Young-Chul sat in a small conference room at the Hunter’s Bureau, pulling his chair closer as he watched the screen. The footage from the promotion exam, recorded by the three Hunters, was playing. Only the combat sequences had been edited from the original four-hour video, cutting it down to one hour and thirty minutes. It was still a lengthy watch, but Young-Chul couldn’t look away.
“How should I even describe this...?” he muttered, staring at the video depicting a hunt of three Giant Ogres.
As the footage played, Young-Chul repeatedly doubted what he was seeing.
A single leap with a thump, always followed by a single slash. The final takedown, in particular, was flawless, executed with such precision that it wouldn’t fall behind even seasoned S-rankers.
As the test progressed, Ye-Ji’s movements became even more refined, and her unnecessary steps disappeared. She effortlessly synchronized with the rhythm of the S-rank Hunters. Her talent was innate, almost otherworldly.
Of course, she wasn’t perfect in every aspect. For example, she tended to overexert her mana when releasing sword qi, which led to quick mana exhaustion—a clear flaw. Still, her raw swordsmanship talent more than made up for this weakness, keeping Young-Chul on the edge of his seat in suspense.
“Supervisor Lee has discovered an uncut gem,” he remarked. Even then, Young-Chul was fully aware of who had polished that gem: Do-Jun.
Young-Chul spent a considerable time contemplating Ye-Ji’s hunting performance before checking the three judges’ approval forms. As expected, all three had marked “Pass.” Although the final approval was his decision, he saw no reason to reject. Chapters first released on novel★fire.net
Meanwhile, Ye-Ji, who had just completed her S-rank promotion exam, lay sprawled on her bed, utterly drained. Her body, which had been tense throughout the test, now felt completely limp against the mattress.
She was shaking ever so slightly, but was it because of nerves or from constantly engaging in mana-draining combat? Or was it the conversation she had with Kang-Hyun after her exam?
“The drastic reduction in wave reading was because of someone soloing.”
Perhaps the shocking revelation was too much for her to process.
She looked at Do-Jun’s number saved as “Mr. Administrator” in her phone, tempted to call and verify right away. But her fingers wouldn’t move.
Just then, her phone rang, the caller ID showing Hunter’s Bureau Chief. She jolted upright, swallowing nervously, and pressed the answer button.
Her voice betrayed her nerves, while the tone on the other end was calm and composed.
—Hello, Hunter Cha. First of all, thank you for completing the evaluation exam; I know it must have been difficult. I’m calling to inform you of the results.
She had given it her all. Even if she failed, she wouldn’t regret it. Though there might be some disappointment, she could always address her shortcomings and try again later, or so she thought.
—Please visit the Hunter’s Bureau this Saturday by 10 AM. The induction ceremony will take place over the weekend. We apologize for the scheduling inconvenience, but it was not possible to hold it on a weekday.
A sweet message of “pass” whispered into her ears. The brief call ended, leaving her heart pounding out of her chest, almost as if her heart might burst.
S-rank was something she once thought would always be out of her reach. The weight of it was overwhelming, almost suffocating.
“I... I actually did it...” She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.
The first person she wanted to joyful news with was Do-Jun. Yet, for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to make the call. Her emotions swirled like a storm inside her, leaving her biting her lower lip. Tossing her phone aside, she lay back down on the bed.
That week, she didn’t show up for work at Seoul City Hall.
Saturday had arrived. It was the day of the S-rank Hunter induction ceremony.
Feeling too nervous to sleep, Ye-Ji worried her skin might have suffered from the lack of rest. After a quick shower, she put on light makeup, dressed neatly, and arrived at the Hunter’s Bureau entrance right on time. The building looked unusually tall today.
She received a message titled Hunter’s Bureau: S-rank Induction CeremonyInstructions in her inbox, telling her to arrive at the small auditorium on the eighth floor by 10 AM.
Perhaps because it was the weekend, the Hunter’s Bureau building had few visitors. However, the small number of visitors there caused a disturbance near the entrance.
“What’s happening today?”
“All the S-rank Hunters are here!”
People murmured, glancing at the line of sports cars filling the parking lot.
At 9:50 AM, Ye-Ji entered the building through the revolving doors and took the elevator, pressing the button for the eighth floor. The ride from the first to the eighth floor lasted only four seconds. After a ding, the elevator announced, “Eighth floor,” as the doors opened. At the end of the luxurious marble hallway was the small auditorium.
Ye-Ji walked slowly and opened the auditorium door, noticing the banner hanging above the podium: S-rank Hunter Induction Ceremony.
My god, she cried inwardly.
Sitting in the front row were all the S-rank Hunters, not a single one missing, each seated with perfect posture. And at the podium stood Young-Chul, the Chief of the Hunter’s Bureau.
“You’re just in time. I was about to call you,” Young-Chul said softly, glancing at his wristwatch.
“I’m sorry!” Ye-Ji apologized as she hurried to the podium.
“Please, step up here and stand in the center,” Young-Chul said, gesturing toward the middle of the podium with his hand.
Following his instructions, Ye-Ji moved to the designated spot and stopped. The seated S-rank Hunters watched her with curious eyes. She started to feel stiff, wondering if they had all gathered just for her induction ceremony.
