*Huumm*—a hushed silence pervaded the Hope Repository’s hospital room.

[Battle Master]

Grade: H

Description: You have inherited the power of the Emperor of PVP, Ashrunte. Defeat every opponent in PVP and stand at the pinnacle of the Gaia world!

Seated in his chair, Ha Gangwoo stared at Mimic’s status window with a curl of interest on his lips.

‘Battle Master.’

When he’d first confirmed Mimic’s job, it had piqued his curiosity.

‘Did she not use a Book of Job Change?’

What Gangwoo had instructed Mimic to do was pick one of the Books of Job Change and take a class of her own choosing.

But Mimic hadn’t used a single Book of Job Change.

Yet she’d still come out with a job—which meant she’d taken a test from an instructor in the Job Selection Area.

‘What kind of test did she take.’

Whatever test he’d taken to land a Hidden class—I was curious, sure. But what I really wanted to know was something else.

‘What skills did he get?’

The effects of the Battle Master’s job skills, to be exact.

Since Mimic was Ha Gangwoo’s possession, she could naturally view his job skill status window.

Ding-

[Job Skills]

-Ashrunte’s Secret Technique

-Ruler of the Battlefield

-Blessing of Victory

Mimic had no levels. So she wondered.

Job skills gained at level 10 intervals. How did one even acquire them?

But seeing these three skills now, she understood.

Through the Link system, when Ha Gangwoo met the conditions, Mimic too could obtain job skills.

‘Looks good.’

Ha Gangwoo checked Mimic’s skills and felt intrigued.

From Ashrunte’s Secret Technique to Blessing of Victory. Just reading the skill names gave him a good feeling.

Just as Ha Gangwoo was about to check the detailed skill info—

“Master! I’m hungry!”

Mimic puffed out her tiny cheeks until they were round as apples, then shook Ha Gangwoo’s arm.

‘…’

Ha Gangwoo stopped mid-step and stared at her face.

She was scrunching her brow with all her might, which ought to have looked unpleasant — but he couldn’t help a small laugh.

‘So he’s got time to spare.’

Gangwoo stopped his check and straightened up.

It was just one of Mimic’s job skills. Checking later wouldn’t cost him anything.

And with over fifty minutes left before the scheduled Gate screening —

Gangwoo decided to put Mimic’s fussing at the top of his priority list.

He stroked her small head, a bright look on his face.

“What do you want to eat? Let’s go out.”

“Really?! Yes! I want to eat that! First, that place with the red sign up ahead. Was it called the Great Wall of China? And then…”

When asked what she wanted to eat, Mimic rattled off roughly twenty dishes.

“Got it. Let’s head out first.”

Ha Gangwoo watched Mimic, a faint smile tugging at his lips, then stepped outside.

That was when it happened.

Squeak—

The hospital room door swung open, and a familiar woman poked her head in, her face flushed red.

“Hello, Gangwoo.”

It was Kim Hyojoo, an employee of Hope Repository.

Even while Ha Gangwoo had been undergoing his job change at the Tower, Kim Hyojoo had checked on his younger sister’s condition every single day without fail.

That was why Ha Gangwoo thought well of her.

“Hello.”

As Ha Gangwoo returned her greeting, Kim Hyojoo stepped into the room, hesitating for a moment.

“It’s been crazy on TV—did you really get an L-Grade job?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

Ha Gangwoo let out a deep sigh at Kim Hyojoo’s words.

Yes, the rumor that Ha Gangwoo had an L-Grade job had already spread across the world.

Both a player’s rank and their job’s grade were public information. Something about preventing crime, supposedly.

“Wow… so it’s true. That’s amazing!”

Kim Hyojoo clapped her hands together, unable to hold back her admiration.

In the middle of that trivial conversation—

Tug. Tug.

Mimic yanked at Ha Gangwoo’s pants.

A signal that she wanted to leave. Now.

“I have something to take care of. Is there a problem?”

“Ah! A visitor came for this hospital room.”

“A visitor?”

Ha Gangwoo frowned at Kim Hyojoo’s words.

The Hope Repository was a place where the price you paid bought you airtight security.

Which was why, even in the middle of all this chaos, it stayed peaceful—no reporters, not even a single visitor.

And now a visitor? Had someone breached security?

‘Who.’

In an instant, Ha Gangwoo’s expression turned cold.

Catching the shift, Kim Hyojoo rushed to continue.

“She said she’s an old friend of Ms. Ha’s, but just in case, I told her no one like that existed. She insisted she knew she was here and said she’d wait. Is she an acquaintance you two had discussed before?”

“A friend? Hmm…”

Ha Gangwoo stroked his chin at Kim Hyojoo’s words, rifling through his memory.

‘An old friend…’

His sister had collapsed so suddenly that there’d been no time to contact anyone.

He’d been too busy scrambling to scrape together the money, barely keeping himself upright.

Lost in thought, one woman surfaced in Ha Gangwoo’s mind.

