4

SHADOW MONARCH

Oh, right! A thought crossed his mind.

This isn’t time to dawdle.

He’d just witnessed the power of his new skill. He could turn monsters he’d defeated into his soldiers, and there was one monster nearby that he absolutely had to make his minion!

He climbed to the top of the pile of armor that once was the iron golem. From this higher vantage, he was able to scan the whole dungeon at once.

……

Jinwoo squinted…and there it was! He immediately headed in that direction.

Tmp, tmp, tmp, tmp!

He was so impatient that he arrived in a matter of seconds even without using Dash.

Gulp.

Jinwoo swallowed nervously as he looked at the lifeless husk he wanted to use Shadow Extraction on. The knight was in the exact same spot where Jinwoo had left it.

……Igris the Bloodred.

The state of the crimson knight embedded in the wall indicated how fierce the previous battle had been. Jinwoo stood before Igris. Only several hours earlier, it had been a formidable enemy that had endangered Jinwoo’s life, but now it was the best raw material he could hope for.

Jinwoo was relieved to see the same vapor coming out of Igris.

His face lit up.

Great.

He knew the drill. He took a deep breath and uttered the command word.

“Arise.”

This was the trigger for activating the Shadow Extraction skill…but nothing happened.

……?

Jinwoo was confused, but a chime sounded before he could try again.

Ah, right, he’d seen that at the end of the skill information.

The maximum number of shadows he could extract was thirty, which meant his current army stood at thirty.

Jinwoo turned around. The shadow soldiers had followed him and were now standing at attention.

When did they follow me?

They moved as silently as shadows, which was fitting, given what they were.

Getting back to the point, in order to extract Igris’s shadow, the system said he had to release one of them.

But……

He felt bad about getting rid of any of his soldiers. Even though he’d known them for only a few minutes, he was already attached to them. Jinwoo reluctantly scanned his troops. Each time his eyes focused on one, its name and level appeared.

They all had the same name and level.

Their origins are identical, so……

And then he came across three that stood out from the infantry in the back of the group.

Those are……?

Unlike the infantry, this trio wore robes.

“Ah.” Jinwoo quickly made the connection; they were the three mages who had controlled the iron golem. They, too, had become undead with his command.

Twenty-seven infantry and three mages.

This was why being rare was to one’s advantage. He exempted the mages from his selection, as they were fewer in number, and eventually settled on an infantry soldier next to him.

……Apologies.

“Release.”

Fwsh…

The soldier turned into black smoke, which dispersed in the still air, leaving no trace.

……

Jinwoo looked apologetically at the spot where the soldier had stood before refocusing his attention on Igris. He’d had to sacrifice one of his precious soldiers to make Igris a shadow. This had better pay off.

He struck while the iron was hot and attempted the extraction right away.

“Arise.”

Igris’s previously motionless shadow began to twitch as if it were coming to life.

Let’s go!

He squeezed his fists tight. He had a good feeling about this.

What would Igris look like as a shadow? Jinwoo’s palms were sweaty in anticipation.

But then…

Tink!

A message appeared, accompanied by an alarm that sounded like metal snapping.

“What?”

“Phew.” He let out a sigh of relief when he saw he had a couple more chances.

It did say something about that……

The explanation had mentioned that the extraction failure rate increased according to the target’s ability level, but he was still taken aback when it actually happened. Since this was his first failure, it felt like a slap in the face. It also seemed like there was a limit to how many times he could try.

I have two chances left……

If he failed both times, would Igris return to the void like the soldier he had sacrificed? Thinking about the worst-case scenario made him anxious, so Jinwoo shook his head to clear it.

Let’s not be so negative.

Just think positive. Ask and ye shall receive, right?

He attempted an extraction for the second time, filled with a mix of apprehension and eagerness.

“Arise.”

But his hopes were shattered.

Tink!

……

Igris was as much of a pain in the ass dead as it had been when it was alive.

Jinwoo hadn’t wanted to consider the possibility of failing twice, but…

Phew…

The hunter exhaled hard. There were no more chances after this. This was his last shot.

He closed his eyes and cleared his thoughts.

This might all come down to probability……

Or maybe he wasn’t feeling desperate enough.

He slowly opened his eyes.

It felt like the vapor emanating from Igris was reaching out to him, pleading for rescue. Jinwoo’s face turned solemn. He extended out his hand as if trying to take the smoke by the hand.

“Arise.”

He didn’t do it on purpose. Jinwoo didn’t realize it in that moment, but his voice was grave and rang through the room.

And then…!

Hwooooaaah!

Out of nowhere came a chilling moan, and a cutting wind blew through the room.

Is this…?

Jinwoo’s face lit up. The same phenomenon had occurred when his soldiers first rose out of the shadows.

“Haaaaaaah…”

Like he thought, once the moaning ended, a long black arm emerged out of the shadow. The moment the hand touched the ground, a message materialized.

Jinwoo cheered. “Yes!”

His success tasted sweeter because it had followed two failed attempts. And there was even more good news.

Enhancement successful?

A soldier’s base level could be higher than one?

Jinwoo was in disbelief. Just as the message had said, the newly spawned knight was labeled as level 7.

“Huh!” Jinwoo exclaimed.

Igris looked just as he remembered, with the long mane on the helmet, armor of a refined design, and a majestic cloak. The only difference was that the once bloodred armor was now as black as night. Other than that, everything else was identical.

If he didn’t know better, Jinwoo would have mistaken this for Igris coming back to life.

But…

……

The reborn Igris held no hostility for Jinwoo. He stood there silently awaiting his orders.

Ba-dump, ba-dump.

Jinwoo’s heart raced as he gazed upon Igris. He had a smile on his face. But something struck him as strange. Jinwoo’s gaze moved to the space above his creation’s head.

Where’s his name?

Instead of a name, there were question marks.

His rank is different, too.

Jinwoo knew Igris’s level would be higher because of the enhancement, but Igris seemed quite different from the infantry.

