The walk-in closet of Kang Do-Hyun's room was larger than most apartments in Seoul. It was filled with rows of Italian suits, silk shirts, and designer shoes that had never touched a dirty pavement.
Do-Hyun ignored the fashion. He was busy shoving thick wool blankets into a swirling, dark rift that had opened in the palm of his hand.
[Item Acquired: Egyptian Cotton Thermal Blanket (x3)]
[Item Acquired: First Aid Kit (Stolen from the hallway bathroom)]
[Item Acquired: Survival Knife (Decorative antique from the study). Host, that knife is duller than your personality. You'll need to sharpen it.]
"It will do," Do-Hyun muttered, closing his fist. The rift vanished, sending the items into his dimensional storage—a tiny, fragmented pocket of space he had managed to salvage from his godhood.
He checked the time. 7:00 PM. The Shin-Hwa Group's Annual Spring Banquet was starting in thirty minutes.
[Quest Progress: 'The Hoarder' (3/4). Missing Item: High-Grade Alcohol.]
[System Note: Rich people love their overpriced fermentation. The banquet will have plenty. Try not to get caught stealing bottles like a raccoon, okay? It ruins the 'mysterious anti-hero' vibe.]
Do-Hyun pulled on a black tuxedo. It fit his slender frame perfectly, hiding the fact that his ribs were still too prominent. He looked in the mirror. What kind of face is this?
"Let's go," he whispered. "Time to mix with the mortals."
The Grand Banquet was held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, a glittering tower of glass that seemed to defy the grey, oppressive sky.
As the limousine pulled up, paparazzi cameras flashed like lightning. Do-Hyun stepped out behind his parents and siblings. The cold wind bit at his exposed face, carrying a strange, metallic scent.
"Smile, Do-Hyun," his mother, Yoo Hana, hissed through her perfect, frozen smile. "And stand up straight. You look like a wilting flower."
Do-Hyun ignored her and walked, his gaze distant.
Inside, the banquet hall was a different world. Golden chandeliers dripped crystal, a live orchestra played Mozart, and the air was pumped full of artificial floral scents and excessive heating. It was suffocating.
[System Observation: Look at them. Eating caviar while the atmospheric temperature outside drops another two degrees. Humanity really is the master of denial. Ooh, look over there! That's the buffet. Go steal some bread rolls.]
Do-Hyun ignored the food and went straight for the bar.
"Whiskey," Do-Hyun said to the bartender. "The bottle. Top shelf."
The bartender blinked, looking at the young, pale man. "Sir, I can pour you a glass, but the bottle is—"
Do-Hyun placed a black credit card on the counter. It was the "Apology Allowance" his father had transferred to him earlier that morning to keep him docile. "I said, the bottle. And give me the Vodka next to it. And the Gin too."
Minutes later, Do-Hyun was standing in a quiet corner near the heavy velvet curtains, three bottles of liquor vanishing into his shadow while no one was looking.
[Quest Complete: 'The Hoarder'.]
[Reward: Sense of Taste Retained. +100 EXP. +0.2% Vitality.]
[Current Vitality: 6.7%. Moving up in the world!]
"Now can I leave?" Do-Hyun asked the air.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
[Not yet. Look at your 3 o'clock. Target Identified.]
Do-Hyun turned.
Across the room, standing near a towering ice sculpture of a swan, was a woman. She was wearing a crimson dress that stood out violently against the sea of black and white suits. Her hair was dark chestnut, falling in waves down her back, and her eyes were a fierce, burning amber.
Han Isabella, heiress of the Han-Sung Group.
She was stunning but also looked like she wanted to murder someone.
Currently, she was being cornered by a man in a white tuxedo. He was leaning in too close, invading her personal space, a smug grin plastered on his face.
[Analysis: That is Park Min-Jae. Son of a Senator. Class A Jerk. He's trying to leverage her family's failing stocks to force a date.]
[New Quest: 'The Shadow's Introduction'.]
[Objective: Intervene. Not because you're a hero, but because his voice is annoying me.]
[Reward: Attention of the Female Lead.]
Do-Hyun sighed. "I didn't come here to play knight in shining armor."
[Too bad. If you don't go, I'll make you sneeze uncontrollably for ten minutes.]
