The Offer

The mountain of points I'd stockpiled was more than enough to leave me feeling flush.

Where should I put them?

I turned the happy dilemma over in my mind and settled on Lightning.

Do it.

Half my points vanished in an instant. A full-body shudder rolled through me as a crackling current raced from the crown of my head down to the tips of my toes. It was pleasure — but a different breed from sex.

"Hoo…"

I let out a soft breath and opened my palm.

Crackle.

Blue-white electricity bloomed above my hand. It moved at my will, shaping itself into something deliberate — a woman's breast.

This level of fine control is possible now.

Before, managing something this precise had demanded serious concentration. Now Lightning simply obeyed whatever half-formed thought I threw at it.

And…

The crackling current vanished. I was still controlling Lightning all the same.

I can even manipulate electromagnetic fields the naked eye can't see.

The applications had just multiplied. I closed my eyes for a moment and focused, circulating the Thunder Heaven Knot — the core of Noecheonryu.

I felt the difference the second I started. Raising Lightning alone had lifted my entire mastery of Noecheonryu. Where I used to sense only the thunder-qi inside me, I could now feel every faint thread of bioelectricity running through my body. It was too vast and too fine to touch carelessly — but I was fairly sure I could bend some of it to my will.

Not that there was much point. The things I could actually do with it weren't worth the effort, so I left it alone.

"Nice."

I checked Noecheonryu's condition through the Thunder Heaven Knot and grinned. One level in Lightning, and every facet of the art had improved.

Alright. The remaining points…

I decided to put them into Marksmanship. Its usefulness had already been proven. At present I could put a shot on nearly any target inside two hundred meters without missing. With full concentration I could stretch farther than that, though accuracy still fell off the longer the range.

Marksmanship isn't limited to hitting things with a gun. It's the act of striking something at a distance — period.

That covered throwing by hand, kicking something into a target, and more. It even paid serious dividends when I used magic in the Dark Moon world.

Next to Lightning, the cost looked almost angelic — but the higher the level climbed, the steeper the bill would get.

I already decided to invest. No point getting stingy now.

I pulled a wry smile. I hadn't expected the jump from level ten to eleven to cost five thousand points.

Half of what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lightning took, sure… but I just burned through the rest of my points in one go.

A flicker of regret hit me. Maybe dumping them into raw attributes would have been smarter.

Points can be earned again. I've got plenty of time.

I stepped out of the house. Lightning at level eleven. I was curious just how much stronger it had become.

My real-world routine was monotonous. Sleep in late. Show up at university if I felt like it. In the afternoon, walk into some open-type dungeon alone and hunt monsters. Teaming up with other hunters and running dungeons together was a hassle.

If I can do it solo, there's no reason to drag anyone along.

The dungeons I entered were B-Rank. For someone with practical A-Rank ability, they were a clean clear as long as I didn't get careless. Teaming up would probably let me farm mid-tier A-Rank dungeons without much trouble too… but I couldn't see the point.

Risking my life in the real world doesn't even make me grow that much.

I knew my own talent well enough. Grinding myself raw in reality was a slow path. Spending points earned from activity in the Play worlds was far faster.

Part of me has wanted to quit the hunter job more than once…

But this was reality. I still wanted to become an S-Class hunter here and live large.

First I need to become an official A-Class hunter…

That meant building a record. And right now, I was stacking that record steadily.

I trudged home after another day of carving through monsters in a B-Rank dungeon, stopping at a convenience store for a drink. My picky palate only really accepted cola and cider.

A man was standing in front of the officetel entrance. Black suit, clean-cut handsome features, early thirties, expensive watch on his wrist. He radiated the aura of a capable businessman.

New tenant? This place isn't cheap. Yeah — he's got money.

That was the end of my interest. I moved to walk past him into the building.

"Mr. Seong Yujin. Could I have a moment of your time? Fifteen minutes… no, ten will do."

I narrowed my eyes.

"You came looking for me?"

"I've been calling for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a week. You never picked up."

"I don't answer numbers I don't know."

