It was late in the evening. The sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon, and the last traces of crimson in the sky were slowly fading into darkness.
I stood outside my apartment, holding a bouquet of fresh flowers in my hands. My heart was filled with nervous excitement, but beneath it all was a quiet hope. A peaceful smile rested on my face.
Among hunters, everyone knew me by one name. "Charger."
It wasn't just a title others had given me. It was the name I had accepted for myself.
Taking a deep breath, I reached for the doorknob and pushed the door open.
The moment I stepped inside, My entire world shattered.
There she was. In the arms of my best friend. Eve and Necros slept peacefully together, completely unaware of my presence. Their expressions were calm, as though they had never betrayed anyone.
I had never imagined...that the two people I trusted most would become the reason my heart broke beyond repair.
Something inside me died that day. Not my body. My soul.
For a few moments, I simply stood there in silence. I didn't scream. I didn't question them. I didn't even cry.
Without making a sound, I walked to the nearby table and gently placed the bouquet of flowers upon it.
Then I turned around...and quietly walked out of the room.
My eyes burned with tears. But none of them fell. I simply kept walking. There was nothing I could do.
I couldn't wake them. I couldn't confront them. I couldn't even seek revenge. Both of them had already become S-Rank Hunters.
And the truth...was that I was the one who had helped Eve reach that height.
For the past three years, I had shared my mental power with her every single day. I was the reason she had become an S-Rank Hunter. And me? I was still nothing more than an E-Rank. I was unlike any other hunter in this world.
Every day, I could transfer my mental power to another hunter, allowing them to grow stronger at an unbelievable speed. Within just a few years, I could help someone reach S-Rank.
But I could never increase my own strength. No matter how hard I trained, No matter how desperately I fought. My rank never rose beyond E.
I couldn't win real battles. I couldn't protect anyone. My gift existed only to make others stronger.
Not myself. In simple words. I wasn't truly a hunter. I was a Charger. Someone who filled others with power, while remaining empty himself.
From that evening onward, I was no longer the same person. I knew the truth. Both of them could kill me without the slightest effort.
Consumed by betrayal, I sat alone on an old bench at a railway station. It was the last place I should have been that night. If I had known this decision would cost me my life. I would have never fallen in love with Eve.
Suddenly, the air around me grew heavy. A powerful gust of wind swept through the station. Necros appeared before me. The smile on his face carried only one message.
My death.
Necros had once been my closest friend. His mastery over Wind Magic was extraordinary. Without saying a word, he stretched out his right hand. An invisible force pulled me toward him. His fingers wrapped tightly around my throat. I struggled with everything I had, but his strength was overwhelming. To an E-Rank hunter like me, it felt completely inhuman.
The next moment, he slammed me into the rocky ground beside the railway tracks. Pain exploded throughout my body. It felt as though my ribs had shattered.
Groaning, I forced myself back to my feet. Before I could even steady myself. Someone pushed me from behind. It was Eve. The woman I had loved more than anyone else.
The woman I had trusted with all my heart. I stumbled forward and fell onto the railway tracks.
A high-speed train was racing toward me. Its deafening horn echoed through the night.
Yet strangely. I wasn't afraid. All I felt was regret. I stared at the approaching train.
"So...This is how it ends."
Then I heard her voice. Cold. Heartless. Filled with contempt. "You've become nothing more than a worthless Charger."
"Someone like you could never stand beside a princess like me."
"So die."
The train's horn screamed. It was the last sound I ever heard as a human.
Then... Everything turned red. Blood burst into the air. The train thundered past.
My body was torn apart beyond recognition. As my heart stopped beating. My memories flooded back.
Every smile. Every laugh. Every promise. Every moment we had shared together. For six long minutes, my past replayed before my eyes.
Yet among all those memories. Only one sentence refused to disappear.
"Worthless Charger."
Maybe, I really was dying. Then, everything became silent.
I found myself standing beneath an endless sky filled with countless stars. Everything around me was peaceful. Pure. Silent.
I looked down at my hands in confusion. I touched my body. There was no pain. No wounds. Only an overwhelming sense of calm.
Then, someone appeared before me. A white-haired spirit. Its mere presence made the surrounding space feel unimaginably heavy.
It looked at me and spoke. "Three billion years have passed."
"At last..."
"Someone has arrived."
We stood facing each other beneath the endless sea of stars. Its expression remained calm.
Yet its eyes carried a depth that made it seem as though it had witnessed countless worlds being born, and countless worlds meeting their end.
It studied me carefully. Then it spoke again.
"You are dead."
Its voice was neither loud nor soft. It sounded like absolute truth itself. I remained silent.
"But your story is not over."
For the first time, I met its gaze.
"Why?"
Even my own voice felt unfamiliar.
A faint smile appeared on its face.
"Because this world is about to be destroyed."
Something inside me stirred.
"A threat is approaching."
"A threat that no one in this world will be able to stop."
