I Will Retire.
I Will Retire.
Near the massive tower that had appeared in Gwanghwamun Square in the heart of Seoul, press crews from all over the world were currently gathered.
They were here to announce a historic moment: Korea—and indeed the entire world—would soon be liberated from the threat and terror of the tower they had all been watching.
Before long, Korea's top guild leader, S-class Rank 2 Seo Yeram, and her party members from [Hellfire] would emerge through that portal.
It was a splendid lineup, consisting of every S-class hunter currently residing in South Korea except for Rank 4.
In particular, the absolute support and fame commanded by Ranks 2, 3, and 5 were more than enough to reassure the public about this raid.
However, a single person was receiving hardly any attention at all.
It was the man known as S-class Rank 1.
With his face hidden behind a mask, even his name was simply listed as [Mumyeong].
His birth, abilities, fighting style, past achievements, and everything else—
—all related information was strictly controlled.
Speculative rumors spread that he might be a government test subject or someone who had committed atrocious crimes in the past, to the point where people actually believed them.
It would be accurate to say that despite being S-class Rank 1, public trust in him was practically at rock bottom.
Since his identity was guaranteed by the government-run Association and the guild master, Seo Yeram, people generally let it slide without raising much of an issue.
Against such a backdrop, movement was suddenly detected at the portal.
Everyone questioned what was happening.
The raid wasn't even over yet, so a reaction from the portal signaled that someone was emerging from inside.
The crowd began to hustle and rustle.
All eyes locked onto the spot.
Every camera focused, waiting for whoever was about to appear.
Soon, a silhouette materialized from beyond the portal.
Black hair fell forward, obscuring his eyes.
Along with a mask covering his mouth, gaudily colored armor bearing the emblem of [Hellfire] caught everyone's attention.
The overall mismatched appearance felt downright ridiculous on its own.
However, an aura that completely overwhelmed such absurdity settled over the surroundings.
With his spine-chilling gaze and overwhelming momentum, he looked less like a hero and more like a villain.
"...What the?"
The S-class Rank 1 man looked around briefly before lowering his head, seemingly lost in thought.
No one dared to step up and interview him easily.
Because even the reporters, typically known for their bold nerve, had never once properly interviewed the man known as S-class Rank 1.
Of course, they had tried.
However, as mentioned before, he was a man thoroughly hidden under the protection of the government, the Association, and [Hellfire].
While pondering, he suddenly began walking forward until he stood right in front of the cameras.
Just when everyone was burning with curiosity about why he had appeared here alone and what would happen next, the man spoke.
"I am retiring."
It was a statement delivered into a frozen world, where everyone held their breath as if time itself had stopped.
"W-What do you mean by that...!?"
One flustered reporter involuntarily stepped forward and asked back.
A sunken, heavy gaze turned toward him.
Under an overwhelming pressure that radiated sheer chill, the reporter couldn't easily open his mouth.
Regardless, as if he had said all he needed to say...
...the man unhesitatingly began taking off his armor right then and there.
The heavy pieces of metal, emblazoned with the crest of [Hellfire] and numerous corporate advertisements, hit the ground with loud thud, thuds.
Just like dumping trash.
The sight of him casually stripping off his armor was being broadcast live across the entire globe.
It was a scene of sheer, unbelievable shock.
Once the big, bulky armor was removed, a young man with a leaner build than expected stood before their eyes.
After exhaling a deep sigh, he started walking to leave the premises.
"W-Wait just a moment!"
"An explanation! Please give us an explanation!"
"What on earth happened inside?!"
"Was there infighting?! Or perhaps a severe injury?!"
"Please give us some kind of explanation!"
Seeing the man's appearance was far more ordinary than expected, several reporters mustered the courage to brave their fear and shouted.
Ignoring the microphones thrust into his face, he spoke curtly.
"Move. Unless you want to get hurt."
"Wh-What...?!"
Not only a sudden retirement announcement, but threatening civilians on top of it?
No matter if he claimed to retire, there was no denying that this man was still South Korea's active S-class Rank 1.
He was a public figure in a position that required extreme caution in both words and actions.
'It's a scoop!'
They had to sink their teeth into this story.
Dominated by that greed, they temporarily forgot their instinctive terror and fear.
The man glared at them—at the reporters who were beginning to block his path.
'Ah, seriously. Right now... I can't control my output properly. It might not end with just getting hurt.'
Even so, they swarmed like bees while camera flashes went off relentlessly all around.
