Jin-Woo, having returned home, called up his Status Window.
'Status Window.'
What he wanted was skill information. His gaze, which had been traveling downward, passed over his level, job, and title, stopping at the skill window.
[Skill] Passive Skills: (Unknown) Lv.MAX, Tenacity Lv.1, Dagger Mastery Lv.MAX Active Skills: Swift Lv.MAX, Killer Instinct Lv.2, Stealth Lv.2, Frenzy Lv.MAX, Dagger Rush Lv.MAX, Ruler's Touch Lv.MAX
Many of the skills in the window had already hit their maximum level, transforming into their final form, or were on the verge of doing so. The maximum level for skills was 3. Once a skill reached level 3, its level changed to "Max," and it would not go any higher. Instead, if proficiency continued to accumulate in that state, the skill would evolve into its final form—and the difference in efficiency between final-form skills and their previous stage was enormous. The skill "Sprint" had become "Swift." "Vital Strike" had become "Frenzy." "Dagger Throw" had become "Dagger Rush." Even the passive skill "Advanced Dagger Techniques," which allowed for skillful handling of daggers, had transformed into "Dagger Mastery." Thanks to all this, Jin-Woo summoned the "Demon King's Dagger" and moved it this way and that over his hand. The dagger spun around his index finger, then rose up to hover over his palm, and at other times it slid smoothly along the back of his hand. One trick-like movement flowed seamlessly into the next, and then—clack! Jin-Woo lightly tossed the dagger into the air and casually caught it, smacking his lips.
'A shame there's no audience.'
The sensation of the dagger feeling like an extension of his own hand—it was all thanks to the "Dagger Mastery" skill. Jin-Woo repeatedly tossed and caught the dagger, then shifted his gaze back to the skill window.
'So the only ones with room to grow are Killer Instinct and Stealth?'
Unfortunately, the "Tenacity" skill, which had remained at level 1, appeared to have no further room for development. And for good reason.
[Skill: Tenacity Lv.1] Passive Skill. Mana cost: None. You possess indomitable tenacity. When HP drops below 30%, Tenacity activates, reducing all damage taken by 50%.
Tenacity was a skill that only activated when HP dropped to a mere 30 percent. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing where you could deliberately put yourself in mortal danger just to level it up. Moreover, even after acquiring the Tenacity skill, Jin-Woo had found himself in numerous crises, whether deliberately or not. The fact that it still hadn't gone past level 1 meant it was extremely difficult to raise under normal circumstances. Jin-Woo had grown too strong—that was the problem. What enemy could possibly corner him now? So he decided to skip over Tenacity and focus on raising the proficiency of "Killer Instinct" and "Stealth," both stuck at level 2 due to infrequent use. "Killer Instinct" was hard to use casually, but "Stealth" could be employed in everyday situations without much trouble. Just then, Jin-Woo's gaze fixed on something above.
'What is this, exactly?'
The skill labeled "Unknown" in the passive slot. It had been with him the longest since he became a Player, yet the system still refused to reveal even the most basic information about it.
'I thought the details would show up eventually, given enough time...'
Could this skill have some kind of requirement as well? Its level had been set to Max from the very beginning, so he'd had high hopes for whatever skill it would turn out to be. But even now, after a considerable amount of time had passed, the mystery only deepened.
'...'
Jin-Woo stared at the "Unknown" skill for a long moment, then shook his head. What he really wanted to check wasn't the general skill window—it was the section right below. The job-exclusive skills that had each risen by one level today.
[Job-Exclusive Skills] Active Skills: Shadow Extraction Lv.2, Shadow Storage Lv.2, Domain of the Monarch Lv.2, Shadow Exchange Lv.2
'How much has everything changed?'
Apart from Shadow Exchange, which he'd already checked the moment he leveled up, Jin-Woo opened the information windows for every other skill.
[Skill: Shadow Extraction Lv.2] Job-Exclusive Skill. Mana cost: None. Extracts mana from a lifeless body to create a shadow soldier. Extraction failure probability increases in proportion to the target's stats and the elapsed time since death. Extractable shadow count: 590 / 1,300 Level 2 effect "Empowerment": The probability of enhancing a shadow upon extraction is increased.
As if this were the reward for the difficulty of leveling up, the maximum number of extractable shadows had increased dramatically.
'1,300 max shadows!'
