Chapter 4

These facts were incredibly important to Siyoon.

‘Revealing from the start that my skill is Singular-Rank would be suicide.’

Siyoon had no romantic attachment to the so-called ‘hidden powerhouse’ trope.

But… the risk of revealing it was considerable.

‘Someone with abilities like mine could end up disappearing if they’re not careful.’

The quantity and quality of hunters directly translated to a nation’s power.

Organizations desperate for capable hunters were everywhere.

To such groups, Siyoon’s existence was like a diamond lying in the middle of the road.

No, he was worth even more.

‘As far as I know, only three people in the entire world possess Singular-Rank skills.’

Forcibly recruiting them was out of the question—they had already grown into monsters.

On top of that, one thought lingered in his mind.

‘Were there really only three Singular-Rank Awakeners in the world? That simply can’t be right.’

There must have been those who were exploited before they could fully develop.

Siyoon, in particular, was different from the rest.

A freshly Awakened novice, with an ability that clearly wasn’t combat-oriented.

‘I need to be careful.’

To put it positively, it meant the door was open for recruitment.

To put it negatively, he was the perfect target for kidnapping.

“Hmm…”

At first, he had considered reporting to the Association and requesting protection.

But he abandoned that idea.

Would they simply cherish a gem that had fallen into their lap?

They would undoubtedly make a spectacle of it, all under the guise of ‘growth support.’

Just looking at Korea’s representative awakeners proved as much.

Not only were they featured in hunter recruitment advertisements—

their exploits were sensationally reported across all forms of media.

In particular, hunters the Association chose to promote were consistently described in conspicuously glowing terms.

For example.

「Legendary-Rank Skill Hunter Ahn Jiseok! Growing Faster Than a Storm!」

Articles like this.

The content was mostly a few lines of interview and image management for the Association’s hunter development efforts.

“Absolutely not.”

That would be the exact opposite of Siyoon’s plan.

In the end, solo play was the answer.

Of course, he couldn’t hide it forever.

But he intended to conceal his skill until he had grown sufficiently.

He had already decided on a skill type to falsely report in advance.

“Gunner would be the best fit for this.”

‘Gunner’ was a broad term for hunters who possessed firearm enhancement-type skills.

Increased firearm firepower.

Increased ammunition capacity.

Enhanced explosive power of ammunition.

Improved aiming capability, and so on.

All of these were collectively referred to under the name ‘Gunner.’

As in the examples, the abilities varied slightly, but most were neither remarkable nor exceptional.

They were considered somewhat unusual simply because few awakeners possessed such skills.

That was exactly the level of attention Siyoon wanted.

‘I don’t want to stand out as some incredible genius or ace.’

Just moderately enough. Enough to avoid being disadvantaged.

He just needed to blend in seamlessly, without raising any suspicion.

“Alright.”

ttalgak.

Siyoon set down his utensils and rose from his seat.

Now that he’d settled on a direction, all that remained was to put it into practice.

* * *

Without delay, Siyoon headed straight for the Hunter Association headquarters.

“Mr. Lee Siyoon, here’s your issued hunter license and documents. Please take them.”

Siyoon was able to get through the Association quickly.

As it happened, there were no new hunters registering.

In a word, he was lucky.

“Thank you.”

Siyoon took the documents the staff member handed him.

He held up the hunter license resting atop a few rustling sheets of paper in his hand.

「 F-Rank Hunter – Lee Siyoon 」

A neatly printed card, much like a resident registration card.

Tilted at an angle, a faintly engraved magic circuit became visible.

“So this is a hunter license? They said personal identification codes are engraved with security magic—fascinating.”

Siyoon examined the license from various angles before slipping it into his pocket.

Fortunately, just as the information he’d gathered suggested, the Association couldn’t see through Siyoon’s skill.

More precisely, they could only confirm whether someone possessed a skill or not.

They couldn’t actually see what the skill was or what the status window looked like.

They had only verified Siyoon’s explanation and whether he had Awakened.

Along with the power of the enhanced BB Gun.

And so, he succeeded in passing himself off as a ‘Gunner.’

‘I was so nervous about getting caught, but it seems I was worried over nothing.’

Anyway.

Siyoon had a separate reason for wanting to get through the Association quickly.

Once a hunter license was issued, it granted one privilege.

‘Alright. I’ve got weapon purchase authorization now, which means I can finally buy a real weapon.’

