Chapter Text
Jinwoo looked away from Jinah and his mom as he felt his phone buzz against his leg. His eyes narrowed slightly when an unknown appeared on the screen.
Who could this be?
Jinwoo stepped into his room and answered the call as the door clicked shut.
“Hello?”
“Hunter Sung.”
The deep voice was low but cheerful as the man spoke. Jinwoo knew who it was instantly.
“Director Woo?”
“Yes. I hope I’m not interrupting you.”
Jinwoo looked at the door, his family's conversation clear as day despite the distance between them.
“Not at all. May I ask why you're calling me?”
Jinwoo had no clue why Director Woo would need to call him. Surely another employee would be tasked with contacting a hunter.
“While you’ve probably heard already, President Go would still like to talk to you in person.”
Heard what?
Jinwoo cocked his head. The president of the association wanted to see him personally?
“I’m sorry, Director Woo. I don’t believe I know what you're talking about.”
“You haven’t watched the news?”
The surprise was evident in Director Woo’s voice.
“No, I haven’t. I’ve been somewhere hard to reach and I just got back.”
It wasn’t a lie per se.
“Very well. President Go would still like to speak to you in person about the matter. He can explain everything.”
Jinwoo focused on his mother again before speaking.
“I can come to you.”
“Perfect. I’ll let President Go know.”
The line went silent as Jinwoo put his phone in his pocket. What was going on? Jinwoo walked back to the living room as Kyunghye looked over at him.
“Everything okay, dear?”
Worry wrinkled around her eyes as she spoke. Jinwoo smiled and nodded.
“It was just a work call. I have someone I need to go see. I’ll be back by dinner.”
Jinwoo’s mom smiled and nodded as Jinwoo walked out. She turned to Jinah and smiled. “What does Jinwoo do for work, dear?”
Jinah looked at her mom with wide eyes as she hesitated.
“He’s… a hunter, mom.”
Kyunghye's eyes went wide with surprise. Her son was a hunter? Even after his father had been lost to a gate. Worries ran through her mind as she stared Jinah in the eyes.
“Does he know how dangerous that is?”
Jinah shook her head slightly and smiled.
“Don’t worry, mom. Jinwoo’s one of the strongest hunters in Korea. I doubt much is dangerous to him.”
Kyunghye took a deep breath at the information. At least he was a strong hunter.
* * * *
Jinwoo knocked on the president’s door before opening it. President Go smiled at him as he closed the door behind him.
“Welcome, Hunter Sung.”
The warm glow across his face put Jinwoo at ease. President Go stood up and walked over to a couch before ushering Jinwoo to sit across from him. Jinwoo sat silently as he watched President Go’s smile fade. A grim look coated his face.
“I would like you to watch a video.”
Jinwoo’s eyes widened slightly at the request. President Go pointed to a monitor that took up an entire wall. CCTV footage was pulled up. A quiet road was being filmed. Jinwoo saw it fast forward with barely any cars before the footage slowed.
A red car entered the screen. Even though the footage was in slow motion, it was apparent the car was moving quickly. In a split second, a black object materialized in front of the car. It was a living creature that stood on two legs like a human. The car didn’t have time to decelerate or break. But the collision never came.
Right before the impact, the car rose into the air before smashing back down on the ground. The black creature raised the car again and slammed it down before pulling the driver out of the window. The man’s limp body rose as the creature began devouring him headfirst.
Crunch! Crunch!
If the CCTV footage had sound, crunching would have surrounded the room. Jinwoo silently looked back at President Go as the footage ended and the screen turned black.
“Three hundred.”
His voice was thick with sorrow.
“That’s how many people that single ant killed.”
“Were the Hunters late to respond?”
“Not at all.” President Go shook his head. “I heard it took the Japanese Hunters less than 30 minutes to arrive. In that short time, an entire village was razed to the ground.”
Jinwoo shivered slightly. The Japanese had one of the best networks of hunters in the world. If they could suffer losses like that, how would Korea fare if those ants made it to the mainland?
President Go still got chills every time he watched the video.
