After a few minutes Jinhwan wiped his tears, using the back of his hand. His expression slowly shifted back to normal, like he hadn't just been crying. He took a deep breath, steadying himself.
Suddenly, his wristwatch beeped.
BEEP.
A strange sensation washed over him. His body felt lighter than before. His limbs, once heavy with exhaustion, now carried a subtle strength. He clenched his fist, feeling a faint power pulsing through his veins.
His eyes drifted to the watch screen, which flickered to life for the first time.
[Activation complete.]
[Player: Lee Jinhwan.]
[Verification: Success.]
[Level: 01]
[Mana Points: 10]
"What is this...?" he muttered, eyes narrowing. "Looks like some kind of webtoon system."
A grin slowly spread across his face. Did I finally awaken?
He stood up from the sand, brushing off his clothes, and made his way to the car. Sliding into the back seat, he leaned his head back and let out a satisfied breath.
"Uncle Joon, let's go to the Hunter Association first."
Joon glanced at him through the rearview mirror as he started the engine. "May I ask why, young master?" he said, eyes still focused on the road.
Jinhwan looked at him and smirked. "I'm awakened now. Gotta get my rank measured."
Joon's brows shot up in surprise. "Really, young master?" he said, his tone rising with excitement. "Then let's go."
Without hesitation, his foot slammed on the accelerator, and the car surged forward, faster than before.
On the way to the Hunter Association, Jinhwan rested his head against the window, watching the city lights blur past.
The Hunter Association.
this was the real deal. Every country had its own Hunter Association, each one established to manage and monitor awakened individuals people who can use magic, Hunters.
It was created to keep them in check, rank them, and assign them jobs. Not just anyone could join. You had to awaken. You had to have power.
And in Korea, the Association wasn't just some background organization it was the powerhouse. With more manpower than any major guild and the kind of funding that put even the top corporations to shame, only a handful of elite guilds could match its level. Most didn't even come close.
"Young master, we're here," Joon said, breaking Jinhwan's thoughts.
He stepped out of the car as Joon opened the door for him.
Jinhwan stood still for a moment, eyes on the tall, sleek building in front of him. Its glass exterior shimmered under the night lights, looking more like a luxury skyscraper than a government facility.
Without a word, he walked toward the entrance, with Joon following close behind. They stepped into the elevator, and Joon pressed the button for the sixth floor. The doors slid shut with a quiet hum.
"So, what rank do you expect, young master?" Joon asked, glancing at him with a half-smile.
Jinhwan grinned. "Well, if you ask me, I'd say Z, easily." His voice oozed confidence.
Joon blinked. "Isn't that the top level?"
He pulled out his phone, typed something quickly, then tucked it back into his pocket.
"Who was that?" Jinhwan asked.
"Miss Cha. It's already past dinner time."
The elevator doors opened with a soft ding. They stepped out onto a wide floor with bright lighting, a few people working behind desks, and several others waiting outside a room ahead.
Jinhwan looked around. "So, where should we go now?"
"This way." Joon walked toward the room. Jinhwan followed him. The people who were waiting just glanced at them but didn't say anything since the guard didn't stop them.
As they entered the room, it was a huge one with lots of monitors and cameras. A man gave a small bow.
"This way," he said and guided Jinhwan to a large purple box-shaped crystal.
"Place your hand on it," the man said and took a few steps back.
Jinhwan placed his left hand on the crystal. Its color began to change again and again.
Looks like I'm a Z-ranker after all.
he thought and waited for the rank to be announced.
Then a voice came from the device.
"Rank: E-"
As Jinhwan heard that, the proud look on his face disappeared, replaced with a cold expression.
"What the fuck is this shit saying?" His tone was ice cold.
"It looks like you have the lowest rank, sir," the man said, trying hard not to laugh.
Jinhwan saw that and got more pissed.
"You think it's funny, asshole?" He walked toward the man and kicked his leg, making him lose balance. Then he raised his hand and swung it down, hitting the man in the chest and sending him to the ground, clutching his chest in pain.
"I think we should get going, young master." Joon stopped him and guided him out.
"That fucker was laughing at me. I'll kill him." Jinhwan screamed in frustration. "And what the hell is E-?. Since when did ranks have plus and minus?"
Joon picked him up like a kid and took him outside the building. Then they drove back home. As they entered the mansion, Jinhwan headed straight to his room and slammed the door shut.
[Next morning]
Jinhwan was in the gym, relentlessly punching a thick iron wall over and over. The place was massive, packed with every kind of training equipment imaginable, from weight benches to sword dummies and even high-tech combat machines. It was located at the backside of the mansion, away from the main building.
His fists slammed into the iron, again and again, leaving smears of blood behind but the wounds healed just as fast as they formed, thanks to Miss Cha behind him. Still, the pain didn't fade.
"Why.. why.... why.." Jinhwan muttered under his breath between punches.
I finally awakened... I thought I could enter a gate and rip those monsters apart with my bare hands...so why the fuck is my rank the lowest of the low?
CRACK.
"AAHHH!!" Jinhwan screamed in pain as his left arm gave out and snapped from the force.
