A day passed by quickly.
Although Kim Seo-jun had received a hefty sum of 200,000 won from his father, he had no particular place to spend it.
So, with that money, he ordered some delicious delivery food and enjoyed a dinner with Mrs. Baek Yeon-ji.
During the daytime, Kim Seo-jun stayed in his room, scouring the internet for various pieces of information.
What he was interested in and researched was the topic of Shinbi.
The grading of Shinbi wasn’t something that could be checked like Maruk with a scanner.
Instead, after listening to a Hunter’s explanation and witnessing the actual effects firsthand, the Hunter Association’s review panel subjectively assigned the grade.
Therefore, even if officially a Shinbi was rated C grade, in actual combat it was not uncommon for its grade to be elevated to B or even A level.
Of course, the opposite could also happen.
Until now, the highest proficiency recorded by a Hunter who had awakened a Shinbi was 93%.
Not even reaching 100%.
There was not a single Hunter on Earth who had achieved proficiency over 94%, and only about ten Hunters worldwide had surpassed 90%, five of whom were in South Korea. Among them was Choi Cheol-hyeong, the current director of the Rift Management Bureau.
Choi Cheol-hyeong was the strongest Hunter in Korea, possessing a Shinbi with 91% proficiency called ‘Dongche Yeomryeok.’
He held an S-rank Maruk, an S-rank Shinbi, and his physical abilities were also top-class, making him renowned as the strongest representative Hunter of South Korea.
He was in his mid-thirties.
It was no easy feat for a young SS-rank Hunter to be affiliated with a national official organization like the Rift Management Bureau instead of a private guild, which could offer immense wealth and fame.
When he was younger, Kim Seo-jun had wanted to become a skilled Hunter of the Rift Management Bureau just like Choi Cheol-hyeong.
He had even prepared himself to become a Hunter of the Bureau. But,
“Now that I am the master of this body, I will never become a Hunter of the Rift Management Bureau.”
When Kim Seo-jun compared the Rift Management Bureau to the world he had previously lived in, it resembled the ‘Guardian Spirit Corps,’ the highest inspection agency of the Dangun Martial Alliance.
Guardian Spirit Corps, this group was a powerful martial faction that upheld justice and protected the safety of ordinary citizens, but unlike what was known externally, it had many issues.
Because it was made up of highly skilled martial artists, they naturally wielded enormous authority, and many influential figures continuously sought to curry favor with them.
As time went on, the Guardian Spirit Corps gradually became corrupt.
Eventually, they were deceived by the shrine of Cheon Kang-woo, the Heavenly Demon Commander, which led to the worst betrayal of the Dangun Martial Alliance.
The Rift Management Bureau seemed no different from the Guardian Spirit Corps.
Of course, it was possible that the Bureau in this world might fall into corruption as easily as the Guardian Spirit Corps.
But Kim Seo-jun was well aware of the true nature of those who preached justice in words but were not righteous at all in deeds, and he wanted to avoid getting involved with such people.
“Anyway, if I want to increase proficiency in Shinbi, I have no choice but to use it steadily.”
There was no known method to rapidly increase proficiency.
From what Kim Seo-jun knew, the rate of increasing Shinbi proficiency was very slow.
At first awakening, proficiency could increase to 10% within six months without difficulty, but to reach 20% would take three years, and 30% would require at least six years.
To get to 40% proficiency would take at least ten more years.
This did not change much even if the Shinbi was used constantly.
After all, Kim Ju-hyeok, who had used his Shinbi nonstop for over 20 years, had a proficiency of only 53%.
The higher the proficiency, the slower it rose, so even after 40 years of awakening, most Hunters could not exceed 60%.
In that sense, Kim Seo-jun’s father, Kim Ju-hyeok, achieving 53% proficiency after 26 years was truly remarkable.
Therefore, the 5% Maruk increase gained every time proficiency rose by 20% was a huge benefit.
For example, a Hunter with a base Maruk of 100 who raised their Shinbi proficiency to 80% would end up with a Maruk exceeding 120 — an extremely valuable bonus.
“I wonder if there’s an extra option when proficiency hits 90%?”
Known bonuses only appeared every 20%, but reaching 90% itself was so difficult that there might be something special associated with it.
However, Kim Seo-jun couldn’t find any related information anywhere.
Worldwide, only 97 Hunters had surpassed 90% proficiency, yet none of them had ever mentioned anything about it.
“If I keep training without slacking off, something will change.”
With that thought, Kim Seo-jun dedicated himself to martial arts training on the rooftop until evening.
*****
Evening came.
After finishing dinner with Mrs. Baek Yeon-ji, Kim Seo-jun felt a small happiness as he watched a variety show airing on Saturday night.
Although the content was ridiculous, Mrs. Baek laughed heartily, and Kim Seo-jun found himself happily watching her enjoy herself.
Just past 7 p.m., Kim Seo-jun was about to tell Mrs. Baek that he would go for a run around the neighborhood.
