Whether it was the sweating professor standing at the front of the lecture hall or the terrified sophomores desperately trying to take notes, absolutely everyone in the psychology class was a nervous wreck.
They kept stealing quick, terrified glances at Min-jun. But more than that, they were nervously staring at the beautiful, golden-haired woman sitting quietly and gracefully in the desk right next to his.
Nobody dared to say a single word to her. Despite her stunning, idol-like beauty, everyone in South Korea recognized Cha Hae-In. She was the Vice Master of the Hunters Guild, the only female S-Rank in the country, and an incredibly lethal Warrior class. If a student said something stupid to her, would she accidentally cut their head off?
The suffocating tension of having two god-tier S-Rank Hunters sitting in a standard university classroom was almost too much for normal human hearts to handle.
Yet, the primary cause of this chaotic incident—Kim Min-jun—was perfectly calm. He was completely focused on his notebook, entirely ignoring Hae-In, who kept subtly—and sometimes not-so-subtly—staring at the side of his face.
Why was she staring at him so intensely?
He would ask her later. Right now, he was utilizing this rare window of quiet time to seriously strategize his future as a Hunter.
Before today, his future had been incredibly straightforward: finish his degree, secure his influencer income, get a corporate job, and survive. As a normal, un-Awakened mortal, the apocalyptic problems of the world—the dungeon breaks, the Gates, the monsters—had absolutely nothing to do with him.
It might sound incredibly apathetic, but when you are a normal human desperately grinding just to pay taxes and buy groceries, how could you possibly worry about saving the planet?
His original survival plan had been a little embarrassing but highly practical: stay close to Sung Jin-woo and rely on him. Min-jun knew Jin-woo was incredibly naive and had a terrible habit of carrying the weight of the entire world on his own shoulders. That was just how Jin-woo's core personality worked, and no amount of leveling up was ever going to change his self-sacrificing nature.
Min-jun genuinely cared about Jin-woo like a brother. They had known each other since childhood, and they had always looked out for each other. That was exactly why Min-jun was actually relieved he had Awakened. Now, he possessed the firepower to actually help Jin-woo instead of just hiding in a bunker while his friend fought gods in the dark.
However, officially stepping onto the board as an S-Rank Hunter meant Min-jun was now expected to face the absolute worst nightmares this planet had to offer.
Specifically: Jeju Island and North Korea.
Both of those massive territories had been completely lost to dungeon breaks. The monsters had utterly ravaged those regions, wiping out all human life. Anyone who didn't evacuate in time was eaten, turning those areas into terrifying, quarantined wastelands that effectively made the already small Korean peninsula even smaller.
Becoming an S-Rank instantly solved all of Min-jun's financial problems, but it severely complicated his survival rating. Eventually, the government was going to try and force him into a raid to reclaim those dead zones.
Unlike Jin-woo, who could literally sink into the shadows, hide his presence entirely, and summon an immortal army to fight for him, Min-jun was an Archer. Aside from shooting long-range magical arrows from the backline, what else could he actually do in a warzone?
What do you think, Manager?
[Report. There are multiple highly viable tactical possibilities. Would you like me to analyze the absolute maximum potential of the S-Rank Archer class?]
Sure.
[Defining the S-Rank Archer.]
[Refining the Combat Profile.]
[Prioritizing Skill Synergy.]
[Analysis complete. Would you like to review the data?]
Yes.
Min-jun casually turned the page of his notebook as the Manager directly fed the tactical breakdown into his brain.
First, his fighting style shouldn't be focused on flashy, explosive damage. It needed to be cold, analytical, and highly manipulative. Instead of running around the battlefield screaming like a frontline Fighter, he needed to stand at the absolute farthest edge of the dungeon—way behind the Healers.
His optimal role was a tactical sniper.
He didn't need to blow off the monster's head; he just needed to cripple it. A compressed mana arrow through a boss monster's kneecap, blinding its eyes, or severing its Achilles tendon. He would completely shatter the monster's mobility and let the heavy hitters—like Hae-In or Yoon-Ho—handle the messy execution.
