Lee Min-Sung's face hardened. The man who had cut through the reporters, and Association President Go Geon-Hee who had escorted him inside.
"What does Association President Go Geon-Hee's schedule look like today?" "They say his entire morning opened up?" "The Association President cleared his whole morning because of that guy just now?"
*Murmur, murmur.* The crowd had grown too unsettled by the two men's arrival for any more interviews. How much effort had he poured into this day? Lee Min-Sung glared at the manager with a sour look on his face.
'This useless manager can't even handle one thing properly.'
The manager couldn't bring himself to meet Lee Min-Sung's gaze and let his head droop weakly. Now that Lee Min-Sung had become an A-rank Awakened, the situation was different from before—pure force alone wouldn't be enough to handle him. The manager had no choice but to back down.
'...'
After staring daggers at the manager for a long while, Lee Min-Sung's head naturally turned to the side.
"Cue!"
Damn it! To make matters worse, the broadcast camera was about to swing around too. This was a live broadcast. If this chaotic scene made it onto the air and was streamed live to the entire nation, all his efforts to boost his brand value after becoming an A-rank Hunter could go up in smoke. But the fallout from Association President Go Geon-Hee's appearance was too great for him to resume the interview and calm things down. Of all times for a bigwig like that to show up during such a critical moment...
'Is there any way to turn this around?'
His quick-witted brain began to spin rapidly.
'Right—when it comes to flipping the mood, nothing beats one big move.'
The reporters hadn't come because they were curious about his feelings before the rank evaluation. They wanted to know what rank the mega-celebrity Lee Min-Sung would receive as a Hunter, and what his next steps would be after being issued his Hunter license. That was why they'd shown up. Give them what they wanted, and everything would fall back into place.
'Let me move the schedule up and jump straight into the evaluation.'
A wry smile crept onto Lee Min-Sung's face. Sure enough, his talent for this kind of quick thinking was impressive—just as people said.
"Excuse me for a moment. I need to go discuss today's schedule with some Association staff."
With that casual excuse to the reporters, Lee Min-Sung headed for the Association building. Not to "discuss" the changed schedule—but to "notify" them.
'My father's money is the biggest reason this place even runs. The Association and whoever else ought to know their place.'
And yet.
'Huh?'
Just as he was about to push through the glass door, he was shoved backward by a flood of Surveillance Division Hunters pouring out from inside. The Hunters lined up and sealed off the building entrance.
'What now?'
Lee Min-Sung's brow furrowed. He checked the nameplate on the man's chest.
'Hunter's Association Surveillance Division Chief, Woo Jin-Cheol?'
Lee Min-Sung addressed the man named Woo Jin-Cheol.
"What's this? Why are you blocking the entrance?"
Woo Jin-Cheol, still wearing his sunglasses, looked down at Lee Min-Sung.
"Another Awakened individual's rank re-evaluation is currently underway. No one may enter the building until the evaluation is concluded at eleven o'clock." "Excuse me?"
The other Awakened—did he mean the man who had just gone inside following the Association President? Lee Min-Sung checked his watch. It was 10:30 a.m. Eleven o'clock was the time his own rank evaluation was scheduled. No one could go in until then? His plan to move up the evaluation and turn the mood around was on the verge of collapsing. At first, he kept his tone polite.
"Just let me in. I have something to discuss with the staff." "I'm sorry."
Woo Jin-Cheol said that one line and clamped his mouth shut. Growing frustrated, Lee Min-Sung could hold back no longer and began to show his true colors.
"Hey, do you have any idea who I am? I'm Lee Min-Sung. Lee Min-Sung."
Sensing it wasn't working, Lee Min-Sung's tone grew more aggressive—but Woo Jin-Cheol showed not the slightest hint of stepping aside.
"Ha—"
Lee Min-Sung let out a half-laugh of disbelief.
"Hey. You know that Yoojin Construction is the Association's biggest sponsor, right?"
The corner of Lee Min-Sung's mouth curled upward.
"Vice President Lee Won-Gyu of Yoojin Construction is my father. And see those people down there?"
Lee Min-Sung pointed at the reporters spread out below the stairs.
"With this many reporters watching, do you think you can treat the son of Yoojin Construction's vice president like this? Can you handle the fallout?"