If there were enough targets available, he could more than double his original forces. On top of that, the special effect meant there was now a high chance of a shadow gaining a level the moment it was extracted.
'So that's it...'
This was probably why the boss-level Gremma had started at level 13. It was no coincidence.
'If the Empowerment effect had existed before I turned Beru into a shadow soldier, how different would things have been?'
An even more fearsome monster could have emerged.
'They say greed knows no bounds.'
Jin-Woo chuckled and went on to inspect each of the remaining job-exclusive skills one by one. Every skill's performance had improved dramatically, and effects that had never appeared before were now added to each one. Shadow Storage, Domain of the Monarch—as he read through the descriptions of the upgraded skills, a smile crept onto Jin-Woo's face.
'Good.'
Jin-Woo closed the Status Window with a satisfied expression. His growth had definitely slowed. But even so, he was still growing little by little, and the fact that there was still more room to climb made his heart race. He wanted to go higher.
'I don't know where the end is, but...'
Every time he felt that ambition being filled, a rush of exhilarating joy surged through him. Thump, thump. Jin-Woo sent the dagger to his inventory and placed his right hand gently over his chest. Thump, thump. His heart was beating with a pleasant sound. Then, a sudden thought.
'...He called it a terrifying power, didn't he?'
The words Cha Hae-In had told him hours earlier came back to mind. Min Byung-Gu had warned him. That he possessed a terrifying power and should be careful.
'Is he talking about the System?'
At first, Jin-Woo himself had been frightened by what was happening to him, and the System that caused these phenomena had been terrifying. But the fear hadn't lasted long. Jin-Woo quickly adapted to the System, and before long it became the greatest tool he'd ever had. There were simply still too many unsolved mysteries.
'...'
Jin-Woo's gaze turned toward the empty air.
"What exactly are you?"
There was no answer.
"Shouldn't you be able to tell me by now?"
Jin-Woo stared silently at the void as if waiting for a reply, but no voice came back.
'Inventory.'
Jin-Woo opened his storage and pulled out a gleaming black key.
[Item: Key of the Carnion Temple] Acquisition difficulty... ...will be revealed later. Time remaining: 249 hours, 25 minutes, 07 seconds
An invitation sent by the System. A full week had already passed, and the remaining time had shrunk to 250 hours.
'What kind of answer will I find there?'
Half of him was anticipation. The other half, curiosity. The heartbeat that had briefly calmed now intensified again. Jin-Woo removed his hand from his chest. His resolve to do everything he could before the remaining time ran out hadn't changed. He picked up his phone and quickly made a call.
—What is it, hyung-nim?
The cheerful voice belonged to Yoo Jin-Ho. Jin-Woo got straight to the point.
"Jin-Ho." —Yes, hyung-nim? "Can you reserve every high-rank Gate in this area starting tomorrow?" —You mean like when we did C-rank raids together, hyung-nim? "That's right."
Yoo Jin-Ho paused for a moment to think, then answered in a bright voice.
—I've got it, hyung-nim!
* * *
The Japanese airport where the Russian S-rank Hunter Yuri Orloff had arrived was packed wall to wall with people, not a single inch of space to be found. Yuri looked at the Japanese citizens who had swarmed like ants to catch a glimpse of him and curled one corner of his mouth upward. Meanwhile, the personnel from the Japanese Hunter's Association who had escorted him walked with their heads bowed, looking as though they had committed some grave crime. A country whose own Hunters lacked the ability to stop a disaster and had no choice but to borrow the strength of foreign Hunters—that was the very phrase Japan had used to mock South Korea just a few weeks ago. Now Japan was doing the exact same thing. The officials from the Association, including Chairman Matsumoto, couldn't bring themselves to lift their heads as they recalled their own country's past.
'If only we hadn't lost those Hunters on Jeju Island...'
Matsumoto bit his lower lip.
"Yuri Orloff!" "It's Yuri!"
Reporters from around the world spotted Yuri and clicked their shutters. Click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click! Yuri grinned broadly, baring his gold teeth as if to show them off. The immigration procedures were completed in the blink of an eye, and the first thing the Japanese government asked him to do was reassure the public. Yuri agreed readily. His nickname was "the Savior." It had been earned from the countless number of times he had sealed Gates just before they could break open. And Yuri did not dislike a nickname that could bring him both money and fame.
