As long as Kai remembers, his life was an endless cycle of battles. Gate after gate, monster after monster.

He fought. He killed. Not for himself, but for his adopted father.

Kai gave him his loyalty, his strength, his everything. And in the end, how did he repay Kai? By throwing him in front of the gate boss—Titan. 

“To save the guild's future, you must sacrifice yourself.” 

Those were his adoptive father's final words to him. Spoken without hesitation, as if he was just a pawn.

And his only friend, the one he considered family, looked in Kai's eye and said, “I’m sorry, Kai, before turning away, leading the others to safety.

The explosion at the cave’s entrance sealed not only the Titan inside but Kai’s fate as well.

They had left him behind.

Alone. 

"Sacrifice me? After everything I’ve done? After I carried the weight of every mission on my back?"

Kai's lips curl into a bitter smile.

Of course. He was just a tool. A weapon to be discarded.

The ground shakes under Kai’s boots as the boss Titan roars, its scales shining like some armor. The beast’s jaws parted, revealing jagged teeth dripping with corrosive saliva that hissed as it splattered onto the stone floor. Every vibration of the Titan’s growl echoed like a death.

No hunter had ever faced an S-rank monster and survived. And yet, here Kai was—alone, bleeding, and on the edge of death. 

He gripped his twin swords tightly, their worn handles warm in his shaking hands. He wants to surrender, but he held onto a single thought: 

I won’t fall. Not yet. Not like this. 

The Titan lunged at him. Its black claws tore through the air like death itself. Kai’s instincts screamed, and he rolled to the side, feeling the rush of air as the claws barely missed. But the Titan was too fast. A second swipe of Titan's sword slashed through Kai's armor, leaving a deep cut in his side. In a second, warm blood starts spilling out, and the pain hits him like a burning fire. 

Kai stumbled back, clutching his wound. His heart is pounding loudly, and he is barely catching his breath. 

The Titan snarls as its eyes gleam with twisted pleasure. It wasn’t just fighting him—it was enjoying his pain, savoring his struggle. 

“Damn you,” Kai growled, his voice rough from both rage and pain. He pushed himself forward, raising his swords to strike at the Titan’s neck. Sparks flew as his blades hit its hard scales and the force of the clash shaking his arms.

But the Titan didn’t even flinch. 

The Titan’s tail whipped out like a whip, smashing into Kai’s ribs and sending him crashing into the cave wall. The sickening crack of bones breaking echoed in the air. Kai crumpled to the ground, coughing up blood. Every breath felt like it was tearing him apart. 

His vision blurred and the edges of the world going dark. But his anger is burning brighter than the pain.

Why am I fighting?

The memory surged unbidden—his father’s cold, calculating orders. His friend’s apologetic silence as he turned his back.

They had sent him here to die. A pawn sacrificed on the altar of their ambitions.

“Damn them,” Kai hissed, his voice a tremor of hatred. He pushed himself up, his swords shaking in his grip.

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“I won’t die for them.” 

The Titan roared, its jaws opening wide to unleash a torrent of acid. Kai dove behind a boulder, the venom melting through stone in seconds. His pulse hammered in his ears. 

His vision blurred, but he refused to fall.

If I’m going to die, I’ll take this bastard with me. 

His eyes flicked to the glowing status screen hovering faintly in his vision. 

Berserker’s Will: An S-rank ability. Unleash unparalleled power at the cost of life force. 

“Fine,” he muttered with a bitter smile on his lips.

Let’s see who goes down first.

With a single thought, he activated the skill. 

Berserker’s Will Activated. Life Force Depleting Rapidly.

A familiar heat surged through Kai body. His innate skill, Berserker’s Will was activated. His blood burned like fire, his muscles screamed in protest, and his twin swords glowed faintly as he forced his remaining mana into them. 

"Come on, you ugly bastard!"

Kai roared, charging forward with everything he had left. 

The battle became a haze of blood and steel. Kai swords danced, carving into the Titan’s thick scales. He ignored the pain, ignored the blood loss. 

Kai's every strike grows faster and heavier, making Title bleed. 

Finally, he thought, his lips curling into a feral grin.

You’re not invincible after all.

The Titan fought back with desperation, his claws and fire flailing wildly. But Kai was beyond reason, beyond pain. He moved like a force of nature.

With one final, guttural cry, he drove both swords into the base of the Titan’s skull. The beast howled, its death throes shaking the cavern. Its massive body collapsed with a thunderous crash, sending shockwaves through the ground. 

Kai staggered as his sword slipped from his bloodied hands. He fell to his knees beside the titan corpse. His body starts trembling with his vision as the last embers of Berserker’s Will faded.

“At least… I won,” he whispered in his barely audible voice. 

But the victory felt hollow. The betrayal is more vicious than any wound. His father’s indifference, his best friend’s cowardice, the lies that had brought him here—they all swirled in his mind like a storm.

“Why…?” His voice cracked. “Why wasn’t I enough?” 

Kai’s bitter laugh echoed in the silence. 

His vision blurred, and just as his consciousness began to fade away, a chime rang out in his mind, sharp and clear. 

Ding!

Level Up. 

His eyes snapped open. 

Congratulations! 

You have defeated the gate boss - Titan. 

Level Up! 

Rank: S to SS

New Skills Acquired: 

~ Gluttony 

~ Devourer's Regeneration

~ Corruption Shield 

~ Wraith’s Dread

Kai’s brow furrowed in confusion.

"Who the hell levels up while dying?"

And with the end of the thought, the power of the Gluttony and regeneration skill surged within him. He can feel the power of Titan being absorbed in his body, and his wounds start healing with his broken bones back together. 

But it didn’t matter. His body may have been healing, but his life force was almost entirely depleted. He could feel his life slipping away. No matter how strong he became, it couldn’t stop the inevitable. 

His breath came shallow and ragged, his vision blurring. The world around him felt distant, a haze of fading colors and sounds. 

Then, as if mocking him, the mechanical voice echoed again in his mind. 

Immortality’s Threshold: Cheat death… once. 

With that voice, darkness swallowed him whole. 

And then… everything went silent.