The weapon he currently used was the enhanced BB Gun.

But he couldn’t use a BB Gun forever.

‘That would be far too conspicuous.’

No matter how good a firearm enhancement skill was, it had its limits.

For stable magic beast hunting, he needed proper equipment.

ttalrang.

Siyoon stopped by a weapon shop near the Association.

“Oh.”

Glancing inside, the variety was considerable.

One wall displayed an array of defensive gear, including shields and armor.

What appeared to be standard-issue swords, bows and arrows, halberds, and more.

The range of weapon types was extensive.

‘Must be because it’s a weapon shop near the Association. Quite a few people who look like hunters here.’

Hunters basically carried a primary and secondary weapon.

Among those, guns were a popular choice for secondary weapons.

Their base firepower was strong, and they were easy to use.

Of course, once you reached D-Rank, they weren’t used as much.

because unless your primary skill was firearm enhancement, other weapons hit harder.

So the firearm section had relatively fewer people.

which was nice, as he could browse comfortably.

“Found it.”

Siyoon picked up one of the displayed firearms.

It was a pistol he’d had his eye on through online searches before coming.

[ RTB-002 – 31,000,000 won ]

A fairly popular gun series for novice hunters.

Excellent performance, durability, and finish for the price, with solid reviews.

Though the price was burdensome for a casual purchase…

‘Still, at this level, it’s worth the investment.’

The RTB-002 was a mass-produced firearm.

Slightly more expensive than standard firearms,

But not unaffordable.

‘There are cheaper guns out there, but looking at performance, nothing in this price range matches this rank.’

budeul.

Even as he thought that, his hand trembled slightly as he picked it up.

Sure enough, investing in equipment was the most expensive part.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Siyoon headed for the checkout.

* * *

Some time later.

The public grew somewhat abuzz.

—Yesterday afternoon, an anomalous phenomenon was reported at a beginner hunting ground managed by the Hunter Association, in which magic beasts were found dead en masse.

It all began with a single news report.

—According to witness testimony, a thunderclap-like sound occurred along with ground tremors.

—The hunters managing that area witnessed the same phenomenon.

A beginner hunting ground that would normally attract zero interest.

Even if something unusual happened occasionally, it was usually overlooked.

But this time was different.

—Here is the visual data from the site of the incident.

Fragmentary photos and videos flickering to life with a jiing.

A burn mark stretching in a straight line.

Everything along the path had been reduced to ash, leaving nothing behind.

The hunter community erupted over the staggering ten-meter trail.

-Yo, what the hell is that?

-Wait, that’s a beginner hunting ground?

-Isn’t that insane?

Hunters who saw the news expressed bewilderment left and right.

It wasn’t the gruesomeness of the scene that gave them pause.

That level of destructive power was well within reach for a talented D-Rank hunter.

The crux of the matter was that the location was a ‘beginner hunting ground.’

-If they went to a beginner hunting ground, they’d be an F-Rank hunter.

-Their skill would be level 1 too. Does that kind of power even make sense?

-Or maybe a higher-ranked hunter snuck in and showed off?

The questions being raised were plausible enough.

Such things did happen from time to time.

An existing hunter would occasionally go assist when a friend or acquaintance Awakened.

-Probably. Doesn’t add up as something an F-Rank hunter could pull off.

-fr fr lol

-Dude, to output that kind of power with a level 1 skill, you’d need at least Epic-Rank. You think the Association would just let someone like that roam free?

-Why not? They could’ve lied. They can’t exactly appraise skills precisely, can they?

-Are you a foreigner? Do you have any idea how hunters with Epic-Rank skills are treated?

-The Association would be rolling out the red carpet, showering them with everything. No reason to hide.

-More likely a high-ranked hunter was out for a stroll and messed around.

All sorts of speculation ran rampant across the community.

A new rookie had emerged.

A hunter with an Epic-Rank skill had passed through.

Eventually, rumors even spread that the Association was conducting secret experiments.

It was absolute chaos.

And the actual culprit behind this whole situation.

Siyoon let out a sigh as he watched it all unfold.

“Haa… maybe I should have held back a bit.”

He furrowed his brow deeply.

All of this had originated from Siyoon’s hunt.

* * *

Having purchased his new weapon.

Siyoon headed home and immediately began the Enhancement process.

ttiring!

