The Only Solution is Realm Ascension

The biggest reason I feared women lay in the sheer drop of their emotions. Someone who had always smiled as if they cared could turn in mere seconds and corner me. The moment I let my guard down, melted by affection, that sudden surge of rage and hatred always terrified me. So whenever anyone treated me kindly, my body tensed without thinking. Because if someone who once showered me with love began to hate me, there was no telling where it would end.

I turned my head toward the window.

"It's true. I know this must be sudden and troublesome, but I truly admire you. I wanted to say it first."

I feel like I'm going to throw up.

I covered my mouth with my hand and looked away. This woman was a patient. Moreover, she was currently feeling grateful toward me. She was also a mage of the Deity Realm. I couldn't afford to be rude.

Heo Shin-ah twisted her entire body.

"Aah… I didn't expect you to be so embarrassed."

"…No, that's not it…"

"It's all right. Please entrust your body to me…"

……I'm going insane.

I looked at Lee Se-rin, silently begging for help.

"Graaah… Uuuuugh…"

Lee Se-rin still seemed to be reeling from the aftermath of the battle.

"Nanggun-nim."

What do I do now?

"Compared to your magnificent presence, I may not be much of a woman, but I will do my utmost to support you as your wife—"

Someone, anyone, please.

"From now on, please take care of this unworthy—"

I really wish someone would help.

KUUNG—!

CRASH!

Someone completely destroyed the already half-broken ceiling, and people poured down like rain. A voice rang out through the thick cloud of dust.

"Hermes! Come out right now!!!"

Recently, I had watched a documentary about female hunters. Female hunters—or simply hunters—were people who closed gates, dealt with magical beasts, sold materials, and served as special mercenaries who took down monsters. But special documentaries always focused more on real-world pain than theory. If it wasn't provocative or didn't point out social issues, people wouldn't watch.

The title was provocative too.

After watching the entire documentary, I searched "female hunter" online, unable to believe I had misinterpreted it. I couldn't accept that most of the women who saved people and hunted monsters were treated that way.

And then…

Female hunters. Those treated like idols or heroes made up less than one percent. The vast majority received poor treatment, and that treatment often led them astray. Even successful female hunters constantly found themselves embroiled in scandals over their words and actions.

Before the female hunters arrived, Heo Shin-ah had wrapped me in a large silk cloth and hidden me—an action born from that very perception.

Thirty female hunters holding swords and spears scanned the exam hall. A red-haired woman wearing sunglasses whistled.

"Whew. This is impressive. I thought a war had broken out. So this is Hermes' doing? Unexpectedly a martial artist?"

With that single remark, I understood the entire situation. The female hunters had come to capture Hermes—to clean up the mess I had caused. Moreover, they were different from any women I had met outside. Even if I revealed I was a man, they wouldn't kneel before me. That was what I had seen in the documentary about female hunters.

I pulled the silk cloth tighter around my body.

"Where did Hermes go? Hey. Is the person you're hiding Hermes?"

Heo Shin-ah whispered in my ear.

"It's all right. I will definitely protect you, Nanggun-nim."

Please stop calling me Nanggun-nim.

My stomach churned even more. Heo Shin-ah stood up and positioned herself between me and the female hunters.

"Hermes has already fled. And the person here is my husband, a Deity Realm mage. Show proper respect."

The red-haired female hunter scratched her head.

"Ah, right. I'm S-rank Hunter Hong Seo-ran. Hello. I've greeted you, so we're good, yeah? Show us that guy's face back there."

"You uncultured wench. You dare act that way even after knowing this is my husband?"

Hong Seo-ran grinned and drew her sword.

"A man? I'm not really into men."

"What?"

"Why should I grovel before weaklings who only act high and mighty because they're rare? Besides, there's no proof the person behind you is a man. It could be Hermes in disguise."

"How many times do I have to say Hermes fled? Do you not even understand human speech? This is why you're called orphans."

Here, "orphan" was a derogatory term for female hunters.

"…No. Just let me see the face. Just the face."

As ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the commotion grew, more female hunters gathered. Two of them blocked the exit to prevent escape.

…They're suspicious.

"You still act that way even after knowing he's a man. As expected, you lot are a disgrace to women."

"Well, it's always been like that. Nothing's changed."

A female hunter wearing glasses who had been standing behind Hong Seo-ran stepped forward and knelt.

"Pardon me. I am S-rank Hunter Han So-hee. It is an honor to meet Taeheo Singun-nim. Could you please allow us to confirm the face of your husband?"

Heo Shin-ah, standing protectively in front of me, raised her hand. A black mana bullet formed in her palm, crackling with fire and lightning.

"Oho. Dual attributes of fire and lightning. That's rare."

