Orc Lord

The Orc Lord ignored the orcs around it and fixed its gaze on the prey charging straight at it, a thick smile spreading across its face.

A leisurely smile, as if it were enjoying the sight of a weaker being struggling in vain.

It pisses me off.

The bastard was sizing me up as a pretty decent catch right now.

I don't like being underestimated.

So I mirrored its smile and raised the blade edge of my right hand.

"Kuoooooh!"

Boom!

As I closed in, the Orc Lord slammed the ground hard.

Fragments of the cracked earth erupted around it.

Four chunks, each brimming with vibrant mana.

The Orc Lord lifted them high and hurled them at me.

The fragments sliced through the air.

At first, they were just mere rocks, but as they flew, they sharpened and honed themselves into deadly daggers.

Sharp.

A direct hit would pierce right through.

But I didn't dodge.

I just locked eyes on the lead dagger hurtling toward me.

When the earth dagger came within inches...

I whipped my right hand out and deflected it.

The earth dagger clashed against the sturdy scales of the Black Dragon and shattered into dust.

I immediately rolled sideways.

The second dagger slammed into the spot where I'd been charging moments ago.

Having deflected two in a flash, I pushed off the ground with my left hand and sprang back up.

"Hup!"

Whoosh—

As I rose, my right arm swept out in a wide horizontal arc.

The scaled palm and trailing black mist swallowed the two incoming daggers whole.

With all fragments erased, I landed and kicked off the ground again.

My speed wasn't all that fast.

The Black Dragon's influence was limited to my right arm.

My legs were just those of plain old me.

But that was fine.

This was more than enough.

Grinning, I charged at the Orc Lord.

It smashed the ground again at the sight of me.

Invisible mystical forces gathered with mana, and more earth fragments erupted.

Planning to make daggers again, huh.

But...

"Hup...!"

I braked hard first, pulling my fist back.

A punch now wouldn't reach.

By a distance so vast that never was the word for it.

But I knew that and still halted, clenching my fist tight.

Because my right hand now could shatter even a word like never with ease.

The thrusting fist.

The swirling mist.

And...

"Kruk..."

The crumbling Orc Lord.

A massive hole punched through its gut, it collapsed limply.

I'd been adjusting for a follow-up when it fell apart, so I exhaled the breath I'd held.

Then I looked down at the black smoke lingering on my right hand like an afterimage.

Smoke.

The term for the black mist flowing from my right arm.

At first, I thought it was just smoke—mere visual flair from the arm's enhancement.

But no.

Smoke had physical force.

And that force was more incredible than I'd imagined, something I could wield in various ways.

That's why I'd used it to block the earth daggers.

Same here.

Just to reach an enemy out of reach.

That's all.

"That said, why's this one a one-shot too?"

It's the Orc Lord, man.

Shouldn't a B-rank at least take two hits?

Way more boring than expected.

And no synchronization rate gain either.

I clicked my tongue and turned.

The surviving orcs had lost the will to fight and slumped to the ground.

I trudged across the blood-soaked earth to finish ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them off.

Right after wiping out all the orcs.

I headed toward the gate, muttering.

"How much will this all sell for?"

I chuckled, peering into my pocket.

Gemstones of every color piled high.

All mana stones from the orcs.

C-rank monster stones were valuable enough, and now B-rank ones too.

Should fetch a nice sum.

Feeling pretty good.

But separate from the good mood, something was nagging at me.

"Didn't expect even a B-rank to do nothing for the synchronization rate..."

This was unforeseen.

I'd figured a B-rank would at least bump it up.

"Goblins in the Tutorial Tower raised it, though. Why's the difficulty spiking now?"

What a prick.

Just chill and be satisfied already.

I let out a long sigh and shook my head.

One B-rank wasn't enough for synchronization.

The implication was clear.

To satisfy the Black Dragon, I needed at least A-rank monsters.

Promotion exams were monthly, so six months minimum to hit A-rank hunter.

Flinch!

My body shuddered on instinct.

The weight of the air on my shoulders shifted.

The vibe changed.

Time felt like it was crawling.

Frozen stiff, I rolled my eyes to read the popup.

So damn considerate.

Even giving advance notice before taking my body.

'Canceling what I said about maybe reasoning with it since we can communicate.'

Not okay at all.

It's just a psycho.

I flipped off the goddamn impatient Black Dragon and muttered.

"One mountain after another."

Squinting, I clicked my tongue and racked my brain.

How to budge this stubborn synchronization rate.

The moment that thought hit...

A different system window from the Black Dragon's chatter popped up.

Checking the rewarded skill, I...

...let out a low growl of pure satisfaction.

How could I hold back?

Perfect timing for a killer skill.

For a split second, I'd even considered sneaking into a high-rank gate, dodging the officials.

As a proud 21st-century model taxpayer, Han Mir, breaking the law felt a tiny bit off.

But hey, gotta live to pay taxes, right?

That thought crossed my mind, but now it was moot.

"Monsters significantly stronger than Tutorial Tower ones, huh? Bet that boosts the rate."

The system warning it specifically meant they were the real deal.

Like, gear up properly before challenging.

"No time for that."

If I had time, I'd just grind hunter ranks normally.

I reverted my hand and cracked my wrist, turning toward the gate exit.

"Gotta head home first."

Even if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I dove into the Evergreen Tower, doing it here felt off.

At least from home—why enter from some remote spot?

With lighter steps, I headed back.

"Treatment's done, miss."

"Thanks, Uncle."

Her gashed wounds were now perfectly healed.

She bowed to her healing uncle and walked the silent hallway alone.

"Black Dragon..."

The guy who'd suddenly appeared and saved her.

Too abrupt—she hadn't even gotten his name or rank.

All she knew was Black Dragon.

And even that was just a snippet she'd overheard him mutter.

As she walked, she quietly pulled out her phone and opened the gallery.

"Never seen him before, but impressive."

Her phone held pics of a blood-soaked field, scattered green flesh chunks.

And a massive orc collapsed with a huge hole in its gut.

She should've run, but fearing more orcs, she'd tailed him secretly.

Curiosity too—how strong was he?

She'd witnessed him one-shot the Orc Lord.

She knew zilch about the hunter world.

Couldn't gauge details, but this was not normal. That much was clear.

Staring at the photos, she clenched her fist.

"...Thought this time I'd prove my worth."

She'd awakened by chance.

Figured becoming a famous hunter would earn family respect.

Headed to a nearby F-rank gate, but it all went to hell.

Entering the elevator, she headed to the first floor and turned on her phone.

"At times like this... Hunter Net it is."

Hunter Net, Korea's hottest hunter community.

Pre-awakening, she'd ignored it. Post? Surprisingly fun.

Since then, she checked it whenever free.

About to browse when...

"What the hell."

Posts she couldn't ignore flooded the feed.

All mentioning people who weren't even there.

Couldn't stand it.

She posted on Hunter Net for the first time.

First post ever— this right?

Hotter reaction than expected.

Feeling oddly fun, she smiled unwittingly and hammered out a follow-up.

Over 50 comments in under a minute.

Overwhelmed by the attention, she stammered through them.

"But I never said Black Dragon was F-rank..."

Somehow, it was now "fact" he was F-rank.

What if he got mad?

Joy faded, replaced by worry and fear.

She deleted the post five minutes after making it.

"Sh-should be fine... right?"

Eyes darting, fatigue hit hard—she pocketed her phone without deeper thought.

The elevator had long reached the first floor.

"...Gotta get home and crash."

Mentally exhausted.

With a deep sigh, she trudged out of the building.

The 30-story building she exited bore a sign: Hwisung Group.