Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Come to think of it, I could wield an enormous amount of credibility on Hunter Link.

Although I was only a 2-Star Hunter now, within Hunter Link, the rank from my previous life was being applied exactly as it was.

It seemed Hunter Link measured a user’s rank not by physical strength, but by the rank of their soul.

That was probably why I had been able to suppress the owner inside another user’s Nest.

Just as I had countered Choi Yura’s pressure.

Perhaps because of that, the comments were explosive.

[Anonymous] ?

[Anonymous] What is that rank?

[Anonymous] ??

[Anonymous] Who is this person??

[Anonymous] 10-Star???

[Anonymous] Is that possible?????

[Anonymous] Is that not a bug? How can a 10-Star Hunter exist?

[Anonymous] This is insane, haha.

It was not only Korean Hunters.

[Anonymous] What in the world????? 10-Star???

[Anonymous] Ten Stars? That rank does not even exist in the System.

[Anonymous] The System does not make mistakes to that extent.

[Anonymous] Ten stars? That is beyond classification.

Hunters from countries all over the world were also unable to hide their shock at the appearance of an unidentified 10-Star Hunter.

[Info] Events That Will Happen in the Near Future 1 (1,372)

It had only been five minutes since I uploaded the post, yet there were already more than 1,000 comments.

Right, of course they were all shocked.

Generally speaking, for a Hunter who had surpassed 5-Star to raise their rank by even one level, they had to go through effort beyond imagination and an arduous journey.

Even that only applied up to a point. From 6-Star onward, becoming stronger through effort alone was almost impossible, so one needed fortune close to a miraculous opportunity.

There was a reason why only a little over twenty Hunters, including me, had ever reached 10-Star.

[Anonymous] Is this really true???

[Anonymous] It sounds fake.

[Anonymous] This is too much;; How can a 10-Star Hunter’s name not be known? Seriously;; It is probably just a bug.

The Hunters who were shocked by my rank barely paid any attention to the actual content of the post.

Come on.

Do not look at the author rank. Look at the content.

I had gone to the trouble of telling them what would happen in the future.......

Still, I had definitely succeeded in drawing attention, so this was more than satisfactory.

If I operated as an unidentified 10-Star Hunter and released the things I knew one by one, I would gain absolute trust.

Then stopping the Day of Grief would be entirely possible.

[A comment has been posted!]

[A comment has been posted!]

[A comment has been posted!]

......

[A comment has been posted!]

Even while I thought that, comments were appearing in real time.

And it was not only comments.

[General] Is that not fake? (17)

[General] Does it make any sense for a 10-Star Hunter to suddenly appear and predict the future? (331)

[General] It seems possible if they are 10-Star;;; (58)

[General] Does anyone have a guess who this is? (113)

Heated arguments were also breaking out over my identity and whether the post I had uploaded was true.

DING!

A notification window appeared.

[Your post has been moved to the Combined Best Board!]

[Your post is currently ranked first in real-time views and comments!]

[HIT!] Events That Will Happen in the Near Future 1 (6,117)

Before I knew it, the post I had uploaded had recorded the highest view count among all posts on Hunter Link, and a huge banner had been hung on the Combined Best Board.

At this point, it would not be an exaggeration to say that I had not merely drawn attention, but had turned the Hunter world upside down.

“Haha.......”

Feeling somewhat bewildered, I turned off all notifications.

I had never expected my first post to receive such an explosive reaction.......

***

Meanwhile, Ahn Gukseon, the Minister of Defense Strategy and a First-Generation Hunter, was reading the report about what had happened during the day.

Sitting properly in front of him was Captain Im, the very person who had written the report.

“......The more I read it, the more absurd it becomes.”

Ahn Gukseon clicked his tongue as he read through the report.

“His situational judgment is excellent, he is quick-witted, and he even fights well. Are you saying there is nothing to criticize except that he is bold to the point of recklessness?”

“At least, that was how it appeared to me.”

