It had only been two days. But to Kim Na Yun, it felt like a year had dragged by. It was slow, heavy, and merciless. The pain he had gone through in just forty-eight hours… it wasn't something any normal person could survive.
Na Yun stood still in the middle of the town, his eyes locked on the grand entrance gate of HEX, the Hunter Academy, which he could even see from a distance. Its towering black-iron gates gleamed under the sunlight, etched with ancient runes that shimmered faintly like stardust.
And he remembered how guards in obsidian uniforms patrolled the sides, and beyond the gates, the sound of sparring, laughter, and mana bursts echoed through the wide-open courtyard.
HEX wasn't just any academy. It was the academy, where dreams were made, or crushed. Only the strongest and most determined were allowed past its gates. Getting in was like touching the clouds. Staying in was even harder.
Na Yun slowly exhaled. "I'm here again," he muttered.
He ruffled his snowy white hair. His golden eyes didn't shine like they used to, they looked dull and tired.
Three months ago, he had walked through these gates for the first time. Well… not he exactly. That was when Lee Hyun Woo entered.
Na Yun stuffed his trembling hands deep into his coat pockets, trying to hide the way his fingers curled into fists. His knuckles were white from the pressure. He clenched his jaw, swallowing back the storm brewing in his chest.
He had been a Holy Magic user, one of the rarest and most treasured types in the world. Holy Mages were natural enemies to demons and phantoms, wielding light strong enough to purify the darkest curses. He had talent and promise. Everyone said he'd become one of the best.
But none of that mattered anymore.
Not when he was ambushed, betrayed, and killed before even making it to the midterms.
His eyes darkened.
"Those fucking lunatics," he hissed under his breath.
His body tensed as the memory from two nights ago flashed across his mind like a cursed vision. The faces of the people he once laughed with. The ones he shared meals with. They had turned on him. Like it meant nothing.
Like he meant nothing.
***
It was a windy night. The wind howled through the air like a warning from the heavens. As if the world itself was screaming death is near.
On top of the Abyssal Tower, which was known in legends as the Tower of Demons, five figures stood, their silhouettes flickering under the pale moonlight. The tower itself was a cursed relic from ancient times, appearing the same year the dimensional rifts opened. No one knew who built it, only that every inch of it reeked of darkness and despair.
At the center of the tower's peak was a massive hollow pit, perfectly circular and wide, a black hole that looked like it swallowed even light. It was said to be the tower's entrance, and no one who fell in ever returned.
Standing at the very edge of that pit, his back dangerously close to falling, was Lee Hyun Woo. His body trembled. Blood dripped from his lips.
His black hair stuck to his pale face, matted with sweat and blood. His brown eyes were dim, barely holding on. His white academy shirt was dyed deep crimson, soaked in his own blood. He pressed one shaking hand to the wound in his stomach, trying to keep his insides from spilling out.
"Why... cough... why are you doing this?" His voice cracked, barely louder than the wind.
He stared at the four people standing in front of him, his teammates, his friends.
They wore the official uniforms of HEX, the hunter academy. Black coats, high collars, golden crests stitched on their chests. But now... they looked like strangers. Their eyes held no remorse, no guilt.
Hyun Woo's chest rose and fell rapidly. Confusion twisted across his face. Hadn't he always treated them kindly? Hadn't he trusted them?
But they said nothing. No one answered.
One of them stepped forward. A tall boy, his right arm already transformed. Long, sharp claws of black bone replaced his human hand.
Then he did that without warning or hesitation.
SHHK!
The claw pierced straight through Hyun Woo's chest.
"AAARGH!!"
His scream tore through the wind, loud and raw. Blood gushed out of his mouth as his body jolted in shock. His eyes widened, gasping for air, trying to make sense of the pain.
The boy slowly pulled his hand back, and something came with it.
A stone. Not just any stone, A small, glowing core, pulsing with golden light. It floated above the attacker's palm, humming softly like a heart.
