Seeing the seeker in front of us, I whispered urgently to Kan, "Stay quiet and still." The seeker was a creature that defied explanation—massive, terrifying, with features that seemed drawn from a nightmare. Kan shot me a confused glance, his voice just above a whisper.

"What the hell is a Frey? And what’s a seeker?" he asked, clearly baffled and unprepared for what was coming.

I motioned for him to stay silent, my heart pounding as I tried to suppress the rising panic. "Trust me, you don’t want to find out." But before I could explain further, the worst happened—the seeker’s eerie, soulless eyes locked onto us.

Its head tilted slightly, like a predator assessing its prey. A low, guttural sound escaped its throat, and I knew we were in trouble.

“Damn it!” I cursed, my voice rising in urgency. “Run!” I shouted at Kan.

We bolted, our feet pounding against the cracked pavement as the seeker let out a blood-curdling screech. It was far too close, its footsteps reverberating through the ground like a death knell. Running wouldn’t solve the problem; it would only delay the inevitable. Unless...

Think, Lee, think! There has to be something...

My mind raced. I wasn’t prepared for this, but then again, no one was.

"Reveal," I muttered under my breath, hoping for something—anything—that could give us an edge.

[Status]

Race:[Human]

Age:[17]

Skills: [Eyes of a Genius],[Wind Blades] [Lightning Speed] [Emotion Manipulation] [Telepathy] [Author's Will]

Blessings: [Blessing of ???] [Born of Fate]

Curses:[Curse of ???] [Flawed Spirit]

My breath caught. "This might help," I whispered to myself, adrenaline surging through my veins. I scanned the skills quickly.

[Emotion Manipulation] – The ability to control the emotions of others. However, the catch was clear—I had to be mentally stronger than the target.

Jackpot. But doubt gnawed at me. Am I mentally stronger than this thing? The seeker, a creature born from realms far beyond human comprehension, was no simple beast. But it was worth trying. If I didn’t, we were dead anyway.

“Kan, keep running!” I yelled over my shoulder as I came to a stop, turning to face the monstrosity. It loomed above us, its black, chitinous body glistening under the dying sunlight. The seeker was a monstrous fusion of creatures—a 40-foot-tall abomination resembling a praying mantis with the head of a hawk, its scythe-like claws gleaming with deadly intent. Its six legs allowed it to move with terrifying speed, as if it was built to hunt, kill, and never tire.

With a deep breath, I focused, reaching out with my mind, pushing my consciousness into the creature’s. The moment our minds touched, I felt its raw, primal hunger—a desire to kill, to feed. It was overwhelming. For a brief second, the seeker hesitated, its forward motion faltering. I pressed harder, channeling every ounce of willpower into causing it pain—unbearable, crippling pain.

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The creature let out a deafening roar, its entire body twitching as if caught in an invisible vice. I forced the sensation deeper, trying to shut down its motor functions. For a moment, I thought I had it. But then the seeker fought back. With a savage force, it expelled me from its mind, sending a psychic shockwave that nearly knocked me unconscious. Pain ripped through my body, like every nerve had been set on fire. My knees buckled, but I pushed through, gritting my teeth.

I stumbled but managed to catch up to Kan, who had slowed down, looking back at me with wide, terrified eyes. “We need to keep moving!” I shouted, my voice strained.

We ran for what felt like an eternity, our bodies screaming in protest as we finally reached the edge of town. Gasping for air, we stopped behind the cover of a crumbling wall.

“What the hell was that thing?” Kan demanded, his voice raw from fear and exertion.

“A seeker,” I replied between gasps. “It hunts anything that moves. We’re lucky it didn’t kill us on sight.”

We couldn’t stay here. “We need to get your parents and leave this area—fast.”

Kan nodded, still shaken. We pushed forward, dodging smaller monsters—dire wolves that had spilled from the same towers. Each encounter drained us a little more, but we fought through, each swing of my sword becoming more labored.

