In front of an A-rank dungeon in Gangnam, Seoul.
Bang! Pababak! Bang!
Hundreds of camera flashes burst like machine guns, burning the vision white. At the dungeon entrance, even though the main character hadn’t appeared yet, reporters who’d swarmed outside the control line thrust their microphones forward like a pack of hyenas eyeing prey.
In the midst of the noisy chaos, the blue curtain of the dungeon rippled and a man walked out. Disheveled jet-black hair. He wore a black cassock that fit his body perfectly, an extremely ascetic and neat appearance where the only point of color was the white Roman collar hanging at his neck. He emerged from the dungeon with a terribly expressionless face, then slightly frowned when he saw the platform prepared in advance.
“Guild Leader Sung Yohan! Congratulations on successfully conquering this dungeon!”
“Is it true that it was a solo conquest? What about the agreement with Jupiter Guild!”
“You’ve even warned of legal disputes over ownership of this dungeon—please give us a comment!”
It was Sung Yohan, South Korea’s Rank 1, the head of Guild Sanctum.
Even though he’d just demolished an A-rank dungeon, not a speck of dust or drop of blood was on his clothes.
“…Ha.”
Sung Yohan sent a cold gaze toward the bursting flash baptism. He was in a very bad mood right now. No, to be precise, irritation had shot up to the top of his head.
In the first place, this dungeon had been under the jurisdiction of the giant guild ‘Jupiter.’ However, when it was revealed that what poured out from inside wasn’t ordinary monsters but monsters corrupted by demons, Jupiter couldn’t handle it and let go. In the end, the Association reluctantly requested support from Sung Yohan, the nation’s most outstanding exorcism specialist.
The problem was Jupiter Guild’s attitude. They’d spewed shameless bullshit saying, ‘Please conquer it, but we can’t hand over ownership.’
Sung Yohan stopped walking in front of the numerous microphones. The audience instantly fell silent. He opened his mouth while staring at the camera lens with cold eyes.
“If anyone from Jupiter Guild is watching, listen carefully.”
A low but clear voice resonated through the scene.
“The contamination level of the monsters that emerged from this dungeon was not something you could handle. If it weren’t for me, the entire Gangnam area would have become hell by now. And yet you claim authority?”
Sung Yohan’s lips twisted nastily.
“If you have no conscience, at least have ability. It’s laughable how you only think about securing your rice bowl while being incompetent. From this moment on, all ownership and byproduct processing rights of this dungeon go to our ‘Sanctum.’ If you have complaints, come to the Association. Whether it’s the law or fists, I’ll face you however you want.”
“Waaaah—!!”
The reporters’ exclamations and shutter sounds exploded. It was an unprecedented provocation. Sung Yohan turned his back without lingering as if he had no more business.
As he strode forward, his Chief Secretary Seo Jihoon and S-rank Hunter Gi Taeyeon from the United Nations Police (UNP) who’d been waiting on one side naturally followed alongside him.
“Good work, Guild Leader. That comment was so refreshing it was practically ice-cold. Jupiter’s guild leader will clutch the back of his neck and collapse.”
Chief Secretary Seo Jihoon raised his thumb approvingly while gauging Yohan’s mood. Yohan roughly took off his gloves and tossed them to Seo Jihoon.
“Handle it. I can’t stand watching those bastards bark anymore.”
“Yes sir, I have the legal team on standby.”
“Hey, Sung Yohan. Your personality is really broken. You act all angel-like on broadcasts.”
Gi Taeyeon, who’d been chewing gum beside him, giggled and interrupted. A man in a leather jacket and ripped jeans, dressed completely opposite to Yohan in obviously rough attire. He was an investigator with UNP and Yohan’s ball friend who’d known him since childhood.
“It must be tiring to get involved in something trivial. But what can you do? Your ability was completely incompatible with this dungeon. Sorry, sorry.”
“If you’re sorry, shut up, Gi Taeyeon. You’re loud.”
Yohan irritably swept back his bangs. His abilities of Holy Power and physical exorcism were like disasters to beings with the Demon Realm’s energy. When demons from the Demon Realm appeared together in dungeons and corrupted monsters, the dungeon difficulty rose incomparably. Sung Yohan was an ability user completely incompatible with such dungeons or gates.
“Get the car ready.”
“Will you depart immediately?”
“Yeah. I’m tired.”
Yohan, who’d been walking toward the waiting limousine, stopped as if suddenly remembering something. He turned to look at Gi Taeyeon while pulling out his phone from his jacket pocket.
“Ah, Gi Taeyeon.”
“Hm? What?”
“I received a report during transit earlier. The monster that appeared at Miyang Intersection this morning—who caught it?”
It wasn’t C-rank but a mutant monster close to A-rank. Yet the report that it was subdued in an instant before they could even arrive at the scene touched Yohan’s interest—no, his nerves. Uncontrolled powerful force was always a variable.
Gi Taeyeon shrugged.
“Don’t know. We’re also in the process of identifying them. All the drones went dead too, so there’s no footage.”
“Is UNP’s intelligence capability only that level?”
“Hey, there are a lot of those kids these days~ Aren’t they self-proclaimed powerhouse chads? Kids who find registration bothersome but want to play hero, you know. It’s probably nothing.”
