David didn’t move.
For several seconds, he simply stared at Jenna.
"The Upper Side?"
The words came out quieter than he’d intended.
Jenna gave him an unimpressed look.
"Yes."
"You mean the Upper Side?"
"How many Upper Sides do you think there are?"
David’s mouth opened, then closed again.
He had heard plenty about the Upper Side before.
Everyone had.
The Upper Side wasn’t simply another neighborhood. It was the part of the city where the wealthy lived, where the biggest companies had their headquarters, where private security was practically everywhere, and where ordinary people rarely had any reason to go.
It was separated from the rest of the city by more than money.
There were barriers.
Checkpoints.
Private roads.
And, most importantly, people like David didn’t belong there.
Yet Jenna had just casually told him that whatever Hunter organization she belonged to was located there.
’What the hell is going on?’
He glanced at Nicole.
She seemed completely unfazed by the conversation.
That bothered him almost as much as Jenna’s answer.
’So Nicole knows about all of this too?’
David’s eyes narrowed slightly.
His neighbor had just dropped out of the sky.
Literally.
And apparently, that wasn’t even the strangest thing about her.
She had also casually admitted to knowing about magical energy, dungeons, and Hunters.
Yet yesterday, she’d been sitting beside him while they played games.
’My neighborhood is fucking weird.’
"Are we walking there?" David finally asked.
Jenna raised an eyebrow.
"Of course not."
She turned around and started walking toward the mouth of the alley.
"There’s a car nearby."
David followed after her, but his pace slowed slightly when he noticed Nicole falling into step beside him.
Lion remained behind them.
Still watching.
Still close enough to grab him if he tried anything.
David glanced sideways at Nicole.
She noticed.
"What?"
"You know, considering what I just found out about you, I’m starting to have several questions."
Nicole smiled.
"Only several?"
"A lot."
"That’s understandable."
"Like how the hell did you just fall from the sky?"
She laughed.
"That?"
She pointed upward.
"I jumped."
David stared at her.
"You jumped."
"Yep."
"From where?"
"The roof."
"Why?"
"Because Lion called me."
David blinked.
’That’s her explanation?’
He looked toward Lion.
The giant man simply shrugged.
David slowly turned back to Nicole.
"You jumped off a building because he called you?"
"Technically, I jumped off the building because I was already on the roof."
"That doesn’t make it better."
Nicole laughed again.
For someone who had apparently been dragged into whatever secret supernatural world this was, she seemed far too cheerful.
David wasn’t sure whether that made her trustworthy or terrifying.
Probably both.
They finally stepped out of the alley.
A black vehicle was parked a short distance away.
It wasn’t flashy.
That was what immediately caught David’s attention.
No expensive sports car.
No ridiculous limousine.
Just a dark sedan with tinted windows.
Jenna walked toward it without hesitation.
Nicole followed.
Lion opened the rear door.
David stopped beside the vehicle.
He looked at the open door.
Then at Lion.
Then back at the door.
’This is definitely how people get kidnapped.’
He hesitated.
Lion’s expression remained completely blank.
"What?"
David pointed at the car.
"Nothing."
He climbed inside.
’Nothing. Just accepting my kidnapping like a reasonable citizen.’
Nicole entered after him while Jenna took the passenger seat.
Lion got behind the wheel.
The engine started.
And just like that, David was officially leaving everything he knew behind.
For the first few minutes, nobody spoke.
David sat against the window, watching the city pass by.
The familiar streets gradually disappeared.
Small stores became larger buildings.
Crowded roads became cleaner.
Old apartment blocks gave way to modern offices and expensive residential towers.
Even the sidewalks looked different.
Cleaner.
Quieter.
More controlled.
David frowned.
’So this is the Upper Side.’
He had expected something more dramatic.
Maybe massive gates.
Maybe armed guards.
Maybe some kind of magical barrier.
Instead, it looked like an ordinary wealthy district.
That was somehow more unsettling.
"You’re disappointed."
Jenna’s voice came from the front.
David looked toward her.
"What?"
"You were expecting something more impressive."
"I wasn’t."
"You were."
"I wasn’t."
She glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
"You’ve been staring out the window for ten minutes."
"Because I’ve never been here."
"Obviously."
David clicked his tongue.
"Can you stop acting like you know everything?"
"I know enough."
"That’s exactly what someone who knows everything would say."
Nicole snorted from beside him.
Jenna looked at her.
"What’s funny?"
"Nothing."
"You laughed."
"I breathed funny."
David covered his mouth, barely holding back a laugh.
Jenna’s eyes narrowed.
"You two are annoying."
Lion suddenly spoke from the driver’s seat.
"She’s right."
David looked at him.
"You’re agreeing with her?"
"You’re annoying."
Nicole gasped.
"Wow. Lion actually spoke."
"Shut up."
David couldn’t help it.
A small smile formed on his face.
Despite everything, the exchange made the situation feel slightly less threatening.
Only slightly.
Because the questions were still there.
And none of them had been answered.
David leaned forward.
"So..."
Jenna sighed.
"Here we go."
"What exactly is a Hunter?"
"Someone who hunts."
David stared at the back of her head.
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
"That’s your answer?"
"What else do you want?"
"Something useful."
Jenna was silent for a moment.
Then she answered.
"Hunters are people capable of entering dungeons, fighting monsters, and dealing with supernatural incidents."
David’s expression became serious.
"So there really are monsters?"
"Yes."
"Dungeons?"
"Yes."
"Magic?"
"Yes."
David leaned back.
’Okay.’
