The last member arrived just on time. It was none other than Hwashim, who had made an extraordinary impression during the merger ceremony. Despite his indifferent expression, Hwashim immediately used a probing skill upon arrival.
['Hwashim' has activated the
['Hwashim' is viewing your
It was the same insight skill used by Hong Euiyoon. Just as Hong Euiyoon, bored among the uninteresting individuals, lit up as if he'd found a worthy match and was about to provoke Hwashim, a Seokyoung staff member entered the waiting room.
"Everyone is here. Now, we'll divide into two teams. Hunter Lazbin, Hunter Kim Kyungtae, and Hunter Last One, please head to the left meeting room. The rest of you, please follow me."
Yoon Seo couldn't tell if being separated from Park Soobin was a good thing or a bad thing. On top of that, why were there three people in one group and seven in the other? It was suspicious enough that he struggled to maintain a neutral expression, unlike Park Soobin, who smiled innocently.
"Yoon Seo, we're splitting up. You know, right? If you tarnish the image of the Guild of Leaves, Heewon might storm in with the hanbok you despise so much."
"I don't despise hanbok."
"It's okay. Even Koreans can dislike it. Though it embodies the soul of our people, the spirit we've risked our lives to protect."
"I said I don't dislike it."
"Alright then, I'm off. Fighting."
Though Yoon Seo retorted angrily, Park Soobin waved cheerfully and left. Yoon Seo decided that he would buy a modified hanbok today.
The staff guided the seven hunters down a hallway to a large door.
"Please enter. The guild master is waiting."
"Guild master? Seokyoung's Yoo Juncheol?"
"Yes, Guild Master Yoo Juncheol is waiting."
"Wow…."
Lee Jungin exclaimed. Others flinched or gaped in astonishment. Meeting the guild master of the world's top guild was a natural cause for such reactions. Yoon Seo, however, felt only dismay, his expression growing gloomier.
"Please go inside."
The door swung open. With a competitive gleam in his eyes, Hong Euiyoon was the first to stride in.
In the center of a space much larger than the waiting room, a pale man wearing glasses—Guild Master Yoo Juncheol—was seated on a sofa. However, the gazes of Yoon Seo and the other seven were not fixed on him but on the person beside him.
A strikingly handsome man with an unsettling air. Despite his large, sturdy build, he still looked youthful.
It was none other than Kwon Jihan, the S-rank hunter regarded as the world's current number one.
***
Kwon Jihan, currently 22 years old.
He had made a dazzling debut six years ago, at the age of 16, by single-handedly slaughtering a monster horde that was devastating a city.
The main duties of combat hunters were dungeon clearing and handling overflowing monsters. Since Kwon Jihan usually undertook dungeon strategies, the details of his skills were not widely known. However, based on widely circulated videos online, his skills were unmistakably designed for destruction and massacre.
He crushed monsters from the outside with an invisible force, made them swell and explode from within, or immobilized them with some kind of power before slaughtering them with a sword. People even remarked that it was fortunate he was on their side.
Observers speculated that Kwon Jihan's skills were related to psychokinesis, but this was mere conjecture since he never provided any explanations. After all, no one in the world had ever properly seen his profile.
In this era, it wasn't easy for awakened individuals to hide their system profiles. No matter how many layers of protection they added, probing skills and items were everywhere. Even S-rank hunters could only partially hide their system profiles, usually protecting their special skills.
However, Kwon Jihan was different. No matter what skills or items were used, the message ['Kwon Jihan's system profile cannot be read.'] would appear, and using a probing skill on him would only provoke his wrath.
The only known fact was the trait Kwon Jihan had revealed himself: 'Predator.'
Unlike his system profile, his personal information was well-known. He grew up in the same neighborhood as Yoo Juncheol and had a hyung-dongsaeng relationship with him. His personality was cynical yet combative, with rumors suggesting he had challenged other S-rank hunters to fights multiple times. His parents had both passed away, and he had no siblings.
An S-rank hunter who rarely participated in public activities—Kwon Jihan, the strongest hunter most revered by the world.
Even Hong Euiyoon, frozen with tension, couldn't hide his nerves as Yoo Juncheol spoke first.
"Welcome. I am Yoo Juncheol, Guild Master of Seokyoung. This is Hunter Kwon Jihan, as you all know. Please, come in and take a seat."
