Level Up and New Arsenal
With the level up, his mana recovered and the magazine reloaded. At the same time, new weapons and skills appeared.
◈ Sealed Speed:185 km/h
◈ Ammo: 5.56mm Energy Rounds
◈ Range:15m
◈ Base Damage: -170
"An assault rifle this time?"
It was Yoo Taejeong's mutter as he pulled the new item from his equipment window.
"Range and speed are a bit higher."
He scanned the gun's info, then promptly opened his skill window.
Energy Rounds Lv. 1 [Assault Rifle]
Mana-infused bullets. 1 shot: 15 MP
*Damage varies by stats.
Weapon Summon
Automatically summon firearms. Activated via keyword.
"Weapon Summon seems to pull from inventory... and the ammo's the same stuff."
Having roughly grasped the skills, Taejeong immediately scanned his surroundings. It wasn't fully safe yet, so no time for a closer look. He broke into a run again, quickly escaping the rally point.
Finally reaching the road on the other side of the mountain, Taejeong let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew. Made it. From here on, the odds are—huh?"
He'd been planning to walk along the road into the city when he spotted multiple vehicles approaching in the distance. And they were ones he knew all too well.
* * *
Agency office.
"So you're saying everyone just up and left their posts?"
Taejeong, who had safely returned to the office in an agency vehicle, shook his head in frustration at the staffer's words.
"No, we stayed right there, and then monsters suddenly attacked us."
"That's the weird part. That rally point was outside the Ground White Area, and there hadn't been any issues there for the past six months."
"Outside? You cross one tiny mountain and you're in the hunting ground."
"Hmm. So what's your point? Compensation? You survived unscathed, didn't you?"
Taejeong was left speechless by the staffer's brazen attitude. After barely escaping the jaws of death thanks to the agency's bullshit, this was all they had to say? Porters might get treated like dirt, but this was beyond the pale.
"Phew. Fine. Whatever. I doubt you'd listen anyway. Just pay me for today's work."
"Of course. We're not some shady outfit."
"Yeah, right. And what about the others who died? Compensation...?"
"That's not for you to worry about, Taejeong. We'll handle it per company policy if applicable."
Taejeong inwardly sneered at the staffer.
'Keep talking. I'll blast it all over the media.'
Vowing as much, he grabbed his daily wage and headed for the door. That's when the staffer called him back.
"Taejeong."
"...?"
"Watch your mouth."
Stepping outside in a foul mood, Taejeong unleashed a torrent of curses at the building.
"Watch my mouth? They’ll kill me if I slip up, those bastards."
He said it, but it was entirely plausible. Agencies often had ties to one or two guilds. If their image took a hit, they'd do anything.
'Without power, life's just misery.'
Walloping in helpless frustration for a moment, a spark suddenly flashed in his mind.
'Right. I'm a hunter now too.'
In his anger over his comrades' deaths, he'd momentarily forgotten. Focusing on the tragedy had left no room for it. Maybe that was a blessing.
Back home, Taejeong fired up the internet and searched for his class. But no matter how hard he looked, nothing matched.
He scoured foreign sites too, to no avail.
"Nothing. Not even listed in the class compendium. A rare one?"
It made sense. The Awakening Stone talking was weird enough...
The thought stirred an inexplicable thrill from deep in his chest. Rare meant few in number, special. Plus, survival-focused as he'd been, he hadn't realized it then, but a level 1 taking down a Mimic? That was impossible.
'If this is true, then I'm...'
* * *
Two weeks passed since the ordeal. Fortunately, the agency compensated the deceased, lightening Taejeong's heart a bit.
Awakening was great, but his coworkers' deaths had nearly canceled it out. He'd heard of such things, but seeing people die right in front of him was a first.
"Time to get hunting. Sticking around like this is a death sentence."
Facing reality, Taejeong shelled out 500,000 won to join a major hunter community. Reliable hunting ground info required multiple memberships—essential stuff.
Scrolling through, he found a promising spot.
