Inside the office of the Returnee Management Headquarters, Kim Dong-jun leaned back in his chair, lips curling into a bitter smile. He believed the game was already won. He had spent heavily to hire Yoon Ki-seong, a legendary S-rank villain known for surviving more than two decades by evading every hunt. To Kim, it was only a matter of time before Yoon unearthed damning evidence against Jo Kang-hyun and the suspicious returnee, Lee Seong-jun.
Even the massive down payment of 500 million won felt like a blessing, not a loss. Normally, Yoon Ki-seong never accepted jobs below a billion won unless it involved S-rank hunters. The only reason this mission had been approved was because of the backing of Kim Dong-jun's father, Kim Seok-hoon, a corporate giant with long ties to the villain. With such support, Dong-jun felt untouchable.
He pictured Jo Kang-hyun and Lee Seong-jun's downfall, a future where their so-called reputation collapsed under his schemes. But the illusion cracked when his phone buzzed. The message was not a report of success but a refusal.
For the first time, Yoon Ki-seong had abandoned a request midway. This was something unheard of. Kim Dong-jun's confusion soon turned to dread. When he called the villain, the truth cut deep. The issue was not Jo Kang-hyun. It was the returnee.
Yoon Ki-seong admitted through clenched teeth that Lee Seong-jun was not an F-rank. His intuition — the SS-rank survival skill that had saved him countless times — screamed danger louder than ever before. To him, that supposed F-class was a threat greater than death itself. And so he refused, even warning Dong-jun to live quietly if he wanted to keep the position he had bought with his father's sacrifices.
When the call ended, the office filled with rage. Kim Dong-jun smashed his desk, shouting curses into the empty room. But beneath the anger, there was fear. He could not strike at Yoon Ki-seong. The villain was far beyond his reach. So his fury turned instead toward the two hunters who had driven him into this humiliation.
Before he could set his revenge in motion, another obstacle rose. The Hunter Association had begun its yearly inspection. Though this routine check was not aimed at him, the timing was disastrous. If investigators discovered his buried crimes, everything could collapse. Grinding his teeth, he was forced to halt his plans, frustration boiling as he pounded his desk in helpless rage.
Far from the storm of corruption, Lee Seong-jun's path took a brighter turn. A week had passed since his first entry into the E-class gate, and in that short span, his growth had reached heights others could only dream of.
His level had soared from twenty to thirty, an achievement that would normally take months for an ordinary hunter. The surge in his stats reflected his rapid rise. Most importantly, his control over blood energy — the essence of his martial cultivation — had advanced to a new stage.
The red goblin hunts had played a crucial role. These creatures, considered bonus monsters for their rich experience and low threat, were normally fought over by countless hunters. Yet through the Association's arrangement, Seong-jun had monopolized them for an entire week. On paper, he was listed as a "safety inspector," but in reality, it was a crafted cover that allowed him exclusive hunting rights. Vice President Ko Tae-hyun himself had ensured this privilege, understanding the future potential in nurturing a returnee like Seong-jun.
Now, as he sat at home, Seong-jun tested his progress. He opened his palm, and a reddish haze flickered to life. This was not mere blood energy but the beginning of true sword energy, a refined force that could cut deeper, last longer, and withstand greater pressure than before. In a week, he had stepped into the realm of a first-class warrior, the kind of growth that defied common sense.
A faint smile lingered on his lips. With this strength, even the monstrous gorilla that once pressed him to his limits would no longer demand desperate tricks. His path forward shone brighter than ever.