WORLD END

Apology

Buzzzz…A sharp c***k echoed through the air as a teleportation gate opened inside a laboratory. The room was bathed in white light, accented with glowing green lines running across the walls and floor. Dr. Gyato stepped out of the portal, holding a dark scaly-like crystal in his left hand and his spear in his right.

“Stella,” Gyato called calmly. “Secure the crystal.”At once, a robotic arm came from the ground, clamping tightly around the Soul Crystal.

“Analyze it and give me a full report. I’ll be back shortly.”Without waiting for a reply, Gyato dashes in a flash out of the room.

Twenty-Eight Hours After the Dragon Attack On O'Hara Miles woke abruptly. His body jerked upright as air rushed into his lungs, his heart pounding as if he had just escaped death. Miles' head spun with pain. He heard the steady beep of medical equipment. Seems I'm in a hospital room miles thought to himself. Slowly, Miles swung his legs over the side of the bed. The instant his bare feet touched the cold floor, he used his seismic ability to detect his surroundings and sense an unmistakable outline of Energy. Someone familiar was nearby. He focused, sharpening his senses, when suddenly—“Whoa!”

Nearby, Sil jolted awake, nearly falling off the chair he had been sleeping in.“—You’re awake?” Sil said, rubbing his eyes as he regained his balance.“

Yeah,” Miles replied his voice rough but calm. A faint smile formed on his lips. “Feels like I got hit by a mountain. How long was I out?”

“You’ve been unconscious for over a day,” Sil answered.

Miles frowned. “That long…? What happened?

Sil shook his head. “Not now. You’re still healing, bro. We’re in the hospital, and the doctors said stress could mess you up even worse.”He yawned mid-sentence, rubbing his eyes. “Tomorrow morning, we get discharged.

I’ll tell you everything on the way. Ok,” Miles said then nodded. “Alright.”He tilted his head slightly. “You seem pretty exhausted.

”Sil snorted. “Sometimes I wonder if you really can’t see anything

”Miles chuckled softly. He pulled the blanket off the bed, folded it, and placed it neatly on the floor before lying down.

Elsewhere – Dr. Gyato’s House“Dr. Gyato,” Stella reported,

“I’ve measured the Soul Crystal. The beast was an Emperor-Tier, nearly evolving just short of King Tier.

Gyato stood beneath a stream of hot water, arms braced against the wall as steam filled the bathroom.

Gyato’s jaw tightened.

“An Emperor-Tier beast crashing into the O’Hara Hunter Registration Center…” Gyato muttered while washing up. “Five hundred civilians dead.”

“We also lost two hundred and fifty hunters,” Stella added.

“That many casualties…” Gyato clenched his fist. “Beast attacks are common, but O’Hara should never fall to something like this.

The Doom Shield alone could withstand four direct blasts from a Kaiju-Tier beast before failing. I built the doom shield myself and most of the security system was placed when the fortress was under construction, Gyato thought to himself and clenched his hands

During the first war between humans and demons, the demon king Luce led a large number of demom almost ending all life on earth but because of O'Hara's defenses Luce, a demon who rose from the depths of an island where a rift tore between Earth and Hollow Earth—a vast hidden world beneath the planet where beasts originated. drove humanity to extinction. That was before the rise of "Original" Humans with the ability to fight back the demons — Together, humanity resisted. And defeated the demon lord Luce

Humans forged a new nation: including enhancing O’Hara with materials taken from Hollow Earth Even after the war, danger remained. Beasts continued to emerge from Hollow Earth, taking residence all across the globe making survival nearly impossible for those without abilities. To combat this, humanity learned to harness Beast Soul Crystals, forging weapons and armor using Black Lead—an extremely rare Hollow Earth metal. And original thought there ability to disciples which later called them self hunter's

“Show me the list of hunters who survived the Emperor-Tier beast,” Gyato said.“Only fifty,” Stella replied.

Send them all a message,” Gyato ordered. “They’ve passed the evaluation and now officially hunters send them all a request to those who might be interested in the Hunter's Association or the military.”Yes, Doctor.”

“And send a report to the other guild masters.”

There was a brief pause. “What about them? Should I send them a report as well?”

“No,” Gyato replied flatly. “Those hags already know exactly what happened.

They just don’t want to get involved.”

He stepped out of the hot shower, steam rolling off his skin as he reached for a robe.

“They won't lift a finger unless it involves them directly,” Gyato added coldly as he tied his robe.

Meanwhile In a Hospital

“Sil… Sil... Sil.”Miles called out

Sil was still asleep.

Miles quietly stood and reached for the door. The moment he opened it—

“Please return to bed.”

A woman in a white coat stood before him, clipboard in hand, her expression firm but kind.

“You’re not cleared to leave yet,” the nurse said. “I need to run a final check-up.

Sil stirred awake. “Oh… the nurse,” he mumbled.

Ten Minutes Later The sun hung low in the sky as Miles and Sil stepped outside the hospital. They walked in silence through a nearby park, the sound of wind rustling leaves filling the air.

Sil rested his hand instinctively on the hilt of his sword after sitting on a bench in the park. Miles felt his heart pounding. Ever since they reached the reception desk, something had been weighing on him—but he didn’t speak.

Suddenly, Sil stood up and bowed his head.“I’m sorry,” Sil said apologize.

Miles turned.“When I saw the two-headed dragon…” Sil kept his head low. “I panicked. I thought only about myself. I thought of abandoning you after making a promise to hunt with you .”

Miles stepped forward and placed a hand on Sil’s shoulder.“If it wasn’t for Dr. Gyato, we’d both be dead,” Miles said calmly. “So stop apologizing.”He smiled. “I forgive you.”At that moment a sudden—Beep. Beep sound interrupt, both of their wrist devices lit up. New Message Received. Sil tapped the surface. A voice message read out loud:

“You have passed the evaluation Test. You are now officially recognized Hunters.”

The devices began to shift and morph, metal folding into itself until they transformed into sleek cards.

Each card displayed a photo, name, and rank.

“What… is this?” Miles asked, rubbing his wrist.

Sil stared at his card, eyes wide.“We’re hunters now,” Sil said, both celebrated their achievement and Sil smiled at Miles