Chapter 87
Berserker.
Was there anyone in Korea who didn’t shudder upon hearing that title?
└ Damn.
└ What’s happening right now?
└ Did Reporter Han just say “Berserker”?
└ For real?
└ Why’s Berserker here again??
└ Didn’t Dmir’s Limited Edition No. 2 weapon go to him? Maybe they got close because of that?
└ Yeah, and didn’t he defend the Oseong Group last time? He literally demolished an entire building.
The camera was still pointed forward, showing no sign of Reporter Han.
So the viewers could only speculate, arguing back and forth.
At that moment.
Reporter Han was drenched in cold sweat.
“B-Berserker, sir, how are you here?”
He had met plenty of prominent figures throughout his career, but this man—World Rank 20—was in a league of his own.
And Berserker wasn’t just anyone.
He was a notorious maniac who’d smash corporations or Rankers alike if they so much as displeased him.
“Hahaha.”
The muscular man laughed.
“What? Am I somewhere I shouldn’t be?”
“N-no, sir, not at all.”
“Well, I wouldn’t normally care if you’re filming a battle like that, but…”
“Y-yes?”
“But did you at least get permission from my little brother? There’s such a thing as royalties, you know?”
A sharp jab.
Truth was, Reporter Han didn’t have a single excuse.
“Th-that’s…”
As he stammered, something landed softly from above.
Whoosh!
A graceful female figure descended.
“Whew, Berserker. You’re still as fast as ever. I ran pretty hard, but you’re already here.”
Rank 509. Captain of the Black Sword Squad.
Lee Seonah.
The sleek, dark blade hanging from her waist was her signature.
And then—
“Whew, everyone’s here again? Been a while.”
Rank 828. White Boar Yoo Sangdon appeared, his belly jiggling as he walked.
“Hmm, truth is, I’ve been here watching the whole time.”
Ssshh.
As if emerging from nothingness itself—
A Rank 379 Hunter materialized from the air.
The Shadow Empress, Ki Soyul.
“Huh? Soyul, you were here?”
Yoo Sangdon’s eyes widened.
“Shadow Empress… I thought you were busy since you weren’t answering calls.”
“Hehehe, you’re really glued to him, aren’t you?”
The Rankers all gave her bewildered looks.
In truth, the reason they’d come to find Joo Donghoon deep in this forest was simple.
To discuss the Dungeon Maker.
Yet, Ki Soyul hadn’t been part of that communication chain.
Which meant—
She’d been here from the start.
“Don’t look at me like that. Watching his training was part of my agreement with Donghoon, remember? My right.”
She avoided their gazes slightly.
“……”
Reporter Han shut his eyes tight.
‘Holy crap, what is happening right now.’
Berserker, Black Sword, White Boar, and the Shadow Empress?
His heart was pounding—no, bursting.
It felt like his heart had already exploded from sheer terror.
└ ???
└ So what’s going on right now?
└ This is killing me.
└ Where’s that ‘right to know’ Reporter Han now?
└ Who cares about Berserker! Tell us already!
The viewers’ frustration was understandable.
The camera only showed a ravaged clearing, while all the voices came from off-screen.
Thunk!
That’s when it happened.
Kim, who had been lying beside him, flinched and accidentally nudged the tripod.
‘Oh no—’
Kim froze.
He’d just been holding his breath, trying not to wet himself, but—
Clatter, clunk! Clatter! Clunk!
The unbalanced camera rolled forward down the ridge.
“……”
Every Ranker turned their gaze toward it.
The camera tumbled perfectly into position, capturing all of them in frame.
Thunk!
And then it stopped—facing them dead center.
As if the god of broadcasting himself had intervened.
└ ???
└ What the hell is this?
└ Holy crap, that’s really Berserker!
└ Wait, Black Sword and Shadow Empress too?? And White Boar??
└ Isn’t that the Five Stars of Seoul?
└ Where is this? Some secret base or something?
└ Wow… so it wasn’t staged…
└ Damn, this is the scoop of the year.
The chat exploded in chaos.
“……”
And the Rankers stared silently at the camera.
“Huh? Wait a second.”
White Boar frowned.
“Don’t tell me that’s… a live broadcast?”
Crunch!
The camera shattered.
Yoo Sangdon had stomped on it.
“Broadcast?”
Jang Daewoong tilted his head.
“They can stream live with something that small now?”
“Wow, Berserker. You’re so out of touch for your age. Times have changed, grandpa…”
“Hmph. I also thought it was just a recording, but if it’s live, that’s a problem.”
Lee Seonah joined in, her gaze cold and sharp as it locked onto Reporter Han.
“You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. Broadcasting a Hunter’s training session live without permission?”
“Didn’t wanna say it, but this is why people call journalists trash.”
Yoo Sangdon chimed in.
Reporter Han trembled.
The presence of four Rankers—each considered national-level powerhouses—focused entirely on him.
“……”
The pressure was suffocating.
Cold stares. Emotionless eyes. A hint of killing intent.
‘Ah…’
His knees weakened.
So this must be what it feels like to stand before the King of Hell.
“It’s alright, everyone.”
Another voice broke through the tension.
Reporter Han slowly turned his gaze.
Who…?
Ah.
Of course.
The one who commanded those terrifying Skeletons.
Joo Donghoon.
“I already knew someone was here. Hard not to, with all that noise. But since Sunny and Eldrin were fighting so seriously, I just let them be.”
“……”
Reporter Han’s heart thudded.
