Sambangan.
An intense gaze in which the lower edge of the iris does not touch the bottom eyelid. In physiognomy, it is often called the eye of an ambitious person, supposedly indicating someone born with a powerful drive for success and a fierce desire to win.
However, when you observe that 'man' up close, the impression he gives is strangely at odds with such a physiognomic interpretation.
Winning or losing doesn't seem to matter to him. He possesses a calmness that makes it seem as though he wouldn't care even if countless scars suddenly appeared across his face.
Although he is an S-rank Hunter standing at the very top of the food chain, his mental strength has always stood out even more than his physical strength.
'A Hunter you can't help but respect.'
Strictly speaking, there wasn't much difference between them in terms of age.
But wasn't this an industry where skill mattered above all else?
Kim Giryeo seemed like someone who had been born to hunt.
Most things couldn't make him so much as bat an eye.
And his private life?
It was spotless.
Aside from those absurd school violence rumors from the past, no matter how deeply anyone dug, there was nothing for them to uncover.
Some might claim that his unusual nature was the result of a lonely childhood spent on his own, but Ahn Yoonseung didn't think so.
From what he had personally witnessed, Kim Giryeo's abilities went far beyond anything that could be explained by such trivial environmental factors.
It was genuine, innate talent.
That man embodied a realm an ordinary person could never hope to reach, no matter how desperately they struggled.
'Strength, strategy, mentality. Honestly, as a Hunter, he doesn't lack anything.'
However, that seemingly flawless Hunter had recently displayed an extraordinarily rare moment of weakness.
For a brief instant, his hand trembled.
His expression fell, as though he hadn't even had time to compose himself.
From Ahn Yoonseung's perspective, the sight had been shocking.
It felt like watching a perfectly preserved cultural treasure shatter before his eyes.
Something deep inside him seemed to cave in.
There was no need to search the distant past for proof of Giryeo's character.
Hadn't this very fourth-ranked S-class Hunter, during the recent [Thornbush Forest] incident, unhesitatingly taken an attack meant for an acquaintance?
In fiction, villains were often portrayed as charismatic figures.
But in reality, it was often those who upheld their principles who naturally drew people toward them.
And that Hunter wasn't merely generous toward his acquaintances!
[ Hunternet < Free Bulletin Board ][m***: Wow ㅠㅠㅠ so touching ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[??*: As expected, a true top-tier doesn't even feel petty jealousy toward their partners. Instead, because they have so much, they're the first to give and share.]
[****: Just brushing against those thorns hurts like hell. How did he hunt it alone?]
During the suppression of the Thornbush Forest dungeon break, the internet had erupted after testimonies from Sunhwan Bank employees who escaped the dome began circulating online.
And those testimonies said exactly this.
Hunter Kim Giryeo had insisted on defeating the final boss entirely by himself.
That's right!
He said, 'If I'm going to suffer anyway, I'd rather do it alone...'
Even while enduring excruciating pain that pierced directly into his nerves, he had voluntarily taken the entire burden upon himself.
'Then when he blocked that attack meant for me... he must have hidden the pain because he was worried his younger brother would be frightened...'
Yoonseung felt his respect for the man deepen all over again.
He was someone who had willingly faced the thornbushes alone for the sake of the other Hunters.
How could Yoonseung simply ignore it now that such an extraordinary Awakened person appeared to be struggling with some sudden decline in condition?
'A person can't just keep receiving without ever giving anything back.'
If someone did you a favor, it was only right to repay it.
Once again, Yoonseung sincerely wished he could do something—anything—to help South Korea's fourth-ranked S-rank Hunter.
And then, unexpectedly, an opportunity finally appeared.
[Seonhan Daily]
[[Dungeon News] Perhaps We Are Already 'Doomed', [Read More]]
...Although the incident was so serious that calling it a fortunate opportunity felt somewhat inappropriate.
***
The age of machines has arrived!
Well, in reality, things hadn't escalated far enough for anyone to seriously make such a declaration.
Nevertheless, the phenomenon that had begun on the 6th was already enough to throw the capital into turmoil.
In this world, it wasn't uncommon for certain types of monsters to appear more frequently inside Gates at irregular intervals.
Unfortunately, this time, the monsters in question happened to be 'golems.'
It was as though someone had filled an entire claw machine with only one kind of prize.
Before long, most of the A-rank Gates appearing throughout Seoul had turned into nests of inanimate creatures.
The probability of encountering dungeons inhabited by Golems had suddenly skyrocketed.
[ Hunternet < Free Bulletin Board ][m***: Golem bosses drop infinite power cores, though. Isn't this actually good since we can farm the hell out of them now??]
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
Golems were actually among the monster types Hunters most preferred to avoid.
