"Don't pretend you don't know. You met with Tae Jaesik and talked to him. He must've told you then that this temporary team is actually made up of Seo Chaeyoon candidates."
"…Wasn't that supposed to be a secret? Are you sure you can just reveal it like this?"
"Well, it's already out, so who cares?"
Outside the interrogation room, Yoo Juncheol might've been rubbing his forehead in exasperation, but Kwon Jihan didn't feel the need to hide anything.
"I'm not Seo Chaeyoon. Seokyoung has completely misread the situation."
"Honestly, it doesn't matter if you're not Seo Chaeyoon. For us, just uncovering another S-rank who's been hiding their identity is more than enough of a win."
"In that case, too bad. You've failed. Go ahead and tell Seokyoung's Guild Master, who's probably standing in front of that mirror, that no matter how hard you interrogated me, Yoon Seo is just a plain old B-rank."
"That guy already thinks you're not S-rank, so there's no need for me to explain. I know who you really are… but the rest of the world? They're all idiots. I just hope you're not one of them. Do I have to list off every single one of your skills that I've read with my detection skill before you'll admit it?"
Yoon Seo kept his mouth shut. He had nothing to say.
Kwon Jihan was right. Telling someone with
But admitting to being an S-rank was no simple matter, either. Since everyone else still seemed to be wavering on the truth, Yoon Seo planned to deny it for as long as he could.
"Anyway, congratulations."
Kwon Jihan shrugged and extended his hand. It was obviously a gesture for a handshake. Yoon Seo's face twisted into a look of pure distaste, as if he were seeing something truly ominous, and Kwon Jihan laughed at his reaction.
"You're now part of Perfect Team 1. You've been selected as the elite of the elite, so feel proud."
"...."
Yoon Seo's face crumpled in frustration.
So it's come to this.
From the moment the Dungeon Clear MVP System had appeared, he'd suspected this would happen. Yoon Seo wasn't exactly shocked, but that didn't mean it didn't feel awful.
When he got home today, he'd rewatch episode 5 of Love in Han River and then go to bed… No, even that drama wouldn't be enough to cure this miserable mood.
If the news got out that he'd joined Perfect, reporters would swarm his house, his neighbors would spill every trivial detail about how he stayed up late watching dramas, and the Guild of Leaves members would be interviewed saying, "Yoon Seo always ordered five bowls of rice with a straight face." The thought of it was horrifying. Worst of all, he could already imagine Park Youngbum and Goh Heewon showing off their radiant, vitamin-injected faces in photoshoots, gleefully recounting every moment of his daily life. The mere thought made his stomach churn.
"Are you planning to announce that I've joined Perfect?"
"Adding an S-rank Awakened is a global issue beyond any organization's jurisdiction. There's no way we could keep that a secret."
"Stop playing word games."
Yoon Seo responded flatly, his tone devoid of humor.
"You know full well that you can't announce an S-rank Awakened has been added. It's nothing more than baseless speculation on your part."
"Hmm."
There were only seventeen S-ranks in the world. Spreading rumors about an additional one without concrete evidence would cause global chaos, no matter who the source was, even Kwon Jihan.
"Don't announce that I've joined Perfect. I won't stop you from saying a new team member has been added, but I want you to keep my identity hidden forever."
"Ah, so you want to keep living quietly?"
Kwon Jihan raised an eyebrow, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"People say I'm arrogant, but if you ask me, the most arrogant thing in the world is someone who possesses great power and still wants to live quietly. How can someone even harbor such a conceited thought? Even I don't dare to entertain such a hope."
Yoon Seo bit his lip, knowing full well that Kwon Jihan's mockery wasn't entirely wrong.
"But if that's your wish, it's not like I can't grant it. Of course, you know how it works, give and take, right?"
"What do you want?"
Yoon Seo looked up at Kwon Jihan with a thoroughly unenthusiastic expression. Kwon Jihan, who had been sarcastic moments ago, suddenly smiled brightly, like a child excited about a game update.
"Fight me. If you can beat me, I'll grant your wish."
"..."
Yoon Seo sighed, the kind of sigh that came with the realization that the peaceful decade he had enjoyed was now over.
***
The sky was still dim with the light of dawn, and the dew clinging to the grass had yet to evaporate. By a lake nestled deep within a birch forest, dozens of people had gathered.
All but one of them wore long gray robes, each adorned with the emblem of a crowned bull's head, the insignia of Europae, the top guild of the European Union, formed after the Apocalypse.
"Isn't it about time she came out?"
"Shh, keep quiet."