Nothing? Sung Yohan looked down at the crime scene photo sent to his phone. The crushed monster corpse. That wasn’t simple brute force. It was traces of toying with it through an overwhelming difference in power.
“…Hmm.”
Yohan’s eyes sharpened. An estimated A-rank ability user exists in South Korea that he doesn’t know about? An unacceptable matter. He might not be able to gather all ability users in the country, but if they’re an ability user of this caliber, at minimum he should know what kind of ability user they are and have their personal information. And he needed to confirm whether he could bring them to Sanctum.
“Find them.”
“Who? The person who caught that monster?”
“Yeah. Whether they’re someone playing hero while hiding like a mouse, or…”
Yohan cut off his words and grimaced deeply. His stomach felt nauseous. Whether it was because of the stale air he’d breathed in the dungeon, or because of the irritating variable. Whatever it was, he felt particularly filthy today.
To wash away this filthy feeling, he needed something very powerful and certain. Yohan looked at his own face reflected in the darkly tinted car window and coldly commanded.
“Find them and bring them. So I can verify.”
“Why go as far as finding them? They’re just a powerhouse chad.”
“Find them.”
Yohan spoke coldly and got in the car. He quietly closed his eyes.
There should be no variables. At least until Sanctum rises to the nation’s top guild. And… until that ‘investigation’ is concluded.
“…I’ll know once I verify.”
Who that person is.
***
Morning returned as always. Hyungil, the only part-timer at Jangchun Health Clinic, was a high school student, so he put on his bag to go to school. Hyungil was living together on the second floor of the health clinic. Therefore,
“……”
“What, why.”
“No, it’s just… you really look like an unemployed bum.”
“Yawn… You’re lucky I’m sleepy right now.”
He had to face that shaggy-haired, dozing face every morning. At the pitying look, Igyeol glared at Hyungil with half-closed eyes. The moment Igyeol’s eyes flashed sharply, Hyungil flinched and clicked his tongue before speaking with a sullen face.
“Only at times like this are you so sharp. But why’d you wake up so early today? You normally don’t wake up at this hour, hyung.”
“If someone heard, they’d think I just roll around like a bedbug all day.”
“Weren’t you?”
Hyungil glanced at Igyeol with suspicious eyes. Igyeol’s lips curled up sharply.
“Should I just punch you or not.”
“Absolutely no violence! Did you forget Grandmother’s will?!”
“You only bring that up at times like this, just really—”
“I’m leaving!”
“Did you pack your pad? Don’t doze off when you get there and study hard.”
“I’ll study super hard because if I don’t, I’ll end up like you, hyung!”
“This brat.”
“I’m gone!”
He was about to grab the back of his neck and give him a knuckle sandwich, but Hyungil noticed and quickly bolted out. Igyeol chuckled and tapped the watch on his wrist. On the hologram that rose in a square shape, the Huntranet site was connected.
Igyeol, sprawled on the sofa, searched for a dungeon he’d checked out beforehand.
In the world where the Gate had opened, unknown ruins like dungeons appeared everywhere. They repeatedly opened and closed, and disappeared once cleared.
Unlike gates that only had monsters, dungeons had monsters along with new resources being discovered one after another, so the entire world was enthusiastically leading the charge in farming dungeons.
Besides the magic stones that dropped when killing monsters, unusual things like corpses, medicinal herbs, minerals, etc. continued to be excavated. Igyeol was particularly one of the Hunters who came to utilize that field thanks to Grandmother Oksoon.
But one thing—after the Gate of Reversed Heaven opened, the aspect of gates changed. Namely, ‘demons’ from the Demon Realm began appearing within gates. The emergence of demons and demonic monsters completely overturned the landscape of the Hunter world. If previously strong physical Hunters had the advantage, now exorcism specialists, Holy Power users, and support healer Hunters began to receive attention.
Korea was particularly strong in demon extermination, and among them were shaman exorcists. Their talismans and rituals had now even become essential when entering gates where demons appeared. Well, Hunters who finished things with physical force probably had different circumstances.
‘C-rank dungeon at the foot of Dumang Mountain…’
According to information just posted on Huntranet, this dungeon didn’t yet have a guild that officially won the bid from the Hunter Association. Perhaps because it was only C-rank, it could be freely entered. When this happens, gathering Hunters swarm in like ghosts. He had to enter before that and pluck out what he needed.
‘Make honey water too… and make health clinic ingredients.’
Recently, Grandmother Chunja from the house next door said her knees hurt, so he needed several medicinal herbs related to that. In this area, there were quite a few grandmothers and grandfathers who felt through their bodies how amazing the power of Jangchun Health Clinic’s honey water and medicinal materials were. For them, and also for daily life, he had to maintain a steady supply of ingredients.
“Ah, such a pain.”
He wanted to just rest and do nothing, but it was time to move.
The Dumang Mountain C-rank dungeon’s clear percentage was already approaching 50%. It meant that aside from not catching the boss, gathering Hunters were going in and out like it was their own home. Igyeol stretched his stiff body and got up.
He roughly threw on a hoodie in his room and shuffled out of the house dragging his three-striped slippers.
