The American Offer, and the Possibility (2)
Los Angeles, USA — home to a special research facility and training ground run by the American Hunter Association.
I had traveled here from Guam alongside James Jordan and the rest of the Association's Hunter Management Department staff. If I was being honest, there was a certain haste to it all — but I wanted to find out quickly. Whether I could truly become stronger.
"How are you feeling today? Any discomfort anywhere?"
"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
I asked James Jordan back, puzzled. Was the training really going to be that brutal?
"There's no risk of injury, but it can be mentally exhausting."
"...I've prepared myself for at least that much."
Being mentally worn down — I'd experienced plenty of that. I'd faced monstrous, grotesque creatures in raids and watched revolting blood and corpses fly before my eyes. As long as it didn't kill or cripple me, anything was bearable.
Or... no. Not anything.
What had happened to me recently — that one had been a little hard to endure.
"We've arrived."
The elevator heading underground came to a stop. Even at a glance, the facility boasted extraordinary security — like something out of a movie. James Jordan opened the door with a card, and I followed him in.
Inside stood men dressed in what looked like doctor's coats. White, Black, East Asian. Seeing so many different races at once made it sink in that I was truly on American soil now. I'd applied to China, Japan, Taiwan — even Europe — but I had never once applied to the United States as an S-Rank Hunter.
"A pleasure to meet you, Hunter Lee Dohyeon."
"Yes. I'm Lee Dohyeon."
"It's been a while, Section Chief."
"You've been working hard."
"..."
A white man who appeared to represent the facility came over to greet us. While they exchanged pleasantries, I stole a sideways glance. They would have been notified in advance that I was coming to the training grounds. But surely they hadn't arranged for this man to greet me before I greeted him?
"We'll begin with a mana assessment."
"Yes."
Perhaps because the notification had gone ahead, things seemed set to move quickly.
"I'll be on my way, then. There's still work left to process."
"Yes, Mr. James."
"I hope for good results."
James Jordan smiled, gentlemanly to the very last. An unreadable man. But at least so far, he had done a great deal for me.
The mana assessment process. It had been so long that I barely remembered, but it was both similar to and different from what I'd received in Korea.
"This way, Hunter."
"Yes."
The results came out faster than I expected.
Gulp.
I was nervous — terrified, even, that the possibility making my heart race might turn out to be a mirage. Of course, if it was a mirage, I'd simply have to accept it calmly. I wasn't a child.
I waited for the answer like that. The researcher's lips seemed to move in agonizing slow motion.
"This is... a bit of an ambiguous result."
"Ambiguous? How so?"
"Going by the mana we've detected, you are indeed S-Rank. But the measurement isn't complete. There's something like an unknown territory within you, Hunter Lee Dohyeon."
"That's..."
It was truly an unexpected outcome. But for now, I was relieved that the possibility hadn't dropped to zero.
"Then is there no way to investigate the part you can't measure?"
"This is the first time we've seen such a result from an S-Rank Hunter... Outside of measurement, there is exactly one other way for a hunter to properly confirm their own mana."
"Actual combat."
"Precisely."
There were exactly two ways for a hunter to gauge their mana. One was measuring it through technology. The other was finding out through real combat how much they truly had. Of course, the latter wasn't given much weight when it came to determining a hunter's official rank — but right now, I was in a situation where I had to do something, anything.
"Please take me to the training facility immediately."
"Right away! Understood."
The research staff moved briskly to oblige. We needed to relocate to another room, and I felt a creeping chill, little by little.
"This is the place."
"Whoa..."
A space made of some unknown material, shaped like a colossal shipping container. No matter how I looked at it, I was supposed to go inside that thing. This eerie feeling — and beneath it, an oddly familiar one. Could it be?
"A gate?"
There was a gate leading into a dungeon in here?
"It is not a gate. It's the simulation training ground our American Hunter Association takes pride in."
"A simulation training ground?"
"That's right. A space where hunters can fight monsters as if in real combat. It's not one hundred percent, but through data we can reproduce reality almost exactly."
"How is that even possible... I've never heard of such a thing. The inside of a gate is, by definition, an independent space. How could you possibly—"
"Naturally, it's not a space that can be run cheaply. Only a select few of America's hunters even know this place exists. It's powered by an enormous quantity of mana stones. If word ever got out, there'd be pandemonium."
