"Sung Jin-Woo Hunter, is that correct?" "Yes."
The man confirmed my face, then looked surprised. But he quickly remembered his duty and greeted me in a bright voice.
"I'm Kim Jung-Ki from the Hunter Auction appraisal team. Please, come this way."
I gave a short nod. As Kim Jung-Ki led me to the appraisal room, his mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts.
'The S-rank rookie who just vanished in front of the reporters is right behind me.'
When he first received the call, he thought it was a prank. The artifact's supposed effect alone didn't make sense, and the timing of it being a Hunter who had just declared himself S-rank made it even more suspicious.
'I almost swore at an S-rank Hunter, didn't I?'
When the Hunter's Association confirmed that Sung Jin-Woo Hunter's phone number was legitimate, he nearly froze. Thank heavens he'd followed the manual and stayed polite.
[...Hunter Sung Jin-Woo, newly registered as S-rank, awakened through successive awakenings that took him all the way from E-rank to S-rank, leaping five full ranks, and is known to possess magic-type abilities...]
Even now, TVs throughout the building were still showing his face. Apparently self-conscious about it, I pulled my hood down further. Even though the news wasn't about him at all, Kim Jung-Ki couldn't help feeling a certain pride as he kept glancing at the broadcasts mentioning Jin-Woo.
'Should I ask for a selfie?'
He shook his head. If this weren't his workplace, he would've asked for a selfie or an autograph. But he couldn't be that rude to a guest who'd come for an important deal. This called for patience.
'Did the walk from the entrance to here always feel this short?'
As all these thoughts crossed his mind, the appraisal room appeared in no time. Kim Jung-Ki said with a wistful expression.
"This way."
Inside the spacious room, the appraisal team leader and the chief appraiser — both of whom had skipped lunch to rush over — were waiting with anxious faces. When the team leader spotted Jin-Woo, his eyes went wide.
'So it really is the guy from the news?'
The chief appraiser swallowed hard, his throat dry.
'So the magic amplification orb is real too...?'
No, not yet. Just because the person was real didn't mean the artifact had to be. The chief appraiser comforted himself with that thought. The greatest artifact craftsmen in the world, using the finest materials and pouring their utmost effort, produced magic amplification orbs with amplification rates just barely above fifty percent. Even then, gathering the materials was difficult, and the manpower and time required for production meant you'd be lucky to see one every few years. Magic-type Hunters lined up across the globe eager to buy one, yet the artifacts simply didn't exist to sell. Well, forget the whole world. Just within the country, Choi Jong-In — the magic-type Hunter known as the ultimate weapon — had been eyeing the purchase of an amplification orb above fifty percent. And now a Hunter who was S-rank in name but barely known had walked in with an artifact boasting a hundred percent amplification rate?
'Impossible...'
If the man hadn't been a top-tier Hunter, they would've kicked him out the door. But you couldn't turn away an S-rank Hunter. Even if this turned out to be a hoax, this was someone who could become a crucial client for years to come.
'Nothing to lose by checking.'
The chief appraiser spoke to Jin-Woo with an expression mixing a sliver of hope with several times as much suspicion.
"C-Could you show me the artifact?"
Kim Jung-Ki and the team leader were both staring at Jin-Woo with taut, nervous faces.
"Sure."
Pretending to reach into my pocket, I summoned the 'Orb of Greed' from my storage.
"So this is the..."
The chief appraiser adjusted his glasses. It was a beautiful, blood-hued orb — an object that commanded awe from anyone who laid eyes on it. The two members of the appraisal team let out small gasps.
"Hmm—"
But the chief appraiser touched his glasses and tilted his head.
"This artifact wasn't made from mana crystals or magic stones, was it?" "No."
The chief appraiser nodded.
'Just as I thought.'
Seven years since he started appraising. He had spent a long time studying artifacts, but he had never once seen a scrying orb with a red hue. Ordinary scrying orbs were clear and blue-tinted, and the higher the grade, the closer they got to black. But red? The chief appraiser tilted his head repeatedly before taking the orb into his hands. And then.
'Wh—what is this?'
A sudden chill ran down his spine. It was from the inexplicable power emanating from the orb.
'Could it be...?'
