Every night at five, Midtown is like a ghost town. The city government has made it a rule for citizens not to go out at night, as it is suspected that the creature is out looking for prey at night.Malls and entertainment venues that are usually crowded at night are now completely closed.More and more victims are dying. Either their bodies were torn apart or they died of poison."What is this, sir?" Olivia looked confused as I handed her a box containing several bottles of potion. She took one of the bottles and looked at its contents. "Is this some sort of endurance drink?""It's a neutralising potion. If you drink it, your body will be unaffected, even if you eat food containing vicious poisons. But you should know that the effect of this potion only lasts for 24 hours."Olivia's forehead seemed to be wrinkled with eyes that could not help but look at me. The expression on her face was one of great curiosity."What kind of potion are you talking about? I have never heard of it. Whe
The zombie stood up and looked at me. It showed me its row of saw-like teeth. The zombie then ran towards me. I was able to dodge because the level 5 zombie's movement was still below mine.[The creatures should not be able to pass through the gate, Master. There is something wrong with the system and I am trying to find the problem]I grabbed the zombie's hand and spun it around, then kicked its butt, causing it to fall to the ground."PISTOL!"[Request denied. You are not allowed to draw a weapon in the presence of humans]I let out a long breath at Newt's warning. Then I turned my head towards Olivia. The girl seemed to be looking at me with a worried face. I smiled at her to let her know that I was fine.I focused on the zombie in front of me. He had gotten up and was preparing to attack me. But I was able to knock him down again. I lunged at him and struck him in the chest with full force. In an instant, the zombie disappeared from my sight.[ZOMBIE LEVEL 5 +10,000 COINS]"I didn
Naturally, I was stunned when I heard Newt's answer. How could I suddenly be in Smoky Hollow? I looked at the clock on my wrist, and it was not yet time for the gates of Smoky Hollow to open.I look around and recognise this place. It is a dead town in Smoky Hollow. As usual, there are only empty houses and unoccupied tall buildings. I wonder if this place was made like this or if people have lived here."What is really going on, Newt? Why am I in Smoky Hollow?" I could not hide my confusion at what was happening. I didn't even have the ability to open the gate to Smoky Hollow.[There is an energy friction between the real world and Smoky Hollow that causes the gate to open. Just as the energy from the real world and Smoky Hollow are both circular, they move irregularly, and when the energy collides, the gate opens]Suddenly the holographic screen appeared in front of me, showing the image Newt had just explained."But if it hasn't happened all this time, why is it happening now?" If
I ignored Newt's words and decided to run to find out where the scream had come from. I eventually stopped at a tall building. I looked up and saw a woman hanging from the top of the building."How did she get there?"I went into the building. There was no lift, so I had to run up the stairs. I moved quickly at first, but as time went on my steps slowed with the fatigue I felt. I adjusted my heavy breathing.I let my energy flow through my body, and soon I felt refreshed. I took another step when my breathing was regulated again.Arriving on the roof, I immediately ran towards the edge of the building. The sound of cries for help grew fainter."Are you all right?" I looked down to where a woman was dangling."Sir! Help me." The woman's voice sounded weak, as if she had no energy left. Maybe it was because she had been screaming all this time. There were so many questions I wanted to ask her, but not now. My priority now was to save this woman.I crouched down so that my hand could rea
We had probably been walking for more than two hours, not knowing where we were going. There hadn't been any word from Newt about the creature's presence in this place."Sir. Aren't you tired?" I turned to the woman beside me. Her face looked flushed and exhausted. I had to admit that the air was hot and the sun was scorching. I didn't feel tired because I was a hunter who had more strength and endurance than ordinary humans.Of course, I'm tired. But I had to act like a normal human so that the woman next to me wouldn't be suspicious of me."In that case, shouldn't we rest for a while?"I nodded, obeying her wishes. We stopped and looked for a leafy place to shelter. There was a big, tall tree with thick leaves, so we sat down."Are you thirsty?" I saw her swallow a couple of times. It looked like she was doing it to wet her dry throat.The woman nodded weakly. "Have you brought a drink, sir? "I did bring a drink, which I put in a bag in my inventory, but there was no way I could ge
"Leon! Leon! Wake up!" I felt disturbed as someone shook my body. How could someone else be in my room? I should fire the maid who let someone else into my personal space."Leon!"I got up quickly, preparing to get angry. But when I opened my eyes and saw who was standing in front of me, I cancelled my intention. I blinked a few times as I looked around.I smacked myself lightly on the forehead after realising that I wasn't sleeping at home. "What's wrong, Michele? Why did you wake me?" Although I wasn't angry, I was annoyed that my sleep had been disturbed. It felt like I'd only been asleep for a short while, why was Michele disturbing me?Instead of answering, Michele covered my mouth with her hand. "You can't shout. I think there are other people outside the house." She whispered with her eyes still fixed on me.I jerked my head to free my mouth from Michele's gag. "What are you doing?" I snapped. I glared back at her. I didn't like her disrespectful behaviour."Shh...!" She put h
