or reason.
And the only ones capable of hunting these creatures—
Players.
Like characters in a video game, Players could hunt monsters, gain experience, and grow infinitely stronger.
However, not all Players could become Pro Hunters.
Name: Kim Yushin
Unique Ability: Detection
Personal Traits:
- [Over-Immersion Lv.6]
- [Analysis Lv.1]
- [Child of Mana Lv.1]
Base Stats:
- [Magic Power 56]
- [Agility 7]
- [Strength 5]
- [Stamina 5]
Special Stats:
- [Focus 3]
- [Endurance 2]
- [Intelligence 2]
Total Stats: [80]
“My stats still haven’t gone up…”
For months, I had been working out at an expensive Player-only gym to increase my Strength.
I had also been doing intense cardio workouts to improve my Stamina.
For five months, I had stuck to this grueling regimen.
Yet my stats refused to budge.
Two years had passed since I had awakened as a Player, and my growth had been painfully slow.
I sighed and leaned my head back, exhausted.
The subway rattled as it moved along the tracks.
I glanced around at the other passengers.
Middle school students laughing and chatting while throwing around bizarre slang.
A father waving to his young daughter on a video call.
A woman lost in her own world, earphones in.
Just another ordinary day.
A day no different from yesterday.
To me, this was stagnation. A life that refused to move forward.
…I’m getting all philosophical again.
Feeling my mood sour, I switched from my depressing status window to my smartphone.
As always, the top news on the portal site was about famous Hunters.
[Oracle Guild Team 1, led by Team Leader Kim Hajin, has finally conquered the ‘Shrine of Thunderclap’!]
[Exclusive: What kind of dungeon was the ‘Shrine of Thunderclap,’ where three guilds had previously failed?]
[Kim Hajin: ‘The real MVP was our Tank, Cha Young-ho.’]
[Artifact discovered in the Shrine of Thunderclap: ‘Ring of the Underworld’ estimated value – 70 billion won.]
I clicked my tongue. Man, I wish I could raid dungeons too.
It was well-known that the best way for a Player to grow stronger wasn’t through training but through hunting monsters in dungeons.
I knew that.
But I was classified as non-combat viable by the Hunter Association, which meant I wasn’t even allowed to enter a dungeon.
Why?
Because modern Hunters needed a powerful Unique Ability to be useful in combat.
And my Unique Ability, Detection, only let me see other people’s status windows.
If anyone ever tried to tell me, “But isn’t that useful for gathering intel?” I’d respond with a polite smile and say:
“Then why don’t YOU try fighting monsters just by looking at status windows?”
…Yeah.
A completely useless ability.
I could probably get a desk job as a Guild Scout, but that wasn’t what I wanted.
I wanted to be a real Hunter—the kind that fought on the front lines.
I sighed and glanced at my status window again.
Base Stats:
- [Magic Power 56]
- [Agility 7]
- [Strength 5]
- [Stamina 5]
Pathetic stats.
But if I had one redeeming quality, it was my abnormally high Magic Power.
Thanks to my trait, Child of Mana, my Magic Power increased just by breathing.
But here’s the problem—
Magic Power only amplifies a Player’s Unique Ability.
If a Fire-based Player had high Magic Power, they could unleash stronger and more versatile flames.
But for someone like me, whose Unique Ability was Detecting status windows?
What, was I supposed to read status windows extra hard?
Utterly useless.
The only thing I was good at had no purpose.
Every single person who saw my stats had the same reaction.
A failed character.
A warrior build with all stats dumped into Magic Power.
A status-window-obsessed loser.
Even so—
I refused to give up on becoming a Pro Hunter.
I only had one option left.
I had to increase my Strength and Stamina until I could brute-force my way into a combat role.
But without dungeon access, that was easier said than done.
The subway intercom chimed.
“This train’s final stop is Sanggye Station. Sanggye Station.”
I sighed and grabbed my bag as I stood up.
Outside the window, the tower loomed over the station.
Alright. No more whining. Time to get moving.
Sanggye-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul.
The neighborhood was filled with old, gray buildings.
Shattered concrete rubble littered the streets.
This was probably the cheapest place to live in Seoul right now.
And I was looking straight at the reason why.
The massive gray tower—the city’s greatest eyesore.
That tower was said to attract monsters and house a Demon King inside.
Most of those were just urban legends.
But one thing was certain—
The area around the tower was a restricted zone due to its extreme otherworldly influence.
And the reason I had come here?
I pulled out my phone and opened a bookmarked page.
[Monster Hunting Spots]
– No hunting permits or dungeon licenses needed!
– How to sneak into a restricted zone without getting caught.
That’s right.
I was here to poach monsters.
