Chapter 69 – A Hunter’s Rest Before the Storm

Testing the Blades

Kyung-min stood alone in the private training field behind his family estate. The cool night air carried a quiet stillness, broken only by the rhythmic sound of his breathing.

The butler had arranged for reinforced training dummies—crafted from monster hide and enchanted wood, designed to withstand even C-rank strikes.

He summoned his newly reforged twin daggers from his Dimensional Ring.

The moment they appeared in his grip, he felt it—an extension of his will, not just weapons but a natural part of his movement.

"Time to see if they're as good as they feel."

Without hesitation, he dashed forward.

🔹 [Abyss Step – Activated]

A flicker of darkness—his body reappeared instantly behind the first target.

Slash!

The dagger cut through effortlessly.

"Good. No unnecessary resistance."

The second strike followed. He reversed his grip and twisted his body—slashing horizontally in one clean motion.

A deep gash carved into the training dummy, the enchanted wood hissing as it tried to regenerate—but Kyung-min was already moving again.

🔹 [Abyss Step – Activated]

The cooldown time had shortened. He had suspected it after the Goblin Warrens, but now he was certain—his movement skill had evolved.

He tested the daggers in rapid succession:

One-on-one duels (against stationary dummies).

Multi-strike attacks (simulating fast encounters).

Throwing a dagger and retrieving it mid-dash.

By the end of it, he smirked.

"Perfect."

Information Gathering & The Next Steps

After showering and changing into comfortable attire, he entered his personal study.

The butler was waiting, standing by a large holographic tablet displaying dungeon reports, auction schedules, and underground events.

"I've compiled the most promising options, Young Master."

Kyung-min took a seat, scrolling through the reports.

🔹 [D-Rank Tower Dungeon] – A multi-layered dungeon known for rapid growth and high-reward loot. Risky, but if he wanted real combat experience, this was ideal.

🔹 [High-Mutant E-Rank Gate] – An unstable dungeon where monsters respawn faster than normal, making it perfect for XP and gold farming.

🔹 [Black Market Combat Arena] – An illegal underground tournament where awakeners battle for rare skill tomes and artifacts. No restrictions. No rules.

"All of them are viable..." Kyung-min mused.

The butler watched carefully, then spoke.

"I assume you'll be making a decision soon?"

Kyung-min exhaled, closing the interface.

"Not yet. There's something else I need to do first."

Gathering Information

Kyung-min sat at his study desk, the soft glow of the holographic interface casting flickering lights across his darkened room. His fingers swiped across multiple open reports, each detailing everything that had changed in the world since his disappearance.

Towers. Gates. Guilds. New awakeners.

He had a lot to catch up on.

He exhaled slowly, his mind processing the flood of information.

🔹 Tower Dungeons:

Over the past year, multiple new Towers had appeared, some still uncleared, others already being monopolized by high-ranking guilds.The higher the floor, the stronger the time dilation—one hour outside = one day inside for most mid-level Towers.Some Towers were rumored to have hidden floors, but no official documentation existed.

🔹 Gates & Rifts:

Unstable Gates had begun appearing in densely populated areas, causing massive civilian casualties.Certain rifts didn't follow normal rules, with monsters above their expected rank appearing.Reports of new mutation types—monsters that evolved mid-battle—had increased.

Kyung-min's eyes darkened.

If the rate of these occurrences kept increasing, it was only a matter of time before the world truly fell into chaos.

And yet—most people still didn't understand how dangerous it really was.

"They still think this is just a game."

His fingers tightened against the desk.

Kyung-min scrolled through endless discussion threads, reports, and scattered fragments of information—each piece a puzzle forming the chaotic reality of the world he had returned to.

It was messy.

No single answer. No absolute truth.

Just speculation, scattered experiences, and whispers of something greater.

🔹 Thread: "Anyone Else Remember the Resets?"

[User: DarkFangX]

"Alright, hear me out. I'm not crazy, but I've died before. Multiple times. And I remember it. I thought it was a nightmare until it actually happened. Anyone else?"

[User: CrimsonRequiem]

"Same. First reset, I barely made it to Level 5 before dying to some mutated boar. Second reset, I pushed through, hit Level 10, and retained my memories after the final reset. I don't know why, but after that last one, I got a system message… telling me that the resets were 'preparation' for what's coming. What does that even mean?"