Had the system read his mind? It sent a message with impeccable timing.

Ping!

A name?

Jinwoo felt lost at this unforeseen request but then smiled in relief as he remembered that this creature already had a name. Continuing to use it shouldn’t present a problem.

The message flashed, as if urging Jinwoo to call the soldier’s name.

He opened his mouth. “Igris the Blood……”

Wait a minute. Jinwoo would have to refer to the knight by whatever name he chose, which meant having to call Igris by his full name whenever he needed him. Just the thought made Jinwoo cringe.

……That’s way too cheesy.

Ultimately, he decided to simplify the name. “Igris.”

“Sure.”

As soon as Jinwoo responded, the question marks above the knight’s head were replaced with his name.

Even though Jinwoo was recycling his minion’s previous name, he felt proud of what he had just accomplished. It made it feel like Igris was his.

My very own soldier……

Jinwoo turned around.

Twenty-nine other shadow soldiers were awaiting his orders. It was still a small number.

Only thirty……

It could be because his skill level with Shadow Extraction was still low, or maybe he needed to further increase his intelligence stat. One thing was for sure: His ranks would only grow.

I have a legit army.

It wasn’t an army of skeletons and rotting corpses but an army of shadows.

Now, there was only one problem left. How was he supposed to go anywhere with these guys? The thought gave Jinwoo a major headache.

It doesn’t matter whether they’re skeletons or shadows.

Jinwoo would definitely attract attention walking down the street with them. Not only that, but this was beyond the capabilities of an awakened being. He would be under constant scrutiny, or worse, they might demand he disband his army.

Jinchul Woo, the head of the Hunter’s Association’s Surveillance Team……

Tough-looking people like him would come around every day causing a fuss. Jinwoo felt frustrated just imagining it.

That was probably why the other skill existed.

Skills.

Jinwoo called up the skills window.

[Job-Exclusive Skills]
Active skill: Shadow Extraction Lv.1, Shadow Storage Lv.1

Shadow Storage, the skill he had skimmed past before. It was clear from the name that this would be exactly what he needed.

[SKILL: SHADOW STORAGE LV.1]

Job-exclusive skill.

No mana required.

Shadow soldiers can be stored by absorbing them into the caster’s shadow.

Stored soldiers can be summoned or reabsorbed at any time.

Number of shadows stored: 0/20

I knew it.

Jinwoo nodded. He’d guessed the skill’s function would be storage because it had been in the name. But there was one thing he couldn’t have foreseen.

The problem is how many I can store……

The maximum number of shadows he could store was less than the number of shadows he could currently create. He had raised thirty of them, but he could only store twenty. That meant he had to get rid of ten more.

That sucks.

The pain is the same no matter which of their own ten fingers someone chooses to bite. It was painful enough getting rid of one, but now he had to choose ten.

Hmm……

Jinwoo’s heart was heavy just looking at the soldiers. Naturally, Igris with his knight rank was exempt. The three unique mage soldiers were also safe. The most disposable minions were those in the infantry. Since he’d released the soldier closest to him the last time, this time Jinwoo went with the ten at the back.

I’m sorry.

He prayed for them to rest in peace.

Fwshhhh…

In an instant, the soldiers turned to dust and were gone. It didn’t upset him as much as the first time. Is that what happened when one got used to saying good-bye?

In any case…

Jinwoo took one last look at his remaining ranks before activating Shadow Storage. All the soldiers melted like ice back into shadows, which subsequently pooled at his feet.

And now they’re absorbed into my shadow……!

As per the explanation, the soldiers permeated Jinwoo’s own shadow. It was over rather quickly. In the blink of an eye, his army had vanished without a trace.

……It’s hard to believe even after seeing it with my own eyes.

He gazed down at his shadow in awe.

Then, as if the system had been lying in wait, multiple chimes rang out.

Ping!

It’s finally over……

It had been a long and difficult journey. Jinwoo took one last look at the dungeon and was overcome with emotion. Evidence of hard-fought battles could be seen throughout. Crushed knights, cracked walls, a toppled pillar. The iron golem responsible for toppling the aforementioned pillar was now a pile of scrap metal.

But he’d certainly been well compensated for all the trouble he’d encountered here. He’d earned a new job and new skills as well as his own powerful army and countless items.

He curled his lips into a smile and, without looking back, turned away from the dungeon. The gate leading to the outside world was waiting as if to congratulate him on a safe return.

As soon as he set one foot through the gate, his environment instantly transformed. He was back at that empty patch on the hill, the very spot where he’d accepted the job-change quest.

It was already five o’clock in the morning, almost sunrise. Jinwoo winced when he saw what time it was.

If I knew it was going to take this long, I would’ve told Jinah beforehand.

Thankfully, there had been times back when he worked for the association that he’d come home late because the raids had taken longer than expected.

He looked over his shoulder. The gate he’d just exited was already gone, as if it had never been there.

Huh……

Looking at the empty space, it felt as if he’d been in some kind of twisted dreamland until now. But there was no way it could have just been a dream.

Jinwoo thought of his soldiers with their inky-black armor. As soon as he did, they emerged from his shadow.

……

At first, he’d regarded them as monsters. Shadow soldiers, beasts that had strolled out of shadows of the dead at his beck and call. But if they were monsters, what would one call the person who created and commanded them?

Jinwoo smirked.

I guess they can call me whatever they like……

Jinwoo recalled the shadows.

His footsteps were light as he made his way down the hill.

Jinwoo slept until well past noon. Since the sun was already rising by the time he’d gone to bed, this was understandable.

Riiing, riiing!

His cell phone disrupted his slumber. His hand fumbled around his pillow and grasped his phone after much difficulty. Jinwoo answered without opening his eyes.

“Hello?” His voice was heavy with sleep.

“Whoa… Are you still sleeping? Do you know what time it is?!”

Jinah’s appalled voice came over the receiver.

In response, he asked, “What time is it?”

