Out of the Blue: What's Your Rank?
Hong Ji-hwa watched her unit's training session. Most were close-range hunters, but here and there were hunters using skills dubbed "magic."
Suddenly curious, she trudged over to the ones practicing magic. The hunters snapped to attention and saluted as she approached.
"Suppression!"
"Yeah, suppression. I was watching you guys and got curious about something."
"Yes, ma'am! Ask away!"
"That whole magic thing. Is it supposed to go off with a big boom like that?"
"Pardon? No, it doesn't work that way. Magic has three elements: target designation, incantation, and activation. It takes longer to prepare than for close-range hunters, but the power is immense."
Hong Ji-hwa rolled her eyes at the hunter's explanation.
"You're B-rank, right? How long does your strongest spell take?"
"My most powerful one, Flame Drive, can one-shot a C-rank boss monster, and it takes about three minutes to cast!"
"Three minutes? Why the hell does it take so long?"
Three minutes was how long it took Cheon Ji-hoo to clear a D-rank rift. Having seen his magic firsthand, Hong Ji-hwa furrowed her brows, and the hunter broke out in a cold sweat.
"I'll work hard to shorten it!"
"No, forget that—why does it take so damn long?"
'What's her deal all of a sudden?' He had no idea what was eating at Hong Ji-hwa, who was suddenly bitching him out during training.
"Aren't mages supposed to just wave their hands and shred everything?"
"How could that even be possible? That's ridiculous. Even the S-rank hunter called Merlin of England couldn't do that."
"Really?"
Hong Ji-hwa recalled Cheon Ji-hoo casting his magic. It had been beautiful and powerful. The elegant curves of his spells were still vivid in her mind. Then she thought of the magic used by these hunters. What they called "skills" lacked the grace of his—flashy, sure, but no elegance.
Tsking her tongue, she turned and grumbled her way off. Watching Cheon Ji-hoo tackle rifts had left her dissatisfied with a lot of things lately. It'd be great if he'd just join HCU. She was even thinking that.
"Why's she like that?"
"Beats me…."
* * *
After finishing the barrier, Cheon Ji-hoo waited for dawn and Ji-yoon to wake, then gave her a few precautions. First was how to enter the barrier. He and Ji-yoon were fine, but if she brought someone home, they'd need a special method.
"So, if you wanna bring a friend over…."
"It's fine! I don't have any friends!"
He'd been about to explain, but Ji-yoon just beamed innocently. A pang hit Cheon Ji-hoo in the chest. Was that any way for a high school girl in her prime to talk? His absence had led to this heartbreaking result.
"…Alright. As long as there's no issue."
"If I ever wanna bring a friend next time, I just tell you, right, oppa?"
"Yeah. Tell me for sure. Otherwise, your friend might…."
They'd probably wander lost in the mist, eat a few spells, and end up bawling. But they wouldn't die.
"So when do you think I'll awaken? Honestly, after all this, it's about time, right?"
Ji-yoon tilted her head. She'd killed variant goblins in rifts and been through all sorts of ordeals, but no awakening yet. While other kids at Hunter Academy were awakening and stepping into hunter life, she felt stuck.
Watching her flop on the sofa and whine, Cheon Ji-hoo asked,
"Ji-yoon, do you really have to awaken?"
"No awakening, no hunter."
"I'm just uneasy about it. Kill a few monsters and suddenly you get 'skills'? Popping them off with a status window? Doesn't make sense."
"That's just how it is now."
Ji-yoon stared back, not getting it. Killing monsters in rifts boosted awakening chances. Hunters used status windows and skills to raid rifts. That was the norm. Hunters made bank too—the higher the rank, the better the perks. Everyone envied them. So why was her brother acting like this?
"That's what I mean—why is that the norm? Wielding immense power from some external meddling, with no restrictions? That can't be right."
Not by Cheon Ji-hoo's logic, anyway. Great power came with restraints. Even he, a mage, was bound by "mana" and "formulas." Magic wasn't just blasting mana willy-nilly. But awakened hunters were like game characters.
"It kinda makes sense, though."
"No, it doesn't. It violates all sorts of principles. Hunters must be paying some price to live like that. Especially since they risk their lives every day."
Ji-yoon pouted at his firm words. Her brother was hard to understand sometimes. Being a mage, he threw around tough concepts now and then.
"Then should I not be a hunter?"
"I didn't say that. Awakening just rubs me the wrong way."
"But no awakening, no hunter."
"Hm."