Unlike beast-type monsters, they could continue moving even after sustaining severe damage because they were immune to bleeding.
On top of that, their defense was absurdly high. Simply cracking through their outer shell often took an eternity.
(Physical defense)
[ Hunternet < Free Bulletin Board ][Jeon***: Aren't golems basically just core one-tool? =_=]
[??*: That's right. The loot from regular monsters is worth so little that if you don't get the core in a golem dungeon, the team's payout gets completely wrecked.]
If things went badly, Hunters could spend a tremendous amount of effort only to make no profit whatsoever, with potion costs eating away everything they earned.
Everyone wanted to pretend the sudden surge of Golems wasn't happening.
But from the perspective of the national authorities, ignoring the situation wasn't an option.
The A-rank Golem dungeons spreading throughout Seoul had appeared at roughly the same time.
If no one entered them willingly, there was a very real possibility that several dungeon breaks could occur simultaneously.
"Such a headache. How long has it even been since the new chairman took office? And we're already dealing with something like this?"
"Should we start by issuing a mobilization order for the A-rank Hunters?"
"Now? It's far too early for that."
"But if we leave it entirely up to the Hunters to volunteer, I have a bad feeling something terrible is going to happen..."
Murmur.
The Hunter Association's conference room grew increasingly noisy.
"Haa."
The most suitable people for resolving the situation cleanly were, naturally, the S-rank Awakened.
Unfortunately, summoning them was no simple matter.
1st place, Jung Haseong.
He was expected to remain occupied for quite some time dealing with the [Winter General] dungeon break that had occurred in the Jeju region.
2nd place, Seo Esther.
She wasn't merely away from Seoul.
She was currently inside a dungeon.
An A-rank Awakened from the regional branch of the Korean Magic Tower had been injured and trapped inside one.
To resolve the situation, Guild Leader Esther had personally traveled to Cheongju.
And the dungeon her team was attempting to clear was enormous and complex enough to have an average clearing time of 3.8 days...
Then came Kang Changho.
No response.
At this point, the Association had no choice but to pin its hopes on the final S-rank Hunter.
9th place.
However, according to information left behind by the previous administration when the former Association president departed, this Hunter had once issued a warning to the institution.
If they failed to protect his personal information, he would never again tolerate being forcibly summoned.
'J, just asking should be fine, right?'
Just as they were preparing to make a gamble that was almost certain to fail—
Tiring, Tiring, Tiring, Tiring.
One of the staff members checked the stream of notifications sounding from the computer and stared at the screen in disbelief.
[New Raid Application - The Hand of the Giant (A) - Applicant: Neo Sisters Corp.]
[New Raid Application - The Hand of the Giant (A) - Applicant: Neo Sisters Corp.]
[New Raid Application - The Hand of the Giant (A) - Applicant: Neo Sisters Corp.]
What was going on?
All of a sudden, multiple Golem Gates were being reserved at once.
***
[The Hand of the Giant].
A den of Golem-type monsters that Hunters generally preferred to avoid.
Yet there was one A-rank Hunter who practically rejoiced at its appearance.
"This is it!"
What kind of gift could possibly bring joy to South Korea's fourth S-rank Hunter, Kim Giryeo?
Ah, of course.
There could only be one answer.
'The safety of the citizens.'
'As expected of my brother...'
Giryeo.
Perhaps exhausted by the hatred and constant conflict permeating society, that Hunter had initially concealed his rank and lived quietly when they first met.
But because he was righteous by nature, he couldn't simply stand by and watch when danger appeared.
Eventually, he revealed his true identity.
[[Breaking News] South Korea's 4th S-rank Hunter Appears]
And once the fact that he was an S-rank became public, he seemed to have decided that since the cat was already out of the bag, he might as well throw himself wholeheartedly into every major incident and crisis.
Peace.
No matter how much Yoonseung thought about it, the only subject likely to interest that Hunter was something as old-fashioned—and yet as noble—as that.
And so, having made up his mind, Yoonseung spoke to his colleagues.
"You're saying we should monopolize all the Golems that appeared in Seoul? What exactly do you mean?"
Even if it meant working overtime and sacrificing their days off, Yoonseung wanted to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
Of course, the sudden appearance of such a large number of Golem-type monsters was no trivial matter.
Some members of Neo Sisters had already been cautiously discussing hunting the Golems.
But suddenly forcing the entire team into such a brutal schedule was another matter entirely.
"That's exactly the problem! The truth is, I want us to deal with this before the Association ends up calling in the S-rank Hunters..."
The regular team leader of Neo Sisters listened quietly.
According to Yoonseung, the 9th-ranked Hunter in Korea's Hunter industry had recently shown unmistakable signs of exhaustion, his usual iron composure briefly cracking.
