Dragon Ascending - Aeraneth - 나 혼자만 레벨업 (2024)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

“… You… want to apply for- a job?”

“Yes.”

“At the Hunter’s Association?”

“Yes.”

“… Ah, then- I’ll let my supervisor know. Thank you.”

“Do you need a resume?”

“No, that- It’s a bit different when applying to the Association.”

“Ah, then I brought this for no reason…”

“… Actually, if you already brought it, I’ll accept it gratefully.”

He still had to go through the introductory video, and patiently waited at the desk until he got his new card issued. It was still pretty neat, wasn’t it? It was a thick ID that suggested electronics, with his face on it. Short dark brown hair, brown eyes, an average face.

Park Ryung

D-Rank Hunter

… It was still a little weird to think that this was his face and name? And that he used to be a she? But okay, sure. Pretty insignificant compared to everything else.

“Congratulations on your rank, Hunter Park,” the receptionist told him, smiling politely. “We look forward to seeing your career.”

“Ahaha… Ah, thanks?” He was aware that D-rank was almost the bottom of the rung, though? None of the recruiters outside had given him a second glance.

Well, he wasn’t exactly complaining. He knew this would be the outcome.

“… Ah.” The woman’s expression shifted slightly. Hm, a familiar expression? That nervous this man is acting weird and I don’t know why. “Did you… need something else, Hunter Park?” Park Ryung blinked.

“Oh, ah. Can I not wait here?” he realized. “Sorry, I can go somewhere else.”

“… I’m- sorry?” Fortunately, he was spared the rest of the awkwardness by someone else arriving behind the desk, clutching a folder to herself. She smiled.

“Hunter Park?” she confirmed, and he straightened. “Thank you for waiting. Can you please follow me?”

“Sure.” Park Ryung eased himself around the long desk, giving the receptionist a courtesy wave as he passed. She watched with puzzled eyes as he was led away.

After going into a little room on the same floor, he was directed to sit down on one side of a bare desk. Soon after, another man opened the door and walked in. Park Ryung stood automatically to shake his hand.

“Hunter Park,” the man greeted politely, a skinny thing in an office suit and glasses. “I’m Hae Sangwook, I’m the recruiter for the Hunter’s Association.”

“Thank you for your time,” Park Ryung replied amiably. The man gave a quiet chuckle, going around to the other side of the desk.

“That’s usually my line,” he admitted, and they both sat. “… If I may be candid?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

“If you brought your resume beforehand, did you really plan on applying to the Hunter’s Association regardless of what rank you received?” Park Ryung nodded once.

“Outside of an S-rank,” he added jokingly.

“Right, of course.” Hae Sangwook smiled in amusem*nt, then sobered. “I’m a recruiter on the ground floor, and usually the last resort for new Hunters,” he continued very bluntly. “Even the E-ranks. May I ask why you want to apply to the Hunter’s Association, and what you think you’ll get out of it?” Ah, definitely not the typical job interview, was it?

Apparently, it really was a sh*t job like people said.

“I wanted to work at headquarters specifically,” Park Ryung admitted. “My motivation is pretty straightforward, really. I want to meet new Hunters and potentially deal with their problems.”

“It’s more typical for the guards on the ground floor to be C-rank at minimum,” Hae Sangwook pointed out, puzzled.

“Ah, not that kind of problem. I’m thinking more about the fact that the average survival rate for a newly-minted E-rank Hunter is only around sixty percent.” The recruiter grimaced hard, unsurprised. “D-ranks, more towards eighty, but still not exactly great given how many that number is,” Park Ryung sighed. “The ranking office has a program to help new Hunters with basic training, doesn’t it? That’s what I want to apply for.”

“… I- see. It’s true, we do- technically still have that program. We used to only choose teachers based on their previous Hunter experience and rank, but…” Hae Sangwook sighed, weary. “Ah, that’s not a job that people kept for long,” he confessed. “Keeping what few Hunters accept the program alive is something- of a chore. And honestly, compared to going into that same Dungeon rank and hunting the monsters yourself, the pay is close to insignificant.”

“… I can’t tell if you’re a bad recruiter or a really cunning one,” Park Ryung had to confess. Hae Sangwook gave a startled laugh, shoulders falling.

“I prefer to think of myself as honest,” he replied. “Years ago, maybe, I did try to entice Hunters with the benefits. But our retention rate became so abysmal, the Association’s reputation took a critical hit. Now, we only want Hunters who won’t look back at the numbers and do some simple math.” Hm, that seemed fair. Park Ryung had really read nothing other than what a sh*t career this was.

“Basic training and equipment,” he asked. “Some kind of connection to a form of martial arts. And if all else fails, the ability to say which idiot really shouldn’t be given free rein to go into Dungeons.” He held out a hand vaguely. “And a pension on top of that,” he concluded. “That’s what I think I’ll be able to get out of the Hunter’s Association.” Hae Sangwook considered him with caution, then cleared his throat. He stood up again, collecting the folder he hadn’t opened.

“I’ll make a call to my manager,” he decided. “Please excuse me.”

“Take your time,” Park Ryung promised, and watched him leave. He settled into his chair with a heavy sigh, then looked down at himself.

… It was still weird, wasn’t it? He’d technically lived as Park Ryung for nineteen years already, but some months ago, he remembered something- different. Something outside of an unremarkable life he’d lived in a remarkable world, and even then, he couldn’t have imagined what it really was.

In the world of Solo Leveling, even if Dungeons and Hunters and Gates had become commonplace and mundane to most people, that didn’t make it less extraordinary and dangerous at once. But- he’d also realized just how bad this could be. It was almost ten years since the Gates first appeared, since the first Hunters had their Awakening. Jeju Island, as he’d found out, was still a normal island and popular tourist destination. The most powerful and terrifying Hunter of all time, Sung Jinwoo, wasn’t a Hunter at all. He was supposed to be one for years before the events of the story started, and barely survive to that start in the first place.

Before he was Park Ryung, he’d been a different person that only read halfway through an enjoyable webtoon, only to then read a spoiler about the ending by accident. That person had been so enraged, she’d lost the motivation to finish the story, let alone read the information that would have been extremely useful right now.

… He had some regrets, yes. Accidentally reading about a fictional world ending was one thing, but not knowing the circ*mstances of the world ending while suddenly living in that world- ugh. Was it any wonder that he’d rather take this sh*tty job and try to help the protagonist rather than chase a life obviously meant to crumble to dust?

He’d read about this program while trying to get his bearings, let alone suddenly deal with this Awakening bullsh*t, and immediately knew it desperately needed help. It clearly did sh*t for Sung Jinwoo.

He was still quietly regretting the ironies of life when the door eventually opened again. He looked up, then blinked hard.

… It wasn’t that he believed every hot guy in a suit was someone important, but also, his senses were screaming that this hot guy in a suit was very important.

Which might have also been the enormous sense of- energy? He was pretty sure that was the bullsh*t magical energy that was coming off the guy in steady waves. Figuring out magical energy had been wildly weird these last months.

“… Hunter Park? Is something wrong?” the hot suit guy asked. Park Ryung belatedly realized he was staring with unfocused eyes. He focused again, then blinked once more.

“Ah- holy sh*t,” he commented. “Sorry! Just, uh. I haven’t actually been around anyone as strong as you before? I didn’t expect the, uh. Feeling.” He stood up quickly, realizing the recruiter was behind the hot suit guy and looking exceptionally nervous. That seemed to be the expression of someone around upper management. Hot suit guy stared at him, then cleared his throat.

“Ah,” he answered. “Hae Sangwook, head down to the front and ask for a specialty kit.”

“Yes, sir,” the recruiter answered quickly, and scuttled off. Park Ryung blinked after him, then at the hot suit guy. Hot suit guy smiled back politely.

“A sudden thought,” he answered vaguely. “Park Ryung, is it? I’m Woo Jinchul.”

… Ah, yes, the hot suit guy was very important.

“Oh!” Park Ryung managed, aware of how Woo Jinchul’s gaze was sharp on him. “Ah, I’ve read your name before,” he explained honestly, offering a hand. “You’re pretty big here, aren’t you? Nice to meet you.” Woo Jinchul nodded after a moment, accepting his handshake.

“I’m only a paper-pusher, Hunter Park,” he replied. “I suppose you did quite a bit of research before coming here. Not many know about our teaching program in the first place. How long has it been since you Awakened?”

“It’s… actually been some months,” Park Ryung admitted. “I just- had to figure out what I wanted to do about it.” Woo Jinchul nodded again, more relaxed.

“I see. That’s commendable for your age.” Hmm, he didn’t look that much older. How old was Woo Jinchul again? Either way, Park Ryung could only awkwardly rub at his neck.

It didn’t feel that mature when the literal fate of the world was on the line? Sheesh.

“Sir!” Hae Sangwook announced, coming in with a large, metal briefcase. Woo Jinchul accepted with a nod, setting it on the empty desk. Park Ryung co*cked his head slightly.

“This is… that device that tests for what class of Hunter you are, right?” he attempted. “I thought they didn’t use those for anything below C-rank?”

“You did do quite a bit of research,” Woo Jinchul acknowledged, removing a small tablet computer. “However, these devices are a bit useless in most cases, which is why we rarely use them below C-rank. Although, your test results showed an unusual amount of mana for a D-rank, and you barely didn’t make that cut.” Park Ryung coughed.

“I-Is that so…”

“We typically associate a higher mana ratio with a mage class, but overall, most Hunters can easily figure out their class on their own, without our help,” Woo Jinchul continued, setting a glass orb on the table as well. Inside was a blue crystal. “But as you’ve been Awakened for months and don’t seem to know your class, this is just a hunch.” Class? How the hell was Park Ryung supposed to think about bullsh*t like his own class? He was just strong, wasn’t he? That was fighter class, case dismissed!

… Hm, actually, maybe he shouldn’t mention that.

“You’re able to sense mana in others, though,” Woo Jinchul commented.

“Ah,” Park Ryung realized, startled. “Is that- not normal?”

“For most classes, they’re not particularly sensitive, yes. Even around higher ranks, they’re usually unable to tell unless that higher rank is expressing themselves with their abilities.” Woo Jinchul glanced at him. “I’m also an A-rank Hunter, for example, but very few are able to tell right away.”

“… Oh.” Hm, weird.

“Please put your hand here,” Woo Jinchul requested, pointing to the orb. Park Ryung could only obey. Warmth immediately met his palm on contact, and the gem glowed faintly. Park Ryung twitched when there was an internal- tug?? Whatever it was, it glowed with a turquoise color, which traveled down through the tubes attached to the orb and into the tablet. There was a faint beep, and Park Ryung pulled his hand back, unsettled.

“Turquoise is unusual,” Woo Jinchul commented, tapping at the tablet. “As I thought, then. You’re a healer class, it’s rare for your rank.”

“… Oh,” Park Ryung repeated, really and genuinely baffled. He considered his hand for a moment, then looked up. “… Does this- help or hurt my chances of employment here?” he attempted. Woo Jinchul paused in his tapping to look up. He was quiet for a moment, looking genuinely surprised, then abruptly- chuckled?? Ah, he was too attractive to suddenly chuckle like that, sheesh.

“Six months probation, during which you’re trained in combat and Dungeons by the Association, along with being given martial arts instruction,” he said. Park Ryung straightened. “Depending on your performance, we’ll review you for the instructor position, or recommend a different position at the Association if it’s not a fit. We’ll also add in special permission to obtain and sell crystals so long as it doesn’t interfere with your work.”

“R-Really??” Even Hae Sangwook looked stunned. Park Ryung was pretty sure that was definitely something he couldn’t ask for?? “Doesn’t the Association automatically have possession?” he tried.

“Not at all,” Woo Jinchul replied. “We simply have the exclusive buying rights. Monster crystals are fairly useless to Hunters otherwise, so selling to the Association is their only option. For our employees, we typically don’t harvest them ourselves and simply leave them to a specialty team. Even then, that team receives compensation based on what they collect, though their rate is discounted because of how often they work.” The Hunter shook his head. “But- this is my personal offer. Six months probation, but you can collect crystals from the very first Dungeon we run you through for training. All of your other terms are agreed on, including pension. Do you accept?”

“Y- Yes!!” Park Ryung managed, stunned. “Ah- yes, please,” he tried again, calmer. “W-When can I start? Ah- I’d say I was available right away, but I need to put in a notice at my current job. Is that okay? Do I need to buy a suit, too? I really don’t think I can wear it half as well as you do.” He paused. “Wait, that- I didn’t say that last part out loud,” he added quickly. Woo Jinchul chuckled again.

“Hae Sangwook will set you up with your contract and the details of it,” he answered. “Don’t bother with office attire just yet. Show up to your first day in something suitable for exercise.” Ah, he had plenty of those clothes. He’d been doing lots of exercise these last months. “I look forward to working with you, Hunter Park.”

“Ah- Y-You, too!” Park Ryung managed, accepting the handshake. It felt so official with a handshake. Woo Jinchul nodded, then glanced at the recruiter. Hae Sangwook asked him to wait a moment before following the Hunter out of the room, closing the door behind them.

“… Um, Sir?” Hae Sangwook asked, not too far away. “Is there- a reason we’re offering Hunter Park these kinds of benefits? I’ve never been able to approve anything even remotely so good…”

“I’ll handle it with the chairman, don’t worry. Just add it to his contract.”

“But- why? He’s just a D-rank Hunter, right?”

“Hmmm.” The footsteps paused. “He’s a D-rank Hunter,” Woo Jinchul answered. “And a D-rank Hunter who researched the Association extensively, along with our magic devices and employees. A Hunter’s rank can’t be improved through effort, yes. But their individual ability can improve their odds drastically. If he’s as intelligent as I suspect, he’ll be an asset to the program. And besides that… well. Every Hunter’s class seems to be chosen along the same trends of their existing character. If you knew someone for a lifetime, and they Awakened with a certain ability, you’d say- it suits them.” There was a shifting sound, then the voices drifted further away. “The Association has never had cause to distrust a healer class because of that.”

Park Ryung opened his eyes once they were too far off, and grimaced awkwardly. He looked down at his hand again.

“… So they’ll be really f*cking pissed if they notice that I faked the rank results, won’t they?” he muttered.

Well, in the grand scheme of things, pretending to be a D-rank seemed pretty forgivable compared to the literal end of the world. It was- probably fine.

… Maybe.

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

One of the downsides of pretending to be a low-ranked Hunter was that praise really didn’t hit home the same way.

After two months, sure, he did like to hear that he was doing well in Hunter basics. But also, this was an E-ranked Dungeon, and he wasn’t really sure these goblins could kill him if he laid on the ground and let them.

“Good, good- that’s very good,” his instructor praised, writing on his clipboard. “Even in a real-world application, your technique is very good. I don’t see any real difficulties with moving up to the next rank.” Park Ryung could only awkwardly rub at his neck, sword loose at his side.

“Ah, I don’t think it’s that special,” he tried.

“Hunter Park, I’ve watched actual fighter classes at C-rank struggle with this,” the instructor replied, brow creased. “Healers can learn to fight, but are rarely capable of doing so. Especially not with such nerves…” Could someone of his real rank actually be scared of such slow, fragile little goblins?

… Hm, well, not that he knew his real rank. Kind of a bummer, actually. He’d actually been shooting for an E-rank himself, but apparently overestimated by way too much. So based on that, his initial estimates of C-rank had been pretty off. B-rank was more likely, probably? Or even A-rank? Woo Jinchul was an A-rank, and he didn’t feel overwhelming.

“Hunter Park-!”

Park Ryung turned in the basic stance he’d been taught and swung out. The ambushing goblin was cleaved in half, blood spraying out. Another downside of faking his rank was that these fragile little goblins were about as noticeable to his senses as insects. It was annoying to focus on something so small.

Ah, maybe the best he could hope for was B-rank. When the bullsh*t of plot was around, maybe he could sneak in a real evaluation? A-rank would be pretty neat, but still. B-rank was going to be his guess for now.

“… Ah,” the instructor said. Park Ryung flicked the blood off with a gesture.

“Come to think of it, it’s probably the mana that forms their crystals that I’m sensing,” he realized. “That’s useful, but a little difficult to focus on…” He’d have to work on that for the sake of his career.

“Ah,” the instructor repeated, and cleared his throat loudly. He was still for a moment before continuing to write. “I’ve heard that healer classes are more sensitive to mana,” he finally agreed. “I hadn’t realized it meant you could also sense monsters…” Park Ryung sure hoped that other D-rank healers could do something similar. “Do you feel confident in moving to a D-rank?” the instructor then asked. “There’s one nearby with an Association raiding party preparing to head out. With other people, maybe we can also test your healing capabilities…”

“Is that really okay?” Park Ryung tried. “The healing part specifically, I mean. Shouldn’t I- I dunno, have some kind of medical training for that?” Bullsh*t healing powers didn’t exactly sit well with him?

“Didn’t you tell Eunjung that you were studying medical training on your own?” the instructor returned. Park Ryung felt his mouth twitch awkwardly.

“… I- really don’t understand how the healing spells work in a scientific way and it bothers me,” he finally confessed.

“Ah.”

“I healed a cut on my own hand last week, a-and it was- regenerative? But to what extent?? Should I be carrying around blood packs if I don’t automatically refill blood? What- What happens if someone is impaled and there’s literal sh*t floating around their liver? Do I just say thou shall be healed and the sh*t disappears??”

“Ah,” the instructor repeated. “… How about we join the expedition- with you as a fighter instead. I’ll ask about your concerns for another time.”

“T-Thank you very much…” Park Ryung was still plagued with horrible thoughts of sealing literal sh*t into someone’s chest cavity as they left. Wouldn’t the sepsis definitely kill them?

The magic bullsh*t was cool, but he needed a lot more explaining before he was comfortable with it.

The E-rank Dungeon was left for the actual expedition that would be put together later, so they instead made their way to the D-rank mentioned. Expeditions for low-ranked Dungeons were usually pulled together with a group of independents gathered by the Association from the same area, and- generally left to the judgment of those independents. So long as they did their job, their evaluation file was good, and they were called in for more Dungeons and opportunities. It was kind of a crude system, but it worked well enough.

The group was pretty mixed between ages when they showed up, and gave him curious looks. There was a list of participants, after all, and he wasn’t on it. An older man in a tracksuit wandered over to see.

“Ah- excuse me! Excuse me,” he greeted politely. “Are you from the Association? Is something wrong?”

“Not at all, just a bit of a last-minute decision,” the instructor replied. “Hunter Song, isn’t it? You’re quite the veteran around here.” Song just coughed lightly. “This is Hunter Park, he’s undergoing training with the Association,” the man continued. “This will be his first real Dungeon experience from start to finish, and I’ll be observing.”

“Ah- right. The training program, I recall.” The older man seemed puzzled. “I don’t recall the students getting observations, though.” Park Ryung held up a hand.

“They’ll give me a pension if I do well enough,” he explained plainly.

“Oh. I see, then.” The instructor coughed himself.

“T-That, well… Yes, to put it simply,” he acknowledged. “He’s received basic sword training and very well-learned in matters of Dungeons. Please treat him as you would a normal expedition member.”

“Yes, of course. I do have to warn you, it can get a bit competitive if there’s not enough to go around,” the Hunter added, looking to Park Ryung. “But we also see each other quite a bit in Dungeons, so we try to keep that cordial. Keep that in mind.”

“Yes, sir,” Park Ryung promised. “I’ll be in your care.” The man patted his shoulder amiably.

“Good, then. I’m looking forward to seeing your sword, too. We’re just waiting on a couple more people, then we’ll head into the Gate.” He gestured towards the big, blue swirl of death that everyone was way too comfortable with. “I’m Song Chiyul, and I’ll be leading the expedition. What’s your rank, by the way?”

“Ah, I’m a D-rank.”

“I see. I’m C-rank, so I hope you’re not too uncomfortable.”

“Thank you.” Song Chiyul walked away to talk with some of the other group, and Park Ryung considered.

… Oh, wait. That was- another important person, wasn’t he? Hmm, actually, he’d definitely have to make sure he did well here.

Another couple of middle-aged men eventually showed up, and greeted some familiar faces. Song Chiyul greeted them as well, then gestured for everyone to gather up. He bid everyone a safe afternoon of work, introducing himself again. It had an air of normalcy around everything, it was actually insane to experience.

They then made their way into the Gate, and Park Ryung tried very hard to not be too nervous. It wasn’t that much different from the E-rank Gate he’d just been in, it shouldn’t feel so different just because there were other people.

“You look new,” one of the older men commented, glancing him up and down. “Why’s the suit following you, though?”

“Oh, ah.” Park Ryung cleared his throat. “I’m being evaluated for a job at the Association.”

“Oh, they actually require you to pass some kind of test? I heard they’d take anyone with a pulse.”

“Ahahaha…” Well, it wasn’t like he didn’t get that impression from what few instructors were still in the training program. There was only one other Hunter there, and he was a C-rank who didn’t give a sh*t. “W-Well, it still sounds more, uh, job secure,” he offered instead. “I’d rather get a pension than do this kind of thing on the regular.”

“Hmm, suit yourself.” The man busied himself with talking to someone else, so Park Ryung also moved on to inspect their surroundings. The cave system was well-lit around them, and the main tunnel was wide. It had all the appearance of a natural cave formation, strangely enough. Other Hunters were equally comfortable or nonchalant, chatting with another like they were coworkers over a water fountain. Song Chiyul held a small fireball in one hand, and was watching the way forward mostly. He smiled when someone cracked a joke towards him from behind.

There was then a distant sound, and the faint prickle of mana. Then it wasn’t so faint, but instead prickly and- wide? Song Chiyul stopped walking, and everyone shut up at once.

The fireball launched forward with a thoom, lighting up dozens of pairs of gleaming red eyes.

“Swarm!!” Song Chiyul barked, and the crowd surged forward. Park Ryung hung back a moment to comprehend what was happening, only for one of the rat-like monsters to leap ahead of the swarm. It was instantly met by someone else’s sword, but also followed up. The sheer volume of bodies with vicious teeth and high-flying leaps was- actually terrifying.

“Hey-! New kid, watch it!!” the man from before barked, spotting the three rats that had broken off from the others. Park Ryung didn’t bother with a wide swing, but instead gave a short jab to the closest, moving to dodge the other two. He broke off from the first with a half-swing, then used the momentum of a sidestep to catch the third. He finished his spin and focused on his own movements, when the rats were moving so slowly to him. If he got down the efficiency of his sword and footwork, then all the better down the line.

The Hunters held a line alongside Song Chiyul, who called out sharply if anyone stepped too far forward. Being overwhelmed by the swarm was clearly the biggest danger here, rather than an individual bite. Park Ryung made sure to follow his lead and take steps back to compensate for when he thrust forward, letting other Hunters keep at least one side clear. One rat did make it past the Hunter beside him, who reared back clutching at her arm, and he reflexively snapped out his defending arm to grab the rat that leaped at her head. He got a very uncomfortable close-up of its insect-like red eyes and gnashing teeth, and quickly flung it away from himself before focusing on the others. The brief stumble in his step had to be made up, but he managed it carefully.

Then just as quickly as the swarm had started, the last rat died with a resounding scree. Park Ryung exhaled harshly, lowering his sword. He turned to the Hunter that was still on the ground, clutching at an open wound. Her eyelids fluttered in surprise.

“T-Thanks,” she managed.

“Of course,” Park Ryung agreed, crouching down. “Let me see?” He’d just been plagued of thoughts of sealing sh*t and all, but-

But that was a chunk of flesh just hanging there, gushing blood, and he should- do something? He gingerly took his wrist, but hesitated. He had to remind himself that this was bullsh*t magic healing, it was probably fine, then focused on the strange instinct.

“Ah,” someone commented, but a turquoise color was already washing over the wound in a watery sensation, and it was sealing flesh shut again. More than that, even, what bits were missing were growing to fill the void, and it left no marks or scars. The watery energy returned to his hand with a gesture, and seemed to melt back into his own skin.

… Seriously, it was- weird.

“… Um, can I- check your heart rate, j-just to be sure?” he attempted, uncomfortable. “I’m still not sure how this works.”

“T-That- yes?” She seemed dazed as he turned over her wrist. Her cheeks were even going flushed while she stared at him with unfocused eyes?? He was seriously not okay with bullsh*t magic healing.

“Ahem,” Song Chiyul said, and the woman jerked back in shock. Park Ryung blinked upward to the exasperated man. “Park Ryung, when we have a healer on the team, we typically adjust formations to protect them better,” the man began, then sighed. “Or, well, that’s what I should say, but it seems you’re very capable of holding your own.”

“Ah… sorry,” Park Ryung tried. “I didn’t plan on healing on a team, so that’s why I didn’t say anything.”

“Really? Your powers seem pretty effective for your rank.”

“… I don’t really know how it works and that bothers me a lot,” Park Ryung could only confess. Song Chiyul only looked amused by that.

“Fair enough,” he acknowledged. “If you can keep up this pace, that’s fine with me. We do have a regular healer here, too,” he added, gesturing back. “She’s a bit new, but if you’re not comfortable trying something, go ahead and ask her. She’s very skilled.”

“Oh, thanks.” The other healer looked to be about his own age with long reddish hair, and was visibly embarrassed to be pointed out. But she gave him a sheepish smile, and he returned it with a wave.

Actually, knowing there was another healer around was very calming on the nerves, so Park Ryung proceeded naturally. Working on such a small, restrained scale wasn’t exactly fun, but it was a good opportunity to make sure his technique was perfect. Something about slow is smooth, smooth is fast or something like that?

Ugh, he probably needed a lot more practice.

Song Chiyul was a great leader, and also just a nice person. While everyone picked through the dead swarm to collect their spoils, he came over to make sure Park Ryung actually knew how to harvest the crystals. They were fragile little things in his hand, but hummed with a miniscule amount of energy.

Neat.

As the expedition continued, groups of monsters would appear, and the formation was a bit more of a free-for-all. Nonetheless, Park Ryung did his best to not just observe, but jump in for his own opportunities. He could see how this would be extremely difficult for a low-rank without experience, he didn’t get quite as much loot as other D-ranks did.

He did notice the other healer working on other Hunters when they finished, though, and quickly went over to observe. She looked at him anxiously, then gave a nervous smile.

“I-Is everything okay?” she tried, soft green light on her hands.

“Um, sorry,” Park Ryung apologized. “Can this junior observe you? You seem like you know what you’re doing.”

“O-Oh, that…” She looked down at the laceration she was sealing shut. “It’s more- instinctive for me than anything,” she admitted sheepishly. “I don’t know if I can really help you as a senior, but you can watch if you want.” Park Ryung nodded quickly, hunkering down to be less obtrusive. The Hunter being treated looked at him in bemusem*nt, but stayed quiet. “Oh, ah,” she added. “I’m- Lee Joohee.”

… Oh! Another important person, jeez. He really needed to be paying attention, then.

“Park Ryung,” he greeted her amiably. “I notice you’re spreading out your energy around the wound, is there a reason for that?”

“I hadn’t noticed it when I first started healing, but- now I realize that sometimes my energy reacts in more widespread areas,” she explained, starting to look more comfortable. “Sometimes when there’s a deep wound, it reaches further than you can actually see- and not just deeper, if that makes sense?”

“Ah, that does,” Park Ryung realized. “I read that trauma can be widespread on the bones and muscles in particular, depending on the type. So a larger area is definitely more effective… Have you ever tried to heal poison or venom?”

“That’s- more tricky,” she explained, wincing. “In small doses, I can actually use my healing to- um, neutralize it, I suppose? It seems to disappear from the body entirely. If it’s too much, though, I focus on healing the effects until it dilutes.”

“I see…”

Lee Joohee seemed to be nervous at first, but once she was talking about the healing she’d been doing in the last year, she became visibly much more comfortable and chatty. Park Ryung was happy to engage. The Hunters being treated at the same time just watched in confusion.

The Dungeon went very smoothly afterward, and the boss monster was just a bigger, slightly less fragile goblin. Park Ryung hung back to watch as Song Chiyul engaged the beast with other Hunters, and took it down in a quick, coordinated fight.

All in all, it was actually a pretty neat field trip from his usual training.

“I heard that you’re trying to get a job at the Association,” Lee Joohee chatted as they walked out. “Is that really alright? Healers don’t always make as much as fighters, but we’re never short on calls for teams. And I’m sure you’d do better since you can actually fight…”

“I’m actually trying for a trainer position,” Park Ryung explained. “There’s a program for new Hunters to learn the basics and increase their survivability, which is an issue especially for lower ranks. The number of E-ranks and D-ranks in particular that don’t survive their first Dungeon call is- kind of insane.”

“I-I see… I guess it would be- hard,” she acknowledged, hesitant. “… And- maybe they just don’t expect how… scary it can be, too. If I hadn’t had someone with me…” She trailed off, and Park Ryung didn’t ask.

“I do need more experience to be an instructor, anyway,” he acknowledged with a sigh. “I’ve spent most of my probation just training, which really only goes so far. And I should- really figure out the healing thing. I-It just makes me so nervous when I think about the mechanics of it…”

“I’ve heard that healers can also work at hospitals,” she offered. Park Ryung straightened.

“Ah- really?? Do you think they’d let me volunteer there?”

“Well… probably? It’s not very popular with Hunters in the first place, they might get excited about it…”

“Ah, I’ll ask about it. Thanks!”

“O-Of course.” She gave him a sheepish smile. “Maybe we’ll- work together in the future again?”

“Yeah, of course,” Park Ryung agreed cheerfully. “I definitely need to practice more, so I hope I’ll see friendly faces like you and Mr. Song.” Lee Joohee blushed at being called a friendly face. Ahh, the poor thing.

Outside the Gate, Park Ryung met up with his instructor again. Once again, he was complimented excessively and couldn’t even enjoy it. Song Chiyul caught them just before they left.

“I’ve noticed that you’re developing your own sword style,” he commented, handing over a business card. Park Ryung stared unfathomably as the man continued, “It’s a very impressive one, too. I’m actually the owner of a Kumdo facility, and I don’t often meet people trying new things these days. If you ever want some tips or spars, please come see me.”

“O-Oh, that- thank you,” Park Ryung realized, looking down at the card finally. Right, he was a sword master, he just happened to Awaken as a mage for some nonsense reason. Poor guy. As someone who Awakened as a healer for equally nonsense reasons, Park Ryung felt sympathy. “I- don’t know if I’m developing anything really unique, but I’ll definitely take you up on this,” he decided. “I think I’m more suited to fighting, ironically enough…”

“Hm, I know the feeling. I hope you’ll keep running Dungeons.”

“I do need to, yes. I hope I can be in your group again, Mr. Song.”

“I hope we’ll have you.” Song Chiyul waved as they left, and Park Ryung waved back. The instructor was writing on his clipboard again when he checked.

“Can I do some training at a hospital?” Park Ryung asked anyway. “So I can ask doctors about things like long-term effects and the like?”

“Yes, that’s actually similar to what I was already thinking,” the instructor agreed. “I’ll check with some local hospitals about the idea. And I recommend holding onto that business card- Hunter Song’s facility is actually very respected by the Association.”

“Neat.” It was also respected by Park Ryung, given the story he read, but it was nice to hear that other people also thought so.

Training had been going- well for the last couple of months. It was a bummer that praise didn’t stick, but Park Ryung at least felt like he was genuinely learning things. He hoped he could get a lot more firsthand experience to help out Sung Jinwoo. And also others.

… Mostly Sung Jinwoo, though, who definitely needed it the most.

By the next week, he was wearing a decent suit and being introduced to a few doctors in a larger hospital. He was definitely more nervous than they visibly were, because he was being introduced by Woo Jinchul.

“I- really don’t think this is in your job description?” he tried as they walked.

“If there was a job description, it’s been burned by now,” was the vague and ominous reply. The man adjusted his tie a bit, then glanced over. “As it were, it’s nothing scary that I’m here,” he added plainly. “You’re a unique hire with my name on the paperwork, so it’s only right that I check on you from time to time. The chairman would have my head if I hired a slacker.” Park Ryung had not met the chairman, and was genuinely frightened by the idea of doing so.

“I’m sure that’s a joke, but I also understand completely,” he concluded.

“Thank you for your understanding,” Woo Jinchul replied severely. His gaze lightened somewhat. “Still, I’ve been told only good things. Even if you were only applying for a paper-pusher job, you would be hired immediately.” Park Ryung could only rub at his neck awkwardly. “As it were, we should also shift to getting you more practical experience in Dungeons. The training program doesn’t always include field trips for new Hunters, but it will help in lessons. Seeing how you’re unusually skilled in combat for a healer class, you should be able to request supervising any such trips easily.”

“Neat.” He’d love to take Sung Jinwoo on some supervised trips. And also other students, probably. “I should probably do better on the healing thing, then…”

“It’s not bad that you’re cautious,” Woo Jinchul sighed. “If anything, I have to admit, the medical field has very little idea on how healing works themselves.” Park Ryung heard a distant scream in the back of his head, which was probably the sh*t-sealing fear that still lingered. “And because most healers prefer to work in Dungeons, it’s not often that their effects are able to be examined closely. This will be beneficial not just for you, but also for doctors here. They were very excited about our proposal.” Park Ryung vaguely felt that he was here as something of a science experiment.

But, well. He did ask for this to experiment on human patients, so he really couldn’t complain.

He was soon brought to what was identified as a ward dedicated to Hunters, which had plenty of filled beds. Park Ryung was brought to one of the most recent patients, suffering from a deep laceration across his back. Since it was already cleaned and there were medical professionals watching, he didn’t hesitate to heal it when directed.

“How did that affect his blood pressure?” he asked immediately.

“It’s- stabilizing!” a nurse reported, watching a screen intently. “We had a blood pack prepared, but…”

“Healing does seem to consider blood a connective tissue and regenerates it the same way,” one of the doctors agreed. “Although, I’ve never seen magic that behaves like your abilities.”

“Will the effects be different, do you think?” Park Ryung realized, anxious.

“Well…” The doctors exchanged glances. “… I personally don’t think so,” the man concluded. “What we know of mana and the way it shows in Hunters, it varies not based on the visual effects, but based on the way the Hunter controls it. Two mages could cast the exact same fireball spell, for example, and it could have the exact same power and effect. But the color of their mana is different, or even the way they begin their spell. One might use an incantation to summon flames above their head, another might visibly draw energy from their chest and into their hands.”

“I see.” Park Ryung considered the unconscious Hunter. “As long as it doesn’t change anything, then.”

“We’ll watch carefully,” the doctor promised. “Shall we continue? You can tell us at once if you get tired.”

“I’ll let you know,” Park Ryung promised.

While the hospital couldn’t exactly plan injuries for him to work with, Park Ryung ended up sweeping through the entirety of the Hunter’s ward in the rest of the day. Woo Jinchul sent him home, citing he would be tired, and Park Ryung only then remembered he was supposed to be a low rank. He went home without complaining.

But he was back a few days later, and healed what few Hunters had refilled the ward, then talked with doctors about the notable effects after the fact. All the Hunters had been kept in observation, but showed no signs of complications and generally wanted to just go home. Park Ryung was relieved and all, but-

“I- do have to ask,” he admitted. “Even the non-trauma patients have been Hunters only. Is there something taboo about healing normal people?” The doctors exchanged looked again, and Woo Jinchul shifted from his watchful position.

“… We don’t actually know what mana does to the body, is the thing,” one of the doctors finally sighed. “Hunters- respond well to mana in healing. We’ve noticed certain patterns about the way mana is in their bodies. But everyone else is something we have to treat with caution, specifically because of one disease that is known to be associated with contact with mana.” He was quiet for a long moment, then turned. “But because of that, perhaps that’s the least dangerous thing for you to try,” he decided. “Please follow me.” Park Ryung worried, but did so.

The ward was across the entire hospital, and compared to the usual bustling of before, the constant background sounds of life, it was- quiet. Eerily quiet. Fewer staff was around at all, and watched them uncertainly.

“Have you heard of Eternal Sleep Disease, Park Ryung?” the leading doctor asked.

“… Yeah, I’ve heard of it.” Park Ryung glanced at the silent, filled rooms they passed by. “The cause isn’t exactly pinpointed, the cure is nonexistent. It’s expensive to treat and involves using mana crystals. Potentially involves being close to someone who recently Awakened.”

“Yes, that’s- right,” the doctor agreed, surprised. “Only by using life support that is fueled by mana crystals are we able to preserve their lives, but that’s the extent of it. No one has ever been able to wake up once they fall into the sleep-like coma.”

“So people just pay out the ass for vague hopes of a fix someday,” Park Ryung finished. None of the doctors answered, gazes shadowed the moment they’d stepped into the ward.

As far as the medical field was concerned right now, these people were likely as good as dead already.

“I’m sure everything’s been tried, including healing,” Park Ryung continued, grimacing. “But…” He stopped walking. The doctors paused as well.

“But our mana detection devices have improved since the initial efforts, and I think it’s worth seeing if there’s any effect,” the lead doctor explained. “Because this disease is so severe, hospitals no longer ask healers to work on non-Hunter patients out of fear of triggering the condition in someone else. While there haven’t been cases that definitively associated the disease with healing, we also simply can’t pinpoint the cause outright…”

“Right, like cancer,” Park Ryung finished vaguely. “… I’d like to start on this room, then.”

“That’s… Ah, let me see the chart.” The doctor walked forward, taking the clipboard with the name Park Kyunghe on the back. The man flipped through a few pages, then paused. “She’s a very recent admittance, she only just fell into a coma a few months ago,” he realized. “That- would be the perfect candidate for testing, then. H-How did you…?”

“Ah, I’m not sure,” Park Ryung replied, staring at the closed door. “Just a feeling? I can’t really explain it.” He considered a long moment, then gestured. “May I?”

“Yes, but wait to start anything until we have the equipment delivered, please.”

“Of course.” Park Ryung opened the door himself, then walked in quietly.

Not that it was necessary. The woman on the only bed in the room wasn’t going to wake up anytime soon. Her gaze was still and undisturbed, but the faint bruises under her eyes suggested exhaustion. Park Ryung walked up to her bedside, then looked at the two chairs sitting on one side of her.

… Was he supposed to be grateful that he had a timeline, now?

“Do you really not know why you picked this room, Hunter Park?” Woo Jinchul asked, having followed him in. Park Ryung shrugged a little, sticking his hands in his pockets.

“They left the door unlocked,” he said. “There’s two chairs set to comfortably be here. They even keep a phone charger on the bedside.”

“… Friends or family that visits very frequently, then,” Woo Jinchul acknowledged. “I’m sure all of these patients started that way, but…”

“It gets painful, I’m sure, once the reality starts to sink in.” Park Ryung sighed out loud. “No one’s ever woken up, so why should this one be the first? Can they even really hear me talk to them? Do they notice that I’m coming here so often?” Did Park Kyunghe have even the faintest idea of what her son was going through just to keep her alive? What he would endure for years without complaint?

Park Ryung had lived nineteen years in this world without anyone to love him the same way, which wasn't so different from the past life. If he’d fallen into this disease instead of Awakening, they wouldn’t have wasted a single mana crystal on him.

“It’s just- it’s one thing to pay for this treatment out of a vague hope,” he admitted. “It’s another to visit so frequently that the hospital doesn’t bother cleaning up after you.” Someone cleared their throat, and he looked back. A nurse not part of their group entered the room.

“That’s an accurate observation, actually,” the woman commented. “Mrs. Park’s children visit like clockwork, and always spend at least an hour with her.” She nodded. “I’m Do Hana, I’m the nurse that oversees Mrs. Park’s case,” she explained. “I’ve heard you’re going to try an experimental treatment. I understand that the hospital gave you permission, but I’d still like to be present.”

“Of course,” Park Ryung agreed readily. He turned fully to face her. “Patients are usually diagnosed shortly before they fall into a coma, aren’t they?” he asked. “How long ago was Mrs. Park diagnosed?”

“Only about a month beforehand,” she explained. “The symptoms are initially only taken as signs of lethargy or exhaustion at first, and Mrs. Park worked fulltime, so it’s possible that she could have been diagnosed earlier.”

“What are the soonest cases of diagnosis versus coma?”

“Only three months. Whether the disease progresses extremely quickly or the signs aren’t something we can detect- it’s difficult to say. Three months is unusual in itself, to be honest.” Park Ryung considered, then looked to the bed again.

“Is it a case associated with an Awakening?” he asked, though he was sure he knew the answer.

“Not in this case,” the nurse confirmed, sighing. “It’s a bit unusual, in fact, because her husband had been a Hunter himself who Awakened several years ago. If there were going to be signs of the disease, within the year of that Awakening is when they’d be expected.”

“What is her husband's status?” Woo Jinchul put in.

“I’m afraid Mr. Sung disappeared inside a Gate six years ago.” Do Hana grimaced. “Truthfully, I didn’t think we’d keep her here even this long,” she confessed. “Her oldest is barely an adult himself, and needed every extension the hospital could give him for the initial payment…” She trailed off as the doctors returned, along with some technicians and very large equipment. Park Ryung obligingly moved out of the way as the chairs were disturbed to make room.

He didn’t- really think he could fix this. There was no fix as far as he knew, nothing except the most bullsh*t of magic healing even an S-rank wasn’t capable of. But if he didn’t so much as try-

f*ck, shouldn’t he try? Didn’t magic have to be good for something?

“Park Ryung?” the lead doctor called, and Park Ryung walked forward. A lot of eyes were on him as he hesitated, then touched the sleeping woman’s chest. Her heartbeat felt sluggish.

“I’m going to inject a small amount of mana to start to see if I can sense anything,” he said. “I’ll say if I do anything different.”

“Talk us through everything, if you can,” the lead doctor agreed quickly. Park Ryung nodded, then closed his eyes.

There was a faint beeping sound that he ignored as he spread his mana widely through the woman’s entire body. It was- different from a Hunter, that was for sure. He hadn’t realized how accustomed he’d already gotten to the feel of someone else’s mana being there. Rather than moving smoothly through her body, his own mana felt- prickly and unsteady.

“It’s different,” he realized. “Very different from Hunters.”

“Can you elaborate?” someone asked at once.

“There aren’t… paved pathways for my energy to travel through,” Park Ryung began, uncertain. “Or any pathways. Hunters feel like I’m pouring water through a clean pipe. This feels like I’m getting stuck on some kind of-“ His eyes flew open. “… Blockage,” he finished. “… Does anyone volunteer their hand so I can see what a normal, awake person feels like?” he asked the group. There was a beat of silence, then Do Hana stepped forward.

“A-Ah, Nurse, that…”

“It’s fine,” Do Hana replied. “It’s the first time any of you have been here in years, anyway.” Park Ryung felt his mouth twitch, and accepted her offered hand gratefully.

“I like you as a person,” he decided.

“I’m married,” she returned, and he chuckled. He pressed his thumb to the inside of her elbow, then his other thumb to her wrist. Watery turquoise flowed visibly, and he closed his eyes.

“It’s also different,” he concluded. “Similarly, there’s no pathways. It’s not smooth to touch, but it still flows well enough.”

“Your mana can’t flow through the patient, but can flow through Nurse Do?” the doctor realized. “I’ve never heard of anything like this.”

“I think I know why.” Park Ryung pulled back, trails of turquoise chasing after his fingertips. “When other healers use their abilities, it doesn’t just look different, it flows different,” he realized. “The spell pours in mana into a single hotspot and travels on its own through the body. A higher-rank healer that I’ve met is able to concentrate her energy in a more widespread area, but the effect is the same. It’s like applying radiation treatments, containing it crudely.” He nodded at the nurse, then turned around. “My energy feeds back to me when I heal,” he explained. “And I’m very sensitive to mana in the first place. I don’t just heal, I get a feedback on what my energy is doing.”

“So that’s why you were able to continue healing for so long the other day,” Woo Jinchul observed. Park Ryung coughed.

“Right,” he managed. “I think I’m able to ‘recycle’ what isn’t used, rather than it diffusing like heat throughout the patient. And because of that, I think…” He chewed on his lip, then returned to the bedside. He carefully took Park Kyunghe’s arm and went through the same motions, then grimaced. “… Doctor, what happens when a healer tries to heal poison?” he asked.

“Specific abilities have to be used, otherwise the effort is useless,” the lead doctor answered. “Most healers, if they’re capable, only neutralize the effects, rather than the poison itself.” Park Ryung nodded to himself. “What are you thinking?”

“This may sound a bit awkward, but…” Park Ryung looked up from his grip. “Has anyone here read a murim novel?” The room was completely silent. Woo Jinchul slowly raised his hand in the back.

“Yes,” he said. Park Ryung stared at him for a beat, then coughed.

“Right,” he repeated. “Then you have an idea of what my idea is, don’t you?” Woo Jinchul nodded at once.

“I believe so,” he agreed. “You’re thinking of the major meridians being blocked by impurities. In Hunters, they have their pathways opened and freely-flowing. In normal people, impurities can accumulate under just about any circ*mstances and become blocked, threatening their life.” The doctors looked back and forth with bizarre and incomprehensible expressions. Park Ryung had just confirmed that Woo Jinchul was, in fact, a huge nerd.

… Not that he was one to talk, being the idiot that half-read the webtoon he was in, but seriously?

“And because of the nature of most healers, they’re not capable of removing those impurities,” Woo Jinchul continued seriously. “But you think you might be able to.”

“W-Wait- What?” the lead doctor asked.

“Look up Daoism and associated alchemy,” Park Ryung suggested. “In ancient times, the idea of mana obviously was still around. Maybe it’s only more ‘real’ in a modern sense, but that doesn’t mean all concepts about it were always wrong. In particular, there’s a fictional genre based around the idea of healthy flow of mana within a human body, and the bad things that happen otherwise. There’s an idea that mana isn’t pure naturally, and those impurities can sometimes build up in the body and create blockages. If those blockages reach the major meridians, also known as the vital veins of the mana pathways, it can cause wild fluctuations or even instant death.” He looked at the sleeping woman. “It’s not perfect, since there’s no record of normal people randomly going insane, but that was usually a condition for those who opened their pathways in the first place.” He looked at the lead doctor seriously. “It also means if I pour in mana to treat her without knowing what I’m doing, I’ll definitely kill her. But based on what I do know…” He considered carefully, then turned over the woman’s hand. He grimaced. “I need- a small cut, one right here,” he explained, touching the upper part of her palm.

“That’s… normally not what we do, but…” One of the doctors sighed, then stepped forward. He nodded at Do Hana, who went to one of the cabinets. She returned with a small scalpel, and the doctor carefully applied it. “Is this enough?” he asked, watching blood began to trickle out.

“Yes, perfect. Please excuse me.” Park Ryung pressed in her elbow for a moment, then instead put his hand over her heart. “I’ll start with a small amount again, and I’ll stop if the resistance is too great,” he explained. “I’m going to try to create some type of flow through the blockage.” He pressed down firmly, and turquoise flowed down.

His energy shuddered as he tried to direct it, but abruptly- warmed? He grimaced hard, concentrating on following what faint sense of a path he knew, rather than trying to go around the obstacles. If he was right, the distinction was very important. Returning his energy back to his other hand was like trying to get feedback in a dense fog, and he had to move his hand from her wrist to make sure he wasn’t getting lost.

But- he could immediately tell exactly why the mana crystals saved her life. There was still some flow, awkward and stuttering though it was. He pushed forward steadily, carefully, and it felt very much like a strain. His head was starting to feel hot, and he could feel sweat beading on his forehead.

There was then a zzzp as his energy finally finished its connection to his hand, and a bad smell that permeated the hospital room. His eyes flew open as he watched black liquid bleed through Park Kyunghe’s palm, then travel up through the air on turquoise energy. He bit back a curse and poured in one final burst of a bit more mana, forced it to flow correctly.

Park Kyunghe’s eyes flew open with a wet, ragged gasp of air. Park Ryung jerked back in surprise, stumbling.

“M- Mom?!”

“Ms. Sung, please go wait in the hallway!”

“Mrs. Park, can you hear me?”

“Pupils dilating!”

“She’s conscious, but it doesn’t seem she’s fully aware-“

“-sh*t, Hunter Park! Hunter Park!!” Someone shook his shoulders fiercely, and Park Ryung vaguely realized he was on the floor. “Whoever isn’t doing something, get a bed for Hunter Park immediately!!” Woo Jinchul barked aside. “He can’t heal himself from-!”

Well, whatever it was, he’d have to wait to hear it.

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

Park Ryung woke up to warmth spreading from his chest through his limbs, a very comfortable and soothing experience. He drew in a sharp breath as he awoke, then had to fight to fully awaken. He vaguely felt his hand twitch.

“It’s working, but not perfectly,” he heard a stranger’s voice comment. “If I keep up the spell, it will continue, but-“ How was it that novels described it? Drawing energy inward, into- the stomach? Coagulating impurities?

His hand twitched again, and he focused the warmth and pulled in. The knot in his stomach said he could direct his energy successfully.

He then promptly lurched aside and puked up the foulest, most horrendous black sludge he had ever encountered. The smell was unbearable. The taste was truly unspeakable. He gagged loudly and spat it out frantically, but there was little to save him.

… Ah, come to think of it, that probably almost killed him, also.

“Ah,” someone said.

“W-What just-?”

“That- wasn’t me. He just… diluted the poison into his own stomach to puke it out? That’s really incredible…” Park Ryung spat again, then coughed.

“Yeah,” he wheezed. “I feel like a f*cking genius.” There was a startled laugh, then a hand on his back. The very comfortable warmth was back again, and the horrible sensations began to melt away fully that time. He melted in place, vision swimming. “Mngh,” he mumbled. “Marry me.”

“You’re not the first proposal I’ve gotten while doing this, oddly enough…” The man’s voice chuckled. “Try to sit back up if you’re able. I’ll give you something to wash out your mouth.” Park Ryung groaned at the very thought, but pushed himself up. He was eased back onto what felt like a pillow, and blinked sluggishly. A very cute guy was offering him water with a beautiful smile, which didn’t suggest that he was actually fully awake.

… Also, this cute guy had some intense energy. Sheesh.

“Thank you,” the cute guy replied. Park Ryung blinked owlishly, then forced himself a lot more awake with that.

“Uh,” he said. “I didn’t- say anything. Nothing out loud. T-Thank you for the water.” He accepted it with shaky hands, but managed to swirl it around his mouth. He spat out in an offered bedpan, and swirled a few more times for good measure. He exhaled in great relief once finished. “… sh*t,” he finally recalled. “Wait, what- happened?”

“From what I’ve been told, you just discovered the cure to the Eternal Sleep Disease,” the cute guy replied, taking away the bedpan. “But in the process of treating it, poisoned your own mana. You’ve been out for a week.”

“… Oh,” Park Ryung comprehended. The- cure? To Eternal Sleep Disease?

… It didn’t seem like a real thing, it couldn’t be. Not something he did.

“She- The woman I was treating,” he tried instead. “She…”

“She’s awake,” someone else said, stepping forward. A suit, but not one wearing an Association pin. Normal government? “Park Kyunghe is still being treated for her disease, but awake and conscious. The hospital has already started preliminary treatments on a few other patients, who showed similar results.”

“That’s really incredible,” the cute guy said. “Really- truly incredible. I actually couldn’t believe it when they told me you were a D-rank who Awakened recently.”

“Ahahaha…” Ah, praise that again fell flat. “W-Well, I really should have realized I would poison myself,” he sighed, looking down at his hand. “I should’ve tried to find a secondary catalyst to filter out the impurities before it cycled back into my body, or even just used another mana crystal to catch my energy entirely. Ugh, that could have been really bad… Ah- thank you!” he added quickly, looking up. “I just realized- You must be the healer who treated me. Thank you very much.”

“Of course,” the cute guy replied kindly. “It’s an honor to meet someone who made such an accomplishment, really. I hear they’re thinking about letting healers work on unawakened patients again because of this.” Park Ryung could only awkwardly rub at his neck. That was good, but it had only been a week? Maybe that was too overzealous.

A few doctors came in to examine him, though they had to pass by some tough-looking suits that were standing outside the door. Park Ryung was still puzzling over how many doctors it took to examine him when yet another person escaped the piercing stares of the door suits. He lightened despite himself.

“I do feel special every time you do things personally,” he agreed. Woo Jinchul gave a soft chuckle, relaxing somewhat.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he replied. “Hunter Min, thank you for your assistance.”

“Of course,” the cute guy repeated. “I was glad to meet Hunter Park. I’ve heard a lot of praise around here, and I can see why.” Oh, jeez. “Ah, but it seems like you have business to get to, so I can chat with you later,” he added to Park Ryung. Park Ryung straightened.

“Ah- I’d like to chat with you, too!” he agreed quickly. “I’m interested in other healers work, and you must have a high rank to have a poison-clearing spell, right? I hope we can talk again.” The cute guy stared at him, then suddenly muffled a snort. He grinned widely.

“I really hope so, too,” he agreed. “I’ll see you around.” He waved as he left, and Park Ryung waved back, pleased. The door closed behind him.

“He seems nice,” Park Ryung commented. Woo Jinchul coughed into his hand.

“… Yes,” he said. “Still, we should talk about you finding the cause and cure for Eternal Sleep Disease. Treatments so far aren’t perfect, but they’re effective enough to bring patients out of comas. It’s kickstarted a lot of noise in the medical field.”

“Ah,” Park Ryung realized. “Wait, um. Does this- hurt my probation?”

“… No, Hunter Park. We’re not going to fire the Hunter that cured an incurable disease.”

“That sounded weirdly sarcastic…”

“I’ll put it a bit more plainly, then. It looks very, very good for the Association that you’re on our payroll.”

“Oh.” Park Ryung considered this, then nodded. “So it helps,” he concluded. “That’s good to hear.” Sure, helping out Sung Jinwoo’s mother was fine and all, but that really didn’t solve the core problem of the end of the world. “What did you want to talk about, then?” he wondered. Woo Jinchul shook his head slightly, and Park Ryung didn’t think he deserved it.

“The Association is going to be increasing your training and equipment budget,” he said. “We’re also going to handle the press surrounding this. It’s going to take an outright crime to get you fired at this point.” Park Ryung brightened.

“So I can do more Dungeon trips for experience, too?” he realized.

“Yes, that’s fine.”

“Do you think I’ll also have time to see how treatments are going? I see where I messed up, and I think I can do better.”

“… Yes, Hunter Park. But please try very hard to not kill yourself. You’ll definitely be fired then.”

“Ah, I promise.” Woo Jinchul was a lot more sassy than he remembered reading, sheesh. Then again, he was usually only around in some intense situations.

It was still- weird to think that a problem was solved? He wasn’t sure he actually believed it, let alone that he helped so much. Surely someone else could have read murim novels and just happened to think of it, right?

… Except for the part where the only known cure was some bullsh*t magic potion that only Sung Jinwoo could acquire.

Hmm.

-

When considering his options as a Hunter, let alone a Hunter in a world destined to end, Park Ryung had chosen the Hunter’s Association for a number of reasons.

His choice was only that much more validated when they handled the whole cure thing quickly, quietly, and with a very strict ban on revealing his name or face.

So Park Ryung moved on with his life while other people fussed about some D-rank healer that found the cure to an incurable disease, with- some exception. And aside from that, he had plenty of work to do regardless. Now that he was certain that this bullsh*t magic had at least some basis he understood, being a different kind of bullsh*t genre, he could at least decide what to do with it.

With a better budget, along with a lot more trust in his capabilities, Park Ryung was allowed to run through a series of various Dungeons at D-rank and E-rank. Sometimes he even got Song Chiyul’s group, which was always nice. He even ran a few C-rank raids, though had to provide emergency healing in one of them. The rest of the group was inordinately shocked that he was actually a healer.

Close to the end of his probation, he received a call as he walked out of yet another D-rank Dungeon. He made his way to a familiar hospital quickly.

He knocked gently on the door before he entered, in a ward that was bustling with staff and visitors alike. Most doors were open on the regular.

Park Kyunghe looked up from her phone with a start, then gave a warm, gentle smile.

“Ah- Hunter Park,” she greeted. She sat up further in bed, withholding a grimace. “I guess you heard- the news?” she managed.

“Yeah, congratulations,” he told her sincerely. “I hope you don’t mind if I do the last check myself.” She smiled wider at him for that.

“Not at all, Hunter Park,” she answered. Park Ryung reclined the bed back, then gently took one hand. He hovered his other above her heart.

“Excuse me,” he murmured, and began to channel mana. Park Kyunghe didn’t react other than to close her eyes as he ran a careful sweep through her entire system, feeling for anything other than the usual coarseness. At length, he carefully withdrew his energy, exhaling. “Good,” he concluded. “Very good. I know they said your energy level would get better with some light exercise, too, but please be careful.”

“I will, thank you.” She held her hand over his and gave a kind pat. “You didn’t have to keep treating me, but I’m grateful,” she admitted. “It’s just a shame you can’t come around during visitor hours…”

“W-Well, ah, I’m still technically on probation,” he laughed. “Reporters still sniff around the area and all. Gotta listen to my boss.” It was fine to say that, right? He was only told to be careful during visitor hours, so he obeyed by not going during visitor hours at all.

It obviously wasn’t that he didn’t want to meet Sung Jinwoo, he was banking on that happening someday. But- not like this, when he was just a D-rank Hunter meeting a civilian.

Now that he was aware he could change things so drastically, it- terrified him.

“This is… a bit selfish to ask,” Park Kyunghe then asked, quiet. Park Ryung blinked back to attention, and she seemed troubled. “Forgive me if it’s rude, but… Since I’m getting discharged.” She looked up to meet his gaze. “Why did you start with me?” she asked him. Park Ryung didn’t think he’d ever see her again, and hoped he wouldn’t. He hoped she’d live a long life of watching her son rise to the top and never had to deal with any of the consequences.

So- it was fine to tell the truth, right?

“It might sound a bit weird,” he began, and could only smile sheepishly. “But, ah. Because of your kids, Mrs. Park.” She blinked. “… Did you know,” he tried again, “when I came to this ward, every door other than yours was locked?” She sat up again, startled. “You don’t need to check on the patients here very often,” he explained. “Not the ones in a full coma. There wasn’t much staff here in the first place. But- your door was unlocked. There were two chairs always next to your bed, and no one bothered putting them back. A phone charger sat on your bedside for convenience.” Her grey eyes visibly watered, and he smiled faintly. “Every nurse here knew your family, and knew they’d always come back even after all these months. I guess you could say your room was the only one that still had signs of hope in it.” She muffled a quiet sob behind her hand, and he carefully rested his hand on her shoulder. “… You really have a great family, Mrs. Park,” he told her, and couldn’t mean it more. “I know- they’re going to welcome you home just as enthusiastically. So take your time, and rest well. I say this with as much goodwill as possible- please don’t come back.” She gave a soft, broken laugh, then abruptly turned and gave him a hug. Park Ryung was shocked for a moment, but gingerly hugged her back.

Once visitor hours opened, Sung Jinwoo and his sister would be there, celebrating the first patient to wake up from Eternal Sleep Disease, their mother coming home when that should have been impossible. It was going to be a wonderful moment for all of them.

… It- sort of hurt, but it wasn’t like he wasn’t used to that.

He left the room with his hands in his pockets, and had a vague thought of cleaning out the Hunter’s ward before he left. That usually picked up his mood. It was still mid-morning after a pretty short Dungeon raid, but the ward was sparse, so he ended up finishing by that afternoon.

Well, that didn’t leave room for much else but more sword training.

Six months after getting his botched evaluation, Park Ryung anxiously sat in Woo Jinchul’s office for his official evaluation. Woo Jinchul had his file in front of him, but made no motion to open it. His expression was exasperated.

“Hunter Park,” he said. “This is- really only a formality. I know what’s in this file. The decision was made ages ago.”

“… Oh.”

“Interestingly, everyone who’s seen you fight has been convinced that you were a fighter class,” Woo Jinchul admitted, opening the file. “Based on how your energy expression is so unique when healing, it’s possible that you’re something of a hybrid class.” Park Ryung blinked.

“Is that possible for anyone outside of S-ranks?” he wondered bizarrely.

“In theory, at least.”

“A-Ah.” Probably only for higher ranks, then. Maybe he shouldn’t be asking too much. “I do feel like my strength and speed was enhanced,” he admitted. “I honestly just assumed I was a fighter class in the first place…”

“Hybrid traits can be useful in the field, but as I’m sure it’s the only part that interests you, it’s also extremely useful as an instructor.” Park Ryung was immediately interested. “Being able to perform more than one role in a team gives you greater experience automatically,” Woo Jinchul continued. “And also qualifies you to mentor not just healer classes, but fighter classes as well. One may be more in-demand, but the other is far more common.” Park Ryung nodded seriously, eyes bright.

“I see…!” Sung Jinwoo was definitely a fighter class, so that was excellent for him.

“You’ve been utilizing Song Chiyul’s facility, I see,” Woo Jinchul commented, absently flipping pages with little more than a glance.

“He’s very intuitive when it comes to technique,” Park Ryung agreed. “I’m learning a lot from him.”

“We recommend plenty of sword users to him.” Woo Jinchul closed the file before finishing. “It’s a requirement by the Hunter’s Association that everyone who’s ranked goes through the introductory video,” he said, looking at Park Ryung seriously. “From now on, an incentive will be added to the training program. Anyone who goes through at least one week of basic lessons will be given credit towards Gate priority.” Park Ryung sat up straight. Gate priority wasn’t exactly kind towards new Hunters, as he heard it before. Veterans were always called before newbies, which left fewer opportunities for them to become veterans in the first place. Early dry spells were common especially for lower ranks.

Sung Jinwoo definitely had to take his classes, then!

“Even if the new Hunters don’t understand what that means at first, they’ll definitely come once they realize the advantage,” Park Ryung concluded excitedly. “That’s good!”

“On the premise that they pass, of course,” Woo Jinchul added significantly. Park Ryung nodded vigorously. “I’m also giving you authority as head of the surveillance department,” the man then continued, looking all the more severe. “If you meet a Hunter who needs to be blacklisted, they will be blacklisted without delay. You understand what that means, don’t you?” Park Ryung sobered at once.

Not just a new Hunter that he didn’t think could survive their first raid, but any Hunters he felt were dangerous to the people around them, in a position to abuse authority- their careers would be destroyed immediately. No Gates would be open to them, the lifeblood of Hunters.

“… I do,” he answered. “I’ll treat it as seriously as their lives.” Woo Jinchul’s gaze relaxed somewhat, and he nodded once.

“Then you understand,” he agreed. He slid the folder aside. “Your classes start next week. All the material will be emailed, and you already submitted your proposed syllabus. It’s a good, comprehensive crash course. We’ll pass you E-rank Dungeons in the area as a priority for when you deem field trips necessary.” He offered a hand forward. “We look forward to your work, Hunter Park.” Park Ryung accepted the second handshake from Woo Jinchul, trying to not vibrate out of sheer excitement.

Sure, this was a means to an end, but everything he’d learned, all the work he’d put towards getting even this far- how could he not be excited?

There was just- one little hiccup. The week his classes started, the Hunter’s Association went into a state of emergency. An S-rank Gate had opened at Jeju Island.

So, yeah. He wasn’t grateful for the timeline.

Chapter 4

Chapter Text

A few months into starting as an instructor at the Hunters Association, Park Ryung heard gossip from the ranking office. A Hunter had recently gotten an E-rank with the most pitiful mana rating in the history of Korea.

He was so excited he almost knocked over the watercooler in his haste to leave.

“… Jeez, he really does take his job seriously.”

“It’s for the best, right? I heard he can put bans on new Hunters if it’s too dangerous for them…”

“What- seriously? When the ranking office can’t?”

“The chief inspector himself apparently gave him authority.”

“J-Jeez…”

When Park Ryung checked the list of new Hunters that had signed up for classes, Sung Jinwoo’s name stood out immediately on the spreadsheet.

Specifically, because it had been highlighted, asterisked, and included the note barely qualifies as a Hunter, do not bring into serious class

Park Ryung immediately clicked on his name and claimed him in his serious class. He had been fully prepared to fight the other teachers if necessary, but fortunately, gossip traveled fast between departments.

The next week, Park Ryung showed up to his morning class slot with a bounce in his step, then sat down at his desk. He twiddled his thumbs for a minute before instead standing up and leaning against the desk. He adjusted his hip position a few moments later, then adjusted his tie. Ah, being bulked up from exercise really made everything so awkward.

Ten minutes before class time, there was a knock on the door. Park Ryung reminded himself to stay calm, eased his weight off the desk entirely, and turned as the door opened.

… He knew, consciously, that Sung Jinwoo was described as changing quite a bit when he started growing with the System. He was also vaguely aware that Sung Jinwoo was around the same age as him, Park Ryung had mentioned it before.

But? The guy that poked his head in with a sweet, sheepy smile and soft eyes and scruffy hair- he was baby?? Baby cute looks???

“U-Um… Is this- Mr. Park’s class?” the baby cute face asked.

… Park Ryung understood why the ranking office put in those mean notes.

“Yes!” he answered anyway, clearing his throat quickly. “Ah- Yes, this is the right place,” he agreed, tamer. “You must be- Mr. Sung?” Sung Jinwoo blinked doe-eyed at him.

“Are- you Mr. Park?” he realized. Park Ryung blinked back. Sung Jinwoo balked. “Ah- Excuse my rudeness!” he insisted quickly, rubbing at his neck. “I-It’s just- I hadn’t realized you were so young…? N-Not that it’s a problem! I just-“

“Yes,” Park Ryung agreed, taking mercy. He smiled despite his best efforts. “I’m Park Ryung, I’m the instructor for this class. D-rank Hunter.” Sung Jinwoo smiled in embarrassment, then bowed slightly.

“S-Sung Jinwoo,” he greeted back. “E-rank. I’ll be in your care.” Park Ryung had to smother a huge grin at the top of his head. “Should I take a seat…?”

“Ah, sure, pick whatever you like,” Park Ryung allowed, waving a hand. “You’re my only student for this class, anyway.” Sung Jinwoo tripped in his surprise. Ahhh! Too cute!!

“Wha- really??” he spluttered.

“We have different types of classes around here,” Park Ryung agreed, walking over to close the door. “The instructors pick what class you’re in based on your circ*mstances. The most common one is the basic certification class, for example. A couple weeks of basic information and training, wraps up with a paper that says they listened and did their homework, and then they get better priorities in Gates.” Sung Jinwoo blinked cluelessly. “… I’ll be honest with you,” Park Ryung admitted, leaning against the edge of his desk. “You got a bad score on your rank assessment. Even for an E-rank.” The poor protagonist was shocked.

“What? There’s- scores even in the six ranks?” he tried.