Right then, the variety show abruptly stopped, replaced by a breaking news broadcast.
[… This is a truly urgent situation. We will connect with reporter Lee Ho-jun, who is on the scene. Lee Ho-jun?]
[Yes, this is Lee Ho-jun. Right now, it’s pure chaos here. There has been a Rift precursor phenomenon above the Jamsil subway station in Seoul. The Maruk measured by the Rift Management Bureau is at E-rank, which means monsters such as the lizard-like ‘Komora’ can appear. All civilians within a 1-kilometer radius are currently evacuating, but only 17 minutes remain until the Rift fully opens and monsters pour out. The critical issue is how many civilians can escape beyond the defensive line while Hunters buy time…]
The breaking news warned that a Rift was about to open in Seoul.
Usually, before a Rift opens, a precursor phenomenon called ‘Sky Veil’ would occur, and exactly 20 minutes later, the space would tear, causing the Rift.
At that moment, between 50 to 100 monsters would pour out of the Rift.
Therefore, the Rift Management Bureau had a specialized monitoring department that detected the precursor phenomenon and quickly sent disaster alerts to all residents within a 1-kilometer radius of the predicted Rift location.
Within a 1-kilometer radius in Seoul, there were at least 50,000 people.
It was practically impossible for so many people to leave the area within 20 minutes.
Therefore, Hunters who arrived first had to stall and buy time to help evacuate civilians.
The news footage showed police setting up barricades and urgently evacuating citizens.
On one side of the screen, lightning struck the dark night sky every two seconds.
Cars were stalled, completely gridlocked on the road.
Although the location was somewhat far from where Kim Seo-jun lived, the fact that a Rift had appeared in Seoul meant there could be numerous casualties nearby, and his heart tightened.
Still, there was nothing Kim Seo-jun could do there.
Even though he was a Hunter who had awakened a Shinbi, he had not yet obtained an official license and no longer wished to take heroic actions that risked his life for others.
This new chance was purely for his own use.
“There’s nothing I can do.”
Kim Seo-jun decided to quietly wait at home for his father’s return.
Mrs. Baek, worried about Kim Ju-hyeok, immediately called him.
… You’re going to be even later? Why of all times did you get a flat tire… Okay, understood. We saw the news too. Be careful, and don’t do anything reckless. Got it?
The conversation between Mrs. Baek and his father sounded suspicious.
“What’s going on?”
“Phew… Dad says he’s almost home but got a flat tire. It’ll take about 30 more minutes to fix.”
“That’s actually fortunate. If the tire hadn’t gone flat, he might have driven straight to the Rift site.”
Kim Seo-jun knew his father would never just stand by during a Rift incident.
Thankfully, the flat tire prevented him from running barefoot to the Rift site — which was probably a good thing.
“That’s true. Still, just in case, I should at least go out and meet him.”
Mrs. Baek started to get ready to go out, but Kim Seo-jun hurriedly stopped her.
“Mom, why do you have to go? If anyone should go, it’s me. You just stay home. When Dad gets here, you can prepare some food for him.”
“I’m only going to the parking lot, what’s the big deal?”
“Still! Since I’m going, just stay put.”
After about 15 minutes, Kim Seo-jun dressed roughly in sweatpants and left the house.
Whoooiiiing
Listening to the soft sound of the elevator, he quickly reached the basement first floor.
When the elevator doors opened, Kim Seo-jun frowned at the strange scene before him.
“Did the power go out?”
The underground parking lot was very dark.
Only a few emergency lights installed for power outages were on, making it difficult to see even a few meters ahead.
“How is it that only basement level 1 lost power?”
It was strange.
If the power really went out, the elevator shouldn’t have been running either, but it was.
Something felt off and unsettling.
Kim Seo-jun almost decided to go back inside but changed his mind.
His father would arrive soon.
If there was danger lurking here, he needed to handle it before his father came.
“My gut never lies.”
Kim Seo-jun stepped out of the elevator.
The doors closed behind him, and he was swallowed by pitch darkness.
Only the sporadic emergency lights and the faint glow of security cameras installed on parked cars allowed him to barely see and move forward.
After walking about ten meters, a black shadow suddenly leapt out in front of him.
“Kid, you’ve got guts showing up here.”
A man wearing a mask.
He was about Kim Seo-jun’s build and carried a longsword on his waist.
“Thanks to your guts, we’re at ease. We don’t have to waste time waiting around to catch that guy.”
Another voice came from behind as two more men appeared.
They spoke as if they had been deliberately waiting for Kim Seo-jun and surrounded him from three directions.
“You were targeting me from the start?”
No matter how much he racked his memory, he couldn’t think of anyone who would go this far to harm him near his home.
Maybe these guys had caused the power outage.
“Kid, just think of it as a dog getting beaten and take a few hits quietly. We don’t intend to kill you. Heh heh heh.”
Judging by how they spoke, someone had hired them.
“Alright then, shall I start?”
The man standing in front cracked his neck and stepped forward.
