Seoul – The Hunter's Reality

Being weak was a death sentence.

Kai Ren had learned this the hard way.

The city of Seoul glowed beneath the neon lights of floating billboards, each one displaying S-rank hunters in shining armor, promoting guilds, mana potions, and high-end weapons.

"Power is everything."

That was the reality of the world. Hunters were the ruling class, the modern-day nobility.

And people like Kai Ren?

They were the bottom of the barrel. The expendables.

He pulled his thin hoodie over his head, shivering as a cold wind cut through the streets. His stomach clenched with hunger, and the last 3,000 won in his pocket felt like an insult.

A ramen shop's door swung open nearby, filling the air with the rich aroma of broth and spices. A group of hunters laughed as they stepped out, each one wearing the insignia of a guild.

Kai turned away, fists clenched.

He wasn't jealous.

He was furious.

He had awakened as a hunter two years ago. He should have been one of them.

But fate had spit in his face.

Instead of becoming a warrior, mage, or assassin, he had been given the most worthless profession in existence.

Two Years Ago – The Awakening Ceremony

Hunter Awakening Ceremonies were supposed to be life-changing.

Inside the grand Hunter Association Auditorium, thousands of people had gathered, hoping to awaken with legendary abilities.

Each person stepped forward, placing their hand on the glowing Awakening Crystal—a shimmering orb that determined a person's rank and class.

The results varied.

Sung Ji-Woon awakened as an A-rank Swordsman. The audience cheered.Han Soo-Kyung became a B-rank Fire Mage. More applause.Lee Tae-Yeon awakened as a C-rank Tank. Not bad.

Then came Kai Ren's turn.

He stepped forward, heart pounding, placing his trembling hand on the crystal.

A surge of energy flooded his veins, burning through his body. His vision flashed with images of dungeons, monsters, and power.

And then—the system's voice rang in his mind.

[AWAKENING COMPLETE]

🔹 Rank: D

🔹 Class: Scrivener

🔹 Profession: Record Keeper

The room fell silent.

People blinked, confused.

"What the hell is a Scrivener?" someone whispered.

Then—the laughter began.

"A Record Keeper?" one of the instructors snorted.

"That's not a combat class, it's a damn secretary job."

Kai's stomach dropped.

His status screen appeared before him.

[STATUS WINDOW]

Name: Kai Ren

Level: 1

Class: Scrivener

Profession: Record Keeper

Title: None

HP: 100

MP: 50

Fatigue: 0

[Stats]

Strength: 5

Stamina: 5

Agility: 5

Intelligence: 20

Perception: 8

(Available Points: 0)

[Skills]

Passive Skills:

Eidetic Memory (Lv.1): Remembers everything in perfect detail.

Active Skills:

Transcribe (Lv.1): Write down battle details with system assistance.

"Transcribe?" Kai's mouth went dry.

That was his only active skill?

He could… write things down?

The realization hit him like a hammer.

He wasn't a fighter.

He wasn't even a support.

He was a damn note-taker.

The humiliation was unbearable.

Laughter erupted from the audience.

"A secretary! Hahaha!"

"Bro, he awakened as an intern!"

"Maybe he can write my memoirs when I get famous!"

Even the instructors shook their heads.

Kai stood there, numb.

His dreams of becoming strong, joining a guild, and climbing the ranks—shattered.

In one moment, he had become the weakest hunter in Korea.

Present Day – Hunter Recruitment Center

"Two years later, and nothing's changed."

Kai clenched his fists as he entered the Hunter Association Recruitment Center, a massive building filled with low-ranked hunters begging for jobs.

On one side, A-rank and B-rank hunters met with guild recruiters offering millions in contracts.

On the other side—hunters like Kai sat on plastic chairs, refreshing their phones, hoping for a job that barely paid rent.

And Kai was running out of chances.

If he didn't get a contract today, he would lose his hunter license.

"Ren, you coming or not?"

A voice snapped him from his thoughts.

Standing near the E-rank Raid Board was Jung Yoon-Soo, his party leader.

A B-rank Assassin, Yoon-Soo had everything Kai didn't—speed, skill, talent.

And he never let Kai forget it.

🔹 [SYSTEM NOTICE: E-RANK DUNGEON RAID APPROVED]

🔹 Location: Incheon, Korea

🔹 Type: Standard Dungeon (Goblin Nest)

🔹 Gate Rank: E

🔹 Party Leader: Jung Yoon-Soo (B-rank)

🔹 Party Members: 5

Kai knew this was his last chance.

If he failed this raid, his hunter career was over.

But as he stared into the swirling dungeon gate, a terrible feeling crept into his gut.

Something was wrong.

And by the time he realized what it was, it would already be too late.