FIFTY YEARS AGO
The battlefield was unrecognisable—scorched earth, shattered stone, the smell of burning flesh rising with the smoke. The man in the centre of it all staggered, bleeding heavily, dissolving slowly into glowing particles of ash.
Warriors surrounded him, their weapons raised triumphantly as his existence faded.
"It's over!""Your evil ends today!""Humanity is safe again!""GO TO HELL!"
He looked up, eyes burning with hatred even as his body crumbled away. Blood dripped from his jaw. His knees buckled, but he held himself upright long enough to speak.
"I'll be back…" he growled. "And when I return—HELL'S COMING WITH ME."
His final snarl echoed unnaturally, as if carried by something not entirely of this world.
Then he was gone.
The sky cleared.The cheering faded.
PRESENT
Chairman Lawrence stood tall before the three Hunters, his presence filling the hall without effort. His long coat brushed lightly against the ground as he folded his arms behind his back.
"Congratulations, all of you," he said, voice steady and authoritative. "Finn Annan. Saya Venn. Ryan Grotz. You are officially B-Rank Hunters."
The three bowed deeply.
Annan bit back a smirk beneath his bow, pride buzzing in his chest. Saya's breath trembled as tears welled in her eyes. Ryan, already overwhelmed, wiped his cheeks openly.
Lawrence allowed them a brief moment of pride before continuing.
"Your classifications will be updated on Beta shortly. However, understand this—your real journey begins now. The missions assigned at B rank are significantly more dangerous. You will face phantoms whose presence alone could crush lesser Hunters."
Their expressions shifted—part excitement, part fear.
"You will each depart for separate missions," the Chairman said. "Three disturbances. Three locations. Each one contains a single phantom."
Ryan frowned. "Just one?"
"Semi-human phantoms," Lawrence clarified. "Creatures that retain human intelligence and emotional remnants from their past lives. Classification ranges from C to B. Do not underestimate them. These entities are capable of destroying entire towns if left unchecked."
Saya's posture straightened.Annan's grin faded.Ryan swallowed hard.
"With that being said… go."
The three snapped to attention.
"Yes, sir!"
And they departed, each heading toward their appointed battleground—three paths branching into unknown danger.
The night air at Regent's Community Park was unusually still, as though the entire area held its breath. Annan stepped beneath a tall oak tree and activated his Beta wristband. A floating holographic screen appeared before him, glowing softly in the dark.
Spiritual Energy received from previous battle with Phantoms:900 total
Distribute points.
His current stats flickered into view:
Speed: 2400Stealth: 2000Power / Strength: 2500Vitality / Stamina: 2400Affinity: FlamesClass: B
He huffed lightly to himself. "Let's see…"
After a moment's thought, he allocated the points swiftly.
+300 Stealth+300 Strength+150 Speed+150 Stamina
The screen pulsed, the numbers adjusting, then faded away.
He lowered his arm—
A piercing shriek tore through the park.
The grass trembled. Birds erupted from the trees in a panic. The air rippled with hostile energy.
Annan instinctively slipped into a fighting stance, scanning the shadows.
Something emerged from the darkness.
A woman in a tattered, once-white wedding gown drifted into the moonlight. Her skin looked dull and lifeless, her veil torn and hanging crookedly across her face. Her eyes were empty black voids, yet dripping with a sorrow twisted long ago into hatred.
She stepped forward, her movements stiff but deliberate.
"Why did my groom leave me at the altar?" she whispered.
Annan said nothing, focusing on her movements and the spiritual pressure leaking from her form.
Her head twitched, cracking unnaturally to the side.
"All men…" Her voice sharpened into rage. "ARE THE SAME! CHEATS! LIARS!"
The scream blasted outward as a shockwave, tearing leaves from branches and sending dust rushing across the park. Annan's boots slid back several inches as he steadied himself.
His Beta flashed violently.
Warning: B-Class Semi-Human Phantom detected.Threat level: High.Eliminate immediately.
Annan grimaced. "Great. A furious bride spirit."
Her limbs stiffened—then she lunged.
A wilted bouquet appeared in her hand, transforming instantly into a mass of thorned vines. They whipped towards Annan with blinding speed. He darted aside, but one thorn slashed across his cheek, drawing blood.
The ground under him cracked.
Vines erupted upward, wrapping around his legs and yanking him violently into the air. He barely had time to brace before they swung him into a tree. The first impact cracked the trunk. The second tree shattered. The third one finally stopped him.
He dropped to one knee, coughing, flames flickering around his fists.
"Oh, you're asking for it."
Heat burst beneath his feet, launching him skyward. Mid-air, he pulled flame into his right arm, spiralling the energy until it roared like a living beast.
He aimed.
He prepared to unleash—
The world blurred.
His vision distorted, colours smearing into each other. His arm wavered. His flames sputtered.
His attack fired off wildly in the wrong direction.
He plummeted.
He hit the ground hard, skidding across dirt.
"What— what was that?!"
Then came a voice he did not recognise.
A voice inside his head.
"Hello… Annan."
He froze. "Who the hell are you?!"
The voice crackled, glitchy and warped.
"I'm Alpha."
The blood in Annan's veins turned cold.
"Alpha? The— the Phantom Power System? How did you get into my head?!"
A distorted laugh rang through his skull.
"AHAHAHAHA… irrelevant."
"Listen to me," Annan growled, forcing himself up. "I don't care who or what you are—stay out of my mind."
The voice hummed, almost amused.
"Oh, I'll leave you for now. But remember… you will need my power one day."
The presence vanished instantly, leaving only a hollow echo behind.
Annan clenched his fists. "Brilliant. A phantom system with attitude."
But he had no time to dwell—the bride was already upon him.
She shrieked, hurling a rain of thorns from above. The barrage shredded the ground where he stood.
He blasted upwards again, dodging the storm as flaming energy propelled him between the trees. He twisted his body mid-air, channelling every bit of rage and heat into one arm.
His palm ignited violently—flames spiralling around his forearm like a miniature cyclone.
"RAGING BLAST!"
He dropped like a meteor.
His burning hand slammed into the phantom bride's chest.
The explosion shook the entire park.
Her scream warped into a hollow wail as her body cracked and splintered apart, dissolving into black flames before fading completely.
Silence returned.
But Annan didn't feel victorious.
He stared at his trembling hand.Not from exhaustion—but from the lingering chill Alpha left in his mind.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.