Trying to become a Hunter worthy of the S-rank title was like reaching for the stars.
Among countless Awakened individuals lauded as prodigies, only those sharp enough to stand out from the crowd could become S-rankers in South Korea. These Hunters would then rise above everyone else, recognized as those who possessed the trifecta of talent, luck, and relentless effort.
When such cream-of-the-crop S-rank Hunters gathered, one topic would occasionally come up.
“If you need talent, hard work, and exceptional luck to become an S-rank Hunter....” The S-rank Hunter trailed off.
There was one man who ruled above all the S-rank Hunters in South Korea, an irregularity beyond common sense.
“Where do we even start with him? Like, what is he supposed to be categorized as?” said another S-rank Hunter.
A man named Lee Do-Jun, a low-level civil servant working in the Fissure Management Division at Seoul City Hall. If he were to become a Hunter, could he even be confined within the boundaries of the S-rank, who were already considered the stars of the Hunter world? Only the top 0.1% of all Hunters knew the truth about Do-Jun.
“There’s one thing we know for sure, and that’s the fact that we’re insanely blessed that he’s on our side.”
Ten years ago, the Encroachment started, and people worldwide gained Status Windows. Some Awakened, acquired skills, and became Hunters. Since then, Hunters had been waging a war against the monsters threatening humanity.
But what if Do-Jun had been an enemy lurking deep within the Core beyond Earth?
“That would’ve been absolutely terrifying,” said one of the Rankers with a shudder.
From the enemies’ perspective, nothing was more terrifying than facing Do-Jun.
Gamygin was ranked seventh in the entire Deep Realm. Born on Solomon’s Altar, he was bestowed the fourth rank among Solomon’s Demons.
From birth, he was what one might call a “freak.” During the Trial of Solomon, held to establish a hierarchy in accordance with the law, he mercilessly slaughtered his brothers one after another. That was how he claimed the fourth rank among the seventy-two demons. Standing atop a tower of blood-drenched corpses, Solomon’s power was bestowed upon him. Gamygin feared nothing.
Gamygin’s fist, infused with raw energy, sliced through the air and struck the shield.
“How long are you planning to stay in there, huh?” he mocked Behemoth’s trio.
Every time his fist clashed with the shield, the translucent, ink-colored barrier shimmered. Inside the shield, three humans merely stared at his attacks. Gamygin sneered and launched another barrage of strikes. Sometimes with his fists, sometimes with his tail. Lightning scattered like rain in the background, adding to the chaos.
“Show me your strength, King of Earth!” His eyes glimmered with madness.
Although Tang Gak was the weakest Transcendent, he was still a being from the Deep Realm. This human had killed him. He couldn’t understand how these humans, who hadn’t even received the Deep Realm’s Blessing, managed to defeat Tang Gak on the third floor. Gamygin was determined to solve this mystery.
Yet, no matter how much he provoked them, neither Kang-Hyun nor the members of Behemoth Guild stepped outside the shield. No, they couldn’t. They could feel it in their bones: stepping outside would mean instant death.
“Hahaha!” Gamygin laughed.
The relentless barrage continued. Then, Gamygin suddenly stopped.
He realized that no matter how much he tried, this damned shield wouldn’t break. This was a first for him. His attacks weren’t working at all.
“What kind of artifact is this?” he muttered.
Confusion filled his mind. No matter how many times he struck it, not even a scratch appeared on the shield. It had to be some kind of relic-grade artifact he didn’t know about. After all, a shield that remained unscathed under the assault of the seventh-ranked being in the Deep Realm couldn’t possibly exist in the Core. No, it shouldn’t exist.
This left only one possibility—a relic of the Deep Realm.
“I asked you a question. How did you get a relic-grade artifact on the third floor?” His voice turned icy cold, and his eyebrows twitched.
A relic-grade artifact? Well, that wasn’t entirely incorrect. It was, after all, a mana shield imbued with Do-Jun’s power.
“This? We got it on Earth,” Kang-Hyun answered.
“Is that supposed to be funny?” Gamygin retorted.
“No. I don’t like to joke around,” Kang-Hyun replied.
“You’re saying you got a relic of the Deep Realm on Earth?”
“It was bestowed upon us... by the King of Earth. This is a mana shield, a consumable artifact that deploys a shield infused with the user’s mana.” Kang-Hyun swallowed nervously for one reason alone.
Mana shields would deplete as they absorbed attacks. Over time, cracks would appear, and when the mana ran out, they would shatter. In contrast, this shield hadn’t even developed a scratch.
What kind of power is this...? Kang-Hyun shuddered. Keeping the Dragon Lord as a pet was already absurd enough, but this....
“The King of Earth gave it to you?” Gamygin echoed Kang-Hyun.
That meant that the human before him wasn’t the King of Earth. The tail wrapped around Gamygin’s waist lashed out at the shield with a screech. Sparks flew as mana currents rippled across the shield. Even after testing it again, the attacks failed to penetrate.
Sometime before, when the Behemoth was about to enter the first floor of the Core after finishing the tutorial, Do-Jun had handed Kang-Hyun a small, dark-colored orb, telling him to be careful.
He had said, “I can’t be there to protect you, but I’ll give you this instead. It might be of some help.”
Kang-Hyun let out a hollow laugh as he remembered this conversation. Looking back, it was utterly ridiculous.
“Some help?” he muttered.
At this moment, that single mana shield Do-Jun had given them was now the ultimate line between life and death.
“Who is this ‘King of Earth’ you speak of—” Gamygin couldn’t finish his sentence.
