Max Ranker

Jin Hwan stood still.

His dagger was dripping blood.

The rogue hunter at his feet wasn't moving anymore.

And then—

[Rank Up +1]

His vision blurred as the system message popped up in front of him, the red letters glowing faintly in the darkness.

But that wasn't what made his heart pound.

It was the fact that the system ranked him up for killing a human.

"Not just demons…?"

The realization slammed into him.

"I can rank up by killing humans too?"

His hands trembled slightly.

"No. That's not—"

But the other two hunters were still alive.

And they weren't standing around waiting for him to figure things out.

"YOU BASTARD!"

The bald hunter charged, swinging a rusted longsword straight for Jin Hwan's head.

CLANG!

Jin Hwan barely raised his dagger in time to parry, his arm shaking from the impact.

Too strong.

E-rank hunters weren't demons, but they weren't weak either.

The force of the attack sent him skidding backward, his boots scraping against the cracked pavement.

The third guy, the one who had been sneering at him earlier, took the chance.

He lunged from the side, swinging a curved dagger aimed straight for Jin Hwan's ribs.

"Shit—"

Jin Hwan twisted his body just in time, the blade scraping against his side instead of piercing him.

Pain exploded in his ribs.

But he ignored it.

He had no time to hesitate.

Because these guys?

They were going to kill him.

The bald one roared, lifting his sword again for a heavy strike.

Jin Hwan moved first.

He activated Stealth—

Vanishing into the shadows.

The two hunters froze.

"Where the hell—"

Jin Hwan reappeared behind the bald one.

SLASH!

His dagger sliced through the man's hamstring.

The bald hunter screamed, his leg collapsing under him.

Jin Hwan didn't stop.

He grabbed the man's head—

And drove his dagger straight into his throat.

[Rank Up +1]

Blood splattered across Jin Hwan's hoodie.

The bald hunter gurgled, clawing at his throat—

Then went still.

The final rogue hunter staggered backward.

His face was pale, his hands shaking around his dagger.

"Y-You…"

Jin Hwan turned to him.

Blood dripped from his blade.

His heart was pounding.

His body felt heavier. Stronger.

The system wasn't lying.

He was getting stronger.

By any means necessary.

The last hunter took a step back.

"L-Look, man… it's not that deep, okay? We—we didn't mean any harm—"

Jin Hwan tilted his head.

"Didn't mean any harm?"

He took a step forward.

"You pulled a knife on me."

Another step.

"You called me a loser."

The hunter was visibly shaking now.

Jin Hwan raised his dagger.

"Now beg."

The rogue's breath hitched.

Jin Hwan's voice was calm. Cold.

"If you really didn't mean harm, then get on your knees and beg."

The hunter hesitated—

Then dropped to his knees, his hands raised.

"P-Please, man. I—I was just messing around. I didn't mean it. I swear."

Jin Hwan stared at him.

His dagger was still dripping.

His body ached, his wounds stinging.

His mind was racing.

This was the first time he'd killed humans.

And the system rewarded him for it.

"If I let him live…"

He gripped his dagger tighter.

If this guy survived, he'd tell others.

If he told others, people would come looking for him.

And if they came looking for him—

They'd try to stop him.

Jin Hwan's breathing slowed.

"Sorry," he said.

The rogue hunter's eyes widened.

"Wait, wait—"

SLASH!

The dagger sliced cleanly across his throat.

Blood sprayed across the pavement.

[Rank Up +1]

The body collapsed.

Silence.

Only the cold wind blowing through the empty alley.

Jin Hwan slowly exhaled.

His hand wasn't shaking anymore.

He looked at the three bodies around him.

Jin Hwan stared at the bodies.

His hands were stained red.

The blood was still warm on his skin.

The alley was quiet.

No demons. No monsters.

Just three lifeless men at his feet.

And him.

Standing there, breathing hard.

The system had popped up again—

[Rank Up +1]

But this time, he wasn't excited about it.

He wiped his dagger on his hoodie, but the blood wouldn't come off.

His fingers felt sticky.

His pulse was still pounding.

And his stomach…

It felt wrong.

Like he was about to throw up.

He had killed demons before.

Their corpses had never bothered him.

But these?

These weren't demons.

They were humans.

Men who had talked to him just moments ago.

Men who had laughed at him.

Men who had fought him.

And now—

They were gone.

Because of him.

Jin Hwan slowly backed away.

His breathing was uneven.

His chest felt tight.

"I just killed people."

He had never—

Never thought about killing humans before.

Even when he was beaten down, mocked, and humiliated…

He had never thought about murder.

But tonight—

It just… happened.

His hands clenched.

It had to be done.

"If I didn't kill them… they would've killed me."

It was self-defense.

It was necessary.

So why…

Why did his legs feel so damn weak?

Jin Hwan took another step back—

And nearly stumbled.

His knees felt heavy.

He had been fighting all night.

His body was already exhausted.

But this?

This was a different kind of exhaustion.

It felt like something was pressing down on his chest.

Like a weight he couldn't shake off.

He forced himself to breathe.

In.

Out.

His heartbeat was slowing down.

He looked at the bodies again.

The bald hunter's lifeless eyes stared at nothing.

The second one was still gurgling, his throat barely holding onto life before going still.

The last one, the one who had begged, had his hands still raised.

As if praying for mercy.

But there was none.

Because Jin Hwan didn't show any.

His fingers tightened around his dagger.

"I did what I had to do."

That's what he told himself.

That's what he needed to believe.

But then why did he feel like he had just crossed a line he could never go back from?

The system had count the kill.

It didn't care who he killed.

Demon. Human.

It was all the same.

"This system…"

His eyes narrowed.

"It's not about justice. It's not about protecting people. It's just about one thing—"

Strength.

The system only had one rule:

Kill to Rank Up.

It didn't matter who.

Jin Hwan slowly exhaled.

"I see."

His grip on the dagger loosened.

His heartbeat was steady now.

He wasn't shaking anymore.

The system didn't care.

Then why should he?

He couldn't stay here.

The bodies would attract attention.

Jin Hwan wiped the sweat off his forehead, took one last look at the scene—

And turned around.

His hoodie was soaked in blood.

He pulled the hood over his head, keeping his face low, and started walking.

The city was still dark.

The streets were mostly empty.

Only a few cars passed by, their headlights flashing against the pavement.

He walked for about ten minutes before stopping at a public restroom.

He went inside, locked the door, and pulled off his hoodie.

Blood.

It was everywhere.

It was his.

It was theirs.

He turned on the sink and started washing his hands.

The red swirled down the drain.

But no matter how hard he scrubbed—

His fingers still felt dirty.

Jin Hwan gritted his teeth and splashed cold water on his face.

He looked up at the mirror.

The man staring back at him wasn't the same.

His eyes weren't just tired.

They weren't just exhausted.

They were hollow.

He clenched his fists.

"I had to do it."

It wasn't murder.

It was survival.

They tried to kill him first.

They would've taken his dagger.

They would've taken his life.

So he took theirs.

That was fair.

That was right.

Wasn't it?

Jin Hwan turned away from the mirror.

It didn't matter anymore.

They were gone.

And he was still here.

Still alive.

Still ranking up.

He picked up his hoodie, wrung out as much blood as he could, and put it back on.

Then he stepped out of the restroom, into the cold city air—

And kept walking.

The night had been long.

But this was just the beginning.