Ha Gangwoo stood in the center of the light pillar and stared at the system window floating before his eyes.

Ding-

[Bestowing Special Player-exclusive Perks.]

[Special Player-exclusive Perks]

– Addition of 48 new job classes.

– Enhancement of Job-Change NPC abilities.

– Gift of class-specific weapon upon job change.

– Activation of the Golden Altar.

[The Golden Altar is now active.]

*Golden Altar

– Increases the probability of obtaining higher-tier jobs.

– Simplifies job quests.

– Upgrades acquired jobs to Hidden Jobs.

“What’s this now?”

Ha Gangwoo read through the Perk effects, and a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Seven days of grueling job-change trials.

He’d given it everything, thinking only of Ruin’s job-change conditions.

As a result, he’d achieved all S-ranks across the job-change requirements—Force, Sense, and Good-Evil—and then some.

But he hadn’t been particularly moved.

Whether the other stats were F-rank or S-rank, all that mattered was meeting Ruin’s conditions.

Thump— Thump—

But he was wrong.

‘That’s just cheating.’

All S-ranks came with a hidden reward.

‘Upgraded to a Hidden Job…’

From the Special Player-exclusive Perks to the Golden Altar.

The Book of Job Change: Ruin was already absurdly valuable.

It was pricier than any item that had come from the DLC store, and its grade was the highest available.

And now there was a Perk and a Buff to enhance that very Ruin?

‘Interesting.’

Curiosity was already surging through him—what abilities would he gain once he actually job-changed to Ruin?

Just as Ha Gangwoo was savoring the Perks—

“Leader!!!”

“Master!!!”

Voices called out from beyond the light pillar.

The Blue Team, along with Purple, Red, and Green—all two hundred players were milling around the pillar’s edge.

The inside of the pillar seemed to have entry conditions; Ha Gangwoo was the only one within it.

‘Man, I stand out like crazy.’

Only then did Ha Gangwoo look around, scanning his surroundings.

He was in the Job Selection Area, where everyone gathered after the job-change trials ended.

A pillar of light rose inside the dark dome. Of course all eyes were drawn to it.

“Master!!!”

Mimic’s clear voice rang out.

As if overjoyed to see him, she pressed her cheek against the light pillar’s wall, squishing it like a steamed bun, and called out.

‘Can’t get in?’

Gangwoo frowned at the sight of her.

Until now, Mimic had followed him everywhere through Link.

From Scenarios to the Tower of Job Change — hadn’t she always warped to his side even without being in his Party?

But from the moment the job-change trials ended, it changed.

From the score measurement to the pillar of light.

Mimic had been blocked by the System, separated from Gangwoo.

‘I’m supposed to do this alone.’

Gangwoo could grasp the System’s intent.

Job Change was a Quest that had to be solved entirely alone, with no one’s help.

‘Can’t be helped.’

Gangwoo scratched the back of his head as he looked at Mimic.

He’d be separated from her until the Job Change was done.

Before using the Book of Job Change, he needed to make a few requests of her.

Gangwoo walked toward Mimic, who was rubbing her cheek against the transparent barrier.

As he passed the golden light pillar—

Thud —

A wave of pressure rushed in, as if the air density had shifted.

The moment Gangwoo stepped out, Mimic beamed and ran over.

“Master! I got an A!”

Mimic puffed out her chest like a kid showing off a perfect test score.

‘A-rank?’

A smirk tugged at Gangwoo’s lips at her words.

She’d come running over, all smiles, bragging about an A.

That meant Mimic had been treated as a Player and had completed her job-change evaluation.

Just as he’d guessed, Mimic could have a class too.

‘Useful.’

And an A-rank at that — a score better than most Players.

Just as Gangwoo was eyeing Mimic with satisfaction—

Mimic stared intently at his face, like she wanted something. Like a kid waiting for praise.

‘… …’

Feeling her gaze, Gangwoo scratched his cheek.

‘What? What does she want?’

Uncomfortable under her stare, Gangwoo frowned, then got it.

“Ah!”

The seven-day trial.

Hadn’t he taught her give-and-take and made a promise?

That he’d give her Gold once they got out.

Mimic was after that Gold right now.

Lowering himself to meet her eyes, Gangwoo knelt and ruffled her hair.

“Good job. I’ll give you the Gold later. Wait just a bit.”

“Yes!”

Mimic shot her tiny arm up and replied brightly.

He could have handed it over right then, but there were too many eyes watching, so he delayed the Gold payout for a moment.

Ha Gangwoo was in the middle of a brief exchange with Mimic.

Then the forty-plus players who’d been on the Blue Team converged around him.

“Thank you so much.”

“You worked hard. We came to show our gratitude.”

They all bowed their heads, satisfied looks on their faces.

Gangwoo frowned, puzzled.

*Why come find me now that the test is over?*

Then it clicked.

‘Ah!’

The rewards the Blue Team had earned.

From assorted Artifacts to Catalogs.

Artifacts had been split evenly enough, but the ambiguous items like Status Catalogs had been left in Gangwoo’s keeping.