The moment a man opened his mouth, Europae's Vice Guild Master immediately hushed him. Although the man's position didn't typically put him in a place to be silenced, he had no choice but to comply here.
The man was Do Deungsoo, Vice Guild Master of Seokyoung. He had been dispatched to an S-rank dungeon raid in Europe, and as soon as the raid concluded, he had been summoned urgently by Europae's guild.
With a tense expression, Do Deungsoo focused his gaze. Everyone's attention was directed toward the lake, where white mist rose, and in its center stood a figure clad in a thin robe, floating above the water's surface.
Grace Elysia.
The Guild Master of Europae and an S-rank Awakened with the trait of a Prophet.
'If only I were a Prophet, too.'
Do Deungsoo was also one of the rare few to possess an S-rank Awakening trait. However, his abilities were not combat-oriented. His skills were specialized for handling errands, which kept him busy darting back and forth like some mythical messenger.
'I should've given up on playing detective and joined a religion early on. Then maybe I could've awakened as a healer or a prophet or something.'
After the Great Cataclysm, humanity began studying the Gaia System and Awakening, eventually drawing a few conclusions.
1. The guardian gods of the Gaia System are higher-dimensional beings.
2. Dungeon portals lead to a planet located in the habitable zone of the Proxima Centauri system.
3. Only those with a minimum level of magical power can awaken, and divine blessings are required to acquire skills.
With these three truths in mind, humanity immediately began researching Awakening methods, as it was crucial for survival. Dungeons continued to appear without pause, monsters overflowed endlessly, and the number of Awakened individuals was too small. This pushed people to pursue artificial Awakening methods.
It was discovered that a minimum of 100 mana was required for Awakening, though how to increase the absolute amount of this mana was still under study. The Awakening age range was extremely broad, from as young as 14 to as old as 89, making it impossible to pinpoint an average. Gender, too, was unrelated to Awakening, according to current consensus.
There were two things humanity could assert with confidence. First, evildoers could not awaken. Not a single criminal responsible for heinous acts like murder or assault had ever awakened, proving this point. Second, the traits and skills gained during Awakening were related to the individual's talents or profession.
For instance, singers would receive blessings from gods associated with music, gaining music-related skills. A famous singer who awakened as an A-rank during the Great Cataclysm subdued monsters with songs, a well-known anecdote. Similarly, doctors and nurses gained healer traits and healing skills, artisans acquired item-making skills, and soldiers obtained combat skills.
'I should've stuck to my childhood faith. Maybe I could've awakened as a healer or prophet instead of getting hooked on detective novels. Damn it.'
Do Deungsoo, who had once been a rising star in the detective world, awakened with the trait "Freedom of Movement" and a teleportation skill, perfectly fitting his career. Meanwhile, Grace Elysia, one of the few female priests, awakened as an S-rank Prophet.
A Prophet, someone who predicts the future.
Their visions of the future came through divine revelations received via the Gaia System. Prophets could use their skills to receive messages from gods without entering dungeons, provided certain conditions were met.
What made Prophets truly exceptional was their unique ability to "communicate" with the gods. No matter how many blessings hunters received or how frequently they entered dungeons, communication with gods was always one-sided. Hunters could only receive messages, never send them. However, Prophets could directly converse with gods using their skills. Though gods didn't answer every question, the mere ability to converse held immense significance.
Only five Prophets were known worldwide, and until Grace appeared, the highest rank among them was B-rank. As the first and only S-rank Prophet, Grace immediately became the Guild Master of Europae upon her Awakening.
Grace had accurately predicted S-rank dungeon occurrences, dungeon floods, and explosions. Two years ago, she made a prophecy so monumental that it was said the gods had awakened her solely to deliver this message, a prophecy that would shape Earth's future.
It was because of this prophecy that Seokyoung created the elite team Perfect, began tracking Seo Chaeyoon, and even sent Vice Guild Master Do Deungsoo to this place.
Ripples spread gently around Grace, signaling the end of her communication with the gods. Her wavy blonde hair glistened faintly with moisture. Grace walked across the water's surface, her face slightly weary. Guild members hurried to offer her a clean, soft towel and drape a white robe over her shoulders.
In English, Do Deungsoo asked Europae's Guild Master.
"Guild Master Grace, what revelation did you receive? Is there anything new?"
"…Let's discuss this inside."
Grace, supported by her vice Guild Master, began walking. Relieved, Do Deungsoo followed her. Her expression wasn't as grim as it had been during the prophecy a year ago.
Back then, her face looked as if she'd just heard of humanity's doom. If she had worn the same expression today, Do Deungsoo might have cried his heart out on the spot, despite any pretense of dignity.