[Arc 2: A Normal World, A Hunter's Life]
Suwon, South Korea – After the Catastrophic
The world had found its balance again.
Dungeons still appeared. Hunters still fought. But Earth was no longer at war with the unknown. There were rules. Systems. Insurance forms. Training licenses. Guild registrations. Media interviews.
The apocalypse had been branded, classified, and monetized.
The world accepted the chaos—and moved forward.
So did Jung Ha-Joon.
---
A Glimpse of His Past Role
Before stepping into the Hunter's life, Ha-Joon had worked as an assistant at the Suwon Guild Office. Not because he needed the money, but because he wanted structure. Predictability.
He delivered documents. Cleaned gear. Managed simple reports. Silently. Efficiently.
> "You're wasted doing desk work, kid," the guild manager once said. "Why don't you awaken properly?"
Ha-Joon had simply bowed.
But the truth was different.
He didn't want attention. Power. Or a return to violence.
He wanted to rest.
But rest doesn't last forever.
And eventually, even Ha-Joon had to admit—he needed to move.
He filed for hunter examination the following week.
---
Hunter Guild – Registration Day
The line at Suwon Guild Hall stretched around the block.
Young men and women clutched documents, some dressed in knock-off armor, others in plain jeans and hoodies. Excitement buzzed through the crowd.
Ha-Joon stood silently among them. Hands in his jacket pockets. Eyes downcast.
No nerves. No fire. Just steady presence.
Inside, fluorescent lights flickered. Bureaucracy marched on.
> "Next."
He stepped up.
> "Name?"
> "Jung Ha-Joon."
> "Mana affinity?"
> "None."
The clerk raised an eyebrow.
> "How'd you pass?"
> "Special combat evaluation."
She paused. Then slid over a wristband.
> "Tracker. Syncs your location during missions. Take care of it."
A loud beep confirmed activation.
> "Welcome to the bottom of the chain, rookie."
Ha-Joon bowed once and left without a word.
---
Training Hall – Suwon Guild Branch
Instructor Goh was brutal.
A former C-rank with a permanent limp and a reputation for chewing through newbies.
> "You want to live longer than a week? Then MOVE like it!"
He barked at the rookies as they fumbled through formations. Weapons clattered. Groans filled the air.
Ha-Joon stood off to the side. Observing.
When his turn came, he stepped forward with a wooden sword.
His movements weren't flashy. No power boosts. No elemental flair.
But they were flawless.
He struck targets without missing. Dodged without overstepping. Timed every motion with eerie precision.
> "Beginner's luck," someone muttered.
Nam Do-Hoon scoffed loudest. Broad, flame-attuned, and loud.
> "What's with the fancy footwork, red-eyes?"
> "Practice," Ha-Joon replied calmly.
> "From where? A ballet studio?"
Laughter rippled.
> "Spar with me."
They squared off.
Ha-Joon gave a courteous nod.
Do-Hoon charged—raw aggression, wild swings.
Two steps.
One pivot.
Ha-Joon tapped his shoulder.
Do-Hoon stumbled and fell.
> "Again!"
> "Next time. When you've trained."
The room fell silent.
Instructor Goh just smiled.
> "Well. At least one of you wants to live."
---
Suwon High – School Resumes
Ha-Joon returned to school like nothing happened.
Same seat. Same window. Same uniform.
But the students had changed.
Whispers followed him.
> "He joined the guild." "He beat Do-Hoon." "His eyes are red… like, glowing."
He ignored them.
Until three older students cornered him behind the gym.
> "You think you're tough now?" "Let's see if that red glow bleeds."
They swung.
Ha-Joon didn't draw a weapon. He stepped into their rhythm.
One twist. One trip. One gentle elbow.
All three lay on the floor.
He picked up his bag and left.
> "I don't want to fight. I want to graduate."
---
Meanwhile – Shin Ah-Ri Watched
Shin Ah-Ri was a ghost in the school—quiet, bookish, unnoticed.
But she noticed him.
She remembered Ha-Joon before the disappearance.
He used to blink. Flinch. Laugh, sometimes.
Now he only watched.
His movements were never wasted. His gaze never wandered. His presence felt… older.
And sometimes, when he thought no one saw, his eyes glinted crimson.
Ah-Ri began sketching him in the margins of her notes. Not out of curiosity—but out of intuition.
> He came back wrong, she thought.
But she didn't mean it in a bad way.
Just that he carried something.
Something too heavy to speak.
---
Gate Patrol – His First Assignment
The Gate near the outskirts was minor—barely E-rank.
But protocol demanded inspection.
Ha-Joon walked its perimeter, recording data with his wristband.
Grass bent under warped pressure. Air shimmered faintly.
Then a growl.
A mutated wolf stumbled out. Thin. Hungry.
Ha-Joon didn't draw steel.
He stepped forward.
Eyes calm.
A flicker of crimson passed.
The wolf collapsed before its growl finished.
> "Logged."
Mission complete.
No cheers. No danger.
Just silence.
He liked it that way.
---
That Night – Rooftop Solitude
He sat with a warm cup of barley tea.
The sky here was soft.
Back in that other world, the sky had been devoured by storms and flame.
But those stars didn't exist anymore.
He was here.
And here, the only thing above him was peace.
> "Don't look back," he whispered.
He closed his eyes.
No system notifications. No voices.
Just wind.
And for once, that was enough.
---
Final Scene – Distant Rumor
In a city far away, a Gate opened early.
Two hunters entered.
None returned.
When the investigation team arrived, the area was hollow.
No monsters. No crystal. No residual mana.
Only a blackened crater.
The report marked it as a data anomaly.
But in a forgotten layer of dormant code, something stirred.
> "The Crimson Eye lives."
A fragment of the old world remembered.
But Ha-Joon did not.
He didn't want to.
---