Steel Shoulders and Mumyeong Mania

Too bad.

No skill reset scroll this time.

Instead, he got some armor.

It was a steel pauldron padded with leather.

The options are insane.

Two skills on a single item. Both at Lv.3, no less.

Considering the max level for item-attached skills was 3, these were tremendous options.

I needed armor anyway. Perfect timing.

He slung the leather straps of the pauldron over his shoulders.

The pendant he'd gotten from killing Belial yesterday had given 144 defense.

Adding the shoulder guards completed a full plate armor-level defense he wouldn't trade for anything.

And it looked decent enough.

This is the kind of defense you'd need a full set for.

Higher defense meant less damage from the same attacks.

A potentially fatal blow could end up as a minor scratch.

Not bad at all.

Good armor was expensive because hunters' lives depended on it.

He'd picked up so many cheat items that his sense of value was skewed, but in reality, you couldn't buy defense like his for 1 billion won.

…That was what he'd read online yesterday, anyway.

Well, no reset scroll was disappointing.

It'd come next time. Plenty of places left to clear, plenty of rewards to claim.

Vrrr—.

With the instance gate cleared, the exit gate to the outside opened.

Stepping through brought him back home, just as he'd left it.

Except for one thing.

“Lucifer?”

The blanket Lucifer had been lying on was neatly folded. The floor gleamed oddly clean.

The bathroom light was on. Peeking inside, Lucifer—in crow form—was splashing around in the sink.

“…Master, you're back.”

Sensing his gaze, Lucifer replied with feigned solemnity.

Too late. He'd seen the splashing.

Or maybe not. Could've just been cooling off in cold water from the sink.

“You still feel feverish. Shouldn't you rest more?”

Touching the crow's head, it was still hot as a coal. Lucifer shook his head firmly.

“No, I'm fine. This isn't a cold to begin with. You're heading to the F-rank labyrinth next, right?”

“Yeah, but—”

“I'll come with you.”

“Ugh, this jerk thinks someone's pathetic…”

The crow started yelling at the starry lights in the air, then looked at him. Take me with you.

“Fine, let's go together. Hold on a sec.”

His condition seemed better than this morning. If he wanted to go that badly, why not.

If it wasn't a cold, rest wouldn't help anyway.

He laid a towel in his backpack and added an ice pack.

Then put the crow-form Lucifer inside.

“Stay there till you're better.”

“Master going this far for me… It's very comfortable. Smells like pizza too.”

Yeah, figured. He'd packed leftover pizza from yesterday into the gate.

“Don't mock me. This is a cozy hideout Master prepared. Paradise you'll never know in your life.”

“Grr, this jerk…”

Good relationship or bad? Hard to tell.

They clearly knew each other, on pretty equal terms. His attitude toward the Master of the Black Star was different—servile before, but now like old neighborhood buddies.

He asked straight up.

“You know Dawn of White?”

“…”

“Lucifer?”

He wanted an answer, but Lucifer seemed to have passed out from the fever.

…He'd wake up soon enough.

Shouldering the backpack securely, he stepped out the front door.

“Let's head out then.”

Time to blitz the F-rank labyrinth at superspeed and grab those rewards.

Right now, all of Korea was abuzz with talk of one hunter.

Mumyeong, the overwhelming powerhouse who shot in like a comet.

He'd taken down world bosses in one hit. Not once, but twice.

YouTube views were exploding. Communities were flooded with Mumyeong mentions.

The biggest issue was Mumyeong's identity.

Who the hell was Mumyeong?

Just the related searches showed the hype: Mumyeong identity, who is Mumyeong, Mumyeong face, Mumyeong profile…

Not just the public—guilds and hunters were starving for info too.

Koreans everywhere thirsted for intel on Mumyeong.

And just last night.

Like with the world bosses, every Awakened saw the message across Korea.

And this morning.

Reporters waiting at Bulmyeol Guild HQ entrance scored an interview with Sa Choiheon.

“Did you meet Mumyeong Hunter in person?”

“A word on Mumyeong Hunter, please!”

“Can you tell us about Mumyeong Hunter's abilities?!”

Mics ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thrust endlessly, flashes popping nonstop. Sa Choiheon said just one thing.

“Killing the demon was entirely thanks to Mumyeong.”

Enough for headlines.

Article reactions exploded.

With Mumyeong hiding his identity, public interest was inevitable.

And amid all this attention.

Sa Choiheon was preparing for what came next.

Korea Hunter Association. Top floor of HQ building.

“Sa Choiheon Hunter. You sure about this? We're not strangers after all these years.”

A portly old man leaned back in a luxurious chair.

Association Chairman Go Gwi-cheol.

He frowned, visibly displeased.

“Sharing info on Mumyeong would be good. For the nation, for humanity. The higher-ups want it too.”

Across the antique table.

Sa Choiheon, slouched casually on the guest sofa, replied curtly.

“Nothing to say. Same as the world boss incidents.”

“Tch, come on. You know better.”

Sa Choiheon kept all Mumyeong info secret.

Lucifer, the items Mumyeong took—nothing shared, not even with Bulmyeol members.

“Hoo.”

The chairman sighed deeply, gazing out the window at the cityscape below.

“You know the situation's changing. Two world bosses back-to-back recently.”

