"What the hell did you do?"
Park Min-cheol approached Su-hyeon with an astonished face.
"This is already professional hunter level, isn't it? Even the hunter hyungs I know aren't as strong as you..."
It was a natural reaction.
From the beginning, Shin Jong-gil was a Ma-in who had undergone an exceptionally difficult mutation even among Ma-in of the same rank.
'There's a reason why the quest content itself is to somehow survive for 5 minutes without dying.'
Su-hyeon thought.
'Putting everything else aside, the durability and attack power are in completely different weight classes.'
If Su-hyeon had been hit even once by Shin Jong-gil's attack, he would have died or been seriously injured.
Meanwhile, Shin Jong-gil's body was so tough that it could withstand not only bullets but even artillery shells.
This meant there was a spec difference that made a fair fight impossible from the start.
'And yet, I went beyond just enduring to almost completely subduing him.'
With this level of achievement, I could even expect an achievement reward, Su-hyeon thought as he slightly raised the corner of his mouth.
"I got lucky."
"Bullshit, the lucky ones are the people who weren't here."
At that moment, a muscular man cut in between the two.
"Excuse me for a moment."
Su-hyeon's eyes quickly assessed the man's physique.
A build that looked like it had jumped straight out of game graphics, and a distinctive characteristic—'missing earlobe on the left ear.'
And a helmet-like mask design that covered his entire face below the eyes.
'This man must be Song Young-hwan.'
Although the situation had been favorable, his skill in approaching the Ma-in with a peculiar technique and knocking it unconscious with just one attack was indeed impressive.
'Getting acknowledged by this man. That's the true completion condition for this quest.'
Among the many strong individuals in Team 12, he was a notable figure who ranked within the top five, excluding the captain and vice-captain.
"My name is Song Young-hwan. I serve as a team leader in the Execution Force."
He said as he removed his mask.
"I'm Jeong Su-hyeon."
"I heard your contribution was enormous. Thanks to you, we were able to minimize civilian casualties. I express my gratitude."
Su-hyeon bowed his head in response to the heavy yet respectful thanks.
"You flatter me."
Inspector Lim Sang-wook, who had finished his report, and the armed police also approached Su-hyeon, making a fuss.
"No, you were really amazing! We were on the brink of a catastrophe, you know?"
Excited by the fact that they had survived by a hair's breadth, he kept praising Su-hyeon with animated gestures.
"I thought we were all going to die here, but you saved us. To think you could toy with and outwit a Ma-in that even our magic wand couldn't penetrate..."
He paused with a look of realization and added.
"You seem like a student, so I spoke informally. I apologize if that made you uncomfortable."
Su-hyeon calmly shook his head.
"It's fine."
"Ah, want to clean your hands? Put down that disgusting eyeball first."
As Su-hyeon cleaned his hands thoroughly with disinfectant, Young-hwan's eyes took on a peculiar gleam.
"You're careful. The Ma-in's blood shouldn't enter the respiratory system."
"Of course."
"You can't help the magical energy in the air, but this level should be fine."
"Yes."
"Hmm. By the way, Su-hyeon, right? May I ask how old you are exactly?"
"Seventeen."
"Ah! I see!"
Young-hwan exclaimed as if finally understanding.
"Are you perhaps preparing for the Academy entrance exam? I thought your body looked trained, and I could feel mana."
"Yes, that's right."
He felt increasingly interested in Su-hyeon's consistently calm demeanor.
'This friend, despite accomplishing such a feat, is too calm.'
A novice who doesn't realize what a great thing he's done?
It felt different from that.
'Could it be that this level is nothing special to him?'
If he was someone who could maintain such composure at that age, he himself would have already heard the name somewhere.
He asked again.
"Which field are you aiming for? Hunter? Or Execution Force?"
"Execution Force. Though I don't have the qualification to apply yet."
"Hmm. A talent of this caliber doesn't even have the qualification to apply?"
He laughed incredulously.
'The Ma-in's rank was at least C-. Against such an opponent, a boy who probably hasn't even received proper training not only bought time but also inflicted a critical wound.'
This was truly extraordinary.
'Even among students preparing for the EFAC entrance exam right now, how many could show such a performance...'
Young-hwan, having finished his thought, said.
"Then what Su-hyeon wants isn't a certificate of appreciation or reward money."
Su-hyeon calmly bowed his head, and it was Park Min-cheol who got more excited and asked.
"Do you mean...!"
"You seem to know what I'm about to say?"
Song Young-hwan smiled.
"Yes. I have recommendation authority for just such occasions."
"Oh my!"
