Ha Jongwon became the first person in Korea, or perhaps even the world, to enter Normal Mode.
Why "perhaps"? Because there were still many people worldwide who had awakened but never officially registered as Slayers.
Still, entering Normal Mode was no simple feat. Anyone who managed it was bound to attract attention.
And so, Ha Jongwon once again made headlines as the first Slayer to enter Normal Mode.
Of course, that was only what people thought. Both Hyunseok and Jongwon knew the truth:
The reason Jongwon obtained the special class "Warrior of Thunder" was precisely because he was the first in the world to enter Normal Mode.
He had first gained fame for single-handedly slaying an orc. Then, for forming and leading the Eradication Squad, his renown grew even further. Later, he received an official plaque of appreciation after rescuing members of Ichigo, Japan's top guild.
And when the Eradication Squad evolved into Korea's official Union, his fame reached new heights.
Now, becoming the world's first Normal Mode Slayer sealed his position as one of the greatest figures of his era.
Within Korea, he was now unquestionably recognized as the nation's strongest Slayer.
The conglomerate Hanjin, which owned I'UET, used his fame aggressively for marketing purposes.
Ha Jongwon became more popular than most celebrities. Advertisement and CF offers flooded in from every direction.
Then, one day,
Two questions dominated the media:
First, why did Ha Jongwon leave I'UET?
And second, where would he go next?
Hyunseok commented dryly,
"If people find out that someone like you joined our guild, we'll become famous overnight.
Then I'll get flooded with interviews, and we'll be the center of attention wherever we go.
Honestly, it's just… too much trouble."
He didn't mean it as a strict refusal, just that the drawbacks outweighed the benefits.
If Jongwon joined, their guild Inha would draw massive attention.
And with that kind of fame came excessive scrutiny, limiting their freedom of movement.
"I'll just say I'm playing solo. Please don't kick out poor, fragile me."
"Ugh, such a pain…"
Ha Jongwon, the Slayer known nationwide as Korea's strongest, pleaded shamelessly with his childhood friend.
"Hey! Honestly, having someone like me around is a good thing!"
"Someone like you?"
Hyunseok spread his Battle Field, and Jongwon froze.
"Wait, not you! I meant everyone except you, man! Don't bully the weak, you'll get divine punishment!"
"Good. I was worried you'd actually want to fight. I still can't properly control my strength."
"Try practicing then!"
"You think that's easy? I need stronger monsters for that! But they all just flop over dead before I even warm up. I can barely get any proper training."
To others, that might have sounded like a spoiled complaint, but the truth was: ever since the Twin-Headed Orc, no higher-ranked monsters had appeared.
Because of that, Hyunseok couldn't really fight. There was no tension, no resistance, nothing to test himself against.
In fact, even the monsters in Easy Mode now refused to attack him.
"Whatever. I'm sticking with you anyway."
Soon, however, rumors began to spread.
Word on the internet claimed that Ha Jongwon had founded a new guild called Inha, together with his childhood friend Hyunseok, Hyunseok's younger sister, and Jongwon's supposed girlfriend, Kang Pyeonghwa from Sunshine Orphanage.
Though it was all hearsay, the story was convincing enough that people began spreading it widely.
In truth, Jongwon had been part of Inha from the start, and Hyunseok had always been the guild master.
But those details didn't matter to the public.
—They said he got screwed over inside I'UET, so now he's sticking with people he can trust.
—Guess even in the Slayer world, connections matter, huh?
—Lucky them. Imagine being in the same guild as Ha Jongwon!
—Apparently, he made the Inha Guild before leaving I'UET. So it wasn't even a sudden decision.
Two days later, another shocking wave of news hit.
❋ ❋ ❋
In the beginning, the Slayer Guild System, to be precise, had been born under the sponsorship of major corporations.
By joining a corporate-backed guild, Slayers gained stable income and salaries.
The world of Slayers, in many ways, had a built-in entertainment factor.
Slaying itself was profitable.
Slaying could earn you a fortune even without sponsorship.
Now, Slayers even had fan clubs cheering them on.
For someone like Ha Jongwon, commercial offers poured in constantly.
Athletes became stars through sports; Slayers, who risked their lives, became legends.
To the public, Slaying wasn't exactly a game, but it certainly felt like one.