🏛 Main Monsters: Mimic, Wolf
⚔ Recommended Level: 10~20
💀 Note: Holy site for beginners. Almost no one goes now.
"Handled Mimics already, no issue. Wolves are lower-tier, should be fine?"
A bit reckless, maybe. His combat experience was just that one time. But nothing else caught his eye.
"Destination set. Need a car. Porter? Nah."
Taejeong figured no porter needed. Mimic corpses were useless, and wolf hides? He could butcher and load them solo.
That day, he hit a used car lot, buying a cargo truck and butchering gear. Pricey, but pocket change compared to earnings.
Preparations done, he lay in bed, questioning himself.
'This the right call?'
He'd planned to study for researcher exams after porter gigs. That's why he'd taken the job. But awakening changed that—wasting time studying felt like squandering potential. Researcher prospects were good, but nothing next to hunter.
"Eh, whatever. Life's short."
Next morning, up early, fully geared, he drove to Anseong.
Anseong, like Yongin, was one of the few places that lost city functions. About a century ago, freak weather anomalies spawned monsters worldwide. Armies and high-tech weapons held, so damage was bad but not apocalyptic.
Then the unbelievable happened: civilization regressed. A thousand years back. Modern weapons vanished—missiles, mechs, guns, all gone. Scientists toiled endlessly but found no cause.
Meanwhile, the world took fatal hits. Korea lost over 90% of its land to ruin. Apocalypse seemed inevitable.
Then, a ray of hope: Awakeners. Hunters wielded superhuman power against monsters. Background still mysterious, but they saved humanity.
Couldn't restore the old world—damage too vast. But they gained mana stones, new energy. Civilization rebuilt around awakeners. That massive wall ahead? Part of it.
At the wall outpost, Taejeong stopped and showed ID to the guards.
"Not registered. You a hunter?"
"Yeah. No guild yet. Heading to Bibongsan."
"Bibongsan? Still folks going there."
"Someone wants quality wolf hides."
"Wolf hides, huh. Safe travels. Cleared."
The gate opened; his truck eased in. Ground White Areas were like this—low risk, no guild needed, minimal checks.
Following the hunter-grade nav from the market, Taejeong arrived at Oksan-ri and parked on the widest road spot.
"Can only summon one gun anyway. KA-1's longer range is better."
Weapon Summon - KA-1
[300/300]
Grabbing the summoned KA-1, Taejeong tensed up, eyeing the open field. He'd hunt from the truck till he got the hang of it.
"15 MP per shot, 20 shots total. Factoring level up, half a day of hunting."
Ready, he drove seeking wide-open fields. Not long after, wolves entered his view—two scrawny beasts foraging dried paddies. Hearing the engine, they sauntered toward him.
Taejeong shouldered the rifle. No military service, but online vids had taught him decent form.
'Slow and steady. Come on, just like that.'
Range-limited, he waited for them to close. The truck shielded him—no big tension.
Finally—
Bang!
The first shot's white bolt pierced the lead wolf's skull.
Kuak!?
Wolf defeated.
+50 EXP
'Nice.'
Clean kill. He swung to the second.
Bang!
Confident second shot missed, sailing past its waist. The enraged wolf leaped at the truck.
Startled, his finger hammered the trigger.
Bang bang! Bang!
'Fuck.'
Grrr. Grrr.
Diving to the passenger seat, Taejeong eyed the wolf dangling its head in the driver's window. A split-second slower, and it'd have chomped his skull.
Its agility shocked him—cold sweat beading as it slumped back.
Wolf defeated.
+50 EXP
"Whew. Fast as hell. How many meters did it jump?"
Amazed briefly, he scanned thoroughly—no more wolves. Knife in hand, he cautiously exited to butcher.
But...
"Nope, can't."
After a few sit-stand attempts, he shook his head. No way without dropping guard.
Brute force it was.
"Heave-ho! Ugh... ah! So damn heavy."
Headless and gutted, the two carcasses loaded into the bed. Engine roaring, the truck rolled on.