Chapter 1

    In the dead of night, within a desolate dungeon, the surroundings were filled with abandoned buildings and scattered ruins. The atmosphere was eerie, with not even a single monster in sight.

    Yet, two individuals were locked in a fierce battle, their powers clashing violently, causing explosions that spread far and wide. Dust and debris clouded the view, but it posed no obstacle to either side.

    The fight continued relentlessly until one of them made a mistake, revealing a vulnerable point. The other seized the opportunity to strike immediately, sending the opponent hurtling into the remnants of a building, creating a massive crater. This caused the injured party to cough up blood, with bones shattered throughout their body, rendering them immobile. The scene was a testament to the intensity of the confrontation.

    One of the men had a strikingly handsome face, tall and broad-shouldered, with a strong, muscular build. An intense, menacing aura radiated from him, making it hard to breathe. He was slowly approaching the defeated man.

    The other man was in critical condition, his face concealed by a plain white mask adorned with a slight curved pattern at the right corner. He leaned against the wreckage, breathing heavily, his slender hand clutching a wound on his chest in a futile attempt to alleviate the pain. The masked man could hear the rhythmic sound of footsteps approaching, his dim, vacant eyes fixed on the tall man. The oppressive atmosphere seemed to close in, as if his life was nearing its end.

    With his mission failed, he chose to sacrifice his life immediately. Triggering a curse, a tattoo of a demon on the slender neck of the masked man emitted a repulsive black aura until the tattoo faded away as if it had never existed.

    Yet, this could not escape the sharp gaze of the other man, who realized that the masked man belonged to an underground organization he had long wanted to eradicate.

    The muscular man knelt to the level of the person before him, his thick hand slowly reaching to remove the mask. As the face was revealed, he gazed at the other with a complex and mysterious look for a long time. Upon inspection, he found that the masked man had already died.

    The stranger was of no use to him anymore. The muscular figure decided to stand up, but just as he was about to turn away, he sensed a life force he longed for and was familiar with entering the body of the masked man.

    His thick hand pressed against the other's chest to investigate, sending a dark aura to probe within. He found signs of life once more, but the S-rank power that had once been there was completely absent. It was as if that power had vanished without a trace, leaving behind nothing but a powerless shell. His sharp eyes widened in surprise. He decided to keep the mask of the other man with him, then lifted the body and walked out of the dungeon without looking back.

    The novel 'Solo Hunter' was Claudia's favorite read lately, recommended by an online friend. They've known each other for five years but have never met in person. This wasn't a problem for him, as Claudia felt comfortable chatting and getting to know this friend.

    Every day after work or on weekends, Claudia would read novels, browse social media, play games, and chat with online friends as a hobby.

    Having known each other for so long, they finally decided to meet up. Claudia felt especially excited, like going on a date with a girl for the first time. Ridiculous, it's not like that at all! No matter how close they were, he had never heard the other's voice or seen their face before, so it was natural to feel a bit nervous.

    Today was Saturday. Normally, Claudia would sleep in on weekends, but since today was special, he woke up early to dress meticulously.

    They had set a time and place to meet at a café.

    Was it because he was too excited? Claudia arrived an entire hour early! If the other person knew, it would be so embarrassing. So, he decided to take a stroll around the café to kill time. Conveniently, there was a street market for teens nearby, making the wait less boring. The atmosphere was pleasant, with shops lined up in a row and teenagers wandering about. Claudia wandered around until it was almost time for the meeting.

    He walked out of the street market and headed towards the crosswalk. Then, he messaged his friend, saying he was almost at the café, and described himself: today he was wearing a beige-colored sweater, faded jeans, and white sneakers.

    The other person replied that they had arrived at the café. As soon as his friend spotted him from afar, they waved at him immediately. Claudia, seeing this, grinned widely. Although he couldn't clearly see the other person's face, he knew that the one waving was his online friend.

    His friend's aura was so dazzling that Claudia had to squint. He had a tall, striking figure, with jet-black hair, wearing a black turtleneck under a long coat and matching fitted pants. Claudia waved back and, noticing the traffic light, hurried towards his destination.

    Claudia was halfway across when suddenly a truck came barreling towards him, hitting him with such force that he was thrown far away. He felt intense pain, so severe that tears streamed down his face, blurring his vision.

    His friend rushed over and supported him. Claudia couldn't comprehend what the other person was saying, as his ears were ringing. His friend gently shook him to keep him from passing out. Even now, he still didn't know what the other person looked like. Finally, his vision faded away.