“Hunter ranks aren’t equal, even among the same rank,” Park Ryung agreed, confirming a suspicion. No one actually told Sung Jinwoo that his mana rating was sh*t, and they were just going to let him figure that out the hard way. “It’s more of a spectrum, really, like a school grading system. A C-minus score is very different from a C-plus, for example. In the case of Hunters, that score is based on the amount of collective mana that’s read in their bodies.” He pinched an invisible bead. “Your collective mana is a fraction of the average E-rank.”

“A f-fraction…” Sung Jinwoo mumbled, visibly bothered. Which was fair, right? “I didn’t realize it was so bad. The woman at the office didn’t say anything.”

“… Yeah, they probably just didn’t want to be the ones to tell you about it,” Park Ryung sighed. “But- it’s important that you know the specifics. You weren’t naturally given the same amount of strength and speed as other E-rank Hunters. You’ll struggle to fight the same enemies off the bat because of that.” Sung Jinwoo winced. Park Ryung spread his hands. “That’s,” he announced, “why I put you in this class! This is my serious Hunter training course, it’s different from the normal one. There’s no time limit to graduation, and there’s a lot more serious one-on-one training. After all, just because you have a bad mana rating doesn’t mean you’re doomed from the start.” Sung Jinwoo straightened. “You still have mana in your body, and there’s one advantage you have over other E-ranks or D-ranks,” Park Ryung insisted. “A lot of new Hunters go straight from the assessment center to the equipment shop, pick up a weapon that suits their new skills, and go straight to their first Dungeon. And from there, they go straight to the hospital.” He held up a finger. “It’s not just that they lack experience and knowledge in Dungeons and monsters, either. It’s because they were given inherent knowledge that they can activate, deadly skills, and get co*cky. They don’t learn their actual capabilities before putting their life on the line.” Sung Jinwoo grimaced hard.

“So- that, if I had just left and signed up for the next possible raid, then I would…” Park Ryung cleared his throat.

“Well, there’s also a lot of people who survive their mistakes, so don’t be too pessimistic,” he added. “Still, it’s not a lesson you have to learn the hard way. If you’re serious about being a Hunter even knowing your odds, I’m here to tell you it’s not impossible. It’ll be difficult, and it’ll take a lot of hard work on your part. But not impossible.” He tilted his head. “Or is it?” He was sure he knew the answer, anyway.

Even if Sung Jinwoo no longer had his sick mother to care for, that didn’t change that quiet, desperate hunger for power that existed in him. It didn’t change his father disappearing years ago, his desire to give his family a better life. The sheer envy he felt when looking at great Hunters.

Sung Jinwoo’s baby face turned serious, while also being seriously cute, and he nodded once.

“It’s not impossible,” he agreed. “I’ll do it!”

… Ah, cute.

“C… C-Cute?” Sung Jinwoo stammered, and Park Ryung’s inner thoughts screamed to the high heavens, face going hot.

“What, no, that- I didn’t say that!!” he denied vigorously, waving hurriedly. “A-And even if my mouth made sounds without thinking- I-I’m not saying your determination isn’t serious, r-really!! I-I really do believe that you’re being serious because it’s your life on the line and all- I-I just happen to be making an objective observation about your looks and, uh- but I shouldn’t!! That’s very- unprofessional! Extremely rude!! L-Let’s, um-“ He turned to escape, remembered he was the teacher here, then turned back around. “S… Sorry,” he managed. “L-Let’s just pretend that didn’t happen, p-please…” Sung Jinwoo was blushing a pretty pink in his hands, looking ever so much like a sweet maiden being complimented for the first time.

“Y-Yes, that- that’s fine,” he managed faintly. “T-Thank you, um. I-I guess that’s not the worst thing, I m-mean…” Park Ryung buried his face in his own hands.

“Please report me for sexual harassment if I do that again,” he managed. “I’ll deserve it. I will.” Sung Jinwoo gave a nervous laugh in answer. Park Ryung had prepared for a year now for this bullsh*t, he just-

Well, apparently, he was completely unprepared to meet extremely pretty people in general.

Fortunately, Sung Jinwoo, an extremely gracious human being, moved on from the whole thing as if it never happened. Park Ryung could only helplessly follow his cues and start the lesson. He explained the basic knowledge of Dungeons, Gates, and some basics of the kinds of Hunters he would meet. Maybe Sung Jinwoo would know a lot of basics by proxy, but he still drank in everything with a determined expression.

And despite Park Ryung almost ruining literally everything with his fat mouth, Sung Jinwoo came back for his lessons regardless.

After a few days of basic information, Park Ryung asked Sung Jinwoo to meet him in a different department at class time. As per usual, the determined little thing arrived early. Park Ryung arrived to him on his phone.

“N-No, Mom, that- Mom, stop!!” Sung Jinwoo yelped, adorably red and flailing his other hand. “I-I already told you it’s not like- m-my class will start soon, I need to go!!”

“Oh~?” Park Kyunghe sounded like she was having entirely too much fun, as would anyone who flustered the protagonist like this. “Then tell that teacher of yours I said-“ Sung Jinwoo spotted Park Ryung and bolted upright like a startled animal.

“M-M-Mr. Park!!” he exclaimed, and hung up at once. Park Ryung paused.

“… Ah,” he managed. “Should I- leave and come back so you can finish that?” Sung Jinwoo spluttered uncontrollably, blushing all the way to his ears. He ducked his head away.

“P-Please forget that h-happened… M-My mom was just being- y-you know.”

“… Well- not really,” Park Ryung acknowledged, rubbing at his neck. “But it’s fine.” Sung Jinwoo peeked at him through his messy bangs. Park Ryung gave him a sheepish grin. “Ah- Anyway, don’t worry about it! Here, let’s go in.”

“A-Alright…” Sung Jinwoo blushed all the more adorably, but let him walk by. He followed after quickly.

The surveillance department didn’t keep its eye just on Hunters, but also kept watch over the Hunter Association’s resources and combat-related facilities. Park Ryung had made a lot of trips even in the short time he’d been employed there, and was getting pretty familiar with the place.

“Ah- Hunter Park,” the receptionist greeted, looking up. “Here for more teaching resources?”

“Yes, please, Miss Oh.”

“I’ll let them know you’re coming in, then. Same procedure as always?”

“Ah, yes- I’d like the training room today, too.”

“Of course. Here’s your paperwork, you know what to do.” Park Ryung accepted with a little bow, then settled in to write. Sung Jinwoo looked around with round eyes at the large open room, then quickly ducked his head when he made eye contact with a suit. Park Ryung finished up and tidied the papers before handing them back. He was given a cheerful wave as he led Sung Jinwoo down the hall.

“The surveillance department has a training room?” Sung Jinwoo wondered.

“The surveillance department keeps all the good stuff of the Association,” Park Ryung agreed. “It’s where employees and trainees go for equipment and training.”

“I-I see… We’re- using a training room today?”

“You’re soaking up the basic information really fast,” Park Ryung agreed. “Which is important, but more important is physical application, so to speak. We’ll pick you out a weapon, then get you started on the basics.”

“Oh!” Sung Jinwoo looked excited, eyes sparkly. “I see!”

“I have to tell you, don’t be too impressed by Association equipment,” Park Ryung had to admit. “Or- a lot of mid-tier stuff that’s really expensive. No matter how good they make most weapons, they’re typically considered disposable. Monsters are pretty tough, and raids are hard on equipment. Being frugal means being as efficient as possible when you’re fighting, so that you can make enough money to replace your gear. It’s a little like a motorcycle helmet- it’s only good for one bad accident, so ride well.”

“I see,” Sung Jinwoo repeated. “Can I really just- pick any weapon, though? I heard there are specialties…”

“Yeah, I’ll show you why.” Park Ryung swiped his ID on a door, and it opened. They entered a decent-sized armored room with a weapon rack on the wall. Park Ryung closed the door behind Sung Jinwoo, then offered a hand. “May I?” Sung Jinwoo stared at his hand, then- blushed! He nonetheless put his slim hand in Park Ryung’s, which was hilariously outsized. Park Ryung was only a bit taller than the average height for men, though he did have the muscles to go with his exercise, but sheesh! He nonetheless pressed his other hand over Sung Jinwoo’s chest.

“O-Oh,” Sung Jinwoo managed, eyes wide as mana flooded his body. Park Ryung examined carefully, and was- surprised?

“Ah,” he realized. “Actually, it’s a lot more decent than the report? Sheesh, I guess they were going just based off the overall mana rating, but still…” He shook his head to himself, then turned Sung Jinwoo’s delicate wrist over. “What you’re feeling is my mana flowing through your system,” he explained. “Hunters have a specific nerve-like system just for mana, which opens and fills with mana from a source upon Awakening, which we call the mana core. Depending on what that mana’s affinity is, how it settles in the body, what abilities it enables- we generalize them by classes. Fighter class is a pretty broad category, and also the most common, but a little more complex than it seems.” He looked up. “Where do you feel mana the most? Any particular hotspot?” Sung Jinwoo shook his head after a moment, eyes glowing faintly.

“E-Everywhere,” he answered. “It’s- everywhere.” Park Ryung grinned.

“Exactly!” he chirped. He pulled his hand back, taking his mana with him. Sung Jinwoo exhaled shakily, startled. He clutched at his chest as if to process the feeling, the poor thing. His blush also had yet to fade. “On one side of the coin, your body was enhanced by mana, and that’s the extent of it, without excess left for a mana pool,” Park Ryung continued. “Your base strength, speed, agility- all of that is multiplied by a certain amount. And to be a bit blunt, you’re built more like a delicate beauty model.” Sung Jinwoo, having his wretched physique pointed out, once again blushed scarlet. “So consider those multiplications to be times one, if that makes sense. If the multiplication is usually base stat times two, then the best you’re going to get is two. It’s why you see a lot of regular Hunters exercise a lot.” He rubbed at his neck. “The difference doesn’t exactly get you out of your rank, but it’s significant enough to make a difference.”

“I… I-I see…”

“Now let’s look at the other side of the coin,” Park Ryung continued. “Your body was enhanced, and that’s the extent of it. That means there’s no mana pool saved to cast spells like in mages, which means no drawing on that mana to use skills, which means no sudden drops in your body’s energy in the middle of combat. In terms of pure stamina potential, you actually have an advantage.” Sung Jinwoo’s eyes widened. “In terms of skills, you’re not locked to any path,” Park Ryung continued, looking at the weapon rack. “It’s actually been a problem with high-ranking Hunters before. I know one Hunter who’s a master of Kumdo, practiced it for literal decades. It’s his life’s work, and he’s proud of it.” He huffed at the tragedy. “He Awakened, and what does he get? Mage class. Swords are useless to him.”

“Even with his skills-?” Sung Jinwoo asked incredulously, then paused. “… Because the spells draw mana from his body, and weaken his physical abilities,” he realized. “Most of his mana isn’t spread in his body in the first place.” Park Ryung nodded in agreement.

“He’s lowering himself almost an entire rank if he stubbornly sticks to a sword,” he agreed. “All those skills he’d made for himself, all that experience he has- there’s no point if using it is what gets him killed.” He gestured at the weapon rack. “They tell you a Hunter’s improvement efforts are useless, and to some extent, that might be true,” he acknowledged. “However Awakening works, there’s no known way to enhance the amount of mana you have in your body. But- being locked to a rank doesn’t mean you can’t be better than others in the same rank and class. Hell, given the crazy rates of D-ranks, enough effort can get you more skilled, more experienced than lots of them. I know this is an unkind world, and for Hunters, even more so, but…” He trailed off for a moment, lost in thought of what he wanted to say, then shook his head. “Well. Effort doesn’t always go unrewarded. Maybe unappreciated, but there’s a difference, and I hope you don’t forget that.”

“… I-I won’t.” Sung Jinwoo nodded. “I’ll work hard.” Park Ryung relaxed somewhat, nodding back. He looked to the weapon rack again.

“Then pick something that feels ideal to you, and we’ll get started,” he decided. Sung Jinwoo nodded, looking serious. He walked to the table and looked over the wide array of melee weapons. He bit his lip adorably as he thought over his choices.

“… If you don’t mind me asking,” he abruptly said, “what- what does Mr. Park use?”

“Oh, me?” Park Ryung blinked. “My specialty is a sword. Ah, technically.” Sung Jinwoo blinked back.

“Technically?” he echoed. Park Ryung rubbed at his neck somewhat awkwardly.

“W-Well, truthfully, I’m not actually a full fighter class,” he confessed. “I’m more of an awkward hybrid class between fighter and healer.” Sung Jinwoo blinked owlishly. “I’m enhanced in strength, but not to the same degree as other fighters,” Park Ryung explained, though- he wasn’t actually sure that was the case? Ah, whatever. “And I can heal, but not the same way as other healers. I can’t heal from a distance that other healers rely on. I have a lot more control over my own mana, but that also means that I don’t have any standard ‘thou shalt be healed’ spells.” Sung Jinwoo gave a startled snort.

“So that means you can do both roles, doesn’t it?” he realized.

“That’s what I usually do, yeah. I take fighter roles primarily in raids, but apply emergency treatments on the fly. I have to really be focused for healing big stuff, though.” Park Ryung shook his head. “But I prefer fighting all the same. I’m not saying I have the disposition of a meathead, I just, uh.” He coughed. “… A-Anyway! Pick whatever you like to try out.” Sung Jinwoo’s lips curved in a shy little smile. Ahh, so cute.

“Do you have any recommendations?” he asked.

“Ah, well…” Park Ryung almost just said pick up the daggers, but instead really thought about it. He walked to the table himself. “… Well, it depends on what you want to do in combat,” he acknowledged. “Every weapon has an advantage and disadvantage. A spear, for example, is great for keeping enemies far away from you.” He picked up the spear for a moment. “Mid-ranged in combat, very poke-y tip, your strength is going to be in impaling the bastards before they reach you. It’s great for holding a defensive line, too.” He gave a few thrusts, then shook his head. “But in close combat, you need to find a way to make distance, or live without the sharp end. Pole combat is versatile and all, but the issue is the toughness of your opponents. You’re going to want a lot of strength to use a blunt weapon in Dungeons, and it’s not popular. But if you have the strength, something like advanced spear and pole techniques can be used, or even the mace.” He set the spear aside to pick up the mace. “It’s heavy, wide swings for decent damage, leaves one hand open for defending. You don’t even need a shield to be ‘defending’, it’s more of having an extra limb to help control the circ*mstances. Double-handing a mace increases its swing, too.” He gave it a few swings, then turned. “But it’s a shorter range, and the heavy weight means you’re slowed down on the follow-up,” he continued. “Which means if you miss that first wide swing, you’re wide-open to the monster’s retaliation. And a wide swing requires a big wind-up, telegraphing your moves in the first place.”

“Do you- know all of these weapons?” Sung Jinwoo realized, watching him replace the mace.

“Ah, at least the basics,” Park Ryung promised. “Anything more advanced, I’ll hook you up with someone who knows more.” Sung Jinwoo blinked. “Bladed weapons are most popular for a lot of reasons,” Park Ryung continued, picking up a dagger. “Daggers are light, insanely fast in the right hands, and extremely good for hitting vital points. A sharp blade also tends to be a guarantee that you’ll do some damage to most monsters, although there are exceptions. They’re also the cheapest weapon because they’re small and simple.” He did a few quick strikes, then a hard thrust aside. “Efficiency in bounds,” he concluded. “But they can also be flimsy because they’re small, and missing is a problem. You need to be really close with monsters and really daring. And you have to have confidence in that final hit making its mark.” He twirled the dagger, then set it aside. He picked up the sword. “I’m a little biased, but I think the sword is the best of a lot of qualities,” he admitted. “It’s a longer reach, which means you can do damage at further range. Heavier swords can put a lot of power behind strikes, double-hand for a hard swing, single-hand for defensive. They’re sharp, but lighter than blunt weapons, and relatively simple.” He grimaced. “But- there can also be the biggest drawbacks,” he admitted. “Swords are most effective when paired with technique, you see, so they need a lot of practice. It’s easy to miss a thrust because of its length, it’s easy to only get a shallow strike because of distance. And there are monsters that carry weapons of their own, and they can outdo you in technique and experience.”

“Monsters- can have weapons?” Sung Jinwoo repeated, startled.

“Literal weapons of their own, or also natural body weapons,” Park Ryung agreed. “Goblins, ogres, orcs- humanoid monsters tend to carry weapons, or even use spells, but you won’t see that in lower-rank Gates. Insects have mandibles as sharp as daggers, golems swing around fists that are effectively just maces of their own. Beasts with long tails can use them like spears, with the same advantages and disadvantages. Everything you’re facing is going to be armed, one way or another.” He gave the sword a twirl in his hand. “So whatever you pick, you need to practice, practice, practice. Get into the habit of the basic forms, then expand in due time. Be ready to counter human weapons the same way you’ll counter monsters, it’s a baseline for understanding something new.” He went through a few fast forms, then his own vague style. With a few quick slashes and a twirl, he beheaded an invisible enemy, then settled back into the first defensive stance. “And always, always assume that your last hit didn’t connect,” he concluded. “Don’t let your guard down until that crystal’s already in your grasp. Dungeons are full of surprises, and every one of those surprises is meant to kill you.” He dropped his stance, then turned around. “Does that make sense?”

Sung Jinwoo gawked at him with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. Park Ryung didn’t think it was that impressive? Surely it wasn’t, right?? He was shooting for ‘cool mentor figure’ and all, but-

Ah, sheesh. The protagonist needed to raise his own standards. Park Ryung felt his face warm despite himself, rubbing at his neck and looking away.

“W-Well, ah- that’s the gist of the basics,” he managed, and gave a little laugh. “So- I guess the point is, ah- Technique is important! That’s- basically what I’m trying to say. If you want to try out a few different weapons-“

“The sword!!” Sung Jinwoo burst out. He blinked, surprised at himself. Park Ryung blinked back. Sung Jinwoo blushed furiously. “… I’d like- to learn the s-sword,” he elaborated bashfully. “P-Please.”

“… Ah, of course!” Park Ryung managed. “Let’s, ah-“ He cleared his throat, then walked forward. He handed over the sword he was using. “We’ll start from the top, then,” he decided. “I’ll also add in a fitness routine for you to get started with. On days we’re not doing this, we’ll be in the classroom doing studies of monsters and Dungeons. Sound doable?” Sung Jinwoo nodded vigorously, and Park Ryung grinned.

The protagonist was a lot more easily flustered than he expected, but he thought he was looking forward to this. A little bit of a better start, a boost above what should have been- surely it would make a little difference, wouldn’t it?

And if it didn’t, hopefully a higher-ranked healer would have a little more leeway to do something more.

-

In Sung Jinwoo’s first E-rank Dungeon, a goblin leaped at him from behind a boulder.

Park Ryung may have cleaved the damned thing in half with prejudice, then sliced those halves before it finished falling to the ground. Sung Jinwoo belatedly looked back, startled.

“Wha-?”

“Forward,” Park Ryung reminded him, and Sung Jinwoo yelped as he barely managed to block a goblin leaping at him from the front. He struggled for a moment, then abruptly kicked out, planted his foot in a stance, and slashed the goblin’s head. It staggered back with a loud screech, and Sung Jinwoo followed up as he’d been taught.

He killed his first goblin with a shout, then whirled around to watch his surroundings appropriately, panting softly. He caught Park Ryung’s eyes, and Park Ryung made a motion of steadying his breathing. Sung Jinwoo exhaled raggedly, then breathed in and out more steadily.

As more goblins came racing through the tunnel, Sung Jinwoo braced his sword forward. Park Ryung also braced his sword.

“Mind the other Hunter next to you, focus on one strike at a time,” he reminded him. “One down!” Sung Jinwoo gave a shaky grin, facing the charging monsters head-on.

“Plenty more to go!” he agreed sharply.

There was no point in teaching a Hunter to fight all on his own. Park Ryung did teach as much independence as he could, but the reality of the situation was different. There were usually other Hunters around if things got hairy in a Dungeon. Team formations were the standard, and needed to be accounted for. If Sung Jinwoo could hold his own in a team, he’d be set even with his low rank.

He was still- technically one of the weakest Hunters in the entire world, but outside of using a mana meter, no one had to actually know that.

And even if it was a very temporary thing, Park Ryung lived his fangirl dreams of fighting side-by-side with the protagonist.

Once the initial cave was cleared out, Sung Jinwoo was panting hard, having lost control of his breathing again. He was still pretty low on stamina, too. But Park Ryung let him down against the wall, and sat beside him with a woosh of air. Sung Jinwoo panted for a moment as he stared at the carnage, then abruptly gave a laugh.

“How- w-was that?” he panted. Park Ryung grinned back hugely, unable to help it.

“That was fun,” he replied very honestly. “How’d you like it?” Sung Jinwoo looked forward, then smiled shakily.

“I-I thought I might be weird- if I said I found it fun,” he managed. “Ah. S-So it’s good you said it first.”

“I mean, you should always be afraid of Dungeons, and one bad slip will kill even higher ranks in low-ranked Dungeons,” Park Ryung admitted. “… But- there’s something to be said about being confident in danger. Just… careful. The rules can change abruptly.” Sung Jinwoo fished a water from his pack, then blinked.

“The rules?” he echoed.

“Magic doesn’t exist in our world, right?” Park Ryung reasoned. “That rule just- changed one day, and no one really knows why. Dungeons don’t always behave the same way a thousand others always have. You can take every step to minimize your risks, but then… something happens.” He looked at the silent open area, pondering. “… Effort means a lot when you’re smart about it, but Dungeons aren’t built to stay fair,” he admitted. “Sometimes- they change those rules on you. You’ll go into one of these Dungeons that’s supposed to have nothing but E-rank monsters of a manageable risk, and find a D-rank or even C-rank boss at the end of the tunnel. You can go into a B-rank Dungeon for a standard raid, only to find the Gate seals behind you and locks you in a Red Gate.” He shook his head. “And then sometimes… you run into a being, something beyond mere terror can express. It’s something no amount of effort can overcome, and it can kill you without even noticing you were there. It’s beyond reason, and it breaks all the rules.” He exhaled harshly. “… Surviving’s the most important thing, I think. If you can hide, then hide. If you can run, make sure it won’t chase you. If you have to bow, then bow with all your heart and soul and don’t let the resentment take you until long after.” Sung Jinwoo finished his drink of water, then exhaled heavily. He nodded at length.

“Surviving’s most important,” he agreed, quiet. “I’ll be careful.”

“I’m holding you to that,” Park Ryung warned. He softened. “But- still,” he added. “For your first kills, the mistakes were minimal, and you got into the flow quickly. Once you make yourself valuable to teams like this, they won’t hesitate to help you out in return.” Sung Jinwoo nodded, then hesitated.

“… What happens to new Hunters who aren’t able to make those first kills alone?” he then asked. Park Ryung grimaced.

“Nothing good,” he admitted. “If they’re not killed in their first fight, they get a taboo label from other Hunters. Hunter raids at lower ranks are- informal, but it isn’t always a bad thing. Some groups are a lot more social and cohesive than others, and manage themselves well enough. But if that person gets into the wrong group, they’re kicked to the side and little more. They can’t Hunt, and their first weapon breaks without a kill. There’s no rewards for their risks, and they never get the chance to pick themselves back up.” He sighed out loud, letting his head fall back. “It’s- bad,” he admitted. “It’s a really sh*tty way to live, and usually ends in a miserable death. The survival rate for E-ranks in Korea is only sixty percent at their first Dungeon.” Sung Jinwoo paled.

“That- What??”

“It’s only the third highest percentage of deaths, too,” Park Ryung agreed. “For D-ranks, their survival jumps up to eighty percent, but they’re the second most common rank among Hunters. Most people who get E-ranks give up on the idea of being a Hunter, aware that the risk is bad. Most D-ranks think they have a chance, and go for it recklessly. The death rate of new Hunters even in large groups is- brutal.” He considered the hilt of his sword. “When I first Awakened, I wasn’t- sure what I wanted to do with it,” he admitted. “Going into Dungeons is neat and all, magic is cool, but I didn’t feel like I was doing anything- worthwhile. This whole thing with Gates and monsters- it’s like a crappy and dangerous game. One that keeps starting over and over, and the rewards are temporary and fleeting. How many more S-rank Gates are we before the whole damned world is consumed?” He still didn’t know how the world ended, he didn’t know anything about what was important here.

But, well. At least he knew who was important.

“So that’s… why you work as a teacher for new Hunters,” Sung Jinwoo finished. Park Ryung startled from his thoughts.

“Ah- yeah,” he admitted, rubbing his neck. “Addressing that lousy survivability rate is something I can do regardless of my rank. I was pretty surprised when I ended up as a healer, but- that actually ended up working really well…” He cleared his throat, then shook his head. “Ah, sorry, I’m supposed to be teaching, not rambling. Let’s have a snack, then find the boss.” Sung Jinwoo blinked hard.

“T-The boss?”

“Yeah, you’re doing a lot better than I expected,” Park Ryung agreed. “So I want you to fight something that’s way too strong compared to you.” Sung Jinwoo stared. “Obviously, I’ll be here to make sure you make it through,” Park Ryung added. “But there’s a difference between goblins that you can take a few hits from and a boss that will kill you if you take a direct hit. You should know the feeling.” Sung Jinwoo nodded at length.

“Alright,” he agreed. “Are we- killing it?”

“Eh, probably not,” Park Ryung acknowledged. “But either way, you learn something, so it’s fine!” He fetched his sandwiches. “The standard for bosses is to take them down in teams, or to have at least one Hunter that’s a rank higher than the Gate rating,” he explained, handing one over. “The Association tries to make groups that include a higher rank for safety purposes, but C-ranks are especially difficult to find. Guilds set their standards at C-rank and up, so most of them are snapped up right from the assessment center.”

“So focusing on teamwork is most important,” Sung Jinwoo concluded.

“Exactly,” Park Ryung agreed. “Even S-rank Hunters rarely work alone if they can help it. It’s best to stay social as a human being, though you’ll meet plenty of idiots who forget that basic rule.” Sung Jinwoo snorted loudly, unwrapping the sandwich.

“I know the type,” he agreed, amused. “… Mr. Park?” he added.

“Mm?”

“So then- what’s the highest death rate rank? Above even E and D-ranks?”

“Oh, well.” Park Ryung grimaced somewhat at his sandwich. “S-ranks.” Sung Jinwoo considered that, then grimaced and didn’t ask anything further. They ate sandwiches in a comfortable quiet, and Park Ryung was again delighted to be here.

He wasn’t lying, also. Even after their little break, Sung Jinwoo was improving fast. It was kind of shocking how he was naturally geared towards this work even well before the system was in play. Or maybe it was just shocking how someone’s actual potential could show when they were given the appropriate tools? Ah, something like that.

Either way, making it to the boss of the Dungeon was easy enough. It was just a big goblin, one with a club. Sung Jinwoo looked at the size of it and clenched his jaw, then abruptly- picked up a rock and flung it?

The rock hit a wall to the side, and the goblin whirled around with a screech of fury. At the same time, Sung Jinwoo booked it right to the boss, then ducked and swung low. Blood sprayed in an arc from behind the goblin’s knee, and it shrieked all the louder and swung out blindly. Sung Jinwoo had already dodged low.

… Seriously, though, holy f*ck?? Calm the hell down, protagonist???

“Holy sh*t,” Park Ryung managed out loud, and then had to laugh despite himself as he charged forward belatedly. Not just smart, but some of that canon vicious streak was already showing despite the baby face. The goblin started to look for the source of its pain, down on one knee, then snarled as Park Ryung got in a quick jab, then a shallow slice. He danced back out of range of its attacks, then darted back in as the club swung wide.

Sung Jinwoo, of course, immediately understood the assignment. Once the goblin’s attention was fully off of him, he darted forward and brought his sword down hard on yet another wild swing. The goblin screamed all the louder as its club hand fell to the ground, only to fall silent when Sung Jinwoo managed to impale it right through the ribcage.

So- Sung Jinwoo’s first Dungeon run ended with him killing the boss. He was panting like crazy as the thing went down, his grip on his sword shaking. His mouth twitched uncontrollably as he stared.

“S… S-Sorry?” he wheezed. “T-That was impulsive…” Park Ryung spluttered, then laughed out loud, holding a hand to his head.

“Holy sh*t,” he repeated, grinning hugely. “Sung Jinwoo, you’re f*cking cool.” Sung Jinwoo, apparently being praised for the first time in his life, hiccupped in surprise and blushed all the way to his ears. Park Ryung laughed all the louder, then shook his head to himself. “Well, that’s a gold star on your record,” he concluded cheerfully. “We’ve only got an hour left, so let’s jump right into the fun part- essence collecting! This’ll be a nice loot bonus, too.” He gave the goblin corpse a gentle kick. Sung Jinwoo gave a sheepish, lopsided grin, still panting.

“I-I think I need to s-sit down, too,” he managed.

“Ah, yeah, that’s a good idea.” Park Ryung helped him to the wall, then did a quick check. Aside from a few scrapes, likely from his insane dodging, Sung Jinwoo was unharmed, just- definitely pushed himself a lot. His breathing eased and settled under the healing, and his head hung low as he felt the recovery kick in. He coughed a bit, then relaxed. “… Ah, I think the point of the lesson was supposed to be you struggling, though,” Park Ryung belatedly realized. “I know I said that you’d definitely pass the class if you knocked out your first Dungeon without a hitch, but-“

“W-Well, that- I don’t mind doing another one!” Sung Jinwoo blurted out quickly. “I mean. I-If you don’t mind… doing this again?”

“Not at all,” Park Ryung replied easily. “This really is fun. Hey, I’m looking forward to seeing what else you pull out of nowhere like that.” He grinned and gently elbowed his side. The poor protagonist blushed all prettily about it.

It had only been just a month since Sung Jinwoo started classes anyway, so what was the harm in keeping him a little longer? He was still getting paid for Dungeons, even if it wasn’t as regular as it could be. But the look on his face when the Association agent gave him a check for the loot- sheesh! Far too cute. Especially for someone who went for the kneecaps without an ounce of hesitation.

He really wanted to treat Sung Jinwoo as a reward for being a badass, but ended up getting a call from the hospital halfway through making the offer. He could only promise to make it dinner at another time.

… And really, he’d miss the days when Sung Jinwoo stopped blushing so cutely at such silly things, like a promise to take him to dinner.

Chapter 5

Chapter Text

In Sung Jinwoo’s first D-rank Dungeon, he neatly took out five D-rank goblins alongside the other Hunters.

While he was resting, he was approached by the team leader, who’d introduced himself as Song Chiyul. The man had an amused smile.

“It’s Mr. Sung, isn’t it?” he greeted. “Great work so far.”

“Ah… T-Thank you, Mr. Song,” Sung Jinwoo managed, embarrassed. “I’ll do my best to keep up.”

“There’s keeping up as an E-rank, Mr. Sung, and then there’s this.” Song Chiyul gestured to the harvested corpses piled aside. “I thought you might do something impressive when Mr. Park recommended you, but I didn’t expect an alike talent.”

“Mr. Park?” Sung Jinwoo repeated, sitting up straighter. “You- You know Mr. Park?” Song Chiyul eased himself down against the Dungeon wall as well, exhaling. He set his own pack aside.

“He regularly attends raids outside of his work at the Association,” the older man agreed. “On top of working at the local hospital when he can. He’s also one of the most talented sword users I’ve ever met.” He shook his head to himself. “Lots of people know Mr. Park, is the point. He leaves an impression.”

Sung Jinwoo had to agree strongly.

It had been three months since he Awakened, and since he started taking Park Ryung’s class. It had been recommended at orientation as a good start for new Hunters, and he couldn’t begin with how much more it was for him. He knew it by now, could acutely feel the difference between himself and higher ranks. How much of his physical strength was outmatched by each monster that other Hunters would easily face, how much he had to rely on the precise skills of his sword, the armor plates he’d bought. How just one slip could be so much worse than a bad injury.

But he was surviving. Not even just surviving, his risks were getting rewarded, and his efforts were paying off. With the kind of money he was taking home, rent was no longer a struggle, and his sister’s academic dreams weren’t so impossible. His mother stayed home instead of returning to that exhausting job. He bought himself armor, a better sword that cut down more monsters, and he had even more essence crystals to show for it.

… He’d technically passed his class with flying colors already.

“Mr. Park- really does work so hard,” he agreed, sighing out. “It seems like he’s so dedicated to everything he does…” Song Chiyul considered him sideways for a moment, then hummed.

“It does seem that way,” he acknowledged.

After the raid, Sung Jinwoo had a bag full of essence crystals to show for his efforts, both E-rank and D-rank, along with a gash on his arm from a wolf that clipped him. The team’s healer turned out to be B-rank, two entire ranks above Park Ryung.

The way she healed him definitely felt- different, though. Maybe he was biased, but he liked the feel of Park Ryung’s mana better.

“You’re, ah, really brave,” the healer offered shyly as she worked. Sung Jinwoo tried to not squirm. Her healing felt like the warmth of a campfire, one that melted away the pain as it spread. He couldn’t help but think of a cool, electric flow, even if he knew it was ungrateful.

“Thank you,” he answered.

“Being E-rank much be difficult, and yet…” Difficult?

… It was difficult, but it wasn’t anything like finding his mother in a deep sleep she’d never wake up from. Like the bills that came stamped in red, like the backbreaking labor that amounted to a check that disappeared as soon as he had it. Like watching his sister trade her games for biology texts as soon as she entered high school, and not having the heart to tell her how impossible her ideas were.

This kind of difficult was- not difficult at all, in comparison.

“It’s not so bad,” he answered, shrugging it off lightly. “I think I’m handling myself well enough.” The healer lowered her gaze.

“E-Excuse me, I misspoke,” she mumbled. The conversation fell flat from there.

They made their way out of the Gate after collecting everything, and Sung Jinwoo was already calculating his pay. He still had leftover from his E-rank raids for the month’s bills, so now it was just- calculating how much more to put in savings? After that, what should he do with the rest? Maybe he should take Jinah and his mother shopping. Jinah would be thrilled, but his mother might be harder to convince, especially if he got too overzealous on explaining where the money came from-

“Ah- Mr. Park,” Song Chiyul greeted, and Sung Jinwoo snapped to attention at once, nearly dropping his bag. “What brings you here today? You just missed the raid, I’m afraid.”

“Ah, too bad. I ended up finishing at the hospital faster than I thought, and it was in the area, so, ah…” Sung Jinwoo squirmed through the crowd despite himself, and quickly caught the gaze of the tall, broad-shouldered man that had arrived in the perimeter. His gentle gaze lit up with the force of his handsome smile. “Ah! Jinwoo!” he greeted, waving.

The wretched fluttering sensation in his stomach said there might be something to his mother’s teasing after all. Maybe asking Park Ryung to call him informally was- a mistake. A terrible, wonderful mistake.

“Mr. Park,” he greeted back quickly, stopping beside Song Chiyul. “I-It’s, um, good to see you!”

“Hey, hey, not so formal when I’m off work,” Park Ryung laughed, rubbing at his neck in that adorable, sheepish way that also happened to flex his biceps. “Jinwoo, settle a bet for me while I’m here,” the man added eagerly, brown eyes bright. “The D-rank crystals you got- less than three, or three plus??” He sparkled directly in Sung Jinwoo’s face like the sun itself. Sung Jinwoo thought he was seeing spots.

“F-Five,” he answered, dazed. Park Ryung pumped his fist in triumph.

“Dinner on my boss this weekend!!” he cheered. Sung Jinwoo couldn’t help a startled laugh even as his face went hot. The weakest mana rating in just about the entire world, what someone once told him. The most difficult and pathetic rank of all, which gathered pity and derision from anyone he first told his rank.

But he wasn’t just being rewarded, was the thing. No matter what, it seemed like Park Ryung would always appreciate the extent of his efforts.

“Ah- Also, a successful finish to your first D-rank Dungeon, which means celebration!” Park Ryung added quickly. “Are you hungry? Healed up? Ah- you have Miss Lee on the team, so that one’s a dumb question. But hungry?”

“Yes, um, hungry!” Sung Jinwoo agreed, all the more flustered. “I mean. If you’re hungry, then…”

“I did skip lunch,” Park Ryung admitted cheerfully. Sung Jinwoo spluttered.

“That’s not good for you, even with mana!” he reminded the man, shouldering his bag to firmly turn him by the shoulders. “Aren’t you the one who always says to keep yourself in top condition? At least have a snack before we get there!”

“Ah, but I don’t want to ruin my appetite…”

“You have more appetite than anyone, just eat this!”

“… Ah,” Song Chiyul said, staring after the two of them. “They completely forgot about me.” His lips quirked faintly. “Tch. No room for the old man, huh?”

Park Ryung didn’t seem to have a place in mind, so Sung Jinwoo could only find a place that seemed to serve decent-sized portions. Appetites were known to increase with ranks, but Park Ryung was also a tall man with a lot of muscles, not to mention an obvious workaholic. If he wasn’t teaching classes, he was working hospital cases. If he was kicked out of both places and told to go home, and there were no new Dungeons to raid, he went straight to the nearest training center.

Sung Jinwoo had been getting flak from his sister about his new workout routine being ‘too intense’, but thought she really had to meet this man to understand that he was just a casual.

“Oh, yeah, how’d that midterm go for your sister?” Park Ryung chatted, sipping at his drink. “She got the results this week, right?”

“Ridiculously good grades again,” Sung Jinwoo huffed. “Top of her class.”

“Ah! She’s smart!” Park Ryung shook his head to himself. “Persistently smart, even. Ah, not like the meathead who can’t focus on something that isn’t interesting enough…”

“I wouldn’t know him.”

“Hm, you sure? I think you’ve met the guy.”

“No,” Sung Jinwoo huffed. “I’m pretty sure I haven’t. Teacher.” Park Ryung puffed out his cheeks in a pout. It was, unfortunately, no less handsome than ever.

“Maybe magic portals to another dimension that can’t be explained by science or any known phenomenon are just interesting enough this time,” he whined. Sung Jinwoo could only shake his head incredulously. All the people that Park Ryung left impressions on, all the lives he’d undoubtedly saved, and yet-

He wasn’t just- humble. Sung Jinwoo thought he was humble at first, but. Park Ryung did his work so steadfastly under the genuine belief that what he did wasn’t enough. Like he’d set his standards on saving the world itself, and anything less was subpar.

“Ah- what, no,” Park Ryung abruptly complained, squirming in his seat. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, pursing his lips. He sighed at the caller ID, then answered. “You’re buying me dinner this weekend,” he said immediately. “Five.” Sung Jinwoo barely withheld a snort. He could faintly hear chatter on the other end. “What,” Park Ryung managed. “Ah- W-Was that the deadline…? No, I didn’t forget, really! I did write the reports, I just- I left it on my laptop. I didn’t put it on my USB, can’t I-?” He winced, cutting himself off. “N-No, I understand,” he managed. “Within the hour, I promise. But I’m still collecting on dinner!” he added firmly. “Ah, see you tomorrow.” He hung up with that. After staring at his phone for a moment, he wilted in place. “M-My quarterly expense reports,” he despaired.

“Can you make it home within an hour?” Sung Jinwoo realized, worried.

“Oh, it’s actually not far- I live in the area,” Park Ryung admitted. Sung Jinwoo blinked. “… You don’t have to,” Park Ryung added, poking at his drink. “But, uh. I still have the rest of the day off, so. If you don’t- have anywhere else to be, do you want to just come with me to send the email? We could- get dessert, o-or something. Ah, I don’t know, it’s fine if you’re-“

“Yes, that!!” Sung Jinwoo had to stop and hear his own shout, then quickly ducked his head. “I-I mean. That sounds- fine! I live in the area, too, so… i-it’s fine. I’m not- busy today.” He wasn’t, right? He could think of literally nothing else to do except visit Park Ryung’s home.

His family could never, ever find out about this, also. The teasing would never stop.

Still, it wasn’t hard to pick up the conversation again despite his nerves. Park Ryung had a bright energy that sparked up when he talked about certain things, melting away the quiet, almost muted façade he usually wore. Some parts of him seemed to act like a complete wallflower by reflex, then just lit up with life he could barely restrain. Getting him excited enough to wave his hands while he talked, unbridled glee in his eyes-

Sung Jinwoo sometimes wondered if he could do this forever.

“Ah, this one,” Park Ryung commented, and Sung Jinwoo hadn’t noticed them arrive at an apartment. “Um, e-excuse the mess, I’m rarely at home,” Park Ryung added quickly, using a key to let them in. “The couch is clean, though, I promise!”

Sung Jinwoo’s first impression was that his apartment was spotless. It was a standard apartment with a small kitchen overlooking the living area, one door for the bathroom, another for a small bedroom. Simple and basic furniture, open floorspace.

… But it wasn’t, was the thing. It could use a vacuum, admittedly, and the kitchen didn’t have any utensils. Just- stacks of paper plates and recycled takeout boxes. There was no television, and the table was covered in papers and a laptop that Park Ryung beelined for.

There were no pictures on the walls or counter, no mementos from Park Ryung’s past, no hint that he’d ever been a child or had any family. He had workout sneakers next to his work shoes in the foyer.

“Sorry,” Park Ryung repeated, and Sung Jinwoo jumped slightly. Park Ryung was working on his laptop, but gave the screen an embarrassed smile. “It’s quiet in here, isn’t it? I really don’t spend much time here.”

… It was quiet. Really, really quiet. Maybe- it had always been so quiet, and that was why Park Ryung filled his life with endless noise and work.

My mom was just being- you know.

… Well, not really.

Someone who made such an impression on so many people, who lived and worked so steadfastly for the sake of others- Shouldn’t he have something other than the quiet to welcome him home?

But life wasn’t fair, and Sung Jinwoo always knew that.

“It’s a bit quiet,” he agreed, and walked to the table instead. He pulled out the other chair that had more papers in it, and moved them aside to sit down. Park Ryung blinked over the top of his laptop, and Sung Jinwoo smiled sheepishly. “You should get a TV for background noise or something,” he added. “Jinah will put on her dramas just for the noise, even if she has no idea what’s happening.” He gave a little laugh. “One time she looked up just as a major moment happened that spoiled the rest of the story- she actually dropped her soda all over the floor.” Park Ryung gave a startled snrk.

“That does sound pretty noisy,” he agreed.

“That moment was extra noisy, really…”

“Ha! I can imagine.”

“Ah, you’re probably not imagining it loud enough. We got a noise complaint.” Park Ryung snickered into his hand, then quickly focused to continue typing. He finished with a flourish on the keys.

“Done!” he proclaimed. “Think of any dessert places around here? Maybe crepes?”

“Crepes sound good,” Sung Jinwoo agreed. “Ah- actually, I know this one place that delivers.” Park Ryung blinked. “Jinah says it’s really good,” Sung Jinwoo continued, trying to not let the nerves show in his voice. “And I doubt you’ve watched that last movie I told you about…”

“U-Um.” Park Ryung’s cheeks went hot pink, and his eyes skittered away sheepishly. “M-Maybe I didn’t even watch any of them,” he acknowledged.

“If you- don’t mind me imposing,” Sung Jinwoo dared, and Park Ryung straightened.

“D-Don’t mind! I’m not- minding!” he agreed quickly. “Um. Yes? To- imposing, y-yes.” He squirmed in his seat. “… C-Can I vacuum really fast?”

“It’s your place,” Sung Jinwoo accepted. “Ah- let me have your order, first. Here, look at the menu.”

Park Ryung vacuumed in a fit of energy while they waited for crepes to arrive, but was eventually coaxed onto his own couch. Sung Jinwoo watched him set up his laptop and wondered if maybe- maybe.

He hadn’t really- given thought to the idea of romance. Not for most of his life. After his dad disappeared, he was helping his mother take care of Jinah in junior high. In high school, his mother all but begged him to focus on school, and that was the extent of it. He worked for decent grades and never thought about college, not when he saw the lines of exhaustion on his mother’s face. He never thought about the beautiful girls in his class, never minded the mockery he got for being a scrawny, unremarkable human being.

When he had to face the reality that maybe both of his parents would never come home, where was there room for some stranger? For anything other than surviving another month’s rent, another unexpected expense. Anything other than struggling to preserve his mother’s life, to create some semblance of a decent future for Jinah.

He was a Hunter now, and he’d proven that D-rank Dungeons were a feasible career going forward. His mother was sitting at home comfortably, and Jinah’s college was something he saved for steadily. He could breathe, and without failing the people he loved.

He sat on Park Ryung’s couch while a movie played from his cheap laptop speakers, eating crepes instead of worrying about the future. He still had his bag of crystals sitting by Park Ryung’s shoes at the door.

He felt like thinking about it was- okay.

It was dark after a few movies, but Park Ryung didn’t show any signs of moving, and Sung Jinwoo decided to not move himself. Park Ryung did move through the next movie, but only to mutter to himself, disappear into his bedroom, then reappear with his shirt rumpled and a blanket he spread over Sung Jinwoo. He settled into the couch again with a content sigh, expression relaxed.

“The end of the world can come tomorrow,” he murmured. Sung Jinwoo wasn’t sure what that could possibly mean, but relaxed nonetheless. Maybe a little too much.

He woke up to his pocket buzzing and a heavy weight pinning his left arm. He blinked hugely at Park Ryung’s sleeping figure, then felt his face go hot. The movie had long ended, and his phone showed messages from his mom. He quickly set his phone to silent first, then texted back.

At a friend’s, won’t be back until late

Then with the most careful maneuvering and utmost concentration, Sung Jinwoo laid sideways on the couch. Park Ryung was apparently a heavy sleeper, because he only gave a soft snore as his weight followed. Sung Jinwoo stared at the ceiling of Park Ryung’s quiet apartment, then couldn’t help a giddy grin.

It- maybe took him a while to get back to sleep after that, but it was entirely worth it.

-

“… U-Um. Jinwoo?”

“O-Oh, um, m-morning…”

“… J-Jinwoo, I, um… I- d-drooled on your shirt. I’m so sorry.”

“… Oh. I-It’s fine! It’s just- It happens, it’s fine!”

“S-Sorry…”

Sung Jinwoo tried very, very hard to get home quietly. Jinah had school, so she shouldn’t be home. If he entered quietly enough and snuck into his room, he could change quickly and hide the shirt that Park Ryung lent him. It was very obviously too big for him, and an old lady he passed on the stairs gave him such a look for it.

That was his tentative plan, except that he opened the door, stole inside, and froze like a deer in the headlights. Jinah, sitting on the couch on her phone, stared at him very, very hard. Sung Jinwoo stared right back.

Jinah opened her mouth. Sung Jinwoo motioned for her to stay quiet, frantic. His bratty sister’s gaze sharpened.

“Jinah-!!” he hissed. That would never stop her, of course.

“MOOOMMM!!!” Jinah hollered. “OPPA CAME BACK WITH THE TEACHER’S CLOTHES ON.”

“JINAH?!” Sung Jinwoo shrieked back. “That isn’t- T-This isn’t what it looks like-!” His mother came into the room quickly, then stopped. “This isn’t what it looks like!!” he repeated frantically. “I-I just- I just fell asleep, that’s all! And my shirt was- I-It had something on it so I just needed to borrow another one and- and-“

“Jinwoo,” Park Kyunghe managed, then held a hand to her cheek. “… B-Before you even introduced him to your mother?” she whispered.

“MOM!!”

-

Park Ryung picked at his ear for a moment, puzzled. He had a funny feeling of being talked about for some reason.

“Three months,” his supervisor repeated, weary. Park Ryung coughed.

“M-Maybe I keep… pushing it,” he acknowledged. “I just, uh…” He what, worried? Sung Jinwoo was kicking ass. Was he supposed to hover over the protagonist for the next three years in case a stray rock took him out? He thought not.

… Okay, yeah, maybe he liked clinging to Sung Jinwoo a lot more than he should.

“… I’ll- wrap it up quickly,” he managed. “S-Sorry about the trouble…”

“I don’t know why you haven’t just graduated him by now,” the man huffed, tidying up the paper stack. “Dating students here isn’t exactly forbidden, but it would be less awkward, wouldn’t it?”

“Wha- That-!!”

“But again, your personal life isn’t my business,” his manager continued, waving a hand. “Even if you’re both men, we’re not as narrow-minded as in the past.”

“B-But, um…”

“Still, we can’t have anyone saying that your personal relationships are affecting your job, so please graduate him quickly.”

“… Y-Yes, sir.” Was he supposed to explain that this was a serious misunderstanding? After he drooled all over the protagonist, and made him go home in an oversized shirt like a debauched boyfriend?

Ugh, he would definitely never live this down.

So when class started again that next week, Sung Jinwoo showed up again, and Park Ryung sheepishly handed him his certificate. Sung Jinwoo stared at it unfathomably, then blinked up.

“Um, my boss said we can’t hang out anymore while I’m getting paid for it,” Park Ryung had to confess. “My quarterly reports were… telling.”

“O-Oh,” Sung Jinwoo managed. He gingerly accepted the paper, and Park Ryung cleared his throat.

“But, um…” He wasn’t supposed to still be here, was the thing. He had other things he could prepare for, and all the same- “I mean, since my mornings are going to be free until someone else takes the serious class, we could, uh. Just train together, or something?”

“Yes,” Sung Jinwoo answered immediately. He then blushed cutely about it. “… So now I really can’t address you formally, can I?”

“Ah, guess you can’t!” Park Ryung realized cheerfully. “Ahahaha, you can even call me hyung, can’t you~?” Sung Jinwoo’s cutesy blush turned scarlet, all the way to the tips of his ears! Ahhh, so cute. “… Well, I don’t have a class right now, my student just bailed,” Park Ryung added. “Any plans?”

“W-Well, ah…” Sung Jinwoo smiled shyly, rubbing at his neck. “F-Funny story, my teacher ended classes,” he returned. “If you’re not too busy, maybe some training?”

“Sounds good!”

Fortunately, Sung Jinwoo didn’t seem to hold a grudge over the drooling thing. Park Ryung still couldn’t believe he fell asleep so hard he pancaked the protagonist like that. Wasn’t the skinny little guy supposed to be on top if that was going to happen? Ah, laws of gravity were truly a bitch.

… He watched Sung Jinwoo leave the class ahead of him, and had to hang back a moment to control the blush on his own face. No one who fell asleep as an unfortunate pancake should look so serene about it, maybe even…

… Also, was he- not going to get his shirt back?

With the teacher pretense dropped, admittedly, Park Ryung found it a lot easier to hang around Sung Jinwoo. There weren’t exactly many students that warranted his serious class in the first place, or maybe he possibly even made up that timeslot exclusively for Sung Jinwoo, so his work days were cut in half. And since Sung Jinwoo was training with him pretty frequently, or at least every former class day for the next couple of months, Park Ryung had to find other things to do with his usual training time?

Sung Jinwoo seemed to have a lot of free time outside of Dungeons himself, so. Park Ryung just hoped if he hated getting pestered, he’d say something before turning into an ultra-powerful and cranky S-rank. Though he probably didn’t hate it, if he found even Park Ryung’s pathetic little apartment fine enough to visit more than once.

Maybe living in the same district as Sung Jinwoo had been kind of dangerous, though? It was convenient for work and all, but one moment he was eating fried chicken with Sung Jinwoo, celebrating another good haul from a raid they’d both gone on, the next a teenage girl came stomping up to the table. Sung Jinwoo choked on his beer.

“You-?!”

“You have some nerve, Oppa!!” the girl demanded. “How many dates are you going to go on before you introduce your boyfriend, hah?! Instead I have to catch you by chance??” Park Ryung also choked on his beer, thanks.

“Wha- What?” he wheezed.

“Jinah!!” Sung Jinwoo burst out, scarlet at once. “That- T-This isn’t- How many times have I told you-“

“Great! If it’s not a date, I want some fried chicken, too.” Sung Jinah’s attitude changed immediately once her brother was properly bothered, and she snatched an empty chair for herself. “Hi there, hello,” she rambled aside, more concerned with pilfering chicken from Sung Jinwoo. “Non-boyfriend-former-teacher, right? Nice to meet-“ She glanced towards him again, did a doubletake, and froze. The chicken dropped back numbly on Sung Jinwoo’s plate.

“… Um,” Park Ryung attempted, when she continued to stare intently. “Nice to meet you, too?” Sung Jinwoo groaned into his hands.

“Please, tell the truth,” he begged. “It’s not nice.”

“I mean, she does seem nice…”

“Hey,” Sung Jinah finally said, staring. “… I’m- pretty sure I’ve seen you before.” Sung Jinwoo lifted his head to stare. Park Ryung blinked.

… No, he definitely avoided visitor hours at all times.

“I mean, I do live in the area,” he acknowledged, puzzled. He rubbed at his neck. “A-Anyway, I’m Park Ryung,” he added. “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you- good things, also! All good things.” Sung Jinah’s mouth twitched faintly, but her weird stare didn’t lessen.

“… Sung Jinah,” she finally answered. “You’re- a D-rank healer who works at the Hunter’s Association, huh?” She was quiet for a long moment, then abruptly looked away and snatched the chicken she’d dropped. Sung Jinwoo spluttered. “… You’re pretty handsome, I guess,” she stated. “Fine. You can date my disaster Oppa.”

“U-Um,” Park Ryung attempted, face hot. “That’s- I-I mean, we’re not actually-“ She turned on him like a snake.

“What, he’s not good enough for you??”

“N-N-Not at all, definitely not that!!” Park Ryung burst out, shocked.

“You don’t think he’s handsome or something?!”

“Jin-AH,” Sung Jinwoo begged, hiding in his hands again.

“Of course I think he’s handsome, that- w-wait, that- that doesn’t have anything to do with-?!”

“Hmph! You’ll come around,” she informed him snootily, then stood up again. “I’ll be waiting until then.” She marched off with her spoils and great dignity, leaving Park Ryung to splutter uncontrollably.

“… P-Please forget she exists as a person,” Sung Jinwoo whispered pitifully. “I don’t know her. I don’t know her.”

“… J-Jinwoo,” Park Ryung comprehended. “Does. D-Does your entire family think we're dating?” Sung Jinwoo groaned loudly instead of answering, which. Which was kind of an answer in itself, wasn’t it?!

How could this have possibly happened, though?? It wasn’t like Park Ryung flirted relentlessly with the protagonist of a webtoon. He just- objectively stated facts about his looks when the subject came up! Mostly complimented his amazing talents, too. And sure, they spent a lot of time together, meeting at least several times a week for training or Dungeons or- or just random outings if both of them weren’t busy, but Sung Jinwoo always had some new place to suggest, and he said he didn’t want to go alone to them-

… Was he dating the protagonist?!

“Jinwoo,” Park Ryung finally realized, choking. “Are we dating??” Sung Jinwoo made a high-pitched sound instead of a resounding no, scarlet to the tips of his ears.

“… W… W-Would you- be upset if we were?” he finally returned, voice small. He peeked up through his fingers with his thick lashes and big eyes, his baby face scarlet, and Park Ryung realized he was having a heart attack. He clutched at his chest.

Saying he’d be upset- would be a lot like dropkicking a puppy, wouldn’t it? Just kicking that sweet puppy right over a cliff. Just casually telling the man destined to somehow save the world that yes, Park Ryung would be upset if he was allowed to date a literal protagonist.

“… No,” he managed. “Would not- b-be upset. At, um. D-Dating.” Did Sung Jinwoo even date someone in the book? Park Ryung didn’t remember, but he was sure there were a lot of beautiful women around. Wasn’t that- supposed to imply the protagonist was straight, if nothing else?? Definitely not into the awkward meathead that spent half of his time in a tie.

… Well, he was also surrounded by incredibly hot men at the same time, so maybe Park Ryung should just stop thinking too hard.

“… Jinwoo, h-have you been sneak-dating me?” he asked instead. Sung Jinwoo blushed down at his food.

“N-Not if you weren’t okay with dating,” he confessed. Okay, sure. Park Ryung couldn’t forget that this was the man that chased power viciously, to not even speak of what he did these days in Dungeons in absence of incredible power. He really scared the sh*t out of half of the regular locals with his sweet angel face and utter willingness to shred tendons. There was even a new nickname floating after his head.

Maybe Park Ryung raised a tiger cub like an idiot, but what a way to go.

“Well,” he finally managed, and couldn’t help a grin that creased his eyes. He rubbed at his neck, somewhat embarrassed, but unbelievably pleased. Sneak-dated by Sung Jinwoo himself!! “Ahahaha, that. That’s pretty forward of you, Jinwoo.” He thought he was delighted, in fact. “I, um. I-I guess I’d hate to disappoint your family?”

“A-At least not my mom,” Sung Jinwoo acknowledged. “We can still pretend Jinah doesn’t exist.”

“She seems fun,” Park Ryung laughed, pleased. “I like her.” Sung Jinwoo huffed, but smiled a sweet, shy smile.

It was fine, wasn’t it? Dating didn’t mean anything permanent, it was just- seeing where it would go. Park Ryung had lived twenty years of this life alone, and he wasn’t the kind of idiot who turned away from an actual godsend, no matter what fate or some webtoon said. There were still years before the plot happened, and even then-

… Well, he could cross that bridge when he came to it, right?

Chapter 6

Chapter Text

Several months after meeting Sung Jinwoo, Park Ryung was asked to meet a student at Song Chiyul’s facility. The woman took one look at him, flinched, and clapped a hand over her nose.

Park Ryung might have been offended in other circ*mstances.

“S-Strong,” Cha Haein mumbled, and Park Ryung was instead very nervous under the circ*mstances. He coughed, then instead focused on muting the f*ck out of his mana. He was shooting for E-rank again, and this time, he wasn’t missing.

“Ah- Sorry, Mr. Park, Miss Cha has a- condition she got with her Awakening,” Song Chiyul explained quickly. “Miss Cha, this is Park Ryung, the swordsman I mentioned. Mr. Park, this is Cha Haein. Thank you for coming.”

“Um, yeah. Of course.” Song Chiyul had not mentioned that the new Hunter student he had was the famous S-rank that was evaluated a few months back, who was still making the news rounds on the regular. “Miss Cha, do you, uh. Want a mask or something?” he tried.

“That…” The Hunter hesitated, then slowly lowered her hand. “… No, it- wasn’t as strong as I thought. My mistake.” Thank f*ck. “Please excuse me,” she added, quiet.

“It’s fine,” Park Ryung promised. He just learned a lesson about being casual with mana. “Mr. Song said you were looking for a duel with different styles, right?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right. I’ve heard that you developed your own technique.” Park Ryung rubbed at his neck somewhat awkwardly. He- technically did? In his defense, most sword techniques were still based on times when humans only worried about fighting other humans, not interdimensional magic monsters.

He was technically in a murim world, even if it was badly-disguised as a different genre. He had to make something work for him.

“I’m still working on it,” he allowed. “I’ll do my best to give what you’re looking for.” Cha Haein nodded once, straightening.

Cha Haein emerging as an S-rank wasn’t exactly one of the things Park Ryung was concerned with. Well, mostly. It was neat to meet her and all, she seemed nice, and Park Ryung was really still working on making his sword work for him. He was just starting to get a little leery of all these important people he was meeting and all.

But he still took up a practice sword and accepted a spar. From the moment Cha Haein started the spar, he could immediately see she was giving her all in terms of technique even when wildly slowed down. He recognized the way she was taking advantage of the snail’s pace speed of normal humans to judge her movements and stances, subtle corrections in split seconds, half a beat of hesitation before changing form. It made for a decent sparring form for a beginner.

… He had a vague thought that he would have liked to go at full speed to really force her to spar, but quickly dismissed the idea. She’d obviously kick his ass.

So for now, all he could do was take advantage of the obscene amount of practice he’d put into his own forms and advance. Even at the same speed, he no longer hesitated from his experience in countless Dungeons. He no longer corrected himself, not when his muscle memory was firmly disciplined. Those subtle milliseconds piled up more and more as Cha Haein tried to get her foothold again, her expression becoming strained. Once she lost composure and made an awkward, aborted motion to defend, he moved forward in a quick series of strikes, then stopped with the bamboo against her neck.

Cha Haein- really didn’t have much combat experience, he realized. Her breathing was unsteady, and she was panting softly. Her shocked expression said this was her first real loss. She was probably just a normal woman living her life before Awakening into an insane rank, expected to be the strongest of all without knowing how to begin to apply that strength. Maybe it was no wonder she jumped into the first guild that asked, not giving a thought to the power balance of the country. No wonder she asked a C-rank Hunter to train her in pure technique, and diligently practiced for years.

“Okay,” he acknowledged, pulling back. “I see what you were talking about, Mr. Song.” Song Chiyul nodded in satisfaction, looking pleased. Cha Haein blinked between them.

“What?” she tried.

“Mr. Song worried about you, that’s also why I’m here,” Park Ryung explained. “I’m an instructor at the Hunter’s Association’s early start program.”

“You’re an instructor?” Cha Haein blurted out, startled. “But aren’t those classes just a waste of-“ She stopped, obviously about to say something very rude before she thought better of it. Park Ryung muffled a snort.

“I’m sure Guildmaster Choi remembers the program differently,” he acknowledged. “I revamped it pretty recently.” She looked all the more shocked. Was it so weird that government programs could be rehauled?

… Actually, never mind.

“Anyway, I’m sure the Hunters Guild has been training you plenty, but your weaknesses are still showing,” Park Ryung continued, waving his free hand. “Most of all, it’s a lack of experience, and that in itself is stopping progress in your technique.”

“There- Isn’t there no point in experience if I lack the technique to face dangers?” she tried, uncertain. “Because of my rank…”

“Ah, you think high ranks mean you’re only going to be challenged in the biggest, baddest Dungeons, right?” Park Ryung finished, amused. He sobered. “I’ll be blunt,” he addressed. “Like this, you could die in a C-rank Dungeon if you’re especially careless.” She flinched. “High ranks, especially for fighter classes, enhance the body’s strength, speed, stamina, senses- all of that goes up with saturation of mana. Depending on the level of overall enhancement, Hunters are categorized into different ranks. Yes, you currently qualify as a superhuman tank. No amount of bullets or rockets can take you out.” He grimaced. “A blade loaded with mana, though, can pierce even an S-rank’s skin if it has enough mana to bypass resistances entirely. Even an E-rank goblin can show up with one of those.” She flinched again, grip briefly tightening on the bamboo sword. She quickly loosened her grip.

“… I- hadn’t realized,” she admitted, quieter. “I didn’t…”

“I can see that you’re taking steps to address your weaknesses and technique, and it’s good,” Park Ryung promised. “But I don’t want you to disregard the dangers just because of Rank. You can take out a B-rank boss on your own, maybe even an A-rank boss, but those B-rank minions will still try to kill you- and that’s just as dangerous if not more so, if you have your guard down. Other Hunters are equally dangerous in skills that utilize mana. Don’t go picking a fight with an A-rank and then stand there to take a hit like it means nothing. Some A-ranks are just barely at the margin below S-rank, and S-rank only means they don’t know your margin. You can be ten points above the threshold or a thousand points above, compared to other ranks who have numerical values applied to their mana. Your own number is just a glitchy error symbol.”

“Why- would I fight other Hunters?” Cha Haein asked him, baffled. Park Ryung stared at her for a moment, then glanced aside. Song Chiyul grimaced back.

“… The fact that you have to ask is what worries me the most,” Park Ryung finally concluded, weary. He rubbed at his neck, sighing. “I’m guessing this is independent training from the guild, right?”

“Yes?”

“Yeah, I didn’t think Choi Jongin was the sharing type.” Too bad for him. “I want to take you on some Dungeon raids, low-rank,” he continued. “For at least a month. I think it’ll help you get a sense of where to go from there. You can also attend my serious class during then.”

“I… I don’t know if I can ask for that kind of time,” Cha Haein tried, hesitant. “Guildmaster Choi might not…”

“Miss Cha, listen,” Park Ryung sighed. “The Hunters Guild is currently sitting on a pedestal above the other major guilds of Korea. And that’s because Choi Jongin has you.” She blinked hard. “Don’t underestimate your importance to the guild. Ask for a month off for independent training, and assure him it won’t be anything that reflects publicly on yourself or the guild. You have weight to throw around, and it won’t be an unreasonable request.” Cha Haein still looked uncertain, but nodded after a moment.

“Will show you me more of your sword forms?” she added.

“Ah, sure? If you want?” She nodded again with more energy. “… Okay,” Park Ryung accepted, mystified. “Anyway, uh, I’m going to make a call. Excuse me.” He tucked away the practice sword before heading out into the hall. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text.

How hard would it be to get a fake ID for an S-rank Hunter?

Woo Jinchul called him within fifteen seconds.

“Just tell me that Cha Haein isn’t leaving the country or making an illegal purchase,” he opened up with.

“Have you met her?” Park Ryung returned bizarrely. “Don’t hurt her feelings.” Woo Jinchul exhaled. “The Hunters Guild is coddling her to pieces and she’s not getting a real education,” he elaborated. “The only way I can get around Choi Jongin for a short while is if I can get her in my class without it becoming public headlines.”

“I believe this is the highest rank you’ve spontaneously decided to mother.”

“Well, on the bright side, it probably won’t go higher.”

“That is true.” The chief inspector was quiet for a moment. “… I’ll speak to the chairman. Protection IDs have been issued before. For her rank, those strings are within reach. Is the Hunters Guild really slacking so much?”

“First of all, they obviously called my program sh*tty.”

“Ah.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s slacking so much as it’s a lack of knowing what to do with her,” Park Ryung continued with a sigh. “They’re lacking basic mana education and teaching her that going into lower-ranked Gates is worthless because they’re not a threat.”

“Ah,” Woo Jinchul repeated, and sighed harshly. “Yes, that is- bad. Very bad. S-ranks have died because of that logic.”

“Yeah, I know.” Park Ryung was aware she wouldn’t, not according to a narrative, but- “At least a month,” he requested. “If it’s possible. I don’t want to pick a fight with Choi Jongin.”

“I don’t want to clean up from a fight with Choi Jongin,” Woo Jinchul replied wearily. “He should really be doing better than this… I’ll see what I can do.”

“That’s all I ask, thank you.”

“Please try to not break this record, though.”

“Ah, I’ll try.” It was a sincere promise to try. He really didn’t want to meet anyone above S-rank, let alone mother them.

… But seriously, he couldn’t believe Cha Haein asked why she’d ever have to fight other Hunters?? If Hunters never had to fight each other, why the f*ck was there an entire department dedicated to monitoring and beating the sh*t out of specific idiots? If anything, the biggest threat S-ranks had to worry about were other S-ranks with sh*tty personalities. He could think of very specific examples.

