In front of a Rank A dungeon in Gangnam, Seoul.
Flash! Pop-pop-pop! Flash!
Hundreds of camera flashes erupted like machine-gun fire, burning the vision white.
Although the protagonist had yet to appear at the dungeon entrance, a swarm of reporters gathered outside the police line, thrusting microphones forward like a pack of hyenas targeting prey.
Amidst the chaotic bedlam, the blue veil of the dungeon rippled, and a man stepped out.
His jet-black hair was slightly tousled.
He wore a black cassock that fit his body perfectly—a strictly ascetic and neat outfit, with the white Roman collar at his neck serving as its only accent. He exited the dungeon with a stony, expressionless face, frowning slightly at the sight of the prepared podium.
“Guild Leader Seong Yohan! Congratulations on successfully clearing this dungeon!”
“Is it true that this was a solo clear? What happens to the agreement with the Jupiter Guild!”
“You predicted a legal dispute over the ownership of this dungeon; please give us a word!”
It was South Korea’s No. 1 Ranker and the head of the “Sanctum” Guild, Seong Yohan.
Despite having just finished smashing a Rank A dungeon, there wasn’t a single speck of dust or a drop of blood on his clothes.
“……Haa.”
Seong Yohan cast a chilling gaze toward the exploding flashes. He was in a terrible mood.
To be precise, his irritation had reached its peak.
Originally, this dungeon was under the jurisdiction of the giant guild “Jupiter.”
However, once it was revealed that the creatures pouring out from inside were not ordinary monsters but those corrupted by demons, Jupiter couldn’t handle it and washed their hands of the situation.
Ultimately, the Association had no choice but to beg Seong Yohan—the nation’s top specialist in exorcism abilities—for support.
The problem was the Jupiter Guild’s attitude.
They had the audacity to utter the shameless nonsense: “Clear it for us, but we won’t hand over the ownership.”
Seong Yohan stopped in front of the sea of microphones.
The crowd fell silent instantly. He stared into the camera lenses with cold eyes and spoke.
“If anyone from the Jupiter Guild is watching, listen closely.”
His low yet clear voice resonated across the scene.
“The level of corruption of the monsters generated in this dungeon was not something you could handle. If not for me, the Gangnam area would be hell by now. And yet, you claim authority?”
The corners of Yohan’s mouth twisted into a thin, bitter smirk.
“If you have no conscience, you should at least have ability. It’s pathetic to see you only thinking about protecting your rice bowl while being incompetent. From this moment on, all ownership and byproduct processing rights for this dungeon belong to ‘Sanctum.’ If you have a complaint, come to the Association. Whether it’s the law or fists, I’ll deal with you however you want.”
“Waaaaah—!!”
The reporters’ exclamations and the sound of shutters exploded.
It was a provocation for the ages. Seong Yohan turned his back without a trace of regret, as if he had no further business there.
As he strode away, his Chief of Staff, Seo Jihoon, and Gi Taeyeon—a Rank S Hunter from the United Nations Police (UNP) who had been waiting nearby—naturally fell in step on either side of him.
“Great work, Guild Leader. Your remarks weren’t just refreshing; they were ice-cold. The Jupiter Guild Leader is probably going to pass out from a stroke.”
Chief of Staff Seo Jihoon gave a thumbs-up in approval while carefully reading Yohan’s mood.
Yohan roughly pulled off his gloves and tossed them at Jihoon.
“Handle it. I can’t stand to watch those bastards barking anymore.”
“Yes, sir. I’ve already put the legal team on standby.”
“Hey, Seong Yohan. You really have a broken personality. You act like such an angel on TV.”
Gi Taeyeon, who was loudly chewing gum nearby, chimed in with a snicker.
Wearing a leather jacket and ripped jeans, he was a man who looked like a delinquent—the polar opposite of Yohan.
He was a UNP investigator and Yohan’s childhood friend.
“It must be tiring getting involved in trivial matters. But what can you do? Your ability was the hard counter to this dungeon. My bad, my bad.”
“If you’re sorry, shut up, Gi Taeyeon. You’re loud.”
Yohan brushed his bangs back irritably.
His abilities—Holy Power and Physical Exorcism—were like a disaster for beings carrying the energy of the demon realm.
When demons from the underworld appear and corrupt monsters, the dungeon difficulty skyrockets.
Seong Yohan was an Awakened whose abilities were the perfect antithesis to such dungeons and gates.
“Get the car ready.”
“Are we moving out immediately?”
“Yeah. I’m tired.”
Walking toward the waiting limousine, Yohan suddenly stopped as if remembering something.
He pulled his phone from his inner jacket pocket and looked back at Gi Taeyeon.
“Ah, Gi Taeyeon, you.”
“Hm? What?”
“I received a report during the transit. The monster that appeared at Miyang Intersection this morning—who caught it?”
It wasn’t a Rank C; it was a mutant monster comparable to Rank A.
The report that it had been suppressed in an instant before any teams could even arrive piqued Yohan’s interest—or rather, it rubbed him the wrong way.
Uncontrolled, powerful force was always a variable.
Gi Taeyeon shrugged.
“No clue. We’re still trying to identify them. The drones all malfunctioned, so there’s no footage.”
“Is that the extent of the UNP’s intelligence capabilities?”