“Two in the afternoon!”

“What?” He squinted at the screen to check the time. It was true.

“……You remember that the parent-teacher meeting is today, right?”

She sounded worried.

Jinwoo slowly pushed himself up. “When is it again?”

“Five o’clock!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be there.”

“You’re the best! Call me when you’re almost here, okay?” she asked sweetly before hanging up.

Scritch, scritch.

Jinwoo ruffled his bedhead before lethargically getting up. It’d be tight if he got ready now.

It’s my little sister’s homeroom teacher, after all.

The person in charge of her senior year of high school. The most crucial moment of Jinah’s education.

So I can’t just wear whatever, can I?

He opened the closet to look through his outfits but was greeted by a musty smell. That wasn’t a good sign.

Jinwoo grimaced. He continued sifting through his clothes, but the only acceptable outfit he could find was the old suit he’d worn once at his own high school graduation.

Does this even fit?

Jinwoo tried on the suit, and as he suspected, it was too tight and hard to move.

I’m definitely bigger than before.

It was even more obvious when wearing his old clothes. They were almost bursting at the seams. So what now…?

As Jinwoo thought about what he could wear, he spotted the bank statements and checkbook he’d received from Jinho. They were for the account where the money from selling essence stones was deposited. He looked back and forth between the tight clothes he was wearing and the official documents, and a smile slid across his face.

It has been a while since I’ve gone shopping.

Before he could do that, though, he had one small thing he had to take care of. Well, not exactly one small thing.

He peeled off the tight suit, sat on the edge of the bed, and called up the stat window.

Stat window.

A long string of words materialized in front of his eyes.

Ping!

[Name: Jinwoo Sung]
[Job: Shadow Monarch]
[HP: 11,035]
[Fatigue: 0]

[Level: 51]
[Title: Wolf Assassin (and 1 other)]
[MP: 1,022]

[Stats]
Strength:	132
Stamina:	91
Agility:	111
Intelligence:	70
Perception:	93

(Available ability points: 10)

Physical damage reduced by: 46 percent

[Job-Exclusive Skills]
Active skill: Shadow Extraction Lv.1, Shadow Storage Lv.1

[Item Equipped]
Crimson Knight’s Helmet (S), Warden’s Collar (A), High-Rank Knight’s Chestplate (B), High-Rank Knight’s Gauntlets (B), High-Rank Mage’s Ring (B), Mid-Rank Assassin’s Boots (C)

“Hah……”

Jinwoo stuck his tongue between his teeth upon seeing the endless list on the info screen.

It wasn’t that long ago when it was pretty bare……

That had been the case once upon a time, but now, his head spun looking at just his skills and the items lists.

What stood out most, though, was his job.

Just yesterday, it had read None, and if he was being honest, seeing that used to bother him every time he opened the stat window. It bothered him because the word before it was Job.

Even though that wasn’t exactly the case, in a lot of people’s eyes, hunters were basically the same as deadbeats when there weren’t any raids. How could it not bother him to see that he had “no job” every time he opened the info screen?

A deer that’s surprised when it sees an elk will be surprised when it sees its own reflection, and Jinwoo couldn’t help the twinge he felt every time he saw the job status. Even though he knew it didn’t mean that he was unemployed, it still bothered him.

But from this day on, it would no longer be an issue.

“Ha-ha!” Jinwoo laughed in spite of himself.

I suppose I’m being too hard on myself.

If he had raked in the money like other hunters, he wouldn’t have cared less what other people thought of him when he wasn’t on raids. But that hadn’t been a possibility for him. He couldn’t confidently admit to others that he was a hunter because he was an E ranker who could barely defend his own life.

“I’m an E-rank hunter.”

Whenever he said that, people with common knowledge about hunters would praise him for doing dangerous work but poke fun at his rank behind his back.

That was what had made him so self-conscious whenever he looked at his stats. But he had a job now or, rather, a specialty.

Being a hunter was still his job, so it would be more accurate to say that being a shadow monarch was his specialty.

Even though it wasn’t the path I’d hoped for……

Still, he had no regrets. In fact, he was very satisfied with how things had turned out. If he wasn’t in his room, he would’ve summoned Igris and the other shadow soldiers this very moment.

Jinwoo wanted to test just how powerful his minions were. If they could access 100 percent of the strength they’d had when they were alive…

That’s probably not the case, though.

But he was giddy imagining it.

Ba-dump, ba-dump.

He excitedly ran through several raid simulations in his head.

He became curious as to how Jinho would react to all this.

Heh.

He chortled as he imagined Jinho standing wide-eyed with his mouth agape.

Wait, what if……?

He could restore the dead, but maybe he wasn’t limited to monsters and magic beasts……

Can I extract shadows from dead hunters?

Of course, he didn’t want to imagine such a situation happening with a human being. Summoning an undead soldier from a dead person’s shadow… Just thinking about it gave him the willies.

But…

Despite this…

What if I can get the shadow of an A- or S-rank hunter?

The power he’d have would be inconceivable. If shadow soldiers had even half the power from when they were alive, he and his army would be able to clean out a high-rank dungeon on their own. His heart danced at all the possibilities.

Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump!

But Jinwoo shook his head.

Turning a human into the undead is……

That would be crossing a line. Whether he could was beside the point; he wouldn’t want to stoop so low. He might consider it if the deceased was an asshole who deserved it, but…

It’s not like there are a lot of opportunities to fight other hunters.

Even if such an opportunity ever presented itself, there would be several problems. Chief among them being that a human wasn’t the same as a monster or a magic beast.

Right. For now, he was satisfied with the soldiers he had.

Besides, I have Igris, who used to be a dungeon boss.

A level 7, knight-rank shadow soldier. How powerful could he be? Jinwoo couldn’t wait for the next raid to find out.

Happily, he looked back down at the window, and his gaze drifted to something else.

……There’s one more?

Ah, yes. He remembered receiving a second as a reward for completing the job-change quest.