We need to exterminate them. Before it’s too late.
The operation would happen in 4 days. Japan kept demanding the finalized list of Korean hunters participating in the raid. As the representative of Korea, President Go had been putting off giving them the list for one reason. He hadn’t been able to contact Jinwoo until now.
The moment he could finalize the list had finally come. He took a deep breath as he looked Jinwoo in the eyes.
“We plan to go to Jeju Island to exterminate the ants once and for all.” His desperation shone in his eyes. “But for us to do that, we need your help, Hunter Sung.”
President Go held his breath as he waited. If Jinwoo turned him down there was nothing he could do. Jinwoo wasn’t a part of a Guild, nor was he bound to the association. The decision was purely his own.
Jinwoo thought in silence. This would be a perfect opportunity to level up and get stronger. He’d hate for it to go to waste. But he thought of his mom. She had just woken up from the eternal sleep disease. Did he really need to worry her right after she woke up?
He hadn’t even sat her down to tell her he was a hunter yet.
And after what happened with dad, she’ll be extra worried.
He thought of his mom and Jinah. The smiles plastered on their faces when their mom came back home.
If those monsters ever reached Seoul…
He exhaled slowly as he met President Go’s eyes. His voice was clear as he spoke.
“I’ll join you.”
Relief washed over President Go as a smile grew across his face.
* * *
After the meeting with President Go, Jinwoo stood to leave but froze, eyes widening as he whipped around.
What's going on?
He sensed mana clashing nearby.
A dungeon break?!
That was his first thought, but he dismissed it quickly. He could tell that mana was coming from multiple hunters rather than magic beasts.
“Is something the matter?” President Go stood next to Jinwoo to see him out.
“It’s nothing. But I think hunters are fighting nearby.”
President Go chuckled as he spoke. “That can’t be.”
What hunters would so brazenly brawl near the association. No one would ever-
Wait… The direction Hunter Sung is looking in…?
He abruptly recalled the briefing they had this morning. “S-rank hunters are currently training in the gymnasium. Could that be what you're sensing, Hunter Sung?”
Training?
That would explain why the bursts of mana were restrained even though they stayed consistent.
Jinwoo nodded. “I see.”
The president was amazed. The gymnasium had been built to contain magic power. And stop it from leaking outside. He himself couldn’t feel a thing. But Jinwoo could not only tell there was mana. But that they were fighting.
Just how sharp is his perception?
President Go pushed his thoughts aside as he spoke. “Would you like to go to the gym yourself?”
It wasn’t everyday that all these S-rank hunters gathered together like this. And as a new S-rank himself, Jinwoo wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to see what these S-ranks could do.
“Mr. Ryuji Goto is there as well.”
Jinwoo had been mulling it over but his breath caught at the mention of Ryuji.
“By Ryuji Goto, you mean…?”
President Go smiled and nodded in response. Every hunter—hell, every person—knew the name of the most powerful hunter from Japan.
“Mr. Ryuji Goto is here to help train the Japanese and Korean Hunters to work together. Though he is leaving tomorrow so this would be your only chance to meet him.”
Japan’s strongest hunters…and Korea’s finest. I can’t miss this.
Jinwoo accepted President Go’s offer with enthusiasm. Besides, he would be working with these people. It would be good to know them, and their strengths.
* * *
Meanwhile Ryuji Goto fought back a yawn.
These are the best Korea can offer?
They were terrible–no, they were pathetic. Terrible was objective, while pathetic had a little sympathy mixed in.
If the safety of Korea is in their hands, wouldn’t it be safer to just have Japan protect them?
Ryuji smirked as he watched the battle pan out. There was one hunter. A single decent candidate among the Korean S-ranks.
I believe her name is Haein Cha?
Still, her power was only comparable to one of Japan’s high rank hunters. She couldn’t hold a candle to the Japanese elite.
Well, I guess it’s expected.
He turned around in thought. Korea was a small country, both in size and population. For their most powerful awakened be an old man whose days were numbered…
Gunhee Go is on par with our strongest hunters, but…
It was unfortunate for Korea. He had seen all he needed to get a grasp of the Koreans abilities, as that was his true reason for being in Korea.
