Groooar! The Puppeteer's Test
Groooar! Ugh!
The zombie lumbered toward Hyun-seong with slow steps before its entire body went limp and it collapsed. It didn't so much as twitch afterward.
Hyun-seong strolled through the ruins, hands casually tucked in his pockets. The examiner, witnessing the zombie's sudden state, couldn't make a rational judgment.
What the hell kind of class is that?
His application listed him as a supporter, but none of the known classes in that category could do that. Sure, there might be undiscovered ones, but this was overwhelmingly beyond reason.
C-rank now?
Zombies required confirmation kills due to their tenacious life force, yet he'd handled it effortlessly. That meant this would work on any monster in a D-rank or even C-rank dungeon. The examiner was still reeling from the shocking sight, too stunned to even check his clipboard.
Hyun-seong glanced sideways at him and thought, This should be fine, right?
A sudden worry crept in. The test emphasized dungeon strategy over raw power. By not delivering confirmation kills on the zombies and keeping his hands lazily in his pockets, he'd basically submitted a zero-score exam paper. It could be seen as arrogance—and arrogance was the most unnecessary trait for a hunter, an emotion to avoid at all costs.
As those thoughts swirled, more zombies crawled out. Sensing life from the building ruins, they slunk toward him, unhygienically gaping their jaws in an attempt to target him. Their signature growling tried to build a fearful atmosphere, but it meant nothing to Hyun-seong.
Puppet Control.
Their movements halted under Puppet Control, and in less than a second...
Puppet Release.
Groooaaargh!
Another zombie crumpled. It showed no more signs of life, dying outright. It was a moment that made the undead classification meaningless.
Hyun-seong checked his mission as he spoke.
Zombie Extermination
Progress: Zombies Killed 30/30
Reward: Escape, Small Amount of EXP
"That was the last one."
"Y-yes, it is."
"So, did I pass?"
The examiner's odd expression forced the question. He finally checked his clipboard.
"For now..."
Nothing was checked off.
"Yes, you pass."
He quickly hid it behind his back as he spoke.
"Thanks. Let's head out. You must be busy."
"Yes."
The examiner unwittingly followed Hyun-seong out of the dungeon.
Once outside, Hyun-seong raised his left hand to check his watch.
23 minutes?
Even strolling leisurely, that's all it took. If he'd run, it probably would've been under 10.
"Oppa! Did you pass?"
"Yeah, not sure about the criteria, but anyway..."
"Ugh, what? How'd you do it?"
"Just took out every zombie that showed up."
"Did you do proper confirmation kills?"
"Oh, right. You need to. You've got a sword."
Hyun-ji nodded and grabbed her gear. It was the set Hyun-seong had made her, plus a sword bought for 20 million won.
"Hunter Choi Hyun-ji, let's go."
"Yes."
Hyun-ji and the examiner re-entered the dungeon, leaving Hyun-seong alone. He opened the Hunters app.
Now that he was C-rank, he wanted to scout dungeons. He could now apply for C-rank ones, which had been off-limits at D-rank.
Just like moving from E to D-rank, C-rank dungeons were tougher, with complex clear conditions. Past ones were simple hunts, but C-rank introduced trap monsters, dungeon traps, and gimmick-based strategies. Some had party limits—you couldn't even apply solo if numbers didn't match.
Hyun-seong checked the 'Party' tab for recruitment posts to gauge what hunters were tackling.
Hyun-ji probably knows, but I should learn too.
Scrolling through constantly updating posts, he even saw ones for raids a week out.
Time flew by as he browsed, and by the time Hyun-ji returned, he had a rough sense of the trends.
"Oppa! I'm back."
"Mm, how'd it go?"
"Passed smoothly~"
The examiner looked utterly deflated. He snapped to attention and said,
"Both of you have the skill to rise to C-rank without issue. You made the checklist look ridiculous. But from C-rank on, there are far more things to watch out for."
"Yeah, I figured."
"We'll be careful."
"Congratulations on your promotions. We'll head back to the Hunter Association to issue your C-rank hunter IDs and update your info."
Just like that, both successfully ranked up to C.
Bam!
"You fucking bastard! How dare you humiliate me?!"
Ryu Jin-yong hurled and smashed everything in his office to vent his rage. His martial artist class made his bulging muscles strain his suit—the seams were already fraying.
With nothing left to throw from the table, he calmed his heaving breaths and slowly reined in his fury. Somewhat composed, he unbuttoned his shirt and flopped onto the guest sofa.
