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Chapter 1 - Prologue: The last line.

The world as it was known has disappeared. Once upon a time there were seven continents on Earth full of life, cultures and history. Now there are only four left, conquered from the darkness at the cost of millions of lives: Eurasia, North America, South America and Antarctica. These lands have become the last refuge of mankind, surrounded by barriers of steel and blood that can barely hold back the onslaught of creatures. The rest of the continents - Africa, Australia - have turned into wild, impassable zones, where monsters rule, the creatures of nightmares that escaped from ancient legends and myths. No one knows where they came from. No one knows why they appeared. But everyone knows that they won't stop until they destroy all living things.

The Great War, as it is called in textbooks, lasted decades. Humanity, torn by conflicts and greed, was not ready for such an enemy. Ordinary weapons turned out to be useless against creatures whose claws tore the tank armor, and magic - if you can call it that - turned cities into ashes. The countries fell one after another until the survivors realized: they could not be separated.

This is how the Union of Humanity was born - a fragile but necessary alliance that united the remnants of nations for one goal: survival. Borders were erased, old strifes were forgotten, and power passed to those who could protect people. Organizations for the destruction of monsters, called simply "Hunting Guilds", have become a new elite ruling every piece of safe land. They not only fight creatures, but also dictate laws, distribute resources and decide who is worthy to live outside the walls.

After the war, when humanity conquered its four continents, the Guilds introduced a system of ranks to classify both monsters and those who fight them. D-rank monsters are the weakest, like ghosts or small yokai, which an ordinary person can fight off with the help of cleverness and improvised means. But B-rank is already creatures against which any weapon created before the war is powerless: swamps, dark spirits, mermaids, devils. They can only be defeated by hunters who have undergone special training, at least C-rank.

A-rank is already real monsters capable of erasing an entire city from the face of the earth: chimeras, ginn, succubi, yeti, werewolves. To destroy one of them, you need a dozen B-rank hunters or at least three A-rank hunters. But there are also those whose power cannot be measured - S-rank monsters. There were only three of them in history: Kraken, Red Dragon and Xin Tian. Each of them took thousands of lives, and battles with them lasted weeks or even months. They were defeated, but at what cost? Whole armies of hunters lay down with bones so that humanity could breathe again.

Hunters, defenders of the last line, are also divided into ranks, from D to S. But their status is determined not only by the strength, but also by the rarity of the gift they receive thanks to the X-Gen drug. On the day of their eighteenth birthday, everyone is obliged to report to the supernatural events department to pass the test.

X-Gene is not just an amplifier. It doubles and sometimes triples the physical parameters, but most importantly, it can awaken a unique ability that reflects the very essence of a person. Someone gets control over the fire, someone - invisibility, and someone - something so rare that they immediately raise to the rank of S. But not everyone is lucky.

Many are left only with improved physical shape, without a gift, and the hunter's path is closed for them. They can serve as a support, work in HR departments or collect information, but they will never get to the forefront. And those who are lucky get only one ability. More than one is impossible. And the more unique the gift, the higher the rank. For example, telekinesis, a force encountered once a century, automatically raises its owner to S-rank.

But even in this world, where every day is a struggle for survival, there are those who look to the future with hope. And there are those who see creatures not only as a threat, but also as a clue. Why did they appear? What feeds them? And most importantly, is it possible to stop them forever? The answers to these questions are hidden outside the safe continents, in the lands where monsters rule. And only a few dare to cross this border. Among them is a young S-rank hunter, which he hides out of love for attention. He is the last hope of mankind. Or his worst threat.

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