Hunters earned their living by defeating magical beasts and collecting the magic crystals hidden within their bodies. The stronger the monster, the more valuable the crystal it produced. Naturally, the more experienced a hunter was and the higher their rank, the easier it became to hunt powerful monsters and earn substantial amounts of money. However, obtaining those rewards came with considerable risk. To defeat high-ranking magical beasts, hunters had to enter dangerous high-level gates where death was always a possibility.
For low-ranking hunters, things were much more difficult. D-Rank and E-Rank gates appeared frequently throughout the country, which meant there was an overwhelming number of hunters competing for the same opportunities. The profits from these gates were relatively small, and after being divided among raid members, there was often very little left. That was one of the reasons guilds rarely bothered recruiting E-Rank hunters. From a practical standpoint, they simply weren't worth the investment. To make matters worse, finding steady work as an E-Rank hunter was incredibly difficult. Many spent days or even weeks searching for raid parties willing to accept them.
Not too long ago, I had been one of those hunters.
The weakest hunter in the world.
A bitter smile appeared on my face.
Things were different now.
The power flowing through my body was growing at a rate that shouldn't have been possible. Every day I completed my daily quests, every monster I killed, and every level I gained pushed me further away from the pathetic E-Rank hunter I used to be.
Still, now wasn't the time to attract attention.
For the moment, staying low-key was the best option.
Until I reached genuine S-Rank strength—or perhaps power that could rival the National Level Hunters themselves—it would be foolish to reveal too much. The less attention I drew, the more freedom I would have to continue growing.
My gaze drifted toward the ceiling as my thoughts wandered even further into the future.
Once I became the Shadow Monarch, things would be completely different.
A faint grin spread across my face.
National Level Hunters.
S-Rank Hunters.
The strongest individuals humanity had to offer.
If they were already dead, their corpses would serve far greater purposes within my army than buried beneath the ground. Powerful shadows weren't easy to obtain, and every elite soldier would strengthen my forces tremendously.
Beru.
Igris.
Bellion.
Just thinking about them made me excited.
The future commanders of my shadow army possessed strength far beyond ordinary hunters. And as my army continued to grow, so would the number of powerful leaders under my command.
But those ambitions belonged to the future.
Right now, I had a much more immediate problem.
Money.
Rent wasn't going to pay itself, and neither were living expenses. Fortunately, with my current abilities, earning money shouldn't be difficult anymore. Even D-Rank gates would provide a decent source of income. Compared to the desperate struggles of my past, making money now seemed almost laughably easy.
I stood up from my chair and stretched my arms.
My muscles felt noticeably stronger than they had only a few days ago.
A grin lingered on my face.
For now, I'd focus on getting stronger, earning money, and staying out of the spotlight.
The rest could wait.
The next morning...
"Hey, over here!"
I turned toward the voice and saw a large, broad-shouldered man approaching from the distance. Several hunters followed closely behind him, making it obvious that he was the leader of the raid party. His heavy footsteps and confident expression gave off an air of authority as he stopped in front of me.
"I'm Hwang Dongsuk. What's your name?"
"Sung Jinwoo."
He looked me up and down before asking, "You're the E-Rank hunter who called earlier, right?"
"Yes."
"Pfft."
One of the hunters standing behind him suddenly burst out laughing.
"Oh, I know this guy. He's pretty famous."
"Famous?" another hunter asked.
"Yeah. What was his nickname again?" The hunter scratched his chin before snapping his fingers. "Ah, right. The Weakest Hunter on the Planet."
The group immediately erupted into laughter.
"What kind of nickname is that?"
"That's actually hilarious."
"Poor guy."
Dongsuk waved his hand dismissively.
"Alright, that's enough. Settle down. We just need him to fill the vacant spot."
Fill the vacant spot, my ass. More likely, you need a sacrifice.
I kept my thoughts to myself and maintained a calm expression. What a pity, Hwang Dongsuk. You should have been my first human shadow. Unfortunately for you, I already know exactly what kind of man you are. The only reason you act so arrogantly is because your younger brother is an S-Rank hunter in America serving under Thomas Andre. That connection has made you believe you're untouchable.
Fortunately, nobody could hear my thoughts.
Dongsuk continued speaking as if nothing had happened.
"Like I said over the phone, it'll be difficult for you to participate in the actual hunting since this is a C-Rank gate."
He pointed toward the massive gate hovering nearby.