If we withdraw during the attack… They won’t even last five minutes.
Ryuji sighed softly before freezing and looking up. A stranger had entered the gym and was nearly in front of Ryuji.
Hmm?
His eyebrows twitched as he stared. He hadn’t noticed someone approaching until they were this close. In fact, he still couldn’t sense the person's presence and he was looking right at him.
Is he an assassin class hunter?
He turned to the translator that the association had assigned to him.
“Who is that?” He asked, pointing at the unknown hunter.
The employee adjusted their glasses and stared for a moment before smiling.
“Oh, that’s Hunter Jinwoo Sung. The newly registered S-rank.”
“Ah..”
Ryuji smirked as he looked back at Jinwoo. The reawakened being with a mysterious background. Ryuji had intended to dig up information on him while he was in Korea, so this had been an excellent turn of events.
Ryuji smiled as he spoke.
“I assume he’s quite the excellent assassin.”
“Pardon?”
He wondered why the translator was looking at him funny.
“Did I say something wrong?”
The translator shook their head and gestured at Jinwoo.
“He’s a mage-class hunter, Mr. Goto.”
Ryuji’s eyes widened slightly. How’s that possible?
Ryuji pulled out his phone and pulled up the Korean associations website and went to the list of S-rank hunters. His mouth gaping slightly in disbelief. The browser automatically translated the text.
JInwoo Sung: S-rank, Mage Class
Ryuji looked back up as the hunter reached the group. The picture matched the man standing nearby.
He’s really a mage?
* * *
That’s Ryuji Goto?
Jinwoo recognized the strongest Japanese hunter instantly. He was a smartly dressed man, with a thin mustache. At a glance it would be easy to mistake him for a hunter.
Why is he staring at me?
Just as Jinwoo started to get uncomfortable, Ryuji nodded at him. Maybe it was because they had never met before? Jinwoo nodded back before focusing on the room.
In the center of the room, Yoonho Baek sparred with a massive middle-aged man. The man easily stood 3 meters tall. Everyone except Ryuji was watching the match intently.
Whoosh!
Yoonho batted the man's arm away before dropping into a low kick.
Crack!
A loud sound erupted as Yoonho’s leg contacted. Yet, it was Yoonho who grimaced.
Oh..
Jinwoo knew why. The larger man had instantly protected his leg with a reinforcement skill. Based on his size and skills, the man was a tank. Though his agility stat was way above average, as expected of an S-rank.
The man chortled.
“Come, Master Baek. How is it such a young man such as yourself is so weak?”
“I’m no master, Master Ma.”
The larger man, Master Ma, chortled again and tightened his belt. The sight of someone with the stature of a sumo wrestler wearing a judo uniform looked strange.
“In that case.”
After fixing his uniform, Master Ma lunged at Yoonho, who in turn released his magic power to counter him. The smiles on both men's faces grew larger with each blow exchanged. They appeared to both be having fun.
It seemed they were relishing the chance to cut loose and spar with a fellow S-rank.
“If Yoonho released his full power, Master Ma wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Jongin had approached Jinwoo and struck up a friendly conversation with him. Exchanging a nod with him as he continued.
“The man in the judogi is Dongwook Ma of the Fame Guild.”
Ah… Jinwoo had thought he heard the name before and sure enough he was a Guildmaster of one of the top guilds.
Curious, Jinwoo asked, “It’s not like he’s going easy on him. Why is President Baek holding back at all?”
“He doesn’t like going all out with so many people watching. He turns into a real monster when he does.”
Jinwoo nodded silently. Back at the red gate he had seen Yoonho’s beast-like eyes.
I guess it isn’t just his eyes that transform.
Some of the highest rank hunters had quite unique abilities. Similar to Yoonho Baek's transformation ability, in other words, monstrous abilities. Jinwoo was sure his own ability would be seen as monstrous itself.
What’s the difference between someone who transforms into a monster, and one that summons them?