I was struck speechless by the researcher, who adjusted his glasses with careful deliberation. I wasn't deeply knowledgeable on the technical side, but hunters could only wield their true power inside a gate — and they could reproduce that?
No. No, it doesn't matter.
What difference did any of that make? I just had to get what I wanted and see what I needed to see.
"Put this equipment on."
Three researchers descended on me at once, fitting me with something or other. They put a helmet-like device on my head too, and ended up equipping me with what looked like goggles — somehow both natural and unnatural at the same time.
"How is it? Comfortable to use?"
"I'll adapt."
I couldn't lie, so I gave a suitably vague answer. Not that it was unbearable by any means.
"Once you're inside, press the middle button at your waist. There will be a brief pause, and you'll be able to communicate with us."
"And if I don't press it?"
"Time inside continues uninterrupted. Once the simulation begins, time flows differently in there. Ten minutes inside is one hour outside."
"Unbelievable..."
"Time is different inside a gate and outside anyway, is it not?"
I nodded. I didn't bother saying that the astonishing part was reproducing it artificially.
"Be careful. There's no physical pain in there, but otherwise it will feel truly, vividly real."
"I'm ready."
A simulation. Combat-realistic training. Hearing that much, I had a rough idea of what to expect. No injuries, no death — but beyond that, it meant I could experience every other unpleasant situation to the fullest.
"Shall we give you some time to adjust to the equipment?"
"Let's start now."
"Yes..."
I had no intention of stalling, so I said it outright. Then I slowly stepped inside.
Clang.
The door was louder opening and closing than I'd expected.
"Hunter, can you hear us?"
"Loud and clear."
"When we materialize the monster, your abilities will be released, and your enemy will appear."
"One-on-one, please."
"Understood. And the enemy's level?"
"A level where, if this were real combat, even the slightest mistake on my part would mean death."
"...Understood. As for your weapon and armor inside the gate — our data shows your most recently worn equipment, so we'll use that."
"Thank you."
I got the sense that they knew me remarkably well. Of course — as a hunter, they had my information on file. Even my equipment? Just how much could this place reproduce?
Fwoosh-fwoosh-fwoosh.
Suddenly, lights flared on inside, and a space that genuinely resembled the interior of a gate appeared before me.
"Ah!"
I couldn't help but flinch. It's real, isn't it? My power was gradually making itself felt — and with a single blink, my gear had materialized on my body. They said it wasn't one hundred percent? The fidelity had to be over ninety-eight percent at minimum. How could they analyze me this precisely?
And before long —
"...Hahaha. So this is how you summon it?"
The enemy I'd requested — the opponent whose mere touch would kill me at the slightest slip. The boss I'd faced in the A-Rank gate in Okinawa.
The Eight Evil Swords Oni.
A humanoid monster twice the height of an adult man, wielding eight swords in eight arms.
Is this really a simulation?
The savagery and killing intent pouring off the creature. No matter how I looked at it, it was real.
"But what can I do about it."
Shing—!
I drew the sword I'd been carrying for over half a year.
If there truly is a hidden power inside me—
Then fighting was the only way to find out.
"Hoo..."
I could feel the eight-sworded enemy closing in.
Can I really do this?
Truthfully, fighting that monster one-on-one terrified me. I knew my own skill — I'd believed all along that it wouldn't change. But what if I'd been wrong? What if I could become stronger?
To seize that, I would do anything.
"OOOOOH!"
"He won!"
Outside the training chamber where Lee Dohyeon fought, the researchers cheered at the news of victory. Then one pressed the button and addressed the victor.
"Congratulations!"
The lights inside dimmed, and the training paused for a moment. Soon, a voice floated out.
"More realistic than I expected."
"Hahaha, is that so?"
"My arm got severed — no immediate pain, of course, but watching my own arm fly off is quite the experience."
"You've worked hard. Did you feel anything?"
"Hard to say, not yet. It looks like I need more training."
Lee Dohyeon answered nonchalantly. Hearing that, the researcher was secretly stunned.
What incredible mental fortitude.
It wasn't that the man couldn't feel pain — he must have felt the monster's cries and movements in full. The researchers never warned anyone in advance, because the simulation had to manufacture genuine extremes. Even the boldest, most hardened hunters, in this very simulation chamber, had trembled with terror when a limb was severed or a monster's teeth chewed their body to shreds. Lee Dohyeon showed not even a trace of it.
"Shall we resume?"