The only hitch—they were still inside the Mimic’s belly.

Gangwoo rose to his feet and walked over to the team.

“You all did well. Speaking of which, there are some items we never divided. I’ll hand them out now.”

The only ones of real use were the Status Catalogs. The rest were worthless, so Gangwoo planned to just give them away.

But the team members shook their heads.

“I’m good. I already got plenty of rewards.”

“I don’t need any more, either.”

Saying so, they smiled with satisfaction and started offering handshakes instead.

“I just wanted to thank you, Gangwoo. Thanks to you, my rank came out higher than I expected.”

“Mine too!”

Early in the clearing, they’d been ready to kill each other over a single item. Now every face was relaxed, at ease.

*Well, fair enough. It’s one thing inside a life-or-death dungeon and another thing entirely out here. Their mindset’s bound to be different.*

“I understand. Good work, everyone.”

Gangwoo accepted their handshakes one by one, offering final farewells.

But the team showed no sign of leaving. They kept talking.

Suggestions to grab a meal outside, requests for his number—mostly small talk about networking.

“I’ll be going now.”

Gangwoo cut the conversation short and left.

“Tough guy to pin down.”

“Still, we got to work with him. That’s something.”

They watched his back retreat, satisfied expressions on their faces.

Disappointing, maybe—but with their ranks secured, no one had any real complaints.

“I’ll head off too. Time to get my Job Change done.”

“Same. Hoo… I hope I get a good class.”

And just like that, the team that had spent seven days together scattered in all directions. Gangwoo watched Jo Seunghyun walk away.

‘Where’s he going?’

Seunghyun was always brimming with confidence, cheerful and bright.

But something in his demeanor had shifted after the failed second-day attempt.

‘…’

Gangwoo watched Seunghyun a moment longer, then looked away.

‘He’ll figure it out.’

Moving to dodge the crowd’s attention, Gangwoo slipped away—but one gaze kept tracking him.

‘Kang Seongbin…’

That figure was none other than Kang Seongbin.

He’d been staring at Gangwoo ever since they’d arrived at this place.

There was no hostility in the gaze, but the stare lingered. It got under his skin.

Still, Ha Gangwoo ignored Kang Seongbin and kept walking.

Hadn’t he subdued Seongbin even when the Crown’s boost was active?

Whatever trick Seongbin tried, Gangwoo was confident he could shut it down.

Maybe five minutes of that, then?

The persistent stare faded, and he reached a secluded spot with no Players in sight.

‘This should be far enough.’

Ha Gangwoo dropped to one knee to meet Mimic’s eye level.

“You said Rank A, right?”

“Yes!”

Ding-

[You have withdrawn the Book of Job Change: Legendary Blacksmith from the Inventory.]

[You have withdrawn the Book of Job Change: Blood Devil from the Inventory.]

[You have withdrawn the Book of Job Change: Elemental Master from the Inventory.]

Ha Gangwoo handed Mimic all the Books of Job Change, then whispered something into her ear.

It was a fairly long explanation, but—

“Yes! Understood!”

Mimic nodded and shot her small hand into the air.

‘Did she actually get it?’

A sliver of unease crept in.

Mimic’s physical age was barely six, tops. Her gestures were still clumsy.

But the ability, intelligence, and judgment she’d shown surpassed most adults.

‘Trust her.’

Even if it felt uneasy, there was no other choice. Ha Gangwoo forced the worry aside.

He opened his palm and placed it over Mimic’s hand.

Ding-

[You are withdrawing 2,000,000 Gold from the Inventory.]

In an instant, a mountain of Gold poured out.

“Whoa~!!! It’s Gold!”

This was the Gold he’d promised to give Mimic all along.

Originally it was around 1.1 million Gold, but since he didn’t know how long the exam would take, he packed extra.

“Keep this too. Use it if you’re in a pinch.”

[You have handed the Fortune Coin [Flame God] to Mimic.]

Ha Gangwoo gave Mimic whatever useful items he had and took what he needed in return.

Ha Gangwoo smiled as he packed the items Mimic spat out into his Inventory.

‘Perfect timing.’

From a Status Catalog to various armor pieces—

The items his teammates had abandoned were all useful to him.

The Costumes had all burned up and lost their luster. Besides that, the armor’s condition had been hopeless from the start.

In the midst of that worst-case scenario—

—the items his teammates had given up were equipment that could turn the tide.

Ha Gangwoo tucked the items from Mimic into his Inventory and stood up.

“I’m going to do my Job Change. You do what I told you in the meantime, got it?”

“Yes!!!”

Mimic answered with a wide grin. He couldn’t tell if she was just parroting or genuinely understood, but Ha Gangwoo didn’t ask again.

Without a backward glance, he walked toward the pillar of light.

“Hey, hey—Gangwoo’s going in.”

“What’s a Special Player?”

The moment Ha Gangwoo reappeared, eyes naturally flocked to him.

A pillar of light blazed upward, and at its heart stood none other than L-Grade Player Ha Gangwoo.

