After finishing his Friday morning class, Kim Seo-jun headed to the faculty-only parking lot, carrying a single backpack and an artist’s case slung over his shoulder.
The backpack Kim Seo-jun wore was an artifact.
It had a simple effect called Spatial Expansion, concealing an internal space twice the size of the backpack itself, allowing it to hold far more items than it appeared capable of.
Its weight didn’t change, and it couldn’t contain items larger than the backpack itself, so the price wasn’t excessively high.
Artifacts like this were already widespread and commonly used in daily life, so obtaining one was not difficult at all.
Kim Seo-jun had bought this backpack at a discounted price of just 990,000 won and had neatly packed clothes, food supplies, and a compressed sleeping bag inside.
As soon as he entered the parking lot, he immediately met Professor Shim Jae-deok.
“Your gear… looks light?”
Shim Jae-deok was puzzled seeing Kim Seo-jun carrying only one backpack and an artist’s case.
Usually, first-time hunters joining a rift raid didn’t know what to prepare and ended up bringing a huge amount of stuff.
“It’s not exactly light. This backpack is a bit special… Here, take a look.”
Kim Seo-jun handed over the receipt without hesitation.
Seeing it, Shim Jae-deok’s expression crumpled.
“I kept it under one million won, just like we agreed.”
“… I see.”
Shim Jae-deok’s irritation rose but he held it back and pulled out twenty 50,000-won bills from his wallet, handing them to Kim Seo-jun.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I even got this artifact.”
Kim Seo-jun smiled broadly as he pulled out the 10,000-won change, but Shim Jae-deok waved it off.
“Keep the change. More importantly, we need to leave immediately if we want to arrive on time. Get in.”
Shim Jae-deok didn’t want to appear stingy in front of the students by taking back 10,000 won.
He just wanted to hand over Kim Seo-jun to the raid team as soon as possible.
“Yes. Then, I’m counting on you.”
Kim Seo-jun got into the passenger seat, and the car smoothly left the academy, heading toward Yongin.
*****
Yongin, Singal Five-way Intersection.
Rift 57 was located right there.
Now controlled by the military and the Rift Management Bureau, vehicles were no longer allowed entry, but in the past, it was a notorious spot for constant traffic jams due to the volume of cars.
After parking, Shim Jae-deok approached the rift, which radiated an aurora-like glow in midair.
Most rifts appeared about 100 meters above ground, but this one was only 27 meters high, making entry easier.
Passing through the tightly guarded multiple layers of perimeter, they reached directly below the rift, where several hunters gathered around a large aerial work platform.
Kim Seo-jun observed a man explaining using a status board and the people around him.
The speaker was Lee Hyung-mo, the raid team leader for this operation, and the one projecting data onto the board was his younger brother, Lee Han-su.
He recognized the faces of the other six members from the Rift Management Bureau’s intranet, so none seemed unfamiliar.
“Oh, you’re already briefing the operation? Are we late?”
Shim Jae-deok approached with an awkward smile, but Lee Hyung-mo looked at him expressionlessly.
“The operation is ours to carry out anyway, so there’s no need to wait for the student’s arrival.”
“Ah, right. Haha. Here, this student will be under your care for this raid—Kim Seo-jun.”
At Shim Jae-deok’s introduction, all the hunters turned their gaze toward Kim Seo-jun.
Their sharp eyes scanned him from head to toe, and Kim Seo-jun bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle and greeted them confidently.
“Nice to meet you! I’m Kim Seo-jun, a first-year at the Third Hunter Academy!”
His confident and polite demeanor softened their expressions a little.
“To you, he might seem too young and fragile, but he’s strong enough to take down promising DB-class hunters. You can rest assured he won’t be a burden during the raid.”
Shim Jae-deok’s comment was ambiguous—was it praise or an insult? The hunters exchanged puzzled looks.
Kim Seo-jun didn’t look weak by any means.
Standing 185 cm tall with a lean, solid build and strikingly handsome features that caught anyone’s eye.
Only a week ago, he might have been called fragile due to innate physical weaknesses, but now, he was completely different.
In just one week, Kim Seo-jun’s body had transformed into a perfect form.
“I’m Lee Hyung-mo, the raid leader. This is Lee Han-su, my brother. This tough-looking guy is Shin Woo-jin, and that big guy is…”
Lee Hyung-mo kindly introduced each member one by one.
Meanwhile, Kim Seo-jun noticed that Lee Hyung-mo kept exchanging strange glances with Shim Jae-deok several times.
“Looks like the trap prepared for me doesn’t involve the whole team, at least.”