Inspector Lim Sang-wook's eyes widened.
"Isn't that the authority given only to Execution Force team leaders and above?"
"You're well-informed."
"I heard it's only a nominal authority that's rarely exercised."
"Our standards are very high. An Awakened of that caliber would usually already have the qualifications to apply."
"That's true."
"But considering the talent Su-hyeon has shown today, and his merit in saving citizens' lives, I don't think it's an unreasonable measure."
"As you say."
Song Young-hwan turned his gaze to Su-hyeon and asked.
"As you've heard, I'd like to exercise my recommendation authority for Su-hyeon. What do you think?"
This reward was the alpha and omega of this event.
Therefore, it was a question that didn't require any consideration.
"I appreciate your kindness."
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"Hey, did you see that crazy dog bastard couldn't say a word? It was fucking hilarious."
Park Min-cheol snickered as if he himself felt vindicated, slurping up his iced americano that had almost nothing but ice left.
"At first he was all like 'why were you so late' and about to hit me, but later he was just rolling his eyes. His face was written all over with 'I'm fucked'."
"You're exaggerating too much, hyung."
"Exaggerating? I'm just telling exactly what I saw."
Park Min-cheol clicked his tongue and laughed.
To be fair.
The Director's position was such that he could only stand tall in front of his employees, but had to be careful even with his breathing in front of Awakened ones of professional hunter caliber.
Having heard that I had fought to that extent against a Ma-in and even received a recommendation for the Academy entrance exam, he would know better than anyone that if he acted like before, he wouldn't see a good end.
"Looking at myself being so careful around such a guy, I felt pathetic, you know? It was embarrassing too."
As Park Min-cheol excitedly chattered away as if he'd gained some great realization, I sank into thought, letting his words flow by me.
'300 achievement points. I don't think I've ever received this much for the first quest before.'
During hundreds of playthroughs, there had never been a run where I achieved such results.
It was also thanks to the effect of the Eye Power skill that allowed perfect evasive maneuvers.
Above all, it would have been difficult to even attempt without superhuman dynamic vision.
'Targeting the eye precisely and plucking out the eyeball in a real combat situation. Even for me, it's not something possible with my current specs.'
The original reward for clearing this quest is Song Young-hwan's recommendation letter and 2 skill points.
But thanks to not getting hit even once by Ma-in Shin Jong-gil and inflicting a critical wound, I received an additional 300 achievement points.
'That's 1 skill point per 100 points, so I effectively received a total of 5 points.'
It felt good from the start.
"...a chance for the Academy entrance exam! This is truly an opportunity you can't buy with money!"
By now, Park Min-cheol's interest had shifted to the Academy.
"You're more excited than I am, hyung."
"You're the weird one! We're talking about EFAC, not just anywhere!"
There are several educational institutions in the country for training Hunters or Execution Force members.
But if asked to name the best academy, anyone would unhesitatingly answer EFAC.
Perhaps it would be similar to compare it to an institution that trains elite forces like UDT or Special Forces.
'The conditions are strict even for just applying for the exam, not even for admission.'
Specifically, the applicant must have an estimated characteristic rank of C- or higher, or D- or higher with several bonus points.
'Essentially saying if you can't clear the first quest, you can't even enter the Academy.'
The problem is that the Academy is the stage where all scenarios of Edge of Gate begin.
Therefore, gamers had to challenge the same quest dozens of times with a bitter heart.
"But Su-hyeon."
Park Min-cheol asked with a serious face.
"Do you really intend to become an Execution Force member?"
"Of course."
"Honestly, with your level of power, wouldn't it be much safer and more comfortable to go the Hunter route?"
Despite his words, he didn't seem to be seriously trying to persuade me.
That's because Park Min-cheol also knows my story.
"Sigh. Well, if that's what you want to do, do it. If I hadn't seen you fight, I might have just sounded like an old fart saying pine caterpillars should eat pine needles to live."
Park Min-cheol snickered.
"You're different from a pine caterpillar like me."
He spoke self-deprecatingly, as if he had known all along.
"Don't stay there too long either, hyung."
He nodded in agreement at my calmly delivered words.
"I should. I'm thinking of studying something, whatever it is."
"Good."
After saying that, I add a comment as a small whim.
"It would be good to start a business catering to Hunters."
"Right? No matter what anyone says, it's the industry where the most money circulates."
"Don't get involved in profit businesses carelessly. It's a place where blood flows as much as money."
Park Min-cheol, who had opened his eyes wide as if somewhat surprised, laughed.
"I won't."
I can guess why he was surprised.
