“Dodge it!”

“No!”

“Can’t you please just die?!”

The shouts and screams of the hunters seemed to fill the dungeon. It had been an hour since they had begun the fight with the orc. 

“Chwieukkkkkk!”

Despite the fact that all of the Hunters except Bae Sang-Su had been fighting the same orc, the orc was still alive and screaming. It was extremely tough and had impressive regeneration abilities. They were in a tense standoff that could be felt in the air with waves of tension right at the tipping point.

“...”

Bae Sang-Su was watching everything, and his hands were stained with sweat. There had been several moments where he had wanted to step out, but he stood in place, focused on every single detail. The situation hadn’t reached the point of no return as there was one person’s performance that allowed him to hold back.

“On the right!’

It was the Hunter who was screaming orders, the Hunter with the lucky number seven. It was because of Lee Jun-Kyeong. 

“Understood!”

The Hunters attacking the orc on the right backed away. 

Crash!

The orc’s wooden club smashed into the ground where they had just been. Then, as the club became stuck to the ground, Lee Jun-Kyeong shouted again, “This is our chance!”

The battle had already gone for an hour, so even though the Hunters weren’t fatally wounded, they were exhausted. However, by the copious amount of green blood splattered on the floor, the orc was likewise just as tired and injured.

"Chwik! Chwik!"

Sapped of its strength, the orc struggled to pull the wooden club out of the floor. But, just like Lee Jun-Kyeong had said, this was an opportunity.

“Die!”

The Hunters hoisted their weapons and ran, the green blood of the orc splashing furiously.

‘To think he can even command.’

Bae Sang-Su was surprised while watching Hunter No. 7. At first, he had assumed that the Hunter was simply a fighting genius so unbelievably talented that it was hard to believe he had just awakened. But that wasn’t all. The man also had incredible insight when faced with strategies and situations. Eventually, he had found his way into neatly handling the role Bae Sang-Su was supposed to play.

“Hah, eup!”

Just like what had happened in the beginning, Lee Jun-Kyeong charged while screaming, holding a spear that had broken in half like a dagger in his right hand. 

Puheok!

The broken spear plunged into the orc with an uncanny resonance.

Finally!

“Chwi… ik...”

At that moment, the iron spear tip plunged deep into the orc’s skull, caving it in. The giant orc’s eyes shifted and its arm moved, seemingly aiming for Lee Jun-Kyeong, trying to end his life.

Bang!

However, its body didn’t follow its will. No matter how great its regenerative powers were, even it was unable to recover from directly being attacked in the brain.

The orc had fallen. Lee Jun-Kyeong’s spear was broken beyond repair. However, compared to the achievement of having defeated an orc, the destruction of an entry-level spear was of little concern. The Hunters gathered around the fallen orc, silently taking it all in. It was unbelievable.

“D…Did we really do it?” one gasped.

Another almost screamed, “Did we really take down an orc?”

“I’m alive, right?” another muttered.

“Is everyone okay?”

They slowly came to their senses and began to speak.

“Congratulations. I sincerely offer my congratulations,” Bae Sang-Su uttered his praise for their unbelievable achievement.

[You have accomplished an Achievement.]

[You have hunted an enemy far above your level.]

[You have completed the Achievement, The Quality of a Hunter.]

[Your ability has increased.]

[Sponsors have taken notice of you.]

Everyone suddenly heard the same voice. They had earned the notice of the Sponsors and had accomplished achievements.

[You have successfully conquered the gate.]

Everyone smiled upon hearing the voice that confirmed their victory.

‘It’s a success…’

There was one person happier than the others. Lee Jun-Kyeong stood smiling with his head bowed.

[Mission Successful.]

[<The Sky of the Apocalypse> admires your performance.]

[<The Sky of the Apocalypse> sponsors you.]

[<The Sky of the Apocalypse> ...]

Finally.

[You have earned the right to summon a Familiar.]

He had received it.

***

"Would it be okay to tell me your name now?" Bae Sang-Su asked carefully. The gate where the graduation ceremony of the Tutorial had taken place was finally closed. While the orc at the end had been a special case, the Hunters had unbelievably overcome it with their own strength. After everything had ended, Bae Sang-Su had asked for Hunter No. 7’s, the most memorable person in Bae Sang-Su’s illustrious guide career, name.

