Life Changed in an Instant

In a single moment, life had changed completely.

"We'll begin the emergency meeting."

The conference room doors shut, and the already heavy atmosphere grew heavier still.

The man who spoke was the Strategy Director of the Hunter Association—the one who always took the role of chair whenever a meeting was called. On any ordinary day he would have tossed out a light joke. Today was not an ordinary day.

His taut expression, and the careful hush of the room, made even breathing feel loud. He brought a system message up on the large screen himself.

Every gaze locked onto the rank.

A high-tier rank said to sit at S-Rank and above—and the first such rank ever to appear in hunter history. No matter that they were a global institution with absolute authority over hunters, even they had no choice but to go rigid before an EX-Rank that surpassed S-Rank.

"There are three things we need to examine first. How did he awaken as EX-Rank? What, exactly, is the nature of his ability? And finally—is he on our side?"

The Strategy Director seized the critical points and drove the meeting forward.

"The first question—how he awakened as EX-Rank—can only be answered by meeting the man himself, so for now we can only speculate. As for the second, the ability itself… the word creation keeps catching on me."

At that, the others began to speak up one after another.

"Normally the system reads something like, 'Rank so-and-so hunter so-and-so has conquered such-and-such dungeon.'"

"But creation? Doesn't that mean a summon?"

"It used the word create, so it has to mean something he made himself!"

"Whatever it is, he produced an S-Rank. Maybe we should start worrying about how much the balance of power is about to shift."

Everyone was wound tight. The Strategy Director steered their remarks carefully and kept the meeting on track, yet the anxiety he could not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠quite smother still showed on his face.

"The one who actually cleared the dungeon was not a person, but a creation. In other words, the EX-Rank ability user has already shown us that he can conquer dungeons through his creations. And more than that—!"

He raised his voice, drawing every eye.

"It's the unique nature of that dungeon. The fact that someone broke through it alone using pure physical ability—not combat power—is a major variable."

It was a dungeon countless hunters had challenged and failed, precisely because of that unique rule. Hunters who trusted their rank and charged in with their usual attack skills; the villains hidden throughout the world—none of them had succeeded.

"It's possible the EX-Rank ability user created a custom-made S-Rank summon specifically to conquer that dungeon."

"So he crafts a new creation tailored to each dungeon's unique conditions and clears it that way?"

"Exactly. If that hypothesis is correct, the balance of power—and the shape of the world—is going to be flipped upside down."

Conquer the dungeons that threatened humanity the most? Clear the ones even remaining S-Rank hunters and villains struggled to take? Of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠course the world would revere and worship whoever managed it.

"And it doesn't end there. If this person has a villain's ideology—if his disposition is chaotic evil—then things get truly complicated."

Villains already used their abilities to stir up every kind of incident and accident. Criminals who hid in the dark and committed every crime imaginable. The Association was already stretched thin just managing the dungeons that kept appearing and protecting civilians. Ability users who were not Association-affiliated—mercenaries, corporate contractors—were strictly neutral. So they needed to grow their allies as fast as possible. If an EX-Rank ability user who transcended even S-Rank came over to their side, the map of power and strength would settle in an instant.

"Analysis is all well and good, but shouldn't we make contact by any means necessary?"

"Even if we can't make him an ally, we at least need a friendly relationship!"

"I heard Intelligence already launched a tracking operation. Any word yet?"

"Whatever else, the side that makes first contact will have the biggest advantage."

Worried voices filled the room. Even the Strategy Director—an elite who had always guided the Association and pointed the way forward—was half in a state of mental collapse. He scanned the information coming in real time, distilled only what mattered in his head, and arrived at a single conclusion. It might be a gamble, but this was the best path available.

"I say this with great caution. But right now there are two courses of action open to us."

"What are they, Strategy Director?"

He stepped forward with grave seriousness. His dark expression, the look of a man who had already decided something, drew every gaze in the room.

"One is to bring him in as a cooperative partner. Propose that he stand with the Hunter Association to uphold and lead justice. The other…"

His pupils wavered.

"…is for the Hunter Association itself to step forward, bow its head, and place itself under the EX-Rank ability user."

