Community Newcomer

A sliver of light spilled through the crack of the door that had been sealed shut.

The woman stood in the doorway, mouth hanging open as she stared straight at me.

"…You actually did it."

What kind of nonsense was that? So they had designed the whole thing to be impossible from the start?

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Honestly, the E-rank mortality rate was so high that they implemented a third exam. Until now, not a single person has ever cleared it."

Ah. So in other words, they deliberately threw monsters like that at bottom-feeder E-ranks like me to keep us from getting any bright ideas—and to shove us toward other careers instead?

I couldn't bring myself to feel offended, though. If what she said was true, that made me the only E-rank Hunter in all of South Korea.

The rush of being the sole person to pull off something no one else ever had—there was no way to put that kind of high into words. It felt incredible.

"I cleared it fair and square, so you'll issue my license, right?"

"Of course. The government issued those guidelines, but they never actually banned E-ranks from climbing the Tower."

"When does the license come through? Ideally as soon as possible."

"It should be ready by tomorrow. While you wait, why not try out the Community? You'll find a lot of useful information there."

The Community? That was news to me too.

Is it different from the Hunter Gallery…?

I was at an age when I couldn't stand not knowing something, so I asked right away.

"How is it different from the Hunter Gallery?"

She flashed a grin and stepped closer.

"Why don't you try saying 'Community' out loud?"

"Community."

The moment the word left my mouth, a world no ordinary person would ever experience unfolded before my eyes.

A translucent blue window. Fresh posts pouring in in real time. And among the flood of them, one in particular snagged my attention.

"Um… what rank is the person who wrote that?"

"Let me see… D-rank. Stronger than you, Jinwoo."

So basically, even Easy Floor 10 would be rough at my level?

I was just starting to worry about my future when she spoke up again.

"You seem to be really into the Community. Why not give it a proper try? You can stream, too—and take donations."

Not a bad offer. Sure, it was a career that put your life on the line, but I'd already made my peace with that. Moving on.

South Korea's one and only E-rank Hunter going live? That alone would lock every eye in the room on me.

And if an E-rank Hunter—a former national athlete, no less—streamed the hardest difficulty?

The whole world would be watching.

People might call me insane. I might earn the title of attention-seeker. But for some reason, the thought that I would walk into the Tower and die never even crossed my mind.

I already appeared on broadcasts often enough, and I loved having people pay attention to me, so the idea had real appeal. I'd been planning to stream anyway—now the urge only burned hotter.

"I'll do it. But how do I get started?"

"First you need a name for the Community."

So I needed a fixed handle. In a community that thrived on anonymity, it would be another identity—mine alone. Like the "WannaBeASwordMaster" I'd just seen, it needed personality if I wanted to build any recognition.

I dredged up every word connected to me. Gun… gun… gun……

Damn it. Nothing but guns came to mind!

"Then… Eastern Gunslinger."

The Community window chimed.

"Just answer it."

I nodded and spoke.

"Yes."

Mm. Decisive little friend.

Did they always throw a new-member initiation like this?

The instant the global message went out, the Community window flooded with talk about me.

Questions like that, plus whether I was a guy, what Avid type I had, and whether I had a girlfriend—a dizzying barrage of them.

"Is the Community always like this…?"

I hadn't asked that without thinking. Thousands of Hunters awakened every year, and I'd never heard of the Community catching fire just because a rookie showed up.

She scratched her cheek.

"Well… this place has an extremely high death rate, right? I guess a culture formed where everyone welcomes new Hunters because of that."

Ah. Instant understanding. No wonder people in the military kept going on about camaraderie.

"You're free to head home for today. Come back tomorrow for your Hunter license."

"Ah, yes."

I said goodbye and was almost at the Hunter Association exit when something I hadn't felt in a long time greeted me—camera flashes and the rapid-fire click of shutters.

"Do Jinwoo! Is it true you've become a Hunter?!"

"Do Jinwoo! Is it true you retired from competition because of money?!"