“A born monster. Blood truly does tell, I suppose.”

“Where else would that blood go?”

Captain Im smiled faintly as he thought of Cha Eunseong’s family background.

Eunseong’s grandfather had been a legendary operative from the Naval Intelligence Unit who had successfully carried out several maritime infiltration operations into North Korea.

His father had come from the Naval Special Forces, and was currently a Regional Defense Force commander, a living legend who still worked directly in the field and commanded special operations.

Eunseong himself had planned to enlist as a naval officer and then apply to the Naval Special Forces, so the phrase “blood tells” could not have suited anyone better.

But what drew Ahn Gukseon’s attention even more than that was Eunseong’s ability.

“He stores the Spirit Swords of dead Hunters in card form...... He throws those cards to heal allies, and as if that were not enough, he summons an unidentified woman?”

“Yes, Minister.”

“And despite not being a Supporter-type Hunter, when he took down the Count, he even fought by enchanting cards onto a Spirit Sword in the shape of an axe? In your view, what exactly do you think this young man is?”

“To be honest, I have no idea. Other than the fact that he is an entirely different kind of existence from the Hunters we have seen so far.......”

“I asked a pointless question. There is no way you would know either.”

“Haha.......”

“To think the owner of a new Role Category that never existed before appeared in Korea, and even from the Cha family.”

“I truly think it is fortunate.”

“Fortunate?”

“There is an old saying, is there not? In a country without a single natural resource, the only path to survival is people. We already have fewer high-ranking Hunters compared to China and Japan, so is it not a great blessing for the Republic of Korea that an outstanding talent like Eunseong has appeared?”

“Whether he is a blessing or a disaster is something we will only know with time.”

“Pardon......?”

“Do not expect the child of a patriotic family to devote himself unconditionally to the nation. You are young, yet what an old-fashioned thing to say.”

“I-I apologize.”

“There is no need to apologize. Just keep this in mind. There is nothing more frightening than someone with great power beginning to act as he pleases.”

Ahn Gukseon put a cigarette in his mouth.

“Would you like one as well?”

“No, sir. I quit some time ago.”

“Quitting smoking in a world like this. Your willpower is quite impressive. Hoo.”

Ahn Gukseon walked to the window, smoked his cigarette, and spoke.

“Hunters’ power is growing stronger and stronger. It is becoming harder to control them by the day. Do not forget that the appearance of a Hunter with powerful strength may become a blessing for the Republic of Korea and for humanity, but it may also become a disaster. Even I do not know how long I can keep this position.”

“Minister.......”

Captain Im trailed off.

Because he knew Ahn Gukseon’s words contained deep anguish.

Separate from the threat facing humanity, the political situation was like walking on thin ice every day.

On top of that, several Hunters were openly advocating regime overthrow, and signs that they were trying to put it into action were being detected one after another.

That was probably why Ahn Gukseon could not quit smoking.......

BUZZ!

Captain Im’s phone vibrated.

“I apologize, Minister. I will check this message for a moment.”

“Go ahead.”

“M-Minister?”

Captain Im’s voice trembled as he checked the message.

“What is it? Did something happen?”

“On Hunter Link...... they say a 10-Star Hunter uploaded a post.”

“......?”

“Someone posted anonymously, and apparently there are ten stars attached to the author information field.”

“Are you saying a 10-Star Hunter exists?”

“It seems that way. They say the person uploaded a post that was practically a prophecy, and because of that, the Hunter Link board is in chaos.”

“I will have to check it myself.”

“Yes, Minister.”

Captain Im stepped out so Ahn Gukseon could access Hunter Link.

When Hunters accessed Hunter Link, they were in a defenseless state, so the general rule was to connect in a safe place, preferably alone.

Before accessing Hunter Link, Ahn Gukseon closed his eyes to focus his mind.

“A 10-Star Hunter. What in the world.......”

A shocked mutter slipped from Ahn Gukseon’s mouth.

