Chapter 8
Baek Cheon-myeong turned his head toward the voice.
Through Baek Cheon-myeong's shared vision, Kang Ha-min's eyes slowly widened.
H, holy crap?!
He screamed without thinking and rolled around in the corner of his room.
Rainbow-colored hair.
Beneath it was the handsome face of a young boy.
He looked like a short teenage boy,
but the strange pressure flowing from him clearly revealed that he was powerful.
Jung Ho-jun!
[Transcendent Rank Class, Weather Manipulator]
One of South Korea's few S Rank Hunters.
A man considered a natural disaster all by himself had suddenly spoken to them.
Why was he here?
"Jung Ho-jun?"
"I didn't hear anything about him coming today."
Even the employees seemed shocked by Jung Ho-jun's appearance.
Apparently, none of them had known he was coming.
While everyone stood there confused,
"Are you not going to return my greeting?"
Jung Ho-jun looked disappointed.
Only then did Ha-min realize that Jung Ho-jun had greeted them earlier.
Mr. Baek Cheon-myeong, greet him! Greet him back!
At Kang Ha-min's frantic urging, Baek Cheon-myeong finally opened his mouth.
"Yes. Nice to meet you."
"You answered."
Jung Ho-jun's face immediately brightened.
There had always been many stories about him.
He had an unusual personality and always moved at his own pace.
Even among S Rank Hunters, he was considered one of the most difficult people to deal with.
However, his abilities were unmatched.
The reason South Korea had recently stopped suffering from typhoons and droughts was largely because of him.
He truly was a natural disaster in human form.
And even someone like him only received a Transcendent Rank Class.
Kang Ha-min had received a Mythic Rank Class.
Mythic Rank had never appeared before.
That meant it was a Rank above the currently known Transcendent Rank.
Just what kind of Class was Gravekeeper of a Ruined World?
"I thought I'd say hello since I think we'll be seeing each other often from now on."
Meanwhile, Jung Ho-jun spoke with a cheerful smile.
"...From now on?"
"Yeah. It's you, right? The person who updated the achievement."
"Hmm?"
Baek Cheon-myeong didn't seem especially bothered.
But Kang Ha-min's eyes slowly widened.
It had only been one day since his Awakening.
He hadn't done anything yet.
So how had Jung Ho-jun figured it out immediately?
"Even if you try to hide it, strong people have a certain feeling about them."
None of the other Hunters guarding the Marketplace had reacted to Baek Cheon-myeong at all.
That meant Jung Ho-jun alone had sensed Baek Cheon-myeong's strength.
[He's useful.]
Even Baek Cheon-myeong evaluated him highly.
Baek Cheon-myeong was deliberately controlling his strength.
Jung Ho-jun had seen through it purely because of his own talent.
[But he won't climb very far in the Tower.]
That praise was immediately followed by another evaluation.
He won't climb the Tower?
[The Tower favors those whose strength belongs to themselves rather than those who control the power of the environment.]
Come to think of it, Ha-min rarely heard news about Jung Ho-jun attempting Tower Ascension.
Weather Manipulator.
It was undoubtedly an incredibly powerful Class, but its reliance on the surrounding environment held it back.
Powerful, but poorly suited for the Tower.
Apparently, Classes like that could exist too.
"I only came to take a look around, but I got to see something good. I can finally worry a little less about the Sky Tower now."
Jung Ho-jun seemed well aware of his own weakness, because he smiled brightly at Baek Cheon-myeong.
"Take good care of the Tower."
Of course, Baek Cheon-myeong was only a corpse raised by Kang Ha-min.
There was no way Jung Ho-jun could know that.
"Very well."
"Thanks. If something happens outside the Tower, call me. Since I'm leaving the Tower to you, I'll help you in return."
Kang Ha-min felt completely bewildered.
Without intending to, he had suddenly formed a connection with one of South Korea's greatest Hunters.
Any other Hunter would have been shocked to hear about this.