It was now precisely 10 AM.
An aide waiting nearby stepped onto the podium, carrying an elegant box. The case was clear, revealing a platinum badge inside.
Silence filled the room. Although it was 10 AM and everyone was in their places, the ceremony showed no sign of starting.
W-what’s happening...? Ye-Ji wondered.
She glanced at Young-Chul, who was still looking toward the auditorium doors. The aide and the seated S-rank Hunters also remained silent as if they were waiting for someone.
That was when footsteps started echoing from the hallway towards them. The doors stayed shut, but the sound of leather shoes was unmistakable.
When the doors to the auditorium creaked open, Ye-Ji’s eyes widened. “Mr. Administrator...?”
As he walked in, all the S-rank Hunters stood up at once, including Young-Chul and the aide. What Ye-Ji saw next was everyone bowing respectfully to Do-Jun.
Those with immense influence in Korea offered their respect very naturally as Do-Jun entered, and the entire process unfolded so smoothly that it seemed almost rehearsed.
Do-Jun walked up the stairs to the podium.
Young-Chul, who had been standing at the lectern, bowed again and said, “Thank you for attending, Supervisor Lee.”
“Apologies for holding this on a Saturday. This week has been unusually busy, so I couldn’t spare any time on weekdays,” Do-Jun replied.
Ye-Ji’s eyes flickered as she finally grasped the meaning behind Young-Chul’s earlier comment about how weekday schedules had been hard to coordinate.
“M-mr. Administrator?” she stammered, overwhelmed by the situation.
“Congratulations, Hunter Cha,” Do-Jun said with a warm smile as he stood before her.
The aide approached Do-Jun with the box containing the platinum badge and opened it. The badge bore the letter “S,” a dazzling mark that only those at the pinnacle of all Hunters could wear. Do-Jun picked it up from the box.
“Ye-Ji, you’re the first Hunter assigned under me.” He stepped closer, fastening the badge to her chest. “So, I wanted to present this to you personally.”
The platinum badge shone brightly as Do-Jun smiled with satisfaction.
“Congratulations on becoming an S-rank Hunter.”
Flashes went off repeatedly with loud shutter sounds from the cameras. The emergence of a new S-rank Hunter captured the world’s attention. The sudden announcement by the Hunter’s Bureau caused a massive stir.
Ye-Ji, who had been ranked fortieth among A-ranks, was suddenly promoted to S-rank. Moreover, it was a record-breaking feat in a different sense.
Questions from reporters rushed in.
“You went from F-rank to S-rank in just one year. How do you feel about that?”
“The video of your S-rank promotion exam has become a hot topic. What are your thoughts on that?”
“Could you provide more details about your current contract with Seoul City Hall?”
As the shutters kept clicking, Ye-Ji calmly responded to each question.
After a whirlwind of interviews, the press conference ended, and Ye-Ji went back to the Chief’s office. Young-Chul was out due to urgent business, but a group of S-rank Hunters was gathered.
“Um... do you mind explaining some stuff to me now?” Ye-Ji asked.
The one who responded to Ye-Ji’s question was Kang-Hyun. As he explained, Ye-Ji’s eyes gradually widened in shock.
Behemoth, Icarus, Phoenix, and Messiah were the four great pillars supporting South Korea, led by the heads of their respective guilds and their S-rank Hunters, and overseen by the Hunter’s Bureau Chief. That was the structure everyone knew.
Kang-Hyun explained, “Officially, that’s how it works.”
But behind the scenes, the reality was different, and someone else held true authority—a man working as a low-ranking civil servant in Seoul City Hall’s Fissure Management Division.
“Internally, it’s a different story.”
No one could pinpoint exactly when it began, but it was undeniable that a man named Lee Do-Jun had started wielding immense influence over the Hunter world.
“Very few people know about this. Only the S-rank Hunters gathered here, and the Hunter’s Bureau executives are aware. The general public has no idea about Supervisor Lee’s true identity.”
The reason Behemoth, which had struggled at the Core’s entrance for years, managed to reach the fourth floor was clear.
Kang-Hyun began revealing everything he knew.
“Oh, by the way,” he said, “Would you like to join our group chat?”
And just like that, he casually extended an invitation.
The next early morning, even though it was Sunday, Do-Jun, who had woken up early as usual, opened the front door to get the morning paper. He took it to the dining table and sat down. Unsurprisingly, the front page was dominated by an article about Ye-Ji.
“The Birth of a New S-Rank!”
It was a huge headline, both physically and symbolically.
Beneath it was the story of Ye-Ji’s rapid rise from a fortieth-place A-rank Hunter to S-rank in a single leap. Naturally, Do-Jun’s name was not mentioned. The article focused entirely on Ye-Ji, the newly emerged S-rank Hunter.
A message arrived with a buzz.
Ye-Ji: Thank you, Mr. Administrator! I’ll do my best!
Do-Jun chuckled softly as he got up. He poured boiling water from the kettle into his mug, stirred it, and returned to his seat.
The first light of dawn started filtering through the balcony window. It was a peaceful winter morning, just like any other.