Hong Seo-ran muttered as she swung her sword. A fast, clean horizontal slash. Heo Shin-ah raised her right arm to protect her neck. Hong Seo-ran chuckled softly.

My Hephaestus displayed Hong Seo-ran's skill information.

I tugged at Heo Shin-ah's collar from behind.

"It's the opposite."

Thud!

Heo Shin-ah extended her right hand to the left and caught the invisible blade. Hong Seo-ran dispelled her skill.

"…Hmph."

"I trust you understand why I bothered to catch your despicable, inferior strike that wasn't even worth dodging, Hong Seo-ran."

Hong Seo-ran smirked. Her sword turned red.

"That's why I want to see more."

New information appeared above the sword.

"Stop!"

Before I could finish reading the text, Han So-hee struck Hong Seo-ran's head hard. The window disappeared before I could read it properly. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Hong Seo-ran clicked her tongue and sheathed her sword. Han So-hee sighed and cleared her throat.

"Taeheo Singun-nim. Allow me to explain the current situation. Three major guilds have issued a joint subjugation order against Hermes. The government has also granted permission for the subjugation—it's a large-scale operation."

…Seriously? It was that big?

I had thought it was just a routine patrol of the surrounding area. I hadn't realized things had escalated this much. When I checked the news on my phone later, it was absurd.

Insane.

When I checked websites and communities, the entire country was in an uproar.

"We just need to confirm whether the person over there is Hermes or not."

Only then did I understand the atmosphere. I stepped past Heo Shin-ah and removed the black silk covering my head—just the face, keeping the tracksuit and slippers hidden.

"Is this… enough now?"

In that instant, thirty pairs of eyes swept over me.

"Whoa."

Someone let out an exclamation.

*****

The hunters left the exam hall and began searching the surroundings. The only ones left in the hall were me, the other examinees, and Heo Shin-ah.

Heo Shin-ah sat beside me and spoke.

"We'll say Hermes stole your name and identity to take the exam."

I sighed inwardly. The reputation I had barely built under the name Hermes was now useless.

I checked the internet reactions.

"……"

I wanted to cry.

"U-um!"

Heo Shin-ah clenched her fists and called out to me as if confessing.

"…Yes."

"If you need a Magic Cooking license, I can give you one!"

"……? Pardon? Is that possible?"

I had heard it was a qualification obtained by taking an exam. I hadn't known there was another route.

When I said that, Heo Shin-ah chuckled and raised a finger to explain.

"There's something called an apprenticeship bestowal for licenses."

The explanation, summarized, was as follows: Licenses could be obtained either by passing an exam or through apprenticeship under a master. The latter essentially made one a slave since the master could grant it whenever they pleased, so everyone just took the exam.

"You are an incredibly skilled magic chef, and you saved me. A mere license is nothing to me."

Heo Shin-ah finished speaking and smiled brightly.

Thud.

We turned our heads at the sound coming from afar.

"Aah. It seems the match has been decided."

Because the Magic Cooking license exam had been ruined, the rules had changed: all twenty examinees would fight, and the final winner would receive the license.

That final winner waved at me.

"Yoo Ji-tae-nim! I won!"

Lee Se-rin was truly strong.

*****

It was night by the time I could go home.

Click.

I turned on the lights in the dark room, went inside, and lay down on the bed. I was exhausted. Summer was almost over, and the night air had grown quite chilly. Autumn would arrive soon.

Lying in bed in a languid mood, I turned on the TV. The pillar of fire I had shot up during the day appeared on screen.

"This is the pillar of fire from Hermes that occurred around 3 PM today. The pillar absorbed nearby mana and stopped growing at approximately 12,000 meters. This caused a massive commotion in Daejeon today. Taeheo Seongun immediately activated the Dark Coffin, but—"

They're broadcasting nothing but this all day.

I kept switching news channels when Llywelyn appeared. She was still running around trying to catch me. And through this incident, she seemed to have become certain I was in Daejeon.

How much was the Nobel Prize money again…

I had heard that, unlike the general academic fields, the Nobel Prize in supernatural fields had a different monetary unit. When I searched on my phone, the amount for this year's Nobel Alchemy Prize appeared.

"…That's a lot."

I kept switching channels, but it was still nothing but stories about Hermes.

For dinner, I'll just heat up the sausages and bread I left in the fridge.

No matter how tired I was, I didn't want to skip a meal. I was doing all this just to eat, after all.

While eating, I checked my accumulated messages.

Han Ye-jin and Lee Ah-rang probably knew I was Hermes. They both knew I was the one who made Alkahest.

Next were Lee Se-rin and Heo Shin-ah.

Lee Se-rin seemed to be looking forward to our promise. I hoped I could ask her for something simple. I had seen Heo Shin-ah leaving with someone after the exam. It might be related to realm ascension.

