Chapter 164

The Haeundae beach was surrounded by a massive crowd.

Citizens and reporters had gathered to witness the sudden outbreak of undead monsters.

“From this point on, no entry is allowed!”

“Ah! I’m telling you, it’s dangerous!”

Police officers and employees from the Hunter Association’s Busan branch, who had been called in for assistance, were struggling to keep the citizens away by setting up barricades.

However, no matter how hard they tried, the influx of people showed no signs of stopping.

“Danger? Who cares! An S-rank Hunter came down from Seoul—there’s no way I’m missing this!”

After the Great Cataclysm, the Hunter profession became one of the most coveted jobs.

As long as one entered a dungeon suited to their abilities, the risks weren’t as severe as expected.

And the potential for making an astronomical amount of money meant that it was only natural for everyone to idolize Hunters.

Among them, S-rank Hunters, who were few in number worldwide, gained a level of fame rivaling that of celebrities.

So, when a Dungeon Break occurred in such an open area, citizens’ reactions were divided into two distinct groups.

Either they evacuated to a safe distance.

Or they came to watch.

Most chose the former, but surprisingly, a significant number of thrill-seekers flocked to witness the spectacle firsthand.

For example, people like this—

“Yo, dear viewers! Can you see this? I’ve risked my life to give you a front-row seat to actual skeletons, just like in the movies! If you send some donations, I’ll launch a drone immediately!”

“Guys! The guild master of Reaper Guild, Im Taegyu, has come to support this fight! We have to see this in person, right? Thanks for the donation!”

Among the spectators were many independent content creators who considered themselves citizen journalists.

Some even brought high-end drone cameras to livestream the battle.

It was common for them to take reckless actions in hopes of attracting more donations, often putting themselves in danger.

“Senior.”

A female Association employee, who had been struggling with the crowd, spoke to her superior with a tearful expression.

“Are we going to have to deal with this every time a gate appears?”

Her senior, also visibly fatigued, massaged his throbbing temples.

“What else can we do? They say this is the largest-scale Dungeon Break in Busan’s history.”

As he spoke, he glanced behind him, and the fatigue on his face deepened.

Had the gate been detected earlier, the situation wouldn’t have escalated to this extent.

‘And to make matters worse, it just had to be skeleton soldiers rising from the sea in front of Busan.’

It felt like a scene straight out of an old Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

To top it off, one of the hottest topics in recent times—an S-rank Hunter—had shown up in person, further fueling public interest and excitement.

“……This is perfect clickbait material. If I were a YouTuber, I’d be out here filming too.”

The senior, who was himself an avid watcher of online content, sighed at the irony.

“But seeing it in person, it really is impressive.”

“Who? Im Taegyu?”

“Yeah. He’s on another level. He’s firing ten magic arrows at once, and they all hit their targets.”

“……Well, despite all the controversies, he is still an S-rank Hunter.”

Despite his words, the senior couldn’t take his eyes off Im Taegyu, occasionally murmuring in admiration.

From what he had heard, Im Taegyu wasn’t here to engage in direct combat but was assigned to the gate exploration team.

So instead of standing safely at a distance and shooting arrows like a typical archer, he was—

Using his agility to weave through the skeletons while searching for traces of the gate.

Only when he found himself surrounded did he use his bow to clear a path.

Because of this, it seemed to outsiders like he was constantly in precarious situations, making the YouTubers go even crazier.

“Whoa! Did you see that?! One shot, ten kills! Im Taegyu never disappoints!”

“You guys know, right? The Reaper Guild may have gone bankrupt, but Im Taegyu is still Korea’s best archer!”

Ba-ra-bam! Ba-ra-bam!

[10,000 KRW donation for every 10 kills by Im Taegyu!]

[50,000 KRW donation for every 100 kills by Im Taegyu!]

“Whoa! Thanks for the donation!”

“Viewers! I’m keeping a real-time kill count of all the skeletons Im Taegyu is taking down!”

‘Unbelievable.’

…While the Hunters were literally risking their lives, something utterly absurd was happening on the sidelines.

The number of donations pouring in was directly proportional to the number of monsters being slain.

And it hadn’t even been a full minute since Im Taegyu and the exploration team had entered the battlefield.

‘……How could anyone not show up for this? Even I would.’

Perhaps this was why the saying “The bear does the tricks, but the owner takes the money” existed.

Of course, in reality, the Hunters were the ones making far more money than these YouTubers, so there wasn’t much point in complaining.

‘Well, I guess this is a form of creative economy.’

Anyway—

From the perspective of the Association staff, all they could do was pray that the situation would be resolved without casualties.

“……Huh?”

But at that moment—

Something changed.

Whiiiiish—

A sudden cold wave swept through the area.

“Huh?”

The crowd, who had been fixated on Im Taegyu, suddenly turned their gazes in unison toward a different direction.

Their eyes widened in shock.

“W-What is that?!”

The exploration team had split into different directions.

Among them were A-rank Hunters, including the famous vice-master of the Knights Guild, as well as several Hunters native to Busan.

But there were a few unfamiliar faces among them.

One of them, at the very forefront, extended a hand forward.

Craaaaack—!

……The sea off the coast of Busan froze solid.

“……!”

“……?!”

The skeletons that had been crawling out of the sand.

The crashing waves behind them.

All of it had frozen in place, creating a breathtaking scene.

And just like that—

Every spectator’s expression turned to ice as well.

“……W-Who is that?!”

