If one were to pick a single word to evaluate Jin Hae-seo, the Chairperson of Athens, a hundred out of a hundred people would give the same answer.

“God’s masterpiece.”

The finest masterpiece forged by God for this nation.

They could not help but say so.

Jin Hae-seo awakened at the tender age of fifteen, already classified as A-Rank.

From the moment she stepped into the hunter world, she was destined for S-Rank—provided her growth limits allowed it. True to those expectations, she received her S-Rank Promotion Quest in her third year as a hunter, at the age of eighteen.

At the time, the entire nation was captivated by her.

The anticipation that the entrenched power dynamics of the hunter industry might finally be reshaped kept her in the news day after day.

However, separate from that excitement, a nationwide concern preceded the prospect of the eighteen-year-old Jin Hae-seo immediately undertaking her Promotion Quest.

After all, S-Rank Promotion Quests typically plunged individuals into extreme adversity, did they not?

Jin Hae-seo’s Promotion Quest was no exception.

Her Promotion Quest, widely known to the public, was to “fight without rest on the battlefield for seven days.”

She might have been an A-Rank hunter called a superhuman, but fighting for seven days without eating or drinking was a grueling ordeal.

When an eighteen-year-old girl insisted on taking on such a trial, wouldn’t it be stranger not to stop her?

The prevailing opinion was that she should at least finish growing fully, or wait until adulthood to accumulate more experience before entering such a trial.

Thus, the entire nation and the media tried to dissuade her.

However, their attempts to stop her proved futile.

It merely gave the public a regrettable realization.

Namely, that this prodigy named Jin Hae-seo was a stubborn mule who absolutely refused to listen to others.

—I can do it. I will do it.

She simply refused to listen to the world’s advice.

They tried everything from the Minor hunter Protection Act to the Hunter Academy’s policies and various external pressures, but she had a single, elegant move to sidestep them all.

She would found a guild and participate in the subjugation as its master.

How could a minor establish a guild?

Everyone was baffled, but the answer was surprisingly simple.

She just couldn’t be the one to create it herself.

“It was a coalition formation.”

While minors were not permitted to create guilds, they were allowed to become members of one.

Furthermore, internal positions within a joined guild were determined by the guild’s own bylaws.

Exploiting that loophole, the eighteen-year-old Jin Hae-seo created a coalition by merging small guilds across Seoul.

Much like numerous subsidiaries uniting under a single corporate umbrella, she gathered countless guilds and slapped the name “Athens” on the conglomerate.

After an internal vote, she took the seat at the summit—the position of Chairperson, equivalent to a guild master.

With twenty-one guilds in the Seoul area merging into one, its scale was inevitably massive.

With a girl who might become S-Rank at its helm, internal power struggles were simply out of the question.

Thus, having become the Chairperson, Jin Hae-seo entered an A-Rank gate alone amidst a sea of concerns and fears of failure.

The result was a success that defied everyone’s expectations.

She tore magical beasts apart for seven days without a wink of sleep, achieving her promotion to S-Rank.

Afterward, she steadily built up her track record, eventually making Athens the strongest guild in Gangbuk and shifting the Korean hunter industry from a two-guild system to a Three Great Guilds structure.

She was nineteen when she awakened as an S-Rank.

At that age, she turned public criticism into cheers and earned the moniker “Goddess of the gate.”

Don’t people interpret the same actions differently depending on one’s title or image?

From that day forward, Jin Hae-seo’s unreasonable disposition was rebranded as drive.

Her cunning in exploiting legal loopholes became brilliant insight, and her naturally stoic personality became charisma.

Opinions about her still vary across different fields, but the fact that she is an extraordinary person is undeniable.

Because she was such a person, naturally…

“Her pride is high.”

Truly… incredibly high.

“To be honest, I still don’t quite understand. Why was Athens given a lower priority than Marang? In terms of guild scale, combat power, and infrastructure, I believe our guild is superior in every aspect. I’m just asking out of curiosity.”

Kwajik!

Returning to reality, they were on the path entering the mountain village where Hunter Park Soon-ae resided.

The mountainous terrain was one thing, but the tactical threats were by no means negligible either.

It was because of the wild magical beasts.

As if telling them to prove their worth if they wished to see her, Hunter Park Soon-ae had captured several magical beasts trapped in the DMZ and released them along the path to the village, resulting in constant attacks.

Jin Hae-seo swatted them aside effortlessly while expressing a subtle… no, a blatant display of dissatisfaction.

There was only one thing Jung-woo could do in this situation.

Watch her martial prowess with an awkward “haha” laugh.

Kkiei…!

Kkwadeudedeudeuk—!

Jin Hae-seo’s aptitude, [Goddess of the Battlefield], was truly an ability as magnificent as its presence suggested.

“Generating magical weapons, and naturally acquiring the mana manipulation to wield them flawlessly.”

It was a simple mechanism, but precisely because of that, its potential for growth was boundless.

Three swords woven from golden mana were flying around Jin Hae-seo’s body.

They would detect approaching magical beasts, shoot toward them, and crush their skulls—a cycle that repeated endlessly.

It was mystical, elegant, and familiar.

Jung-woo felt a sense of nostalgia from her ability.

After all,

“In ten years, those will multiply into dozens. They’ll even gain autonomous action capabilities.”

He had seen the evolved form of that ability during the Seoul Zero Gate incident, so it wasn’t unfamiliar to him.

It might pale in comparison to that time, but she was still fighting with ease, and considering she was only twenty-four years old now, there was no reason to be newly disappointed.

More importantly, Jung-woo’s urgent task was to handle Hae-seo’s prickly jabs.

“Are you listening to me?”

Hae-seo, who had stopped walking, narrowed her eyes and asked.

