Han Jehoon.
The name sounded a little unusual for something registered at birth, and it was also difficult to associate it with 'Jehoon', a term related to the constitution.
That was because it was actually an abbreviation for “the weakest hunter in Korea.”
[Live Broadcast: Han Jehoon TV]
The 'Han Jehoon' being referred to here was the nickname of a video creator.
He had been running his channel for eight years, and his subscriber count had reached an impressive 763,000.
So what was it about Han Jehoon that drew people in and made them so enthusiastic?
[Ah—! Everyone. It's been a while since we did an outdoor cam, right? As promised last week, today we're here to hunt the so-called F-rank final boss, the broken hunting... mountain goat.]
As one could guess from the name, the theme of the videos he produced was “The Daily Life of an Awakener.”
Skill practice, item usage, and so on.
Using his status as a Hunter, he shared information that ordinary people rarely had access to.
And yet, shockingly, the protagonist of these videos possessed an awakening value of only 1.02aw.
The magic he could demonstrate was limited to something as simple as bending spoons...
But surprisingly, in the SNS market, that very weakness became his greatest strength.
After all, being dead last still made him unique in his own way.
[Official No. 1 The Weakest Awakener in Korea Vlog]
[Views: 7.71 million · 7 years ago]
By now, the advertising revenue from his videos far exceeded anything he earned by clearing dungeons.
Without a doubt, Han Jehoon could be considered the most successful example among F-rank Hunters.
And that was the background of spectator number 1, who had become caught up in Kim Giryeo's fight...
***
[The first person in history to be knocked out twice by an S-rank Hunter.]
One day, a video capable of putting an end to the ongoing arguments appeared on the Internet.
As mentioned earlier, it contained testimony from someone directly involved in the incident. ɌἈNǑ𝔟Ěs̈
[The reason we passed out at that time was because the hunter suddenly revealed his hidden magic power.]
In the video, Jehoon claimed that the mass fainting incident had been caused by Kim Giryeo's awakening value.
Logically speaking, it wasn't an unreasonable conclusion.
When faced with high-ranking hunters, weaker people and the elderly sometimes couldn't withstand the pressure emitted by an awakened individual and would lose consciousness.
[Everyone, honestly, even when I'm next to a C-rank, I... should I call it motion sickness? Anyway, I get this feeling of pressure slowly creeping over me, you know?]
A large subtitle appeared on the screen in time with his explanation.
[But when I first saw that hunter, I didn't feel that sensation! So I relaxed! Wow, the world has gotten better! With the right items, you can reduce that burden! That's what I was thinking as I confidently stepped up beside Hunter Kim... But when I came to my senses a little later, I was... oh, in a hospital. [My] my sister was sitting next to me.]
But when one considered what sort of secret Korea's fourth S-rank might have been hiding...
The story became rather strange.
[Still half out of it, I was like the protagonist of a drama, saying, “Where am I?” Then someone walked past in the hallway. A person in a suit. The moment I made eye contact with Hunter Kim, my heart started pounding... thump, thump, thump.]
[Hahaha!]
[Don't laugh! Seriously, if my sister had put a heart-rate monitor on me at that moment, it would've shown 180 bpm. I'm serious.]
He repeatedly insisted that he had fainted after being overwhelmed by magical pressure.
However, the blond man he was talking about was, in reality, nothing more than an F-rank weakling.
The true cause of the mass fainting incident the previous day had been a Unique-grade item called the 'Surprise Box.'
But given the circumstances, the video creator was bound to misunderstand the truth.
[If any viewers out there have ever fainted because of a high-rank, you'll understand. Your head suddenly turns ice-cold and all the strength leaves your body, right?]
Exactly.
The effect of the Surprise Box really did resemble the sensation of being overwhelmed by magical pressure...!
Dizziness.
Chills.
Acute muscle weakness, and so on.
The Surprise Box triggered discomfort resembling the symptoms of extreme fear and vasovagal syncope.
And those symptoms were also similar to the pressure a lower-ranked Awakened felt upon encountering someone of a much higher rank.
Tightness in the chest.
Cold sweats.
It was entirely understandable that someone might confuse the two.
And then there was the shell Kim Giryeo inhabited.
No matter how polite his words might be, his appearance often gave his own kind an instinctively cold impression.
[Watching him apologize to each of the victims one by one, he seems like a really nice person, but still... I can't help feeling scared...]
