Since the Cataclysm, the Awakened have been the nation's most important workforce.
Awakenings usually occurred between the ages of twelve and fourteen, and they needed to be systematically trained from a young age.
The nations of the world were not foolish enough to let their precious Awakened die without training, so they established institutions to train them.
Hunter Academy, a state-sanctioned institution that trains Hunters to protect the future of the nation.
Here, cadets learn the basics of hunter combat and the use of magic, as well as codes of conduct for dealing with dungeon breaks and accounting for tax purposes.
Aside from the minimal mandatory training, it's a pretty full-fledged hunter academy, with most of the time allocated to hunter-related tasks.
Twice a year the third year of the Hunter Academy's senior class is used to select new Hunters for the Guilds to join upon graduation.
It's called the Draft, and it's a fiercely contested annual event.
Han Soo-ho, a third-year senior student at the Hunter Academy in South Korea, was one of the promising Hunters selected in this year's draft.
"'Hoo...."
"Why are you, bastard, sighing on a good day?"
"Jae-hyuk...."
Soo-ho smiled bitterly as his classmate Jae-hyuk reprimanded him.
"It's the draft today, and the guilds will be coming."
"There's no need to be nervous, we're number one anyway. Oh, but it would be a bit awkward if a weak guild picked us."
Hunter Academy's draft system gives priority to the weaker guilds to prevent extreme skewing of talent.
Cadets also have three veto rights, so they're not forced into the draft, but if they use them all up, they're forced into the draft.
The draft season is full of pitfalls, as it's not uncommon for smaller guilds to make backroom deals to steal promising rookies from larger guilds, then made them use up their veto power and snatch them up.
But even then, it's an extreme mind game when it comes to the prospect of the year.
The battle for the top rookie of the year in last year's draft was famously fought over Han Ha-ri, even though she entered the Association.
"Well, we're in Class A, so we'll get picked up here and there."
"Didn't Jae-hyuk say you were going to join the Divine Sword Guild, and I saw you talking to their scout?"
Soo-ho mentioned, glancing at someone sitting on the edge of the room.
"No, I don't really like the Divine Sword Guild. If I go there, I'll have to bow my head to Chen Jin-soo."
"Ugh...."
Soo-ho looked over at the girl who, unlike her classmates who were all excited about the draft, was the only one who seemed disinterested, scribbling away at her notes.
She had blue hair, light blue eyes and an intellectual appearance that makes even the girl sitting next to her stare at her.
Her name is Chen So-yeon, the granddaughter of Berserker Chen Jin-soo, the guild leader of the Divine Sword Guild, the absolute number one guild in Korea's top ten.
As the granddaughter of the strongest authorized S-class hunter in Korea, her entry into the Divine Sword Guild is a given.
Despite her family's heritage, Chen So-yeon is also a top-ranked B-class Hunter, a genius of her time. She is a genius swordswoman who is said to be capable of becoming an A-class hunter as soon as she proves herself.
The classification of the Hunter Academy is strictly based on performance.
Class B Hunters are the majority of the class, and Class A Hunters, who have already awakened their unique skills, are a collection of geniuses.
Even in Class A, there are three who stand out: Han Soo-ho, Kim Jae-hyuk, and Chen So-yeon.
They're called the golden trio of this generation and this year's draft is strictly about who gets these three.
Aside from Chen So-yeon, who will naturally be joining her grandfather's guild, the Divine Sword Guild, Han Soo-ho and Kim Jae-hyuk have been in the spotlight.
However Han Soo-ho, one of the promising hunters, already had a place in his mind where he wanted to join.
"But are you really going to join the Association?… If I were you, I'd go to a place like the Firebird Guild or the Infinite Guild."
Jae-hyuk understood why Soo-ho wanted to join the Association.
Han Ha-ri, who was a year older than him, was from the same orphanage and Soo-ho had always admired her and hoped to join the Hunter's Association like her.
