- The Oracle's Guardian: A Story of Two Worlds -

Sung Jin-Woo, an Ss-Rank Hunter, stood bathed in the pale glow of the morning sun, his silhouette a stark contrast against the charred remains of the S-Rank Gate. He was an anomaly – a single warrior who had emerged victorious from the dragon's lair, a testament to his extraordinary power.

He had been a solitary figure, a silent storm, a force that had shattered the dragon's might. His eyes, however, held a weariness that belied his strength. He was the sole survivor of a battle that had decimated entire teams of experienced hunters.

His friend, a young man named Jae-Hyun, who hailed from a wealthy family and possessed a keen eye for valuable artifacts, approached Sung Jin-Woo with a mix of awe and caution. Jae-Hyun carefully extracted the dragon's heart – a pulsating organ that hummed with a faint, ancient energy.

"You did it, Jin-Woo," Jae-Hyun whispered, his voice filled with reverence. "You're the strongest hunter in the world."

Sung Jin-Woo, however, was not consumed by the accolades. A sense of unease had settled upon him, a premonition of a lurking threat. He could feel it – a faint, pulsating energy, a whisper of darkness, beckoning him towards the nearby elementary school.

"Jae-Hyun," he said, his voice low and deliberate, "There's another gate, a low-rank one. I can sense it."

Jae-Hyun frowned, his eyes widening in disbelief. "A low-rank gate? Why would you even bother with that? Our S-Rank Hunters are already stretched thin, and there's nothing of value in a low-rank gate."

Sung Jin-Woo's brow furrowed. "It's close to the school. If there's a threat, we need to act now."

Jae-Hyun shook his head, his hand resting on the dragon's heart. "The lower ranks are meant to handle those. They need the experience."

The world, for Sung Jin-Woo, was a chessboard, and he was a pawn forced to move against the will of the king. The injustice, the apathy, the blatant disregard for the lives of those who were weaker, ignited a fire in his heart.

"I am a hunter," he said, his voice carrying the weight of his resolve, "And I will not stand by while innocent lives are in danger."

He disappeared like a phantom, leaving Jae-Hyun staring at the empty space where he once stood.

The school was a scene of utter carnage. Broken swings swayed listlessly in the wind. He turned his attention to the fallen goblins, their bodies mangled and grotesque. The sight of the slain creatures filled him with a wave of disgust, a primal revulsion at the sheer brutality of their assault.

Sung Jin-Woo's shadow, an extension of his will, slithered across the ground, a dark serpent seeking the faintest trace of life amidst the devastation. He saw the lifeless bodies of the children – the innocence stolen, the dreams shattered, the laughter silenced.

A wave of anger surged through him.

As he surveyed the scene, a flash of movement caught his eye. A woman, Marjorie, lay sprawled on the ground, her arm a twisted, bloody mess. Beside her, a young boy, his eyes wide with fear and grief, clutched tightly to his mother's hand. His sobs echoed through the silent schoolyard, a mournful lament for the innocence lost.

"Mama, mama!" he sobbed, his voice a heart-wrenching plea.

Sung Jin-woo knelt beside the weeping child, gently patting his head. Elijah, his eyes wide with tears, finally looked up at him.

"Don't worry," Sung Jin-woo reassured him, his voice calm and steady. "Your mom isn't dead. She just fainted, so stop crying."

Sung Jin-Woo surveyed the scene with a grim expression. His shadow, a silent extension of his will, slithered across the ground, seeking the faintest trace of life amidst the carnage. He could sense no remaining goblins, no lingering energy of the dungeon gate. The threat, at least for now, was gone.

He glanced at Marjorie, lying unconscious on the floor. She was uninjured, save for a strange burn on her hands that seemed to radiate a strange heat. It was as if she had touched something… something he couldn't comprehend. He rose, his gaze fixed on Marjorie's burned hand, and summoned one of his shadows.

"Igris, find any other survivors and bring them here."

"As you command," Igris replied, his form solidifying from the shadows. He was a lean, swift shadow, his movements fluid as he melted into the shadows surrounding them.