Cha Haein didn’t go home right away, instead asking to spar again with some weirdly intense eyes. Park Ryung gave her what she wanted, but it didn’t change the outcome. She still expressed way too much gratitude about it before leaving.

“… sh*t,” he sighed, scratching his head. “I better not be caught in public with her around, or Jinwoo’s going to let me have it.” Song Chiyul snorted loudly.

“Yes,” he soothed. “Your pint-sized boyfriend will definitely be a threat to you, Mr. Park.”

“Hey, you like my pint-sized boyfriend.”

“I do, but it doesn’t make it less funny.” Sure, it was cute when Sung Jinwoo did pouty faces and all, but didn’t people realize the mortal terror of pissing off a guy willing to claw out a hobgoblin’s eyes? Park Ryung could already see the crappy tabloids announcing him as Cha Haein’s new boyfriend, and Sung Jinwoo wouldn’t just pout cutely about that. The possessive little bastard.

… Park Ryung was kind of super into that possessive little bastard, but that wasn’t the point.

In any case, he’d hoped that Choi Jongin would acknowledge that annoying his new prize S-rank was a bad idea and give her the leave without issue. Park Ryung, in hindsight, was an idiot. Choi Jongin probably listened to Cha Haein start talking about public image and reasonable requests and immediately smelled someone else’s involvement.

Park Ryung was thus called into the Association by Woo Jinchul the very next day, and the particularly stressed and monotone way he spoke over the phone- said a lot.

Park Ryung was therefore not terribly surprised to walk into a large office and meet yet another S-rank Hunter face to face. Choi Jongin had a perfectly polite and amiable smile, and the ooze of way too much f*cking mana in the room. Beside him, Cha Haein looked somewhat miserable and embarrassed, but still held a handkerchief over her nose. Woo Jinchul appeared as exhausted as anyone who had to file the paperwork for this.

“Hunter Park,” he addressed formally. “Thank you for coming on short notice. Guildmaster Choi has requested to speak with you about Hunter Cha’s training that you spoke of.”

Yeah, Park Ryung wasn’t happy about this possessive bastard.

“I figured,” he sighed, and walked forward. He stopped a polite distance in front of the man, then waited. Choi Jongin stared him down until the faintest twitch developed in one eyebrow. Park Ryung stared right back, barely not sighing again about how long this was taking.

Yeah, sure, S-rank Hunters- whoo, scary. He was dating the main character, was the thing? This peaco*ck with immaculate eyebrows and a sharp suit wasn’t going to scare him. He wasn’t even half as pretty as Sung Jinwoo’s angel face.

“I’ve heard you have- concerns about the way the Hunters Guild is training Hunter Cha,” Choi Jongin finally addressed, brow still twitching faintly.

“I heard you called my training program worthless,” Park Ryung returned calmly.

“Your training program?” Choi Jongin echoed, frowning. Park Ryung was calling it that until the day the world actually ended, in fact. “… Regardless, whatever you mean to imply about my methods, I’ll hear it directly,” the man continued, a bit more mana leaking out. Gross.

“G-Guildmaster Choi, Mr. Park didn’t imply-“ Cha Haein began, but Park Ryung held up a hand slightly.

“It’s fine, I know what I said and didn’t say,” he assured her. He looked to the Guildmaster again. “I’d never imply anything I wouldn’t say to your face directly,” he continued firmly. “If you don’t mind my honesty.”

“I would prefer your honesty,” Choi Jongin agreed smoothly.

“Your training is sh*tty and you’re going to get her killed,” Park Ryung said directly. Choi Jongin twitched again, but Park Ryung had barely started. “First of all, Miss Cha’s been Awakened for what, three months now? And she’s never seen the inside of a single Dungeon? You wouldn’t do that sh*t to a brand new C-rank at your guild, would you? All of her training so far has obviously consisted of basic sword forms and sparring with any A-rank members that you think might be able to go up against her strength. The moment her pace slows down to a lower rank’s speed, the gaps in her experience and flow show up like flashing red lights. A f*cking C-rank goblin with a mana spear could kill her.”

“Hunter Park,” Woo Jinchul attempted, pained.

“And what the f*ck, all of this training didn’t include basic education of Dungeons like the fact that C-rank goblins have those mana weapons in the first place?” Park Ryung demanded, maybe getting a teensy bit irritated by his own rant. “No class basics, mana education, monster types? Even if you’re the only one who can spar her seriously, are you actually explaining the difference between your body as a mage class and her body as a fighter? Are you telling her the massive f*cking difference between getting clubbed by an A-rank ogre and impacting the wall of a Dungeon?”

“Hunter Park, please.”

“And above all, every single f*cking S-rank that’s ever existed has had to fight for their life against other human beings several times,” Park Ryung snapped. “Does she know about your guild rivalries? About the sh*tty relations between us and the Japanese S-ranks alone? About how picking a fight in the first place will actually take out an entire city, and that’s only if she’s not watching out for the knife in her back?!”

“Hunter Park,” Woo Jinchul interjected firmly, clapping a hand on his shoulder. Park Ryung twitched hard to grab it back, then barely stopped himself. He exhaled harshly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“… Listen,” he finally continued, quieter. “There’s a difference between experience as an S-rank and experience as a teacher. I’m not saying you’re treating her in a sh*tty way, that’s obviously not the case. But your best intentions aren’t helping her grow. Above all, she’s willing to learn, and that should have been your priority.” He lowered his hand with another sigh, and the mana lessened in the room? Park Ryung didn’t know what for, but waited patiently for a response. Choi Jongin stared him down with a blank expression, then shifted and turned to stare at- Woo Jinchul?

“Chief Woo,” he began, severe. “How often, exactly, does this happen?” Did what happen?? Woo Jinchul just sighed, which felt pretty rude. “Hmm,” Choi Jongin replied, as if that were an answer. He looked to Park Ryung again. “… I have a question,” he said.

“You asked for my honesty,” Park Ryung pointed out.

“Yes, I did. However.” Choi Jongin looked aside. “Who is that?” Everyone looked. Sung Jinwoo, having been spotted peeking into the room, gave a sheepish smile.

“Excuse my intrusion,” he offered politely.

“That’s my boyfriend, Jinwoo,” Park Ryung explained. “We’re supposed to be training this morning. This interrupted.” Woo Jinchul sighed again, louder. Choi Jongin’s mouth twitched.

“What was your rank, again?” he asked. “About- E-rank?”

“High D,” Woo Jinchul answered, frowning.

“Oh? You control your mana that well?” Ah, right, top tier mage class. Park Ryung was getting annoyed by all these circ*mstances.

“I’m a healer class, it comes with the job,” he agreed. “And Miss Cha has that- nose thing.” Cha Haein looked away in some embarrassment, still holding the handkerchief.

“… Are you interested in joining a guild, Mr. Park?” Choi Jongin asked him.

“No,” Park Ryung answered at once. Choi Jongin looked faintly annoyed.

“Not even if I asked you personally?”

“First of all, you’re not as pretty as my boyfriend, so let’s get that straight.” Sung Jinwoo spluttered, still in the doorway. “I’m also still annoyed you called my program sh*t,” Park Ryung added. “I work with the ranks that guilds like you don’t spare a second glance towards. They’re the ones who need my help. Miss Cha also counts as needing help right now.” He gestured. “One month,” he requested outright. “I’ve already asked the Association for help keeping all of this from the public. I spend one month with Miss Cha getting her vital firsthand experience, basic knowledge, and a direction to go with her training. You get her back without a scratch, and you stop telling people my program is trash.”

“… You don’t exactly feel things like fear, do you?” Choi Jongin asked him instead. Park Ryung barely didn’t roll his eyes.

“Listen, you’re not going to beat up a D-rank healer for being too blunt,” he said. “If I really thought you were that kind of person, I would have just told Miss Cha to run for the hills.” Choi Jongin huffed after a moment, adjusting his glasses.

“Level-headed, then,” he acknowledged. “… I’d like to see your methods firsthand.”

“I refuse if you don’t learn the meaning of subtlety anytime soon.”

“Oh? Do I strike you as being an overly flashy person?” Said the man? In the bright red suit? And a whole ass cape?? Park Ryung’s expression remained completely flat. Choi Jongin smirked. “… Chief Woo, perhaps a second ID could be made?” he asked lightly. Woo Jinchul sighed.

“The Hunter’s Association does not hand out fake IDs like candy, Guildmaster Choi.”

“Come now, not even if I say please?”

“The Hunter’s Association also recognizes the value of Hunter Park and will not facilitate you poaching him.”

“Do you really, though?” Choi Jongin asked lightly. “Or do you-“ He paused, expression shifting. An unsettling light came into his eyes before he closed them with an expression of defeat. “… Hmph. So that’s how it is. No wonder he’s so bold.”

“No,” Woo Jinchul replied, weary. “He came that way.” Park Ryung was just confused.

“… Then I’ll ask politely,” Choi Jongin decided, sighing. “Please. I want to see where my guild is lacking.” Park Ryung felt his cheek twitch. It twitched again, and he finally looked to Woo Jinchul, feeling somewhat helpless. Woo Jinchul stared back, then sighed his loudest sigh yet.

“… I’ll speak to the chairman,” he said.

“Ah, wonderful,” Choi Jongin replied immediately, looking much more chipper at once. “How soon will that be?”

“… I’ll go see if he’s busy, excuse me.” Woo Jinchul walked away in exhaustion, and Park Ryung decided he’d buy him snacks to make up for this. If- it could begin to make up for this. S-ranks clearly exhausted the sh*t out of him.

Which was fair, Park Ryung was getting pretty tired of them himself.

“… I’ll just- come in,” Sung Jinwoo added, walking in. “Excuse me.”

“Sorry, Jinwoo,” Park Ryung sighed, turning.

“I-It’s fine, Hyung, really! I don’t have anywhere to be today, anyway.”

“Ah, still…”

“It’s fine,” Sung Jinwoo repeated, stronger. “But if you feel that bad, we could get lunch after training.”

“We always get lunch after training.”

“Pastries after lunch, then.”

“Oh, that does sound nice.”

“Jinah recommended a spot, it looks good. It has parfaits.” Park Ryung did like parfaits. Especially if they came in fancy little glasses with fancy little spoons. More so if they had the kind meant to be shared between couples.

Ahhh, the day would definitely be worth it if Sung Jinwoo ended up with whipped cream on his nose.

“… It’s Mr. Sung, isn’t it?” Choi Jongin abruptly butted in, apparently having some kind of crisis about not being the center of attention. Sung Jinwoo looked with a start.

“Um, yes! I’m Sung Jinwoo,” he greeted politely. “It’s an honor, Guildmaster Choi. Hunter Cha.” Cha Haein blinked.

“Hello,” she answered, quiet.

“Ah, also, awkward way to ask, but want to come with me while I take Miss Cha through training Dungeons?” Park Ryung added.

“Of course!” Sung Jinwoo agreed quickly. Choi Jongin coughed.

“Mr. Sung is- a Hunter?” he confirmed carefully. Ah, sure, Sung Jinwoo’s mana registered as basically nothing to Park Ryung’s senses too, but how rude.

“Ah, yes. I’m an E-rank,” Sung Jinwoo agreed sheepishly.

“Jinwoo comes on a lot of my training Dungeons,” Park Ryung added. “He’s got a lot of experience in being a badass.”

“H-Hyung,” Sung Jinwoo protested shyly, blushing all cutely about it. “I mean, most of the credit should go towards my teacher…”

“Ah, that meathead? He’s fine.”

“Hyung.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll bask in some glory, but only some!”

Choi Jongin appeared deeply put-upon to be there, but that was entirely his own damn problem.

-

Cha Haein arrived at a D-rank Gate early in the morning, dressed casually and wearing a face mask. Behind her, Choi Jongin also arrived in formal attire, red hair stained black and sunglasses on.

In the area fenced off around the Gate, Park Ryung was waiting in plain clothes under sparse armor, his lithe boyfriend dressed the same way. Cha Haein had seen countless Hunters dressed like them, the normal ranks that went into Dungeons on a regular basis as a career. They were relaxed and chatting, and both had a sword strapped at their sides.

Park Ryung glanced their way as they approached, and he huffed.

“So you only go one speed, do you?” he asked nonsensically. Choi Jongin chuckled.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he answered. “You rent out entire D-rank Gates for training? Or are more coming?”

“No, this one’s mine until I say otherwise.” Park Ryung glanced at the Gate. “It’s not a particularly strong one, anyway, so Jinwoo and I usually just clear them out when we’re done.”

“Ho, is that so?” Choi Jongin hummed. “Then, shall we?”

“Sure, but you are under strict orders to stand in the corner and not do anything until I say so,” Park Ryung informed him. Cha Haein had watched countless government officials and guildmembers alike cower just in the presence of Choi Jongin, guildmaster and S-rank Hunter unironically called a one-man army. Park Ryung, however, really didn’t seem to care.

Strangely enough, that lithe, timid-looking boyfriend of his- also didn’t seem to care? He expressed no distress about the matter, only waiting patiently for Choi Jongin to express his agreement with the orders.

“Is there a reason I have that imposition?” Choi Jongin asked instead.

“Because you’re a mother-hen,” Park Ryung answered bluntly. Choi Jongin twitched faintly, then sighed and adjusted his sunglasses.

“Is it too late to express remorse over asking for your honesty, Mr. Park?”

“Yes.”

“Then fine. I will stand in the corner and not do anything.” Park Ryung nodded as if he’d fully expected this obedience, then turned to the Gate. He gave a little wave for them to walk forward before going in himself. His boyfriend followed half a step behind. “… A D-rank healer and an E-rank clear D-rank Gates on their own?” Choi Jongin muttered to himself.

“Is that strange?” Cha Haein wondered.

“It would be strange if they could clear E-rank Gates on their own,” the guildmaster replied, low. “This is beyond strange.” He walked forward with that, and Cha Haein could only follow.

“Oh,” she managed, startled. Rather than some expansive tunnel, it was- a stone temple? She looked around in bewilderment. Why did it look so- manmade? “This is…”

“Gates come in all kinds of environments,” Park Ryung explained, looking around himself. “Caves are pretty common, but there’s also forests, labyrinths, temples- just about any kind of enclosed area. If it’s a wide-open area, you have a different kind of problem. The monsters inside also match their environment, at least usually.” He looked around. “Mr. Song would like this one,” he added.

“I’m taking pictures,” his boyfriend commented, taking photos of some odd pillars with writing on them.

“Neat.” Song Chiyul, the sword instructor? Before Cha Haein could ask, there was a faint scuffling sound. Park Ryung merely turned his head slightly, looking very calm about the gleaming red eyes that began to shine down the tunnel. Could he not even see them? “This is pretty convenient for our purpose here, too,” he said. “Hordes are a fast teacher.” His boyfriend took a couple more pictures before pocketing his phone. He drew his sword and turned. “Miss Cha, the biggest step you’ve taken towards improving your abilities is trying to master the basics,” Park Ryung continued. “But right now, I’m going to kick you in the ribs.” He gestured at the approaching mob. “Jinwoo and I will make a funnel, but force a lot of them towards you. If you exert too much force as an S-rank, you’ll kill us both instantly trying to wipe out the goblins.” Cha Haein felt her face go cold.

“W-What?” she tried.

“Go slow, go steady, and don’t lose control,” Park Ryung concluded. “Don’t lose your breathing, either.” Cha Haein shouldn’t be afraid of D-rank goblins, right? They were small, they were spindly, naturally weaker than her. They weren’t even that fast, but-

Moving slowly, she could easily cleave one goblin in half. Any more than that, she didn’t know if her sword would go too far. Right after the first goblin, there was a second. She cut it down the same way. The third one was already at her face level as the second fell, and she had to pull her arm back for a short thrust. The fourth-

The fourth was swinging a little dagger at her knee, and she brought her sword down hard. A fifth she hadn’t noticed tackled her shoulder with a shriek that echoed through her very sensitive hearing. She easily shrugged it off, but a sixth, seventh- eighth? She was sturdy, she wasn’t afraid of goblins-

A sharp pain went through her side, and she jerked hard, swinging out blindly. A handful of goblins crashed into the wall off of her, and she flinched. Where was Park Ryung and his boyfriend? If she’d even just clipped one of them-

A goblin’s face flashed in front of hers, only to abruptly turn sideways, then upside down. The flash of Park Ryung’s sword was even more perfect outside of a spar, his movements like water that swept through the goblins. The gleam of his blade almost looked like an afterimage, if she couldn’t track each movement. A perfect dancer in slow motion was still a work of art, though, and it showed in someone like Park Ryung.

He was also accompanied by his E-rank boyfriend, coarser and less graceful, but his balance was equally perfect, and the end of his blade was vicious in comparison. If Park Ryung’s blade glided through monsters like they weren’t there, his boyfriend’s intended to kill them from start to finish. They crossed each other’s paths without missing a step, turned to match each other, and killed the last of them effortlessly.

Cha Haein panted unsteadily, her sword held tight to no avail. The goblins that were laid in a crushed pile aside weren’t the result of her training, just her natural brute strength. The pain in her side was still sharp, and she looked down. Her vision swam a little at the sight of a dagger still in her. The goblin only hadn’t had the strength to put it through her ribs.

If she’d been any less sturdy, even with her strength and speed, she would- die?

“-easy, easy, Miss Cha. You’ve lost your breathing again. Focus.” She sucked in air automatically, and abruptly came back into focus. The tunnel was quiet, littered with only goblin bodies. Park Ryung was standing in front of her, looking grim. Despite the carnage, he looked clean. As if he’d moved so gracefully that even the blood couldn’t touch him. “Don’t pull it out,” he ordered, and she hadn’t realized she was holding the dagger. She let go quickly. “Never pull out something until a healer gets to you, the moment you pull it out, you’ll pulling out a badly-made cork. One breath in,” he told her, and she breathed in deep.

She exhaled with a stifled gasp when the tiny dagger was pulled out, but a moment after, cool, tingling energy replaced the sensation of pain. Park Ryung put one hand on her heart and it spread rapidly through her side, up to her chest, then through her limbs. The adrenaline melted away for something like clarity, and she realized she was scared.

She almost died to goblins.

“I know that was mean of me to make you go through that,” Park Ryung sighed, weary. “But you’re scared of a D-rank Dungeon now, aren’t you?” He asked like that was- the goal? The goal was to scare her?

… If she’d set foot in here not being scared, if Hunters stepped into these places at any rank, thinking they were so much stronger, basically invincible-

How many Hunters died to goblins?

“Forty percent of the E-ranks that set foot in their first Dungeon,” Park Ryung answered, lifting his hand. “Twenty percent of D-ranks. C-ranks and up get snapped up by guilds and rarely get the chance to be swarmed like that, at least on their first raid.” It stopped hurting. Her side was completely undamaged when she touched it. “There’s always going to be your first scare in a Dungeon, and you’re lucky if it’s on your first raid,” he continued. “Otherwise, you get co*cky. See papermen and profits instead of magical monsters with weapons. Once you stop seeing the threat, you stop treating them like one. If you know something even this small and weak can kill you, if you’re scared of it, you won’t turn your back on the things until you’re sure it’s dead.” He gave a little smile that looked pained. “Even S-ranks have to watch the introductory video, remember? Chairman Go Gunhee says it best.”

Always be afraid.

“… How- H-How does your sword- do that?” she could only manage. Park Ryung blinked.

“… Ah, you really like my sword style, don’t you?” he muttered, as if half to himself. “Here, come sit down a moment, drink some water. And you- yes, you’re in your corner, but less smothering the whole damned Dungeon in mana, thanks. You’re going to set off another swarm.”

“… I have questions.”

“My other option was setting her loose on Jeju Island and not being able to step in. Less. Mana.” After a long moment, the thick, foul smell began to clear. Cha Haein managed to sit down, and exhaled shakily. Park Ryung’s boyfriend handed her a water bottle with a gentle smile, and she accepted.

What was his name again? She felt bad for not remembering.

“Since you’re already talking about my sword again, I’ll assume you’re focused,” Park Ryung said, crouching beside her. “Let me explain, now. As an S-rank, B-rank Gates and up are going to be your most frequent visits. B-rank is when Red Gates are a possibility, and all of your long-term survivability skills have to come into play. S-rank Gates are where the monsters are expected to be at least as strong and fast, if not more so, than your natural abilities. You’re going to be on a team. You have to be, you can’t blow away a swarm that has individuals at your level. You can’t use your strength recklessly, because remember what I said about the greatest danger to you?”

“… Other Hunters,” Cha Haein acknowledged, numb.

“If you panic like you did just now and swing blindly, you’ll kill someone at worst, distract them at best,” Park Ryung informed her. “And at that level of danger, that’s as good as killing them. I know I’m a mean f*ck, and I know you’ve been working hard all this time. But this is a D-rank Dungeon that people at my level go into on a weekly basis. This is what people will tell you is nothing compared to what you’re capable of. And they’re full of sh*t, every single one of them.” He gestured aside. “Being an E-rank only has the third-highest fatality rate, Miss Cha,” he said. “Most E-ranks get a sh*tting rating and never go into a Dungeon at all. D-ranks are at second and full of people who think they can make it because they’re at least better than E. S-ranks have a fatality rating five times higher in comparison, and you understand why now.”

Cha Haein understood with a terrible kind of clarity.

“… Alright, less mean lessons for now,” Park Ryung sighed, and settled on the ground beside her. “Whoo. Okay. Jinwoo, if that corner goblin kills me, you know what to do with my laptop.”

“He’s not going to kill you, Hyung.”

“I’ve seen regular goblins with nicer expressions.”

“He might kill you if you keep calling him a goblin, Hyung.”

“You see?” Cha Haein couldn’t help a small sound of humor, mouth twitching. Jinwoo, right. Sung Jinwoo, she was pretty sure.

They were a great team in a lot of ways.

“… What- do I do, then?” she finally asked, looking up. Park Ryung took a drink of his own water.

“Well, you could go to a local Hunter veteran and ask him for sword lessons at his badass Kumdo facility,” he started. “Or go into a D-rank Dungeon and get the sh*t scared out of you by goblins.” Her mouth twitched again, then settled into a smile despite herself. “After that, keep going,” he continued, smiling himself. “It’s your first Dungeon, and it’s only a failure if you’re dead. From now on, we’ll be moving at a snail’s pace. I’ll teach you the concept of slow is smooth, smooth is fast and deadly as f*ck.”

Park Ryung led them through the D-rank Dungeon, and the clearing time was- slow. If Cha Haein had been using her strength and going at full-speed, she would have finished by now. But then she’d set foot in an A-rank Dungeon never having learned a thing. Park Ryung talked as he worked, clearly experienced in giving lessons while also killing monsters. Sung Jinwoo was also clearly experienced himself, especially in fighting by his side. He’d seemed so frail just by his slight frame, but goblins didn’t stand a chance, the rats that crawled out of the walls, the lion-like beasts that only reached her knees. Park Ryung coached her again and again through the idea of not just moving slowly, but using every single moment her enhanced speed gave her to observe, make decisions, and move on.

She tried it against the Dungeon boss, a lion that stood as tall as her shoulder with saber teeth. The monster’s reflexes were above her, though. Like Park Ryung once used his own sheer reflexes to outdo her sword, she nearly took another hit before she gathered herself to jump back.

Before she could jump back in to try again, Park Ryung and Sung Jinwoo passed by her.

“Good,” Park Ryung told her. “Living to fight another day is always the best decision.” He and Sung Jinwoo moved in tandem once again, grace and viciousness in perfect harmony. Park Ryung danced along the boss’s claws and wild movements as if they’d planned each step, but his sword drew lines of blood. Sung Jinwoo almost seemed to lose track, only to abruptly appear just as the lion was in a low crouch, his sword slashing across the side of its head and taking out an eye. He kicked at the same time to leap in a backwards flip, and so the lion’s counterattack only swiped blindly at air. Park Ryung was already at its haunches and taking out a huge gash in its leg. It screamed, turning on him, but Sung Jinwoo had lunged forward directly from his landing.

His sword found its mark in the monster’s neck, his gaze cold and vicious.

Cha Haein didn’t think she could have done anything without turning the monster to paste instead.

Once the Dungeon was cleared, the couple was clearly chipper and considered the day a success. Park Ryung offered one final lesson on harvesting monster crystals, then they made their way out.

“In two days, I’ll start you on classroom stuff for some basic knowledge,” Park Ryung explained. “We’ll take field trips to apply it as necessary. Dungeons are always unpredictable, though, so I can’t make promises. You can bring your corner goblin again if you want.” Choi Jongin sighed.

“I will formally apologize for calling your program worthless, Mr. Park,” he stated.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. Really. I’ll also inform my guild members to do the same.” Park Ryung considered this deeply. He nodded at length, turning away.

“Guildmaster Choi can observe again if he wants,” he concluded. Cha Haein muffled a quiet laugh, and got a friendly smile. “Well, we’re off to cash in our goods! See you later, Miss Cha.”

“Goodbye,” Sung Jinwoo added politely, though the timid smile was somewhat ruined by the streak of blood on his cheek. As he turned around, Park Ryung gently wiped it away with a handkerchief, making him blush. The two chatted happily as they left. The Gate finished closing behind them, leaving no traces of its terrors.

Choi Jongin sighed loudly once they were gone, pulling off his sunglasses. He replaced them with his regular glasses, and appeared aggrieved.

“… The Hunter’s Association definitely won’t let him go no matter how much I offer to pay,” he concluded, weary.

“Mr. Park?” Cha Haein confirmed.

“Hunter Cha.” Choi Jongin pinched the bridge of his nose over his glasses. “Sung Jinwoo wouldn’t qualify to be a Hunter in several countries. He’s as good as a civilian in many aspects.” Cha Haein turned to stare incredulously. “His mana rating is historically low, even for an E-rank. An average E-rank is weaker than those goblins. Sung Jinwoo’s natural abilities are weaker than that by a wide margin.”

“But his fighting capabilities-“

“Yes, they’re impressive. Even outright terrifying, in some ways, for his level.” He looked up at her wearily. “Do you understand, Hunter Cha? That is the result of Park Ryung’s teaching abilities.” Her mouth fell open. “Healers, especially those of a low rank, aren’t capable of fighting,” Choi Jongin continued. “They’re not built for it. The mana in their body is focused entirely in their spells, much like a mage class, but even worse. Even Min Byunggyu only qualifies as an A-rank fighter at best if he’s not healing. To take out a D-ranked boss with less than five Hunters, at least one of those Hunters must be two ranks higher. It’s physically impossible for an E-rank fighter and a D-rank healer to clear an E-rank Dungeon on their own, let alone a D-rank.” He turned his gaze to the sky, miserable. “And because of who he is, Go Gunhee won’t ever let that talented bastard go. I have to sit in the back and figure out how the hell he makes monsters like himself and Sung Jinwoo.”

“… Who- he is?” Cha Haein attempted.

“Maybe I should send the guild’s instructors through that program of his,” Choi Jongin muttered, no longer listening. “At least a few- no, at least one should be able to pick up something. It’s a public program, it won’t be a legal issue. That chief inspector will definitely be petty about it, though…”

Cha Haein couldn’t claim to understand the full scope of the situation. But she did know an art form when she saw it, and she now understood how intensely she was lacking. There was going to be a lot of hard work to make up for her deficiencies, and she was aware of just a fraction of the dangers.

But if she could learn to dance like what she’d seen, she thought it would be more than worth it.

Chapter 7

Chapter Text

It started with a dangerous thought.

When Park Ryung realized he was living in a webtoon all this time, he’d thought of making changes. He had reasons to make changes. The world ended. Except not really, because it was technically saved and all by some time travel plot device, but the thing was-

The thing was, all the magic of this world was taken away in the process, and everyone lived their lives without knowing it. And to Park Ryung, that was an end of the world that couldn’t be recovered from.

He’d already lived a lifetime without real magic, reading about it instead, imagining and never believing. Monsters were just another name for human nature, magic was a concept, dimensions were a theory. Solo Leveling was nothing more than a story, and not even the best one she’d read, no matter how much she liked the main character. And if all happened as the book said, this life would be erased and magic would disappear, and everything would go back to how he once knew.

So- step one, teach the protagonist to be strong before the System ever came into play. Help him through his early struggles so he had a higher platform to leap from.

Step two, use what little future knowledge he had to kick the right people into action.

Step three, nothing but question marks. Park Ryung was kicking a hornet’s nest of a timeline and just seeing what would happen.

… Step one succeeded, technically. Step two was supposed to be when Sung Jinwoo moved on without Park Ryung in his life. Step two-

Step two was when Sung Jinwoo was basically killed by the Double Dungeon incident, and barely pulled through. Where he was betrayed, traumatized, and emotionally closed himself off.

Park Ryung had been dating the protagonist for several months before he finally had to acknowledge that he wasn’t capable of knowingly putting his boyfriend in a situation that meant certain death. And from there, came that dangerous thought-

What if he didn’t?

The world ended, was the thing, and Park Ryung didn’t think anyone was capable of doing what the protagonist was capable of. It was the whole point of the book, the literal title. But the System was a nasty bastard, and even the protagonist admitted that it was just using him as a mean to its own end. What that end was, Park Ryung never found out.

So- what if Sung Jinwoo never became the protagonist of Solo Leveling?

… Park Ryung rolled that dangerous thought around in his head, and finally came to a frustrating conclusion. Someone needed to level up insanely, which was apparently only possible with the System. Despite this being a bullsh*t murim world that technically should have made it possible for anyone to level up.

… From there, Park Ryung had a very different, and very, very dangerous thought.

Before that, though, he had to deal with problems that really shouldn’t have been a problem?? He had literal world-ending concerns, everything else felt like a nuisance.

After texting about the matter, because Sung Jinwoo was really the only person who he could complain to without it involving work, Park Ryung was somehow still shocked when his boyfriend showed up at his door really fast. It was a little awkward, too. The cops were still there and all, plus some agents from the Hunter’s Association? He didn’t even call them, they just showed up with the cops.

“Are you okay??” Sung Jinwoo demanded at once, panting.

“O-Oh, um. Yeah.” Park Ryung definitely didn’t feel his heart flutter because his boyfriend came running to check on him. Yeah, definitely not. “It’s just, uh. A mess.”

… A mess was kind of an understatement? Whoever broke into his apartment definitely did it to him specifically. They were also definitely a Hunter, there was no way his furniture was destroyed like that by a normal person. His sparse belongings were scattered all over, each individually and painstakingly rendered unusable in some manner. Also, he had death threats spraypainted on his walls. And windows. And door.

It was such a weirdly juvenile prank and severely annoying issue all at the same time. Who the f*ck was this petty bastard?

“Hunter Park,” one of the agents addressed, and Park Ryung blinked up. “We’re compiling a list of potential suspects through the surveillance department,” the man told him severely. “We’ll work with the police.”

“Suspects?” Sung Jinwoo asked incredulously. “How many people would want to do this to Hyung?” Park Ryung ran over a mental checklist of everyone he could have possibly pissed off to this degree.

His mental checklist ran out of space really fast.

“Um,” he said. “Jinwoo? Probably enough people to start their own guild, honestly.” The agent coughed, but didn’t disagree. “I appreciate it,” Park Ryung added to the agent. “If there’s anything I can help with, let me know.”

“Of course, sir. Chief Woo will also be on-site soon.”

“Ah, really? Sheesh, he gets around.” Park Ryung ran into him all the damned time for incidents. Not that he didn’t like the guy, but wasn’t he busy enough on his own? Poor thing.

As it were, Woo Jinchul did show up pretty quickly, and appeared as stressed as always. Beside him was another surveillance agent that gave Park Ryung a sideways glance. Park Ryung stared right back before the man disappeared into the apartment, his expression bored. Woo Jinchul exhaled harshly.

“You’re getting a security detail,” he opened up with.

“Huh,” Park Ryung managed. “W-Why?” Behind him, his broken door still had the words I WILL KILL YOU spraypainted in big, red letters.

“… For reasons,” Woo Jinchul answered. “We’ll be looking into the latest blacklists to start. Did anyone make any specific threats that you can remember?”

“I remember the lego in the foot threat,” Park Ryung admitted.

“You told me about that three months ago.”

“Yeah, it was the only one I really remembered.”

“Hunter Park, please pay more attention when people use words that constitute as threats.” Did he have to? Honestly, Park Ryung was pretty sure that anyone who worked with the public for too long would be threatened in some way. His threat incidents just happened to involve magically-enhanced idiots.

“Hyung?” Sung Jinwoo tried, voice cracking adorably. “H-How many people, exactly, are threatening to hurt you??” Park Ryung tried very hard to think of an exact number, and once again ran out of brainspace. He could only wince instead. “What’s a blacklist?” Sung Jinwoo asked instead. Woo Jinchul glanced at him, then sighed.

“Hunter Park has the authority to blacklist Hunters in Korea,” he answered. “In other words, if he deems that an Awakened person is a danger to themselves or others around them, they’re banned from a Hunter’s license and unable to work in raids or deal in magic items.” Sung Jinwoo looked too surprised?? Park Ryung didn’t think that was too big of a deal. “His authority has been used a number of times,” Woo Jinchul continued. “The blacklisted individual has very often proven its necessity. This is clearly another one of those cases.”

“Probably one of the psychopaths, then,” Park Ryung acknowledged in a grumble. “Why do so many bad tempers equal Awakening?”

“Hyung,” Sung Jinwoo realized in a wheeze. “Hyung, is this- is this what’s happening when you tell me someone got ‘a little excited’ and destroyed part of the classroom?! They’re literally trying to kill you??” Ah, Park Ryung just remembered why he didn’t bring this up very often. To be fair, he ran so many classes by this point that he'd seen Hunters by the hundreds. The number of Awakened he'd met that turned out to be crazy was insignificant in comparison.

“… Um,” he tried. “They’re not very good at it?” Sung Jinwoo’s expression bypassed cute pouting completely, and Park Ryung flinched. “I just- I-It’s really just part of the annoyances of teaching people who suddenly have a lot of power,” he tried. “Sometimes you realize that these are the kinds of people that you don’t want to leave in an interdimensional pocket with other human beings, and they freak out when you refuse to teach them how to use a weapon. They’ve never done any serious damage to me, really!” Sung Jinwoo hesitated, then lowered his gaze.

“… Do you- need a place to stay?” he asked instead. Park Ryung blinked. He turned slightly to consider his apartment.

“No,” Woo Jinchul told him sternly. Park Ryung was pretty sure the floor wasn’t that uncomfortable, but alright? “Hunter Park, the Association will rent you a penthouse room before letting you sleep on the floor of your destroyed apartment.”

“Ah, sheesh. It was just a thought.” Sung Jinwoo sighed to the heavens, which was very rude of him.

“Hyung,” he sighed. “Just come home with me. My mother’s been sneaking in threats to get to meet you properly.” Park Ryung considered this deeply. He began to sweat.

“Meet him,” Woo Jinchul echoed, and Park Ryung’s sweating increased exponentially. “Mrs. Park is very well-aware of who-“

“Ahhh okay let’s go meet her, then!!” Park Ryung burst out, standing up. “L-Let’s, um, do that!! For the first time!!! Sounds great!” Sung Jinwoo stared at him. Woo Jinchul also stared, but with an immense amount of judgment.

“… Yes,” he concluded, exhausted. “I’ll send the security detail to Hunter Sung’s residence, then. They’ll be discreet and keep us updated, and otherwise stay back. Please use your best discretion in the meantime.” He went into the apartment himself with that, leaving them alone outside the door. Sung Jinwoo continued to stare. Park Ryung felt his face go scarlet, picking at his own fingers.

“… I-I’m- a bad boyfriend,” he finally confessed, voice small. Sung Jinwoo was quiet for a long while, then sighed.

“… Come on, Hyung,” he said. “Let’s- grab a snack.” Park Ryung could only nod obediently and follow him. He glanced back at his broken door, then sighed and left it behind.

They sat on a park bench with their snacks for a bit, quiet. Park Ryung vaguely thought about how he needed to buy clothes again. File the paperwork for a new laptop. Buy- pretty much everything all over again, except for some shirts that Jinwoo managed to hoard. If nothing else, at least he didn’t lose anything that couldn’t be replaced.

It just left this really, really awkward conversation to deal with.

“… My mom doesn’t know I’m a Hunter,” Sung Jinwoo then opened up with, and Park Ryung almost dropped his snack. He blinked hugely.

“What,” he squawked. Sung Jinwoo groaned, letting his head fall back.

“I- should have taken you to meet her ages ago,” he admitted, pained. “I wanted to, I just- I told her you were my HVAC class instructor. B-But it turns out that you can’t even reset the AC without help…”

“Yeah, bad call,” Park Ryung muttered. He paused. “Wait,” he realized. “T-Then, that- If I meet her, then- oh, f*ck,” he comprehended, and held his face in his hands.

“So you have met her?” Sung Jinwoo confirmed wearily. “And she definitely knows you’re a Hunter?”

“D-Definitely…” Park Ryung groaned loudly, then collapsed forward. “… I just- d-didn’t want to… make it awkward,” he managed. “Between us. Or not- awkward, I guess, just…” He hesitated, then wilted a little further. “… I should have- told you about it. Especially when I knew. But I didn’t want it to… change things.” Sung Jinwoo stayed quiet, waiting far too patiently. Park Ryung felt his ears also go hot. “… Y-You know how I work at the hospital a lot?” he finally confirmed, weary. “No- Wait. That’s… not a good start. I mean, it’s mostly the point, but I just…” He lifted his head for a moment, then sighed out. “… I’m the one who discovered the cure for Eternal Sleep Disease,” he finally managed. “I- The first patient I tried it on was Park Kyunghe. I spent months treating her myself even after she woke up.”

“… Oh,” Sung Jinwoo said. He was then quiet for a very, very long while. Long enough to give Park Ryung an entire complex about it, thanks. And also make him regret everything. “… So that’s- why the Association gives you so much special treatment,” Sung Jinwoo finally concluded.

“I- I think so,” Park Ryung mumbled. Woo Jinchul really did show up a lot.

“… Yeah,” Sung Jinwoo murmured to himself. “A lot of special treatment. But you… didn’t want to be treated as anything but a normal employee from the start, right?” Park Ryung looked with a start. Sung Jinwoo was looking forward with a thoughtful expression?

“… Yeah,” Park Ryung could only admit. “A-Are you… upset?” Sung Jinwoo considered this for a long moment, then exhaled in a quiet huff.

“Hyung,” he sighed. “I think that’s the only thing that’s going to save my life when I tell her I broke my promise to never become a Hunter. No, I’m not upset you saved her life. I’m not upset that you didn’t want to tell me and just made our relationship about us instead. I do kind of wish I knew that before I tried the technician story, though.”

“I could- try to learn the HVAC thing? Whatever that is?” Something to do with an air conditioner?

“I think that’s a little pointless, Hyung.”

“Ah, right.”

“Besides, it’s not interesting enough for you to learn, meathead.”

“Hey!” Park Ryung couldn’t help a small laugh despite himself, shoulders unbunching somewhat. “… But yeah, you’re probably right,” he admitted. He considered forward, then sighed. “… I’m a false ranker,” he added impulsively. Sung Jinwoo almost dropped his snack then. He turned, blinking hugely. “I think I’m- actually around B-rank or so,” Park Ryung confessed. “I spent months after getting Awakened learning to control my mana so I could botch the evaluation. I-Incidentally, that was what led to the whole cure thing…”

“Why would you fake it?” Sung Jinwoo asked incredulously. Park Ryung winced, rubbing at his neck.

“Because I had future visions when I Awakened,” he said. “And I didn’t want anyone to find me if I gave out that information.” Sung Jinwoo stared. “… When the surveillance department looks for a Hunter with a unique ability, they start their search at a certain rank,” Park Ryung explained. “So- when I sent a letter almost two years ago telling the Association about the S-rank Gate that would open on Jeju Island, it meant that anyone who evaluated for C-rank and above would become suspect. It would be just an interest, at first. But once the Gate actually opened, and everything else I wrote turned out to be true…”

“Then everyone would try to find you,” Sung Jinwoo finished in a murmur. “… I’ve never heard of that kind of ability.”

“Heh. Me, either.” Park Ryung sighed out harshly. “But I do know about an American Hunter who has the ability to enhance other Hunters,” he added thoughtfully.

“Wha- Seriously??”

“Oh, yeah, she’s an insanely top-level secret, by the way. The Americans are crazy.” He shook his head to himself. “… Mostly I just know about a lot of tragedy,” he admitted, tired. “Horrible tragedies that break people’s hearts and minds. Funerals for people who should’ve had better. Monsters that break all the rules and step on us like ants.” He shrugged a little. “And I don’t- see the resolution, is the thing.”

“… That ability kind of sucks, Hyung,” Sung Jinwoo decided.

“It sucks so bad,” Park Ryung agreed in despair. He huffed. “… On the bright side, getting my apartment trashed feels kind of pathetic in comparison, so. Perspective?”

“No, that’s still bad.”

“Oh.”

“… So- are you a lot stronger than you seem?”

“Ah… I don’t actually really know?” Park Ryung considered. “Honestly, I thought it was definitely C-rank at most,” he admitted. “B-rank is kind of where my guess settled, but I don’t exactly have the ability to check. And I’m not a big fan of recklessly using strength in the first place, so… I’ve always tried to focus on my technique instead and keep my mana suppressed. I do think I’m capable of going faster, but- I don’t know if I’d really know how to use it.” He looked down at his hands. “And even if I did, if I tried to reach as far as I could, hit as hard as I can, it doesn’t feel- worth it. The kinds of monsters I know about, even most S-ranks get crushed underfoot. The only one who stands a chance…” He shook his head. “A Hunter that continuously levels up.” Sung Jinwoo frowned.

“Like- always growing in strength?”

“Yeah. But- it’s at a cost. A really, really bad cost. I wouldn’t… wish it on anyone, I don’t think.” He sighed. “… So, yeah. I didn’t- mean to keep all this stuff from you about the blacklisted Hunters. I just- I guess my head’s kind of stuck comparing everything to the end of the world. It really doesn’t seem like a big deal to me.”

“… Yeah, I can understand that.” Sung Jinwoo touched his knee. “But it’s a big deal to me, Hyung.”

“Hm, you have weird priorities.” Park Ryung couldn’t help a little smile anyway. Sung Jinwoo huffed. “… I still can’t believe I haven’t been caught, though…”

“I’m pretty sure they won’t even be that mad if they did catch you, Hyung.”

“Y-You think?”

“It’s not like you’re using a fake rank to sneak into Dungeons and pick off lower-ranked Hunters.”

“… Well, that’s true.” Park Ryung could at least acknowledge that even if someone watched him twenty-four-seven, he was pretty innocent. Innocently boring, at least. “… Meeting your mom properly- suddenly feels a little less scary?” he realized, surprised.

“You have weird priorities,” Sung Jinwoo echoed, and Park Ryung laughed despite himself. “I should warn her and Jinah, anyway. But… shouldn’t you have packed something, Hyung?”

“Oh, um. They burned all my clothes, ahahaha. Even the underwear, the dedication is pretty incredible…”

“…”

“… I know you’re upset, but it’s still cute when you pout like that.”

So- Sung Jinwoo sent some texts, and Park Ryung had to do a little last-minute shopping. Despite all his big talk, he still found himself fidgeting anxiously while being led to Sung Jinwoo’s apartment. He’d met both of these people already, and both of them expressed some manner of approval of him as a person? Sort of?? It was probably fine, right??

… It was just a few days on his boyfriend’s couch, it wasn’t a big deal.

He also nearly jumped out of his goddamned skin when Sung Jinwoo abruptly held his hand.

“Would you feel better if Jinah came at you with a sword?” he teased. Park Ryung whined, face going hot.

“Jin-woo…”

“It’s cute when you fidget,” his tiny boyfriend informed him, and left Park Ryung to blush like an idiot about it. Before he knew it, Sung Jinwoo was inserting his key in a door. There was a clattering noise on the other side, then the door abruptly flung open by itself.

“It’s about time, isn’t it?!” Sung Jinah demanded at a terrifying volume.

“Jin-AH,” Sung Jinwoo yelped, mortified. “Hey, what are you- hey!!”

“You can stand outside and think about what you’ve done, making us wait for so long!!” the teen girl snapped, dragging in Park Ryung by the wrist. Sung Jinwoo could only splutter before the door was shut in his face. “MOM THE HOT TEACHER IS HERE.”

“JINAH,” Sung Jinwoo hollered from outside.

“Jinah,” Park Kyunghe exclaimed, exiting a kitchen doorway. “What did I say? At least greet your brother’s boyfriend somewhat-“ She stopped, catching the doorframe. Park Ryung was- surprised?

Logically, coma patients were very different from healthy people wandering around. Park Kyunghe wasn’t nearly so thin as she was before, wasn’t nearly so pale. Her face was brighter even in her expression of shock.

Park Ryung had been Awakened- for a couple years now, and he’d been training extensively to be able to focus on the faintest specks of mana, those insignificant yet important presences. Especially since his boyfriend was one of them.

There was no reason for Park Kyunghe to be giving off the faintest traces of mana herself, right?

“… Hunter… Park?” she realized. Sung Jinwoo finally arrived himself, closing the door behind him. He first pushed his sister on the couch and left her flailing and spitting. He then cleared his throat as he walked up.

“Mom,” he greeted. “This is Park Ryung, my boyfriend. Hyung, my mom.” Park Kyunghe was quiet for a long moment, then actually teared up a little?? But she also smiled, walked forward, and just. Hugged him?

… It was a nice hug.

“… H-Hi, Mrs. Park,” Park Ryung finally managed to greet, like an idiot. He wasn’t sure what to do with his hands suddenly. Hug her- back? “I-I, um…” She pulled back before he could decide, and smiled upward kindly.

“Go ahead and put your things in Jinwoo’s room, dear,” she told him. “Dinner will be soon.” It felt like something was stuck in his throat? Ah, how strange. He could only nod obediently, and she patted his arm before going back into the kitchen. Park Ryung only moved when Sung Jinwoo gently tugged at his arm to walk again.

Sung Jinwoo’s room was neat and tidy, despite his usual dress style of casual slob. Park Ryung gingerly set down his new bags in the corner.

“Hyung?” Sung Jinwoo asked him.

“… Your mom- has mana,” Park Ryung answered instead.

“… Huh?”

“It’s not much, it's less than you,” Park Ryung continued, unsteady. Unsteady from what, he didn’t want to examine too closely. “But it’s, um. There? Flowing, I mean. Which means there’s a source. But sources only come from Awakening, but she’s not- Awakened, b-because it’s not saturating her the same way. It’s more like…” He held a hand over his face. “… Jinwoo,” he managed numbly. “I think… I think I know how to make a Hunter grow.”

Like a seed planted in soil, ready to grow if given the right care. Park Kyunghe likely never would, why would she? But- for someone not Awakened to have that potential, something artificial outside of whatever Awakening even was in the first place-

Or. Or maybe Awakening was the artificial bullsh*t, and Park Ryung stumbled on something that wasn’t.

“… That- That’s really dangerous, then,” Sung Jinwoo comprehended.

“Y-Yeah. I think so.”

“It probably… shouldn’t ever be- tried. In case it succeeded.”

“Yeah,” Park Ryung repeated. It was a dangerous thought. A massively dangerous idea. Park Ryung didn’t need two braincells to imagine the potential consequences, the fallout. The world had only just settled from the manic rush of adjusting to Dungeons in the first place, and he’d already kicked a hornet’s nest by reimagining how magic and medicine worked together.

… But if- he could really save this world from being undone, if the protagonist never had erased magic- it would be inevitable. Someone would have eventually understood the causes of Eternal Sleep Disease. Looked deeper into the relationship between mana systems and humans. And if they also happened to spend enough time treating someone for a mana-related disease-

It was a lot of circ*mstances that came together, and it might have taken years. Park Ryung just- f*cked up fate close to beyond repair. He was so close to breaking something that couldn’t be broken.

“… Hey, Jinwoo,” he said, lowering his hand. “… So it- would be a really bad idea if I- I wanted to try it anyway, right?” He shouldn’t, he shouldn’t, he shouldn’t. The protagonist was written to be the only one of his kind. It was actual written law. It was the f*cking title.

Park Ryung wasn’t supposed to want more than his lot in life.

“… Yeah,” Sung Jinwoo echoed. “A really, really bad idea.” He wasn’t doing a very good job of being discouraging, ah. He sounded a little too excited.

In another life, Park Ryung was someone who read these kinds of stories endlessly. That person obviously read them for a reason.

“… I’ll check on other patients as a follow-up through the hospital,” he reasoned, clearing his throat. “Mrs. Park- She’s the only one I fully treated myself. I don’t know if the artificial mana lines are different.”

“Right. It’s best to check.”

“Right.” Park Ryung considered the tidy room. “… Ah,” he sighed. “Jinwoo, and here I used to think I was your enabler.” Sung Jinwoo chuckled at that, and when Park Ryung turned, his grey eyes were especially bright.

“I would think the same about you, Hyung,” he replied, smiling widely.

Park Kyunghe was apparently really enthusiastic about dinner, because Park Ryung was faced with a lot of food when he sat down. Not just in the middle of the table, but what was pushed onto his plate. Sung Jinwoo was always fussy, and Park Ryung now got to see exactly who he got it from. Sung Jinah grinned at his flustered state and visibly enjoyed the show.

It was nice. It was just- really, really nice.

It was so nice, he sort of forgot about waiting for the other shoe to drop until it came down.

“Jinwoo,” Park Kyunghe sighed. “So are you finally ready to tell me about your Hunter work?” Sung Jinwoo and his sister both choked at once. Ah, so there was a co-conspirator.

“You… knew?” Sung Jinwoo finally managed.

“Dear,” his mother sighed, holding a hand to her cheek. “I married a firefighter who became a Hunter. The more you talked about your boyfriend, the more obvious it was that you and I shared tastes.” Park Ryung was now the one choking, thanks!! Sung Jinwoo went scarlet.

“Ew,” Sung Jinah grumbled.

“I-I, um…” Sung Jinwoo ducked his head, shamed. “… I’m- sorry,” he told her, quiet. “I-I’m so sorry. I couldn’t… keep my promises.” Park Kyunghe sighed softly.

“… It wasn’t fair of me to ask for promises I knew you couldn’t keep, Jinwoo,” she murmured. “I was just… scared. It’s so dangerous to be a Hunter, no matter your rank. Even if you are so successful, I just…”

“I know it’s dangerous,” Sung Jinwoo agreed, quiet. “I do. Hyung- that was the first thing he taught me about being a Hunter, was how dangerous it was. How I shouldn’t set foot in a Gate without understanding and preparing for that danger with hard work.” Park Kyunghe bit her lip, then nodded. “I- never go into Dungeons alone,” Sung Jinwoo continued. “And a lot of times, I go with Hyung. We work well together, to the point where I rarely need his healing abilities. I’ve become familiar with a lot of the local Hunters, and they know me, too. It’s a good group, Mom. Mr. Song always makes sure to do everything so all of us go back in the best condition.” His mother’s gaze lowered as well.

“… What- What rank are you?” she asked.

“E-rank,” Sung Jinwoo answered. She looked up, startled.

“But- But you’ve been bringing home so much…?”

“The highest Gate I’m allowed in is D-rank, and the Association would never send me into anything they deem too dangerous for my rank,” Sung Jinwoo explained. “But- my efforts pay off. Hyung and I train together, and even if I’m physically weaker, I find ways to have advantages over monsters. In a team, we also look out for each other.” Park Ryung squirmed a bit in his seat.

“M-Mrs. Park, I know low ranks get a bad rap, but Hunters are far from equal even when they’re in the same rank,” he explained. “The truth is, Jinwoo’s been able to defeat monsters that most D-ranks wouldn’t consider taking on alone.” She blinked hugely. “It’s not- something he was given naturally, it’s not something he was born with,” Park Ryung continued. “His Awakening didn’t give him much compared even to other E-ranks. He doesn’t have the skills that use mana automatically, and he has to train to hone his own strength and speed. But because of how hard he’s worked to create his own talents, his own skill- everything he owns he uses amazingly. If he stumbles a step, he always picks back up and doesn’t make the same mistake twice. I’ve met C-ranks that I had to outright blacklist from a Hunter’s license because I knew the moment they set foot into a Dungeon, they’d be the death of themselves and their teammates.” He shook his head. “The first Dungeon I took Jinwoo to for training, I was just going to have him pick up some fighting experience. He ended up with the boss’s heart on the end of his sword.”

“… W-Whoa, seriously?” Sung Jinah managed.

“Ahh, it was so neat,” Park Ryung gushed, briefly getting excited. “One moment a rock went flying to distract the boss, then- bam! Knee tendons slashed!! A sudden jump back to avoid the counterstrike, like- whoosh!”

“Whoa,” Sung Jinah repeated, eyes wide.

“H-Hyung,” Sung Jinwoo whined, blushing adorably.

“Do you know he even has a nickname with the local Hunters?” Park Ryung added excitedly.

“Hyung!!” Sung Jinwoo cried. “No, that- that’s not a nickname, it’s just some weird thing!!”

“Tell us, tell us!” Sung Jinah demanded.

“Hyung don’t tell her she’ll tease me until I die?!” Sung Jinwoo begged. Park Ryung made the mistake of glancing at his pitiful angel baby face. His heart throbbed, and he looked away in grave defeat.

“… I can’t say no to that pout,” he confessed.

“Augh, no fair?!”

“Ah, sorry, but he weaponizes his cute face…” Park Kyunghe abruptly giggled, then broke down in a fit of laughter. Park Ryung blinked at her as she laughed, then finally collected herself to smile warmly.

“Jinwoo really impresses you so much, Ryung?” she teased gently. Park Ryung felt his cheeks go warm despite himself, abruptly aware of how excited he’d gotten.

“I-I mean… How could he not, really?” he confessed.

“Hmmm… Yes, that’s fair.” Her smile widened. “How could he not? He’s very impressive.” Park Ryung nodded like a bobble, eyes wide. Park Kyunghe was quiet for a long moment, then stood. “Would you mind helping me with the dishes, Ryung?”

“Y-Yes! Of course!”

“Thank you, dear. Jinwoo, Jinah, go find a nice movie to watch.” Park Ryung peeked back, and Sung Jinwoo gave him a bright, encouraging smile. Park Ryung could only smile back sheepishly before leaving.

“… Sooo… the guy who basically cured magic cancer is your number one fan, huh, Oppa?”

“Jin-ah, don’t- wait. H-How did you…?”

“I saw him, the day Mom woke up. A bunch of doctors crowded around this one guy while he was doing something with magic or whatever. Whatever he did, though, Mom didn’t just wake up- it almost killed him, too.”

“… Oh.”

“He’s kind of funny in the head, but… I guess he’s pretty cool. You’re not letting him run off, right?”

“S-Shut it, brat. Of course not.”

“Good!”

… Park Ryung needed to mention to his boyfriend that faking his rank meant he had a lot better hearing than Sung Jinwoo realized. Ah, probably later.

Once dinner was cleaned up, the couches were crowded for a movie. Another one that Sung Jinwoo had used as an excuse to get into his apartment. Park Ryung nonetheless settled in, and it was- comfortable.

There was still a lot to do, a lot to think about in the future. He’d been given the week off from the Association, even if he didn’t ask for it, but he could use it to go to the hospital. With enough patients called in for check-ups, especially those that woke up around the same time as Park Kyunghe, he could find out more about what he’d done. Could figure out something about that new source of mana, and what he was really capable of doing. He needed to figure out who even drove him out of his apartment, because they were being a nuisance. He was also just crashing for a few days in the first place, he needed to work out how to get his apartment back or just find someplace new.

… Or he could- also settle here for a little bit. Just to make sure it was really okay with Sung Jinwoo’s family that he was dating him. Park Kyunghe would be upset if he left too quickly and all. She’d told him that specifically over dishes.

Maybe he could just wait for a day or two before heading back to work.

Chapter 8

Chapter Text

“Of all the patients treated, Mr. Park, Mrs. Park is the one who recovered the fastest, but also had the least amount of side effects, if any at all. Although, I’m not sure why you wanted to see for yourself…” Park Ryung considered the room on the other side of the observing window. He didn’t have to go inside to meet the man that was getting checked. He could feel the mana in the device they were using to check his pathways, even with the much stronger source of mana beside him. There wasn’t a trace inside the man being treated.

It wasn’t that he didn’t keep up with developments in treating Eternal Sleep Disease. On the contrary, he was consulted often, especially in those first six months. Once they managed to tweak the mana devices appropriately, treatments for coma patients took about a full week before the patient was fully conscious. Six months was tentatively considered the safest minimum time to treat them afterward before letting them go home. Patients who had spent shorter amounts of time being treated tended to show back up at the hospital either back in a coma or unexplainably exhausted.

Park Kyunghe had gotten checked a few months after she went home, six months after she woke up, but never displayed any similar symptoms. It was therefore accepted that Park Ryung’s treatment was the most effective, but he didn’t treat anyone other than Park Kyunghe in the first place. He couldn’t just travel around the world spending months on each individual. If the machines were never properly calibrated in the first place, no real progress would be made. He was also trying to stay anonymous outside of the select doctors who knew.

So, he also happened to confirm that he did something very different from the machines, and that something was very, very dangerous.

“Did something happen with Mrs. Park, Hunter Park?” Woo Jinchul finally asked him. Park Ryung had spent a few days at the hospital, checking patients from afar like this. Today, Woo Jinchul showed up. “Is everything alright?” he persisted. Park Ryung had only dangerous thoughts in his head, dangerous concepts he wanted to test. He probably should keep that to himself, and definitely not share that with the people responsible for keeping the status quo.

… He liked Woo Jinchul, was the thing. And Park Ryung wouldn’t have stayed with the Association if he didn’t think there was a need for them, especially the surveillance department.

Park Ryung still glanced at the doctor that had gone to enter the room, the empty hallway around them. His gaze returned to Woo Jinchul.

“Park Kyunghe developed a mana core,” he answered honestly. Woo Jinchul stilled even his breathing. He was quiet for a long, long moment.

“… She- Awakened?” he confirmed, voice barely a whisper.

“No,” Park Ryung replied, quiet. “It’s not the same. It isn’t saturated in her body to enhance it, it barely affected her senses. In terms of the raw amount of mana her body has, it’s a fraction of what Jinwoo has.” He turned his head slightly. “It’s just a seed that hasn’t grown.” Woo Jinchul closed his eyes tightly for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“… Don’t- treat any other Eternal Sleep patients,” he managed. “Why you’re here, to check-“

“None of them are the same. She’s the only one.” Woo Jinchul exhaled shakily, lowering his hand. Park Ryung looked to the little window again. “I won’t,” he added. “Treat any others. I never wanted them to become dependent on me anyway, and they know that. She was just a special case.”

“… Right. Who else knows, aside from Hunter Sung?” Ah, not even going to ask if Park Ryung told his boyfriend.

“Just Jinwoo,” he answered anyway. “I did give Mrs. Park a check, but she didn’t ask why. Her pathways are smooth and flowing properly. It wasn’t that way a year ago, but…” He sighed out. “Well, it’s not like we understand Awakening anyway.”

“No, we really don’t.” Woo Jinchul fell quiet again, brooding on the matter. A nurse walked down the hallway with little more than a curious look towards them. Woo Jinchul leaned back against the wall, gaze clouded. “… If anyone finds out it was you,” he began.

“Yeah, I’m not that stupid.” In a story, Sung Jinwoo once feared being known worldwide as a Hunter who could grow continuously. He was right to be afraid of that. Being an unfathomably powerful S-rank in itself drew far too much attention.

Park Ryung might become the one person who could Awaken every person desperate for a chance that they couldn’t predict. It was beyond dangerous. Utterly stupid to think about trying to figure out how to increase the strength of Hunters. S-ranks alone were people that loved their power, and they would become disasters who had a need. The Americans kept their secret so closely-guarded for very, very good reasons.

“It’s… No, it’s not possible it’s a coincidence, is it?” Woo Jinchul sighed, weary. Park Ryung sighed himself.

“I don’t think so,” he admitted. “If she was even only just as strong as Jinwoo, maybe. But- it’s something different.” He shook his head to himself. “The main problem is, it’s not a skill I have. My only skill is healing.”

“… Right. I see.” The chief lowered his hand. “If there’s any developments, then…”

“I’ll tell you.” Park Ryung thought he had at least enough sense to tell his boss before upending the way the world worked. “But I’d prefer that you didn’t tell anyone else in your department, Chief. The only exception being the chairman.” Woo Jinchul considered him, then nodded slightly.

“Right,” he repeated. “It’s for the best, I agree. And you understand the safest route here, of course.”

“I do.” Park Ryung knew the dangers of his own thoughts. “… But I don’t know how safe I’ll end up being, all the same.” Woo Jinchul grimaced hard. He didn’t look terribly surprised, anyway.

With his obligated warning given, Park Ryung got to work.

It wasn’t hard to get into a Dungeon again, even a C-rank one. Officially, Hunters were restricted to only entering Dungeons either below their rank, or one above. Park Ryung, therefore, was qualified to join C-rank raids. He’d even done some in the past. He just- didn’t do any after he started raiding with Sung Jinwoo. It wasn’t that Sung Jinwoo couldn’t enter a C-rank Dungeon, just not as a fighter. He either had to be registered as part of a retrieval or mining team, or just as a porter.

So Park Ryung had to go in on his own, because like f*ck was he bringing his boyfriend without getting him a cut of the profits in return for his overwhelming risks. Hunters could be flexible in their rank, but even Park Ryung had to admit that didn’t mean he was taking Sung Jinwoo to face more than one C-rank monster at a time.

So, a random C-rank raid it was. Or not so random?

“… I know I asked for some help as a favor, but… I can really tell that this isn’t what I was expecting.” There were? A-ranks?? In this C-rank Dungeon strike team?? The woman in front of him cleared her throat, adjusting her armor.

“Guildmaster Choi has asked me to express his respect for Hunter Park’s classes,” she said.

“I’m aware of all the higher ranks with guild affiliations that go through my classes, thanks. I’m asking why there’s a pair of A-ranks on this C-rank raid.” The other A-rank twitched, obviously not expecting to be caught. “Not to mention you’re a veteran, you don’t qualify to be here on a training mission,” Park Ryung continued, glancing at the woman’s armor. “That other A-rank might be a newbie, but he’d be put through a B-rank raid team for training. What’s this about?” The woman’s mouth twitched awkwardly for a moment, then she sighed out.

“I’m Hunter Gina, A-rank mage from Hunters Guild,” she started again. “I was told to say the class thing before anything else. This is Son Kihoon, he’s a new member of Hunters Guild.”

“Okay,” Park Ryung accepted. The name sounded a bit familiar, but not very important. “And…?”

“He’s been ordered to shadow you,” Gina said directly. The A-rank twitched again. “Respectfully. The Hunters Guild also will request that Hunter Park is the raid leader, or at least provides his opinions freely.” Park Ryung sighed at the sky for a moment. He could hear the C-rank members muttering in the back about how unfair and weird this was. He was the only D-rank here, which he’d expected. Choi Jongin had reached out the day after his apartment was trashed and offered him a literal penthouse, the sneaky bastard. Even if he’d obviously figured out that Park Ryung was the Hunter who found the cure for Eternal Sleep Disease, wasn’t this a bit much just to try to recruit him?

Well, getting into a normal C-rank Dungeon was kind of hard for a D-rank anyway, so Park Ryung picked this instead of the penthouse. He was already starting to regret it.

“You take lead, Hunter Gina,” he answered, sighing again. “I’ll give my opinion if I think you need it, and only then.” Gina was obviously an experienced Hunter already, what was Choi Jongin thinking? “Respectful shadowing means that Hunter Son isn’t going to take my kills?”

“He’s been ordered to do as little as possible,” Gina agreed. “Outside of keeping up.” Son Kihoon twitched yet again, so apparently the problem lay elsewhere. Probably because they ordered an A-rank to do his best to keep up with a D-rank healer.

Well, as long as he got his crystals, he supposed.

“Alright, then,” he accepted. “Please work with me as a normal low-ranked fighter, but the healers don’t have to prioritize me. I can perform emergency heals as-needed at the front.” Gina was quiet for a moment, then nodded once.

“Understood.”

Son Kihoon’s stare was kind of boring a hole in the back of his head as they entered the Dungeon. Park Ryung did his best to ignore it. Gina, at least, was professional enough to pretend she wasn’t treating a D-rank healer preferentially, and paused to assess the Dungeon itself. Ah, forest type, great.

As if to specifically give him the middle finger for his dangerous ideas, mana began to surge in the foggy woods. Gleaming pairs of eyes shone from the reflection of the light devices the team had brought. Park Ryung sighed.

“Ah, fun,” he commented. “Cats.”

“Panthers!” Gina barked a moment afterward, and the dark shadows were already charging forward. “Tanks, front line! Shields high!” Park Ryung stepped back preemptively as the tanks hurried forward. Not just Son Kihoon, then, a lot of these C-ranks looked new. A couple tanks were veterans, though, a few damage dealers. It was clearly to help the others fall into place quickly. Those other damage dealers had stepped back the same way.

Park Ryung also almost ran into Son Kihoon, who had apparently never seen a defensive line before. He automatically grabbed the man by the armor to pull him back.

“What are you-?!” The panthers lunged from the mist with deafening snarls, only to crash headfirst into the shields. Not every tank had a taunt skill, it seemed, but most cats were content to try very hard to kill the human blocking their way. The problem with big cat monsters was their agility, really. Tanks could block their initial pounce with ease, but the bastards then latched on and started worming their way through defenses.

Gina was already on it, thankfully.

“Mages, all at once!” she ordered. “One! Two! Three!!” The line of mages attacked with a variety of offensive spells, throwing off the cats. The panthers were hit or scattered accordingly. “Half-moon formation!” The tanks quickly got into position, and Park Ryung moved to stay behind the shields.

It was a good initial formation, but again, the flexible bastards made it something of a free-for-all very quickly. Tanks had to reliably hold off on cats while their surrounding damage dealers punted them off. The mages had to instead focus on the wide line to prevent any cats from getting through, otherwise the other half of the formation was screwed. Healers worked exclusively on the tanks. Even with half of the team being new, it was clear their training was paying off well enough. Initial swarms like this could be pretty tricky for new Hunters.

Probably why they were so common.

In any case, the panthers were cleared quickly enough. Park Ryung quickly collected his own crystals before they moved on.

“Where’s the collection team?” someone muttered behind him. Ah, the A-rank.