Jae-hyuk thought it was silly since in Korea, the power of the Top Ten Guilds is absolute.
Just comparing the salary of an Association employee with a decent mid-sized guild is at least double. The difference increases exponentially when you're a prospect in a top 10 guild.
"If you join the Association, you'll be sweeping the gates just before the dungeon break. Didn't your sister tell you that you'd be working for nothing?"
Ha-ri is a newcomer to the hunter community but what she's equipped with has the community talking.
-Ha-ri is a Class A Hunter, what's with the gear?
-Shouldn't she at least have a unique item? She's a hunter of the Association.
– They're tax thieves. If you're an up-and-coming hunter, you should have tons of corporate sponsorships.
-B-grade hunters can get unique items if they make a big investment, but Ha-ri's using rare items. Even though she's only 20 years old and the next S-class Hunter they don't invest in her? That's dereliction of duty.
That's why Jae-hyuk is determined to join a top 10 guild. Even though he's not Ha-ri, he's still a cadet and is recognized as a B-class prospect.
The Top Ten Guilds are a hunter's dream job because they support their prospects.
The Hunter's Association, it's not popular with young people these days because it comes with strings attached, like a sense of duty and patriotism.
"All right, cadets. Today, the Guilds are here for selection, just as we expected."
"Waaaaaah…!"
Instead of the usual classes, the draft information session was packed from first to eighth period.
It was a great opportunity for the cadets to hear from the high-ranking Hunters they had always admired, instead of just introducing themselves to the guild.
"Welcome The Golden Lion Guild Leader."
-Wow, Golden Lion!
An S-class Hunter himself?!
The Golden Lion Guild was the first to strike.
A month ago, the Golden Lion Guild had been heavily damaged in the attack on the Cheongju Gate, and despite being a Top 10 guild, they had gotten the first pick in the draft.
Normally, they would have sent a scout from their guild, but the situation was so urgent that the guild leader himself had to come.
That was something that most cadets know, nevertheless, the Golden Lion Guild was more favored than expected.
-They're still one of the few guilds with S-class Hunters.
-Their vice guild leader, Huang Yeonha, is also an upcoming S-class.
-Now is the time when the entry cut for the Golden Lion is the lowest. Perhaps I, as a C-rank, should take a shot?
That applies to the elusive top tier, too. Geniuses like Jae-hyuk, who reached B rank in the third year of the academy. Or talents with rare unique skills and are expected to be selected by the traditional top-tier guilds.
"Whoa~ It's already the 8th period, I'm tired after doing this all day."
"We still have three more days to go, and we'll have to schedule a field trip during vacation to experience the guild building."
"Haven't all the guilds come out on the first day already? There are plenty of mid-sized guilds this year."
The cadets exchanged opinions and dreamed of a bright future. It was time for a break, and it was getting late.
"Attention, cadets!"
An Association employee loudly announces his presence, drawing the cadets' attention.
It was Kim Jin-soo, the head of a department and Ha-ri's boss at work, so Han Soo-ho knew him well.
"The next person to enter is His Majesty Leon Dragonia Lionheart, Guildmaster of the Ten Thousand Gods Guild, who has been making a name for himself lately."
-Leon Drag… what?
-You know, the survivor. The one who attacked the Cheongju Gate and purified the Naju Plain.
-Ah~ The religious man?
"You!"
Chief Kim Jin-soo gasped and pointed at the student who had just spoken.
"Me, me?"
"Yes, you! Do you want to see all of us die together!"
"?????"
Seeing the cadet's bewilderment, Kim Jin-soo realized that he was lucky to come here beforehand.
"The man who is about to enter the room, as you know, has a different worldview from ours."
"He was more than an emperor in that world, and he is someone who strictly adheres to class."
"But this is Earth, a modern democracy."
"Please, please, if you have any complaints, keep them to yourself. I'm really, really saying this for your own good. Yes. Please keep it. You've all seen the historical dramas, right? You're either going to mimic them or don't talk at all."
