Metus, the dreaded Undead King, had been reduced to nothing. His skeletal remains crumbled into dust, leaving behind treasures befitting his legend.
Jinwoo casually sorted through the loot, while Po strode over to Metus' remains, hands on his hips.
"Damn," Po muttered, kicking a skull fragment. "I almost feel bad for him."
Jinwoo barely looked up. "Don't. He tried to curse me three times."
System Notifications flashed in his vision.
You have defeated the Boss: Metus, King of the Undead.
You have gained the following items:
Spring Water from the Forest of Echoes (A rare alchemical ingredient, said to enhance vitality.)
Demon Monarch's Necklace (+20 Intelligence, +20 Agility. Set Effects unlocked when paired with Demon Monarch's Accessories.)
Set Effect Activated: Demon Monarch's Influence (Stage 1)
+5 to all stats
Jinwoo equipped the necklace, feeling a familiar surge of power as his stats grew.
Po turned to him with a serious look. "So… you got the 10,000 Souls?"
Jinwoo nodded. "Yeah. It's about time we get our reevaluation. If we want to hit higher-ranked raids, we need to rank up."
Po grinned. "More raids mean more munyun. You know, money, but cooler."
Jinwoo smirked. "Right."
With the System offering three rewards, Jinwoo decided to take a gamble.
Reward 1: Select one item from the Shop.
Instead of choosing a Blessed Random Box (which had given him the key to the Demon Castle last time), Jinwoo picked the Cursed Random Box instead.
The result?
A Key.
No description. No level requirement.
Just question marks.
Jinwoo stared at it. "…That's suspicious."
Po, meanwhile, pulled out an ornate dagger, spinning it between his fingers.
"I like how expensive this looks." He grinned. "Also, I totally scammed the System out of a few trillion points."
Jinwoo sighed. "…I don't even wanna ask."
Reward 2:
20 Bonus Stat Points.
Jinwoo evenly distributed his points across all stats, keeping his balance.
Po did the same, additionally using his remaining unallocated 35 points with an equal +7 distribution across the board.
Final Reward:
Jinwoo and Po looked at their final reward and immediately frowned.
Blueprint Acquired: Holy Water of Life.
"…This is the most underwhelming thing I've ever seen," Po muttered.
Jinwoo rubbed his temples. "…Let's just get our ranks upgraded."
America — Washington, D.C.:
The city block was in ruins. Smoke rose into the sky, and emergency crews worked tirelessly to contain the damage.
Two men observed the wreckage from a rooftop.
"An S-Rank battle can change the landscape of an entire city," one muttered.
The other nodded grimly. "And yet, it ended in mere minutes."
Their eyes drifted to the center of the destruction—where a charred crater marked the battlefield's end.
Hwang Dongsoo never stood a chance.
South Korea — Hospital Room:
A dimly lit room. The soft beeping of monitors.
Jinwoo sat beside the bed, his expression unusually somber.
The woman lying there—a beautiful, middle-aged woman—was in a coma.
He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
"…Mom."
His inventory was nearly complete. He had almost all the materials needed to craft the Elixir of Life.
But the final ingredient—
"Blood of the Demon King."
Jinwoo's eyes hardened.
He would find it. No matter what.
"Just a little longer," he whispered. "I'll save you."
Korea — Hunter's Association Headquarters:
Jinwoo and Po sat in the waiting room, watching the funniest conversation unfold.
A group of Hunters chatted nearby, laughing about the ranking process.
"As long as you don't rank as E, you're golden. Guilds will recruit you instantly."
Jinwoo chuckled to himself. "The irony."
The guy before them in line looked nervous but forced a smile. "Uh, hey, you guys can go first."
Jinwoo and Po shrugged.
The ranking examiner, a professional-looking woman, led them inside.
"Alright, put your hand on the orb," she instructed.
Jinwoo complied.
The orb glowed faintly—and then flickered violently.
A sudden ERROR message appeared.
The examiner blinked. "…Huh?"
Another worker entered, glanced at the screen, and immediately froze.
"…That's an S-Rank reading."
The woman stared at Jinwoo while talking to the second worker. "S-Sir, I need you to wait. Another strong Hunter is about to enter, and we need to confirm—"
Jinwoo just sighed and walked out.
Then—
Po entered.
"Alright," the examiner sighed, rubbing her temples. "Please place your hand on the orb."
Po obliged.
Instantly—
The orb cracked.
"…Oh."
Then—
The orb glowed violently.
"…Uh."
Then—
It exploded.
"…Oh, shit."
The examiner and the manager just stared in utter disbelief.
Two S-Ranks?!