The dungeon collapsed behind them.
A violent implosion.
The gate shattered—
And vanished.
Silence followed.
Every Hunter stood frozen.
Still processing what they had just witnessed.
"…We survived," someone whispered.
"…No," another said.
Their eyes slowly turned—
Toward Adrian.
"…He carried us."
Association Headquarters
Chaos.
Reports flooding in.
Emergency meetings called.
Because what happened—
Shouldn't have been possible.
Seo walked through the hallways quickly.
Expression unreadable.
But her eyes—
Sharp.
Focused.
"…Call the evaluation team," she ordered.
"…Immediately."
Evaluation Room
White walls.
Bright lights.
Cold atmosphere.
Adrian sat calmly.
Across from him—
Three evaluators.
Machines surrounding him.
Scanning.
Analyzing.
"…Begin measurement."
Energy surged.
The device hummed—
Then—
CRACK
The screen flickered.
Numbers spiked—
Then broke.
Static.
Silence.
"…System error?" one evaluator muttered.
"…Run it again."
They did.
Same result.
The machine couldn't measure him.
Seo watched from behind the glass.
"…As expected."
Inside the Room
"…Your power exceeds standard parameters," one evaluator said.
Adrian shrugged slightly.
"…So?"
"…So we can't assign you a normal rank."
A pause.
"…Then don't."
Silence.
The evaluators exchanged looks.
"…We'll escalate this to the higher board."
Adrian stood.
"…Do whatever you want."
He didn't care.
Rank meant nothing.
Power did.
Observation Room
Seo crossed her arms.
"…He's beyond A-rank."
"…At minimum," another official replied.
"…Or worse."
Seo didn't respond.
Because deep down—
She knew.
"…He's not measurable."
Elsewhere – The Hidden Organization
The same dark room.
The same screen.
But this time—
More people.
Watching.
"…Confirmed," one said.
"…He killed a Guardian-level entity alone."
Silence.
Then—
"…Send him."
A new figure stepped forward.
Tall.
Calm.
But the pressure around him—
Heavy.
"…Understood."
His eyes opened slowly.
Cold.
Focused.
"…I'll test him."
Night – City Streets
Adrian walked alone.
As usual.
But tonight—
Something felt different.
The air—
Tense.
Heavy.
"…You can come out," Adrian said calmly.
Silence.
Then—
Footsteps.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
"…You noticed."
Adrian turned.
Their eyes met.
And instantly—
The air changed.
Like two predators recognizing each other.
"…You're strong," the man said.
A pause.
"…But I need to know how strong."
Adrian tilted his head slightly.
"…Another Hunter?"
The man smiled faintly.
"…Something like that."
Then—
The ground cracked beneath his foot.
Power surged outward.
Stronger than anything the other Hunters had shown.
Even comparable—
To the Guardian.
Adrian's eyes sharpened.
"…Good."
A faint trace of ash appeared around him.
"…I was getting bored."
The man stepped forward.
"…Show me."
Silence.
The city held its breath.
Because what was about to happen—
Was not a hunt.
Not a mission.
Not a dungeon.
It was—
A clash.
Between monsters.