Max Ranker

The morning came slowly.

Jin Hwan opened his eyes, but his body refused to move.

His muscles ached. His limbs felt heavy.

It wasn't just the exhaustion from fighting demons all night.

It was the weight of what he had done.

He stared at the ceiling, his mind still replaying the scene from last night.

The blood. The bodies. The way they fell.

And the system's cold, indifferent message—

[Rank Up +1]

He swallowed hard.

"They would have killed me."

"If I hadn't killed them, they would have killed me first."

"It was self-defense."

He repeated the words in his head, again and again, trying to convince himself.

Trying to push away the strange, empty feeling in his chest.

It wasn't guilt.

It couldn't be.

This was survival.

But then…

Why did it feel like he had crossed a line he could never return from?

Jin Hwan took a deep breath and forced himself to sit up.

His body protested.

Every muscle screamed at him to lie back down.

But he ignored it.

He couldn't afford to stop.

He pushed the blanket off and stood, his legs wobbling beneath him.

With slow, measured steps, he made his way downstairs.

The house was quiet.

He already knew what that meant.

Yun Hee was gone.

She must have left for Hunter training early again.

Jin Hwan glanced at the kitchen table, spotting a small note in his sister's handwriting.

"Oppa, I left early again! Training is getting more intense! The instructor says I'm improving a lot! I'll be back late today, so eat without me! Don't be lazy and just order food, okay?"

He let out a tired sigh and set the note down.

"A-Rank, huh?"

Yun Hee was determined.

She was pushing herself harder and harder to awaken her full potential.

He understood it.

He respected it.

But A-Rank wasn't an easy road.

The higher she climbed, the more dangerous it would get.

Jin Hwan clenched his fists.

"She's risking everything to get stronger. I can't just stop here."

Before he could think any further, his phone buzzed.

He lazily grabbed it, rubbing his tired eyes as he unlocked the screen.

A news notification popped up.

His half-awake brain almost ignored it—

Until he read the headline.

[BREAKING NEWS: THREE ROGUE HUNTERS FOUND DEAD IN ALLEYWAY.]

Jin Hwan's heart skipped a beat.

He stared at the screen.

His thumb hovered over the notification for a moment before he tapped it.

The news article loaded.

He held his breath.

"Three unidentified rogue hunters were found dead in the Underpass District early this morning. Authorities believe the killings took place late last night. The victims appear to have died from precise blade wounds, indicating they were killed in combat."

"Police and Hunter Association officials are currently investigating. There were no witnesses, and no signs of struggle beyond the battle itself. Strangely, the bodies were found near a pile of demon corpses—all of which were slain with deadly accuracy."

Jin Hwan's fingers tightened around his phone.

Shit.

His killings were making the news now.

It was only a matter of time before the Hunter Association started looking deeper into it.

"This is bad."

"If things keep going like this, they'll find me in no time."

The abandoned zones weren't quiet anymore.

They were being watched.

Hunters were roaming those areas now, investigating the killings.

It wasn't just demons he had to avoid anymore.

"I have to stop going to abandoned zones."

But the moment he thought that, a new problem hit him.

If he stopped hunting demons in the city, how would he continue ranking up?

"I need to kill to get stronger. That's how the system works."

If he just stopped, he'd stagnate.

He'd fall behind.

He'd become weak.

And weakness meant death.

But if he kept going to the abandoned zones, he'd get caught.

The Hunter Association was already on edge.

If they found out someone was killing demons off the grid, they'd track him down eventually.

"Then what do I do?"

Jin Hwan gritted his teeth.

The only other place to kill demons was inside a dungeon.

But dungeon gates were controlled by the Hunter Association.

Only registered hunters were allowed to enter.

"If I sneak into a demon gate and don't come out alive, no one will ever know I was in there."

It was a gamble.

And a suicidal one at that.

Dungeons weren't abandoned malls or empty streets.

Inside a dungeon, it was kill or be killed.

If he entered and things went wrong…

There would be no backup.

No way out.

No one would even know he was dead.

And Yun Hee…

"How would Yun Hee cope if I die?"

She had already lost so much.

Their parents were gone.

He was the only family she had left.

"I can't just disappear on her."

But at the same time…

He couldn't stop now.

Not when he had come this far.

Jin Hwan exhaled sharply.

He sat back on the couch, rubbing his temples as the weight of his choices pressed down on him.