Yes—his only chance to survive this situation was to seek forgiveness from the owner of the stream, Joo Donghoon.
Or rather, for Joo Donghoon to forgive him.
The live feed had already been cut, viewers disconnected.
By now, forums and social media were probably buzzing about it everywhere.
“S-sorry! President of Dmir Workshop!”
He bowed sharply at a right angle.
“I didn’t mean for this to happen! I was hiking when I heard this massive explosion… and my reporter instincts just… took over…”
“Ah, it’s fine, really. Reporter Han?”
Joo Donghoon smiled softly.
He patted the man’s shoulder reassuringly.
“It’s alright. You can head back now. I’d be scared too.”
“R-really?”
“Yes, yes. You did well, actually. By the way, did the footage come out nicely?”
“……?”
Reporter Han blinked.
He’d been forgiven—but that response was too casual.
“You shouldn’t have filmed without permission, but in return, I hope you’ll write some positive articles from now on. Please?”
“O-of course!”
He blurted it out instinctively.
His brain hadn’t caught up yet, but one thing was clear.
Joo Donghoon.
This man was far kinder than expected.
And he knew the truth too.
Everyone knew.
Rankers and high-grade Hunters hated exposing their combat abilities.
‘I’m only writing good things about him from now on…’
A veteran of the industry, he silently judged Joo Donghoon.
He was an S-rank production class.
A Necromancer commanding impossible Skeletons.
A man connected to Rankers—and respected by them.
Even those Rankers listened when he spoke.
‘Better stay on his good side.’
Men like him—you didn’t mess with.
Not unless you had a death wish.
“Th-then, I’ll be going now!”
Reporter Han and Kim scrambled down the mountain at record speed.
Faster than they’d ever run in their lives.
—
The quiet clearing.
“Hmm, little brother. You sure it’s fine?”
After sending the reporters off, Jang Daewoong turned to me.
“The whole training session’s out now. They even clipped it or whatever. Your power’s been exposed nationwide.”
“It’s fine.”
I shrugged.
“I was planning to reveal it sooner or later anyway.”
“Is that so?”
It was, in a sense, a show of force.
A declaration to the world: [I’m this strong—so don’t mess with me.]
That’s just how this world worked.
If you looked weak, the scavengers swarmed.
Because they thought you were easy prey.
Even that bastard Shin Jongoh from Oseong Workshop had done the same.
“In short, I’m just taking a page from you, Berserker. People leave you alone once they see you go crazy a few times. ‘Don’t mess with the mad dog,’ right?”
“……”
Jang Daewoong gave me a blank stare.
“…You’re not calling me a mad dog, are you?”
“Oh, come on. If it were a bad thing, would I be copying it?”
I grinned, and he burst into laughter.
“Haha! You’re right! You’ve got it, little brother. You’re right. Most people are weak against the strong and strong against the weak. I’ve really been noticing that lately.”
“Who wouldn’t go weak in front of Berserker though?”
Lee Seonah chuckled.
“Anyway, as I mentioned, as of yesterday, the King has officially reached A-rank. Just as promised, you’ve met the qualifications to challenge the Dungeon Maker.”
“King?”
Jang Daewoong tilted his head.
Lee Seonah explained.
“You didn’t know? His alias changed to Skeleton King.”
“Hoh. King, huh? A fitting title for my little brother.”
I wiped the sweat off my brow.
Seriously.
‘King’? That still sounded ridiculous no matter how I heard it.
Definitely going to be one of those names I’d never get used to.
Anyway.
The reason they’d gathered here was obvious.
“The Dungeon Maker event… it’s in three days, right?”
“Yeah, three days.”
Yoo Sangdon nodded.
“You’re ready, right?”
“Of course.”
I recalled what they’d told me before.
—World Rank 5. Dungeon Maker Delilah opens a trial dungeon every six months.
Participation requires two things.
First, you must be at least A-rank.
Second, you need five Ranker recommendation letters.
And the five who gathered here—the Five Stars of Seoul—were those very Rankers.
—We don’t know what’s inside the dungeon. It changes every time. But one thing’s certain: if you clear every trial, you’ll make it into the top 1000 ranks.
—Three years ago, we—the Five Stars of Seoul—entered that trial and became Rankers. All of us started with triple-digit ranks. We’ve climbed since then, of course.
No one knew who Delilah really was.
They only knew she opened the path to becoming a Ranker.
“…So.”
I asked quietly.
“If I clear it this time, I’ll become a Ranker too? Guaranteed?”
My lifelong dream was finally within reach.
“Yes, guaranteed.”
Ki Soyul stepped forward.
“But like White Boar said, you need to be ready.”
“……”
“Black Sword seems sure you’ll make it, but… Delilah’s a bit of an odd one. Some of her trials can’t be solved by strength alone.”
“Hey, that’s enough!”
Yoo Sangdon barked.
“Forget already? We get penalized if we leak info about our trial!”
“Right, right. There’s a penalty.”
Ki Soyul nodded and stepped back.
“……”
What was she?
What exactly was Delilah?
Just a Ranker? How could she enforce rules like that?
As I pondered, Jang Daewoong smirked.
“Little brother.”
He grinned.
“Want to hear something interesting?”
“Something interesting?”
“Yeah. Something you don’t know—no, something regular people could live their whole lives without ever hearing. About Rankers. Especially the top ones.”
“……”
Gulp.
I swallowed hard without thinking.
If he was offering, of course I wanted to hear it.
I nodded slowly.
“Sure!”