"You won't receive any essence stones from the raid, but I'll give you two million won in cash just for showing up today."
A wide smile spread across his face.
"Pretty sweet deal, right?"
"Yeah."
For an ordinary E-Rank hunter, it certainly sounded generous. Almost too generous.
"Good. Then please sign this contract."
I accepted the papers and briefly glanced through the contents. Everything appeared normal on the surface. No suspicious clauses. No obvious tricks.
Still, appearances could be deceiving.
You never truly know a person's nature just by looking at them. Some people smile while planning to betray you. Others pretend to help while secretly waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of you. That's why people need to be careful.
I should probably teach Jinah that lesson someday.
My little sister was still too trusting.
The thought reminded me of something else. Maybe it would be a good idea to start keeping a notebook. There were countless future events, dungeon breaks, powerful hunters, and important opportunities that I remembered. Writing everything down would make it easier to organize my knowledge. Even if I forgot certain details over time, I could simply review my notes whenever necessary.
"Hmm."
The sound escaped my lips without realizing it.
"What is it?" one of the hunters who had mocked me earlier asked.
I simply shook my head.
"It's nothing."
The hunter smiled and patted me on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. We'll protect you."
A few of the others nodded in agreement.
I nearly laughed.
Protect me?
If things unfolded the way I remembered, they would soon discover that they weren't the hunters doing the protecting.
My eyes quietly swept across the group, assessing each member.
Five of them are C-Rank hunters. The remaining four are D-Rank or lower.
On paper, it looked like a fairly capable raid party.
Unfortunately, strength wasn't the issue.
As I looked at Hwang Dongsuk's smiling face, I couldn't help but think that the most dangerous thing inside this gate wasn't going to be the monsters waiting for us.
It was the people standing beside me.
In order to enter a C-Rank gate, a raid party must consist of at least ten people. Furthermore, at least half of the members must be C-Rank hunters or higher. Those were the regulations established by the Hunter's Association. Because of those requirements, temporary strike squads like this one were often formed. When a party lacked enough members to meet the entry quota, they would recruit random low-ranking hunters simply to fill the remaining slots.
"Hey, I guess you and I are both here just for the headcount."
The cheerful voice pulled me from my thoughts.
I turned and saw a young man with neatly styled hair and a friendly smile approaching me. Unlike the others, there wasn't a trace of arrogance or hostility in his expression.
"My name is Yoo Jinho. I'm twenty-two years old, and my rank is D."
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly before continuing.
"I'm not actually a member of this strike squad either. They recruited me just like they recruited you."
His smile was genuine and surprisingly refreshing.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Sung Jinwoo."
We shook hands.
The moment our hands met, I couldn't help but look at him differently from everyone else present.
Yoo Jinho.
One of the few people in this world whose loyalty could not be bought.
A man who would eventually become far more important to me than he realized.
Although we shared no blood relation, Jinho would become something very close to a younger brother. Time and time again, he would stand by Sung Jinwoo's side without hesitation. He would assist him whenever help was needed, support him during the creation of his guild, and remain loyal even as Jinwoo's power grew beyond human comprehension.
Most people were drawn to power.
Jinho was different.
Even after witnessing impossible miracles and overwhelming strength, he never changed.
His loyalty remained genuine.
His character remained intact.
Even in the distant future, when battles against unimaginable enemies threatened the fate of countless worlds, Jinho continued helping the people connected to Jinwoo. When Sung Suho, Jinwoo's son, faced challenges of his own, Jinho remained a dependable ally.
In a world where betrayal was common and greed ruled many hunters, finding someone like Yoo Jinho was incredibly rare.
Which was precisely why I intended to establish a good relationship with him.
There was no need to rush things.
For now, I would simply go with the flow.
We would complete dungeon raids together, gradually build trust, and eventually create a guild. The future would unfold naturally from there.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason I was here today.
My gaze briefly drifted toward Hwang Dongsuk and his companions.
The smiles on their faces looked harmless to anyone unaware of the truth.
I knew better.
Those men weren't hunters.
They were predators disguised as hunters.
This wasn't their first time doing something like this. They had recruited weak hunters before, lured them into dangerous situations, and disposed of them when it became convenient. Their greed and cruelty had already claimed multiple victims.
Unfortunately for them, things weren't going to proceed according to their plans this time.
A faint smile appeared on my face.
For years, they had viewed weaker hunters as prey.
Today, however, the situation was reversed.
It was time for the hunters to become the hunted.