Real monsters existed in the world, and real people hunted them down.
How could anyone not be fascinated?
The public's passion elevated Slayers to celebrity status far surpassing sports stars.
Their reach extended across every demographic.
For that reason, major corporations praised themselves for investing early in guilds.
Executives who first proposed the idea were quickly promoted.
Companies like Hanjin, which owned I'UET, reaped enormous benefits.
I'UET was the most famous guild in Korea, and among the most respected worldwide.
People from all over the world came to learn its training curriculum.
But then… the unthinkable happened.
Corporate-affiliated Slayers began announcing mass resignations.
—Well, it makes sense. With that kind of power, why stay under a company?
—Orcs are popping up everywhere lately. Might as well hunt on their own.
—Guess the Union's gonna have their hands full.
The issue of Slayer treatment had long been controversial.
As time passed, the market price of Green Stones grew unstable, and complaints rose about unfair distribution.
Slayers began realizing how little of their profits they actually received.
Eventually, top-tier Slayers banded together, cutting ties with their corporate guilds and forming independent guilds registered directly under the Korean Union.
The process caused significant financial damage, severance penalties and broken contracts, but the elite didn't care.
They were already rich.
And with orc appearances increasing, they no longer needed the corporations' backing or protection.
Top-ranked Slayers built their own guilds.
Mid-tier Slayers, however, still preferred corporate safety.
For ordinary players, being in a corporate guild wasn't bad.
A base salary over 40 million won, benefits, and relative freedom.
But that was only for the best mid-tiers.
Weaker ones had no such privileges.
Corporations, wary of another mass exodus, began imposing harsh contract terms.
In this world, only the top mattered, the ones who could build a brand.
Middle-tier Slayers, even gathered together, lacked influence or earning power.
Hyunseok muttered,
"At this point, anyone fighting to join a corporate guild is basically blind."
The strongest had left.
Mid-tiers were now competing to fill their spots, happy with whatever benefits corporations offered.
By now, Korea had around 8,000 registered Slayers.
Roughly 4,000 applied to corporate guilds.
But only 1,000 were accepted.
Meaning: corporations could cherry-pick whoever suited them best.
"They're lowering their own worth," Hyunseok sighed.
He didn't condemn them, everyone had their reasons.
But in his eyes, it wasn't a wise choice.
❋ ❋ ❋
Time passed.
More people entered Normal Mode, and the world began changing again.
Particularly, Guwol-dong, one of Incheon's busiest districts, fell into chaos.
Usually, monsters appeared in remote areas.
But this time, one appeared in the middle of a crowded street.
It was over two meters tall, its entire body glowing green.
It looked like something straight out of a movie, like The Hulk.
The creature went berserk, smashing buildings and attacking people.
Panic spread.
Dozens were injured.
Three civilians were confirmed dead.
Streetlights shattered, storefronts collapsed.
The monster moved like a gorilla, on all fours.
But when it attacked, it stood upright and crushed everything with its enormous fists.
Its strength far exceeded that of a normal orc.
Police were the first to respond, opening fire.
But their pistols had zero effect.
The only result was making the creature angrier.
Fortunately, the officers retreated quickly, avoiding casualties.
People demanded military deployment, some called for top-ranked Slayers.
But none were nearby.
Mid-tier Slayers hesitated, too afraid to act.
A few young, hot-headed Slayers charged in anyway, and were all killed.
Hyunseok hesitated as well.
He had the power, yes, but could it work against that thing?
He wasn't certain.
Then, his communicator buzzed.
Park Sunghyung was calling.
—"Hyunseok."
"Yes?"
—"Grab your gear. Meet me at Bukhansan."
"Not Guwol-dong?"
—"That one's weak. The Pyramid Guild and a few others are handling it.
There's a stronger one up north. The I'UET squad barely escaped.
The Guwol-dong one has one head. The Bukhansan one… has two."
A chill ran through Hyunseok's spine.
Even among orcs, the Twin-Headed Orcs were far deadlier than ordinary ones.
If this monster resembled them, then it would certainly be stronger.
While the world's eyes were fixed on Guwol-dong,
another monster, one even more dangerous, had appeared at Bukhansan.
No one else knew it yet.
(End of Chapter 24)
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