The evaluator stumbled backward, his chair scraping loudly against the floor as he caught himself on the edge of the desk.
"T-That's… no way…" he muttered, staring at the crystal ball as if it might suddenly change its mind. "Black… it's really black…"
For several seconds, no one spoke.
The room felt unnaturally quiet, as if even the air itself was holding its breath. Even the faint hum of the mana-measuring machine sounded too loud.
Seo-yeon crossed her arms, her posture calm but firm. Her eyes moved from the crystal ball to the evaluator, then to Seung-hoo, who was still standing with his hand resting awkwardly on the glowing surface.
"So?" she said evenly. "What does the machine say?"
The evaluator swallowed hard. Sweat trickled down his temple as he reached for a small handheld scanner on the desk. His fingers trembled so much that he nearly dropped it. He pressed it against the crystal ball first.
Beep.
Then he turned and hesitantly pressed it against Seung-hoo's wrist.
Beep.
He stared at the tiny screen as if hoping the numbers would rearrange themselves.
"…Confirmed," he whispered. "Mana capacity classified as S-rank."
The words felt heavy, like they carried weight far beyond the room.
Seung-hoo blinked once. Then again.
"…S-rank? But I was only A rank in the past? Is it because of my skill?"
His voice sounded strange to his own ears, distant and hollow.
"So… what happens now?"
The evaluator looked at him like he was staring at something unreal. After a few seconds, he snapped out of it and rushed to a drawer beneath the desk, fumbling with the lock before yanking it open. Inside were neatly stacked hunter cards—white, blue, green, yellow… and at the very bottom, a small case.
He opened it carefully and pulled out a card unlike any other.
Jet black. Smooth. Cold-looking. White letters shimmered faintly across its surface.
S-RANK
He held it out with both hands as if presenting something sacred.
"Your… your new hunter ID."
Seung-hoo stared at it.
For a moment, he didn't move.
Just yesterday, he had been holding an F-rank card. A cheap piece of plastic that barely proved he was even a hunter at all. People had laughed. Some had pitied him. Most had ignored him.
Slowly, he reached out and took the card.
It felt heavier than it should have.
Not physically—something deeper. Like responsibility. Like danger.
Seo-yeon leaned closer, peeking over his shoulder. "…Looks good on you."
Seung-hoo let out a weak, breathless laugh. "You sound like you already knew."
"Maybe I did," she replied with a small smile. "Or maybe I just trusted my instincts."
The evaluator cleared his throat, still shaken. "I will… I will register this immediately. The association will be notified."
Those words flipped a switch in the world.
The moment Seung-hoo stepped outside the evaluation building, the calm shattered.
Flash!
Click! Click! Click!
Bright lights exploded in front of his eyes.
"What—?!"
Reporters rushed toward him from every direction like a tidal wave. Microphones were shoved inches from his face. Cameras surrounded him in a tight circle.
"Mister Seung-hoo! Is it true you awakened as an S-rank hunter?!"
"How does it feel to become Korea's 20th S-rank?!"
"Where did you train? Were you hiding your power this whole time?!"
"Do you have any connection to a major guild?!"
Seo-yeon immediately stepped in front of him, raising her arm.
"Back up! Give him space!" she snapped.
But the crowd didn't listen.
Screens everywhere lit up—phones, tablets, shop windows, massive billboards on nearby buildings.
A news anchor's excited voice echoed across the street:
"Breaking news! A new S-rank hunter has appeared today at the Seoul Evaluation Center. His name—Seung-hoo."
A red banner scrolled across the bottom of the screen:
KOREA'S S-RANK COUNT INCREASES FROM 19 TO 20
Seung-hoo slowly turned his head and looked up.
His own face stared back at him from a massive billboard across the road.
Hair messy. Jacket half-buttoned. Eyes wide with shock.
"…This is bad," he muttered.
People on the sidewalk stopped walking. Some pointed. Some whispered. Some took photos.
"That's him…"
"No way…"
"He looks so normal…"
Across the city, Ye Yeon froze in front of a café.
She had been deciding between coffee and tea when a bright screen above the street caught her eye.
She looked up.
"…Seung-hoo?"
The headline burned across the display.
NEW S-RANK HUNTER IN KOREA
Her eyes widened, then slowly softened.
"I knew it," she whispered with a quiet smile. "You weren't normal at all…"
Back at Seung-hoo's apartment complex, his landlord was sipping coffee while watching the morning news.
"…And now, introducing the 20th S-rank hunter—"
He squinted at the screen.
"…Wait."
He leaned closer.
"…That kid?"
The mug slipped from his hand.
"PFFT—!"
Coffee shattered across the floor.
"That's my tenant?! The one who paid three months worth of rent with gold coins?!"
Neighbors gathered around the TV, arguing loudly.
"You mean the quiet one from room 402?"
"He never even complained about the elevator!"
"S-rank?! But he lives upstairs!"
All across the city, reactions exploded.