Jinwoo checked the hidden title.

Awesome!

This was an amazing buff that would increase his abilities as his health decreased.

Wolf Assassin, with its 40 percent buff against animal-type monsters, made for a great title, too, but it had its limitations, making it difficult to get any use.

If I’m not facing off against animal-type magic beasts, it’s basically like I have no title.

But now he’d acquired a new title with a handy buff that also complimented the passive skill Willpower very well.

Without further ado, Jinwoo switched his title.

The title he wasn’t using would be hidden, but he could change it back as needed.

Next up, my stats.

He’d received three rewards for exceeding the achievement threshold. The first had been an upgrade to a higher class, and the second had been the title.

The last was a stat boost.

[Stats]
Strength:	132
Stamina:	91
Agility:	111
Intelligence:	70
Perception:	93

(Available ability points: 10)

Physical damage reduced by: 46 percent

He had ten points to distribute. In the past, he would’ve allocated them to agility or perception, but the situation changed. Instead, Jinwoo invested all ten points in intelligence.

Even so, his intelligence was still only a measly eighty points.

Ping!

[Stats]
Strength:	132
Stamina: 91	Agility: 111
Intelligence:	80
Perception:	93

(Available ability points: 0)

Physical damage reduced by: 46 percent

When compared to strength or agility, his intelligence was really lacking. It was even lower than stamina, which he’d ignored for a while when he had decided to focus on raising agility. Clearly, Jinwoo had severely underestimated the importance of the intelligence stat.

I had no idea I would be using magic.

His plan for the time being was to invest any ability points he received in intelligence. That being said, he wasn’t planning on changing his fighting style.

The new skill I received is also an assassination type anyway.

During the course of the last battle, he’d gained a new skill, Dagger Throw. Obviously, this was a skill pertaining only to daggers.

As I thought.

Jinwoo had always been a brawler. He couldn’t change his fundamentals just because of a new job or skills. His daggers would still be his primary method of attack, and his shadow skills would be his backup.

At least until I get my intelligence up enough.

He was armed with excellent fighting capabilities and an assisting army to support him. His overall plans hadn’t changed despite the job-change quest.

What I didn’t expect was……

The shadow soldiers seemed like they’d be more useful than he’d originally thought. He would never have predicted that a boss creature would be one of them.

……Still.

It’d be a waste of experience and training to switch up his dagger skills for his new shadow skills. And he’d just bought Knight Killer, too.

If I’d known I’d become a mage hunter, I would’ve bought a magic wand or something from the shop.

But then he probably would’ve been overwhelmed by the knights and failed the job-change quest.

Now that he’d checked all the changes, Jinwoo closed out the stat window.

Wait, what time is it?

Twenty minutes had flown by just like that. He scratched his head.

I’d better pick up the speed.

Jinwoo cracked a smile. His stats weren’t useful just for fighting magic beasts. When he focused, time slowed down. Or, to be exact, Jinwoo got faster.

He opened the door and left the room, went to the bathroom, and showered, dried off, picked an outfit, and stood in front of the mirror. That took him all of three minutes. He could’ve moved even faster, but he held back so as not to wreck his old, run-down apartment.

My hair isn’t completely dry yet, but…

He’d saved twenty minutes, so it’d dry in time. He decided to head out.

Jinwoo was walking out of the room when he spotted something and paused. His house key was on his desk. In the past, he would’ve been annoyed as he went back to grab the key. Now, instead of walking back, he simply extended his hand in its direction.

When else would I use it if not now?

Ruler’s Hand!

The key inched slowly toward him at first but soon flew into Jinwoo’s palm like it was being drawn to a strong magnet.

Shhhp!

Jinwoo grinned as he caught the key. With that, Jinwoo, who had finished getting ready to leave in a matter of minutes, started whistling as he closed the door behind him.

Jinwoo first stopped at the bank. He was curious how much money he’d saved up from selling essence stones.

Although I’ve been too busy to come…

As the squad leader, Jinho was the one in charge of the essence stones. He had told Jinwoo that he sold the essence stones as soon as the raids were done for the day and deposited the money into the account. He never mentioned in detail how much money there was.

He goes on and on about anything and everything except finances.

Jinho didn’t seem to have much interest in the topic. Maybe because he’d grown up rich and around money, it was the furthest thing from his mind. His main topics of conversation were celebrities, raids, and his favorite movies and songs. Though it was difficult to call it a conversation; Jinho did most of the talking with Jinwoo pitching in occasionally.

Now that I think about it……

Despite being very talkative, Jinho never mentioned his family. That was interesting. That had been the case for as far back as Jinwoo could remember, from the very first time they’d met.

Just as Jinwoo concluded that this was odd, he arrived at the bank.

I picked the wrong day.

The ATMs were undergoing maintenance, so he had no other choice. Jinwoo entered the bank, took a number, and waited his turn to see a teller.

“Hello.” It was a female teller with a bob cut and a bright smile. She politely asked, “How may I help you?”

“I’d like an updated bank statement, please.”

“Certainly.”

Still smiling, the female teller took his documents.

Jinwoo looked around while he waited. The place was busy despite being an ordinary weekday afternoon.

While he was people watching, the teller’s eyes suddenly shot open in shock after seeing his account balance.

Whoa!

She checked the numbers again, but it was definitely over a billion won. Plus, this wasn’t an amount he’d saved up over time. More than a hundred million won had been deposited daily for the past week or so.

But he looks so young.

The teller had assumed Jinwoo was a college student who’d come in to update his mother’s account, but now she saw him in a completely different light. Her next question was more in her own self-interest.

“Oh my. May I ask what you do for a living?” Her cheeks were flushed, and she peeked at Jinwoo as if embarrassed about asking a personal question.

He responded nonchalantly. “I’m a hunter.”

“Ah…” She was already nodding before she realized. So the rumors were true.

I’ve heard that hunters earn quite a bit.

