Skeleton Ghoul Ghoul
Cheon Ji-yoon stared up at the sky that had suddenly begun to change, following the guards' guidance toward the underground shelter on campus. There was no way the clear sky could turn hazy and dim like this—something was definitely wrong. A chill crept up her spine. That ominous sensation that something terrible was about to happen.
Oppa should be fine, right? No need to worry. He was the first SS-rank hunter, after all.
Once she arrived at the student shelter under the guards' lead, she heard shocking news from one of them.
"Hostile forces have infiltrated the campus and are holding out. The situation will be resolved soon, so please don't worry and just wait here."
Don't worry and wait, he'd said, but the guard's expression wasn't reassuring at all. The radio chatter in his ear told him this was no easy situation. The screams wouldn't stop. While he was evacuating people here, his fellow guards were fighting the enemy. From the reports, undead-type monsters were appearing all over campus. It was pathetic that he had to stay put and hold this position.
Then, a man entered the student shelter. With long white hair cascading down his back, he strode in with heavy footsteps, drawing everyone's eyes. The murmurs died down instantly.
"Oppa!"
Recognizing him, Cheon Ji-yoon bolted forward and tackled him in a fierce hug. Cheon Ji-hoo endured the full-body slam, patted her head, and said,
"I've been assigned to guard the student shelter. You can relax now."
"As expected of you, Oppa. But what's going on here?"
"...Who knows."
Cheon Ji-hoo found it hard to pinpoint the cause since it wasn't magic. He'd have detected a magical barrier instantly. This was the annoying part about hunter powers. Unknown forces manifested without explanation, ignoring causes like some kind of divine authority.
From what he could gather, though, a hunter's skill had sealed off the area, and the undead were rising from death all over campus. He'd sensed them on his way here—the clatter of skeletons' bones, the howls of ghouls, even the faint clank of death knights' armor. Death had clearly come to the Hunter Academy.
After a brief moment of thought, Cheon Ji-hoo gave a vague answer.
"My guess is the Hunter Academy has been riftified."
"Riftified?"
"Yeah. They say it's cut off from the outside. Whatever power is enveloping the academy buildings probably turned the whole area into something like a rift."
"Is that even possible?"
"Beats me."
He hadn't fully deciphered the System's authority in the first place. The world was a chaotic mess where anything could happen. Still, he patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"It'll be fine, though. Nothing major."
He planned to hunt those bastards down soon anyway. With a snap of his fingers to protect the evacuated students, a massive verdant stag materialized, rearing back its neck and letting out a long cry.
"Nok, watch over these kids here. As the forest guardian."
-Yeah! Gotta protect the kids!
At his words, Nok lowered its head, slamming its antlers into the ground. Vines from the antlers spread out in all directions, enveloping the entire shelter. A kind of barrier. As a forest guide, Nok wouldn't be pushed back by mere undead.
"You really are Oppa..."
"What is?"
"That thing descending from the sky at the opening ceremony earlier. I thought it was a dream..."
"You said you liked flashy entrances. Yeah, first time seeing it, huh? Nok, say hi. This is my little sister."
Cheon Ji-hoo stroked Nok's scruff as he spoke, and Nok stuck out its long tongue to lick Cheon Ji-yoon's face with a big slurp. She grimaced and shook her head at the sticky saliva, making Cheon Ji-hoo chuckle softly while Nok nuzzled her.
-Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you!
"It says it's nice to meet you. Get along from now on."
"Ugh... Yeah, nice to meet you too..."
Cheon Ji-yoon's face wasn't thrilled, but Cheon Ji-hoo laughed amusedly, turned, and headed out of the shelter. He waved lightly at her as he opened the firmly shut door.
"I'll be back, so stay inside. Don't come out."
"Okay."
"And you know to call if it's dangerous, right?"
"...Yeah."
She prayed she wouldn't have to yell "Oppa, help!" in front of her friends. Cheon Ji-yoon gently stroked Nok's scruff as she saw him off. Once the shelter door closed, the guard who'd been standing still let out a long breath and approached her.
"Uh, mind if I ask who that was?"
"Huh? That's my oppa."
"No, I mean... when he walked in, it was like the air got thick. Couldn't even speak."
Cheon Ji-yoon shot him a what kinda nonsense look, then glanced back. The students were pale-faced, exhaling just like the guard. Cheon Ji-hoo's overwhelming presence had silenced them the moment he entered.
"But is he really your brother...?"
The guard seemed genuinely curious if they were blood-related. Cheon Ji-hoo had long white hair and an exotic look, while Cheon Ji-yoon had brownish hair and a typical Korean appearance. It was understandable to doubt.
Seizing the moment, Cheon Ji-yoon decided to tell everyone clearly, loud enough for all to hear. She realized she couldn't hide it after this incident anyway.