At that moment, Kim Seo-jun didn’t look at him but glanced around, searching for something.
‘All the CCTVs are off too.’
He confirmed with his eyes that the CCTVs scattered around the parking lot had lost function due to the power outage.
The man charging forward suddenly lunged to grab Kim Seo-jun.
Kim Seo-jun moved.
He leaned his upper body back slightly, causing the man’s hand to miss and grab only empty air.
“Hey! This bastard!”
The man got angry at missing his target and threw a straight punch with his right hand.
The punch came from close range, fast and strong.
But Kim Seo-jun’s reaction was incredible.
He moved forward, slipping the punch by his ear, and instantly closed the distance to the man’s face.
The man could only watch helplessly as Kim Seo-jun charged in with his fist extended.
Just as a strange feeling of ‘What is this?’ crossed his mind,
Bam!
Kim Seo-jun’s fist struck the man’s face squarely.
Wz!
The blow was so powerful it sent the man flying backward.
“Get that bastard!”
The men behind, shocked, rushed toward Kim Seo-jun all at once.
One wielded a thick wooden plank, the other a metal pipe.
They swung the plank and pipe wildly at Kim Seo-jun.
Kim Seo-jun spun his body so fast it sounded like the wind and narrowly dodged the vertically descending metal pipe.
Kaang!
As the metal pipe struck the ground, he dropped his stance and avoided the plank aimed at his head.
This left a wide opening in front of the two attackers.
Kim Seo-jun bent his legs, gathering strength.
Thud.
He pushed off the ground powerfully with both feet and leapt up, launching a fast spinning back kick.
One man’s eyes glowed amber.
His eyes wide open, a lion’s head shape burst out from his mouth.
The figure opened its mouth so wide it could devour a person, aiming to bite Kim Seo-jun.
But,
Kkwaang!
The man was hit squarely by Kim Seo-jun’s back kick and slammed to the ground, disappearing.
The man who had summoned a lion with his Shinbi was shocked.
Although his Shinbi was D-rank, it wasn’t weak enough to vanish from a mere kick.
“You bastard, I’ll kill you!”
Another enraged man threw the metal pipe at Kim Seo-jun.
The pipe flew toward him with terrifying force.
But Kim Seo-jun merely reached out and casually caught it.
“Die!”
The man, undeterred, glowed amber-eyed and activated his Shinbi.
He spread his open palm wide, and from it burst a large black net filled with sharp thorns in every direction.
In an instant, the thorny net covered a five-meter radius.
Kim Seo-jun stared at the net and then suddenly swung the metal pipe he held.
Chak-chak-chak-chak.
The man who conjured the thorny net only saw Kim Seo-jun’s hand flash.
What happened next was astonishing.
The thorny net, despite its flexibility and elasticity that made it hard to break, was torn apart by the metal pipe.
Pitter-patter.
The net shattered into pieces and quickly disappeared.
Could the man realize that what Kim Seo-jun wielded was the fearsome sword skill called Surageukseom?
Puhak.
As the stunned man’s mouth hung open, the metal pipe dropped on his shoulder.
That was just the beginning.
Puhak. Puhuhuhak. Puhak.
Kim Seo-jun stood still, moving only his arms to relentlessly strike the two men.
He used no inner power, relying only on wrist speed, so he didn’t intend to kill them.
He just planned to beat them until they felt miserable.
Suddenly, from beside a parking pillar, another shadow jumped out and threw something at Kim Seo-jun.
Pium.
The attack was far more powerful than the three men before.
Kim Seo-jun swung the metal pipe with incredible speed, hitting the flying object.
Kabbang.
The object, a dagger, crashed to the ground.
The figure rushed toward him, eyes glowing amber.
This opponent was not a man.
A woman.
She wore a deep cap and, from five meters away, stretched out a strong fist.
In that instant,
Puhmyeong.
Her fist struck empty air with a powerful explosion, sending a large shockwave toward Kim Seo-jun.
Kwaaaak.
Kim Seo-jun activated his Shinbi.
Piiiim—
As his eyes turned amber, time around him slowed down.
Simple, but not simplistic.
The manifestation of the ‘Mukbalsangi Gaese’ technique that reflects back stronger power the stronger the opponent’s force.
Kim Seo-jun caught the oncoming shockwave with his right hand.
Despite its immense force, the shockwave caused no harm thanks to the unleashed Mukbalsangi Gaese.
His palm sucked in the shockwave like a vacuum cleaner.
His hand turned bright red from absorbing the intense energy.
Kim Seo-jun suddenly pulled back his hand and spun swiftly.
Then, with an expression like a dazed person and mouth half open, he forcefully thrust his right fist toward the woman.
Poohh.
His fist pierced the space and stopped abruptly right in front of the woman’s face.
At that moment,
Fwaaak.
The wind generated by his fist brushed sharply past her cheek.
The woman’s cap flew off in the wind, and, as if all her strength had been drained, she slumped to the ground.