WHOOSH-
"Ugh!"
Shi-woo quickly shielded his eyes.
An intense light was erupting from his body.
If he hadn't covered his eyes, he could have lost his sight!
'Light from my body?'
It was completely unexpected.
But that wasn't all.
SZZZ-
He felt a burning sensation all over his body.
'H-hot!'
A strange feeling, not localized, but engulfing his entire being!
FUWOOSH-
It was like his whole body was on fire, burning and tingling.
'What is this?'
Strangely, it wasn't painful.
No.
It was more like the refreshing feeling of sweating in a sauna.
HWOOSH-
The only discomfort was the bright light, seeping through his fingers.
His body was emitting an incredible amount of light.
'How is this possible?'
Even experiencing it, he couldn't believe it.
'As far as I know, this has never happened before?'
Shi-woo, eyes closed, quickly reviewed his knowledge of Hunters.
Nearly seven years had passed since the mana energy measurement device was introduced.
During that time, mana measurements had been conducted in over 40 countries, and many Hunters had been tested.
He knew this well, having reviewed the data daily.
Surprisingly, there had never been a single accident.
The mana energy measurement device was that safe.
'Then why?'
Why was this supposedly safe machine malfunctioning?
Or was it even a malfunction?
Was it a problem with his body?
His mind was reeling.
SHWOOSH-
Suddenly, the bright light that had been bothering his eyes disappeared, like someone turning off a spotlight.
Along with the heat that had been warming his body.
"Wh-what?"
Then, everything was quiet, as if nothing had happened.
SWISH-
Shi-woo lowered his hands and quickly checked his body.
'Th-the red spots are gone!'
Surprisingly, the spots that had covered his body had disappeared with the light.
'What about my face?'
He stroked his face with both hands.
The bumpy spots were gone.
'They're gone.'
Shi-woo, heart pounding, cautiously looked around.
The testing room was unchanged.
Nothing was broken, and there were no signs of heat damage or soot.
'Was that real?'
Shi-woo tried to think logically.
His body had reacted as soon as the machine was activated.
Light and heat.
Then, the light faded, and the spots disappeared.
Were the light and heat symptoms of the spots disappearing?
Influenced by the machine's energy?
He looked at the machine.
WHIRR-CHIRP-WHINE-CHIRP-CHIRP-
Fortunately or unfortunately, the machine was working fine.
'What's going on?'
Shi-woo looked at the control panel, slightly uneasy.
"What happened? Fire? Explosion?"
"N-no fire. Nothing exploded."
The two men, who had been lying on the floor, got up, looking around.
And at the same time,
WHIRRR-BEEEEP-
The machine stopped, signaling the end of the test.
"Damn it!"
But Kang Gu-jin, seemingly uninterested, rushed over to Shi-woo.
"What are you? What did you do?"
As expected, this guy had no manners.
Ignoring him was the answer.
RUSTLE-
Shi-woo put on his jacket.
Then he tried to leave.
The test was over.
But,
TAP-
Kang Gu-jin grabbed his arm.
"Hey! Are you listening to me?"
What was this?
Shi-woo glared at Kang Gu-jin.
"What?"
He retorted.
Kang Gu-jin, turning red, shouted, spitting,
"That! What was that? Why did it explode with light? Do you know how much this machine costs? What kind of trick are you playing?"
"Trick?"
"Yes! Trick! Do you think the Hunter Agency is a joke? What did you do? What did you do?"
'Damn it.'
Shi-woo suppressed his anger.
He took a deep breath.
"Look, Mr. Kang. Aren't you the facility manager here? Then this is your fault."
"Wh-what?"
"I've never been here before. You should have explained the precautions and warnings. You said nothing, and now you're acting like this? What kind of trick is that?"
"Tr-trick? Did you just say trick?"
"Yes. Mr. Kang. Don't you have a manual? Rules? Isn't it a violation to run a test without informing the testee of the precautions?"
"Th-that's…"
Kang Gu-jin's face twisted.
He never imagined getting such a lecture from a civilian at the KHA.
The KHA building was a government facility.
The machines and equipment were funded by taxpayers.
There were detailed regulations for everything.
Including the testing room.
Informing the testee of precautions and warnings before operating the machine was mandatory, along with a health check.
But they had skipped the basics.
It was a clear violation.
Kang Gu-jin knew this.
'Hmph.'
Shi-woo glared at Kang Gu-jin.
"Damn it!"
Kang Gu-jin gritted his teeth.
Shi-woo was right.
Kang Gu-jin, unable to retort, just breathed heavily.
Then,
"You think I'll let this go? Your company is Kiri & Tech, right?"
Kang Gu-jin, holding Shi-woo's information, threatened.
He wasn't going to let it slide.
What a petty guy!
Bringing up his company!
Shi-woo felt a bit uneasy.
He didn't expect him to drag his company into this.
Kiri & Tech was a Hunter-related product company.
It was inevitably connected to the KHA.
'Damn it. Is he going to use his power?'
He was angry.
He had expected this when he decided to confront Kang Gu-jin.
Shi-woo was a powerless "eul" in a world of "gap."
This was the KHA, and he was just an employee of Kiri & Tech.
But he had calculated that Kang Gu-jin wouldn't dare to touch his company.
He was a testing room manager.
Which meant he was a KHA section chief.
A D-Rank Hunter at best.
Would such a person touch a mid-sized company like Kiri & Tech for personal reasons?
Even for a Hunter, a D-Rank Hunter had limitations.
But,
DING-
Kang Gu-jin, with a vicious look, took out his phone.
"Hey, it's me. You said your brother belongs to the Baekdu Mountain Guild, right?"
Baekdu Mountain Guild?
Shi-woo's ears perked up.
The Baekdu Mountain Guild was a major client of Kiri & Tech.
They accounted for 30% of the company's revenue.
'Damn it!'
Shi-woo looked at Kang Gu-jin, worried.
Kang Gu-jin, smirking, said,
"Hey, do you know the purchasing manager of the Baekdu Mountain Guild? You know him well? Great. Then you have the authority to change suppliers? You do? Okay. I'll see you tonight. Yeah, okay."
DING-
Kang Gu-jin, triumphant, looked at Shi-woo.
As if saying, "What do you think? Still want to mess with me?"
CLENCH-
Shi-woo clenched his fist.
He wasn't going to back down.
He wasn't going to take this lying down.
'A public official trying to harass a civilian by asking favors from his connections?'
He had endured a lot as an "eul," but he would fight if he thought he was being wronged.
So, Shi-woo was ready to fight back.
But then,
"Excuse me, Section Chief Kang."
Woo-shik Choi, the researcher, who had been quiet, interrupted.
Kang Gu-jin turned sharply.
"This isn't your business!"
"No, it's not that. The results are in."
"What? Did this guy awaken as a Hunter?"
"Yes."
"What?"
"Huh?"
Shi-woo looked at Woo-shik in surprise.
So did Kang Gu-jin.
The number of "winners" was decreasing every year.
Every country was desperate for Hunters.
And now, a winner had emerged!
"R-rank? What's the rank?"
Kang Gu-jin rushed to the control panel.
CLENCH-
Shi-woo clenched his fist, too.
Rank was crucial