The Legendaries Awaken

The battlefield was eerily silent in the aftermath of the Nightmare Beast's death.

Kai stood among the wreckage, his body aching, his breathing ragged. His vision blurred from exhaustion, but his mind was still racing. They had won—but at what cost?

Jiro wiped blood from his blade before sheathing it. "That was way too close."

Eun-Seo, still perched on the rooftop, scanned the area through her sniper scope. "No more enemies nearby. The portal is closing. We're clear… for now."

Han groaned as he stretched his bruised arms. "We need to leave before another one appears."

Kai exhaled, nodding. His system was still displaying warnings about his low health and stamina. If they were ambushed now, he wouldn't be able to fight.

That's when he heard it.

A slow, weak chuckle.

Kai turned sharply, his gaze landing on the **scar-faced leader** of the rogue faction, still sprawled on the ground, coughing up blood.

"You… You really are something else," the man muttered, his voice hoarse. "Didn't expect an F-rank brat to be this much trouble."

Kai narrowed his eyes. "You should be more worried about your injuries."

The leader smirked, despite the pain. "Funny. I should be dead, huh? But you held back."

Kai didn't answer.

Because he knew it was true.

Even though this man had tried to kill him earlier, Kai hadn't delivered the final blow. He had hesitated.

Jiro stepped forward, resting a hand on his sword. "No need to leave loose ends. We take him out now."

Han frowned. "We should bring him back for questioning. He knows something."

Eun-Seo kept her rifle trained on the leader's head. "Your call, Kai."

Kai's fingers twitched.

He didn't trust the rogue faction, but something about this man's attitude…

"You know more than you're letting on," Kai said finally. "Tell me what you know about these portals."

The leader gave a weak grin. "You're sharper than you look."

He coughed again, then his face darkened. "The portals aren't random. Someone is controlling them."

Kai's blood ran cold. "What?"

The leader chuckled. "You think this is just some apocalyptic accident? No. Someone—or something—is pulling the strings."

Kai's mind raced. If this was true, then this entire war was more than just humanity against monsters.

There was a mastermind.

And that meant… this was only the beginning.

Kai motioned to Han. "Tie him up. We're taking him back."

Jiro frowned but didn't argue.

Han used a mana-reinforced rope to restrain the leader. "You better not try anything."

The man just smirked. "No promises."

As they secured the area, Kai noticed something in the wreckage—a strange **black crystal** embedded in the Nightmare Beast's corpse.

His system immediately responded.

[SYSTEM ALERT]

Item Identified: Abyssal Core (Rank A)

- Contains unstable dark energy.

- Unknown effects.

- Handle with caution.

Kai picked it up, feeling a strange pulse through his fingers.

The leader's eyes widened slightly. "That's not something you should mess with, kid."

Kai tightened his grip. "What do you know about it?"

The leader hesitated before answering. "That's what's controlling the portals."

Kai's heart pounded.

So this was the key?

Eun-Seo climbed down from her sniper perch. "We need to report this to HQ."

Kai nodded. "Let's move."

But as he turned, he felt something shift in the air.

Then—

A blade flashed toward his throat.

Kai barely had time to react. He threw himself backward as a black-cloaked figure materialized from the shadows, their dagger slicing just inches from his neck.

The strike was silent. Precise. Deadly.

Jiro drew his sword, his instincts kicking in. "Ambush!"

The assassin vanished, their movements too fast to track. They reappeared behind Han, aiming for his spine.

Kai forced mana into his legs and lunged forward.

[SYSTEM ALERT]

Skill Activated: Mana Dash (Rank D)

- Boosts movement speed for a short time.

In an instant, Kai intercepted the attack, parrying the dagger with his own blade.

The assassin's eyes gleamed from under their mask. "Not bad."

Kai gritted his teeth. They're fast.Faster than him. Stronger, too.

Jiro swung at the enemy's side, but the assassin dodged effortlessly,countering with a kick that sent Jiro sliding back.

Eun-Seo fired a shot.

The assassin caught the bullet mid-air.

Kai's breath hitched. What the hell…?

Then, the figure vanished again.

A second later, Kai felt cold steel press against his throat.

"Game over."

His entire body froze.

The assassin had moved so fast that none of them had seen it happen.

Jiro clenched his jaw. "Let him go."

The assassin chuckled. "You misunderstand. I'm not here to kill him."

Kai tried to keep his breathing steady. "Then what do you want?"

The assassin tilted their head. "To give you a warning."

A pause.

Then, they whispered, "The real war hasn't even begun yet."

Kai's blood ran ice-cold.

Before he could react, the assassin vanished into thin air.

Not even a trace remained.

Eun-Seo lowered her rifle, scanning the area. "They're… gone."

Jiro sheathed his blade. "Who the hell was that?"

Han exhaled. "Someone way out of our league."

Kai's fingers trembled as he touched his throat.

A single thin cut had appeared where the blade had been. If the assassin had wanted to kill him, they could have.

But they hadn't.

They had delivered a message.

And Kai had a horrible feeling that he knew what it meant.

The group didn't speak as they began their return to base, dragging the injured rogue leader with them.

Kai stared at the Abyssal Core in his hand, feeling the dark energy pulsing within it.

The portals weren't random. The monsters were being controlled.

And there were enemies lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike.

This wasn't just about surviving anymore.

It was about finding the truth.

And for that…

Kai needed to become stronger.

Much stronger.