Sung Jin-woo then summoned Beru. A crackle of energy filled the air as the shadow of the massive insect coalesced, solidifying in a whirlwind of dark tendrils. He towered over Sung Jin-woo, his chitinous armor gleaming with a sickly, iridescent sheen. He lowered himself to his knees, his massive head bowed in respect.

"My King, what is your will?" Beru's voice rumbled like an earthquake.

Sung Jin-woo sighed, massaging his temples. "Hys, I told you to stop with that," he said, exasperated.

"That is impossible, My King. It is our duty to show you the respect and reverence that you deserve," Beru insisted, remaining in his kneeling posture.

"Stop it now. I'm not your king," Sung Jin-woo growled, his patience wearing thin. He pointed a finger at Elijah, who was staring at the monstrous insect with a mixture of awe and trepidation. "Carry this boy."

Beru's massive head tilted, as if he were a child considering a new toy. He glanced at the boy, then back at Sung Jin-woo. "Y-yes, My King. I will obey your orders," he said, his voice strangely subdued. He carefully reached for Elijah, who, to Sung Jin-woo's surprise, didn't flinch away.

"Um, m-mama," Elijah stuttered, his voice choked with worry as Beru lifted him into his massive arms.

Sung Jin-woo gave Elijah a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. Everything's going to be okay. You two will be safe." He watched as Beru, now cradling Elijah gently in his arms, seemed to tread lightly.

Meanwhile, Igri returned, escorting five other children, their eyes wide with fear. One of them, a girl with tear-stained cheeks, fainted as she saw Beru, her terror overwhelming her.

"M-My King, I don't like being around children," Beru mumbled, his voice tinged with sadness.

Sung Jin-woo sighed. "I told you to be more charming, but you never listen." He paused, his expression softening. "We need to get these children to a hospital, though. You two go ahead. I'll follow."

Both shadows nodded, their dark forms blending with the shadows, as they disappeared. Beru took to the air, Elijah clinging to his back, his fear replaced by a sense of awe. Igri, a blur of black, zipped through the air, his speed remarkable.

Sung Jin-woo was left alone with Marjorie, her face pale and bloodied. He carefully scooped her into his arms, his gaze falling on the wounds inflicted by the Goblins. The cuts were deep and clean, as if made by a blade imbued with electricity. He felt a surge of rage, a cold fury that threatened to consume him.

Sung Jin-woo traced a finger along the deep, ragged cuts on the Goblins' bodies. His gaze lingered on the wounds, each one a silent testament to a fierce battle. Who could have inflicted such damage? The questions gnawed at him, a persistent itch that he couldn't scratch.

He surveyed the ravaged school, its once vibrant facade now a canvas of destruction. Broken windows gaped like empty sockets, and shattered desks lay scattered across the floor, a stark reminder of the chaos that had ripped through the halls. The air hung heavy with the stench of fear, sweat, and something else... something metallic, something that tasted of death.

A shiver ran down Sung Jin-woo's spine, a sudden chill that prickled his skin. He felt a lingering presence, a whisper of something unseen. He turned his head, scanning the shadows, searching for the source of this inexplicable unease, but found nothing. Only a sense of being watched, of being judged, gnawed at his instincts.

He could faintly make out the forms of two men, their silhouettes shifting in the darkness, their faces obscured by a veil of shadows. He couldn't discern their features, but their presence sent a shiver down his spine.

It was a feeling he could not ignore, a primal instinct that warned him of a lurking threat. He focused on the shadows, willing them to reveal their secrets, but they remained elusive, like wisps of smoke on the wind.

He decided to ignore it for now. He called out to Kaisel, his shadow dragon, who had been patiently waiting outside. The massive shadow dragon, its dark scales shimmering like obsidian, materialized before him. Sung Jin-woo lifted Marjorie, her unconscious form limp in his arms, and mounted the dragon. The creature let out a low rumble, a sound that vibrated through the air, as it spread its wings and soared into the night sky, leaving the unsettling shadows behind.

Meanwhile, Kim Dokja stood frozen, his mind reeling from the inexplicable sensation. He felt a strange sense of unease, a prickling on his skin, as if a predator had locked its gaze upon him.

"Dokja, stop it. It's impossible for that man to see us. We can't even be seen by the people in this world, let alone him," Yoo Jonghyuk scoffed, his arms crossed as he hovered in mid-air, his gaze fixed on the retreating figure of Sung Jin-woo riding the dragon.

