Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Hunter Academy's Golden Class
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Twenty-five years ago, a great cataclysm struck Earth, plunging humanity into dire peril.
Monsters flooded the world, casting everyone into an era of despair. It was then that the Awakeners appeared like beacons of hope.
Just as the world began to stabilize thanks to their presence, the government sought effective ways to cultivate these Awakeners.
The Hunter Academy was born.
Packaged nicely, it was a place to train newly awakened Hunters. But at its core, it was a pragmatic move—if someone awakened only to die soon after, it would be a massive national loss. Better to attract hefty investments for their development.
Whatever the true motives, the Academy garnered widespread support.
Who could oppose training professional Hunters to protect their lives?
Even politicians from all sides reached a consensus, so it didn't take long from establishment to welcoming the first freshmen.
And I was a graduate of the Academy's vaunted Golden Class—the 14th batch.
[Hunter Academy 14th Batch Graduate, Yi Kang-hyun]
Of course, I came in dead last.
But a graduate's still a graduate.
If I graduated dead last from the Academy's Golden Class, then naturally, there was a top student.
"Today, we've invited a very special guest. I'm sure you're all curious about who it is!"
They say even a tiger appears when you mention it, and right on cue, the TV screen showed the valedictorian.
"It's none other than Kim Suho, the Holy Knight who protects our nation—just like his name suggests!"
The host hyped it up, prompting the audience to applaud and cheer.
"Hahaha, it's an honor to be welcomed like this."
The guy, who looked like a total pretty boy, smiled as the cheers grew louder.
Light brown hair, handsome face.
But he had the skills to back it up. Who wouldn't like him?
Kim Suho.
An A-rank Hunter.
Eldest son of the guild master of the nation's top guild, the Sacred Guild.
Hunter Academy 14th Batch Valedictorian.
Those specs alone were insane, but the world was unfair. On top of all that, he'd even ventured to the Eldorado Continent.
Unlike me, who got kicked out as useless, Kim Suho had joined the continent's sole church, the White Church, and even received official ordination as a Holy Knight.
The story of him being granted a holy sword in the process was legendary.
Ah, of course, it was a standard-issue holy sword, but it played a huge role in him reaching A-rank.
So when he returned to Earth, being called a Holy Knight was only natural.
He even earned the title of a promising leader for our nation's future.
"Recently, Mr. Kim Suho single-handedly cleared a C-rank dungeon—a tremendous achievement..."
The host rattled off his feats one by one.
I had no intention of downplaying his accomplishments.
Dungeons were places full of variables.
With monsters of various affinities, clearing one solo was incredibly tough.
Unless the rank difference was negligible, it was nearly impossible.
Yet he'd soloed a C-rank dungeon.
Even a kindergartener would applaud that.
It was impressive, sure.
"Oh! Speaking of which, I heard you were rumored to be an angel back at the Academy? Always helping your struggling classmates adapt... How wonderful!"
"Haha, angel? Not at all. I just did what anyone would."
Kim Suho modestly deflected, and the host joked that too much humility could be a vice, drawing laughs from the audience.
What a load of crap.
But in my eyes, Kim Suho looked utterly pathetic.
What? Rumored to be an angel at the Academy?
Helping classmates adjust?
Which Earth's Kim Suho was this?
I could say with certainty: no way in hell.
I had my reasons for being so sure.
If the Kim Suho on screen was truly some angelic saint, I wouldn't have spent four years at the Academy getting beaten down.
He was an elitist soaked in privilege.
The type who saw the powerless as bugs to crush.
And by his standards, I was one of those bugs.
A Hunter without a Status Window.
Awakened, but no Status Window? That was a sin.
I poured everything into not getting expelled.
If I got kicked out there too, I'd have nowhere left to go. I cut sleep to keep up with classes.
If I'd just seemed like a hardworking student, that might've been fine. But not in Kim Suho's eyes.
He looked at me like vermin.
Whenever he saw me, he'd nitpick the smallest things.
That's how I endured subhuman treatment until graduation.
