Elf

Elf.

They were the first intelligent species humanity on Earth had ever encountered.

A ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠different race that lived beyond one of the many Gates, one marked by a particularly distinctive appearance.

Their world was a fragment of a shattered one, yet within it stood a colossal divine tree that pierced even the clouds as it soared upward. They were beautiful, sentient beings who had survived in a world sustained by the World Tree.

They were born with the ability to wield mana, and they lived for ages.

Simply growing older was enough to make them powerful.

Humanity had no choice but to maintain good relations with the Elves.

And yet there were criminals who kidnapped those uniformly beautiful, ageless Elves and turned them into slaves.

It was a horrific crime in itself, and an unforgivable betrayal of humanity that poisoned relations between humans and Elves.

A grave offense so severe that, if discovered, it was punishable by immediate execution.

"W-we found it."

Clear, shocking evidence had been discovered that Sihyeok Group had committed that very crime.

"An Elf slave..."

Of course, Elves did not obediently become human slaves.

Each one was powerful, and they were not easily captured.

To seize them without damaging their market value and turn them into slaves required a process so unspeakably horrific that even a veteran hunter-detective, a man hardened by every kind of hardship, had to clamp a hand over his mouth when he raided the scene where they had been trying to move the Elf slave and destroy the evidence, following Sunwoo's [Precognition].

And with the discovery of that Elf slave, Sihyeok Group was destroyed.

Yes.

Not as a joke, not as a metaphor, but in the plainest and most literal sense.

[Whoosh—]

A rain of fire fell upon the headquarters building and burned everything to ash.

It was heavenly punishment from the Elven Knights, who had come from Elven's Forest, the dimension connected to Earth where the Elves lived.

That was why, although the punishment for kidnapping and enslaving Elves was death, it was rare for humans to actually carry it out themselves.

Because before human authorities could execute the sentence, an armed force would emerge from the Elf's Forest to carry out the execution first.

Among a race that grew stronger simply by aging, these were the ones who had sincerely devoted themselves to martial power.

Not for ten or twenty years, but for hundreds.

The Elven Knights, who had amassed their strength over centuries, descended and delivered divine punishment.

...Incredible.

Even watching it through a screen, the sight was overwhelming enough to make his skin crawl.

It felt less like living beings attacking and more like a natural disaster sweeping in to erase its target from existence.

The Elven Knights.

Depending on how the story progressed, they could join as allies, and every one of them had been powerful.

But seeing them in reality instead of as text or crude graphics left him speechless.

Bang Seong-jun, the young chairman of Sihyeok Group and an S-rank hunter, struggled desperately, but accomplished nothing and was reduced to charcoal.

Even among people of the same S-rank, the gap in level could be as vast as heaven and earth, and Bang Seong-jun was among the bottom tier of them. Still, he had been S-rank.

Dozens of hunters had flailed alongside him, but before eight Elven Knights, they burned helplessly away.

And just like that, Sihyeok Group and Bang Seong-jun—the great enemy of the story's middle arc, and the true culprit behind the tragedy that had stolen their home—were erased from the world.

So simply it felt hollow.

"...It really happened just as your precognition said."

And all of this, just as Kang Han-na had said, was Sunwoo's [Precognition].

If it was true, then from Changseong Group's perspective, they had no choice but to act.

And that was exactly what had happened.

Kang Han-na, rarely enough, had been genuinely shocked.

But the one whose face had gone pale, despite having successfully delivered that precognition, was Sunwoo.

"Does your precognition come with some kind of penalty?"

Powerful abilities often demanded a price to match, which was why she asked.

Sunwoo shook his head.

"No. It's not that."

This hadn't been real precognition in the first place, so there was no penalty to speak of.

Which meant the cause was something else.

It was the success probability of altering the story, which had suddenly plummeted alongside the abrupt warning.

The success probability, which had once reached 79%, had dropped to 2%.

Why?

By all appearances, this was an undeniable triumph.

So why had the success probability fallen to 2%?

