Joon-seok was standing in the middle of the Blizzard Domain.
With the Blood Fang Axe in his hand—
so heavy that a normal human wouldn't even be able to lift it…
yet Joon-seok was gripping it firmly.
Blood Rage Resonance… active.
Whenever HP drops below 30%, this state is triggered.
Strength and speed increase by 40%.
But only for 60 seconds.
And then a cooldown… of 5 minutes.
Joon-seok glanced at the system window.
Just 60 seconds… that's enough.
But the next moment, his body already started feeling the stress.
Stamina drain… fast.
Inside the domain, the air was even more brutal.
Sharp… cutting cold.
Visibility was almost zero.
With every breath, it felt like his lungs were freezing.
His lips had already turned blue.
His hands were slightly trembling.
Staying here is already a disadvantage…
If I don't end this quickly… I'll freeze here.
He murmured quietly.
Then—
Velkarn's voice echoed throughout the entire domain.
"I gave you a deep wound…"
"Yet you… how did you recover, outsider?"
Joon-seok instantly became alert.
He's here…
His eyes moved around quickly…
But there was nothing in sight.
Only white darkness.
He tightened his grip on the axe.
My hand is freezing…
Then he felt it—
a presence…
There it is…
Without hesitation, he poured all his strength into it.
He raised the axe… and swung toward that shadowy direction.
BOOM!
Nothing.
Empty air.
Joon-seok's eyes narrowed.
An illusion…?
But—
SHING!
From behind, Velkarn appeared.
An ice sword aimed directly at Joon-seok's neck.
An instant kill move.
Without even looking—
Joon-seok swung his axe back!
CLANG!
The ice sword and Blood Fang Axe collided.
No sparks…
only a frozen shockwave.
Joon-seok's body slid backward…
but he didn't lose his balance.
Velkarn showed a sharp, badass smirk.
"Oh… I didn't think," he said,
"you'd be able to block my attack in my domain, outsider."
Joon-seok didn't respond.
Even without his right hand… he was still fast and strong.
But… now he was slightly slowing down.
The next instant—
Joon-seok vanished.
And reappeared behind Velkarn.
Axe swing!
Velkarn instantly blocked it with his ice sword.
CLANG!
But at that same moment—
a small cut appeared on his cheek.
A faint smirk formed on Joon-seok's lips.
"Good…"
"That cut you just got…" he said slowly,
"is the effect of this axe."
Velkarn narrowed his eyes.
"Effect…?"
Joon-seok continued in a calm tone.
"Wherever even a slight cut lands… blood will keep flowing continuously for 5 seconds."
Velkarn touched his cheek.
"…Then what is this happening?"
His right arm suddenly twitched…
and blood started flowing from it too.
"This… why won't it stop?"
Joon-seok gave a cold smirk.
"Don't think too much."
"It's better for you that way."
Velkarn stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then—
SHHHT!
He vanished again.
Joon-seok shouted loudly.
"Hey, Velkarn!"
"How long are you going to play hide-and-seek? Are you a kid?"
Silence.
No response.
Joon-seok tightened his grip on the axe.
Fine… I'll end this myself.
But the sword… is already destroyed.
If I still had it, I could've broken this domain with a Void Strike…
Now this axe… what can it do?
Scene cut—
Outside the domain.
Cha Soo-min's face had turned completely pale with tension.
"Mr. Kang… is he dead? He still hasn't come out…"
Park Tae-min said angrily.
"Don't be stupid."
"You've seen his strength, right? He doesn't die that easily."
Ryu Jinwoo also nodded.
"Yes… Mr. Kang is not that easy to kill."
Back inside the domain—
Joon-seok stood there, holding the heavy axe.
How do I get out of here…?
He closed his eyes.
Held the axe in a horizontal position.
The next moment—
Red and black aura slowly began to gather.
The air changed.
Pressure… heavy.
Snow particles started lifting into the air.
The domain itself began to shake.
Joon-seok's feet slowly sank into the ground.
The aura grew denser…
Then—
Everything merged into a single point.
Joon-seok opened his eyes slightly.
Cold tone.
Low pitch.
"Crimson Slash."
SHHHHHHHH—!!!
A massive slash erupted—
tearing through the ground…
splitting the entire Blizzard Domain in half.
BOOOOM!
Velkarn suddenly appeared.
His face froze in shock.
"…My Blizzard Domain…"
"…this outsider… broke it?"
Joon-seok rested the axe on his shoulder.
"Alright."
"Let's go."
But then—
the domain started collapsing.
Joon-seok dashed at extreme speed…
and escaped just in time.
He landed in the safe zone.
For a second, Ryu Jinwoo's party went silent… then—
"YES!"
"He's alive!"
Cha Soo-min finally relaxed her breath.
"I knew it…"
Velkarn had dissolved his domain.
His voice was cold.
"I didn't expect this, outsider."
Joon-seok rotated his axe.
"So what?"
"Build it again."
Velkarn let out a faint laugh.
"No."
"I can't."
"Too much stamina drain."
His eyes turned sharp.
"Anyway… I don't need it anymore."
"I'll kill you with my own hands."
Joon-seok stepped forward.
"Try it."
SHING!
Velkarn suddenly appeared.
An ice sword came straight in for a strike—
Joon-seok blocked it effortlessly.
CLANG!
Velkarn's attacks became faster… more furious.
But every strike was still blocked.
Joon-seok spoke in a cold voice.
"What happened, Velkarn…"
"Are you getting weaker?"
Velkarn didn't respond.
He only increased his speed.
Joon-seok tightened his grip on the axe one final time.