    Gasp!

    Claudia jolted awake, startled, causing a sudden surge of pain that made him collapse back down. A beautiful nurse who had just entered exclaimed softly and quickly signaled for the doctor to come and examine him immediately.

    A middle-aged male doctor with a kind face entered the room to examine Claudia thoroughly. Claudia only now realized that he was in a hospital, and there were all sorts of strange, futuristic devices attached to him. These were tools he had never seen before in his life.

    The doctor checked his condition, casting a sympathetic and pitying look, as if Claudia only had a few days left to live. Seeing this, Claudia couldn't help but feel disheartened.

    Claudia remembered that he had been hit by a truck, leaving him in a terrible state, with broken limbs twisted in all directions. How had he survived? Was he going to be disabled for life?

    Without delay, Claudia tested his legs by trying to move them. He felt pain but found that he could still move! The doctor, seeing him do this, was startled and quickly stopped him.

    Claudia was confused. He examined his body again and found it to be different. His eyes widened in shock, more so than at the thought of being disabled. Why didn't his body look the same? How could he not recognize the body he'd had all his life?

    Claudia used to have a healthy honey-toned complexion that he was very proud of, not this glaringly pale skin that seemed to reflect light. He raised his hands to feel around his body, discovering that his once beautifully toned muscles had become slender. Every part of his body wasn't truly his, and with hair this long, it was impossible! Damn it!

    Could he have been so severely disfigured that he needed full-body surgery? Or was this someone else's body, and he had crossed dimensions into another world? Claudia's mind spun with strange thoughts once again.

    He lowered his gaze to his lower body, his slender hand reaching to pull at his pants to look inside, but he remembered the doctor and the pretty nurse were present. He glanced at them and saw both wearing odd expressions, staring at him. They must think he's gone mad.

    Claudia cleared his throat to cover his embarrassment, adjusting his expression and mood back to normal, pretending nothing was amiss, and then asked the doctor about his condition.

    "Uh, Doctor, is my condition very serious?" Whatever the outcome, he was prepared for the impact.

    "Previously, Mr. Claudia, you were under a mind-wiping curse from an underground organization for many years. When the curse was lifted, it caused you to lose all his memories. Your powers were absorbed, resulting in their damage as well. As of now, you are just an ordinary person without any powers."

    The doctor looked at him with deep sympathy, fully aware of the plight of someone who once possessed powers but now was powerless. The life of a once-proud hunter felt like living death.

    Seeing Claudia's mind drift far away, the doctor brought him back to reality and offered some consolation.

    "Actually, Mr. Claudia, you had died earlier, but a miracle occurred, and suddenly, you came back to life. The curse was also cleansed, so you are no longer under the curse of the underground organization.

    Rest assured, the Hunter Association and major guilds are currently investigating and gathering clues about them. As for your powers, there's still a chance they might return. Don't lose hope, Mr. Claudia," the doctor finished, raising a fist in encouragement.

    W-wait a minute. An underground organization? And powers? Claudia is his name too, isn't it? These keywords confirm one thing for sure.

    "Thank you, doctor," he paused, bracing himself for what was about to unfold.

    "Um, could you tell me what caused my death and who saved me from the underground organization?"

    Before the doctor could respond, there was a gentle knock on the door, and a man appeared in the doorway. Claudia's eyes widened in shock.

    The man before him had a face that seemed to be sculpted by the gods themselves. His hair was a smoky gray, and his fierce eyes matched the color of his hair.

    As their eyes met, Claudia felt drawn into their depths, unable to look away. His gaze traveled down to a prominent nose and thin lips.

    Beyond his face, the gods hadn't forgotten to craft this man's body either. He had a strong, muscular physique, evident from the well-defined abs that seemed ready to burst through his clothes. Truly enviable.

    Estimating his height, he seemed to be around 190 centimeters tall, with an upper and lower body in perfect golden proportions.

    'Gray hair... hmm... gray hair, gray eyes... could it be...' Claudia thought, pondering as he observed.

    He didn't say a word, and the doctor revealed everything for him.

    "Oh, it was Alan Miller who saved you. He's here to visit you right now."

    Okay, Claudia started to grasp the situation. How many heart-stopping moments had he experienced today? He felt like he was crying inside for the one hundred and ninety-ninth time.

    Could he just say goodbye and leave forever? He didn't want to stay any longer.

    Having the chance to cross into another world, and he ended up in the body of a powerless waste? Even a rank F would be better! Argh!