It will be very dangerous if all the zombies evolve. I won't be able to detect their presence.In the midst of my confused thoughts, I looked back at Michele. The zombie was choking Michele and lifting the woman's body slightly. Michele's eyes were bulging as if they wanted to pop out of their sockets. Both her hands were flailing at the zombie's arms.I concentrated to make the most of my energy. After feeling all the warmth enveloping my body, I moved quickly towards the zombie. With my right hand, I pulled on the hand that was strangling Michele. Michele's body fell instantly as the stranglehold was released."Go and hide!"Michele, feeling her neck, quickly got up and ran towards a house. After confirming her entrance, I focused on the zombie in front of me.He raised his other hand to strike at me, but I slashed at his arm with my sword first. A small piece of the zombie's arm fell off. But not long after, the arm grew back.My eyes bulged for a moment as I saw the arm come back
"Magic?" I frowned as a holographic screen appeared in front of me, informing me that I had acquired a new skill.[Magic is one of the highest skills in Smoky Hollow. How could a hunter below level 30 acquire it? You are lucky, Master]"Really?" It wasn't just Newt who was confused, I felt the same way. "How do I use it, Newt?" Both my clenched hands were raised. I opened my right hand and saw a white light emanating from the fist. It grew in size until it was the size of a volleyball. I raised my hand to see the light more closely.[The key to this skill is energy control. You have learned this ability before. I am sure you will have no trouble using it.]I tried to focus my energy in my right hand and immediately the white light turned yellow and then orange.[The orange colour is the highest energy at the base level. You can try it by pointing the light at an object]I gave a small nod and my eyes were immediately drawn to an empty house in front of me. I pointed my hand at the hou
After that day, I couldn't see Olivia anymore and Tarron could truly dominate all the territories. Me and some other Hunters hid while making plans. The whole world was already in Tarron's hands. He turned other humans into slaves and also as experimental objects.We always moved around because the Black Hunter was still after us. For several months, I was devastated after Olivia's departure. What about our child in her womb? Did Olivia still keep it or had she already taken its life?I rubbed my face in frustration as memories of our last meeting flashed through my mind. Despite her continuous attacks on me, my inner self always told me that she did it for a reason."When will you return to being the old Leon?" I turned and found Eren standing not far from me. His hands were folded in front of him, and he looked at me with disappointment. "We need our leader, Leon. Stop thinking about Olivia. She has left you!"I could see the despair in his face. It had been more than 3 months since
I've been in this state for a long time. Just silent, staring blankly ahead. I woke up a while ago, shirtless, with a potion placed on the spot where I was stabbed. When I sat up and the potion fell, the wound on my chest was gone.“Leon! Thank goodness!” I turned towards the door. Eren and Jovian entered, immediately showing relieved expressions. “Your wound is healed?” Eren’s brow furrowed. “It seems your hunter abilities have returned.”I just remained silent and didn't respond to Eren's words. I was still in shock, knowing the truth that Olivia tried to kill me. I couldn't even find a reason why she would do this to me.Eren came closer, a look of awkwardness on his face. “We've been looking for Olivia, but we haven't found her.” He looked very regretful, as if he had made a big mistake. I didn't answer immediately and just stared at him with feelings that were hard to interpret.I had no intention of doing anything. I even lost my will to live now. The person I loved and trusted
I entered the building where you've been living all this time. I was so worried about Olivia and our child in her belly. But the place was so quiet when I entered.“Olivia! Eren! Jovian!” I searched for them all over the room, even in hidden places, but I couldn't find them.I stood still and tried to concentrate to feel their energy. But I couldn't sense it. I tried to use my telepathic skills. But after a while, no one answered my call.I looked around with a sense of unease. What had happened here while I was gone? I started looking for clues and traces left behind.This place was in disarray, as if a battle had just taken place. From some footprints below, I saw many shoe prints on the floor. I was sure that not just one or two people had come in, but a whole force. My brow furrowed when I saw the bloodstains on the floor. My heart raced when I saw the blood. There were many speculations in my head about whose blood it was.I crouched to examine the blood. It was still sticky and