The unpredicted world boss appearances. Clear abnormality.

“Not just here—overseas reports of anomalies keep coming. The system's exceeding our predictions.”

He knew. As a regressor, Sa Choiheon knew better than anyone.

Difficulty spikes. Irregular monster spawns.

The chairman didn't mention it, but Awakened numbers were rising too.

All signs the system's tutorial was ending.

But Sa Choiheon listened silently, lips sealed.

“Elite spawns up in labyrinths, gate break rates rising. The death wave coming soon… you know what disaster that brings.”

Creeeak.

Go Gwi-cheol turned his chair. His cloudy eyes fixed on Sa Choiheon.

“Straight talk: Korea needs Mumyeong now. A hunter like him.”

Beating around the bush, but clear: Hand over Mumyeong's info.

“…”

Sa Choiheon didn't answer. He checked his watch, then spoke coldly.

“Time's up. I'll be going.”

“Sa Choiheon Hunter.”

Standing, he approached the door handle. An angry voice boomed from behind.

“The Association won't stand by Bulmyeol's monopoly anymore. Remember that. How long do you think your world lasts?!”

“Doesn't matter to me.”

Creeeak. Thud.

Sa Choiheon ignored the outburst and exited the chairman's office.

“Hoo.”

Letting out a light sigh, he boarded the elevator.

For a ma-in, he sure talks well.

The chairman was a ma-in. Otherworlder who'd crossed over around the system's emergence.

Not time yet.

Ma-in were still too strong for humanity. Even Sa Choiheon couldn't win now.

Human skin, but his goal was humanity's end.

Hand over Mumyeong's info for Korea's sake? Bullshit.

But not everything the chairman said was false.

The world was sliding into chaos. Signs were there.

Having regressed multiple times, Sa Choiheon knew what followed in detail.

The real deal starts now.

Belial dead, Awakened Alliance collapsed.

Inevitable new outcomes.

System out of control, hidden threats rearing heads.

Mumyeong, can you surpass the coming future?

That's what Sa Choiheon wanted to ask.

“Of course. Add ketchup too, please.”

Before the labyrinth, he stopped at a fast food joint for burgers.

Burger King set meal. Extra fries galore.

Usually too pricey, but with money earned, time to splurge.

“…I'll have a cheeseburger with zero cola. All extras.”

The crow in his bag whispered.

Pretty specific order.

Added Lucifer's request, orders complete. Even for F-rank labyrinth, food mattered.

Bag packed with burgers, he hopped in a taxi.

Vroom.

About 40 minutes in, traffic jammed hard.

Insane congestion.

Cops directing traffic everywhere. The driver clucked his tongue in frustration.

“Gate break up ahead, looks like. Damn. Can't go anywhere.”

Gate break.

Failed gate clears let monsters pour out, supercharged.

Disaster from botched raids.

Hunter app confirmed it.

“Drop me here.”

“You sure, kid? Don't even think of heading that way.”

“I'm good. I'm a hunter too.”

Paid cash, stepped out. Re-equipped the shoulder guards he'd taken off.

Labyrinth's right ahead, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but…

Map showed the path to F-rank labyrinth blocked.

“Access denied!”

“Stop, stop!”

“Control zone from here. Dangerous!”

A bit further, soldiers and guild staff cordoned the area.

Onlookers with phones added to the chaos.

Stealth might be tricky.

High-rank hunters possibly nearby. Lv.2 Stealth ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could be spotted.

Wonder if I can help.

He headed to a nearby building rooftop first. Evacuated, easy climb.

Check monster levels first.

Weakling Extermination needed lower levels than his.

From the roof, the broken gate's situation was clear.

5m black gate. Monsters of various types pouring out nonstop.

About 15 hunters holding the line fiercely.

No sounds reached here. Sound-blocking magic, probably.

He focused to check monster info.

Levels lower than mine.

All emerging monsters below his level. Weakling Extermination viable.

“Lucifer, any high-rank hunter auras around?”

Pop.

The crow poked its head from the bag, scanning left and right.

“No hunters strong enough to spot stealth.”

Good. No hesitation needed.

He donned the Cloak of Secrecy and Hermit's Mask. Lv.2 Stealth activated, rendering him invisible.

“Alright, let's go.”

“…Free service, no EXP or magistones. Those guys are lucky.”

Lucifer's grudging voice from the bag.

Today's EXP cap was already maxed.

But so what? Could turn into a major incident.

As he dashed down the stairs fast.

Ding!

Message popped up before his eyes.

Dawn of White's sponsorship.

“Pretending to be a good-aligned constellation.”

Lucifer grumbling from behind.

“What's that?”

“Ah, it's the alignment scale for constellations. Short version: good-aligned ones like good deeds. I'm chaos neutral, by the way.”

He'd heard roughly. Thought Lucifer was evil-aligned.

Anyway, pre-reward for good deed.

“Reward's probably useful.”

Lucifer's voice perked up a bit. Excited for a friend's sponsorship?

Anything helpful in this pinch was welcome.

No time to waste.

He registered immediately.

Dawn of White sent a new message right away, as if waiting.

But something felt different from Master of the Black Star's. Messages were off.

Constellation's rank shakes causality…?

As he questioned the message.

Crack, craaaack—!

A pure white rift etched into empty space.