In the dead of night, Evan jolted awake—his stomach groaning in protest.
He groaned."I really went to bed without eating...?"
The clock blinked 3:00 AM in cold, blue digits. Most restaurants were probably shut down by now. Sighing, he dragged himself toward the kitchen, hoping to find something—anything—to curb the hunger. But after rummaging through the empty cabinets, he came up empty-handed.
Disappointed, he turned to head back to bed when—tap... tap...He froze.
Footsteps.
Faint but distinct, echoing right outside his apartment.
A flicker of suspicion crossed his face. 'Someone spying? At this hour?'
Cautiously, he approached the door, gripping a sword in his hand out of habit. He leaned toward the peephole—and blinked.
What he saw made him question reality.
He pinched himself.
Still there.
People. Everywhere.
The street below bustled with laughter and chatter. Friends walking together, couples sharing snacks, groups shouting over music. It looked like the middle of the day... not the middle of the night.
Even his own apartment building was strangely alive. Doors open, lights on, people wide awake.
As he stared in confusion, his neighbor, a guy from across the hall, spotted him.
"Yo! Evan! Where've you been, man? We've been partying! Thought you'd come join us."
Evan raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Wait... It's three in the morning. What party?"
The guy laughed. "Bro, the whole city's celebrating! Offices are shut down, schools too. Restaurants, cafes, everything's open all night!"
Evan's ears perked up at the last part.
Without another word, he turned around and grabbed his phone from the table. As he stepped outside, the guy called out again.
"Hey! You not joining in?"
Evan smirked over his shoulder. "You guys have fun. I'm going to eat before I die of hunger."
The neighbor watched him go, confused.
"We literally have food here... What's with this guy?"
Shrugging, he went back to the party.
Meanwhile, Evan made his way through the lively streets. Laughter rang out from every corner. Some people danced, others were already drunk, being dragged home by their friends. The whole city felt alive. It was... surreal.
A life I never got to see in the past, he thought, eyes softening.
He finally reached a restaurant bustling with customers. It took nearly half an hour before he got a seat, but when he did, he ordered a full meal and devoured it like a starving beast.
The bill came up to 6,000 CP—but when they verified his hunter status, it dropped to 4,000.
He blinked in surprise.
Apparently, the entire city was giving discounts to Hunters in recognition of their efforts to protect against the beast tides. It was a rare but heartwarming gesture. He nodded to the staff and left with a small smile on his face.
With his hunger finally dealt with, he decided to restock his supplies while the celebration was still going strong. He spent the next half hour gathering essentials, taking advantage of the temporary sales, and quietly slipping all the goods into his inventory.
He had no intention of repeating tonight's empty-cupboard disaster.
Once done, Evan turned his steps back home.
Because once this night ended—so would his time in this city.
The final act was about to begin.
It was time to eliminate Lucas, return to Nexus, and seek out the remaining Destined Ones corrupting Ceruleth.
He'd already sensed it—the city reeked faintly of something far more sinister. If Lucas had already been spreading the tainted power of an Outer God, then every second he remained alive risked spreading that Authority of gods into Ceruleth making them governer this world even further.
Evan clenched his fists.
He had to end it. For good.
Once home, he sat down and opened his system menu. His summons, most of which had been destroyed in earlier battles, were now visibly... altered. Stronger. Sharper. Evolved.
And his own stats?
A new notification blinked on the screen.
[Level Up – Lv.59 Reached!]
Just one step away from acquiring a new skill.
As he scanned through the changes, a satisfied smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
He'd grown. And so had his resolve.
__
◇ Name: Evan Ravencall (Evan Windstone)
◇ Race: Human (100%)
◇ Age: 18
◇ Title:[Limit Breaker], [Holder of Monarch Physique]
◇ Physique:Death Monarch
◇ Rank: Tier 0
◇ Level: 59 [59,146 / 65,750 EXP]
◇ Class:
-Necromancer (SS)
-Mage (E)
-Weapon Master (F)
-Blacksmith (B) [🔒]
-Alchemist (S) [🔒]
-Rune Enchanter (S!) [🔒]
◇ Talents:
- [Plunder] (?)
