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Chapter 3
Jung Hyun-soo had always been a disappointment.
His conduct was poor. His ambitions were lofty, but he was lazy, complacent, and unwilling to put in the effort.
The result?
At nineteen years old, he had only managed to raise Hwancheon True Energy to 1-Star.
Yet now, that same son had suddenly advanced his cultivation and was asking to learn another martial art.
Gone was the resentful glare of someone who always accused his father of secretly teaching the Five King Arts only to his younger sister.
Instead, genuine determination shone in his eyes.
“Not now.”
At his father Jung Cheol’s refusal, Hyun-soo simply nodded.
“Then it can’t be helped.”
He walked over and sat on his bed.
“…You’re not even going to ask why?”
“If you say no, then that’s that.”
“I have a gate raid today.”
“Yes. Please stay safe.”
He had changed far too much.
“Is… that really all?”
“Hm?”
“See? I told you! That’s definitely a doppelgänger! Since when would he react like that to a gate raid?”
“Miss, doppelgängers are extremely intelligent,” the old butler replied.
“They imitate their targets perfectly.”
“I know that!”
“…But this is still strange. Young Master always complained that your father only took gates that earned no money and no recognition…”
There were many kinds of gates.
Some contained valuable treasures.
Some brought fame and public admiration.
Others offered nothing but danger and hardship, so most guilds ignored them.
The Garam Guild, however, always volunteered for those gates.
Large gates that appeared near remote villages.
If a gate wasn’t cleared in time, monsters would pour out and massacre the nearby civilians.
High-ranking Hunters were limited in number, and the market naturally favored profitable locations.
Remote regions were always abandoned.
So Garam quietly shouldered that burden.
Silently.
Even while the other Top Ten Guilds obstructed them…
Even while the Association President manipulated things from the shadows…
Hyun-soo’s father continued walking that difficult road.
I should’ve just kept my mouth shut…
Hyun-soo regretted his younger self.
Back then, he had complained endlessly, asking why they never challenged famous gates like the heirs of the other Top Ten Guilds.
“Is today’s destination the gate in Asan?”
“…It is.”
“The boss should be an enormous buffalo. Strike the core hidden inside one of its hind hooves. It’ll become completely helpless.”
“…What?”
“Please be careful.”
With that, Hyun-soo closed his eyes.
It was an unmistakable dismissal.
Considering how he’d normally try every trick imaginable to escape confinement, this was unbelievable.
“Let’s go.”
Confused beyond words, the family quietly left the room.
“What is wrong with him?”
“Isn’t change a good thing?” the butler asked.
Hyun-ah snorted.
“It’s just an act. He’ll be back to normal in a few days.”
The old butler smiled bitterly.
He thought so too.
Still…
Even a few peaceful days were welcome.
The storm that followed might be even fiercer…
But calm was precious nonetheless.
Happiness, their pet magical beast, licked its lips in satisfaction before running outside with Hyun-ah.
Pat! Pat! Pat!
“H-Happiness! Wait for me!”
Even though Hyun-ah was a student at the Cradle Academy, she had to sprint at full speed just to keep up with the energetic creature.
* * *
Some memories faded with time.
Others remained vivid forever.
How could Hyun-soo ever forget this day?
The day he foolishly believed a mere suspension had solved everything…
Only to end up accused of illegal artifact trafficking and selling Awakener drugs, standing before reporters as the nation’s newest criminal.
Avoiding everyone’s presence with the perception granted by Hwancheon True Energy, Hyun-soo slipped out of the estate.
If someone caught him now, explanations would only waste time.
Results came first.
Outside, instead of the familiar ruins from Earth’s final days…
Towering skyscrapers filled the skyline.
People bustled through the streets.
Instead of living in fear while watching the world’s destruction countdown, they glanced at advertisements and hurried toward their destinations.
Beyond them stood the gigantic Tower.
A structure so immense that even the skyscrapers of Songpa looked tiny beside it.
The mysterious Tower that tested humanity…
Rewarding those who overcame its trials.
Fail to conquer it properly…
And Earth would once again be invaded by otherworldly races.
No one knows yet.
Climbing wasn’t enough.
There were hidden conditions.
Hidden rewards.
Hidden meanings.
Collapse hadn’t become a serious issue yet, so nobody understood.
Only Jung Hyun-soo did.
The correct strategies.
The hidden rewards.
The most efficient way to save humanity.
Even the secrets hidden within every Tower floor and Gate.
That knowledge would become his greatest advantage.
His first destination…
The Cradle Academy.
It was the middle of summer.
Without the profound mastery he once possessed, he couldn’t ignore heat and cold like before.
Sweat soaked his clothes.
It was unbearably hot.
As he walked beneath the blazing sun…
A thought crossed his mind.
Cars.
In the ruined future, they had become useless relics.
Once Hunters reached a certain level, running was faster anyway.
Seeing ordinary traffic again, Hyun-soo instinctively boarded a bus.
Beep.
Beep.
[Transfer recognized.]
“…Ah.”
Only then did he realize it.
Public transportation in this era required a transportation card.
He had completely forgotten.