Jinwoo laughed softly to himself. He wondered if anyone here would find his abilities interesting the way he considered President Baek. But that was all he thought of Baek's ability: interesting. There wasn’t much else to the men’s fight.
They’re slow.
Jinwoo was able to track their moves without even trying. Just then Yoonho froze and stared at Jinwoo.
Huh?
Jinwoo’s confusion grew as everyone's gaze slowly focused on him. Was it obvious that he was bored?
No, there was too much attention for that. Jinwoo soon realized why.
It isn’t me, it’s something behind me.
Jinwoo turned to find Ryuji staring at him intently. The translator beside spoke up in a hesitant voice.
“Sir, Mr. Goto as a request.”
Jinwoo knew that Ryuji had slowly been making his way towards him. But he didn’t expect him to address him directly. He raised an eyebrow.
He has been looking at me strangely for a while…
Had Jinwoo been telegraphing his discomfort?
Ryuji asked again, “Will you spar with me?
* * *
Ryuji didn’t have any ulterior motives. He was in Korea to evaluate with his own eyes the highest-ranking Korean hunters, and his curiosity happened to be piqued by a slightly unique hunter among them.
It should be easy to confirm if he’s actually a mage or not.
Ryuji still wasn’t convinced that the man before him was a brawler. And he needed information. He needed to know more about this hunter if he wanted their mission to go smoothly.
Though this should be fun…
A smile tugged at his lips.
The translator stuttered as he spoke to Ryuji.
“M- Mr. Goto, are you serious?”
“Please tell this gentleman exactly what I said.”
“But, sir..”
“Is there a problem?”
His question was innocent enough but the message had been clear. Why couldn’t he work out with the Korean hunters himself?
Sweat dripped from the translator's brow as he reluctantly agreed.
“I- I’ll ask.”
The translator turned around slowly and faced Jinwoo, struggling to speak.
“M-Mr. Goto…is asking you…to pr-practice with him..?”
There was no need to ask what Ryuji meant by practice.
Jinwoo looked at Ryuji, who awaited his answer. He couldn’t tell what Ryuji was thinking behind his smile.
Is he trying to see what I can do?
Someone as popular as Ryuji Goto wouldn’t ask this to simply flaunt his skills. If he wanted to, he would’ve asked Jongin or Yoonho. The guildmasters of Korea’s top two guilds.
I’m not sure what his end game was, but..
Ryuji had been eyeing Jinwoo since he arrived so it seemed like he was genuinely interested in Jinwoo.
In any case, Jinwoo wasn’t against the practice. In fact he was a little excited. He had wanted to test the skills he nurtured in the Demon’s Castle. And curious to see how he would match up against Japan’s top hunter. A small smile formed on his face as he replied to the translator.
Huh?
Ryuji’s grin slid off his face as he watched Jinwoo smile. He had expected the hunter to bow out but he looked relaxed. Did he have an ace up his sleeve? Or was he letting out a nervous smile?
He found out as he watched Jinwoo reply to the translator. He raised his eyebrows as the translator seemed to shiver and raised their hands in response.
What could take so long? It’s a yes or no question.
Jinwoo laughed again and calmed the translator's worries before sending him back to Ryuji. Ryuji watched intently as the translator spoke to him.
“Uh…Mr. Goto?”
Had there been no one else, Ryuji would’ve snapped at the translator to spit it out. Instead he gave a small smile and replied.
“Yes?”
“Hunter Sung accepts your challenge, but..”
“But?” Ryuji asked impatiently.
“He’d like to set a condition.”
Ryuji stared at Jinwoo in surprise. He had expected the hunter to raise a white flag, but he was making demands? Just what was this hunter thinking? Maybe he didn’t know who he was. But the translator would’ve just filled him in. Ryuji responded, bewildered.
“What condition?”
“Hunter Sung said..” The employee's voice fell as they looked back at Jinwoo, who nodded enthusiastically.
“He’s said he’ll accept if you intend to give it your all, Mr. Goto.”
Ryuji stared back in surprise. His bewilderment plastered on his face.
Is he joking?
Ryuji cocked his head as he stared. Jinwoo didn’t look like he was joking.