"The gods have fallen. The heroes are broken. And the hunters...They are nothing more than pawns."
My fist slowly tightened.
"And me?"
Its eyes locked onto my soul.
"You are different. You do not possess great power. But you create power. You are not a warrior. You are the one who shapes the battlefield."
My lips trembled.
"What do you want from me?"
Without hesitation, it answered, "I will give you my body."
My eyes widened.
"This body is not immortal. But it surpasses the limits of this world's power." The spirit extended its hand toward me.
"In return..."
Its expression grew serious.
"You must fight the threat that is coming."
"You must protect this world."
Silence filled the endless sky.
I looked within myself.
Betrayal. Humiliation. Death.
And that voice...
"Worthless Charger."
I slowly raised my head.
"What if I refuse?"
The spirit didn't even blink.
"Then you will disappear."
"And this world?"
"One day..."
"It will burn."
A hollow laugh escaped my lips.
"So I don't really have a choice."
The spirit gave a silent nod.
I inhaled deeply.
"If I accept your body..."
"Will I be able to take revenge?"
For the first time...
A faint light appeared in its eyes.
"If you survive..."
"Then yes."
My hand slowly closed into a fist.
"Then listen carefully."
"I will save this world."
"But if those two stand in my way..."
"My mercy ends there."
Silence.
Then the spirit spoke one final word.
"Agreed."
It raised a finger and gently touched my forehead.
Instantly...
An unbearable burning pain exploded inside my body.
My vision blurred.
My soul felt as though it had been thrown into an ocean of fire. Flames surrounded everything. I screamed in agony.
The spirit's voice echoed one last time.
"Endure the pain. This is the price of rebirth."
My scream disappeared into the flames.
Then, darkness consumed everything.
For what felt like an eternity, there was nothing.
Then, my eyes slowly opened.
Everything around me was pitch black. I reached forward with my right hand, trying to understand where I was. My fingers touched rough wood. Instinctively, I pushed.
Crack. The wood split apart.
A beam of pale moonlight poured through the opening. For a brief moment, I simply stared.
Then realization struck me.
"I was... inside a coffin."
Without thinking, I grabbed the wooden lid with both hands and tore it apart as though it were nothing more than thin paper.
The shattered pieces flew in every direction. I stepped outside. A cold wind brushed across my face. I found myself standing on the peak of a towering mountain.
Below me stretched an endless forest, illuminated by silver moonlight.
The night was unnaturally quiet. Only the wind echoed through the mountains, almost as if it recognized my presence.
I slowly looked down at my hands. A terrifying amount of power surged through my body.
It flowed through every vein, every muscle, every breath. It was real. Far beyond anything I had ever imagined.
I slowly clenched my fist. The air around it trembled. A faint smile appeared on my face.
"So this...is true power."
For the first time in my life...I no longer felt weak. I no longer felt helpless. My eyes gradually turned cold.
"If I've truly been given another chance..."
"I'll take my revenge. I'll look her in the eyes...and ask why."
"Why did she betray me?"
"Was it simply because I was weak?"
"Because I was nothing more than an ordinary man?"
My fist tightened. An invisible wave of magical energy erupted from my body.
Boom.
The remains of the coffin behind me exploded into countless pieces and scattered across the mountaintop.
The surrounding trees shook violently. The wind howled.
I took a slow breath.
"This time...I won't die quietly."
A strange thought suddenly crossed my mind. "The Status Screen."
I immediately summoned it. A translucent blue panel appeared before my eyes.
The moment I read it...I froze.
Level... 11?
"How is that possible?"
Questions flooded my mind all at once. Until my death... I had never managed to raise my Magic beyond Level 9.
Because of that... I had never even reached D-Rank.
Yet now... Everything had changed.
Magic — Level 11
Speed — Level 10
Stamina — Level 10
I stared at the screen in disbelief. Slowly, I raised my right hand. I focused my mental power. The magical energy inside me responded instantly.
Brilliant streams of mana began flowing around my fingers like living flames.
I watched them in silence. It felt unreal. Like a dream I was afraid to wake from. A smile slowly formed on my lips.
"So this body really is different..."
The very next moment, I made my decision.
First... I would test my strength.
Just then,
A scream echoed through the forest. It was a girl's voice. Filled with terror. Desperately calling for help. I immediately turned toward the sound.
For a brief moment, confusion crossed my mind.
"A human?"
"In a forest this deep?"
Then another thought followed.
"If I can be here..."
"Why can't someone else?"
Besides...
This was the perfect chance to see what this new body was truly capable of. Then another problem came to mind.
"I don't even have a weapon."
"Even if I'm standing at the threshold of D-Rank now..."
"I won't be able to unleash my full strength with my bare hands."
I let out a quiet breath.
"Still...I need to leave this mountain eventually."
"And I know nothing about this forest."
I looked once more toward the direction of the scream.
"...Let's see what's waiting for me."
Without another moment of hesitation...I ran into the darkness of the forest.