###
Kang Hyun diligently worked on his field assignments.
On his way back to the guild, he even managed to clear a dungeon.
[Perfect Clear! (Solo)]
[A tremendous achievement! You have completely thwarted the invasion of the World Tree!]
[Due to your achievement, a ‘Blessing’ will be bestowed upon the surrounding area! Everyone will praise your achievement!]
[As a reward for perfectly clearing the dungeon (Solo), you are granted a special item.]
[You receive a ‘Bronze Box (+2)’.]
Even with a busy schedule, ensuring a Perfect Clear was a given.
Naturally, the guild allowed for this level of personal achievement.
‘But my luck hasn’t been great lately.’
Why are elixirs so hard to come by?
Just one, please!
[Opening ‘Bronze Box (+2)’.]
[You have obtained ‘Dried Sacred Water Elixir’.]
“Ah, come on!”
It’s a mana potion only effective in the F-rank range.
At his current level, it was nothing more than a basic mana replenishment potion.
Of course, selling it would fetch a high price, as potions were considered luxurious commodities.
‘Still, I’ll keep it, just in case it’s needed like in that last higher-rank dungeon.’
There were other potential uses, but he decided against consuming it now or tackling another dungeon.
Something felt off today, and on days like this, he preferred to prepare himself instead.
Kang Hyun arrived at the guild headquarters.
“Ugh, this is so frustrating!”
“Welcome back, Master!”
Aden greeted him enthusiastically, having heard of his return.
“Have you been training diligently?”
“I had a lesson with Sister Mar earlier!”
“Then let’s train.”
“…What?”
Dragging Aden along, Kang Hyun headed to the training room.
“But Master, you just finished work! Take a break!”
“I haven’t even used the training facilities while I’ve been stuck in lectures. Gotta make the most of it while I can.”
“Are you insane? Take a rest for once!”
They met Mar and they arrived at the training room.
“Yup, this is the training room, old man.”
“…This is it?”
“Yeah. Got a problem?”
It was… a gym.
“It’s not just a gym. It’s a training facility optimized for Awakened physical stats.”
“Sure, strength training is important. But where’s the sparring room?”
“Why would monster hunters need sparring rooms?”
“What about a blood arena with live monsters?”
“There are monsters in dungeons.”
“A meditation room on ley lines?”
“Do you know how expensive ley-line land is? Are you kidding me?”
Seriously, just a gym?
“There’s an extreme environmental adaptation room, though.”
“So, you only do strength training? What about swordsmanship? You use a rapier, don’t you?”
“What are you talking about? You have to kill monsters with swordsmanship to level up your skills. What’s the point of swinging a sword at nothing?”
This is absurd.
“Master?”
Kang Hyun clenched his fists.
“Everyone, cover your ears!”
“Wait, what?”
“Gal!”
Startled, Mar and Aden shrieked.
“What’s with you, mister?”
“What do you mean ‘kill monsters to improve skills’? Even a child knows you have to practice swinging a sword to master swordsmanship!”
“You’re one of the ‘modern kids’ too! You look younger than me!”
“Excuse me? Do you even know how old I am?”
“How old then?”
“Enough! Quiet!”
Total chaos.
So this is the reality of modern times.
No wonder a Perfect Clear had only been achieved twice in history. It wasn’t even that difficult.
“No wonder Yoo Chae-young looked so troubled when I requested the creation of a specialized training room.”
“Special training room?”
“It’ll be completed soon. You and Aden will start training with me there once it’s ready.”
Aden looked horrified.
“No way!”
“…?”
Mar gave her a puzzled look.
‘Even this disappointing place is supposed to be an elite guild… If it weren’t for the excellent support, I would’ve left ages ago.’
Kang Hyun had evaluated numerous dungeons and gained recognition for his contributions, earning additional resources like elixirs.
‘Another mana elixir—this makes two. Sweet.’
He decided to save them for when he activated his cultivation techniques.
On top of that, he had the durability elixir gifted by the Guild Master of Gwangmyeong.
‘Considering how rare elixirs have been in recent dungeons, this is already paying off.’
With the upcoming completion of the special training room, his growth rate would undoubtedly accelerate.
‘I can feel it. A breakthrough in spatial magic is just around the corner.’
All he needed was a small trigger. But triggers like that weren’t something effort alone could produce.
‘If only there was a small opportunity, I could break through.’
He didn’t know when this small opportunity would come.
While chatting, they overheard other Awakened in the gym talking.
“Man, today’s pump was insane!”
“What’s the point of building strength?”
“Why the sudden existential crisis? Did you even do legs?”
“When are we going to stop relying solely on that ghost?”
Mar and Aden’s ears perked up as they turned their heads.
“Why all of a sudden?”
“Haven’t you seen the news? Ghost took down another Palan operation.”
“Oh? Tell me more.”
“They wiped out a whole assassin-for-hire office.”
“Nice! Couldn’t they take down more of them?”
“The rest of the offices turned themselves in the next morning. Every last one of them.”
A man listening nearby gasped.
“For real? Whoa, now that’s epic!”
“But how long are we going to just sit back and let them handle everything?”
“So, what? You have a problem with Ghost?”
“Not really. It’s just… my hands are itching to do something too.”
“What, you want to become a dark hero now?”
“Not exactly… but you’ve got to admit, it’s kind of romantic. With the way public opinion’s swinging, that ghost is more respected than most Awakened.”
Mar and Aden didn’t seem surprised.
“Ugh, they’re just talking about what we already know.”
“Seems like they’re a bit slow on the news.”
Aden glanced at Kang Hyun.