Interesting.
Was Jinwoo being arrogant? Or was he being ignorant? Either way the smile had long left Ryuji’s face. At first he planned to merely keep pace with his opponent and wrap things up once he had a grasp of his abilities. But now he had a different plan.
Fortunately there was a S-rank healer on the premises in case of any accidents.
“Fine.”
The translator’s face paled as they looked between Jinwoo and Ryuji. Jinwoo was a newly awakened S-rank so it made sense if his enthusiasm was getting the better of him. But why would Mr. Goto, a seasoned hunter, agree to this? They were past the point of return, though.
“Who’s that standing in front of Ryuji?”
“That’s Hunter Sung, isn’t it?
“Huh, are they going to spar?”
The other S-ranks and association employees gathered around the two men. Curiosity rested on every person’s face. Haein was among them.
Is Jinwoo going to be okay..?
His opponent was the best hunter in Japan, a country that boasted over twenty S-ranks. Jinwoo, on the other hand, had just recently been reevaluated as an S-rank, and was a mere rookie, ignoring his time as an E-rank. Under normal circumstances, it would only be right for her to step in.
Jinwoo was the savior of the elite strike squad of Haein’s Hunter Guild. She wasn’t the one to stand by as her savior got hurt. But as she stepped forward to defuse it, she froze. A memory surfacing, the look Jinwoo gave her when she had arrived at the boss’s lair of the A-rank gate.
Despite facing over a hundred high orcs and an A-rank boss, he warned her to stay away. Every time that look surfaced in her memory, her heart fluttered and she shivered in anticipation. That was why she stood quietly on the side. Biting her lower lip instead.
At that moment.
“Are you ok with being so close to other hunters today?”
Yoonho Baek stood next to Haein. He had done several raids with her in the past and knew about her condition.
“It’s not like I’ll be able to cover my nose on Jeju Island, so…”
Yoonho nodded in understanding.
Haein asked in turn, “You’ve met Hunter Sung before, right?”
“Yes.”
She recalled that Jinwoo had lent a hand to the White Tiger Guild as well.
“Then shouldn’t you stop him?”
“Normally I would. Considering his opponent.”
Haein blinked. “So then..?’
Yoonho turned and looked at her. “I won’t for the same reason you aren’t, Hunter Cha.”
Haein was startled with the way Yoonho seemed to read her mind. Her usually calm demeanor shifting.
“What do you mean..?”
“Aren’t you feeling strangely excited?”
She couldn’t deny it, her heart had been pounding as a thought crossed her mind.
Maybe Hunter Sung can..
“I feel the same way, Hunter Cha.” Yoonho turned to look at the two stars of the show. His eyes sparkling.
If I’m right, and Hunter Sung is an awakened being with an ability to grow stronger..
Finally the moment of truth came.
Ryuji was the first to raise his fists.
The translator standing near him sprinted away as the two prepared to spar. Not only were the two men S-ranks, one of them was the strongest hunter of Japan. Ordinary people could die if they were caught in the middle.
Jinwoo waited until the translator had reached a safe distance before raising his fists–or at least trying to.
Whoosh!
Without delay, Ryuji’s fist flew at the space where Jinwoo’s head used to be. Ryuji was taken aback.
I missed?
His attempt to restore his dignity by knocking Jinwoo out in a single punch had failed.
Jinwoo had avoided the punch and disappeared from Ryuji’s view. Ryuji whirled around to see Jinwoo standing behind him, fists raised. A small smile remained on his face.
He’s a mage hunter despite moving like that?
Impossible. No mage hunter had that quick of a reaction time. He had no clue why the Korean Hunters Association was hiding this man's true abilities, but Ryuji was sure his senses weren’t betraying him.
Jinwoo was an assassin-class brawler. He was lightning quick, and every move he made was silent.
He may be able to fool everyone else, but he can’t fool me!
Ryuji smirked. He was ready to lay the Korean man bare. He hadn’t been this excited in a long time.
Jinwoo, who had put some distance between him and Ryuji, stood listening to his heartbeat.