“C-rank Dungeons and lower don’t get collection teams unless there’s a crystal mine,” Park Ryung answered automatically. Son Kihoon twitched hard at getting his question answered. Park Ryung glanced back. “It’s usually not worth the salary pay with just C-rank monster crystals at stake,” he added. “And since C-ranks are just training Dungeons to guilds, it’s an opportunity to teach members how to collect their own crystals.” Gina glanced at him, but then looked forward again. Park Ryung moved on with his life as they walked through an open path between the trees.

The trees changed somewhat, and sparks of faint mana began to collect. Park Ryung grimaced.

“Monkeys,” he commented.

“What was that?” Gina asked. Park Ryung blinked at her, pausing. The group stopped walking when Gina also stopped, but didn’t react?

Wasn’t she a mage? She should sense them, right??

“Monkeys!” he repeated, sharper. Her eyes widened in realization, and she whirled.

“Tanks-!”

“-over the head!!” Park Ryung finished in a bark, and the tanks only barely managed to block most of the attacks. A few of the dark-green monkeys got through, getting a startled shout of pain from someone. A feral screech from the trees echoed around them, and Park Ryung turned and swung out. The monkey was cut down before it finished exiting the mist, snarling before Park Ryung finished it off. He could see the hole in the formation from the monkeys that got through, though Gina was quickly recovering. But- “Left side, another wave!!” he shouted.

“Mages, attack the left side!” Gina ordered. Most of the oncoming presences were killed in a flash, but others jumped through the resulting smokescreen. Park Ryung and other damage dealers had to face them head-on due to the tanks being occupied. But the previous incident was soon resolved, and the healers took over while the tanks covered the gap. Gina’s sharp orders brought the group back together to support the other fighters that were struggling with their fights, and the wave was soon finished.

The second fight of the Dungeon clearly rattled the new Hunters, once it was over. The first one had been standard procedure, and moved forward like an actual textbook example. Park Ryung knew, he read a lot of books published by guilds. But the second was a good example of what happened when things started to go wrong, and without an experienced and level-headed raid leader, recovery was close to impossible. It was the unfortunate reality that even with so many C-ranks, just one mistake could cause casualties.

“How did you know?” Gina asked him, drawing him from his thoughts. He turned, somewhat puzzled. Know? As in sense the monsters?

“You knew about the panthers,” he reasoned.

“I could barely feel them,” she replied, scowling. “And only when they were right there. But I heard you say ‘cats’ before I noticed them- How sensitive are you to mana?” Ah, Park Ryung did recall Woo Jinchul once saying that healers were much more sensitive than even mages. But still, even with the difference between her and his real rank?

“Extremely,” he answered. “It would help your spells if you practiced,” he added automatically. “Being able to sense traces of mana isn’t just good for sensing enemies, but also being able to get a feel for where your mana is being directed in your spells. If you’re able to cut down the excess, your focus will improve and so will your stamina.” Gina stared at him like he’d grown a second head. Park Ryung considered. “… Um, sorry,” he had to add. “Habit.”

“… It’s fine. I’ll keep that in mind. Nonetheless, the enemies in this Dungeon rely more on stealth than I thought. If you’re able to sense them, I’ll ask that you speak up as soon as you notice.”

“Ah, understood.” Couldn’t she ask one of her own healers, though? Weird.

Still, he did as asked. Gina was right, the monsters were definitely relying on stealth as a common theme. Even the wolves, which usually gave a warning before their attack, were silently getting into their own formation before Park Ryung called them out. They worked their way through the forest until they took a lunch break. Park Ryung politely declined one of the rations to pull out his own lunchbox.

Park Kyunghe had packed him cute little sandwiches for his raid. Ah, it really cheered him up.

“Girlfriend’s packed lunch?” a voice asked, and Park Ryung blinked upward. Ah, the sulky Son Kihoon. Not so sulky at the moment, just standing over him with a weird expression.

“Boyfriend,” he answered anyway. “Well, boyfriend’s mom. She insisted.” Son Kihoon carefully settled down beside him, and Park Ryung began to eat. It was quiet between them for a long while.

“… Can mages- really train their ability to sense monsters?” the A-rank abruptly asked. Park Ryung finished chewing and swallowed.

“All Hunters can,” he replied. The man blinked owlishly. “Hunters are all enhanced with mana and possess excess mana that flows through their bodies,” he explained. “Mages and healers naturally have a larger pool and greater control as a result. Fighter classes also use mana, though. It’s used in their skills primarily, sometimes with spells of their own such as taunting skills or buff skills. If you can use mana, you can train your sense of control. With your sense of control, you learn some manner of sensitivity to not just your mana, but outside sources.” He gestured vaguely at the misty forest. “A good way to practice is to use spare monster essences. They contain roughly the same amount of mana as the monster had when it was alive, so the same principles apply. Find a dark, wooded area, some grassy field, maybe even a pond or lake. Toss some essences in there and play hide and seek. Thinking about how expensive those little bastards are is a great motivator.” Son Kihoon gave a startled snort. He considered his rations, thoughtful.

“I’ll… try that,” he decided. “But still, I don’t know if I really have a feel for mana…”

“Easy,” Park Ryung reasoned. He absently reached over to the man’s chest, then pulsed a stimulation of mana directly into his system. Son Kihoon shivered hard, nearly dropping his food. “There’s known pathways in all Hunters for how mana travels, including major ‘veins’ of mana that are the most abundant,” Park Ryung explained. “Those pathways move mana, from larger veins to smaller veins, directly from the mana core that is your power source. They become sensitized to all forms of mana, even outside sources.” The Hunter looked down at himself, shocked. Park Ryung pulled his mana back out, then removed his hand. “Even if you don’t realize it, your muscles draw instinctively on that power source as fuel, which is why they’re so much stronger than before,” he continued. “Your senses are similarly enhanced and saturated. In some ways, it does make sensing outside mana that much more difficult. But if you get a feel for how skills automatically draw upon and utilize that mana, you’re starting to get a sense of your own self, so to speak. You can refine your own movements and skills, cut them off halfway if necessary, even use them without yelling the name. Please, actually- focus on that last one. It’s not cool to yell out your attacks.” Son Kihoon gave a startled laugh, then blushed somewhat.

“Ah,” he managed. “I-I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that, then.” Park Ryung grinned himself.

“It’s also practical,” he added. “Reflexes of the body work faster than you think. Sometimes that split second is all that saves you. Especially for a tank like you, you’ll need all the reflexes you can get.” The A-rank blinked hard.

“H-How did you know I was a tank?” he realized. Well, for one, the huge shield he carried around.

“Much smaller pool of excess mana, but intensive enhancements of the skin and bones,” Park Ryung explained instead. “Fighters who rely on dealing damage have more enhancements in their core muscles and arms especially. Assassins will have even less skin and bone enhancements, but higher concentrations of mana focused in their joints. As a healer, you need to know where a Hunter’s mana is focused for trickier trauma injuries or even mana conditions such as debuffs.”

“I-I see…”

“Why would assassins have mana in their joints?” someone blurted out. Ah, when did those people get closer? She looked like one of the newbie healers.

“The concentration of mana is directly related to their strongest abilities,” Park Ryung explained anyway. He was a teacher, it was habit! “To put it in more game-like terms, mana is focused in all the muscle groups specifically related to agility. They can’t necessarily force a sword through a sturdy monster the same way, but they can reach higher speeds with faster muscle contractions and reactions. Conversely, when a debuff for slowness is placed on any Hunter, that’s where abnormal mana conditions are concentrated.”

“Ohhh…!!”

“T-That makes sense!”

“Then why do tanks have their skin enhanced instead of muscles?”

“Skin is the natural barrier of the human body, rather than muscles. Well, muscles are also enhanced- The thing is, mana enhancements are all over the body depending on the Hunter’s rank,” Park Ryung explained. “What I’m saying is extra is where the specialty lies. A B-rank assassin, for example, will have all the same bodily enhancements of a C-rank fighter. But there was even more mana in the Awakening, and that extra mana went into his joints and ligaments. They’ll be roughly the same amount of sturdy, but one of them will be much faster, which is where the advantage lies.” He gestured vaguely. “That’s why when you’re rated for your rank, the Association doesn’t automatically know what kind of class you are. The only thing they’re reading is the amount of mana that was used to enhance your body, not exactly where it went, or how it can be utilized.” Several people exclaimed in interest.

… When did this turn into a class, huh? But then someone else asked a question, and Park Ryung was sort of helpless to those. Just a little bit.

Strangely, the mood felt lighter when the raid continued. Park Ryung was more accustomed to a midday slump himself, but wasn’t complaining. He continued on as the group’s tracking hound, did his share of damage, and collected a decent number of crystals. Son Kihoon abruptly asked to see more of his sword forms, and Park Ryung made the mistake of obliging. Suddenly he had a lot of Hunters crowded around him??

Seriously, what was with people and his sword? Even after her one month of training was over, Cha Haein still didn’t seem to get over it.

Fortunately, they found the boss before it got too weird.

The boss of the raid was, very appropriately, a giant snake. For its size, it moved through the forest with incredible ease and silence alike, which meant that Park Ryung was the only one who was tracking its movements. He stood at the front of the line, eyes closed and focused, then pointed sharply. The tanks rushed forward with their aim in the correct direction, and were still nearly blown back by the sheer force of its attempted strike.

Park Ryung didn’t live this long in Dungeons to give up on opportunities in front of him.

“Get ba-!” Gina began, but Park Ryung was already moving into step. As the snake was halted with its jaws open, he didn’t bother attacking its enhanced scales or small eyes. He went straight for its open mouth, cutting the stretched pink flesh of its jaw tendons. He leaped through the presented opening as he whirled with the momentum, and got his sword directly through the other side as well.

Belatedly, the snake’s shriek of pain followed after as it jerked its head back. Blood sprayed over the ground as it slammed into a number of trees gracelessly, then attempted to bolt off. With its jaw unable to close, it instead got caught along the ground and crashed to a stop a distance away.

“Don’t approach!” Park Ryung ordered sharply, as several Hunters tensed to do so. “The tail will attack with a wide swing! All ranged attackers concentrate your fire on the center of its stomach! Fire at will!” A moment after, those attacks came through. The snake screamed all the louder as it thrashed and flailed, sweeps of its tail shattering all the more trees around itself. It finally turned around to face its attackers, bottom fangs digging trenches into the ground. “Tanks, brace upward!!” Park Ryung barked. “Everyone else move to the side!!”

With a wretched sound of fury and agony alike, the snake attempted to lunge forward with its open maw and scorched stomach. Its fangs caught again in the dirt, but its forward momentum continued. The entire length of the snake swung sky-high above their heads, then began to sail downward.

“All damage dealers be ready to jump up and get just one attack on its exposed stomach!!” Park Ryung ordered. “Just! One!! Jump back as soon as you hit your mark!” The snake came crashing down on the braced tankers.

There was a deafening sound, but the other Hunters moved as ordered, leaping up to the caught snake. It was too focused on the pain of its mouth to register the pain of all those blades and weapons cutting into its softer stomach, then it began to thrash uncontrollably to escape. Fortunately, most of the Hunters had already escaped. Others tripped on their way down, or nearly took a blow directly.

The snake screamed all the louder as it finally managed to attempt to slither off. It crashed itself, thrashed uncontrollably. Rolled and writhed and only managed to worsen its own wounds. Park Ryung merely waited patiently, hand held out automatically to prevent any over-excited newbie from rushing forward.

But the snake finally stopped struggling, collapsing in a heap of its own destruction. The Dungeon around them shuddered to signal the death of its boss. Park Ryung exhaled in a sigh, then rested his hand on his hip instead.

“… Ah,” he concluded. “Jinwoo would have liked to fight it, too…” He probably would have tried to carve out at least one fang while the thing was still alive. Park Ryung adored his homicidal little toothpick of a boyfriend.

“… H… H-Hunter Park?” Gina asked him, unsteady. “What- was that?!” Park Ryung blinked, then turned around. What was with all the stares? “That was- That was a savage fang, t-those are a B-rank boss monster!!” Gina spluttered.

“… Yes,” Park Ryung agreed, puzzled. He obviously knew that? As a teacher of these things?? “It happens.” Sometimes bosses classified at a higher rank appeared in Dungeons, though in weaker forms. It was unusual, but not exactly shocking. That was why the Association tended to always send at least one higher-ranking Hunter for safety.

“Hunter Park I was about to order a retreat from the area?!” Gina all but shouted.

“Why?” Park Ryung wondered, baffled. “It was just a B-rank monster. More than that, a fairly weak one for its species. Sure, the greatest danger is its speed and durability, but that’s not too hard to overcome.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “Being able to sense its approach means you’re able to block its attacks no matter what, because a snake’s flexibility doesn’t apply when its in a charge. Moreso, a block always involves its most dangerous weapon- its head. Snakes that open their mouths expose their jaw tendons and the base of their fangs, and don’t have any other teeth even if it does close its mouth on you. The mouth is an easy place to put it at a severe disadvantage in terms of attacking, which immediately lessens half of the overwhelming danger. From there, cautiously attacking from a distance can draw it into a disadvantageous position all over again. Rinse and repeat.” Gina opened her mouth, then closed it. Park Ryung considered. “… Um, but- I-I’m not saying you didn’t know that,” he realized. “I just. I’m a teacher. I tend to- over-explain things. Sorry.”

… Well, on the bright side, the raiding party unanimously agreed to let him have the B-rank crystal, so. Park Ryung was counting the whole thing as a win.

As he left with a recycled grocery bag full of crystals, already on the phone and chatting happily, Gina made a call of her own.

“So, what do you think?” Choi Jongin answered with.

“… Why- hasn’t the Hunters Guild already recruited this man?” she asked, strained.

“I’m afraid Chairman Go has his own reasons to keep a very tight hold. What terrifying thing did he do this time?”

“He- j-jumped into the mouth of a B-rank monster and cut its jaw tendons. It was a savage fang.”

“… Yes, that sounds about right. And not a drop of blood landed on him, did it?” Gina did a doubletake towards where Park Ryung had disappeared. She began to sweat. “I do hope Mr. Son now realizes how privileged of an opportunity he was given.”

“T-That… Yes, Guildmaster. I believe he does.”

“Good, good. Remember that our lobby terminal has a shortcut to the Association’s training website. Hunter Park’s classes are a standard two week term in a classroom setting, with at least three days of use at the training facility. You had better inform the others that there’s a waiting period.”

“… I will, sir.”

“Um,” Son Kihoon managed, anxious. “H-How long is that waiting period, exactly?”

Chapter 9

Chapter Text

“Oh, a B-rank crystal?”

“Yeah, it was a pretty neat savage fang. I said I didn’t need to have the crystal, but I guess the guildmaster’s still trying to be overly nice.”

“Ah, I see.” Park Ryung set the colorful crystal on top of his collection pile. He poked it a bit until it tumbled to the floor of Jinwoo’s room instead. “… Are you nervous?” Jinwoo guessed.

“Ahaha… M-Maybe a little? I mean. Who wouldn’t be, right?”

“That’s true.”

“This is also technically a lot of money to blow on what’s probably a really bad idea.”

“Also true.”

“Right.” Park Ryung considered. He picked up one of the C-rank crystals, feeling the tingle of mana against his skin. He took in a deep breath, then exhaled. “… But I guess the end of the world would make that money pretty worthless,” he acknowledged.

“Mm-hm.” Jinwoo picked up a crystal himself, thoughtful. Park Ryung sighed out, then closed his eyes.

He reached- for that energy he always kept such a tight rein on, the tiny flow that should have been so much bigger. He rarely felt it ever since he first Awakened, mostly on account of intentionally suppressing it in the depths of his mana core. Based on recent company he’d been keeping, it became further and further buried until even he forgot it was there half the time.

As it surged into the muscles of his arm and hand, the essence crystal shattered like glass.

Obviously, ten years after the world changed so suddenly, it wasn’t like Hunters didn’t try to do something like this. Once mana was realized to be the fuel the new world ran on, everything was tried with concentrations of mana. There was still the famous case of some idiot who managed to somehow swallow one whole. He didn’t survive the ordeal. But mana dispersed as easily as air, and even if it could be drawn into the body, it simply flowed through like water through a net.

Park Ryung could sense the faintest traces of mana and touch them, and he knew exactly where to put this mana.

He breathed in deeply as he focused, pulling it through his own system, a surge of something foreign he wanted to make his. Through his major pathways, deep into the core of something he barely understood ever since it was planted in his own body. Something that crackled uneasily at the change, resisted, even fought. He expected a fight, no stomach was happy about the introduction of a brand new food.

But once it was swallowed whole, its rebellion meant nothing. It shuddered as it settled back to normal, and Park Ryung exhaled before opening his eyes. He frowned a bit.

“… Ah, I should’ve gotten myself a mana meter,” he realized. “I have no idea how well it works.” A shame he couldn’t get a System of his own, really. Some numbers would have been fun to analyze.

“Hyung, do you even know how strong you actually are?” Jinwoo asked him, setting the crystal back in the pile. Park Ryung picked up a couple more himself.

“Not really,” he admitted. “I’m always just guessing.” He shattered those crystals, then began again.

After getting through a handful of C-ranks, he started feeling something. Not a pleasant something. He paused to consider, sitting in place and analyzing his own system, then abruptly realized. He groaned, standing up.

“sh*t,” he realized. “I- need to use the bathroom.”

“H-Hyung?”

“No, no, don’t watch,” Park Ryung told him miserably, going to the door. “It’s a horrible thing.” He left Jinwoo’s room, stumbling a bit before he reached the bathroom. He settled himself in front of the toilet in a kneel, lifted the seat, and sighed loudly at life itself.

He pulled mana into his stomach until the knot was close to unbearable, then lurched forward and puked his f*cking heart out.

So apparently, despite being known as pure crystallizations of power, monster essences were not very pure at all, and were actually pretty damned toxic.

Who knew?

To make up for this incredible suffering, he ended up pancaking Jinwoo to his own couch. Jinwoo was, as always, incredibly pleased to be in this position. Poor tiny boyfriend.

The door opened as Park Kyunghe returned, and Park Ryung whined at the thought that he had to move. His body completely failed him nonetheless.

“Ah- Ryung? Are you alright??”

“Hi, Mom,” Jinwoo greeted, sticking out a hand.

“Jinwoo??”

“Hyung had to cleanse some poison from his system, which always gives him a stomachache. I told him I’d heat up some leftover soup if he moved…”

“Ah, I see. I’ll heat it up for him, then.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“A-An angel…!” Park Ryung miserably squeezed his tiny toothpick boyfriend. Who made a fine cuddle with all his lean muscles and fluffy hair.

He barely managed to unlatch himself for soup.

“Did the raid not go well?” Park Kyunghe asked in worry. “You said you were going with a reliable team, though?” Park Ryung exhaled happily as the soup soothed his abused stomach, slouching somewhat.

“Ah, it actually went really smoothly,” he admitted. “It wasn’t that kind of poison, Mrs. Park. It was something I ate.”

“Oh.”

“I should have just stuck to your sandwiches… They were really tasty, too.”

“That’s good, dear.” She smiled, patted his shoulder, then returned to putting away her bags. Park Ryung settled back with his bowl, content.

“… I need to find a better way of detoxing,” he concluded.

“Mm,” Jinwoo agreed, without hesitation. “What about purifying the crystals beforehand?”

“I’m not sure I’m using the right materials,” Park Ryung admitted. “It’s known that mana crystals and monster crystals can’t be used interchangeably, and using monster crystals in machines meant for treating mana conditions isn’t a good idea. Monster crystals are just a lot easier to get my hands on, but…” He considered deeply. “No, if purifying the crystals is possible, it would be way more effective,” he concluded. “But how to refine them into something useable…?” He considered this some more. “… They are refined on a regular basis,” he realized. “Ah. Maybe I need to do more research.”

“I heard that Mr. Song knows a sword dealer,” Jinwoo offered. Park Ryung blinked.

“R-Really? Ah, that’d be perfect! Well, it’d be more perfect if I could get the sword dealer’s cooperation…”

“That won’t be a problem, Hyung.”

“… It won’t?”

“No, it won’t.”

“Ah, if you’re sure, I guess…”

Surprisingly, it wasn’t a problem at all?

Song Chiyul had been very amiable about his request, and didn’t ask any questions to boot. The man that Park Ryung met was extremely amiable, to the point of being almost uncomfortably accommodating, and also obligingly took him directly to the craftsmen and tools alike used to refine monster crystals. Park Ryung was immediately and intensely interested.

As it were, it was known that monster crystals weren’t as pure as mana crystals, but they could still be readily used for weapon-making when combined with steel. Certain recipes for steel were used depending on the rank of the crystal, and the result could wind up with unique properties, especially from a higher-ranking crystal.

So- did crystals actually retain some properties of the monster that they came from? Because of how Hunters handled the crystals in the first place, it was close to impossible to tell. But using body materials from the corpses almost always produced related effects. So mana wasn’t just in the crystals that were found after their death, but in the bodies themselves?

“Actually, the bodies don’t have any traces of mana when they’re first brought in for processing,” the manager explained. “Instead, we use the monster crystals as mana sources, so to speak.”

“Which only sometimes produces effects in pure steel, and usually produces effects in monster parts,” Park Ryung finished.

“Yes, exactly. Ah, you picked up on that quickly…”

“May I see how the steel is combined with low-rank crystals?”

“Of course!” Ah, so readily? Park Ryung was starting to feel bad, couldn’t they make him sign an NDA at the very least?

In the meantime, he stayed busy, as per usual. His classes kept filling up with higher and higher ranks, and he was pretty sure they were all from the Hunters Guild, which meant that he kept having to deal with a waitlist. Who even had a waitlist for their free, government-sponsored class that no one liked? He went on more C-rank raids in the meantime, and tried to not rely on the Hunters Guild so much. There was nothing wrong with a normal strike team if he could get in, it was just hard to interview and explain that he was a D-rank healer, yes, but also, could he please have a role in swinging his sword? They usually hung up on him.

And then out of the blue, they didn’t.

“Ah, you’re interested in the raid? What rank did you say you were?”

“Uh, D-rank, and-“

“It’s fine, that’s perfect! We’re just waiting on another slot to fill up, then we’ll head out.” Park Ryung stared forward unfathomably, then pulled away his phone for a moment to check the listing again.

“… That- That sounds good!” he exclaimed, pulling the phone back. “Um, Mr…”

“Hwang. I’m the strike team leader, Hwang Dongsuk. I should be thanking you for getting us out of this tight spot…”

“Ahahaha, well, I-I should really be thanking you!” Park Ryung insisted sheepishly. “I’m not very experienced in raids at this level, so it’s hard to get into teams…”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Jinwoo, who had been peacefully eating his lunch beside him, turned to stare at him with boggling eyes. “Don’t worry about it, though, my team’s the best of the best!”

“It sure sounds like it, Mr- Um. H-Hyeong?” Park Ryung cleared his throat. “A-Actually, if you’re still waiting for another slot, that… T-There’s another Hunter I know. He’s a low rank, too, and he’s been trying to get into raids. He’s only ever done D-rank Dungeons before, but- If that would be alright-?”

“Of course! In that case, it’s perfect! We can head out tomorrow with your friend, then. As long as they agree, of course.”

“He’ll definitely agree,” Park Ryung insisted earnestly. “Tomorrow, you said? What time should we be there?”

“Ten in the morning, don’t be late.”

“Ten in the morning,” Park Ryung repeated, smiling. “I’ll let him know. Thank you so much for this chance, Mr. Hyuk.”

“It’s- … Yeah, of course.” He hung up with that. Park Ryung also hung up, still smiling brightly. He beamed at Jinwoo, who coughed.

“Hyung,” he managed. “That’s a scary smile.”

“I refuse to hear that from my homicidal toothpick of a boyfriend,” Park Ryung informed him cheerfully. Jinwoo snorted with laughter as Park Ryung then sent off a text.

Are you interested in beating the sh*t out of Hwang Dongsoo’s brother?

Woo Jinchul called before he finished counting to ten. Park Ryung answered, still smiling very happily.

“What did you do?” Woo Jinchul opened up with.

“Ah, you make me sound like such a troublemaker,” Park Ryung commented.

“You’re giving me heart attacks with your texts on purpose now.”

“I have a running bet with myself to see how fast I can make you call.”

“Please explain to me why I just had one of my top investigators pulling every piece of information on Hwang Dongsuk he can find.”

“It was just a listing for a C-rank raid,” Park Ryung admitted, sighing. “No real interviews, just pulling for numbers. Two million to show up.”

“… It’s a bit suspicious, yes. But filling numbers isn’t always malicious.”

“I’ve- heard rumors, is the thing,” Park Ryung lied. “So I want to confirm. How many of those filled numbers actually returned alive?” There was quiet, then some chatter on the other end. The conversation was muted as Woo Jinchul obviously muffled the mouthpiece of his phone.

“… sh*t,” Woo Jinchul finally answered. “Very, very few.”

“He’s very excited to go on the raid tomorrow,” Park Ryung informed him. “Especially because I told him I have a low rank friend with very little C-rank experience who can fill his last slot.” Woo Jinchul sighed at him, which probably wasn’t uncalled for.

“I’m almost surprised you’re not inviting your boyfriend.”

“Um, even I can tell they need to be alive, not dead.”

“I said almost.” He sighed again. “What time?”

“Ten in the morning~”

“I’ll… find you that friend, then.”

“Great! Thanks, Chief.” Park Ryung finished his conversation, then set his phone down. “… I’m gonna watch him beat the sh*t outta those motherf*ckers,” he decided. Also sitting at the table, Sung Jinah choked on her drink and began coughing. Jinwoo nodded sagely.

“Good luck, Hyung,” he agreed. “Will Chief Woo go?”

“Ah, he’ll definitely show up himself.” Nothing should scare Woo Jinchul more in this situation than Hwang Dongsuk dying. As a highly-experienced A-rank fighter, not to mention barely below an S-rank himself, who else could he trust to subdue an entire strike team of C-ranks and D-ranks?

“W-Wait,” Sung Jinah attempted. “Wait, what?? W-What were you just talking about?”

“Ah, I think the raid team I just signed up for is going to try and murder me,” Park Ryung explained, scratching his head. “So I called my boss for a bodyguard.”

“… Why would you still go on the raid, then?!”

“So I can see the bodyguard kick their ass, naturally.” Sung Jinah slapped a hand over her face.

“I-I can see more and more similarities between you and Oppa…”

“Aww, thanks.” Sung Jinah muttered unhappy things under her breath, but Park Ryung moved on. “But they really do need to be alive and relatively unharmed,” he admitted to Jinwoo. “The raid leader’s little brother is Hwang Dongsoo.” Jinwoo blinked a few times, then twitched.

“Ah,” he realized. “That’s… right.”

“Hwang Dongsoo?” Sung Jinah muttered. “That sounds familiar…”

“He’s a psychopath S-rank who got poached by America.”

“Oh. Right, him.” Sung Jinah was quiet, then bolted upright. “Him!!” she spluttered. “W-Wait, if this crazy guy’s brother is trying to murder you-??”

“Oh, yeah, hell to pay if things go wrong.”

“… And you’re still going on that raid, huh?!”

“He’s definitely killed a lot of people before with this scam,” Park Ryung admitted. “If it’s not me and Chief Woo, it’ll be two other Hunters just trying to make a living.” Sung Jinah faltered. She lowered her gaze.

“… Okay. But- is the bodyguard really that strong?”

“Yeah, he’s a badass the likes of this guy can’t touch. Promise.”

“… Okay,” Sung Jinah repeated, and Park Ryung couldn’t help but pat her fondly.

… He did not mention that the murderer was actually an entire team of psychopaths and Woo Jinchul was just one person.

They apparently weren’t the only heads just filling in, as Park Ryung noticed the next day. He supposed that since this was earlier than scheduled, it sort of made sense? Hwang Dongsuk hadn’t been a Hunter as long as he was supposed to be before dying to Jinwoo. His regular strike team was smaller, though Park Ryung vaguely recognized the mage as he arrived on site. He’d needed three heads to fill the minimum requirements for a C-rank Dungeon, including a small, unassuming man that was quietly inspecting his paltry equipment and trying to not be noticed.

Woo Jinchul, as it were, was capable of dressing like a normal Hunter. Park Ryung felt he should tell Choi Jongin to take notes. Instead of doing that, he dropped his shoulders and approached the rest of the team with a sheepish smile.

“Excuse me, Mr. Hyun?” he asked. The tank in the middle of his group twitched hard, then turned with a cheerful smile.

“Ah- It’s Hwang,” he repeated. “You must be Park. I hope you’re not too nervous.”

“Ahahaha, I-I hope that’s not too inconvenient…” Park Ryung offered a hand to shake nonetheless. “We’ll be in your care,” he insisted.

“Of course. Here, your contract.” Park Ryung accepted, and gave it a courtesy look-over. Ah, good. No clauses about what happened when the strike team leader got his ass kicked by the government.

Pleased, he signed in a quick scribble and returned it. He went to where Woo Jinchul was waiting with his own paper.

“Ahaha, you’re as cool as ever, aren’t you, Hyung-nim?” he asked cheerfully. Woo Jinchul’s brow twitched somewhat, then he smiled faintly.

“Aren’t you excited for a C-rank Dungeon?” he returned lightly.

“Of course~”

“Let’s head in!” Hwang Dongsuk called, and the third head jumped slightly, then quickly collected himself and followed. Park Ryung glanced at the unfamiliar face, then back to Woo Jinchul while the main force went ahead.

“Where’d you pick up the third wheel?” he muttered.

“Same department, support team,” Woo Jinchul answered in the same tone, expression unchanging. “You can tell with the suppression band?”

“No,” Park Ryung answered honestly. “I just recognize the suppression band.” The third head glanced at him, but otherwise remained focused. “We should get some drinks after the raid,” Park Ryung continued lightly. “Maybe we should invite Mr. Han?”

“We’ll see if he seems open to it.”

Fortunately, the Dungeon itself wasn’t too large. Another standard cave system, this one with normal hobgoblins and werewolves. They seemed to be in the middle of a territory war when Hunters showed up. Too bad.

Hwang Dongsuk and his team positively murdered the poor bastards, while leaving the three of them to kick rocks. Park Ryung scratched at his head as he watched.

“Barely passing,” he concluded.

“That’s generous,” Woo Jinchul acknowledged.

“Their survivability is taken into account.”

“Ah, I see.”

“… Sir,” the third head muttered, and Woo Jinchul glanced over. A werewolf was crawling through the shadowed parts of the cave, fur bristled over its shoulders and focus on the team’s archer.

“Tch,” Park Ryung grumbled, while Woo Jinchul kicked a rock with a little extra gusto. The rock grazed the archer’s shoulder and he yelped, jumping away when his doubletake spotted the werewolf.

“Hey-! Dongsuk!!” he called. Hwang Dongsuk cursed and rushed to his aid.

“… Never mind,” Park Ryung had to admit. “They failed.”

Actually, it made more sense that Hwang Dongsuk never made the full quota of Hunters because he had problems expanding outside of his core team. If mistakes like these kept popping up, he would lose members, lose his investment in them, and have to build up again. Filling numbers with disposable heads meant their profit increased exponentially, though he’d have to use the method sparingly to avoid attention from the Hunters Association.

Park Ryung was really, really looking forward to the look on his face.

At lunch, rations were passed out. Park Ryung accepted happily, though Woo Jinchul and the third head were subdued. Park Ryung gathered his share, then settled beside Woo Jinchul. He glanced at the rest of the group briefly, then abruptly snatched the ration and swapped it with his own. Woo Jinchul barely held a grimace.

“I’m not in-practice,” he acknowledged in a grumble.

“It’s okay to be nervous, Hyung-nim,” Park Ryung soothed. “Didn’t you say it was your first time in one of these places?” He chomped down the ration with that. Woo Jinchul glanced at him, and Park Ryung focused for a moment. He smacked his lips. “Hm, tingly,” he muttered. “It’s a kick.” The third head considered appeared somewhat twitchy as he ate. Park Ryung supposed he should sympathize.

It wasn’t easy to see your boss fail so hard at being an actor.

Hwang Dongsuk called for them to head out soon, and led the team to abruptly double back to the earlier tunnels. He then led them down a different branch, then abruptly stopped.

“You should be feeling something by now, won’t you?” he asked lightly, not turning back. “Mr. Sang.”

“… I’m- sorry?” Woo Jinchul attempted, belatedly remembering his fake name.

“Hey, what- what?” Park Ryung asked, eyes wide. “Hyung-nim, are you-?”

“Down!” Woo Jinchul barked, abruptly grabbing his shoulder. Park Ryung let himself be pulled downward, and a f*cking fireball? Whizzed above his head??

Ugh, these sh*theads.

“Tch, he can still move to this degree?” the mage huffed. “They really did send a serious rank, then.”

“It’s cute that you’re protecting that little rat of yours,” Hwang Dongsuk sneered, turning fully. “If you weren’t so obviously from the Association, I wouldn’t have suspected anything.” Park Ryung was released, and stood up straight. He cleared his expression and lightly dusted off his shoulder.

“Oh, no,” he deadpanned. “We got caught by the ever-so subtle Mr. Hae, whose online post definitely didn’t raise a thousand red flags at once.” Hwang Dongsuk’s face twitched uncontrollably.

“You-!!” He paused, then calmed himself abruptly. Buying time, Park Ryung realized. He really wanted Woo Jinchul to definitely be off his game. “… Whatever. It doesn’t matter,” Hwang Dongsuk reminded them, and probably also himself. “You just took enough sedative to kill an S-rank.” Woo Jinchul twitched hard. “It’s not like you bastards haven’t done this before, after all. Some random low-ranked Hunter with absolutely no past record suddenly shows up for a raid? Of course it’s suspicious.” Ah, so the third head got away with it because he swapped with someone that had already been registered. “How long can you protect this friend of yours, Mr. Sang?” Hwang Dongsuk asked lightly, drawing his sword in a slow, threatening manner. “And how long can you… protect yourself?”

“… This is, uh, definitely enough to put them away for literally forever, right?” Park Ryung confirmed, pointing at the group of menacing Hunters. Woo Jinchul sighed, absently flexing his hand.

“Yes, I believe attempting to murder two Association agents definitely counts,” he agreed. “Please step back a bit.” Park Ryung obligingly stepped back.

Woo Jinchul flung something from his pocket, and smoke abruptly filled the tunnel. Park Ryung made a sound of interest as the man leaped into the smoke, nodding to himself. A seasoned professional through and through, taking caution even after seeing this team’s lousy standards.

By the time the smoke cleared, Woo Jinchul had his gauntlets on, and three of the team members knocked unconscious. He darted out of the way of the mage’s desperate attack, then grabbed the back of his head and slammed the man down into the ground. He turned sharply as the archer charged up his attack, only for a mana shield to block it off.

“Sir, above!” the third head called out.

“You-?!” the archer spluttered, only to take a whole fist to the face. Woo Jinchul whirled in the same movement and absolutely nailed Hwang Dongsuk in the chest, sending him flying down the tunnel and past Park Ryung. Park Ryung clapped sincerely.

“Y-You- You!!” Hwang Dongsuk wheezed, staggering to get up. “How- You’re- W-Why aren’t you-?!” Woo Jinchul was already at his side again, gently collected the back of his head, and slammed his face back into the ground.

“You should conduct better interviews for your team,” Woo Jinchul informed him. “Or you wouldn’t use poison with a healer nearby.” Hwang Dongsuk was hauled back upright, coughing and spitting. He clawed uselessly at Woo Jinchul’s hold, then spotted Park Ryung. Park Ryung gave him a peace sign right before the man was knocked out.

“… This was fun,” Park Ryung decided. “Can we do this again?” Woo Jinchul sighed out in a huff, bringing along Hwang Dongsuk to the rest of the pile. He gave him a light toss.

“Please,” he asked, “don’t.”

“Ah, fine. I promise I’ll do my best to stay away from murderous idiots who happen to be related to psychotic S-ranks.”

“Sung Jinwoo has made you even more unapologetic, Hunter Park.”

“Hey, that was a real promise. Very sincere.”

“You’re still going to the hospital after this for a checkup. Next time, please don’t put strange things in your mouth.” Ah, so stingy.

The third head was actually named Ryu Chinmae, and introduced himself politely, but anxiously. Park Ryung still had to go to the hospital no matter how he whined about it, and Woo Jinchul stayed behind to oversee the idiots getting arrested. Probably also to clear out the Dungeon. Ryu Chinmae instead sat nearby while the doctor confirmed that there wasn’t any noticeable trace of sedative in his system, and even signed a piece of paper confirming the fact. Park Ryung explained that his boss was a mother hen, and the doctor nodded in understanding.

Ryu Chinmae appeared all the more anxious about something, but quickly said nothing was wrong when Park Ryung asked.

(On some level, Park Ryung was aware that Woo Jinchul was extremely scary to the people around him, being not just a very high-ranked Hunter, but the right-hand man of the chairman, the second-highest authority over all Korean Hunters, and also generally being a very intense, professional man with zero tolerance of unauthorized shenanigans.

He was just also a murim nerd, which might explain his choice of weapon, on top of being secretly sassy, and also one of the most genuine and unshakably kind people in this world.)

By the time they finished, Woo Jinchul was in the waiting room. Park Ryung obediently handed over the paper proving his health. Woo Jinchul considered it, then sighed. He nodded, tucking the paper away.

“Did you find what you were looking for at Dong’s Ironworks?” he asked instead.

“I think I’m getting there,” Park Ryung agreed, thoughtful. “The hard part is not melting down my income on a regular basis, ah. Do you know how a civilian can get his hands on a mana meter, anyway?”

“The Association can lend you one.”

“Oh, really? That’s convenient.”

“Just try to stick to guild raids for now. Choi Jongin is a useful connection to have.”

“As fun as it is to call him a corner goblin, I feel like I should exercise some self-control…” Park Ryung hummed, following him out of the hospital. “Do you think it’s really alright to interfere in guild training?” he wondered. “I mean. I was fine with it because I suddenly have a lot less faith in expensive guild training. But do you think it’ll cause problems?” Woo Jinchul considered, then shook his head.

“It shouldn’t,” he concluded. “You’re part of the Hunters Association, and no matter how much power the guilds hold, they can’t change the cornerstone. If anyone gives you problems, inform me immediately.” He put on his sunglasses. “And do not play that game where you intentionally give me a heart attack. I always answer my phone.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll quit it.” It was fun while it lasted, though. “Did you have fun today, though?” he offered optimistically. Woo Jinchul huffed at him. The corner of his mouth quirked.

“… Only a little,” he finally answered. “Don’t do it again.” He stalked away with that, cool as a cucumber. Ah, no wonder he was sniffed out immediately. It was like asking Choi Jongin to dress down for anything, the peaco*ck.

“… Ah!” Ryu Chinmae realized, awkwardly standing nearby. “P-Please excuse me, Hunter Park.” He bowed quickly before scooting after his boss. Park Ryung waved in amusem*nt.

He’d collect on his drinks when the nervous guy wasn’t around.

Jinwoo, at least, was happy to hear about Woo Jinchul beating the sh*t out of the idiots. He then promptly choked on his drink when Park Ryung admitted to just eating the sedative himself. Park Ryung got such an incredible and aggressive pout that he was floating on clouds. The cuteness was over the top!

“… Their work talks are weird,” Sung Jinah decided.

“It brings back memories,” Park Kyunghe murmured, amused. “Your boss sounds very nice, Ryung.”

“He is nice,” Park Ryung agreed. “He acts super tough and untouchable, but he’s a nice guy who’s just super responsible. Ah.” He pouted. “He said Jinwoo’s influence made me unapologetic, though.” Jinwoo immediately began snickering to himself. Sung Jinah rolled her eyes.

“So your manager is perceptive,” she concluded. Park Kyunghe laughed herself, and Park Ryung could only accept it.

He again had vague thoughts of mentioning when he should move out, but the spare room had already been cleaned out for a futon, and Park Kyunghe brought home a huge load of groceries with Jinwoo, beaming cheerfully as she mentioned all the dinners they’d like to try making. He should at least stick around for that.

Strangely enough, the encounter with Hwang Dongsuk was a lot more productive than he expected. Sure, it was great fun to watch the news talk about the shock of the murderous older brother of that publicly-hated S-rank, especially when they kept showing his busted face getting arrested, but it also had other benefits. Park Ryung had also been given a portion of the crystals confiscated from the arrested strike team, the pay he was promised in his contract, and a full stomach of the most intense sedative he’d ever eaten.

… He did eat sedative before, yes, and it was intentional. It was a controlled experiment to examine how healing affected the body’s metabolism. He was aware that the dosage was intense, his mouth actually went numb within seconds, but he couldn’t believe they thought something like that would take out an S-rank. Ugh.

In the process of intensely metabolizing way too much sedative, Park Ryung also happened to feel something from his mana core. It gave him a pretty good idea on how to solve his current problem.

And since Jinwoo was going on a long-term raid, he had plenty of time to try some things.

... Or so he thought, but then Jinwoo seemed to come back really fast.

“External… metabolism,” Jinwoo repeated, skeptical. “What does that have to do with this?” He held up a copy of Journey to the West. “Did you actually read this entire thing?”

“It only took me a couple lifetimes,” Park Ryung chirped.

“No one actually reads the whole thing!”

“It’s like distillation, except it’s a bit more crude than that, more enlightened!” Park Ryung explained hurriedly, holding his hands on both sides of the vase he’d commandeered, filled to the brim with E-rank monster crystals. A bowl was upside down over a smaller bowl on top, filled with ground charcoal. “There might be better filtering materials, but Ironworks only knows how to make steel in the first place. Still, there’s no water like the water from your own well.”

“Hyung,” Jinwoo tried again. “Why are you cooking monster crystals in a vase?” The entire contraption was carefully balanced on the family stove.

“Alchemy of heaven and earth!” Park Ryung summarized. “The pure mind shines as a solitary lamp, the secure mind clarifies the entire phenomenal world!”

“… Hyung-“

“The divine root conceives, its source revealed- mana! The bowls secure the mind and the purity shines through!”

“… How- How long has he been like this?” Jinwoo asked, turning back. Park Kyunghe sighed.

“Since the other day. I’ve tried to get him to eat something, but then he starts rambling about rare dainties and a hundred flavors…”

“… He hasn’t slept since I left, hasn’t he?”

“S-Should I call someone?”

“No, it’s- it’s fine. He gets like this when he’s excited.”

“Jinwoo,” Park Ryung realized. “I can see Nezha’s Chariot.”

“That’s called spotted vision, Hyung. Hyung?” Jinwoo turned off the stove? His internal force?? Park Ryung blinked, only to abruptly have his arms full of an extremely adorable pout instead. “What about a nap, Hyung?” Jinwoo asked pitifully.

“… The… the Great Dao?” Park Ryung attempted. “B-But, um…” Jinwoo nestled his head against Park Ryung’s heart. Park Ryung touched his fluffy hair automatically, and suddenly felt a little weak. “… Cute,” he comprehended. “Ah, wait, t-this is the temptation of the mortal realm…” Tragically, the mortal realm had doe-like eyes and a pretty solid grip on his wrist, leaving him helpless to be dragged away from his Daoist realization.

After taking enough of a nap to restore his mental faculties, as well as letting poor Park Kyunghe use her stove again, Park Ryung tried that again with a lot less mania than before.

“Okay,” he announced to Jinwoo. “I may have thought that sleep deprivation gave me enlightenment. But! Behold!!” He lifted the top bowl from his contraption, then poked through the coal until he found a shiny white pearl inside, just the size of his pinky nail. He picked it out and blew off the dust.

“Ah, pretty,” Jinwoo commented. “But unless this is a jewelry business proposition…” Park Ryung grinned. He took the little pearl in a pair of rubber tongs instead, then held it to the mana meter he had set up. There was a beep.

150

“And,” Park Ryung concluded, pulling out another E-rank crystal. He set the pearl aside, then used the tongs to instead measure the crystal.

150

“… Wait,” Jinwoo abruptly realized, eyes widening. “But it’s-??” Park Ryung grinned wickedly, gently flicking the little pearl in the air before catching it.

“Completely purified,” he finished gleefully. “Twice as concentrated as a mana stone the size of a hand. And-!” He flicked it again and caught it in his mouth. He crunched it between his back teeth.

Tiny sparks of mana flowed fast through his system, and he shivered at the feel before focusing. From down into his stomach, it was so much easier to focus the mana flow where it needed to be. It wasn’t much compared to the rest of his energy, but the efficiency was remarkable compared to the raw C-rank essences.

Just a few E-rank monster crystals, one little pearl. Maybe filling the vase had been a bit overzealous, but at least his sleep-deprived state managed to not blow up the Sung apartment.

“Ah, tingly,” he managed, then patted his chest. He nodded to himself. “Perfectly compatible,” he concluded gleefully.

“… Holy sh*t, Hyung,” Jinwoo breathed, staring at the mana meter. “Holy sh*t.”

Ah, Park Ryung would never get over impressing the protagonist.

Chapter 10

Chapter Text

Apparently, there was a certain point where having the attention of Choi Jongin was bound to gain the attention of someone else entirely.

Park Ryung was called to Woo Jinchul’s office, which always meant something was about to happen. Woo Jinchul rarely used his office for meetings if he could help it. Not to mention that a lot of people in the area around his office were suddenly very quiet and meek, not even daring to whisper to each other. There was only one other time that Park Ryung found the office like this.

He actually would have preferred to see the peaco*ck rather than the White Tiger Guild’s own S-rank, Baek Yoonho. It wasn’t that he had anything against Baek Yoonho, it was just- he was kind of tired of meeting important people out of the blue. Wasn’t his boyfriend more than enough?

It was also a good thing he had doused the hell out of his mana first, because Baek Yoonho was definitely staring him down.

“Hunter Park, thank you for coming,” Woo Jinchul sighed. “This is-“ Baek Yoonho was already in front of Park Ryung, staring at him with slitted pupils. He frowned, then took a step back abruptly.

“… You’re sure this guy’s a D-rank?” he asked Woo Jinchul. Park Ryung kept a straight face. Woo Jinchul managed the same.

“Yes,” he answered. “Hunter Park, this is Guildmaster Baek Yoonho. Guildmaster Baek, this is Hunter Park Ryung, head teacher of the Assistance Program. I believe that’s what you’re here to talk about.” This seemed to be news to Baek Yoonho, who side-eyed Woo Jinchul incredulously.

But he looked back at Park Ryung, then cleared his throat. His eyes had returned to round pupils at some point.

“I hear that you’ve been training Hunters Guild members on raids,” he said directly. “Are you not part of the Hunters Guild?”

“I’m not,” Park Ryung replied. Obviously?? “I’m a teacher here at the Association. And I don’t know where you heard about me training guild members- I join their raids in C-ranks, but that’s the extent of it.”

“Why join them for C-rank raids?”

“Most strike teams hear ‘D-rank healer with a sword’ and hang up.”

“Why the Hunters Guild?” Baek Yoonho pressed, frown deepening. Park Ryung frowned back.

“I really don’t see how it’s your business, Guildmaster Baek,” he replied flatly. “I’m an Association agent who formed a connection with a guild. Is that something that needs to be answered to you?” Baek Yoonho’s eye twitched somewhat, but he then exhaled harshly, pinching the bridge of his nose. Park Ryung waited for whatever nonsense he’d say this time.

Weirdly, he wasn’t left waiting long.

“Hunters Guild members have suddenly had a massive jump in their capabilities,” Baek Yoonho complained directly. “Which doesn’t make sense because they’ve started recruiting D-ranks.”

“Oh no, D-ranks,” Park Ryung deadpanned. Baek Yoonho paused, then coughed into his hand.

“… My apologies,” he muttered. He sighed again. “I talked to Choi Jongin about it. He suggested meeting you personally to understand the circ*mstances.”

“How long did he talk in a circle before getting to that part?” Park Ryung asked suspiciously. Baek Yoonho’s agitation visibly increased.

“Two. Hours,” he ground out. Ah, and Park Ryung thought he was petty. No wonder this man was in a bad mood.

“Right,” he managed, sighing himself. Alright, fine. If Choi Jongin was going to make him the one to explain it, he’d explain it. It was also obvious that this man was capable of standing somewhere for two hours even under the most aggravating of circ*mstances. “I’m a teacher here,” he repeated. “I met Cha Haein by chance, and ended up disagreeing with her guildmaster about his training standards. After I gave her some lessons-“

“Hold on,” Baek Yoonho interrupted. “You gave. Cha Haein lessons?”

“… Yes,” Park Ryung said. “After I gave her some lessons, Choi Jongin’s been- I don’t know, recommending his own guild members to my public classes. Thanks to that, I now have a waiting list. I asked for some help when I wanted to go to C-rank Gates, so he lets me tag along with the training groups. It’s not actually a big deal.” Baek Yoonho stared at him unfathomably. Park Ryung stared right back, equally confused. How was this so complicated? He explained the whole thing.

Woo Jinchul sighed.

“Guildmaster Baek, if you’re interested in seeing Hunter Park’s work, perhaps you can observe him in a training Dungeon provided by the Association,” he put forward. “Hunter Park, perhaps this will be over quickly if you bring Hunter Sung and clear a Dungeon with Guildmaster Baek as an observer.” Park Ryung sighed all the more, drooping somewhat.

“Haven’t I been followed around by enough S-ranks?” he lamented. “How many more are left in the country?”

“The other half.”

“Ah, great.” He looked at Baek Yoonho. Baek Yoonho didn’t outright reject the idea, which was bullsh*t? He was an S-rank guildmaster! Who wanted to go crawling around a D-rank Dungeon with a pair of boyfriends just to see what happened? “… But Guildmaster Baek is welcome to join a training Dungeon, if he won’t be too bored,” Park Ryung said wearily.

“Who’s Hunter Sung?” Baek Yoonho asked.

“My boyfriend.”

“… Right. Fine.” Fine? Fine?? Sure, okay. Absolute nutcases of S-ranks.

In comparison, Baek Yoonho did, at least, actually try to not look like an extremely famous guildmaster. Jinwoo stared at their new guest for a minute, while also being under the S-rank’s own scrutiny, then stared at Park Ryung.

“How many S-ranks are going to follow you around, Hyung?” he asked.

“Chief Woo said I got through half of them by now,” Park Ryung sighed. “I asked.”

“Who was the fourth S-rank?” Baek Yoonho abruptly asked. Park Ryung couldn’t see how it hurt to answer, shrugging faintly.

“The chairman,” he replied. Baek Yoonho looked exceptionally twitchy, as though that wasn’t the most obvious answer. Sure, the chairman clearly had far too much fun on his own outing, and yes he was one of the scariest S-ranks across the entire country, but they also worked at the same place? If anything, he was the only S-rank that Park Ryung should have ever met.

Incidentally, Go Gunhee was the one who coined the term ‘homicidal toothpick of a boyfriend’. Park Ryung found it too hilarious to let it lie unused.

“Anyway,” he sighed, putting his hands on his hips. “The corner goblin made this happen, so he’s lost some points. Remind me to leech off his next raid team for a C-rank, that should show him.”

“Sure, Hyung.”

“That sounded weirdly disbelieving.”

“I’ve tried to explain it before, but it’s a waste of time.” Jinwoo looked past him while Park Ryung stared at his utterly confusing little boyfriend. “Guildmaster, we’ll just be clearing this Dungeon with you observing,” he said. “Please try to suppress your mana as much as you can so you don’t set off a swarm.”

“… You two,” Baek Yoonho tried, “will be. Clearing the Dungeon.”

“Yes,” Jinwoo replied, and turned. “Come on, Hyung. Four down, four to go.”

“Wha- hey!” Park Ryung whined, following him into the Gate. “The sass??” Ah, such a sassy and cute little boyfriend though.

Baek Yoonho coughed loudly, suggesting that maybe his inside thoughts were outside again. Park Ryung quickly shut up and moved on.

Baek Yoonho was surprisingly unobtrusive for the raid. Go Gunhee hadn’t tried to be obtrusive himself, he was just radiating an undue amount of glee from his corner. But this S-rank was quiet, seemed to melt into a dark corner, and was otherwise watching with piercing eyes. Jinwoo was already getting far too used to these weirdos and working flawlessly. Park Ryung could only take a hint himself.

It was yet another standard D-rank Dungeon, fortunately, with the boss not being anything special other than being a bigger werewolf. They killed it in quick moves, collected their crystals, and made their way out. Baek Yoonho followed as quietly as before.

Park Ryung turned around once they were out of the Gate, which began to close obligingly.

“Okay?” he asked. “Are you satisfied?” Baek Yoonho stared at him with the same piercing stare, pupils slitted again. What was with that?

“… Do you have any idea how impossible you two are?” he abruptly asked. Park Ryung stared unfathomably. He looked at Jinwoo, then forward. “Forget it,” Baek Yoonho sighed, rubbing at his head. “Where did you learn that sword work?” Always the sword??

“It’s nothing, I made it up,” Park Ryung repeated, exasperated. “I took basic forms that I was taught and made something for myself.”

“… Do you teach outside of the Association?”

“No.”

“Cha Haein was an exception.”

“She was an exception because she needed help I didn’t trust Choi Jongin to give her,” Park Ryung answered firmly. “And I signed her up officially through the Association anyway.”

“My guild members need help.” Baek Yoonho was really such a straightforward person, sheesh. “The Hunters Guild casualty rate has dropped down to basically nothing in training Dungeons. I thought it was because he was having Cha Haein oversee at first. It’s not. What can I do to convince you to help me bring down that rate in my guild, too?” Extremely straightforward, in fact. Baek Yoonho showed absolutely no sign of shame about asking a D-rank Hunter how to better handle his own damned guild.

Park Ryung didn’t care about his problems. He didn’t, except he sighed a long, suffering sigh while Jinwoo patted his arm sympathetically.

“… I’m going to make a call,” he muttered, and turned around. “Excuse me.” He didn’t bother actually trying to leave the man’s earshot, he’d have to just outright leave the block. He instead pulled out his phone.

Not to give you a heart attack but can you ask Choi Jongin to meet us soon?

Woo Jinchul called within five seconds despite the very clear instructions.

“I changed my mind,” he opened up with. “I prefer the game, so I can at least pretend it might not be a serious request.”

“Ah, I see.”

“What’s Guildmaster Baek asking? I told you to not accommodate any unreasonable requests, the Association will handle it.”

“Yeah, I know, I just.” Park Ryung sighed, kicked at the ground, then tilted his head back to the sky. “… He asked nicely,” he confessed. “For some help.”

“… Right, I understand.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine, Hunter Park. I’ll speak to the chairman. If Guildmaster Baek is still with you, bring him along.”

“A-Ah, that, you don’t have to bother him…”

“It’s a necessity when having these two in the same room together.”

“Oh.” Ah, come to think of it, he remembered something like that. “I appreciate it,” he offered sincerely.

“Don’t worry about it, Hunter Park. Guildmaster Choi won’t give you trouble if he knows what’s good for him.” That was strangely ominous. Park Ryung still ended the call politely, then turned around. Baek Yoonho appeared rather suffering himself.

“A meeting with that- … Choi Jongin?” he confirmed, halting.

“I’m an Association agent and I’m supposed to be neutral towards any guilds,” Park Ryung replied. “I’m not juggling the two of you and my extremely overcrowded classes at the same time. Other people have that actual job description.” He pocketed his phone. “Anyway, let’s go to the meeting.”

“You didn’t tell me what you wanted,” Baek Yoonho protested. Park Ryung paused, then turned back slightly to give the man a deeply puzzled stare.

“What I want,” he repeated. Jinwoo coughed.

“He offered you something to help with his guild, Hyung.”

“Ah.” Park Ryung’s gaze cleared. Was he expecting to be asked for money or something? “I’m a government official. It’s illegal to take bribes,” he replied with dignity, and strode off with that.

Jinwoo was snickering as he followed, but didn’t explain himself.

Actually, Woo Jinchul apparently made his threat very serious?? Or Choi Jongin just happened to be in the area and decided to wait in the lobby as if he’d spent hours waiting for them. Despite the area only being a short subway ride away. Baek Yoonho’s agitation immediately shot up through the roof at the sight of Choi Jongin, translating into some intense mana flaring off his shoulders. Choi Jongin smirked at the man’s attire, then tilted his gaze upward.

“Did you have fun, Guildmaster Baek?” he asked snidely.

“I didn’t,” Park Ryung deadpanned, before this could turn into them actually whipping it out of their pants. “Corner goblin.” Choi Jongin’s smirk dashed away, as did the faint red aura around him. He cleared his throat, then adjusted his glasses.

“… Apologies, Hunter Park,” he answered. “I spent two hours trying to make him leave instead.” Baek Yoonho’s face spasmed uncontrollably, and Park Ryung supposed that was a pretty good effort. The stubbornness of Baek Yoonho had to be accounted for.

“… Fine,” he acknowledged, sighing. “Let’s just go see the chairman, then. It’s best to just arrange something at this point.”

“Yes, of course,” Choi Jongin agreed cheerfully, instantly forgetting he ever faked humility. “How have your ventures at the Ironworks been going, by the way? Do you suppose you could use an outside opinion?”

“It’s illegal to bribe a government official, Guildmaster Choi.”

“Opinions are from connections, not just money.”

“Hmmm.” Although, it would be nice to use something other than some unfortunate vases and ceramic bowls. Park Ryung kept having to replace poor Park Kyunghe’s tableware. Jinwoo coughed in amusem*nt, probably guessing his thoughts. Choi Jongin blinked.

“Ah, excuse me, Hunter Sung. You’re as covert as ever.” A genuinely nice way to explain how his mana felt to an S-rank, at least.

“Thank you, Guildmaster Choi. Sorry, I’m just a bit tired from the Dungeon…”

“I won’t keep you, then. Shall we?” Park Ryung had already planned on bullying the man if he didn’t immediately comply, so accepted. Choi Jongin seemed cheerful to lead them away.

He paused to stick out his tongue at Baek Yoonho like an actual child, and they disappeared around the corner quickly.

“… What the f*ck,” Baek Yoonho comprehended. Woo Jinchul, who had been thoroughly upstaged by Choi Jongin’s presence, cleared his throat.

“Hunter Park is a valuable employee of the Hunters Association,” he answered. “Please come with me.” Baek Yoonho twitched again, but followed along.

Go Gunhee, if nothing else, seemed to find this entire matter extraordinarily entertaining. Park Ryung was glad someone was happy about this. Jinwoo greeted the man politely, and blushed when reminded of his moniker. Park Ryung was sufficiently distracted by such a cute blush while Baek Yoonho finally arrived himself.

Woo Jinchul closed the door behind them, then cleared his throat. Go Gunhee nodded, then gestured at the couches. The two S-ranks sat down obediently. Was this the power of the chairman? Park Ryung also sat down himself, pleased.

“How did the hunt go, Hunter Park, Hunter Sung?” Go Gunhee asked sportingly.

“It was alright,” Park Ryung admitted, scratching at his jaw. “Jinwoo got a little bored.”

“Ah, Hyung…”

“Hm, too bad. I’m sure the next one will be better.” Park Ryung hoped so, Jinwoo really did get restless if no surprises flew at his face. “Guildmaster Baek, do you now understand the situation?” Go Gunhee asked politely.

“… No,” Baek Yoonho answered.

“I see, I didn’t think so. Please allow me to use the footage you’ve sent us, Guildmaster Choi.”

“Hm, with pleasure.” Go Gunhee turned on the large TV on the opposite wall, which seemed to already have a video loaded up. It took Park Ryung a few moments to recognize it was Gina’s camera footage from the first C-rank raid he’d done with the Hunters Guild. It was standard for guilds to use cameras in training Dungeons, but why did the Association have this?

Park Ryung was standing in the center of the camera, staring ahead at nothing at all. He abruptly pointed in a sweeping gesture, and the tanks scrambled to obey right before the massive snake’s head slammed into their shields. Park Ryung was aware of how he responded, but Jinwoo immediately leaned towards the screen with bright, shiny eyes.

Hm, maybe he could try sneaking in Jinwoo to some of these raids? It was hard to find something so big in D-rank Dungeons.

Park Ryung was somewhat disinterested after watching himself cut the snake’s jaw open, so instead looked at other people. Jinwoo was all cute and excited, and Woo Jinchul was as impassive as ever. Go Gunhee was smiling with great cheer, as if this was still greatly entertaining.

Choi Jongin was also watching other people, and absolutely glowing with smugness towards the gobsmacked expression on Baek Yoonho’s face. Baek Yoonho looked like he’d never seen a giant snake in his life. His hands gripped at his knees while Park Ryung directed the tanks to take the anticipated fall, the damage dealers to take advantage. His expression was strained while the snake thrashed itself to death.

… Had he never seen a giant snake before? What a weird reaction from an S-rank of several years now.

The video kept playing while Gina yelled about calling a retreat. Park Ryung on the screen was just as puzzled as Park Ryung of the present, who couldn’t see the point of this whole thing.

“Why?” he asked. “It was just a B-rank monster.” And then the video ended. Ah, finally.

He was completely oblivious to the existential crisis of the S-rank sitting across from him.

For ten years now, as magic saturated the world and became an everyday part of their lives, there existed a wall. Baek Yoonho, who failed two raids of Jeju Island, knew this wall intimately. Every Hunter in the world would know the wall one way or another, no matter who they were.

When a Hunter underwent Awakening, with very rare exception, that Awakening was the start and end of their life. They were locked into the rank they were assigned, into the destiny that was randomly gifted to them. Individual capabilities had a say in their competence, but never in their sheer power, and never in overcoming the wall.

An E-rank Hunter could never threaten a D-rank monster on his own. A D-rank healer could never match a D-rank fighter. That D-rank healer- even a fighter, they could never face a boss two ranks above them. They couldn’t flawlessly dance in and out of that beast’s mouth with their sword trailing like a watery afterimage, couldn’t guide a group of C-ranks to take down that boss within two minutes in a series of only three simple formations.

He still knew that Park Ryung was stronger than he seemed, still knew what his instincts were nagging at him. The problem was that he didn’t understand how it came into play here. Everything he’d observed of the man suggested his rank was real. He didn’t move exceptionally fast even for a D-rank, didn’t use strength that made him overwhelming. The presence of his mana was almost comparable to Sung Jinwoo, whose mana rating was outright ridiculous. He’d also watched that same ridiculous mana rating carve through the heel, kneecap, and throat of a D-rank boss werewolf.

There were walls in this world, laws that couldn’t be changed no matter how hard they tried. Impossible obstacles like Jeju Island.

Where was the wall that should have stared Park Ryung in the face? He acted like all the rules they’d come to know were just inconvenient suggestions.

… It was no wonder the Hunters Guild had improved so drastically. The public also thought it was because of Cha Haein, which was why Baek Yoonho had sat for so long on it. But after a particularly bad training gone wrong, he’d gone to figure it out for himself.

The answer was sitting on the other couch and obviously confused about why he’d watched one of his own home videos. Maybe his inability to see the limits of others was part of what made him so terrifying.

“… Are we- just going to sit here in silence, then?” Park Ryung asked the room, puzzled.

“We’re letting Guildmaster Baek digest,” Choi Jongin replied cheerfully.

“… Has- Has he actually never seen a savage fang before or something?” Park Ryung knew that boss was two ranks above his head when he went after it. He had to know the dangers, but he didn’t see that wall.

If members of the White Tiger Guild could even begin to scale that wall, if they could reach just a little higher, just a little further than what fate handed them- no, if the S-ranks who had failed Jeju Island learned to reach past their limits the same way-

sh*t, it was no wonder that Choi Jongin was trying so hard. The most narcissistic man he’d ever met bowed to this teacher for his favor, and Baek Yoonho should have realized from there.

“… Chairman,” he addressed, and now understood who really held power in Korea again. They all feared the individual power of Go Gunhee, and even Hwang Dongsoo had once played by the rules out of that fear. But the Hunters Association hadn’t had something they so desperately needed before. “What- can the guilds do?” he asked outright. Go Gunhee merely folded his hands over his desk, looking serene and a touch amused.

“Why are you asking me?” he returned. “It’s up to my employee what he wants to do with his skills. He can turn down any student he likes, and blacklist any Hunter he pleases.” Baek Yoonho felt a brief chill down his spine. Being a teacher of such terrifying capability was one thing, but he had the authority to blacklist? That kind of power couldn’t be found outside of the chairman or Woo Jinchul himself.

It was a gentle warning, all things considered. Go Gunhee was saying that the Hunters Association greatly valued Park Ryung, and Baek Yoonho needed to watch himself very, very carefully.

“What would happen if I tried to blacklist an S-rank?” Park Ryung muttered thoughtfully, increasing Baek Yoonho’s tension tenfold.

“What S-rank would you try to blacklist, Hyung?” Sung Jinwoo wondered.

“Hwang Dongsoo.”

“I think he’s already blacklisted.”

“Ah, that’s true. So my choice would be valid anyway.” … Baek Yoonho took that back. If the two of them could joke around about blacklisting an S-rank Hunter like that in front of the chairman, maybe it wasn’t something he entirely had to worry about.

And Park Ryung did this specifically because he was asked for help, not because he thought he would get anything from it. Association agents might work for little pay or gratitude alike, but Go Gunhee would have lavished this man in plenty of either if he asked. Park Ryung obviously wouldn’t be trusted with this much if he was the type of man to abuse his power.

So- whatever secrets he was hiding, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to just leave them alone.

“Hunter Park,” he asked instead, and Park Ryung looked at him without a trace of fear or awe. Why would he? “I will- guess that you brought us here because you have an idea on how to help my guild,” Baek Yoonho concluded. “I’d like to hear it, please.”

“Ah, well, it’s nothing too fancy,” Park Ryung commented, scratching his head. “But the waitlist is becoming a bit of a nuisance for me. The point of the classes and their incentive is to get Hunters a decent education and started pretty quickly. If they turn it down because they don’t want to wait that long, what’s the point?” Baek Yoonho couldn’t begin to understand. “So instead of filling up my normal class with a bunch of guild members, who already have some basis anyway, I was thinking I could add to my normal program,” Park Ryung continued thoughtfully, looking to the chairman. “The hospitals have been getting a lot more volunteers lately anyway, so maybe I can use that time for an afternoon class?”

“Ah, you’re the one who reformed the program in the first place, Hunter Park,” Go Gunhee assured him easily. “Change the schedule as you like. I’m guessing you’re going to ask the guildmasters for their cooperation.”

“Schedule-wise, I’m usually pretty busy,” Park Ryung agreed sheepishly. “I don’t want to just quit the hospital shifts entirely, and I still have my raids to do, and also some time to myself…” He worked at the hospital? Baek Yoonho was aware that there were plenty of healers who now volunteered at hospital wards, they’d recently been allowed to because of-

He blanked. Doubled back on his thoughts, and carefully collected basic information again. Over a year ago, the cure for Eternal Sleep Disease had been discovered in Korea. The Hunters Association forcefully kept the healer’s information private, stating only that it was a D-rank healer that happened to be one of their agents.