Her voice was so clear and soft that it didn’t feel intimidating, but if this dynamic continued, it would hinder smooth conversation even in front of Hunter Park Soon-ae.

Jung-woo felt the need to slowly soothe her mood.

In truth, it wouldn’t be difficult at all.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was so mesmerized by your abilities, Hunter Jin Hae-seo, that I got distracted.”

“…Out of nowhere?”

“Yes, it has such visual splendor after all. No matter what I do, my abilities end up looking like a children’s cartoon, so I can’t help but admire that aspect.”

What could such flattery possibly achieve?

If asked, the answer would be that this was the most perfect answer Jung-woo knew.

There was a fact the public didn’t know well.

The Chairperson of Athens, the Goddess of the gate Jin Hae-seo, one of the top three hunters in South Korea.

Though called such things,

“…That could be true.”

Inside, she was simply a (normal?) monster of desire for recognition.

“People naturally crave what they lack. But then again, by that logic, I also hold Hunter Shin Jung-woo in very high regard. Born S-Rank, from your growth rate to the versatility of your abilities, you’re practically a massive hexagon.”

Jung-woo could clearly see the corners of Hae-seo’s mouth rise slightly.

That her tone had become lighter than before was definitely not his imagination.

Without a lengthy explanation, let me share a fact only Jung-woo knew.

“Back then, the reason she insisted on taking the promotion test while still a minor was because she wanted to turn concern into cheers.”

This was during the time when the entire nation was buzzing with the precursors to the Seoul Zero Gate incident.

Jung-woo had a brief conversation with her after a post-mission party on the day he was deployed on a joint operation with Athens, and he heard this story then.

In other words, looking past her exterior, there was no one as transparent as her.

Look at her now.

With just a few words, didn’t the hostility she had harbored since the spring vanish?

“…Anyway, I think you’re an amazing person too, Hunter Shin Jung-woo.”

“Not at all. You’re gilding my face so much it’s embarrassing. One way or another, I’m still a rookie hunter in my first year.”

Time for the finishing blow.

“I think you’re someone I have a lot to learn from as a senior. This is a bit personal, but that’s also the reason Athens wasn’t on the list of candidates when I was choosing where to settle.”

“How does having a lot to learn connect to that?”

“Because I wanted to stand side-by-side as colleagues someday. Just following behind someone isn’t very cool, is it?”

Hae-seo’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

It seemed to be her way of expressing joy.

Jung-woo hid his true intentions behind a smile.

“I really can’t say it now.”

The fact that the reason Athens wasn’t even a candidate was because its internal council system would restrict his actions—let’s keep that his own secret forever.

Thinking this, Jung-woo faithfully followed behind Hae-seo.

Hae-seo’s interception of magical beasts became even swifter afterward.

Along with that, her mana emissions became more flashy.

Jung-woo tried not to think about the reason.

As he occasionally pumped her ego with short conversations, they arrived at their destination before he knew it.

“Ahem, regarding mana manipulation techniques. If you have any questions…”

“Ah, we’re here.”

“Already?”

“We’ve been hiking for two hours.”

“When did the time…”

Hae-seo’s brow furrowed.

Looking at her wristwatch, she let out a faint sigh, seemingly realizing that much time had indeed passed.

“You’re right. We did walk for quite a while.”

“Thank you for the valuable lessons.”

“Not at all. It was a rather decent conversation.”

The world not knowing her true self might actually be a blessing for both parties.

Jung-woo had such thoughts as he surveyed the village landscape spread out before him.

For that moment, his heart settled.

The village closest to the Demilitarized Zone.

Its location erased from maps, with only a few high-ranking hunters knowing the way, making it completely inaccessible to the general public.

Hunter Park Soon-ae’s hometown, now a ghost village where no one else lived.

“So this is Seolyang Village.”

Although Hunter Park Soon-ae’s trees extended across the entire border, taking root even in the nearby town of Cheorwon, they cleverly avoided invading this village.

As if time had stood still, Seolyang Village perfectly preserved the scenery of a rural village from decades ago.

A brief surge of awe rose within him.

Amidst that, as they reached the front of the village, Hae-seo’s demeanor, which had shown various regrettable behaviors until just moments ago, calmed down.

“Follow me. The grandmother is in the center of the village.”

A sense of tension settled in Jung-woo’s heart.

Hunter Park Soon-ae.

She was someone Jung-woo had only heard about in stories, never having seen her in person even once.

“She didn’t even appear during the Seoul Zero Gate incident, after all.”

She only exists here.

No matter what happens in the outside world, she sleeps for eleven months out of the year, and even the one month she is awake, she spends solely protecting this village.

No other facts about her were known to the public.

Thus, even Jung-woo knew very little about Hunter Park Soon-ae.

What reason could there be for her to stay only here?

Did she not leave this village even during a crisis that threatened the nation’s survival?

Following Hae-seo to the center of the village, Jung-woo walked through the old rural scenery harboring such questions.

It was at the end of that walk.

Jung-woo was able to resolve all the questions he had.

“Grandmother, I’m here.”

Hae-seo said.

Not to a person, but to the massive ginkgo tree in the center of the village.

It happened immediately after.

Tteojeojeojeok—

The center of the ginkgo tree split open, and something in the shape of a human burst out.

It was a kindly-looking old woman whose skin was made of tree bark.

The old woman, resembling a tree spirit, opened her eyes.

As she opened her mouth, a warm voice echoed.

[Eung… Oh my, Hae-seo, you’re here? Who’s the young man next to you?]

Only then did he realize.

“…Demonification.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t leave; it was that she could no longer leave.

Park Soon-ae, South Korea’s fifth S-Rank hunter.

The great figure who built a massive heaven-sent wall by absorbing the mana of the gate Erosion Zone for decades.

Now, she had truly become something that transcended humanity.