Spin and Spin

'Was that the change from earlier?'

The field of view around me shifted, bringing a dizzying sense of elation as if I'd become an entirely different being. And the result of it all was S-rank.

The overwhelming recoil unique to S-rank skills was shrugged off effortlessly by this supreme body, housing an immense well of mana within. Unlike other awakeners, whose ranks were meticulously graded from F to A, the S—standing for Special—was slapped on those so extraordinary that no standard rank could contain them.

This meant there was an insurmountable chasm between A-rank and S-rank. Sure, the density of mana had spiked recently, leading to more S-ranks popping up than before, but they were still precious assets managed at the national level. And even among S-ranks, they weren't all equal. The differences were vast, but since they couldn't be precisely measured, they were lumped together under the S-rank umbrella.

"Hoo~"

I let out a light breath, gazing down at the shriveled, withered heart of the ogre that had shrunken to a fraction of its size.

'Feels like I've finally toed the starting line.'

Becoming the S-rank I'd once envied felt surprisingly subdued. Probably because of that demon bastard whose power I'd never fully grasped. Now that I'd reached this level, I could sense just how monstrous he truly was. Hadn't he crushed and devoured Kang Mir—the S-rank hailed as the strongest back then—in an instant? This level was nowhere near enough.

A single black magic stone remained in the center of the heart, crumbling to powder and scattering on the wind.

'What the hell is this?'

This wasn't your average magic stone; it reeked of an ominous aura. In that moment, I instinctively knew this black stone was the culprit behind the whole mess. An A-rank dungeon going berserk and spitting out a two-headed SS-rank Twin Head Ogre? Clearly, some unforeseen variable had intervened. And the sinister energy leaking from this stone screamed what that variable was.

Corruption.

The black mana oozing from it constantly probed for openings, trying to twist my own mana. Thump. Each time, my mana heart pulsed, repelling the intruding darkness like it was nothing.

'Hmm, what to do?'

No clever ideas came to mind, so I decided to pocket it for now. My mana heart throbbed eagerly, as if begging to devour it, but I ignored the urge. Besides...

'This new thing showed up.'

I immediately summoned my inventory. With the rank-up, I'd realized I now had access to one bound to me. It felt as natural as reaching into my pocket—like I'd always known how.

I stashed the black magic stone inside and eyed the ogre's corpse lying off in the distance.

'Should I bag that too?'

A monster corpse of that caliber would fetch a fortune. But I sensed eyes on me from behind and shelved the thought.

'Tch, oh well.'

The owner of that gaze appeared before me in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠short order.

"No way—you took this thing down?"

It was Kim Yo-han, the professor who'd been locked in a deathmatch with the now-dead ogre moments ago.

"Yeah, just kinda happened."

I shrugged casually. His eyes went wide as saucers staring at me.

"No friggin' way—you hit S-rank?"

"Yeah, just kinda happened~"

What was with this déjà vu in such a short span? Whatever. He gawked at me in disbelief. His one arm still dangled limply, but he didn't seem to care.

"'Just kinda happened'? Kid, your growth rate is insane—hard to believe."

Alternating glances between the ogre corpse and me with an amazed look, he clapped my shoulder like a proud mentor.

"Don't sweat the S-rank certification. I'll vouch for you."

"Thanks."

S-rank wasn't something you could just declare. The Hunter Association's testing system topped out at A-rank, so official recognition required endorsement from at least two fellow S-ranks. There was good reason for it: S-rankers instinctively recognized each other. Like top predators in the same cage, sparking a tense standoff—they just knew.

And honestly, nothing was more reliable than an S-ranker's word. Fakers got quietly murdered or vanished all the time.

"We can snag another one easy. Just ask one of the profs. Haha! Magic Officer Academy's got itself a star."

"You're too kind."

I gave an awkward smile. I'd enrolled to snag skills easily, not to be the school's poster boy.

'Gotta bail soon.'

No way was I letting the government yank my chain. Time to revise the original plan. Plus...

I sighed softly, eyeing Kim Yo-han.

'S-ranks aren't all equal, huh.'

His aura wasn't above mine. Hell, I could snap his neck in ten seconds flat right now—and even at his peak, it wouldn't take much longer. He'd been gravely wounded by that ogre, after all.

I recalled the intel I'd gleaned from him before.

'Only useful thing's his S-rank Hawk Eye skill.'

His best, S-rank mana control, was already mine.

"Looking forward to working with you."

Contrary to my thoughts, I smiled warmly and shook his hand.

"Haha, same here. At this growth rate, you'll skyrocket up the rankings soon."

