Whoooosh—
Jeong-woo felt an indescribable energy physically seeping into his chest. A skill. The sensation of a supernatural phenomenon blending with his aptitude, turning the hunter into a superhuman.
At a time like this? His thoughts paused for a moment.
'Please! Anything!' Praying desperately for a way out of this situation.
[No more worrying about bad villains! Skill: 'Kids Need Heroes!' has been unlocked!]
[Warning! No required sub-skill! Loading skill!]
[Kids should only see good things! Skill: 'All-Ages Filter' has been unlocked!]
Zzzt!
With noise, another ability bloomed in his chest. Two skills at once. No time to figure out what they were. Jeong-woo hurriedly shouted.
"Activate!"
Then, the miracle happened.
Baaaaang—!
A puff of clouds spread out. Clouds that looked just like the explosion effects in cartoons kids watch. Jeong-woo felt exhaustion flooding in. What had changed? He wondered, and the answer came from an unexpected place.
"Krong...?" Segi said.
Her peeking gaze was directed at where the demonic beast had been. Jeong-woo turned his head. Only then could he see it.
[All-Ages Filter is active!]
Jeong-woo's eyes widened as if they might tear.
"Huh?"
Groooar!
In the spot where the sinister demonic beast should have been, a massive dinosaur plushie stood with its mouth open wide. Its form had changed. And that wasn't the end.
[Sub-conditions met. 'Kids Need Heroes!' activated! No summonable summons available! Loading new slot!]
Beep— Beep— Beep— Pow!
[Status - Slot 1 Unlocked: Teddy Warrior (S) Summoned]
Pop! Pop!
With adorable footsteps, a life-sized teddy bear plushie appeared. Equipped with a red cape and toy sword, it stood blocking the dinosaur. The dinosaur plushie and teddy bear plushie faced each other. The childish atmosphere felt utterly unreal.
Jeong-woo's mouth fell open. But regardless of his shock, the situation unfolded. The teddy bear whoosh! flung its cape and raised its sword. Black smoke gathered at the dinosaur plushie's mouth.
"Ooh, whoa...!"
The moment Segi's eyes sparkled,
Baaaaang—!
The teddy bear swung its sword down. A golden beam shot diagonally, piercing the sky. Chills ran down his spine at the ultra-compressed physical face wave. But the surprises didn't end there.
"...?"
Where the beam's light faded, the dinosaur plushie's head was pierced, stuffing spilling from its neck. Soon, pooof! with a cartoonish sound, the dinosaur vanished like a villain from a comic, leaving gray puff clouds behind.
Clatter! And a single red magic stone in its place.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Second Gates were the trickiest disasters in urban areas. Not dozens of manageable low-level mobs, but a single powerful entity. You might think a single target makes it easier, but that's clueless talk.
Since the Millennium Shock when gates first appeared, champions always caused the most damage in cities. Their ever-new unique traits requiring fresh analysis, and stats that leap ranks, made control a nightmare. One famous incident in Korea involved an A-Rank champion, ID Longinus. It fired spine-generated wedges like artillery, each shot carving 300m-long, 10m-wide craters, devastating Chuncheon's heart.
With that history, A-Rank champion demonic beasts were symbols of terror. Panic at a red gate was inevitable. Sure, Korea handled gates well, but that didn't guarantee safety from the beast bursting out now.
Yet—
"I-is it caught...?"
The bustling street, moments ago a warzone, fell silent. Only street music droned on obliviously. People saw a man in the street's center, clutching a child, panting. His gentle features and tall frame gave a good impression, but sweat-soaked and trembling eyes screamed anxiety. Still in shock, he hugged the child tightly, dazed.
But onlookers understood.
"That guy, just now..."
"Yeah, he awakened..."
"Turned into a plushie? The beast..."
The blood-red gate had spat out a beast targeting the man. Then clouds burst from him, turning it into a giant dinosaur plushie. Next, his summoned sword-wielding teddy bear fired a beam, slaying the plushie-turned-beast. The scorched, upheaved ground and central magic stone proved it wasn't a dream.
Too unreal. A disaster turned a kids' cartoon scene in seconds. Not just any beast—an A-Rank champion, urban reaper. That childish gap hit before "We're alive!" so no one spoke rashly.
In the confusion.
"We're entering! Citizens, evacuate—no... huh?"
Hunters arrived—late, but under five minutes post-incident. But it was over. They gaped, stunned.
Beep!
It was all captured on someone's camera. A thrill-seeker filming amid life-or-death uploaded it with a creepy giggle.
'Jackpot!'