[User: Titan's Wrath]

"Sounds like bullshit. I didn't reset. None of my guildmates did. You all just had a shared delusion or some system glitch. Move on."

[User: HollowTruth]

"Nah, I buy it. Too many people are saying the same thing. Maybe you didn't reset, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. What if it was selective? What if the system was only prepping certain people?"

[User: VoidProphet]

"I'll tell you what it means. The whole thing was a goddamn setup. You think an entire SYSTEM just glitches like that? No, someone—something—did this. We were meant to experience the resets for a reason."

[User: LaughingStock]

"Bro, y'all talking about resets and conspiracies, meanwhile I got awakened while taking a shit and ended up teleported straight into a dungeon. No warning. No tutorial. Just me, pants down, against a bunch of goblins."

[User: SoapLord]

"LMAO SAME. I was in the shower when I got thrown into a F-rank dungeon. Got out buck-ass naked and people thought I was a dungeon monster.

[User: ShadowSeer]

"We're laughing, but real talk—some of us got the system message after the final reset. It told us three cycles were granted for 'adaptation.' And if we failed? That was it. No more second chances."

______

Kyung-min chuckled at the bath and toilet awakenings. It reminded him of his sister's excited ramblings a few days ago about novel protagonists getting ridiculous awakenings.

"Reality's even dumber."

Still… the serious posts lingered in his mind.

There were others. People who remembered the resets.

Some had died repeatedly. Some hadn't experienced it at all.

And then—the confirmation messages.

"Three cycles were granted for adaptation."

Kyung-min leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.

So it wasn't just him.

Others had lived through multiple timelines just like he had. Others had fought, died, and retained their memories.

Some were aware of the truth.

Some were dismissing it as nonsense.

But those who understood… were preparing.

"The real game hasn't even started yet."

Kyung-min exhaled slowly.

The Tower Dungeons. The unstable Gates. The mutated monsters.

Everything was accelerating.

The system didn't reset for fun. It did so to force them to adapt.

And if the resets were truly over…

Then the real crisis was about to begin.

The Guilds & Old Connections

Kyung-min leaned back in his chair, fingers lightly tapping against the desk. His butler stood nearby, composed as ever, waiting for the next command.

"Tell me about the guilds," Kyung-min said. "The ones that matter."

The butler gave a slight nod and began listing them off.

🔹 The Seven Major Guilds

Titan's Hand – The largest combat guild, specializing in direct battlefield dominance.

Celestial Fangs – Known for its monster-hunting divisions and elite tracking squads.

Azure Dominion – A financially backed guild, focused on monopolizing dungeon resources.

Obsidian Veil – Information brokers and assassins. They know more than they should.

Scarlet Dawn – The guild infamous for claiming new Tower first clears.

Evernight Covenant – An underground guild that operates outside the law, handling restricted artifacts.

Draconis Order – The only guild known to tame dungeon creatures as allies.

"And my old 'friends'?" Kyung-min asked.

The butler's expression remained unreadable. "Still climbing the ranks."

A flick of his wrist—and a digital image appeared on the desk's holographic display.

[Breaking News: Rising Stars Clear a C-Rank Dungeon!]

A set of familiar faces stared back at him from the image.

Seok-hyun stood at the front, his sword resting over his shoulder, the confident smirk he always wore now plastered across the screens of millions.

Min-jun stood beside him, arms crossed, looking just as smug.

The caption beneath the image read:

"The rising stars of the Phantom Fang Guild have successfully cleared their first C-Rank dungeon!"

Kyung-min's eyes darkened.

Phantom Fang.

Seok-hyun's guild. A group formed by the very people who had abandoned him.

They had moved on.

He hadn't.

They had risen.

They were basking in their newfound fame, while he had crawled through hell just to return.

Kyung-min exhaled slowly, his fingers tightening into a fist.

His old "friends.?"

Kyung-min's eyes narrowed.

Seok-hoon had done it. He had formed his own guild.

He had gathered a team, climbed the ranks, and now—was stepping into the public eye.

His fingers curled slightly against the desk, but his face remained calm.

"Soon," he muttered under his breath.

He let the screen flicker off.

This wasn't the time to deal with them—not yet.