There had to be another way.

Somewhere to hunt demons without getting caught.

Somewhere off the grid.

Somewhere dangerous enough that no one would look too closely…

Then it hit him.

His eyes widened.

"No one monitors the Outskirts."

The Outskirts—a lawless area beyond the city limits.

A place outside the jurisdiction of the Hunter Association.

It wasn't a dungeon, but it wasn't safe either.

It was an area infested with demons—

And filled with criminals, mercenaries, and rogue hunters who wanted nothing to do with official regulations.

A dangerous place.

A place where no one asked questions.

A place where no one cared if people went missing.

Jin Hwan slowly smirked.

"Looks like I just found my new hunting ground."

Jin Hwan left his house without a plan.

He just walked.

Through streets he had memorized, down alleys where he had once fought demons, past the abandoned buildings that used to be his hunting grounds.

But something felt different.

The air was too still.

The streets were too quiet.

His instincts told him something had changed.

And when he finally reached one of his usual hunting spots, he realized why.

A man stood near the edge of a burned-out warehouse, cigarette hanging from his lips.

His face was rough, worn by time and exhaustion. He had the look of someone who had seen too much and cared too little.

Jin Hwan barely gave him a glance as he scanned the area, looking for any sign of movement—any hint of a demon's presence.

The man noticed and let out a dry chuckle.

"If you're lookin' for demons, you're wastin' your time, kid."

Jin Hwan's gaze snapped to him.

"What?"

The man took a long drag of his cigarette, then exhaled slowly.

"No more demons left around here. Not after what happened in the Underpass."

Jin Hwan's expression darkened.

"What do you mean?"

"Tch. You haven't heard? That bounty thing? The one where guys like you were hunting demons off the grid for quick cash?" The man flicked his cigarette to the ground and stomped it out. "The Hunter Association got wind of it. Since then, bounty hunters and official Hunters alike have been clearing out every demon they can find in the city."

Jin Hwan's chest tightened.

"You're saying they wiped them out?"

"Not completely. But close enough." The man shrugged. "It's simple. Word got out that people were making money off demon corpses. And you know how it is—humans are greedy. Once the real Hunters caught on, they took all the easy prey for themselves."

Jin Hwan clenched his fists.

So that was it.

That was why the streets felt so empty.

"Shit."

This was bad.

The abandoned zones were his best source of demons. A place where he could hunt, grow stronger, and rank up without being noticed.

But now?

Now the Hunter Association was everywhere.

They were sweeping the streets, clearing out demons, shutting down his only source of power.

"I should've known this wouldn't last forever."

Jin Hwan exhaled slowly.

He had two choices now.

1. He could keep hunting in the city, but that would mean dealing with other Hunters. It would be risky—too risky.

Or…

2. He could do what he had been avoiding this whole time.

He could step into a demon gate.

His hands twitched.

It was a suicidal idea.

Dungeon gates were a different level.

Out here, he could pick his fights. He could kill weaker demons and slowly build his strength.

But inside a dungeon?

Inside, he would have no control.

No escape.

No guarantee of survival.

And yet…

"If I don't enter a gate, I'll never rank up again."

He gritted his teeth.

Was he really ready for this?

His instincts screamed no.

But his system told him he had no choice.

Jin Hwan walked away from the warehouse, his mind racing.

If he was going to do this, he needed to be careful.

He couldn't just walk into any gate.

Dungeons were ranked, just like Hunters.

A D-Rank dungeon was already too dangerous for him.

What he needed was an E-Rank gate—something he could handle but still use to level up.

"Where would I even find one?"

He kept walking, lost in thought, when suddenly—

A chill ran down his spine.

He stopped.

The street ahead was empty.

The buildings were silent.

And then—

A soft hum filled the air.

Jin Hwan turned his head.

And there it was.

A demon gate.

Right there, in a narrow alleyway between two crumbling buildings.

A swirling black void.

The air around it shimmered, distorting like heat waves rising from asphalt.

Jin Hwan's pulse quickened.

"What are the fucking odds?"

He took a step closer.

The gate pulsed.

Almost like it was calling to him.

He didn't want to do this.

Every logical part of him screamed to walk away.

But at the same time…

"This is exactly what I was looking for."

Jin Hwan stared at the swirling abyss for a long moment.

Then he sighed.

"I guess this is my lucky day."

And he stepped inside.