“The elite Hunters are returning.”
“Good. That’s a relief.”
The appearance of a colossal Monster that turned the entire country upside down.
Of all times, it emerged just as Gates were opening simultaneously everywhere.
It was officially declared an unavoidable, unstoppable disaster, but the Director knew very well that wasn’t the full truth.
‘Those organizations.’
The so-called Villains.
They had finally resorted to summoning creatures from another world.
Because of the Gates and Dungeons, humanity was under threat.
It was a situation that could have ended in even greater catastrophe. Yet, thanks to the timely arrival of a hero, the agency was able to regain its lost honor.
The Director was watching a video.
His gaze kept returning to a young man.
Lee Hyunbin, the Supporter Awakening holder who owned the largest Inventory in the country.
The agency had scouted him, but he had demanded a Freelancer Contract instead.
Thanks to that, he now had the authority of a contractor and enjoyed various tax exemptions.
He could also apply for entry into most Gates or Dungeons at his discretion.
Up until now, there hadn’t been any particular requests for his services.
He was just a card kept in play for the future—a bet for what might come. No one had expected him to grow this remarkably.
‘Team Leader of Hanul Guild…’
The more he saw, the more interesting this young man became.
Even the veteran Hunters, renowned for their experience, had been helpless in front of the giant Monster. They could only freeze.
But this young man charged in without a hint of fear.
To borrow the words of today’s youth, it was the literal definition of ‘unmatched.’
Modern boss raids depended on formation tactics.
Claiming advantageous ground and chipping away at the boss’s health bit by bit, sometimes even with military bombardment for support.
The young man’s outstanding combat skills were one thing, but the sword he wielded was also remarkable. A greatsword with a massive blade the likes of which had never been seen before.
There’d been no reports that Hanul possessed such technology.
‘Ranked 21st in the industry.’
Hanul’s ranking had been steadily rising, but for a guild backed by a major group, their position was unimpressive.
‘A great upheaval is about to happen.’
There was potential for Hanul Guild to grow much stronger than anyone thought.
This time, S-rank Seohyeonji had joined, along with two promising rookies this year.
And not just them, but Lee Hyunbin as well. He might even become the world’s very first to receive the highest rank.
S-rank Supporter.
There were A Grade Supporters, but no S-rank Supporters. Not anywhere in the world.
Based on the combat prowess Lee Hyunbin showed in the video, he could only be considered S-rank.
When the first Gate appeared and Hunters emerged, there were no ranks.
The word ‘Hunter’ didn’t even exist back then; they were simply called the Awakened.
In truth, the existence of Gates had been known in vague terms for a long time. The first clear manifestation had been the Gate Incident eleven years ago, when Gates descended across the globe.
At first, Hunters were only classified as professionals or amateurs.
It was only later that the Rank System, structured to comply with international conventions, was introduced.
The Republic of Korea also followed the international guidelines.
Most Supporters were D-rank or lower, with only a handful of strong Supporters. There were no Supporters above A Grade anywhere in the world.
Right now, I am at the Hunter Agency’s laboratory.
“Lee Hyunbin Hunter. Please place your hand on the Measuring Crystal Orb.”
“Oh, I’ve seen this so many times.”
That’s the one—exactly as I’d heard.
I know my own strength. According to the agency’s standards, I’m in the ‘Unable to Measure’ class.
“Huh, what?”
The researcher’s voice trembled with confusion.
Soon, the crystal orb burst with a loud pop.
“Uh, that’s impossible…”
Seeing the researcher so flustered made me feel oddly pleased.
Maybe those outside had caught on to the situation, because people were rushing in.
The classic cliché.
Once the door opened, a torrent of handshakes from the researchers was sure to follow…
“Hey, intern! Are you out of your mind? Didn’t I tell you that one was broken and set to be scrapped? Didn’t I?!”
“S-sorry!”
“Lee Hyunbin Hunter, our apologies. Are you hurt at all?”
“Ah, no…”
“In today’s world, what good is that kind of crystal orb anyway? That’s an outdated method. This way, please. I’ll help you with the Body Scan.”
Tsk.
“Lee Hyunbin Hunter, your full body scan is complete. We’ll let you know the results as soon as they’re ready. Please wait a moment.”
While waiting, I turned on the TV in the lounge.
A familiar scene.
There I was, fighting the Earth Dragon.
Beep. Beep.
It was the same no matter which channel I turned to.
The Republic of Korea was busy celebrating its newly born hero.
“Do they really have nothing else to broadcast?”
Thanks to one SBC reporter’s desire for an exclusive under the pretense of the public’s right to know, my battle with the Earth Dragon was streamed live.
As a result, I’d become quite famous.
Like a Superman-style hero.
From the perspective of the elite Hunters who had just returned after dealing with unprecedented high-level Gates, it might seem a little empty.
They’d risked their lives to close every Gate, but suddenly an unknown Hunter had become Korea’s new hero.
Even though I had stored everyone on site in my Inventory, anyone who came back out after I fainted would know exactly what had happened.
That I had beheaded the Earth Dragon.
Thanks to that, the entire nation’s attention was on me.
Beep!
I turned off the TV and checked the news on my phone.
- Lee Hyunbin Hunter of Hanul Guild. Currently undergoing detailed measurement at the agency laboratory.
- Lee Hyunbin of Hanul Guild, will he become the first S-rank Supporter?
- The hero who saved hundreds of thousands of lives, who is Lee Hyunbin?
Honestly, I did want to become famous.
But I never wished for the whole country to be turned upside down like this.
“Hmm.”
At this rate, did I have more impact than Seol Jihoon, the third S-rank Hunter and Holy Knight?
It wasn’t just articles about me.
Hanul had their hands full retrieving the giant Earth Dragon’s corpse, while rival guilds were desperate to buy its scales.
