The streets were alive with movement—people hurrying to their destinations, deep in conversation, or lost in their thoughts. The city pulsed with energy as a new day began.
Ethan moved through the crowd, his dark cloak wrapped tightly around him. The hood hung low over his face, casting deep shadows that concealed his features. It wasn't just for caution—it was essential.
Victor's men passed through here often, their sharp eyes always scanning, always searching. They were looking for people of interest, those who might be useful to their master. Ethan couldn't afford to be noticed. Not now.
His gaze lifted toward the massive portal ahead, and a faint smile crossed his lips. The portal ring stood at the heart of the hub, a towering structure of gleaming metal adorned with intricate, pulsing runes. It was a marvel of engineering, one that Ethan himself had helped create.
Back then, he took great pride in this work. It was one of his finest creations. Now, it was just another reminder of how little control he had over the world.
These days, the portal system was maintained by an organization from the higher cities—an organization that cared little for those beneath them as long as their fees were paid.
The portals connected all major cities, but the cost of travel varied depending on destination and purpose. Business elites paid exorbitant amounts for priority access, while personal travel, though cheaper, came with frustratingly long wait times. The farther the destination, the heavier the toll.
Even in the early hours, a long line had already formed. Merchants, travelers, and laborers stood shoulder to shoulder, some chatting idly, others enduring the wait in silence.
The wealthier passengers, of course, had their own separate queue, moving forward swiftly with their high-tier tokens. Meanwhile, the common folk shuffled forward at an extremely slow pace, forced to abide by the standard procedures.
Among the crowd, a handful stood out—well-armed, confident, and clearly experienced. Their weapons caught the morning sun, glinting with a sharpness that spoke of recent use. Their armor, scratched and dented, carried the marks of past battles.
These were not just any travelers. They were hunters, mercenaries, or maybe just desperate souls looking for fortune. And they were all heading to City S.
The very place Ethan needed to go.
City S was once a thriving lower-tier city, rich in natural and human resources. Under the leadership of a few like-minded people, it grew fast, too fast—drawing in settlers, businesses, and even a few ambitious traders hoping to carve out a future.
But prosperity in this world was like a candle in the wind.
The higher-tier cities, those sitting comfortably above the rest, had no intention of letting a lower-tier city rise beyond its station. And so, they crushed it in the most ruthless way possible.
They started dumping their failed experimental creatures into the nearby forest. Not just a few—thousands of twisted, unnatural beasts, each one the byproduct of some abandoned experiment. At first, the creatures struggled to survive, weak and unstable. But nature always finds a way. They adapted. They multiplied. They spread.
What was once just another stretch of land soon became something else entirely—a living nightmare. The forest, now known as Ravager's Den, became a death trap. Monsters lurked in every shadow, their forms twisted by unnatural evolution.
What the higher cities had hoped would be a convenient dumping ground turned into something far worse: a breeding ground for horrors.
And now, anyone heading to City S had to pass through it.
The Den was a nightmare made real, a maze of death divided into three zones: the outer layer, the inner zone, and the core.
The outer layer, while dangerous, was still manageable—at least for those who knew what they were doing. It was where experienced adventurers tested their skills, hunting weaker beasts and gathering rare materials. A place to prove yourself. A place to make quick money. But beyond that? Things got much worse.
The inner zone was a whole different story. It wasn't just monsters anymore—it was packs of them. Organized, territorial, and far too smart for comfort. Though there were still some solo hunters, the rest worked together, hunted together, and if you wandered in unprepared, you wouldn't be coming back. Those who did return usually brought back scars—both the kind you could see and the kind you couldn't.
And then there was the core.
A place where nightmares didn't just exist—they thrived. No one had ever made it out alive. No one even tries to enter anymore.
The creatures in the core were something else entirely. They weren't just mutated beasts anymore. Some had taken on humanoid shapes, their intelligence growing past anything natural. And the worst part? They bore an eerie resemblance to the invaders that would one day come through the portals and nearly wipe out humanity.
If not for the undeniable proof that the invaders had come from somewhere else entirely, many would have believed these creatures were part of the same nightmare. But the truth was even more terrifying.
The invaders had once tried to claim the Ravager's Den for themselves.
They tried to claim it, just like they had with countless other lands. With their overwhelming power, they thought it would be easy.
They were wrong.
The creatures of the core had fought back, holding their ground against the same enemies that had brought the world to its knees. Sure, the invaders' strongest warriors hadn't been part of that battle—but the fact that the core's monsters had survived at all said enough.
Ethan knew exactly what he was walking into.
And he had no choice but to go.
Ethan stood in one of the lines, keeping his hood low as he waited for his turn. The queue moved slowly, inching forward as travelers were processed one by one.
