Taking command of the conference room, Adam White said, "Let's discuss options…who do we have available…what options do we have."
"Since the gate appeared in North Korea, we have two nearby options…Hunter Hae-in Cha and Hunter Il-Hwan Sung…as far as we know, they are both available," said a very nervous analyst.
Almost immediately, a sigh of relief was heard throughout the room.
Hunter Hae-in Cha, also known as the Dragon Maiden, was a well known and respected hunter and leader. She was a powerful Nation Level hunter, had vast experience dealing with all sorts of magic beasts, and even had experience fighting Apostles of Itarim…aside from all that, she was the wife of the Shadow Monarch and the mother of the Monarch of Transcendence.
Hunter Il-Hwan Sung, was also a Nation Level hunter. In addition, he acquired the power of an Apostle and was therefore an Apostle of Earth. Like Hunter Hae-in Cha, he had tremendous battle experience and knowledge. In addition, he was the father of the Shadow Monarch and the grandfather of the Monarch of Transcendence.
Both hunters were powerhouses…nothing short of nuclear bombs…effective and lethal.
"It's settled then," said Adam White, "Hunter Hae-in Cha will take lead in this operation. Contact Hunter Il-Hwan Sung to serve as her Vice-Captain. Contact President Jong-In Choi of the South Korea's Hunters Association. Have him provide S-rank hunters to serve as support as well."
"I want contingency plans, evacuation plans, and the works on my desk by the end of the day…" Adam White's voice grew fiercer and sharper with each word.
What followed was a series of orders aimed at coordinating the S-rank gate mission. By the end of the day, the various hunters were contacted, and each confirmed their acceptance to the new mission. The assembled team was as a follows:
Hae-in Cha, Nation Level Hunter, Attacker, Squad Captain
Il-Hwan Sung, Nation Level Hunter, Attacker, Squad Vice-Captain
Yoonho Baek, S- Rank, Fighter, Guild Master of White Tiger guild
Miho Baek, S-Rank (promoted from A-Rank to S-rank), Fighter, Vice-Guild Master of White Tiger guild.
Tae-Gyu Lim, S-rank, Ranger,
Jongsoo Park, SR-rank, Tank, Guild Master of Knights Guild
Kihoon Son, S-rank, Tank
Gina, S-rank, Mage
Bora Lee, S-rank, Mage
Semi Han, S-rank, Healer
Jongsoo Park reached international fame as the first hunter to climb from A-rank to S-rank through the Tower of Tribulations (along with Ragnorak system developed by Ahjin Soft). The growth journey was long and arduous but through grit and determination, Jongsoo pushed his power beyond A-rank and into S-rank.
The news of such feat became an overnight media sensation. All the news channels across the globe covered the story. A hunter growing from A-rank to S-rank! The stock price for Ahjin Soft skyrocketed…there was zero doubt in the world's mind…this was the future.
To commemorate the historic occasion, the International Hunters Association officially registered Jongsoo Park as "SR-rank" in their database. The "S" for S-rank, and the "R" for Ragnarök system. So, he made history as the first and only hunter with the rank of "SR".
Shortly after Jongsoo Park reached S-rank, Kihoon Son was the second person in the world to replicate the incredible feat. When asked if he would like his rank to show as "SR" in the Hunters Association's database….he wisely declined. Kihoon figured that having a distinct rank such as "SR" might create a dangerous precedence that could inadvertently result in the creation of a separate group…thus segregating S from SR. Kihoon figured unity was more important than distinction…so he declined such offer. The result was that all subsequent hunters to reach S-rank were registered without any special distinction as "S-rank" similar to all other S-rank hunters.
After Kihoon Son, other hunters around the world succeeded in reaching S-rank level. In fact, thanks to the Trial of Tribulation and the Ragnarök system developed by Anjin Soft, the power distribution of hunters across the global drastically changed.
Before Ragnarök, power distribution mostly followed a pyramid shape. For every 100,000 E-rank hunters there were 10,000 D-rank, for every 10,000 D-rank there were 1,000 C-rank, for every 1,000 C-rank there were 100 B-rank, 10 A-rank, and 1 S-rank.
After Ragnarök the power distribution changed to a bell curve with most of the earth's population at C-rank…followed by D and B rank. Less common were E, A and S ranks.
With the help of Ragnarök, it was easy to climb from E to C rank. Climbing to B and A required a massive amount of time, energy, and dedication. Climbing to S-rank required Herculean-like grit and determination. Relatively few were able to reach such heights.
After 2 days of preparation, the strike-team assembled in North Korea under the command of Haein-cha. They gathered by the colossal gate prepared to battle the invaders. News drones and remote cameras filled the sky…the entire world was on the edge of their seat watching this historic event unfold.
The world and the strike-team assembled in North Korea held their breath as a blue haired woman stepped out of the gate.