Gate probably A-Rank. A-Rank champion turned dino plushie, one-shot by teddy bear. Anyone into hunters knew: only top A-Rank or S-Rank could pull that off. The thrill-seeker glanced at the tall man holding the kid.
'S-Rank? New S-Rank in Korea?'
Not just any S-Rank—innate from first awakening. Pinnacle superhuman. Upload first?
'Hurry, edit and post!'
Jackpot. This video reverses his life! The man felt fireworks in his head, grinning ear-to-ear as he bolted.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A near-catastrophic incident hit Seoul's busy streets. No casualties was a relief, but some couldn't relax—like the zone's safety manager.
Baaaam!
"You fucking idiots get what just happened!?"
Maram Guild Master Baek Geun-ho punched the wall, veins bulging, crumpling concrete. One reason for his rage.
"Get your shit together! Gate in central Seoul! In our zone! What the hell were you doing tracking it—?!"
Over 30 years since gates opened. Gates weren't mysteries anymore—preventable disasters. Track pre-spawn flow, prep safety nets at spawn for raids: standard. That trust let people walk streets safely. Failing meant negligence, forfeiting defense rights. Major fuckup. Seoul inner defense gig. Maram Guild's profits at stake—survival threatened. Geun-ho yanked his tie irritably. Had to handle it.
Luckily, options existed.
"Where's he?"
"Y-yes! Handed to Nowon-gu Hunter Management Bureau!"
"CCTV secured? Info control?"
"All done! No info on him leaked yet."
"Move! Now!"
Luck held. Zero casualties eased cleanup. Key: not rival guild elites who did it. A total newbie. Freshly awakened hunter. Not cute size, though.
'S-Rank! Innate S-Rank for sure!'
Geun-ho reviewed CCTV. Absurd, childish powers, but as hunter skill? Terrifying aspects galore.
'Reality manipulation type. Less than 1% of hunters!'
Academia called environment-rewriting beyond physics 'reality manipulation.' Ultra-rare, unreasonable; applicable to foes too—top 1% therein. Ends there? Nope.
'Summon aptitude!'
Low risk, high return. Low main-body risk shines in recon to combat. 'Low ceiling' flaw, but he one-shot A-Rank champion. Even active A-Rank Geun-ho couldn't solo it ever—not his issue. Thus: 'Forces advantageous battles for summons via reality manipulation.' Looks goofy, but 0-tier classification.
"Profile?"
"N-name Shin Jeong-woo. 22, orphan, has 4-year-old daughter. Single dad, severe poverty."
"Lucky life reversal."
No sarcasm. Hunters born lucky.
"Contract?"
"Grade 1..."
"You moron! Redo it! Strip clauses! Make it name-only level!"
"Yes, sir!"
Recruit him somehow. Spin media: member handled zero-casualty, intro him. Flips situation. Solves Maram Guild's firepower gap. Geun-ho was sharp. From confirming innate S-Rank, controlled info/video, prepped recruitment. Palm-sky cover job. World knows by morning, but wrap tonight—no issue.
Hurried steps. Changed to meeting suit, slicked hair, checked watch, hopped in car.
"Floor it! Speeding tickets fine—Bureau ASAP!"
"Yes!"
Vroooom! Geun-ho jiggled leg. Rehearsed negotiations mentally. Meet ASAP, seal deal—obsession filled his head. Anxiety and excitement tangled, arrived at Bureau. Exited quietly, planning discreet handling.
But—
"Let me in! Hey!"
"Yo, Association! No slave contracts on good folks!"
"Call the councilor! How much I paid him, backstabbing!?"
"DBS here! Just interview access! Ask him!!!"
Geun-ho's jaw dropped.
"Wh-what the...?"
Nowon-gu Bureau front was a madhouse. Not angry mob. Reporters, networks, major guild scouts/execs/masters from Seoul zones. All clamoring to enter. How? Why already? Geun-ho's mind blanked.
"G-Guild Master!!!"
Late aide panted sweat-drenched, showed smartphone pale-faced.
"B-big trouble! This..."
Realization hit. Geun-ho's veins popped.
"What the fuck...!"
[Breaking News: "Can you see! Bros! Here! Here! Hunter dude right here!!! Shielding the kid!!!"]
Global video platform clip. Pimple-faced guy spittle-flying rant, screen showing "controlled" Jeong-woo's fight. His personal footage.
"Already nationwide."
Aide pointed views.
[2,341,546]
Eloquent number. Geun-ho overlooked it. Life-death chaos, yet psychos filming with their phones.
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