Chapter 8: Hunter Certificate

“I’m sure he’ll handle it.”

Choi Kangjoong, having switched to spectator mode, sat down in front of his computer.

He moved his mouse and opened the site DimensionNet.

It was the largest domestic community dealing with other dimensions and Hunter information.

He logged in to do some image training for Hunter registration, but right on the main page was a huge picture of Choi Yunseo.

[The genius mage Choi Yunseo who shined at the 6th Dimension Fortress!]

“So there was a big battle.”

The Dimension Fortress was a bastion that blocked pirates, demons, and monsters wandering the Sea of Dimensions.

It was also a major stronghold forming the defensive line of the Enterprise Union to which Earth belonged.

The 6th Dimension Fortress was especially important.

It faced an uncharted sea and there were many important resources and residential dimensions nearby.

If it were destroyed, it would result in astronomical losses and hundreds of thousands of refugees.

“Amazing. She really lives in a different world than me.”

The comments under the post that uploaded Choi Yunseo’s interview were filled with praise.

Young, pretty, strong.

On top of that, a fire element mage who was the ultimate in both glamour and firepower.

She had every element the public loved.

There were even questions about her family in the interview.

[We’ve heard you have a brother. What’s your relationship like?]
[We were close when we were kids, but we’ve grown distant lately. It’s a shame.]
[What’s the reason?]
[It was inevitable.]

“So that’s how she thinks.”

Once, they were a close pair of siblings, but ever since that incident, they’d been distant for a long time.

Choi Kangjoong, who stayed cooped up at home, and Choi Yunseo, who had been busy as a Hunter since her high school years, had no points of contact.

Feeling somewhat comforted, Choi Kangjoong scrolled down to check the comments.

“There are nasty comments here too.”

-He’s all hype, lololol
-It’s all Guild Influence.
-Getting pushed again. So tired of it.
-Stop showing up, seriously—
-Must be rich at home. Why does everyone fawn over Choi Yunseo?

“These bastards.”

Choi Kangjoong cracked his knuckles.

If Choi Yunseo’s world was the real Hunter scene,

Choi Kangjoong’s world was right here in the internet comment section.

His fingers hammered the keyboard like a machine gun.

“Yunseo, what’s got you smiling like that?”

“Jung-hwa unni.”

The woman addressing Choi Yunseo was Han Junghwa, a fellow Hunter in the Dawn Guild and a promising swordswoman.

Her charming teardrop beauty mark made her stand out, and she was always at Yunseo’s side thanks to their similar personalities.

“Those interview comments.”

“You’re looking at those?”

“Yes. They’re pretty entertaining.”

“Don’t! I saw them earlier, and there’s a ton of nasty comments.”

“I don’t really care even if I see bad comments.”

“You know you have a strong mind. But do you think only the nasty comments are a problem? There’s a weirdo lurking there too.”

“What kind of person?”

Choi Yunseo, who hadn’t noticed anyone like that, tilted her head.

“He’s been fighting with the trolls all night, so I thought he was your super fan. But then he starts spouting stuff like, ‘I lived with her, we often ate together,’ and keeps defending you. Isn’t that weird? In my experience, this kind always turns out to be a stalker.”

“Are you talking about best-ing?”

“Yes! That guy! You saw him? Gives you chills, right?”

“That’s my brother.”

“…Huh? Then living together and often eating meals… it’s not wrong, I guess…”

“It’s not incorrect.”

“Thank goodness he’s not a total creep.”

Han Junghwa let out a sigh of relief.

As a Hunter, if a strange person attached themselves to you, it might not be a physical problem but it was always a mental ordeal.

“What kind of person is your brother?”

“He’s someone who spends more time online than in real life. Barely comes out of his room.”

“Hey. Still, that’s your brother. Try to put it more gently.”

“I can talk like this because he’s my brother.”

“Then should I only insult you too?”

“Idiot.”

“You little—!”

Their playful chase came to a halt due to a sudden monster attack.

Midday, with the house empty.

Choi Kangjoong emerged from his room.