Hong Euiyoon, standing at the front, hesitated before taking a step forward, then flinched as if hearing an alarm and looked at Kwon Jihan. With a brazenly indifferent expression, Kwon Jihan stared back, as if to say, 'What?' Without a word, Hong Euiyoon moved forward. The other hunters followed, all reacting similarly to Hong Euiyoon, and sat down in the room.
As Yoon Seo entered with a faint fragrance accompanying him, he realized why the others had been so startled.
['Kwon Jihan' has activated the
[You have entered the realm of Pluto, the King of Underworld.]
[This has no effect on you.]
'Night of the Monarch…? What kind of skill is that?'
Some skill names made their purpose obvious, while others were entirely inscrutable,
'Should I check his system profile?'
As expected, Kwon Jihan was extraordinary from the very beginning, Yoon Seo thought as he took a seat.
After adjusting his glasses, Yoo Juncheol spoke again.
"We already know about all of you, but have you introduced yourselves to each other?"
"...."
"If you haven't, let's take a moment for brief introductions."
"Why bother…? We already know everything from probing skills."
Hong Euiyoon protested weakly, glancing at Kwon Jihan. However, Lee Jungin, looking slightly tense, began introducing himself, effectively ending the resistance.
"I'm Lee Jungin. Hunter name Paige. I'm twenty-eight years old and have been awakened for six years."
"I'm Yoon Seo. I'm non-combatant and don't have a hunter name. I'm twenty-nine years old. Nice to meet you."
After Yoon Seo's brief introduction, it was the turn of the shaggy-haired man.
"I, I'm Hunter name Amhyang. My name is Park Kang. I'm twenty-nine… A-rank combatant. Nice to meet you."
After Park Kang finished, Yoo Juncheol clapped his hands lightly as if to change the mood.
"Nice to meet you all. I understand this must be quite surprising. You probably thought you'd just spend a few months in Gangnam after being selected by your guilds, but here you are meeting me and even Hunter Kwon Jihan. On top of that, you've likely noticed that this group of members is far from ordinary. There's a reason for all of this."
Yoo Juncheol tapped a device at the center of the table, and a hologram appeared.
At the very top, in bold gothic font, the word 'Perfect' was displayed.
"Seokyoung has long been planning to form an elite team comprised of the world's strongest hunters. To this end, we've recruited numerous A-rank hunters domestically and internationally, as well as a significant number of S-rank hunters. Through various tests, we've narrowed it down to twenty-five elite hunters. This team has been operational since last year, but it hasn't been revealed to the media yet. Oh, and of course, Hunter Kwon Jihan is part of this Perfect team."
What kind of nonsense is this?
Yoon Seo barely managed to keep his anxious feelings from showing. Except for Yoo Juncheol, no one else spoke.
"We didn't stop there. We also began the task of discovering hunters who have yet to reveal themselves to the world. We reviewed countless hunters' profiles, and once we started paying attention, we found unpolished gems buried in the mud. Seokyoung has found you. I doubt any of you can claim you're not a gem. And I already know that among you, there's someone hiding their true abilities."
"W-wait. What does that mean?"
Hong Euiyoon abruptly stood up, but when Kwon Jihan's gray eyes glanced his way, he quickly sat back down. Yoon Seo's heart pounded in his chest.
Hiding true abilities? How do they know that? No, it might not be about me. I shouldn't react hastily.
As Yoon Seo bit his lip, Lee Jungin raised his hand.
"Feel free to speak, Hunter Paige."
"Please just call me Lee Jungin, Guild Master."
Lee Jungin smiled faintly, dimples forming on both cheeks.
"I don't know about the others, but to me, your statement sounds like you've been monitoring us. Is that correct?"
"Don't misunderstand. Even without deliberate monitoring, unpolished gems like you inevitably stand out. For instance, there have been plenty of rumors about you, Hunter Lee Jungin."
"Rumors about me?"
"The dungeon raid team of the Sejung Guild, which you're part of, consists of only five B-rank members. Yet, in the past five years, you've cleared eight B-rank red dungeons with such a small team. No matter how much your team tries to keep it a secret, did you think such active performance wouldn't be noticed?"
"Sigh…"
"I also find your unique skill,
As soon as the skill name was mentioned, Lee Jungin immediately raised a white flag. The Guild Master's bluish lips curled upward.