"Newt! Use the Happy Spirit Pendant!" At the last moment, I want to try using the pendant I got from Bbird earlier. I was desperate, and it seemed like I was hoping for some luck at this moment.[USING HAPPY SPIRIT PENDANT][CONTINUE?][YES] [NO]Without hesitation, I pressed the 'yes' button. I waited for a moment, but nothing happened. Suddenly, I felt my nose itching, as if I was about to..."Achoo...!" After sneezing, I felt my body slowly shrinking back."What's happening?" I was confused because the effect of the dark elixir suddenly disappeared, and I returned to my original size. "Could it be that the Happy Spirit Pendant doesn't work?""Darn it!" This is not a luck potion but a misfortune potion. With this tiny size, how could I possibly defeat the zombie king? "No!" I shook my head. "I have to stay happy even if I die at the hands of the zombie king."Initially, I felt annoyed, but afterwards, I felt happy as if there was a great reward waiting for me ahead. My heart felt li
I gasped, staring at the horde of zombies before me. Every time I wiped out one group, another would appear from the other side. I couldn't tell how long I'd been in this room—just constantly hunting, endlessly, it seemed."Only one weapon left to unlock." I glanced at the transparent screen in front of me, focusing on the amount of coins I had. Over 12 million coins, and I'd already maxed out all the weapons I had. "Special Item." I read on the corner, the words stretching and catching my attention.I flinched as a few zombies suddenly floated around me. I quickly shut down the holographic screen in front of me and swung my sword at them. But they dodged quickly.I traded my sword for an arrow. I aimed five arrows simultaneously at them. The arrows sped forward, hitting three of them. I repeated the process again and again.[SHADOW CLOAK UNLOCKED][Can absorb energy from low-level creatures. Can only be used by hunters with magic skills][PRICE 12,000,000 COINS]My jaw dropped at the
I flinched as my body seemed to be sucked in by something. The scenery before me changed again. I turned my head and found Eliot beside me. I had returned from diving into Eliot's memories. I regulated my laboured breathing, as if from a long journey."That was the end of my life." Eliot broke the silence that had lasted for a while."But how could you die? Shouldn't a hunter's body have the ability to heal itself? And I thought your death seemed very easy."Eliot cleared his throat lightly. "The sword Tarron used to stab me in the heart wasn't just any ordinary sword.""Wasn't that your sword?" I saw clearly when Tarron took Eliot's sword and stabbed him in the chest.Eliot nodded. "It's the Soul Reaper. The sword I got after defeating the zombie king.""Zombie king?" This was the first time I'd heard about a zombie king. I often hunted zombies, but I'd never heard of him."If your hunt is perfect, you can face him. But the reward for that isn't the same. If you defeat him, you might
"Eliot." I walked towards the river, where a man with long white hair stood in the middle. His feet floated above the water as if his weight was no issue.I was a little startled to be here suddenly. This was one of the places in Smoky Hollow that I often visited. As I recall, I was resting under a large tree. How could I be here all of a sudden?I hesitated as my feet were about to step into the water. However, the hesitation disappeared when I felt something holding my feet from below. With confident strides, I walked closer to Eliot. I stopped when I was right behind him."Come forward! I've been waiting for you." I was surprised because it seemed my presence was expected by him. I stepped forward to be level with him. As I turned, I could see his handsome face with skin as white as snow. Thinking back, this was the first time I could see Eliot's face up close. I wasn't sure if this was a dream or reality, but I could feel a very strong energy."I've been waiting for this moment t
POV 3"Have you found Leon?" Tarron sat arrogantly in a chair, his back against the backrest, one leg crossed over the other, and his interlocked hands resting on his chest."Not yet, sir." Tarron's sharp gaze pierced Ian, who dared not lift his head. He had deliberately spared Ian's life back then, knowing they were both enemies. He wanted to use Ian to destroy Leon. Now, Ian was one of his trusted men, alongside Rakkan. Fuelled by his vengeance against Leon, Ian learned quickly, acquiring special abilities.After 1000 years of researching the system, Tarron had managed to cheat it. He could add others to become hunters. Since they weren't official hunters, they didn't have companions. Still, they could earn coins and skills like other hunters.Hearing Ian's answer, Tarron's gaze sharpened, his displeasure evident. Knowing Tarron was staring at him unblinking, Ian lowered his head further, his eyes fixed on the tip of his shoes, like a boy who had been caught doing something wrong."
Point of View 3Tarron descended the moss-covered stone steps leading to an underground chamber, with Ian following closely behind. The air grew colder as they descended further down. The atmosphere was denser than on the surface.Once Tarron's feet reached the bottom, he halted. His eyes immediately focused on an old man inside a giant aquarium. Upon seeing Tarron, the old man, named Calatius, shot him a glare filled with hatred.“Why do you never seem pleased to see me, Calatius?” With a mocking expression, Tarron questioned the man, moving closer until they were only a few metres apart.From where Tarron stood, the creature Calatius was clearly visible. He was a centaur, but all his legs had been severed. His crippled body lay upon a large rock."Why have you come to see me, Tarron? Haven't you taken all my strength?" Despite appearing elderly, Calatius's voice still carried a powerful tone. Even the glass of the aquarium vibrated from his voice."You never change. Yet, that is in