Being a B-rank hunter isn’t glamorous, it’s exhausting and often a gamble with your life. Every day, I’m sent to clear portals before they spill into the city. Some are simple. Others? Red portals. Death traps. Once you enter, the only way out is through the final boss. And if you’re lucky, you’ll come out alive.

Today’s assignment seemed straightforward a D-rank portal, nothing I couldn’t handle. Mostly there are C and D-rankers. But one person stood out, a skinny kid barely older than twenty, holding a chipped dagger with trembling hands. An E-rank hunter? In a D-rank portal? Someone must’ve messed up the assignment list.

Something about him drew my attention, though. Maybe it was the way he looked around like he didn’t belong, or maybe the fear in his eyes. Whatever it was, I couldn’t help but feel the need to protect him. Twice during the raid, I saved him, once from a surprise ambush, and again when a trap nearly impaled him. He didn’t thank me. He just stared, as if memorizing my face.

The deeper we went, we found a massive dungeon door etched with ancient runes, pulsing like a heartbeat. It creaked open, revealing a chamber crawling with monstrosities. But one creature stood out at the center, towering and silent, its face stretched in an unnatural grin. It watched us. And then it moved.

Chaos erupted. Screams. Blood. One by one, they fell. When the dust settled, only four of us were left, and the E-rank boy was among them. He was shivering, covered in blood that wasn’t his, eyes wide but dry.

That was a month ago.

Today, I was just out grabbing coffee, trying to feel normal again. As I walked past a quiet alley, I felt it, a presence. I turned, and my heart stopped. It was him.

He stood taller, eyes sharper. His aura, it pressed down on me like a wave. Gone was the trembling boy, I was looking at a predator.

I tried to walk past, unsure if it was really him. But he reached out and grabbed my wrist.

“I finally found you,” he said, a smirk tugging at his lips. “My savior.”