Stealing the Spotlight

KWAKWAKWABOOM—!

Kang Minho's flaming battleaxe carved a brilliant arc of fire as it split open the crown of the massive crystal monster. In the same breath, flames surged from the embedded blade into the creature's body, and an eruption bloomed from within.

KWA-BOOM!

Crystal shards scattered in every direction, gloriously reflecting the firelight — and out of that blaze landed Kang Minho, red cape billowing behind him.

The mana in his axe converted into flame the moment it swung, scorching the surrounding air and dominating everything with searing heat. That was Kang Minho's signature.

"Wow! Did you all see that? That firepower! Truly worthy of the star hunter [Ark] has produced!"

The [Midas] hunters broadcasting the stream fussed excitedly, shoving their cameras forward. The instant Kang Minho registered the lens on him, he deliberately struck an arrogant pose and flared his cape.

"This much is nothing. It's just a typical day at [Ark]. Sure, it's a little hot — but a pro has to put up with at least this much, wouldn't you say?"

"Wow... that really is art."

Behind him, the [Ark] hunters on standby to support him marveled as well. Even the PR team from [Yuseong Group] had been mobilized, hauling in lighting rigs and reflector boards — a sight you'd rarely see inside a dungeon.

When the filming director gave a quiet compliment and raised his thumb, Kang Minho adjusted his sunglasses and smirked with disdain.

"Phew... that was nothing. They made such a fuss about precautions, handed me all these checklists — but aside from flying crystal shards, what's dangerous about this? It's not like there are any high-threat monsters here."

He brushed the crystal dust from his battleaxe and looked around. The [Yuseong Group] PR team with their cameras. [Ark]'s support squad, ready for when his stamina or mana ran dry. Even [Ark]'s Field Exploration Team 4, kept on hand in case an Irregular manifested. Everything was a stage prepared for him alone.

And then, unbidden, the office conversation from a few days ago came back to him — the terms Vice President Jin Sehoon had laid out when signing the contract.

"...I have no intention of giving you anything difficult. I simply want you to outshine that [Corporate Slave Life]. Steal every bit of the spotlight if you can — and succeeding while he fails would be even better. You need to embody the image of the industry's absolute peak, the ideal hunter."

"Is that all?"

"Well... after the job's done, just show your face at the occasional exploration, and I'll grant everything I promised."

It had been laughable.

Watching the analysis videos of [Corporate Slave Life], he'd honestly been a little surprised. That evasion ability alone bordered on the mystical.

'He barely seems to move, and yet he dodges that well?'

But that was all.

'The way he scrapes and chips away at enemies — pathetic compared to me. And even that was just him getting lucky in dungeons that happened to suit him.'

And compared to that, himself? Overwhelming firepower and spectacle through masterful flame manipulation. The crushing, intuitive destructive force of an axe imbued with that very attribute. And on top of it all, the full backing of a major corporation, [Ark].

'Is that really something that can be compared to me? Maybe he'll chicken out and never even show up.'

A hollow laugh escaped him. If he'd ever been assigned to a party with someone like [Corporate Slave Life], he'd have made the guy run errands as the team baby and told him, 'This job isn't for you.'

Either way, it was a good situation. In the end, honey had simply dropped from the sky into his lap.

"Everyone! Moving on to the next target. A crystal golem. Let's take down a big one this time — this kind of hunt is my specialty, after all."

Kang Minho shouted, brimming with confidence. But perhaps his enthusiasm had been a touch excessive.

Between the intensifying flames and the dungeon's heat-trapping structure, the temperature inside the cavern was climbing at an alarming rate. The heat-saturated crystals began to tremble faintly, giving off a strange, resonant hum.

"T-Team Leader! The temperature's way too high. The heat isn't dissipating at all—"

"The flames are so strong we can barely secure visibility. It's not just the crystals — the light refraction is so bad even the goggles barely help—"

The [Ark] supporters pleaded, sweat pouring down them like rain, but dungeon exploration was supposed to be hard work. That was the mindset.

'Do they think they're the main character? They're just support staff who should hang back and follow orders.'

Kang Minho didn't listen. Instead, while the broadcast camera was briefly turned away, he snapped at them.

"Ugh, seriously! Quit whining. The shot looks great right now. Are you trying to keep killing the momentum? Huh? I might end up being your boss soon enough, you know. Watch it."

People were trying to be nice to him, and he kept raising his voice.