He wore a hat and mask and carried a backpack stuffed with Mana Stones.

“Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!”

Standing at the front door, he took deep breaths.

He’d done image training on DimensionNet hundreds of times, but his feet still wouldn’t move.

“Let’s go. How long am I going to stay a shut-in? Aren’t you ashamed in front of Lutal and Kai?”

Choi Kangjoong muttered encouragement to himself.

At this time, Lutal was slicing up several orcs with his Abyssal Claw, while Kai had guided a Mana Cannon to blow up a monster den.

Slap! Slap!

He slapped his cheeks, slightly lessening his helplessness.

He managed to open the front door in that state.

But he failed to cross the threshold from his house to the outside world.

Choi Kangjoong closed the door and fell into thought.

What was he so afraid of?

His imagination ran wild with fears that a Gate might suddenly open, or that people might attack him.

How could he block it?

It seemed like covering his body with something sturdy would help.

That way, even if he was ambushed, he’d be safe.

“If only I had a shell as tough as Apocalid.”

One reason Choi Kangjoong wanted to become Apocalid was to be wrapped in sturdy armor.

He imagined a chitin exoskeleton covering his body.

Mana stirred, and his whole body trembled.

“Huh?”

Choi Kangjoong imagined it even more vividly.

The writhing intensified.

The image grew more concrete.

He pictured Chitin Gauntlet, hard like Lutal’s but as flexible as Kai’s.

Soon, something emerged from under his skin and enveloped his body.

His clothes tore, and his bag dropped to the floor.

Choi Kangjoong looked in the mirror.

Chitin Gauntlet wrapped around his neck.

It looked like Apocalid’s Chitin Gauntlet, but also like some futuristic armor.

True to a living armor, it was flexible, so he could move without discomfort.

All his senses were heightened; he could even feel air resistance.

He imagined covering his head, and Chitin Gauntlet enclosed it as well.

“So I have this too? Does that mean Racial Evolution applies to me?”

Since his Psionic specialization had worked, this seemed possible.

It was easy to check.

He tried to manifest a Mana Cannon, a bio-weapon usable at the third stage.

Clack.

His forearm thickened and morphed into a Mana Cannon.

A powerful force gathered inside the barrel.

He wanted to fire it, but restrained himself.

Clack.

He could also bring out an Abyssal Claw.

He could align it with his forearm or rotate it like holding a sword.

Even the Evolution Code was fully implemented.

With telescopic vision, he looked down from the veranda and could count every paving stone.

He could secrete Acid Fluid from anywhere on his body.

It was clear Trace Concealment and Combat Muscle were inherent as well.

“As Apocalid grows stronger, I get stronger too.”

Seeing and feeling his physical growth firsthand gave him mental relief.

His voice even changed, making him feel like a completely different person from Choi Kangjoong.

“If Chitin Gauntlet is level 3, it’s seriously sturdy. I could survive a car crash like this.”

In this state, he thought he could finally step outside.

He opened the front door again.

He stretched the foot that simply couldn’t move out before.

The sole of his foot touched the ground, and his chest didn’t pound in anxiety.

“I did it!”

He took the elevator down and left the apartment building.

Birdsong greeted him.

The world outside was warmer and fresher than he’d imagined.

“How long has it been since I went out?”

He’d been too afraid to face people’s stares and whispers.

He also dreaded running into acquaintances or people who knew his name.

Though he hadn’t overcome all of those fears, just making it outside made him feel like he’d grown.

“Let’s go.”

Originally, he planned to take a taxi, but like this, he felt he could ride the subway.

It wasn’t so unusual for a Hunter to ride public transport in armor.

He went to the station in front of his apartment complex and got on the subway.

How many years had it been?

The last time was a few times during high school.

The people on the train stared at him curiously.

No one seemed to think it strange.

“Mister, mister.”

A little kid tugged on Choi Kangjoong’s finger.

His heart sank, wondering if he was about to be criticized.

“Are you going to fight monsters?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Good luck!”

The child energetically made a fist.