"Do Jinwoo! Please give us a statement!"

Ha…. What a bolt from the blue. Even I hadn't expected word of my visit to spread this fast.

Reporters completely blocked the entrance while Hunter Association staff tried to keep people from swarming me. The place was pure chaos.

In the middle of that mess, a fierce vibration hit the pocket of my hoodie. I pulled out the culprit—my phone—and saw a familiar name on the screen.

Gorilla.

Reluctantly, I answered.

The voice on the other end was cold enough to give me chills. It belonged to Eun Hayoon—my high school classmate and fellow athlete. The nickname "Gorilla" was one I'd kindly bestowed on her back in our school days, since she'd tormented me quite a bit.

Click. The call cut off with a clean little sound effect.

"Wow… I already feel sorry for the poor guy who ends up married to her someday."

Who would ever fall for Gorilla—always doing whatever she wanted, and throwing fists the second she lost an argument?

Though, to be fair, plenty of guys liked Eun Hayoon. She had a pretty solid fanbase, too.

My condolences to anyone who didn't know her personality.

Either way, she'd said she was coming to rescue me, so I headed for the Hunter Association's back door.

"Do Jinwoo! Where are you going right now?! You're not running away, are you?!"

I clutched my stomach, went deathly pale, and shouted at them.

"I—I really need the bathroom…! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Want me to just go right here?!"

I looked them dead in the eye like I was ready to fire at any second, and every one of their faces was a work of art—pure Please, for the love of god, do not shit yourself here.

I grinned at those faces.

"Mind if I hit the bathroom real quick?"

For a second I thought ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I could've gone pro as an actor.

I waited at the back door of the Hunter Association, and a short while later a black limousine rolled to a stop right in front of me. The window lowered, and I found myself looking at a girl with white hair and blue eyes—foreign features you noticed at a glance.

"What are you standing there staring for? Get in already."

"Thanks, Gorilla."

"…Driver, just leave this idiot and go."

"Aaaaah! I'm sorry! Forgive me!"

I begged ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so hard my palms nearly smoked, and mercifully I was allowed into the limousine.

The problem started the second I sat down. The interrogation that followed put the reporters to shame.

"Do Jinwoo, why did you retire from competition?"

The classic, inevitable question. I'd agonized over it a lot—whether it was okay to tell even Eun Hayoon, my real friend, and what would happen if the story leaked.

…Just thinking about it made my skin crawl.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

I'd asked in all seriousness, but Hayoon just snorted a laugh.

"What is it already?"

"The doctor said I have dystonia. He told me continuing as an athlete would be difficult."

Maybe it was forbidden knowledge she wasn't ready to take in. Her expression hardened in an instant.

"What…? Then why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want the pity."

"Why tell me, then?"

"It's not a secret I can't share with my only friend."

For some reason, her face started turning redder and redder at my answer. And then came her reply.

"…Idiot."

I'd heard her perfectly well, but I pretended not to and prodded her for a repeat. No real reason—it was just fun.

"What? Didn't catch that. Can you say it one more time?"

"You wanna die? Forget it. Driver, take us to Jinwoo's place, please."

"Hey, your face is going to catch fire. Aren't you hot? Want me to open a window?"

"You're so dead."

The words were barely out of her mouth before a vicious fist flew at my head. Everything after that was a blank. Apparently one face-punch from Hayoon had put me out cold.

When I opened my eyes, I was home. More precisely, in the apartment building's shared lobby.

"Would it have killed her to at least leave me a cardboard box? What if my face got stuck like that…."

She'd dumped me flat in the apartment lobby. Just like that, I'd been demoted to a guy camping out in front of his own building.

Clutching my aching lower back, I walked inside—and Mom's nagging started the second I did.

"Son, why are you so late? Come eat already."

"Y-yeah. I should eat."

I decided to obey without a word of protest. My mom was the scariest person in the world, after all.

After dinner, I went straight into the Community. Sure enough, every post from around the time the news broke was about me.

"Do I need to step in myself?"