Hunters slammed tables in guild halls. Civilians whispered in cafés. Phones buzzed nonstop with alerts.
Back at the evaluation center, Seung-hoo was trapped inside a ring of flashing cameras.
"Mister Seung-hoo! Do you have a girlfriend?!"
"Are you joining a guild?!"
"Is this power natural or from an artifact?!"
"What kind of abilities do you have?!"
He raised both hands helplessly. "I—I don't even know what's happening!"
His heart was pounding. His ears rang from all the noise.
Seo-yeon leaned closer and whispered, "Welcome to being famous."
Seung-hoo glanced down at the black S-rank card in his hand.
Then back at the crowd.
Just yesterday, he had been an F-rank, invisible to everyone.
Now the entire country knew his name.
Far away, in a quiet lounge filled with dark wood and glass walls, a man sat alone with one leg crossed over the other, sipping from a glass of cola.
Silver hair neatly combed back. Sharp eyes reflecting the glow of a large screen.
On the screen was Seung-hoo's face.
Byung-hu, the 18th S-rank hunter of Korea, watched in silence.
"…Very unexpected indeed," he said with a faint British tone, amused.
He took another sip of his drink.
"A new piece on the board…"
Somewhere else, a guild master slammed his desk.
"So that's the newcomer…"
In another office, a woman narrowed her eyes at the broadcast.
"Find out everything about him."
Back outside, Seung-hoo felt his phone vibrate nonstop in his pocket. Messages piled up faster than he could read them. Unknown numbers. Old contacts. Guild invitations.
His breathing grew shallow.
Seo-yeon grabbed his wrist. "Don't panic. This was inevitable."
"I didn't even want attention," he whispered.
She looked at him seriously. "Power attracts eyes. Whether you want it or not."
Above them, the billboard replayed the footage again.
Seung-hoo standing there, stunned.
The city kept watching.
Byung-hu immediately stood up from his chair and grabbed the jacket hanging on the backrest. The glass of cola was left behind on the table, ice slowly melting as the news continued to play on the screen.
"So it's finally happening…" he muttered to himself.
He slipped his arms into the jacket and walked toward the balcony doors, pushing them open with one hand. Cool night air rushed in, carrying the distant sounds of traffic and sirens from far below. The city lights stretched endlessly beneath him, glowing like a sea of stars trapped on the ground.
Byung-hu rested his hands on the railing and tilted his head back, staring up at the sky.
"…A new S-rank," he said quietly. "This should be interesting."
His fingers twitched.
Without another word, he activated his skill.
Flash Step.
He didn't speak it aloud—just formed the thought in his mind.
The world lurched.
Space folded in on itself like a sheet being snapped in half, and in the next instant, his feet were no longer touching the balcony floor.
"…Ah."
Wind screamed past his ears.
Byung-hu found himself suspended in open air, far above the city, with nothing but clouds and sunlight around him.
"…God Dammit!"
He looked down.
The ground was very, very far away.
"I forgot," he sighed, rubbing his forehead midair. "Random direction. Every time."
Gravity finally remembered him.
His body dropped like a stone.
The cold air tore at his coat as he plummeted, his jacket flapping wildly behind him like a broken cape.
"Of all places…" he muttered. "Why is it always the sky?"
Buildings rushed up toward him at terrifying speed. Windows blurred into streaks of light. Somewhere below, a car alarm went off as if sensing doom.
He twisted his body in the air, trying to regain balance. His expression, however, remained oddly calm—more annoyed than afraid.
"Alright… not the first time," he said under his breath. "Let's not traumatize civilians today."
He snapped his fingers and activated another skill, slowing his fall just enough to keep from turning into a crater.
His boots scraped across the edge of a rooftop as he landed in a crouch, tiles cracking beneath the impact. Dust puffed into the air around him.
He stayed still for a moment, listening to the echo fade.
"…Tch."
Byung-hu straightened and brushed invisible dirt off his jacket.
A pigeon that had been sitting on a nearby air vent stared at him.
The two locked eyes.
"…Don't," Byung-hu warned it.
The pigeon flapped away in panic.
He exhaled slowly and walked toward the edge of the rooftop, peering down at the streets below. People moved like ants, completely unaware that an S-rank hunter had just fallen out of the sky above them.
He pulled out his phone and glanced at the paused news broadcast still on the screen.
Seung-hoo's shocked face was frozen mid-expression.
"…You caused quite the storm," Byung-hu said quietly.
He slipped the phone back into his pocket and rolled his shoulders.
"Guess I should see you for myself."
Wind brushed past him again as he prepared to move, his gaze fixed toward the distant skyline where the evaluation center stood, lights still flashing from news vans and cameras.
His lips curved slightly, half in curiosity, half in amusement.
"A rookie S-rank appearing out of nowhere…" he murmured. "That never ends peacefully."
He stepped closer to the edge of the roof, coat fluttering behind him, the city stretching endlessly below as the noise of traffic and sirens mixed with the hum of distant helicopters…