Do-Hyun set his empty glass down. He adjusted his cuffs and walked through the crowd, a low-level "Repulsion Aura" rolling off him." People subconsciously stepped aside, parting like the Red Sea, shivering slightly as he passed.
He reached the ice sculpture just as Park Min-Jae grabbed Isabella's wrist.
"Come on, Bella," Min-Jae laughed, ignoring her stiffness. "My car is outside. Let's go somewhere quieter. Your father would want you to be nice to me."
"Let go, Min-Jae," Isabella said, her voice tight. "I said I'm not interested."
"You don't have the luxury of being uninterested anymore," Min-Jae sneered, leaning closer. "Have you seen the market? Your family is sinking. You need me."
A pale, slender hand reached out and clamped over Min-Jae's wrist.
Do-Hyun's fingers looked delicate against Min-Jae's thick wrist. But when Min-Jae tried to pull away, he found he couldn't move. It felt like his arm was locked in a vice of frozen steel.
"She said no," Do-Hyun said. His voice was soft, barely a whisper, but it cut through the noise of the orchestra like a razor.
Min-Jae whipped his head around. When he saw Do-Hyun, he scoffed. "Kang Do-Hyun? The suicide prince? Let go of me before I break your other arm."
Isabella looked at Do-Hyun, her amber eyes widening in surprise. She expected him to let go. Everyone knew the youngest Kang was weak.
Do-Hyun didn't let go. Instead, he leaned in, his face inches from Min-Jae's.
"You like ice sculptures?" Do-Hyun asked, glancing at the swan.
"What?"
"You seem fond of the cold." His violet eyes dilated. For a heartbeat, Min-Jae's perception began to slow.
To Min-Jae, the lights in the banquet hall dimmed. The shadows under Do-Hyun's eyes stretched down his face like black tears. The air around them dropped twenty degrees in a second. He felt a phantom sensation—like invisible, freezing fingers wrapping around his throat.
"Leave," Do-Hyun commanded. The word echoed in Min-Jae's skull with the force of a hammer.
The illusion snapped.
Min-Jae gasped, stumbling back, clutching his chest. He looked at Do-Hyun with sheer, primal terror. He didn't understand what had just happened, but his instincts were screaming Predator.
"I... you..." Min-Jae stammered. He looked at Isabella, then back at the pale ghost of a man. "You're crazy."
Min-Jae turned and fled, disappearing into the crowd.
Do-Hyun stood there, his chest heaving slightly. Using even that tiny amount of aura was exhausting for his current body.
He turned to Isabella, who was staring at him.
"You're shaking," she remarked.
"I'm cold," Do-Hyun lied smoothly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, wiping a bead of cold sweat from his forehead.
Isabella took a step closer. She smelled like citrus and fire—a stark contrast to the sterile lilies of his own house.
"They say you're broken," Isabella said, her voice lowering so only he could hear. "That you're the trash of the Kang family."
Do-Hyun met her gaze, understanding what she was hinting at.
"Trash has its uses," Do-Hyun replied indifferently. "It's good for discarding unwanted things."
Isabella narrowed her eyes. A spark of interest—hot and dangerous—flared in her amber irises. She opened her mouth to speak, to ask him what he really was, but suddenly, a scream tore through the banquet hall.
The music stopped.
Do-Hyun and Isabella turned toward the entrance.
A waiter had just burst through the main doors, his white uniform stained red. He was screaming, pointing back toward the hotel lobby.
"Monster! There's a monster in the lobby!"
The crowd laughed nervously. A monster? In Seoul? It must be a prank. Probably a performance piece.
Then came the sound. A low, guttural roar that vibrated the floorboards and shattered the champagne glasses on the nearby trays.
[System Alert: World Event Triggered.]
[The First Rift has opened prematurely.]
[Entity Type: Frost Hound (Rank E).]
[Location: 50 meters away.]
Do-Hyun sighed, adjusting his cufflinks. "Looks like the party is over."
He looked at Isabella who was rather calm in the unfolding chaos. She had grabbed a steak knife from a nearby table, preparing to defend herself.
Good, Do-Hyun thought, a genuine smirk touching his lips. She bites.
"Stay close to me," Do-Hyun said, as the first massive, wolf-like beast made of ice and blue flame crashed through the heavy double doors. "Unless you want to become dog food."