The original Jeong Su-hyeon probably wouldn't have said such a thing.
'Does this mean the two selves, Jeong Su-hyeon and Kim Seong-yun, are still mixed within me?'
It wasn't an unpleasant feeling.
Either way, I am me.
I don't intend to try to distinguish between them.
"By the way, aren't you going to drink more of your coffee?"
Park Min-cheol asked.
I had taken one sip of the americano and hadn't drunk it again.
"The acidity of the beans is excessively strong and the balance is off. The aroma has also dissipated. It's not to my taste."
"A guy who used to drink cheap canned coffee just fine is saying what now?"
"..."
This was my own distinct taste that I couldn't compromise on.
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"Hmm."
Song Young-hwan, who had returned to headquarters, was deep in thought while reading a report.
[Shin Jong-gil. A D-rank Hunter who underwent extreme Ma-in transformation just 2 years after receiving his license. Frequent unauthorized dungeon entry is identified as a likely factor...]
"To think the Hunter Association would give a license to someone with such a mentality. It's not like the old days."
"That's correct."
The member who submitted the report bowed his head and answered.
There was a time when Ma-in transformation was the inevitable fate of all Hunters.
'Not anymore.'
The Black Death, AIDS, smallpox... eventually, the phenomenon known as Ma-seong also became a kind of preventable disease.
'Once you become a Ma-in, you can never return to being human, but.'
The key to saving Hunters from predetermined destruction was the suppressant that inhibits the transformation of accumulated magical energy into Ma-seong in the body, and the dungeon permit system that limits the number of hunts according to the Awakened's resistance.
'Thanks to that, the rate of Ma-in transformation among professional Hunters has decreased to less than 5 percent over the past 5 years.'
However.
'The problem is people like Shin Jong-gil.'
There were Hunters who sought greater income by entering unauthorized dungeons outside the government's control range.
Because identity verification and records are made in authorized dungeons, they want to make more money by recklessly entering unauthorized dungeons.
'Most of such guys are also connected to the underworld.'
The fate of such people is usually similar.
Either die early, or live long enough to become a Ma-in.
"Looking at his transaction history, he squandered most of his money on gambling, luxury, and entertainment. Of course, it was an amount he could never earn with his allocated quota."
"A piece of trash with absolutely no grounds for mitigation."
Having concluded his assessment in one sentence, Song Young-hwan's thoughts shifted elsewhere.
"The problem is that as a result, his characteristic underwent an extremely strong mutation."
Shin Jong-gil, who had a simple characteristic of body modification, came to proliferate arms, dramatically increase muscle strength and hardness, and even secrete acidic poison through Ma-in transformation.
'He almost killed countless citizens.'
Durability that withstands bazooka fire and destructive power that crushes cars and asphalt.
If Jeong Su-hyeon hadn't been there, not only citizens but even armed police would have been wiped out.
"How did you view that friend's fight?"
"I was surprised. Isn't it remarkable just to buy time by holding out?"
"More specifically."
"First, the most notable point is that he targeted the Ma-in's eyeball precisely and extracted it with his bare hands in that situation. What's even more unbelievable is that he deliberately backed himself into a corner to create that situation, thought of turning around to get behind his back in actual combat, and actually succeeded."
Song Young-hwan nodded.
"Tactical vision, execution, composure, and boldness. It would have been impossible without any one of these."
For a veteran like Song Young-hwan, there weren't many occasions when he would be impressed by someone else's fight.
"In other words, it's not a level that a mere 17-year-old boy should be able to show."
"He created the best possible outcome despite having clearly inferior combat power. There are many Awakened with excellent abilities, but aren't those who 'know how to fight well' rare?"
"Your words are right."
Even if an ordinary Execution Force member had been there instead of Jeong Su-hyeon, they couldn't have performed that well alone.
"This situation shouldn't have ended so easily."
"Just separating and subduing a Ma-in rampaging among citizens would have been quite troublesome."
"In fact, that friend did everything. All we did was just finish it off."
"It's a merit worthy of great commendation."
But.
"It's precisely for that reason that I want to be cautious."
Song Young-hwan's expression hardened.
"We shouldn't let our guard down until we precisely identify Jeong Su-hyeon's identity and personal information."
"Yes."
Whether he was just a man who had been through the underworld, or a stooge trying to enter with a purpose, or truly a promising pillar of the future.
He had a duty to judge that.
"I'll submit the report today."
"It's late, do it tomorrow."
"Understood."
The gaze of Song Young-hwan, watching the departing member, deepened.
'I hope it's just my unfounded suspicion.'