If you can’t see, even taking a single step forward is terrifying.

Following the tactile paving with a cane, only to trip over an illegally parked e-scooter.

Waiting at a crosswalk without an audio signal, calling out, "Is anyone there?" for minutes before daring to cross.

It takes more than just courage to step out into a world of speeding cars.

The one who guided me through that world was Hayangi.

Soft fur and warm body heat.

The firm and unwavering trust felt through the leash in my hand.

In the darkness, I had always relied on help.

'And now, I can finally see Hayangi properly.'

But someone had entered Hayangi’s body.

There was no way I could react well to that.

Click.

I raised my revolver and aimed it.

"Who are you?"

Cold.

The metal felt icy against my fingertips.

The pounding of my heartbeat filled my entire body.

[Good! Good! Desire me more!]

Power surged, and Asadia's joy resonated within me.

'Ugh.'

My mind was already hazy.

Had I overused my abilities during the draws?

Pain throbbed behind my eyes, a headache hammering at my skull as if someone was striking me from the inside.

But I endured it all.

I had to confirm this being’s true nature.

[I am Achilles, the immortal hero blessed by the River Styx.]

The voice seeped into my consciousness, as if speaking directly into the depths of my mind.

'Damn it, I can’t see.'

I needed to check the information, to look at the status window.

But I couldn’t see anything.

The words that normally appeared before my eyes blurred, their edges smudging, some completely disappearing.

Through the thick mist clouding my vision, I could only decipher a few fragments of information.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Species: Labrador Retriever
Name: Hayangi (Achilles)
Age: 12
Thoughts: હેલો ક્લિયોપેટ્રા, વિશ્વની શ્રેષ્ઠ બટાકાની ચિપ્સ.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Get out of Hayangi’s body, you bastard!"

[That is impossible.]

"Why?!"

[There is only one way to extract an essence: by killing the host.]

My breath caught in my throat.

"W-what did you just say?"

[I know how much you cherish this beast. Can you bring yourself to kill it?]

I didn’t want to believe it.

I desperately wished it was a lie.

But I couldn’t deny or confirm it.

If only I could see the status window, everything would be clear.

'But my eyes hurt too much to check.'

My hand trembled.

I kept the gun raised, but could I actually do it?

My finger rested on the trigger, but I knew—I would never pull it.

[I thought so. This creature is old, its lifespan nearly at its end. You already knew that, didn’t you?]

"……"

[So you did know.]

Guide dogs typically retire after 7 to 10 years.

Their joints weaken, their stamina fades, and assisting a disabled person becomes too much of a burden.

Hayangi was 12 years old—an old age for a guide dog.

Returning to a regular home after retirement was the usual path.

For years, Hayangi had devoted its life to me.

[But now, with my presence, this dog’s life has been extended. It has become a mystical being, stronger and healthier than before.]

"So you’re telling me that a World Boss just… saved Hayangi’s life?"

[That is correct. Though I, too, now reside within it.]

Could that really be true?

This monster that slaughtered Hunters just moments ago—was it really helping me?

Or was it just toying with me in some new, twisted way?

'Can’t see.'

My eyes burned.

Not from vision, but from searing pain within them.

I knew my eyes could show me the truth.

But my limits were holding me back.

The familiar sight of my lifelong world—darkness—crept in once more.

Through the shadows, shattered letters flickered like broken glass before fading away.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[એપાર્ટમેન્ટ એપાર્ટમેન્ટ]

Status: Severe neural strain due to abnormal sensory usage. Overuse of visual cortex (occipital lobe) has led to neurotransmitter depletion. Slowed peripheral nerve response. Autonomic system imbalance causing full-body fatigue.

Cause: Neurological overload from excessive sensory input.

Result: Applying status effect ‘Unconscious’ to prevent further damage.

Estimated duration: 24 hours.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"…Ugh."

My consciousness wavered.

The burning in my head cooled in an instant.

Like a snapped thread, all my senses faded.

"Damn it. What is… this…?"

I tried to mumble, but even my voice faltered.

My head felt unbearably heavy.

In the end, I couldn’t hold myself up any longer and collapsed on the spot.

Clank.

The revolver slipped from my grasp, hitting the floor with a hollow clang, echoing in the darkness.

The cold, unshaken resolve of a warrior—

The unyielding determination even in the face of death—

For this moment, both seemed to waver ever so slightly.

Achilles looked down at the fallen girl.

So young.

So small.

Her body, frail as a dried twig. Her hands and feet, delicate.

A fragile life made of mere flesh and bone.

She looked as if a single breath of wind would shatter her.

Step.

He took a step forward.

Hayangi’s round, dark eyes met his gaze, reflecting the silent thoughts of an ancient hero.

[This little one…]

For a moment, he hesitated.

He recalled her actions.

[She pierced through the Ashen Emotions and ended me.]

Mindless destruction, hatred, and agony.

The suffocating emotions that once bound him.

The endless cycle of blood, screams, and burning ruins.