… sh*t. No wonder Go Gunhee found this so funny.

“The best time for me would be the afternoon classes, then,” Park Ryung continued. “Four days a week, specifically for guild members. I’ll see what I can do to make the numbers a bit looser to get through the waitlist quickly. Is that a problem for either of you?”

“Easy to accommodate,” Choi Jongin replied immediately.

“It’s- no problem,” Baek Yoonho agreed a step behind. He was vaguely aware that the training schedule was completely off in his case, but that didn’t matter. He would just remake the entire schedule. “How should we sign up members?”

“Ah, I’ll talk to the tech department about doing a special sign-up for guild members. We’d have to make sure there’s a verification process, too…”

“They’ll make it a priority, Hunter Park,” Go Gunhee promised cheerfully. Baek Yoonho could already see the tech department crying into their hands about it. His own trainers would be in the same state once he informed them of their new schedule. That was just too bad.

People like Park Ryung only came around by chance, and never more than once. Baek Yoonho wouldn’t waste this chance.

Maybe that third raid of Jeju Island might be possible after all.

-

After the two guildmasters were gone, after Park Ryung and Sung Jinwoo left, Go Gunhee leaned back in his chair with a great sigh. He absently loosened his necktie.

“What a funny kid,” he concluded. Woo Jinchul withheld a sigh of his own.

“Yes, Chairman,” he replied.

“That’s two major guilds now,” the chairman continued thoughtfully, gaze on the ceiling. “Two of the most finicky S-ranks I’ve known that are willingly bowing out of the power race. A third S-rank who looks at one of our agents like a mentor.” His fingers tapped on his desk. “… If it was perfect, maybe, I wouldn’t be so pleased about this,” he decided. “There really isn’t anything, Jinchul?”

“… No, Chairman. Nothing but the usual.”

“The usual,” Go Gunhee echoed, and chuckled to himself. He straightened. “Then we proceed as usual,” he concluded. “There are other priorities than this. How’s your other investigation going? I’ve seen you pulling out the older files again.” Woo Jinchul grimaced.

“… Nothing but the usual,” he echoed. “Suspicions and nothing more. I’ve been assigning him to higher-level cases lately, but nothing seems to change. And yet- there’s still blind spots. There’s still incidents.” His hand clenched into a fist for a moment, then relaxed. “He obviously suspects something, but he’s keeping to himself.”

“Then don’t keep him too close, Jinchul,” the chairman decided. “Again.”

“… We’re not talking about Hunter Park, sir.”

“I’m not entirely complaining,” the elder sighed. “He, at least, is just too honest for his own good half the time. It’s natural to grow fond of him.” His expression darkened. “But Kang Taeshik is an assassin, Jinchul,” he reminded the chief inspector. “Keeping him too close will just give him the advantage. Lower his security access and put him on chores again.” Woo Jinchul nodded after a moment, bowing.

“Understood, Chairman.”

“As for Hunter Park, well.” Go Gunhee shrugged lightly. “We’ll just continue to wait patiently. He already seems keen to share things with you, so perhaps that’s good enough. Whatever he’s hiding- doesn’t seem like he means harm by it.”

“… I know, Chairman.”

“For now, just make sure those guildmasters keep their sticky fingers to themselves,” Go Gunhee huffed. “As nice as it is to shift the balance of the country in our favor, I won’t tolerate impositions on our valued agent.”

“Of course, Chairman.” Woo Jinchul bowed. “Then I’ll excuse myself.” The chairman waved, and he turned and left the office. Woo Jinchul walked down the quiet hallway for a bit, then stopped. He sighed out loud.

… Then again, if that recruiter hadn’t happened to ask him to check out his bizarre candidate two years ago, when his own department manager was absent, maybe Woo Jinchul would have regretted it more than saying yes.

This route had a lot more headaches, but at least he hadn’t found a reason to lose faith yet.

Chapter 11

Chapter Text

Actually, Park Ryung was having a grand time.

There were two manners of directing the mana from his purification attempts. Internal and external, mana stores and body enhancement. First drawing into the mana stores, then using that store to enhance muscles, skin, bones- everything. Park Ryung didn’t have many- or any- spells other than basic healing, but still kept a decent amount of mana for his stores. Mostly his focus was on physical enhancement, or what a different story would call external cultivation. Some part of the issue with it was that he had no way to actually tell how strong he was?

It wasn’t that he didn’t use the mana meter to try to find out. It was just that he broke the mana meter trying to find out, and the paperwork for borrowing a new one was such a hassle that he didn’t do that again.

Why did the mana meter break? The f*ck if he knew. He was flying blind through everything at this point.

In any case, he finally got a custom mana forge to his very exact and very weird specifications, but that didn’t solve his latest problem with creating purified mana. Mana pills, as he preferred to call them.

If he tried to purify too much mana at once, the damn thing exploded.

“At most, I can extract this much mana at once,” he explained, holding up a little pearl with a light green tinge. It was just the size of a bottlecap. “This is roughly equal to one and a half C-rank crystals,” he continued. “About twenty D-ranks, and an assload of E-rank crystals. And I also have no idea why it turns green.”

“Well, it’s been pretty consistent,” Jinwoo admitted, looking over the small army of tiny pills littering the Sung kitchen. “White for the smallest, blue for around a D-rank, green for C-rank. Monster crystals have different colors, too.”

“I guess…” Park Ryung sighed, but put the pill down in its batch. “I might have to ask for a bigger forge,” he realized. “B-But that might just mean a bigger explosion…”

“Are you going to eat these, Hyung?”

“I will, but they don’t seem to really do anything for me right now,” Park Ryung complained. “Or maybe I’m just not noticing? It would be better if I could actually not break a mana meter.” He sighed again, louder. “… I’ll ask for a bigger forge,” he repeated. “Then- run a few more tests. After that, I think…”

“Are you sure?”

“Ha. No, not really.” He grimaced somewhat. “… But there isn’t that much time left before sh*t really starts happening, so I want to set off my firecrackers first.”

Actually, the third Jeju Island raid was supposed to already happen by now. The country was supposed to have only seven S-ranks now, after one defected and another was killed in action. Ran Eunsook never went to his death, and Jeju Island was just- a problem for later. Not too much later, but at least he could breathe about it.

If the Hunters Association wanted to know what he was doing with his weird forge contraption, they didn’t ask. Woo Jinchul had only stared at the design he’d drawn up for a minute, then muttered that he didn’t want to know and took it away. He had a similar reaction when Park Ryung brought up the new design for a much bigger forge, with an added comment.

“That probably won’t fit in the Sung’s apartment,” he said.

“I wouldn’t put it there anyway,” Park Ryung admitted morosely. “When things go wrong, it explodes.” Woo Jinchul stared at him, then shook his head gravely. “… I should probably… I mean, I should’ve moved out weeks ago,” he sighed. “There hasn’t been any sign of that vandal, right?”

“For all that destruction, there were basically no traces of physical evidence or mana.” The department head appeared vaguely frustrated. “It’s for that reason that I don’t want to lower our guard.”

“Ah, that’s… true.” Did he really piss off someone that had been a professional criminal or something? That meant they definitely needed the blacklist. “What a weirdly juvenile way of getting attention, though,” he muttered.

“Childish, but extremely skilled,” Woo Jinchul agreed. He set the papers aside on one of the many stacks on his desk. Ah, the poor thing. “How have the guild classes been going?” he added.

“Good, I think. It’s definitely better to have the classes separate from the new Hunters, that way I can be a little more advanced in a shorter time. I’m pretty sure there were some actual guild trainers going through, though…” They weren’t exactly subtle, they actually walked up to him and asked about various materials he was using and whether they could observe his sword forms again. “Why’s it always the sword?” he wondered, distracted.

“Baek Yoonho and Choi Jongin have both expressed that the classes have been greatly improving their casualty numbers,” Woo Jinchul added. “At some point in the future, you might as well just invite the other major guilds outright. Before you have more S-ranks following you around.”

“I don’t know what I did to deserve this.”

“I believe Hunter Sung has tried to explain it before.” Woo Jinchul’s lips quirked at Park Ryung’s most sincere pout. “If privacy and explosions are an issue, getting another apartment probably won’t solve anything,” he then said. “There are private training rooms for higher-rank Hunters in the Association. We can rent one out for your use after work.”

“Oh.” That would be convenient, but. “Um. H-How many people would have- access, though?” he tried. Woo Jinchul considered him for a moment.

“Only myself and the chairman, if you asked,” he answered. Park Ryung exhaled somewhat. “… I don’t want to know,” Woo Jinchul repeated, and grimaced. “But- my job does require that I ask. How dangerous are these experiments of yours, Hunter Park?” How dangerous?

Well, Park Ryung didn’t think that a scale existed to contain this kind of danger.

“… When you read murim novels, what kind of destiny do you like?” he asked. Woo Jinchul frowned.

“Destiny?”

“Do you- like the golden finger trope?” Park Ryung pressed. “Secret cultivation ingredients found in a cave, a sudden chance where you come out being the greatest and strongest? Being the one great hero that everyone has to hope will turn up in the worst of situations? Or do you like the starving underdog that crawls his way towards the barest chance, and sheer tenacity brings him to the top despite how hard it is?”

“… A world where the main character picks his own destiny,” Woo Jinchul answered. “Everyone likes sheer tenacity.” Park Ryung huffed an unhappy sound.

“Not in real life,” he returned. “… I can think of eight golden fingers in this country alone who might not like me flipping destiny on its head.” Woo Jinchul was uncomprehending for exactly two seconds, before his expression went slack. He actually started to look somewhat faint, gripping at the desk where the drawing lay. The wood creaked ominously. “… I have a few more tests to run,” Park Ryung could only admit. “But after that- I’d like to have a meeting with the chairman again.”

“… I should probably burn this,” Woo Jinchul comprehended.

“Yeah, probably.” The office was quiet. Woo Jinchul reached out, then folded the paper so the design wasn’t so obvious.

“… Are you sure it isn’t possible that this got out to someone?” he asked, low. Park Ryung blinked.

“What?”

“The apartment,” Woo Jinchul said. “It has every sign of a higher-ranked Hunter than anyone you’ve blacklisted. We’ve been looking into relatives of those people, but haven’t turned up anything substantial. Is it possible, Hunter Park, that someone’s noticed your work before you were ready to show it?”

“That- shouldn’t be possible,” Park Ryung tried. Ah, but high-ranked Hunters would definitely hate him for this. “I didn’t even start these experiments until I saw Mrs. Park again, which obviously happened after the apartment was trashed.”

“And nothing you’ve done would draw attention like that,” the inspector persisted.

“Nothing I’ve done would-“ Park Ryung wanted to finish his sentence. “… f*ck,” he comprehended. “They destroyed- everything. Everything in my drawers, my closet, my laptop.”

“Everything had to be removed, piece by piece,” Woo Jinchul agreed. “As if they were searching for something.” He’d been sending letters and information since the week he Awakened. He knew the Association even went as far as looking into guilds that had a problem with the Hunters Guild, but it didn’t quite ring right. Why would such a juvenile tactic be used if they wanted him to stop helping a rival guild?

What kind of valuable information did he possess? A lot, actually. And even outside of his bullsh*t reincarnation knowledge, he had files of Hunters pass through his hands every single day. Anyone who didn’t want it to be known as an attempted burglary could just as easily take advantage of his long, long list of enemies, make it be about his life instead.

He couldn’t ignore the fact that he received information from both the Hunters Association and major guilds that many people would actually murder to have.

“… Not a private room at the Association,” Woo Jinchul concluded. He picked up the paper and tucked it in his pocket instead. “I’ll find you something else.”

“R-Really?”

“As it stands, you’ll likely be much safer if these experiments continue- unheeded.” Woo Jinchul grimaced hard. “… I can’t say that it doesn’t- scare me,” he acknowledged. “But if it’s you, then it’s the best we could hope for.” Park Ryung was stunned for a moment, not sure how to take that. It sounded good, didn’t it?

… It suddenly started to scare him, too.

Well, it was a little too late for that, he supposed.

“… Do you think- there’s any way I can get my hands on some B-rank crystals?” he asked instead. Woo Jinchul looked somewhat exasperated, leaning back against the desk.

“If it’s you,” he repeated. “I’m sure the chairman wouldn’t mind pulling some strings.”

Park Ryung technically had the ability to ask specific S-rank guildmasters for the things he wanted. In the interest of not tipping them off to his little project, he kept to the Association instead. He wasn’t sure how valuable of an employee he really was to them, surely they had to be over the curing Eternal Sleep Disease thing, but Woo Jinchul showed up after his classes at the end of the week and handed him a card.

Park Ryung

C-rank Hunter

"Neat," he commented. He always wanted a fake ID.

“We have an agreement with the Knights Guild to let you in a few raids,” Woo Jinchul told him. “Officially, you’re there for field training. There shouldn’t be any S-ranks to follow you home this time.” Park Ryung didn’t know if that was remotely a joke. It was becoming a problem.

“This is perfect,” he agreed anyway. “They know I’m with the Association, right?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll just try to keep my mouth shut, then.” He wasn’t very good at making up elaborate lies. He could barely keep together the false ranker thing even now. “… Ah, it’s too bad Jinwoo can’t come,” he sighed. Woo Jinchul raised an eyebrow slightly.

“I would have thought that would be your first project,” he stated.

“I’ve been putting a lot of weird things in my mouth lately,” Park Ryung confessed. “And, uh. Puking it out in a horrible way. It’s actually incredible how many poison-cleansing methods I know now.”

“… I’m sorry I asked.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Just try to not draw attention, Hunter Park. The chairman is getting tired of big guilds trying to poach you.” That felt like a compliment, if nothing else.

Thankfully, Park Ryung didn’t have to wait long for the Dungeon. He got a call that afternoon from someone who identified himself as from the Knights Guild, setting up the meeting to start the raid. He was also politely, but firmly asked to wear appropriate armor.

Well, he hadn’t bought armor- ever, so maybe he should… go shopping? All he had were the typical strap-on plates to go over his normal clothes. Maybe that was bad form for a B-rank, when he’d always been pretty underdressed for even C-rank raids.

He thought about a certain newbie Hunter who showed up to a C-rank raid in extremely flashy and expensive armor, and worried deeply about the opposite problem.

… He sighed heavily, but picked up his phone again and made a call.

He- probably should have expected to meet Baek Yoonho at an armor store as a consequence of his actions. Still, it had to be better than asking Choi Jongin.

“I really just wanted to not get scammed,” Park Ryung tried to explain again. He just wanted to buy something that wasn’t from the Association’s store room, but- magic shops intimidated him. They were notoriously expensive and difficult to navigate.

“I’m aware,” Baek Yoonho replied calmly, browsing through the display cases. “Something understated, but sturdy and flexible enough to not hinder your movements. Nothing flashy, either, like what’s popular these days.” Oh, he really was aware? “Don’t look that surprised,” Baek Yoonho huffed. “I used to shop for my strike team under a penny-pincher.”

“I guess so.” Not that Park Ryung knew Lim Taegyu very well, but he at least vaguely remembered the news about the split.

“What do you usually do, order the cheap stuff in bulk?” Baek Yoonho asked, peering at a row of pauldrons.

“It comes in bulk?” Park Ryung realized. Baek Yoonho paused to stare at him. “Ah, I don’t really do armor shopping,” he defended. “The Association gave me some gear when I first started working there, and I just, yanno. Kept it.”

“…”

“… What?”

“… Tell me you haven’t been using the exact same sword since you’ve Awakened, Hunter Park.” Park Ryung had no defense except to puff out his cheeks and not say a thing.Baek Yoonho sighed loudly, which was pretty rude. Anyone whodidn't have to deal with replacement paperwork through the Hunters Association had no right to judge. “What do you do when you take a bad hit?”

“Um, I heal it,” Park Ryung reasoned. “Isn’t that common sense? For a healer?”

“Nothing you do is common sense.”

“Ouch.”

“You can live with the basic armor for now,” the guildmaster sighed, looking around. “But a sword is different. Your sword style is unique and should have a custom order. I don’t recommend bringing that kind of weapon on a raid with strangers, though. It attracts the unfriendly types.”

“Do they always have to be so- unique and flashy?” Park Ryung tried, weary. Armor was something of a hassle, but he was tickled by the idea of a nice sword. He’d sharpened his sword so many times it was starting to feel even more fragile than before, which was saying a lot. “There’s normal-looking swords at higher ranks, aren’t there?”

“Rarely.” Baek Yoonho collected some numbers. “Higher-ranked weapons are made with expensive materials that contain a massive amount of mana,” he explained. “The materials themselves make unique results, but the mana from the crystals used also has a unique effect. It shows itself in the weapon.” Right, whatever nonsense impurities existed in monster crystals did that.

Ah.

“What if that mana was purified before it was refined?” he wondered aloud.

“Purified?” Baek Yoonho echoed.

“Ah, just a thought. I should pick up a new sword,” Park Ryung acknowledged, sighing. “If nothing else, just so it doesn’t break on me after all this time. I’ll look into commissioning something later.”

“I know a guy.”

“Yeah, I bet you do.”

“I’m serious. Good quality without heavy focus on the design. He likes experimenting with the sh*t I drag back from Dungeons, too. He’d make something new just for the fun of it if you asked.” Park Ryung hesitated. It wasn’t that he always refused connections. Obviously, he was here because he pulled those strings here and there.

… It wasn’t like it was going to be secret- for too much longer, anyway.

“How discreet?” he finally asked.

“The jealous type,” Baek Yoonho answered. “He followed me from Fiend.”

“Ah.” That did speak measures. “Even if I have a bizarre material I can’t explain the origin of?”

“You’ll be his new best friend and I’ll have to step up my own game.”

“Huh.” Park Ryung felt his mouth twitch. “It’d be a pretty straightforward request, anyway. I basically want what I have, just with the material.”

“Fair enough. It might take a bit depending on what it is, so you’ll want to order it soon.”

“Ah… fine, yeah. I do need a new sword.” He sighed. “… Complaints aside, I do appreciate the help,” he added.

“Mm.” Baek Yoonho took the tags to the counter, where armor was unboxed and set out. It was more covering than the basic stuff, so Park Ryung actually had to have some of it fitted, which took a bit. Still, it felt much more decent than his usual gear, and the price wasn’t too bad at all. He paid happily and left the store with the S-rank on his tail.

“Mind if I ask you something?” Baek Yoonho asked abruptly.

“Anything classified needs to go through my boss,” Park Ryung answered. The man outright rolled his eyes.

“Why’re you so comfortable around S-ranks?” he asked anyway. Park Ryung blinked. “Choi Jongin, the chairman, Cha Haein, me- we’re all people generally considered unapproachable at best. One of those people you call a corner goblin when he annoys you.”

“It’s funny to me.”

“It’s funny to me, too, and that’s not the point.”

“Sheesh.” Park Ryung considered. He was supposed to- feel distance, he supposed. These were celebrities and extremely powerful people, faces he saw on TV and tabloids. One of them could sneeze one day and he’d lose limbs or sh*t. Genuinely terrifying.

… He’d once read a story about a man who watched his friend get eaten alive and screamed in agony. He’d been the one to ask for his help, after all.

How was he supposed to be afraid of something that was just- human?

“… I don’t know how to explain it,” he finally answered, pocketing his free hand. “In person, you all just seemed like people to me. You used to be a firefighter, didn’t you?” Baek Yoonho blinked, startled.

“Yes?”

“I like firefighters.” Park Ryung gave an awkward shrug after a moment. “Choi Jongin’s a peaco*ck, but he mothers over Cha Haein like he can’t stand to really see her hurt,” he admitted. “I let her get swarmed by some D-rank goblins once and he nearly brought down the whole damned Dungeon. Cha Haein’s just- a quiet, but really earnest person who wants to live up to the expectations she didn’t ask for. The chairman finds the weirdest things funny, but he has such a grandpa sense of humor in the first place and you can’t even be mad at him.” His brow crinkled somewhat with his sheepish expression. “Ah, I don’t know if I’m saying it in a way that makes sense… Hunters aren’t just mindless predators who occasionally exist outside of Dungeons, I guess. Awakening didn’t change anything about humanity, it just shows some of the best and worst qualities a little stronger.” He scratched at his head, now embarrassed. “So- I guess I just see you as a really blunt guy who once picked being a firefighter as a career? That’s the point, I think. Not that the tiger powers aren’t super neat, just. Ah, l-let’s just drop it.” He turned away, cheeks hot. “I’m not making sense. I’ll, um- get back to you on those materials. Thanks for your help, Guildmaster Baek.” He quickly scooted away before he could ridicule himself any further.

After staring at the blushing Hunter’s retreat for a bit, Baek Yoonho huffed, then stuffed his hands in his own pockets with a rueful smile.

“… I like firefighters, too,” he said, then turned and went on his way. He had a call to make.

Park Ryung showed up at the Knights Guild party- not completely making a fool of himself, at least. His armor didn’t stick out too badly, and the Hunter that met him at the entrance looked him up and down before nodding in light approval.

“Aren’t you a healer?” he then added.

“I’m a bit of a mix,” Park Ryung explained. “And my healing spells are contact-only, and not too effective unless I'm concentrating.” Well, on other people. He was actually pretty good these days at healing himself on the fly, which might have something to do with the number of strange things he’d put in his mouth.

“… I see. We’ll assign you to a flank position, but take care to not stray too far. We can only protect our members within a certain range.”

“Of course.” Park Ryung could hear other guild members muttering about him- being some son of a rich conglomerate?

… That was new. Was that- the cover he was supposed to have?

“You’ll retreat if you feel overwhelmed, won’t you?” the Hunter then asked him, frowning.

“Of course?” Park Ryung repeated. Who wouldn’t?? The Hunter looked somewhat skeptical, but nodded again, then finally seemed to leave him alone.

… Park Ryung was getting somewhat concerned about what the Knights Guild had been told about him. He had a vague thought of texting Woo Jinchul in retaliation, but they were already forming up the teams to go in, so. He wouldn’t be able to enjoy the countdown.

He sighed, adjusted his arm plates, then followed his team into the enormous Gate.

Several hours later, Park Ryung emerged from the former B-rank Gate with a large bag of B-rank crystals, even a few A-ranks, not a spot on his new armor and cheer in his step. Actually, B-rank Dungeons were a delight! Lots of big things to have fun with. The new sword was also pretty decent, he could see the appeal of getting better weapons. He definitely had to take up Baek Yoonho on his offer soon.

He was completely oblivious to the large number of guild members who stared after him with wide eyes, or tried to be subtle and snuck sideways looks instead.

“H-Hunter Park!” the team captain then called, and Park Ryung paused in counting his spoils to look up. “A moment?” the man asked, approaching.

Park Ryung later had to explain to Woo Jinchul that he really hadn’t done anything, he’d stuck to his flank position and just did his job, and he had no idea why these guilds kept acting like overly-accommodating weirdos and wouldn’t stop talking about his sword.

“I know, Hunter Park,” Woo Jinchul replied, sighing. “I know.” Park Ryung just groaned at the business card sitting on the desk. Woo Jinchul shook his head, then slid it aside to the rest of the mess. “Regardless, I have good news for you,” he added. “Your room is ready.” Park Ryung perked up, instantly cheered. Woo Jinchul stood up from his desk. “It’s a bit tricky to get to, so please pay attention, Hunter Park.”

“That sounds neat,” Park Ryung realized, following him. “So it’s nearby?”

“In a sense.” A sense! Very mysterious and cool.

Woo Jinchul led him through the surveillance department to a long hallway, then turned down a single flight of stairs that led to an elevator. Park Ryung was getting more excited about it by the second. Woo Jinchul pressed his palm to the blank panel aside, and it flashed green. He stepped inside, and Park Ryung scooted after him. He could immediately feel the intensive mana charging the atmosphere of the large elevator, disrupting any potential spells or devices.

“Ah,” he realized. “I don’t want to know how expensive this elevator was.”

“You probably don’t,” Woo Jinchul agreed, and the doors closed. The elevator started a swift, but lengthy journey downward. “You have to be keyed in at the bottom floor, we’ll add you before you leave. A room for your device is set aside, but the chairman wants to say that if you’re interested in other rooms, then please ask.”

“Super secret magic treasure storage?” Park Ryung confirmed excitedly.

“Yes, Hunter Park.” Woo Jinchul’s mouth curved in amusem*nt. “A super secret magic treasure storage.” Park Ryung squealed. The elevator opened with a ding, revealing a long hallway with many doors. Large windows showed the rooms they led to. “It’s also artifacts from various Gates, especially S-rank Gates,” Woo Jinchul explained, leading him down the hallway. “Monster remains from different species, samples of beings that we managed to acquire through trade.”

“Is that a dragon scale,” Park Ryung realized. “From Kamish??”

“Yes.” Park Ryung squealed again. “This is also where we keep ant samples from Jeju Island from the last two raids,” Woo Jinchul continued, and Park Ryung sobered quickly. “Along with other research materials. It’s fine to ask about the doors, but please don’t open them before asking.” He paused at one door. “Except for this one, of course.” The window was actually blacked out, unlike the other occupied rooms. Woo Jinchul opened the door, then nodded for him to enter first. Park Ryung walked inside.

First of all, he had no idea how they got the entire crucible set-up in there. It was as tall as he was, but much wider than his smaller version. It was simple, but had all the necessary knobs colored contrast against the black metal. Large containers were sitting neatly nearby, and Park Ryung quickly checked. He exclaimed giddily.

“Charcoal!” he cheered.

“It wasn’t specified how much you needed, so please say if you need more,” Woo Jinchul added.

“Ah, this is perfect!” Park Ryung exclaimed giddily. “In fact-!” He turned, eyes bright. “Here, Chief, let’s test it out!” he insisted. Woo Jinchul cleared his throat.

“You’re not actually obligated to show me anything about this device, Hunter Park.”

“Chief,” Park Ryung huffed, amused. “I was going to show you this anyway, it’s fine. This isn’t something I plan to keep to myself forever.” Woo Jinchul sighed somewhat, but walked forward. He let the door swing shut behind him. “It’s a good thing I didn’t drop these off at home yet, very good,” Park Ryung commented, removing his bag. “Let’s hope it doesn’t explode.”

“That’s… not comforting to hear.”

“It’s probably fine! The capacity isn’t just larger on this model, it has a lot more breathing room, so to speak. Less impurity clogging.” He collected charcoal in a handy scoop and opened the filter drawer to start. Woo Jinchul watched impassively as it was filled, then as Park Ryung opened his bag. “Let’s start with one of these,” he announced, setting a B-rank crystal in the bottom tank. “This always explodes on the little one, so be ready to run.”

“Please stop talking about explosions.”

“It’s fine!” Park Ryung closed the tank, then scooted the bag far away. He turned on the magic forge with a few switches, cranked up the heat, then put both hands on the device. His turquoise mana flared through black metal in precise outlines created just to channel it, giving it a fancy techno design. Very nice.

More importantly, the furnace didn’t even shiver a bit before Park Ryung finished up. He exclaimed happily, letting the mana die off. He then raised a small level near the top, and removed the lid on top.

“Multi-crystallization!!” he proclaimed in triumph. He pulled out three green-tinted mana pills, along with a collection of blue and white pills in their respective sizes. “Yes!! The waste is channeled perfectly~”

“… They’re cultivation pills,” Woo Jinchul comprehended.

“I always knew you were a man of good taste,” Park Ryung praised severely. He handed over the pills, startling the poor man, then quickly returned to his bag. Woo Jinchul stared down at the collection of pills in his hands.

“These are- mana,” he realized. “But- it’s concentrated, moreso than monster crystals, even mana cr- Hunter Park?!” Park Ryung merrily finished emptying his spoils into the tank, then closed the door.

“Test two, here it goes!” he announced.

“Didn’t you just say that a single B-rank crystal was enough to overload the last-“

“Here it goes!!” Park Ryung repeated, and clapped both hands on the furnace. He focused his mana, and the furnace definitely glowed much brighter along its channels than before. Still, it didn’t shiver, didn’t fluctuate its flow at all. Instead there was a faint crackly sound from inside, then the lid on top popped up for a moment before clattering back down.

“… Why,” Woo Jinchul asked, pained. Park Ryung was already moving to inspect his goods. He made a sound of great interest, pulling out a gold-tinged pill, one the size of a grape. He rolled it between his fingers, then popped it in his mouth. “WHY,” Woo Jinchul repeated, much louder. Park Ryung crunched it, then considered the mana that he drew into his system.

“Mm, much better than the green ones, but still not much,” he admitted, and pulled out an orangish pill that was almost the size of a strawberry. “This one seems better, but…” He set it down, then pulled out a deep crimson pill the size of a golf ball. He whistled low. “It only popped out one of these, but that’s pretty intense,” he realized. “Here, look!” Woo Jinchul sighed harshly, but set the other pills aside to walk forward.

“Please stop putting strange things in your mouth,” he asked wearily. Park Ryung handed him the red pill, and Woo Jinchul stiffened. After a moment, he quickly set it aside. “… Hunter Park.”

“Can I at least eat some of these?” Park Ryung wondered, holding up a handful of orange pills. “Ah, or should I save them for my commission? Or should I save the red one instead…?”

“Hunter Park,” Woo Jinchul repeated firmly. “How much mana, approximately, would you guess is in one of those orange pills?” Park Ryung considered the little pills in his hand.

“… Do you, uh, want a number?” he tried. “I only did the math up to the green ones.”

“In terms of roughly matching what rank of a Hunter they would match.”

“Oh, well…” Park Ryung considered. “Well, they’ve been pretty close to ranks in terms of ‘grades’, so I guess I’d call these A-grade mana pills,” he concluded. “The yellow ones are B-grade, green ones are C-grade, blue are D-grade, and the little white ones are E-grade. It’s not a perfect conversion from the monster crystals, but that’s because it’s only the pure stuff.”

“Hunter Park.”

“Yes~?”

“What would you classify the red pill as?”

“Well, there’s only one grade left,” Park Ryung reasoned. “It’d be S-grade, right?” Woo Jinchul was silent for a long moment. “… So, um…”

“… Yes, you can do what you want with them.”

“Thanks!” Park Ryung popped an orange pill in immediately. He had to crush it with his tongue instead, and shivered for a moment. “Ah, that’s better!” he realized. “The C-grades weren’t doing anything anymore, at least I can feel a difference with these. I should keep some to record their numbers, draw up the math a bit…” He considered the red pill. “I wonder how many S-rank crystals it would take to make more of those?” he muttered. “Probably at least two, right? It takes three C-rank crystals to make two C-grade pills. Since the excess is just converting into lower-grade pills, I can actually do more experiments like this…”

“… How many mana pills have you been eating, Hunter Park?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I don’t know what else to do with them once I make them, it feels kind of dangerous to just leave them around? Might as well eat even the little guys.”

“…”

“… What?”

“I will personally give you more A-rank crystals today,” Woo Jinchul told him. “Are you capable of digesting this pill, Hunter Park?” Park Ryung perked up. He did want to try out the red one, thank you for asking. He was just also aware that B-rank raids were a bit more sparse than others, and he still wanted a new sword.

“Don’t mind if I do,” he concluded cheerfully, going to the table.

“I’m asking if you’re capable, please make sure that it won’t actually do harm to-“ Park Ryung found it a bit more awkward to get in his mouth, and much harder than expected to break the thing. He had to use some mana to give it a good crunch. “-Or just put it in your mouth without abandon. That’s fine.”

Now that was a f*cking mana pill. Park Ryung had to pause not just to process the large chunk of pure mana, but actually focus to draw it inward, then abruptly turned towards converting those stores because wow. Turquoise energy crackled faintly over his skin as he focused inward, eyes closing for a moment, then settled down and inward again.

He exhaled in a huff, then relaxed his shoulders. He nodded to himself. “Definitely much more effective,” he concluded. “How long did that take me?”

“… Six minutes, about.” Woo Jinchul appeared faintly twitchy. “… Choi Jongin,” he then said, “has compared the feel of your mana to an E-rank.”

“Yeah, I’m trying really hard to not let him notice anything else,” Park Ryung agreed. “It’d be awkward if he noticed.” Woo Jinchul pinched the bridge of his nose.

“What do you think your rank is at about now, Hunter Park?” he asked instead. Park Ryung considered this deeply, doing a bit of mental math. He still wasn’t exactly sure how efficient he was at converting the pure mana into his body, so. It was kind of impossible to tell? But if he’d been a solid B-rank before, given the number of C-grade pills he’d eaten-

Well, if he lowballed the numbers a bit for efficiency, not to mention how much he futzed around before he actually knew what he was doing, subtract all those times he had to puke up everything, then…

“Maaaybe about low-tier A-rank?” he offered. “Why?” Woo Jinchul stared at him with incredible intensity, as if willing him to have different thoughts. Park Ryung stared right back because he wasn’t a mind reader.

“… When you’re ready to speak to the chairman, you’re getting an evaluation.”

“Oh, neat.” Park Ryung had wanted to do a real one for- forever. “Thanks.”

“I’ll get you those crystals.”

“I mean, I know you offered, but are you sure? I know they’re expensive…”

“Yes, and you just ate the product of several of them. It’s fine.” Well, when he put it that way.

Actually, Woo Jinchul did just happen to produce the monster crystals from somewhere?? Park Ryung had no idea where, but a good handful popped out yet another S-grade pill and byproducts no problem. He habitually began chewing on the little white ones like candy while he packed away the other lower grade pills. Who knew how many would be needed to make a decent sword?

“Do you like eating those so much?” Woo Jinchul asked as they left.

“Eh,” Park Ryung answered, considering the handful he had left. “They don’t really have a taste, it’s more like… a minty sort of feeling in your mouth. A tiny little- whoosh, you know? They’re pure mana, so they’re safe to eat, but they only contain as much mana as an E-rank monster essence.” He popped some more in his mouth, and shattered them with a crunch. “I guess the crunchiness is pretty nice,” he added thoughtfully. “Like- popcorn?”

“… Sure, Hunter Park.”

“Do you want to try some? They’ll do nothing at your level, but they’re crunchy.”

“I will not put those in my mouth, Hunter Park.”

“Ah, suit yourself.” So he’d take extra convincing, then. Good to know.

Anyway, the upside of getting way too much attention from the Knights Guild was that he was readily invited to participate in the next B-rank raid, so. That gave him something to do for now? He could process mana pills after work, run a few more tests, and even get a new sword in the meantime. He still had time to be slow and steady.

And maybe once the deepset anxiety stopped rearing its ugly head, he could finally start feeding his boyfriend and really break this world.

Chapter 12

Chapter Text

It wasn’t that Park Ryung didn’t think he should have been helping Jinwoo grow from the very start. The very first mana pills he successfully manufactured, he thought about feeding Jinwoo first thing.

… He’d been dating the protagonist of a novel for- a while by then, was the thing. A novel, and also the very real world he lived in. He didn’t know how fate translated into real life, and he didn’t know the consequences of destroying one possible ending. How was he supposed to take responsibility if Jinwoo never needed the system that gave him so much strength, but also never managed to reach beyond an invisible wall? Park Ryung read a lot of murim novels, and in most of them, lots of characters experienced a glass ceiling of even their best efforts. How was he supposed to give someone fated to save the world alone something subpar?

(What was he supposed to do when Jinwoo didn’t need him? When he grew taller, sharper, attracted all those beautiful women- When he was the S-rank that cleared Jeju Island on his own, when he was the only hope for the entire world?

Park Ryung had lived two lifetimes of never being needed nor wanted, and he once dreamed of being, at most, the mentor figure that could help a protagonist’s early steps in life. Now that he’d gotten so attached, started to think he wanted this forever, the recurring nightmare of being left behind- paralyzed him, in some strange way.)

… Anyway, dark thoughts were best left for alone time, weren’t they? It was hard to get alone time with Jinwoo around, though.

Outside of running around between his classes, the raids, processing mana pills, training- there was Jinwoo. And maybe Park Ryung was just imagining it, but Jinwoo was getting a little… clingy? Moreso than usual, anyway. Park Ryung had always rather liked how much time Jinwoo was willing to spend with him, especially because he himself really, really liked being around Jinwoo. But he was also pretty sure he was getting a lot more cute pouts than before, aggressive cuddles to prevent him from getting in extra experiments or training, and all those home-cooked meals were definitely designed to make sure he got back quickly.

… Well, the last one was probably more of a product of his gluttonous nature, but food! Cooked by Jinwoo’s own hands!! Surely no one could blame him for aggressively finishing raids and rushing home afterward.

Incidentally, it was completely the wrong kind of environment to even mention moving out, so he’d have to wait for later again. Ah, a tragedy.

Everything was going smoothly, otherwise. He was working as hard as usual, just waiting for the right time to get started on something new. When would that be? He was waiting!

He- sat on that one just a bit too long.

It fell apart when Hwang Dongsuk escaped from prison.

Park Ryung had been pretty happy to forget the man ever existed, honestly. As long as his precious brother wasn’t coming to bail him out, couldn’t he just rot in jail forever? Not that he was really rotting. Honestly, he was probably getting some intense VIP treatment because of who his brother was. But it was still better than him murdering random Hunters to make up a headcount, infinitely better than him getting killed at the hands of Jinwoo and creating problems afterward.

Except it wasn’t better, because then he escaped somehow, and the first thing Woo Jinchul did was send in the guards on both him and the Sung apartment. Park Ryung always sort of knew they were there, but suddenly they were pretty obvious and very invasive on his space.

“You can’t think it’s actually Hwang Dongsoo,” he tried. He really, really hoped so, too. Woo Jinchul grimaced hard.

“He’s accounted for in America,” he acknowledged. “And this isn’t his style, anyway. Hwang Dongsuk escaped without a trace, as if he’d walked right through the walls. His brother isn’t the type to not leave traces or even worry about being caught.” Park Ryung muffled his frustration, sitting at his desk. Of course he got the worst news right in the middle of his guild classes. He glanced at the seats that had been hurriedly vacated, then sighed harshly, undoing his tie. “There’s something suspicious about all of this, Hunter Park,” Woo Jinchul persisted. “Don’t you remember how your apartment was destroyed?” What did that have to do with-

Park Ryung stopped, eyes wide. Piece slotted into place with alarming clarity.

“… Without a trace,” he echoed. A job to make it seem like it was after his life, but the real goal was still unknown.

A mysterious disappearance of a Hunter that was definitely his enemy, but to what end? Someone as well-known as Hwang Dongsuk wasn’t escaping the country anytime soon, and his brother wasn’t showing up. All of Korea was looking for the bastard, which should have been a simple matter for the surveillance department when it was just a C-rank that didn’t know the meaning of subtlety.

Traces- Who wouldn’t leave traces? Certain classes of Hunters had related skills. Assassins immediately came to mind.

How many high-ranked assassins did Park Ryung consider an enemy? Who looked for information that might be related to a secret note laying around their boss’ cluttered desk, warning that their side hobby involved hunting much more than some monsters? There was no way someone who hid their stealth skill wasn’t the nosiest bastard alive.

“… Chief,” Park Ryung comprehended, his loose tie slipping from his grasp. “Where- is Kang Taeshik? At this very moment?”

“Kang-“ Woo Jinchul started, then frowned. “… He’s attending to a last-minute D-rank raid we couldn’t get enough Hunters for. Why are you asking about him?”

“Chief,” Park Ryung repeated, unsteady. “What are the odds that he read the letter I sent you about him secretly being a serial killer?” Woo Jinchul stared unfathomably for a long moment, first processing the letter I sent you. Then he visibly came around to the odds. The implications. The idea.

He paled dramatically, then turned around and swore out loud. The agents near him jumped in terror.

“Get an emergency suppression team together right now!!” Woo Jinchul barked.

“f*ck me,” Park Ryung managed, then bolted from his desk and ran after him. Woo Jinchul didn’t try to stop him.

Unfortunately, the D-rank Dungeon wasn’t far from the prison where Hwang Dongsuk disappeared from. Getting there took time. Collecting enough agents to bag a B-rank assassin took time. All of this led to an incredible hurry that scared the absolute sh*t out of the guards around the D-rank Dungeon. Park Ryung leaped out of the van alongside all the other Hunters with him, only his sword at his side, and they hurried into the Gate first thing.

Of course they were too late. Why the f*ck would they be on time?

If nothing else, Hwang Dongsuk looked like he died a terrible, terrifying death. Nasty bastard.

“… f*ck,” Woo Jinchul uttered at the sight. He drew in a sharp breath, then exhaled harshly. “Kang Taeshik!!” he shouted. The other agents settled into defensive positions at once. “What the hell do you think you’re gaining with this, Kang?!” Woo Jinchul demanded. “Was harassing Hunter Park going to change anything about what we did or didn’t find out about you?”

“… You misunderstand me, Chief,” a distant, nearby voice answered. “What did I want to change? Of course my little joyride couldn’t last forever, right?” Eerie laughter drifted around their heads. “I was just curious. Aren’t you also curious, Chief Woo?”

“Show yourself, you bastard!!” one of the other agents snapped, visibly losing patience. “You-!!” He choked, and Park Ryung whirled. He swore out loud and grabbed the man before he finished falling to the ground, a small knife embedded in his collar between plates of armor. More terrifying was how it didn’t kill him immediately, leaving him to instead choke on blood. Park Ryung ripped out the blade and began healing immediately, both hands on his chest.

“I admit, you caught me in the middle of something,” Kang Taeshik continued lightly, like he hadn’t just nearly taken another life. “I was doing my best to recreate that fancy sword work on this bastard. Wouldn’t it be a nice story for his precious little brother? Escaping prison after being abandoned, going after the weak, fragile little D-rank that got him caught. Getting killed inevitably despite his higher rank, but that wall doesn’t matter to the likes of Park Ryung, right?”

“sh*t, sh*t, sh*t,” Park Ryung hissed, hurriedly drawing more mana from his core to catch up to the damage. The other agents were already forming a defensive wall around him.

“But… that letter was interesting, wasn’t it, Chief? There’s no way an Awakened D-rank can know something that all of the Korean Hunters Association couldn’t find out. And there’s no way he could have predicted the S-rank Gate opening on Jeju Island.” Park Ryung clenched his teeth. “So, what walls, what impossibility? The only explanation is the possible.” The bastard’s laughter could be coming from anywhere. “He was a false ranker this whole time, hiding a skill that gave him future knowledge. Hiding how easy those lowlife monsters and people were, lowering people’s standards to seem so amazing and humble. Whether Hwang Dongsoo killed him or the Association protected their precious little teacher, wouldn’t the result be the same? If I get exposed, then so does my fellow liar.” He only had the basic healing skill, but that was enough. He forced the rest of the blood out of healing lungs, controlled his breathing and clearing the last of the wound. The agent coughed hard as he was able to breathe again, turned on his side and shaking.

“… You have a lot of nerve, Kang, comparing yourself to Hunter Park,” Woo Jinchul concluded, low. “So he lied? You think that makes him like you? You think I never asked myself why a D-rank healer had unique abilities, unexplainable stores of mana, and the worst attempt at lying I’ve ever seen in my life?” Park Ryung looked up sharply, eyes wide. “You look down on me, even after all these years,” Woo Jinchul accused. “Don’t you think I did everything in my power to try to investigate?! And everywhere I looked, it was the same result! Not a single casualty in any Dungeon he cleared! Every low-ranked Hunter he touched, he improved and saved! Every Awakened he blacklisted, they proved the need for it! He cured a disease that everyone else had given up on and reached out to the Hunters that no one wanted to touch! What does it matter that he lied about his rank?!” Ah, that was- a lot of mana around Woo Jinchul?? Park Ryung had known him for years now, but never saw him quite this pissed off. “Of course there was a reason like this,” the chief snapped. “To give information anonymously and save more lives! And you come here to frame him for a murder just to compare him to the likes of you?!” The air around them was quiet, save for the Hunter’s slowing breathing. Park Ryung thought maybe that unsteady breathing in his ears was his own.

If it’s you, then it’s the best we could hope for.

“… Tch. This isn’t any fun,” the disembodied voice complained. “Since when do you have faith in anyone, you uptight bastard?” Park Ryung always knew the other shoe would drop, was the thing. He never thought this would last forever. He always knew- “But since you rushed here to end it all, that means if I kill everyone here, I get to play just a little longer, right?” Woo Jinchul whirled sharply, reaching out a hand.

“Protect the healer-!!” he warned, and a dagger jutted out the front of his chest with a sickening noise, a spray of blood.

Green veins began to spread up the visible skin of his neck, and Kang Taeshik melted from shadow with a sickly-sweet smile.

“Do you really think I’m so predictable, Chief?” he asked lazily. “Even after all these years.”

That-

Wait, he-?

Don’t-

Whatever thoughts were trying to process in his head, they would just have to wait. Kang Taeshik’s expression changed in the tiniest fractions, came closer at an unexpected speed.

Park Ryung shattered his sword as he rammed it through armor, flesh, bones, and the wall of a D-rank Dungeon. The rest of Kang Taeshik belatedly impacted the wall, and let out a spray of blood that splattered over his office clothes. Park Ryung’s entire body was screaming with energy like it hadn’t since he first Awakened, and he honestly could care less.

“-f*ck, Jinchul!!” he shouted, racing to the man’s side. Woo Jinchul only just finished sinking to the ground, blood spilling from his eyes and mouth. Park Ryung fumbled in his pockets for a moment, then pulled out a handful of orange pills. He dropped one in his mouth and shattered it between his teeth, then poured the mana into every single cell of the man’s body along with his healing spell. Woo Jinchul took in a startled, rattling gasp of air, coughing as the damage was rapidly caught up to. Park Ryung had to grab another two and cram them in his mouth, catching up to every ruined cell, every blood vessel, every tainted bit of his mana that was poisoning him from the inside out. The damage from his heart skipping and slowing beats, the lack of oxygen in his brain, everything-

What the f*ck was this bullsh*t healing power good for if he couldn’t even do this much?

Woo Jinchul lurched on his side and puked up black bile laced with green poison, coughing and spitting. He gasped in a deep breath, then panted as Park Ryung searched through the rest of him for any further traces of damage. He felt unsteady, light-headed, his vision was going- Did he run out of mana for the first time? Was that blood streaming out of his eyes, making everything too blurry to really see?

“… sh*t,” Woo Jinchul rasped. “No wonder you hate doing that.” Park Ryung scrubbed at his eyes, and ah.

Right, he was just- crying pathetically. He was the one breathing like he’d almost died, and Woo Jinchul was already sitting up, rubbing at his ruined shirt with a perturbed expression. He spat aside, then turned.

“Hunter Park,” he insisted. “It’s alright, it’s fine. I’m fine, you see?” It wasn’t fine, it wasn’t fine, it wasn’t f*cking fine-

If it’s you-

Since when do you have faith in anyone, you uptight bastard?

Don’t leave me.

“I’m not leaving,” Woo Jinchul answered, sighing out. “… I’m not leaving. Sometimes I still forget how young you are…” What did that have to do with anything? “I’m fine,” Woo Jinchul repeated, patting his head. “You did well. The only casualty will be that monster.” Monster?

… Was that- really good enough?

Kang Taeshik gave a rattling, manic laugh that broke through the haze.

“So that was his real rank,” he wheezed. “M-Monsters… don’t have the right to call the kettle b-black, Hunter Park. I’ll die b-because it’s just the way the world works, you-“

No, that wasn’t f*cking good enough.

Park Ryung grabbed the last orange pill and shattered it in his mouth, then turned back on the broken doll of a human being. He ripped out the shattered remains of his sword, tossing it aside, then shoved his hand in its place. Kang Taeshik gagged loudly as heal flooded his body the same way.

“You don’t get the last f*cking word in this, you miserable little bastard,” Park Ryung snarled. “You’ll only die when you answer for this.” Kang Taeshik choked and gasped in startled breaths of air again, spitting. He attempted to lash out, but Park Ryung used his other hand to instead grab his throat and shove his head back against the wall. The assassin could only scrabble at his hands uselessly. “I know a little bit about the likes of you, sh*thead,” he snapped. “Hunters are better than what you call trash of humanity, right? Kill or be killed, based on that strength you’re so proud of?” He couldn’t hurt him just by killing him, he’d love that. He’d love to think this was just how the world worked, and die proud of himself for all his own bullsh*t. Even now with a hand on his throat, he was baring his teeth in a shaky challenge with wide, wild eyes.

Park Ryung would change how the whole f*cking world worked just to spite this bastard.

So he healed everything he could touch, cleared every trace of wrongness he could find in the man’s body, then reached in deep and pulled.

All smugness and confidence dashed away in a scream of agony that echoed through the entire Dungeon, while Park Ryung ripped the source of his strength away piece by shattered piece.

He would have had to find out if he could do this anyway.

He flung away Kang Taeshik from the wall, leaving him to convulse as mana poured out and scattered to nothing, spilled from a broken vessel of a mana core. Kang Taeshik clawed at the ground as the fit finally subsided, wheezing and gasping with wide, wide eyes. Park Ryung stood over him, then grinned in the same vicious challenge.

“Live with the consequences of your actions, you trash,” he concluded. Kang Taeshik scrambled to get up, confusion first blooming across his features. Fear, next. Terror that consumed all of him, madness in his eyes and bubbling up his throat in hopeless denial, then a wordless scream that ripped out of him, his body thrashing forward to fight, throwing all of himself at Park Ryung like an ant at a foot crushing its hill.

Park Ryung let him, just to really make it hurt.

“No no no no nonononoNONONO NO!!!” Kang Taeshik screamed, only to be gently thrown back to the ground. He panted and gasped for air, visibly having a panic attack. That was definitely the expression he should have worn all this time, Park Ryung thought. That was the regret he needed. “No,” he choked. “No, I- I can’t- I’d rather- I-!” He scrambled for a piece of the broken sword, entire body shaking uncontrollably. “I’d rather die-!”

Park Ryung gently slapped the metal out of his hand. Kang Taeshik looked at his offended hand in numb betrayal. He then began to scream again, right before Woo Jinchul clapped a hand over his mouth.

“Kang Taeshik, you’re under arrest for the kidnapping and murder of Hwang Dongsuk,” he ordered. “And the attempted murder of three agents of the Hunter’s Association.” Muffled screams echoed behind his gauntlet. That probably wasn’t going to stop anytime soon.

… Ah, it was a nice thought.

A nice thought right before a really big f*cking mess. Kang Taeshik was still wailing like a child when there were suddenly more people? Running into the Dungeon??

“Mr. Park!!” Cha Haein called. Park Ryung was confused enough at the S-rank Hunter that appeared out of literally nowhere. But right behind her was Choi Jongin, then Baek Yoonho?! What was with these extremely powerful people appeared in a D-rank Dungeon, huh??? He was just trying to bask in some heavy-handed revenge!! “M- ugh,” Cha Haein wheezed, clapping a hand over her nose and mouth alike, lurching as if she was going to puke??

“… f*ck,” Baek Yoonho managed. “What- the f*ck happened here?”

“Um,” Park Ryung tried. “Wha- Why are- h-huh?”

“… It seems that no one is currently injured,” Choi Jongin concluded, adjusting his glasses. “However, Hunter Park, that is… quite the mana that is radiating from you.” Park Ryung blinked hugely. Mana?

… His- uncontrolled- mana???

f*ck.

“f*ck,” he realized, looking down at himself. Woo Jinchul sighed, standing with his catch still in hand.

“You’re getting a re-evaluation, Hunter Park,” he concluded. “As soon as we deal with this mess.”

“Chief Woo,” Baek Yoonho realized. “Is that- your blood?” Woo Jinchul looked down at what used to be an impalement wound. He looked up.

“Details about this incident will be strictly confidential,” he answered, still as cool as a f*cking cucumber, even right after almost being murdered.

Good for him.

Kang Taeshik actually needed some intense restraints to get bundled away, and Park Ryung worked very, very hard on controlling the hell out of his mana again. It was- a lot harder than he thought it should be?? He did this every day for years, why was it acting like trying to shove an inflated balloon back into a tiny space?! He cursed in frustration before slowly, viciously pushing it down further and further until he actually felt pretty unwell. He swallowed it like a bitter pill, and tried very hard to ignore how much the rest of his body did not like that.

“… So, Hwang Dongsuk is dead,” Choi Jongin commented, like he hadn’t stood there and watched him struggle this whole time. Cha Haein was starting to regain color in her face, at least. “What are the odds that Hwang Dongsoo won’t be a problem after this?” Woo Jinchul just sighed, watching his former colleague be taken away.

“… Why is everyone- here?” Park Ryung tried again.

“Your class with our guild members was abruptly interrupted, swarmed with bodyguards, and you stopped answering your phone altogether,” Choi Jongin answered. “Less than an hour after Hwang Dongsuk broke out of prison.” That- didn’t feel like an answer to his question??

“M-Mr. Park, are you alright?” Cha Haein attempted, no longer breathing like she was going to puke.

“A-Ah, yes, I’m. I’m fine.”

“There’s blood on you…”

“Oh, um. I just…” He looked down. “… I just- lost my temper a little bit,” he acknowledged.

“On Hwang Dongsuk?” Baek Yoonho tried.

“No, um. That guy.” He pointed at the van that was driving away. All three S-ranks stared at him. “… I healed him,” Park Ryung added. He was obviously a healer, they knew this.

“… You lost your temper on an unawakened civilian?” Choi Jongin attempted.

“Um.”

“Kang Taeshik was a high B-ranked assassin, Guildmaster Choi,” Woo Jinchul answered, not looking up from his texting. Choi Jongin stilled.

“… Was?” he repeated, unsteady. Woo Jinchul glanced up, expression flat.

“Was,” he repeated. He returned to his texting.

“… In my defense, I didn’t know I could do that until today,” Park Ryung muttered.

“I’m not complaining, Hunter Park.”

“I know, and I’m not apologizing, just. I felt like I should explain that.”

“Of everything, that’s the one that needs to be explained the least.”

“Ah, r-right…”

“Stop suppressing your mana like that, it’s pointless now.” Park Ryung winced, but looked at Cha Haein in apology. She quickly added a second handkerchief to her nose, turning away. Park Ryung let go of the extremely tight hold he had on himself, and wasn’t sure why that felt so relieving. He’d been doing just fine before this, hadn’t he? Why was he suddenly trying to wrestle something so wildly out of control?

“sh*t,” Baek Yoonho muttered, shifting in place.

“… But, um. Y-You’re still getting a check-up, right, Chief?” Park Ryung added nonetheless. Woo Jinchul paused in his texting, just for a moment.

“… Of course,” he answered. “Standard policy, Hunter Park. You know this.”

“R-Right. Of course.”

“We’ll stop by the hospital before we head back.”

“Okay.” Choi Jongin looked at the similar wound on Woo Jinchul’s back, grimaced hard, and didn’t ask. Park Ryung was grateful.

The car ride with both the support team and three S-ranks was- awkward? Park Ryung was also deeply uncomfortable with how wildly out of control his mana was, and reflexively tried to wrestle it at least a bit lower. Somehow it was just getting more difficult??

“Not like that,” Choi Jongin abruptly said, breaking the silence in the car. “Stop drawing inward, pull it to your skin instead.”

“Oh.” Park Ryung blinked, but tried to draw less in and more… close? It was much easier that way, actually. Like pulling his clothes back on after forgetting to go out with pants. He exhaled in shaky relief as he managed to pull it tight and close, drawing boundaries at the very edge of his normal flow. “T-Thank you.”

“That would have normally taken at least a week of practice, but alright,” Choi Jongin muttered.

“Huh?”

“None of you should technically be here,” Woo Jinchul commented abruptly, but then let his own words slide without looking up from his phone. Who was he texting so much? Ah, probably the chairman.

While both Woo Jinchul and the other Association Hunter got their checkups, Park Ryung sat awkwardly in the waiting room with S-rank Hunters again. The rest of the support team declined to leave the van themselves, sweating bullets when asked.

“… Did anyone actually go and clear that Dungeon in the first place?” Park Ryung abruptly realized in a mutter.

“Are you alright, Mr. Park?” Cha Haein asked, down to just one handkerchief. Park Ryung blinked at her, then exhaled heavily. He should be okay, right? Woo Jinchul didn’t seem to have too many hard feelings about what happened himself. The chairman might be understanding, even if he got a scolding.

It obviously wasn’t that people hadn’t almost died in front of him before. Things happened in Dungeons. Stray weapons, missteps, unexpected monsters and dangers- he’d seen so much of it. He’d held together bad injuries before.

… Woo Jinchul wasn’t supposed to be someone who could die, was the thing. However fate translated into real life, maybe it was already too far gone to save.

He wasn’t supposed to come so close to losing someone he cared about.

“Hunter Park.” He looked up with a start. Woo Jinchul stood in front of him with his armored suit still ruined from blood and being torn open, but held up a familiar piece of paper. Park Ryung scanned it for a moment, then nodded quietly. Woo Jinchul folded the paper and tucked it away.

“… I’m fine, too,” the other agent added, clearing his throat. “Thank you, Hunter Park.” Park Ryung smiled faintly, relaxing somewhat.

“Of course,” he agreed.

“Evaluation time,” Woo Jinchul stated, and Park Ryung stood up with a sigh. He nodded again, resigned. He then blinked as his head was firmly patted. “Unless you’re the one doing the paperwork for today, don’t look like that,” the man scolded. Park Ryung gave a startled laugh, then smiled sheepishly.

“Aha, yes, Chief.” Woo Jinchul gave him one more firm pat, then led him out. It wasn’t like him to give head pats, was today a special case? Park Ryung accepted gratefully for whatever the reason.

Woo Jinchul paused, then turned slightly. He sighed.

“You’re all still technically not supposed to be here,” he stated. Park Ryung turned himself, then jolted.

Right, a bunch of S-ranks.

“I don’t think the result of the re-evaluation is secret from us, Chief Woo,” Choi Jongin replied dryly. “Or from the rest of Korea.” That sounded like a weird form of a threat? Park Ryung was not interested in meeting the other half of the S-ranks, thank you.

“… Hunter Park, you have a number of other things to talk about with the chairman today,” Woo Jinchul sighed, not acknowledging the guildmaster. “It was your meeting in the first place.” His meeting? Was he supposed to be the one to tell these three to stop being so nosy?

… They did- actually run into a D-rank Dungeon today because they thought something was wrong, didn’t they? It was a little inconvenient, but it wasn’t like he was going to keep his secrets forever. He never planned to.

He’d been waiting for the right time for so long, he probably missed it ages ago.

“I mean…” He hesitated, then sighed softly. “… Just- make sure you keep this as secret as possible, for now,” he requested, looking back. “I’ll explain a bit better to Chairman Go, too.”

“As possible, being the keyword,” Choi Jongin pointed out.

“That’s not what he’s referring to,” Woo Jinchul cut in, flat.

“… I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

“I don’t follow,” Park Ryung agreed, holding up a hand.

“Let’s just get to the Association, Hunter Park. We’ll get this part over first.”

Park Ryung was expecting to be equally dismissive of the evaluation himself. He already spitballed about where he thought his rank was, the only issue was how weird his mana was acting at the moment. Which clearly was a problem, because when he touched the large orb in the center of the pedestal, there was a faint tug, then-

CRACK

“… I… It- broke,” Park Ryung whispered, staring at what used to be the largest magic meter in all of Korea.

“… That’s- a bit much, i-isn’t it?” Cha Haein attempted.

“You ever meet a national-level Hunter?” Baek Yoonho muttered back. “It’s not.”

“… Oh.”

“… It broke,” Park Ryung repeated. “It- Why do these things keep breaking?!” he burst out, clutching at his head, mortified. “I’m not trying to break the things??? Why the f*ck is my mana like this, huh?! I can’t even heal like a normal f*cking person, and now it just decides to break equipment no matter how hard I try to control it?!?! Do you have any idea how expensive this thing was, you bullsh*t magic system?!”

“Hunter Park,” Woo Jinchul sighed.

“Chief I swear I didn’t try to break this one, either?!”

“Hunter Park,” Woo Jinchul repeated firmly. “You’re S-rank.” Park Ryung was still envisioning all the paperwork required to cover this problem, so took a few blinks to get past that. He sniffed.

“… Huh?” he asked.

“You didn’t break it because of a problem, you broke it because it overloaded,” Woo Jinchul stated. “It’s well beyond the error signals of a normal S-rank. You’re officially classified as S-rank.” There was a faint sound from the tester standing aside.

“W-We still have to do the re-test…”

“He’s an Association agent, forget it.”

“O-Oh. Excuse me.”

“… Huh?” Park Ryung tried again. That was bad. He’d messed up so badly that they thought this meant he was S-rank, how embarrassing. “No, no, it’s just the weird nature of my mana,” he tried. “This happened with the little mana meter I rented, too. It just blew up like this.”

“Hunter Park,” Woo Jinchul said again, visibly suffering. “You’ve used this mana meter before when you were first evaluated. Why would the results change if the nature of your mana was what caused it?” Park Ryung opened his mouth. He went cross-eyed for a moment, thinking very hard about this nonsense.

“H-Huh?” he repeated, voice cracking a bit.

“… He actually- wasn’t talking about being Korea’s tenth S-rank,” Choi Jongin realized, exhausted. “He really somehow thought it was something different…?”

“Hunter Park, we all noticed it,” Baek Yoonho put forward bluntly. “You’re not just S-rank, you’re the strongest S-rank in Korea. Hands down.”

… Huh?

Wait, that-

Wasn’t that supposed to be his boyfriend? His tiny boyfriend??? Where the f*ck was his protagonist, huh?!?!

At some point, he made it to Go Gunhee’s office?? He sat in a chair and tried to fathom how this could have possibly happened. Outside of all the strange things he’d been putting in his mouth for months now. Go Gunhee snorted.

“How long has he been like this, Jinchul?”

“It’s already been ten minutes, sir.”

“Oho~ What a fun young man he is. But please- change your shirt, Jinchul. It’s disturbing to think we almost lost you like this.”

“… Yes, sir.”

“Hunter Park,” Go Gunhee addressed, and Park Ryung tried to blink the stupid out of his head. He blinked glassy eyes at the chairman, who softened. “You’ve had a long day,” he acknowledged. “But I’ve been waiting for this talk for a while. Are you ready to have it now?” No??? He wanted to know who the f*ck authorized this?!

… f*ck, but he was never going to be ready, was he? He realized that a lot too late.

He groaned, burying his face in his hands for a moment because why the f*ck, then sat up straight. This was still his boss, after all.

“… Yes, sir,” he answered. “I- want to start by sincerely apologizing for faking my rank,” he began, weary. “I did it fully aware of the consequences of my actions.” Go Gunhee hummed, still amused.

“If we were going to punish you for that, it would have been a long time ago, Hunter Park,” he answered plainly. “I’m more interested in something else.” He took a single piece of paper and slid it forward. “You know what this is?”

“… Yes, sir.”

“Please, then, repeat its contents.”

“… On Jeju Island, within the year, an S-rank Gate will open and fail to be cleared before its break,” Park Ryung answered. “Two following raids on the resulting ant hive will also fail. On the third, S-rank Hunter Ran Eunsook will die while raiding alongside the White Tiger Guild and Min Byunggyu, and the casualties will be multiplied tenfold.” There was a sharp sound as someone stood up.

“Eunsook?!” Baek Yoonho repeated sharply. “That- You were-?”

“Jeju Island’s third raid never came about because of these letters, of course,” Go Gunhee stated. “The first failures were inevitable. The Hunters Association would never simply leave it alone, and you knew that.” Park Ryung nodded quietly. “Letters about Kang Taeshik being a murderer with a hidden stealth skill, about Hwang Dongsoo’s defection to America. About the ninth S-rank Hunter being a young woman named Cha, who would Awaken with a powerful mana sense.” Park Ryung could feel a lot of eyes on the back of his head. “It’s unfortunate that Kang Taeshik found a connection between you and these letters first,” Go Gunhee sighed. “Especially before we finished our investigation into his own actions, which he became aware of prematurely. For that, I truly apologize, Hunter Park.”

“… It’s not your fault, sir. He was meant to go on until he just picked the wrong target, anyway.” Park Ryung fidgeted somewhat. “The day I Awakened, I saw- a future,” he admitted. “And it wasn’t… a good one. It’s- painful, it’s confusing, and it just… I don’t know how to make it better. I didn’t know how to make anyone believe me without being put in a position where I couldn’t do anything.” He fidgeted with the ends of his fingers and tried to not think about the bloodstains. “And I can’t repeat what happened,” he admitted. “Everything I know is just one future, from one timeline that should have happened by now, one long series of events. No matter how much I try to not change at all, it just… Everything I know will become useless in the end. It already is mostly useless. Knowing about the fourth raid on Jeju Island, the death of Min Byunggyu as a result, the massacre of the Japanese S-ranks-“ He shook his head. “It’s useless.”

“… Yes, I suppose it could be seen that way,” Go Gunhee murmured. “Awakenings are truly strange in the first place, and perhaps there’s no way to recreate that vision. But there would be no end of those who would do anything they could to try regardless.” He nodded to himself, thoughtful. “So you hid your rank below the threshold for a unique skill. Why did you then apply to the Association as a teacher? That seems like it’d be the most dangerous route, wouldn’t it?” Park Ryung obviously knew that, didn’t he? He drummed anxiously on his knee for a moment.

“I saw- a Hunter,” he began. “He Awakened as an E-rank. He’d been working as a Hunter for years by then, despite the odds. It was a miserable life, too. Every Dungeon he went into, he almost died, and the payoff was never remotely worth the risk. He- had to take care of his family, though. His sister wanted to be a doctor, and he wanted her to stay in school even if he had to drop out. His mother was sick, and treatments were so expensive that he could barely afford to live with any other job. His father disappeared into a Dungeon years ago, presumed dead. He was mocked and pushed around by other Hunters, and universally known as the weakest Hunter of all mankind. But he still struggled every day for years, barely survived, and still went back into Dungeons.” He gripped at his office pants a little too hard, crumpling the fabric before he let go.

“… A mother with Eternal Sleep Disease and a father disappeared would be a hard life on anyone, wouldn’t it, Hunter Park?” Go Gunhee mused quietly. “You became invested in something you thought you could reach.” Park Ryung nodded silently. “A bit more than invested, then?” He felt his cheeks go hot. “Haha, perhaps that’s an understatement,” Go Gunhee chuckled. “Yes, just a bit. Does he know?”

“I…” Park Ryung blushed at his lap. “I-I told him about the- the visions, I didn’t… e-entirely specify. I-It felt too embarrassing…” Go Gunhee chuckled some more until Woo Jinchul cleared his throat.

