Kim Songcheol’s official media debut was a massive explosion that shook the Earth.

The whole world was talking about Kim Songcheol.

Not only internet knights, but also communities, portal sites, and personal social media were plastered with Kim Songcheol’s name.

People talked about Kim Songcheol at work and over dinner.

This was not happening only in the Republic of Korea.

Foreign media also reported on Kim Songcheol, famous YouTubers even mentioned his press conference, and screenshots of Kim Songcheol’s press conference were used as memes.

The reason for this explosive public interest was not the press conference itself, but Kim Songcheol’s background.

As Kim Songcheol himself appeared at the press conference, all embargoes were lifted.

Information about Kim Songcheol was released to the public.

His educational background and his past as an accountant were highlighted, but that was minor compared to the intense focus on Kim Songcheol’s Hunter career.

His unprecedented record of reaching a B-rank dungeon within less than two years of being discovered as a Hunter attracted the attention of people worldwide.

If they had watched his growth process step by step, the reaction would not have been this intense.

In Korea, information was somewhat released mainly through internet communities, but abroad, he truly appeared as a sudden Hunter.

And he was the one who reached a B-grade dungeon in the shortest time.

Information about Hunters is already widely spread, so people know how much time it takes to reach a B-grade dungeon.

It takes at least 5 years, and on average 6-7 years.

But Kim Songcheol did it in about 1 year and 7 months.

Even Ocean Winslow, the strongest Hunter on Earth, was not this fast.

As a result, people around the world began to anticipate, ‘Is the strongest position on Earth changing?’, which became a reason to pay more attention to Kim Songcheol.

And the story that he kept his Hunter status a secret from his parents, fearing they would worry while he rose to the top position in the Republic of Korea, was also a popular element.

If you become a normal Hunter, it’s impossible to keep it a secret from your parents.

As a Hunter, it’s naturally reported in the media, and many places, not just the Republic of Korea, introduce new Hunters in the media.

Therefore, no other Hunter had a story like this.

The Republic of Korea’s efforts, forced to embargo the media at Kim Songcheol’s request and maintain security to prevent losing him, had a chemical reaction that further increased the explosive power.

As a result, Kim Songcheol became a new hunter and star, seemingly out of nowhere, for people all over the world.

Even in famous overseas communities, a meme of Kim Songcheol appears whenever stories related to parents and official positions come up, so now there’s probably no one in the world who doesn’t know Kim Songcheol’s face.

Of course, Kim Songcheol himself, upon learning of the situation, clutched his head in embarrassment, but he didn’t regret appearing at the press conference.

It was clearly a decision with more gains than losses.

And one of those ‘gains’ was quite unexpected.

Surprisingly, Oneness grew.

Oneness is so closely intertwined with Kim Songcheol that it could be considered another Kim Songcheol.

This is because it was created by directly reflecting Kim Songcheol’s mind.

The growth of Oneness can be divided into two stages.

The oppressive burden was greatly lightened, returning it to its original size.

As Kim Songcheol matured mentally, Oneness also grew.

It wasn’t just mana training; life itself was linked to Oneness.

‘There must have been a reason for the vision to appear then…’

He felt this upon seeing Oneness suddenly grow.

That the press conference was also a turning point.

The moment he grabbed the doorknob, the future was determined, and the Crystal activated. By holding the press conference, contrary to what was planned, he could be said to have put out the immediate fire.

The future hasn’t completely changed yet. It wasn’t time to let his guard down. He had to prepare.

‘I still have time.’

Kim Songcheol resumed his postponed magic research. Specifically, the latter part of Oneness.

That was the top priority.

***

Kim Songcheol flew around the Danger Zone, checking the terrain.

He was looking for the place he had seen in his vision.

He needed to thoroughly check all the information from the vision.

‘Is this it?’

The split in the valley. Large rocks. A distant canyon.

The terrain in the vision had changed a bit due to battle, but considering the scenery, this was definitely the place.

It wasn’t far from Ojak’s Headquarters. Thanks to that, he found it quickly.

This is where things would happen.

Not only Kim Songcheol’s team members, but also martial artists who appeared to be Pyeong’s Hunters were dead.

It was difficult to read what the situation was.

In a way, it seemed as if Pyeong’s Hunters had fought and killed each other.

Kim Songcheol overlapped the image in his mind with the terrain before his eyes and moved a little to the right.

‘The Celestial Spirit Maiden and Namgung Jin were lying here.’

The Celestial Spirit Maiden was underneath, with Namgung Jin lying on top of her.

‘Why were they lying on top of each other?’

There was a hole in Namgung Jin’s chest. Meaning he died instantly.

Perhaps he fell onto the Celestial Spirit Maiden’s corpse by chance, or both of them might have been pierced through the chest at the same time.

It was difficult to guess the fatal injury because the Celestial Spirit Maiden’s corpse was obscured by Namgung Jin’s body. However, wouldn’t it be more credible to assume they died simultaneously?

Also, though it’s hardly fortunate, Cha Sehyeon’s corpse was among those in the vision.

This was a major indicator that helped Kim Songcheol deduce the timing of the ‘massacre’.

There were even two temporal indicators that could be obtained from Cha Sehyeon.

One was Cha Sehyeon’s whereabouts.