After all, Jung Ho-jun was famous for never forming close relationships with anyone.
"Ah, now that I think about it, what's your name?"
There was no way Ha-min could reveal his own name.
"Baek Cheon-myeong."
Baek Cheon-myeong simply gave his own name.
"Then I'll see you next time."
And with that, Jung Ho-jun suddenly left.
There wasn't even a hint of hesitation.
Now Ha-min understood why people said Jung Ho-jun always moved at his own pace.
...Ugh, that scared me.
Why had he even come here in the first place?
Oh Na-ri, the employee standing in front of Baek Cheon-myeong, was also opening and closing her mouth wordlessly.
One of the highest-ranking VVIPs had suddenly appeared without warning.
Even a professional like her had no idea how to react.
As a former civil servant, Kang Ha-min felt a small sense of sympathy for her.
"When will the appraisal be done?"
At that moment, Baek Cheon-myeong spoke again.
Kang Ha-min had also been shocked, but selling the herb was more important.
Running into Jung Ho-jun so suddenly had already drained his mental energy.
Now he just wanted to earn some money and leave as quickly as possible.
"Ah, yes! I, I'll take care of it immediately!"
Oh Na-ri hurriedly recovered.
"Hunter Baek Cheon-myeong."
Then a beautiful voice rang through the room.
Kang Ha-min, who had already lost a large amount of mental energy, immediately tensed up again.
Who was it this time?
Baek Cheon-myeong turned his head.
There stood an attractive woman with an enchanting smile.
She wore round glasses over her beautiful face.
The moment Oh Na-ri saw her, she panicked and bowed deeply.
Kang Ha-min also recognized her, and his eyes widened.
"C, Chief Administrator!"
[Chief Administrator of the Hunter Marketplace]
[Yoo Ah-rin]
An A Rank Hunter, and one of South Korea's most famous Appraisers.
She worked as the personal Appraiser for S Rank Hunters.
Excluding Hunters who had already achieved Tower Ascension, there was no Appraiser on the surface more skilled than her.
Because of that, every S Rank Hunter who remained on the surface trusted her with their appraisals.
In practice, Yoo Ah-rin's connections stretched throughout all of South Korea.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her the country's greatest networker.
After an S Rank Hunter, now even the country's greatest A Rank Appraiser had appeared.
Kang Ha-min felt as though even more of his mental strength was being drained away.
First Jung Ho-jun, and now Yoo Ah-rin.
Just what was happening here?
Ughhhhh.
Even though he was only sharing Baek Cheon-myeong's vision, his body curled up from the pressure.
If he had personally gone there,
he didn't even want to imagine what might have happened.
Just thinking about it made him dizzy.
Fortunately, Kang Ha-min wasn't there.
The one standing there was Baek Cheon-myeong.
A man who believed himself supreme beneath heaven.
No matter who stood before him, Baek Cheon-myeong looked at them as though they were no more interesting than ants.
Just like with Jung Ho-jun, Yoo Ah-rin wasn't worth his attention.
Hmm.
And Yoo Ah-rin was carefully observing Baek Cheon-myeong's attitude.
She had worked as an Appraiser for many years.
Naturally, she had personally met countless Hunters.
There probably isn't anyone better than me at judging Hunters.
She was certain.
This man is the owner of the new First Floor achievement.
The Hunter Management Headquarters had suddenly declared an emergency.
The moment Yoo Ah-rin heard about it, she immediately checked the achievement record.
[New First Floor Achievement Updated]
That achievement had caught Yoo Ah-rin's attention.
Ordinary people didn't care much about First Floor achievements.
After all, it was only the First Floor.
Whether the record was broken or not had little effect on them.
But the higher-ranking a Hunter was,
the more clearly they understood its value.
The First Floor of the Tower.
It was a place every Hunter could enter.
Because of that, countless Hunters had challenged it while trying to obtain the highest possible score.