Place itself under him? The Hunter Association—with S-Rank hunters of its own, with global influence—was supposed to submit? No one in the room particularly wanted that. And yet, precisely because the man was EX-Rank, lining up behind him would clearly bring both profit and power.

And so they continued the meeting on which the Association's future and fate hung.

Somehow, I had announced to the world that I was EX-Rank.

Honestly, I should have kept it hidden a lot longer, but I'd been so tired that I slipped up. Of course, my name hadn't been exposed—only the ability—so I wouldn't be found out right away. But the world was already starting to move.

Over the first-ever EX-Rank to appear, the Hunter Gallery…

Floods of posts and live chats poured in. Even trying to look at anything was impossible—the page refreshed so fast it was pure chaos. The result: for the first time in Hunter Gallery history, the site crashed.

With no other option, the Huntubers who specialized in hunter-related videos—anyone with even a scrap of an audience—scrambled to go live and scoop up whatever traffic they could.

People cramming "EX-Rank" into their titles just to farm clicks. I watched a few of the videos while thinking I needed to be more careful from now on. Fortunately, not a single person had so much as a clue about my identity.

Luna had followed my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠order not to get identified with perfect loyalty; I couldn't find a word about her either. As expected, it was all speculation content chasing curiosity.

Then a title suddenly snagged my eye. As both a major guild and a major corporation, that company had an official Huntube account. The title was…

Alongside that title was my father—the same man who had declared me disowned—standing there in a full suit.

"……"

The moment I saw it, my breath caught for a second. That cold, merciless face from the day he cast me out for having no ability rose up again.

At the same time I remembered the guild members who had severed ties with me in a single stroke. A hollow laugh slipped out of me. Before I knew it, my finger had already pressed play so I could hear what he was saying.

A middle-aged man with a massive frame, radiating pressure, kept his posture impeccably correct and bowed his head again and again. The company's future. The guild's future. The values they pursued—he worked hard to sell all of it.

"He's begging me to join them right now, isn't he?"

Thousands of viewers were hammering the chat. Most of them weren't even people from that company or guild—just spectators who had wandered in to watch. And among the noise, one piece of good advice caught my eye.

Make an account that proved I was EX-Rank, then test the waters with the world's most influential people and organizations? If I used them only within reason, couldn't I become a power broker no one could touch? Someday that future would come. But it was still too early for now.

Watching my father's continued groveling on top of everything else made my face twist on its own. Looking at a perfect specimen of the strong bullying the weak and the weak fawning over the strong, I remembered that this was the man who had disowned me. Naturally, there would be no scenario in which I became that man's son again. Absolutely none.

Then another piece of news came flying in. On top of that, representatives and chairmen from world-class corporations and guilds began appearing in person. I was done looking at that face. I had no desire to go back there either. I hopped from video to video, checking the range of reactions.

Naturally, the topic was always the same—cries directed at me, the one with the EX-Rank ability. They wanted to do great things with me. They wanted to make the world a better place with me. And so on. They talked a very good game. I already knew the truth. In the end, all of it was for their own benefit.

Looking at it this way, I had become a global celebrity overnight.

"Haa… haa… haa… Master! I'm back!"

That was when Luna appeared outside the window. She looked like she'd had a rough time of it—soaked in sweat from head to toe—and she had a bulky pack of who-knew-what strapped to her back. I set my phone down at once and went to meet her.

"Just as Master ordered, I conquered the dungeon and brought back the treasure!"

Come to think of it, my summon had cleared the dungeon, yet I hadn't received any items. Apparently items obtained when a summon conquered a dungeon didn't come to me. I made a note to improve that part later, and smiled at Luna anyway.

"Good work. You really are a summon I can trust."

"Awoong~ Right? So since I did good, I get a reward from Master, don't I?"

I opened the window and she slipped inside ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with agile grace. I handed her a cool glass of water, eyes widening a little.

"A reward? Yeah. You did well, so of course you deserve one. What do you want? Or is there something you want to eat?"

"Awooooong~♡"

The second I offered a reward, she let out a coaxing little wolf-howl. I had no idea how big a prize she was aiming for.

"Tonight I want to sleep in Master's arms! Ah~ and just so you know in advance, wolves don't wear a single scrap of clothing when they sleep!"

"……"