Without saying a word, Miss Cha walked up behind him, calm and steady. She placed her hand gently on his broken wrist. A green dust-like aura flowed from her palm, swirling around the injury. Within seconds, the arm healed completely, and the glow faded into nothing.
"Try to control your anger, young master." she said softly as she wiped the sweat from his face with a clean white cotton towel.
Beep.
The watch on his wrist lit up. Jinhwan glanced at it, eyes narrowing.
[Quest: Hunt in an E-Rank Gate.]
[Reward: Level Up]
His expression shifted.
"So I can grow stronger." he whispered to himself, a grin slowly forming across his face.
Jinhwan got up from the floor, still flexing his freshly healed arm, and walked out of the gym without saying much. "Tell Uncle Joon to be ready. I wanna go outside," he said to Miss Cha, then disappeared into the hallway.
A few minutes later, he came down freshly showered and changed plain black t-shirt, cotton jeans, and a pair of dark sports shoes. He stepped out of the mansion and slid into the back seat of the sleek black car already waiting for him.
"So, where do you wanna go, young master?" Joon asked from the driver's seat, glancing back in the mirror.
"An E-rank gate. Buy it. And take me there," Jinhwan said coldly, eyes fixed on the glowing quest screen on his watch.
Joon paused for a second, then gave a firm nod. "As you wish, young master."
Twenty minutes later, the car came to a halt in the middle of a road that had been blocked off. Several people in black suits stood guard, and behind them, a swirling green portal pulsed with energy an active A-rank gate.
Joon stepped out and approached the group, stopping in front of a tall man who seemed to be in charge. "Is this gate under the Hunter Association or some guild?" he asked casually.
The man looked at him for a moment before his eyes lit up with recognition. He gave a polite bow. "It's under the Hunter Association. What can I do for you, Hunter Lee Joon?"
"I want access. Do the paperwork, I'll transfer the payment," Joon said, already typing something on his phone before slipping it back into his pocket.
"Understood. I'll take care of it. The gate is yours," the man replied, then turned around and motioned for the others to step aside.
"Let's go, young master," Joon called out.
Jinhwan stepped out of the car, calm as ever, and walked over to him.
"I need a weapon," he said, holding out his hand.
Joon went back to the car, popped the trunk, and pulled out a simple silver sword wrapped in cloth. He returned and handed it over.
"Will this do, or should I have someone fetch something better?" Joon asked.
Jinhwan took the sword, gave it a quick look. "It's fine. Let's go."
And with that, both of them walked straight into the gate and vanished.
A few seconds later, a woman in a ponytail who had been watching them from the side spoke up, concern on her face. "Mr. Choi I know it's just a low-level gate, but still. A teenager and one man alone. Isn't that risky?"
The tall man-Choi kept his eyes on the gate. "You didn't recognize him?"
"Who?"
"That man. That was Lee Joon one of Korea's S-rank hunters." Choi replied.
Her eyes widened in shock. "Wait, the Lee Joon? I thought he was just the kid's driver. Since he was calling him young master."
----
An hour passed inside the dungeon.
Joon was effortlessly taking down Poisoned Wolves one after another swift strikes, clean kills then tossing their bodies toward Jinhwan, who delivered the final blow each time.
Poisoned Wolves were low-class beasts, they're barely more than oversized wild wolves twice the size of a normal one, with the added danger of venom in every attack. While their poison could be lethal to low-rank hunters or regular people, for someone like Joon, they were nothing more than training dummies.
Now, inside the boss room, a truck-sized wolf lay barely breathing, already defeated by Joon's brutal offense. Its blood soaked the mossy stone floor.
Jinhwan stood still, staring at the glowing screen of his watch with a deep frown.
"Is something wrong, young master?" Joon asked, noticing the frustration on his face.
"Why didn't the quest complete even after all this?" Jinhwan muttered under his breath.
Then, without hesitation, he drove the sword straight into the boss wolf's skull. The beast let out a final whimper before collapsing fully but still, no system sound, no update, nothing.
The watch stayed quiet.
His eyes narrowed. His frustration deepened.
"Let's go." Jinhwan said coldly, turning around and walking toward the exit.
Joon didn't ask any questions. He simply followed.
As they stepped out of the gate, the portal behind them flickered once and then collapsed in on itself, vanishing completely.
But just a few steps ahead of them stood a man in his 40s, tall, with a visible scar slashed across his left cheek. He wore a clean white suit that contrasted sharply with the gritty surroundings. There was a strange calm in his presence.
"Hello, Mr. Lee," the man greeted with a gentle tone, his gaze focused on Joon.
Joon stepped forward until he stood in front of him, eyes locked. "What brings you here, Chairman Lee Myungsoo."
Myungsoo gave him a small smile. "You see, I heard someone beat up one of my employees last night."
His tone stayed pleasant, but the edge behind his words was clear.
"I can't just let anyone walk around freely after laying hands on my people." he continued, his gaze slowly shifting to Jinhwan. "If I do, others might start thinking the Hunter Association is getting weak."
Myungsoo and Jinhwan eye's made contact they're looking to eachother.
[Chapter 2 end]