The city lay in ruins. Smoke still rose from collapsed buildings, and the scent of blood and burnt fleshlingered in the air. The once-busy streets were now filled with wreckage, the bodies of civilians and awakened alike scattered across the battlefield.

Kai and his team moved cautiously, their footsteps crunching over broken glass and debris. The battle against the Nightmare Beast had ended, but the real danger had just begun.

Kai couldn't stop thinking about the assassin's words.

"The real war hasn't even begun yet."

Who were they? And how were they connected to the portals?

Kai's grip tightened around the Abyssal Core, its pulsating darkness making his instincts scream at him to destroy it—but he needed to understand it first.

"Let's move," Jiro said, his tone sharp. "We need to report back."

Eun-Seo nodded but kept her rifle raised, eyes scanning every shadow. "After what just happened, I wouldn't be surprised if more assassins were lurking."

Han, still pale from the battle, glanced at the rogue leader they had captured. The man was barely conscious, his wounds severe.

Kai exhaled. One battle was over. The next was just beginning.

As they approached their base—a heavily fortified awakened outpost in what used to be a government district—they saw survivors gathering.

People—injured, starving, terrified—were huddled together behind makeshift barricades. Some were awakened, their exhausted faces showing how much they had fought to protect those who couldn't fight for themselves. Others were civilians, too weak to do anything but pray that the next monster wouldn't find them.

It was a grim sight.

Han clenched his fists. "This is getting worse."

Eun-Seo lowered her rifle. "If we don't stop the portals, this city will fall within weeks."

Kai knew she was right.

Ever since the First Breach, humanity had been pushed to the edge. Every major nation—Korea, Japan, China, the UK, the US, and more—was struggling to contain the chaos. But no matter how many monsters they killed, more kept coming.

And now, he had proof that someone was behind it all.

As they entered the base, a group of soldiers and awakened rushed forward.

A tall, sharp-eyed woman in a military uniform stepped up. Commander Choi Hye-Jin. A former general, now one of the few leaders trying to hold Seoul together.

Her cold gaze swept over them. "Report."

Jiro stepped forward. "The Nightmare Beast has been eliminated, but we encountered something worse."

He motioned toward Kai.

Kai hesitated for a moment, then revealed the Abyssal Core.

The moment it appeared, the air changed.

A thick pressure filled the room, and even the high-ranking awakened nearby tensed up.

Commander Choi's eyes darkened. "Where did you find this?"

Kai explained everything—the portal, the rogue faction, the assassination attempt, and the cryptic warning.

By the time he finished, the room was deathly silent.

Then, Commander Choi spoke.

"Follow me. Now."

Kai and his team followed the Commander into a secure underground facility.

As they stepped inside, Kai's system reacted.

[SYSTEM ALERT]

High-Density Mana Field Detected.

- Enchantment Levels: S-Rank

- Security Level: Top Secret

Kai's eyes narrowed. What was this place?

They entered a war room,holographic displays showing maps of major cities across the world.

Red X marks covered several areas.

Tokyo. Beijing. New York. Moscow. London.

All fallen cities.

And in the center of it all—was an image of the Abyssal Core.

Kai stiffened.

"You already knew about these," he said quietly.

Commander Choi turned to him, her expression unreadable. "We suspected. But we never had one in our possession."

She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a grave tone.

"You don't understand what you've found, Kai Jin."

She pointed at the hologram.

"These Abyssal Cores… They are the **keys** to the invasion."

Kai's heart pounded. "What do you mean?"

Commander Choi's fingers tightened into a fist.

"The portals don't open randomly. Each one requires an Abyssal Core to anchor itself to our world."

Eun-Seo's eyes widened. "Then if we destroy them—"

"The portals collapse," Commander Choi finished. "And we cut off the monsters at the source."

Silence filled the room.

Kai stared at the Abyssal Core in his hand. This thing had nearly killed him just from being near it. But if it was truly the key to stopping the invasion…

His grip on it tightened.

"Then we need to find them all," Kai said. "And destroy them."

Commander Choi nodded. "That's exactly what we're going to do."

She turned to a holographic display. "But we're not the only ones who know this. There's another group hunting these cores."

Kai's mind flashed back to the assassin.

"The ones behind the portals," he murmured.

Commander Choi's expression darkened. "They call themselves the Abyss Order."

Kai's stomach turned.

Eun-Seo cursed under her breath. Jiro and Han exchanged grim looks.

Commander Choi continued.

"They are not human.Not anymore. They are awakened who have sided with the monsters. They control the strongest creatures, manipulate the portals, and even have access to powers beyond anything we've seen."

Kai clenched his fists.

Traitors.

Han exhaled. "How many of them are there?"

Commander Choi's face was cold. "Too many."

Then, she turned back to Kai.

"And now that you have the Abyssal Core, you're on their radar."

Kai felt a chill run down his spine.

They were coming for him.

A tense silence filled the room.

Then, Commander Choi spoke again.

"You've proven yourself, Kai. You're no longer an F-rank nobody."

She tapped a command on the screen.

[SYSTEM ALERT]

Rank Up Achieved!

Current Rank: C+

Kai's eyes widened.

His stats surged,his body tingling with power. He had grown stronger.

But the weight on his shoulders had also increased.

"You are now part of our elite strike team," Commander Choi said. "Your mission is clear."

Her gaze sharpened.

"Hunt down every Abyssal Core. Destroy the Abyss Order. And end this war."

Kai exhaled slowly.

No turning back now.

He had started as a weak, powerless boy. But now…

Now, he was a soldier in the greatest battle humanity had ever faced.

And he would do whatever it took to win.