By the time we reached Kan’s parents’ house—a modest brick home that looked untouched by the chaos—it felt surreal. The silence, the normalcy of it, didn’t belong in a world that had gone to hell.

We entered cautiously. The house was eerily quiet, but Kan called out softly, “Mom, Dad, it’s us.”

I stood behind him, gripping my sword, half-expecting something to jump out. Instead, his parents emerged from the hallway. Kan’s mother, Hye-jin Min, was everything he had described—stunning, with an ethereal beauty. Her black hair framed her face perfectly, and she moved with the grace of someone untouched by the horrors outside.

Kan’s father, Joon-ho Yoon, was the opposite—massive, with muscles that looked like they could move mountains. His presence alone was enough to intimidate, but there was a kindness in his eyes.

Kan quickly introduced me. “Father, Mother, this is Seo-jun Lee."

I bowed slightly. “Pleased to meet you.”

Joon-ho sized me up, his gaze piercing. Then he broke into a deep, hearty laugh. “Kan, enough with the formalities! It’s the end of the world. Just call me Joon-ho. Lee, is it?”

I nodded. “Yes, sir. Lee is fine.”

“Good. Now, tell me—what’s going on out there?” His tone turned serious, the humor vanishing in an instant.

I played it safe. “Monsters are everywhere. Towers fell from the sky, and creatures spilled out. I don’t know much more than that…”

Joon-ho’s eyes narrowed as if trying to gauge if I was holding back. He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.

“It’s not safe here,” I said firmly. “We need to leave. There’s a larger concentration of monsters in this area.”

Joon-ho looked skeptical. “And where do you suggest we go?”

I hesitated, then offered, “My uncle has a bunker about two miles from here. It’s fully stocked, and no one’s used it in years.”

Kan’s eyes widened in shock. “Your family is that rich?” He caught himself, stopping short of saying something inappropriate in front of his parents.

I quickly explained, “My uncle owns a bunker-building business in Seoul. It’s been sitting empty for years. My parents cut ties with him a while back.”

After a tense silence, Joon-ho nodded. “Alright, let’s go to the bunker.”

As we loaded the car, I spotted it—a blood spider, a terrifying predator, standing 12 feet tall. Its red body glistened in the dim light, and its eyes, too intelligent for comfort, focused on us.

Kan’s father began reversing the car. “What the hell is that?” he shouted.

I raised my hand. “Stop. Running won’t help.”

“Stop?! Are you insane?” Joon-ho yelled, slamming on the brakes. “We’re not fighting that thing!”

I grabbed my sword, determination coursing through me. “Stay in the car. I’ve got this.”

Before he could argue, I stepped out, sword at the ready. The blood spider moved with horrifying speed, charging at me with its mandibles dripping venom. I activated [Eyes of a Genius], my mind calculating every possible move in a split second. As the spider lunged, I dodged to the side, slicing at its legs with ,[Wind Blade], sending a crescent of air that cut deep into its chitin. It screeched, staggering back, but I wasn’t done.

With another strike, I aimed for its abdomen, cutting it open. The spider retaliated, slashing at me with its claws. I dodged most of its strikes, but one managed to catch my side, leaving a shallow gash. Ignoring the pain, I reached out with [Mind Control], pushing into the creature’s mind.

The mental toll was immense, but I forced the spider to leap off the cliff beside us. It fought back, trying to resist, but I held firm until it was too late. The spider plummeted, its body crashing into the ground below, lifeless.

I returned to the car, breathing heavily. “Now will you trust my judgment?”

Joon-ho looked like he wanted to argue, but instead, he nodded. “Thanks.”

The rest of the ride was quiet. As we reached the bunker, I noticed a group of people trying to break in. Without hesitation, Joon-ho took the sword and approached them. The moment they saw him, they fled. I sighed, disappointed.

“Well, I was hoping to see at least one of them fight. Guess they didn’t want to die today"