"He's my real brother. My name's Cheon Ji-yoon, and his is Cheon Ji-hoo. The one just recognized as an SS-rank hunter."
"SS-rank..."
The media was buzzing about SS-rank right now. After the Hunter Association's official announcement, even foreign outlets were speculating on the mystery hunter's identity. No name, just a blurry photo of a long white-haired man. Recalling the image, the guard nodded as Cheon Ji-hoo's appearance matched perfectly. If he really was SS-rank, this crisis might end quickly.
* * *
Death had come to the Hunter Academy.
Black clouds blanketed the sky, and an intangible aura of eerie power enveloped the entire grounds. The HCU, sensing something off, dispatched agents swiftly, but they couldn't enter. It rejected them like a physical wall.
"Out of my way."
Hong Ji-hwa ignited hellfire in both hands and charged the barrier, but her fist bounced off with a thung. She twisted midair, landed steadily, and glared. What the hell were these bastards, occupying the academy out of nowhere? What were the academy guards doing, letting this happen?
Ju-hwan and Hunter Cheon Ji-hoo are inside.
That thought eased her worries. Whatever happened, Cheon Ji-hoo would handle it. So she just needed to focus on breaking through this weird power from outside.
As she reignited her hellfire, someone approached from within—thud, thud. A figure in a black robe, clutching a staff with a human skull dangling from it. He looked insane at first glance, probably the culprit.
Clack, clack. The staff tapping the ground silenced the commotion instantly. He emerged naturally from the intangible aura, pointed his staff at the HCU, and declared,
"Listen well, you ignorant fools. We hold sixty-six hostages. Best not entertain foolish notions."
His voice scratched like nails on chalkboard. Hong Ji-hwa stepped forward, scowling as if to say keep talking.
The robed man shook his staff and continued.
"I seek the one who slew our comrade. Your task, you dimwits, is to find him and bring him forth."
"Who the fuck is that, asshole?"
Hong Ji-hwa snapped back curtly. What kinda bullshit was this, demanding she find him without a clue? At least give some info. Still, she'd gleaned something from the exchange. The System translation carried an exotic accent, and calling his ally "our comrade" screamed DF affiliation. Among extremist groups pulling stunts like this, only DF used that term—and recently, the only one with dead members tied to Cheon Ji-hoo was DF.
In the end, it's Cheon Ji-hoo again?
But she was mistaken on one point. She thought he'd killed one DF member, but actually, the entire Korean branch had been wiped out. When overseas HQ lost contact and investigated, they concluded full annihilation due to outside intervention.
Fuck, what are the overseas pricks doing? Letting these terrorists roam free.
HCU wasn't just in Korea. How could they let international terrorists waltz out? Her neck prickled, but she had a job.
"Whoever you're looking for is probably inside that barrier behind you, you eighteen-eighty-eight bastard."
"Inside the barrier?"
The moment he turned, Hong Ji-hwa didn't miss her chance. She erupted hellfire, kicked off the ground, and trusted Cheon Ji-hoo inside to handle the hostages. Her vision flushed red with surging crimson flames. She rocketed forward in a blaze, slamming her fist into his face.
BOOM! Dust exploded upward with the blast. Hong Ji-hwa locked eyes with him amid the cloud, her punch that should've decapitated him landing square.
"...A mistake, fool."
He was unscathed, eyes gleaming, before crumbling to ash. Not the real body—some trick. As the dust cleared, she gnashed her teeth and hammered the barrier wildly. It repelled her, but she swung again, rage filling her head at being played.
Only after HCU agents pulled her off did she stop, panting, sweeping back her disheveled hair.
"Perimeter control's done—find a way in! Circle the whole damn thing!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Agents scattered at her order. Hong Ji-hwa exhaled deeply, placing a hand on the barrier. Still no entry. She felt pathetic, powerless against this unheard-of phenomenon. How much stronger did she need to get to ignore crap like this?
* * *
"Brute of a woman."
Inside the Hunter Academy, in a dim, empty room, a man rose. He hadn't expected his clone to shatter so easily. But a clone was a clone; the original felt nothing. Inhaling, he asked,
"Status?"
"Descent at 50%~. Could speed it up with hostages. What do ya say?"
"Good. Use the hostages to accelerate the descent."
"Okey-dokey~!"
The woman cheerily spread her hands to activate her skill—but it failed. Only a message appeared: No sacrifice available.
"Huh?"
"What's wrong?"
"No sacrifice? Looks like the hostages escaped. What the hell, weren't you watching?"
"What? I posted skeleton soldiers. They escaped?"
The man felt a sudden dread. Unexplainable chills, like a blade at his neck.
"So you're here."
And just like that, a man appeared before them. Blue eyes flashing in the darkness.
The archmage had arrived.