The first step to change fate

At home.

"I am home..."

A voice came from inside. "Is that you, Lan Tian?"

Lan Tian froze. It was his grandfather's voice. The moment he saw him, his eyes filled with tears.

"Grandfather… is it really you? I missed you so much."

His grandfather raised an eyebrow, confused but amused. "Okay, okay. What's gotten into you? Why are you crying all of a sudden? Did something happen on your first day as a hunter?"

Lan Tian quickly wiped his tears and forced a smile. "No, no, Gramps. I'm okay. It's just… I remembered a nightmare."

Back in lan tian's past life

After returning from an S-rank dungeon, Lan Tian lay in a hospital bed, receiving medical treatment for his injuries. The soft hum of machines was broken by the sound of a news broadcast on the TV.

"The first and worst villain of humanity has appeared," the reporter announced gravely. "This individual has destroyed 40% of Korea, including the residential area of the world's only SS-rank hunter, Lan Tian."

Lan Tian's breath hitched. His hands started shaking uncontrollably. A nurse rushed into the room, shouting, "Doctor! Doctor! Mr. Lan Tian is shaking!"

The doctor arrived quickly and examined him. "He seems physically okay," the doctor said, perplexed. "So why is he shaking?"

The nurse hesitated. "I think he's in trauma for some unknown reason."

Moments later, Lan Tian came to his senses, his eyes wide with panic. "Doctor… Doctor… what's this on the news? Is it true?"

The doctor hesitated before nodding. "Yes. It's all true. While you and your party were clearing the S-rank dungeon, the villain appeared and caused mass destruction."

Lan Tian's voice cracked. "So why didn't anyone tell me?"

"You fell unconscious after clearing the "...dungeon, and you've only just woken up after seven days of unconsciousness," the doctor said, his voice cautious.

Lan Tian's eyes widened as dread filled his chest. "What… what happened to my grandfather?"

The room fell silent. No one spoke. The tension in the air was unbearable.

Then, the sound of tears hitting the bedsheet broke the silence. Drop. Drop. Lan Tian's hands trembled as tears streamed down his face.

"Grandfather…" His voice cracked as he began to shout. "Grandfather!"

The nurse tried to calm him. "Mr. Tian, please. Stay calm. You need to keep patience—"

But Lan Tian couldn't hear her. His mind was drowning in grief and guilt. "What does this all mean?" he cried out, his voice filled with anguish. "Even though I'm the one and only SS-rank hunter in the world… I couldn't even save my own grandfather! Mother… Father… Grandfather… Forgive me…"

His voice broke as he sobbed uncontrollably. "I'm not a good son. I failed you all. I'm… I'm nothing…"

The room was filled with nothing but his cries, a powerful reminder that even the strongest hunter in the world couldn't escape the pain of loss.

BACK TO PRESENT

"Okay, okay, don't cry anymore." His grandfather's voice was soft, trying to soothe him. "I know you miss your parents very much, but don't cry like a baby. I'm still here with you."

Lan Tian sniffled, trying to calm himself. "Y-Yes, Gramps… Please… please don't leave me."

His grandfather patted him on the shoulder, a warm smile on his face. "Alright, alright. Don't cry. I'm not going anywhere."

Lan Tian wiped his face, his expression becoming resolute. "I'm not going to abandon you, Gramps. Not this time."

Saying this, he turned and walked up the stairs to his room, leaving his grandfather standing there.

The old man frowned slightly, his expression puzzled. Not this time? he thought to himself. What did he mean by that?

"So, I climbed up to Level 10. This is my first step toward becoming humanity's greatest hero," Lan Tian said to himself with a proud smile.

But then he paused, his expression turning serious. "Oh... how could I forget about it? How dumb can I be? After killing a high-level skeleton, I got so happy that I completely forgot about this..."

He sat down, lost in thought. "This... this is my past life. Back then, there were no dungeon distortions. Those only happened once—at the end of the world."

Back in the Past

The sky above was torn open, and a colossal dungeon unlike any other appeared—a terrifying SSS-rank dungeon. Its presence alone sent shockwaves through the world.

Lan Tian stood below it, gazing at the massive anomaly with a fearless smirk. "So, this is an SSS-rank dungeon, huh?" His voice was steady and confident. "Alright, I'll handle this on my own. You all take care of the other threats."

Back in the Past

Lan Tian's teammates exchanged uneasy glances before nodding in unison. "Okay, Captain… we have no choice but to trust you. We'll handle the rest."

Lan Tian gave them a firm nod. "There aren't just one or two threats. Multiple S-rank and lower dungeons have appeared simultaneously. I believe you all can manage them."

His teammates saluted. "Yes, Captain! We'll do our best!"

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble violently. The air grew heavy as the earth cracked beneath their feet.

"What's happening? An earthquake?" one of them shouted.

Lan Tian's expression darkened. "No… this isn't just an earthquake."

Before anyone could react, the massive SSS-rank dungeon in the sky began to twist and pulsate ominously. Its glow intensified, and the surrounding area was engulfed in a terrifying wave of energy.

"This… This is the first dungeon distortion…" Lan Tian muttered, his voice trembling slightly. "The SSS-level dungeon… it's ranking up to a disaster-level dungeon! And the others… they're all ranking up too!"

The ground beneath them split, chaos spreading in every direction. This was no ordinary dungeon break. This was the beginning of the end.

"This… this is the major reason why the world…" Lan Tian's words were lost in the chaos.

Back in the Present

Lan Tian sat frozen, his body trembling. His mind raced with the memories of his past life.

"Is… Is it starting already?" he whispered to himself, his heart pounding in his chest. "Or… am I just overthinking everything?"

But deep down, he couldn't shake the ominous feeling that history was beginning to repeat itself.

Lan Tian shook his head, clenching his fists. "Okay, I have to stop overthinking. I don't have time to waste. I need to grind experience… It's time to change the future."

He grabbed the communication device from his desk and activated it.

Ring... Ring... Ring...

CLANG!

"Hello, Mr. Shin? This is the time to grind some experience. Are you ready?" Lan Tian asked, his voice firm and confident.

From the other side of the line, a gruff voice chuckled. "Hah! It's time to create history, isn't it?"

Lan Tian smirked. "Yeah. Let's get started."

Suddenly, the tone shifted as Mr. Shin barked, "Wait, wait! What did you call me again, you little brat?!"

Lan Tian chuckled. "Alright, alright, Mr. Shin. Don't blow a fuse. Just get ready—we've got work to do."

The call ended with a mix of banter and determination. Lan Tian stood up, his eyes blazing with purpose. This time, I'll change everything.