To Kim Seo-jun’s eyes, Lee Hyung-mo was unusually cautious in front of the team.
And the person he seemed most concerned about was Shin Woo-jin, a man in his late twenties with a solid physique.
It felt like Lee Hyung-mo was watching Shin Woo-jin’s reactions carefully.
“… But, Kim Seo-jun, even if you’re just observing, this is a dangerous rift operation. Isn’t it a bit much to go in empty-handed?”
Lee Hyung-mo frowned when he saw Kim Seo-jun hadn’t brought any weapons.
Kim Seo-jun grinned and opened the lid of the artist’s case.
“This is my weapon.”
Arondight.
The uniquely shaped Arondight appeared, causing both men’s eyes to widen slightly.
One was raid leader Lee Hyung-mo, the other was Shin Woo-jin.
Their reactions showed they recognized the Arondight.
Lee Hyung-mo immediately shot a sharp look at Shim Jae-deok.
“This student… is he the son of Hunter Kim Joo-hyuk from the Hyunmu Guild?”
Lee Hyung-mo clearly knew that the Arondight belonged to Kim Joo-hyuk.
Startled by the question, Shim Jae-deok hesitated a little.
“Well, yes… Hunter Kim Joo-hyuk is Kim Seo-jun’s father. But, is that a problem…?”
“Hmm. Professor Shim told me he was just an ordinary academy student.”
“That’s right. He’s an FA-grade student who awakened a decent Mystery, though.”
“I never would have guessed that the ‘ordinary’ student was Kim Joo-hyuk’s son. Still… even if his father has retired from active duty, it’s an honor to raid alongside the son of the once-renowned Hunter Kim Joo-hyuk.”
Lee Hyung-mo mumbled vaguely and then began preparing the team to enter the rift.
At that moment, Kim Seo-jun sensed a massive surge of mana from someone.
This was another special ability he’d gained since constantly using the Solar Divine Art.
The overwhelming power of the Solar Divine Art was difficult to contain fully, and the energy escaping his body spread out in tendrils, making him highly sensitive to changes in surrounding mana.
That’s why he could now detect fluctuations in mana and even sense when someone’s emotions became intense.
Kim Seo-jun quickly identified the person showing emotional turmoil as Shin Woo-jin.
‘What’s going on? Both Lee Hyung-mo and that Shin Woo-jin hunter… do they have some connection to my father?’
For now, he couldn’t tell why.
Shortly after, Lee Hyung-mo and his team all climbed onto the large platform of the aerial work vehicle.
Everyone was armed, wearing armor and protective shields.
Once the platform ascended toward the rift located 27 meters above, the raid would begin.
Shim Jae-deok waved his hand to Kim Seo-jun, wishing him well.
Suddenly, Kim Seo-jun started acting strangely.
“P-Professor Shim! I don’t think I can do this.”
Calling out to Shim Jae-deok, Kim Seo-jun’s legs trembled uncontrollably.
“Kim Seo-jun, what are you talking about all of a sudden? Don’t you see the hunters waiting? Hurry up and get on. If the raid is delayed because of you, how will I face them?”
“I know. But… my heart is trembling too much. It’s my first time going somewhere other than Earth, and going into such a place with strangers makes me so uneasy. I’m truly, truly sorry.”
“Hah, now you’re saying you can’t do it?”
Shim Jae-deok looked incredulous and raised his head, noticing the hunters on the platform were all frowning.
At that moment, Shin Woo-jin, standing two meters above on the platform, leaned over to look down at Kim Seo-jun.
“Kim Seo-jun, if you really can’t do this, you don’t have to. You should never be forced into something like this. But if you’re still willing to try entering the rift, hold on and take the challenge. I’ll watch over you, so don’t worry.”
His soft and kind words calmed Kim Seo-jun’s frightened expression, and he seemed to make up his mind.
“Professor Shim being with me makes me think I can try.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
Shin Woo-jin glanced at Lee Hyung-mo as if saying, ‘What choice do we have?’
Lee Hyung-mo seemed to ponder something, then nodded.
“One more person won’t be a problem. Professor Shim, take the student with you.”
Lee Hyung-mo’s words were like a thunderbolt to Shim Jae-deok.
“No, wait! Why am I suddenly being dragged into this? And Kim Seo-jun, what grudge do you have to drag me along? I never even signed up for this raid, so I can’t go even if I wanted to—”
“I give you permission, so come with us.”
Lee Hyung-mo waved him on impatiently.
“L-Leader, as you can see, I’m totally unprepared. If I come, I’ll only be a burden.”
