Black Rift
Today's Earth was abuzz with news about the Black Rift. It was unprecedented, a first in history. The System had issued a quest to every Hunter worldwide to conquer the Black Rifts. It was absurd—nothing like this had ever happened before, and the reward of a "Skill Selection" was enough to make every Hunter's eyes spin.
The world was in an uproar. Guilds and Hunters everywhere began poking around in search of Black Rifts, adding to the chaos. Even in South Korea, things were a mess. Major guilds mobilized all their manpower to hunt for Black Rifts, pushing regular rifts to the back burner and causing delays in raids.
Lounging on the sofa and watching the news about the situation in Korea, Cheon Ji-hoo muttered to himself.
"What do they even know is inside a Black Rift?"
And why issue such a quest at a time like this? Did it mean the System knew he was hunting Demon Kings? It should be questing them to hunt demons instead.
"Oppa, do you know about it?"
"Yeah. I've been inside one."
"For real? What's in a Black Rift?"
"A Demon King."
"A Demon King? Seriously? I wanna see one sometime."
"Don't even joke about that. The best thing is to go through life without ever laying eyes on a Demon King."
For real. Seeing a Demon King's face meant getting entangled with it somehow. It was best for humans to never cross paths with one.
Cheon Ji-yoon nodded at his serious words, saying she understood.
"But why's the System suddenly telling everyone to take down a Demon King?"
"Who knows. From what I see, Hunters don't have the power to take one down right now."
Rifts were rated by grade. But the Black Rifts' grades were still unknown. Having faced Demon Kings before, Cheon Ji-hoo figured they'd be rated at least S-grade, probably higher.
Moments later, the news anchor received urgent info and broke in with a special report.
-Breaking news. We've just confirmed a Black Rift discovered in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The Japanese Hunter Association has announced full support for the raid...
"Japan hit the jackpot. They found one already."
"Eh."
Was it really a jackpot? Demon Kings weren't kind to humans invading their turf, so whether it was good news remained to be seen. Even if every Japanese S-rank Hunter swarmed it, they couldn't take it down. And if the Demon King used their souls to descend fully onto Japan? That would be the start of true hell.
Cheon Ji-hoo clicked his tongue. He couldn't fathom what the System was thinking. Was it on humanity's side, or against it? It was the System that granted humans these strange powers called Skills, and the System that ordered them to raid rifts. Maybe even the rifts themselves came from the System.
"Skill Selection, huh~ Oppa, you've conquered a Black Rift, right? Didn't you get one?"
"I took it down before that quest popped up. And anyway, I'm a Hunter without a System, so even if I did, I wouldn't get it."
"I see."
"What, you want a specific Skill?"
At his question, Cheon Ji-yoon pondered for a moment. A Skill she wanted? Sure, there were a few she'd thought would be nice. But now? She didn't need any. Spreading her arms wide, she flung herself into his embrace and said,
"Nah, I don't need one. As long as I have you, Oppa."
"...Yeah."
His precious, one-and-only family. If fate ever forced a choice between the world's destiny and family, Cheon Ji-yoon would pick family without hesitation. Screw a world that couldn't protect her family—she'd shout it loud and clear.
Just then, Cheon Ji-hoo's phone rang. It was Hong Ji-hwa. Ignoring it because it meant a hundred percent chance of hassle, he watched as it switched to Cheon Ji-yoon's phone next.
"Hello?"
The ever-kind-hearted Cheon Ji-yoon picked up. As Cheon Ji-hoo tsked his tongue, Hong Ji-hwa's voice came through from the phone, having heard it.
-Haa, Cheon Ji-yoon-ssi, sorry about this. Cheon Ji-hoo-ssi just won't pick up.
"It's fine~ Call me anytime from now on!"
-Thank you for your consideration. Could you hand the phone to Cheon Ji-hoo-ssi?
At her words, Cheon Ji-yoon quickly passed the phone to Cheon Ji-hoo. Taking it, he replied curtly.
"What is it?"
-It's about this: Hunter Association's getting flooded with requests for press conferences and interviews with you, the first SS-rank Hunter. We're controlling info to protect your privacy as much as possible, but could you make an appearance just once?
"No thanks."
-Please, just once. Just once.
"Oppa, do it just once. I wanna brag about you everywhere."
Thanks to the Hunter Academy incident, Cheon Ji-yoon had shot to stardom herself. The SS-rank's little sister, with skills far beyond her peers—her swordplay flexible like a snake, seasoned like a tiger. Post-tournament, she'd even earned the moniker Serpent-Tiger Sword. It drew so many clingy fans that she'd decided to skip school for a few days. Reporters had stormed the academy; no choice.
"Ji-yoon-ah."
"Yeah?"
"Would you like me to get even more famous?"
"Yeah! The more famous Oppa gets, the better. I wanna tell everyone I have such an awesome big bro. Mom and Dad would love that too, right?"