She’d had no idea their income was this good. She suddenly felt inferior about being an ordinary salaried employee. A minute ago, he’d been a regular customer like everyone else, but now he was someone from an entirely different world.

He must be a high-rank hunter.

After all, this was not the account balance of your average hunter. This was her first time meeting a high-rank hunter. The extraordinary circumstances made her heart skip a beat.

Ba-dump, ba-dump.

Her heart beat faster. A “young client” with a balance in the billions was considered a VIP at the bank. And as a hunter, he was a VVIP.

She went into sales mode in order to keep this particular VVIP, pulling products from the bank onto the counter. “Our bank has just released a new product only for our VIP clients, you see.”

Her smile was genuine, not businesslike. Her eyes were fixed on Jinwoo.

Oh, wow……

His hair was a bit messy, and he looked like he’d thrown on whatever clothes were lying around. It seemed like she was catching a glimpse of a day in the life of a capable man who had barely made time for this errand in his busy schedule.

“This product has very good reviews from our clients. Would you like to sign up for it?”

Jinwoo declined. “No, thank you.”

“Oh… I see.” The teller sounded disappointed.

Worried that things might get drawn out, Jinwoo decided to take his leave. “Thank you for your help. Have a nice day.”

He ignored her eyes following him as he left the bank. As soon as the door shut behind him…

“Whew.”

…Jinwoo breathed a sigh of relief.

He’d noticed the way she looked at him differently once he revealed his job as a hunter. The stares and attention of strangers were common for most hunters, but it was all still new to him.

I suppose I need to get used to it.

Things would get even worse after he was reevaluated and assigned a higher rank. He’d heard there were tons of reporters and fans who hounded hunters. Looking up, he spotted a soft drink ad featuring a popular hunter on a billboard on the side of a skyscraper. Before gates appeared, that billboard had probably featured a pop idol or star athlete.

That’s right. In this day and age, hunters received more attention and adoration than celebrities. Jinwoo wouldn’t be an exception.

Really, the only people who didn’t like hunters these days were employees of insurance companies.

Putting that aside……

Jinwoo was able to check his balance after leaving the bank. He was gobsmacked.

One billion, four hundred eighty……!

He’d made close to 1.5 billion won from nine raids. That averaged out to 160 million won per C-rank dungeon. He’d made 180 million won in the C-rank dungeon he’d raided with Dongsuk’s squad. That put the average income from a C-rank dungeon between 150 to 200 million won.

No wonder the teller was impressed.

He’d checked his balance, and after treating himself to a new suit from a department store, Jinwoo got a nice haircut nearby, since he still had time left.

“Hmm.”

He was a totally different person from when he’d left home.

It really is nice to have money.

They say clothes make the man. Jinwoo looked at his refection in a store window and rolled his shoulders back.

Perfect.

At least I’ll make a good first impression.

He straightened out his clothes before checking his phone and seeing that it was already 4:20.

Jinah said to get there by five.

If he left now, he’d arrive right on time.

“Taxi!”

The taxi pulled up to the front of Jinah’s school at exactly the time she’d specified. Jinwoo saw his sister waiting for him.

“Jinah.”

It took a moment for her to recognize him.

“Jinwoo?” She blinked. “Are…are you really Jinwoo Sung?”

“Don’t you recognize your own brother?”

Her voice raised as she looked him up and down. “You look like a different person!”

“What, did you want me to wear flip-flops and sweatpants to this meeting?”

“Wow……” Jinah could only stare.

“Your chin’s about to fall off. I’m going ahead.”

Since it didn’t look like his sister was about to show him the way, he started off. Jinwoo had been a student at this school five years ago, so he knew the building like the back of his hand. The only place a parent-teacher meeting could be was either the faculty room or the guidance counselor’s office. Since this meeting was regarding Jinah’s university application, he guessed it was probably the latter.

Jinwoo’s strides quickened.

“H-hang on, wait for me!” Jinah rushed to keep up with her brother.

“Hello, sir.”

“Hmm? Oh, hello.”

Jinwoo greeted several teachers along the way. They all stopped and stared after him.

Who is that?

A graduate? But how could I forget such a distinguished student?

Is he a new teacher?

It wasn’t just the faculty who turned to look his way.

“Wow, he’s cute.”

“Who’s that?”

“Isn’t that Jinah with him?”

“Must be Jinah’s older brother. He’s pretty cool.”

A fit body and a fashionable suit were the surefire combination that would make any average-looking guy turn the heads of high school girls.

Not that Jinwoo was interested in any of this.

……

The whisperings of high school girls went in one ear and automatically exited the other.

On the other hand, Jinah was having tons of fun. She was picking up everything being said about her brother. As soon as she caught up to him, she elbowed him in the side.

“Hey, you’re quite popular.”

He ignored her ribbing.

“You don’t have a girlfriend, right?”

He continued to ignore her.

“Want me to introduce you to a cute high school girl?”

This time, Jinwoo coolly reached over and pinched her cheek. “Stop being silly.”

“Y-yessir.” As soon as Jinwoo let go, she protested while rubbing her sore cheek.

“Hmph, it’s so obvious you’re enjoying the attention, though……”

They were still bickering when they arrived at the guidance counselor’s office. Jinah, who had taken the lead at some point, spun around to face him.

“We’re here!”

Jinwoo moved to enter but stopped when Jinah didn’t follow.

“You coming?”

“It’s a parent-teacher-only meeting. I have to head back now.”

Ah. Jinwoo remembered having a similar conference during his own senior year. Only then, he hadn’t been able to invite anyone to his meeting.

That was when Mom’s condition started getting more and more serious.

She had been in and out of the hospital a lot back in those days. Jinwoo hadn’t told his mother about the parent-teacher meeting because he thought it would be too much for her and, as a result, ended up having to deal with his homeroom teacher’s annoyance.

Remembering all that made him understand why Jinah had been so anxious about the meeting today.

Jinwoo smiled at her. “Studying late again tonight?”