Faced with a variable he couldn't even begin to guess at, Sunwoo's mind went blank.

And before he could even sort through it—

"The Chairman wishes to meet you."

—he was summoned for a private meeting with the chairman of Changseong Group.

Kang Suhyeok.

The chairman's office had an entire wall made of glass, leaving the city spread out below in full view.

And seated there, with that city as his backdrop as though he ruled over it, was a man.

Black hair. Firm, taut skin.

Even beneath his suit, the dense muscle packed onto his body could not be hidden.

It was the figure of a man whom the layers of accumulated years seemed unable to touch at all.

Rather, those very years only added to the aura that naturally overwhelmed them, completing a presence that stood on an entirely different plane.

Kang Suhyeok.

The chairman who had built and reigned over one of South Korea's representative guilds and conglomerates.

And at the same time, an S-rank hunter.

Sunwoo had thought he seemed impressive enough through illustrations and story text alone, but facing him in person felt like standing before Mount Tai itself.

It wasn't as if he were deliberately releasing pressure.

His mere existence was enough to weigh down anyone before him beneath a presence like a great mountain.

In the latter half of the story, when the protagonist's party suffered a defeat against a mighty enemy and was driven into crisis, he was the one who stepped forward, blazed brilliantly, and exited in a glorious death...

And now, before the story had even properly begun, Sunwoo was meeting such a towering figure alone.

"Hello."

Feeling the weight of the moment, Sunwoo greeted him.

At that, Chairman Kang Suhyeok let out a low sound of interest, his eyes sharpening.

He had heard that the boy possessed the absurd ability called [Precognition], but was otherwise so ordinary that one might even doubt whether he had truly awakened at all.

So he had intentionally withheld perfect consideration.

He was not threatening him, but neither had he fully suppressed his enormous presence.

The moment the boy entered, he was bound to be naturally overwhelmed.

Kang Suhyeok ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had wanted to see how he would react in that state.

If he merely clenched his teeth and endured long enough to give a greeting, that alone would have earned some recognition.

And yet, surprisingly—

The young boy before him recovered his composure almost at once, then offered a greeting laced with goodwill.

He showed no fear.

Because he was certain Kang Suhyeok had no intention of harming him, he was able to accept that mountain-like presence with calm detachment.

And then, instead of shrinking back, he greeted him warmly.

In all of Kang Suhyeok's life, he had never had a first meeting quite like this.

And so, a profound curiosity arose in him.

"Indeed. Thanks to you, I've become very well, in more ways than one. That's why I wanted to see you for myself."

"I'm glad to meet you."

If anyone had overheard those words, they would have struggled to believe them even after hearing them with their own ears.

But it wasn't only because of the first impression.

In truth, Sunwoo had done something that fully deserved such a welcome.

He had solved, in one stroke, the problem of the Elf Auction, whose true shape Changseong Group had not yet managed to grasp.

Chairman Kang Suhyeok of Changseong Group was a special figure even on the world stage.

There was something that made him even more exceptional than his title as chairman of Changseong Group: he had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠good relations with high-ranking Elves.

Among them, he was especially close with the leader of the Elven Knights, and that alone was enough to have him treated as a VVIP anywhere in the world.

From Kang Suhyeok's standpoint, then, the Elf Auction—an organization that kidnapped Elves, turned them into slaves through horrific means, and trafficked them—was an enemy that absolutely had to be eradicated.

But even with Changseong Group's power, they had been unable to catch its tail, and it had been giving them a constant headache.

To think it would be resolved like this...

Even Kang Suhyeok, a man hardened by every kind of experience, had never imagined such a thing.

To foresee the future.

The ability truly was so revolutionary that it almost felt absurd.

And the boy named Kim Seonwoo, who possessed that power, had drawn both his curiosity and his favor from the very first meeting.

Kang Suhyeok smiled in satisfaction.

"You said you wanted to sell that skill of yours to our Han-na."

"Yes."

"Why us? Was there no better choice?"

It was a test.

