A cool breeze swept through the bustling streets of Seoul, carrying with it the scent of rain that lingered in the air. The city, with its towering skyscrapers and endless sea of lights, seemed as vibrant and alive as ever. But for the white-haired woman standing atop a nearby rooftop, the world felt heavy, as if an invisible weight had settled over it.
Her name was Kang Yeonhee, an S-rank hunter known across the globe for her prowess in battle and her sharp, unyielding gaze. But today, her single remaining eye, the other covered by a black patch, was fixed on the horizon, where the city’s skyline met the heavens. She had long grown accustomed to the strange energy that surrounded the dungeons, but the one that had just appeared was different—far more ominous.
As she stood there, a presence approached her from behind, moving silently across the rooftop. She didn’t turn, already knowing who it was. Instead, she waited, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the hilt of the sword at her side.
She didn’t respond immediately, allowing the words to sink in. S-rank gates were rare, the highest level of threat known to humanity. Their appearance often signaled a disaster waiting to happen—a catastrophe that could decimate entire cities if not dealt with swiftly.
"Yeonhee," a deep voice called out, tinged with urgency. "We’ve confirmed it. It’s an S-rank gate."
She didn’t respond immediately, allowing the words to sink in. S-rank gates were rare, the highest level of threat known to humanity. Their appearance often signaled a disaster waiting to happen—a catastrophe that could decimate entire cities if not dealt with swiftly.
"The location?" Yeonhee finally asked, her voice steady despite the tension she felt.
"Near Gangnam," the man replied, stepping closer. He was one of her most trusted lieutenants, a veteran of countless battles. "It materialized an hour ago. The national response teams are already mobilizing."
Yeonhee nodded, her eye narrowing as she took in the information. Gangnam was one of the most densely populated areas in Seoul, a district known for its affluence and importance. An S-rank gate appearing there was nothing short of a nightmare.
"I’ll head there immediately," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Prepare the team. We can’t afford any mistakes."
As she spoke, her mind was already racing through strategies, considering every possible outcome. S-rank gates were unpredictable, their contents unknown until someone entered. But whatever lay within, she knew one thing for certain—she would face it head-on, as she always had.
Without another word, Yeonhee turned and leaped off the rooftop, her form disappearing into the night as she made her way toward the gate. The city below continued its ceaseless activity, unaware of the impending danger that loomed over it.
Meanwhile, far from the bustling heart of Seoul, another figure moved with purpose, his thoughts fixated on a different dungeon. Joo Shinhyuk—once known as Aeschylus, the God of Destruction—stood before the entrance to the dungeon he had encountered earlier. His golden hair was now jet-black, and his eyes, though still piercing, had taken on a more human appearance. Yet beneath this facade, his true nature remained unchanged.
"The seal on my powers… this dungeon should provide the first step," Shinhyuk mused, his voice a low murmur that seemed to blend with the wind. He could feel the energy emanating from within the dungeon, a dark pulse that resonated with the remnants of his own power. It was a challenge—a call to action that he could not ignore.
With a final glance at the ruined city around him, Shinhyuk stepped forward, crossing the threshold of the dungeon. As soon as he entered, the once-blue gate shimmered, its color shifting to a deep, ominous red. The change was instant and dramatic, signaling a complete lockdown—no one would be able to enter or leave until the dungeon was either cleared or consumed the world around it.
Far away, alarms blared across the country, alerting the government and military forces to the sudden escalation. A red gate was a national emergency, a situation so dire that it demanded the attention of the highest authorities. The nation’s top hunters were being summoned, but none of them knew the truth—that within the dungeon was a god reborn, his power sealed, yet still far beyond anything they could imagine.
Shinhyuk, now fully immersed in the darkness of the dungeon, felt the weight of the world recede as he moved deeper into its depths. The air grew colder, the atmosphere thick with an otherworldly presence that pressed down on him from all sides. But he remained unfazed, his steps confident as he ventured further.
"This place reeks of death," Shinhyuk muttered, his senses on high alert. The dungeon was vast, its walls lined with jagged rock and twisted roots that seemed to pulse with a life of their own. Shadows danced across the ground, and the distant echoes of growls and snarls reached his ears, but Shinhyuk pressed on, undeterred.
