The world was putting all its effort into uncovering the true nature of the suddenly appeared Floating Island.
- It’s been ten years since the Gate appeared. During that time, we’ve witnessed things beyond imagination.
- Citizens are uneasy about the Floating Island that appeared out of nowhere.
The news anchor was interviewing a passerby.
- It’s scary, you know. You never know when monsters might show up from there.
Though she said she was scared, the woman had just been taking selfies with the Floating Island as her backdrop moments ago.
- Researchers warn that the Floating Island might be a strategic weapon from another dimension and have requested the government to declare the surrounding area a Red Line.
- So, what exactly is the Floating Island, and what is its purpose?
Its identity? It’s a Territory from another world.
Its purpose? There isn’t one.
The great lord of the Floating Island, Katrinne, is probably holed up in her room by now, completely absorbed in an online game.
‘Can’t just get rid of it either.’
Come to think of it, Katrinne’s arrival in the modern world was because of me.
As a Hero who had fought in the other world, I defeated the Demon King and brought peace.
It sounds simple when said aloud, but few people could really endure that process.
No, I think I’m practically the only one.
Anyway, Katrinne was the only one capable of sending me through dimensional travel.
She opened the Gate to send me to the modern world.
As a result, me, Katrinne, and the Territory all shifted to the present day.
‘Wow, this is driving me crazy. I can’t just say that the floating thing drifting there is actually my fault.’
Because of the Floating Island, nearby buildings are probably considering lawsuits for blocked sunlight and air rights.
Muttering to myself like that, I walked my usual route to work.
The massive billboard attached to the building displayed an advertisement boasting the multi-billion won annual salary of a successful Hunter.
‘Jealous.’
That was the strongest feeling I had upon returning to the modern world.
When the Gate opened, monsters invaded the once peaceful world.
Since there were no Awakened Hunters early on, we were ruthlessly overwhelmed.
The military mobilized to save citizens in peril, but it wasn’t enough.
During that time, the first-generation Awakened Hunters became heroes.
‘I hear popular Awakened Hunters are like walking one-man corporations.’
Watching the ad video, I writhed in envy.
Some make hundreds of millions in salary, are extremely popular, and are even celebrated as heroes. Their recognition rivals that of celebrities.
But what did I, who saved the other world, get?
‘An utterly useless otherworldly lord.’
More of a downside than a merit, really.
Since I had no other skills, I wanted to become a Hunter.
I envied their fame.
It’s not that I was jealous because Hunters are popular. It’s not that I was bitter about one ad alone making more money than I ever earned working like an ant my whole life.
I’m just a show-off.
Not the kind that seeks attention obnoxiously, but the type who cares about how others see him.
I was a legendary Hero with wealth and fame in the other world, but now I live in a shabby rented room.
Naturally, I sometimes long for the glory days.
If I’d known it would be like this, I might have just stayed in the other world.
“Hello.”
“Coach Lee! Coach Lee! Just in time!”
The moment I arrived at work, a burly man in a pink tank top greeted me. ‘Coach Lee’ referred to me here.
The bald, pink-loving gentleman before me was my employer.
“Coach Lee, no assigned trainees today, right?”
I worked as a trainer at a gym—not an ordinary gym, though.
“We just recruited a rookie from the Hwarang Guild this time, so Coach Lee, help with the training.”
“But there are other coaches.”
“It’s a direct assignment from the Hwarang Guild to you, Coach Lee.”
A trainer, as the title suggests, is someone who coaches athletes.
Even if someone has Awakened strength, a complete rookie who’s never fought before will quickly end up as a corpse if they enter a Dungeon or Gate.
Therefore, new Hunters receive training and dungeon experience at gyms.
Top Hunters have no interest in babysitting juniors who don’t earn much.
They make hundreds of millions clearing Dungeons once, so there’s no way they care about a few coins from the Guild.
Hence, specialized gyms for training Hunters have flourished.
“But I’m free this week.”
“It’s a Hwarang Guild assignment. Cut some slack. I’ll throw in special incentives.”
I was a Hero who devoted myself to peace in the other world. I had no interest in greed.
“I have to train too. I lost muscle from all the rest.”
“Coach Lee, you like ramen, right? How about a box of supply ramen every day? Deal?”
Money and ramen.
Of course, I don’t like money. Nor am I particularly fond of ramen. But Katrinne loves ramen.
“What about pickled radish?”
The Director grinned at my question.
“I’ll give you some.”
I had no greed, but thinking about the person waiting for me, I couldn’t refuse.
I had to accept.
It wasn’t for the ramen. It was because I thought about the person who was waiting for me that I couldn’t say no.
“Go to room 3. Oh, and Team Leader Jeon said to push them a bit harder.”
“Team Leader Jeon always says to push harder.”
“No, this new guy has a strong spirit.”
“Is there any Hunter who doesn’t?”
The Director smiled and patted my shoulder.
I entered the training room I was in charge of.
“Hello, I’m Lee Hyunbin…”
Smack!
The moment I stepped in, a dull thud echoed, and a man lay rolling on the floor.
“What are you doing? Hey, didn’t you say you were going to teach me?”
“Ugh!”
