EP2. The Vampire's Castle
Choi Jae-jun followed Hwang Dong-su all the way to the association president's office.
When the door opened, a massive man was sitting on the sofa.
...He's huge.
It wasn't just his size—the aura he exuded was on another level entirely.
This was an S-rank hunter.
Not someone who had gradually grown stronger like through The Gamer's abilities, but a man who had been the pinnacle from the moment of his awakening.
Smoothly rising from his seat as he spotted Jae-jun, Jang Gil-san's hulking frame cast a huge shadow across the floor.
"Hunter Choi Jae-jun, a pleasure to meet you."
Hiding his trembling heart, Jae-jun bowed his head confidently in greeting.
"The honor is mine."
Jang Gil-san broke into a warm, uncle-like smile.
"No need for all that honor talk.
Heh heh."
He gestured toward the sofa chair opposite him.
As Jae-jun sat down, Jang Gil-san took the seat across from him.
A steaming teacup with a faint red aura swirling around it sat before Jae-jun.
"Jasmine tea. I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I went with what was on hand."
Jae-jun, whose throat was parched anyway, took a sip.
A rich floral scent wafted subtly through the air.
Jang Gil-san wasn't the type to beat around the bush or test the waters.
As soon as Jae-jun quenched his thirst, the man cut straight to the point.
"I asked to see you, Hunter Choi Jae-jun, for one reason."
Jae-jun set down his teacup and focused on Jang Gil-san.
"I was curious about the new S-rank hunter. But seeing you in person, you feel unfinished somehow—which only piques my interest more."
Jae-jun flinched inwardly.
He was definitely still far from a true S-rank.
Looking purely at his stats, only his magic power was SSS; everything else was C or D-grade.
If he fought another S-rank, he'd be gruesomely slaughtered in seconds, no doubt.
Jang Gil-san had clearly noticed this too, analyzing him sharply.
Jae-jun said nothing in response.
"Come to think of it, you don't have any affiliation yet, do you?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Plenty of guilds will come buzzing around you like flies. The big ones will throw piles of money at you to recruit you."
Money.
The more, the better, but Jae-jun felt burdened by the idea of being tied down anywhere.
For now, moving solo was far more comfortable.
"I prefer working alone."
"I see. Well, if you ever need a group more than going solo, come to our association. I'll back you up."
It was a solid offer, nothing to dislike about it.
He liked Jang Gil-san, too.
"Understood."
"Issuing your S-rank hunter license will take about a week. We could do it right away, but we need that grace period."
"Grace period?"
"S-rank hunters are a big deal, so it's announced nationwide. Think of it as prep time."
Jae-jun frowned.
"My full identity gets revealed?"
"Not quite. Just the emergence of a new S-rank. But anyone with info will figure it out quick—your details, Hunter Choi Jae-jun."
Jae-jun's expression darkened.
Being exposed like that felt deeply unsettling.
"If you hate that, you could always join the association."
Jang Gil-san grinned slyly, belying his massive build.
"...I'll think it over seriously."
Jae-jun left the Hunter Association right after.
Jang Gil-san had joked with a laugh, telling him to enjoy his last week as an F-rank hunter.
Back home, Jae-jun immediately pulled the summon beast's egg from his inventory.
◈ Mana Infused: 89,912,111 / A
◈ Time Remaining: 23 hours
For the past eight days, Jae-jun had lived with the egg clutched to his chest.
He'd even kept a hand on it while sleeping, pouring mana into it nonstop.
But despite all that effort, the egg was still stuck at A-grade.
Should I skip the dungeon today and just pour mana into it until I drop?
A sigh escaped him.
What if all this work resulted in some trash summon?
Bzzz.
The egg hummed as if to say, Don't worry.
Did it really understand?
"Can you hear me?"
No reaction from the egg.
"...Guess I'll crack you open and eat you."
Bzzzzz.
So it did understand.
Jae-jun stroked the egg gently.
"Eat well and hatch as an S-rank summon, okay?"
Time flew by as he lounged at home, dumping mana into the egg.
