THSF 02

Chapter 002….     Of Course, It’s S-Rank

The sensation of passing through a gate is unlike anything else.

If I had to describe it, it feels as though every cell in my body momentarily transforms into tiny white particles of light before returning to its original form.

When my mind cleared, I saw Seulbi waiting for me with her hands tucked into her pockets.

We were standing in a wilderness of rocks and low, brown shrubs.

In the distance, I could see towering mountains capped with snow.

If I hadn’t known we were inside a gate, I would’ve believed this was somewhere in the American West—Wyoming, maybe.

The season here was different from outside. The wind was biting cold.

“You okay? Aren’t you cold?”

I rubbed my arms under my thin autumn shirt.

A bit chilly, yes—but bearable.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“If it gets too cold, tell me. I’ll make a fire.”

“Heh. Reliable as always.”

We started walking deeper in, following the straight two-lane road stretching ahead.

The inside of a gate feels like another world, but there’s usually only one road, and at its end lies another dimension.

In other words, a starting point and an exit.

The crucial rule: never actually step through the exit.

Do that, and you’ll be pulled into another world entirely, never to return.

If gates could be freely opened and closed, things might be different, but with current technology the best we could manage was keeping an already-open gate stable for a short time.

Before the multinational tech giant Astrazen entered the gate industry, even that wasn’t possible. Countless hunters vanished forever after getting trapped inside.

Seulbi glanced around and frowned.

“That’s strange. I heard there were supposed to be ether crystals scattered everywhere. Why’s there nothing?”

“Who told you that?”

“Someone from the guild.”

Jang Seulbi belonged to Berserker, one of Korea’s top three hunter guilds.

Currently, three guilds—Rain Alliance, Berserker, and Chakho Gapsa—were evenly matched and constantly competing.

If the info came through such a guild, it shouldn’t have been wrong.

Still frowning, Seulbi said, “Let’s just keep going.”

But even after walking for fifteen minutes, the scenery hadn’t changed.

Then, far ahead, the shimmering of the gate’s exit came into view. We stopped in confusion.

“What the…?”

No matter how long we stared at each other, ether crystals weren’t going to magically appear.

That’s when—

A man suddenly stepped onto the road behind us, blocking our way.

“…!!”

A chill ran down my spine.

“Who’s there!”

Seulbi shouted sharply, conjuring a ball of fire in midair.

The figure was a man in his thirties, average height, ordinary features.

White shirt, black slacks.

His smile was faint, his expression blurry—like a face you could find on any random office worker.

He didn’t look strong. But strength in awakened beings couldn’t be judged by appearances.

The phrase “gate crime” flashed through my mind—and probably Seulbi’s too.

Gates appear and vanish at random.

Perfect for committing crimes and erasing evidence.

On top of that, conventional forensics were useless against crimes committed with awakened abilities.

That’s why gate-related crimes were a global problem.

‘Could he be a criminal? But wait, Seulbi’s here—B-rank hunter, one of the top guilds. Surely he’s not targeting us… right?’

That fragile hope shattered with his first words.

The man smiled faintly.

“Well, well. What a catch. Fireball Jang Seulbi. You’ve made me go to quite some trouble.”

“…!!”

Seulbi’s eyes widened.

“Don’t tell me… You’re A-rank hunter, ‘Specter’ Go Homin?”

The man—Go Homin—stroked his chin.

“Mhm. That’s what they call me.”

“What do you mean I’ve made you go to trouble?”

“What do you think? I’m gonna kill you and drain some ether.”

If a human killed a beast, or a beast killed a human, ether was absorbed.

Unfortunately, the same applied between humans.

Awakened could absorb part of another awakened’s power by killing them.

Go Homin shrugged.

“Hunting beasts to grow stronger? Too much hassle. Once you awaken, it’s survival of the fittest. The weak are crushed by the strong—simple.”

My head felt like it was on fire.

Seulbi bared her teeth.

“So you are a criminal…!”

“Yeah. Not proud, but I’ve never been caught. My ability’s tailored for assassination…”

He grinned, flashing white teeth.

An A-rank hunter—who hunted other awakened.

No foe could be more terrifying.

Seulbi demanded, “How did you even know we’d be here?”

“Because I was the one who told you there were ether crystals here.”

“What…?”

Seulbi’s face went blank.

“You were looking for a gate like this, right? Someone at your guild mentioned it? Bet you don’t remember who. That’s because I tampered with your memory. Nobody else knows… it’s my little secret ability. Hahaha.”

Go Homin laughed aloud, clearly amused.

An assassin who could even tamper with memories.

Indeed, a power specialized for crime.

“Now that you’ve come this far, there’s no escape. B-rank Jang Seulbi—be a good girl and become my power-up material.”

