NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11: Chapter 11: The Hunt Begins – Kai Becomes the Prey
The dead stood beside him.
The living stood against him.
And as the Hunter Association moved to erase him from existence—
Kai Ren chose to fight.
The Battlefield – Tension Before the Fight
The rain fell in sheets, crashing against the ruined pavement where the Red Gate once stood.
Flashes of blue emergency lights painted the broken streets, reflecting off the Association enforcers' black combat armor.
The storm howled through the shattered district, a fitting backdrop to the scene unfolding before them.
Kai Ren stood, breathing heavily.
Drenched. Exhausted. But alive.
And behind him—
The dead moved.
The fallen hunters from the Red Gate raid, those who had perished before the dungeon collapsed, had risen from the ground.
Armor cracked.
Limbs twitched unnaturally.
Lifeless eyes stared at the living.
But they did not attack.
They were waiting.
Waiting for him.
And across from them—
The Hunter Association enforcers tensed, their weapons primed.
Seo Joon-Hee's Cold Decision
Seo Joon-Hee, Deputy Director of the Association, stood at the front of her forces.
Her golden eyes narrowed as she analyzed the impossible scene before her.
"This isn't necromancy," she murmured under her breath.
Her grip on her mana-infused dagger tightened.
"This is something else."
She exhaled slowly, her years of battle experience keeping her calm.
But inside—
She knew what had to be done.
"Contain the target," she ordered.
Her voice was like a blade.
"If he resists—kill him."
Min-Jae's Fear Turns to Hatred
Min-Jae took a step back, his eyes wide with horror.
His breathing was uneven.
"He's not human," he whispered, voice shaking.
Hana flinched. "Min-Jae, stop—"
But he wasn't listening.
"He came back from the dead!"
His trembling finger pointed straight at Kai.
"And now he's controlling the corpses of our own people!"
Joon-Hee's expression darkened.
"You're certain?"
Min-Jae's jaw tightened.
"I saw it. The Red King bowed to him. A boss monster—submitting to a D-rank weakling!"
The tension exploded.
The enforcers reacted immediately, their grips on their weapons tightening.
Because no dungeon boss should ever kneel.
Not to a hunter.
Not to anyone.
The System Reacts – A Choice Must Be Made
🔹 [SYSTEM ALERT: HIGH-RISK ENTITY IDENTIFIED.]
🔹 [A Decision Must Be Made.]
🔹 [Will You Submit?]
🔹 [Or Will You Resist?]
Kai felt it.
The weight of the system itself, pressing down on him.
It was watching him.
Waiting.
And for the first time in his life—
He had a choice.
He could surrender.
Bow his head.
Let them decide his fate.
Or—
He could break free.
His fingers curled into a fist.
"I won't kneel."
His pulse slowed.
Then, for the first time—
He spoke.
"No."
The First Awakening – When the Dead Obey
The moment he defied the system, something shifted.
The air grew heavy.
The rain stopped mid-fall, suspended for a single breath—
Then reality snapped back.
And the corpses twitched.
Joints cracked.
Armor groaned.
Lifeless bodies jerked upright.
Hana's breath hitched.
"Kai… what did you just do?"
But Kai didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
All he knew was—
The dead were listening to him.
🔹 [The fallen do not rest.]
🔹 [They only wait for a Harbinger to call them.]
And when he spoke—
They answered.
The First Attack – A Battle for Survival
🔹 [Binding Chains!]
An enforcer lunged forward, sending glowing blue restraints flying toward Kai.
"Too fast!"
He couldn't dodge.
But—
He didn't have to.
Kai turned his head—
"Block it."
And the dead obeyed.
One of the fallen hunters, his once shattered armor stained with blood, stepped forward.
His body jerked unnaturally, as if strings were controlling him.
The chains wrapped around his torso—
But he did not fall.
The enforcer who had cast the spell staggered back.
His voice shook.
"What the—?"
His spell had landed.
But the undead hunter was still standing.
Joon-Hee's expression remained unreadable.
She raised her dagger.
"They died inside the Red Gate," she muttered.
Her grip tightened.
"Kill them all."
Seo Joon-Hee Strikes – The S-Rank Power Gap
Joon-Hee vanished.
Lightning flashed.
And suddenly—
🔹 [S-Rank Skill: Lightning Rend!]
She was in front of Kai, blade aimed at his throat.
Her speed was inhuman.
Her blade glowed with raw destruction.
"I can't block it—"
But just as the dagger touched his skin—
🔹 [Passive Skill Activated: Death's Veil.]
The moment the blade made contact, something shifted.
Joon-Hee's eyes widened.
Her attack phased through him—
Like he was never there.
"What the hell?!"
She backflipped away, landing with a skid.
Her golden eyes burned.
"You…" she murmured.
"You're not just controlling the dead."
"You're becoming something else."
Then—
🔹 [System Alert: Threat Level Escalated.]
🔹 [Emergency Broadcast Initiated.]
🔹 [Nationwide Notice: F-Rank Hunter Kai Ren Has Been Labeled a Rogue Entity.]
🔹 [All Hunters Are Authorized to Engage on Sight.]
Kai's chest tightened.
"They just declared war on me."