Chapter 134
– “Woo Jin-Cheol?”
A news caster once conducted interviews with various officials regarding Woo Jin-Cheol.
And in response, the interviewees always asked the same question first.
– “Are you asking about him before or after the Great Cataclysm?”
This answer was the same no matter who was asked.
Because if one were to ask about the life Woo Jin-Cheol had led until now, the answer would be completely different depending on whether it was before or after the Great Cataclysm.
“Before the Great Cataclysm, Woo Jin-Cheol was a police chief. If I recall correctly, it was at the Central Police Station?”
The Central Police Station was a legendary place among officers.
For over twenty years, it held the highest crime arrest rate in the entire country.
Of course, Woo Jin-Cheol wasn’t the one who originally built that reputation.
Back then, there was a legendary detective in the violent crimes division of the Central Police Station—a man called “The Ghost.”
His arrest rate was an astonishing 200%.
Not only did he solve the cases assigned to him, but he also hunted down criminals from old, unsolved cases.
In the face of this “Ghost,” even the most ruthless criminals and gangsters would become meek as lambs.
But despite such incredible achievements, he had repeatedly refused promotions.
His reasoning?
To remain on the field.
To personally catch more criminals.
A simple yet resolute conviction kept him in his position as a detective in the violent crimes division.
That detective’s name was—
Sung Jinwoo.
The very man who was now the Shadow Monarch, waging war against the Itarim in the Outer Universe.
And Woo Jin-Cheol had been his direct superior since Sung Jinwoo’s high school days.
He was the one who had followed Sung Jinwoo around until he finally convinced him to take the police exam.
And thanks to Sung Jinwoo constantly pushing his achievements onto him, Woo Jin-Cheol had ended up rising through the ranks at an absurd speed.
Until eventually—
He became the Chief of Police.
With that sudden rise, many resented and gossiped behind his back.
– “He climbed the ranks by stepping on his colleagues.”
– “Why is he taking credit for his subordinates’ work?”
– “Did Detective Sung Jinwoo have some kind of dirt on him?”
But strangely enough, those who spread such rumors quickly fell silent after having a private conversation with Sung Jinwoo.
After that, a new rumor spread instead—
That the true power behind the Central Police Station was actually Detective Sung Jinwoo.
Of course, that had always been the case.
Many had witnessed firsthand how Woo Jin-Cheol treated his subordinate, Sung Jinwoo, with utmost respect.
However—
At some point, the once-famous Central Police Station stopped being mentioned among officers.
The turning point?
It was the day when Detective Sung Jinwoo suddenly stopped coming to work.
– “Rumors spread like wildfire. Some said that ‘The Ghost’ had gone missing, that he had quit the force, or that he had taken an extended leave… What was his name again?”
Strangely enough, though, the general public never really knew his name.
Whether it was intentional or not, the only name that ever appeared in the media was Woo Jin-Cheol.
However, among police officers, Sung Jinwoo’s name was legendary.
So when he suddenly disappeared, all sorts of rumors circulated.
And yet, Chief Woo Jin-Cheol never gave an explanation.
He merely marked Sung Jinwoo’s status as “on leave.”
As if he knew without a doubt that he would return someday.
And so—
The name “Sung Jinwoo” was gradually forgotten.
It was inevitable.
Because his absence left an enormous void.
For years, the officers of the Central Police Station had relied on him to solve their cases effortlessly.
Now, with crime breaking out everywhere, they were too busy running around cleaning up the mess to dwell on his absence.
– “And right around that time, the Great Cataclysm struck.”
That was when the real story began.
– “And after the Great Cataclysm, Woo Jin-Cheol finally revealed his true self.”
From that moment on, no one ever doubted his achievements again.
– “If I had to guess, Woo Jin-Cheol was probably the first person to awaken in Korea.”
Indeed.
When gates and monsters suddenly appeared all over the world, plunging it into chaos—
The then police chief, Woo Jin-Cheol, awakened faster than anyone else.
However, what made people revere him was not his awakening itself.
It was what he did after he awakened.
Unlike other awakened individuals, who were either confused or excited by their newfound abilities—
Woo Jin-Cheol acted as if he had always possessed this power.
He wielded it with perfect control.
And though it was unknown to the public—
The very first thing he did upon awakening was calmly close his eyes and assess his own power.
“…A-rank. Same as before.”
At the time, even America had yet to establish a ranking system for hunters.
There weren’t even devices to measure magic power, and yet—
From the very start, he knew his own rank.
It was only natural.
Because decades ago, he had already regained all the memories of his past life—thanks to Sung Jinwoo’s influence.
Before the Great Cataclysm, those memories had been useless.
But now—
With the world returning to an era of hunters, he had essentially become a “second-life hunter.”
And at that moment—
Woo Jin-Cheol realized the severity of the situation.
“This is bad… The world is in chaos again, and Hunter Sung Jinwoo isn’t here.”
Even before the Great Cataclysm, he knew that Sung Jinwoo often disappeared to deal with threats from another world.
Whenever that happened, Woo Jin-Cheol had always covered for him, marking him as “on vacation” or “on leave.”
But now—
It had been years since Sung Jinwoo had returned.
