The man rubbed the back of his head where Nina had smacked him, still clearly in pain—physically, emotionally, and probably existentially.
"I know you don't trust me. But I can prove I'm from the future.""
He said, standing straighter.
"Oh good, a psychic too. Should've brought popcorn."
Nina muttered.
"I'm serious. In the next hour, a dungeon will open. Right here. Monsters will pour out. Chaos. Bloodshed. Screaming. You know—the usual."
He pointed at the sky.
Nina folded her arms.
"Uh-huh. And how exactly do you know this?"
"Because I studied every timeline where this moment went wrong. Every one where you walked away."
He said.
She narrowed her eyes.
"You're real fond of the drama."
"I'm being honest."
"Which is exactly what someone lying would say."
He groaned in frustration.
"Look, if we don't do something, people are going to die."
"Right, and you came all this way through time to tell me this. Why not a government? A guild? A military organization?"
She said, already rolling her eyes.
"Because none of them can stop it. You're the only one who can."
He said.
Nina blinked slowly.
"Wrong girl, buddy."
"You're the King of Humanity. The chosen one."
He said, eyes intense.
"I'm barely the queen of getting out of bed."
"You can feel it, can't you? That pressure in your chest. That power in your veins. Even now, your mana's reacting to the dungeon opening."
He insisted.
Nina turned away and started walking.
"Wait—what are you doing?!"
"Leaving. Good luck with your monster apocalypse."
She said flatly.
"If you leave now, you'll regret it. So many lives will be lost—!"
He called after her.
"Yeah, yeah. Doom. Gloom. Death. Got it.""
She waved a hand.
He fell silent behind her, and the alley faded behind the buzz of the street.
[Patreon Note: You made the right decision. None of this concerns you.]
[System Comfort Mode: Activated.]
"I'm not worried."
Nina muttered under her breath.
[Patreon: Of course not.]
She stuffed her hands into her hoodie and kept walking.
The café was far behind now. She passed a magical pet shop where a flaming duck screamed at a customer.
An old woman was trying to haggle over the price of a teleporting cabbage.
She was fine.
Completely fine.
"Do I look like someone who saves the world? I just wanted coffee. Maybe a pastry. Not… fate."
She muttered.
[Patreon: You are wise to avoid burdening yourself with others.]
"Exactly. That guy's clearly nuts."
[Patreon: And yet… you haven't gone home.]
She paused.
"…I'm taking the scenic route."
[Patreon: Of course.]
A breeze picked up. The air felt… heavier. Like the atmosphere had sucked in a breath and was holding it.
[System Alert: Mana Surge detected.]
[Patreon: Dungeon gate forming. Estimated distance: 400 meters.]
Nina stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.
"That's… really close."
[Patreon: Estimated gate opening in 3 minutes.]
"Seriously?"
[Patreon: I told you to ignore him.]
Nina looked around. Kids were laughing across the street, chasing a floating orb.
A mother was walking her baby cerberus. A group of high schoolers in enchanted uniforms flirted over boba tea.
Normal.
Ordinary.
Too ordinary for what was about to happen.
She felt it now. That tight pull in her gut. Like her mana was humming, vibrating at a frequency only she could hear. Her fingertips buzzed. The hair on her arms stood on end.
[System Alert: Dungeon gate opening imminent.]
[System Alert: Defensive magic formation offline.]
[System Alert: Civilian threat level—critical.]
"…Seriously?"
[Patreon: We should leave. You are not obligated to help.]
"Right."
[Patreon: There are other hunters. Other protectors.]
"Yeah."
[Patreon: You are not one of them.]
She closed her eyes.
Then opened them again.
"Patron."
[Yes?]
"Remind me again, why I'm pretending I'm just some normal girl?"
She muttered.
[Because it is easier.]
She sighed.
The street around her suddenly rippled. Mana cracked through the air like lightning without sound.
And then, just across the intersection, the sky split open like torn fabric—and a swirling, violet vortex bloomed in the air.
The dungeon gate.
Screams tore through the air as the dungeon gate split wide open like a wound in the sky.
From its swirling core, misshapen monsters crawled out—dripping shadows with far too many eyes and limbs that bent the wrong way.
People ran.