“Yeah. You can head home without me.”

“Got it.” His hand sneaked up to her hair and mussed it. “Study hard. I’ll see you at home.”

“Hey, I told you not to do stuff like that.”

“See ya later.” Jinwoo grinned at her as he entered the office.

Jinah pouted as she fixed her hair. “Still treating me like I’m a child……”

Not that she really hated it. But had anyone seen that? She furtively checked to make sure the coast was clear before relaxing and skipping back to class.

If Jinwoo had to sum up his first impression of Jinah’s homeroom teacher in a single word…

Hmm……

…it’d be virtuous.

“Jinah’s older brother?”

She was a middle-aged lady with a kind face and the type of smile that put people at ease. The woman didn’t question Jinwoo being there in lieu of a parent, perhaps because she was aware of the family’s situation.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Jinah’s homeroom teacher. Who knew she had such a wonderful brother? Ha-ha!”

After receiving such a warm welcome, Jinwoo bowed politely.

I’ve never seen her before.

She must’ve started at the school after he had graduated.

People say the first impression is the most lasting, and he found himself able to relax after they exchanged greetings.

Even though I’m younger than she is, she’s addressing me politely.

Jinwoo didn’t think his sister would have any problems in her senior year with a homeroom teacher like this.

“Please have a seat.”

She sat back down, and Jinwoo took a chair across the table from her.

“You have nothing to worry about concerning Jinah.”

It was a standard parent-teacher conversation. The dialogue flowed easily. Jinah was a model student, so there was no reason for concern.

“You’re aware that Jinah wants to go to medical school?”

“Yes.”

The teacher began reading off some notes she’d prepared. “Jinah’s mock test scores are all excellent, and her grades are very good, so I think she has a great chance. Best not to pressure her too much, though.”

Jinwoo silently nodded in agreement.

The passion on the teacher’s face told him that she had high hopes for Jinah. Usually, teachers assigned to senior classes were stressed out about their students’ grades, since their scores would basically determine their future.

I hear a lot of teachers try to avoid being assigned as homeroom teachers for seniors……

He’d heard that male teachers were often forced to take the senior classes. All things considered, Jinwoo was thankful that Jinah’s homeroom teacher seemed to genuinely care. As Jinah’s guardian, he was grateful for that fact.

About fifteen minutes later, the meeting was coming to an end.

“Well then……”

Jinwoo was about to get up when the teacher cautiously asked him another question.

“I heard you currently work as a hunter?” Her demeanor turned serious.

Jinwoo sensed that she was getting at something.

“Yes.”

“If…if Jinah awakened, would you allow her to become a hunter?”

“No.”

Never. Jinwoo was firm in that regard. He didn’t even have to think about it.

Her expression grew somber. “That’s what I thought……”

As Jinwoo gave her a puzzled look, she seemed to come to a decision and resolutely asked him, “Could you please do me a favor?”

Jinwoo nodded. “If it’s something I can do……”

He decided to hear her out. She was his sister’s homeroom teacher, after all, and he didn’t want to leave a bad impression by rejecting her outright.

She started talking quickly, like she was concerned he might change his mind.

“There’s another female student who awakened and is trying to quit school. She stopped coming to class a while ago.”

Aha.

This was common. Newly awakened people tended to think of themselves as special despite having no experience and not understanding the reality of being a hunter yet. They didn’t realize that very few hunters actually became rich and famous.

The teacher sighed loudly. “If she keeps skipping class, the school will have no choice but to take action, though even if she becomes a hunter, shouldn’t she at least graduate from high school first?”

Jinwoo nodded in agreement. His positive response put her a little more at ease.

“Could you help me persuade her to graduate at least?” She managed a small smile.

Jinwoo was curious about only one thing. “What rank has she awakened as?”

“As far as I’ve heard…it’s the lowest rank…”

E rank.

……She’ll get herself killed.

He mentally tutted.

E-rank hunters had to be extremely cautious even when entering a dungeon. If they carelessly set foot in one, it would lead to injuries or even death at least nine times out of ten. It would break his heart to hear a girl his sister’s age going through that.

However, in the end, it would all boil down to her choice. No one could make her do anything. Jinwoo felt bad for the girl, but he didn’t want to take time out of his busy schedule just to nag at someone about how to live her life.

I don’t have any confidence I’ll succeed.

Not that she’d appreciate it anyway.

Jinwoo was about to decline the teacher’s favor and get up when…

“Jinah knows *****, too.”

He found it hard to stand after hearing the name coming out of the teacher’s mouth. He confirmed once again.

“Sorry, what was the student’s name?”

“*****. Do you know her?”

“……”

Korea really was a small country, after all.

Huh……

Jinwoo was speechless.

Meanwhile, at the home of Myunghan Yoo, chairman of Yoojin Construction.

Since that morning, expensive import cars had been driving in and out of the residence.

The reason for this was the ancestral memorial ceremony for Byungchul Yoo, the first chairman of Yoojin Group, which was to be held later that evening.

Myunghan Yoo was the richest man in the business sector, and Byungchul Yoo was his father. As the eldest son, Myunghan performed the ceremony every year regardless of how busy his schedule was. As Myunghan’s influence was unparalleled, the entire Yoo clan attended the ceremony every year as well.

The president of a security company, the chairman of a pharmaceutical company, the president of a department store… Many of them were powerful people themselves, and their children were also the elite of the elite.

With one exception. Said exception sequestered himself in a quiet corner away from everyone, even though no one had ordered him to.

It was Jinho.

Boring.

He wished this would be over soon. Going on raids with Jinwoo was one hundred—no, one thousand times more fun than this. He wondered what the boss was doing now. Jinho really couldn’t imagine what Jinwoo did on days off.

And thus, Jinho sat in his corner where no one could see him, nursing a drink and pondering pointless things.

That’s when he heard a voice he loathed. “Hey.”

