A sharp wind whistled around the blade of Arthur's silver sword. The wind elemental magic wrapping around the expensive weapon emitted a threatening hum.Arthur stood just a few steps away from Jihan. The blue-blooded youth narrowed his blue eyes, staring at the corpse of the Alpha Toxic Troll sprawled on the ground, before turning his gaze back to Jihan with a look of absolute suspicion."Do you think I'm an idiot, Jihan?" Arthur hissed quietly, his tone dripping with venom. "I was the top graduate of the academy. I know exactly how an A-Rank monster's anatomy works. This Troll's skull is as hard as carbon steel. And you, a trash porter without a single drop of Mana in your body, managed to slice through its head straight to the brain?"Jihan leaned his weight on the oak practice sword he had been holding. He stared at Arthur with a flat expression that completely disgusted the young genius."The skull is hard, sure. But if you slash it right at the temple, you don't need magic to pi

The two-inch-thick solid teak door clicked shut. Jihan turned the deadbolt twice, then leaned his back against the heavy wood. He let out a heavy breath, filling the silence of the VIP suite that felt more like a gold-plated prison cell.The torture of this political game was starting to wear his sanity thin. He had just returned from the medical wing, forced to act like an obedient puppy in front of Suryo, and somehow managed to restrain himself from snapping Arthur's neck in the hallway.Jihan trudged toward the bathroom. He turned on the sink faucet, letting the cold water run, and splashed his face roughly.He grabbed a bottle of expensive imported liquid soap near the sink and pumped some into his hands. Jihan scrubbed his face and neck, trying to wash away the leftover dust and the imaginary stench of blood clinging to his skin. However, his hand movements suddenly stopped.Jihan brought both of his palms close to his nose. He took a deep breath.Nothing.There was no lavender s

BAM!The five-inch-thick bulletproof glass finally gave way, shattering into thousands of jagged pieces. Jihan barged into the sterile isolation room, completely ignoring the sharp shards raining down on his body. Blood dripped from his pulverized knuckles, but the physical pain was absolutely nothing compared to the blind terror incinerating his brain.His sense of smell had been liquidated by the System, so he couldn't smell the sharp scent of antiseptic or the metallic tang of his own blood. But he could feel the cold, recycled air of the room against his skin.Inside, the head doctor stumbled backward in shock. The large syringe slipped from his rubber-gloved hands, clattering onto the pristine tile floor."What the hell are you,"Jihan lunged like a rabid beast. He snatched a long, jagged shard of glass from the floor and slammed the doctor against the white wall. The jagged tip of the glass pressed hard against the doctor's jugular, digging in until a bead of fresh blood swelled

The roar of a hundred thousand spectators inside the National Stadium sounded like a raging ocean storm.Giant spotlights danced in the air, piercing the bright morning sky of the capital. Magical fireworks exploded over the stadium roof, creating illusions of giant dragons and clashing swords. This was the first day of the National Tournament, a modern gladiator arena where elite Hunters slaughtered each other for the pride of their Guilds.In the middle of the sandy arena, which was the size of a football field, Jihan stood tall.He wore an elegant black combat uniform with the Number 1 Guild logo embroidered in gold thread on his left chest. The white hair at his temples fluttered softly in the wind. His ears rang from the cheers of the crowd chanting his name, but his nose couldn't smell a thing. The Stealth Master curse was still robbing him of his sense of smell. He couldn't smell the dust, the sweat, or the blood from the remnants of the preliminary matches.That sensory void s

A plastic water bottle flew from the stands, hitting Jihan hard on the forehead.The roaring cheers of admiration that had echoed through the National Stadium just a second ago evaporated without a trace. The wave of worship flipped one hundred and eighty degrees, turning into a deafening sea of hatred, insults, and terror."You fucking fraud! Just die!" a man in the front row screamed, throwing a coffee cup that spilled its contents over the arena sand."He is not a Hunter! He is an Underground Devil Worshipper!" a woman shrieked while pulling her child away from the barricade. "Kill him! Cut his head off right now!"The voices of a hundred thousand people who had just been worshipping him now became a choir of curses. Trash, plastic bottles, and even shoes kept raining down into the center of the sandy arena.Arthur spread his arms wide. The blond youth looked up at the stadium sky while laughing out loud. A shrill, insane laugh filled with sadistic satisfaction. The stitches on his