“Kid. What are you doing?”
“My card…”
The bus driver smiled.
Hyun-soo awkwardly smiled back.
“Get off.”
The Black Hunter.
The Night King.
The world’s most feared criminal.
Yet none of those titles mattered now.
Even the delinquent nineteen-year-old Jung Hyun-soo wouldn’t have shouted, ‘Do you know who I am?’ over a missing bus card.
Surprisingly enough.
“…”
Unfortunately…
That wasn’t the end of his humiliation.
After politely bowing and stepping off the bus…
He saw a familiar face.
Not his enemy.
The owner of the photograph that had been beside his pillow.
Ji Min-jung.
The girl he had desperately loved in his youth.
Of course…
Ji Min-jung hated delinquents.
She walked right past him without so much as a glance.
Hyun-soo felt nothing romantic anymore.
Only embarrassment.
The memories remained.
His first love…
And their reunion after twenty years…
Was him getting kicked off a bus because he didn’t have a transportation card.
This is killing me…
Scratching his head, he noticed several female students from the Cradle Academy approaching.
For a brief moment…
He thought how nostalgic they looked.
“Did you guys see the group chat?”
“No. What happened?”
“It’s crazy! Chae Seung-jin just dragged Jung Hyun-ah away!”
“…What?”
“Jung Hyun-soo?”
Hyun-soo’s expression instantly changed.
“When?”
“Huh?”
“When did Chae Seung-jin take my sister?”
“…J-Just now.”
The instant he heard that…
He exploded into motion.
“W-Why is he so fast?”
“Was Jung Hyun-soo always that athletic?”
“I thought he was one of the weakest…”
Activating Hwancheon True Energy, Hyun-soo accelerated with explosive speed.
He even overtook the bus that had just left.
“…?”
Watching from the window…
Ji Min-jung tilted her head in confusion.
* * *
From early that morning, Jung Hyun-ah had been in a foul mood.
The reason?
Chae Seung-jin and his gang had barged in wearing smug grins.
“Our Hyun-ah.”
“No matter how many times I see those eyes of yours…”
“They’re so exciting.”
“Shut up and tell me what you want.”
“What I want?”
“Oh, right.”
“I’ve got something that’ll absolutely blow your mind.”
Chae Seung-jin, the undisputed king of the Academy’s third years, slowly looked her up and down with undisguised lust.
Hyun-ah was the daughter of Garam Guild’s leader.
But Seung-jin was also the heir of another Top Ten Guild—
Songgwang Guild.
“Talk.”
Grinning, he pulled a USB drive from his pocket.
“Hyun-ah.”
“Know what this is?”
“How would I?”
“Your dear brother’s masterpiece.”
“If this gets released…”
“It’ll be entertaining.”
Her face instantly twisted.
“What?”
“Your brother’s getting arrested.”
“We’ve got video of him delivering illegal, unregistered artifacts.”
Artifacts.
Mysterious treasures obtained from Gates and the Tower.
Items that granted enormous power to Awakeners.
Their distribution was strictly monitored by the Hunter Association.
If the heir of one of the Top Ten Guilds were caught trafficking them illegally…
So that’s why he was acting strangely yesterday!
He’d caused another disaster.
Honestly…
Hyun-ah didn’t care if Hyun-soo ended up in prison.
What she couldn’t stand…
Was Garam Guild becoming a public disgrace.
“If that were all, a Top Ten Guild could survive it.”
“But…”
“He also delivered Managia.”
Hyun-ah’s eyes widened.
“Managia…?”
A drug used by Awakeners.
Its name combined Mana with Fantasia.
Using mana while under its influence caused overwhelming hallucinations.
Its side effects destroyed a person’s mind and often sent them berserk.
Simply possessing it carried severe punishment.
“Stop lying.”
“My brother’s trash.”
“But he’s too much of a coward to touch something like that.”
“Is he?”
Seung-jin smiled confidently.
He wouldn’t make such accusations without solid evidence.
He wasn’t reckless.
He preferred carefully prepared traps.
“…What do you want?”
Licking his lips, Seung-jin held up three fingers.
“You’ve got three choices.”
“Three?”
“First…”
“You date me.”
“Starting today.”
“We become…”
“…very close.”
His filthy gaze wandered over her body.
“Quit joking.”
“I’m serious.”
“If not…”
“Then from today onward…”
“You don’t even breathe at the Academy without my permission.”
“And lastly…”
“Tell your father to come quietly to Songgwang Guild.”
Every option was humiliating.
Every option was cruel.
And his true objective was obvious.
Songgwang and Garam were rivals.
Jung Hyun-soo…
Seung-jin and his followers laughed.
“Come on.”
“Choose.”
“If you become my girlfriend, I’ll make sure to protect my future brother-in-law.”
“Hehehe…”
Just as Hyun-ah squeezed her eyes shut to make her choice…
A familiar voice rang out.
“You don’t need to listen.”
“It’s all bullshit.”
The voice belonged to the person she hated most.
Hyun-ah whipped around.
Standing at the entrance to their hideout…
Sweat-soaked from running…
Was Jung Hyun-soo.
