I Became Korea's Hope

After I used the skill book, the status window suddenly went haywire. Once the frantic spasms finally stopped, the following message appeared in an intimidating font.

“Huh…?”

What the hell was this? Magi recovery? The more magi I recovered, the more of my lost demonic powers I could regain? And did that mean I’d never be able to learn any skills for the rest of my life?

“What troubles you, Lucy-nim?”

Asmodeus was still hugging me tightly. I explained the situation to her. She tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

“This girl does not understand it either. I am deeply ashamed, my lord.”

Asmodeus had no idea what was happening either. Of course she wouldn’t—she was a demon from Hell.

“However, does this not mean you may recover your lost power, Lucy-nim? It never made sense for someone as great as you to rely on mere ordinary skills.”

“Hmm… I’ll look into it.”

I opened the Korean Awakened Channel. I dug through old posts and everything, but there wasn’t a single case of anyone else having a status window error like mine. The awakened channels of other countries were the same. In other words, I was the only person in the entire world experiencing this.

“I can’t exactly go around telling people about this…”

I was an unregistered awakened, so I couldn’t ask the Association to investigate. Besides, they probably wouldn’t have any answers anyway.

That was when Asmodeus spoke up.

“With this girl’s limited insight, it seems the status window itself is simply incapable of containing your magnificent achievements, Lucy-nim.”

“Thanks for the kind words, at least.”

“I did not speak lightly, my lord.”

I’d thought she was just going to pat my head mindlessly again, but this time Asmodeus looked genuinely serious. Did she actually have some idea what was going on?

“As I mentioned before, are you not currently in a state where you have lost your power and memories, Lucy-nim?”

“Keep going.”

I had lost my power, after all. I’d gone from a healthy adult man to the body of a frail young girl.

“I believe your power is on a scale far beyond what a mere status window could possibly contain. The primordial power described in the legends is vastly larger than the limits of that so-called system, I am certain.”

So my potential had exceeded the system’s limits. That was what she was saying.

“Furthermore, demonic power is different from the mana used in the present world. Since demons use magi, you cannot utilize techniques the same way ordinary hunters do.”

The message had said ‘initiating magi recovery,’ after all. Normal hunter skills consumed mana. But because I had become a demon, I couldn’t use mana and could only use magi. That made sense.

“There is nothing in this world capable of containing your greatness, Lucy-nim. Once you regain all your primordial abilities, even those detestable angels in the heavens will tremble before you.”

Asmodeus nodded solemnly, murmuring “As expected of Lucy-nim.” I roughly understood the mechanism now. Instead of learning skills, I would grow stronger by accumulating magi. It was a completely different system from regular hunters. At least I wouldn’t be stuck with my pathetic strength, agility, and stamina forever. I still didn’t know what these primordial abilities were, though.

Listening to Asmodeus made me curious about something. I asked carefully.

“Asmodeus, do you know what my primordial abilities are?”

“This girl does not know the details, my lord. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I was born in a much later generation, long after you established Hell in the primordial era. I only know the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stories through oral tradition.”

“Then how do you know about me at all?”

“Hell is the realm you pioneered, great Lucy-nim. All beings born in Hell can instinctively recognize you, the primordial existence. It is much like how a child instinctively knows its mother.”

So I had somehow become the mother of every single being in Hell. That was what my unique skill had said too. When I thought about the stories ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of my past that were passed down in Hell, it seemed my power back then had been far greater than this ‘system’ that governed the mysteries of awakened beings and gates in the present world. Anyway, it meant my potential was enormous.

It was hard to believe that someone as soft and squishy as me could be such a terrifying existence. When I pulled on my cheek, it stretched like rice cake.

“Anyway, I need to start gathering this magi.”

My immediate goal was set. I had to regain my lost power if I wanted to protect myself. Not that I had ever actually lost any power, but apparently that was how the setting worked. Asmodeus was going to keep calling me the great primordial demon no matter what I said.

So far I had recovered 50 magi. It looked like the level-up in the Tower and using that D-rank skill book had given me this much. The total amount was still hidden behind question marks, so I had no idea how much there was. Maybe once I gathered around 100, some ability would unlock?