- [Infinite Evolution & Enchantment] (?)
- [Supreme Adaptation] (?)
- [Transcendent Body] (?) [🔒]
- [Replica of Halo of Luck ########] (?) [🔒]
◆ HP: 7,330 (Regen: 36.65/min)
◆ MP: 12,110 (Regen: 60.55/min)
◆ Strength (STR): 39 {+3 Red} (25↑)
◆ Agility (AGL): 46 {+3 Red} (25↑)
◆ Vitality (VIT): 33 {+7 Red} (60↑)
◆ Intelligence (INT): 11 {+12 Red} (100↑)
◆ Endurance (END): 20 {+3 Red} (25↑)
◆ Stamina (STA): 10 {+3 Red} (25↑)
◆ Spirit (SPT): 55 {+3 Red} (30↑)
◆ Unassigned Stats: 1,180 (100↑)
◆ Attack Power: 822 (Physical, {STR+AGL} *1.2) | 1,816.5 (Elemental, INT*1.5)
◆ Defense:630+160 ({END+STA} 1)
◆ Storage Summon:3,550/3,550
--> 1,427 × Normal Summons
--> 423 × Elite Summons
--> 1 × Mid-Boss Summon
"Abilities"
➤ [Elemental Manipulation] (SSS)
- Fire (E) [36.12%], - Earth (E) [9.01%], - Lightning (F) [65.09%], - Ice (F) [0%]
"Skills"
Passive: Low-Grade Poison Resistance (Lv.2), Blade of the Tempest (Lv.15), Heat Rampage (Lv.14)
Active: Shadow Leap (Lv.16), Phantom Bond – Zephoros (Lv.?), Leap (Lv.23), Mighty Roar (Lv.22), Meteor Dash (Lv.17), Seismic Rupture (Lv.4), Camouflage (Lv.6), Blaze Heal (Lv.4)
➤ [Class Skills]
Necromancer (SS):
Raise Undead (Lv.37), Necro Heal (Lv.33), Undead Storage (Lv.Max), Death Bolt (Lv.14), Bone Armor (Lv.22), Undead Summoning (Lv.1), Death March (Passive) (Lv.26), Dark Veil (Lv.2), Bone Cage (Lv.4), Corrupting Touch (Special, Active)
Mage (E):
Arcane Bolt (Lv.4), Mana Shield (Lv.5), Magical Focus (Passive) (Lv.Max), Spark (Lv.7), Elemental Affinity (Passive) (Lv.Max), Ice Spike (Lv.1)
Weapon Master (F):
Weapon Mastery (Passive) (Lv.Max), Power Slash (Lv.Max), Quick Swap (Lv.Max), Basic Battle Instinct (Lv.Max), Dual Wielding (Passive) (Lv.Max), Combat Eye (Special, Passive)
__
Evan had reached Level 59, and for now, that was good enough. His status screen looked far better than before—especially his Mana Regeneration, which now allowed him to recover 1 MP every second. That alone made him feel far more stable in prolonged fights.
All his base stats were comfortably within the Red-tier stats zone, while Vitality and Intelligence had surged ahead—already at +7 and +12 Red stats respectively. That kind of growth showed real promise.
His stat spread was starting to resemble a pure Mage build, yet his Death Monarch Physique kept dragging his physical stats along for the ride, preventing them from falling behind too much.
Ability-wise, there wasn't much progress. He hadn't used them much lately. But when it came to skills, that was a different story entirely. Most of his Weapon Master skills had reached Max Level, and even his Mage Class was catching up. As for his Necromancer Class, he wasn't too worried. One way or another, he'd max them out thanks to his unique class support system.
While thinking about what to do next, he instinctively checked his Summon Storage, hoping to find the perfect summon to send out on a job.
From within, he pulled out a small beast—about the size of a housecat—but its skeletal structure gave away its undead nature. It was a lean, lizard-like creature with spiked bones on its feet, built for stealth and agility. It looked sharp, literally.
"Go find Lucas. Track him down," Evan ordered.