Some screamed. Some shoved. Some used minor magic to propel themselves forward, while others stumbled behind. It was chaos, unfiltered and loud.
Nina turned on her heel to join the stampede. She wasn't about to be the idiot who stayed behind to make a final stand.
No, thanks. She was going to live.
Then she saw it.
One monster broke from the pack—low to the ground, fast, its claws scraping sparks off the pavement. And it was charging straight toward a little boy who had tripped on his shoelaces.
Nina's feet stopped moving.
"Oh, come on—"
[Patron: Keep running. He's not your responsibility.]
"I know," she muttered.
[Patron: Do not be foolish.]
"Shut up."
Before she could second-guess herself, Nina dashed toward the kid.
The monster roared, too close for comfort. She scooped the boy into her arms just as its claws slashed at the ground where he'd been.
"Hold on!"
She yelled.
The kid's eyes were wide with panic.
"Are you a hunter?!"
"Do I look like a hunter?"
Nina snapped as she swerved down the street.
[Patron: Liar.]
"Shut up."
She hissed.
The monster didn't stop chasing. It leapt across a car and barrelled after her, foam dripping from its jagged jaw.
Nina ducked between alleyways, turned corners at impossible speeds, and wove through the panicking crowd.
[System Alert: Threat level—moderate. Recommendation: Eliminate target.]
"Yeah, no pressure."
She muttered.
The boy was still clinging to her hoodie with tiny fingers. His voice trembled.
"A-Are we gonna die?"
"Nope. Not on my to-do list today. Okay, listen, kid. If you don't wanna see something traumatic, now's the time to close your eyes."
She glanced over her shoulder.
He obeyed without question, squeezing them shut.
Nina turned, pivoting hard on her heel as the monster lunged again.
In a flash, her mana surged—an invisible shockwave expanding around her body. Her eyes shimmered for half a second, just long enough for reality to bend around her.
She twisted her body inhumanly fast, dodging the swipe and slamming her heel into the creature's face.
It stumbled back.
[Skill: Phantom Step — activated.]
Nina didn't waste a second. She leapt onto a dumpster, vaulted a fence, and landed in the overgrown garden behind an abandoned building.
Only then did she set the boy down behind a fallen crate.
"There. Stay hidden. If anything that doesn't look like me shows up, scream and run."
She said.
He blinked at her, awestruck.
"You're totally a hunter…"
"Nope. Just someone with main character energy."
She patted his head.
[Patron: You keep saying that, but the scoreboard disagrees.]
"Can we not do this right now?"
[Patron: You are amusing when under pressure.]
Back on the street, she could hear the chaos intensifying. The air vibrated with distant explosions, spells lighting the sky like fireworks.
Then came the whoosh of high-powered transport spells.
Bright flashes followed—sleek, armored hunters appearing on the scene, clad in shimmering armor and flanked by summoned beasts and drones.
Finally.
Nina peeked past the fence, expecting them to charge straight into the heart of the destruction.
But instead, they turned right.
Away from the crowded street. Toward the gilded gates of the rich district.
"Oh, of course."
She muttered.
[Patron: They prioritize high-value zones first. Standard protocol.]
"Yeah, sure. Heaven forbid a noble loses his third summer house."
She watched as the pro-hunters passed by burning shops, overturned fruit carts, and wounded civilians crying for help.
Their expressions didn't change. They didn't even glance back.
[System Notice: Estimated civilian casualties—rising.]
The kid tugged her sleeve.
"Aren't they gonna help?"
Nina looked at him.
Then looked at the hunters fading into the distance.
She exhaled.
"...No, kid. They're not."
[Patron: Again, this is not your problem.]
"I know."
[Patron: You are not responsible.]
"Yep."
[Patron: And yet…]
"Shut up."
She said quietly, standing again.
The monsters weren't stopping. Civilians were still trapped. And clearly, help wasn't coming any time soon.
She wasn't a hunter.
She wasn't a hero.
But she was angry.
[Skill slot unlocked.]
[System Query: Would you like to engage Combat Mode?]
Nina's fingers flexed, and the mana in her body stirred like a beast waking up from a long nap.
She glanced at the kid.
"Stay hidden. I'll be back."
Then she walked back toward the chaos.