"But I feel it… He was definitely looking at us," Kim Dokja murmured, his voice tinged with uncertainty as he clutched his chin, his brow furrowed.

Yoo Jonghyuk rolled his eyes, his irritation bubbling to the surface. "You're imagining things. We need to focus on the situation. That woman, Marjorie… she needs our help."

Kim Dokja, ever the observer, remained unconvinced. The encounter had left a chilling sensation in his bones, a premonition of something he couldn't quite grasp. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this world, more than they had initially understood. He knew that they had stumbled into something far more complex, something that threatened to unravel everything they thought they knew.

_________________________________________

The air hung heavy with a tension that was as palpable as the scent of ozone clinging to the polished steel walls of the Hunter Association headquarters. The meeting room, usually buzzing with the energy of seasoned hunters, was now shrouded in a quiet unease. It was the kind of silence that preceded a storm, the calm before the unveiling of a truth that could shake the foundations of the world.

In the center of the room, perched on a raised platform, stood a holographic screen, its surface shimmering with an eerie blue light. The image it projected was chillingly simple: a single goblin, its mangled body twisted in a posture of grotesque death. Its green skin was marred by a deep, searing wound, the flesh charred and blackened as if a lightning strike had pierced its heart.

"So, the news is that an unknown person cleared the C-Rank Gate?" muttered a burly man with a shaved head, his voice gravelly like sandpaper. "I'm sure, it's on the agenda for this meeting. But why even include it?It's not that important, is it?" He said, his voice tinged with a dismissive tone, clearly not enthusiastic about the upcoming discussion.

He was Russel Hyun, a seasoned hunter known for his tactical brilliance and ability to analyze even the most complex situations. He was a master of the ice element, his movements as swift and precise as a surgeon's hand.

The others in the room nodded grimly in agreement. They were the cream of the crop, the elite of the hunters, gathered for this urgent meeting:

- Lee Seo-yeon, a woman with a quiet strength and a sharp mind. Her mastery of the wind element made her a deadly whirlwind on the battlefield, able to manipulate the very air itself to her advantage.

- Wang Jian, the stoic veteran from China, a master of the earth element, whose presence radiated a calmness that seemed to ground the room. He had seen things few others could even fathom, his weathered face a testament to battles fought and victories won.

- Nathalie Real, the fiery redhead with a spirit as untamed as the flames she commanded. Her mastery of the fire element was legendary, her strength and cunning as impressive as the blaze that burned within her.

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Each of these hunters was a force to be reckoned with, yet this strange, unexplainable event had brought them together, united in their shared apprehension.

"Well, you're right, but we still need to figure out who this unknown person is. We don't know if they're a threat to this world if we just let them be," Nathalie countered, her voice a crackling fire, her fiery spirit evident in her words, even as she shrugged.

"Alright, so any leads on the weapon or this person's identity?" Seo-yeon asked, her voice a calm contrast to the growing unease in the room.

Russel shook his head. "Nothing concrete. It's like a puzzle with missing pieces. We've checked with all the known electric-based hunters, but none of their abilities leave this kind of scar. It's almost like…" he paused, his face grim, "...a weapon beyond anything we've ever seen before."

"Could it be a new type of beast?" Wang Jian offered, his gaze unwavering, his voice as steady and grounded as the earth element he commanded. "Perhaps one that's not yet been encountered in any of our dungeons?"

A flicker of concern crossed the faces of the hunters. The possibility of an unknown threat, a creature that could even defy the classifications of the known dungeons, was terrifying.

Just then, a voice cut through the tense atmosphere. It was a voice that commanded respect, a voice that carried the weight of experience and authority. "We're missing something," it said, a hint of steel in its tone.

The hunters turned, their eyes drawn to the source of the voice, their breaths held in anticipation.

It was, Sung Jin-Woo one of the most powerful hunters in the country, and the youngest among them. He was the only one who had achieved a double S-Rank, his power a force of nature that dwarfed even the most seasoned hunters. He had a quiet intensity, an almost ethereal aura that emanated from him, making him seem almost mythical.