“Hey, there are plenty of kids like that these days. Maybe a self-proclaimed ‘hidden master’? You know, the types who find it annoying to register but want to play hero. It’s probably nothing.”
‘Probably nothing?’
Seong Yohan looked down at the site photo sent to his phone.
The mangled corpse of the monster.
This wasn’t just brute force.
It bore the marks of someone who had toyed with the creature through an overwhelming difference in power.
“……Hmm.”
Yohan’s eyes sharpened.
A suspected Rank A Awakened existing in Korea that he didn’t know about?
That was unacceptable.
While he couldn’t gather every Awakened in the country, for someone of this caliber, he at least needed to know who they were and what their profile looked like.
Furthermore, he needed to see if they could be brought into Sanctum.
“Find them.”
“Who? The person who caught that monster?”
“Yeah. Whether it’s someone playing hero while hiding like a rat, or something else….”
Yohan trailed off, scowling deeply.
He felt nauseous.
Perhaps it was the foul air he breathed in the dungeon, or perhaps it was this bothersome variable.
Whatever it was, he felt exceptionally foul today.
To wash away this filthy feeling, he needed something powerful and certain.
Looking at his reflection in the black-tinted car window, Yohan gave a cold command.
“Find them and bring them to me. I need to verify them.”
“Why bother finding them? I told you, they’re just a hidden master.”
“Find them.”
Yohan spoke coldly and climbed into the car. He quietly closed his eyes.
There must be no variables.
At least until Sanctum rose to be the top guild in the country.
And… until that “investigation” was concluded.
“…I’ll know once I check.”
Just who that person is.
Morning returned without fail. Hyeongil, the only part-timer at the Jang-chun Health Center, was a high schooler, so he put on his backpack to head to school.
Hyeongil lived on the second floor of the center. Consequently,
“…….”
“What? Why?”
“No, just… you really look like a bum.”
“Yawn… I’m only letting that slide because I’m sleepy.”
Every morning, Hyeongil had to face that bedheaded, dozing face.
At the pathetic look, Yigyul glared at Hyeongil with half-closed eyes.
Startled by the sudden sharp glint in Yigyul’s eyes, Hyeongil clicked his tongue and spoke with a grumpy face.
“You’re only sharp at times like this. But why did you wake up so early today? You usually don’t get up at this hour, Hyung.”
“Anyone listening would think I just roll around like a parasite.”
“You don’t?”
Hyeongil squinted suspiciously at Yigyul. Yigyul smirked.
“Should I give this kid a smack or not?”
“Violence is strictly forbidden. Did you forget Grandma’s last words?!”
“You only bring that up at times like this, I’ll really—”
“I’m leaving!”
“Do you have your tablet? Don’t doze off and study hard.”
“I’m going to study super hard so I don’t end up like you!”
“Why you.”
“I’m out!”
Yigyul considered grabbing him by the scruff of the neck for a noogie, but Hyeongil sensed it and bolted out.
Yigyul chuckled and tapped the watch on his wrist.
A holographic screen popped up in a square shape, connected to the Huntranet site.
Sprawled on the sofa, Yigyul searched for a dungeon he had his eye on.
In a world where gates had opened, mysterious ruins like dungeons had appeared everywhere.
They opened and closed repeatedly, disappearing once cleared.
Unlike gates that only contained monsters, dungeons yielded new resources alongside monsters, leading the whole world to take the lead in farming them, thinking, ‘Jackpot!’
Beyond the mana stones dropped by monsters, unique items like carcasses, medicinal herbs, and minerals were constantly being excavated.
Yigyul was one of the hunters who had started using that field, specifically thanks to Grandma Oksun.
However, one thing changed after the Gate of Reversal opened. Specifically, “demons” from the underworld began to appear within the gates.
The emergence of demons and demon-type monsters completely shifted the landscape of the hunter world.
While physically strong hunters used to be the trend, now exorcism, holy power, and support-healer hunters were in the spotlight.
Korea was particularly strong in demon subjugation, and at the center of that were the shamans.
Their talismans and rituals had become essential when entering gates where demons appeared.
Well, hunters who finished things with physical power wouldn’t know much about that.
‘Rank C dungeon at the entrance of Mt. Dumang…’
According to the information just posted on Huntranet, no guild had officially won the bid for this dungeon from the Hunter Association yet.
Perhaps because it was only Rank C, entry was unrestricted.
When this happens, gathering-type hunters flock to the area like ghosts.
He needed to get in before that and pick out what he needed.
‘Gotta make some honey water… and stock up on materials for the health center.’
Since Grandma Chunja from across the street said her knees were hurting lately, he needed a few medicinal herbs related to that.
There were quite a few elderly people in this area who felt the incredible power of the Jangchun Health Center’s honey water and medicinal herbs firsthand.
For them, and for the sake of daily life, he had to ensure the ingredients didn’t run out.
“Ah, what a pain.”
He wanted to just sprawl out and rest without doing anything, but it was time to move.
The clear percentage of the Mt. Dumang Rank C dungeon was already nearing 50%.
This meant that while the boss hadn’t been caught, gathering hunters were going in and out as if it were their own home.
Yigyul stretched his stiff body and stood up.
He threw on a hoodie, slipped into his three-striped slippers, and left the house, dragging his feet.