"Enough."
"This game ends here."
In the blink of an eye, Joon-seok was behind Velkarn.
Velkarn himself was shocked.
When… did he get this fast?
But he didn't even have time to react—
SHUNK!
Joon-seok cut off Velkarn's left leg.
Velkarn dropped to one knee, breathing heavily.
"I… am not defeated yet… outsider…"
Next moment—
SHING!
He suddenly appeared in front of Joon-seok, swinging his sword.
But—
CLANG!
Joon-seok blocked it easily with his axe.
And in a cold tone, he said,
"You've gotten weaker… Velkarn The Unmelting Tyrant."
Velkarn didn't reply.
Instead, in the next instant—
Joon-seok cut off his left arm.
Then his right leg.
THUD!
Velkarn collapsed onto the ground.
Then he started laughing.
A low, evil laugh.
"You won… outsider."
"But I didn't think… this game would end here."
Joon-seok narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean?"
Velkarn, still laughing, said,
"You're forgetting something…"
Joon-seok's expression tightened.
"What am I forgetting?"
"KHAOS is awakening," Velkarn said slowly.
"You must have sensed it too…"
Joon-seok froze instantly.
"KHAOS…?"
Velkarn's smile widened even more.
"You'll understand later… who I'm talking about."
Without wasting a second, Joon-seok raised his axe—
CRACK!
One brutal swing.
Velkarn was cut in half.
A mist of blood spread through the air.
The white ice melted into red instantly…
and Velkarn's existence came to an end.
Joon-seok stood still.
KHAOS…?
Is it related to that faceless being… or something else?
At that moment—
A system window flashed.
[Congratulations!]
You have defeated Frost Sovereign Velkarn — The Unmelting Tyrant (A-rank Boss)
[Major Rewards Unlocked]
Level Up: 28 → 42
Health: 620 → 920
Strength: 130 → 265
Speed: 110 → 205
Endurance: 125 → 195
Reflexes: 115 → 168
Focus: 135 → 210
New Skill Unlocked: Will of the Mortal
A passive boundary formed from pure willpower that slows incoming attacks.
Active Mode: near-impenetrable defense for 10 seconds.
High stamina cost. Cooldown: 10 minutes.
Auto-trigger: activates for 5 seconds at critical HP.
New Title: The Unbreakable Mortal
Cold resistance +18%
Automatic activation at critical HP (5 seconds)
Joon-seok stared at the glowing window.
His breathing was heavy.
His body was still shaking.
But… his strength felt different now.
He clenched his fist.
"So… after all that effort… something good came out of it."
"Will of the Mortal… not bad."
The system window faded away.
Footsteps came from a distance.
Ryu Jinwoo's party ran toward him.
"W-We… did we win, Mr. Kang?" Ryu Jinwoo asked while gasping for breath.
Joon-seok replied calmly,
"Yeah… looks like it."
Cha Soo-min said in relief,
"Thank goodness you're okay, Mr. Kang."
Joon-seok gave a faint smile.
But Park Tae-min turned his face away.
"Huh… I still can't believe it…"
"An E-rank hunter defeated that monster."
After a pause, he added quietly,
"About what I said before… I'm sorry."
Joon-seok didn't respond. He only gave a slight nod.
Then his expression suddenly turned serious.
"Mr. Ryu…"
Ryu Jinwoo replied,
"Yes?"
"What is KHAOS?"
A second of silence.
Ryu Jinwoo's face instantly turned pale.
His body froze.
Sweat formed on his forehead.
Im Seo-jun-looked confused.
"Mr. Ryu? Why did you stop?"
Joon-seok's eyes narrowed further.
"Tell me… what is KHAOS?"
Ryu Jinwoo said in a trembling voice,
"KHAOS… is not a monster or a human…"
"It is the name of a Gate."
Joon-seok's expression sharpened.
"The name of a Gate?"
"Impossible… I've never heard of a Gate being named."
Ryu Jinwoo took a slow breath.
"There is only one…"
"It opened 11 years ago."
His eyes slowly lowered.
"My older brother… died inside it."
"That Gate is called the world's most disastrous Gate."
Joon-seok froze.
Disaster Gate…?
Is this the same one Mr. Lee talked about?
Ryu Jinwoo continued,
"This disaster is also called the KHAOS Incident."
A flash appeared in Joon-seok's mind.
Childhood news… destroyed cities… dead hunters…
So this is it…
Ryu Jinwoo went on,
"At that time, the world's top hunters went in…"
"Everyone failed."
"Only two fought until the end…"
"Silver Lion Guild Master… Mr. Lee Hyun-jin…"
"And another one… Mr. Kang Min-jun."
Joon-seok went silent.
I knew it… this is that Gate.
Then he said calmly,
"That's enough."
"Let's leave."
At the Gate exit, everyone came out.
The Gate behind them shut down.
Ryu Jinwoo's party was still shaken.
"Who are you, Mr. Kang?" Seo Eun-ji asked.
Joon-seok replied in a simple tone,
"Just an E-rank hunter…"
"One who recently joined Silver Lion Guild."
No further questions were asked.
Only thanks.
Then—
SCREECH.
A black car stopped.
Silence fell.
A man stepped out—black coat, cold expression.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Joon-seok's face slightly tensed.
"Why are you here… Baek Do-hyun?"
Baek replied calmly,
"Mr. Lee sent me."
"I have an urgent message."
Joon-seok's eyes narrowed slightly.
Urgent message…?
"Get in," Baek added.
"Guild."
Joon-seok stared for a second in silence.
All of this… is it related to KHAOS or something else?
—To be continued.