Every day began the same for Arin Solis.
No alarms.
No voices calling his name.
Just silence.
He woke up slowly in his dim, worn-out house, the faint light of morning slipping through cracked windows. The air was cold, and the walls carried the weight of years of neglect.
Still, he moved.
Routine was the only thing that kept him going.
He boiled water. Made a simple cup of coffee. No sugar. No luxury. Just enough to wake himself up.
Sitting by the window, he stared outside for a moment.
Hunters passed by in the distance—confident, respected, powerful.
A different world.
One he didn't belong to.
After a few minutes, he stood up, grabbed his old gear, and stepped out.
Another day.
Another gate.
Another job as a carrier.
By the time Arin reached the site, a D-Rank gate had already formed in the middle of a restricted zone. The area was secured, and a small raid party had gathered.
The moment they saw him—
Their expressions changed.
"Seriously? He's late again."
"Why do they even bring this guy?"
"Just don't slow us down."
Arin didn't respond.
He was used to it.
"We're in a hurry," one of them said coldly. "Take the equipment and follow."
Heavy bags were thrown toward him—filled with supplies, tools, and collected materials.
Arin picked them up without a word.
They entered the gate.
He followed.
The inside of the portal was… strange.
It looked like a ruined forest, dim and silent. The ground was uneven, and the air felt thicker than usual.
Still, it was a D-Rank gate.
It should've been easy.
Weak to mid-level beasts at most.
Nothing dangerous.
But something felt wrong.
No movement.
No sounds of creatures.
No wind.
Just silence.
Too much silence.
"Where are the monsters?" one hunter muttered.
"Spread out. Find them and finish quickly," another replied.
They moved deeper.
Arin followed slowly behind, his grip tightening on the straps of the bags.
His instincts—something he rarely trusted—felt uneasy.
Then—
THUD.
A single sound echoed.
Not loud.
But heavy.
Everyone froze.
Another step.
Closer.
The ground trembled slightly.
"What… was that?" someone whispered.
The air grew heavier.
Harder to breathe.
From the darkness ahead…
Something moved.
It wasn't a normal beast.
It wasn't even close.
A massive shape slowly revealed itself—its presence alone distorting the space around it.
Its eyes opened.
And in that moment—
Everyone understood.
"This… this isn't D-Rank…"
"No… no way…"
"RUN!!"
Panic exploded instantly.
Hunters turned and rushed toward the exit.
No one tried to fight.
No one even thought about it.
This was something else.
Something far beyond their level.
Arin tried to move—
But the weight of the equipment slowed him down.
The bags dragged him back.
His steps became heavier.
Slower.
Ahead of him, the others reached the gate.
One by one, they escaped.
No one looked back.
"Wait—!"
Arin tried to call out.
But his voice didn't reach them.
The exit began to flicker.
Distort.
Break.
"No… no…"
Arin pushed forward, forcing his body to move.
Just a little more—
Just one step—
The gate collapsed.
Silence.
The light vanished.
The exit was gone.
And Arin Solis—
Was left behind.
The portal sealed completely.
Cut off from the real world.
No signal.
No escape.
No help.
Only darkness.
And something… still watching him.