Even so, he never lost hope.
“Hunter Sung Jinwoo will return. And until that day comes…”
“I will do what must be done.”
And so—
Woo Jin-Cheol began to move, utilizing the memories of his past life to their fullest.
Right after the Great Cataclysm had begun.
At the time, the world was in complete chaos—not only because of the sudden emergence of monsters but also due to the overwhelming surge of awakened individuals.
Countless incidents and accidents arose as people struggled to adapt to the new reality.
As the police chief, Woo Jin-Cheol utilized all his authority and connections to establish the Hunter Association.
Then, he personally took on the role of the first Association President and began negotiations with government officials.
– “Korea was probably the first country in the world to create a Hunter Association.”
– “Thanks to that, our Hunter Laws were revised incredibly quickly.”
Normally, passing new laws would require extensive procedures and time.
But Woo Jin-Cheol, aware of this, methodically pushed through the most crucial legislations first.
One of the first laws he passed was the Villain Punishment Act—a response to the rising number of awakened individuals who abused their newfound powers and caused havoc in society.
Using that law, he began systematically eradicating villains.
‘Fighting monsters is already troublesome enough—humans shouldn’t be fighting each other, too.’
Of course, even in this life, Woo Jin-Cheol was only A-rank.
It wasn’t possible for him to take down every villain on his own.
But—
‘If my power is lacking, then I just need to gather more strength.’
His first step in strengthening the Hunter Association was to recruit the S-rank hunters he remembered from his past life.
One hunter, in particular, stood out—Choi Jong-In, a man once called “The Ultimate Weapon.”
He was destined to become Korea’s top guild master, but before he even awakened his mana, Woo Jin-Cheol had already befriended him under the guise of coincidence.
And the moment Choi Jong-In awakened as an S-rank hunter, Woo Jin-Cheol immediately handed him a business card.
“For this country, for justice, and to protect the world—will you stand with me?” (T/N: Damn. What a sneaky man.)
“…I understand.”
From that day on, Choi Jong-In became the face of the Korean Hunter Association, representing its S-rank hunters.
Thanks to Woo Jin-Cheol’s efforts, Korea quickly stabilized despite the chaos.
The speed at which order was restored was unparalleled, even by global standards.
His achievements propelled Woo Jin-Cheol into the limelight.
– “National Hero, Woo Jin-Cheol!”
But despite the fame and praise, Woo Jin-Cheol never let it shake him.
Instead, he remained focused on his duties, which only made the public admire him even more.
It was natural.
Because Woo Jin-Cheol was living his second life as a hunter.
Having already served as the Association President in his past life—succeeding Go Gun-Hee—he had the experience of leading hunters and maintaining order.
At this point, no Korean citizen could deny that he was a national hero.
His rank remained A-class, but even S-rank hunters didn’t dare act arrogantly in his presence.
– “For the past two years, every step that Association President Woo Jin-Cheol has taken as a government-appointed hunter has become a part of Korea’s hunter history.”
A final statement left by an interviewee wrapped up the broadcast.
And as the news caster nodded in satisfaction, the next segment began.
– “That concludes our interview. Up next, a report on Jisan Prison, a facility built by the Hunter Association two years ago, specializing in the incarceration of villains—”
—
“Woo Jin-Cheol became Korea’s Association President… that’s a relief.”
Now outside the Glacier Dungeon, Cha Hae-In let out a small sigh of relief as she checked Korea’s latest news online.
If Woo Jin-Cheol was leading the Hunter Association, then Korea was in safe hands.
She couldn’t even begin to imagine how much effort Woo Jin-Cheol must have put in over the last two years to fill the void left by Sung Jinwoo.
Feeling a tightness in her chest, Cha Hae-In turned to Suho and advised him.
“Woo Jin-Cheol was a close friend of your father. He’s currently on a relief mission in the North, so once he returns, go meet him immediately and explain the situation. He’ll be a valuable ally.”
“…Then what about you, Mother?”
Sensing something off in his mother’s words, Suho looked at her with a firm expression.
“I won’t be going with you.”
To Suho’s surprise, Cha Hae-In intended to return to the Glacier Dungeon.
She gently stroked Kaisel, the wyvern, who had shrunk to the size of a parrot and now rested on her shoulder.
“Kaisel will disappear soon if nothing is done. I can’t let that happen.”
For the past five years, Kaisel had been her guardian.
And now, Cha Hae-In planned to return to the Echo Forest, where the gray snow fell endlessly.
“Strangely enough, the deeper I went into the area where the gray snow fell, the more Kaisel’s depleted energy was restored—little by little.”
[That is likely because… that gray snow is actually dragon ashes.]
At Beru’s remark, Cha Hae-In nodded in agreement.
“Yes. I think so too.”
She still vividly remembered the story that Sung Jinwoo once told her about white snow falling from the sky.
Among the most formidable enemies in Sung Jinwoo’s life—there was the Dragon Emperor.
On the day he defeated the countless Light Dragons that served under that Dragon Monarch—
The ashes of their fallen bodies rained from the sky like snow.
“And beyond that gray snowfall, there must be…”
[A dimensional rift leading to the tomb of the Light Dragons.]