He was the only one who had been on the front lines of this new, terrifying threat. And the only one who knew the truth behind the charred goblins and the mystery that lay at the heart of it all.

"It's Marjorie," Sung Jin-woo said, his voice calm, almost conversational, yet his words carried the weight of a revelation.

The room went silent.

"Marjorie?" Wang Jian asked, his voice a low rumble. "The woman from the C-Rank dungeon?"

"Yes," Sung Jin-woo confirmed. "She's the only one who has seen this attacker. The only one who can tell us what happened."

"You know her already, huh?" Nathalie teased, a playful smirk dancing on her lips as she addressed the youngest member of their group, Sung Jin-woo. Her tone was lighthearted, but her eyes held a hint of amusement, as if she were trying to gauge his reaction.

Sung Jin-woo, who was usually a stoic figure, his emotions hidden beneath a mask of calmness, seemed to stiffen slightly. His jaw tightened, his gaze unwavering as he met Nathalie's playful stare.

"I did a little digging," Sung Jin-woo said, his voice low and steady. "I found out who she is before I brought her and her son to the hospital."

His words were simple, almost devoid of emotion, but his expression held a resolute intensity. A subtle, almost imperceptible tremor ran through his body, a sign of a deep, hidden anxiety that he kept tightly under wraps.

The hunters exchanged glances, a silent understanding passing between them.

The room was still, the silence heavy with the weight of unspoken questions. The hunters, each a titan in their own right, were faced with a mystery that defied logic. A seemingly ordinary woman, Marjorie, a woman with no known powers, had somehow managed to survive an encounter with a force capable of leaving behind such horrifying wounds.

"But she's just a civilian," Jae-hyun argued, his brow furrowed. "How could she possibly survive something that would take down even experienced hunters?"

Sung Jin-woo did not respond, his gaze fixed on the hologram. He knew the truth, the terrifying truth that Marjorie, with her ordinary, seemingly powerless existence, held the key to unraveling this enigma. He had seen the burn marks on her hand, the tell-tale signs of a power he knew only too well, a power that resonated with his own. Yet he couldn't bring himself to utter the truth.

"We need to understand what happened," Seo-yeon said, her voice calm yet filled with a determined edge. "We need to talk to her."

"Seo-yeon right, and I'm sure other Hunter Associations have already reached out to her, asking about what happened. We need to get to her first and gather information before they do," Russel said, his voice carrying a hint of urgency, his gaze fixed on the others, as if gauging their responses.

"I'll handle it," Sung Jin-woo said, his voice firm, his gaze unwavering. "I'll go see her."

The hunters watched him, their faces a mixture of respect and concern. Sung Jin-woo, the man who had defied all odds, the man who had become a legend in his own right, was about to take on a new challenge, a challenge that could change the fate of the world.

The tension in the room had begun to dissipate, replaced by a shared sense of unease. The hunters, despite their individual strengths, were united by a growing unease about the increasing frequency of dungeons appearing across the globe.

"This isn't normal," Russel muttered, his voice tinged with worry. "It's like the world's gone mad. New gates are popping up everywhere, even in places they never used to appear."

"And the gates are becoming more dangerous," Nathalie added, her fiery gaze flickering across the faces of the gathered hunters. "Stronger monsters, more unpredictable scenarios, it's like the dungeons themselves are evolving."

"The energy readings are different too," Lee Seo-yeon pointed out, her voice calm but firm. "There's a strange energy signature radiating from the gates, something that wasn't present before."

Wang Jian, the seasoned veteran, nodded in agreement. "The world is changing. The balance is shifting. We need to understand what's happening before it's too late."

Their conversation shifted back to the mystery of the charred goblins and the unknown hunter who had cleared the C-Rank dungeon.

The discussion continued, a mix of apprehension and excitement filling the air. The unknown hunter, the mystery of the charred goblins, the sudden surge in dungeon activity, all intertwined to create a knot of tension that threatened to unravel the world as they knew it.

Sung Jin-woo, however, remained silent, his gaze fixed on the hologram. He knew the truth, the truth that the burn on Marjorie's hand whispered in the darkness. He knew that the unknown hunter, the one who had cleared the C-Rank dungeon, wasn't just a powerful individual, but someone with a connection to the world's shifting power..