He stared at the orb in utter shock. The chief appraiser himself was a B-rank magic-type awakener. He could immediately sense what kind of object he was holding. Cold sweat ran down his entire body.
'Good lord!'
The power radiating from the orb raised goosebumps all over his skin. He quickly looked up, and Jin-Woo was watching him with a calm expression.
'If the person who brought this had been a low-ranked Hunter...'
This was a first. He had handled countless high-priced artifacts before, but this was the only time he'd ever wanted to punch the person who'd brought it in and seize the artifact. But the man before him was S-rank.
'...?'
Jin-Woo stared at him intently. Under that gaze, the appraiser barely managed to restrain his desire.
'Rob an S-rank Hunter?'
It wasn't just daring — it was beyond the realm of imagination, given the overwhelming gap between them. Just as the appraiser had reacted to the orb, Jin-Woo tilted his head upon looking at the appraiser.
'What's wrong with him?'
Was he feeling sick or something? In any case, the appraiser wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and spoke to the team leader.
"Team leader, please turn on the camera." "Ah! Yes, yes."
Asking for the camera to be turned on meant the object in the appraiser's hands was no joke. The team leader's heartbeat quickened. Kim Jung-Ki's expression, who had first received Jin-Woo's call, was no different.
"Recording begins."
The team leader angled the camera lens toward the appraiser. The appraiser stood before the disc-shaped mana measurement device. First, without holding the orb. Beep — a reading appeared. Then, the second time, holding the orb in hand, another measurement. The mana reading from the appraiser instantly doubled. Beep — when Kim Jung-Ki saw the result, his face went pale.
"Impossible..."
The team leader ran over to check the results too.
'Hundred percent? An orb with a real hundred percent amplification rate?'
His heart pounded. The commission Hunter Auction took for facilitating artifact transactions averaged around five percent. Even on a ten-billion-won deal, that was five hundred million in their pocket. But predicting the price of this red orb was utterly impossible, even with his years of experience.
'A jackpot! This is a jackpot!'
If there hadn't been others watching, he would have thrown his arms up in celebration and hugged the staff member standing next to him. How big would the bonus be if this deal went through? Excitement was choking his breath. Kim Jung-Ki's reaction was no different from his superior's. He clenched his fists with flushed cheeks.
'Yes!'
If he handled this properly, a promotion was as good as guaranteed.
"I-I'll run a demonstration."
When the appraiser managed to speak in a trembling voice, the two appraisal team members backed away. Jin-Woo also stepped back on cue. The camera was still running. For appealing to buyers, video was far more effective than numbers alone. The appraiser's eyes turned to the camera.
"Starting now."
A blizzard the size of a truck tire whirled above the appraiser's right hand. He continued.
"I'll maintain my mana and make contact with the orb."
The moment his left hand touched the 'Orb of Greed' — whooooom — the blizzard dancing above his hand shook the entire room.
"Whoa!"
If the startled appraiser hadn't immediately released his magic, the whole room would have frozen solid.
"Please turn off the camera." "Yes, yes."
The team leader nodded and ran to shut off the camera. With that, the artifact appraisal process was complete.
'Phew—'
Feeling the mana that had momentarily surged from the appraiser's fingertips, Jin-Woo let out a sigh of relief. But it wasn't just Jin-Woo — everyone in the room exhaled as they steadied their racing hearts. A brief silence settled over the room. Jin-Woo asked.
"How much would it go for?"
If he sold this, would he be able to get the artifact he wanted? No — setting that aside, he was genuinely curious about how much a hundred percent amplification orb would fetch. The appraiser peered at the 'Orb of Greed' with a face that said he couldn't believe it.
"This... how could I possibly put a price on something like this..."
His gaze shifted to Jin-Woo. He swallowed. Where on earth had this man gotten such an artifact? It wasn't his place to ask, but he couldn't help himself.
"Where did you get this?"
Rather than answering the appraiser, I looked at Kim Jung-Ki and asked back.
"Is that question also part of facilitating a smooth sale?"
Kim Jung-Ki looked sheepish, averting his eyes and scratching the back of his neck. The appraiser shook his head.
"No, no. It's just that I... I'm too astonished. But if the existence of an orb like this became known, everyone would want to know where it came from."
Sure enough, the other two also looked like they were dying of curiosity.