Woo Jin-Cheol's answer was simple.
"I can." "What?"
Lee Min-Sung was speechless. What on earth had this man done to make the Association President personally come out to greet him and have the entire building locked down for a rank evaluation? And on top of that, it wasn't even a department head—it was merely a division chief acting this high and mighty. Lee Min-Sung placed his hands on his hips and pressed the issue.
"So who is this 'other Awakened' that the Association is bending over backwards to protect?"
Only then did Woo Jin-Cheol remove his sunglasses.
"If I told you that…"
Lee Min-Sung flinched. Woo Jin-Cheol's sharp, raptor-like eyes were revealed, and Lee Min-Sung instinctively took a step back without realizing it. Without breaking eye contact, Woo Jin-Cheol spoke in a low voice.
"Are *you* sure you can handle it, Lee Min-Sung?"
***
The inside of the building was deserted. Not a single person was waiting for a rank evaluation—the hall was empty except for the occasional Association employee walking by. Probably because of the huge crowd of reporters gathered outside.
"This way, please." "Yes."
Jin-Woo followed Go Geon-Hee's lead toward the measurement room when two familiar faces caught his eye.
'Hm?'
Sitting in the lounge chairs across the hall were Baek Yoon-Ho and Choi Jong-In. It was the spot where guild staff had crowded three days ago when he'd come for his re-evaluation. The two men spotted him, rose simultaneously, and offered a bow. Jin-Woo gave a light nod and passed through the hall. Walking down the quiet corridor, Go Geon-Hee offered a faint smile.
"Those two have been here for an hour, waiting for you, Hunter-nim."
The leaders of two of Korea's top guilds had come an hour early to wait for the re-evaluation results? Whether Jin-Woo picked up on the look in his eyes or not, Go Geon-Hee answered in a calm voice.
"You're an S-rank Hunter who's appeared after two years. And in Choi Jong-In's case, he's already witnessed your strength, so he must be all the more anxious."
Jin-Woo nodded.
"Oh my." "Association President."
Association employees they passed along the way greeted Go Geon-Hee with deep bows, then looked at Jin-Woo beside him with curious eyes.
'Who's that guy with him that the Association President is personally escorting?' 'Could he be someone really important?' 'How does such a young person know the Association President?'
The fact that Go Geon-Hee—someone who wouldn't even come out to greet a minister-level visitor—was moving in person left the employees simply amazed. Go Geon-Hee looked ahead and spoke.
"I heard about what happened yesterday."
Go Geon-Hee's expression as he spoke was somewhat pleased. In truth, Go Geon-Hee was excited. His prediction that Sung Jin-Woo would be different from ordinary Hunters had been confirmed. When he'd heard from Woo Jin-Cheol the account of Sung Jin-Woo's exploits, he'd been on the edge of his seat as if he'd been there himself.
'Of course, the skill itself is one thing.'
What pleased him even more was the clean handling of things afterward. Sung Jin-Woo had cleared the Dungeon almost single-handedly, including the boss, yet had shown zero greed for any of the byproducts. If his true purpose was fighting monsters to protect people rather than chasing big money and fame, the Association was ready to provide full support. It aligned perfectly with the Association's founding mission.
'If there's any way to pull him into the Association, I'll use it.'
But what could he do? As Sung Jin-Woo had said before, joining the Association would leave almost no opportunities to fight monsters. The power he'd learned about yesterday—it would be a waste to let it go unused outside of Dungeons. Before long, they arrived at the examination hall inside the building.
"Before the re-measurement, we'll verify your abilities to classify your aptitude type."
Jin-Woo already knew. Hunters were categorized by the abilities they possessed—combat, magic, healing, support—and deployed where needed. The employee waiting in the examination hall bowed ninety degrees to Go Geon-Hee and received Jin-Woo.
"Please step over here."
Jin-Woo took the center of the examination hall. The room had the structure of a typical indoor gymnasium. The only difference was that a powerful mana force could be felt emanating from the walls and floor. It appeared to have been reinforced with magic as a precaution against accidents. The examiners asked:
"What abilities can you use?"
