“You son of a bitch, are you out of your mind?!”
A storm was brewing on the 47th floor in the S-Rank hunters break room of the Velvet Guild’s headquarters in Yeouido.
The vice guild master, Oh Hyunjung, personally came and shouted.
Avoiding her gaze, the S-Rank hunters inside got up from their seat and left.
However, from beginning to end, Lee Junseok remained seated, chewing on potato chips.
Red pepper paste bulgogi flavored potato chips that looked very spicy and delicious.
“Crazy bitch…You, do you know how hard it was for me to get the commander position for the Great Rift this time?”
Oh Hyunjung.
A retired hunter who awakened one of the rarest superpowers called psychokinesis, but has since peaked at C-Rank due to her limited talent.
However, because of her political and business skills, she rose to the position of Velvet’s vice guild master.
As such, her words held a lot of weight within the guild…
“I really don’t think it’ll be much of a problem.”
Actually, Lee Junseok had even gotten a call from the Hunter Association in Korea specifically asking if he wanted to lead one of the teams inside the Great Rift.
He was one of Korea’s strongest, and ‘deservingly’ ranks in the top 100 within the hunter community rankings and achievements.
But he had refused to be commander.
Simply because the position does not suit him.
Lee Junseok knows he’s strong, but he also understands what’s good for him.
Just because he’s a S-Rank superhuman, is his ability to lead also S-Rank?
It’s not.
Lee Junseok’s superpower requires a great deal of concentration, so he can’t afford to look after others.
No, even listening to someone’s order at times can cause him mental exhaustion…
What commander.
It sounds absurd, but what the public wants is a capable, famous, and experienced hunter to lead.
So selling that point, Oh Hyunjung had managed to get a commander slot for Lee Junseok.
“Are you joking? Who’s the one that brought you up to your current position!”
“My current position is through my own efforts. You just zealously sold my name. You made me famous, which was nice of you. It became easier to approach someone when returning a favor.”
“That’s ridiculous…What the hell is wrong with you?”
“And besides, I said I didn’t want to be commander, so why did you go and do that?”
“Isn’t that obvious? For you-”
“No, not for me, but for you.”
He coldly looked at Oh Hyunjung in the eyes.
It was inevitable that hunters have become ‘products’ in today’s world.
However, the Velvet guild has gone too far.
Hunters are not circus monkeys who only hunted monsters and did tricks with superpowers.
Thanks to Oh Hyunjung’s business skills, there are quite a few famous hunters in the Velvet guild, but that’s all.
Any one of them would die within a few days if left on a ‘real’ battlefield.
In other words, among the S-Rank hunters in the guild, Lee Junseok is the only one who has survived on a ‘real’ battlefield and can contend against something like the Great Rift.
Give the commander position to someone else?
Oh Hyunjun can’t even if she wanted to, so she had no choice but to nominate Lee Junseok, the most rebellious member in the guild.
“…Yeah. Do whatever you want. I don’t know anymore. I’ll report it to the guild master.”
“Of course.”
After Oh Hyunjung left while slamming the door behind her, Lee Junseok put down the potato chip bag.
In any case, it’s already a fallen guild he has grown sick of.
Not just the vice guild master, even the guild master had left the battlefield since five years ago.
Even on that day five years ago, dozens of S-Rank hunters were being commercialized on tv.
The guild has become unsuited for Lee Junseok, a person who has survived on a real battlefield.
Just, he had nowhere to go, so he’s staying for the time being.
Lost in his thoughts, someone knocked.
“Come in.”
It was Ahn Heejung.
A person who had awakened a very rare A-Rank flame superpower.
Lee Junseok believes with her great ambition, she will become a big hunter in the future.
She too, ended up in the wrong guild.
Obviously, it’s only a matter of time before Ahn Heejung’s reputation soars.
However, her talent will be reduced to an expendable circus act.
With a stiff expression, she looked at Lee Junseok’s face for a while, then spoke.
“Senior.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
Said Lee Junseok with a gentle smile, then Ahn Heejung breathed a sigh of relief.