Worried about the burden being placed on him, Ahn Yoonseung had apparently decided to take the initiative and eliminate the Golems before the situation became serious enough to demand his intervention.
"If we can't handle it at the A-rank level, he'll end up stepping in again. Someone like my brother would never ignore people in danger, right? Ugh, knowing his personality, he'll throw himself into it without letting anyone see how exhausted he is..."
His intentions were certainly admirable...
"Hmm."
Still, voluntarily taking on a highly difficult Golem dungeon—especially one whose profitability was uncertain—wasn't exactly appealing.
Hunting wasn't volunteer work.
At the end of the day, they all had to make a living.
There was no reason they should risk their lives purely for the sake of strangers.
"...That's a really good idea!"
There was, however, someone who had experienced something similar firsthand.
The leader of Team 3 adjusted her crossbow and turned her head.
Behind her, the youngest member of the team, Baek Jagyeong, suddenly spoke up with an excited expression.
"Even someone like me, if I can be of help, I genuinely want to assist!"
"Well, well. Looks like we've got a couple of Kim Giryeo fans here~ At this rate, the two of you might even end up joining someday."
"They don't accept Hunters there, though?"
Come to think of it, Hunter Baek Jagyeong had once mentioned receiving help from Kim Giryeo.
At the time, he had disguised himself as the 33rd guest at an epic-level auction that she attended in place of the guild's sharpshooter.
That was probably why she was arguing so passionately now.
"Team leader."
The usually composed Team 3 leader remained expressionless as she listened.
Then, while she was still lost in thought, Ahn Yoonseung offered her a well-intentioned temptation.
"Anyway... you know that epic-level item that's supposed to be auctioned soon. That crossbow with the unusual design. Its stats are incredible too."
"Wild Crossbow?"
"Yes! But weren't you worried last time because the starting bid was so high that you weren't sure you'd be able to win it? You've even been eating at the company cafeteria lately because you're replacing your equipment..."
When there was something that absolutely had to be accomplished, it was wise to consider whether sufficient resources had been invested toward the goal.
"Team leader! I'll give up my share of the distribution!"
Yoonseung declared without hesitation.
"I'll divide all the profits that would normally come to me equally among the rest of the team!"
"Huh?"
"And I looked into it. [The Hand of the Giant] actually has a higher chance of dropping cores than [Golden Fragrance]!"
"...!"
"The only reason people say the payout gets destroyed is because of the possibility that no cores will drop. But if we reserve several dungeons and clear all of them one after another...?"
The probability of making a profit would no longer be particularly unstable.
That was the whole point of averaging out the results over multiple raids.
And the moment Yoonseung finished speaking, the youngest member of the team immediately joined in.
"Me too! I won't take my share of the settlement this time!"
"What?"
"I'm genuinely that grateful to Hunter Kim. He helped me once without asking for anything in return, remember? But it's not like I can just go up to him and say thank you when I don't even have his contact information. If I can show my gratitude in a meaningful way through something like this, even if it's only indirectly..."
"No, seriously?"
"Yes! Seriously!"
Two top-tier Hunters voluntarily surrendering their shares was no small matter.
Which meant—
How much larger would the remaining team members' percentages become?
And if they happened to get lucky and obtain more cores than usual...
"Ahem."
"Hmm."
The team members who had remained silent until then suddenly began clearing their throats.
The healer was the first to speak.
"Aren't these youngsters surprisingly thoughtful? You don't see loyalty like that often these days. Ah, considering the sentiment behind it... maybe we should all pitch in and help out this time...?"
After the older man spoke in a solemn voice, the young male guild member standing beside him soon offered his own opinion.
"I'm fine with it too. Well, our team already has a vacation scheduled anyway. We might as well go all out now and rest afterward, right?"
The team leader, who specialized in crossbows, briefly recalled a certain item.
Two weeks from now, a newly manufactured American artifact would appear at an epic-level auction.
The elegant silhouette of that crossbow was far more captivating to someone who had chosen hunting as her lifelong profession than any stylish supercar could ever be.
But even after five years in the industry, she wasn't confident she could secure that weapon for herself.
After all, an epic-grade artifact with offensive capabilities carried an astronomical price tag.
Power.
Safety.
Things like that.
A single item could completely transform a Hunter's life.
And the epic-grade weapon appearing this time just happened to be a crossbow—something perfectly suited to a Hunter like her.
If she let this opportunity slip away, there was no telling how long she would have to wait before another one appeared...
Tremble.
After a long period of agonizing contemplation, the leader of Team 3 pulled out her phone with trembling hands.
"Mhm. Mom. It's me. I think I'll be coming home late for the next few days. So go ahead and have dinner without me... Make sure you and Dad order something really delicious..."
What followed was the tearful beginning of an all-nighter domino effect familiar to every ordinary office worker.