When he finally reached the ticketing station, he stepped up to the reinforced counter where a uniformed official sat, his disinterested gaze barely lifting from the documents in front of him. Two heavily armed guards flanked the counter, as if giving a warning not to try anything stupid.
"Destination?" the official asked, not bothering to look up.
"City S," Ethan replied, his voice calm but firm.
That made the official pause. His pen stopped mid-stroke, and his eyes flicked up, scanning Ethan's small frame beneath the cloak. One of the guards, a broad-shouldered man with a scar running down his cheek, raised a brow.
"City S?" he repeated, skepticism evident in his tone. "Kid, you sure you're going to the right place?"
Ethan remained expressionless. Without a word, he reached into his cloak, pulling out the required amount for the portal fee and placing it on the counter. The official exchanged a glance with the guards before shrugging. It wasn't their job to ask questions. They were there only to collect payment and maintain order. Nothing else mattered.
"Personal or business?" the official asked as he took the coins.
"Personal."
Another flicker of doubt crossed the official's face, but he didn't push the matter. Instead, he retrieved a waiver and slid it across the counter.
"Sign this."
Ethan picked up the document and scanned its contents.
"This states that you understand where you're going and acknowledge the risks," the man explained flatly. "The portal to that region has some... issues. If you end up in the middle of the forest or die on the journey, we hold no responsibility."
Ethan signed without hesitation and handed the paper back.
The official sighed, stamped his travel pass, and pushed it toward him. "Step into the queue. Your turn will come soon."
Ethan took the pass and moved toward the designated waiting area near the portal. He ignored the lingering stares from the guards. It wasn't unusual for people to travel to City S. Its rare resources still lured desperate adventurers. But a lone young man, barely filling out his cloak, heading into one of the most dangerous regions of the world? That was rare.
As he stood in the queue, he felt the eyes of others on him—fellow travelers, mercenaries, and opportunists sizing him up. He paid them no mind, instead pulling up his quest details once more.
Ravager's Den Expedition
Mission Type: Combat/Exploration
Objective: Slay monsters
Time Limit: One month
Difficulty: High (Prepare well)
Potential Rewards: System Points and Stat Points (Amount increases based on mission repetitions)
Mission Details:
Every 10 F-rank monsters killed → 1 system point.
Every 10 E-rank monsters killed → 10 system points.
Every 10 D-rank monsters killed → 100 system points.
Every 10 C-rank monsters killed → 1,000 system points.
Stat points will be awarded based on the total number of monsters killed.
Ethan scoffed at the reward structure. "Looks like the system doesn't even count F-rank beasts. And not a single mention of monsters ranked above C? Figures." His smile was dry, almost amused. "Not like I have a chance of killing anything stronger anyway. Well, not with the traditional method at least."
"And what the heck do system points even do?" he thought, irritation creeping into his expression. His temple twitched slightly. Mary hadn't bothered to explain what these points were for.
Even when Ethan had asked, she just shrugged and said, "You'll know when the time comes. You have no use for it now anyway."
Probably her way of getting back at him for not telling her who his first target was.
"It's like dealing with a toddler," Ethan sighed. This was turning into a headache. Not only was the whole point system a mystery, but there was also barely any detail on how stat points would be rewarded.
He let out another sigh, then another, finally resigning himself to his fate. There was nothing more he could do about it now. All he could do was push forward and hope that in the month ahead, his growth would be nothing short of exponential.
Thirty minutes later.
Finally, his turn came. The portal shimmered before him, its towering frame humming with energy. Ethan took a breath, steadied himself, and stepped forward.
"Well, let's do this," he muttered before vanishing into the light.
The portal threw Ethan out like he was some sloppy drunk, hurling himself into the street. One second, he was stepping through, the next—BAM. He hit the ground, the grass under him soft but still enough to knock the wind out of him. His body felt sore from the impact.
He groaned, rolling onto his back, blinking away the dizziness and the crazy swirl of colors still spinning in his head.
"That's just what was needed today. A punch in the gut by bad luck." Ethan remarked sarcastically.
When the world finally stopped spinning, an uneasy feeling twisted in his stomach.
Something was off.
There were no busy stations, no guards, no people talking or moving around. Just silence. An unsettling kind of silence.
He pushed himself up, heart racing as he scanned his surroundings. Trees. Endless trees. Their huge trunks are like old guardians. Their thick leaves blocked out most of the sun, and a white mist hung between them, creeping along the ground like something alive. It made the air feel damp and cold, sinking into his bones.
Ethan swallowed hard. "Oh, shit."
Looks like Ethan's in a bit of a bind. Bad luck just can't seem to leave him alone, huh? What's gonna happen next? Guess you'll have to stick around to see!