But the little beast didn't move. It tilted its head, staying still.
Evan frowned. 'What? Why isn't it responding?'
Then it hit him. The summon was Level 92—far above Evan's current level. Its ego was resisting his authority.
"Tch… you think you can defy me?" Evan muttered coldly. "You're just a summon. A creation of death. And I… I am its incarnation itself."
He stepped forward, his aura flaring instinctively—something deep, ancient, and terrifyingly cold. Even Evan hadn't sensed it until now. But the undead? It trembled instantly. Not just in front of him—but even the undead within him stirred in reverence.
"Go… or die here," he said flatly.
The beast didn't hesitate again. It vanished into the shadows, activating a Camouflage Skill it had inherited. It was similar to Evan's own stealth skills, and with that, the summon would have no trouble sneaking around, even if Lucas noticed something off.
Done with that, Evan returned to his house, unpacked the groceries, and casually glanced at the rising sun. The city was waking up—people already moving about, laughing, arguing, living.
But Evan had plans.
He decided to visit the CGA (City Guild Association)—maybe pick up a few beast corpses to use his Plunder skill on. It was the right time to gain more materials.
As he stepped out and hailed a taxi, he could still feel the presence of his summon. The lizard undead had reached Lucas's house and was quietly observing from a distance.
'Good… he's inside. Still can't share senses with my summons, but maybe I'll get that skill once I reach Tier 1.'
He paid the driver and got out near the CGA branch office.
The place was buzzing. A line of hunters stood outside the building, talking amongst themselves. Many looked excited.
Evan approached one of them. "Hey, what's going on? Is something big happening?"
The hunter turned to him and grinned. "Oh yeah! They're handing out rewards for the battlefield operation."
"Huh? But how are they measuring who hunted what monster?"
The man laughed. "You must be new. It's not based on individual kills. It's a general reward line—everyone who fought gets something. Measuring exact contributions would tear the CGA's budget apart. This way, it's simple—free gear, potions, weapons—stuff every hunter can use. It wasn't even a paid job, so no one's complaining."
Evan raised a brow. "Doesn't the CGA lose a lot doing this?"
The hunter leaned closer and whispered, "Rumor is… the profit from beast corpses far outweighs the cost of handing out all this gear. They're making a killing in the black market or research labs. But that's just a rumor… or so they say."
Evan nodded as the hunter walked off to rejoin the line.
'Interesting… so they're profiting from the bodies. Where I came from, everything was tracked digitally. Contribution-based.'
He was about to line up too when he suddenly sensed something—
His summon had moved.
Lucas is on the move… and heading toward the CGA?
He grinned.
'Perfect. Come, Lucas. Your time is running out.'
Evan's plan was already underway. He needed to meet Darian and Lilia—but not as Evan.
As Raven.
He wore his mask, which formed smoothly over his face like flowing smoke, and confidently headed toward the Branch Manager's Office.
An official stopped him at the door. "Hey kid, the reward line's over there. You're not allowed—"
"I need to meet the Manager or Vice Manager. It's important."
"Do you have an appointment? If not, step aside."
Evan sighed. "Then just go inside and tell them this—Raven, the Prodigy Necromancer, is here. If they still won't see me, I'll leave."
The official blinked. "R-Raven? You mean the one from the Tier 0 battlefield?!"
Evan said nothing—just folded his arms and stared.
The man stumbled back in shock and rushed inside, leaving Evan waiting by the door.
Minutes later, he returned—but this time with Darian by his side.
"You… you're the one claiming to be that Necromancer?"
"I don't claim, sir. I am."
Darian narrowed his eyes, then smirked. "Come inside. Miss Lilia's waiting."
The officer beside them was stunned. A guy in a mask just waltzed in—and the Vice Manager personally came out to greet him?
As Evan entered the building, another set of footsteps arrived outside the gate.
Lucas, Tess, and Ilya stepped out of their taxi, walking toward the CGA branch—unaware that fate had already set the stage.
One of them would not walk away from this unscathed.
And the countdown had already begun.
To Be Continued…