After this B-rank gate incident, Cha Sehyeon solidified her resolve to overcome her shortcomings and follow Kim Songcheol.

She would come to the Danger Zone as soon as she became a Grade 5 Mage and learned 2nd-tier Slash Attack Magic.

The second was Cha Sehyeon’s hair color.

As Kim Songcheol confirmed today, her hair color was a faded Rupture blue. However, the Cha Sehyeon in the vision had hot pink hair, which looked recently dyed.

Before these two conditions were met simultaneously, it was safe to assume there was still time.

Kim Songcheol took in the scene once more. It was as if translucent films were overlapping, and he could see the fallen corpses scattered across the area.

‘Hmm… I don’t know.’

Kim Songcheol stroked his chin. A vision, to begin with, is merely a warning rather than a definite hint about the future.

It wasn’t meant to be a puzzle to solve by finding clues. If that were the case, it would have shown more important scenes.

At least a scene that showed the culprit’s face.

“Ah.”

As Kim Songcheol delved deeper into thoughts about the future, ‘Gambler™’ suddenly crossed his mind.

When he asked about unique magic on the Q&A board, the Gambler gave him coordinates.

He went there and met someone related to him at the exact time and place.

This could only be explained as clairvoyance.

If so, couldn’t he get advice this time as well?

After all, they were similar in that they both involved glimpses into the future.

‘What should I ask…?’

He pondered for a moment, but then thought it probably wouldn’t matter how he asked. Not if the person had precognitive abilities.

[I can’t see the future. I would appreciate your help.]

Kim Songcheol posted his question just like that.

***

Namgung Jin had a problem: the Celestial Spirit Maiden wouldn’t even talk to him.

He had succeeded in giving land to Ojak and allowing them to trade freely, but the Celestial Spirit Maiden’s response remained cold.

“How about a spar for martial arts exchange, if you don’t mind?”

“No.”

“Or even a sword discussion…?”

“No.”

“Or…”

“”

“I’ll stop here for today.”

He had no choice but to back down when he saw her eyes, which were full of murderous intent.

‘She’s practically a blockhead.’

Namgung Jin smiled bitterly. He understood, in a way, since the Celestial Spirit Maiden had almost no experience meeting the Martial Artists of the Murim Alliance.

Namgung Jin had already befriended several Martial Artists from Ilwol.

Talking to them, he found that Martial Artists with less worldly experience often held prejudices against others.

Regardless of which side they were on.

Also, even within the Murim Alliance, younger Martial Artists often had more open minds. Of course, there were still many who clamored for the Extermination of Demons.

Namgung Jin didn’t just casually bring up the topic of a Peace Treaty to the world.

Although it might be premature, it was clearly a transitional period. That’s why he thought a time like this was more important.

That’s why he was trying to persuade the Celestial Spirit Maiden.

It was frustrating that the kin of the Divine Demon, who could be called a crucial key to the Peace Treaty, was so stubborn.

“Young master, rejected again?”

The Ojak’s Hunters chuckled.

Namgung Jin could only nod with a regretful expression.

“Yes, she just flat-out refuses my words, so I don’t know what to do.”

“Then I’ll teach you a method.”

One of the Ojak’s Hunters subtly approached Namgung Jin.

“What…?”

“That Miss Cheon can’t resist a Card Game. It might be worth trying to tempt her with that.”

“Card Game?”

“Yes.”

The Hunter pulled out a deck of cards from his pocket and showed them.

“Ah.”

Namgung Jin knew about it too.

The next day.

Namgung Jin put a deck of cards in his pocket and went to find the Celestial Spirit Maiden.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden was sitting on a cushion, meditating.

“Here.”

Namgung Jin put the cards down in front of her. The Celestial Spirit Maiden opened her eyes.

“Don’t you want to win points from a cunning minion of the Murim Alliance? I have quite a few points in my pocket, so if you have the skill, try to win them.”

At that, the Celestial Spirit Maiden’s eyes immediately lit up with vitality.

“I vowed never to play this game again, but if I hold back now, it would tarnish the name of Ilwol… Very well.”

She gave a flimsy excuse and rolled up her sleeves.

The two began a Card Game as if it were a battle.

And Namgung Jin immediately realized on the first hand.

That the Celestial Spirit Maiden was terrible at Card Games.

He couldn’t act out expressions at all.

He seemed to be trying his best, but it was impossible to avoid the eyes of anyone with even a little discernment, especially those from the Martial World.

To exaggerate a little, it was as if his opponent’s hand was completely visible, so for the opponent, losing was out of the question.

However.

‘Is this why he wants to play this card game? Heh.’

The results were evenly matched because Namgung Jin skillfully adjusted the wins and losses.

The two people’s card games gradually increased in frequency, and the time spent on them also grew longer.

Naturally, conversations would occur during breaks in their play.

And Namgung Jin’s loyal subordinate, Yi Gwa-yun, looked at them with an expression filled with worry.

‘It might be different for others, but this is a blood relative of the Divine Demon. Isn’t it clear that they are a being without any humanity?’

In his eyes, Namgung Jin seemed to be laughing heartily with his head in a tiger’s mouth.

He was extremely anxious, and he strongly felt that some action needed to be taken.

‘My lord, the Young Master’s safety is paramount. If I am to be punished, I will gladly accept the penalty after his safety is secured.’

He turned around with a resolute expression.