“I’ve subscribed to every Ghost-related news channel!”
“…So what?”
“Hehehe.”
She puffed out her chest, clearly proud of her master’s secret work.
‘Now that I think about it…’
All the rumors and chatter revolved around Ghost.
“What rank do you think the ghost is?”
“Because of their ability, probably A-rank, but their actual combat rank might not be that high.”
“Are you kidding? They single-handedly took out assassin-for-hire groups. An Awakened killer! Of course, they’re strong!”
“Exactly! That’s why they’re a dark hero!”
Kang Hyun frowned.
Why was everyone so obsessed with Ghost?
“Is it because Seonghwa was tormented by Palan?”
“Awakened everywhere are the same. Seonghwa isn’t the only one who’s suffered.”
It meant other places were dealing with similar situations.
But still, calling someone a “dark hero” felt cringeworthy.
‘At this rate, I’m starting to fear how meticulous Chief Choi’s work is.’
Public opinion was being expertly manipulated.
The media couldn’t stop buzzing about it.
Ghost had attacked yet another Palan assassin branch.
It was no coincidence.
Ghost was deliberately exposing the reality of Palan as a traitorous organization while systematically dismantling it.
Ghost punishing Palan fit perfectly into modern society’s obsession with Awakened and hero worship. It was a captivating narrative.
“Let’s start training.”
“It’s quitting time. Let’s just go home.”
“It’s a flexible work schedule. I still need to train my junior.”
“Ugh! I’m going home!”
Reluctantly, Mar was let off the hook.
“You’re training with me.”
“I-I’m going home too!”
“Not a chance.”
Dragging Aden along, Kang Hyun prepared to train.
But then—
Flash!
“Huh?”
The earrings Kang Hyun was wearing began to glow.
The [Garam Butterfly Wing Pair] earrings.
###
D+ rank Awakened Byun Woo-seok.
An assassin who handled Palan’s dirty work.
Currently, he was carrying out orders from Oh Hyuk-jun.
He waited in a dark alley.
‘Kidnapping a civilian… Looks like the director has officially lost it.’
Byun Woo-seok muttered to himself.
Lately, every time he saw the director, he seemed worse off—legs shaking, biting his nails, dark circles under his eyes.
‘Better finish this quickly before trouble finds me.’
He reviewed the target’s profile again.
Name: Kang Subin. High school student.
She always walked home along this route.
‘Just a normal kid. They said she’s bait to lure her family?’
What could she or her family have done to earn Palan’s ire to the point of being targeted for kidnapping?
Blame your family.
Then, he spotted her.
‘Oh, here she comes.’
Kang Subin was walking with her best friend, just as expected.
Woo-seok crouched further into the shadows, waiting for the right moment.
‘What the… She’s much prettier than in her picture.’
Seeing her in person, she had an unmistakable presence.
A cold expression, porcelain-like skin—it was captivating.
She didn’t seem to have been touched by a man.
She suddenly felt energetic.
‘If I’m going to kidnap her anyway, can I have some fun?’
No one said to bring her back unharmed.
They could kill her later, or mess with her head a bit.
‘Breaking her a little shouldn’t be an issue.’
Byun Woo-seok, the one always taking on the dirty work.
His mindset was no healthier than Oh Hyuk-jun’s.
‘Should I start now?’
As he moved to reveal himself—
‘What.’
Another female student followed.
Kang Subin and her friend seemed to sense something and looked back.
An unexpected face.
“Huh?”
“Yang Sujin?”
The two girls hesitated, their guard up.
Someone they’d had a bad ending with, now showing up as an Awakened.
And here they were, in a dark alley.
“What… what do you want?”
“Well… I just… wanted to apologize….”
“…All of a sudden?”
The three paused and talked for a moment.
“I’m transferring schools….”
“What?”
It was nothing more than typical teenage emotions.
Trying to clean up old feelings before parting ways.
The rift between them had started over something trivial, hadn’t it?
Now they were walking side by side.
“I see….”
“Sorry. I was mean. Yesterday too, I just blurted things out without thinking. I didn’t mean it.”
“It’s okay.”
A scene of reconciliation, destined to become a bittersweet memory of their school days.
But misfortune found the three girls.
A suspicious man blocked their path.
A man in dark clothing, face concealed.
“Hello there.”
“Who… who are you?”
“A kidnapper? A r*pist? Take your pick.”
“What?”
Subin’s friend instinctively opened her mouth to scream.
But something like tape sealed it shut, leaving her voiceless.
“A new product. Makes this job so much easier these days.”
Tape quickly covered Subin and Sujin’s mouths too.
Sujin immediately retaliated.
“Damn, what the hell? An Awakened?”
But the assailant was D+ rank.
She was overpowered in an instant.
Thud!
“I’ll just break one of your legs.”
Crack!
“…!”
Sujin let out a silent scream.
Subin and her friend trembled as they watched.
“Sorry. The target’s just one person, but our director’s been a little unhinged lately. We’ve got to wrap this up today. You two can come along as well.”
“….”
“We’ve got time until midnight… Let’s make some good memories in a quiet place, shall we?”
Byun Woo-seok licked his lips.
Subin’s eyes filled with tears of terror.
‘I don’t want this….’
Save me.
Somebody, save me.
In her desperation, the first person to come to mind wasn’t her mom or dad.
‘Oppa….’
As his face appeared in her mind, Subin’s earrings faintly glowed.
And then—
【Open】
Shhhh!
The air to her right split open.
And the face she had desperately wished to see appeared.
“Who the h*ll are you?”
(TLN: Blessing radius was changed by the author from 100km to 50km.)
