Icarus' Wings and the Hunter's Mark
The Hunter Management Bureau's tech is on another freakin' level!!
A large guild's morning is incredibly hectic. From preparing for raids, distributing gear needed for dungeon explorations, to the ever-present morning training—everyone greets the dawn in their own unique way. And for Maru Guild's guild master, Cheon So-hee, mornings come with mountains of paperwork.
Having repeated this routine for three years now, it was practically her warm-up exercise to start the day. But today, more than anything, Cheon So-hee wanted to drop everything.
"Overdid it again?"
"......Yes."
"Haa......"
Slumped over her desk, Cheon So-hee listened to her secretary's report and let out a sigh that could bore straight through the earth. She gently placed the document labeled Maru Guild Overseas Operations Plan on her desk, stared blankly into space with a heavy heart, and murmured,
"This is really tough...... Other guilds pull it off so easily, and all we can do is watch."
"Right? But hasn't that improved our image domestically?"
Cheon So-hee had no choice but to agree with her secretary. It had been three years since Maru Guild's founding—a very short time compared to others—but backed by sponsorship from the massive corporation Maru Group and led by S-rank hunter Yoo Ji-na, they'd climbed to near the top of Korea's guilds.
But the meteoric rise didn't last long. A year ago, the bureau slapped them with a penalty: restrictions on overseas activities.
The reason? Their sponsor, Maru Group. To other guilds, Maru Guild's rapid growth, fueled by support from a global powerhouse, didn't look good. In the early days, they'd even offered higher salaries and incentives than competitors, drawing criticism. It escalated to a class-action lawsuit, with accusations that they were using the guild as a promotional tool for corporate profits.
As public backlash grew, the bureau imposed the overseas ban to force Maru Guild to prove they weren't just a commercial venture.
"It's just like the Icarus story."
"Icarus? Sounds familiar...... Is that from a fairy tale?"
Cheon So-hee perked up at her secretary's sudden fairy tale reference.
"Fairy tale...... well, sort of? It's widely known as one, but it's actually from Greek mythology."
"Eh, I'm not big on myths...... What's it about?"
"A rich man trapped in an inescapable labyrinth uses beeswax and bird feathers to craft wings and escapes. It started as a light story to cheer you up a bit since you seemed upset, but since you're interested, I'll keep going."
Emboldened by Cheon So-hee's unexpected engagement, the secretary continued excitedly.
"The father and son flap their finished wings and escape successfully. But the father warns his son Icarus: 'Don't fly too high, or the sun's heat will melt the wax holding the wings together.'"
"......I can guess what happens next from the setup."
"Yeah, Icarus disobeys. Drunk on the thrill of flight, he flies toward the sun—the highest point in the sky. Just as his father predicted, the wax melts, and he plummets to his death."
It was heavier than a typical fairy tale. Lost in thought after hearing the tale, Cheon So-hee pondered.
"Hmm...... So, don't get too greedy?"
"Yes, exactly. We won't crash like Icarus, of course, but better safe than sorry."
The secretary beamed proudly, sensing Cheon So-hee had grasped her point. But the response was unexpected.
"Feels kinda unfair, though......"
"....Pardon?"
It was true Cheon So-hee had accepted support from her father, Maru Group's chairman, to grow the guild. But she'd never intended to run it as a commercial enterprise. Her drive was simple curiosity. The unknown world and its powers—dangerous to most, but to the adventure-loving girl she'd been since childhood, it was pure longing. Even now, buried in paperwork, she'd ditch it all in a heartbeat if the overseas ban lifted.
"That father and son were kinda dumb, anyway."
"Pardon?"
"He knew the wax would melt in sunlight, so why fly during the day when the sun's out? If they'd gone at night, no melting worries, and they could've soared as high as they wanted."
"Ahaha...... Y-yeah, probably......?"
The secretary gave an awkward laugh at this insight revealing Cheon So-hee's personality, while Cheon So-hee turned back to her remaining documents.
"Oh, did you hear? About the gate that popped up at the Han River yesterday."
"That? Of course. I wanted to rush over since it's a rare one, but I was stuck cleaning up after our empress."
Her face smiled, but veins bulged on her forehead. The paper in her hand was already crumpled.
"......You're doing it all for your little sister."
"Hoo...... Yeah, I have to hold it together. How much has Jina done for us?"
"And even if you'd gone, it probably wouldn't have mattered."
"Huh? Why?"
"Huh? Didn't you know? They cleared the gate in just 30 minutes."
"......For real? Which guild set that insane record?"
"No one knows for sure yet."
"?"
"There's a claim from a B-rank hunter from Red Sun Guild that they soloed it...... but since they didn't have the gate's key item, it's being called fake."
"Then who cleared it?"
"Probably the anonymous hunter who exited first—they're the top suspect."
"Anonymous? .........No one else came out?"
"Well, only two people exited total...... Something must've happened inside."
"Hmm...... Yeah, probably. Anyway, what rank was the gate?"
"That's suspicious too. Bureau says A-rank, but nearby hunters said it was easy enough for B-ranks."
"Jeez, they print articles without checking...... Ugh, forget it! Better spend time figuring out how to go overseas."
Cheon So-hee smoothed out the crumpled paper enough to read.
The moment dawn broke, I slipped out of the hotel and boarded the train home. About an hour after departure, I finally checked the contents of the shopping bag Jeong Tae-san, the bureau chief, had given me yesterday.
"Oh...... This must be the hunter license and terminal."
I'd expected something like a driver's license at the word "license," but nope—totally different. A transparent crystal the size of a lipstick, with a black barcode etched inside.
"Why not just make it a card...... Carrying this around is gonna be a pain."
No idea who designed it, but definitely not a good choice. Next, I pulled out a small box from the bag. Inside was a black rod about the same size as the license, but half as thick.
"What's...... this?"
He'd said the bag had the license and hunter terminal, right? I rummaged deeper—nothing else. Digging through the rod's box, I found a sheet that looked like a manual.
HD mk-11 (Hunter Device) User Manual
"Huh? What? This is the terminal?!"
I stared at the black rod in my hand—the hunter device. I'd pictured something smartphone-like...... The license too; the bureau really loves weird designs.
I kept reading the manual.
"First, spread the device into a '' shape to turn it on......?"
Looking closely, it had a thin horizontal slit like chopsticks. Following the instructions, I bent it into an L-shape, and a hologram screen popped up in the gap.
"Ooooh......!!"
I couldn't help gasping at the sci-fi movie-level tech! The blue-themed hologram had various icons—definitely legit. I poked around, then returned to the manual.
"Second, register the user. Shine your license through the camera......"
I found the user registration option and held the license to the corner camera. But no recognition.
"Hmm? What's wrong with this?"
Kept failing no matter what. Faulty license? Time to google it.
Five minutes later.
"......For real?"
I tried the internet method. Pressed the lipstick-crystal license to my inner wrist. Infused a tiny bit of mana into the hand holding it, and the black barcodes inside wriggled, migrating to my wrist.
Now my left wrist bore the barcode etched in, and my right hand held an empty crystal husk.
"Whoa...... This tech is insane......"
The true hunter license was the tiny barcode now tattooed on my wrist. Hunters live rough lives, so cards could get lost. But something fused to your body? Unless someone chops off your arm, no worries.
"Tsk...... Did they kidnap dwarves from another dimension for forced labor or what?"
The device too—this bureau's tech was impressive, bordering on scary.
※ HD mk-11 (Hunter Device) actual appearance!! This is an illustration to aid understanding!