‘Is it Ayoung?’

Yoo Ayoung.

A girl from the same orphanage as Ha Gangwoo and Ha Jiyeon—always glued to Jiyeon’s side since they were kids.

As they grew up, Ha Gangwoo hadn’t paid Ayoung any mind, so he wouldn’t have known, but it seemed she and Jiyeon had kept in touch.

Now that he had a rough idea who it was, Ha Gangwoo’s expression relaxed.

If it was Ayoung, she was someone he felt fine telling about this place.

Still, there was no harm in being careful.

“Where is she?”

Ha Gangwoo immediately asked for Yoo Ayoung’s location.

“She’s in the hospital lobby.”

“Alright, thank you. Could you maybe look after this kid for a bit?”

He left Mimic with Kim Hyojoo, then headed toward the hospital lobby.

***

A woman with long, straight hair and a form-fitting suit sat in the hospital lobby.

Her name was Yoo Ayoung. She just sat there quietly, chewing on her lip.

“Whoa… she’s pretty.”

“Is she a Hunter? Damn, that body.”

The eyes of every man nearby were fixed on her.

It was the kind of gaze that should’ve been uncomfortable, but—

‘Is something wrong?’

Yoo Ayoung had no room to care.

Because right now, she was too worried about Jiyeon’s condition.

Yoo Ayoung’s job was a Hunter.

She’d been in the Scenario 3 region for the past eight months, cut off from the world.

She’d finally gotten out today and tried to contact Jiyeon, but the number was gone, and even the people around them had no idea where Jiyeon was.

In that moment, Yoo Ayoung was terrified.

Had something happened to Jiyeon—the person she thought of as her only family? She was too afraid to even think.

That was why she’d set everything else aside and even used her Trait to come here.

‘She’s definitely here…’

Ayoung scrunched her face as she looked down at her palm.

The tip of the red ribbon pointed straight at the building.

Her Trait was Detection and Tracking. That was how she knew for certain.

Jiyeon was inside this building right now.

But something was off.

When she’d asked if there was a patient named Ha Jiyeon, the nurse had answered flatly.

—There’s no such patient here.

A hospital hiding a patient. Her instincts kept screaming at her.

Something’s happened to Ha Jiyeon. Move. Now.

So Ayoung shot to her feet.

‘Find her!’

An Association-affiliated Player sneaking into a civilian hospital—getting caught would be bad.

But Ayoung didn’t hesitate.

Because to her, Ha Jiyeon was family.

She stepped forward, about to follow where the ribbon pointed.

Then a man blocked her path.

“Huh?!”

Startled, Ayoung stared at his face.

He was a strikingly handsome man.

‘Where have I… seen that face before…’

Those bright, clear eyes, those sharp, striking features—something about him felt familiar.

And sure enough.

“Long time no see.”

The man greeted her like an old acquaintance.

“Excuse me? Who…”

Ayoung started to ask, then realized.

“Ah!”

The man in front of her was her first love. Jiyeon’s Oppa.

Ha Gangwoo.

But his aura had changed completely.

The usual warmth she remembered was gone. Instead, a cold, desolate feeling stirred her anxiety.

“Hello! It’s been so— long! Have you been well?”

So Ayoung forced a bright greeting.

But Ha Gangwoo’s expression was grim.

He looked at her face and slowly opened his mouth.

‘…’

His voice was barely a whisper, his lips barely moving, but Ayoung caught every word.

When he finished, she stared blankly into space for a long moment, then dropped her head.

***

A blazing sun beat down on the earth from the blue sky.

This was a secluded walking path in Dobong District.

Association staff moved busily, putting up restricted-access tape.

All because of the B-Rank Gate that had spawned the night before.

Park Junseong, in charge of this Gate, scratched the back of his head as he looked at the system window floating before him.

[Samyun’s Secret Laboratory]

Grade: B

Max Personnel: 6

Entry Level: 120 or below

“Damn it.”

The reason Park Junseong was frowning was the Gate’s entry-level restriction.

Every Gate had its own limits.

Max personnel was a common restriction, so that didn’t bother him, but level limits were a different story.

“Haah… Please, let someone decent show up.”

Park Junseong grumbled as he pulled his smartphone from his pocket to check the applicants.

‘This is a mess…’

Most were max-level Players. Excluding them, maybe six Players met the level requirement.

Level 88. C-Grade Player. B-Grade Trait.

Level 111. E-Grade Player. C-Grade Trait.

Level 93. D-Grade Player. E-Grade Trait.

……

…..

.

But the real problem was their quality—they were all sorely lacking.

Junseong let out a heavy sigh and set the phone down.

‘Guess I’m making calls again today…’

No matter how he looked at it, the current applicants alone couldn’t clear the Gate.

Reluctantly, Junseong reached for the Association’s number to request backup.

But just then—

Ding-

[A volunteer for the B-Grade Gate clearing has registered.]

A new application had arrived.

