Chapter 12: The Ripples Beneath Still Waters

The apartment was quiet as Jacob sat by the small table in his living room, a half-eaten cup of noodles in front of him. The screen of his phone lit his face in the dim room as he scrolled through the Hunter Association's registry—again.

Nothing.

No "Jin."

No one matching the description.

Not even in the temporary applicants list from today's test.

Jacob leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. He could still feel it—that weird pressure from earlier in the park. His skin had crawled, and his chest had tightened like something was sitting on it.

It wasn't normal.

Not even a high-rank hunter should've given off that kind of pressure. And yet… that man had smiled like it was nothing. Held his daughter like any other dad. Even joked about his test results like it was just another day.

Jacob shut his eyes.

"Am I losing it?" he muttered. "Or was I the only one who noticed how strong is aura was?"

He shook his head and sighed, rubbing his temple. The quiet was starting to itch at him. He needed some kind of distraction.

Just then, the front door clicked.

He didn't even look up. He already knew who it was.

"Jacob," a sharp voice called from the hallway. "why did you not go to school today again?"

His stepmother walked into the room, dropping her purse by the shoe rack.

Jacob stayed silent.

She glanced at the table, then at him.

"Seriously? Instant noodles again? You're wasting your potential sitting here doing nothing all day."

"I didn't ask for a lecture," Jacob muttered.

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm just saying, maybe if you hadn't dropped out of the Hunter Program and be more like your father, you wouldn't be stuck—"

"Don't talk about him."

The words shot out of Jacob's mouth like a knife.

The woman stepped back slightly, startled by the sudden venom in his voice.

"You think I dropped out because I was lazy?" he said, rising to his feet. "I dropped out because of your son, making my life miserable at school. So don't you dare pretend like you don't know what is he has been doing at the Academy."

There was a heavy silence.

Without another word, Jacob walked past her and headed straight to his room, slamming the door behind him.

****

A Cave in the Mountains Outside Seoul

The wind blew softly outside, stirring leaves and dust along the mountain trail.

Inside a shallow cave carved into the rock, warm orange light flickered from a small fire. The space was simple—some bedding, tools, a bag of dried food, and a pot simmering over the flames.

Jin sat near the fire, quietly cutting vegetables. Seo-ah sat nearby, humming as she drew little shapes in the dirt with a stick.

Everything seemed peaceful.

But Jin's mind was far away.

****

[Flashback – A Few Days Ago]

He had just packed his things, getting ready to head out for another hunt.

It was early morning. The forest was quiet—until it wasn't.

Suddenly, a sharp chill ran down his spine.

His body froze, instincts screaming.

That presence… That dark energy…

It felt wrong. It clawed at his soul, just like back then—during the Bloodcut Massacre.

He dropped his pack and moved.

Fast.

His senses stretched, trying to follow the trail of that darkness. He pushed deeper into the woods, sprinting across rocky slopes, scanning for movement, for anything.

But when he reached the place the energy had felt strongest…

Nothing.

No monsters. No signs of a gate. Not even a footprint.

And the energy—vanished like smoke in the wind.

Jin stood there for a long while, staring into the emptiness. Then he turned and walked back, slower this time.

Something had returned.

He wasn't sure what.

But he knew one thing.

He wasn't hallucinating, it's was definitely real.

****

Back in the cave, Jin added the vegetables into the pot and stirred.

Seo-ah looked up. "Dad, what are you thinking about?"

He gave a soft smile. "Just… just thinking about how beautiful you are." As he listed here up with a huge smile.

****

Late Night – Downtown Seoul

Rain tapped against rooftops.

Streetlights flickered. Cars honked. Life moved on.

But above it all, on a rooftop far from the busy street, a man in a long black coat stood still, watching.

A hum pulsed through the air, low and dangerous.

Down below, near an old office complex, a gate had appeared.

But not just any gate.

This one shimmered in deep red and black light, its surface pulsing with power. It was wide. Dense. The air around it felt like it might crush bone.

Low-ranked hunters had already arrived. A few stood in front of it, whispering, unsure whether to approach.

"Stay back," one of them said. "Wait for the Association to rank it."

Their eyes flicked toward the gate again and again.

None of them dared move closer.

And still the man watched from above.

A cigarette glowed in his fingers as he took a drag, eyes narrowed.

"It's starting again," he muttered to himself.

"This city won't stay quiet for long."

To be continued...