Shin Dong-hoon’s ability was instant acceleration, graded at A-rank.
He could move at extreme speeds while holding his breath—but I had yet to see him actually use it.
‘And the people with him aren’t ordinary either.’
Three B-rank Awakened and six C-rank Awakened.
A complete elite squad.
This group had been personally formed by Commander Lee Hak-gi and had significant experience in monster hunting—enough to successfully clear an Orc Dungeon in record time.
‘And Shin Dong-hoon is already level 37.’
At that level, he was among the highest-ranked citizens, aside from my retainers.
Citizens had an EXP buff that accelerated their growth.
For promising individuals, I had even manually increased their EXP gain, making it three to four times faster than normal.
But Shin Dong-hoon had surpassed that advantage and reached an even higher level.
Which could only mean one thing.
‘He’s been hunting high-level monsters.’
His combat record since obtaining citizenship was exceptional.
‘He’s well-regarded among his team, and he seems like a solid guy.’
That was more than enough for me.
‘I should offer him a spot as a retainer.’
I was also considering recruiting Lee Jun-ho, Park Seong-jun, and Kim Ki-tae, the three B-rank Awakened in his squad.
Recently, after upgrading Dignified Leadership, my retainer limit increased by 100, leaving plenty of room.
‘But this Hunter profession...’
Becoming a Hunter was actually incredibly simple.
I just had to assign a profession quest, and for Hunters, the condition was killing 30 monsters.
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Even 30 goblins would do.
And since I could issue firearms, clearing the Hunter profession quest was as easy as taking candy from a baby.
‘If they really want it, I can grant it...’
They could remove the profession at any time, so it wasn’t a huge deal.
‘But Warrior would be better.’
The Hunter profession’s effect was pretty underwhelming—it only allowed monster corpses to remain after death.
Which wasn’t that useful.
If a monster dropped valuable loot, I could just register it in the shop, making Hunter’s ability largely redundant.
The only real advantage was for hunting marine monsters.
Like Sky Bluefin Tuna.
These creatures resided along the coastline, and once, due to a White Dragon’s appearance, they had even swarmed inland.
Their sashimi was legendary, famous for its melt-in-your-mouth texture.
In fact, some citizens had specialized in hunting them exclusively.
Demand was so high that even after listing them in the shop, the trading hub saw more active sales due to their steep price.
It was a profitable business.
‘But Warrior actually enhances combat effectiveness.’
Since it was unlocked at Research Level 2, its benefits were much stronger than Hunter’s.
It granted a 50% boost to melee combat power and a temporary 100% increase in physical abilities.
‘The Warrior quest conditions... huh?’
The Warrior profession quest was unusual.
‘It requires clearing the Warrior’s Chamber?’
It seemed like Profession Research Level 2 had created special rooms for class changes.
‘Absolute Dweller’s Eye.’
I focused on the Profession Research Facility, and sure enough, I saw two new chambers.
‘This must be it.’
One was the Warrior’s Chamber, and the other was related to Marksman, which I hadn’t finished researching yet.
‘I should start Marksman research immediately.’
[Would you like to begin Marksman research?]
[Yes / No]
‘Start.’
Ding!
[Marksman]
...Research in progress...
***
"Squad leader, isn’t this a hasty decision?"
"What do you mean?"
"How can we be sure that we can actually hunt monsters safely from inside the Safe Zone? If this was such a great opportunity, wouldn’t the first Hunters have already monopolized all the monsters? They might already be extinct. Shouldn’t we scout the area first before making a decision?"
Shin Dong-hoon sighed.
"Ki-tae, like I said earlier, we can quit Hunter anytime. If it doesn’t work out, we just quit."
Kim Ki-tae was one of the more cautious members of the squad.
He couldn’t understand why Shin Dong-hoon was making such a rash decision.
"Then why don’t just a few of us switch to Hunter first?"
Shin Dong-hoon paused, considering the idea.
"Why would we need to do that?"
"If Hunter exists, that means other professions must exist too. And considering the one-month cooldown on changing jobs, there must be something better out there."
"So?"
"We should think carefully before choosing. If we make a hasty decision, we’ll be locked out of a better class for an entire month."
"Hmm..."
Shin Dong-hoon wasn’t the kind of leader who ignored his subordinates.
If he had been, Kim Ki-tae wouldn’t have even bothered speaking up.
There was no point arguing with someone who refused to listen.
But Shin Dong-hoon was a leader who valued input and was willing to change course if the reasoning was sound.
‘Besides, my real goal is meeting Kim Jae-hyun—not just becoming a Hunter.’
Just as he was about to agree that not everyone needed to switch—
"I agree. Hunter is a waste. Warrior would be much better."
A completely unfamiliar voice spoke up.
Everyone’s eyes snapped toward the source.
"?"
There, sitting casually among them, was a man they had never seen before.
It was unsettling—as if he had been there all along.
‘...It’s him.’
Yet, paradoxically, his presence was overwhelming.