“My name is Lee Jun-Kyeong.”

Hunter No. 7, no, Lee Jun-Kyeong said his name without hesitation. Bae Sang-Su quietly nodded his head.

‘Figures.’

He was sure that Lee Jun-Kyeong was the Hunter who had awakened as a D-Rank. Bae Sang-Su was so sure of it that he could swear by it. While he couldn’t attest to how much longer his guide career would be, he was sure that he wouldn’t meet any Hunter more memorable than Lee Jun-Kyeong. He then asked the names of the other Hunters who had participated. While they may not have made as much of an impact as Lee Jun-Kyeong, they had still been a part of an incredulous feat.

“My name is Choi Yong-Ok.”

“My name is Kim Min-Su.”

The other Hunters answered quickly as they were more focused on Lee Jun-Kyeong.

“Hunter Lee! Are you currently in a guild?”

“Did you really only awaken recently?”

The Hunters hadn’t spoken much during the Tutorial as they had to keep their names and information hidden. Now that the Tutorial had ended, they took turns in speaking to Lee Jun-Kyeong.

“No, I am not. Yes, it is true that I just recently awakened.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong answered the questions they asked without any signs of discomfort.

“If you don’t have a guild…”

He quickly responded, “I’ll have to decline.”

Initially, the guild officials, or even the family members of guild officials, tried to convince Lee Jun-Kyeong to join their guilds. However, Lee Jun-Kyeong refused them all. The other Hunters had begun to do other things, such as getting to know one another and exchanging contact information.

“Do you think you’d ever have plans to enter the Association?”

Finally, Bae Sang-Su approached Lee Jun-Kyeong after all the other Hunters had finished with their questions.

“Wow…”

“To think he’d get an invitation from the Association…”

“That’s incredible…”

The other Hunters became shocked after overhearing Bae Sang-Su’s request. While there generally were quite a few Hunters who would eventually receive invitations from the Hunter Association, there was only one that the Association had recruited directly from the Tutorial.

‘Is the Association trying to invest in me from the very beginning?’

It was said that the Association directly invested in the growth of recruited Hunters. This meant that the recruited Hunter would be supported from the very beginning, immediately after the Tutorial. This wasn’t an opportunity offered to just anyone. There had only been two other instances so far. One had refused and the other had accepted.

‘Athena…’

Lee Jun-Kyeong knew of both cases. One of them was the last person he had seen with Heimdall before returning to the past: the Official of Eden. Furthermore, she was Athena, one of the Twelve Heroes and one of the Twelve Gods. She had declined the offer.

‘Chi-Woo.’

The other, was a Hunter who, while not counted amongst the Twelve Heroes, was just as strong as they were. While everyone else had ranked Chi-Woo below them…

‘He’s a genuine monster.’

Lee Jun-Kyeong had seen him in his book. It was said that he not only could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Twelve Heroes, but that he could also overwhelm them. He most likely was currently growing at an insane rate under the management of the Hunter Association. 

'However, Chi-Woo died at the hands of the Demon King.'

Lee Jun-Kyeong took a moment to think, and then finally responded, “I’m sorry, I have no intention of affiliating myself anywhere just yet.”

“...”

Bae Sang-Su couldn’t react for a moment, as if from shock. Eventually, he shook his head and said, “I understand”.

He made no further attempts to convince Lee Jun-Kyeong. He could tell by looking at the other Hunter’s face that he knew exactly what he was refusing when he had declined the Hunter Association’s invitation. Bae Sang-Su wasn’t stupid enough to waste time trying to convince someone who had already made his decision.

‘What a shame.’

However, Lee Jun-Kyeong had sincerely considered it for a moment. To be invested in at the level the Hunter Association would provide would be a shortcut that would make many things possible and could help him grow at an even faster pace. Because, for the current period, the Association was basically the gathering point of all the power. But this was the very reason why Lee Jun-Kyeong had refused.

‘I wouldn’t have been able to hide anything that I would have wanted to.’

It wasn’t that he was worried about hiding his true identity or the strength he currently possessed. No, he was worried about what he would eventually procure. By joining the Hunter Association, he would have zero secrets, and people would sooner or later learn about any hidden cards he obtained in the future. This was the first reason why he had declined the Association.

‘Also, that man is in the Association.’