"Yes — but from now on, the moment I fell an enemy, start the next round immediately."
"Ah... yes, we'll do that."
"Send the monsters in one after another, choosing them a little stronger each time. Make me lose to the boss ten times — in other words, repeat it until I die, please."
"Ten times... Understood. But the recommended limit is twelve hours by internal time, so we won't exceed that."
"No. Keep going, until I press the button."
"I'm sorry — but—"
"I'm asking you. I'll take responsibility."
The voice from inside was unshakeable. The researcher had nothing to say.
"We'll do as you ask."
"Thank you for hearing me out."
"Of course. Good luck in there."
He'd only met the man today, yet he found himself wanting to root for him. The researcher swallowed dryly and started the training.
Thud. Thud.
The next day, James Jordan — the man who had brought Lee Dohyeon to the research facility just yesterday — came calling again.
"Hunter Lee Dohyeon never returned to his lodgings, you say?"
"That's correct."
"Heh, well, the facility's lodging and dining accommodations are superb, so it's no great matter—"
James Jordan wore a puzzled expression as he stepped into the facility.
"Hm?"
Why was the place only half-occupied?
"Section Chief?"
"Where is everyone?"
"They went to watch the training."
"Training? So Hunter Lee Dohyeon started up again."
"No... he hasn't come out once since he first went in yesterday."
"I'm sorry — what nonsense is that?"
James Jordan sprinted off in alarm. He'd arrived at a later hour than he had yesterday. So how long had the man been in there? Factoring in the internal time dilation, it made no sense at all.
"Huh?"
When James Jordan entered the chamber where the training was underway, he and every employee of the Hunter Management Department froze in place.
"Hunter Lee Dohyeon?"
Lee Dohyeon was walking, supported on either side by researchers. What on earth had happened to him?
"Whew..."
At the very least, he could tell something absurd had taken place. If the training had run continuously, that was a minimum of twenty-four hours — inside, a full six days of unbroken combat against monsters. He'd never once heard of a hunter's ability that could fight off sleep.
"Are you all right?"
James Jordan approached and checked Lee Dohyeon's condition. And then, astonishingly, the man wore a perfectly composed expression as he spoke.
"Everyone, it's fine. I can walk on my own."
At Lee Dohyeon's words, they all drew back.
"Ha."
And then Lee Dohyeon laughed.
"I did it, James."
"...You did it, you say?"
James Jordan, who had always dealt with the man with effortless ease, blinked and echoed him.
"It's the truth, Section Chief. I had my mana remeasured, and everything that couldn't be properly read at first has now come fully into view. Hunter Lee Dohyeon possesses far more powerful mana than we believed."
"The mana you'd been using for detection — you can now channel it in combat as well."
Lee Dohyeon seconded the researcher's words. And he kept clenching his fist, again and again. He couldn't use his power out here, but the sensation he'd felt in there, facing his final enemy, still lingered in his body.
This is incredible.
If no one had been watching, Lee Dohyeon might have laughed like a madman. The feeling of having broken past his limit and grown stronger — how could anything feel this good? If he ever experienced a pleasure greater than this, his brain would simply short out.
"Congratulations, Hunter Lee Dohyeon. But you've pushed yourself quite hard — rest for now."
"I will. But there's something I want to ask first."
"Ask away."
Lee Dohyeon looked James Jordan square in the eye and spoke.
"James — why did you open this place to me first? I could have simply grown stronger, broken my promise to move to America, and gone to some other country instead."
He'd wanted to ask no matter what. Anything could happen in the merciless world of hunters, so why had the man gambled like this?
The answer didn't take long.
"In that case, I'd have been in a great deal of trouble. If the truth came out, I might well have been stripped of my position. But I believed that a show of sincerity on this scale was the only way you could trust us completely. Above all, you are known as a man who values good faith — a man one can rely on."
James Jordan spoke with complete confidence. Lee Dohyeon closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. These were the people who had investigated him thoroughly, who had sought to understand him down to the bone.
"A reputation is only a reputation. But I'll accept it. As an S-Rank Hunter of the United States, I will carry out my duties. I don't know a single soul in this country, James — so I'll be counting on you for a great deal of help."
"The honor is entirely mine."
And so the S-Rank Hunter of South Korea became, completely and irrevocably, an S-Rank Hunter of America.
All that remained were procedures of little real significance — and the barest of farewells.