The kid’s mom laughed and nodded in greeting.

‘Being a Hunter really is something.’

The image of a Hunter working at the Dimension Fortress, stopping monsters in the Sea of Dimensions or other worlds, was the best.

They made a lot of money and were seen as contributing more than that.

‘It’s not as bad as I thought. My paranoid delusions didn’t come true.’

How likely was it for someone to suddenly attack you?

Most people never experienced such a thing in their entire lives.

Even if it did happen, Chitin Gauntlet would protect him.

Thirty minutes later, Choi Kangjoong arrived at the Hunter Association and registered as a Hunter.

Among others in armor at the Hunter Association, he was even more ordinary.

There were Hunters registering while covered in blood and wearing armor.

After receiving his certificate, Choi Kangjoong went to a Mana Stone shop.

He dumped out all the Mana Stones in his bag and waited for the price to be calculated.

“It comes to 1.2 billion won.”

“W-what…?”

“1.2 billion.”

Choi Kangjoong’s jaw dropped.

He had a lot of Mana Stones, but the weight wasn’t even 20 kg.

And yet, it was worth 1.2 billion won.

“Would you like me to do an Account Transfer?”

“Yes… please…”

Still in a daze, Choi Kangjoong gave his Registration Number.

The money arrived soon after.

He checked and double-checked his account balance.

No matter how many times he looked, the digit in the tens place hadn’t changed.

‘With this, I can buy beef and do a ton of in-game spending.’

What Choi Kangjoong wanted with all that money was rather modest.

“Thank you for your business. Wishing you a successful hunt.”

Finished with his errands, Choi Kangjoong returned home.

He didn’t forget to buy a top-grade Korean beef set on the way.

“Success!”

Choi Kangjoong, having returned to his room, flopped onto the bed.

He pulled his Hunter Certificate out of his pocket.

A rectangular card that sparkled like an Identification Card.

It showed a picture of him in his armor and the name ‘Outer Mind.’

Since it was linked to an account, it was as if he now had another identity.

“So now I’m a Hunter too. Hehehe.”

He gazed at his certificate, stroking and admiring it for a long while.

Just looking at it made him grin.

“I wonder how Lutal and Kai are doing.”

After placing the certificate safely in his wallet, he checked on the dimensions where Lutal and Kai had gone.

Both had just finished Dimensional Devouring.

The size of their dimensions shrank, and a tremendous amount of nutrients came in.

[Dimensional Devouring complete.]
[You have obtained Evolution Points.]
[Current Evolution Points: 1,213,947]

“Over a million Evolution Points. Time to unlock Titan Class.”

[Titan Class unlocked.]

Choi Kangjoong immediately decided to produce a Titan Class.

From Titan Class onward, due to their size, they could only be produced in Apocalid’s dimension, and they didn’t finish instantly.

[Apocalid Titan production: 1:00:00 remaining.]

“To make an Apocalid Titan takes a full hour, huh.”

Rapid production and outstanding adaptability were Apocalid’s greatest strengths.

But since diplomacy was impossible, when they carried out Dimensional Devouring, united forces—regardless of good or evil—would gang up on them.

Given the setting that they were a monstrous race threatening all others, it made sense.

“Come to think of it, since I’m Outer Mind, maybe diplomacy isn’t impossible after all.”

In Dimension War, Apocalid’s massive hive mind was only ever hungry, incapable of conversation.

But what if a human had Outer Mind?

“If I form friendly relations with a decent race or faction, I won’t be beaten one-sidedly. Maybe that’s why I became Outer Mind?”

It seemed plausible, but he couldn’t immediately guess the intentions behind the Dimension System.

Unless he encountered a race capable of connecting with it.

“What does it matter. The important thing is that I can find those bastards.”

The weight of words from an ordinary Choi Kangjoong and from the ruler of Kraken Sea Choi Kangjoong was worlds apart.

No wonder Natasha was such a headache.

Choi Kangjoong was determined to hunt down those who ruined his life and get his revenge.

With Apocalid, nothing was impossible.