And yet in response, Sunwoo shook his head without hesitation.

"No. There isn't a better choice than this."

"You're certain?"

"Yes. If my ability is to point toward the right future, then there's nowhere else but here."

There wasn't even the slightest tremor of uncertainty in him—none that Kang Suhyeok's eyes could find.

And with that, Kang Suhyeok made his decision.

"Good. Then we'll do everything we can to help you use that ability without restraint."

A new department was created within Changseong Group.

Future Strategy Planning Office.

Just as the name implied, it was a department meant to examine the future of Changseong Group and devise strategies accordingly.

If one thought about it seriously, it was an outrageous role—guiding the direction the entire group should take—so the whole conglomerate stirred with excitement.

And people worthy of that role were assigned to the department: executives from each affiliate company formed its core.

It was a terrifying place, where even the lowest-ranking members were section chiefs and ordinary directors made up the backbone.

And yet among them was one absurd figure who, by all rights, should only have been known to the people of the Future Strategy Planning Office themselves.

Sunwoo.

Just fifteen years old.

A boy who hadn't even entered Hunter Academy yet belonged to Changseong Group's Future Strategy Planning Office.

And not as an errand boy, either, but in a central role.

But there wasn't a single person within the office who objected to it.

Because upon joining the office, they learned that the boy possessed [Precognition], the ability to read the future.

And once they also learned that the group was thoroughly concealing his existence and that the chairman himself had personally brought him in, opposition became unthinkable.

In that way, Sunwoo achieved even more than he had originally planned.

"Please take good care of me from now on, big brother."

"Yeah. Me too, Han-na."

He even became close enough with Kang Han-na to call each other brother and sister.

And because he knew that, to Kang Han-na, calling someone "big brother" was not just a label but a sign of genuine recognition, he found it all the more satisfying.

And on top of that—

"This is Seo Eun-yu! She's a friend I really, really like."

He was introduced to Kang Han-na's closest friend as well.

A girl with long, flowing straight hair and jewel-like red eyes.

Though she stood beside Kang Han-na, she somehow seemed to shine even brighter.

She was the same age as Sunwoo.

"Hello."

Sunwoo greeted the girl.

He didn't say nice to meet you.

Because while this was their first meeting here, in truth she too was a friend and comrade he knew all too well.

Seo Eun-yu.

Among his many companions, she had been one of the very first he would name—a character who possessed the unique skill Hero.

A powerful ally, versatile in every way.

And with beautiful character art on top of that, there had hardly been anyone who played the game without recruiting Seo Eun-yu as a companion.

"Yes, hello."

Unlike Sunwoo, who greeted her with a smile and open warmth, she answered in a blunt voice and with an expressionless face.

But he didn't mind.

Because he knew very well that this wasn't because she disliked him. It was simply her nature.

She was awkward with relationships and faint in her expression of emotion.

That was why, as the story progressed, seeing Seo Eun-yu finally smile brightly depending on the protagonist's efforts had made her so beloved.

People had already fallen for her overwhelming performance, and then she showed that side of herself too—at that point, it was almost unfair.

Since she was just as awkward with human relationships, Sunwoo had always liked Seo Eun-yu especially.

I've finally met her.

After enduring one tragic failure after another, he had finally managed to meet Seo Eun-yu as well.

He hadn't even been able to cross the threshold of the Academy before, so until now there had been no point of contact between them at all.

But now he had been introduced to her through Kang Han-na, her best friend.

In this way, he had secured a good first foothold with both Kang Han-na and Seo Eun-yu, and had even taken a key position within Changseong Group, the greatest ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in South Korea.

Not just any key position, either, but one that could point the way forward.

He still hadn't become a hunter, but at this point, Sunwoo was certain that this was unquestionably the beginning of an A-rank path—no, something that could even be called the beginning of an S-rank one.

With this...

With this, he would be able to do all the things he had known about but never been capable of doing before.

At last, he could reach the happy ending.

...He had been certain of that.

...

It still wasn't enough.