The cold and indifferent face from the other day at the swordsmanship debate felt surreal.
“It was ignorant of me.”
“Well. If you’ve understood why…”
“No. I don’t, senior.”
“Huh?”
As Lee Junseok looked at Ahn Heejung wondering what she’s talking about, with a firm expression, she spoke.
“But, I’ve always trusted in your judgement.”
It’s…
Simply, Ahn Heejung had a feeling, one that all humans have.
‘Ah, this path, I’ll succeed if I take it.’
Wishing for success, wanting to be famous, or being above others in the future.
A sense of ambition.
Thinking about it logically, if you really want to succeed, the normal path would be to join a guild that’s already in the ranks of a large corporation.
And in fact, the Velvet guild is a solid path, one which has already extended out into the world.
Frankly, when she thought about it rationally, it made no sense.
And while acting on her instincts, she still felt confused.
‘What’s happening to me? Am I really crazy? Just play it safe and don’t do anything…!’
Contrary to what she thought, her mouth spoke differently.
“I’m sure there will be many team members who will be against your decision. So, I’ll give you my support…To be honest, I still don’t believe in that F-Rank hunter. But I’ll trust in my senior who believes in such a hunter.”
“…I see.”
For a long time, Lee Junseok stared at Ahn Heejung.
Then, he soon smiled.
“Heejung.”
“What?”
“Thank you.”
At the remark, Ahn Heejung muttered.
“I’m not doing this for senior’s sake…”
Cheorwon Gangwon Province, the site where the Great Rift was scheduled to appear, has already been thoroughly prepared since a week ago by the military.
Since the emergence of superhumans, the military hierarchy has changed dramatically, with most higher ups being replaced by superhumans.
Although a superhuman’s rank did not correlate to their military rank, it’s only natural that higher ranked superhumans are able to climb higher in the military.
For that reason, there were two military teams with superpowers dispatched to this Great Rift, 100 from the National Anomalies Suppression Unit and 50 from the Hunter Association, then the remaining teams were made up of hunters from individual guilds.
Although the Great Rift is in Korea, competition for the rights to enter was fierce, thus, each of the nine teams consisted of hunters from different guilds.
Having different guild members within a team did not cause internal strife.
Because in the past there were several times such strife happened and it wiped out an entire team.
‘This is awkward.’
Seodam slowly looked around at the 49 pairs of eyes staring at him.
The tablet in his hand summarized their affiliated guild, superpower, rank, and experience.
If Seodam had belonged to a guild, knew a few acquaintances, or had some kind of background at all, he wouldn’t be dealing with this troublesome situation.
There were hostile looks from all directions.
And it wasn’t just from his own team.
Other teams were also looking at Seodam with hostility.
“I heard the commander of Team 7 over there is F-Rank?”
“Does that make sense?”
“This is a Great Rift.”
“Tut-tut. In the past, every F-Rank hunter who had gone into a Great Rift was completely wiped out, so why choose to do this as if you didn’t know?”
Seodam bitterly smiled.
In fact, F-Rank hunters have tried several times to subdue a Great Rift, but for the most part, it ended in failure.
…There are reasons for that, but excuses are meaningless.
Only the fact that they failed in the end mattered.
And, perhaps Lee Junseok had already expected such a situation.
People didn’t trust in a commander who is F-Rank, so why not publicly show their strategy and judgement skills?
Although they don’t have superpowers, they’re still as strong as ever!
Lee Junseok wanted to let the world know that fact.
That’s why Lee Junseok and Ahn Heejung were persuading Team 7 now.
“He’s a worthy commander with good judgement. Unlike me, who has no choice but to concentrate in a fight…”
“I want a commander who can personally lead in the frontline!”
“That kind of commander is of course nice, but he’ll be able to lead our troops more efficiently from the rear…!”
Seeing the man and woman desperately trying to persuade others, Seodam somehow broke out a smile.
Actually, Seodam has no intention of going along with what Lee Junseok wanted.
The judgement, strategy, and know-how of an ordinary person is still useful in this world?
Something like that doesn’t need to be proven.
At best, it’ll get him a job as a teacher or writing textbooks.