And nothing was going to stop me.
I was beginning to feel the limitations of simple physical training, the Earthly method of growth.
If the Association wouldn’t permit me to enter dungeons under the excuse of being “non-combat personnel,” then I’d have no choice but to hunt monsters on my own to raise my stats.
As the sky darkened, I made my way toward the restricted zone.
Past the gray concrete buildings, I spotted the area in the distance—where foreign trees grew wildly like a jungle.
It was surrounded by barbed wire and barricades, filled with “No Entry” signs, a clear warning of danger.
A silent command to turn back immediately.
I swallowed dryly.
‘Alright, let’s go in.’
I checked my entry point once more.
The restricted zone wasn’t exactly heavily guarded.
The monsters here generally stayed within their territory. Occasionally, hunters would enter for cleanup operations, but the creatures kept appearing as if they were respawning endlessly.
This was why both the government and the Hunter Association had given up on this troublesome land.
Deploying dozens of official hunters here would be a waste of resources.
The Association was already struggling just to handle the monsters that appeared directly within major cities.
Following instructions I’d found online, I climbed a secluded hill, slipped over the barbed wire, and entered the restricted zone.
Luckily, there were no cameras or guards in sight.
‘Alright, time to prepare.’
I set down my bag and pulled out a white baton-like weapon.
It had an official name, but I just called it a steel pipe.
Made from a mixture of monster bones and metal, it was designed to absorb mana.
Closing my eyes, I focused my mind to the utmost limit.
I could feel the mana flowing gently within my body.
Carefully, I intervened in its flow, guiding it as if redirecting the course of a river, slowly channeling it into the steel pipe in my right hand.
Wooong!
I felt strength drain from my body as the pipe’s surface took on a faint bluish glow.
Success.
This was the fundamental technique of players—Mana Coating.
By infusing ordinary objects with mana, they could be transformed into deadly weapons against monsters.
With my preparations complete, I cautiously surveyed my surroundings and began to walk.
It was around 7 PM now, and the forest, shrouded in darkness, was eerily ominous.
It wasn’t too late.
I could still turn back now.
I forcefully shook off the uneasy thoughts that flickered through my mind.
The Player Evaluation was fast approaching.
I had to raise my Strength and Stamina stats before then to escape the “non-combat personnel” designation.
After that, I could hunt monsters through proper channels and grow stronger.
I was desperate.
Rustle. Rustle.
There was movement beyond the bushes.
I silenced my footsteps and hid behind a tree, peeking out cautiously.
A monster!
Gurma.
The monster had a face where the eyes, nose, and mouth were arranged without any apparent order, making it look as if its creator had abandoned it midway through. It bounced around with a roly-poly body and used its large, rabbit-like ears as arms to attack people.
Thank goodness.
Gurma was considered the weakest, ranked 1 among monsters by players.
If the monsters in this restricted area had been rank 2 or higher, I would have had no chance.
I wanted to approach undetected and launch a surprise attack, but it seemed the creature had spotted me first. It twisted its large ears into fists and bounced toward me.
‘Stay calm.’
I remained in place, watching Gurma’s movements until the last moment, then bent backward.
Whoooosh!
The attack cut through the air right in front of my eyes, making my hair stand on end.
It was powerful, but the pattern was straightforward.
As the next attack came, I dodged by leaning my shoulder back and then—
Smaaash!
I swung the steel pipe with full force at its side.
Its jelly-like body caved in, turning gray.
-Kururuk!
Gurma sprang up like a roly-poly and launched a flurry of attacks.
But at best, it was a repetitive one-two pattern.
Dodging continuously, I thought about its weak points.
Besides its side, where else?
Oh, right.
I dodged another attack by tilting my head back, then used a tree behind me as a foothold to leap into the air.
And while airborne—
Whoooosh!
I delivered a crushing blow to its head with all my weight behind it.
With a sickening pop, its jelly-like head burst slightly, and more than half of its upper body turned gray.
As I landed, I deflected an incoming attack and twisted my body to launch a kick.
Crunch!
At last, Gurma’s entire body turned gray before crumbling with a soft fsssh.
…Victory!
[Magic power has increased by 1.]
“Huff! Huff! Hahh!”
I actually defeated a monster!
Are you watching, Association bastards? Why am I considered expendable?!
…Lost in self-congratulation, I snapped back to reality and checked my stats.
Everything was fine, except that, despite fighting in close combat, my magic power had increased instead of my strength or stamina.
What a cursed trait.
Still, at this rate, it wouldn’t be long before my other stats started rising too.
I got up with renewed vigor and resumed the hunt.
After getting a taste for hunting, I swung my steel pipe late into the night without realizing the time.