At the same time, Kang Minho sneered behind his sunglasses. The hunters of [Ark] — lower caliber than he'd expected.

'Cowards, the lot of them. Getting cold feet in a place like this.'

Maybe it was only natural. After all, Kang Minho had performed one-man shows at every company he'd worked for, projecting the aura of a one-man army.

That was when it happened.

The very instant Kang Minho was about to leap toward the giant crystal golem, his next target —

A slow, quiet breath. Deep in the corner of the camera's frame, he appeared. Black suit and tie. Briefcase. A mask over his face.

As Kang Minho coiled his legs for a powerful leap, the flame-wreathed battleaxe descending in a blazing afterimage — the man closed the distance without a sound, and as if gravity simply didn't apply to him, stepped lightly up the crystal pillars and soared.

And then —

Shrrrk.

The sound of something being sliced. The light whisper of a blade grazing past.

"Huh...?"

Before Kang Minho could even swing his axe, the giant crystal golem's head dropped clean off its shoulders.

KUGUGUGUGUNG!

The golem collapsed, kicking up a cloud of dust, and Kang Minho could only freeze, stunned by the sudden turn of events.

"Wh-what the—!"

At the same moment, not just the [Yuseong Group] PR crew but every camera in the cavern — including [Midas]'s — reacted first and swung around. What filled their screens was [Corporate Slave Life], walking unhurriedly out of the settling dust, like a vision of a graveyard of blade-winds.

Without so much as glancing at the ruined golem, the man regarded Kang Minho for a moment with indifferent eyes beyond the mask — then gave a short, mocking laugh.

"You're loud."

As if he were someone important.

'Ha... this son of a—?'

But the man's provocation didn't end there. Into the blinding glare of the [Crystal Cave] — where the flames threw light in every direction no matter how you turned — he raised a hand to his mask and, just like Kang Minho, put on a pair of sunglasses.

Everyone on site — and every viewer watching the broadcast — momentarily ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lost the ability to speak.

The chat exploded. On screen, his face now bore a cheap pair of 8-Bit Pixel Sunglasses — the kind you'd expect to find in a dollar-store party supplies aisle. The look was cheerful to the point of absurdity; the chat blew up, and somewhere between disbelief and outrage, tempers flared.

'He dares... ruin MY stage?'

Vice President Jin Sehoon's instructions surfaced in his mind. Outshine that man. Step on him. And the current situation? Never mind stealing the prey — forget stepping on anyone, he was the one left staring at the man's back.

"You're stealing someone else's kill?! Who do you think you are, butting in like that!"

He'd forgotten the broadcast was live entirely, and shouted before he could stop ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠himself. But whether the man heard him or not, he didn't so much as respond.

Instead... came behavior no one could make sense of.

Ri-ri-ring—♪ Ri-ri-ring—♪

A cheerful alarm chimed from inside his coat, as if he'd received a phone call.

'A phone? We're outside signal range.'

As everyone looked on in confusion, the man paused at the sound, paid Kang Minho no mind whatsoever, and fished something out of his pocket. A gleaming silver piggy bank.

"...?"

He held it in a posture of almost reverent solemnity, then shook the pig with practiced ease. The silver coin that dropped from its slot he caught with the care of a man handling a divine relic, and tucked it into his pocket.

"...??"

Jingle.

At the sight of it, Kang Minho's reason snapped clean in two.

What is this supposed to be?

He wasn't some world-class hunter or anything, but he'd still thrown himself into competing as a hunter with everything he had. He'd planned to crush the man with a magnificent performance, overwhelming firepower on full display. And instead — this wasn't some comedy sketch. Pixel sunglasses and a piggy bank, in a dungeon?

On top of that, the man was treating him with complete and utter contempt.

"You insane bastard! What do you take people for—!"

As Kang Minho radiated pressure with his axe raised, [Corporate Slave Life] waved a hand lazily, as if the whole thing were a chore.

Tap.

Having apparently seen everything he needed to see here, he put distance between them in the blink of an eye. His destination: the deeper reaches of the cavern — the deep floors, where the crystals grew even denser. And as if these shallow depths simply didn't interest him, as if they bored him, he gave an enormous yawn and vanished into the interior.

At that sight, something in Kang Minho's eyes flipped.

"Team Leader! You can't! That area hasn't been explored yet—"

The support team desperately ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tried to hold him back, but there was nothing to be done. Kang Minho was the one with final authority here — and honestly, there was no reason he couldn't go.