'Eh, I suppose it doesn't matter?'
There was no reason not to tell them if they asked. It wasn't obtained through shady means, and knowing the source wouldn't help anyone else get one. My lips parted. The three people besides me held their breath, focusing intently on the answer. I spoke with a smile.
"I found it in a Dungeon."
***
Baek Yoon-Ho entered the CEO's office.
"I want to be alone, so don't let anyone in."
Not content with leaving separate instructions for his secretary, he locked the door behind him and turned on his computer. Then, using his authority as both an S-rank Hunter and a guild master, he began accessing every piece of information within reach.
'Could this really be possible?'
The thought of Jin-Woo refused to leave Baek Yoon-Ho's mind. A Hunter who could grow? If that wasn't the case, how else could he explain the dramatic change in his power over just a few days? His fingers moved frantically. He searched even the Hunter-exclusive website accessible only to top-tier Hunters worldwide. But it was in vain.
'Nothing...'
There had never been a Hunter capable of raising their own stats. Growth was possible only through awakening or re-awakening — purely through luck. Perhaps Hunters should be called the chosen ones of God? Countless windows opened and closed, and characters scrolled endlessly across his screen. This had been going on for three hours. Exhausted from the prolonged search, Baek Yoon-Ho leaned back in his chair.
'Am I overreacting?'
Perhaps he was. Maybe he'd been so startled by how powerful Sung Jin-Woo Hunter was compared to his expectations that he'd conjured up absurd hypotheses.
"Haha."
What was he even doing during the busiest part of the day? He should be sending another text to Sung Jin-Woo Hunter instead of doing this. That sharp-witted Representative Choi might already be hunting down Jin-Woo and shoving a contract in his face. Baek Yoon-Ho let out a dry laugh and closed the windows one by one. Then, when only the last window remained.
'Wait a second...'
Half as a joke, he typed 'Hunter stat growth' into a search engine. Naturally, there were no results. Baek Yoon-Ho hadn't really expected anything. He was just unconsciously repeating the same action he always did when he needed to search something.
'Come to think of it... I haven't eaten lunch today either.'
As late hunger crept in and he rubbed his stomach absentmindedly, about to close the search window — his eyes suddenly sharpened.
'...?'
On roughly the fifth page of search results, there was a linked post. If the link hadn't been to a private café exclusive to Hunters, he would have scrolled right past it. Baek Yoon-Ho moved the mouse.
[Title: Something strange has happened.] [Content: Suddenly I can see my stats like in a game, and I can raise them. Is anyone else experiencing the same thing?]
It was an anonymous post. But somehow, reading through it, his breathing quickened and his heart started to race.
'People would think I'm crazy.'
Still, what was the harm in checking? Baek Yoon-Ho picked up the phone.
—Yes, sir.
Director An Sang-Min of the Second Management Division answered quickly.
"Director An, there's something I'd like you to look into."
He wanted to know what had happened to Sung Jin-Woo Hunter on the day this anonymous post was written.
—Understood. I'll look into it.
With that crisp reply, the call ended. Director An was a competent employee. If he waited, the man would find the answer through whatever means necessary. But the results came even faster than expected.
'Already?'
Baek Yoon-Ho picked up the phone as it rang.
—It didn't take long. We had some records on file.
"Is that so?"
Baek Yoon-Ho brightened. Come to think of it, Director An had once ordered the entire Second Management Division to collect every piece of information they could on Sung Jin-Woo Hunter. Thanks to that, the wait had been short.
—Yes. On that day, Sung Jin-Woo Hunter was... ah, so it was that time. There was that Double Dungeon incident a few months ago, right? "There was." —Sung Jin-Woo Hunter was a survivor of that Double Dungeon. As far as I know, he was unconscious for the entire time he was hospitalized. "I... see."
Baek Yoon-Ho's expression fell. An unconscious person couldn't very well be posting on the internet.
'Stat growth... there's no way such a thing is possible.'
It was an utterly absurd hoax. Somehow, he felt tired. He had just made up his mind to head home early and get some rest when—
—Hm? Wait a minute. He was unconscious the whole time, but...
Director An Sang-Min's voice continued from the other end of the line, sounding amazed.
—He actually opened his eyes on exactly that day.