He knew that within this dungeon lay the creatures he needed to slay—the first of many steps required to break the seal on his powers. The system had set conditions, but to Shinhyuk, they were merely obstacles to overcome, challenges to conquer.
As he ventured deeper into the dungeon, the red glow of the gate behind him faded into the distance, leaving only darkness ahead. But for Joo Shinhyuk, the former god who had once slaughtered millions of gods, the darkness was merely another battlefield—one that he would emerge from victorious.
I stepped deeper into the dungeon, the darkness pressing in from all sides like an unwelcome companion. The air was thick with a stench that I recognized all too well—death, decay, the remnants of battles long forgotten. In my prime, I would have obliterated this place with a single thought, but now… now I was shackled by this mortal body, stripped of the power that once made the universe tremble.
It’s ironic, really. A god reduced to a mere shadow of his former self, wandering through this miserable dungeon like some desperate adventurer. But even in this weakened state, I am still Aeschylus, the God of Destruction, and no amount of sealing magic can change that.
As I moved forward, the dungeon’s traps began to spring—pitiful things, really. Arrows shot from the walls, aiming to pierce my flesh, but they might as well have been toothpicks. I swatted them aside with ease, though it took more effort than I’d like to admit. Pathetic. These traps were designed to slow down mortals, not gods.
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But then again, here I am, pretending to be one.
After bypassing a particularly annoying set of spike traps, I found myself in a large chamber. The walls were lined with ancient runes, and at the center stood thirty golems, each about ten feet tall, their bodies made of stone, metal, and earth, pulsing with a faint, magical light. Their eyes glowed an eerie blue as they turned to face me, their movements slow but deliberate.
Golems. I’ve encountered their kind before. In the celestial realm, they were nothing more than toys, constructs built by lesser gods to amuse themselves. But these… these were different. They weren’t just mindless automatons; they were guardians, designed to protect whatever lay deeper within this dungeon.
"Thirty A-ranked golems," I muttered to myself, sizing them up. "In my prime, I would have wiped them out with a flick of my wrist." But in this mortal body, I had to be more cautious. My movements were slower, my reactions dulled. If I wasn’t careful, they could overwhelm me, and the thought of being bested by such creatures was intolerable.
As I stood there, considering my options, a memory surfaced—one from a time long ago, when I was not a god but a man. Yes, I remember it now. Before I ascended to godhood, I was a warrior in a medieval world, a place teeming with magic and monsters. I had fought with steel and blood, relying on nothing but my wits and the strength of my arm.
An idea formed in my mind, one that made me smirk despite the situation. "Inventory," I shouted, just as the golems lumbered toward me, their massive fists ready to crush me into the ground.
For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of their heavy steps, then suddenly, the golems halted. Their arms pulled upwards, revealing me standing beneath them, a metal sword in hand. The blade wasn’t anything special, just a simple weapon I had stored away—one of many remnants from my past as a mortal.
It seems I still have my old tricks, I thought, feeling the weight of the sword in my hand. It was a good sword, well-crafted but worn. A quick scan told me it had little durability left, but it would be enough. Enough to slaughter these overgrown puppets.
I looked up at the golems, their hulking forms towering above me. I could feel the power thrumming within them, centered around their cores—likely buried deep within their chests. All I needed to do was reach those cores and crush them.
"Let’s see how well you fare against a god who remembers what it means to be mortal," I said, a dark grin spreading across my face.
I charged at the nearest golem, my steps light and quick despite the heaviness of this mortal frame. The golem swung its massive arm down, aiming to smash me into the ground, but I was already moving, ducking under its strike and slashing at its leg with the sword. The metal bit into the stone, and with a sickening crack, the golem’s leg gave way, sending it toppling to the ground.
Without hesitation, I leaped onto its chest, driving the sword down into the center of its body. The blade struck the core, and with a surge of energy, I crushed it, the golem’s body convulsing before falling still. One down.
The other golems moved in, their massive forms closing in around me, but I didn’t stop. I could feel the bloodlust rising within me, the thrill of battle that I hadn’t felt in centuries. This was what it meant to be alive—to fight, to kill, to overcome impossible odds.
