Chapter Text
Jin-Woo easily drives his sword through the orcs with a level of practiced ease that most hunters could only dream of achieving. The battlefield settles quickly under his control, shadows moving at his command as if they were extensions of his own will. Around him, his shadow soldiers methodically gather the fallen mana stones, their movements efficient and silent, while Yoo Jin-Ho hurries from one spot to another, stuffing the stones into the two bags they had brought along, his usual enthusiasm only slightly dampened by the pace Jin-Woo sets.
Jin-Woo surveys the area with quiet approval, his gaze sharp as he confirms that nothing has been left behind. Just as he begins to turn away, a familiar sound cuts through the stillness.
Ding!
The notification is one he knows well, yet something about it feels… different. His brow furrows slightly as he pulls up the system window, curiosity piqued.
[Leveled up! Secret quest obtained! Agree to quest? (Yes/No)]
A secret quest?
Jin-Woo pauses, his expression sharpening with interest. The system had never presented something like this before—not in this way, not without context. It was unusual, and anything unusual when it came to the system was worth paying attention to.
Still, curiosity wins out.
“Yes.”
The moment the word leaves him, the interface shifts, the screen dissolving into gold shimmering letters that glow with an unfamiliar weight.
[New Quest!: The Other Half]
[Must find and defeat the Monarch of Light!]
Jin-Woo’s eyes narrow slightly as he reads the words over again, his mind already working through possibilities.
“Monarch of Light? I’ve never heard of him… or her,” he mutters under his breath, voice low enough that only he can hear it. “I thought I defeated all the other Monarchs. Are you saying there’s another?”
The system, as always, offers no explanation. The glowing text lingers only long enough to display a final detail—a timer, counting down from ten days—before the window disappears entirely, leaving nothing but silence in its wake.
Jin-Woo exhales slowly, the faint tension in his shoulders betraying his thoughts. A hidden Monarch, one the system had never mentioned before, and now a time limit placed on eliminating them. It didn’t sit right.
He glances briefly at the shadows still working and at Jin-Ho, who remains focused on gathering the last of the mana stones, blissfully unaware of the new burden just placed on Jin-Woo’s shoulders.
Ten days.
Whatever this “Monarch of Light” was, Jin-Woo would have to find them—and soon.
And something told him this wouldn’t be as simple as the system was making it sound.