Yoo Hyun-ah was also chasing Hermes. Thanks to Heo Shin-ah's testimony being accepted—that Hermes had stolen my identity and created an account—I was fortunate that suspicion hadn't fallen on me.

"Haa…"

Ding.

Heo Shin-ah sent a photo. After bathing, she had covered her chest and lower body with a towel and taken a picture.

Today? A little later, another message arrived. Strange videos.

In the video, a woman around thirty was grabbing a log and crushing it.

"If your realm rises, you may not be able to control your increased strength and could harm your male partner. So please watch this before intimacy!"

"……"

At this rate, I was doomed. While burying my face in the pillow, I recalled something I had heard about realms. The higher one's realm, the different the social treatment. For women, it meant guaranteed meetings with more men. Then what about men?

While searching about realms, I found one peculiar phrase.

Even if one violated laws or duties, there was virtually no real punishment—only fines. This was the state of the current world.

Currently, I was in the Refined Realm. I searched for the minimum requirements to reach the Condensing Realm.

When I looked at the special admission curriculum afterward, it was even more absurd. There were no proper classes at all.

"…So basically, they want you to spend four years as a breeding stud."

It was currently late August. The college entrance exam was in mid-November, so I had about two and a half months left.

"…Status Window."

My gaze moved downward.

I was about to fall asleep on the bed when I got up again. Wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, I headed to the parking lot of the Chirnix dormitory. The empty parking lot. The chilly night air bit at my skin. I recalled the technique Heo Shin-ah had shown me earlier. My Hephaestus moved my body according to that form.

Whoosh!

I thought about giving up.

Bang!

But I still have time and a method.

Crackle!

If that's the case, I can't give up yet.

Thud!

If your realm is high, you can do anything.

Bang!

Then if my realm is high, I can hide and live alone.

My foot slamming into the parking lot made a loud sound.

But to get there, I need many things.

Elixirs, potions, or magic cooking—ultimately, they all required money. I had looked it up earlier; those without talent consumed elixirs worth around 10 billion won just to enter Hankuk University. And even those people had been training since elementary school. The amount I needed might be ten or a hundred times that.

Let's make money.

I would earn money, buy expensive materials to craft medicines, and train my body at the same time.

And I will never use special admission.

The special admission curriculum was just a breeding stud's schedule of meeting women. That wouldn't get me to the Deity Realm.

My entire body was drenched in sweat.

I pressed it.

And below it, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠effects appeared.

"…Status Window."

Perhaps because I had overexerted my body, I collapsed right there in the parking lot.

"Let's go. University…"

EP 3 The Only Solution is Realm Ascension (Complete)

Samjin Guild CEO's Office.

"What did you say? C… C-rank?"

Samjin Guild CEO Lee Soo-ah looked at C-rank Hunter Song Hye-na as if she were an idiot.

"You. Are you crazy? You're the first person to apply for S-rank with that kind of record."

"Haa… So I'm telling you. My mana blade killed a dragon! A dragon!! Get it through your head!"

Song Hye-na muttered.

"…Han Do-yeon is only B-rank."

"So you think you can beat Han Do-yeon? Look at the list above. Is there even a spot for you?"

"…Damn it. Seriously."

After closing the door and leaving, Song Hye-na sighed and searched her own name online. Perhaps because she had performed quite well during her recent dispatch to Japan, her recognition had risen slightly. Moreover, since her ability was a magical girl transformation, she had always had some fans. The response was even better than when she had been running viral ads with dynamic IPs.

"This is it."

While smiling like that, Song Hye-na was browsing related communities when something strange caught her eye.

Song Hye-na quickly posted a rebuttal, but logical errors and loopholes were exposed one by one, and it sank. Soon, a new line was added to the "Song Hye-na Incidents and Accidents" section on Namuwiki.

Song Hye-na clutched her phone and slumped over the table.

"…If only I had a good weapon too, I could climb up…!"

A hunter's rank was determined by both personal power and weapon power. The weapon she used was a standard-issue Mana Blade Staff (C).

"If only I had an S-rank weapon. Han Do-yeon got hers because she's a chaebol family's bodyguard and received a weapon and enhancements."

But S-rank weapons didn't fall into C-rank hands. Due to crafting difficulty, even with materials, they often broke, and the ones that were successfully made were auctioned off at whatever price the seller demanded.

If only someone would give me an S-rank weapon too.

Just then.

Ding.

A message came from the president.

Song Hye-na frowned as she read it. A new weapon craftsman meant an unknown one.

Things made by nameless weapon craftsmen are obviously going to be C-rank or lower.

Just as she was about to refuse, her eyes widened.

A weapon craftsman directly managed by the Samjin chaebol's direct line?!

"…Ah, damn."

Song Hye-na immediately sent a reply.

EP 4 The Blacksmith Hides His Identity