In a world where heroes are worshipped and guilds are idolized—
Where power is glorified and broadcasted across nations like a sport—
There exists a place that devours all light.
Where no camera dares to follow.
Where laws are only memories.
Where monsters walk beside men, and humanity has long since lost its meaning.
The Dark Continent.
A lawless zone, cut off from the world map.
A crucible of ruin, fed by blood, betrayal, and forbidden knowledge.
Here, there are no dungeons.
Because the entire land is one.
And the ones who thrive here… are not heroes.
They are monsters in human skin.
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It begins with a scream.
A battered S+ Rank hunter from France—Victor Delacroix, once the shining captain of a noble guild—staggers through the ruined outskirts of the Dark Continent. Breathing hard. Wounded. His aura flickers like a dying flame.
He thought he could come here.
Strike a deal.
Steal power from the darkness.
But the moment he turned his back—
Shhk.
One clean slice. Spine to throat. A spray of crimson mists the air.
Victor's body falls to the ground, lifeless. His head still wearing an expression of disbelief.
The killer sheaths his long, curved blade in silence.
---
Kim Hwan, Age 37 – "The Demon Fang"
SSS-Rank (Rogue) – South Korea
Once hailed as a national hero, now fallen into infamy. Kim Hwan crossed into the Dark Continent alone—without warning, without allies. Within months, he massacred three underground guilds and claimed a fortress from a monster horde.
He doesn't follow Reid Stone. He aligns with him—for now. He seeks a forbidden path to evolve beyond SSS-rank. Not for glory.
For vengeance.
His reasons are unknown. His blade, undeniable.
"I don't want the world. I want to tear it apart."
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And he is not alone.
The Dark Continent breeds its own hierarchy.
Rogue hunters, exiled awakeners, and twisted believers form a brutal order under Reid Stone's shadow.
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Mae Lou, Age 35 – "The Widow Witch"
SS-Rank Dark Magician – China
Her forbidden soul magic is outlawed even in black guilds. She can drain the life force of her victims from across the battlefield or bind spirits to rip minds into madness. Some believe she's lived more than one life—and that her current body is borrowed.
Purpose: To revive a lost bloodline of cursed mages and rule the spiritual underworld.
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Dao & Yao, Age 29 – "The Twin Crows"
SS+ Rank Assassins – Japan
Raised by a cult. Bred for silence. Dao uses high-precision ranged kills—knives, wires, projectiles. Yao prefers close-quarters—fingertip blades, pressure-point strikes, dismemberment in seconds.
Together, they've completed over 200 contracted kills. Zero failures.
Purpose: Perfection through death. They believe each kill brings them closer to transcendence.
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Now meet the rogues of the lower tiers:
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Kellan Graves, Age 26 – "The Smiler"
S-Rank Illusionist – Canada
A sadistic trickster who distorts reality and emotion. He's known for mentally breaking his targets, forcing them to beg or turn on their allies before delivering the final blow.
Purpose: Chaos. He serves Reid for entertainment and "front-row seats to humanity's collapse."
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Asra Vayne, Age 23 – "The Butcher's Grace"
A-Rank Berserker – South Africa
Wields dual axes, wears trophies of her kills. She doesn't speak often—but when she does, she quotes poetry. Her rage burns constant, and she can enter a state where pain heals her faster.
Purpose: To become a legend feared more than monsters. She doesn't want peace—only war.
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Luca Fen, Age 19 – "The Blooming Plague"
B-Rank Support – Philippines
A venom-based awakener who manipulates deadly toxins through plants and insects. Looks innocent, speaks softly, but has killed entire camps by himself with poison spores.
Purpose: "To cleanse the weak and let nature reclaim."
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Wretch, Unknown Age – "The Creep"
C-Rank Parasite User – Unknown Origin
Mutated. Twisted. Uses parasitic organisms to control corpses and sometimes living people. He's not intelligent, but loyal to Reid Stone like a dog. Hides in tunnels, ambushes prey, and devours what's left.
Purpose: Unclear. Perhaps he doesn't even know. He just feeds.
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And above them all, like a devil beneath the skin of the world:
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Reid Stone — Unknown Age. Unknown Rank. Unknown Origin.
Leader of the Dark Triad. Lord of the Black Guild.
No official records. No proof of his awakening. Only whispered stories and shattered guilds left behind.
He controls:
Illegal artifact trafficking
Monster hybridization experiments
Awakened organ harvesting
Human auctions and soul-branding rituals
It's said he once stood before an SSS-rank hunter… and broke their core with just a glance.
He is not aiming to conquer.
He plans to unmake.
And while the world turns its eyes to the rising stars, and the Celestial Order watches the skies—
Reid watches the ground beneath them rot.
To be continue....