“You bastard…!”

I yelled and drew my 9mm pistol.

Only then did Go Homin even seem to notice me. He lifted his hands in mock surprise.

“Whoa there, scary stuff, pointing that at me, friend. Don’t make me nervous.”

His words were casual, but his face utterly indifferent.

I knew instantly.

This guy’s a psychopath.

His lips curled into a wide grin.

“Heh. A vanilla? Pointing a toy gun at an A-rank? I thought you’d piss yourself, not pull the trigger.”

Vanilla.

A derogatory term for non-awakened.

He recognized it from my pistol.

It was a hunter’s sidearm—a weapon for non-awakened hunters. A symbol of “vanilla.”

“Tch… You think you’re fireproof just ‘cause you’re A-rank?”

Seulbi tried to bluff, but her face had stiffened.

She was scared.

The power gap between A-rank and B-rank hunters was enormous.

In some cases, abilities could counter each other, but clearly not here.

He knew her power and still appeared—because he was confident he could win.

Seulbi knew it too.

No one was coming to help.

She lowered her voice.

“Ji Woojun… I’m sorry. I’ll hold him off. You run.”

I spat back, “Idiot. Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Please… I’m sorry. Just go.”

Please.

I’d never thought I’d hear that word from her.

Don’t tell me this is her last will.

I tightened my grip on the pistol without replying.

‘Do I shoot now?’

The safety was off, but my finger wouldn’t move.

I’d never shot a person before.

The most I’d ever done was fire warning shots at minor beasts from a distance.

Six rounds loaded.

Not much firepower, but better than nothing.

If I didn’t shoot, there’d be no chance at all.

Terrified enough to shrink down below the belt, I clenched my teeth.

I wasn’t going to let someone I knew die before my eyes again.

‘If not now, when? Seulbi will die otherwise!’

It felt long, but only a second or two passed.

‘To hell with it…!’

I pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Go Homin’s outline flickered.

The next instant, he had me by the throat with one hand.

He seized my right wrist—and snapped the bone like a twig.

The pistol clattered to the ground.

I didn’t even understand what he’d done.

Agonizing pain hit a moment later.

“Ghhhaagh…!”

So this was an A-rank’s physical ability.

To me, it was indistinguishable from teleportation.

I’d planned to fire two rounds at his torso, one at his head. Never even got the chance.

His cold face loomed in front of mine.

“You really shot? Crazy bastard. Shooting people—seriously?”

“Woojun…!”

Seulbi looked at me, eyes brimming with tears.

‘What… is this?’

Why did time feel so slow?

I could see Seulbi stretching out her hand, a fireball flying toward Homin’s head.

I could see Homin smirking, lips curling.

The clash of two awakened was about to begin.

But from his expression, the outcome already seemed decided.

As he dropped my collar and readied his stance—

Crack.

It felt like the very structure of my bones was shifting in my head.

Then, a clear, refreshing female voice echoed in my mind.

― Synchronization complete. Hello, World!

‘…Huh?’

Hello World? What the hell?

Looking around, I realized—time had completely stopped.

Not only Seulbi and Homin, but even my own body was frozen. Only my thoughts were moving.

The woman’s voice continued cheerfully inside my head.

― Yay! Nice to meet you! I am Navi, your AI support, here to guide you into the world of your new ability, Factory!

‘Wait—what? Ability… Factory? Don’t tell me… this is awakening?’

― Correct, Master!

A rush of exhilaration surged through my chest.

That strange dream last night—it really was an awakening dream…!

But still—if it’s some useless power, it won’t save me here.

I asked quickly in my mind.

‘Sorry, but… what rank is this ability?’

― Of course, it’s S-rank.

The AI woman—Navi—replied without hesitation.

‘…S-rank?’

― Yes. And not just any S-rank. One with the greatest potential. If anything, it’s closer to EX-rank.

Unbelievable.

There were fewer than a hundred S-rank awakened worldwide.

The odds of a non-awakened becoming S-rank? Roughly one in a hundred million—0.0000001%.

For comparison, the odds of winning the lottery were about one in eight million.

This was absurd beyond belief.

Even in Korea, which had a strangely high number of S-ranks per population, there were only six.

Three of them led the nation’s top guilds.

And me? I’d just awakened to not only S-rank—but one with the “greatest potential.”

I screamed inwardly, desperate.

‘If you’re really S-rank, then help me now! Please!’

― Yes, of course, Master. What should I do?

‘My friend’s about to die! Kill the man in front of me!’

I didn’t want to be a murderer—but this guy had to die.

The AI replied calmly.

― That task can be accomplished even with your starter kit. Would you like to activate the default weapon, Auto?

‘What? Auto? What’s that supposed to be?