"You're telling me to imitate the manner of the historical dramas as if you're the godfather of the Joseon Dynasty, and if I don't, the students will have to bear the consequences?"
These were the same association employees who were usually so polite and bowed down.
They know that they know they're the underdogs in Hunter's world. With that attitude, they might as well have given up on getting a Class A pick in this draft.
And they were so convinced that they needed to get the message across that they didn't want to get a pick this year.
'He's a cadet, he's a cadet, he's a cadet, he's a cadet, he's a cadet!'
He didn't want them to get hurt.
There was no way he was going to let that authoritarian classist bully get away with it.
Usually when a young, handsome hunter comes to scout, a question is always asked.
-Hey, Hunter, do you have a girlfriend?
A normal hunter would say, "Haha, I don't have one yet." But Leon's reaction was obvious.
'How dare you pry into the personal life of royalty?'
Thank goodness it's just words. They'd be lucky if he doesn't beat someone to teach them manners!
'What the hell was the Association President thinking, letting that bombshell participate in the draft?'
Normally, the Ten Thousand Gods Guild is too new to participate in the Draft. However, the young guild's actions were too great.
Leon virtually single-handedly cleared the Orange Gate of the Hunan Plains, which was intentionally broken by Yong Wan of the Firebird Guild and defeated the infamous Red Gate Yakt Spinner of Cheongju then made him become his subordinate.
He took a bunch of D-rank Hunters and raised them at least a rank… and probably more, bringing the Yakt Spinner and Queen Beatrice into the fold.
Leon alone was already overwhelming most small and medium-sized guilds, but the problem was that there were no mid-tier A- and B-ranks.
'Using that as an excuse to give him priority in the draft, the Association President is completely betting on him.'
He couldn't honestly say that the judgment itself was wrong since the power that Leon has demonstrated is the kind of power that can change a nation…or the world.
Not just brute force, but a position in the religious world that has been expanding at a frightening rate lately.
'Please let it pass without any problems!'
The bell rang for the end of recess, and the students took their seats, half nervous, half expectant.
The eighth period begins as the door to the classroom opens and Leon walks in.
* * * *
He was a handsome man but more than that, he had a powerful presence.
The Class A students felt it instinctively as they watched the blond-haired foreigner stand in front of the lectern.
He had an air of something that overwhelmed even the few high-ranking Hunters that visited for the draft and a grotesque power that could not be explained by logic.
He was a medieval barbarian, a religionist spouting religious nonsense but the young boys and girls soon-to-be twenty-something were forced to revise their preconceived notions.
If ever there was an overwhelming force of nature, it was this man.
His every step was like a perfectly polished piece of steel, and his aura was overwhelming.
'He's got an aura about him....'
'I heard he's stronger than an S-class Hunter, is that true?'
'I hear there are a lot of weirdos among the survivors, but that one....'
He looked like he was in his mid twenties but the cadets knew that he was over 300 years old and could only swallow dryly at his breathtaking energy and strong gaze.
The cadets understood what Chief Kim was talking about.
They must be careful how they speak in front of him.
"Let me announce something first."
Without even introducing himself?
The students didn't know what to say to a man who didn't even say his name and started talking as if they should know it but no one could stand up to that intimidating gaze.
Even the next leader of the Divine Sword Guild, Chen So-yeon, was swallowing her breath, overwhelmed by his aura.
With a snap, Leon's finger pointed at the cadets unlike a normal speech or greeting.
"Ninety-nine percent of you will not become knights."
"...?"
"Only the one percent who shine will become knights."
He came here to find the sprouts of knights, not soldiers.
This was not a solicitation or an offer. Not even a promise of a large down payment and support.
"Only a handful of talented ones among you will be chosen by me."
Show me your talent, I'll test you.
It was an arrogant declaration but one that only he could make.