"So, could you send a video message to one of your friends you helped back then? If they're watching, wouldn't it bring a smile?"
No. Not at all.
No joy—just nausea.
Kim Suho's lips curled into a slight smile at the host's words. He looked straight at the camera.
"Hey, buddy. Doing well? It's been four years since we graduated. Let's meet up sometime and..."
I shut off the TV before he finished.
No need to hear that bullshit.
Pretending to be nice.
Let me say it again: Kim Suho was the ringleader of the Academy's bullies, stomping on the weak.
For him to go on TV and spew that after leading the violence?
Rage boiled up.
"Thick-skinned bastard's got steel plating over it."
Shameless prick.
No conscience whatsoever, so he yaps on TV without a care.
I was dying to post an exposé on him online right then.
If reason hadn't held me back, I'd have uploaded it ages ago.
But reason stopped me.
In regular schools or Hunter Academies, Awakeners are top predators.
Plenty might've suffered like me.
They stay quiet not because they're fools.
Top-rankers could drop a normie with a flick.
In that world, exposing your tormentors? You're done.
Lucky if you die quick—but the world isn't kind.
Post about Kim Suho now?
Initial buzz, sure.
But it'd fizzle fast. His Sacred Guild would move in the shadows.
I'd get dragged off, tortured until I begged for death.
The world crushes sustained outrage.
Especially when Hunters protect us from monsters. Turn on them? Disaster.
Your own life goes first.
Everyone knows it.
So past grievances get buried, and guys like Kim Suho live on with sanitized memories.
"Hoo..."
I sighed.
Hated myself for being powerless even now.
Even with a late Status Window, I was nowhere near his toehold.
Take Kang Jin-su, a mid-to-low tier classmate I ran into after my mana test a few days back.
He'd become untouchable. Now a civil servant at an Awakener center, he just greeted me—no more—but it hammered home my irrelevance.
"Still, this is just the start."
Comfort: I had a Status Window now.
Without it, zero chance to close the gap. Now? At least 0.1%—not impossible.
Distant dream, but I still had potential to grow strong.
So, time to prepare.
As an F-rank Hunter, solo hunting was suicide.
For now, porter gigs to earn cash.
Cash buys gear. Gear kills monsters.
Dead monsters give EXP.
Bit by bit, inch forward. Build power.
When I surpass them...
I'll be the predator devouring you all.
Celia bustled through the dungeon.
"Yes, make this area a wider, rounder clearing."
A few days after sealing the deal with the Merchant Guild, dungeon renovations were in full swing.
Celia's top priority: expand the dungeon's size.
In her vision, a dungeon had to be massive first.
That way, invaders would take time reaching the core, giving ample defense windows.
She hired Guild artisans for the expansion.
Skeletons, orcs, golems—the muscle. Only two dwarves oversaw as true craftsmen.
'Handing over that Holy Knight was the right call.'
The priest and Holy Knight who'd brazenly invaded her master's dungeon.
With the Priest as the sacrifice, the Holy Knight was trapped in his dream, forever to rot.
He was a tricky asset—too valuable to release, too awkward to use.
Then it hit her during Guild talks: sell the Holy Knight.
She knew humans weren't prime trade goods—plenty to go around on the continent.
But church-affiliated ones like Holy Knights? Rare gems.
And hers was pristine, perfectly intact. Dream manipulation ensured that.
As expected, the Guild offered top dollar.
Celia countered: include dwarves in the crew for construction.
The Guild chased profit.
No way they'd send premium dwarves to a newbie dungeon easily.
But she dangled the Holy Knight as bait, securing the dwarves.
Their presence made a world of difference.
Timelines slashed, quality skyrocketed—she felt it in real time.
"Hehe, I hope Master loves seeing this."
Thinking of the revamped dungeon brought smiles.
Celia lived for her master alone. His joy was hers.
"Speaking of which, it's almost time."
In a few days, the dungeon's stealth effect would end. Construction too.
Once all was ready, she'd launch full operations.
Anticipation of offering heaps of sacrifices to her master flushed her cheeks.
"I'll make the day everyone reveres the great Master come true."