S-Class Thunderclap Arrival
S-Class spotted! Peaceful Rebion Gallery today too.
Before they knew it, the gallery that had made IaidōJang its de facto lord was buzzing away as always.
'Who the hell died?'
Treating someone like they're dead just because their stream got suspended? That's too much.
And instead of worrying, everyone was just mocking her. It rubbed her the wrong way.
She puffed out her cheeks, full of spite, and scrolled furiously.
At least one person will be on my side, right?
That's when she spotted one post.
It was even a best post.
Feeling her puffed cheeks deflate, she tapped the screen.
lmao god rofl
"...Downvote."
She watched the downvotes climb, then pocketed her phone.
A wave of regret hit her, and she looked up at the clear blue sky with a sigh.
"Haah..."
She was lounging lazily atop a tall building near the Hunter Association HQ.
The cool breeze tapping her cheeks felt pretty nice.
——! ——!
A vibration buzzed while she was cooling her head.
Probably another nagging call from that Awakener Rank Management Division chief or whatever.
She stood, taking in the Hunter Association below.
And in front of it, reporters swarmed like a sea of people.
That was exactly why she was slacking off right now.
She'd be wearing a mask to go in anyway, so getting photographed wasn't the issue.
The key was how she got photographed.
She was deliberately delaying her entrance to brainstorm the perfect scenario.
'Just walking in... nah, too bland.'
What she wanted was a striking debut that seized every eye in an instant.
'Eyes... attention...'
She propped her chin on her thumb and index finger, pondering for a moment.
"Ah. That'll do it."
A great idea struck her.
Rattle rattle—
'When's she coming...! Ah.'
Her nail finally tore off as she gnawed in frustration.
'No blood... good.'
"Haah..."
The man peering down at the reporter horde from the Hunter Association's top floor was Nagi-seong, chief of the Awakener Rank Management Division.
The sudden national scandal had turned the entire association upside down.
Public opinion slammed the association's usual incompetence—which was always a step behind—and demanded the current president and all responsible parties resign en masse.
But the association had its defenses too.
'The people in charge back then are already in prison...!'
Two years ago, upon taking office, the president had purged corruption with a massive reshuffle.
Not just the corrupt former president at the center, but all his cronies got axed in droves—it was big news.
Public opinion had gone wild for the bold move and the president's cries for renewal.
'But now...!'
As he raised his thumb to his mouth again—
"Chief. It's alright."
"Ah, President..."
"It's not your fault. If anyone's to blame, it's me for pushing the staffing changes so rashly."
"No way...!"
"Still, Chief. If it won't shame you, please trust this girl. I'll take responsibility and protect our family."
"..."
Nagi-seong gave the president a bitter look.
Lee So-yul, current Hunter Association president and one of only three S-class Awakeners in Korea.
To him, she was a saint like no other.
It wasn't hyperbole to say every Korean alive owed her their life—she'd lived a heroic existence.
The thought of such a person caught in this absurd mess was utterly horrifying to him.
"...I'll call Ms. Christina one more time."
"No need. She's already here."
"Pardon?"
——!
A thunderclap roared across the cloudless sky.
A jagged yellow bolt zigzagged past the association.
Twice, three times—all eyes turned skyward.
——!!!
A massive bolt slammed down at the entrance where reporters stood, kicking up a cloud of black smoke.
As panic gripped the crowd, another surge of current crackled through the haze.
A blurry human silhouette emerged.
As it flickered three times amid yellow light, purple glow leaked from the smoke.
"Let's go down, Chief. We have a guest to greet."
"...Yes."
Before following the president out, Nagi-seong glanced back through the glass one last time.
Thud—
A woman's figure strode out through the black smoke.
'...Was that a bit much?'
A few reporters had fallen on their asses, and she could see gear clearly smashed to bits.
'She won't make me pay for it later, right?'
Dazed by a hallucination of receipts unfolding before her eyes, she snapped back—remembering the cameras—and strode forward confidently.
The association HQ sprawled over an impressively vast plot.
It gave a majestic vibe, but the downside was the long walk from entrance to building.
'...Everyone's already up.'
She heard a horde charging behind her.
Thanks to wrapping the reporters in magic on the way down, they recovered fast.
At this rate, getting mobbed was inevitable.
Running now would kill the cool factor dead.
Better to get trampled than that.
As she walked with those thoughts, reporters started closing in.
"IaidōJang! Is it true you've been C-class for seven years?"
"Why didn't you request a re-exam earlier?!"
"About that B-class gate break you resolved last time..."
By the time their numbers topped twenty—
"That's far enough."
A beautiful voice rang out, halting the reporters.
"Please don't be so rude to our guest."
The voice belonged to a petite girl just tall enough to rest a hand on her shoulder.
Someone she'd seen countless times searching the net about the association.
"President Lee So-yul."
"Welcome, noble one. We've been expecting you."
The girl in hanbok curtsied gracefully.
Her softly curving lips and gently closed eyes left a beautiful impression.
"Here for the re-exam."
"I know. Please follow me. This girl will guide you personally."
She turned, palm indicating the building, waiting for her to come alongside.
Feels respectful and polite, she thought, stepping up beside her.
"And you are?"
"I-I'm Nagi-seong, chief of the Awakener Rank Management Division!"
"Ah."
So he's the one who'd been calling her.
Dark circles under his eyes—he'd been through hell.
Feeling a pang of sympathy, she followed the president to the building entrance.
As the president opened the door, she murmured softly.
"That just now was a dragon word, right?"
"You knew."
"You're dragonkin, then."
"The noble one has sharp eyes."
No wonder she looked too young for association president.
Dragonkin could maintain youthful looks despite age.
She appeared about seventeen—how old was she really?
"The world thinks I'm just a mage, so could you keep it secret?"
"Sure."
Whatever her reasons for hiding, she had her circumstances.
"Thank you for understanding."
She nodded and kept walking—now passing the rating exam room.
"Wasn't this for re-measurement?"
"The re-measurement is already done, noble one."
"...Dragon eyes, huh."
Dragon eyes pierced to the heart of things—minds, objects, all of it.
For a dragonkin with those, gauging power levels was child's play.
"Please, sit."
The girl indicated a sofa with her palm, yielding the seat.
As she sat, Lee So-yul bowed first.
"...We've been terribly rude this time."
"No need for you to bow. You've only been in office two years."
"Still, it's a seat that demands apologies and responsibility. Please accept."
"...Fine."
Honestly, it felt super awkward.
If you traced it back, this was all that incompetent goddess's fault—why were they stuck bearing the burden?
Downgrading her opinion of the goddess once more, she eyed Lee So-yul across from her.
As silence settled the mood, Lee So-yul spoke first.
"Thank you for lending your strength in that gate incident."
"I was nearby anyway, so I... no."
If she denied it again, she'd bow and beg acceptance.
Better to take it upfront.
"It's meager repayment, but is there anything you desire? If this girl can do it, anything at all."
"Then keep my... identity secret."
"Consider it done."
"...No questions why?"
"You didn't pry into my secret either, noble one. So it's only right I do the same."
"Hm."
The more she saw, the finer a person she seemed.
"Any other requests?"
"Nah, that's plenty."
"The noble one has no greed either."
"...But why keep calling me 'noble one'?"
"You'll come to know in time."
"That's dragonkin for you."
Dragonkin saw much but rarely spelled it out.
Chewing on that fact, she rose.
"Leaving already?"
"Yeah."
"...May you find your place someday, noble one."
"...Don't go peeking into people's hearts like that."
Leaving the bowing Lee So-yul behind, she headed for the exit.