Day 2 – Baekho Guild Trainee Tournament Arena
By the second day, Yeong-su's name was already circulating in whispers.
> "Did you see that E-rank yesterday?"
"Took down Dae-jin in less than two minutes."
"Rumors say he's not even registered with any proper academy."
In the training halls and break rooms, replay footage of his dodges and sudden strikes went viral on HunterNet.
But more importantly…
He now had attention.
And attention… was a dangerous thing.
---
Up in the VIP booth, Baekho's Vice Captain Seo Rina reviewed his file.
> "No mana affinity. Passed the Awakening test as E-rank. Born from a low-profile district. No prior combat training. No dungeon reports."
Her eyes narrowed.
> "And yet he predicts strikes before they land and kills C-rank monsters with one hit?"
A silent man behind her — long black coat, eyes hidden behind glasses — spoke.
> "I've seen one other person with that style," he murmured. "Someone from a long time ago."
> "Who?" she asked.
He didn't answer.
---
Arena – Round 2 Begins
> "Match 22! Joo Yeong-su vs. Choi In-hyuk!"
The arena lights dimmed. Thunder crackled across the artificial sky ceiling.
Choi In-hyuk stepped forward, wearing a white battle coat lined with silver talismans. His blonde-dyed hair gleamed, and lightning mana danced at his fingertips.
> "So you're the E-rank everyone's talking about," he said, smiling arrogantly. "I'm here to break your myth."
Yeong-su tilted his head slightly.
> "Then come try."
---
Round Start!
In-hyuk didn't hesitate.
CRACK—!
A bolt of arc lightning fired from his palm and streaked toward Yeong-su like a whip of death.
---
[Foresight – Activated]
Combat Prediction: 87% Accuracy
Incoming Threat: Lateral lightning arc, 0.3 sec impact
Yeong-su dodged before the attack was even fully formed. The bolt slammed into the wall behind him, exploding with sound and light.
The crowd roared.
> "He dodged lightning?"
"Is that even possible for an E-rank?!"
In-hyuk narrowed his eyes. "You're fast…"
More spells came—electro traps, stun bursts, and magnetic mines—but nothing landed.
Yeong-su was like a ghost, sliding through openings, never panicking, eyes cold and calculating.
---
> 'His timing is insane,' In-hyuk thought. 'It's like he sees everything before it happens—'
Yeong-su closed in fast. Too fast.
In-hyuk panicked, casting Lightning Barrier—a dome of crackling energy meant to repel melee attackers.
Yeong-su didn't stop.
---
[New System Ability Triggered: Phase Step – Lv. 1]
Effect: Shift forward 3 meters by bending spatial tension. Can bypass low-tier barriers.
Cooldown: 3 minutes
---
He vanished.
Then reappeared inside the lightning dome.
Before In-hyuk could react—
WHAM!
A precise, reinforced elbow strike landed against his shoulder joint, followed by a second into his solar plexus. Lightning crackled around him, but Yeong-su's movements flowed like water.
[Phantom Strike – Activated]
He struck once, right below In-hyuk's ribs—where mana nodes clustered.
Internal rupture. Shock suppression. System neutralized.
In-hyuk coughed blood, his legs giving out.
[Match End – Victory: Joo Yeong-su]
---
The stadium went silent.
Then erupted.
> "He phased through a lightning barrier?!"
"No, no, that's a high-tier movement skill. That's not E-rank."
"That looked like space magic—who the hell is this guy?"
From the upper booth, Seo Rina stood slowly.
> "Bring him to me after the tournament," she said. "Privately. I want to test something."
---
System Alert – Post-Match Results
[Combat XP Gained]
[Level Up – 5 → 6]
[Phase Step – Proficiency Increased]
[Hidden Class Unlock Progress: 36%]
[New Skill Branch Revealed: Future Sync Lv. 0 (Locked)]
— Allows combat instincts to merge with prediction for real-time tempo disruption.
---
That Night
Yeong-su walked through the quiet streets of Seoul alone, hood up.
In his mind, the system whispered more… like it was alive. Changing. Adapting.
> "System," he murmured. "What am I becoming?"
---
[You are approaching the next threshold.]
[Continue surviving. Continue hiding. Or… reveal yourself.]
---
Suddenly, a figure appeared from the alley.
Tall, sharp eyes, long coat. Familiar.
It was the man from the VIP booth.
> "You don't fight like a scout," he said. "You fight like someone who has already died."
Yeong-su's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
> "Someone who climbed the tower once… and fell."
He tossed a card.
> "If you're serious about climbing higher… come find me when you're ready to betray your guild."
The man vanished into the night.
On the card was a sigil.
[The Black Fang – Rogue Guild Division]