As the scene rapidly descended into chaos, the man let out a deep sigh.
"I clearly warned you."
He lightly tapped his foot against the ground just once.
With that casual motion, massive cracks shattered across the pavement.
"Gasp?!"
"Eek?!"
"What in the...?!"
It was like a scene straight out of an earthquake.
Everyone froze in shock at the spectacle caused by a simple movement from the man.
The atmosphere shifted dramatically.
A chilling sensation turned into thorns, piercing everywhere.
As that pain radiated throughout their bodies, everyone froze completely solid.
The reporters standing closest collapsed instantly, unable to hold their balance.
Their mouths snapped shut, and their eyes trembled uncontrollably.
The aftermath brought about by a mere casual action was no different from a natural disaster.
In that moment when sheer dread and horror were etched into everyone...
...the man simply walked forward unconcernedly.
Until he left the scene along the open path carved through the collapsed crowd...
...not a single reporter or citizen dared to utter a word to that man.
I hid myself in a deserted back alley where there were no people around.
It seemed no one had followed me.
"Haah, seriously."
To describe my current state, I was basically a car with no brakes.
Because I wasn't the original protagonist who had spent his entire life controlling his abilities and power.
Just now, I literally just lifted my foot and put it back down.
Even so, the result was far larger than I expected, and the aftermath was no joke.
In my current state, moving around recklessly like this could easily end up killing someone.
That was how dangerous I was right now.
'I was just an ordinary guy...!'
I was merely a single reader who enjoyed reading hunter-genre web novels.
I have no idea how on earth I ended up in this mess.
There was no such thing as excitement or heart-fluttering thrills about entering a storybook world.
To me, this world was nothing more than walking on thin ice.
'Why the hell did you possess me into this guy? What do you want me to do?'
Do you want me to hijack the original storyline?
Or are you telling me to personally fix all the things I complained about?
All sorts of thoughts raced through my head to the point of driving me insane, yet there were way too many annoying things bothering me.
If there was one silver lining, it was that all of the protagonist's external activities and public glory had been devoured by Seo Yeram, the guild master of [Hellfire].
The protagonist hadn't really wanted to be famous.
Driven solely by the desire to help others, he didn't care much for fame.
He entrusted everything he had to the government and Seo Yeram, simply hoping it would be used for the good of the world.
He trusted her because she was his childhood friend, and Seo Yeram exploited that protagonist for all he was worth.
Without even a single shred of conscience.
Furthermore, all the rumors floating around the public were false information leaked directly from inside [Hellfire].
Our naive, good-natured protagonist brushed it off, saying he was fine even after hearing such criticism.
He only realized how frustratingly stupid that was after he got betrayed later on.
Even so, being soft-hearted to a fault, he forgave Seo Yeram, Shin Yuri, and Cha Yujin one by one without even getting proper revenge, taking them in as his heroines.
Well, there was no way in hell I could ever do that.
'Lead the story together with the bitches who ruined the protagonist's life through betrayal and gaslighting?'
I absolutely refuse.
Since things had come to this, it was best to consistently ignore the original plot.
If I lived like a sucker just because I became a sucker protagonist, I'd die of sheer frustration.
Right now, it was exhausting to even think about this and that.
I had just transmigrated into this body, and I was not a wise enough person to think through every detail before acting.
Should I throw a violent tantrum just because an ordinary citizen living paycheck to paycheck got dumped into a terrible situation like this?
'Just leave me alone.'
Right now, I was like a walking nuclear bomb.
The protagonist was such a pure-hearted soul that he was a sucker who forgave them and moved on even after being treated like that.
But I wasn't.
"First... let's head to the house where the protagonist lived."
Since he had unreservedly handed over all his assets to Seo Yeram, the lore stated that he lived in poverty despite being S-class Rank 1.
Fortunately, he was an orphan with no family, so there was no fear of anyone discovering I had possessed his body.
However, the members of [Hellfire] would definitely find my recent behavior strange and feel a sense of incongruity.
Seo Yeram, who was his childhood friend, was especially likely to react that way.
Right now, they had simply postponed checking up on me because they had to focus on the crucial raid at hand.
'Whatever, who cares.'
Either way, the media was probably going crazy tearing me apart after seeing what I did.
However, it was guaranteed that a new issue would explode after this, pouring even more fuel on the fire.
Regardless of my desires, I needed to make plans to prepare for the aftermath.
Without fail.