"Are you ready, Mr. Yuri?" "Of course."
That evening, he made his way to a television studio. To be expected—every eye in Japan had turned toward the TV screen. The host asked him a question.
"How do you plan to seal the Gate?" "The same way I always do."
Yuri's face was overflowing with composure. He drew a large, round circle in the air with both hands.
"I'm going to draw a massive magic circle. Like this, around the Gate."
The screen briefly cut away to show the Shinjuku Gate, followed by a 3D rendering of what the magic circle would look like once drawn.
"And then I pour my mana into it, and that's that. Nothing inside that Gate will be able to get out."
But that level of explanation wasn't enough to ease the Japanese public's anxiety. Even the host tilted his head.
"Um... but is that actually possible?"
Yuri's eyebrow twitched.
"What do you mean?"
The host, gauging Yuri's expression, cautiously pressed further.
"You're saying a single S-rank Hunter can seal an S-rank Gate by himself—I mean, frankly... it's hard to believe, isn't it?"
Heh. Yuri laughed. The host, who had expected the impatient-looking man to grow angry, was momentarily relieved at the quiet chuckle—but at the same time grew more anxious that he might have offended him. But Yuri kept his smile.
"If I had to maintain the barrier with my own mana alone, then yes—even I couldn't do it."
Can't do it? The host swallowed hard. With Japan's own S-rank Hunters having declared the raid abandoned, if even Yuri gave up, there would be no solution left. Yuri studied the host's stiff expression savoringly, then continued.
"But my ability—the magic circle I use for barriers—it sustains itself by absorbing mana from its surroundings." "...!"
In an instant, the host's expression changed.
"Then when you said you needed your own mana at first..." —"It works on the same principle as starting a car. Once a barrier is activated, it absorbs mana and transforms into an increasingly sturdy and colossal wall."
A ray of light seemed to fall across the faces of the host and the studio staff as they listened. Yuri's relaxed voice carried conviction. As if his confidence were contagious, the anxiety of those listening began to melt away. If what he said was true, then the stronger the ambient mana, the more unbreakable the barrier would become! And without question, the amount of mana flowing from an S-rank Gate was staggering. And if that barrier surrounded the S-rank Gate? He was using its own power to restrain it. Could there be a more fitting description than "hoist with his own petard"? The barrier's strength would likely be the greatest in history. Yuri pointed a finger at the camera. His fingertip was, no doubt, aimed at the countless anonymous viewers watching at home. The veins stood out on his neck.
"I am here to save you! All you need to remember is who it was that saved you!"
Click. The TV went off. Ko Geon-Hyi, Chairman of the Korean Hunter's Association, set down the remote, his expression grim. Woo Jin-Cheol, who had been standing beside him, spoke.
"What do you think, Chairman?" "I'm not sure."
Ko Geon-Hyi leaned back into the sofa, worry in his eyes. Unlike certain people in Japan, he was not the sort of person to take pleasure in a neighboring country's misfortune. That said, he had absolutely no intention of offering help at the cost of damage to his own nation. After a moment lost in thought, he spoke again.
"Whether Yuri Orloff can seal the S-rank Gate or not, I don't know."
Ko Geon-Hyi's gaze sharpened.
"But I know very well what will happen if he fails." "...That's a relief." "...?"
Ko Geon-Hyi looked up at Woo Jin-Cheol. Realizing he had been misunderstood, Woo Jin-Cheol hastily waved his hands.
"I didn't mean that Japan's situation worked out for the best. I meant..."
After a brief pause, Woo Jin-Cheol continued.
"I was saying it's a relief that, unlike Japan, we have a Hunter we can trust."
Nod. Ko Geon-Hyi's head moved in a large, deliberate nod. There was no need to spell out which Hunter he meant. Just knowing he existed was enough to feel reassured.
"By the way, how has Hunter Sung Jin-Woo been doing lately?"
Woo Jin-Ho quietly handed over a single printed sheet of paper. On it were listed the locations of high-rank Gates that had recently spawned in the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas.
"Why this, all of a sudden?" "Do you see the number of red circles there?" "Looks like it accounts for nearly half of all the Dungeons in the area."
Woo Jin-Cheol wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and answered.
"Every single one of those is a Gate for which the Ahjin Guild has requested clearance to raid."
Ko Geon-Hyi's eyes went wide.
"All of these?" "Yes, that's correct."