His mind struggled to process the simplicity of it.
Everything he’d thought was fiction was apparently real.
And somehow, he’d been living right beside it without noticing.
"Then what’s an Awakened?"
This time, Nicole answered.
"Someone who has awakened magical energy."
David immediately glanced at her.
"And that’s what you think I am?"
"No."
Nicole shook her head.
"That’s the problem."
Her cheerful expression faded slightly.
"You shouldn’t be able to see a dungeon without magical energy."
David’s eyes narrowed.
"So you don’t think I’m Awakened?"
"I don’t know what you are."
That answer was far more honest than he expected.
Nicole looked at him thoughtfully.
"But if you really saw Jenna entering the dungeon..."
She paused.
"Then you’re definitely not normal."
David looked away.
’Great.’
That was exactly what he needed.
Another person telling him he wasn’t normal.
His hand slipped into his pocket.
His fingers brushed against his phone.
For a brief moment, he considered checking the system.
But he stopped himself.
Not here.
Not with all three of them around.
He still didn’t know what they could see.
More importantly, he didn’t know what the system would do if it detected them.
The notification from earlier had already been strange enough.
[Lust Bond Gaze has now been deactivated.]
At least that problem was gone.
Now he needed answers.
Real ones.
The car continued deeper into the Upper Side.
Eventually, the buildings became more spaced out.
The roads widened.
David noticed fewer pedestrians.
Then fewer vehicles.
Until finally, the car turned onto a private road.
David straightened.
A massive iron gate stood ahead.
Two guards were positioned beside it.
They weren’t holding ordinary weapons.
David couldn’t tell exactly what they were carrying, but the equipment looked far too advanced to be standard security gear.
The moment the car approached, one of the guards stepped forward.
Lion lowered the window.
The guard looked inside.
His eyes moved across Jenna, Nicole, and finally David.
For a moment, his expression changed.
Then he stepped aside.
The gate opened.
David stared.
’So we’re really going in.’
The car passed through.
And that’s when David finally saw it.
The building wasn’t enormous.
It wasn’t some skyscraper.
It was a large, modern structure surrounded by several smaller buildings.
Training grounds stretched across one side.
David could see people moving through them.
Some were carrying weapons.
Others were fighting.
A few were doing things that made absolutely no sense.
One person raised his hand.
A burst of flame erupted from his palm.
David’s eyes widened.
’What the fuck?’
Another person moved so quickly that David barely followed them.
Someone else stood several meters away and sent a wave of force crashing into a training dummy.
David slowly sank deeper into his seat.
’Okay.’
He swallowed.
’This is real.’
Nicole glanced at him.
"You okay?"
David nodded.
"Yeah."
His voice came out strangely flat.
"I’m just reconsidering every fictional story I’ve ever watched."
Nicole laughed.
The car stopped in front of the main building.
Lion switched off the engine.
Everyone got out.
David followed slowly.
The moment his shoes touched the ground, he felt something.
A strange pressure.
It wasn’t physical.
It felt almost like the air itself had become heavier.
His eyes moved toward the building.
For a split second, the system flickered.
[Unknown Energy Detected.]
David froze.
’What?’
The message disappeared almost immediately.
He blinked.
Nothing.
’Did I imagine that?’
"David."
He looked up.
Jenna was standing several feet away, watching him.
"What?"
"You coming?"
David glanced back at the building.
Then at Jenna.
Then at Lion.
Nicole.
Four people.
A strange organization.
Dungeons.
Magic.
Hunters.
And now an unknown energy that his system had detected.
He had no idea what awaited him inside.
But one thing was becoming increasingly obvious.
Running away wasn’t going to solve this.
Not yet.
If these people were telling the truth, then they knew things he needed to know.
And if they were lying...
David’s eyes narrowed.
’Then I’ll find out.’
He walked toward them.
"Yeah."
Jenna turned and started toward the entrance.
David followed.
As they reached the doors, they opened automatically.
The inside was even stranger.
People in different uniforms moved through the halls.
Some carried swords.
Others had weapons David couldn’t identify.
A few wore what looked like combat gear.
And everywhere he looked, there were screens displaying information he didn’t understand.
Ranks.
Names.
Numbers.
Mission statuses.
David’s attention moved rapidly from one thing to another.
’So this is how Hunters live.’
He felt a strange mixture of fear and curiosity building inside him.
Then Jenna suddenly stopped.
David nearly walked into her again.
She turned around.
"Before we go any further, there’s something you should understand."
David looked at her.
Her expression had changed.
No teasing.
No casual attitude.
For the first time since they’d met, Jenna looked completely serious.
"You’ve seen something you weren’t supposed to see."
David remained silent.
"And that means there are two possibilities."
She held up one finger.
"Either you’re an Awakened whose abilities haven’t manifested normally..."
A second finger.
"Or you’re something none of us understand."
David’s stomach tightened.
Jenna lowered her hand.
"Either way, HQ needs to know what you are."
David stared at her.
Then he smiled faintly.
"That’s reassuring."
"It wasn’t supposed to be."
"I figured."
Jenna turned around.
"Come on."
David followed.
But this time, his thoughts were no longer focused on escaping.
They were focused on something else.
’What exactly am I?’
And somewhere deep inside him, beneath the fear and confusion, another feeling began to grow.
Curiosity.
Because if this world had Hunters...
If dungeons were real...
If magic actually existed...
And if the system inside his head had known about all of it before he ever did—
Then perhaps his greatest mistake wasn’t getting caught.
Perhaps it was assuming that the system had given him powers without a reason.
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