The Transcendent’s Warning

Administrator? The difficulty level here is completely wrong!

As I rode the elevator up, she briefed me on who would be attending today’s meeting, but she left out the most important part: asking for my consent first. They had handled the entire situation without my permission, and yet, there wasn't a single word of apology.

When the elevator reached the top floor and I entered the "Grand Conference Hall," countless people were already seated. Not only were there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Awakened I had only ever seen on TV, but high-ranking officials from the Association were present as well. All of them had gathered here for my sake alone.

"I would like to introduce Lee Suhyun, who recently registered as the first person to reach the 20th floor in the Hall of Fame."

Applause erupted at her words. As everyone stood up to clap, Director Lee Naeun handed me the microphone.

"Please, say a few words."

Whether they had organized this with good intentions or not, it didn't matter. They had proceeded without consulting me. I absolutely loathe being used by others.

"Guardian of All Things."

The Awakened gathered in the conference hall were top-tier hunters who had cleared at least the 40th floor. Even the security personnel were high-ranking hunters, so it was unthinkable that anything could go wrong. However, that was their mistake.

Everyone had gathered to instill a sense of "caution" in the rookie who had just been appointed as an S-rank hunter. Because arrogant Awakened die quickly. But something completely unexpected happened.

"Guardian of All Things."

At his single phrase, the air in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠conference hall shifted. The atmosphere trembled, making it difficult for even the Awakened to breathe—let alone the ordinary people present. Some collapsed to the floor, gasping for air, and just as someone moved to restrain him,

"Gah-ack!"

Awakened Min Haneul collapsed to the floor, clutching her chest. Even an Awakened who had cleared the 45th floor couldn't stand. Then, a cold voice rang out.

"You see, I really dislike it when things are handled without my consent."

People writhed in pain at the sound of his voice echoing through the hall.

"This is your one and only warning. If you ignore my will and proceed like this again... I will not sit idly by."

As soon as he finished speaking, the air calmed and returned to its original state. Cold sweat dripping down their faces, everyone had the same thought racing through their minds: Was a being with this much power really just a rookie who had only cleared the 20th floor? Who on earth was he...?

"And let me be clear: don't give me that nonsense about doing this to instill 'caution.' It’s incredibly unpleasant even now."

With that, he put down the microphone and walked out of the conference hall. No one dared to stop him.

About 30 minutes after he left, the Awakened had all recovered, but several of the ordinary staff had to be taken away in ambulances. Yet, no one dared to raise an issue about it. The Association was at fault, but they had severely underestimated his power—even knowing he was clearing floors while rewriting the entire Hall of Fame rankings.

"I am sorry."

Director Lee Naeun approached the sturdy man sitting in the very back row: Association President Lee Gukhan, and bowed her head.

"I will offer a formal apology to Lee Suhyun and arrange another meeting."

"Hmm..."

He possessed a massive physique that was hard to believe for a 60-year-old. Stroking his long beard, he looked at Director Lee Naeun.

"I’ll ask just in case—did you not tell him about this beforehand?"

"I will not make excuses. I am sorry."

"I see. Whether it was a misunderstanding or not, let’s resolve this step by step. Until the Association offers a formal apology and we hear Lee Suhyun’s intentions clearly, we will appoint him as an unofficial S-rank hunter."

"Yes, I understand."

"...Was I too aggressive in handling that?"

Hearing them, I realized this was necessary. Otherwise, they would continue to cross the line without a second thought. As I exited through the back door of the Association, a black car was waiting. The staff, perhaps having already heard the situation, opened the door with tense expressions.

"We will take you home."

"Yes."

As I climbed into the car following their guidance, a voice of apology reached me shortly after.

"I am sorry, Lee Suhyun."

"I will accept your formal apology later."

"Understood."

After that, there was silence during the drive home, and we parted ways with a brief goodbye once we arrived. Only after returning to my house did I throw myself onto the soft sofa and reflect on the day's events, but I had done nothing wrong.

"Thank you, everyone. Now, I'm too tired, so I'm going to get some rest."

The next morning. I opened my eyes and checked the clock; it was 6:00 AM. Perhaps it was because I was used to the life of waking up at 6:00 AM to do my homework. I wake up automatically at this time.

"*Yawn*... Did you sleep well?"

After a simple breakfast, I finished my preparations to go meet my babies... no, to do my homework... anyway, to enter the Tower.

"Okay, I'm going. Enter."

In an instant, my vision shifted, and the massive tower appeared before me. As I approached and opened the door, a message popped up.

【Will you challenge the 21st floor?】 Yes / No

"Yes!"

The War of Heaven and Hell. It's a battlefield where the Heavenly Realm, centered around the Heavenly Gods, and the Demonic Realm, centered around the Demon Gods, clash against each other. But this... I think I’ve seen it in a post before, but the difficulty level is somehow strange.

In the post, it clearly said that you could choose either the Heavenly Realm or the Demonic Realm and lead them to victory or end the war to finish it, but I don't belong to either side. In short... I have to defeat both factions and win.

The problem is that there are "Transcendents" on both the Heavenly and Demonic sides. Administrator... the difficulty is weird...!

I was moved along with a brilliant white light. As I opened my eyes on a vast highland, the sound of a horn rang out.

Pwooooooooom!!!

Along with the sound of the horn, angels with four wings appeared in the sky, and on the other side, the ground split open as bizarre-looking demons emerged. If they clashed here, the original scenario would hold, but they were all aiming for me alone.

"Eliminate the filthy human who sold his soul to the demons!!"

With those words, the angels rushed at me. And even the demons, pointing fingers and shouting, "It's the filthy lackey of the angels!!!!!" rushed at me.

Ahaha... what a mess.

"Help me."

A crack formed in the sky, and soon after, with a crashing sound, a beam of light poured down onto the ground.

Kwoooooooong!

With a massive shockwave, dust filled the surroundings, and something appeared within it. As the dust cleared, a 20-meter-tall robot—a character motivated by the common "Gun-O" style—with a harmony of pure white and silver metallic colors, revealed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠itself.

The 'Silver Cross Star' had appeared. Massive wings spread out behind its back, emitting pure white particles. At the same time, a majestic voice was heard.

With those words, countless beams of light poured from the sky to the ground. Robots similar to the Silver Cross Star appeared one by one. Once the last knight had appeared, they all turned toward me in unison and knelt on one knee.

"It's been a while, everyone."