Hyun Woo's knees buckled. His remaining strength left him in a single breath.
His legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees, coughing violently, blood splashing on the cold stone floor.
Was that his heart? No but…Was that really pulled out from his body?
"W–What... what is that?" he managed to say in a fading voice.
The boy looked down at the stone, eyes shining with greed and satisfaction. A cruel smile tugged at his lips.
"Why are we doing this, you ask?" he said, spinning the golden core between his fingers. "No real reason. You're just not useful anymore, Hyun Woo."
Another voice chimed in, a boy with blue streaks in his hair, his arms crossed lazily. "We only invited you into our party 'cause of your rare holy attribute," he said, as if explaining to a child. "You were the perfect one to feed the Seed."
He smiled like it was a joke. Like Hyun Woo's life had been just a stepping stone.
"Seed…?" Hyun Woo mumbled weakly, his voice barely louder than the howling wind.
His vision blurred, colors blending into the darkness around him. Every nerve in his body screamed, begging him to collapse, to give in.
But he couldn't. He didn't want to die. Not like this. Gritting his teeth, he forced his eyes open, his breath shallow and ragged. Then, through the blur, his gaze settled on her, the girl with short pink hair and calm blue eyes.
Han So Mi.
His heart twisted. She wasn't just a squadmate. She was their healer… his girlfriend. The one who always smiled when patching up his wounds. The one who stayed beside him when the days were cold and the missions brutal. For a second, he still hoped this was all a misunderstanding, just a cruel, elaborate prank. It had to be.
"So Mi…" he rasped, coughing blood. His voice trembled as he looked at her with desperate eyes. "This is… a prank, right?"
He tried to smile, but it came out crooked and broken.
Han So Mi just stared back at him, her arms crossed, a deep disappointment painted across her face. Her lips curled into a bitter frown as she tilted her head slightly.
"Even on the verge of death, you're still an idiot," she said coldly. "I can't believe I tolerated acting as your girlfriend for three whole months."
Hyun Woo's eyes shook. Her words pierced deeper than any blade, sharper than the claws that had torn through his chest. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Just another choked breath.
Then another girl stepped forward, tall, with long black hair swaying in the wind. Her voice was calm and smooth, like silk hiding a blade.
"Sorry, Hyun Woo. But something always needs to be sacrificed for the greater good, right?" she said with a mock-sincere smile. "Thank you for raising the Seed. We won't forget your sacrifice."
A storm brewed inside him, grief, betrayal, fury all crashing together. His fists dug into the blood-soaked floor beneath him as he forced himself upright, shoulders trembling.
"All this time…" he muttered. "Was I just… food to you?"
His body shuddered as rage surged through him, burning hotter than his wound. He glared at them through teary, bloodied eyes and screamed with all the strength he had left.
"Fuck it! I'll kill you! Every single one of you!"
His roar echoed through the night sky, carried by the wind. It was a voice full of pain and rage.
Yoon Ha Jin, the boy with blue hair streaks, chuckled softly. His smirk widened as he raised his hand and pointed a finger at Hyun Woo's head like a gun.
"Still don't get it, huh?" he said. "You're the one dying here. Not us."
Hyun Woo narrowed his eyes. His voice dropped into a low and burning growl.
"Even if I die… I'll come back. Definitely. And I'll kill you."
Yoon Ha Jin sighed. "Tch. Try your best, then."
With a flick of his wrist, a gold and black revolver materialized in his hand, humming with energy. He didn't hesitate. He pulled the trigger.
Bang.
The bullet pierced clean through Hyun Woo's skull.
His eyes widened, then slowly lost their light. His body slumped backward, limp and lifeless. And with one final gust of wind, Lee Hyun Woo fell backward, into the endless pit of the Abyssal Tower.
The others watched without a word.
The wind roared again as his body vanished into the darkness. It howled, as if mourning the boy who died… or laughing at what would be born next.