Today’s gains: +2 magic power, +1 agility, and +1 strength.
Considering I had seen no progress despite months of intense training, this was an incredibly fast pace.
‘Maybe I should stop here for today.’
Honestly, I wasn’t in the best condition.
My stamina was fine, but fighting monsters after such a long time must have unsettled the mana inside me. It was boiling unsteadily.
I wasn’t sure what was happening, but it was a bit frightening. Stories of players dying from mana reflux were all over the internet.
Deciding to head back, I turned around.
“…”
I had been so absorbed in hunting Gurma that I hadn’t noticed my surroundings turning pitch black.
The skeletal trees stretching out in all directions made the scene eerily ominous.
Even getting out of here was going to be a problem.
I turned on my smartphone and checked GPS and the map app.
I had wandered deep into the forest.
‘…Seriously.’
I knew.
I was aware of my problem.
Once I got fixated on something, I couldn’t easily pull myself away.
There had to be a reason why the first personal trait I awakened as a player was “Over-Immersion.”
‘I should hurry.’
Following the map, I started walking.
It was so dark that I wanted to use my flashlight, but that might attract other monsters, so I held back.
Thud.
Something was under my foot.
The sensation was completely different from bare ground, and it shot through my brain like an alarm.
I lifted my foot and stepped down again.
“…!”
Bare ground this time.
Goosebumps ran down my entire body.
I quickly turned off my smartphone and took a few steps back.
A low, eerie growl spread through the darkness.
Damn it!
This wasn’t another Gurma.
Without hesitation, I sprinted in the opposite direction of the sound.
-Kyaaaaah!
A monstrous screech burst out from behind me.
I dove into the bushes.
I couldn’t see properly, so I had to push forward blindly with my arms.
Scratches from branches stung all over my body.
Snap! Crash!
Behind me, entire trees were being broken and uprooted.
I was being chased by a powerful monster.
And to make matters worse, the unstable mana inside me was surging even more violently.
“Huff! Huff!”
Ragged breaths escaped my lips.
At least all my stamina training was paying off in this moment.
But no matter what, I wouldn’t be able to outrun this thing.
What should I do?
What can I do?
Whoosh!
A gust of wind swept past my back.
Instinctively, I ducked.
A chilling sensation passed just over my head.
Cold sweat dripped down my face as I looked up.
A black-furred beast had just leapt over me, its fierce eyes locked onto mine.
This is bad.
Screeech!
The hairy monster slid across the dirt, then leaped at me again with agility.
Cornered, I gritted my teeth and swung my steel pipe.
Thunk.
But the monster caught it effortlessly.
Panicking, I let go and backed away.
The creature bent the steel pipe in half and tossed it aside as if to mock me.
…A different league entirely.
This was at least a rank 3 monster.
It lunged again, swinging its arm. I barely managed to dodge, but in my haste, I didn’t notice the tree behind me and crashed into it.
The sudden impact rattled my body, momentarily draining my strength.
-Grrr…
Having cornered its prey, the monster came closer, ready to deliver the final blow.
No weapon.
No combat abilities.
My only talent was detection.
Even as a player, there was no way I could win against this beast.
“…Urgh!”
To make matters worse, my mana finally erupted like an active volcano.
A red warning light flashed in my mind.
“Huff! Hah!”
Gritting my teeth, I stretched my trembling hand toward the monster.
If I didn’t release my mana now, I would explode before the creature even touched me.
I had to release it somehow.
I focused on pushing the raging mana out through my palm.
Unlike when I infused mana into my steel pipe, this time, the wild energy eagerly surged down my arm.
Then—
Fwoooosh!
With a sensation like finally solving a years-old constipation problem, my palm burst with light.
‘…What the hell?’
The mana formed lines, weaving together into a shape.
Its radiant glow painted the dark void with detailed strokes, forming—
A massive magic circle.
Vwooooooom!
A pillar of light shot from the magic circle, striking the monster directly.
The beast was engulfed in blinding radiance and sent flying out of sight.
The sheer force knocked me back as well.
Thud!
In the distance, trees crashed to the ground in a chaotic mess.
‘…Did I really do that?’
Dazed, I looked at my palm, then turned my gaze forward.
Somehow, I had ended up near the gray tower.
And on its surface—
The exact same symbol I had just drawn in the air.
“…”
Seoul’s disease.
The monsters’ stronghold.
All sorts of bad rumors flooded my mind, yet I found myself walking toward it as if drawn by something.
It wasn’t a rational decision.
It was pure instinct.
A certainty—if I didn’t enter now, I would regret it forever.
Finally, I reached the tightly shut entrance of the magic tower and placed my palm against it.
Shhhk!
As if welcoming me, the door swallowed me whole.