No wonder—dragon scales are incredibly valuable.
They’re items imbued with magic, impossible to produce with modern technology.
Today my phone was practically on fire.
Even on Talk, I had over 999 messages—far too many to read.
At least I was lucky I hadn’t delayed applying for personal information protection.
If I’d been even a little late, reporters would have besieged my house.
I’m fine, really.
But it would have affected Karin, who’s still in school. Thinking of that made me try to restrain myself—but in the end, she’ll return to her own world anyway.
Then, I saw some regrettable news.
-Due to the government’s disregard for safety, many people were killed or injured. Yet even after losing the cow, they refuse to fix the barn—no countermeasures in sight.
The government was being harshly criticized for not keeping an S-rank Hunter in reserve to deal with the recent Gate Incident.
To receive compensation for those who lost their lives in this incident, the victims would have to prove that they were killed by the Earth Dragon.
If it were an ordinary injury case, it’d be easy enough to prove.
But when the Earth Dragon swallowed everything whole, leaving no bodies behind, how was anyone supposed to prove it?
Especially with all the CCTV destroyed.
It wasn’t just the victims—Hunters who took part in the raid had problems as well.
Those who lost an arm or became paralyzed below the waist could no longer work as Hunters.
But there was no proper compensation from the state.
Because Hunters are affiliated with guilds, which operate as private military companies.
And from the guild’s perspective, once they paid severance and compensation, that was it.
It’s a bitter truth, but currently, there are virtually no welfare benefits for Hunters.
“Lee Hyunbin Hunter. Please proceed to the next test.”
“Yes.”
After finishing the full-body scan with the system-linked device, I headed to the VR Combat Machine.
It was a place where you could enter a game-like virtual stage and experience combat as if it were real.
Of course, the tactile sensations are different, so until you get used to it, your combat efficiency drops a lot.
So, the measurement values aren’t highly trusted.
The difficulty ranges from the 1st to the 99th floor.
“For Hunters of A Grade or higher, this test is standard, so please relax. If you feel nauseous or want to stop the test, just raise both hands. Even if you’re missing an arm, as long as you raise the other, we’ll notice, so don’t worry.”
That last part seemed unnecessary.
Just like in any ordinary VR game, I put on the goggles, attached sensors all over my body, and stepped into the VR world.
On the stage—something you might see at a martial arts tournament—I stood alone.
At the start, you could choose any weapon you wanted.
I picked a mace. Honestly, for any opponent, there’s nothing better than a mace. There’s no risk of damaging the blade, and it’s sturdy.
The first stage featured a Goblin. As expected, it was easy.
I approached the Goblin and gave it a light kick.
Stage clear.
The next stage had three Goblins. Since it was still an early stage, only weak Monsters kept appearing.
Easy, way too easy.
“Chief An, take a look at this!”
“What is it?”
“Check out this person’s reaction speed. Wow, this is on a whole other level!”
At the Principal Researcher’s words, Chief An looked at the monitor.
At first, Chief An watched without much interest, but after a while, he adjusted his glasses and spoke.
“Who is this person?”
“Right?”
It was only natural for the two to be surprised.
The VR system was very simple.
A stage would appear, and Monsters rendered by the system would emerge.
Due to technical limitations, the rendered environment still lacked realism, and the sense of impact was insufficient.
That’s why the VR system hasn’t been officially recognized as a ranking system. Korea is the only country to have poured taxes into developing what others mock as a waste.
Most people new to VR take time just to get their bearings.
But the person being tested now was different.
He cleared each stage within seconds of starting.
Same for the next stage, and the one after that.
‘What, was he a VR gamer or something?’
As they watched with interest, the man on the screen tilted his head, clenched his fist, and threw a few punches in the air. Then, as if he understood something, he nodded.
The next stage began.
Already at Stage 10.
Around him, five Orcs charged in, each wielding a weapon.
From here, the difficulty ramps up sharply. Even other S-ranks would have to brawl it out, taking them down one at a time.
But this test subject was different.
Puk! Splat!
Bang, bang!
Whoosh, thud!
“…No way.”
The two researchers spoke at once.
The man wasn’t hit a single time, taking out every enemy in one blow. It had only taken three minutes to reach Stage 10.
Chief An thought the man was moving faster and faster. No, he really was—as if he was just now fully adjusting.
“Seohyeonji only made it to Stage 3, and Holy Knight Seol Jihoon reached Stage 20.”
The man had just cleared Stage 20. He did take one solid hit, but it was a record-setting score.
Chief An looked up the man’s data.
“This is that guy?”
“Yes, the porter who killed the dragon recently.”
“Amazing.”
Chief An laughed, while the Principal Researcher was as excited as if it was his own achievement.
They kept watching to see how far he’d go, but unfortunately, he stopped at Stage 25.
The reason was absurd.
“Good job, Lee Hyunbin Hunter.”
“It was more fun than I expected.”
Watching the man, whose smile was gentle and warm, Chief An felt his resolve to remain single begin to crack.
“If you enjoyed it, please come again. We’ll ask the engineers to patch that bug.”
The bug.
Because the stages had been cleared so quickly, an unexpected bug had occurred.
Of course, if not for Lee Hyunbin, no one would have found it.
“I’ll come back next time.”
“You say that, but if you don’t, we’ll know. It looks like you’ll break another record today, too.”
As the lighthearted conversation ended, a new voice cut in.
“Lee Hyunbin Hunter. The Director is requesting you.”
“Ah, yes.”
Lee Hyunbin politely greeted the researchers and left, following the secretary who had come down in person.
The remaining researchers smiled contentedly as they sipped their coffee.
“Such a nice guy.”
“Right? I always thought Hunters were all rough types.”