They’d seen his combat prowess with their own eyes—curiosity was inevitable.

The phenomenon unfolding before them was a sight that could yield vital information just by watching.

Feeling their gazes on him, Gangwoo stepped forward.

Ding—

[You have entered the Golden Altar.]

At the core of the fiercely burning pillar of light sat a single altar, gleaming with golden radiance.

Gangwoo climbed onto it.

Thump—thump—

Over a hundred eyes on him, the pillar of light spreading outward. Just standing on this altar sent anticipation surging through him.

[You have retrieved the Book of Job Change: Ruin[M] from your Inventory.]

A book snapped into Ha Gangwoo’s grip with a sharp *thwip*.

Bound in dark leather and metal fittings.

A product worth a staggering 500 billion Gold—an S-Grade Book of Job Change.

He couldn’t even begin to imagine how difficult it would be, but Gangwoo didn’t hesitate.

*Chk-chunk!*

The clasp of the tightly sealed book released, and thick smoke hissed out in wisps.

The moment that dense smoke filled the space around him—

Ding—

[You have used the Book of Job Change: Ruin[M].]

[You have acquired the Job-Change Quest: Path of Ruin the Destroyer.]

With a welcome notification, *spot*—Ha Gangwoo vanished without a trace.

***

*Whirr*—

A dazzling light burst from the pillar where Ha Gangwoo had stood.

“What the hell’s that?!”

“Is it gonna explode?”

Players winced, squinting against the blinding radiance.

“Whoa!”

Mimic’s mouth fell open and her eyes sparkled as she watched the intense light.

With every player’s gaze locked on, *wooom*—

The brilliantly shining pillar of light gradually dimmed,

then faded out with a soft *puff*.

“Wh-what…”

“Where’d he go?”

Players rubbed their eyes, searching for Ha Gangwoo’s figure, but only a quiet silence remained.

Nothing was left behind.

“See you later!”

Mimic bowed toward where Gangwoo had vanished, then turned on her heel.

“I’m hungry!”

She patted her small belly as she wandered across the vast interior of the dome.

During the seven-day exam, the only time she’d eaten her fill was the first day.

So Mimic was hungry.

She wanted to get to a city overflowing with food, right this instant.

But this place was the Job Selection Area—there was no way they sold food here.

‘I’m so hungry…’

Mimic furrowed her little brow and glanced around.

Adults gripping blades. A dome of worn stone tiles. Not a single morsel of food, no matter how hard she searched.

She’d held out for seven days on the sole hope of buying delicious food, so the disappointment hit hard.

All the Gold she’d saved up was for this very day.

And there were no restaurants.

Mimic was disappointed.

But it seemed death wasn’t on the menu after all.

A savory scent of meat brushed past her nostrils.

“Food!”

Forgetting Ha Gangwoo’s warnings entirely, Mimic shifted her feet.

About five minutes later.

“Meat!!!”

The fragrant aroma of meat grew even stronger.

Sizzle— Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Mimic arrived at a place filled with the sounds of cooking and the scent of food.

Without hesitation, she walked toward that spot,

“Huh?!”

Kim Jisoo spotted Mimic in front of the Crafting Exam Hall and tilted her head.

‘That’s Mik, isn’t it?’

Mik’s guardian was Ha Gangwoo, wasn’t he? Then why was she wandering around alone?

Kim Jisoo tilted her head again and followed after Mimic.

“Mik!”

Kim Jisoo called out desperately to Mimic, but she couldn’t easily catch up through the dense crowd.

Pushing through players, she kept advancing—just as she was about to grab Mimic’s shoulder.

Swoosh—

A man passed in front of Kim Jisoo, and she lost sight of Mimic.

“Huh?!”

But what was this?

There was nothing left in the spot where Mimic should have been. It was enough to drive a ghost to tears.

“Mik!”

Kim Jisoo searched frantically for Mimic, pacing around the area, but couldn’t find her.

***

In a deserted corner of the Job Selection Area.

“Who are you?”

Mimic looked up at someone and tilted her head.

Lured by the fragrant scent of meat, she had been moving forward when someone grabbed her.

The kidnapper looked down at her with a cold expression, then spoke in a low voice.

“What the hell are you.”

The kidnapper was none other than Kang Seongbin.

Grab—

Kang Seongbin seized Mimic by the collar and lifted her small body up.

Mimic rose from the ground, held by Kang Seongbin’s black arm.

For an instant, Ha Gangwoo’s words flashed through Mimic’s mind.

—If a stranger threatens you, don’t hesitate—attack.

Threat.

Mimic sensed killing intent from Kang Seongbin and, without hesitation, grabbed his black arm with her small hand.

Crack—

Instantly, Kang Seongbin’s black arm was crushed in Mimic’s grip.

Mimic’s Strength was 95.

That was no small number.

‘…’

Kang Seongbin’s face twisted.

“What the hell is this brat…”

Just as the cold killing intent began to spread thickly around them,

“Stop that.”

Jo Seunghyun appeared at the scene.