Perhaps because of the shocking incident known as the appearance of a 10-Star Hunter, thoughts of Eunseong had vanished from his mind before he knew it.

Eunseong was a promising prospect he would have to watch closely from now on, but a 10-Star Hunter was, at this point, nothing less than humanity’s greatest issue.

***

The next day.

As soon as I woke up, I went to the swimming pool to loosen my body lightly.

In truth, a swimming pool was not much different from a treadmill to me.

Ever since I was young, I had learned swimming from Father and was used to swimming and diving in the sea.

For someone like me, swimming in a pool was incredibly boring, but the reason I still went there was simply because I liked water.

I liked the feeling of my body being submerged in water.......

After finishing my swim, I went to the dining area and had a simple breakfast. As I did, I felt the gazes of several residents.

“Is he not the Hunter who was on the news yesterday for the Sindorim Incident? The one Minister Ahn Gukseon has high expectations for?”

“I think his name was Cha Eunseong.”

“Oh my. He really is handsome.”

Perhaps because my physical abilities had improved after Awakening, I could hear the residents whispering clearly.

Some residents even pretended to glance at their phones while secretly taking pictures of me.

‘If they are going to do that, why not just take them openly?’

I snorted inwardly.

Now that I had become a Hunter, there was no way to avoid cameras.

Whether people took pictures or not, I had to live without caring. Otherwise, the stress would make life unbearable.

Wherever I went, people’s eyes would gather on me.

“Mr. Eunseong. So you were here.”

“Hm? Captain Im, what brings you here at this hour?”

“I stopped by briefly because there is something I need to deliver to you. I was originally going to contact you by mobile, but the carrier said you had canceled your number.......”

“Ah.”

Honestly.

I could not believe he had already noticed that and come to find me.

“But you look very tired. Surely you did not stay up all night, did you?”

“That is what happened.”

“You have worked hard. Did something happen?”

“Ah, you would not know, Mr. Eunseong. Yesterday, a 10-Star Hunter appeared on the Hunter Link board.”

“Ah?”

“By the Minister’s orders, I spent the entire night analyzing the contents of the post and did not sleep a wink.”

“Ahahaha.......”

So it turned out I was the reason he had not slept.

“What brings you here, then?”

“I came both to give you a notice and to explain it.”

“A notice...... Ah.”

The Special Force Training Center.

SFTC, for short.

It was a training center that taught essential tactics and survival knowledge to rookie Hunters.

The education period was five weeks. It was short, intensive, and packed with content, but the problem was that I did not need it at all.

“Can I not be exempted? You know too, Captain Im. We cleared a Dungeon together.”

“Of course, I saw your skill and talent with my own eyes, Mr. Eunseong, so I would like to exempt you too, but.......”

“So that means I cannot be.”

“Public institutions have procedures, after all.”

“Could you ask the Minister for me?”

“It probably will not work. The Minister is.......”

“He is by the book about things like this, right?”

Iron Blood was not an unreasonable, close-minded stubborn mule, but when it came to fundamental matters, he was closer to a stickler for principles. It was safe to assume there was no chance he would exempt me from SFTC.

“Yes. The Minister does have that side to him.”

“Haa.”

A sigh escaped me on its own.

To think that I, a thoroughly seasoned Hunter, had to undergo basic training with fledglings for five weeks.......

“Still, it will not be a bad experience. You will train at SFTC, but it is also a good opportunity to build connections with your fellow trainees in the same class.”

“I do not particularly need that.......”

“I do not think that will be the case.”

“Why?”

“I am telling only you this, Mr. Eunseong, but there is a Mage in the same class.”

“A Mage......?”

“You may have crossed paths with her on the day you came to the Defense Strategy Department. Her name is Miss Ra Sihyeon, and she is a Mage with outstanding potential.”

FLINCH!

The moment I heard the name Ra Sihyeon, my body reacted before I could even think.