Volume 2: Rise of the Vessel
Chapter 1: The Night Turns Red
The rooftop was alive with laughter.
Bottles clinked, plates emptied, and the stars above Seoul shone peacefully.
Lee Hwan leaned back in his chair, watching his friends joke around. It felt surreal—so normal, so human.
Then, in a blink, everything shattered.
Thud!
A sharp sound pierced the air.
Soojin screamed as a black figure landed in the center of the rooftop, a blade drawn and glinting with murderous intent.
"GET DOWN!" Minjae shouted, pulling Soojin to the ground.
Lee Hwan's eyes narrowed instantly. His aura surged as he stepped forward, shielding his friends behind him.
The assassin stood still, his black mask covering all but his cold eyes.
"You're… Lee Hwan," he said.
Lee didn't respond. His expression was ice.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "Why attack us?"
The assassin's voice was emotionless. "There's a bounty on your head. One hundred billion won."
Everyone froze.
Minjae's eyes widened. "W-What?! A hundred billion?! That's the price of a full B-rank gear set!"
The assassin continued, "The bounty came from a Ranker. They don't want you alive."
Lee clenched his fists. The wind swirled slightly around him, reacting to his aura.
"And they sent you to collect it?"
"I'm just the first. More will come."
Lee exhaled slowly. His voice dropped to a growl.
"Then you should've brought an army."
"Summon – Dragon Monarch's Beast."
A roar exploded from the rooftop.
From thin air, swirling with red and golden light, a massive dragon descended.
Its scales shimmered like fire-forged metal. Its wings tore through the sky, and its breath radiated raw mana.
[Summoned: Dragon Monarch's Guardian]
[Level: 44]
The assassin took a step back in shock. "A Dragon?! At your level?! That's impossible—!"
"I don't need to be stronger than you," Lee said, stepping forward. "My dragon is."
The assassin charged, blades flashing with deadly intent.
But the dragon moved first—swift and brutal.
CRASH!
With a single tail whip, the rooftop cracked, throwing the assassin off his feet.
Lee dashed forward, his palm glowing with Dragon Aura.
BOOM!
The assassin tried to block—but the aura shredded his defenses like paper.
Blood sprayed.
The attacker collapsed, barely alive.
But it wasn't over.
Two more masked figures leaped from the next building—reinforcements.
Lee didn't hesitate.
He pointed to the sky.
"Flame Burst."
A sphere of fiery energy formed in his palm, and in an instant—
BOOOOM!
The blast incinerated the second assassin mid-air.
The third froze in terror.
But the dragon moved before Lee did, slamming its claw into him and crushing him to the ground.
Silence followed.
Only the sound of Lee's breathing remained.
The rooftop was scorched, broken, and cracked… but his friends were safe.
Minjae slowly stood up. "Hwan… what the hell was that…?"
Lee walked toward the first assassin, barely conscious.
"Who put the bounty on me?" he asked coldly.
The assassin coughed blood. "I-I don't know. They wore a black hood. A Ranker… not from Korea…"
Lee's eyes darkened. "Then I'll find them myself."
He stood, flames flickering along his body from the residual aura.
"I thought I had time to breathe… but the world won't let me rest."
Minjae stepped forward. "Then we'll fight with you—"
"No," Lee cut him off. "Stay out of this. This bounty… this Tower… everything is different now."
He looked up at the stars, eyes burning with purpose.
"If the world wants to hunt me—then I'll show them why I was chosen by the Dragon Monarch."