[1 YEAR AGO]
The sky was blanketed with gray clouds, though the rain had not yet begun. In the aftermath of clearing a D-Rank portal, the dust and smoke of battle were just beginning to settle. The group that had cleared the portal was gathering their gear and dispersing, joking among themselves with the relief of a job well done.
Sard walked toward his bag, which he had left under an old oak tree a few meters from the portal. His armor pieces were covered in scratches, and his face bore that weary but calm expression unique to those who had just emerged from combat. He pulled a water canteen from his bag, opened the cap, and drank greedily. At that moment, a small group of three detached themselves from the crowd and began walking directly toward him.
The figure in the lead was Shinya, a C-Rank hunter, wearing a smile that looked friendly for the time but still held a predatory edge. He whispered to those beside him, "This kid seriously has talent... Let's take a closer look at him."
Noticing the approaching footsteps, Sard slowly lowered his canteen. Shinya stopped a few paces away.
"Hey, kid," Shinya said, eyeing Sard's worn-out equipment. "You did a pretty good job. I was wondering, do you always roll solo around here? Aren't you affiliated with any guild?"
Sard replied flatly, "Yes. I work alone."
Shinya let out a mocking breath. "Alone? It's a waste to throw away such potential like that. How do you expect to rise in this system without joining a community? You'll spend years in these low-level portals."
As Sard closed the cap of his canteen, he asked in a cold voice, "Is joining a community really that important? I managed to rise to D-Rank on my own."
Those beside Shinya looked at each other and laughed. Shinya took another step closer. "D-Rank? Listen, kid, moving from D to C isn't just about slaying monsters. But if you join a community—especially a guild like Asphex—they can help you. Come with us; let's evaluate your potential there. You're truly doing yourself a disservice."
Sard hesitated for a moment, appearing to consider the guild offer. Shinya continued, "Of course, first... we need to truly see your skills. Not in words, but on the field."
The two men beside Shinya moved to create a circle, widening the distance between them. Sard furrowed his brows. "But... I haven't agreed to join your guild yet?"
As Shinya buttoned his jacket, a dangerous light flickered in his eyes. "We'll see whether you agree or not after this fight. Now... attack me with everything you've got!"
By the time the fight began, the sky had started to drop its first beads of rain. As a C-Rank guild member, Shinya exerted an overwhelming pressure on Sard. In this hand-to-hand clash, Shinya handled Sard's moves like an adult playing with a child. However, as time passed, Sard's strikes began to sharpen. Dodging a right straight from Shinya, Sard bypassed his guard with unexpected agility and landed a hard punch square on his jaw.
Staggering back from the blow, Shinya's mask of fake kindness instantly dropped. His eyes burned with rage. He shot a quick glance at his companions and gave a sharp nod. At that moment, one of the men threw a metal pipe—hidden under his jacket—toward Shinya.
Sard froze as he watched the pipe fly through the air and land in Shinya's hand. "But this is unfair! You were only supposed to see my skills!" he shouted.
As Shinya twirled the metal pipe in his palm, that familiar snake-like grin appeared on his face. The rain had intensified, beginning to turn the dusty earth into mud.
"Unfair?" Shinya roared, pointing the pipe at Sard. "In this world, there is no such thing as right or justice, kid. There is only power and results!"
Immediately following these words, Shinya lunged at Sard with a series of savage and brutal strikes. The scenes began to blur; every blow Shinya landed with the metal pipe broke Sard's resistance a bit more. As the fury of the rain increased, the sound of metal hitting flesh merged with the howling of the storm.
When the image finally cleared, Sard was on his knees. He had collapsed into the cold, slushy mud, his soaking wet black hair covering his face. He had just been battered, his pride shattered. Struggling, Sard forced his trembling shoulders upright and slowly lifted his head. Despite the raindrops trickling through his wet black hair, he looked up at the face of Shinya standing over him.
The last thing Sard saw was the predatory grin on Shinya's face and the metal pipe in his hand being raised at a wide angle, then rapidly descending toward his own temple.
The moment the metal pipe struck his temple with a sickening thud, the world turned white for a second. The last thing Sard felt was the warm blood trickling from his temple, mixing with the rainwater, and his body collapsing into the mud as his consciousness sank into absolute darkness.