His clean, unblemished skin, his simple yet elegant attire—on the surface, he was completely ordinary.
But sitting in front of him made them feel strangely dominated—as if they were in the presence of something far greater.
While everyone else was frozen, he spoke.
"Nice to meet you all. I’m Kim Jae-hyun."
"!!!"
The entire squad instinctively stepped back, startled.
"I-It’s an honor to meet you, sir!"
"L-Lee Jun-ho, sir!"
"Uh, uhhh..."
Men who had faced death daily now stood at attention like fresh recruits.
The only one who managed to keep his composure was Shin Dong-hoon.
He took a deep breath and spoke.
"It’s an honor to meet you, Jae-hyun-nim. I’m Shin Dong-hoon."
"Likewise."
"Likewise."
As they shook hands, Shin Dong-hoon outwardly remained calm.
But inside—
‘This... is something else.’
The difference between them was overwhelming.
Truly—
‘I never imagined the gap would be this vast...’
Shin Dong-hoon.
Shin Dong-hoon had always been confident in his own strength.
Compared to other Awakened, his abilities were exceptional.
In the beginning, he had relied on firearms to hunt monsters, just like everyone else.
But now?
He could slaughter a dozen orcs in an instant with nothing but a kitchen knife.
He had even hunted a Cyclops—the same giant that had forced his Awakening.
Of course, he had received support from his unit, but in the end, it had been his hand that had delivered the killing blow.
The moment he had tossed a pile ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) of grenades into the monster’s mouth and obliterated its head was burned into his memory.
After overcoming his fear of the Cyclops, he had believed he could stand proudly before Kim Jae-hyun, the ruler of this land.
Honestly, he had even thought that maybe—just maybe—they could meet as equals.
‘That was a complete delusion.’
Right now, what he felt wasn’t just fear—it was something far greater.
Since Awakening, he had developed an instinctive sense for measuring others’ strength.
He could tell that Lee Jun-ho, Park Seong-jun, and Kim Ki-tae were stronger than the rest of the squad.
He could even gauge the difference in power between each individual.
But—
‘This is on a completely different level.’
The man before him had no visible limits.
No matter how high he looked, there was no end—it was like staring at an impenetrable wall of absolute power.
It was precisely because Shin Dong-hoon was so strong himself that he could comprehend just how incomprehensible Kim Jae-hyun’s power truly was.
What he felt wasn’t just fear—it was something far deeper.
‘I can’t even compare myself to him.’
It was reverence.
A primal, instinctive submission, the kind one would feel before a godlike being.
And then—
Kim Jae-hyun spoke again.
"I believe, Dong-hoon, that you should challenge yourself to become a Warrior, rather than a Hunter. What do you think?"
There was no hesitation.
"I’ll do it."
Kim Jae-hyun smiled slightly and nodded.
"Good."
At that moment, a holographic window appeared.
《Class Change Quest》
Quest Objective: Clear the Warrior’s Chamber.
Reward: Class "Warrior"
Failure Penalty: Class Change Failure
And then—
"Good luck."
The moment Kim Jae-hyun’s voice reached his ears...
The world warped around him, and a wave of nausea hit.
"Ugh."
By the time he regained his senses, he was standing before a weapons display rack.
‘What is this...?’
[Please select a weapon.]
Every weapon on display was made of wood—
Swords, axes, spears, hammers, daggers.
They all looked like practice weapons, with dull wooden blades.
After some thought, Shin Dong-hoon selected a short sword, around 50cm in length.
Clink.
The moment he made his choice, the door to his right unlocked, revealing a spacious chamber.
‘I guess this is where it starts.’
Bright lights illuminated the room beyond.
Aside from being fairly large, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it.
Except—
There was one more door on the opposite side.
‘I get the gist of this.’
He instinctively understood what was about to happen.
Ssshhh... Hooo...
Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside.
The moment he entered, the door behind him shut tight.
Clink.
At the same time, the opposite door creaked open.
And then—
Creak— Creak—
From the shadows, a wooden mannequin emerged.
At first glance, it was laughably crude—
Just a lifeless training dummy made of wood.
But—
‘...This thing is no joke.’
Judging by its aura, it was as strong as Lee Jun-ho, his closest friend and sparring partner.
A mere wooden doll had power comparable to a B-rank Awakened.
And then—
TATAT—!
The mannequin rushed forward, instantly closing the distance.
In the same motion, it thrust its wooden spear straight at his chest.
KAGAK!
"!?"
The impact was insane.
Shin Dong-hoon had barely blocked it with his short sword, yet the sheer force sent him skidding backward.
‘But...!’
WOOOONG—!
A burning energy erupted from his chest, spreading throughout his entire body.
At the same time—
The world around him slowed.
And then—
KA—GA—K!
The mannequin’s spear movements became noticeably sluggish.
Meanwhile, Shin Dong-hoon’s body accelerated.
CRACK!
In a single instant, he smashed his short sword into the mannequin’s neck, shattering it completely.