"Rankings?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't know. S-ranks have this unofficial ranking system. No direct fights—too deadly—so they rank based on cleared dungeons, feats, that sorta thing. Updated yearly. Betting on it's a blast, too."

He whispered the last part, hand to mouth.

When I was low-rank, he'd looked down a bit. Now that I was S-rank, he was all buddy-buddy. Like a senior welcoming a junior to the married club. Welcome to hell—or in this case, welcome to S-rank.

"There's an S-rank community, right?"

"Obviously. Exclusive to Association-verified S-ranks. They swap info, trade items there. Stuff useless to lower ranks, y'know? Their own little league."

My eyes lit up.

"Do they have regular meetups or anything?"

Handshakes could net me an S-rank skill shopping list.

"Hell no. Those arrogant pricks won't gather unless forced. Magic Officer Academy's one of the few spots 'cause of patriotic types or those with state pacts. Even I can't stand most S-ranks long—instinct makes you wanna kill 'em. No fighting it."

"Two tigers can't share a mountain, huh?"

"Haha, spot on."

"Got it."

I nodded, finally understanding the rising urge to kill I'd felt since seeing him.

'No wonder I wanted to off him on sight.'

He must've felt the same. Seeing him play it cool made it hit home. Our eyes met, and he patted my shoulder ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like he got it.

"You're handling the bloodlust well, Min-ho. New S-rankers usually cause a scene."

"I was just thinking that was weird."

"You'll learn to dial it back with exposure. Humans are social animals, after all—training and ethics override instinct. Somethin' like that?"

He winked. Watching him, I thought maybe he was a better guy than I'd figured.

Three helicopters approached in the distance as we chatted. Ground troops would lag, and no other hunters? He'd need treatment, though.

I glanced at his mangled arm.

"This? Needs at least A-rank healing. Hang tight."

Otherwise, mana clash could backfire. S-ranks were even hard to heal. But natural regen covered most wounds—way beyond normal limits.

'Perks all around.'

I finally grinned, truly feeling the S-rank reality sink in.

Thwop-thwop-thwop. Ropes dropped from the hovering choppers, soldiers rappelling down.

"Sir! Special Team Lieutenant Kim Han-sol, Capital Defense HQ. We'll handle site cleanup from here."

He saluted sharply at Kim Yo-han—must know him from joint ops.

"Yeah, thanks. And this guy took down the beast. Note that properly."

"Pardon? Oh, really?"

Lieutenant Kim Han-sol stared at me, flustered. New face, but SS-rank kill meant S-rank minimum. He saluted the young-looking guy politely.

"Sir, apologies. Name?"

"At ease. Kang Min-ho."

"Proud Magic Officer Academy cadet too. Haha!"

Kim Yo-han slapped my shoulder, chuckling nonstop.

"I-is that so? Understood. We'll process as usual and report. Sir."

"Good work."

Kim Yo-han half-assed a salute, nudged my back, and we walked off.

"Cleanup priority depends on dispatch. I'm the S-rank here, so government gets first dibs—including loot rights."

"Right."

"Guild Alliance snipes the best stuff lately, though. But now we've got you, Min-ho—we'll hit back hard. Haha!"

"..."

'Gotta bounce before they collar me.'

We hit the temp command post at the outer defense line for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a quick debrief. Exiting, Jae-wook spotted me and rushed over, beaming.

"Min-ho! You hurt?!"

"Nah, good."

As Kim Yo-han said, minor wounds had vanished. Just messy hair and clothes—no sign of the brawl.

"Phew, glad. Don't volunteer for crazy shit next time. You'd just die pointlessly."

"Wouldn't you be more bummed without backup?"

"Hey~"

I shot him a pouty glare. He locked me in a massive headlock with those tree-trunk arms.

"Ow, fuck—uncle! Mercy!"

"Call me bro then. C'mon."

"You little shit?"

"Whoa? Little shit? Time to crank it up."

He flexed harder, slyly.

'Pfft, dummy—won't even tickle.'

C-rank tank or not, his attacks couldn't breach my basic mana shield. Still, I hammed it up, tussling awhile. Felt his genuine worry, that big bear.

One "bro" later, I broke free. He strutted smug, snorting. I snickered.

'Dork doesn't even know I let him.'

On the bus back, students asleep, I shoved Jae-wook's boulder-head off my shoulder and pulled up my status.

'Lemme see... Spin the roulette again?'

I grinned at Boiling Rage(A), Skin Reinforcement(A), and Earth Strike(A).

Wasn't this the thrill humans craved most?

'Spin~ spin~'

A tune escaped my lips unbidden.