"I also sent texts…"

"Honestly, I blocked you the second time you called in a row."

I was fairly well-known in Korea's hunter scene. Close with S-Class hunter Han Ayeong, climbing ranks at a breakneck pace, openly floated as a candidate for the next Korean S-Class. Hunter guilds, specialist reporters, hunter YouTubers — calls came from everywhere. I'd taken a few of them seriously at first. Then I got tired of it and started blocking anything that rang more than twice.

"…Haha. You're an unusual one."

"Still, people rarely show up in person… Which guild are you with? For the record, I'm already in one. It hasn't been formally founded yet, but still."

"Seventier Guild, yes. I'm aware. Some complications have delayed the founding, I hear."

"Which is exactly why you should leave me alone."

"Just a moment, Mr. Seong Yujin! I didn't come from a hunter guild. I came from America!"

"America?"

America. The name made me flinch before I could stop myself. It hadn't been long since I'd raised hell over there.

I used Information Erasure… and they still found me? Did it fail to trigger properly?

The situation was unsettling enough that my thoughts started spinning — too many of them, cascading into pure confusion.

"I'm an agent with the CIA. I'm also half-affiliated with the American Hunter Association."

"……"

The CIA. An organization I'd only ever heard about. One I never expected to cross paths with in my lifetime — and now it had come looking for me. Cold sweat beaded on my skin. Had they actually figured out what I'd done in America?

"Please don't tense up just because I said CIA. I don't regard you as a criminal, Mr. Seong. My assignment is simply to approach promising hunters and propose naturalization to the United States."

"Ah."

The clutter in my head sorted itself in an instant. He hadn't come for the thing I'd been afraid of.

"Naturalization… I've heard of it. America snatching up a lot of Korean hunters."

"I'd like to say it's because of America's standing… but Korea's situation is unique. Too many hunters for such a small landmass. That makes Korea safer than almost any other country — but…"

"It's not exactly ideal for hunters who want to climb higher."

"Exactly. So we also make other offers besides full naturalization. The main one is introductions to American hunter guilds. We support you so you can operate comfortably as a hunter in the States without giving up Korean citizenship. There is a condition, of course — a minimum of five years of activity in America."

Daniel Kim looked brimming with confidence. I could guess why.

Once they get a taste of America, most ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of them won't come back to Korea easily.

Money made almost anywhere livable. America was a superpower. China had collapsed so absurdly that there wasn't even a real rival left. Russia? Those clowns weren't America's match in my book.

A CIA agent making the pitch in person — plenty of hunters must have taken the bait. Still, America looks pretty desperate.

Dungeons were spawning faster with every passing year. Korea had enough hunters relative to its land area that things stayed under control. Other countries weren't so lucky. China was the prime example — dungeons had overrun them and the whole place had gone to hell. They were clawing their way back somehow, but recovering their former strength would take decades.

America's landmass is even bigger than China's.

They were recruiting hunters to avoid the same worst-case scenario.

"America will guarantee you the finest treatment, Mr. Seong Yujin. If you choose naturalization, you'll be exempt from all taxes for the next ten years, and we'll connect you with any American guild you want. A mansion, cars, a living stipend, and a maintenance allowance — the sum is no less than…"

"That's enough. I have no intention of going to America. I'm perfectly satisfied with my life as it is. Good luck with your work."

Go to America? Was I insane?

There's no free lunch. The second I take their offer, America will find a way to squeeze every bit of value back out of me.

They'd put me to work on all kinds of jobs. Going there would make my life exhausting overnight.

I want to become an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠S-Class hunter, sure — but I don't want to work like a dog for it.

Taking orders from anyone was also a hard no. That was exactly why I'd never joined a major guild. I refused to be used. And I could get stronger without anyone's backing.

I've got the Play Life app. America isn't that big a deal.

I walked into the officetel. Behind me, Daniel Kim called out in a rush.

"M-Mr. Seong Yujin! America can offer you far more! If there's anything you want, just say so! We can negotiate through…"

"I'm good. I'm staying in Korea."