His S-rank status.
His appearance.
And the extraordinary sight of him knocking people unconscious without lifting a finger.
All of those things combined to intensify the fear.
And so, based on what he himself had felt, the creator of the video became convinced.
Kim Giryeo was truly an S-class hunter with tremendous magical power, and the mass fainting incident had occurred because he'd temporarily stopped suppressing that power in order to deal with the conflict.
Coincidentally, with the exception of Cho Sangoh, every victim had indeed been a lower-ranked hunter.
[You mean, pure magical power? < <]
Moreover, for some reason, Han Jehoon's claim actually sounded credible.
Several years earlier, not long after Jung Haseong had awakened, the S-class hunter had once entered a psychologically unstable state after being completely drenched in monster blood inside a gate.
He had washed the blood off in a hurry, but the agitation that had surged through him did not disappear so easily.
[Breaking News: Jung Haseong's Interview Causes Mass Fainting Among Gathered Citizens... Presumed to be Caused by Awakening Energy.]
[A certain BJ's fainting scene was broadcast live.]
So this wasn't the first time weaker people had collapsed en masse.
And Han Jehoon happened to be one of the rare individuals who had experienced both incidents firsthand.
On top of that, the broadcaster had built up a good public image through numerous acts of kindness.
So just how much credibility do you think people gave his testimony?
[Wow, how high must that Hunter's awakening value be if he can knock people out that easily?]
[Isn't this Jung Haseong-level?]
[I'm dying of curiosity. I wish someone from the Association would pretend not to know and leak the data.]
[Back in the day, they used to reveal awakening levels and everything, but ugh, now it's all because of the Personal Information Protection Act < <.]
***
The eyewitness account eventually reached one of the people directly involved in the incident.
“I fainted because I was overwhelmed by his awakening energy?”
Kim Giryeo was an S-rank.
Cho Sangoh was an A-rank.
To be honest, Cho Sangoh found it difficult to believe that such a thing could happen between two awakened individuals separated by only a single rank.
Eventually, he looked away from his phone as though he'd had enough.
Whatever those so-called experts said, he was convinced that he'd fallen victim to some underhanded trick.
The problem was that there was no obvious way to get revenge...
“So what exactly was it that paralyzed me?”
At the very least, it had definitely been either paralysis or a fainting effect.
If he prepared thoroughly against those two status ailments, then he wouldn't fall victim to the same trick again.
But even if he developed resistance to fainting—what then?
How exactly was he supposed to fight an S-rank?
“All my current items are perfectly optimized to work together, and every single one of them is top-tier. If I carelessly change my main equipment...”
Drrr.
At that moment, a notification buzzed beside Cho Sangoh's ear.
A phone number beginning with 010 appeared on the screen.
“What is this?”
Since it didn't look like spam, Sangoh answered absentmindedly.
But the voice that came through the receiver was nothing short of shocking.
“— Is this Cho Sangoh's number?”
“—?!”
At a time like this, under these circumstances...
Kim Giryeo was calling him?
A few hours later, Cho Sangoh was still reeling from the shock.
The fact that the hunter had contacted him first was surprising enough.
But do you know what he'd actually said during the call?
“You're here.”
Sangoh raised his head at the sound of the voice.
To his astonishment, standing side by side before him were the number 1 and number 9 ranked hunters in Korea.
Kim Giryeo had invited him to the gym where he usually trained.
“As I mentioned earlier, I apologize for what happened last time. Honestly, after the merger was canceled, I can imagine how upset you must have been to go that far.”
“W, what?”
As anyone could see, the blond man's attitude had changed completely.
“It may be late, but I've finished discussing it with Hunter Jung. If the conditions are right, Haseong also said he'd be willing to work with you, Sangoh-ssi.”
“Huh!?”
“So if you can pass one simple test, we're thinking of giving you a place on the team immediately.”
'This is suspicious.'
Only a few days ago, that man had been cold enough to freeze him out completely.
And now he was suddenly offering to grant his wish?
“By the way, the test is exactly the same as Garion's interview.”
“What did you say?”
“You just have to withstand the heat from Hunter Jung's skill. You know the one, right?”
But those conditions changed things somewhat.
Coincidentally, he had already gone through Garion's final interview.
Based on that experience, he was confident that with the Efreet set, he could withstand even a direct hit from Haseong's skill.