A dimensional gate opened high above the central area of the Core’s third floor, and a man in a neatly buttoned shirt and tie stepped through. He appeared like any ordinary office worker.
The neatly dressed figure still carried the air of a rookie office worker.
Do-Jun surveyed the mana shield protecting the members of Behemoth Guild, then his gaze fixed on Gamygin, who was looking up at him. The situation was immediately clear.
It was something he had expected. The more Behemoth advanced, the more inevitable a clash with figures from the Deep Realm became. It was only a matter of time. To ensure their survival, Do-Jun had provided the mana shield imbued with his internal energy.
He landed lightly on the ground.
“Supervisor Lee,” Kang-Hyun called out to Do-Jun in a trembling voice.
The malfunctioning DTS and the terminated stream must have already alerted Earth to the deteriorating situation. Behemoth felt deep guilt for troubling Do-Jun, but also experienced a strong sense of relief from his presence.
“Hunter Lee Kang-Hyun,” Do-Jun called out.
Do-Jun had received a call from the Bureau Chief. It was a desperate plea to save Behemoth, but it wasn’t necessary because Do-Jun had always intended to rescue them.
“You are a hero,” Do-Jun said.
And heroes must never fall.
“I’ll remember that.” Kang-Hyun understood the weight of Do-Jun’s words.
To the world, Behemoth was an untouchable symbol of heroism. And Do-Jun was their guardian angel, their hero.
From the start, conquering the Core was an insurmountable challenge. When they first entered the first floor of the Core, that much became clear. They knew that they would have been wiped out without Do-Jun’s help.
Do-Jun continued speaking. “And because you’re a hero...”
Suddenly, a sword hilt appeared, but there was no blade.
“Being killed by a mere mob—not even the final boss—is unacceptable.”
Do-Jun smiled faintly.
Behemoth stared intently at the bladeless sword hilt in Do-Jun’s hand. Was that supposed to be a weapon? They were filled with doubt.
Breaking the silence, Gamygin launched the first strike.
“You must be... the King of Earth.”
He instinctively recognized Do-Jun. This was the one who killed Transcendent Tang Gak on the third floor of the Core, the figure who had stirred up the forums for some time. The ruler of Earth.
“I’ve been looking for you,” Gamygin said, glaring at Do-Jun.
“Yes. According to rumors...”
Gamygin’s tail twisted grotesquely, like an independent living creature. It emitted an eerie groan as an eye opened at its tip.
“Whoever kills you gets the right to become the king of all dimensions.”
Of course, it was nothing more than the ramblings of storytellers. What truly mattered to Gamygin was not the baseless rumors but his curiosity about the strength of Earth’s king.
“King of all dimensions...” Do-Jun chuckled softly.
In an instant, Gamygin’s tail coiled like a snake, then sprang toward Do-Jun’s left arm.
It was Amagoras, not just a tail but Gamygin’s main weapon—an artifact from the Deep Realm. A parasitic entity that fed on its wielder’s mana, its power growing exponentially with the user’s strength. Though Gamygin’s mastery of it barely reached thirty-five percent, even that was enough to overwhelm most Deep Realm inhabitants.
Amagoras opened its maw wide, ready to devour Do-Jun whole.
The weapon directly struck Do-Jun’s abdomen with a deafening roar. Gamygin grinned wickedly, but his expression quickly crumbled. With a horrifying groan, he collapsed to the ground.
The attack should have succeeded, so why was Do-Jun unharmed, while his own abdomen had a gaping hole in it?
What Gamygin wasn’t aware of was Do-Jun’s Reverse Barrier. While Barrier used internal energy to shield the body, Reverse Barrier went further—it reflected the opponent’s attack back at them.
Gamygin burst into laughter. Even as blood poured from his wound, his body began to regenerate rapidly. He turned to Do-Jun with a smile, expecting him to be shaken.
“I do not die,” he declared.
Immortality. Superficial wounds couldn’t outpace Gamygin’s regeneration.
“Good for you,” Do-Jun replied flatly.
“Are you afraid, King of Earth? I am immortal!”
Do-Jun smirked. “Is that so?”
Immortality—what a concept. Did Gamygin even understand the weight of such a claim?
The bracelet on Do-Jun’s wrist writhed, transforming into a small snake that coiled around his arm, hissing loudly.
[The restriction has been lifted due to the effect of Ouroboros.]
[Activating Status Window (Purple).]
[Mastery has reached the maximum.]
A violet blade of energy emanated from the previously bladeless sword hilt. Then, a streak of light shot toward Gamygin’s right arm. Cleanly severed, the arm fell to the ground.
Gamygin stared at his detached arm in disbelief, unable to comprehend when he had been attacked.
“Wait... why...?” His arm wasn’t regenerating.
However, what plunged Gamygin further into despair was none other than Do-Jun’s overwhelming strength.
“How...?” he croaked.
Around Do-Jun’s wrist, the Status Window Snake coiled tightly. Its violet hue was vivid, and on its forehead was a star, a mark signifying the highest level of mastery.
“Even Imfelheim never reached this level. How did someone like you...!”
Imfelheim’s mastery was estimated to be at ninety-five percent. Do-Jun, who shouldn’t have the Core’s Blessing, had surpassed even the yellow threshold of power on the third floor.
“Aaaargh!” he shouted. “Tell me! How did you get to that level? Tell me!”
Crushed by Do-Jun’s energy, Gamygin trembled, unable to rise. Then, Do-Jun’s sword flickered briefly, and violet petals floated gently through the air.