Ethan's Past
In his previous life, Ethan had been an extremely talented violinist for a renowned orchestra. His skill with the instrument was exceptional, and his face had become well-known throughout the classical music community. He was young, charismatic, and driven—qualities that had quickly made him one of the most recognizable members of the ensemble.
But he had left.
Not because of a lack of passion or opportunity, but because of a fundamental disagreement with the orchestra's leadership.
Ethan had believed in meritocracy above all else. There were members who had been with the orchestra since its founding—veterans who had earned their place through years of service. But time had dulled their skills. Where they once had been exceptional, they were now simply... adequate. And in Ethan's view, adequate wasn't good enough.
He had demanded that those members be replaced. Removed. Let go.
"They're dragging us down," he'd argued in heated meetings with the conductor and board. "We're only as strong as our weakest link. If we want to remain at the top, we can't afford to carry dead weight just because of sentiment."
His words had been harsh. Clinical. To him, it wasn't personal—it was practical. Excellence required sacrifice. Loyalty to the craft mattered more than loyalty to individuals.
But others hadn't seen it that way. They'd called him cold. Ruthless. Lacking empathy.
And so, Ethan had left. He'd chosen to walk away rather than compromise on what he believed was right.
He viewed the world through the same lens. Those who couldn't keep up were replaceable. Weakness was a liability. Competence was the only currency that mattered.
He didn't look down on people out of cruelty. He simply didn't see the point in lowering his standards to accommodate those who hadn't earned his respect.
The only exceptions were the people he cared about. His sister back in the world , his dog.
For everyone else? They had to prove their value. Or they didn't matter.
---
At Hunters Guild, Training Arena
"Not good enough again," Min-Jae said as he sidestepped another Piercing Gale from Han Semi.
"Come on, stay in one place," she said, frustrated. She launched another Wind Gust, but Min-Jae simply shifted to the side, letting the attack pass harmlessly by.
"I'm not even using my defense. Try again. Try to concentrate on stabilizing your magical energy and focus it properly into the attack, the same way you do with healing magic."
"It's easy for you to say. You can already do it," she said, her expression serious and a bit worn.
"Yeah, and you're learning," he replied, walking over with a bottle of water in hand. "It's been two hours since we started training. Look—unlike in the red gate, where you got tired after using techniques a few times, you're keeping up for much longer now."
"Yeah," she admitted, sitting down and taking a few sips of water.
"You're angry. Why?" he asked, sitting beside her and adjusting his blindfold. He could sense her frustration even without looking at her directly.
"Well, first of all, it was your idea to go out that day. And we did, and it was a lot of fun. But I didn't know our pictures would be all over the internet like this," she said, pulling her phone from her bag and showing him the screen.
It was a fan page dedicated to Min-Jae. The post had several photos of them—walking through the park, at the theme park, candid shots from different angles. Even though Min-Jae had worn a cap and sunglasses, it clearly hadn't been enough.
The problem was the comments.
"They're literally speculating that we're dating and started hating on me on my social media posts," she said, scrolling through some of the messages. "Look at this."
Min-Jae leaned over and glanced at a few comments.
*"Who is she? Stay away from Min-Jae."*
*"She's not even that pretty. What does he see in her?"*
*"This better not be real."*
"Well, it's not a big deal. It's my fault—I didn't do a better disguise, I guess," Min-Jae said casually.
"It is a big deal. Your fangirls are all over me, commenting things like 'Stay away from him' and worse." She sighed. "I didn't sign up for this."
"Look," Min-Jae said, leaning back slightly. "People are going to speculate no matter what. If it bothers you that much, just ignore it. Or I can post something to clarify—"
"No, don't do that. That'll just make it worse."
"Then what do you want me to do?"
She was quiet for a moment, then shook her head. "Nothing. I just needed to vent." She took another sip of water. "It's fine. I'll deal with it."
"Alright. But if it gets out of hand, let me know."
"Sure."
---
They sat in silence for a moment, the tension easing slightly.
"By the way," Han Semi said, changing the subject, "did you see the news about Hunter Sung Jin-Woo's first raid with his new guild?"
"Yeah. I saw some of it."
"It was supposed to be an A-Rank gate, right? But it turned out to be S-Rank."
Min-Jae nodded. "Yeah. And it was a Red Gate too."
According to Woo Jin-Chul's public statement, the gate had been assessed as A-Rank prior to entry. But once Sung Jin-Woo and his team—or rather, just Sung Jin-Woo—had entered, it had revealed itself to be S-Rank caliber. Some analysts were even comparing it to the Jeju Island dungeon in terms of difficulty.
And yet, Sung Jin-Woo had cleared it. Alone. His shadow soldiers had done most of the work, but he'd handled the boss himself without breaking a sweat.
The media had gone wild. Sung Jin-Woo's reputation had skyrocketed even further. His guild, Ahjin, was now being talked about as a potential rival to the top guilds in the country—despite having only one official member.
"He really is something else," Han Semi said thoughtfully.
"Yeah," Min-Jae agreed. "He is."
"If he and you fight, who would win, do you think ?" Asked Han Semi, just causally, locking her phone and keeping it away and standing up from her place.
"He is an exceptional fighter, at least according to what I heard. He has many soldiers, who are also strong and will keep regenerating until his own mana runs out. Him clearing an S-Rank alone was just an example of his strength."
"Then you are saying you'd lose ?"
Min-Jae Simply smirked, standing up and working back towards the training place, "Nah, I'd Win."
There was a brief pause.
"Alright," Min-Jae said, standing up and brushing sand off his pants. "Another thirty minutes, then we're done for the day."
Han Semi groaned but got to her feet. "You're relentless."
"That's the point."
---
The training resumed.
Min-Jae didn't use Infinity or teleportation this time—just raw agility and speed. He moved fluidly, dodging her attacks with minimal effort, always staying just out of reach.
"Focus your mana into a single point before releasing it," he instructed as another Wind Gust went wide. "Don't just throw energy around. Control it."
Han Semi gritted her teeth, adjusting her stance. She raised her hand again, concentrating.
This time, the Piercing Gale shot forward faster, more focused. It grazed Min-Jae's shoulder.
"Better," he said. "Again."
She attacked again. And again. Each time, her control improved slightly. Her movements became sharper, her mana flow more stable.
By the end of the thirty minutes, she was drenched in sweat but standing.
"Good work," Min-Jae said, tossing her another water bottle. "You're improving faster than I expected."
"Thanks," she said, breathing hard but smiling slightly. "Same time tomorrow?"
"Yeah. Same time."
They packed up their things and headed out of the training arena, the day finally winding down.