“Then first…”

What I needed to do right now was obvious. I flopped down to browse the channel… I mean, to do some important research. The awakened channels for each country could only be used by awakened people. Unlike the public hunter galleries that anyone could visit, this place had high-quality information. I had glanced at it earlier and there were quite a few interesting things. Since I didn’t have to worry about job hunting anymore, I could comfortably look into the current state of the hunter world. I needed to understand the situation, then either clear some gates or climb the next floor of the Tower. It definitely wasn’t because I was full and wanted to lie down.

“I’m going to lie down and take care of some important business, Asmodeus.”

“Then may I use the computer? I am curious about the civilization of the present world.”

“Feel free.”

Asmodeus took the now-empty computer. Perfect. I sprawled out comfortably and opened the Korean Awakened Channel. My smaller body made the super-single bed feel as wide as a queen size.

“Ugh… it’s already flooded with posts about me.”

The moment I entered, I saw posts related to ‘Imp.’ It was still all anyone was talking about. I clicked on the most noticeable one.

“Hmm…”

After reading through the post and all the comments, I pursed my lips. How had I become Korea’s hope when I hadn’t even done anything?

“Well, it’s easy for mid-rank hunters to coast along, but it’s true that high-rank hunters are suffering.”

Worldwide, awakened people were blessed. Clearing even moderately easy gates could earn you a salary in the hundreds of thousands. But Korea’s situation was more complicated. There were plenty of average hunters to handle mid-to-low rank gates. The problem was the lack of high-rank hunters.

Honestly, C-rank and below gates weren’t that dangerous. There were enough hunters to clear them before they collapsed. But B-rank and above gates absolutely required A-rank or higher hunters. Korea simply didn’t have enough of them. Sometimes they even had to ask other countries for help with truly dangerous gates. Apparently this mess was the result of the government’s inadequate response during the early days of the gate outbreaks.

In any case, Korea was chronically suffering from a shortage of high-rank hunters.

“But I have zero intention of going to China…!”

Recently there had been an uproar when an A-rank hunter defected to China. Hunter drain was a chronic problem for Korea. Mid-to-low rank hunters were plentiful overseas so they didn’t bother recruiting them, but top-tier talent kept leaving. I had no plans to leave Korea. I just hadn’t registered yet because of how squishy I was now. That didn’t mean I was abandoning the country…!

“Where else can you find a country with internet this fast and living conditions this good?”

I had no desire to emigrate. But I also refused to be summoned here and there like other high-rank hunters. There were more reasons than ever to stay as an unregistered hunter. My current squishy body was far too soft for clearing terrifying A- or S-rank gates. I was definitely not a muscle-bound old man.

“Lucy-nim. A chat has arrived.”

While I was browsing the Awakened Channel, Asmodeus, who had been using the computer, called out to me.

“A chat?”

“Yes. I launched this program and a chat window appeared.”

“Ah.”

I’d wondered what kind of chat it was. It seemed Asmodeus had opened the game and received a message there. The person chatting wasn’t someone I knew in real life, just a gaming friend I’d gotten close to while playing. We sometimes played together when our schedules matched.

“Just a moment, I’ll check it.”

“Understood.”

Asmodeus gave up her seat. I tried to sit in the chair, but the height had been adjusted. Since Asmodeus was taller than me, she must have changed it to suit herself.

“I will adjust it for you.”

I sat down while Asmodeus raised the chair for me. There. Now I could see the screen comfortably.

“It’s been a while since they logged in…”

They were the type who often went days without logging in, but they hadn’t been on for several weeks. I’d wondered if something had happened. My gaming friend had casually left a message.

It didn’t seem like anything serious had happened. It was a bit late, but since it had been a while, we might as well play a round. I queued up with my gaming friend, PikachuKawaii.

“Ugh… I’m so tired.”

Jeon Yu-i, a Korean A-rank hunter, had finally returned home after a long series of consecutive raids.

“Three raids in a row is just… ugh…”

Like most high-rank hunters in Korea, she had been working day and night to prevent gate collapses. On top of that, Jeon Yu-i was unusually timid for someone of her rank. When the Association asked her to clear a gate, she found it hard to refuse.

“Still, since I’m finally home, I should at least play one game.”

Gaming was her biggest hobby. The thought of playing after work was what kept her going.

“Oh, Quit’s online.”

When she logged in, she saw the user she often played with was already there. They got along well and gaming together was always fun. A-rank hunter Jeon Yu-i, under the game nickname PikachuKawaii, sent a message to IWantToQuit.