Ba-dump…Ba-dump…Ba-dump…
His heart pounded as he felt Ryuji’s waves of mana wash over him. He could sense that Ryuji's strength was leagues above the other S-rank hunters. But Jinwoo’s confidence rose with every beat of his heart.
Ryuji’s power was intense but wasn’t anything Jinwoo couldn’t handle. In fact it only made Jinwoo smile wider.
I could beat him instantly. If this is the power of level 97, how strong will I be at level 100?
His power had grown exponentially with each level. So the difference between 97 and 100 could be quite large. He refocused himself as Ryuji spun forward, his foot slicing through empty air, Jinwoo nowhere to be seen.
Jinwoo breathed softly before bending backwards and dropping into a foot swipe, knocking Ryuji off his feet. Jinwoo stood lazily as he stared into Ryuji’s eyes. Ryuji’s face was wide with surprise.
Ryuji stood up quickly, his breath razzled before he calmed himself.
This brat! I’ll show him the true difference in our power!
Ryuji released all his magic power. His eyes had begun to burn a bright white, his iris disappearing. A heavy and warm pressure settled on everyone in the room. Some employees fought the urge to throw up from the pressure, while others leaned on the wall for support.
Jinwoo’s smile turned serious as he pulled his arms near his face. His eyebrows raised slightly, beckoning Ryuji to come at him. He watched as a glare consumed Ryuji’s face. Jinwoo was growing impatient when-
Whoosh!
Thwack!
Crack!
It had seemed like fireworks had been set off in the gym as each contact between the two hunters resolved with a loud crack in the air. Yoonho could barely hold his mouth closed.
He had activated the eyes of a beast and his pupils had turned into tight slits, vibrating back and forth. He had been right, Jinwoo’s power felt and looked completely different from the last time he had seen Jinwoo.
It had only been a week and a half since Jinwoo had been reevaluated. If he could obtain this much power in such a short span of time, just how strong would he be in the future. Let alone the raid coming up.
Yoonho’s thoughts continued to pile up as he watched dumbstruck. Jinwoo had been dodging and blocking Ryuji’s attacks for well over a minute now. The pressure had continued to increase as Ryuji progressively pushed harder and harder.
He looked closely at Jinwoo and realized there was still a smile on his face. His muscles were relaxed as he parried every attack. Just then Ryuji froze.
Jinwoo had vanished.
* * *
Jinwoo stood behind Ryuji, cloaked in stealth as he let out a small breath. He had gotten a good grasp on the power gap between the two of them. No need to keep this going any longer. Jinwoo pondered before deciding on his plan. Jinwoo deactivated stealth and grappled Ryuji from behind.
Jinwoo aimed his leg at Ryuji, his calves bulged as he made an impact with Ryuji’s leg.
Crack!
A loud crack rang through the room as Ryuji began to fall to his knees. Before his knees could make contact with the ground Ryuji found himself staring at the ceiling.
What just happened?
Moments later a burning pain shot through Ryuji’s left leg. He looked down to see part of his leg bent at a weird angle. Sweat poured down his face as it set in. Ryuji locked eyes with Jinwoo as a chill began to creep into the room.
Murderous Intent.
[Murderous Intent has been activated]
All enemies have been put in a state of fear. Stats have been reduced by 50% for one minute.
Jinwoo stared down silently at Ryuji as Murderous Intent encircled Ryuji, a chill emanating through the entire room at Ryuji shivered in fear. The Japanese and Korean hunters alike stood in terror as they watched the fear and dread encompass Ryuji’s face.
Ryuji stared up silently as darkness grew around him, Jinwoo’s eyes slowly brightening before glowing blue, a haze surrounding his pupils. Ryuji felt his life flashing before his eyes, memories echoing through the darkness as the blue lights staring into Ryuji's soul grew closer. Just then, light began to crawl back into Ryuji’s view. Jinwoo’s face was relaxed as he looked down, his hands resting in his pockets.
Ryuji felt sweat pouring off his body. All his clothes clung to his skin. Ragged gasping escaped from Ryuji’s mouth, slowly dying down as murmurs began to go throughout the room.