It was him. Standing behind Jinho was someone who was undeniably a capable man, a shining example of an elite. Tall and sporting expensive frames, he was Jinsung, Jinho’s older brother. He was also the heir apparent of the Yoojin Construction empire.

Jinsung got right in Jinho’s face and looked down at his younger brother.

“Stop acting like a brat. Our relatives have arrived, so you should come and greet them, too.”

“……Leave me alone.”

“Remember that every stupid thing you do reflects poorly on Father.”

There was no love for his brother in Jinsung’s overtly dismissive words.

The dislike was mutual, but Jinho didn’t have the guts to stand up to him.

“……”

His feelings weren’t unfounded. Jinsung was a prodigy among prodigies and claimed the number one spot in anything and everything. It wasn’t just his grades, either. After he’d graduated, Jinsung helped his father with various business ventures, all of which flourished.

Compared to his older brother, Jinho didn’t have anything to brag about. He’d barely even gotten into university. Jinho always felt small next to him.

“……”

“Pathetic! Tsk, tsk.” Jinsung frowned at Jinho hanging his head, then arranged his features into a pleasant smile before striding away. “Uncle!”

“Oh, hello, Jinsung.”

Jinho could lift his head again only after his brother left.

This was why he hated coming home. If it hadn’t been for the memorial ceremony…

As Jinho continued to sigh, he heard an alluring but sharp voice coming from behind him.

“Unbelievable. He’s so full of himself.”

Jinho turned around. It was his cousin Suhyun Yoo, who was a year older than him.

“Did you hear what he just said? Seriously…”

Suhyun approached Jinho and patted him on the shoulder. She put on a sour face.

“Watch this. Pathetic, tsk, tsk. Pathetic, tsk, tsk.”

Jinho burst out laughing at Suhyun’s impression.

“Pfft…heh! Stop it. I’m not in the mood.”

“Pathetic, tsk, tsk.”

“Ha-ha-ha-ha! I said stop!”

Being close in age, they were good friends.

Suhyun stopped in front of Jinho. “Why do you let him walk all over you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re an awakened being. Or are you telling me you can’t take him?”

“So? You think I should beat him up?”

“Well, maybe not that……”

She bit her lip. What would his father do if Jinho landed a fist on his so-called successful brother? Even imagining that was horrifying. She understood perfectly why Jinho always let his brother steamroll him. She glared in Jinsung’s direction.

“In any case, he’s still the same asshole.”

She disliked Jinsung as much as Jinho did. She was one of a select number of people who knew the real Jinsung hidden under his polite demeanor.

But Jinho didn’t agree with her, and it wasn’t because Jinsung was his older brother. It was because he wanted to beat his big brother fair and square instead of talking behind his back.

As he stayed quiet, Suhyun carefully asked, “So…are you still going to go ahead with that plan?”

“Huh?”

“You wanted to become the guild master to show him up.”

Jinho smiled instead of answering her. Who would believe him anyway? He’d be lucky if people didn’t laugh at him. A match between Jinho and Jinsung.

Still, his chances of winning had massively increased thanks to his trump card, Jinwoo.

If I can just get a guild master’s license……

It was doable. Yes, he could do this.

Suhyun saw the determination in his eyes and put her hands on her hips before saying firmly, “I’d rather die than work under that jerk. I don’t want to fight with your father, so you’d better do this.”

“……Thanks.”

That was how Suhyun cheered him on. She was a former child actor who had awakened as an A-rank hunter. Add the fact that she came from a mega-rich family, and she was one of the most sought-after hunters in Korea. She’d turned down all their offers and chosen to model from time to time instead.

However, she’d recently received an offer she couldn’t refuse: become a founding member of the Yoojin Guild. It was a direct order from Chairman Myunghan Yoo himself. Suhyun couldn’t reject her uncle, but she didn’t want to work for Jinsung.

She had a lot of concerns. Still, though she found it difficult to rely on Jinho, she had no choice but to place her faith in him.

Vmmmm, vmmmm…

Suhyun gestured to the phone vibrating in Jinho’s pocket. “Aren’t you going to answer that?”

“Oh.” Jinho’s mind had been elsewhere, so he belatedly reached for his phone.

The number on the screen was a familiar one.

Boss

His face lit up after seeing the caller ID.

“It’s me, boss!” He answered enthusiastically. “Yes, yes, boss. No, I can go. Yes. I’ll be right there, boss.” He hung up.

Suhyun was curious as to what had caused his mood to do a 180 like that. “What? Who was that?”

But there was no time to explain it to her. The boss needed him! Because Jinho also wanted out of this place, his only thought was how to leave as quickly as possible.

“I’ll tell you later!”

Suhyun blinked at Jinho as he rushed off. “What’s gotten him so excited?”

Jinho always looked like a sad sack at every family gathering, but he’d seemed different just now.

“……Never thought I’d see the day.” She definitely needed to grill him about this some other time.

Meanwhile, Jinho searched for his father.

Dinner would be served soon, and he wasn’t allowed to skip a meal without his father’s permission when the whole family and other relatives were in attendance.

Jinho located his father talking to some people in the distance.

The man had a face resembling a tiger and a strict personality. Jinho found it difficult to deal with his father.

I haven’t even talked to him yet, but……

He was already nervous, but he needed to be brave.

Because I promised.

Jinho took two deep breaths and walked toward his father. He felt like turning back several times along the way but forced himself to keep walking. Finally, he arrived in front of the chairman.

“Father……”

The way they interacted, you wouldn’t know they were father and son.

Myunghan moved his gaze to Jinho. “What is it?”

The tense atmosphere compelled everyone nearby to scatter.

“May I be excused for a bit?” Jinho’s voice was especially meek when he talked to his father. “I’ll b-be back before dinner.”

“……” Myunghan looked like he might cause a scene, but instead, he heaved a deep sigh and reluctantly gave his permission. “…Go on, then.”

Jinho brightened and bowed. “Thank you, Father.” Then he was off like a bullet.