"Think about the support we've been given, and what Vice President Jin Sehoon said! Your job is to back ME up!! Clear the path. NOW!"

Kang Minho, flames whirling, chased after [Corporate Slave Life]. Like a moth hurling itself into fire — crawling into its own grave without ever knowing it.

At that same moment, in the VIP Salon of The Archive.

Two people were watching the live feed on the giant screen: Park Sangwoo of [Dokkaebi], and Na Heera, Managing Director of [Midas].

"Haha... [Corporate Slave Life] hyung-nim. I said it before, but that man really is impossible to pin down."

Park Sangwoo clicked his tongue.

"Pixel sunglasses, then a piggy bank. What on earth goes on inside that head of his? And yet his skill is the real deal, you can't deny it."

Even as he worked his jaw, clearly enjoying the spectacle, Park Sangwoo marveled at the man on the screen.

"Look at that. Even his footwork on the crystal pillars is pure artistry. Considering how overheated they are, he seems to only step where the heat doesn't pool... ah. It's genuinely fascinating. So that's even possible. Meanwhile..."

His gaze shifted to Kang Minho.

"Kang Minho, riding on [Ark]'s back, actually looks the more precarious of the two. No matter how big his support team or backup hunters are, if he pushes a pure firepower strategy too hard, it could get dangerous. Well — he seems to be monitoring and adjusting it, but that's a precursor symptom of a thermal conduction explosion, isn't it? Right?"

Park Sangwoo's expression turned serious.

"He can't possibly be that thoughtless... either he has some way of managing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it, or he's wringing out maximum performance right up to the razor's edge. I wonder if he's walking a line that's a little too dangerous."

In response to his question, Na Heera gave her wine glass a gentle swirl and smiled.

"...Perhaps he's simply too blind to see it."

"I'm sorry?"

"The same way Vice President Jin Sehoon is so blinded by what a few other people think that he designs idiotic projects."

Na Heera's eyes fixed on the screen — on [Corporate Slave Life]'s back as he disappeared into the far reaches of the cavern.

"Oh my, Mr. Park Sangwoo. You're watching all this and you still don't see it? [Ark] may have fired the opening shot, but... do you not understand who this board was laid out for?"

Park Sangwoo's eyes went round.

"Don't tell me... all of this is [Corporate Slave Life]'s design?"

Na Heera looked utterly delighted.

Leaking his own information to the black market, proposing that people bet on him — the grand picture drawn by that man.

'So this is what you were painting all along?'

Could there be a more thrilling scene?

"Still... even if [Ark] and Kang Minho are overextending a little, honestly, I'd think it'd be difficult for him. The days when a single hunter could overturn a stage rigged by a corporation are long gone."

Park Sangwoo counted off on his fingers as he spoke.

"The operator will be watching from behind and issuing orders, so even if a crystal bursts, they can respond to all of it. Add the support team's real-time assistance on top, backup hunter resources for mob control and debuffing... throw in more and it could tip even further..."

Then, as if his calculations were complete, he said cheerfully — and with a furrowed brow that made it clear he genuinely regretted it —

"I don't think he can pull it off, do you? No matter what kind of stage it is. Unless it's one where he's prepared to die and burn everything down with it."

But to Park Sangwoo's analysis, however he phrased it, Na Heera only smiled.

"By the way, noona. Do you really not know? Who that man is."

Park Sangwoo couldn't help asking.

"That level of strategic design, that bizarre concept, and skill on top of it. Is he... some corporate guy? Or a hunter reassigned to a PR role? I can't get a read on him at all."

Na Heera considered the question for a moment, then pressed a finger to her lips with an enigmatic smile.

"Who knows. It wouldn't be any fun if we found out, would it? Let's just enjoy the show."

"Oh, come on. After everything between us?"

Park Sangwoo thumped his chest in frustration, but Na Heera said nothing more. She simply pointed at the screen.

"Now, watch. The climax is beginning."

On screen, Kang Minho was huffing and puffing as he chased [Corporate Slave Life] into the very deepest chamber of the Crystal Cave — the Resonating Room.

An unknown region never once opened or entered, only observed from the outside, its environment a matter of guesswork.

Unable to accept losing to [Corporate Slave Life], Kang Minho followed in his wake, clad in every piece of equipment he owned and flanked by his support team.

And then, Na Heera's eyes narrowed.

"It's going to blow. Spectacularly."