“Chairman, please don’t tease Hunter Park.”

“Who can resist teasing a young man in love?” Go Gunhee lamented, but thankfully dropped it. “Very well. I suppose that’s all I need to hear on the matter of your previous rank. It’s not the point of this meeting now, is it?”

“Hold on,” Choi Jongin stated, twitching when Park Ryung looked. “Him being an S-rank isn’t the point, the fact that he’s seen the future isn’t the point, and there’s still more?”

“He’s stronger than he used to be,” Baek Yoonho said. Park Ryung blinked hugely. The other two S-ranks also looked at him with wide eyes, but he merely frowned. “I could sense you were strong when we first met, a lot stronger than a D-rank,” he acknowledged. “But that sense kept growing. It wasn’t something I could feel in your mana, it wasn’t something I could see in your abilities. Even if you were always a higher rank, you always moved and used your strength at roughly the correct level. It’s the only reason you’ve been able to use such crappy gear for so long without it shattering the moment you tried.” Speaking of, Park Ryung vaguely remembered losing an Association sword just a bit ago. He had to file that paperwork, too. “You’ve been getting stronger all this time,” Baek Yoonho concluded severely, frown deepening. “And even you didn’t realize the extent of it until you used it for the first time to save Chief Woo’s life. Isn’t that what happened?”

“… Ah,” Park Ryung managed. “H-He really had me figured the whole time, t-too…”

“You’re a terrible liar,” Woo Jinchul told him, as if he’d been holding that back for far too long.

“Mm, it’s very bad,” Go Gunhee agreed cheerfully. Park Ryung felt incredibly depressed.

“… What?” Cha Haein tried. “But that’s- i-impossible?” Park Ryung sighed at the unfairness of his lying skills, turning slightly so he addressed the whole room.

“I’ve been- experimenting for a while, with the concept,” he admitted. “It started when I figured out how to treat Eternal Sleep Disease, rethinking how mana- ah.” Cha Haein’s eyes had nearly popped out of her skull?? “… Which was me, by the way,” Park Ryung added. The guildmasters had obviously figured that out, but apparently didn’t share. “A-Anyway, rethinking how mana interacts with the human body,” he continued quickly. “And how that applies to Hunters. I’ve only been trying it on myself, but- I figured out a way to eat the energy from monster crystals to increase not just my mana stores, but my body enhancement. B-Basically, how to increase a Hunter’s strength through effort.” He twitched. “… W-Which was apparently a lot more effective than I calculated?”

“Then it would only work for healers, wouldn’t it?” Choi Jongin finally asked, though his composure was shaken. “People have tried eating monster crystals before. They die.”

“No,” Park Ryung sighed. “I mean, I did try that first and survived it, yes. But- no, this is a method for anyone to use.” Choi Jongin’s expression went slack. Baek Yoonho and Cha Haein were equally shocked. “Chairman Go,” Park Ryung finally addressed, turning. “I- would like to add another class to the training program.”

“To prove your statement?” Go Gunhee asked, eyebrow raised. Park Ryung nodded seriously, then held up four fingers.

“With four students to start,” he agreed. “Each in different circ*mstances to provide a variety of results. With that, I’ll know how to apply this to others.” Go Gunhee smiled, eyes bright.

“You’ve thought this through, then,” he concluded. Park Ryung really over-thought it if today was any indication. “If I may, who are these four students?”

“First, Jinwoo,” Park Ryung began. “An Awakened with a historically-low mana rating, but perfectly even application of mana across his entire body. I already have his agreement to do this, too.” Go Gunhee nodded in acceptance. “Second, Song Chiyul,” Park Ryung continued.

“M-Mr. Song?” Cha Haein blurted out.

“He’s a C-rank, but Awakened with mage abilities, and his physical capabilities are incompatible with his sword mastery,” Park Ryung agreed. “I want to change that and flip the balance the other way, so his sword can be put to good use even in Dungeons.”

“Oho~ Excellent, excellent,” Go Gunhee praised, all the more delighted.

“Third, Chief Woo Jinchul,” Park Ryung continued. Woo Jinchul had changed his shirt into another plain button-up at some point, and twitched at the mention. “He’s A-rank, one closest to S-rank rating among other A-ranks in the country, but technically has very few spells or skills given to him compared to other Hunters,” Park Ryung reasoned. “His capabilities are based in his training and experience above all, so he can also be given more independence to direct mana infusions where they would suit him best.”

“A higher spectrum than Sung Jinwoo, but similar circ*mstances for more than one result,” Go Gunhee mused. “And, of course, it helps that these are all people you know and trust, does it not?” Park Ryung coughed.

“I- had a theory before today, that I could destroy a Hunter’s mana core,” he admitted. “Removing their abilities and making them incapable of using mana ever again. But that doesn’t mean I want to be forced to use it, especially as the result of my own actions.” Go Gunhee nodded in severe understanding. “But- y-yes, I also want to pick people I trust,” Park Ryung acknowledged, embarrassed. “Not just in their capabilities, but in their character. It’s not always a luxury we get, to be picky.”

“No, it is not.” The chairman sighed himself. “And that… is very unfair sometimes, Hunter Park.” Park Ryung knew that, he could only imagine being the one who had to manage that bullsh*t. “Then, who is your fourth candidate?” Park Ryung straightened.

“Yoo Jinho,” he answered. The office was silent. Go Gunhee’s brow crinkled somewhat.

“… I’ve never heard of him,” he said.

“Neither have I,” Woo Jinchul agreed, clearing his throat. “Who is he, Hunter Park?”

“He’s not a Hunter,” Park Ryung admitted. “He’s not even Awakened.” Not yet, at least. Go Gunhee’s expression briefly lost composure as well. “He will Awaken, but not for a year or so,” Park Ryung elaborated. “As a D-rank tanker. He’s never particularly talented in fighting or raiding, either. Ah, and truthfully, he could be a bit dense…” Ah, the poor comic relief.

“… I would be greatly interested to see what you could do with this young man,” Go Gunhee admitted. “But- I’m also curious. Why choose him of all others, aside from the benefits of his results? You’ve never met him in person, have you?”

“Ah, never,” Park Ryung sighed. “But- under the worst of circ*mstances, he works tirelessly anyway, applies what talents he does have, and never considers forsaking those he’s loyal to,” he admitted. “As a student, it’s not just me trying to Awaken him by myself. He doesn’t need to reach S-rank, he doesn’t need anything greater than D-rank, even. He’s just- a good guy with honest intentions. I wouldn’t mind teaching a hundred more of him even if they don’t amount to anything particularly special.”

“… Well, that’s all the reason you could ask for, I suppose,” Go Gunhee mused. He looked exceptionally pleased even if this might actually end the world ahead of schedule. “Although, you’ll be quite busy, Hunter Park. Please do not forget that you’re now an S-rank Hunter.” Park Ryung’s expression went slack. “Ah, you’ve already forgotten.” Baek Yoonho coughed into his hand.

“Hunter Park,” he addressed. “I know you take all those classes with lower-ranked Hunters through the week, too. The White Tiger Guild will offer their own instructors to teach those classes in your stead.” Park Ryung blinked hugely as he looked back.

“Tch, he said it first,” Choi Jongin grumbled. “The Hunters Guild will also offer the same. If the classes are expanded in your program, that would leave you with much more free time.”

“… Teach?” Park Ryung repeated, stupid. “Your own- instructors?”

“They’ve taken your classes lots of times,” Baek Yoonho agreed bluntly. “And based on the results they’ve studied, they believe they can learn to teach similarly. We’d loan them to the Association as hired consults, with our guild paycheck still being their incentive. That much is fine, isn’t it, Chairman?”

“The legal matter is easily handled, Guildmaster Baek,” Go Gunhee agreed calmly. “But- it’s not my program. This is the program that Hunter Park has rebuilt from the ground up, gone through many death threats, sleepless nights, and murder attempts to maintain in quality and integrity. The outstanding results are a direct consequence of that.” He rested his chin on his folded hands, eyes glowing faintly. “Are your guilds enough to handle something so precious, Guildmasters?” Both Baek Yoonho and Choi Jongin appeared intimidated. Park Ryung blinked between the two sides, then considered himself.

He finally raised his hand slightly.

“If I have the ability to oversee the instructors, and observe on occasion, I think that would be fine,” he admitted. Go Gunhee blinked. “Retaining other teachers has been, uh- a challenge,” Park Ryung admitted. “But- if other teachers can teach low-ranked Hunters to handle Dungeons so well, then it’s best for everyone, isn’t it? Basic education, basic training, and the ability to live through a career. If we raise the standards for those who go into Dungeons, the survival rate also increases.” He gestured somewhat. “It’s just like I stopped treating Eternal Sleep Disease patients personally,” he reasoned. “But stayed on for consultations and the occasional unique case. If solving this problem isn’t reliant on just one person, then that many more people can be helped.”

“… Ha,” Go Gunhee said, then grinned. “Aha- Hahahaha!!” Ah, there he went with the boisterous grandpa laugh. Such a funny guy. Go Gunhee laughed heartily until he had to calm himself, patting at his chest, then exhaled with a loud huff. “Yes, yes, Hunter Park certainly knows best for his program,” he agreed sagely, nodding. “The more we teach, the better. Even if it involves some sticky fingers.” Sticky?

“… We will use our best discretion in choosing instructors, Hunter Park,” Choi Jongin stated, clearing his throat. “If they don’t meet your standards, please inform us immediately.” Park Ryung nodded in acceptance. He did have teaching standards.

“Of course,” he agreed. “I’ll need a lot of time to work with this new class. Ah- as long as everyone agrees to it, of course. Aha, Chief?” He looked back sheepishly. “I awkwardly called you out in front of everyone, but. Will you please be one of my students for now?” Woo Jinchul blinked once, then exhaled in a huff of his own.

“Of course, Hunter Park,” he answered. “I’m honored.” Park Ryung already had thoughts of figuring out how to improve his poison resistances and defenses in particular, so it was nice he agreed so easily.

“I’m sure Song Chiyul will be interested in helping you as well,” Go Gunhee concluded. “But what will you do for your mysterious fourth student?”

“Aha, well, he might be a bit tricky to approach,” Park Ryung acknowledged, scratching his head. “But I have an idea.” He tilted his head. “Do you know a good contract lawyer?”

Thankfully, the meeting seemed to go very well. That just left Park Ryung to deal with the rest of the consequences.

Chapter 13

Chapter Text

Park Ryung watched the news about Korea’s tenth S-rank while sitting on the couch of the Sung apartment, dying of sheer embarrassment.

“Korea’s tenth S-rank is a valued agent of the Association, and many Hunters today may recognize him,” Woo Jinchul announced on the podium. “Hunter Park Ryung, head teacher of the Hunters Association’s training program.” Park Ryung made a dying whale sound as his boring ID picture was plastered on the screen, hiding in his hands.

“Awww,” Sung Jinah cooed.

“Jinah, don’t embarrass him,” Jinwoo huffed, patting Park Ryung’s back. “It’s alright, Hyung. At least you’re not up there yourself, right?”

“T-That’s true…”

“Chief Woo, i-isn’t this the training program that singlehandedly raised national performance rates of guild-less Hunters??” a reporter exclaimed.

“Chief Woo! The head teacher of the training program was previously classified as a D-rank healer- is this possibly related to the agent that discovered the cure for Eternal Sleep Disease?!” There was a brief uproar and commotion that Woo Jinchul waited out patiently, and only when they calmed down did he lean to the microphones.

“Due to previous circ*mstances, the Association has kept as much information about our agent private as possible,” he answered. “However, the circ*mstances have changed. Hunter Park is also the healer who discovered the cure for Eternal Sleep Disease.” Park Ryung hunkered down further.

“Waaah,” he whined.

“He is also the head teacher who personally reformed our training program, with the goal of reducing casualty rates for Hunters across multiple classes,” Woo Jinchul continued. “As a result, the Association is working with both the White Tiger Guild and Hunters Guild to expand our training program to educate and prepare as many Hunters as possible for their dangerous careers.” The crowd was losing it all over again. Park Ryung felt his blush spread down to his neck and whined out loud.

“Why did I eat those stupid popcorn pills,” he wheezed.

“There now, Ryung,” Park Kyunghe soothed, leaning over to pat his head. “There, there.”

“Yeah, you’re just basically the most popular guy in all of Korea right now,” Sung Jinah agreed happily. “No big deal~”

“Jinah, please.”

Park Ryung experienced the very real event of actually not wanting to go back to work the next week. Usually it took a heck of a cuddle from Jinwoo to get the same thing. But sadly, Jinwoo was excited to leave for the Association himself, so. He rolled out of bed and crawled through starting his day, and just desperately hoped that it wouldn’t be too weird if he set foot outside.

It was fine. It was definitely fine, right? There were a thousand Parks in Korea, as the saying went, and outside of being a little taller than average, he didn’t stick out in any other way. It was fine!

“… That’s called denial, dude,” Sung Jinah replied.

“Wha,” Park Ryung managed.

“Have a good day, both of you,” Park Kyunghe soothed, handing over lunches. “Ryung, don’t worry about it, you’ll settle into the situation naturally.”

“Oh, um, I-I guess so…”

“See?” Jinwoo agreed. “It’ll be fine, Hyung. Thanks, Mom.” They set off with that, and Park Ryung could only hope he looked like any other office worker just heading to work.

… It definitely didn’t feel like that. It definitely- did not feel like that?? He was getting stared at from the moment he stepped onto the streets from the Sung apartment. Jinwoo, comparatively, walked along like nothing was wrong, holding his hand to make sure he kept up. Park Ryung was always happy to hold hands, yes, but the staring definitely didn’t let up on the whole walk to work.

It also outright turned into a small mob at the front of the Association, complete with flashing cameras and people shouting his name, so. They probably weren’t there for anyone else?

“Hunter Park!”

“Hunter Park, how did your research into Eternal Sleep Disease start?”

“Hunter Park, is this your, uh, friend-?”

“I’m his boyfriend,” Jinwoo answered shortly, and stared the asking man head-on. “Get out of the way, you’re going to make Hyung late for work.” The reporter flinched back, shocked. Park Ryung blinked hugely as he was pulled into the building by a very dignified, confident, and adorable tiny boyfriend.

“… You’re so cool,” he comprehended. Jinwoo snorted softly, leading him through the staring lobby.

“That’s my line, Hyung.”

“O-Oh, jeez…” Although, maybe he should actually get that car that Woo Jinchul recommended. Driving meant a lot less staring, probably.

Woo Jinchul was waiting for them past the front lobby, and nodded slightly when they approached.

“Hunter Park, Hunter Sung,” he greeted.

“Chief,” Jinwoo returned.

“H-Hi,” Park Ryung managed. “Thank you for the press thing, Chief.”

“It’s to be expected, of course.” He looked down the hall. “Hunter Song has already arrived, but our fourth member hasn’t been seen.”

“Oh, really?” Park Ryung blinked. “He replied to the message and said he’d be here.”

“Yes, and it’s past the designated time. It’s a bit concerning he hasn’t-“ Woo Jinchul paused. “… He’s stuck in the crowd,” he realized.

“He’s stuck in the crowd,” Park Ryung agreed, weary. Woo Jinchul sighed, then pulled out his phone.

“Excuse me,” he said, and walked away. Ah, the poor thing.

Apparently, other agents were called to help drive away the crowd of reporters. No sooner had they done so when a spindly guy barely out of high school burst into the front doors, huffing and puffing. He scurried his way to the front desk.

“E-Excuse- Excuse- ex-“ He wheezed, doubling over for a moment. Jinwoo glanced at Park Ryung, eyebrows high. Park Ryung grinned back, nodding slightly. “E-Excuse me,” Yoo Jinho tried again, panting. “I-I’m- late, I-I had an appointment h-here at- eek.” He jumped when Park Ryung walked forward, ignoring the stares from everyone else for a moment. “P-P-Park Ryung!!” Yoo Jinho blurted out. Ah, Park Ryung was kind of hoping he didn’t watch the news recently.

“Hunter Park?” the receptionist asked, unsteady.

“It’s alright, I know where his appointment is,” Park Ryung explained. “Yoo Jinho, right?” Yoo Jinho’s eyes went round. Ah, he was funny even in real life. “Just this way, you can walk with us,” Park Ryung assured him merrily, herding him away. Woo Jinchul joined them again, impassive as ever. “Look, here’s your fellow classmate~”

“C-C-Class- Wha- hiek,” Yoo Jinho squeaked again, taking in all of Woo Jinchul. Woo Jinchul looked him over impassively, clearly scaring the sh*t out of the guy. He shut up and scurried alongside them.

Park Ryung could tell this was going to be a lot of fun.

-

Yoo Jinho could tell this was going to be the weirdest day of his life.

“Hunter Park, over here!!”

“H-Hunter Park, who is your boyfriend? Is he also a Hunter??”

“Hunter Park, please at least answer some questions about your work as a teacher!”

“What will this mean for the training program?”

“How did you come to cooperate with Baek Yoonho and Choi Jongin??”

… It was neat that he got to see a real celebrity up close and all, but… How was he supposed to get inside the building?!

Once the tall, striking figure was inside, led away by who was apparently his boyfriend, Yoo Jinho had to focus back on the present. On a mysterious, but official offer from the Hunter Association, or at least- that was what it seemed like. He’d double-checked, and all the correct headings and official channels were used. A mysterious offer with a mysterious purpose, one offering him the chance to be part of a new program that was recruiting select members. All he had to do was show up with the signed NDA, and they’d take him.

His father immediately told him it was a bad idea. Jinsung was the one who was training to work with Hunters, and also told him to butt out. He was sure that offer wasn’t meant for him, anyway. And why would it be? He was the second son of his father, the third child of the family, nothing more than a graduate of the business track at his private school. To Hunters, he was nothing. To his father, he was a leftover.

Maybe it was Jinsung telling him to reject it that made him reply he would show up. Which didn’t mean much now if he couldn’t-

“Yoo Jinho?” someone asked, and Yoo Jinho nearly jumped out of his skin. A man in a suit with a familiar pin on it had approached. “Please make your way inside, we’ll be clearing the area,” he said. “Excuse the delay.”

“… Um, i-it’s fine…” Ah, so it really was the Association who invited him. Good to know.

Which didn’t entirely explain why it was Park Ryung himself who showed up to the desk to greet him.

Of course Yoo Jinho knew who Park Ryung was. Everyone knew who Park Ryung was since last week? Korea’s tenth S-rank, the healer who cured Eternal Sleep Disease, the government worker who personally taught countless Hunters how to survive in Dungeons. According to news reports, the performance rates for low-ranked Hunters had become outrageous compared to worldwide numbers, leading to many guilds no longer having entry requirements.

In person, Park Ryung was also a tall, handsome man who made office clothes look like a model for a hero’s secret identity. Yoo Jinho had been around enough models to compare it accurately, of course! Strangely, he actually looked much friendlier than when he had been walking through the crowd, smiling like that.

He then led him directly to one of the scariest-looking agents that Yoo Jinho had ever met and introduced him as a classmate??? It took Yoo Jinho a bit to recognize Woo Jinchul, the head of the monitoring department and chief inspector. In other words, a very important Hunter. By then, they were already following Park Ryung through the hallway, along with the boyfriend.

“… S… S-So, um,” he attempted, clutching at his backpack. “W-Where did you say I was s-supposed to go? M-Maybe I can just, um- Y-You don’t have to walk m-me personally…”

“Hm? Why not?” Park Ryung returned lightly, glancing back. “We’re going to the same place.”

“W-W-We are??”

“Of course.” Park Ryung crinkled his eyes with his smile. “I’m the one who made the offer to you, after all. Didn’t you read the email?” Yoo Jinho did remember it being signed by ‘Hunter Park’, but that couldn’t possibly-

… Oh.

“Wha,” he choked out, but Park Ryung stopped at a door, using his badge to open it. He walked into a large, open space that looked like- a training room? Inside was a strange object sitting on a table against the wall, which had an older man inspecting it. The man looked up.

“You have some weird hobbies, Mr. Park,” he commented.

“Ah, you like my popcorn machine~? Ahahaha, that’s a joke,” Park Ryung added in deadpan. “That’s the thing responsible for this mess.” His expression changed so suddenly?! Yoo Jinho was pretty sure there were rules against pissing off S-ranks???

“Chief Woo, Mr. Sung,” the older man added amiably. “Who’s the sweaty one?”

“Ah, is he sweating already? That didn’t take much.” Park Ryung walked forward. “This is Yoo Jinho, he’ll be joining us. Yoo Jinho, ah- before we start. Did you bring your NDA?”

“U… Um,” Yoo Jinho managed, and belatedly remembered he was wearing a backpack. “Y-Yes…?”

“Great! I’ll take it, then.” He held out a hand expectantly. Yoo Jinho tried very hard to rip off his backpack in the most efficient manner possible, and only ended up collapsing on the ground. “… He’s funny, isn’t he?” Yoo Jinho sprang back up with the contract in hand, blushing furiously.

“H-Here, sir!!” he blurted out, handing it over in the lowest bow humanly possible. Park Ryung took it, checked it over calmly, then nodded.

“I’ll make a copy at the end of the day,” he promised, setting it on the table. “For now, welcome! Ah, everyone else knows each other, but let’s make this easy on you. I’m Park Ryung, and I’m the head teacher of the training program. This is Chief Woo Jinchul, head of the monitoring department and A-rank Hunter.” Yoo Jinho was very scared under the man’s stare. “This is Song Chiyul, owner of the Song Kumdo facility and C-rank Hunter. And this is Jinwoo, adorable boyfriend extraordinaire and E-rank Hunter.” The same boyfriend that glared down all those reporters so fiercely- blushed???

“H-Hyung,” he complained shyly.

“Ah, cute…”

“… Am I- r-really supposed to be here?” Yoo Jinho attempted.

“Yes,” Park Ryung replied. He looked. “Mr. Song, since you found the popcorn machine, I’ll just explain this plainly. I’m starting a new class in the program, and I want the four of you to be my very first students.” Yoo Jinho was definitely not supposed to be here?! “It’ll be a program to- Ah, questions already?”

“I-I just- w-want to make sure of something,” Yoo Jinho attempted. “I-I, um- H-Hunter Park, sir, I’m not… a H-Hunter?” This was definitely a program for Hunters!! In the Hunters Association!!! “I’m not Awakened at all, t-that-“

“Oh, I know.” Park Ryung held up a hand. “I’m very aware of that, Mr. Yoo. That’s exactly why you’re here.” Yoo Jinho was ten times more confused. “Since you already signed the NDA, it’s fine to tell you that I’m not an S-rank through a reawakening,” Park Ryung explained. “Actually, I figured out a way to increase a Hunter’s rank through effort.” Yoo Jinho stilled, mouth falling open. Song Chiyul’s expression was alike.

“Mr. Park!” he spluttered. “Are you serious??”

“You four are here to learn this method with a variety of goals in mind,” Park Ryung agreed. “Mr. Song, I want to change you to a fighting type to match your skills.” Song Chiyul gawped. “Chief, Jinwoo, you two already know your goals. Which leaves Mr. Yoo, who isn’t Awakened.” Park Ryung turned on him. “I want to give you mana outside of an Awakening, and teach you to be a Hunter,” he said. “You’ll have to increase your mana and rank through your own efforts, and train diligently to get anywhere. All I do is teach you the method and provide the supplies necessary.”

“… W… What?” Yoo Jinho tried, unsteady. Awakening was by chance, and never could be forced. People had tried. People had died trying. “B-But how…?”

“It’s up to you if you want to join the program,” Park Ryung told him, picking up another stack of papers from the table. “You only signed an NDA agreeing to not talk about this. For now, until I’m satisfied with the results of this program, I’m keeping this method secret. If you really don’t want to, you can leave and just keep your mouth shut. Maybe you’ll even Awaken on your own someday, who knows?” He smiled in amusem*nt, then handed over the papers. “One free day of observations, Mr. Yoo. Give that back by the end of the day, signed or not.”

… Wait. If Park Ryung, the new S-class Hunter, was figuring out how to Awaken people on his own, how to increase the strength of Hunters-

Then wasn’t… wasn’t this going to utterly destroy the plans his father had for making a new guild?

No, more than that-

If Yoo Jinho was part of this, then wasn’t that the only option his father had left for stepping into the world of Hunters? Jinhee had already gone on her own path, and Jinsung was the one who was still scouting for an S-rank to recruit, even if he wasn’t Awakened.

… Did Park Ryung know that this was something Yoo Jinho desperately needed, this foothold in whatever changes he would bring?

“Can I… look this over, p-please?” he finally asked, unsteady.

“Sure, that’s fine,” Park Ryung agreed, turning away to his ‘popcorn machine’. It did not look like a popcorn machine in any capacity. “I’ll be preparing some materials until you’re finished reading.” He removed glowing crystals from his bag, setting them on the table. Yoo Jinho could only scour through the contract word by word until he was giving himself a headache from concentration.

… But- the contract was definitely to his advantage, was the problem. There was no guarantee of Awakening, but if he did successfully become a Hunter, he wasn’t obligated to stay in the program for more than six months total. After that, he could freely register for the appropriate license and do what he pleased. There was even a clause regarding his NDA, saying that it wasn’t- permanent?

Park Ryung really did plan to take this public after this trial run, then. Yoo Jinho wasn’t obligated to keep anything to himself once that happened, didn’t hold to any buying or selling restrictions of ‘mana pills’, whatever those were, and wasn’t even restricted from sharing the methods he was given. He was restricted from disclosing too much information on the manufacture of those mana pills, which meant they were especially important to whatever this program was.

There were further clauses outright stating that there were no expectations placed on the results of this trial, and the Hunters Association would be held responsible for any lasting damage to his person in any shape or form. Wasn’t that a dangerous addendum to put in there? S-ranks were dangerous, everyone knew that, but that was exactly why the Hunters Association simply backed off from liability with their hands in the air. Even his father had to be afraid of what could happen if he tried to set up his guild with Jinsung.

“Ah, so that’s why you call it a popcorn machine…”

“They do look like popcorn, right?” Yoo Jinho looked up, blinking. Park Ryung set down a large bottle of tiny white objects filled to the top. Were those his mana pills? “Ready to start, Mr. Yoo?” Park Ryung asked him. Yoo Jinho didn’t know if he was ready to sign, but-

But if this was something, he’d be completely stupid to let this chance pass by.

“Yes, sir!” he managed quickly, edging forward.

“Ah, just call me Mr. Park, that’s what everyone does when I teach them.” Park Ryung waved amiably, then waited until everyone else had gathered. “Alright!” he announced. “Let’s get started. Mr. Song, Mr. Yoo, this is your first time seeing this, so I’ll start from the top. This popcorn machine is what I use to turn these,” He gestured to the row of glowing crystals, “into these.” He gestured to his bottle of ‘popcorn’. Song Chiyul was visibly stunned.

“Even just making them into weapons is something,” he commented. “But what do these do?”

“Um… and what- are they?” Yoo Jinho had to ask.

“Ah, these are monster essence crystals,” Park Ryung explained, holding up the least complex and dim structure. “This is an E-rank crystal, it drops out of monsters of the same rank when they’re killed. Basically, it’s the condensation of their mana. No one really knows why the mana in their bodies doesn’t just disperse instead, but these are always the result. Sometimes anything that dies too gruesomely doesn’t manage to form one, so that’s why Hunters are encouraged to have clean kills.” Yoo Jinho nodded in understanding. Ah, so he really was a teacher. “This is D-rank, C-rank, B-rank, and A-rank,” Park Ryung continued, gesturing to each crystal. He picked up the last one. “This one is worth several million won at the very least.” Yoo Jinho balked. “The basic idea behind increasing a Hunter’s strength is very simple. Absorb mana into the body and strengthen it. Monster crystals are actually considered a less efficient manner of getting raw mana for machines and fuel, and that’s because they’re tainted by the monster they come from.”

“Tainted?” Yoo Jinho echoed.

“It’s considered a good thing, actually,” Song Chiyul answered, looking at him. “Crystals that carry some influence from the monster they came from actually can imbue a part of the monster’s abilities or nature into the weapon they make. A crystal from a B-rank savage fang, a giant venomous snake, can potentially create a dagger that poisons on contact.”

“That’s why mana crystals are considered more valuable hauls in Dungeons up to a certain rank,” Park Ryung added. “Higher-ranked monster crystals are close to guaranteed effects, but still have limited uses in weapons and armor. Mana crystals, though, are considered ripe for all manner of devices or even some experimentation. Still, they have their own limits.” He held up the A-rank crystal. “Truthfully, they’re not quite as pure as they’re made out to be. It’s a natural formation of mana, finding one with perfect purity is like finding a perfectly-pure diamond in the wild. It’s extremely rare even under the best conditions, and frankly, Dungeons are the worst conditions. So if you try to take in the mana directly from either type of crystal-“ He flexed, and that extremely expensive crystal shattered. Yoo Jinho spluttered incredulously, only to watch- energy? Mana?? It gathered in a cloud around Park Ryung’s hand, then pulled into his body as if drawn by a fan.

Park Ryung’s skin turned a sickly grey, then abruptly blackened as if rotting. The black rot began to ooze from his skin, dripping onto the floor with a faint, foul odor.

“You’ll die without fail,” Park Ryung finished calmly. “Because those taints are poison, even to the highest rank of Hunter.” Yoo Jinho felt sick just looking at it. He had heard stories of the idiots who tried eating magic crystals from Dungeons. Did they rot from the inside out like this? “So it’s incompatible, to put it lightly,” Park Ryung commented, and set his decaying hand in an open box of black powder. The poison abruptly began to seep out of his body and melted away into the powder, and behind it, his hand healed rapidly. “Most healers don’t know how to heal this, either. This kind of taint is actually the source of Eternal Sleep Disease. Just a fraction of this in an unawakened human will cause immense damage to their entire body. So all in all, please don’t eat strange sources of mana.” He held up his hand, now completely fine?? It looked sooty, though. “So now I’m going to teach you how to eat strange sources of mana anyway,” he finished cheerfully.

… Huh?

“I still don’t want to know how many strange things you put in your mouth,” the chief inspector stated, sounding incredibly stern.

“Ignorance is bliss,” Park Ryung returned lightly, only to blink as Sung Jinwoo took his hand. The smaller man huffed, using a handkerchief to wipe off the soot. Park Ryung blinked at him, then his cheeks- went rosy? “… C-Cute,” he whispered.

Yoo Jinho was briefly distracted from the absurdity of eating monster crystals by the absurdity of an S-rank melting for his small E-rank boyfriend.

Once Park Ryung was focused again, he cleared his throat loudly in his clean hand.

“Ah, s-sorry,” he managed. “What was I saying?” Song Chiyul snorted softly.

“How to put strange things in your mouth, I believe,” he replied dryly.

“Oh, right.” Park Ryung cleared his throat again. “W-Well. Anyway, pure mana is either impossible to come by naturally or just hasn’t been found yet,” he explained. “So I developed a method to create purified mana out of monster crystals. It technically also works on mana crystals, but it’s less efficient at higher ranks. These are E-grade mana pills.” He held up the bottle. “Each one contains the same amount of mana as an E-rank monster crystal, except that mana is completely pure and safe for the body.” He opened up the bottle and took out a tiny pearl. “Of course, just eating them isn’t enough even then. Mana disperses on its own and goes wherever the f*ck it wants, which usually means it won’t stick around in your body. It’s a little like trying to swallow radio waves by eating a TV. Weird and not at all effective.” Yoo Jinho realized he was reminded of one of his high school teachers. The man also told weird stories and analogies to drive his point home, but was friendly and kind to any student and their problems.

Even if he was an S-rank trying to change the whole world, Park Ryung was clearly someone who taught because he loved teaching. Yoo Jinho couldn’t help but relax a bit.

Park Ryung began to talk about mana systems inside the human body, about the effects of Awakening and their relation to- Chinese philosophy? He had an extremely detailed chart that he projected on a wall for them to see, and described the storage of mana in Hunters, the enhancement of their bones, muscles, skin, senses- It was all very technical in its own way, and Yoo Jinho was taking notes to try to keep up before he knew it. Fortunately, he wasn’t the only one. The terrifying chief inspector was also taking notes, gaze as impassive as ever. Though, was he there to audit the teacher or the students? The Hunters Association had to have mixed feelings about this kind of class.

“Of course, being able to manipulate mana in the first place is the core of this method, and it’s not something unawakened, or even a lot of Awakened have,” Park Ryung admitted. “So even for you, Mr. Song, I’ll display the method and ask you to feel it out yourself. We’ll start with the lowest grade of mana pills not just for safety, but to increase sensitivity and control. If you try to jump in with a high-grade pill and don’t know how much your system can tolerate, you’ll definitely die.” He held up a finger. “Popcorn for newbies,” he added. “Jawbreakers for pros.” Yoo Jinho wrote that down, even if he couldn’t begin to understand.

“Curing magic cancer really wasn’t enough for you, was it, kid?” Song Chiyul commented dryly.

“Nope~”

“Hm, fair enough.” The older man chuckled to himself. “Alright, color me curious, then. How do we start?”

“First, a taste!” Park Ryung shook out more pills from the large bottle, then handed out one to everyone, including Yoo Jinho. Yoo Jinho supposed it was fine if it wasn’t something he knew how to use, right? He gingerly put it in his mouth when he saw Sung Jinwoo do the same, and found it easily crunched between his back teeth.

It was immediately warm, a strange and intense heat that poured down his throat and pooled in his stomach. He shivered despite himself, only to feel the warmth spread outward not unlike a hot soup. The sensation eventually disappeared, but not before raising goosebumps on his arms and tingling in his very fingertips.

“W-Whoa,” he managed. That was mana? That was how it felt to have mana, even for just a moment?? Just that tiny pill had been so intense-

“Y’eh, ish pr’tty nea’, hah?” Park Ryung garbled, tossing another handful of pills in his mouth to chew on. As if they were really popcorn?!

“Hyung, you’re eating the teaching materials again,” Sung Jinwoo pointed out. Park Ryung stopped mid-chew, then looked down at the bottle. He balked.

“Mrgh?!” He quickly chewed and swallowed, face going pink. “U-Um. Habit.” Song Chiyul snorted loudly, and the chief inspector coughed lightly into his hand. “T-They really do feel like eating popcorn, though…”

“This is how you became an S-rank, Hyung. Gluttony.”

“Wha- unfair, how was I supposed to know snacking could lead to that??” Did he just- casually eat that much mana on a regular basis? Eat and digest and enhance and everything he’d been talking about?? “Ugh… I should find actual candy to replace these things,” Park Ryung grumbled, firmly sticking the lid back on. “… Anyway. Chief, did you feel something from that?”

“Very little,” Woo Jinchul answered coolly.

“Yeah, I figured. We’ll probably start you on the C-grades just so you can actually get a decent feel for it. Here, have one.” He handed over a little green pill from his pocket, and Woo Jinchul nodded slightly, then put it in his mouth without hesitation. He chewed for a moment, then stood still.

“… Mm,” he concluded.

“Right,” Park Ryung agreed, as if that was a full sentence. He then moved on. “Mr. Song?”

“Tingly, but I could feel a bit of a grasp,” Song Chiyul answered.

“Jinwoo?”

“Pretty intense, Hyung.”

“Well, it’s several times more mana than you have in your entire body, so that’s expected. Mr. Yoo?” How to describe it?

“Like… soup?” he tried. He then felt remarkably stupid at once, but Park Ryung nodded thoughtfully.

“That’s a good way to put it,” he answered. Yoo Jinho blinked. “Think of it like you’re trying to digest the warmth of the soup, instead of letting it spill all over the rest of your body like that,” Park Ryung continued. “It feels like an impossible concept, but it’s a muscle you don’t know you’re capable of using.”

“Oh!” That strange warmth that spread through him going downward to the mana core that Park Ryung talked about, cultivated internally until it was his warmth, and then able to use it as he pleased. “I-I see! That’s so neat!!” he blurted out. This really was- real, wasn’t it? It was real and it had been there, if only for a fleeting moment. “How did you even think of something like this??” he exclaimed. “If you figured this out to get stronger, what do you think the upper limit is??”

“In theory, there isn’t one,” Park Ryung replied cheerfully.

“That’s insane!!”

“Aha, yeah, it is.”

“Does that mean you can make S-ranks stronger, too??” Yoo Jinho gasped. “Stronger than even Jeju Island! Clearing out the Dungeon Break there would drastically increase the market value of all Korean magic items and Hunters alone, which would significantly boost the Hunter economy!! Which, well, I guess that economy would crash the moment you make this kind of thing public,” he admitted. “But even then, that would be a great way to showcase the results of this method!!”

“… Huh.” Park Ryung scratched at his head, thoughtful. “That would, wouldn’t it?” he mused. “While also increasing national strength and prestige, too.”

“Exactly!! Ah- and then you could teach your own school, and students could open their own schools in other countries, but retaining the manufacture of the mana pills in Korea means that there will be no choice but to acknowledge the origin point of them all! Even if that method was eventually stolen or copied, you’d still be the one to retain their quality and purity while other cases might have side effects or even long-term poison!” His eyes shone excitedly. “Have you figured out a bulk manufacturing method?? Make sure you also patent the machine’s design right away!! A private patent through the government would be the best bet! Have you considered opening a workshop yet??”

“Ah, you really are a little business nerd…”

“Oh!!” Yoo Jinho did his best to reign himself in, blinking hugely. “A-Am I just rambling on without reading the room?? S-Sorry, it’s a bad habit…”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Park Ryung replied amiably, waving. “Honestly, they’re all questions I need to address anyway in the future. Besides, it’s good that you’re getting interested. Learning something you’re not interested in is always such a chore. Ah, at least it’s that way for me, but I know I can be a serious meathead…”

“I think it’s like that for everyone, Hyung.”

“I think your grade average could beat mine with a hip check.”

“I don’t think anyone’s going to bring up your grades when you invented real cultivation, Hunter Park.”

“… Oh, I guess that’s true.” Yoo Jinho blinked, and he was back in reality for a moment. An S-rank Hunter was teaching a small class of four, while the chief inspector of the Hunters Association was commenting about his bad grades. His E-rank boyfriend was patting his arm soothingly. The C-rank Hunter was watching with an amused, fond smile.

… Even if he’d forgotten, nothing really… changed? Park Ryung was a famous and powerful S-rank, who definitely didn’t care for crowds of reporters, but he was a friendly and fun teacher like this, who went all gooey for his boyfriend. The chief inspector wasn’t being completely impersonal, and Park Ryung seemed comfortable and friendly with him. The C-rank Hunter and E-rank Hunter were equally friendly and comfortable.

This felt like a room full of friends that didn’t mind him hanging out, even with his rambling. Even if he wasn’t a Hunter, even if he was just the second son, the third child, the leftover scraps.

… Even if this wasn’t real, it was the first time he really felt like this.

Class was over soon, and Yoo Jinho collected the contract quickly. He approached Park Ryung.

“Excuse me, Mr. Park?” he tried. “I’d- like to talk to you about this contract.”

“Is it off?” Park Ryung asked. “I’ve never written a contract before, I had to get advice for it.”

“No, no, it’s-“ Yoo Jinho paused. Never written a contract before? “You wrote this?” he realized.

“With some advice, yes.”

“I mean…” There were specific clauses to Yoo Jinho and Yoojin Construction. If it was specifically written for him, did it have differences from other contracts? “Did you- write everyone else’s contracts, too?” Yoo Jinho asked instead. Park Ryung blinked. He blinked a few more times, looking baffled.

“… Ah,” he said. “It- probably would have been less weird if you weren’t the only one who had a contract in the first place, wouldn’t it?” Yoo Jinho spluttered uncontrollably. Park Ryung began to look embarrassed, rubbing at his neck. “Um. I didn’t think that through…”

“D-Did you even have any of them sign an NDA??” Yoo Jinho attempted.

“No, that would be weird.”

“It’s weirder that you didn’t??” Yoo Jinho burst out. “You obviously know the value of keeping this secret!”

“Sure I do. But it’d be weird,” Park Ryung repeated. “I mean, Jinwoo isn’t just my boyfriend, I live with him and his family.” Yoo Jinho could acknowledge that one might be tricky given their relationship, but- “Mr. Song is also a regular Hunter around where I live, and one of my sword instructors. I’ve already gotten a lot of favors from him that involve secrecy, so. It would be weird to suddenly ask for that on paper…”

“I wouldn’t mind, Mr. Park.”

“I know, but it’s not even a permanent NDA in the first place, so it’s fine.” Park Ryung shrugged. “And Chief Woo’s the man who gave me my job offer here at the Association in the first place,” he continued. “He has an internal NDA on every one of his own thoughts, he’s fine.” There was a muffled snort. Yoo Jinho blinked back to see the impassive man’s mouth twitch faintly, just a fraction of an expression of amusem*nt.

“Whoever told you that is violating an agreement, Hunter Park,” he stated severely. It was so serious-sounding that Yoo Jinho didn’t even realize it was a joke for a second.

“It’s probably fine~ Ah, but that does make it a little weird to offer you a contract,” Park Ryung added towards Yoo Jinho, who blinked back. “I just thought it would make you more comfortable accepting into the program. Business-minded people like to have their limits and the like written out.” He’d written a contract as a friendly gesture??

… But- it was true, the contract was friendly. It was very generous towards Yoo Jinho and even his family, if he wanted to make it that way. It even promised liability, which was a dangerous and overt gesture at once. Park Ryung really extended the contract towards him not to get benefits, but to show his intentions.

“… Why- Why was I reached out to, Mr. Park?” Yoo Jinho tried. He’d been about to ask why there weren’t any clauses about business advice in the contract. If nothing else, he could offer that much to an S-rank, right? It wouldn’t be much compared to what he was capable of getting, but it would be from within a previous NDA agreement, which could be just as valuable. Surely a contract had to involve some profits for both parties, not just Yoo Jinho.

But now that he heard this, he had to wonder what Park Ryung was getting at all. He’d asked people he was close to and trusted dearly, and then he’d asked Yoo Jinho. Someone not at all overlapped with the world of Hunters.

“Well…” Park Ryung cleared his throat, then smiled a little. “For now, that’s a secret,” he answered. Yoo Jinho blinked.

“… Huh?” he tried.

“I know- a little bit about you,” Park Ryung told him, folding his arms. “Not much, just a bit. I also know your father’s trying to put together a guild of his own with another S-rank Hunter.” The other three in the room looked surprised. Yoo Jinho balked.

“How-?”

“And I know your brother doesn’t understand why he’s doing so, which means he’s going to fail, even if he was a Hunter himself,” Park Ryung continued. “Maybe you don’t even understand why. Your father’s afraid of Hunters, Mr. Yoo, and especially high-ranked Hunters. He wants to put together a guild with profits as a second benefit, and select an S-rank not with capabilities, but with character he can trust. Candidates like Min Byunggyu, Cha Haein, maybe even Ran Eunsook- those were his initial choices, right?” Character? Yoo Jinho remembered- his father did talk about guildmasters and the likes of Hwang Dongsoo with more than a little disdain. He complained about the balance between the major guilds and their own government, said there was no reason to trust anyone trying to get more power than their own overseeing agent.

Yoo Jinho had heard his father complain about various things his whole life, and rarely gave it a second thought. He was a grouchy man in general. But- was that really the point of making his own guild?

Making a guild of Hunters he could trust?

“I don’t really think he’ll succeed,” Park Ryung continued thoughtfully, not waiting for an answer. Of course, he already knew- those were the exact names that Yoo Jinho had heard. “Hunter Min and Hunter Ran avoid guilds for personal reasons, and a company guild won’t be much different to them. Hunter Cha isn’t the kind of person to care much about guilds or balance or the like. She joined the Hunters Guild because she was offered training to be the best S-rank she could be, and Choi Jongin is kind to her. The kinds of people your father likes are the same kind of people who hear ‘company guild’ and immediately shy away. They don’t understand his reasons.”

“What about- you?” Yoo Jinho tried. Park Ryung blinked.

“Hm? What about me?”

“You’re the only other name he’s mentioned aside from those three,” Yoo Jinho insisted, puzzled. If he knew everything else, why didn’t he know that? “The one he’s been talking about all week. If you already know his reasons, would you be someone who accepted the offer he’s going to make?” Park Ryung stared at him with genuine shock and surprise. At long length, he turned slightly.

“… You see what I mean about useless knowledge?” he muttered nonsensically. “How was I supposed to guess that?”

“It’s not something you would understand, Hunter Park.”

“Ouch.” Park Ryung looked forward. “Well, no,” he answered bluntly. “Not because it’s a company guild or even because I don’t think your father has the best intentions in mind, but I’m an Association agent. Everything I’m doing here, I want to have the Association itself backing and controlling. I want the legal government authority to improve Hunters, to blacklist Awakened that don’t fit the criteria, and to handle international relations. I work best as a teacher, so I’ll stay a teacher.” He shook his head to himself. “And besides, I haven’t heard great things about your brother’s own character, no offense.”

“N-None taken.” Yoo Jinho was deeply concerned about that himself. “But… if the guild wasn’t the point of recruiting me, then…”

“Oh, well, the point was just that I knew something about you,” Park Ryung reasoned. “You really care about doing things the best way you can, which is why you would have wanted to show your father that you should be the one helping start that guild, not your brother. You can get overexcited, but you’re honest, hard-working, and resilient. I needed an unawakened person to join my class, and I needed someone I wouldn’t regret teaching how to gain power that theoretically doesn’t have any limits. I happened to know about you as a person for unrelated reasons.” He shrugged. “It wasn’t a hard choice.”

… It was obvious he did know about Yoo Jinho and his family, a lot more than most strangers would. It was still a secret that Yoojin was making their own guild in the first place. Yoo Jinho still hadn’t made it known that he wanted to replace his brother as potential vice-guildmaster. No one should know about the exact candidates that his father was considering, except Park Ryung’s knowledge wasn’t perfect even then.

It was- entirely possible that his knowledge of Yoo Jinho was flawed. Yoo Jinho didn’t know how resilient he really was, he only tried to be honest, and tried to work hard. He was just- always overshadowed throughout his life, and never seen for that. It probably didn’t mean much, but…

“… Mr. Park, if I- asked if I could join this class without a contract, a-and I just promised to not say anything until you were ready…” He bit his lip, uncertain. “W-Would that be okay?” Park Ryung blinked once.

“Absolutely,” he agreed, with no hesitation. The contract was a gesture, and even if everything in Yoo Jinho’s business sense was screaming about it-

He ripped the gesture in half, then crumpled those halves. He bowed.

“Please accept me as your student, Mr. Park!” he insisted. He immediately felt great embarrassment color his face. Was that- too much??

“… You see? I told you you’d like him,” Park Ryung said above his head. “Isn’t he neat, Jinwoo?” There was a faint huff, and then Yoo Jinho felt his head being patted. “Yeah, of course,” Park Ryung told him. “You can just call me normally outside of class, alright? Welcome to the secret club to upend the world.” Yoo Jinho couldn’t help a startled laugh, straightening quickly with bright eyes.

“T-Thank you,” he managed. “I-I’ll do my best!”

“That’s all I need,” Park Ryung accepted. Maybe his perception of Yoo Jinho was still flawed, but.

Yoo Jinho would be damned if he was the first one to prove him wrong.

Chapter 14

Chapter Text

Actually, there were other things to keep him busy, and they all involved suddenly being an S-rank.

For example, just a few days after starting his brand new class, Park Ryung walked out of his hospital shift through a side door and was promptly approached by a foreigner.

“Greetings, Hunter Park,” the blond man told him in English. “Excuse our sudden appearance, but do you have time for a chat?”

“Greetings, Hunter Park,” a young man beside him translated. “Excuse our sudden appearance, but do you have time for a chat?” Park Ryung barely withheld a sigh. Dealing with a stack of letters from various guilds around Korea was one thing, he could just toss them in the trash.

This, though? This wasn’t supposed to happen- here. Even if he’d expected some manner of interest, this was risky for America’s part. Not all S-ranks automatically got an offer to jump ship. What did he do to make this happen just by getting exposed?

And why was it this guy instead?

“You know I’m obligated to tell my boss you approached me, don’t you?” he asked in English. “Mr. Michael Connor.” The translator opened his mouth and let it hang. The blond man was equally shocked for a moment, then quickly recovered.

“… Your English is very impressive,” he said. “Not even an accent.”

“Thanks,” Park Ryung replied, lackluster. Of course it was f*cking perfect. “I’ve always found it a little strange that America has so many unawakened in charge of Hunters,” he commented. “Is it just so you can sneak through countries without attracting the attention of the Association?” Michael Connor cleared his throat.

“It seems you have an idea of what this is about,” he acknowledged. “But- before you dismiss me immediately, please hear me out. This is about your work in mana research.” Park Ryung paused, staring. “Twenty minutes of your time, then you can inform the Association as you please,” Michael Connor persisted. “We’ll even give you a ride.” Park Ryung really, really wanted very little to do with this nonsense. He wanted nothing to do with being an S-rank in the first place.

… But he did want to know why this changed for him, when it took the same people longer to approach the literal protagonist. It was just in the interest of knowledge that he accepted the car ride with a long-suffering sigh.

“I’m blaming America if my boyfriend pouts at me for being late,” he complained. Michael Connor also entered the car, looking more amused than anything.

“All of America, Hunter Park?”

“From sea to shining f*cking sea.”

“It might be the perfect English,” the man commented, “but has anyone told you that you talk a great deal like an American?” Park Ryung paused. His face twitched.

… Maybe he should sass the foreigners less.

As Jinwoo would have been, Park Ryung was brought to a nearby office building and shown into a small room. There were a lot of guards present, too. They sure eyeballed the f*ck out of him.

“Seriously, you all even brought guns into a gun-restricted country,” Park Ryung realized, staring right back at the bastards. “Korea still has airport security, doesn’t it?” For some reason, that shocked the hell out of the guards?? Michael Connor chuckled.

“You’re a very interesting man, Hunter Park,” he answered, sitting on one of the couches.

“I’m genuinely concerned about national security right now. And you breaking it.”

“We have gun permits due to being an official federal agency. Please, sit down.” Park Ryung sighed. He sat down nonetheless, already weary of this. Michael Connor opened his briefcase. “Would you like the direct proposal, or the lead-in?” he asked.

“One more gun question,” Park Ryung replied. “Why are they carrying guns when I’m an S-rank with impenetrable skin? There could be actual ricochet off my skin. That’s just weird.” Michael Connor huffed out loud, lowering a folder he was pulling out.

“You really sound just like your consultation reports, Hunter Park,” he replied. Park Ryung opened his mouth to say that did not address the threat of ricochet, let alone pissing off an S-rank, then paused. “Did you know the FBH also handles matters of Eternal Sleep Disease?” Michael Connor asked him.

“… No,” Park Ryung answered, because he sure as hell didn’t. “You can’t handle it all internally, can you? It’s classified as medical, you can’t just- keep that under wraps.”

“The CDC is federal, and the FBH added a joint branch between them,” Michael Connor replied. “Of course anything related to public health is released, and treatments have been implemented safely, but all related research goes through us.” Well. f*ck? “I had thought Korea hired an excellent translator for their mysterious healer agent, but I can see for myself that it isn’t the case. America has sent over two hundred consultation requests through the Korean Hunters Association regarding patients with Eternal Sleep Disease, just in the last year since you released information about the cure.” Michael Connor set the folder on the table between them. “And you, Hunter Park, answered every single one of them personally, with more than enough information to successfully treat even the most complex cases.” Park Ryung felt his fingers begin to fidget on his knees before stopping that. He felt caught in something, even if he didn’t know what.

“… So- So what?” he tried finally. “It was through official channels. There’s no reason to not address consultation requests.”

“Then tell me, Hunter Park,” Michael Connor returned. “Why is someone who’s officially ranked as one of the greatest powers of their entire country still taking shifts at a public hospital, healing minor trauma injuries and taking disease consultations? Why does someone who singlehandedly reformed his country’s pathetic, useless training program into something that raises national averages only take the opportunity to expand that program to reach even more low-ranks than before?”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Park Ryung muttered. Michael Connor gave him a look. Park Ryung thought about that C-ranked teacher who used to show up drunk before Park Ryung got fed up and threw him out personally. He began to sweat somewhat. “… Well, it was- bad, yes, but that- W-Why do I have to answer that? I do what I want. I think I am, right now, the actual epitome of I do what I want. Look at me, doing whatever the f*ck I want. Isn’t it incredible?” Michael Connor choked back a snort.

“It is incredible,” he agreed. “How you’re definitely an S-rank with power even I can feel, but you’re the most human-like Hunter I’ve met since the Gates appeared.” Park Ryung blinked. Was he talking about dealing with psychopaths like Hwang Dongsoo and Thomas Andre or something? That was entirely on him. “I’ll be direct,” Michael Connor told him. “America wants you. S-ranks are one thing to have, Hunter Park, but let me explain. You’re not just an S-rank. You’re not even just the man who discovered the cure to a debilitating disease by chance. You’re someone who looks at the source of problems and finds solutions. You’re someone who makes alliances with both the White Tiger Guild and the Hunters Guild, who are notorious overseas for their inability to get along.”

“That- That’s unfair to them,” Park Ryung attempted. “They just have different personalities, they’re both nice people who can get along if they just try-“

“They’re S-ranks, Hunter Park, and you’re the only person in the world who calls them nice people. S-rank Hunters are calamities in human skin.” Park Ryung stared at the man unfathomably. Michael Connor looked- stupidly serious?? “When S-ranks fight one another, entire cities are wiped off the map,” he said. “It’s something we’ve seen time and time again. When we lost part of the west coast to Kamish, do you think all of that was the work of a gigantic dragon?” Well, yes?? “It was because we gathered over a hundred S-ranks in one place, Hunter Park. A chunk of them killed each other just fighting over the smaller monsters of that Dungeon Break. The ones who survived weren’t those who were nice, it was those who were just stupidly strong enough to outpace the rest of the pack.” Michael Connor leaned forward. “The White Tiger Guild and Hunters Guild have both been gaining power above the Korean Hunters Association for years now, and suddenly they give that up to help low rank Hunters that might not even benefit them?”

“… I don’t think you’re being fair to them,” Park Ryung repeated, quiet. “Maybe you deal with Hunters who crave power and money above their morals, and- yeah. I know those people exist. Have you ever considered it’s because your boss intentionally brings over that kind of trash from overseas?” Michael Connor considered him for a long moment, then sighed.

“Touche,” he acknowledged. “I’m guessing you’re a bit- familiar with Hwang Dongsoo’s personality, then.”

“You’re absolutely not allowed to give him back,” Park Ryung replied flatly. Michael Connor actually looked pretty exhausted by that, so maybe he really thought it was something he could offer.

“… In- any case, you’re an extremely unique and influential person, Hunter Park,” he pressed forward. “But above all, you haven’t just provided a cure for a mysterious disease. Your work has completely redefined the entire world’s understanding of human biology and mana. As you are, you’re far too busy to properly continue this research, aren’t you?” Park Ryung stayed silent because of secrets, but also because trying to deny his busy-ness would be his worst attempt at lying yet. “The FBH wants to recruit you into our joint branch with the CDC, under your own personal research lab,” Michael Connor finally told him, sliding a folder forward. “This isn’t the same offer we give to just any meathead S-rank with great power. This is us offering you authority above other Hunters, authority in America, and a position to do so much more than even your past accomplishments. For that, we’re willing to immediately offer you residence, pay ten times your current salary at minimum, and even visas for your boyfriend and his family.”

“…”

“…”

“… Are you done?” Park Ryung confirmed. “You still have a few minutes left.”

“… Is there… a particular reason you must stay in Korea, Hunter Park?” Michael Connor attempted, brow twitching faintly.

“Yes,” Park Ryung answered. “Because the Association is currently funding my research into mana and human biology.”

“… Ah,” Michael Connor said. He cleared his throat. “Is that… so.”

“I am busy,” Park Ryung acknowledged. “Extremely busy. I like it that way, though. And to be forward, I don’t like the FBH. You don’t have Awakened in positions of power, so you leverage your power over Hunters by basically giving them all the candy they could want. To increase your national influence, you’ve poached countless S-ranks from various countries as the current worldwide currency, making yourself the largest vault of money. Belatedly, you’ve also realized that these are actual people on some insane power trips that you’re not just encouraging, but outright enforcing in society. This isn’t about hiring me to find cures to mysterious mana diseases, or even about ways to address the very real threat of powerful interdimensional beings stomping around on the planet. This is just about control over Hunters, and especially control over the problem the FBH has created themselves. If I’m wrong, please correct me.”

“… The FBH is currently looking into- methods,” Michael Connor answered, shifting in his seat. “For… containing out-of-control Hunters.”

“So am I,” Park Ryung answered. “But I don’t intend to clean up someone else’s mess because they let loose idiots with the emotional capacity of toddlers. I’m not leaving behind all the students that I’m seeing progress in, and I’m not taking part in a monopoly of power. I really sympathize with you, Mr. Connor, for having to deal with all of that. But solving your poached problems with more poaching is not the answer.” He pointed over his shoulder. “And someone told you that healers are extra mana-sensitive, right? Whoever you have hiding in the next room is definitely here on a false passport.” The guards all tensed at once, as if that would do a damn thing. Michael Connor twitched again, then sighed heavily.

“Our profile of you is very inaccurate, Hunter Park,” he decided.

“That’s not really my problem,” Park Ryung replied. He paused, considering. “… Ah. You went over your minutes.”

“I apologize,” the man replied wearily.

“No, uh. Different issue, actually.” Park Ryung grimaced. “That’s not good.” Michael Connor stared at him in puzzlement, then opened his mouth to ask.

There was then a muffled demand on the other side of the door, a louder sound. The room began to get much, much warmer. Park Ryung sighed out loud, holding a hand to his head just as the door exploded in a roar of flames, incinerating to nothing. The guards immediately pointed their guns at the resulting smoke.

“W-What’s happening??” Michael Connor demanded, alarmed. “Who-?”

“It’s not a big deal, just another damage bill to pay,” Park Ryung sighed. “This is what happens when you skirt around the rules, you see-?” There was a loud crack of a gun going off, then a startled scream. “-WHY DID YOU JUST SHOOT YOUR GUN,” Park Ryung exploded.

“Ah, how annoying,” Choi Jongin complained, walking forward as he inspected the tear in his flashy suit. “Americans always do shoot first.” Park Ryung made annoyed gestures at him, at Michael Connor, then at the idiot with the gun who shot it! Again!! Park Ryung caught that one in a snap.

“Control your idiots before someone else gets shot,” he snapped at Michael Connor, who swore in belated shock. Park Ryung then marched into the connected room and threw open the door, ignoring the guards that shouted at him. He instead went to the woman clutching at her arm and breathing unsteadily, eyes wide. “sh*t- easy, easy,” he insisted, switching on the light and walking forward. She made a frightened sound when he grabbed her shoulders, but he ignored it to gingerly tear her sleeve off her arm and expose the wound. The bullet was stuck inside, but he used both mana and a firm press of his fingers to loosen it. Some other idiot pressed a gun to his head while he worked, only for it to disappear.

“Are you out of your mind?!”

“B-But he-!”

“He’s a healer, you dumbass!! If Miss Selner is being healed, why the hell are you pressing a gun to his head?!” The woman exhaled shakily as the wound was sealed shut, breathing evening out.

“T… Thank you, Mr. Park,” she managed. “Your healing certainly feels different from others…”

“Please just get a legal passport next time,” Park Ryung sighed. She gave a somewhat embarrassed smile, and Park Ryung let her go. Choi Jongin stood in the doorway, smiling merrily while the smoke alarms rang shrilly behind him. “You could have just knocked,” Park Ryung complained in Korean, approaching.

“Why should I be polite to illegal poachers?” Choi Jongin asked back, still smiling. Park Ryung leaned over to look past him. The folder, whatever it had been, was now fuel for a tabletop fire. A number of guards were collapsed around it, groaning. “Which one is the translator, it seems my words aren’t getting through to that one,” Choi Jongin complained, pointing at Michael Connor with an air of distaste.

“That one, you pyromaniac,” Park Ryung complained back, pointing at one of the collapsed idiots.

“Ah.” Park Ryung sighed out loud, then turned around and stared down Michael Connor, who was busy checking over the woman. Norma Selner, of course. They really pulled out all the stops.

America was really terrified of their growing problems, weren’t they?

“Mr. Connor, this- is a building full of people who aren’t bulletproof,” Park Ryung snapped anyway, because what the f*ck. “You’re handing out legal gun permits to idiots like these?” The guard he pointed to flinched back hard. Michael Connor flinched himself. “No, you know what? We already established the problem with collections of immense firepower in the hands of idiots,” Park Ryung recalled, rubbing at his new headache. He released the crumpled bullet in his other hand. “Please take this as a lesson in handing out authority like chocolates and deal with this.”

“Oh, you speak English?” Choi Jongin realized in interest. “Please tell them I will burn their consulate to the ground.”

“We’re leaving,” Park Ryung concluded.

“That wasn’t enough words to convey what I just said.”

“You’re imagining things. Let’s go.”

“Perhaps if I just explain without words, then-“ Park Ryung collected the unruly peaco*ck by the back of his suit, lifted him slightly, and turned him in a half-circle so he was facing the other direction. “-Ah,” Choi Jongin realized, stunned.

“I just gave the Americans an extremely unhappy talking-to about their social problems, and they already regret this trip here,” Park Ryung informed him, walking out of the office exactly like that. “We are not burning more things when I’ve already destroyed their self-esteem and spat on their patriotism.”

“Tch. And you still healed them?”

“Pointed words about their bullsh*t and letting them keep psychotic and power-hungry S-ranks hurt much more.”

“… Fine. But put me down before we reach outside.”

“Only because I slightly appreciate the gesture.” Park Ryung sighed out loud as he walked to the elevator. “Slightly.”

Left behind, the guards still conscious finally managed to put out the fire. Michael Connor remained sitting beside Norma Selner, who quietly inspected the bloody bullet in her palm.

“… If it had been any other S-rank, we all would have died,” Michael Connor concluded gravely.

“Yes… indeed.” She looked at the bullet on the ground. “… Mr. Connor.”

“We will have to make- an extensive apology towards Hunter Park about this,” Michael Connor groaned, hand over his eyes. “How did Choi Jongin even get involved? He-“

“Mr. Connor,” Norma Selner interrupted. “Hunter Park is stronger than Hwang Dongsoo. Much, much stronger.” Michael Connor stilled. “Far stronger than- most Hunters I’ve ever met,” she continued. “And his energy is… strange. As if…”

“… Miss Selner?”

“As if,” she repeated, gaze distant, “other Hunters were puppets, connected to another world by threads that bind their fates. The strength of those threads determines the strength of their powers. But Park Ryung is instead filled with power by his own accord, with no- attachments to outside forces. Something inside of him that I’ve never felt before. My abilities would never work on him in the first place.” Michael Connor slowly lowered his hand.

“… His own accord,” he echoed. “He said he was researching- but he…” He swallowed hard. “… Oh.” She sighed, touching at her undamaged arm.

“I’ve had entire arms ripped off and regenerated, but even their healing doesn’t feel like that,” she murmured. “An S-rank with such a gentle touch, even among healers. But he picked up the ‘One-Man Army’ like a kitten and carried him away.” She was quiet for a long moment, then sighed once more. “… Please apologize to him sincerely, Mr. Connor. Especially for me. After meeting him, I… truly regret those like Hwang Dongsoo.” Michael Connor gave a humorless laugh, leaning over and burying his face in his hands entirely.

“Don’t we all, Miss Selner,” he managed. “Don’t we all.”

Elsewhere, Park Ryung was being treated to hotpot. It was deeply confusing.

“What’s wrong, Hunter Park?” Choi Jongin asked serenely, stirring his chopsticks in the bowl.

“… I have to admit, I didn’t think you knew how to do hotpot,” Park Ryung told him honestly.

“And not a day goes by where I don’t regret asking for your honesty,” Choi Jongin replied, collecting his noodles.

“I don’t know, you come off like some kind of noble princeling who never saw a pot in his life,” Park Ryung reasoned, grabbing his own share. “If you made the image, don’t be upset when people look at it.” Choi Jongin huffed, then considered his bowl. He gently tapped a chopstick on the side of it.

“… Who do people trust more with a guild worth billions of won, Hunter Park?” he asked. “Some noble princeling who never loses composure, or a pitiful office worker who never made it past glorified secretary until fate burned his office down?” Park Ryung considered, then shrugged faintly. He picked up his rice bowl.

“The noble princeling, of course,” he agreed. He sighed. “Does that mean I need to put red tape around my work history…?”

“It’s too late for that.”

“Ah, too bad.” He took a bite, then chewed and swallowed. “I had bad grades in school,” he admitted. “They don’t get good jobs.”

“It’s a nuisance,” Choi Jongin sighed back. “Basing competency on something so- asinine. Hard work certainly didn’t translate from good grades, based on my experiences. Prestige and connections, though-“

“And who slept with the boss.”

“Tch, of course.” The guildmaster rolled his eyes behind his glasses, then took a bite of his own. He considered Park Ryung for a bit. “… What did those Americans want from you? As far as they know, your combat capabilities are closer to A-rank at best. They’ve never poached a healer before.”

“Oh, really?” Transparent bias, in Park Ryung’s opinion. “Well, they were offering me a job as a researcher,” he admitted, annoyed. “I think they’re reaching similar conclusions I made after I investigated Eternal Sleep Disease.”

“How similar?”

“Well, same but different. I guess it’s the natural result of only being able to poach the most power-hungry and greedy, hoarding them all in one place like a gu jar. Eventually, they start to realize that the jar won’t hold what’s inside forever.” He shook his head to himself. “So they want their antidote before it comes crawling out to bite them on the ass.” Choi Jongin sniffed.

“That’s their problem.”

“Of course it is.”

“You’re already planning to help them somehow, aren’t you?” Park Ryung twitched hard, then ducked his head towards his food. Choi Jongin sighed. “I’ve seen people like you, you know. A coworker only has to ask with just a little bit of sincerity, give a hint of their real-life problems, and suddenly you’re working overnight just to make someone else’s deadline.” Park Ryung felt his cheeks redden.

“… I wasn’t- going to bend backwards for them,” he muttered. “They’ll get it the same that anyone else gets it. Their methods do really piss me off.”

“… Hm, good.” Choi Jongin sipped at his tea. “I’m almost surprised you only gave a warning about Hwang Dongsoo,” he commented.

“I was aware of his personality.”

“I did say ‘almost’.”

