Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Moment of Collapse
Minwoo slammed out the main double doors of the gymnasium. The sudden quiet outside was a fragile shield against the political frenzy and chaotic mana inside. He needed seconds to think, but he was instantly cornered.
He was met by the massive, immovable figure of Team Leader Bae, his mother's bodyguard. The Level 39 B-Class Hunter stood beside a sleek, black sedan, radiating an authority that demanded immediate compliance.
"Minwoo-nim," the bodyguard stated, his voice a low, commanding rumble. "Your mother requests immediate, secure transport. The car is waiting."
"I am unattached and independent," Minwoo stated, his voice steady. "I am going home on my own terms. Step aside."
The doors groaned open behind him, and Sohee and Park Hyejin scrambled out. They stopped, ten feet away, their eyes wide and fixed on the tense standoff. Sohee, a protective fury already building in her stance, looked ready to intervene, while Hyejin scanned the surroundings with cold, professional fear. A lone flashbulb popped from a lurking freelance newscaster, capturing the moment.
Team Leader Bae knew he was out of time. "My orders supersede your preferences, Minwoo-nim."
He lunged, his B-Class mana flaring subtly as he aimed for a quick, professional capture grip.
It was at that exact microsecond, as the Level 39 Hunter's hand shot out, that Minwoo's internal System, stuck at 99.9%, finally finished loading its curse.
A blinding, euphoric spike of Level 10 power detonated in Minwoo's chest.
[System Initialization Complete.]
[Base Hunter Level Confirmed: 10]
The sheer rush of mana granted Minwoo a millisecond of perfect clarity. He executed the perfect Phantom Step: a lightning-fast feint left, a drop, and a hard spin right. The movement was utterly refined, a technique too clean, too practiced for a debut student.
Team Leader Bae's powerful hand closed only on empty air. The B-Class Hunter didn't just miss; his eyes, momentarily stunned, showed the professional shock of seeing an impossible counter-move executed with flawless, unnerving precision.
Simultaneously, Headmaster Kang's frantic voice boomed from the loudspeakers: "Attention, all high-rank candidates! Due to the extreme system anomalies detected, we will be conducting an immediate, mandatory physical evaluation for all remaining students to verify true power level!"
The euphoria of the dodge vanished. The Level 10 power was instantly ripped away by a searing, agonizing drain as the System levied its eternal curse.
[Penalty Status: THE DEMON'S TAX (Active)]
[Applying Permanent, Forced Penalty: Base Attributes HALVED.]
Minwoo stumbled, fighting the wave of debilitating emptiness. He ignored the paralyzed bodyguard and fixed his eyes on his two allies. He forced his status to display in a terrifying, momentary flash, readable only to the high-level Hunters Sohee and Hyejin.
[Status: Kim Minwoo ✦]
[(The Nameless One)]
[Overall Rank: F]
[Level: 10]
[Class: The Nameless One (F-Rank)]
[HP: 104 / 104]
[MP: 100 / 100]
...
[[Attributes - Penalty Applied: Halved]]
[Strength: 11 (Original: 23)]
[Agility: 13 (Original: 27)]
[Intelligence: 5 (Original: 10)]
[Vitality: 10 (Original: 20)]
[Sense: 11 (Original: 23)]
...
Sohee rushed forward, her face etched with a protective fury that ignored the technical data. "What the hell is this, Minwoo? Half?! You're practically a Level 1 again! You are not going anywhere! You get in that car and we call Father right now—you hear me? I am your older sister; you are not pulling this stunt!"
Hyejin, though shaking, grabbed Sohee's arm, pulling her back. "Wait, Sohee! The Headmaster just ordered a mandatory evaluation! They're setting a trap! If he goes in there now, they'll lock him down and use those numbers against the Silver Dawn Guild. He can't—he's too vulnerable!" Her voice was high-pitched with desperate, urgent reasoning.
"The evaluation is the only stage left," Minwoo stated, his voice low, firm, and completely focused, cutting through their panic. "They want a test? I'll give them one. I need to be inside."
He turned his back on the paralyzed B-Class Hunter and his horrified allies. Minwoo sprinted directly back into the school building, aiming for the mandatory physical evaluation he was now legally required to attend.