‘Of course it’s important.’
However, that’s all.
Even if it’s useful, F-Rank is F-Rank.
So for this Great Rift, Seodam plans to prove that even ordinary people can become strong through ‘latent power’ and not ‘superpowers.’
Superpower and latent power.
In a way, it seems comical, but in fact, there is a clear distinction between the two.
Scientifically proven, superpowers are gained genetically through aether absorption.
On the other hand, to this day, not much is known about ‘latent power’ other than that it occurs naturally.
Since 99.99% of the world’s hunters are superhumans, practically nothing is known about ‘latent power.’
Thus, with his swordsmanship and magic ‘latent power,’ Seodam intends to turn it into something for those without superpowers.
‘In order to do that…I’ll have to put in more effort.”
So far, he’s only been able to use up to D-Rank magic with the help of the spirit’s magic.
Though, he wasn’t going to reveal his proficiency in magic.
He’ll have to fight with his life on the line to stand out among the A and S ranks superhumans gathered here.
That’s why, to the 49 teammates who were waiting for Seodam, he spoke for the first time.
“Everyone.”
“…!”
49 pairs of eyes took notice.
“I intend to fight in the frontline.”
“…What?”
Commanders are obligated to lead the fight.
“Just because I’m F-Rank, I have no intentions of abandoning my duty.”
Rather, this was an opportunity.
The opportunity to gain more meritorious services than others.
“I know saying it is meaningless. That’s why, I will put my words into action in front of all of you.”
Ending his sentence, he slowly turned around.
In front of him is the Great Rift, a 15 stories high giant red tear stretching from the ground up to the sky.
As one team after another entered the Great Rift, Seodam also strode forward.
While Team 7 were looking at one another, Lee Junseok and Ahn Heejung had no choice but to follow Seodam, thus forcing the rest of the team to follow.
Nonetheless, he was the commander and would fight on the frontline, so there’s nothing they could do.
Seeing that all his team members were following behind, Seodam entered the Great Rift.
Whi-iing!!
“…!”
Due to the sudden coarse storm, he slightly closed his eyes then opened them.
The entire world was red and full of upside down red cliffs.
And as if it’s a prank, there was something very large and bumpy rising from the red ground.
[Skill How To Run Like The Wind (A) has activated.]
Although the storm is rough, it wasn’t enough to shake or blow his body away.
One way or the other, it’s possible to move without hindrance.
‘Well, I’m glad I can hold on.’
Slowly looking around inside the Great Rift, the Client spoke.
< This world is a portion of ‘Fallen Red Giant’s Honorable King.’ >
‘Fallen, what?’
< It means a world that has already collapsed. >
‘Like before?’
< That’s correct. >
At a glance, something seemed to have fallen.
< This is Red Stormy Cliff, a place the giants came for their trials before the world collapsed. >
‘Oh. How do you know that?’
< Because Protagonist Hunter is now level 3, even if the world has collapsed, we can sense the ‘plot.’ >
‘Oh? Hey, then…’
Seodam saw as many as 12 huge red canyons.
Each grand canyon, the size of a hill, meant one for each team.
‘…Do you know what’s going on here?’
< I don’t know the full details, just bits and pieces. >
Hearing her words, Seodam clenched his fists.
To know and prepare for the upcoming challenges.
Seodam knew very well how much it could increase their survival rate.
With a jubilant look on his face, he turned around to look at his team members.
“Everyone, from now on…eh?”
Only now could Seodam make out the outlines of his teammates.
They were all crouching down and holding their bodies, which looked quite ridiculous.
“…What is this?”
Only
Asked Seodam.
Lee Junseok, who was in somewhat of a good condition, puzzling asked back.
“Sir hunter Yoo Seodam…aren’t you affected by this storm?”
Only then did Seodam look at his surroundings.
Seeing it now, not only Team 7, but all 12 teams are swept up in the storm, unable to move?
‘Huh, crazy.’
His skill allows him to blend into the wind, so he naturally didn’t realize it until now.
This storm is one of the hurdles blocking this Great Rift attack.
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