“Is that true?”
When Cho Sangoh asked for confirmation, the nation's hero standing at the far end of his gaze nodded.
“There's no lie in that... but...”
He seemed a little nervous, but that was probably because he was worried that underestimating an A-rank hunter might end up injuring the test subject.
Whatever their intentions, if Kim Giryeo tried some dirty trick, that would only give Sangoh an opportunity to turn the situation to his advantage.
Cho Sangoh discreetly concealed the small watch-shaped camera he'd been hiding behind his back and nodded.
“— Fine. But don't change your mind after the test is over.”
.
.
.
.
That had all happened roughly five minutes earlier.
“Aaaack!”
First, let's begin with the good news.
There had been none of the problems Cho Sangoh had feared.
Kim Giryeo hadn't set any traps and had overseen the test more fairly than anyone else.
Moreover, the skill Haseong used was one Kim Giryeo had already seen several years ago.
[Ignition].
A technique that ignited fire without even properly channeling mana.
“Aaah, uuugh!”
The hunter clad in orange armor rolled across the floor in shock.
Despite wearing the latest flame-resistant equipment, the heat was still unbearable.
He simply couldn't endure it.
“Why, why...!?”
This was impossible.
Why was this happening when Jung Haseong wasn't even holding a weapon right now?!
Unless doping or artifacts were involved, a hunter's innate mana could not change.
No matter how much one practiced, all they could really improve was their control.
For an ordinary awakened person, it was almost unheard of for the power of their skills to increase so drastically in only a few years.
But Jung Haseong was a special case.
Recently, he had acquired an exceptionally skilled teacher.
“Why? Because I worked hard. What other method could there possibly be?”
Exactly.
Over the past several days, Giryeo had fundamentally rebuilt Jung Haseong's foundation through training.
The number one ranked hunter had always used magic while restrained by an underlying fear.
In other words, the unstable hero had never truly unleashed his full potential.
Haseong hadn't actually become stronger.
Under someone's guidance, he had simply freed himself from the weakness that had been holding him back.
And his growth had only just begun.
The intelligent whispers of an alien creature possessed enough power to overturn this world's common sense.
“Ah, by the way, are you okay? I honestly didn't expect Cho Sangoh to be unable to withstand it. But if things are already like this, joining our team is going to be difficult for you...”
At that moment, the blond man who had been observing from one side of the gym slowly walked over.
The corner of his mouth was raised.
His gaze was utterly dry.
“What you experienced today will be the 'coldest flame' among all the flames Jung Haseong will unleash in the future.”
A moment later, the man confidently announced that Cho Sangoh had failed the test.
Then he turned toward the hero, whose expression had become gloomy.
“Haseong, you did well. Let's go get something to eat.”
“Hunter Kim Giryeo, you said that person was strong, and that it was okay to shout the way we were taught, right...?”
“As long as they're alive, it's fine. Right? Anyway, how about chicken today?”
Even this seemingly casual conversation was actually part of the plan.
The goal was to openly display his relationship with Jung Haseong.
If people saw him acting close with another S-rank hunter, no one would dare think about taking revenge on him.
'Of course, I could ask Kang Chang-ho for help, but if possible, prevention is better.'
Sweating nervously, Giryeo awkwardly draped an arm over the hero's shoulder.
And that attempt at self-preservation did, in fact, work.
The only problem was that it worked a little too well.
“I, it's like this.”
The trembling wouldn't stop.
“Is it true that I froze because I was overwhelmed?”
Soon afterward, one of Hanshin's guild members sank into deep thought while tracing the price of his arrogance etched into his skin.
'That Kim Giryeo bastard is also an S-rank, just like Jung Haseong.'
Which meant that if he wanted to, he too could unleash this kind of power...
Through this test, Cho Sangoh had finally experienced the strength of an S-class hunter firsthand.
How could he not be terrified when he remembered how recklessly he'd picked a fight with Kim Giryeo?
His hasty generalization produced yet another misunderstanding.
In the end, despite everything that had happened, Kim Giryeo's image as a legitimate S-rank remained completely intact.
In a way, it was the perfect conclusion for him.
But it was still too early to relax.
“Ah, Sangoh-ssi, would you like to join us for lunch too? We're going to have soy sauce chicken. Soy sauce chicken.”
Even now, somewhere on one side of Earth, there was still someone who doubted his true identity.