In other words, Min-jun would become the omniscient "Eyes" of the raid. He would hold all the geographical information, map the dungeon, and redirect the frontline fighters like pieces on a chessboard so the raid could be finished flawlessly without a single casualty.
Was that actually possible?
Absolutely. With the Manager acting as a super-computer in his mind, analyzing the environment, tracking enemy movements, and mapping thermal signatures, Min-jun was essentially a walking, weaponized GPS radar.
It might sound like a low-key, boring support role compared to swinging a flaming broadsword, but Min-jun didn't care about looking cool for the cameras. He only cared about extreme efficiency and staying alive.
Suddenly, an interesting thought crossed his mind. He remembered the knowledge he had synced from Suzuki in the Naruto universe. That version of himself had learned how to perfectly analyze and replicate the elemental Jutsu of other ninja just by adjusting the frequency of his chakra.
Hey, Manager. Is it possible for me to do that here?
[Affirmative.]
Really? Even though Hunter classes are supposed to be strictly locked at Awakening?
[Based on the collected multiversal data, it is highly possible. In fundamental physics, a Hunter's "Class" is simply a specific vibrational frequency of the mana they project. It is identical to how a ninja is born with a natural affinity for Fire or Water chakra. While it is considered impossible for a standard human brain to consciously manipulate their innate mana wavelength, the user possesses me. I can calculate and forcefully adjust your mana frequency to replicate the skills of Mages, Assassins, or Tanks.]
"....."
Min-jun hid a small, triumphant smile behind his hand.
If he used the Manager to actively hack the frequency of his mana, he could theoretically replicate the abilities of every single class in the world. He was basically a walking glitch.
However, strangely enough, he still vastly preferred staying an Archer.
Why? Wasn't the Archer historically considered the weakest combat class?
In terms of pure support, Healers were far more effective. In terms of raw damage, Warriors hit much harder. In terms of defense, Tankers were unbreakable walls. In terms of massive area-of-effect destruction, Mages ruled the battlefield. In terms of speed, Assassins were unmatched.
So, what exactly did an Archer have that made it the absolute best class for Min-jun?
Well, if he had to sum it up in one word: Hygiene.
Yes, being clean.
Fighters, Tanks, and Assassins were constantly forced to fight in the trenches. They got covered head-to-toe in toxic monster blood, acidic slime, and rotting guts. They smelled absolutely terrible after a raid, and they had to physically touch disgusting, horrifying creatures with their bare hands.
Mages were basically walking glass cannons. They had to stand perfectly still, loudly chanting embarrassing, long-winded spells while desperately hoping a goblin didn't sneak up and stab them in the back.
And Healers? Did he even need to explain how awful it was to play the support role? The fact that South Korea had a literal S-Rank Healer who was so chronically disrespected and underpaid that he had retired to study for a boring civil servant exam told Min-jun everything he needed to know about the country's toxic gaming culture.
The undisputed, glorious perfection of the Archer class was all about distance.
When a raid boss attacked and all the Tanks and Fighters were screaming, sweating, and rolling around in the mud, Min-jun didn't have to participate in the barbarism.
He could literally stand two kilometers away on a floating mana platform. He could wear a pristine, custom-tailored Italian suit. He could casually sip an iced Americano while his auto-aimed mana arrows silently disintegrated the enemy from the next zip code over.
Instead of walking out of the dungeon smelling like a wet dog and a sewer rat, he would walk out smelling like expensive cologne and freshly ironed silk.
Yes, he knew the Archer class lacked heavy defensive skills, and if a monster actually managed to close the distance, he would be in trouble. That was exactly why he still needed to eventually pirate a copy of Jin-woo's System to guarantee his ultimate survival.
But for now? He was perfectly content being the cleanest, most unbothered Hunter on the planet.
Hmm, Min-jun thought, breaking out of his tactical planning.
He slowly turned his head to the right.
Cha Hae-In was still staring intently at his neck. Her striking gray eyes were completely unfocused, and she was subtly leaning closer to him, taking slow, deep breaths through her nose like a person who had just found an oxygen mask on a sinking submarine.
Seriously, Min-jun thought, adjusting his glasses. What is up with this woman?