The Unknowable One

"I just can't figure it out."

Go Heejae leaned back deeply into his chair, furrowing his brow. No matter how much he pressed her, Baek Yena just kept parroting the same line like a damn parrot: there must've been a glitch in the System.

"That's easy for you to say since you didn't see the alert window yourself."

He spun his chair around once, taking in the dazzling night view of Seoul and the pitch-black Han River flowing beneath it. It was the same landscape he'd overlooked his entire life.

Go Heejae, World Rank 1, unaffiliated with any guild. His defining trait? Extreme suspicion.

Born the grandson of a chaebol chairman, he'd always lived the life of the strong. That hadn't changed even when the world underwent its massive shift.

What was most important to become a strong Hunter? Talent, and talent alone.

The stats granted at the moment of awakening. A Hunter's rank was determined by those immutable stats. No amount of effort could overcome them.

Go Heejae had been an S-rank Hunter from the instant he awakened—and simultaneously, the world's Rank 1.

Being at the top wasn't anything special to him. He'd always been in the position of power.

His drive to protect this world stemmed from a similar mindset. Unlike the weak masses, he had no complaints about the current state of things. This world suited him perfectly.

So he dove into low-grade dungeons that didn't even need him, rescuing people in record time. The moment he heard about a Monster Wave, he mobilized immediately.

He'd never known fear or despair. Everything happening in this world had always been within his control.

'But that kid...'

A few days ago, at the site of a D-rank Monster Wave, he'd encountered the 'unknown.'

A girl with navy-blue eyes staring right at him.

"Tch."

Snapping out of the memory, Go Heejae peered intently at the Seoul skyline before him. Towering skyscrapers, glowing crosses, flashing neon signs, roads crammed with cars.

But he saw something else.

"A dungeon today, huh."

Not the personal System windows like status screens, chats, or party interfaces that appeared to individual Hunters.

He saw the System of this world itself.

Yeah, things like this.

Go Heejae's passive skill, Dimension Beyond, was what made him World Rank 1.

Through it, he could predict disasters like dungeons or Monster Waves.

A few days ago, when he'd spotted the 'unknown,' had been the same. Foreseeing a D-rank Monster Wave, he'd rushed to the site.

But there were already guests.

'Neverending Guild.'

With an S-rank like Baek Yena there, he'd figured it'd be cleared quickly. But it wasn't her who'd taken down the monsters—it was someone else.

According to Neverending, it was someone invisible, but with overwhelming power. A Hunter who killed endless monsters without their mental strength taking a hit—the so-called 'Invisible Hunter.'

Go Heejae had tried tracking down this 'Invisible Hunter,' but neither Korea's top ranks nor the world's knew of any Hunter immune to mental damage.

When he'd grilled Neverending's guild master, Lee Gayeon, about the 'Invisible Hunter,' he'd absentmindedly glanced at an unfamiliar girl.

And then he saw the alert window in glaring red text.

'What the...?'

Sensing something off, he'd returned home and tasked his people with digging up info, but the girl named 'Seoya' wasn't a Hunter.

Her registry listed her as 'Baek Seoya,' but beyond being Baek Yena's cousin, there was nothing. No family details, no school records—zero basic history.

So he'd tried the skill again...

"Skill, Dimension Beyond. Search target: 'Seoya.'"

Just endless errors.

The moment he saw those words, he felt fear for the first time.

'What the hell is Neverending keeping?'

Navy-blue hair, inscrutable navy eyes. A gentle, puppy-like impression, but with a faintly sulky expression. Seventeen on paper, but she looked even younger.

'The vibe is off.'

Utterly alien. Everything felt out of place, awkward. Like watching a 2D being walk, breathe, and talk in 3D.

A bizarre aura, as if she'd fallen from another world. Strangely, it didn't raise his hackles.

On the contrary, having that tiny girl in front of him made his mind loosen, clouding his sharp, rational judgment.

'No, I need to stay alert. The System that creates dungeons and monsters is protecting her. She could be a threat to Earth, just like them.'

His thoughts reached that point as he turned back to the window—and suddenly grimaced.

"What the hell is going on?"

Five dungeons breaking out simultaneously in Seoul alone.

'Why are the letters glitching?'

To make matters worse, the dungeon names were corrupted.

He was confused. He hated unknowns in this world. The current level was just right—perfectly within his control.

"Twenty-two of them?"

Seoya, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠munching biscuits on the sofa while watching the news, muttered to herself. They'd opened while she was fast asleep, so she hadn't noticed them in advance.

"See? No one died, and they're all closed. Our baby doesn't need to worry about stuff like dungeons."

"Monster Waves hurt people, though."

Shooting back at Baek Yena, Seoya refocused on the TV.

"Twenty-two spots. Definitely unprecedented."

Lee Gayeon, watching beside her, murmured.

The Hunter spoke awkwardly.

"So, just smash the maze walls to clear? Sounds simple."

Seoya summed it up curtly.

'Smash blocked walls—that's standard. This world's dungeons don't seem that dangerous after all.'

She nodded to herself.

"Simple...?"

Lee Gayeon eyed her with a strange look, trailing off.

"Seoya, normal people don't just smash walls when they're blocked..."

Bricks aren't there to be smashed.

Most humans trapped in a maze think of escaping it—not destroying it.

And for labyrinth dungeons so far, the standard clear was killing monsters to navigate out.

'No one but someone like Seoya would think to smash the maze.'

It made sense why clear times were long for these ranks. They couldn't conceive of wall-smashing.

'Seoya feels they're easy because she's unfamiliar with this world. And she's the charge-in-and-smash type anyway.'

Lee Gayeon thought suddenly.

Dungeons dealing only mental damage, no threatening monsters. Perfect for mindless smashers to clear unscathed.

'It's like they were custom-made for Seoya.'