SSS-Class Posing as F-Class
I opened my eyes.
The familiar stained ceiling of my studio apartment filled my vision.
And blocking that ceiling was a translucent blue window.
Current Viewer Count: 10,482
"...These crazy bastards don't even sleep."
I kicked off the blanket and ruffled my hair in irritation.
The chat window, which had been open all night, was still buzzing with activity.
Even while I slept, they'd been chattering away at my snores or my tossing and turning.
"What shield? I just left the electric blanket on, you idiots."
I snapped at the empty air before heading to the bathroom.
I splashed cold water on my face to wake up, but the blue window reflected in the mirror didn't vanish.
This was reality.
I was now living with ten thousand voyeurs... no, viewers.
I dried my face with a towel and turned on my smartphone.
To check the real-time trending searches on the portal site NevSearch.
1. Kang Minsu
2. Hunter Kang Minsu Identity
3. F-Class Hidden Boss
"Haa..."
My breath caught at the rankings that showed no sign of dropping since yesterday.
With trembling fingers, I tapped the app for Hunter Gallery, Korea's largest hunter community.
The best posts board was already plastered with my name.
One post with overwhelmingly high views caught my eye.
[Analysis] Reasons Why Kang Minsu is SSS-Class Pretending to be F-Class.txt
Views: 450k | Likes: 12,000
The poster called themselves a "Hunter Studies major" and wrote it dead seriously.
The gist was obvious.
Every dodge I made by pure luck was map reading.
Freezing in fear was overwhelming pressure.
Not picking up the mana stone was the leisure of a transcendent being.
"..."
I froze, smartphone still in hand.
It was nonsense, but line by line, chills ran down my spine.
It didn't feel like bullshit—it felt like a verdict.
On the fan community platform FanLounge, a cafe dedicated to me had already popped up.
[What is Kang Minsu's Real Rank?] Poll
SSS-Class or Higher: 87%
"I'm losing my mind, for real."
I flopped face-first onto the bed.
Running away in fear repackaged as map reading.
Freezing up called aura.
Not lifting it because it was too heavy turned into transcendent mindset.
Even if I said otherwise, it was pointless.
They'd already decided the answer and shoehorned my actions into it.
I steeled myself and got up.
Either way, I had to eat to live, and pay those overdue hospital bills.
The dungeon pay had put out the immediate fires, but with next month's loan interest looming, no rest for me.
I pulled a shabby uniform vest from the closet and slipped it on.
The chest bore the Saebyeok 25 convenience store logo.
It was my weekend part-time gig, a side hustle even before I became a hunter.
As I stepped out in the uniform, the chat in the corner of my vision exploded again.
"Heading to the convenience store shift. Convenience store."
I muttered under my breath and crammed my feet into worn sneakers.
The chat went quiet for a moment, then posts flooded in at breakneck speed.
I shook my head and descended the apartment stairs.
Arriving at the Saebyeok 25 right in front of my place, the night shift worker—looking beat from the handover—greeted me.
"Hyung, you're here? Logistics is brutal today."
"Yeah, good work. Go rest."
I slipped behind the counter and checked the POS machine.
The familiar convenience store smell hit my nose.
No monsters here. No risk of death.
Beep. Beep.
I started scanning the items customers brought.
But to the viewers in front of me, even this was prime entertainment.
Current Viewer Count: 11,053
"...I'm just scanning where the barcode is."
And so my peaceful camouflage activity—no, minimum-wage grind—continued.
The uneventful night shift dragged on.
"Hey! Gimme a pack of smokes!"
It was a middle-aged man reeking of booze in broad daylight.
His face was flushed red, steps staggering.
Classic asshole drunk.
"Which one would you like?"
I responded as professionally as possible.
"Argh, you know the one I always smoke! Just grab it!"
"Sir, how am I supposed to know what you usually smoke? Please tell me the brand..."
Bam!
He slammed his fist on the counter.
The POS machine shook from the impact.
"You talkin' back, punk? You think I haven't been here before? Part-timers gotta read the room and move fast!"
He glared, jabbing a finger at me.
Booze breath and spittle flew across the counter.
My shoulders hunched instinctively.
Guys like that are scary.
If he hits me, I'm the one who loses; fighting back just tires me out more.
My body lowered my gaze first.
"S-Sorry, sir. I'm new here, so..."
I stepped back, eyes down.
Just hand him something quick and get him out—that was all I could think.
But then it happened.
Viewers are enraged.
Observation Density rises to C-class.
The malice of over ten thousand viewers funneled through the system into massive pressure.
My ears rang.
Air felt heavy in my throat when I inhaled.
Something invisible surged behind me all at once.
"Hey! Hurry up and grab it, what are you... wha... hngh."
The man's bellow cut off mid-slam.
His face drained of color.
His bloodshot eyes, bulging moments ago, now shook like there was an earthquake.
"..."
He gasped for no reason he could name.
His complexion ashen in seconds.
His gaze slowly rose to me.
I stared up at him, still terrified, eyes pleading please don't hit me.
But that's not what he saw.
Something you don't touch.
That alone was enough.
Touch it, and you die.
His survival instincts screamed.
The booze buzz had evaporated long ago.
With trembling hands, he scooped up the bills he'd slammed down.
"Uh... s-sir... I think... I made a mistake."
Suddenly polite, he bowed.
"Pardon?"
I blinked in confusion, and he bent into a full 90-degree bow.
"I'm truly sorry! I had too much to drink... I'll get smokes elsewhere. Thanks for your hard work!"
He bolted out the door without looking back.
Only the chime of the closing door echoed.
I gaped at the door.
What the hell just happened?
Sobered up instantly? Why the sudden change?
But the chat was in full party mode.
"No... I didn't do anything..."
I muttered weakly.
I hadn't done a thing—the guy just freaked out and ran.
That fact creeped me out even more.
But in the end, I became the "part-timer who schooled an asshole with a single glare."
"At this rate, rumors'll spread around the neighborhood."
I rubbed my face with my palm.
My humble dream of a normal life kept slipping further away, thanks to those ten thousand viewers.
The storm of the asshole incident passed, and shift change approached.
I grabbed a discarded bento and prepped to clock out.
Bzzz~ Bzzz~
My pocket smartphone vibrated.
A text message.
Assemble by 09:00 tomorrow. (*Failure to attend without just cause will result in hunter license suspension and a 50 million won penalty fee)
"...What?"
I nearly dropped the bento.
Forced assignment?
D-class dungeon?
F-class usually only go up to E-class.
D-class is the real line where you risk your life.
"Are they insane? Sending me there?"
Penalty fee: 50 million won.
My breath hitched.
A number that crushed any thought of running.
And the chat, watching my despairing face, boiled over again.
Popcorn my ass! Prep my funeral rice, you demons!
I gripped my smartphone tight.
Sweat slicked my palm.
Tomorrow, I was heading back into a dungeon.
With over ten thousand watching.
Dragging ten thousand spectators along.