“That’s true, you did.” Park Ryung also sipped his tea. “I wouldn’t have been able to stop it anyway,” he added. “America has someone with the ability to increase a Hunter’s abilities.” Choi Jongin choked on his tea. “Well, not by much, and not reliably,” Park Ryung acknowledged, thoughtful. “But it works on S-ranks, so they tote her around and offer a few sessions for abandoning their country. I think her increase rate is about… twenty percent or so?” Choi Jongin coughed a bit, then exhaled raggedly, setting his cup down.

“… It says so much about my current reality that twenty percent sounds pitiful,” he grumbled.

“And she can only do it a few times a year at most,” Park Ryung added. “Ah. I hope she doesn’t get the boot when I make her job useless.”

“You’re really planning on going public?”

“And basically destroying the world? Yeah.”

“Well, as long as you know the consequences, I suppose.” Choi Jongin poured himself more tea, shaking his head. “But I did survive the end of the world once already,” he acknowledged. “If I must, I will do it again.” Park Ryung held up his cup slightly.

“I’ll hold you to that,” he promised. Choi Jongin appeared amused, but accepted with a slight nod.

Seriously, what calamity in human skin? Park Ryung was fully convinced that the likes of Michael Connor and the rest of the Federal Bureau of Hunters were just swimming in bullsh*t of their own making. Choi Jongin was an outright gremlin when he wanted to be, not to mention a peaco*ck at that, but he was also overbearing and mischievous- and just, well, a person? He sort of grew on Park Ryung, like a fungus. A bright red fungus.

… And anyway, why was the rest of the hotpot place giving them such a wide berth? This was just like Yoo Jinho being a stammering and clumsy guy at first blush- people were so dramatic sometimes.

(Park Ryung was somewhat aware that certain S-ranked guildmasters had once been spread across the news for devastating brawls with other S-ranks, and yes, he vaguely recalled that one time a rival guild office was literally burned to the ground amidst rumors of Dungeon sabotage.

But these were people, not monsters, and Choi Jongin was someone who joined every raid against Jeju Island, and his greatest sin against Cha Haein, who so many others would take advantage of, was to just be too protective.)

Anyway, he did feel better with some dinner in him. Though as soon as they stepped outside, Choi Jongin began to light up a cigarette before catching Park Ryung’s stare. He sighed, lowering it.

“All you healing types are the same,” he complained.

“It’s almost like we have a universal agreement against certain things,” Park Ryung agreed. “How’d you pick up news about the Americans, anyway?”

“Hm, I have some connections. If nothing else, they registered their destination legally.” Well, Park Ryung couldn’t say how legal it was for Choi Jongin to find that out, but he also didn’t care that much. “If you were never going to consider their offer, why hear it out?” Choi Jongin asked, putting his hands in his pockets instead.

“I wanted to know what changed,” Park Ryung admitted. “They weren’t supposed to show up for over a year.”

“There was supposed to be another poach? Tch.”

“Yeah. On Korea’s tenth S-rank, who essentially soloed the fourth Jeju Island raid.” Choi Jongin considered this deeply. He sighed, tilting his head back.

“… Do I want to know?” he asked wearily.

“I really don’t think you do,” Park Ryung answered honestly. He shrugged a little. “I ruined that well ahead of time, anyway, so. I guess it’s fine.”

“There are some things you can’t ruin, Hunter Park.”

“No, I definitely f*cked this one up. It’s well beyond salvaging.” He shook his head. “But- I don’t mind it, all the same. Some things should never be asked of people, not when the cost is so high.”

“… Very well, then I won’t ask.” Choi Jongin exhaled. “I’m not that curious.” Park Ryung wasn’t sure he believed that, but let it go. “Do you want a ride back?”

“It’s fine, I’m not too far away. Thanks for picking me up, anyway.”

“Please don’t leave the country, Hunter Park.”

“Ah, it’s fine, it’s fine. Honestly, after hearing about the bullsh*t those people put up with on a regular basis, I don’t think there’s actually enough money in the world to get me to make it my problem.” He sighed. “Now how to deal with people like Thomas Andre if that becomes a problem, though… Ugh.” He shook his head to himself. “Well, I guess there’s no use overthinking it. I should be more grateful that it wasn’t Hwang Dongsoo.”

“I refuse to be grateful.”

“Sure, sure, pyromaniac.” Park Ryung’s lips quirked nonetheless. “Let’s get lunch again soon,” he insisted, turning to leave, but then paused. “And- talk about Jeju Island,” he added. “You and Guildmaster Baek might be interested in some classes soon, you think?”

“… Yes, Hunter Park. I believe we’d be very interested.” Choi Jongin was quiet for a moment. “But would you really trust us as students?” he added, low. “Calamities in human skin might be the last ones you should be giving lessons to.” Park Ryung puffed out his cheeks unhappily at the reminder.

“Did you hear that bullsh*t from the Americans, too?” he complained, turning back. “They don’t know sh*t, anyway. They made their gu pot and left the rest of us better off, and they can’t fathom how it’s their own fault. Tch.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets as well. “Anyway, the rates and dangers of Dungeons and Gates have always been growing, slowly and steadily,” he continued. “But we’ve always had our ranking system without change. What if Jeju Island breaks containment ahead of schedule? What if another Kamish happens too close to home? I really did think about not even touching the idea, but. The problem is, I know we need it.” He shook his head to himself. “And what am I supposed to do otherwise, cultivate to the immortal realm and high-five Sun Wukong, then come back down and wipe out problems with a snap of the fingers? As much as I like a good murim novel, that’s just ridiculous.”

“I can tell you’ve read too many of them as well.”

“Hey. If you get the reference, you can’t mock.” Choi Jongin chuckled, briefly adjusting his glasses.

“So you want to save the world, Hunter Park, and do it with the people you care about,” he concluded. “You want to believe in the best of humanity and give them the key to write their own destinies. Is that right?”

“… Yep, that’s- that’s basically it,” Park Ryung agreed. “You got a better idea?”

“… No, I do not.”

“You see? Then it’s fine.” He turned away again. “Let’s get lunch,” he repeated. “It’s only the first week, but I’ll have better things to talk about after a while. See you around.” He waved as he left. Choi Jongin sighed after him, but waved as well.

“… At least question where I would have heard that phrase if I didn’t speak English, Hunter Park,” he sighed to himself. “Instead of defending me so faithfully when I know what I am.” He pulled out a cigarette, then sighed once more. “… I wonder if whatever he has is infectious,” he muttered, then pocketed the cigarette again. He stalked away with that.

Park Ryung did tell Woo Jinchul about the matter. He then got called in the next day while Michael Connor stood in Go Gunhee’s office and basically sweated out the top of his head. He sweated all the more as he gave a very, very earnest apology, and Go Gunhee smiled very grandfatherly as he watched. Park Ryung actually felt a little bad by the time he convinced the foreigner that it was fine, and he was allowed to go on a plane back home.

“… Seriously, if the FBH just sees a bunch of temperamental monsters instead of Hunters, why do they even bother trying?” he realized, staring after where the man had all but broken the door in his haste to leave. “Just admit you’re only there to give them candy and move on.” It was a strange reaction, given that Park Ryung thought the man had actually been pretty comfortable poking at him before. Was it because Go Gunhee was there? Serene, genial, grandpa Go Gunhee??

(The scars did not register at all to Park Ryung.)

“America has unique ways of dealing with their own problems,” Go Gunhee dismissed lightly. “I hope they weren’t too much trouble for you, Hunter Park.”

“I did get a pout from Jinwoo,” Park Ryung admitted. “… B-But it was really cute, so…” Go Gunhee chuckled. “Ah- O-On the bright side, I guess I learned a lot about what the gu pot country is up to,” Park Ryung continued quickly, cheeks warm. “It looks like they’re interested in similar research to what I’m doing, too. I actually really don’t want those people figuring things out before me, so I wanted to ask you anyway, Chairman.” He cleared his throat, turning fully. “In your opinion, who should be invited to the successful raid of Jeju Island?” Go Gunhee’s eyebrows rose high, then he smiled again. He folded his hands on the desk.

“You suddenly have much more confidence, then,” he decided.

“I… acknowledge that I completely missed the mark for judging strength based on myself,” Park Ryung sighed, weary. “I overshot. By- a lot.”

“That’s a way to look at it, I suppose. But you know of Jeju Island, don’t you?” Go Gunhee grimaced somewhat. “It’s something from your visions, yes, but…”

“Chairman Go,” Park Ryung replied, weary, “I’ve seen a future where Min Byunggyu is eaten alive on the fourth raid of Jeju Island, on live broadcast. I do know.” The chairman flinched. “I’ve mentioned Jeju Island eventually breaks containment, but more importantly is what happens after that,” Park Ryung explained. “Out of desperation, the colony creates a new kind of ant. An ant king, one leagues stronger than any other monster on the island. It’s the sole reason that Japan’s plan fails, and the one thing that almost wipes out every single S-rank at once. In theory, with the right plan and timing, the S-ranks of Korea right now are capable of completing the Dungeon.” He gestured helplessly. “But- that’s the problem. In theory, and with the right timing. We don’t have twenty extra S-ranks to deal with the swarms that populate the island, and we don’t have the leeway to accept casualties. But we’re also not desperate against hordes of flying enemies, nor do we have allies intending to backstab us.”

“… That is true, yes. In theory, it’s possible.” Go Gunhee sighed out. “So in theory, if certain individuals gained greater strength than before, with enough firepower to overwhelm both swarms and defenses…” He closed his eyes. “… And there would be no greater debut of your teachings, Hunter Park. The entire world would be watching and understand its importance.” He opened his eyes. “But you don’t want to invite all the guilds, do you?” he concluded.

“… I don’t- really know them,” Park Ryung admitted. “I’ve seen how certain individuals react in the worst of circ*mstances, how they respond when pushed too far, when they have head and shoulders over the situation. I trust Guildmaster Baek, but I don’t know why he split off from the Fiend Guild to the point where neither guild acknowledges each other, and what that means about Lim Taegyu. Hunter Cha, Guildmaster Choi- I won’t hesitate to give them what I know. I don’t know anything about the Fame Guild, though, and what I’ve seen of the Knights Guild is entirely too eager for power. I think the world of Min Byunggyu, but I don’t know anything about Ran Eunsook as a person. But if I hold back too much, if I’m too picky about this, then those I give the confidence to run forward might not have all the support they need.” Go Gunhee sighed himself, leaning back slightly.

“Yes, it’s tricky,” he acknowledged. “Very tricky. While we have the luxury of choice, we also have its burden.” He was quiet for a long while, then sighed once more. “… Then you’ll simply have to meet them for yourself, won’t you?” he concluded.

“… Eh,” Park Ryung managed. “I-I also don’t want to do that…”

“You’re going to meet them eventually, you know.”

“I don’t… want to.” Park Ryung felt great exhaustion at the very thought. “I don’t think S-ranks are a bunch of wild animals, but I do think that most of them aren’t exactly social…” Go Gunhee snorted.

“That’s the kindest way to put it, yes.”

“What- even would the context be?” Park Ryung tried. “It’s my understanding that the guildmasters usually avoid each other anyway.”

“Yes, and we prefer it that way.”

“But you want to put me in the same room at the same time?”

“You could tell them the truth, Hunter Park,” Go Gunhee reasoned simply. “That the Hunters Association is going to send their third raid of Jeju Island, under the assumption that a containment breach is imminent. And you, a highly-skilled teacher and Association agent, are going to teach them how to work together.”

“…”

“…”

“… Sir, I don’t want to die,” Park Ryung explained. Go Gunhee gave a guffaw, as if that was a f*cking joke. “I- am completely unable to explain any of my experience with high-ranked Dungeons,” Park Ryung tried. “A-And honestly, what I have doesn’t even really count! The highest-ranked Dungeon I’ve ever been in is B! A B!! I’ve never even used my full strength- I actually don’t even know how strong I am!”

“Yes, someone might get beaten to a pulp if we have that meeting immediately, Hunter Park,” Go Gunhee chuckled, amused. “Though it certainly won't be you…” Park Ryung blinked. “It’s well-known that those who reawaken from a lower rank are initially very unaccustomed to their new abilities, especially in terms of strength and speed,” the chairman continued. “And as I understand it, your mana reacted very differently than you were used to when you used it against Kang Taeshik. To that end, I believe it’s best to simply address another matter. You will need much more experience in greater Dungeons.” He cleared his throat. “Although, as you may know, training higher ranks in the first place can become- complicated. You did marvelously with Hunter Cha, but your current weakness is the complete opposite. You need to face monsters many times stronger than anything you’ve faced before, and it’s not so simple to create a safer learning environment.”

“That’s… true,” Park Ryung admitted, weary. He rubbed at his neck. “I wouldn’t want to just jump into a Dungeon alone in the first place, that’s just reckless and stupid. But even Chief Woo would have a hard time if I asked…” He winced. “Should I just- ask the guildmasters, then?”

“For an escort to higher-ranked Dungeons?”

“They’re good especially in mobility and long-range, and I’m a close-combat fighter,” Park Ryung agreed. “And they have a lot more experience than me in Dungeons. Ah, but it might be hard to get that time for both of them…”

“They’ll give it to you,” Go Gunhee replied immediately.

“… A-Are you sure? I mean, I wouldn’t want to impose-“

“Just ask them, Hunter Park. I’m entirely, one hundred percent confident that they’ll agree the moment you ask.”

“… Um. I-If you’re sure, then.”

He was right.

Chapter 15

Chapter Text

Though Park Ryung had started the commission under very different circ*mstances, his sword was still completed within the estimated time frame. Baek Yoonho went with him to collect it.

“I didn’t think that snake bastard even knew how to eat hotpot,” he commented.

“I didn’t, either!!” Park Ryung exclaimed. “Ah, but when I said that, he just told me to stop being honest.”

“That’s his problem.”

“Right? Though, if nothing else, getting kidnapped by Americans is pretty low on my worry list now.”

“Tch.” They arrived at the office building, where they were shown to a lower level repurposed into a large workshop. A man only about the guildmaster’s age was waiting for them, a simple sword sitting on the table beside him alongside a number of various weapons.

Park Ryung was immediately interested.

“I guess you really do have good mana sense,” the craftsman commented, watching Park Ryung barely remember to be a decent human being before collecting his new toy. “Anyone else would drool their hearts out over all the other weapons. I’ve even got a spear made from wyrm scales. Wyrm!” He scoffed. “And nothing else on that table comes close to the quality of your sword. It doesn’t have any special effects, aside from that weird iridescent mirage…”

“No special effects?” Baek Yoonho realized, while Park Ryung decided that was enough drooling and simply picked it up. “It’s definitely an S-rank weapon, though.”

“S-rank is putting it too lightly. The purity of its mana potential is leagues above others.” The man sighed, rubbing at his head. “With that said, that in itself is both the strength and weakness of other S-rank weapons. Lack of purity.”

“Right, because monsters leave their taint not just in their parts, but their essence crystals,” Park Ryung agreed absently, marveling at the perfect balance of the blade. It did indeed have a strange mirage of a myriad of colors? But he already realized that concentrated mana did some weird things on the color spectrum. “The main issue with that is that Hunters usually collect the crystals all willy-nilly, so pairing them with the wrong monster parts creates a totally flop. But under the right circ*mstances, it creates powerful effects related to that monster.” He held up a finger. “Which also is what limits the potential of that weapon in the first place. It’ll never be any stronger than the monster it came from, and never be able to overcome circ*mstances in which its effects becomes useless. And if the mana is incompatible with the Hunter that buys it, its durability wears down almost twice as fast as normal.” He then paused, assessing the two staring at him. He coughed, quickly looking away. “… H-Habit,” he muttered. “Sorry.”

“… Well, that’s entirely correct,” the craftsman concluded. “I suppose that’s why you gave me so many extras of those strange mana materials… I don’t think anyone’s ever dealt with mana in such intense purity. That in itself just left the material to match, and the form it would take. There were countless failures leading up to this one.”

“It’s perfect,” Park Ryung insisted, gently pressing his thumb over the edge of the blade. It cut in with just a slight gesture, drawing blood. “Absolutely perfect.”

“I normally give my customers their weapons understanding that they’ll break it within the year, but…” The craftsman appeared pained. “… P-Please make it last, Hunter Park.”

“You don’t have to worry about this one,” Baek Yoonho sighed. “Oi, Hunter Park. Try using your forms for a minute.” Park Ryung blinked, but Baek Yoonho merely pointed to an open space aside. Clueless, he could only walk to the open space, then set himself in a stance.

He immediately liked the new sword heaps more as he went through one form to another, focusing on flow again beyond nonsense brute strength. Slowly, carefully, but smoothly. Practiced ease that came to his muscles naturally, and flowed through his veins in a way that was familiar, yet-

He ended in a finishing strike, then straightened, looking at the sword with wide eyes. “Oh!” he realized. “So that’s what happened to my mana…” He thought he should probably write this down, but became distracted by a- sniffle? A choked sob?? He looked quickly just as the craftsman broke down into tears.

… Okay, sure.

Park Ryung left the workshop completely weirded out, and Baek Yoonho appeared far too smug about it. Still, at least there was a beautiful sword strapped on his side, the simple leather scabbard embossed with turquoise trim and a label.

“Someone less mature than me might tease you for naming the sword,” Baek Yoonho commented.

“Someone a lot nerdier than you would appreciate the naming process of a sword and think I’m too cool for words,” Park Ryung returned with a huff. “And anyway, I’m not the one who made your friend cry.”

“You’re definitely the one who made him cry.”

“I was just using my sword forms!!”

“Anyway, what suddenly brought on going into higher-ranked Dungeons?” the guildmaster asked, ignoring his serious problems. “I thought you’d be busy with your world-changing project.” Park Ryung sniffed, but pocketed his hands.

“I want to put together a raid for Jeju Island,” he sighed. “Before it gets out of hand. Guildmaster Choi probably didn’t mention it, but you and him will be getting some classes of your own before that happens. And Hunter Cha, of course.” Baek Yoonho stopped, staring at him with wide eyes. Park Ryung paused as well. “… But- with that being said, I don’t know who else to trust with this,” he admitted. “So I want to meet the other major guilds and S-ranks under real circ*mstances and try to decide. Min Byunggyu is the only other person I feel more confident about, but he’s not exactly a combat healer, and confidence isn’t complete trust. It’s…” He sighed out loud, then scratched at his head. “I don’t know, I was talking to the chairman about it, but it’s still tricky. Exposing what I’m doing to the world is very different from vetting who gets to be part of it. I do- have to eventually think about how to handle the consequences of it spreading further than I can personally control.” He thought about it some more, then gave a quiet ugh. “S-Such a pain to think about, though…”

“… I didn’t- think you’d be open to teaching S-ranks, of all people,” Baek Yoonho finally managed. “Aren’t we the ones who need it the least?”

“I’ve mentioned it to Hunter Cha before,” Park Ryung replied. “Which rank do you think has the highest casualty ratio compared to the number of Awakened?” Baek Yoonho considered for a long moment, then grimaced.

“It’s not E-ranks, I’m guessing,” he answered.

“They’re the third,” Park Ryung agreed. “Their numbers are extremely high, but that’s because the number of E-ranked Awakened is extremely high compared to others. D-rank outmatches them in number of deaths compared to number of Awakened. Most E-ranks are immediately discouraged by the countless failures of others in the same rank, and never set foot in a Dungeon. There’s a lot more Awakened who aren’t Hunters than anyone realizes.” He shook his head. “But far and above their ratio, it’s S-ranks who have the highest death rates of all Hunters. High-ranked Dungeons, international disputes, local dick-measuring contests, and emergency Dungeon Breaks- S-ranks might have the most in terms of resources, but they’re also the ones in the most danger. We’re lucky here, honestly. There’s a lot of other countries where half the S-ranks have already killed each other off.”

“… You once said- Eunsook was meant to die in the third raid,” Baek Yoonho said. “And in the fourth, you mentioned Byunggyu’s death. I… didn’t ask, because it was obvious you prevented that from happening. But both of them are my friends, Hunter Park. I’ll ask what happened before you start this up again.” Park Ryung nodded in understanding.

“I’d tell you everything I could about Eunsook’s death, but truthfully, I don’t know much about it,” he admitted. “All I know is that the casualties of the third raid were exponentially higher for all the major guilds, and Eunsook was one such casualty. And- after being severely traumatized by his death, Min Byunggyu retired from being a Hunter. For a couple years, at least, he seemed to try to put it behind him.” He shook his head. “But the Japanese came forward with their plan, and Min Byunggyu ultimately decided he wanted to see the end of that place. He just… didn’t get the chance. After being left alone for so long, the ants evolved and developed a unique monster even stronger than the queen and her guards, and vastly more intelligent. Unlike simple creatures, it recognized the danger of letting the healer live, and ate him alive in front of you.” Baek Yoonho flinched hard, paling. “… It’s because of what I saw that I want to share this,” Park Ryung admitted. “Especially with S-ranks. Even if I make this available across the globe someday, that doesn’t magically mean that everyone will rocket up to high ranks. What we know as Awakening isn’t just being stingy about magic for some people and less stingy for others. Different people genuinely have different forms of potential within their bodies. It’s like trying to make Olympic-level athletes out of the entire human population, it’s just not feasible.”

“… Right. I guess so.” Baek Yoonho sighed out. “But that’d still leave S-ranks at the top, wouldn’t it?”

“Not necessarily,” Park Ryung replied. “S-ranks don’t all come in the same power levels, do they? They’re just a collective rank that means ‘too powerful for our modern technology to measure properly.’ It’s like trying to reach level two fifty-six on old games, or how changing to the twenty-first century almost broke countless computer systems. An error symbol is a class on its own, and most people accept that as it is.” He raised an eyebrow. “What would happen if someone like Woo Jinchul got into a fight with someone of roughly equal strength, though? Wouldn’t that still cause something equivalent to a natural disaster?” Baek Yoonho grimaced hard.

“… So it’s not an easy class, is what you’re saying,” he concluded.

“The way I use my mana is completely different not just from other healers, but from any other Hunter I’ve ever met,” Park Ryung admitted. “And it’s that unique way of using mana that makes my method possible. I thought it might be a difficulty, but… yeah. So far, it’s like trying to teach a fish to swim backwards and upstream when it’s been going with the flow all its life. And there’s no way to inject larger quantities of mana that make a significant difference without putting your life in danger. You have to do it slowly, in small doses, and with constant diligence. It’s a pain in the ass and a lot of hard work.” He grinned a little. “Doesn’t it sound like fun~?” Baek Yoonho snorted softly, mouth quirking in a smirk.

“… Yeah, sounds fun,” he agreed. “I look forward to it, then. Though… what if the potential isn’t there?”

“Well, physical potential isn’t everything,” Park Ryung reasoned. “I mean, I’m dating the guy who has a worldwide record of lowest mana rating at evaluation. His physical potential is literally, numerically, closer to zero than anyone else in the history of Awakening.” His grin widened. “And he is kicking ass in class because he’s the most tenacious little asshole alive. Ahahaha, it’s very scary~”

“Don’t smile while you say that.”

“Hmm, hmm, but I do like how scary my cute little boyfriend can be~” Baek Yoonho rolled his eyes to the heavens and decided to move on. Which was too bad, Park Ryung genuinely wanted other people to appreciate his terrifying little protagonist of a boyfriend.

He’d been told that both guilds would keep an eye out for even the first B-rank Gate that popped up, but apparently even the Dungeons really wanted to see him test out the new sword? After yet another class where Jinwoo chased after Song Chiyul’s rank like it was a competition, Park Ryung was given a call that an A-ranked Dungeon with unusually-high mana had been purchased.

The only bummer was that by the time he arrived there, a lot of other people were also around?? He just showed up with his basic-ass armor and new sword, and suddenly people were taking pictures of him again. He barely withheld a sigh as he walked forward to the center of the commotion, where Baek Yoonho and Choi Jongin were standing and staring each other down. They both turned sharply as Park Ryung walked up.

“I swear, are A-rank Dungeons always this crazy?” he commented, genuinely puzzled. “Or is it just because you two are around?” Both of them responded with very pointed expressions that Park Ryung was not going to acknowledge. Choi Jongin eventually cleared his throat.

“No more questions,” he informed some lady standing nearby. “Hunter Park prefers to not speak with the media personally.” Yes, yes, he certainly did prefer that. Park Ryung was still looking forward to the day they all got found him a boring man and went home.

“B-But if I could just-“ she began, then flinched hard. She whirled around and retreated without a word further. Park Ryung looked after her in puzzlement, then shrugged it off.

“Anyway, how’s the mana rating on this?” he asked the Association agent waiting nearby, sweating out the top of his head. “It feels pretty intense for its rank.”

“I… I-It’s rated to be a high-tier A-rank Dungeon, H-Hunter Park!” the agent managed, eyes wide.

“Really? Neat.” Park Ryung pointed at the massive swirl of interdimensional energy. “… It also feels like it’s going to eat us alive, though,” he commented.

“What makes you say that?” Baek Yoonho asked, frowning.

“Well, I don’t know, it just feels ‘hungry’ to me. Not you?” Baek Yoonho shook his head. Park Ryung looked to Choi Jongin, who shrugged. “… It’s probably just because it’s my first time,” he acknowledged. “Anyway, shall we?”

“Sure.”

“Sounds like fun, Hunter Park.” Park Ryung strode inside with optimism, already itching to pick a fight. Behind him, the two S-ranks also strode in, cool and confident.

There was then an overwhelming surge of mana as that sense of hunger because a sense of devouring, and the space between worlds flashed red right before it spat them out. There was complete silence as they stood on a hilltop overlooking a vast forest beneath mountain ranges. Behind them, there was no Gate.

“… Oh,” Park Ryung comprehended. “So that’s what a Red Gate feels like.”

“… I feel like I specifically told myself to not ignore even the trivial things he said,” Choi Jongin muttered to himself, turning away. “It feels as if I specifically thought something like this could happen…” Who said what trivial thing? Baek Yoonho sighed out loud.

“If nothing else, the time discrepancy will just make this shorter,” he reasoned. “One day here to an hour outside, about.”

“Neat,” Park Ryung complimented. “I wonder if I can try using some of these for training…”

“Well.” The ground trembled faintly around them, then stilled. Another tremor, stronger. “I don’t think you have a choice about that right now,” Baek Yoonho reasoned, and they turned as another tremor showed up. Park Ryung observed the walking tree-like monster in great interest, especially as its footsteps made the trees around its feet shudder. Shudder and move?

“Ah, so that’s why moss giants are rated so high,” he observed. “I guess I’ll get started, then. Please spot me.”

“Sure.”

“Do have fun, then.” Park Ryung waved like a kid getting dropped off at the park, feeling equally gleeful, then turned towards the forest that was stomping its way towards them. He unsheathed his sword and let mana surge from his core and into his veins, into the core of his brand new sword, which glimmered with color to reflect its new name.

Jinju flashed with pearly iridescence before he lunged forward, and the moss giant screamed in shared pain as both its leg and multiple other trees were cleanly cut.

“… Is this what it feels like to join me on a raid?” Choi Jongin wondered. Baek Yoonho rolled his eyes.

“No.”

“Not from you, puss*cat.”

“Che.” They stood in place and watched the moss giant literally fall to pieces. Behind it, more of the horizon began to uproot and lumber towards their goal. “… He’s definitely having fun, though.”

“Of course he is. Even if he didn’t start out S-rank, we’re all like this on the inside. He’s just the only one who ignores it half the time.”

“It’s obviously the appeal behind his boyfriend.”

“Hmph.” There was a moment of silence as the two considered the existence of Sung Jinwoo. For a moment, they were completely in-sync with one another, equally grim at the prospect of the lithe, vicious little hunter having power equal to an S-rank.

Oblivious to people actually appreciating his homicidal toothpick of a boyfriend, Park Ryung was having a great time.

What had been the problem with his mana? Naturally, something that murim novels already covered! He had a breakthrough in ranks. Whether it was an actual jump between what the world defined as Hunter ranks or a different form of mana stages than anyone knew, all the mana he’d consumed and refined- but didn’t actually use- abruptly broke his previous physical limits and raced to the surface. It was why he could also eat so much purified mana and feel basically nothing from it. Now his popcorn pills had a kick again, even if it was barely anything. Barely anything was still more than nothing, right?

So now that his mystery was solved, he had a good idea of exactly how to use the mana in his body, intensifying his concentration throughout every cell and redefining his movements. Jinju responded beautifully to his forms, even at a much higher speed and under greater strength. Moss giants were an excellent enemy to test out its blade- no normal sword could have hoped to make it through their extremely sturdy defense, let alone the massive width of their limbs and body, but the mana-core of the sword enhanced his strikes well beyond their natural reach.

In other words, he was dicing giants as if he were holding a blade five times its length. It was a grand time.

He also caused immense deforestation when it was said and done, but it was probably fine.

“Did you have a good time, Hunter Park?” Choi Jongin asked casually, stepping lightly through the many chunks of perfectly-cut wood. Park Ryung turned around with a huge grin, unable to help it.

“It’s fun!” he exclaimed excitedly. “Mana swords are the best!!”

“Yes, I see.”

“Hmm,” Baek Yoonho commented, nudging at a massive block that had once been part of a torso. “… Too bad moss giant bodies are too tough to use,” he muttered. “Even if you collect so many at once, they’re close to impossible to sell in bulk, and they don’t keep in storage.”

“Ah, really?” Park Ryung realized, distracted. “Isn’t it basically just wood?”

“It should be on all accounts, but it decays even faster than other monster bodies. It’s actually some of the worst material because of its difficulty in shaping along with that.” Hm, it probably would have made nice furniture otherwise, too. Park Ryung could only shrug it off. “Still, it looks like the sword is working well.”

“Yes, and Michaelangelo was a somewhat decent artist,” Choi Jongin returned snidely.

“Shut it.”

“It’s always fun when you guys are extra sassy in the morning,” Park Ryung commented, amused. “… Ah, but let’s go find more things I can beat up.”

“They’re past a beating,” Baek Yoonho stated.

“Actually, I want to try just fighting without the sword for a moment,” Park Ryung explained. “I love the sword, don’t get me wrong, but I figured out why my mana was acting weird and want to do some tests on my strength. Ah, but leaving these feels like a waste of food…”

“You mean mana.”

“Same thing.”

“That’s easy,” Choi Jongin huffed, snapping his fingers. A little flame appeared at the tip of his pointer finger. “A-rank crystals aren’t so susceptible to flames as moss giants are.” Baek Yoonho bristled, then swore out loud and abruptly grabbed Park Ryung. Park Ryung could only splutter quietly as he was moved away at high speed right before what used to be a forest exploded.

Hm, well, they were definitely menacing the natural environment here.

“Pyromaniac!!” Baek Yoonho snarled at the flames. “Give some f*cking warning, will ya?!” Choi Jongin merely strolled from the towering flames leisurely, smiling serenely.

“It’s very good weather for a forest fire, isn’t it?” he asked cheerfully. “Although you’re looking a bit sunburned, Guildmaster Baek.” Park Ryung couldn’t help a laugh, and Baek Yoonho twitched hard as he abruptly let go. Park Ryung dusted himself off, amused.

“It’s times like these that make me want to steal your coffee,” he huffed. “Well, let’s go find something to beat up! Let’s go, let’s go~” He picked a direction away from the flames, then strolled away, passing between the extremely oppressive mana the two were giving off as if not noticing. Both guildmasters stared after him blankly, then looked at one another.

They both sighed, but turned and left the fire behind to follow instead.

Well, it turned out that the other forest wasn’t full of moss giants, but it was full of massive boar-like monsters with a lot more horns than normal people would be comfortable with. Park Ryung diced one up just on principle, then sheathed his sword and found another one. He let mana flow through his body wildly as the monster roared and charged at him, focusing on his muscles, then his bones and skin- and abandoned subtlety to punch the thing in front of him.

There was an outright deafening crack, which he belatedly realized was the air before he actually hit the monster.

The monster exploded. Violently. Gruesomely. Blood and gore sprayed outward and destroyed the trees in a cone, along with another one of the monsters that became riddled with high-velocity projectiles. It collapsed dead.

“… Aww,” Park Ryung realized, displeased. “My mana.” Behind him, the two S-ranks watched with matching blank expressions. “I-I guess I’ll have to be a lot more gentle, then… I heard that strength can jump vastly between even a single rank, but isn’t that too flimsy anyway?” he muttered to himself. “Maybe because they’re fleshy? I should’ve tried punching a moss giant instead…”

Well, he was still running tests, but wasn’t interested in more explosions of gore, so. He instead gently wrestled some monsters for a bit, and when too many crowded around him, picked one up by the biggest horn and played some baseball. It got boring very quickly.

He finally gave in and simply drew his sword, then went on a pork-dicing frenzy for a bit. Just a bit! That one also ended with the forest in flames.

They had some great pork chops for dinner, if nothing else.

“I can’t believe you, the most domestic S-rank on the planet, can’t cook a simple piece of meat,” Choi Jongin stated, eying the charcoal sitting nearby with disdain. Park Ryung blushed, rubbing at his neck while Baek Yoonho was the one who made the tasty pork chops.

“J-Jinwoo usually cooks for both of us…”

“Turn up the heat, stove.”

“Mind your cooking utensils, kitchen boy.”

“Mrs. Park also likes to make dinner herself,” Park Ryung continued thoughtfully. “But she says her husband was the one that cooked the most between them. I guess Jinwoo got it from him.” He sighed out loud, watching the starry sky above their heads. “… I like Dungeons,” he admitted. “I think they’re neat.”

“… This one is a nuisance, Hunter Park.”

“You’re the one who burned half of it down,” Baek Yoonho muttered. “But, sure. Fighting’s fun. Winning’s more fun.”

“Ah, I guess that’s true.” Park Ryung nodded to himself. “Still, I like magic a lot.” He accepted his share of pork. Baek Yoonho appeared amused.

“You like it more than you fear it, right?” he asked.

“Hmm, sure.”

“I like power,” Choi Jongin contributed. Park Ryung had to laugh at that, settling in comfortably.

“Yeah,” he admitted. “I like the power, too. It’s fun to dice up the bastards.” Baek Yoonho snorted loudly.

“So we’ll all just be honest about it, then.”

“Why, you don’t like it?” Choi Jongin huffed.

“I didn’t say that. We just usually avoid saying it out loud to not scare people.”

“That’s a moot point. We’ll always scare them, no matter what we do or don’t do.” Choi Jongin sighed out loud. “Except for Hunter Park, who apparently comes off like a big teddy bear.” Park Ryung spluttered. Baek Yoonho gave a bark of laughter himself.

“That’s true,” he huffed. “Even Byunggyu gets a wide berth, so it’s not the healer thing.”

“That healer once smashed in an orc’s skull on national television.”

“That’s the network’s problem.”

“Oh, I saw that video,” Park Ryung recalled. “It’s still circling the internet a lot, though the uncensored version is a lot harder to find…” It was a shame the man always wore his helmet in public, too. He had a cute smile.

“Why the f*ck were you looking for the uncensored version?”

“I refuse to be shamed for my thing for cute guys with violent streaks.” Baek Yoonho spluttered, then laughed so hard he ended up burning the next batch of pork chops. But it wasn’t like they were short on meat, anyway.

After the day of fun, they circled around a bit until they found the boss. It was apparently a ‘forest monster’ just like all the others, although Park Ryung personally doubted that moss-covered mammoths actually fit the theme. But it sliced and diced easily enough, so he couldn’t really complain. The Gate popped up for them to leave, and yet another forest was on fire as they left.

It was a pretty fun Dungeon, in Park Ryung’s opinion. He was thus incredibly surprised to find the crowd around the Gate doubled, and multiple reporters tried to press in close before Association agents bullied them away. Woo Jinchul approached, sighing.

“Hunter Park,” he intoned. “The next time you feel something ‘off’ about a Gate, please do not just walk into it.” Ah, it was the same tone about putting strange things in his mouth…

“Aha, sorry, Chief,” Park Ryung answered sheepishly, rubbing at his neck. “What’s with the crowd, anyway?”

“The tenth S-rank’s first A-rank Dungeon turned into a Red Gate. After he walked inside with two rival guildmasters.”

“Oh, sounds interesting, I guess.”

“As long as you understand that much.” Woo Jinchul shook his head slightly, which Park Ryung definitely didn’t deserve. “You took an extra day for training, then?”

“Yep! It was pretty fun. We had pork chops, too.”

“That’s good. Mandatory hospital check.”

“Ah, fine…” The downside of being an Association agent was following specific employee rules. “Well, thanks for the trip,” he insisted to the two guildmasters. “Let’s get lunch in slightly less hostile circ*mstances next time.”

“What, you don’t like my cooking?” Baek Yoonho jabbed. He pointed. “Blame the stove.”

“You-!” Park Ryung snorted with laughter, waving a bit as he left. Both returned friendly gestures as he walked through the path the agents made for him, while also doing his best to pretend he didn’t hear a bunch of people trying to talk to him.

“… Why did I not set you on fire, again?” Choi Jongin muttered.

“Because Hunter Park thinks we’re nice people and we don’t want to disappoint him,” Baek Yoonho muttered back.

“Tch.”

“Don’t tch me, as if I didn’t have to hold back from punching your stupid face.”

“… Tch.”

Obviously, the hospital confirmed he was fine, and was generally confused about him being there. Park Ryung nonetheless walked out with his bill of health, along with a sh*tload of A-rank crystals. He was going to have a grand time in the Association’s secret basem*nt soon.

So Park Ryung settled into a new routine, with his new classes and new training Dungeons. Classes were going well, he really believed that, but he definitely underestimated the difficulty of teaching others to control their mana. Predictably, Song Chiyul got it down faster than everyone else, although Jinwoo seemed to take that as a personal challenge and was intensely focused on improving. It was actually coming to a point where he was even doing the exercises at home and being less clingy than before.

Which totally didn’t set off any insecurities or anything like that. Definitely not.

Yoo Jinho, though, was a bit of a surprise. Park Ryung actually managed to insert the ‘seed’ of a mana core on his first try, and by the end of the week, got him with the start of a mana flow. Despite having the fate of only Awakening to a D-rank tank, he was actually pretty intense in his efforts as well. Park Ryung had somehow collected extremely hard workers in his class and didn’t know how to feel about his own hypocritical worry.

Woo Jinchul eventually got his own routine down and improved with much less frenzy, but very steadily. His main difficulty was that he couldn’t eat A-grade mana pills like popcorn due to both increased intensity and something of a scarcity. Park Ryung could hand out E-grades and D-grades like actual candy, and C-grades were easy to save as byproducts. But above that, the efficiency for refinement dropped dramatically. Which was somewhat to be expected, but still annoying.

To make up for this deficiency in both teaching materials and Dungeon experience, Park Ryung simply had to viciously, aggressively go through every high-ranked Dungeon the White Tiger and Hunter Guilds could get him. Of course, he split the profits accordingly, so that just meant the need for even more of them, right?

If he also happened to finish as quickly as possible so that he could get Jinwoo’s attention for a decent part of the day, that was something to take up with his abandonment issues.

Incidentally, that was how he met his fifth S-rank.

Park Ryung did not pay attention to the media. He watched the news conference about his own debut because Woo Jinchul said he had to, but then immediately stopped watching any news or reading any article as soon as his name came up. On a related note, he wasn’t hearing much Hunter news at all recently. It was just too embarrassing!

He was vaguely aware that the public was counting how many high-ranked Dungeons he was running, but didn’t consider it grand news or anything. What was so weird about an S-rank in a Dungeon? He thought it would be considered weirder that he was still a teacher.

In any case, he had no idea why he walked out of a B-rank Dungeon with Cha Haein and immediately was approached by Lim Taegyu. Yet again, the crowd outside had grown to annoying proportions. Park Ryung blamed it entirely on Lim Taegyu.

“You’re a hard man to catch up with, Hunter Park,” the man greeted, walking forward with a co*cky swagger and smirk to match. “Is there anyone who likes Dungeons as much as you do?” He walked forward amid countless camera flashes, then stuck out a hand. “Are introductions even necessary?” he asked airily.

“… Um, yes,” Park Ryung answered, puzzled. “We’ve never met before.” Cha Haein made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snort. Lim Taegyu’s expression twitched. Park Ryung nonetheless accepted his handshake. “Park Ryung,” he added.

“… Lim Taegyu.”

“What are you doing here, Guildmaster Lim?” Cha Haein asked bluntly, stepping forward. “This Dungeon is Hunters Guild territory.”

“Didn’t I say it? Hunter Park is hard to catch up with.” Lim Taegyu huffed dismissively. “But it’s not like he’s Hunters Guild property, is he?” Park Ryung had the vague idea that this man was trying to pick a fight, and couldn’t imagine what for. He now had a fairly decent idea of what a powerful S-rank felt like, and this guy was- Well, flimsy. Even if he was a ranger type, he barely made S-rank by his overall mana rating. Most of it was probably just in his magic attack. Which also meant he shouldn’t be so confident to stand in front of someone like Cha Haein and talk within arm’s reach.

“… Anyway,” Park Ryung said, disrupting Cha Haein’s blank staredown with the weirdo. “If it’s a business meeting, it’s proper to go through the Association, Guildmaster Lim. Don’t be rude to my friend, or we have nothing to talk about.” Lim Taegyu twitched faintly, then held up his hands.

“N-Not trying to be rude, ahaha,” he managed. “I’m just saying, both guilds can be a bit possessive…” He trailed off when Park Ryung was even more unamused, and cleared his throat loudly. “W-Well, let’s move on. I do have a business proposal.”

“Then it goes through the Association,” Park Ryung concluded.

“This doesn’t involve the Association, but you as a Hunter-”

“Guildmaster Lim,” Park Ryung corrected sternly, “I involve the Association. I am a head teacher and agent with the Korean Hunters Association. My cooperation with both the Hunters Guild and White Tiger Guild is because of their cooperation with the Association. There are no side deals, there’s no business under the table. There are signed contracts with benefits for both sides and clear lines that are drawn.” He eyed the man suspiciously. “And above that, those guildmasters are my friends who I trust,” he concluded firmly. “I won’t take your insinuations or snide comments about them. Do your business proposal correctly, or it’s not even a remote consideration. Please correct your attitude as well.” He began to walk past the man, annoyed. Who asked for his bullsh*t about being possessive or whatever? It was normal to have preferences for who you were around often, wasn’t it? Sheesh.

“Listen, you don’t have to be so-“ A hand clapped on his shoulder firmly, and mana began to- suppress him? Push at him like a little kid on a playground?

Whatever it was, it was actually too pathetic for words, and his own mana reacted similarly. It raced from his person to the one that was trying to stop him, swallowed his whole damned aura and pressed in hard from all around. It was only reasonable to return what he was given, right? And this way, no one else could remotely feel the mana he was keeping close, especially not those hordes of people crowded around them.

Lim Taegyu, though- his grip became limp, and as Park Ryung turned his head back calmly, the man’s face was white. Park Ryung gently removed his hand from his shoulder.

“Please don’t grab,” he requested politely, and as he let go, released his mana. Lim Taegyu took in a shaky breath, expression frozen in place and eyes glassy as if he’d been suffocating. Cha Haein exhaled silently herself, then quietly let go of the handle of her own sword. She followed after, with the rest of the guild awkwardly doing the same.

Choi Jongin showed up in a nice sports car before they finished leaving the sight, tires screeching. He opened the door and exited with a fixed smile, and a sh*tload of mana that literally everyone could feel.

“Where. Is. He,” he snapped.

“Trying to not lose composure in a crowd of reporters,” Park Ryung answered. Okay, yeah, maybe the guildmasters were possessive bastards. But Park Ryung decided to take it as a friendly gesture, so it was fine. “… I think I choked him a little too hard.” Ah, the mana suddenly settled way the f*ck down. A lot of the guild members breathed out in relief.

“… Will he puke?” Choi Jongin asked.

“Eh, maybe.” He definitely didn’t look healthy about it.

“Hm. That’ll do for now, then.” Choi Jongin adjusted his glasses, then adjusted his smile to much less creepy. He walked around and opened the door. “Shall I give you both a ride, then?” Park Ryung snorted to himself, but accepted. He waved at the other guild members before hopping in the car, and Cha Haein did the same. Choi Jongin settled in with a cheerful smile and didn’t drive off, but instead pulled out his phone and began scrolling. Park Ryung heard his name from a video and automatically tuned it out at once.

“What- was that, Mr. Park?” Cha Haein wondered, leaning forward from the back seat.

“Hm? Oh, well, he was doing something with his mana to hold me in place, I think,” Park Ryung explained. “But it felt really pathetic, so I just pushed it back and did it a little harder. I didn’t even realize he couldn’t breathe until I let go…”

“Oh.”

“Ah, but what a rude guy,” Park Ryung complained, snapping on his seatbelt. “Is he always like that?”

“Yes,” Choi Jongin answered, still watching his video. He paused it, then hummed. “… Yes, I feel better,” he decided. “What a satisfying expression. Please choke him again the next time you see him.”

“Don’t involve me with your kinks.” Choi Jongin gave a great huff at that, giving him a light backhand on the shoulder. Park Ryung had to laugh as the guildmaster began to drive off.

The next day, Lim Taegyu showed up at the Hunters Association. Park Ryung was again in Woo Jinchul’s office, though Woo Jinchul was strangely relaxed about the whole thing. Probably because Lim Taegyu looked a lot like a kicked animal, miserable and withdrawn.

“I sincerely apologize for my previous attitude, Hunter Park,” he said by way of greeting. Ah, did he really react so badly to being suppressed like that? He couldn’t even lift his eyes from the ground.

“… Well, apology accepted,” Park Ryung answered with a sigh. “What’s so important you wanted to meet with me? It made a crowd.” The guildmaster flinched faintly. Did he also not like crowds or something? He sure didn’t act like it.

“I… The- Fiend Guild wanted to discuss a cooperation agreement similar to what you have with the other guilds,” he managed, gaze still low. “That you join our strike teams on raids in exchange for a share of the money. Whatever the conversion rate you’re already being offered, we want to increase it.” He had his hands stuffed in his pockets and his shoulders trembling faintly? What a weird way to offer a business deal?? Also-

“… What’s a conversion rate?” Park Ryung tried. He looked to Woo Jinchul when Lim Taegyu just stared at the ground with wide, confused eyes. Woo Jinchul cleared his throat.

“Guildmaster Lim is under the impression that your services on raids are being purchased with money,” he answered. “Conversion rate refers to the proceeds that you receive after processing and selling all the materials and crystals within Dungeons.”

“Oh, I see.” They thought he was doing so many Dungeons for money? It was a pretty simple line of thought, and maybe it was better than them suspecting the truth. “Well, that’s not my agreement with the guilds in the first place,” he informed the guildmaster. “I join them because I need teaching materials that can only be found in high-ranked Dungeons, so we just split fairly between me and the strike team. On top of that, the White Tiger and Hunters Guilds are assisting in my teaching program.”

“… Teaching- materials?” Lim Taegyu echoed, twitching. “Like- what?”

“Not your business,” Park Ryung replied. “Is that everything?”

“If- the Fiend Guild could also offer teachers,” Lim Taegyu began, but Park Ryung held up a hand. He got another flinch?

“No,” Park Ryung replied. “I don’t trust your teachers. My classes are especially geared towards newbie, low-ranked Hunters that guild teachers like yours would never have taught before. The guild teachers currently involved have extensive teaching credentials and have taken my classes before. Besides that, they’re keeping up with demand very well. I have no reason to even begin training anyone else.”

“But- why limit to only those Dungeons the two guilds can get?” Lim Taegyu persisted, gritting his teeth. “If you’re focused only on personal relations, you won’t expand further. You’ve been in just about every single high-ranked Dungeon that both guilds can find- They buy out those Gates at prices that barely make profit, and still give you part of the spoils? Aren’t you so persistent because you need more than what you have?” Ah, he was an asshole, but still perceptive. And also weirdly persistent himself.

“… Yeah, I need a lot,” Park Ryung finally acknowledged, puzzling the thin man out. “Or I should say… I want a lot, and I want it fast.” He frowned. “But what, exactly, do you want that you’re acting like this?” Lim Taegyu flinched. “Yeah, as far as you know, the guilds aren’t getting any real profit from this. It’s also clearly not in your interest to have any investment in low-ranked, guild-less Hunters. You can’t see any profit or benefit that makes sense, right?” He narrowed his eyes. “So why the hell are you standing here with your eyes on the ground and your mouth flapping? Do you really want a tangible benefit, or is this about a grudge between you and Baek Yoonho?” Lim Taegyu’s eyes actually snapped up, his mana bristling indignantly.

“That is not-!” He stopped once he made eye contact, face going white. His breathing stilled for a moment.

… It finally occurred to Park Ryung that this man was terrified of him.

Why? Who knew, who cared.

“… Eyes back down,” he finally sighed, and Lim Taegyu immediately obeyed. He was breathing again, even if it was shallow. Park Ryung apparently gave this man some f*cking trauma? Somehow?? He wasn’t sorry about it, was the thing. It was literally the same thing this man had tried to do to him. “So if it’s not about Baek Yoonho, then what is it? What’s so beneficial that you’re here to gain basically nothing?” Lim Taegyu bit his lip hard, visibly struggling to contain himself.

“… There- is a benefit,” he finally managed. “I-I just… don’t know what it is, exactly. But it’s something- big. Something that makes those two smile and shake hands when not even Chairman Go himself could get them to do that.” Why did everyone act like the two of them were always trying to murder each other or something? In person, Park Ryung was pretty sure that was an immense exaggeration. “Am I wrong?” Lim Taegyu dared, even with his pathetic mana, with his quaking body.

So that was how this guy made it this far, Park Ryung supposed. Even if he was having such a severe physical reaction to fear, he still came here and met him personally. He didn’t run off, he didn’t take all the exits offered.

… It was annoying, but somewhat admirable. Just- a little bit.

Park Ryung sighed to the heavens, rubbing at his neck. Lim Taegyu again flinched faintly from the motion.

“Sure,” Park Ryung finally told him. “I’ve got something for them. It’s big, too. You’ve got good instincts.” He stuck his own hands in his pockets. “But you f*cked up,” he stated flatly. “Your approach was basically sh*tting on the Hunters Guild and the Association at once. You made snide comments about people I care about right in front of a crowd of reporters, and when I tried to leave, you used your mana to try to suppress me. Was it because your ego was wounded by the dismissal? Because you didn’t want to lose face in public? I actually don’t even care, don’t answer that.” He shook his head. “There’s nothing for you to gain from this because the door’s been closed. You don’t get a reward for being an asshole. Please go back to your guild and leave me be.” The guildmaster was silent for a long moment, then nodded once at the ground. He began to leave silently, only to pause at the door.

“… I don’t- have anything against Baek Yoonho,” he said, muted. “I’ve always left him alone. If nothing else- don’t think that badly of me.” He left with that, closing the door behind himself. Park Ryung stared after the closed door, then turned and gave his audience an utterly bizarre expression.

“I wasn’t that scary,” he tried. Woo Jinchul snorted, so he obviously agreed!

“Hunter Park, I think you underestimate what scares an S-rank Hunter above anything else,” he then said. “Especially those like Lim Taegyu. As far as he’s concerned, you had his entire life in the palm of your hand. It’s a strong impression, especially when he thought you were weak.”

“… I don’t think S-ranks come any physically weaker than that guy, first of all,” Park Ryung began.

“You’re a healer,” Woo Jinchul reminded him pointedly. “It’s not common knowledge that you’re a hybrid class. None of your combat abilities or skills are public knowledge at all. Physically, you should be close to a lower A-rank yourself, maybe even a B-rank. He should have been able to overwhelm and intimidate you, it’s a common move with high-ranked Hunters.” The agent continued to look strangely relaxed. “Instead, for a moment, he got a taste of your raw strength. He didn’t actually come here to meet you, he wanted to make a deal around you. I’m surprised he didn’t run off when I said you had to be involved.”

“I guess the ranger class actually suits him,” Park Ryung acknowledged, sighing. “Balls of f*cking steel.” Woo Jinchul shook his head to himself. “Well, that’s five out of eight, I guess.”

“Nine.”

“Let me live in my happy world for a moment, won’t you?” Woo Jinchul chuckled and didn’t take it back. Ah, too bad Park Ryung already liked the jerk.

Still, he was glad this nonsense was over without any real repercussions. He had enough on his plate.

“Ah,” Woo Jinchul then added, more serious. “We got a call this morning from America. A file request was just denied through the FBH from the Scavenger Guild.” He grimaced. “Specifically regarding the arrest of Kang Taeshik.” It took Park Ryung just a moment to remember the guild name.

“f*ck,” he realized.

“In theory, the only one in danger is Kang Taeshik,” Woo Jinchul sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “But if Hwang decides to follow up on that, it’ll cause headaches all around.”

“Listen, that- I will be the first to admit that I have no affection for the likes of that bastard,” Park Ryung tried, confused. “But. But is that really all we can do if he comes over? Get a headache from the bastard’s dying screams?” Woo Jinchul sighed again, quieter.

“In theory, we could do more if it was just Hwang Dongsoo, Hunter Park,” he said. “But it is not just Hwang Dongsoo. His guild leader is notorious for being protective of his guild members, and I don’t have to warn you against pissing off Thomas Andre.” Park Ryung flinched slightly. Okay, that.

Yeah, no one with half a braincell would piss off Thomas Andre. The label highest-ranked Hunter in the world was more than a turn-off.

“… I’m not saying I like it,” Woo Jinchul then added, and Park Ryung sighed himself.

“No, that. Of course you don’t,” he acknowledged. “… It just- stings to deal with. Maybe what I’m doing with all of this is just going to make it worse, too, you know?” He stuck his hands in his pockets, brooding for a moment. “But maybe it’ll never get better anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

“… Chairman Go thinks the risks are worth changing the world,” Woo Jinchul reasoned. “Personally, I think your risks are enormous. It’s hard to simply say they’re worth the potential outcome.” He leaned against his own desk for a moment. “… But I can’t deny that no matter how numb we’ve all become to magic, what we have right now isn’t sustainable. The system is fragile and relies on luck and the good temper of very specific people. Authority is especially volatile in other parts of the world. If there comes a day where we forget about the dangers of other worlds and turn on one another, most people won’t survive.” Park Ryung winced. “We need change, and you’re the one who’s taking the biggest risk for it,” Woo Jinchul concluded, weary. “So just- try to avoid these other problems. I’ll speak to the chairman about Hwang Dongsoo. If worse comes to worse, we can just hand over Kang Taeshik to avoid conflict altogether. It’s not a good solution, but there are more important matters to deal with.”

“… Yeah. Yeah, I understand.” Park Ryung rubbed at his neck. “I guess I’m just- not really used to this part. Pissing contests with weirdo guild masters. Possible fights with psychotic S-ranks.” Ah, he was pretty sure that would actually cause a lot of destruction, in fact. His deforestation adventure was fun and all, but in a crowded city? “I’ll trust you on this,” he promised. Woo Jinchul looked relieved, nodding slightly.

“Good,” he concluded. “You’re busy enough.”

“Ah, I really am…” Park Ryung sighed at the ceiling for a moment. “… Well, it feels better that way, anyway.”

“You shouldn’t think that way.”

“You should find literally anyone else to say that to me.”

“… Touché.” The chief cleared his throat. “Well. At least try to get yourself and Hunter Sung to relax. His drive is, ah…”

“Impressive?” Park Ryung guessed. “Inspiring?”

“… Terrifying, Hunter Park. It’s terrifying.”

“Ahahaha~ So it is~”

“Don’t smile like that.” Other people’s nonsense aside, Park Ryung did like the idea of getting more of Jinwoo’s attention.

He just. He just had to find out how to break his own attention away from work first.

Chapter 16

Chapter Text

Halfway around the world, a formal document with a bright red rejected on it was compressed to debris. Hwang Dongsoo took in a deep breath, then exhaled. He let the remains of the document fall to the ground.

“Fine,” he snarled. “Then we do this the direct way.” He looked instead to his laptop, scowling viciously at the article declaring South Korea’s tenth S-rank. “An S-rank healer can bring you back from just about anything,” he accused. “So why couldn’t you?!”

The picture of Park Ryung being led away by a much smaller man didn’t have an answer.

-

Sung Jinwoo wasn’t improving fast enough.

“Ah, Mr. Sung, I think you’re actually pretty scary with how fast you improve,” Song Chiyul muttered back.

A tentative schedule was already being set for the third Jeju Island raid. There would be a rank cut-off for the participants, whether they were Hunter or military. Sung Jinwoo needed to be B-rank at minimum by the time it started, and even that would only get him on the perimeter, not on the actual island itself.

“Mr. Sung, please.”

Sung Jinwoo needed to be on that island. Ryung was going to be on that island, leading S-rank guildmasters, dazzling the world with his sheer competence. And Sung Jinwoo-

He refused to get left behind.

“… U-Um, is- is Mr. Sung okay?”

“I… think so.”

“T-There’s a very scary aura coming from him… and he’s muttering to himself?”

“Just- leave him alone until he snaps out of it.”

Sung Jinwoo reluctantly lowered his hands when his progress stopped. The concentration of mana in his lower stomach finished dying away, and he left the rest of his mana pills untouched. The older man beside him sighed in something like relief. Sung Jinwoo barely withheld his own sigh of frustration, looking down at his hands. He needed more, and yet-

He was so far behind schedule it wasn’t even funny.

What was he doing wrong? He’d jumped his first rank quickly enough, then struggled all the way to C-rank. Apparently that was already ‘incredibly impressive’ and ‘outright terrifying’, but it was clearly failing his projected timeline. The numerical gaps between ranks rose in multiples, and absorption became increasingly difficult at higher numbers.

But that didn’t mean he should be feeling that difficulty now-

“Hunter Sung,” Woo Jinchul repeated firmly, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Please stop scaring your classmates brooding like that.” Sung Jinwoo blinked. He looked up.

“… I wasn’t brooding,” he denied. Song Chiyul and Yoo Jinho both gave him looks, but Sung Jinwoo chose to ignore that.

“Yes, you were,” Woo Jinchul informed him mercilessly. “Regardless, there’s other matters to attend to today. I have a plane to catch, and didn’t you already agree to that C-rank Dungeon this afternoon?”

“Ah… r-right.” Sung Jinwoo barely withheld a sigh, then stood up. Running Dungeons for experience was another part of training, after all.

“Why don’t you take Mr. Yoo with you?” Woo Jinchul then added, and Sung Jinwoo blinked. Yoo Jinho also blinked, then began to sweat profusely. He’d made D-rank fairly quickly himself, did a C-rank Dungeon really scare him so badly?

“He doesn’t seem like he wants to go,” Sung Jinwoo had to point out.

“It’ll be good for him,” Woo Jinchul stated. “And it’ll help Hunter Park since he’s busy with classes today.”

… Sung Jinwoo possibly still felt a smidgen of guilt about how he denied Ryung’s offer of a quick lunch before his class that afternoon.

So he agreed, even if it made Yoo Jinho sweat all the more.

The C-rank Dungeon wasn’t anything particularly special, just a long, hot walk over both hard dirt and clumps of greenery and cacti. The silver ring on his finger kept him cool with a constant shimmer of mana. Ryung would have probably started rambling about the implications of different weather patterns in different biome Dungeons. Sung Jinwoo sighed at the thought, skipped aside at a faint vibration, and stabbed his sword deep into the stomach of a burrowing worm-like monster even while it rose.

He could feel that he was so much stronger, was the thing. There was progress, and compared to how he used to be, it should have been incredible. He ripped off the three-meter worm from the end of his sword, then sighed again. He tossed it aside in a growing pile.

“… M… Mr. Sung?” a voice behind him asked pitifully. “C-Can we go back to the g-group, now…?”

“They’re avoiding the burrow worms,” Sung Jinwoo replied shortly. “They’re the only insect-type monsters recorded in here.”

“But Mr. Sung- hiek,” Yoo Jinho managed. Sung Jinwoo finished pulling him aside by the collar and jammed his sword downward. The worm didn’t make it out of the ground more than a few centimeters. “… Thank you,” Yoo Jinho choked out.

“Don’t assume any part of a Dungeon is safe,” Sung Jinwoo reminded him, letting go. “If your group is smaller, you need to increase your awareness.”

“Right! That- right!” Yoo Jinho nodded vigorously, sucking in a breath. He tightened his grip on his own sword. “I’m aware!!”

“So you know to not be standing there,” Sung Jinwoo intoned. Yoo Jinho yelped and jumped a whole meter back with his sword out. He paused, staring at the still ground. Sung Jinwoo watched him comprehend what happened for a few moments longer, then muffled a snort.

Alright, Ryung was right about one thing with this guy- he was pretty funny.

“… A j-joke?” Yoo Jinho realized.

“More like a lie,” Sung Jinwoo assured him, and turned back around to face the desert. Should he grab samples of cacti for Ryung? His boyfriend had been pretty interested in throwing all kinds of materials into his alchemy pot. Then again, the classroom pot wasn’t exactly the first one.

… Or the second. Or- a few more down the line.

Maybe he should leave the cactus alone.

“Um… Mr. Sung?” Yoo Jinho called out. “E-Excuse my rudeness, but- Have we been… doing something wrong?” Sung Jinwoo blinked, then turned back.

“What?” Had they? Ryung wouldn’t notice, but Sung Jinwoo was sure he would have. To not even speak of Woo Jinchul.

“I just mean- ah!!” Yoo Jinho jumped again, and this time the ground cracked and let up yet another writhing worm-like beast. Yoo Jinho immediately lunged forward and struck in quick movements, and the worm was split into three before it finish rising fully. “I did it!!” Yoo Jinho exclaimed, bright-eyed. “Did you see, Mr. Sung??”

“Yeah, I saw.” Well, at least he was still funny. Harmlessly funny.

“Ah- but about the thing!” Yoo Jinho recalled, straightening. “I mean- Mr. Sung has been in such a bad mood in classes lately, even when Mr. Park was around, so…” He worried at the handle. “I-I just wonder if- if maybe you were… uncomfortable with- with something. O-Or someone, possibly.”

“I’m not in a bad mood,” Sung Jinwoo denied. The ground crackled. Already bored of such an easy, annoying bug, Sung Jinwoo lifted his foot just enough, then slammed it back down as the ground broke. The worm’s head caved inward entirely.

“… H-How would- How would- M-Mr. Sung d-describe his mood, t-then?” Yoo Jinho whispered. Sung Jinwoo did have to consider that, looking down at the guts that splatted on his boot. Wasn’t that a feat of strength he could have only dreamed of not so long ago?

It was so pitiful compared to where he needed to be, all the same.

“… Maybe I’m- frustrated,” he finally acknowledged, sighing. “It’s nothing to do with anyone else, it’s just my own problem.”

“O-Oh.” Yoo Jinho wavered. “But- why are you frustrated?” he tried. “Can’t Mr. Park help?”

“He’s tried,” Sung Jinwoo ground out, jaw clenching. And Ryung was still trying, was patiently going over everything he did, was adjusting his mana allowances, checking his breathing, even checking his internal pathways over and over-

And then he’d always pull back with a little shrug, say that Sung Jinwoo was doing perfectly, and walk away as if there was no problem in the first place. Because he never saw any problems, he didn’t see-

“Mr. Sung-!!” Yoo Jinho yelped, rushing forward. Sung Jinwoo managed to strike out, but left himself open. He had his guarding arm up, but the second worm was already lunging, and he did not want to show up injured to Ryung and add onto everything-

Yoo Jinho’s sword was there just before the endless rows of teeth reached his arm guard, and the only casualty was the week’s detergent supply. Sung Jinwoo exhaled harshly, holding a hand to his head.

“… Alright, let’s go back to the group,” he acknowledged. Yoo Jinho brightened and immediately followed.

Sung Jinwoo trekked back through the sun until they reached the shady underpass the rest of the group was resting in. The two of them immediately got some anxious expressions from everyone else, but Sung Jinwoo ignored it to stalk to a sitting place. He sat down with a great sigh, then pulled out his sword for cleaning.

Yoo Jinho, who reminded him an awful lot of an affectionate puppy at times, immediately sat beside him.

“If Mr. Park tried and failed, is it really that bad?” he asked.

“He didn’t fail,” Sung Jinwoo denied immediately.

“B-But Mr. Sung is still frustrated…?”

“It’s just- Hyung doesn’t see the problem,” Sung Jinwoo managed, weary. “He doesn’t think there is a problem, he always-!”

Sung Jinwoo, you’re f*cking cool.

“… He always thinks I’m the best, even when I’m not,” he finished, muted. He’d come so far from back then, a scrawny nothing that nearly passed out just killing one goblin boss. Part of him was genuinely thrilled at that, wanted to be happy.

The rest of him screamed that it wasn’t enough, it wasn’t close to enough, and he wasn’t enough-

And if he wasn’t enough-

How could he possibly be enough, enough to stand by the side of someone like Park Ryung, who was overwhelmingly powerful by his own ingenuity and efforts, who gathered important people around him, who looked at the way the whole damned world worked and said I’ll fix that. Who saw a future full of tragedy and darkness and fought every day to change it not just for the better, but for the best.

Who looked at scrawny little Sung Jinwoo with stars in his eyes for no damned reason.

“… Mr. Sung, are you- feeling insecure because you’re dating someone incredibly handsome and popular?” Yoo Jinho put forward then. Sung Jinwoo twitched. “My cousin’s dated popular people before, so she’s really experienced in these dynamics!” Yoo Jinho added enthusiastically, not waiting for an answer. “Well, before she became a famous model herself, I guess? Anyway! There’s definitely nothing to feel so insecure about, Mr. Sung! We become our harshest critic when we’re insecure, but that doesn’t mean we’re right!”

“That- Yoo Jinho,” Sung Jinwoo tried.

“Because we can’t see ourselves the way everyone else sees us, so that’s a type of blindness,” Yoo Jinho continued, nodding sagely to himself. “Insecure blindness! Maybe you think to yourself- I get weird looks when I say we’re a couple. But then you have to take a step back from those thoughts and actually look for them!” Sung Jinwoo was suddenly- not worried, just. Just slightly more aware of a potential new anxiety. He was aware that Ryung was amazingly handsome, he was pretty sure literally everyone knew it except Ryung himself. “Mr. Sung, I think you’re really amazing!” Yoo Jinho persisted. “Everyone around you does! Ahahaha- a-and a bit scary, but it’s fine! I mean. Mr. Park really worries about everyone around him and works so hard all the time. But he rarely seems to worry about you. I mean, like he’s not worried about you doing something stupid or making a big mistake sort of thing? Obviously, as a boyfriend, he would naturally worry! But-“

How long had it been since he and Ryung fought monsters side by side like they used to?