[ Using ‘Skill: Enhancement’ to enhance ‘RTB-002’! ]

[ ‘RTB-002’ has been enhanced to ‘RTB-002 +1’. ]

“Oh.”

Siyoon marveled at the enhanced pistol.

The surface, which had already boasted a black barrel, was now dyed in a deep ink-black hue.

A subtle energy spread from the muzzle like heat haze, and the difference was clearly visible.

“It looks far more powerful than when I enhanced the BB Gun… I need to verify this.”

The BB Gun he’d enhanced previously hadn’t shown a clear before-and-after difference.

By comparison, the pistol ‘RTB-002’ showed a noticeable difference in both color and texture.

“Item Info.”

ttiring!

[ Activating item info window for ‘RTB-002 +1’. ]

+

【 RTB-002 +1 】

Rank: Rare

▶ Increases destructive power when attacking and applies an aiming correction.

+

Sure enough.

The description itself was simple.

“Increased destructive power and aiming correction, huh.”

A simple description, but it filled him with anticipation.

Everything he’d enhanced so far had performed remarkably.

Moreover, while the BB Gun had been Normal-Rank, the pistol was a full ‘Rare.’

“So it really is worth the money.”

The money Siyoon had spent on the pistol was several million won.

Some might argue it wasn’t that expensive, but to Siyoon, it was incredibly costly.

He’d had to scrape together most of his savings to afford it.

At the time, he’d wondered if it was too expensive.

But seeing the results, that thought vanished completely.

“Makes me want to go hunting right away.”

Even the BB Gun had been incredibly powerful.

How much stronger would the superior RTB-002 be?

“Let’s go first thing tomorrow.”

It was already too late in the day.

Between registering at the Association and visiting the weapon shop, it was already late afternoon.

His funds were running dry anyway.

He planned to start visiting the official hunting grounds managed by the Association from tomorrow.

* * *

And so, he arrived at the official hunting ground.

The location was a forest in Gyeonggi-do^[1].

He’d come wearing the ‘Leather Jacket’ he’d previously enhanced as his defensive gear.

‘A book shield would draw way too much attention.’

Siyoon had left the book shield behind.

The one he’d used before had been destroyed.

But since it was made from books, the materials themselves were commonplace.

Perhaps for that reason, enhancing it again produced an item with the same effect.

He’d considered wearing it, but he wasn’t alone here.

Having already registered as a ‘Gunner,’ he needed to avoid anything too conspicuous.

‘So this is what an officially managed hunting ground feels like.’

Stepping deeper into the forest, Siyoon surveyed his surroundings.

There was a clear difference from the forest he’d visited previously for skill testing.

For one, the terrain was relatively even and the paths weren’t overgrown.

There was no stagnant, foul water pooling on the ground, and overall it was pleasant.

seuup―

As proof, when he inhaled, the air was filled with the refreshing scent of grass.

“This feels good.”

How long had it been since he’d been to a forest like this?

It felt like something depleted was being replenished.

Perhaps because of that, his body brimmed with energy.

But that lasted only a moment.

Siyoon’s eyes soon sharpened with focus.

His gaze, scanning the surroundings, grew more penetrating.

“Shall I start hunting in earnest?”

It was quiet now, but this was unmistakably a forest of magic beasts.

There was no telling when or where a magic beast might spring out.

Since he hadn’t come here to play, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.

sabak.

Siyoon strolled slowly through the forest.

Moving quietly, he minimized any sign of his presence.

Then he spotted a magic beast through the foliage.

-bbiiit. bbii.

A magic beast with the appearance of a cross between a cat and a rabbit.

The lowest-rank magic beast that inhabited beginner hunting grounds—a Garteung.

‘Gross.’

Siyoon scrunched his face at the sight of it.

Based on the description alone, it might sound rather cute.

In reality, it was anything but.

Enormous, bloodshot eyes of bright crimson and dense whiskers.

Its entire body was covered in purple fur, and its protruding ears were laced with visible veins.

papapat!

-bbik, bbik, bbik!

The Garteung, having scraped away the earth with its thick paws, pulled something out.

It was the corpse of another magic beast.

‘Ugh.’

Garteungs had a habit of burying their prey in the ground to store it.

The reason was that they preferred rotten meat over fresh.

The corpse it had just unearthed was teeming with maggots.

‘Any more of this and my stomach would just turn.’

Abandoning further observation, Siyoon aimed his pistol at the Garteung.

---