I ducked, dodged, and weaved through their attacks, each movement precise and calculated. My sword flashed in the dim light of the dungeon, cutting through stone and metal alike. One by one, the golems fell, their cores shattered, their bodies reduced to rubble.
The sword in my hand was nearly spent, its edge dull and cracked, but it had served its purpose. The last golem crumbled beneath me, its core crushed beneath my heel. I stood amidst the wreckage, breathing heavily, the remnants of my divine power humming just beneath the surface.
"Even in this mortal form, I am still Aeschylus," I whispered to myself, looking at the sword in my hand. "And I will reclaim what is mine."
I tossed the sword aside, its usefulness at an end. There would be more challenges ahead, more enemies to face, but with each victory, I could feel the seal on my power weakening. Soon, very soon, I would be whole again.
And when that day came, the world would remember the name of the God of Destruction.
The night was electric with tension as the red gate loomed over the city, casting an ominous glow that bathed the surrounding area in a bloody hue. I stood near the perimeter, watching as the military and emergency vehicles formed a protective ring around the gate. The flashing lights of police cars reflected off the glass of nearby buildings, while soldiers moved in a precise, coordinated dance, securing the area and ensuring no civilians got too close.
A red gate. The highest level of emergency, one that signaled a catastrophe waiting to unfold. I’ve faced down countless dungeons in my career, but this… this was different. There was something about this gate that felt off, like a piece of a puzzle that didn’t quite fit.
As I studied the gate, a smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. It wasn’t often that I found something that piqued my curiosity these days. I had seen too much, fought too many battles, and yet, this strange, otherworldly energy… it was intriguing.
"Kang Yeonhee," a voice called out, pulling me from my thoughts. I turned to see one of the experts approaching, his face a mask of barely concealed worry. "We’ve gathered the data we could, but… well, it’s still unknown how this gate formed."
I nodded, my gaze flickering back to the gate. "And the rumors? I’ve heard whispers of divine intervention."
The man hesitated, his expression tightening. "Yes, those are circulating. Some believe it’s connected to a higher power, something beyond our understanding. But there’s no concrete evidence to support that theory… yet."
Divine intervention. It was a term that had been tossed around more than once since the dungeons began appearing, but it never sat well with me. I wasn’t one to believe in things I couldn’t see or fight. Gods, demons, whatever they were, they bled just like anything else when you hit them hard enough.
Still, there was something unnerving about this gate, something that whispered of ancient power, of forces that even I couldn’t fully grasp. But I wasn’t about to let that shake me. I had a job to do, and whatever was behind that gate, I’d face it head-on.
As I turned back to the gate, the other S-rankers began to gather around me. Six of us in total—the best of the best. Each one a powerhouse in their own right, capable of leveling cities if they so chose. But tonight, we would be working together, as we always did when the stakes were this high.
"Alright, let’s get this done," I said, my tone all business. "We don’t know what’s inside that gate, so we’ll stick to the usual formation. Jonghoon, you’ll take point with me. Hyejin and Minsoo, you’re on crowd control. Make sure nothing gets past us. Seungmin, you’ll handle support and healing. Jisoo, you’re our eyes and ears—scout ahead and relay any intel back to us."
They nodded, their faces grim but determined. We had faced down S-rank gates before, but the red gate was another beast entirely. It wasn’t just about strength; it was about strategy, precision, and working together as a unit. One mistake, and we could lose everything.
As we finalized our plan, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was waiting for us on the other side—something powerful, something ancient. But whatever it was, I would be ready. I always was.
"Kang Yeonhee," Seungmin said, his voice cutting through the tension. "Do you think it’s really divine intervention?"
I glanced at him, a wry smile on my lips. "If it is, then I’ll just have to show the gods what it means to cross Kang Yeonhee."
With that, we turned our attention back to the gate, our weapons ready, our minds focused. Whatever waited for us on the other side, we would face it together. And if the gods were involved… well, then they’d learn that even they weren’t untouchable.
"Let’s move out," I commanded, my voice steady, my heart already pounding with the thrill of the fight to come. We stepped toward the gate, and as we did, I couldn’t help but wonder if this would be the battle that finally tested me, that finally pushed me to my limits.
And maybe, just maybe, that’s exactly what I wanted.