In the modern world, since the early 2000s, all nations signed a law on ceasefire. Humanity chose the path of developnt and the protection of international law.
By doing so, they sought to attain happiness without wars and foolish ideals.
However, after the Asiatic war in Japan ended in 2026, people began to doubt the righteousness of a world without wars.
That sa year, another war erupted. For the first ti, we, re mortals, witnessed monsters with supernatural abilities.
The second war not between humans—it was a war for survival against monsters.
Red creatures, appearing from various corners of the Eastern world, attacked the innocent without hesitation. They fed on our blood, devoured our flesh in tons, while we desperately searched for a way to save our kind.
We called them demons.
With each blood-soaked month that passed, we noticed that these demons were evolving. The bodies of the first demons resembled monstrous mixtures of beasts, with shreds of flesh hanging from them, empty eye sockets oozing black liquid, and mouths filled with hundreds of uneven teeth.
From bloodthirsty, skinless beasts with four legs, they soon began to develop intelligence. One day, news spread across the world about the first demon that could walk on two legs, though its stance and hands were still clumsy.
At the ti, our only salvation was rockets and bombs packed with overwhelming amounts of TNT. Humans took their chances, which is why there were no intact cities left on the outskirts of the Republic of Korea.
These places reeked of rotting flesh. However, the remains of collapsed structures served as sealed gates, blocking other demons that lurked near the waters.
With each passing year, humans realized that their numbers were dwindling.
China, Korea, and Japan received humanitarian aid from all the nations that were still safe from these creatures.
We died by the tens of thousands every day—until the Chosen ones appeared.
The governnts called them Demon Hunters—people from all over the world whose veins carried the blood of demons.
They were stronger, faster, and mightier than regular humans, and they were used as the main strike force in all raids to reclaim lost territories.
However, inheriting a demon bloodline did not necessarily require a demon parent. To this day, it remains unknown how ordinary humans ca to possess such power.
People revered them, and the strongest among them beca superstars. To us, they were the only saviors.
Humanity celebrated and feasted—until the demons beca identical to humans.
So identical that they could no longer be distinguished.
Seoul, 2066
All that remained of the city's forr glory was its na. Now, it was one of the three last havens for survivors in Korea.
Everyone who could, fled to safer countries via planes and transport helicopters. Thankfully, demons had yet to grow wings or learn how to fly.
The surroundings of Seoul were divided into three zones: the Green Zone, the Orange Zone, and the Red—Danger Zone. While people lived comfortably in the Green Zone, the Dangerous Zone was a breeding ground for all kinds of demons.
The Orange Zone—heavily criticized by the dia—was the most unfair. It was a pasture for both the poor and the beasts.
Despite the ever-present danger, all zones remained under the control of Demon Hunters and soldiers.
This world had changed beyond recognition. After forty years of ceaseless battles, everyone had adapted to the circumstances. The absence of parents in children's lives was not uncommon, and despite all kinds of social welfare programs, the majority still lived in poverty.
Governnts sent these people to the Orange Zone. They were deed unfit—though, officially, no one admitted it.
Since childhood, I loved listening to my father's stories about being a Demon Hunter. Though I dread of becoming one of them and imagined a world without demons, my mother was strongly against my patriotism.
I rember always telling her:
"Mom! Look, do I look like a Hunter?"
"Put your father's sword away, son! You'll hurt yourself!"
I was always looking for trouble, and my kind-hearted mother was always saving and scolding .
"Son, will you ever listen to your mother? You mustn't touch your father's things in the storage!"
Every night before bed, I would endlessly tell her that I would beco a Hunter, that I would be a hero among people, and that they would honor .
She would always respond with a fake smile, hiding the bitterness in her eyes.
At twelve, I was officially allowed to take the blood test to determine if I had demon blood—if I was fit to beco a Hunter. That day, my mother strictly forbade from taking the test. She wanted to erase my childish dreams of becoming a Hunter.
Since parental consent was required for the test, I never went through with it. But that year, I also lost my desire to beco a Hunter.
That was because my mother was brutally murdered in our apartnt.
Half of her body had been eaten—alive, according to the forensic report. The stench of blood soaked into the walls, making it impossible to live there anymore.
There are no words to describe what I felt when I entered the house and saw her mutilated remains.
There was no doubt—this was the work of a demon.
But how? How did a demon enter the Green Zone? How did it reach the upper floors of a high-rise building without leaving a single trace?
The investigation dragged on for too long. The case was declared the most horrifying and inexplicable in human history.
The killer was never found.
Only my father remained.
A middle-aged man, considered one of the greatest Demon Hunters of humanity. Unlike others, he went on raids without armor or protective gear—just a light shirt and black pants. So called him insane for this, while others saw it as genius.
An incredible man, revered throughout Korea...
And then, one day, during a major raid, he vanished and never returned. He was declared missing in action, as no one could find his body.
I was left alone at sixteen. No parents, no one by my side.
The governnt supported solely because I was the son of Lee Yeon-ho. They kept hoping I would take the blood test and surpass my father. They hoped I would beco Korea's new beacon of hope.
But I ran away.
I no longer wanted any part of it.
I had no one left—so who was I supposed to fight for?
"Son, will you ever listen to your mother...?"
I still can't forget your words, Mom. If I had listened to you, would everything have been different?
Would you still be alive, here with ?
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