By evening, Hye-seon returned from school.
She startled at the sight of Jae-jun glued to the house for once.
"What?"
Jae-jun shot her an exasperated look, and Hye-seon stammered an excuse.
"N-No, it's just... seeing someone who's usually gone suddenly here freaked me out."
"Yeah, sure."
Jae-jun replied indifferently.
Hye-seon dashed to her room, changed clothes, and came back out.
Then she plopped down right next to him.
"Oppa, anything you wanna eat?"
"Nah."
"Want me to massage your shoulders? You've been so busy lately, must be tough."
Jae-jun eyed her steadily.
Hye-seon beamed innocently.
This was definitely her "I want something" face.
"What do you wanna buy?"
"Huh?"
Her guilty flinch hit the nail on the head.
"Spill it."
"...You gonna buy it?"
"Lemme hear first."
"...So, I made plans with friends to hit the amusement park this weekend."
"And?"
"...Can I get some allowance for new clothes to wear?"
Allowance for girls' clothes—those prices were brutal.
Come to think of it, he hadn't checked the bank balance in ages.
He pulled up the banking app on his phone.
Compared to before, I'm loaded.
"Got it. Let's go together tomorrow. I'll buy you some clothes."
"Together?"
Her face darkened for a split second—probably imagination.
The next morning, they headed downtown early.
Determined to get something nice, they went straight to the department store.
Being Saturday, it was packed.
"How's this?"
Hye-seon tried on outfit after outfit, asking Jae-jun's opinion.
To him, they all looked the same.
But saying that would just make her sulk, so he played along.
"Yeah. Looks good."
"For real?"
But oddly, Jae-jun's nerves were fraying more by the minute.
It had started the moment they entered the store.
At first, he chalked it up to the crowds.
But the tension only grew, not faded.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up; he scanned the area instinctively.
It felt just like being in a dungeon.
Like stepping into the boss room!
His description nailed it.
An invisible boss was glaring at him from somewhere unseen.
This place is dangerous!
His instincts screamed it.
Jae-jun bought every outfit Hye-seon picked, just to hurry up and leave.
Didn't these people sense anything?
This sticky killing intent?
"If we're done, let's go."
Hye-seon beamed, arms full of shopping bags.
Then—
Thoom.
A deep vibration like a phone on max volume echoed through the entire department store.
Jae-jun jolted, goosebumps rising, but everyone else ignored it.
What the hell?
Just then, a massive TV screen showed breaking news.
Was that it?
No.
Something happening at Busan Port wouldn't reach here yet.
Thoom.
A thicker rumble spread through the store again.
This time, people noticed—plenty looked around.
"We gotta get out."
"Huh?"
Anxiety gnawed at Jae-jun.
Stay here, and they'd die.
He might survive, but Hye-seon definitely wouldn't.
Thruuuuum!
The building shook violently; people tumbled over.
"E-Earthquake?"
"Kyaaah!"
"W-Watch out!"
Stacks of goods toppled; ceiling lights shattered one by one.
People huddled on the floor, praying it would pass.
Charge!
Charge
But Jae-jun didn't cower.
He scooped Hye-seon under his arm and bolted for the exit.
"O-Oppa!
Kyaaah!"
Mid-sprint, he fired a Fire Lance at the wall.
Fire Lance!
Fire Lance
A fiery spear ignited in midair, blasting through one wall.
Blink!
Blink
His body flickered, reappearing before the crumbled wall.
Blink's range was 50 meters—too short to punch fully through.
Jae-jun hurled himself forward, tossing Hye-seon out of the department store.
The instant he did, the building engulfed in red mana.
Thud.
"Ow ow ow! Oppa, what the heck?"
Hye-seon rubbed her bruised butt as she got up from the ground.
Her brother suddenly grabbing her and chucking her out made no sense.
But as she stood, she stared blankly at the department store she'd just left.
"O-Oppa?"
The site was now surrounded by what looked like blood.
Moments later, horrific screams erupted from inside.
Thank you.