… But even when Ryung was an S-rank, when he was a chasm apart from the likes of Sung Jinwoo, he never acted like it. And Ryung really did worry about everyone. He even fussed over Woo Jinchul, especially when it came to nagging him about defense bolstering. And sure, he fussed over Sung Jinwoo. He checked his equipment for the tiniest flaws, made sure he ate instead of skipping dinner to keep training, and passed him little trinkets to help with his next Dungeon, even when he said he couldn’t make it to lunch.

He looked down at the ring on his finger again, a minor cooling spell that was probably so much more expensive than he wanted to think about, and felt it twist in his stomach again.

Ryung would look at him the exact same way as an S-rank as he did as an E-rank, barely able to kill one E-ranked boss. Sung Jinwoo-

… He wouldn’t actually change anything if he was on Jeju Island. It was just what he wanted, to stay by Ryung’s side.

Was he staying by Ryung’s side now?

“You’re right,” he said. Yoo Jinho was actually still talking the entire time, something about a bad photoshoot and a makeup artist having a breakdown? Yoo Jinho blinked hard, focusing back on him.

“I-I am?” he realized.

“I shouldn’t be insecure,” Sung Jinwoo agreed, holding his hand to his forehead. He gave a rueful smile. “I just- need to do what I’m capable of right now. I’m not capable of what I want.” Wasn’t that a truth he’d always had to live with? No matter how much Ryung called him cute and terrifying, Sung Jinwoo was aware his body was comparable to a scrawny chicken wing.

Ryung’s cultivation methods were amazing, but Sung Jinwoo had limits from the start that he couldn’t keep ignoring. He could advance, but he couldn’t do it quickly, and he had to be careful to not break something even Ryung couldn’t fix.

How was he supposed to stay at Ryung’s side if he destroyed himself because of his insecurities?

“T-That’s right! That’s, ah, definitely the point I was making!” Yoo Jinho agreed quickly, nodding. Sung Jinwoo huffed in amusem*nt. Overtly earnest, maybe to a fault. But- he could see why Ryung liked this guy.

They shared that need to help others.

“It was a great point,” he agreed amiably. He pointed over his shoulder. “Next formation, how about you take the outside position? I can’t be hogging all the experience for myself.”

“Really? I-Is that really okay??” Yoo Jinho realized, eyes all the brighter.

“Sure, I’ll spot you.” Ryung saw something in this funny kid, and Sung Jinwoo could at least look after him while his boyfriend was busy saving the world.

“T-Thank you, Hyung-nim!!” Hyung-nim?

Yoo Jinho sure was a strange guy nonetheless.

Sung Jinwoo still fully planned to do some more meditation when he got home, but maybe he could stop before dinnertime and try to drag Ryung away from his work for a bit. Make up for lunch with some crepes or something, Ryung loved anything that involved whipped cream for some reason.

Maybe he could even get him to cuddle on the couch a bit.

“Hunter Sung!!” a voice shouted. Sung Jinwoo turned sharply. An association agent in a formal suit clearly not meant for deserts staggered into the shade, panting harshly. She braced a hand against the wall. “H-Hunter- Sung,” she managed. “The head- headquarters, are being- evacuated. Hunter Park-“

Sung Jinwoo abandoned training entirely.

-

Park Ryung never did forget about Hwang Dongsoo. He just- decided it wasn’t entirely his concern, he had enough things to worry about.

It was public knowledge that Kang Taeshik had murdered Hwang Dongsuk, and it was among the lengthy list of crimes he was still serving time for. It was not public knowledge that the man was imprisoned as an unawakened prisoner, but no one had to know that. Either way, Hwang Dongsoo had little reason to come here, and the Association was already prepared to manage things- somewhat peacefully with him. His brother’s murder was solved, the guilty party was paying for it, and Park Ryung was only peripherally involved.

… Which- didn’t f*cking explain why he was getting his afternoon classes interrupted by Hwang Dongsoo, who threw open the door and barged right in. Park Ryung had to actually stop mid-sentence and stare at the man. Hwang Dongsoo stomped forward, grabbed a chair from the wall, and sat down. He leered.

“Well?” he demanded mockingly. “Go on, Teacher.”

“… You’re not part of my class,” Park Ryung informed him, because what? The f*ck?? Peripherally involved??? Hwang Dongsoo’s sneer grew. Park Ryung was faintly distracted by his phone buzzing insistently with a familiar ringtone, and pulled it out with a harsh sigh. He answered. “What you’re calling about is sitting in my classroom,” he said.

“f*ck,” Woo Jinchul snapped. As he would, being across the country with the chairman. “Whatever you do, don’t pick a fight with him within city limits, Hunter Park!”

“I- don’t have a reason to fight him?” Park Ryung attempted. “I have no idea what he’s doing here. What the hell are you doing here?” he tried, looking at his intruder. “How did you even get in the country?”

“Hunter Park-!”

“Hey, shut that thing off,” Hwang Dongsoo complained, sneer lessened for something a little more murderous. “It’s annoying.” Park Ryung stared back flatly, but hung up and set his phone aside.

“… Class dismissed,” he ordered.

“I don’t think it is,” Hwang Dongsoo interrupted, before the group could leave. They were already sweating bullets.

“Oh, are you the teacher?” Park Ryung returned. “I said classdismissed.” Hwang Dongsoo sneered again after a long moment. He gestured, and the class quickly scattered out the door. Park Ryung walked to the door after them, then closed it. He turned to stare at his latest nuisance. “What, exactly, is this about?” he asked outright.

“… If that inspector wasn’t such a f*cking tick clinging to the chairman, this would have been an easier talk,” Hwang Dongsoo scoffed, folding his arms while still sitting down. “You and him, you two were the ones who arrested my big brother.” He curled his lip. “There was apparently someone else involved, but when I asked that guy, his fragile little corpse didn’t know sh*t. Must’ve been some nasty identity thief who took his name.” Park Ryung went cold.

“You-“ he started.

“So I kept looking for other people to ask,” the S-rank continued. “Some other fragile little corpse still walking around, probably someone you know. Unfortunately, that corpse is in a Dungeon right now. I’ll have to get around to it after I talk to you.”

… Ah.

“So,” Hwang Dongsoo continued, leaning back. “Why didn’t you save my brother? Tell me.”

“… He was already dead long before I got there,” Park Ryung answered, blood rushing in his ears and behind his eyes, and Hwang Dongsoo was a funny joke up until he sat here and talked about fragile little corpses- “There wasn’t anything I could-“ The chair crashed against the wall behind him, and Hwang Dongsoo was standing.

“An S-rank healer, capable of regrowing entire limbs,” he snarled, “and you couldn’t save the likes of my brother?” Don’t fight don’t fight don’t-

“He was dead long before-“ A hand grabbed his throat, dragging him close to the bastard’s ugly face.

“Then you should have been faster, idiot,” the asshole snarled.

Park Ryung only then realized this man intended to kill him no matter what. A surge of mana flowed into his hand, then squeezed with intent to crush his throat.

Jinju was just a touch faster than that, was all.

His initial strike was a clean cut. Hwang Dongsoo’s hand was detached before even his high speed had a chance to process his sword being unsheathed. Before he finished drawing in air for a shout, too, Park Ryung also removed his other wrist, a chunk off his shoulder, then his leg at the knee for good f*cking measure.

He then stabbed the point into the Hunter’s collapsing body to pin it to the floor, and poured in enough mana to bloat his pathways to something beyond painful. Then, Hwang Dongsoo managed to scream. It was an annoying, bloody scream that probably echoed through the whole damned building.

“… I tried to be pretty f*cking nice, was the thing,” Park Ryung finally explained, lessening his mana just enough for the man to focus. His breathing was shallow and unsteady, dismembered limbs convulsing awkwardly as if to fight back. He gave a high-pitched wheeze and shuddered violently. “As I was saying,” Park Ryung continued coldly. “He was dead. Long before. I ever got there. And you know what? I didn’t actually want him to die, no matter how much of a murderer he was. It’s not that I’m afraid of killing people, it’s just…” He twisted his sword abruptly, and Hwang Dongsoo screamed even louder. Ah, did S-ranks also have their lungs enhanced? An interesting line of thought. “… I don’t think it’s fair to the people who live, that sh*theads like you just die and rid yourself of the consequences. I think you need to suffer for the rest of your entire, natural lifespan, and then maybe I’ll figure out how to regain your youth by then, just so I can see you live it all over again.” He bared his teeth in a generous grin. “Wouldn’t you like that, you f*cker? Living in a little box for fifty years, thinking it was almost over, only for someone to open the door and let you start all over? I’d love to see the face you’d make.” Hwang Dongsoo panted and choked, pupils quaking in true, unsolicited terror. Park Ryung liked to think he really thought it was possible and was imagining it right now.

“M… M-Mon… ster-!” Hwang Dongsoo croaked, and wailed childishly as he tried to move.

“That’s pretty f*cking rude from the likes of you, who went hunting down some random E-rank like his life wasn’t worth sh*t,” Park Ryung observed. “Who came here to crush the throat of some teacher just to take out some frustration, while threatening the precious boyfriend he loves. Anyone else would kill you already, you know? Say there’s nothing good about preserving your life.” He poured in all the more mana, vicious and ballooning again, and worst of all, healing. “How are you going to regret it otherwise, you nasty little f*ck?!” he snarled.

Baek Yoonho was the first to arrive at the evacuated Hunters Association building, footsteps pounding as he ran through the hallway. Hwang Dongsoo was in one piece by then. Four limbs, perfectly sound of body, though considerably less dressed than when he’d arrived. Blood was also staining Park Ryung’s classroom in a number of arcs and pools. Unfortunate.

“Park Ryung-!!” Baek Yoonho skidded into the classroom, knocking off the door entirely. Park Ryung snapped his gaze over at being interrupted, and only processed it was a friend a moment after. He relaxed his expression quickly.

“Ah, Guildmaster Baek,” he greeted pleasantly. “I really do like it when you come rushing, no joke. Isn’t it nice when friends come rushing over, you bastard?” Hwang Dongsoo breathed quiet, shallow breaths, body limp as if none of his limbs were working correctly. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, lips moving silently for a moment.

“K-Kill me,” he whispered.

“None of that,” Park Ryung scolded. “Didn’t I say? I don’t like killing.”

“K-Kill- Kill me-“

“I said shut up,” Park Ryung reminded him, and Hwang Dongsoo choked. Tears streamed freely from unblinking eyes. What a fragile little psyche, truly pitiful.

Park Ryung was intentionally ignoring the number of body parts around him that seemed to come from many people.

Hwang Dongsoo was no longer confused about the limits of an S-rank healer.

“… f*ck,” Baek Yoonho exhaled, then held a hand to his head. “… You’re alright, then?” Park Ryung nodded, completely calm.

“It’s fine, he just tried to crush my throat. Didn’t get very far.”

“… Right. You might want to call the chief. He’s flipping out.”

“Ah, poor Chief.” Park Ryung stood up, then removed his sword from yet another dismembered limb sitting nearby. He walked to the desk, staring at his buzzing phone for a moment, then reached out a hand. He gently set it on the wood of his desk and shattered the entire thing. “… Poor Chief,” he repeated to himself. “He worries about too much. I shouldn’t… worry him so much, you know?” Ah, where did his phone go? It was all a mess. “… This might piss off Thomas Andre,” he recalled. “Even if I give him back alive and with his core intact. Chief will worry. Jinwoo will worry, too. He might even come back and actually go after Jinwoo, even Jinwoo's family. Should I just- fix it now?” He turned back to consider the limp bastard, who choked on air when he made eye contact. “Should I just send back his balls in a box as a warning?”

“sh*t- Park!! Hunter Park, get ahold of yourself-“

“Don’t you dare stand in front of him like that, you idiot!!”

“Shut the f*ck up and help me-“

“Help you what, die?! It couldn’t happen to a nicer person in the first place-”

“This is already too far-!”

Park Ryung’s phone rang. He blinked. He blinked again at the ringtone, then turned away from the two guildmasters sassing each other as per usual. He crouched down and found his phone in the garbage, then answered.

“Jinwoo?” he asked.

“Hyung, are you alright?!” Jinwoo demanded. “What happened? I heard they evacuated the building, the Chief Woo called and said there was an emergency with Hwang Dongsoo! A-Are you alright??”

“O-Oh, um.” Ah, his heart. His boyfriend called to see if he was alright. “I’m- I’m fine,” he managed, blinking a few more times. Why was he still holding his sword? He should at least clean off the blood, it wasn’t good for steel. “… I beat him up.” Jinwoo exhaled in a woosh through the line.

“Did you at least get some limbs?”

“Ahahaha… Yeah, I got a few.” Or a dozen.

“Good! Let someone else clean up the bastard and stay there, okay?? I’m coming.” Park Ryung’s poor heart fluttered.

“… Okay,” he agreed, quiet. “It really makes me happy when you do that, but- don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

“I’ll push the whole damned subway with my bare hands, obviously.”

“O-Oh, jeez.” Park Ryung couldn’t help his cheeks going warm. “Jinwoo! Don’t be so cute.” Jinwoo huffed a little laugh, and Park Ryung felt his entire soul heal from it. Ahh, such a cute, huffy little laugh.

“Did the guildmasters show up?” Jinwoo added.

“Oh! That’s right, they’re here.” Park Ryung had vague memories of greeting at least Baek Yoonho. He turned around, blinking at the two who were staring at him. “Hi,” he added. “Jinwoo says hi.”

“… Yes, tell him hello for us,” Choi Jongin agreed serenely.

“They say hi back, Jinwoo.”

“That’s nice, Hyung. I’ll be there soon, I promise.” Park Ryung again reminded him to be careful before hanging up. He smiled at his phone for a moment, then started.

“Oh! Right, Chief,” he recalled, and called another number. Woo Jinchul picked up on the first ring.

“Are you hurt?!” he demanded.

“Ah, I’m fine,” Park Ryung answered, and felt all warm and fuzzy at how many people asked him that. “… Um. Hwang Dongsoo is- sort of fine.”

“… Sort of?”

“I healed him. A… few times.” Park Ryung cleared his throat. “Chief, that one Hunter that Agent Ryu was impersonating- Jeon Moonho, do you remember?”

“Not the name exactly, but I know what you’re talking about. When Dongsuk was arrested.”

“This bastard- I think he got the Association’s file on that raid somehow. He said he killed another Hunter associated with us already before coming here.” His phone screen crackled ominously before he made himself loosen his grip. “… I don’t think he knows about Agent Ryu, but please check on him, too.”

“… Understood. Our plane lands in an hour, will you be alright until then?”

“Yeah. Jinwoo’s coming over.” Park Ryung glanced briefly at the mess he’d left behind. “And this bastard won’t go anywhere.” Hwang Dongsoo had fainted at some point in time. It was unfortunate that he was so lucky.

“Alright. I’ll make some other calls in the meantime. Let me know if anything else happens.”

“Will do, Chief.” Park Ryung ended the call, then exhaled. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and cleaned off the blood from his sword, then sheathed it. Someone cleared their throat loudly, and he blinked back. Choi Jongin pointed at his own throat.

“You may want to heal that before your homicidal little toothpick sees,” he said. Park Ryung touched his own throat, surprised at the bruises. He was usually better about healing them right away, wasn’t he? He quickly did so. “And there’s a bit of… ah, never mind. It won’t clean up before he gets here.”

Park Ryung collected the trash before they set out to leave, dragging Hwang Dongsoo’s useless body behind like a luggage tote. In the front lobby were a number of various guildmembers waiting with their weapons, including many of his students that had just left.

“Ah- Mr. Park!!”

“Mr. Park, are you alright?!”

“He’s fine, he’s fine,” Baek Yoonho sighed, waving his hand. “That’s not his blood.” Park Ryung approached the Association agents waiting anxiously, and dropped off his burden.

“He fainted,” he reported. “Keep him nearby in case he starts acting out again, Chief Woo should be here soon.”

“T-Thank you, Hunter Park…”

“Oi, someone open the door for that toothpick.” Park Ryung perked. A toothpick?

Sure enough, Jinwoo came flying past the crowd and straight towards Park Ryung. Park Ryung had superspeed at this point, and still felt like he couldn’t prepare for the tackle on his side.

“Hyung!” Jinwoo exclaimed, clinging to Park Ryung’s waist. “Are you alright?!”

… Ah, actually, even if Jinwoo wasn’t as clingy as he used to be, it was fine, right? Jinwoo clearly still cared about him. He ran all the way here in such sticky clothes and everything, probably straight from that Dungeon he was so eager about.

“Yeah,” Park Ryung answered, melting. “I’m… alright. Teacher hazards, you know?” Jinwoo huffed loudly at his nonsense, then pulled a handkerchief from his own pocket. He reached up to wipe away streaks of blood from Park Ryung’s face, mouth set in a faint pout. “C… C-Cute…” Ahhh, his heart.

“Hyung,” Jinwoo scolded, raising a hand to the back of his head to tilt downward. Park Ryung lowered his head obediently, floating on clouds.

The large gathering of people around him decided to look elsewhere for the time being.

“… So we’re all f*cked if anything happens to the toothpick,” Baek Yoonho concluded in a mutter.

“Yes,” Choi Jongin agreed. “Very, very f*cked.”

By the time Woo Jinchul arrived, Park Ryung still had streaks of blood on his clothes, but he was very, very happy. He sat on a lobby bench with Jinwoo firmly tucked in his side. Half a step behind Woo Jinchul, Go Gunhee also arrived. Woo Jinchul rushed to Park Ryung at once, eyes tight in stress while he wordlessly tilted up his head to check him. After a long moment, he exhaled harshly, holding his hand to his forehead.

“… Jeon Moonho’s body was found mutilated in a construction site this afternoon,” he said. “Agent Ryu is fine.” Park Ryung nodded in understanding. “You’re covered in blood again, did you lose your temper?”

“… Yeah.”

“Alright, that’s fine. As long as you’re not hurt.”

“… Thanks, Chief.” Hmm, hmm, his poor heart was going through a lot today. He sort of wanted to take a vacation just to bask in it. Woo Jinchul gave him a head pat for good measure, then stalked over to where Hwang Dongsoo was still collapsed in a heap. Go Gunhee huffed a quiet laugh.

“Jinchul is so stingy even with his worry,” he chided. “Hunter Park, I’m glad you’re alright. I’m also very impressed that the building is undamaged.”

“Ahahaha…” Park Ryung rubbed at his neck sheepishly. “T-Thanks, Chairman? Sorry it became a mess, anyway…”

“A mess was the result I prayed for, Hunter Park. This much is more than manageable.” He looked at the fallen Hunter, then exhaled. “… But- as a result of this, I want to move up our projected date.” Park Ryung blinked hard.

“For the raid?” he realized. Sung Jinwoo shifted, but stayed quiet.

“You’re going to have a lot of attention for this. It was one thing with Lim Taegyu, he could be brushed off as a bad match-up. But overpowering a fighter like Hwang isn’t something we can keep to ourselves.” Go Gunhee shook his head. “We’ll contact the guilds, then announce the raid. For now, let’s also outsource your teaching materials.”

“… I understand, sir.” Park Ryung didn’t think he was ready, but- once again, maybe he’d never really be ready. Didn’t he already have less than a year left? He then blinked when the chairman patted his back kindly.

“For now, take a week off,” he added. “We’ll handle the prosecution matters.”

“Ah, alright.” Would he get more cuddles from Jinwoo? It was definitely fine in that case. “Still, if he starts to act out again…”

“Well.” Go Gunhee looked over. Hwang Dongsoo had actually been awake for a while, he just continued to be a limp doll while others worked around him. Wide, glassy eyes stared at nothing. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

Incidentally, Park Ryung also got to learn how they treated S-ranks for shock.

When he returned to the Sung apartment, Park Kyunghe fussed and squeezed his face while Sung Jinah spluttered and flailed her arms to convey the insane situation. The news was still turned on with footage of the police protecting a huge barrier around the entire block the building was at, only for Hwang Dongsoo to get literally dragged out in shackles. The camera zoomed in on his expression of trauma.

“… Ryung, why’s he look like that?” Sung Jinah asked incredulously. The trauma, or his state of dress?

“Ah, he, uh…” Park Ryung shifted uncomfortably. “… I had to dismember him to get him to stop.” Sung Jinah turned to stare at him. “And I healed him,” Park Ryung added.

“… Whoa,” Sung Jinah said.

“It’s a need for S-ranks that act like that,” Jinwoo put forward, leaning on the back of the couch. He looked pretty calm about it himself. “When S-ranks fight, entire cities get destroyed. They weren’t evacuating because of just Hwang Dongsoo, they were evacuating in case Hyung needed to fight him outright.” His sister’s mouth fell open. Park Kyunghe winced.

“Yes, that- I’ve seen incidents on the news before,” she murmured. “The destruction is just…”

“Yeah,” Park Ryung agreed, weary. “… I heard when Kamish escaped the Dungeon Break in America, he only did most of the destruction to the place. The other part was just a bunch of S-ranks killing each other over spoils before the big dragon showed up.”

“Killing each other?!” Sung Jinah screeched. Park Ryung rubbed at his neck.

“… We got really lucky in this small country, honestly,” he confessed. “Most S-ranks here just sort of avoid each other unless they’re friends. Our only bad luck was Hwang Dongsoo, and America happily took him in before he really became a problem here.”

“T-T-That’s so c-crazy…” Sung Jinah fidgeted with the remote. She looked at the TV again, then winced. “… Do- Do any other S-ranks fight you, too?”

“Well, I already know half of them pretty well, so we don’t fight,” Park Ryung reasoned. “And I think that honestly would scare just about anyone else from trying. Hwang Dongsoo is just, uh. Stupid.” She smiled faintly. “I did have that confrontation with Lim Taegyu, but, uh. It turns out he was a lot weaker than me in terms of mana, so I ended up scaring him instead…”

“What about the others?” she asked suspiciously.

“Min Byunggyu and Ran Eunsook have pretty good reputations with other Hunters, so they’re fine,” Park Ryung dismissed. “They can be called the ‘social’ S-ranks of the country.” Her smile grew with a small snrk. “And the Fame Guildmaster- doesn’t really concern me, either. He’s known for not really bothering with anything except his own business. I think if he did ever pick a fight, it wouldn’t be with unfriendly intentions.”

“… I guess we’re kind of lucky, then,” she acknowledged, sighing out. “A-And I guess it’s fine if you can beat them all up…” Park Ryung did not say a peep about Thomas Andre.

“He wouldn’t have even normally gone for me because of where I work,” he agreed instead. “The chairman really scares the crap out of everyone else.”

“Eh? That guy you call a funny old grandpa??”

“He is a funny old grandpa, he’s just also extremely strong and has a history of beating up misbehaving Hunters. With his bare hands.” Her mouth fell open again. “He’s just retired and likes to make fun of people instead.”

“… I think I’m really glad I’m not a Hunter.”

“You know what? I’m glad you’re not, too.”

“Someone like Jinah shouldn’t be given superpowers,” Jinwoo agreed sagely. He was immediately assaulted with the plastic remote, and laughed mercilessly. Park Ryung couldn’t help a small laugh of his own, relaxing somewhat. Park Kyunghe sighed out herself, then plucked the remote herself and switched off the TV entirely.

“Let’s order in tonight, everyone,” she announced. Jinwoo and Sung Jinah immediately forgot their tussle to cheer.

He even got a cuddle from Jinwoo after dinner.

Still, this time- Park Ryung watched the news the next day. Jinwoo habitually went to train in his room after breakfast, and Sung Jinah already went off to school. Park Kyunghe watched herself from the kitchen table.

“Although Hunter Park has not made an official statement himself, the Korean Hunters Association has instead announced that Hwang Dongsoo will be indicted for both attempted murder of an Association agent, as well as the murder of E-rank Hunter, Jeon Moonho. Due to Korea’s Hunter extradition treaty with America, it is likely that Hwang Dongsoo will be sent back to America to face his sentence.”

“Are you worried, Ryung?” Park Kyunghe abruptly asked. Park Ryung nodded quietly.

“… The American guild he’s from, Scavenger,” he admitted. “That guildmaster is Thomas Andre. He’s considered the strongest national-level Hunter in the world.” He sighed out harshly. “… He’s also known for being a vengeful bastard. I don’t know how he’ll respond to this.” Park Kyunghe stood up from the table and walked over to the couch. She gently stroked his hair back.

“What did your boss say?” she asked.

“The chairman wants to push up a different project. He’ll, ah…” Park Ryung hesitated, then sighed out. “… He’ll announce the third raid of Jeju Island soon.” Her hand stilled on his head.

“… You’ll be going- to Jeju Island?” she whispered. Honestly, Park Ryung hadn’t actually been told he would be going to Jeju Island. When he first came up with his idea of enhancing Hunters, it did occur to him that the raid would be possible, he just-

Well, he didn’t think S-rank was something he could do. Now it was just a given that he’d be there, too.

“It’s actually only going to get more dangerous if it’s put off, he’s right,” he answered instead. “The ants have the potential to actually escape Jeju Island and make it to surrounding populated areas. The Japanese isles, China, definitely Korea-“

“Ryung.” He winced. “You don’t have to go,” she told him. “You know that, right? Even if everyone criticizes you for it, you…” She gently squeezed his shoulder. “You’ll always still be here.”

“… I know I don’t have to go.” Park Ryung thought he really understood Jinwoo in the story. It was easy to say it wasn’t really his problem, that there were other S-ranks, that upsetting Park Kyunghe felt like a monstrous thing to do. All he really promised to do was teach, and he was confident he could make the third raid a success with that.

In a story he once read, the fourth raid had also been a success. A success with a massive funeral in the aftermath.

“I don’t have to go,” he repeated, and smiled faintly. “But I’d really regret not going if anything happened to the people I care about. I’d rather be there to look after them.” His healing was honestly nothing compared to Min Byunggyu. His greatest weakness was distance- any other healer on the planet was capable of healing from a distance. Park Ryung actually couldn’t heal anyone if he wasn’t touching them directly. Healing himself was extremely easy, healing others was- a risk and a challenge. And in terms of fighting, he still didn’t have any real skills. His brute strength was all he had, along with his sword style he’d made.

As an S-rank, he was honestly pretty lousy himself, and probably didn’t have the right to complain about people like Lim Taegyu or even Hwang Dongsoo. The latter had let his guard down to an extreme degree, and Lim Taegyu had made it a contest of mana control, his specialty. Against an actual S-rank Dungeon, Park Ryung was lacking on all fronts.

But if Ran Eunsook or Min Byunggyu died, if anyone who wasn’t supposed to die did- that was his fault.

“… I’m sorry,” he added, when Park Ryung was quiet. She sighed out softly, then pressed a kiss to his temple. Ahh, his heart.

“My son really does take after me,” she murmured nonsensically.

Towards the end of the week, Hwang Dongsoo was, predictably, bundled up to be shipped off. Park Ryung reached out to Woo Jinchul first.

If Thomas Andre is coming, I’ll be there.

Poor Woo Jinchul called within five seconds.

“Please,” he asked, weary. “We can go back to the game.”

“Ah, sorry.” Park Ryung shook his head. “So he’s coming, then.”

“Unlike his guild member, he booked his flight legally. That doesn’t mean I want you to be there.”

“Let’s- just be direct, Chief,” Park Ryung sighed. “If he has a problem with what I did, it won’t matter if I’m not there.”

“… The chairman already plans to be there.”

“He’s busy enough.”

“Hunter Park, it’s not necessary.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“…” Woo Jinchul let out an exhausted sigh, and Park Ryung really did feel bad. He liked all these people caring about him, but that didn’t mean he wanted them to worry. “… I’ll speak to the chairman. But please consider changing your mind.”

“You don’t have to go, either,” Park Ryung pointed out. Woo Jinchul sighed that much louder, then bid him goodbye and hung up. “… Ah, what a hypocrite.”

“Are you sure, Hyung?” Jinwoo asked him, frowning deeply.

“I gave him back alive, not to mention still a Hunter,” Park Ryung reasoned. “… It’s- probably fine? E-Either way, I’m really hoping it is…” Jinwoo lowered his gaze, visibly upset.

“… I wish I was stronger,” he admitted quietly. “So I could help you.” Park Ryung blinked stupidly at his little protagonist boyfriend. He blinked rapidly.

“… Ah!!” he realized. “I-Is that why you haven’t been so clingy lately??” Jinwoo’s head snapped up, cheeks hot.

“Wha- C-Clingy??”

“Because you’re trying to get stronger quickly!!” Park Ryung comprehended. He was! Dating!! A protagonist!!! Of course he knew that Jinwoo craved strength, especially when he had a reason- and his reason wouldn’t stop going into high-ranked Dungeons and pissing off S-ranks!! “… Ahahahaha~ S-Suddenly my heart feels really at ease…” He blushed to himself, rubbing at his neck. Jinwoo groaned, burying his face in his hands.

“I-It sounds so embarrassing like that…!!”

“Ah, Jinwoo,” Park Ryung managed, gently touching his hand. “I… really miss us hunting together, too.” Jinwoo blushed all the way to his ears, but let one of his hands be taken.

“… I wanted to at least be on the perimeter of Jeju Island,” he admitted somewhat miserably. “But they’re moving up the date, and I…”

“… I might be a bad boyfriend for saying it, but I really wanted you there, too.” How could he not, really? Even if he wasn’t the insane edgelord necromancer, Jinwoo had proved he was still Sung Jinwoo a thousand times over. “But- Jeju Island isn’t remotely the biggest problem in the world,” he sighed. “The whole damned world’s in for a really sh*tty future. This is just a stepping stone.” A stepping stone for a protagonist, which Park Ryung was not. But- since he came this far, it’d be stupid if he didn’t keep moving, right? “Let’s work hard together. I know you’ll do more than catch up to me.” He squeezed a bit. “… But- B-But maybe with some more time for cuddles, too,” he added pitifully. Jinwoo gave a startled laugh, squeezing his hand back.

“S-Sorry, Hyung, I thought maybe you might notice me being… c-clingy.”

“I did! I also just really liked it.” Jinwoo blushed all the more furiously, which was absurdly cute. Park Ryung once again felt his very soul being healed. “Ah- Jinwoo,” he added, quieter. “… I’ve never even had a real friend until a few years ago. You really- don’t have to worry about my personal space. I’m supposed to be the one who’s worried about clinging too tightly.”

“Hyung, are you kidding?” Jinwoo demanded incredulously. “Do you have any idea how many people would swoop in if I didn’t keep a tight hold on you?? You’re just- just… really beyond words. I-In a good way, I just…”

“Ah, compliments from my little Ghost do make me happy~”

“Hyung what did I say about that stupid nickname.”

“That anyone who continued to spread it would be sentenced to exile and eternal shame,” Park Ryung recalled. Ah, his poor boyfriend. Doomed for the edgelord life regardless of his choices.

Maybe he shouldn’t have been such a badass in front of so many people.

A couple days later, Park Ryung found himself at the Seoul central airport, leading a small convoy of agents that surrounded Hwang Dongsoo in shackles. He tried very hard to pretend the reporters taking pictures definitely weren’t there. Hwang Dongsoo had somewhat recovered from his mental shock, apparently, though Park Ryung had yet to see evidence. He’d actually peed his pants when Park Ryung showed up at the transport, causing a delay.

Park Ryung thought it was nonsense, and he should be the one pissing himself?? Thomas Andre was, in fact, a f*cking giant. Who the f*ck made Americans so f*cking tall, huh??? Compared to him, Michael Connor was so small, so pitiful. Probably also because he was shrinking in his shoulders.

“Mr. Connor,” Park Ryung greeted nonetheless, walking forward. Michael Connor quickly stepped forward and bowed in a very passable attempt at an apology.

“Hunter Park,” he answered. “The FBH sincerely apologizes for their lack of oversight of Hunter Hwang. We are yet again in the wrong.” Park Ryung wasn’t sure he was the one there for an apology, and cleared his throat quickly.

“Well, we’ve already had this talk, there’s no need to revisit it,” he answered. “But lives have ended over this. Please don’t let him get off with a slap on the wrist if you mean it.” Michael Connor began to sweat profusely, glancing sideways. Ah, yes, Thomas Andre was definitely not happy about being ignored. He peered down at Park Ryung like an interesting bug had come underfoot.

“Your English is pretty good,” he stated.

“Thanks,” Park Ryung replied, lackluster. “So’s yours.” Michael Connor choked on spit. Ah, wait, probably the wrong American to sass??

Thomas Andre burst into laughter though, so. Hmm.

“Kahaha-! Aha, ah, you’re a funny one,” the giant huffed, patting at his chest. His gaze then turned serious. “… One of my dogs got off the leash,” he acknowledged. “But you didn’t kill him.” Implying he thought Park Ryung could?? Park Ryung could have, sure, but that was just luck.

“I think living is a worse punishment,” Park Ryung answered anyway. “I’d appreciate it if you let him feel it.”

“… Yeah. I think I will.” Thomas Andre tilted down his sunglasses, and for a moment, his expression was pretty f*cking terrifying?? His mana was literally everywhere, making a lot of non-Hunters and Hunters alike freak the hell out.

Park Ryung only did not draw his sword because his gaze was fixed on the collared bastard behind him as he did so. Hwang Dongsoo whimpered pitifully, and probably needed yet another change of pants.

“… I’m a bit curious, though, about what you did to put him in that state,” Thomas Andre added thoughtfully, setting his sunglasses back in place and his mana the same way. “He looks like you punished him already.”

“I have a sword,” Park Ryung admitted plainly. “I dismembered him for starting a fight. It progressed naturally from there.” Thomas Andre considered him again, frowning oddly. Park Ryung was not going to admit losing his marbles in front of a national-level Hunter, so stared right back.

“… That Kang guy was a Hunter before you met him, wasn’t he?” the guildmaster then commented. “Why not repeat what you did to him?” Michael Connor’s expression went slack, so that was apparently not the source of his news. Park Ryung needed to know who the f*ck was selling out Korean classified files.

“I didn’t want to piss you off,” he answered anyway. Thomas Andre stared at him a moment longer, then again laughed so hard he was shaking. Park Ryung was surrounded by lunatics, apparently? No wonder Woo Jinchul had always looked so exhausted. He was exhausted.

“Ahahahaha-!! You’re honest! You’re very honest,” Thomas Andre laughed. “So you could have, right?”

“Yeah, pretty easily.”

“Ha!! You shouldn’t admit that kind of stuff to people,” the giant huffed. “Who knows who would kill you before you had the chance to try? You’d be a threat to all Hunters in the world.”

“I also offer benefits, so they’ll just have to live with me,” Park Ryung admitted. “Besides, I don’t have anything against Hunters. I like them.”

“You’re funny,” Thomas Andre repeated, grinning. “Let me compensate you myself instead of this useless thing.” Michael Connor flinched when he was patted. “Need some cash? Weapons? Your sword feels pretty nice, but I can probably find something better.” Ah, a favor from the strongest Hunter on the planet? Park Ryung immediately thought of one thing.

After all, he left Hwang Dongsoo intact for more than one reason.

“A bigger favor, then,” Park Ryung dared, looking up. “… I’ve heard of a monster from Dungeons that looks and acts like a human.” Thomas Andre stared. “If America ever finds one, I want to talk to them,” Park Ryung said. “No- I want them for myself. Is that too much?” The giant tilted his head, then gave a great shrug.

“Hardly anything,” he replied. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“Yeah, it’s worth a lot to me.”

“Kahaha, again too honest! Sheesh.” Park Ryung was then given a pat on the head?? He was taller than average around here, right? Ah, yet he felt so small… “What if I never find one?” Thomas Andre asked. “No backup options?”

“That’s fine,” Park Ryung sighed. He didn’t know if it would happen the same way regardless. “Maybe some A-rank crystals or something, I could always use those.”

“Hm, then it’s settled!” The giant clapped his hands together. “I came here to spank an unruly dog, but I met such an interesting guy… Don’t die on that anthill of yours.”

“Sure, I’ll try.”

“Why can’t you ever find me people like this instead?” Thomas Andre lamented at Michael Connor. “When’s the last time I actually talked to a person? Instead I just get nasty dogs.” Said nasty dog whimpered again when Thomas Andre approached, and the agents quickly relinquished their chains. The giant collected them all in one hand, then turned away with his bastard on a leash. He gave a mock salute. “Don’t die,” he repeated.

“Same to you,” Park Ryung replied honestly, waving. Thomas Andre cackled as he walked off. Michael Connor stared after him with wide eyes, sweating bullets. The Association agents were in the same state, including a very stressed-looking Woo Jinchul. But? “… Hm, he’s nicer than I heard,” Park Ryung decided. Michael Connor twitched violently.

“… You are- really something, Hunter Park,” he answered vaguely.

“Your job looks like it’s going to kill you before you hit forty,” Park Ryung replied. “From pure stress. Are you sure you’re alright?” He was clearly terrified of S-ranks in general, what was this guy even doing? Michael Connor gave an unsteady laugh.

“Believe it or not, these kinds of occurrences are actually very rare for someone like me,” he managed. “Although it seems much more common for you…”

“I’ve literally never met such a tall man in my entire life.” Hearty laughter abruptly broke out off to the side, which meant that the tall bastard was definitely listening. Fortunately for Michael Connor’s heart, he didn’t seem to notice.

“I can’t even tell if you’re purposefully misunderstanding,” the agent replied instead. “Still, the FBH will compensate you. A-rank crystals, you said?”

“Just support for Jeon Moonho’s family, thanks.”

“Yes, of course. I understand.” Michael Connor sighed out. “Maybe I should take a vacation afterward…” Park Ryung really hoped he would, honestly. He waved as the rest of the Americans left after their giant.

“… Hunter Park,” Woo Jinchul intoned. Ah, he was in trouble. Park Ryung turned anxiously. The man gave him a very stern look. “… Please stop befriending people who give me headaches.”

“… Um. Sorry, Chief.”

“I know you’re going to do it again. But please. Make an effort to stop doing that.”

“S-Sorry…” Park Ryung had no idea what he did wrong, so really couldn’t tell what to change. Still, he didn’t want to meet another Thomas Andre.

He just got lucky somehow, anyway.

-

The plane ride was quiet as they ascended. Numerous agents were eerily silent, affected by just the presence of the passenger near them. Another passenger was underfoot, expression still tormented. Thomas Andre’s gaze was instead on the window.

“… I want him,” he sighed. “Such a terrible thing, wanting someone I can’t have… Did you even try to poach him?”

“… We offered him a great deal of money and research funds alike,” Michael Connor answered, gaze low. “A position with the FBH as well.”

“And?”

“It was… not even remotely considered.”

“Tch.” The giant leaned back in his chair, sighing again. “All these dogs you bring over, and then I finally meet someone who talks to me like a human being… What a waste.” He drummed his fingers on the armrest. “… It’s pretty strange, though,” he acknowledged. “That guy behind him, who was he?”

“That…” Michael Connor hesitated. “That was- Chief Inspector Woo Jinchul. He’s the right-hand man of Chairman Go, head of the monitoring department. A-rank.”

“… Yeah, that’s what’s strange,” Thomas Andre mused. “You can count the S-ranks in Korea on your fingers, so…” He leaned on his hand. “Why the hell was he an S-rank?”

“… W-What?”

Chapter 17

Chapter Text

Honestly, Park Ryung hadn’t been looking forward to this day. At all.

In any capacity.

“I think I’m tired of S-ranks, Chief,” he confessed.

“Hunter Park, you’re an S-rank,” Woo Jinchul answered, not looking back. Ahh, so cruel. Park Ryung sighed rather miserably about it. “You remember what the chairman said about this?” the man added.

“… Yes.” Park Ryung was all the more unhappy, honestly. “I remember.”

Meeting S-ranks was one thing. Park Ryung had known about the meeting for ages, even if he didn’t much like it. He’d even been fairly resigned about completing his Korean S-rank collection. The raid plans had been announced, the guilds were informed, and it was all going according to plan.

Park Ryung had been unhappy ever since Go Gunhee sat him down in his office and gave him practical instructions on how to lead a band of S-ranks. Because apparently, Go Gunhee had contacted all the major guilds not just to say that there was an upcoming raid on Jeju Island, but that it would be led specifically by Park Ryung.

So. Now he was here. Ready to take the most unwelcome advice he’d ever been given by his boss.

Beat them up until they shut up and take orders.

“… Can I not listen to the chairman this time?” he attempted.

“No,” Woo Jinchul answered, and continued on mercilessly.

Of course, they weren’t having the meeting in a normal office. Go Gunhee apparently anticipated Park Ryung’s obedience to his bullsh*t and set the meeting up in the Association’s most intense training center in the outskirts of the city. Park Ryung could already feel several prominent points of mana even past the anti-magic measures set in place, especially the further they went. He could only sigh once more at such unfortunate circ*mstances, then straightened up.

It'd be embarrassing if he just walked away from this, right?

Fortunately, Choi Jongin, Cha Haein and Baek Yoonho had already arrived. Unfortunate meetings were much better when friends were around. As the door opened, everyone in the large training room turned to see. Choi Jongin looked even more smug than usual, an incredible feat. Cha Haein smiled and waved. Baek Yoonho gave a friendly nod himself.

Park Ryung was already feeling just a little better, and then some f*cking lunatic in a white gi came at him like a f*cking train.

“LET’S GOOO-!!!”

Park Ryung, startled, met the train in a half-twist and downward punch. It was reflexive.

“… Oh, sh*t!!” he then comprehended, finding Ma Dongwook compressed into the floor. “Ah-! Sorry!! sh*t, that was- not intentional, that- sh*t, let me see-“ Even if he was worse than other S-ranks, surprise obviously overcame a lot of factors!! But even as he peeled the Fame Guildmaster from his new divot and flipped him over to check, the man burst into uproarious laughter.

“I told you,” Baek Yoonho complained. Park Ryung was not only standing over the guildmaster he’d assaulted on first meeting, everyone else in the room was staring with wide eyes. As they obviously would!!

“Ahahaha-!! Aha- ah- keh,” the guildmaster coughed, then wheezed somewhat. “Aha. T-That was a very good hit…”

“I am so sorry-!”

“Hunter Park, he tried to hit you first,” Woo Jinchul sighed, dusting off his shoulders. Park Ryung blinked at him incomprehensibly, then down at the guildmaster that gingerly picked himself up. He touched the growing bruise on his jaw, then winced. “Guildmaster Ma, please don’t surprise Hunter Park like that.”

“I think I learned my lesson,” the Hunter laughed, and winced again. “Oof. I definitely learned.”

“… Well, um. Okay,” Park Ryung could only accept. He sighed to himself, then touched the man’s temple, drawing a startled flinch. Ma Dongwook then blinked in astonishment as his growing bruise rapidly disappeared.

“Ah,” he said.

“That was a great reflex,” Ran Eunsook commented, walking forward. “Hey, Guildmaster Park, still want to try your own luck?” The Knights Guildmaster broke into a cold sweat when looked at and shook his head vigorously. Park Ryung blinked as the S-ranks of Korea were soon around him, and didn’t seem particularly hostile? “Ran Eunsook,” the Hunter added, extending a hand. Park Ryung accepted gratefully.

“Park Ryung,” he answered. “… Someone please tell me what’s going on,” he added.

“Fame and Knights were having a talk among themselves before you showed up,” the man replied. “Guildmaster Park was saying-“

“L-L-Let’s not cause any misunderstandings, Hunter Ran!” Park Jongsoo cut in quickly, looking exceptionally anxious. “It was just. Of course it meant nothing!”

“… Guildmaster Park wanted to kick your ass and take over the raid,” Cha Haein finished. Park Jongsoo squawked like an offended bird. Park Ryung blinked once.

… The only A-rank guildmaster in the room wanted to kick his ass? Okay, sure. He wasn’t that bad.

“Well, he’s welcome to try, I guess,” he could only offer, mystified. “Then why’d Guildmaster Ma charge at me?”

“He’s sparred everyone here,” Ran Eunsook sighed. “He got excited.”

“Ah.” Park Ryung blinked. “I don’t mind sparring,” he offered. “You could just ask.” Ma Dongwook coughed, rubbing at his neck.

“I-I’ll keep that in mind, then.”

“… Do you, uh, want to?”

“Right- now?”

“Sure.” Park Ryung rubbed at his neck. This technically counted as taking the chairman’s advice, right? “I mean. Just for technique, and since not everyone is here anyway…” Ma Dongwook blinked a few times, then beamed.

“Let’s!!” he agreed happily.

Actually, Park Ryung was capable of fighting without a sword. Sort of. He basically just used the same forms and techniques and just pretended his own arm was a shorter sword. It wasn’t exactly his most intelligent idea, but it worked out in the few occasions he needed it, so- it was probably fine, right?

Ma Dongwook bounced a bit as he waited in the center of the training room. Park Ryung rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, then focused himself. This was just like how he used to run Dungeons, matching his speed and strength to his opponent for training. He loosened his tie a bit, then settled into his first form.

“Say go,” he requested.

“Go!!” the guildmaster proclaimed, and rushed forward.

In six moves, the man was yet again plastered to the floor. Ah, too bad. Park Ryung blinked downward.

“… Was that too hard?” he wondered.

“No,” Ma Dongwook wheezed back. “That was very tolerable.” He picked himself up, then set himself in a stance. “Again, please!” he insisted. Park Ryung nodded, focusing.

By the time Lim Taegyu and Min Byunggyu arrived, another five rounds had commenced. Ma Dongwook actually won a couple of them, he really was an intense martial artist when he was actually fully focused. Park Ryung was having a lot of fun with him. Ma Dongwook also seemed to be having fun himself, even if he was already working up a sweat. He exclaimed as he once again hit the mat, then laughed breathlessly.

“Alright, alright! It’s my loss,” he acknowledged cheerfully. He lifted his head. “I’ve never seen that martial style before!” he added. “Where on earth did you learn it?”

“Ah, it’s just my sword style I made up,” Park Ryung admitted, extending a hand. Ma Dongwook spluttered incredulously, but accepted his hand to be lifted on his feet. “Your form is really solid, I can see how the gigantification worked into your habits, too,” Park Ryung commented. “You could use some more defensive practice, though.”

“That’s fair, that’s fair~ Ahahaha, I’d truly be afraid to face you with your sword in hand!” That seemed like a nice compliment.

“… Do we- all have to do spars?” Lim Taegyu asked anxiously from the side.

“Why are you sweating already?” Ran Eunsook asked back, puzzled.

“Hey, Park!” Baek Yoonho called. “Everyone’s here!” Park Ryung turned, still fixing his tie. He blinked hard as a familiar face grinned back with a wave.

“… Ah!!” he realized, shocked. “The cute guy from the hospital!” The massive room fell silent. Baek Yoonho held a hand over his face and turned away, shoulders shaking with his muffled laughter. Park Ryung felt his face go incredibly red at once, made a half-step, and turned elsewhere. “… Where’s the nearest high cliff?” he asked instead. Baek Yoonho broke down entirely into a fit of laughter.

So. That was how that went. Finding out that the last S-rank Hunter he never met was someone he accidentally proposed to years ago. After puking out his guts in front of him.

Awesome.

Woo Jinchul, an incredible professional, somehow managed to get everyone standing close to listen to him anyway. Park Ryung coughed loudly into his hand.

“… Sorry,” he said. Baek Yoonho unhelpfully gave a snrk. Woo Jinchul sighed.

“Hunter Park.”

“R-Right, yes, I’m focused.” Park Ryung cleared his throat. “… Hi again for everyone, I’m Park Ryung,” he greeted, sighing out. “Head teacher at the Hunters Association. We are planning the third raid of Jeju Island, in particular because of information we received about the ants breaking containment.” Several expressions changed at once.

“Have they already?” Ran Eunsook asked incredulously.

“Not yet, but soon,” Woo Jinchul answered. “Our estimate is that within the year, they’ll have the ability to reach populated isles.”

“By then, whatever raid we attempt will not only drastically increase in danger, but also agitate the ant nest, so to speak,” Park Ryung continued. “If you’ve ever kicked an ant nest and didn’t immediately jump back, you’ll know what I mean.” The S-ranks exchanged grim looks with one another. Min Byunggyu frowned.

“After the second raid, we were told that the dangers of a third raid were too great to proceed,” he put forward. “Even if we have two new S-ranks, that isn’t enough to cover the overwhelming numbers.”

“It’s not,” Park Ryung agreed. “In terms of raw power, everyone here is more than enough to deal with the ant queen and her bodyguards alone. As those of you who were there remember, the biggest problem was reaching that point in the first place.” He folded his arms. “Strategically, previous raids were very sound. They already covered entry points, largest convergence areas, team placements- and it should have been enough. But the guild members couldn’t keep up. It was asking for long-term stamina wars out of short-term raiders, to put it mildly. Even if the first waves could be efficiently covered by strategy and technique, asking people to continuously output at a hundred percent effort will get diminished returns. Everyone here already knows all of this. The spearhead had to pull back to cover losses, the forward advance faltered for too long, and the losses piled up until retreat was the only option.”

“Then what’s your strategy?” Ma Dongwook asked, curious.

“Honestly, not that different,” Park Ryung admitted. “But instead of only having guild members run crowd control, an S-rank will be there as well at each team. Having overwhelming strength each will ensure that there’s recovery time for the numbers needed to hold a line, and also deal with any potential strategy issues. There’s no A-rank ant minion that’s stronger than an S-rank, but the ants are continuously evolving even as we speak. Just because they can’t get off the island now doesn’t mean there aren’t potential threats we can’t account for.”

“We can manage the lines just fine with that,” Park Jongsoo tried, frowning critically, “but that just takes away from the spearhead approach, doesn’t it? How many will you have killing the S-rank boss?” Park Ryung held up three fingers.

“Three,” he said.

“… That’s impossible,” Ran Eunsook concluded, brow furrowing. “Even when we did fight with the ant guards before, it took a minimum of three just to deal with one of them, and we had to retreat from the other three. So on the second raid, we tried to converge all of our force at one point. Isn’t this just a repeat of the first raid?”

“No, it’s not,” Choi Jongin answered, speaking up. He adjusted his glasses, looking very smug indeed. “Hunter Park, please don’t keep them in suspense,” he asked sweetly. Park Ryung snorted.

“Like you’re not enjoying it,” he returned. He gestured forward. “This third raid will be different because none of you will be the same as the last two raids,” he said. “You’ll all be stronger, though by how much depends on your own effort.” The S-ranks and single A-rank fell into a shocked silence. “I didn’t have a reawakening,” Park Ryung explained. “This is something I’ve been researching for some time now. It’s a method to improve Hunters in strength, speed, mana- all aspects. It’s applicable to all types of Hunters, including S-ranks. And in theory, there’s no upper ceiling.”

“… Ah,” Min Byunggyu comprehended.

“Is it… an ability you have?” Ma Dongwook asked incredulously.

“No, it’s a method,” Park Ryung repeated. “A very teachable method. It’s fueled by a material I make, what I call mana pills.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of orange pills. “Purified mana refined from monster crystals, making it safe to consume. It passes through the system harmlessly unless you know the method to digest it, cultivate it into your mana core, and then process it into the strength of your choice. Muscle power, bone density, tendon flexibility- if applied correctly, you can improve all of them, or focus on your preferences.” He closed his hand. “But it doesn’t give you skills like an Awakening does, is the catch. It also depends entirely on your consistency and effort.” He picked out one of his C-grade pills and gave it a toss, and Min Byunggyu caught it with a start. He continued tossing pills for everyone. “This raid on Jeju Island is going to be possible because I’m going to spend time not just teaching you to improve your strength, but actively focusing on the weakest parts of you that Awakening created. You’ll each be an overwhelming force for your guild members and teammates, and be able to rely on the spearhead you’re protecting. I’ll also provide extra mana pills for the raid itself- they’re good for emergency recovery. Those like Guildmaster Choi and Hunter Min in particular will find use out of them.”

“… Then- what after?” Park Jongsoo dared, clutching his pill tightly. “It won’t be a secret after, will it?”

“No, I’ll make it public knowledge. I already have other students I’m teaching this method as well. All of you can do what you please with the method.” Park Jongsoo had a very concerning light in his eyes. After all, the Knights Guild was filled to the brim with A-ranks who had S-rank potential. In theory, he could rise faster than any other.

“Hm, that sounds very generous, but…” Ma Dongwook grinned. “That doesn’t mean the materials are free, does it, Hunter Park?” Park Ryung smirked faintly.

“They’re free until the raid is a success,” he replied. “But the distribution is managed exclusively by the Korean Hunters Association.” Park Jongsoo’s expression went wooden. “Of course, there’s not even a real bulk-production method, either,” Park Ryung added thoughtfully. “Especially for higher-grade pills needed for higher ranks, they’re difficult to produce in large numbers. What you’re holding are A-grade pills, each containing the purified and concentrated mana equal to an average A-rank Hunter. They each take roughly three A-rank monster crystals to produce.” He hummed aloud. “And I’ll be frank. The only guilds on good terms with the Hunters Association right now are the White Tiger and Hunters Guilds.”

“… Ah,” Lim Taegyu managed. “sh*t.”

“But that’s for later thought,” Park Ryung dismissed. “Right now, it’s free. And honestly, if another S-rank Dungeon appears that threatens the lives of literally an entire continent, it’ll probably be free again. I’ll teach a whole damned classroom with free tuition.” He set his gaze seriously. “Above all, this raid right now depends on your efforts, not a dick-measuring contest,” he stated. “You’re all capable of working together, and I fully expect it, which is why I’m sharing this. But that also means I’m taking responsibility. If any of you forget what the point of being a Hunter is and cross the line, I will personally reach into your body, destroy your mana core, and let you live the rest of your life regretting what you did.” The group fell silent again.

“… Is that- something you can do?” Ran Eunsook confirmed hesitantly.

“Yes,” Woo Jinchul answered for him. “All mana leaves your body and removes your powers entirely. Former Hunter Kang Taeshik can testify to that.”

“If he ever gets out of the straitjacket,” Park Ryung finished. “It turns out that having a god complex and then getting reduced to a normal human can make you lose your sanity.” Woo Jinchul sighed.

“You don’t have to sound that cheerful about it.”

“It’s not like I check regularly to see if he’s still screaming.”

“You’re still a terrible liar.”

“Ah, my bad~” The group was silent for a long while. Grim expressions were exchanged, uncertain gazes down at the pills they each held.

“… I also want a spar, though,” Baek Yoonho grumbled.

“Me, too,” Cha Haein added quickly. “With swords.”

“I’ll pass,” Choi Jongin stated.

“You’re all getting a spar,” Park Ryung huffed. “Including you, pyromaniac.” Choi Jongin sighed.

“We can skip to the part where my hand-to-hand combat is subpar at best and move on from there, Hunter Park.”

“Actually, I wasn’t going to make you learn to do a real punch, don’t worry.” Baek Yoonho snickered to himself, earning a sideways glare from the peaco*ck. “Guildmaster Baek, I am going to teach you how to actually defend yourself, too.” The snickering stopped. “You can join Guildmaster Ma in those lessons.”

“… I don’t want a spar,” Lim Taegyu requested, sweating all over again.

“You’re going to get a spar,” Park Ryung replied without mercy.

“When are we sparring?” Cha Haein persisted eagerly. “With swords?” Ah, sheesh.

Baek Yoonho was a pretty good spar himself, unpredictable and aggressive. He also asked for a few more rounds before they moved on. Cha Haein asked for five more rounds before Park Ryung had to tell her no more.

Choi Jongin sighed when he was called, but stepped forward. He gave Park Ryung a defeated expression.

“It’s bad,” he said. “Please, let’s move on.”

“We’re not fighting hand to hand,” Park Ryung repeated, amused. “Honestly, there’s not much point if it’s not your specialty already. We’re going to work on your magic.” If anything, Choi Jongin looked more defeated? “How confident are you in throwing a fireball at me without killing me?” Park Ryung asked him.

“Not at all,” Choi Jongin replied. “Even the little ones explode with incredible intensity, Hunter Park. The best I can do is a small handful of sparks before dousing it.”

“Perfect,” Park Ryung concluded, and set his practice sword aside. He drew Jinju instead. “Let me see the big one then.” Choi Jongin stared grievously at him. He finally turned his stare elsewhere. Min Byunggyu cleared his throat, then stepped forward.

“… Are you aware of why I do my raids alone, Hunter Park?” Choi Jongin asked.

“Yes,” Park Ryung answered. “Because even the little ones explode with incredible intensity. I’ve seen you start a few forest fires, remember?” Choi Jongin coughed as everyone in the room stared. “We need to work on your teamwork for this raid,” Park Ryung admitted. “If you’re too far forward so you can use your spells indiscriminately, that also puts you in the most danger. You’re not learning close combat fast enough to deal with an overwhelming swarm, we only have months for this. We’re going to work on your mana control instead.”

“… I still don’t see why I should throw fire at you intentionally.”

“You like me,” Park Ryung reasoned. “It’s a great motive for learning fast.”

“Please tell me that is not the only reason.” Park Ryung snorted at the look on his face.

“It’s also so I can get a sense of your mana control from up close without it blowing up in your face,” he added. “Don’t worry, I’ve done this before with students. I’ll be fine.”

“Hey, Hunter Park,” Baek Yoonho commented, frowning. “Those students weren’t Choi Jongin. Are you sure about this? Byunggyu can only heal if there’s enough of you left.” Park Ryung huffed, resting Jinju over his shoulder.

“This will go a lot faster if you throw a fireball at me and let me show you why it’s fine,” he replied. “Be direct, I’ll be in more danger if you try to veer it off.” Choi Jongin gave him a truly unhappy expression, which Park Ryung found to be very sweet. Even if he was such a peaco*ck, the outright furious reluctance spoke measures.

“… Fine,” Choi Jongin snapped, pushing up his glasses. “Hunter Min!” Min Byunggyu scooted that much closer. Choi Jongin focused a small flame into his open hand, gaze forward and cold. He muffled a curse under his breath before abruptly winding up and throwing it forward like a baseball.

Park Ryung stepped into it so that it didn’t actually miss him like the man intended, then struck out sharply as it exploded. The intensity was really off the charts, it was no wonder this man was called a one-man army. If he really pushed himself, even entire A-rank raids could be managed alone.

“Hunter Park!!” someone called as the flames dispersed towards the ceiling. “Are you-??” The fire disappeared, and Park Ryung lowered his sword. He grinned a little at the shock on Choi Jongin’s face.

“Mana sword,” he reminded the man. “It cuts spells.” The guildmaster’s face twitched, then he exhaled harshly, rubbing at his forehead.

“And you couldn’t have said that?” he demanded.

“You would’ve said ‘not my spells’ and demanded another reason.”

“f*ck off. Of course I would have.” Park Ryung couldn’t help a laugh. Min Byunggyu exhaled himself, stepping back.

“He’s- really full of surprises, isn’t he?” he asked Baek Yoonho.

“That’s a f*cking understatement,” the man complained back.

“Anyway, there’s a problem with your spells,” Park Ryung moved on. “Which could also just be the nature of them, honestly, but it’s what’s holding you back. The moment you release control, it very literally explodes out of control. The raw concentration of excessive mana comes pouring out indiscriminately and guides fire along the same trajectory. Hence, explosions.” He rested his sword on his shoulder again. “But in order to use my method, we need to work on your mana control to a much finer degree in the first place. Therefore, we’ll be killing two birds with one stone.”

“… Mm. Very well.”

“Let’s do a few more fireballs,” Park Ryung concluded. “Pay attention to exactly when you feel you can no longer control the direction or intensity. If you can, try to hold it until I cut it. It’ll be a success when it doesn’t explode on being cut.”

Overall, Park Ryung had a very successful first day, he thought. Lim Taegyu was the hardest one to convince to shoot at him with an arrow, sweating out of every pore like he was, up until Park Ryung threatened to come at him first. Min Byunggyu had the basics of mace combat down pretty well, though Ran Eunsook asked for five more spars with the sword until Park Ryung had to also tell him to stop.

“It’s just so pretty,” the Hunter tried to explain, gesturing at his sword.

“It’s made out of purified mana, it does weird things on the color spectrum,” Park Ryung explained back. “That’s why it shimmers like that.”

“… No, that- It’s not just the shimmer part, it’s the style.”

“It’s just something I made up.”

“Don’t,” Baek Yoonho sighed, when Ran Eunsook looked all the more agonized. “We’ve tried to explain this before, it doesn’t work. His own boyfriend can’t get it into his head.”

“I-I see…”

“… I’m still right here,” Park Ryung said.

“We know,” Baek Yoonho replied. “When should we meet again?”

“Probably after I buy some more crystals, honestly. You guys are going to be expensive.”

“We can buy our own crystals, Hunter Park.”

“Listen, if I said it’s free, it should be free, shouldn’t it? Once I get enough materials together-“ There was a shrill ring, and Park Ryung paused. Woo Jinchul turned away to answer his phone by the second ring, stalking out of the room. “… Anyway, do you know how much money I eat on a regular basis?” Park Ryung continued. “So much money, all in my mouth. Even the guilds will go broke if I ask you to pay for your own crystals, it’s actually insane. And the chairman already told me to stop running raids like a maniac in the meantime.” Baek Yoonho huffed.

“Then at least let us join you on some raids to collect our own crystals.”

“Oh, you think so? That’d probably be the best place to test out your powers, though… Hm, it’d be nice if I could find another Red Gate…”

“Hunter Park,” Woo Jinchul called, returning to the room. “The chairman called. You have a delivery from Scavenger Guild.”

“If it’s Hwang Dongsoo, put him the f*ck back,” Park Ryung replied immediately.

“It’s not Hwang Dongsoo. It’s a cargo shipment, along with an apology for the delay. It appears to be from Thomas Andre.” Park Ryung was again the focus of many stares around the room, but co*cked his head in bafflement. Woo Jinchul cleared his throat, stepping forward. “You may want to…” He held up his phone to show a message. Park Ryung read it.

“… That says- tons,” he comprehended.

“It’s the American system, in kilograms-“

“No, no, I know what a ton is. That’s… not the issue? It says tons. It says- Why the f*ck does it say tons?”

“Because an American S-rank dropped it off at the Hunters Association. In the middle of the street. Directly from the harbor, apparently.” Park Ryung pressed his fingers to his temples. “Import taxes were withheld on the FBH’s request as well,” Woo Jinchul continued. “They’re still working on bringing them in.”

“… Do I want to know what’s going on?” Baek Yoonho asked. Park Ryung sighed to the heavens above, then lowered his hands.

“… Change of plans,” he announced. “We’ll get started in three days. I- have a literal f*ckton of A-rank crystals to process until then.”

“… Ah.”

Thomas Andre, an actual psychopath, apparently took his request for A-rank monster crystals very seriously. Not only did he send an entire shipping container filled with the things, he sent along one of his guild’s S-ranks to deliver it personally from the ship. Park Ryung was going to get a migraine long after the man already returned to his country. Even if he appreciated it, the gesture was kind of insane???

… But- it did speak a lot about how much value the guy put on his guild members, even the ones he acknowledged were sh*t.

Ugh, Park Ryung could tell he was going to be yet another future headache.

-

Woo Jinchul was South Korea’s eleventh S-rank.

He honestly didn’t notice until the chairman gave him an amused congratulations on the matter.

“Oh,” he answered, puzzled. “… Thank you, Sir.” Go Gunhee’s smile grew. Woo Jinchul considered this himself. “… Well, excuse me, then.” Go Gunhee chuckled heartily, waving him off. Woo Jinchul made his way out of his office and down the hall.

He paused for a moment in front of his own office door, considering. S-rank, then. Considered to be both the world’s greatest asset and one of their looming threats. A rare and world-shaking occurrence, something constantly celebrated and envied alike.

… He was around Park Ryung too much, he realized. It felt far too anticlimactic.

He could only shake his head to himself and go back to work.

Four years ago now, he’d met the young man that was already upending the world. His shoulders still pulled in uncertainly back then, his eyes skittered around from direct contact, and he had a vaguely-uncomfortable grimace half the time. He also twitched nervously about the strangest things, and it wasn’t hard to figure out he was hiding something. The investigator in Woo Jinchul had to find out.

His investigating didn’t reveal much, honestly. Before Awakening, Park Ryung did- just about nothing throughout his life. Based on his childhood, he likely never had the means or motivation to. He was employed at the most menial job he could find after barely graduating high school, and half the coworkers that the Association interviewed at the time didn’t even remember his name correctly.

He was just one more lonely life of thousands in Seoul, up until he found a motivation, and along the way, a passion. Woo Jinchul now watched him sass his S-rank students up and down without hesitation, gush over his smaller boyfriend, and turn smiles on his friends that were close to blinding. All of South Korea knew his name now, and the world would soon follow suite.

Maybe someday, that lonely, anxious kid would finally realize how important he was to all of them. As a Hunter, as a teacher, and as a friend.

For now, though, he had his own work that Park Ryung was counting on. He collected the paperwork from the side of his desk, detailed satellite images of Jeju Island on top of approval requests for military support. He also collected an orange-tinted pill that he put in his mouth. He bit down with difficulty.

While the overall strategy for the raid was fairly simple, the terrain of the island made for difficulties in the past that still applied. If the ants could have chosen their nest location, they couldn’t have picked anything better, unfortunately. Hallasan’s central position meant that the swarms of ants had to be pulled to the edges of the island, and the strike team for the boss had to be faster than those swarms could be summoned back. If any of the raiding teams was overwhelmed, the surrounding teams would collapse in a chain reaction, and the three rushing for the boss would be overwhelmed quickly.

S-ranks would be ensuring that those raid teams stayed on top of their swarm and were given respite between waves. Woo Jinchul supposed it was only right that he himself did his part, and didn’t let the idea of an S-rank be his standard.

As things stood regardless, S-ranks wouldn’t be on their pedestals for much longer.

-

“M… Mr. Andre, t-there’s a, um-”

“I can see it for myself. Give it.”

“Hiek!!” The massive giant ignored the delivery man and his shrieks, inspecting the box as he leaned back in his office chair. After a moment, he opened the clasps to a note sitting on top of something.

You’re crazy, but thanks.

Save these for later.

Park Ryung

A dozen red-tinted spheres were stored carefully within foam casing, and gave off an intense feel of more mana than even an S-rank monster crystal. He picked up one carefully, watching it gleam in his office light. He huffed.

“Only a kid would send a thank you note like this,” he complained, even as he grinned. “Just like he’s the stupid kid who cured a disease and stayed anonymous after the fact.” He huffed to himself again. “… Monsters that look and act like a human, right? I’ll find them.” He closed the case and set it on a stack of papers translated from Korean.

He had a strong feeling that paying attention to that stupid kid would be all the more important down the line.