Dungeons began appearing all over the world without warning.
Monsters poured out, bringing catastrophe in their wake and slaughtering every living being in sight. For the first time in history, humanity lived in constant fear, reduced to nothing more than prey.
Then, the Hunter System appeared.
People awakened abilities beyond human limits. They were called Hunters. These Hunters entered dungeons, cleared them from the inside, and prevented further dungeon breaks from unleashing more monsters into the world.
Years passed.
Life no longer stood on the edge of collapse, though death was still an unavoidable part of dungeon exploration. The Hunter Association worked tirelessly to prevent large-scale disasters, recruit and manage Hunters across the country, and compensate victims and families who suffered losses from monster attacks.
The world had not returned to normal.
But it had learned how to survive.
"Exams are finally over… I don't have to stay up studying late at night anymore."
A high school boy yawned as he walked along the sidewalk, stretching his arms over his head. The friend beside him laughed.
"Studying, my ass. I've never seen you study. You go to that same internet café every single day after school."
"What's wrong with relieving stress? I'm not neglecting my grades just because I play some games."
The first boy slung an arm around his friend's shoulders and snickered.
"By the way… there's another reason I keep going to that café, even though there's one closer to school."
He leaned in, lowering his voice like he was about to share a classified secret. His friend blinked, curiosity instantly piqued.
"You know that channel I follow? On Utube? It's called 7 Wonders of Seoul. They post about suspicious, mysterious, and unexplained places."
He pulled out his phone and showed the screen. The channel's host wore a hoodie, mask, and black sunglasses, completely hiding their identity.
"This already looks like a scam," his friend said flatly.
"Just listen first," the boy insisted. "This street has experienced dungeon breaks several times. Buildings around here were destroyed or heavily damaged by monster attacks."
He pointed dramatically down the road.
"But that internet café? Not a single scratch."
His friend pushed his arm off and walked faster. "That's not mysterious. There are barrier items on the market now. Install one and it protects buildings from monster attacks."
"Yeah, but those pocket barriers are crazy expensive," the first boy argued, hurrying to keep up. "They're handcrafted by certain S-Class Hunter. Even A-Class barriers can't block everything — buildings still get cracks or damage."
He lowered his voice again, eyes gleaming.
"So how does a small, not-that-fancy internet café stay completely untouched? And even if they did buy an S-Class barrier… where did they get that kind of money?"
He grinned smugly, as if he'd uncovered a national conspiracy, then pushed the café door open first.
"Two seats, two hours, like usual," he said cheerfully to the worker at the counter.
"You're here again? Didn't you have exams?" the young man behind the counter asked. He looked to be in his early twenties.
"Finished today! Now I can finally play without guilt," the student said, giving a thumbs-up as his uniformed friend walked in behind him.
"Don't spend your entire vacation gaming," the worker said with a faint smile. "Go make some memories with your family too. You're at tables 30 and 31."
"Thanks, hyung!"
"I don't remember giving you permission to call me that," the worker muttered, sighing.
The quieter student, who had been observing silently, suddenly spoke.
"…Is that a scar near your right eye?"
"Huh?!" The energetic one leaned closer. "Whoa, I never noticed before. Your hair usually covers it."
The worker instinctively touched the faint scar beside his eye.
"This… is from a long time ago. A monster attack. I almost went blind because of it," he said with a small, self-deprecating smile.
"Then you're super lucky you didn't! You've got really pretty eyes, hyu—"
Smack.
The quiet friend hit the back of his head and dragged him away. Before leaving, he gave the worker a small, awkward bow in apology.
The worker watched them go, his fingers still resting near the scar.
"…An old wound," he murmured softly.
"Minhae!"
He looked up.
A familiar man approached, slightly out of breath. It was Seojun, the one who had taken him in years ago — the person Minhae now called hyung.
"Are you tired? I'm really sorry," Seojun said guiltily. "Ever since we upgraded all the PCs, the café's been packed. And with Aunt Minji quitting because she's giving birth next month… you've been handling everything alone."
He rubbed the back of his neck. "I want to help more, but my work at the Hunter Association keeps piling up. Being an office worker there is harder than it looks."
"Hyung, it's really okay," Minhae said gently. "It's busier than before, but it's not overwhelming."
Seojun smiled, still looking apologetic. "Tell me if you need anything, alright? I'm your hyung — it's my job to take care of you."
He checked the time. "I need to pick up Seolha soon. Her classes are about to end. Can you look after her tonight? I've got the night shift… but I'll bring fried chicken home."
"Don't worry," Minhae replied. "I'll close early and take care of Seolha."
Seojun smiled in relief, completely unaware—
—that the quiet young man running his small neighborhood internet café…
…was once the strongest S-Class Hunter in the country.
.
.
.
Minhae once more touch the scar beside his eyes. The pain and the trauma still throbbing on his barely visible scar. The feeling of being alone and vulnerable at the center of swarm of monster. A 12 years old child that was once standing tall and look down on others, desperately cried and called the others as he dig into the ground till his hand bleed.
Minhae closed his eyes to calm himself down. The sound of loud internet cafe become quiet as he lost inside his own mind.
"Now... Where did all of this began....", he opened his eyes as he stare into his memories.