A blond delinquent on the training floor smugly lifted his chin.
The man lying on the ground tried to get up but staggered as if his legs gave out.
‘Fighting on the first day…’
Among newly Awakened Hunters, some are so eager to wield their power that they can’t hold back.
I could tell at a glance what kind of person I was dealing with.
“Hello, I’m Lee Hyunbin, and I’ll be training with you from today.”
Because of the tense atmosphere, I greeted them again.
Only then did the blond rookie Hunter and the fallen man look in my direction.
As someone in the service industry, I smiled at the corner of my mouth.
First impressions are important.
“You punk, you think it’ll end like this?”
“If you don’t like it, see me outside later.”
The beaten man growled, clearly pride wounded, then stormed out.
Thankfully, he still had the strength to walk alone.
“Young Hunters full of blood often show off their strength. It’s not really unusual, but it’s better to forbid fighting during training hours.”
“You’re going to teach me?”
The blond sized me up from head to toe.
‘Old man,’ huh.
I’m thirty years old, sure.
But I can proudly say I look young.
People often think I’m in my early twenties. Really.
Katrinne acknowledged this, too.
She said we don’t seem to have much age difference.
Though I think she only says that when I buy her something.
“What are you going to teach?”
The blond grinned provocatively.
What should I teach? Etiquette?
“Lee Hyunbin? Never heard of you as a Hunter.”
“I’m not a Hunter, just a regular trainer.”
“Regular?”
His gaze turned openly hostile.
I get it. What could a trainer who’s neither a Hunter nor an athlete teach?
I understand that. But what I don’t get is why he’s acting that way toward me.
“Being good at fighting doesn’t automatically make you a Hunter. You need to understand monster patterns in Dungeons, tactical formations, and basic survival skills, especially because some Gates alter dimensions. Imagine entering a mountain but suddenly finding yourself underwater—it’s absurd.”
Raids are all the same, right? Just fight well and that’s it. Weaklings always come up with excuses anyway.
From what I gathered, the blond wasn’t willing to listen.
He thought there was no need to hear from someone inferior.
“Since it’s your first day, let’s start with basic fitness assessment.”
“Forget that, how about sparring? There are new Hunters and applicants here. That might be better training.”
“Of course sparring trains you, but it’s better to focus on survival training for new Hunters.”
The blond looked disappointed, desperate to use his strength.
He didn’t like that his trainer was just an ordinary person, not a Hunter.
‘That’s typical for someone his age.’
I understood, because I was broad-minded.
‘That’s why I’ll split you in half soon enough.’
Ah, only because I care about this guy.
With that personality, he’ll definitely fight other Hunters in the Dungeon.
Heated battles often lead to knife fights over arguments.
“You probably haven’t even been graded yet as a rookie, so for training purposes, we need to measure your Hunter rank. Are you scared you’ll be ranked lower than others at the center?”
“What?”
The blond immediately frowned. I smiled brightly and waved my hand.
Don’t worry. We never assign ranks unless the new Hunter wants one.
Huh. Ridiculous. The old man doesn’t know me. Hurry up and do the test. I’ll make sure you get the top rank here!
Seeing his cheap provocation work, I knew he was hopeless.
Now that he’s hooked, it’s game on.
“All right, let’s start with push-ups.”
“How many?”
“Let’s keep it light with 200 first.”
“…What?”
“Oh, if it’s too hard…”
I made the most apologetic face I could, as if I were imposing on a weak person.
That blatant expression made the blond immediately stubborn.
He rolled up his sleeves and started push-ups.
“Huff, huff!”
Sweating profusely, the blond did push-ups.
Even if one is Awakened, their body doesn’t turn into steel.
Of course, some have special abilities, but most Hunters are just like ordinary people.
That’s why physical training is always necessary. Otherwise, they can’t fight monsters.
It’s said that most monsters from Gates are immune to firearms.
But that’s not entirely true.
Shooting a monster leaves it drenched in blood.
Monsters have Magic Essence Stones embedded in their bodies.
These stones have regenerative power and resistance to firearms, especially near Dungeon cores.
To suppress them effectively, bullets containing Magic Essence Stone shards are needed, naturally raising ammunition prices.
In online games, hunting also needs to be profitable.
If you hunt at a loss, not even covering potion costs, it’s a losing business.
No one is foolish enough to spend 200,000 won to earn 100,000 won.
‘His basic physical condition is pretty good.’
I finished the push-ups and looked at the panting blond.
He smirked at me as if to ask, ‘How was that?’
“Your arms are well trained.”
“Piece of cake. I used to work out before Awakening.”
“At least you won’t drop your weapon from weakness. Now, let’s move on to 200 sit-ups.”
“What?”
The blond blinked at my words.
I smiled and explained.
“If you suddenly get hit in the stomach by a monster and collapse, that would be bad. You need to train your abs.”
“That’s nonsense.”
“Do you want to be the teammate who runs to the bathroom complaining about stomach pain before an important Dungeon battle? Of course not. Survival training is important.”
“Where’s this survival? What’s with the ‘lowest rank’ written on the door?”
I put on the saddest face I could.
“Should I keep it a secret?”
“Fuck off!”
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