Association President Go Geon-Hee, who hadn't left yet, watched the examination process from a corner with keen interest. This was the reason he'd come to greet Jin-Woo personally—he wanted to see Jin-Woo's abilities with his own eyes as soon as possible.
"I can do something like this."
Jin-Woo summoned one shadow soldier.
"Ah!"
The examiners flinched in surprise. A soldier clad head to toe in black armor rising silently from the floor—how could anyone stay calm? Even though Jin-Woo had deliberately picked one of the lowest-level ordinary soldiers, an overwhelming pressure radiated from it—far beyond what an ordinary person could endure.
"Is this… a summon? Do you use summoned creatures?"
The examiner's voice was trembling. Jin-Woo would have liked to kindly explain that it was nothing dangerous at all, but…
Jin-Woo answered with a pained expression.
"…Well, something like that." "T-then how many summoned creatures can you call forth?" 'Lying would be pointless.'
Over twenty eyewitnesses had seen him summon the full contingent of shadow soldiers yesterday. Jin-Woo reduced the number sealed in his shadow storage skill and gave his answer.
"About a hundred…"
At the number one hundred, the examiners' eyes went wide.
"A, a hundred?" "Yes."
Jin-Woo, on the other hand, was calm. Just then, Go Geon-Hee's eyes gleamed as he stared at the shadow soldier.
'A hundred of something like that…'
The soldier appeared to possess roughly the mana level of a B-rank Hunter. If Jin-Woo could summon a hundred of these, his individual power already rivaled that of a major guild. Truly an extraordinary ability. Go Geon-Hee's burning gaze was palpable on his skin. Jin-Woo took in the reactions around him and let out a quiet sigh of relief.
'If this is the reaction to a single ordinary soldier…'
He was thankful a thousand times over that he hadn't summoned "Igrit," the highest-level soldier, or the boss-class monster "Fang" captured the day before. In any case, this was proof of what kind of ability he possessed.
"Then… Hunter Sung Jin-Woo, you are of the magic aptitude type."
The examiner scratched away at the report form, then looked up with a satisfied expression.
"You may now proceed to the measurement room."
***
Jin-Woo held his newly issued Hunter license. Sung Jin-Woo, S-rank, magic type. His own face was right there in the photo field, yet it still didn't feel real.
'Good. So far, things have gone smoothly.'
Jin-Woo tucked the license into his wallet. As he reached the end of the corridor, Baek Yoon-Ho and Choi Jong-In—who had been waiting—approached him.
"Sung Jin-Woo, could we have a moment of your time?" "Hunter Sung Jin-Woo." "I apologize. I have some things I'm behind on."
Jin-Woo ignored them and walked toward the glass door.
"H-hey?"
Baek Yoon-Ho spoke with concern.
"If I were you, I wouldn't go out that way." 'So there are conditions good enough that I'd regret leaving?'
Jin-Woo had no interest in whatever those conditions were. He brushed aside Baek Yoon-Ho's warning and flung the glass door wide open. At that moment. *Flash flash flash flash flash flash flash flash flash flash flash!* The reporters, who had been fighting past the stairs and clashing with the Surveillance Division Hunters, all fired their flashes at once.
'What the hell is this?'
Jin-Woo was rendered speechless before the blinding wall of light exploding in his face.
***
Jin-Ah, as always, stopped by the school store after third period, bought a carton of banana milk, and headed upstairs. With about an hour left until lunch, if she didn't at least fill her stomach with something, the hunger would make it impossible to concentrate. Sure enough. *Growl.* Her stomach was already clamoring for fuel. As Jin-Ah rubbed her hungry belly and was about to step into the classroom, a friend rushed out with wide eyes and called to her.
"J-Jin-Ah!" "Wh-what?"
Jin-Ah was startled in turn.
"Your brother! Your brother's on TV!" "What? My brother? Why?"
Jin-Ah's heart dropped. Had he been badly hurt again? Or could it possibly be—? The friend seemed to think there was no time to explain and grabbed Jin-Ah's wrist, pulling her into the classroom. Jin-Ah's eyes flew toward the large TV beside the blackboard. And then.
"B-brother?"
The moment she saw the screen, the carton of banana milk slipped from Jin-Ah's hand and clattered to the floor.