Shim Jae-deok desperately tried to get out of the raid, but Lee Hyung-mo was too tired to argue.
“Then take the student and go back. Looks like he’s not ready yet. You can try joining another team later.”
He immediately operated the remote control of the platform.
Zzzziiiiing—
The platform started rising.
Shim Jae-deok’s face turned red with embarrassment, unsure of what to do.
Meanwhile, Kim Seo-jun was clutching Shim Jae-deok’s jacket.
After repeatedly glancing between the hunters and Kim Seo-jun, Shim Jae-deok finally raised his hand and called to Lee Hyung-mo.
“Leader! Wait, wait a moment!”
Clack—
At Lee Hyung-mo’s signal, the platform halted again.
“I’m going. I’ll go too!”
“Are you sure? If the same thing happens inside the rift, we’ll leave you there and go without you. If you’re fine with that… get on.”
“Ugh… I’ll do that.”
In the end, Shim Jae-deok also joined the raid.
The platform carrying all ten members, including Kim Seo-jun and Shim Jae-deok, slowly ascended toward the rift 27 meters above.
Kim Seo-jun still clung to Shim Jae-deok’s jacket, his head slightly bowed in fear.
While everyone looked solemnly up at the approaching rift, Kim Seo-jun was different.
A faint, strange smile played on his lips.
‘Acting isn’t so bad… it’s doable.’
His smile was filled with satisfaction at his own performance.
*****
Up close, the rift was breathtakingly beautiful.
Colors refracted from the light shimmered around its edges, and the zigzagging tear in the air was filled with pitch-black darkness where nothing was visible.
Lee Hyung-mo emphasized the last warnings before reaching out first to touch the black surface of the rift.
The moment his hand made contact, his body was sucked inside in the blink of an eye.
Next was Lee Han-su.
The younger brother glanced at Shim Jae-deok and Kim Seo-jun with a strange expression, chuckled softly, and reached out.
He vanished quickly, followed by the rest of the hunters who disappeared one by one into the rift.
“Don’t be afraid, just stay close to me.”
Hunter Shin Woo-jin, thinking Kim Seo-jun was genuinely scared, kept a close watch over him.
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me… Now, Professor Shim, you go in first.”
“Me… first?”
Shim Jae-deok had secretly hoped that Kim Seo-jun would be the only one going inside and had been thinking about sneaking out, but Shin Woo-jin refused to give him the chance.
What could he do?
Reluctantly, Shim Jae-deok reached out his hand.
Whoosh—
Shim Jae-deok disappeared, and it was Kim Seo-jun’s turn.
Kim Seo-jun stretched his tensed body as Shim Jae-deok vanished and gave Shin Woo-jin a bright smile.
“I’ll go first.”
Without hesitation, Kim Seo-jun reached out toward the rift.
When Kim Seo-jun disappeared as well, Shin Woo-jin looked momentarily stunned.
‘What was that expression just now?’
This wasn’t the trembling student who had begged to go with Professor Shim because he was scared of the rift.
His face was confident, proud even.
‘Could it be… he was faking it all along to drag the professor in?’
Judging by Kim Seo-jun’s completely changed attitude, it seemed likely.
‘What kind of relationship do they have to act like that?’
Shin Woo-jin already suspected that raid leader Lee Hyung-mo had some unspoken deal with Professor Shim.
In situations like this, all experienced hunters knew from long experience that professors often acted under someone’s orders to make students suffer.
So when Kim Seo-jun showed up, Shin Woo-jin inwardly felt sorry for him.
No doubt the student would suffer a lot during this raid, and if things went wrong, he could suffer serious injuries that might destroy his future as a hunter.
But Shin Woo-jin didn’t want to get involved.
To find out what secret plan Lee Hyung-mo was hiding in this raid, he needed to stay quiet and observe.
He felt sorry for the student but couldn’t help him.
However, that student happened to be Kim Joo-hyuk’s son.
Eight years ago, when Shin Woo-jin first became a hunter and started working under the Rift Management Bureau, Hunter Kim Joo-hyuk had saved him from an unexpected danger—his benefactor.
From the moment Shin Woo-jin learned that Kim Seo-jun was Kim Joo-hyuk’s son, he found it difficult to ignore him.
Still, he couldn’t outright tell Kim Seo-jun to quit the raid because of some problem.
So he had been trying to accommodate Kim Seo-jun’s wish to go with Professor Shim, but now he began to suspect that was all part of Kim Seo-jun’s act.
‘Whatever happens, I’ll watch over you so you don’t get into a major accident. At least I want to repay my life debt.’
Shin Woo-jin made this vow as he reached out his hand toward the rift.