“V-Viewers! Does anyone have any info on that Hunter?!”

A wave of shock rippled through the crowd.

Haeundae erupted into an uproar.

“Q-Quick! Search the list of Hunters who volunteered for the exploration team!”

“Calling them now!”

Even reporters from the broadcasting stations were frantically contacting the Knights Guild for information.

Meanwhile, reckless YouTubers outright clung to the Association staff, practically begging for answers.

“Who is that Hunter?! Please, just give me some info…!”

“That was Blizzard just now, wasn’t it?! Only an elite few high-rank magic-type Hunters can pull that off…!”

“From what I know, casting a large-scale spell like that requires an insane amount of mana. Who the hell…!”

Ba-ra-bam!

[100 million won reward for identifying that Hunter first!]

“H-Holy crap! I’ll even split the donation! Just tell me who it is!”

“S-Stop crowding! No one is allowed past this point!”

“Please, maintain a safe distance…!”

The hysteria was completely understandable.

Who had ever seen someone manipulate extreme weather within a specific area like that?

A bright, sunny sky had suddenly turned into a raging blizzard, freezing hundreds of skeletons in an instant!

“I’ve never heard of a Hunter like that in Korea…!”

“F-Found it!”

“……!”

A sudden shout made everyone turn toward its source.

One of the YouTubers, who happened to have a connection within the Knights Guild, raised his phone like a World Cup trophy and shouted in triumph.

“Woojin Guild! It’s the Woojin Guild! The guild master is Hunter Sung Suho!”

“W-Woojin Guild?”

“Never heard of it.”

“Is it a new guild?”

Finally, the mystery behind the Blizzard-casting Hunter had been solved, but instead of clarity, it only brought more confusion.

No one had any information on the Woojin Guild.

However, among the crowd, some had a sharp memory.

“W-Wait a second! Sung Suho… Could it be?!”

They hurriedly searched the internet for past articles.

And then—they found it.

“Sung Suho! That’s the Hunter who resolved the Lee Minseong incident!”

“Oh, shit, you’re right! There’s even a photo of him standing beside Baek Miho and Im Taegyu!”

The collective intelligence of the public was truly astonishing.

Within moments of Suho using his skill, they had completely uncovered his identity.

‘Just as planned.’

Suho smirked slightly as he listened to the commotion from afar.

‘Now that I have a guild, there’s no better opportunity to put our name out there.’

Until now, Suho had deliberately kept a low profile while resolving various incidents—partially by choice, but also by necessity.

His primary reason was to avoid revealing his Shadow Authority to any hidden Itarim apostles lurking in the shadows.

But displaying a different skill in public?

That was of no concern at all.

‘In fact, this is perfect.’

Building the guild’s reputation was of utmost importance to Suho.

After all, why had he founded a guild in the first place?

To level up.

A guild would grant him access to higher-ranked dungeons, which in turn meant more opportunities for leveling up.

Though, in reality, high-level dungeon access could be purchased as long as one had enough money.

And money?

The Scavenger Guild was due to make a massive payment to him next month.

Then why was Suho focusing on boosting the guild’s renown instead?

The answer was simple.

North Korea.

‘If I want to go to North Korea, my guild needs to be well-known.’

High-ranked dungeons were important, but Suho’s ultimate goal was to hunt in North Korea.

After the Great Cataclysm, North Korea had become an untamed land—a vast monster field where no one could safely venture.

Even the Hunter Association’s President, Woo Jincheol, and Vice President Choi Jong-In had gone on an official mission to provide aid there—only to never return.

If the overflowing monsters in North Korea weren’t eliminated in time, they would inevitably flood into South Korea.

The so-called “North Korea aid mission” was, in truth, a northern conquest.

To most, North Korea had become a nightmare.

But to Suho?

It was an endless paradise of experience points.

However, the problem was that one couldn’t simply decide to enter North Korea.

Even though the country had collapsed, it hadn’t officially reunited with the South.

Moreover, convicted Hunters—like the criminals from Jisan Prison—were increasingly being banished to North Korea.

If the border were left open without proper regulations, nothing would stop these criminals from escaping or exploiting the surviving North Korean citizens.

A lawless, uncontrollable wasteland.

To prevent such chaos, the South Korean government and the Hunter Association had implemented strict regulations—only authorized guilds could set foot in North Korea.

And one of the most crucial requirements for authorization?

Recognition.

The public needed to acknowledge that a guild wasn’t entering North Korea for criminal or self-serving purposes.

And the best way to gain public trust was through high-profile performances in situations like this.

‘…But the Jisan Prison incident is a bit tricky.’

Taking down 500 villains in a single day was an incredible feat—one that should have earned universal praise.

Yet, public opinion remained divided.

– “He straight-up massacred 500 living people in a single day. That guy isn’t normal.”
– “He’s basically a serial killer.”
– “They weren’t civilians; they were criminals. It’s fine.”

For now, the White Tiger Guild was suppressing information about Jisan Prison.

But if that story became the first thing people associated with Suho, it would complicate his goal of hunting in North Korea.

So—

Craaaack—!

As a gate exploration team member, Suho had deliberately chosen to unleash his full power amidst the skeleton horde.

“T-That bastard! We sent him to find the gate, and instead, he’s wiping out all the skeletons?!”

Even Im Taegyu was dumbfounded at the flashy debut of Woojin Guild’s leader.

‘Since when did Suho have a skill like that?!’