Her words made him blink, lost in thought. His mother and father—faint, distant memories now. Dragging them from the hazy library of his subconscious, he recalled their usual words. Grow up to be someone great. Don't get hurt, just grow strong. Be sturdy. It's okay if you're not good at studying—just protect your sister. When we're gone, you'll have to watch over her. You can do it, our son. Ji-hoo-ya, Ji-hoo-ya, Ji-hoo-ya.
The name Cheon Ji-hoo echoed in his mind. Snapping out of it, he said,
"Fine. Press conference it is. But anyone asking weird questions? I'll kill 'em."
-That's a joke, right? Anyway, we'll schedule it.
And so, the first SS-rank Hunter's press conference was set.
* * *
Two days later. Cheon Ji-hoo donned a high-end suit, hair tied back neatly. A first for him. Even at imperial parties in the other world, he'd never worn anything this fancy and frilly.
"Whoa, Oppa, you look perfect!"
Cheon Ji-yoon clapped beside him in excitement. She'd cheer from home via TV today. She wanted to go, but the focus had to be all on him.
He patted her head once and said,
"Alright, I'm off. Ji-yoon-ah."
"Yeah! Good luck!"
Spatial Transfer. Cheon Ji-hoo vanished in an instant, leaving Cheon Ji-yoon alone. She plopped on the sofa and turned on the TV. The conference was live, so soon enough, he'd appear on that empty podium.
Arriving at the Hunter Association via Spatial Transfer, Cheon Ji-hoo looked around. As pre-arranged, he reached the lounge inside, knocked, and an agent opened the door.
"You're here."
"Lee Joo-hwan."
"When are you gonna call me by my actual name?"
Grumbling, Lee Joo-hwan led him to the conference room. Behind the podium setup, Hong Ji-hwa stood with arms crossed, mentally noting every reporter's face beyond the screen—for anyone who might piss him off, she'd make them eat hellfire honey chestnuts.
Spotting Cheon Ji-hoo, she turned and bowed slightly.
"Thank you for agreeing to this. As I said, skip any questions you don't like. We've prepared a list in advance for reference..."
"No need. I'll handle it."
Brushing off the list, he strode up to the podium. The buzzing room fell silent. Then flashes erupted, camera shutters clicking endlessly. They'd screened the reporters, but even after, the crowd was massive—domestic and international heavyweights alike.
Standing at the mic-laden podium, he scanned them with blue eyes and spoke.
"Questions."
Arrogant—no intro needed; they all knew him. He deserved it. No honorifics, tone implying they were all beneath him. Hong Ji-hwa and Lee Joo-hwan gaped from behind the screen, but he didn't care.
"Front row right, one by one. In order."
Reporters lowered hands and began, first question:
"Cheon Ji-hoo Hunter-nim, we've heard you're a Returner! Returners rarely become Hunters—what do you say to that?"
"Doesn't happen. Next."
"How was the SS-rank measured?"
"Mana'd the S-rank measurer to bits. Next."
"What's your relation to HCU? Government Hunter?"
"They outsourced rift closing to me. Next."
"They say you summoned a dragon in Uijeongbu—how?"
"Studied hard. Next."
"Could you reveal some Skills? Your known abilities are so varied, it's hard to pin as Skills..."
"No status window. This isn't Skills—it's called Magic. Next."
Questions kept coming. Reporters hammered laptops furiously, scribbling articles on the spot to beat the competition—no time to relisten.
Back-row reporters, questions preempted, improvised.
"Magic? Actual magic, not Skills?"
"Yes. In my world, we called it magic—overturning reality's flow via mana communication. Next."
"Could you show some magic?"
The asking reporter smirked faintly. Plenty of Returners claimed to be mages from other worlds, but none could demonstrate—becoming laughingstocks. "This world's flow is different," they'd say. So Cheon Ji-hoo's words rang false, like dodging Skill reveals.
But at the question, Cheon Ji-hoo glanced at Hong Ji-hwa behind the screen, as if asking permission. She waved him on.
"Sure."
He raised a finger, tracing a circle in the air, inscribing two triangles inside, then formulas. A bluish magic circle formed midair. Reporters stared blankly, then snapped photos. Mana was visible to the eye but not cameras—just shots of his finger waving.
TV viewers would wonder what he was doing.
He clenched the magic circle in his palm. Then, whispers filled the reporters' ears.
You worthless bastards who can't do shit—fall into hellfire and forfeit your pathetic lives. Souls so insignificant even hell's demons wouldn't glance at them, how dare you challenge an archmage's authority? Dying on the spot and bowing your head is the wisest choice in your dogshit lives.
Reporters clutched heads in pain. The one who'd asked for magic knelt, gripping his skull. Cheon Ji-hoo waved his hand, banishing the invading voice from their minds.
He said,
"That's magic."