Klint flipped through the worn pages, his fingers brushing against rough, aging paper. Most of it felt confusing—useless even.
Until one page caught his attention.
"An Introduction to the World."
He paused, then began reading.
The Lurker
A monster that hides within the shadows. It feeds on fear and pain. The stronger the fear, the stronger it becomes.
It watches. It learns. It waits for the perfect moment to strike.
Weakness: If it is directly noticed, it is forced to appear—and becomes weakened.
Klint's eyes narrowed.
"…So that's why I felt watched yesterday."
A faint chill ran down his spine.
He turned the page.
The Knocker
A monster that knocks on doors.
If you open the door… you die.
If you reject it in time, it will leave you alone.
"…Simple," Klint muttered. "But deadly."
The Luminarch
A creature that appears only in light.
It does not chase—unless it is hungry.
Klint frowned slightly.
"Even light isn't safe…"
He continued flipping through the book—
Then stopped.
Several pages were missing.
Not neatly removed.
Ripped out.
"…Why would someone do this?"
For a moment, he considered asking the old man—Karter.
But his pride held him back.
"…Forget it."
He closed the book.
"I'll figure it out myself."
Klint stepped outside, the village stretching quietly before him. People moved, but no one lingered. No one spoke more than necessary.
It felt… off.
Like everyone knew something he didn't.
"I need information… and money."
His eyes scanned the area.
That's when he saw it.
A sign hanging above a building:
Monster Hunters
"…That should work."
The moment he stepped inside, noise filled the air. Laughter, chatter, movement—it was the complete opposite of the silence outside.
Then—
Klint froze.
He recognized someone.
"YOU—!"
His voice cut through the room.
"YOU'RE THE GUY WHO GOT IN MY WAY LAST NIGHT!"
The room went quiet for a split second—
Then burst into laughter.
The man he pointed at laughed the hardest.
"You're welcome," he said, stepping forward with a grin. "Name's Arthur. And you are?"
Klint hesitated.
Only for a moment.
"…David. David Joseph."
A lie.
A clean one.
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"David, huh? So—what floor are you from? You looked pretty lost yesterday."
"The eighth floor," Klint replied calmly.
Arthur blinked.
"The eighth…?"
He let out a low whistle.
"Huh. Guess people there aren't perfect after all."
He looked Klint up and down.
"Then you must've been strong. And wealthy."
Klint's expression darkened slightly.
"I was… until I was betrayed."
Arthur studied him for a moment.
Something felt strange.
"…Your soul…"
He frowned.
"It's like something's missing. I can't explain it."
He shook his head.
"…Whatever."
Klint stepped forward.
"Tell me about this place."
Arthur looked confused.
"…Didn't you just say you're from the eighth floor?"
A pause.
Then he shrugged.
"Fine."
"This is the Monster Hunters' post. You sign up, take jobs, and hunt monsters. Mostly at night."
He smirked.
"You interested?"
"I'll join."
Klint didn't hesitate.
The process was quick.
Too quick.
"Stand still," the worker said.
Klint did.
A faint hum filled the air as a strange device activated.
Light flickered.
Unstable.
The worker squinted at the result.
"…F1."
A pause.
"…And flickering."
Arthur leaned closer.
"That bad?"
The worker scratched his head.
"It's unusual. Most people start at F2 or F3."
He looked back at Klint.
"But yours isn't stable."
"What does that mean?" Klint asked.
The worker leaned back.
"It means your Resonance Level is unstable."
He continued:
"The higher your resonance, the more control you have—over yourself, over everything."
Then his tone shifted.
"But the higher it gets…"
"…the more your soul tears apart."
Silence filled the space.
"You lose your emotions. Slowly."
"You become less human."
Arthur's smile faded slightly.
"…That's messed up."
The worker looked at Klint again.
"F1 is weak. You'll need gear if you want to survive."
"I don't have money," Klint replied calmly.
The worker sighed.
"Then you're basically useless out there."
That word lingered.
Useless.
Klint turned and walked out without another word.
The noise behind him faded as the silence of the village returned.
Heavy.
Watching.
He clenched his fist slightly.
"…I need answers."
There was only one place to go.
Back to the old man.
Karter.
As the sky slowly darkened, Klint made his way back to the old man's house he knocked but no answers were given...
Klint raised his hand and knocked again.
No response.
He waited.
Still nothing.
"…Maybe he's still working," Klint muttered.
This time, it made more sense.
He tried the door.
It creaked open.
Unlocked.
Klint stepped inside.
The door creaked shut behind him.
Silence.
"Guess he's not back yet."
He walked further in and pulled a chair slightly, sitting down.
Then—
He paused.
Something felt… off.
The wood beneath him felt wrong.
Too… stiff.
Too perfect.
Klint frowned slightly.
"This wasn't here before."
His mind flickered back to the book.
A single line.
"If something feels wrong—don't ignore it."
Klint didn't move immediately.
Instead—
He slowly stood up.
The moment his weight left the chair—
It twitched.
Just slightly.
Klint's eyes sharpened.
"So that's it."
He didn't hesitate.
He grabbed the chair—
and slammed it straight into the wall.
The moment it hit—
It broke.
Not into wood—
But into something else.
Something that moved.
A distorted shape unfolded from the broken pieces, its form shifting, unstable—like it couldn't decide what it was.
Klint stepped back instinctively.
"A monster."
It lunged.
Fast.
Too fast.
Klint barely dodged, feeling something brush past his arm.
Sharp.
He clenched his jaw.
"So it hides as objects."
The creature shifted again—
trying to reform.
Klint didn't give it time.
He grabbed a broken piece—
and drove it straight through the center of its mass.
The thing let out a distorted, silent twitch—
Then collapsed.
Still.
Klint stood there for a moment.
Breathing steady.
"…So this is how it starts."
He looked down at what remained.
"…The Settler."
Not fear.
Not relief.
Just understanding.