The floor challenged by the greatest number of Hunters.
That was the First Floor.
Because of that, it should have been practically impossible for an even greater achievement to appear there.
No matter how much someone tried to improve the record, previous Hunters had already pushed the First Floor's difficulty to its known limit.
In other words, unless the First Floor itself became more difficult, a new record should have been impossible.
The Tower's difficulty was adjusted entirely according to an individual's abilities.
There was only one reason why the First Floor record had not changed until now.
Hunter abilities had remained within a similar range.
Even the strongest S Rank Hunters in history had been unable to push the First Floor's difficulty any higher.
But now...
The First Floor achievement had been updated.
What did that mean?
It meant someone had appeared with greater ability than every Hunter who had come before!
I don't have much talent for combat.
But as an Appraiser, Yoo Ah-rin's talent ranked among the best in the world.
And for a woman who possessed one of the greatest networks in South Korea, her connections were both her pride and her greatest asset.
There was no way someone like her would ignore the appearance of a new Hunter like this.
She had already been standing by in case the mysterious Hunter appeared.
The instant she received the report, she rushed to the Hunter Marketplace at full speed.
And now,
I'm certain.
She knew the moment she saw him.
This man is a big shot among big shots.
People possessed natural qualities that couldn't be hidden.
The presence flowing from Baek Cheon-myeong's entire body.
His arrogant confidence, never intimidated by anything.
The charisma that naturally drew everyone's eyes toward him.
Even among S Rank Hunters from South Korea and overseas, she had never seen someone like him.
Where did someone like this suddenly come from?
The world really was wide.
Thinking that, Yoo Ah-rin carefully studied Baek Cheon-myeong.
This man
would definitely change the world.
Yoo Ah-rin was certain of it.
Without knowing who was actually standing behind him.
This woman's thoughts are obvious.
Baek Cheon-myeong looked at Yoo Ah-rin with pity.
He had seen plenty of people like her before.
People drunk on their own abilities, convinced that whatever conclusion they reached had to be correct.
When in reality, I am merely a substitute.
From Baek Cheon-myeong's perspective, she was simply wasting her time.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Yoo Ah-rin, Chief Administrator of the Hunter Marketplace."
"Baek Cheon-myeong."
It was the first time Yoo Ah-rin had met a man who reacted so calmly after hearing her name.
His attitude was almost as if he didn't know who she was.
Since he came here for an appraisal, there's no way he doesn't know me.
As expected, his confidence was on an entirely different level from ordinary Hunters.
In reality, Baek Cheon-myeong truly had no idea who she was.
"I'll personally handle the appraisal."
"Do so."
When Yoo Ah-rin shifted her gaze, Oh Na-ri hurried over.
She handed over the herb, which had already been placed inside a top-quality storage box.
Yoo Ah-rin accepted the box and immediately activated her Appraisal skill.
Huh.
A moment later, her eyes slowly widened.
[Name: Moonlight White Flower (月光白花)]
[Classification: Elixir / Mystical Plant]
[Rank: S Rank, Rare]
[Attributes: Moon (月) · Purification (淨化) · Life (生命)]
[Description:]
[A pure white flower that blooms while absorbing moonlight.]
[It fully blooms only on nights when the full moon ■■■.]
[Long ago, it was used as an elixir, sacred offering, or powerful recovery material.]
[Effects:]
[• Removes impurities in the body's mana and ■■■ toxins.]
[• Smooths the flow of the Mana Circuits, Meridians, increasing training efficiency for a certain period of time.]
[• Reduces the chance of developing a Heart Demon.]
Even after using her own Appraisal skill,
some of the information was still hidden.
This was the first time that had ever happened.
With a stiff expression, she slowly turned toward Baek Cheon-myeong.
Yoo Ah-rin had spent her entire life intoxicated by her own talent,
proudly believing herself to be the greatest Appraiser remaining on the surface.
Today,
for the first time,
a crack appeared in that pride.