Cheon Ji-hoo figured now was the time. A way to become a hunter without awakening. He planned to train her into a swordmaster. Big brother the archmage, little sister the swordmaster—what a insane family combo. Just imagining it made him feel secure.
"Ji-yoon, what if you could get strong without awakening?"
"Uh, wha? S-Sounds good to me!"
"Great. Then starting tomorrow—after school—we'll take it step by step with oppa."
"Wh-What're we doing?"
"I'll make you a swordmaster."
It was a solemn declaration from Cheon Ji-hoo.
* * *
Sunday. After his talk with Ji-yoon, Cheon Ji-hoo contacted Hong Ji-hwa and cleared the remaining rifts. That closed all six: two D-rank, two C-rank, one B-rank, and one A-rank. Payment hit his account right after the last one, and with the Hongdae Entrance Station rewards added, he now had over two billion won.
'Money's nice, but nowhere to spend it.'
He'd been thinking of buying Ji-yoon some clothes when Hong Ji-hwa, who was timing and logging the raids, spoke up.
"By the way, Mr. Cheon. Any plans after this?"
"Nothing special."
He'd planned to track down that horny bastard if time allowed, but it could wait.
"In that case, why not come to our HQ for a rank measurement? Better late than never."
"Rank measurement?"
"Yes. Hunters get ranked precisely after awakening. But returners like you with special powers can be measured too. If you're okay with it?"
"Sure, let's go."
Sounded fun, so he hopped in the back seat of the car driven by Lee Joo-hwan, with Hong Ji-hwa up front.
"Head to HQ. The one with the measurement gear."
"Got it!"
Lee Joo-hwan was basically their chauffeur now.
* * *
The car dropped Hong Ji-hwa and Cheon Ji-hoo at HCU headquarters. She led him underground to a room marked "Rank Measurement Room." Inside was a complex machine topped with a fist-sized white orb clearly meant for placing a hand on.
'A core, huh.'
Probably an empty one. Hunters poured max mana into it, and it gauged the fill level for ranking.
Cheon Ji-hoo instantly grasped the setup and turned to Hong Ji-hwa.
"Place your hand on the orb and infuse your energy. Machine's primed, and it's just us. I swear no leaks on the rank."
"Alright, here goes."
No sooner had she spoken than he placed his hand and fed in mana—gently at first. The monitor lit up.
-E
E-rank. Hong Ji-hwa blinked at the letter. No way. Not after what he'd shown….
Then it surged.
-D
-C
-B
-A
The letters climbed as more energy filled the core. Hong Ji-hwa muttered, Of course, staring blankly.
Soon after.
-S
The machine's max. Higher needed higher rift cores. Then it reversed—from S to F—as Cheon Ji-hoo withdrew his mana.
"That enough?"
"…Yes. More than enough."
"I could've done more, but it'd probably shatter."
"…Thank you for your consideration."
Hong Ji-hwa could only choke out her gratitude.
* * *
"Measurement showed he far exceeds S-rank, as expected. He stopped so the core wouldn't break."
"Just as I thought."
After sending Cheon Ji-hoo off, Hong Ji-hwa met privately with the Hunter Association chairman and explained what she'd seen. Suggesting the test wasn't mere curiosity. Returners often had B-rank-equivalent magic or swordsmanship from other worlds, measuring C or B.
"He soloed two A-rank rifts in record time. Even S-ranks couldn't manage that."
"If he registered as a hunter, what rank?"
"Web novels these days say SSS or EX."
The chairman chuckled, then grew serious.
"Don't let him leave Korea, no matter what. Give him anything he wants, every convenience. I'm allocating a special budget for Cheon Ji-hoo effective immediately."
"Easier said than done…."
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
The chairman stood, paced to the window, and gazed at Hunter Way. The rebuilt Yeouido—once thought irreparable ten years ago—was now gleaming with new buildings. Without awakened hunters on the front lines and public effort, it'd be a ghost town of ruins.
"…Whether Cheon Ji-hoo brings fortune or disaster, we'll see in time."
"He seems plenty docile as long as his family stays safe."
Bit of a prickly personality, though. As Hong Ji-hwa grumbled, the chairman smiled faintly.
"So, what'd he say he was doing after the measurement?"
"Well…."
Hong Ji-hwa hesitated. Awkward to say outright.
The chairman tilted his head. "No worries. Speak freely."
"…Going to meet that horny son of a bitch."
"Horny son of a bitch?"
"Yeah. Horny son of a bitch."
What the hell kind of code was that?