The second was that there was another strong player that was being supported by the Association. He was a person Lee Jun-Kyeong had no intention of being involved with, nor was he someone he could deal with currently. Although his reasons for doing so were different when he had declined the League Guild’s offer, in the end, he had no choice but to decline again.

“Everyone! You have successfully completed the Tutorial! From the bottom of my heart, congratulations!”

Bae Sang-Su smoothly changed the mood after Lee Jun-Kyeong’s rejection.

“We finished...”

“Was there anyone else who had worked as much as we did to finish the Tutorial?”

The shared experiences of the Hunters soon swept away their previous interest in Lee Jun-Kyeong.

“From this point forward, you are all true Hunters, and will be given small gifts from the Association as well. Furthermore, the compensation for attacking the gate will be disbursed as well.”

It was their first gate. Their first attack. Their first pay. Everyone’s face brightened. It had finally ended. While it had only been three days, they had learned and felt a lot. The Hunters gathered together and started talking again.

“Hunter Lee”, said Bae Sang-Su carefully in a voice only Lee Jun-Kyeong could hear.

“That thing from before…”

The excessive actions he had taken to defeat the orc. It wasn’t an action anyone could have understood.

“It was a mission, right?”

Bae Sang-Su was convinced that it was a mission.

“Yes, however…” Lee Jun-Kyeong responded without hesitation. “With all due respect, I will not be telling you what I received for my reward.”

As there was no reason for him to explain anything, Lee Jun-Kyeong turned away with a slight smile on his lips meant for Bae Sang-Su. While everyone else had thought they had finally finished, Lee Jun-Kyeong thought differently.

‘It’s finally begun.’

***

"It’s been a while. Why did you want to meet with me?”[1]

It was a neatly organized room with a huge table with a pile of papers placed neatly on it. Beyond that, there was nothing special about the place. However, the man, who was handling the papers, had a presence that almost overwhelmed the room which seemed quite empty.

“It has been a long time, sir.”[2]

There was a man standing respectfully in front of the table, with an eyepatch over one eye. It was Bae Sang-Su. He lowered his head deeply and said, “Association President.”

The man sitting across the table handling the documents was the president of the Hunter Association, which had an influence beyond Korea and reached the rest of the world. He looked to be around his forties. Oddly enough, he also had an eyepatch on one eye. He set aside his papers and observed Bae Sang-Su.

“The reason you requested to see me must be related to the Tutorial. Is it because of that D-Rank Hunter?”

As someone who was said to rule the Association, no, all of Korea, he was someone who had connections throughout the entire world. Living up to his name, he clearly had an inkling as to why Bae Sang-Su had come over. "Yes."

"You must have requested this because you liked that D-rank Hunter."

Bae Sang-Su nodded in affirmation and then slowly formed a serious expression.

"…"

The Association president’s face hardened as well in response. He had only seen such an expression on Bae Sang-Su’s once before. “Is he on the same level as Chi-Woo?”

Chi-Woo was a Hunter currently growing significantly under the aid of the Association. When he had been discovered, Bae Sang-Su had reported the matter with the same expression he had now. However, the Tutorial Guide’s answer was different from what the all-encompassing Association President had expected.

“He’s on an even higher level.”

Bae Sang-Su carefully lowered the documents. The eyes of the Association president slowly widened little by little as he read through them. The Association president rarely became as shaken as he was now.

“You’re not one to lie within your evaluations.”

The Association president looked at Bae Sang-Su with implicit trust in his eyes.

Squeak.

His chair rotated, showing a view of his back. He responded in a low voice, “How high do you think his potential is?"

He wasn’t asking for the current evaluation. It was a question of his future growth.

“Maybe…”

Bae Sang-Su’s trembling voice filled the room.

“You may be able to fulfill your dreams, President.”

"What?"

The president seemed surprised, suddenly turning his chair again to look at Bae Sang-Su.

“The very top.”

His purpose had been to stand on top of all the Hunters. To make all the Hunters kneel. To have overwhelming power. It was a humorous situation. To think that the word ‘purpose’ had come from the mouth of Bae Sang-Su with regards to a Hunter who had just awakened, no matter how much potential he would have.

“Soon… I would like to meet you.”

An indescribable smile appeared on the Hunter Association president.

It was a mix of expectation and an unfamiliar dark emotion.