Prologue

The story opens on a reality where dungeons have torn open across the globe, releasing deadly creatures that would wipe out humanity if left unchecked. Standing against them are hunters, ordinary people awakened with magical power. Among their ranks is Sung Jinwoo, branded the feeblest of them all, who scrapes by from one dangerous raid to the next simply trying to stay alive.

Everything changes after Jinwoo barely lives through a brutal dungeon that nearly annihilates his entire team. In the aftermath, an enigmatic force known as the System singles him out as its only player and hands him a power no other hunter possesses: the ability to grow stronger without any apparent ceiling. The chapter frames his coming journey as a fight against both monsters and human enemies, driven by his goal of uncovering what the dungeons truly hide and becoming the mightiest hunter alive.

The introductory chapter quietly plants seeds for what comes later. Early sketches of several Shadows appear within its pages, among them Tusk, Igris, and Iron, while Kasaka's Venom Fang also slips in as a brief cameo. Four characters feature here in order: Sung Jinwoo, Song Chi-Yul, Kim Sangshik, and Lee Joohee. The chapter precedes Chapter 1 in the webtoon by Chu-Gong and Dubu.