Junseong’s eyes snapped to the screen without thinking.

‘…’

Gulp-

He swallowed dryly, the motion automatic, and murmured the applicant’s name.

“Ha Gangwoo…”

Junseong knew who that was—everyone did.

After all, the guy had been plastered all over the news just today.

Which only made Junseong more disappointed.

‘His level’s gotta be too low.’

No matter how talented a Player was, tackling a B-Grade Gate demanded at least level 90.

If Gangwoo had just finished his job change, he’d be hovering around level 70—short on job skills, short on stats.

“Ah… what a shame.”

Sighing, he moved to dismiss the application—and froze, blinking.

[Level: 98]

“Wha—what?!”

There it was in Gangwoo’s level slot: a flat ninety-eight.

“Is that even possible?”

Junseong had been in the Player world for fifteen years. He knew the progression pipeline cold.

The levels Players came out of the Tutorial with. The levels they hit after finishing a Scenario. All of it.

But a Player fresh out of the Tower of Job Change sitting at level 98?

Even staring at the numbers, he couldn’t wrap his head around it.

“Wow… everybody’s been hyping L-Grade this, L-Grade that—guess there’s something to it after all.”

A grin spread across Junseong’s face before he could stop it, admiration spilling out in his voice.

Just what kind of person kept pulling off these insane, impossible feats?

Crack-

As if making up his mind, Junseong clenched his fist tight.

Then he dialed a number.

“Hello. This is Park Junseong. I need one experienced Player under level 120. Yes! Thank you as always. Yes!”

With the Gate’s safety escort secured, Junseong toyed with his phone, a satisfied look on his face.

“Alright, now let’s see if I can call him in.”

***

The rooftop of an empty hospital.

A gloomy atmosphere soaked the air, pressing it down thick and heavy.

In stark contrast, sparrows chirped under the clear blue sky while children ran around playing below.

“Hoo…”

Yoo Ayoung let out a deep breath, then curled the corners of her mouth into a strained smile, forcing the expression.

“Now that I see you up close, Oppa, you’re really strong, huh.”

Yoo Ayoung hadn’t shed a single tear when she heard the news of Ha Jiyeon’s death.

But Ha Gangwoo could feel it, thanks to his Sense stat.

The grief Yoo Ayoung felt.

And the fact that it rivaled the despair he himself had endured.

With that kind of sorrow weighing on her, she was trying to comfort him instead.

‘Impressive.’

Ha Gangwoo looked at Yoo Ayoung and thought she was remarkable.

She was younger than him, but she was far more mature.

“You’re a Player too, Oppa?”

“Yeah. Been Awakened about a month.”

“Oh! I see~! As you probably know, I’m a Player too! Two whole years now!”

Yoo Ayoung spread her index and ring fingers into a V, flashing a wide grin that showed her teeth.

Yoo Ayoung had no idea Ha Gangwoo was an L-Grade Player. She’d been stuck in Scenario 3 territory for almost a year, from what he’d heard.

There was no need to brag about it, so Ha Gangwoo kept his mouth shut.

“Right, so you’re my Sunbae-nim. I’ll be counting on you.”

“Sunbae?! Ehehe~ I’ll gladly take the title! If there’s anything you don’t know, just ask me! I’ll do my best to teach you!”

Yoo Ayoung’s cheeks flushed with delight at his words. Then, flashing a toothy grin, she grabbed his hand firmly.

“A month in, you must be about ready for a Job Change, right? Have you done it yet? Once you finish, I’ll give you a carry! I may not look it, but I’m over Level 100! Oh! Should I run you through Scenario 2 too? I have a teammate who…”

Yoo Ayoung chattered on excitedly, and Ha Gangwoo watched her with a bitter smile.

Because he could feel that she was forcing herself to act cheerful.

On top of that, small gestures and turns of phrase nagged at him.

Maybe because she and his sister had grown up together since they were kids, Yoo Ayoung reminded him of Ha Jiyeon in many ways.

As that trivial back-and-forth went on.

Ding-ding-ding-ding-

A phone call for Yoo Ayoung brought the conversation to an end.

“Ah! Got it. I’ll be right there.”

Yoo Ayoung hung up, then grabbed both of Ha Gangwoo’s hands.

“The Association’s calling. Well then, see you later! I’ll contact you!”

Yoo Ayoung gave a bright goodbye and left.

Ha Gangwoo watched her retreating figure and scratched the back of his head.

‘Not bad.’

She reminded him of his sister, which stirred up some gloom, but it didn’t feel bad.

Just as Ha Gangwoo was thinking of Yoo Ayoung and feeling a sense of calm.

Ding-

[You have passed the screening for the Dobong District Gate.]

-Please gather at Exit 5 of Dobong Station by 5:20 PM tomorrow.

The acceptance message for the Gate he’d applied to had arrived.

A Gate that could handle everything from quota to level.

Ha Gangwoo wore a satisfied expression as he moved toward the stairs.