Plop!
Once settled, he called for whoever was waiting outside. His ever-ready secretary entered.
"You called?"
"Brief me on the situation."
"Yes. Public opinion on communities and the internet is poor. We're cleaning it up as fast as we can, but it doesn't seem like it'll shift."
"Expected that. What about stocks and partners?"
"Partners are holding, fortunately, but stocks have dropped over 50%."
The infuriating report made Ryu Jin-yong press his forehead.
"What about the kids?"
"Raid teams aren't fazed, but promising recruits are reacting badly."
"Keep them quiet on this and ramp up growth support. Can't lose the future."
"Understood."
Even so, Ryu Jin-yong was the master of a major guild like White Magnolia. One incident wouldn't beggar them—its collapse would hurt Korea's hunter scene too. Under Hunter Association mediation, Silver Eagle demanded massive compensation, which White Magnolia paid to bury the crime. Public backlash would linger, debates endless, but escape routes existed.
"Send manpower to unraided local dungeons and Gangwon fields first. Need to win back hearts."
"Yes, we'll pull all raid teams except Team 1 for support duty."
"Do it."
The secretary left. The quiet office was a wreck, belying the calm.
"Haa~ What to do about that guy."
One hunter came to mind, boiling his blood. Not rival Min Seol-hee.
"Choi Hyun-seong."
A mere D-rank who'd sassed him, clueless of his place. Without dealing with him, no amount of guild recovery would ease his mind.
Time to call that guy after ages.
The conclusion was inevitable. If he couldn't handle it, borrow hands.
Ryu Jin-yong grabbed his miraculously intact phone amid the chaos and dialed. After rings, it connected.
"What is it?"
Sharp tone, but just what Ryu wanted. He smirked faintly.
"Does it have to be something special for me to call?"
"Someone must've pissed you off again."
"You know me so well..."
"Target's name?"
"Choi Hyun-seong. A hunter."
"Kill him?"
"Not yet. Dig up every weakness first. Family if he has any, abilities if possible."
"Annoying. Pay well."
"When have I ever shorted you? Expect big."
"Got it."
Click. Click.
The call ended.
"Rogues are all the same..."
Of course Ryu would borrow rogue hands. As long as it kills, they don't care about the mess.
Even amid backlash, rogues were rogues—reliable for eliminating annoyances regardless of society. Still, he held off for now...
I'll make you regret touching me.
Ryu resolved to torment and kill Hyun-seong as much as possible.
"So, field hunting?"
"Yeah, no party limits, levels up nicely, and rare strong monsters pop up—but you've got that covered, oppa."
Post C-rank, they hadn't booked dungeons yet. D-rank clears were easy, no issue. The question was C-rank strategy.
Hyun-ji suggested fields.
Fields were dungeons without gates—hard to detect, prone to monster waves, costly to manage constantly. Korea's terrain meant most were in the mountainous east coast. Gangwon area was evacuated post-Cataclysm, prioritizing citizens.
North Korea was one giant field too—collapsed in the Cataclysm, unadapted. Korea's military now blocked monsters crossing the DMZ, not the North.
"B-rank promo needs field hunts too, so no rush on C-dungeons. Level up plenty first."
Her logic was flawless.
"Got it. Where to, then?"
"Closest is Hongcheon Field. Easy difficulty, well-managed—not bad."
"Alright, tomorrow it is."
Hyun-seong agreed. Minimal prep needed; they'd rent a field jeep for mobility.
"I'll handle vehicle and reservation. Just bring wallet and good vibes, oppa."
"Here."
He handed over his card and lounged on the sofa in peace.
Vrooom!
"We're here."
The field jeep took two hours to Hongcheon.
"Huh, more legit than I thought."
A massive wall encircled the field to block monster breaches.
"One guy built all this. Five years ago, monsters hit Seoul. Meister Guild? Their builder whipped it up."
"Architect class, huh."
"That exists?"
"Gotta be. Otherwise..."
"Anyway, walled every field nationwide in under a month."
Hyun-seong could only nod.
Only an Architect could pull that off.
He knew because he'd acquired it himself—centuries ago, unchosen.
They showed IDs to waiting soldiers, confirmed reservation, and drove the jeep inside.
Atop the wall, someone watched Hyun-seong's jeep follow the path.
"Choi Hyun-seong. Walking right into it."
With those words, he dissolved into black smoke like shadows scattering into darkness.