Min Joon-Hyuk was still in a coma.
The hospital room was quiet in the way only hospitals could be—sterile, controlled, and unnervingly indifferent. Machines breathed for him. Tubes kept his body anchored to the present. The white ceiling above reflected no dreams, no memories, only light.
Time had stopped here.
Outside, the world moved on. Gates opened. Hunters fought. Names rose and fell.
But here—Nothing changed.
Until it did.
Beneath the white hospital sheets, a single finger moved.
So slightly that it could have been mistaken for nothing at all.
A nurse passing by almost ignored it.
Almost.
She stopped mid-step, her instincts screaming louder than her exhaustion. She turned back, eyes narrowing as she leaned closer to the bed.
"…No way."
She watched.
The finger twitched again.
Clear this time.
The monitor reacted instantly, its steady rhythm stuttering before adjusting, as if confused by the sudden return of intent. The nurse's breath caught in her throat.
She didn't hesitate.
"Doctor!" she called, already moving. "Room 712—now!"
The Call
Miles away, in a quiet guild office filled with the smell of paper and disinfectant wipes, Min Byung-Gyu sat buried under reports. His glasses rested low on his nose, eyes tired but focused.
Healing statistics. Mana consumption charts. Casualty prevention forecasts.
Normal things.
His phone vibrated.
He answered without looking.
"…Hello?"
The voice on the other end shook.
"Hunter Min… your brother's finger moved."
The pen slipped from his hand.
The world went silent.
"…What?"
"He may be waking up."
Byung-Gyu stood so fast his chair toppled backward with a loud crash.
He didn't care.
He didn't ask for details.
He didn't need them.
He dialed immediately.
"Min Tae-Joon (Father).Min Han-Seo (Mother).Come to the hospital. Now."
He ended the call and grabbed his coat.
No notice.No explanation.
The guild members watched him leave without a word.
The Guild Master, standing near the window, exhaled softly.
"…I was wondering when fate would stop being cruel," he murmured."Go."
The Room That Refused to Stay Silent
By the time Min Byung-Gyu reached the hospital, his instincts were screaming.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Light spilled from beneath the door of Room 712.
Not fluorescent.Not artificial.
Mana.
Dense enough to make the air feel heavy. Thick enough to press against his skin.
Byung-Gyu didn't hesitate.
"This floor," he said sharply to the stunned staff, his voice carrying authority born from countless battlefields. "Seal it. No one comes up."
Inside the room, the air vibrated.
When Min Tae-Joon and Min Han-Seo arrived moments later, they froze at the doorway.
Their youngest son was no longer lying on the bed.
Min Joon-Hyuk was floating.
Slowly.Gently.
Golden light wrapped around his body like a living thing, flowing across his skin as if rewriting it. Old scars—remnants of battles that had nearly killed him—began to fade, then disappear, as though time itself was being corrected.
Behind him, something began to form.
Not a shape.
An intent.
An outline of power so vast it bent perception.
Armor emerged from light—broad, radiant, unmistakable.
Above his outstretched hand, a massive sword-shaped silhouette burned itself into existence, its presence alone making the walls creak.
Min Han-Seo covered her mouth.
"…Byung-Gyu," she whispered. "What is this?"
Byung-Gyu swallowed.
"…He's awakening."
"How strong?" Min Tae-Joon asked quietly.
Byung-Gyu didn't answer immediately.
The pressure intensified, pressing against his chest like a warning.
"…Stronger than me."
Silence fell.
The aura sharpened, resolving into the image of a holy paladin—tall, imposing, its mere existence enforcing order. Cracks spread along the walls, crawling like veins.
Byung-Gyu stepped forward without hesitation, releasing his own power, wrapping his parents in a warm, stabilizing healing aura.
"I've got you," he said firmly.
Then—despite everything—he laughed softly.
"A healer's brother… awakening as a warrior.""…Guess the balance finally broke."
The pressure surged again, almost playful.
Byung-Gyu grimaced.
"Tch. You're pushing back already?""…Careful. You might outrank me."
His expression softened.
"But remember," he said quietly, eyes locked on his brother,"before anything else… you're my little brother."
Awakening
Min Joon-Hyuk's eyes snapped open.
The pressure vanished.
The light collapsed inward.
He dropped to the floor, landing on his feet as if gravity itself had adjusted to him.
In his hand—
A sword.
Massive.Ancient.Radiant.
A blade that looked impossible to lift.
He raised it effortlessly.
"…Brother?"
He blinked, confusion plain on his face as he looked at Min Byung-Gyu.
"What are you doing here?"
Byung-Gyu didn't answer.
He walked forward and smacked Joon-Hyuk on the head.
"You idiot!"
"Ow—!"
"You could've died!" Byung-Gyu snapped. "Do you have any idea what Mom and Dad went through?! You didn't need to play hero!"
Joon-Hyuk stared at the sword.
"…Why do I have this?"
"Because you awakened."
"…Awakened?"
"Look inside yourself."
Joon-Hyuk closed his eyes.
And felt it.
Not borrowed.Not artificial.
A structure.An oath.A presence that did not demand—but expected.
A true Holy Paladin.
His eyes flew open.
"…This is… Triple S?"
Byung-Gyu laughed under his breath.
"Unconfirmed," he said."But yes."
"…Then my rank?"
Byung-Gyu met his gaze seriously.
"…Higher than mine."
The Evaluation
The Hunter Association evaluation room had tested thousands of awakenings.
It had never seen this.
The mana scanner cracked.
Not shattered.
Cracked.
Golden light filled the chamber—not violent, but absolute.
The system rebooted.
Text appeared.
Class: Holy Paladin.Path: Oath-Bound.Alignment: Absolute.
The room fell silent.
"Rank?" someone whispered.
The system hesitated.
Then answered.
Temporary Designation: Triple S (Provisional)
The executive stood slowly.
"This evaluation is classified," he said. "His existence will change the balance."
Byung-Gyu stepped forward.
"No," he said calmly."He didn't awaken to be hidden."
The executive looked at Joon-Hyuk.
"…From today onward, every war, every disaster—people will ask one thing."
Joon-Hyuk waited.
"Will he stand there?"
Joon-Hyuk remembered the line he'd felt earlier.
The place where retreat meant loss.
He nodded.
"…If I have to."
And Somewhere Far Away…
Deep within a sealed gate, something ancient stirred.
A presence long asleep felt it.
A holy pressure.
A line being drawn.
"…So," a voice echoed in the dark, amused and wary."Another one has awakened."
The world did not know it yet.
But the balance had shifted.
And this time—
It leaned toward hope.