Stone-faced, Myunghan was watching his son leave when his wife approached.

“Honey, I got a phone call from Vienna.”

He’d been waiting on this news. Myunghan’s face finally showed some interest.

“What was the result of the competition?”

“She won. No wonder, given that she’s your daughter.”

His smile was so brief that someone watching him would’ve thought they were seeing things.

“Hmm. When is she coming back to Korea?”

“She’s so busy this semester that she can only make it back during the break.”

Myunghan frowned. “I clearly told her to be here for her grandfather’s memorial ceremony.”

“Oh, honey. Young people nowadays don’t think memorial ceremonies are important.”

“Tsk, tsk.”

His wife straightened the chairman’s tie and spoke tenderly to him.

“And, dear, how about paying Jinho some attention?”

“This again…… A tiger must care for a tiger cub, not a kitten.”

“Both the tiger cub and the kitten came from me. And they’re your children as well.”

“Hmm……”

“Do you know that was the first time I’ve seen Jinho smile in your presence since he graduated from middle school?”

Was that right? Myunghan perked up and fixed his gaze in the direction Jinho had departed, but even that was brief.

He answered flippantly. “Maybe he has a girlfriend. In any case, everyone is waiting for us. We should head inside.”

At the Hunter’s Association Headquarters in Guro-gu, Seoul, an employee inspecting devices stopped in front of a small mana meter.

“Huh? What’s wrong with this?”

The number, which should have been fixed at zero, kept fluctuating. It looked like the device was malfunctioning, but that was nothing unusual. It was delicate equipment, known to break often.

“Kim.”

“Yes, sir.”

The subordinate he’d summoned came up to him.

“How many gates were checked with this mana meter?”

“Which serial number, sir?”

“N-1744B.”

Kim nodded as he checked the records. “It was used for seven gates two days ago.”

“Two days ago? Let me see.”

It was true. Two days ago, seven gates had been measured with this particular mana meter, and four of those had now been closed.

“Were there any problems with the gates?”

“No, I haven’t heard anything.”

“Really?” The employee scratched his stubbled chin.

Whenever there was an error with a mana meter, raid permits for the gates it had been measured with were canceled right away for obvious reasons. What would happen if hunters entered a gate thinking it was a C rank when it was an A or B in actuality? They wouldn’t be able to return safely.

High-rank dungeons were that dangerous. It was similar to the difference in power between a high-rank hunter and a low-rank. That was why the larger guilds handled all the high-rank dungeons.

Should I report this now?

Reporting a problem was easy. Not only would there be complaints from the strike squads that would lose their permits but he would also be blamed if reevaluating the dungeons took too long and there was a dungeon break. Either way, he might get fired.

And after all, I did get a job in the association…

The Hunter’s Association was regarded as a public enterprise. To work there, you had to get a certain score on the civil service examination. He felt helpless just thinking about losing his job.

That can’t happen.

He shook his head.

It was also pretty clear to the subordinate what he was torn about. He cautiously asked:

“Then……what should we do?”

“Hmm.”

It had been two days. If there was a problem, surely something would’ve happened by now?

“……It should be fine.”

“I-is that okay?”

“You think anything would happen? It’s already been a couple of days.”

“I guess so.” The underling nodded in agreement.

“Just report that N-1744B was fine until yesterday and note that it started malfunctioning today.”

“Understood.”

Sangmin, the department manager of the second administration team of the White Tiger Guild.

His back cracked as he straightened up from chopping green onions.

Krik.

“Off.”

Today’s menu was soybean-paste stew. He had mastered many dishes as a single man living on his own for eight years. The turning point had been five years ago. He’d noticed how awful he looked from eating instant food all the time. He decided to learn how to cook for his own good and was now able to whip up any dish even after seeing it only briefly on TV.

However, as mastery involved a return to simplicity and as his skills improved, he found himself mostly making simple dishes like soybean-paste stew.

“Mm, that’s the stuff.”

Sangmin tasted the dish and was impressed by his own cooking. Too bad he had no one to share it with. It really was a tragedy.

Should I invite someone over for dinner sometime?

The face of one of his subordinates popped into his head, but he waved it off. As tired as Sangmin was of being called an old bachelor, he didn’t want people getting the wrong idea from him inviting a male subordinate over for dinner.

Speaking of, I wonder how Kichul’s doing with that task.

Kichul was a smart guy who listened well, but he could also be somewhat clumsy.

Man, I have to stop thinking about work at home.

It was time to eat. Sangmin hummed as he placed the soybean-paste stew on the table in his living room. It was normal for him to eat alone while watching TV. The dining table was too big and lonesome to use by himself.

Beep.

He pressed the remote control as he took a seat. The news was on.

“We’ve just received breaking news.”

One of the few good things about being single was that he didn’t have to fight anyone over what to watch. The TV was basically fixed on one channel.

Sangmin scooped up some rice with his spoon as he watched the screen mounted on the wall.

“…a suspicious explosion at the Hunter Command Center building in Washington, DC, has shocked the nation. Unconfirmed reports indicate fighting among S-rank hunters as the cause…”

“Huh…… That’s ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.” He shook his head at the unfortunate news as he listened to the broadcast while carefully selecting which side dish was to be his first bite. There weren’t many to choose from, though.

The first has to be kimchi.

“…CCTV footage from near the Command Center shows a crack suddenly appearing on the side of the building and…”

It didn’t matter what the news anchor said. Sangmin was completely focused on putting a piece of cool kimchi from the kimchi fridge on some steaming rice. As he was finally about to take a bite, his phone rang loudly.

Oh, come on! Who is it now?

Sangmin grumbled as he grabbed his phone, but he rushed to answer it when he saw the caller ID.

“This is Sangmin.”

It was Jinwoo. Sangmin was happy to answer the call, but his expression slowly changed to bewilderment as he processed what Jinwoo was asking.

“Excuse me? You want to watch the training of the new recruits?”