Chapter 8: The Rank That Shouldn't Exist
The rankings were supposed to bring order.
They were supposed to tell the world who was strong… and who was weak.
Instead—
They broke it.
The First Global Rankings
Every screen, every phone, every system window lit up at once.
[Global Ranking Announcement]
Combat Power Rankings – Individual
Names scrolled rapidly.
Lee Min-Seok – Radiant Dawn
Park Joon-Hyuk – Heaven's Balance
Choi Min-Jae – Iron Wall
Cheers echoed across cities.
Heroes were being crowned.
Then—
The screen froze.
Static tore through the interface.
A single name appeared.
— ERROR —
Rank: UNASSIGNED
Entity: Kang Tae-Hyun
Classification: Unmeasurable Variable
Silence.
Then panic.
Public Reaction
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Is that a bug?"
"Why isn't he ranked?"
Forums exploded. Guild leaders slammed desks. Analysts argued nonstop.
Lee Min-Seok stared at the screen in disbelief.
"…Unmeasurable?" he whispered.
Behind him, a Radiant Dawn officer spoke carefully.
"That usually means… the system can't calculate his limit."
Lee Min-Seok's jaw tightened.
So even the system fears you.
The System Watches Back
In a place no human could see—
Data streams twisted.
Calculations failed.
[System Internal Log]
Threat trajectory exceeds predictive model
Conclusion: Observation required
For the first time since its birth—
The system chose to watch instead of control.
Seo-Ah's Awakening Begins
Back at the warehouse, Yoon Seo-Ah clutched her chest.
Something burned inside her.
"Bro…" she whispered, voice shaking. "I feel… strange."
Mana surged violently around her.
Tae-Hyun was beside her instantly.
"Don't resist it," he said firmly. "Let it flow."
Light exploded from her body.
A window opened.
[Hidden Awakening Detected]
Class Candidate: Sanctified Vanguard
Alignment: Protective / Combat Support
Growth Rate: S-Rank
Seo-Ah collapsed to her knees, gasping.
Tae-Hyun caught her.
"…You'll be strong," he said quietly. "Stronger than they expect."
She looked up at him, eyes glowing faintly.
"Then I'll protect you too."
For a split second—
He froze.
Then nodded once.
A Trap Is Set
Elsewhere, inside Radiant Dawn's headquarters—
Lee Min-Seok smiled again.
"The rankings caused exactly the chaos I wanted," he said.
A large dungeon marker pulsed on the map.
[A-Rank Dungeon: Crimson Gate]
"Announce a public raid," he ordered.
"Invite all top players."
Someone hesitated. "And Kang Tae-Hyun?"
Lee Min-Seok's smile sharpened.
"Especially him."
Before the Storm
Tae-Hyun stared at the dungeon notice.
"A public raid," Seung-Ho said nervously.
"Too many eyes."
Tae-Hyun clenched his fist.
"They want to measure me," he said.
His gaze hardened.
"Fine."
Let them see what an error looks like.
🔥 End of Chapter 8 🔥