Achilles had lived in death, trapped in a twisted existence where even his own soul had become warped beyond recognition.

Like a beast, he had wandered aimlessly, lost.

Yet this small, fragile girl had set him free.

[To the great hero who delivered my salvation—my gratitude.]

The unconscious girl looked endlessly peaceful.

As Achilles gazed upon her, he suddenly recalled his master, Chiron.

'Was this how my master felt when he first saw me?'

A small, fragile body.

But within it, infinite potential lay hidden.

Especially her eyes.

[How peculiar. That a mere human could possess such eyes. Even the three Graeae sisters, who could see all, would be mere observers compared to her.]

The girl’s eyes were more foreign, more profound than any divine power Achilles had ever encountered.

Omniscience—the absolute domain that even gods could not reach.

Even the gods of the heavens could not perceive everything.

Was this child’s ability reaching toward that realm?

It was too soon to tell.

But one thing was certain.

[She could be dismissed as insignificant... but her potential is undeniable. Having eyes like these is no mere coincidence.]

He murmured to himself, his voice laced with quiet expectation and curiosity.

[I don’t know if I’ll be as good as my master, but raising her might not be a bad idea.]

Achilles made his decision.

He would become the mentor of this small, fragile child.

With a warrior’s guidance, along the path of legends, he would shape her future.

Then, just one second later, a rival appeared.

“I rushed over as soon as I heard a World Boss had appeared…”

A crest, depicting a sword crossed with a shield.

The emblem’s circular structure was surrounded by seven small stars that emitted a soft glow—a symbol representing Hunters who became guiding lights for humanity.

Beneath the emblem was the motto of the Korean Hunter Academy.

Where there is no light, we become the light.

One of Korea’s few certified S-rank Hunters.

The Flame of Majesty, Park Hangyeol.

“……”

He halted his words, scanning the scene before him.

He had already caught glimpses of the situation on his way here.

The same message that must have appeared before all Awakened worldwide.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[KR/World Boss: The Immortal Knight has been defeated.]

[Contributors List]
Death God.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Normally, the contributor list for a World Boss subjugation would be filled with titles from numerous Hunters worldwide.

But here, there was only one name.

“Death God, huh. Quite a profound title. Showed up out of nowhere, defeated the boss, then disappeared without a trace?”

Like some kind of folklore hero.

Park Hangyeol surveyed his surroundings.

A ruined cityscape.

Collapsed buildings reduced to rubble, the air thick with the scent of blood.

The aftermath of an intense battle remained evident.

A battlefield fitting the name of a World Boss.

And yet, the only survivors of this massacre were a single girl and a dog.

“A dog? It’s even wearing a vest… A guide dog for the visually impaired?”

Something felt off.

One doubt led to another.

'A blind person? No, that can’t be right.'

This was a battlefield where even A-rank Hunters had been mercilessly slaughtered.

A place torn apart by immense magic and physical devastation.

Could a blind person possibly survive here?

And not just any blind person, but a young girl with no visible combat experience?

'I’d love to track the Death God’s whereabouts…'

But if someone of that caliber had chosen to conceal themselves, uncovering their identity would be near impossible.

Right now, saving a life came first.

That was the duty of a Hunter.

“Kid, are you alright?”

The girl didn’t respond.

She wasn’t wounded or covered in blood, and there were no apparent external injuries threatening her life.

But she was completely unconscious.

'Passed out?'

Yet, he sensed traces of an Awakened presence.

From the tips of her fingers to the top of her head, a faint aura of mana radiated from her—a phenomenon that could never be found in an ordinary human.

‘She’s definitely an Awakened. But at this level, she must have just awakened recently. How did she survive here?’

Park Hangyeol brought his fingertips close to the girl’s forehead, intending to channel a trace of mana to check her condition.

Then, the retriever growled low, stepping in to block his hand.

“It’s alright. I’m not going to hurt your owner.”

He spoke in a calm voice to reassure the dog.

But at that moment, the white retriever’s eyes gleamed strangely.

Deep.

Something resided within.

Did it… possess some kind of mystical awareness?

‘What the hell? This dog isn’t normal either. It doesn’t seem injured, but…’

Too many questions.

But there was only one thing left to do.

Park Hangyeol carefully lifted the girl into his arms.

Sleeping on the ground wouldn’t do.

For now, he decided to take her back to the Academy.

It was fully equipped with advanced medical facilities.

And conveniently, it was the beginning of the new semester.

“If she’s Awakened, she’ll need to enroll in the Academy anyway. Who knows? She might have some information on this so-called ‘Death God.’”

And…

If she had survived an encounter with a World Boss, she might have acquired a special skill.

‘Anyone who makes it out of a World Boss encounter alive is bound to be exceptional.’

Recruiting talent was a professor’s duty.

Of course—

Not even in his wildest dreams could Park Hangyeol have imagined that this twelve-year-old girl was the one who had single-handedly slain the World Boss.