“How did he beat Goto?”
“Mr. Goto’s terrified, just how strong is that guy.”
The room fell silent at the next words to come out of Ryuji’s mouth.
“I surrender.”
It had been a whisper but every S-rank froze at it. The great Goto Ryuji had been soundly defeated by some rookie S-rank. The Japanese shivered in fear, a thought running through their minds.
“Do they even need our help?”
Every Japanese hunter felt the same hit to their pride at the outcome of the battle. Ryuji looked in their direction, his eyes locked with their healer, Shimizu Akari.
“Akari, come heal my leg.”
The Japanese’s terror grew as they finally realized how badly Ryuji’s leg had been injured. Akari rushed forward and began healing Ryuji’s leg as Jinwoo walked over to the Korean hunters. Her voice was shaky as she spoke to Ryuji.
“Master Sung, that was an incredible showing! You fought and beat the great Ryuji Goto. Our guild is mostly mages, so we don’t have enough combat hunters. If you don’t have a guild in mind you should join the Fame Guild.”
Dongwook had put his arm around Jinwoo and talked enthusiastically. He had been blown away by the show of force during the match between the two hunters. His body froze when he heard Jong-in speak.
“Hunter Sung is actually a mage class, Master Ma.”
Dongwook’s mouth fell open as he took in the new information. His gaze settled on Jinwoo.
“Is it true you're a mage hunter, Master Sung?”
Jinwoo smiled lightly and nodded before turning his attention toward the rest of the gym. The Japanese hunters had grouped up around each other and were talking with hushed voices, the occasional worried glance was sent towards the Korean hunters. Jinwoo turned toward the Korean hunters.
“I think we should do a team building exercise. Between us and the Japanese.”
He had said it loud enough to catch the Japanese hunters attention, who all quickly turned to their interpreter for an explanation.
The translator hesitated before repeating Jinwoo’s words. They all froze at the proposal. Just what could he have in mind? They glanced between each other before looking at the translator, one thought in their minds.
“We can’t lose.”
* * *
Eight Japanese hunters walked up to the Korean hunters. The translator stepped forward, looking at Jinwoo.
“Hunter Sung, the Japanese hunters overheard your idea for a team exercise and are curious about your proposal.”
Jinwoo looked over at the hunters. He glanced over at the side of the gym, where Ryuji sat on a chair, his eyes still shaking. Sweat clung to his forehead, the Japanese healer was kneeling next to him. She was patting the man's back, seemingly trying to reassure him.
Maybe I went a little overboard at the end.
Jinwoo scratched the back of his head before returning his gaze to the other Japanese hunters.
“Simple, all the combat types of the Japanese and Korean hunters against me and my soldiers.”
The Japanese hunters' breath caught as the translator finished their sentence. What did he mean soldiers? They each stole nervous glances at each other. Their resolve to compete with this Korean hunter diminished with every action.
They all nodded collectively before giving a response to the translator.
“We can agree to this.”
They mage and support type hunters had gone to the sides of the room as the hunters faced off against Jinwoo. Each hunter’s face was smooth, but the nervous glint in their eyes gave them away.
Every hunter was curious about what was about to happen. There were ten hunters in total against Jinwoo. Yet he was confident in taking them all on. Silence swallowed the room as they waited for battle to begin.
Jinwoo surveyed the room, every single eye was on him. Waiting for his next move. He had one goal in mind. See how well the hunters were able to deal with endless hoards of enemies.
Lucky for him, his shadow soldiers gave him the perfect opportunity to test it out.
It couldn’t hurt to use Monarch's Domain.
The room grew cold and grey as a dark shadow grew from Jinwoo’s feet, slowly expanding and encompassing the entire gyms floor. All the hunters' brows furrowed at the sight. They glanced at each other before they saw it. Shadowy figures had begun to rise out of the shadow. Orcs, knights, mages, elves, even a dragon. Over a hundred monsters stood behind Jinwoo.
Jinwoo smiled before uttering a single word.
“Go.”