*
Following the employee's guidance, I moved to the shelter located in the basement. Usually, these kinds of public facilities were almost obligated to have shelters installed.
It's because, with monsters and Villains overflowing, construction permits wouldn't be issued without a shelter.
"What happened outside?"
"Please ask questions after you've moved to the shelter! Please move quickly!"
The employees wouldn't answer what happened, but since I'm still a student, I didn't have an obligation to protect citizens in this situation.
Even though I'm an Awakened, students are seen as people who need to be protected. Well, Kim Tae-yeon and I aren't exactly in a position to be protected, though.
'But that doesn't mean I'm going to stand still.'
Heading to the basement, we stopped and stepped aside. Of course, an employee approached to stop us.
"What's going on? Please evacuate as soon as possible!"
"We're Hunters."
"Both of you?"
"Yes."
I guess it's okay to call prospective Hunters, Hunters. They didn't answer even when I asked earlier, but when I said we were Hunters, they contacted someone and brought a person over.
Even while waiting, the screams coming from outside told me that the situation wasn't normal.
"The situation seems pretty serious?"
"Definitely. Looks like something big happened."
"Yo...you said you were Hunters? Is...is it okay if I ask about your rank?"
I want to say that I'm at least an A-Rank level, but who would believe me if I said that without a Hunter license?
"We're still students."
"Ah... students..."
"I'm quite confident in my skills."
The manager seemed hesitant at the word 'student,' but it seemed like they needed even one more person, so they took us to the first floor for now.
I heard that it wasn't a Villain attack, but a Gate had opened nearby.
The number wasn't normal, and they were attacking everything around them indiscriminately.
'Usually, there would be warning signs for this many monsters to appear.'
Normal Gates don't just spew out monsters as soon as they appear, so I guess I should see it as a recently formed Rift Gate.
Coming down to the first floor, I could see monsters pounding on the barrier. Around them, people who looked like Hunters were glaring with weapons in their hands, looking tense.
It looked like they were preparing to fight as soon as the barrier broke.
'They all look low-level.'
Hunters who all look so-so, well, what can you expect from the level of people who work as security guards in a movie theater?
E~F Rank would be typical.
"Sh...shit... I heard this was a sweet gig, what's with this sudden disaster!"
"This isn't going to break, is it...? The Association will take care of it, right?"
As expected of their low level, the employees' faces were all grim. They probably couldn't hunt monsters, so they were working as security guards in a place like this.
Who would have expected monsters to suddenly attack?
'If the barrier breaks, they're all going to die. That one over there... might be useful.'
I could see one or two Hunters who seemed to be around C-Rank, but judging from their clothes, they weren't affiliated with the movie theater, but rather customers who came to watch a movie.
__Kwang!! Kung!! Kung!!
"Hii!!"
"D...don't freak out, you little shit. We just have to block the entrance!"
The man was talking while trembling himself, and the manager sighed at the sight.
Well, they probably hired him as a formality rather than in preparation for this kind of situation. Hunters who can actually hunt monsters are expensive.
Even so, they probably didn't expect him to show such a pathetic figure.
After roughly checking our weapons, the manager bowed repeatedly, probably thinking we were more reliable than those guys trembling over there.
"Yo...you don't have to go to the front lines... but please help us."
"Leave it to me."
"I'm sorry to ask this of students..."
"Are you also an Awakened?"
As the manager kept bowing and asking for help, a male Hunter who seemed to be around C-Rank walked over to us.
He looked to be in his 40s, and he was holding supplies that seemed to be used by the employees, probably because he didn't have his own equipment.
"Yes. I'm Kim Si-woo."
"I'm Kim Tae-yeon."
"Kim Si-woo... Kim Tae-yeon...? Could you be the students who appeared in the Korea-Japan Friendly Match?"
It feels like it's died down a bit these days, but did he watch the match with some impression? The man was checking us out with an expression like he was seeing a celebrity.
It's a bit burdensome when an ajussi stares like that.
"Well, sparring and real combat are different. So don't worry too much, this senior will show you what to do."
"Yeah... sure."
"Hehe. You're a bit nervous now that it's a real situation, right? It feels different when there's a barrier and when there isn't. I've been a Hunter for 15 years."
The middle-aged man started pouring out his story without even being asked.
"Oh, right. My name is Jo Deok-jin."
"Okay..."
"Call me Deok-jin hyung comfortably, or you can call me oppa. Hehehe."
Jo Deok-jin said that to Kim Tae-yeon and smiled with a slightly perverted face.
He started talking about how he was a senior and we should learn from him, and how he used to be in his prime, but honestly, I just wanted him to be quiet.
"You seemed pretty flashy in the sparring match, but I guess that's because it was sparring. Well, it always looks more flashy when you're fighting at a similar level."
He must think we're easy because we're hiding our Mana. Honestly, we just find him cute at our level.
If Kim Tae-yeon decided to shoot, I think he'd collapse in less than 3 seconds.
"At that time, I stepped forward and blocked his attack, and it felt different. Yeah, I felt it right away. That guy wasn't ordinary, he was a mutant monster stronger than other monsters!"
"..."
"As you guys know, mutant monsters are usually given a plus in their rank, so they're not normal. Ah, you're still students, so you probably haven't seen a mutant in real life yet?"
I don't know why this ajussi is so talkative.
Kim Tae-yeon wasn't reacting at all, but he didn't seem to care. It's amazing how he can ramble on like that when he's nothing special.
While I was being bothered by Jo Deok-jin, the barrier finally couldn't hold on and started to crack.
__Jeojeojeojeok!!!
"Ugh, shit!! Sa... save me!!"
The barrier finally broke, and the red wolf that broke the entrance rushed towards the employee holding the shield.
The man flew far away from the body blow, and the red wolf was about to bite a person while making a ferocious noise.
"It doesn't seem like it's time to talk now!!"
The man who spoke to us ran and immediately stabbed the red wolf's neck with his sword.
As expected of a C-Rank Hunter, Jo Deok-jin knocked down the red wolf in one hit. He could probably hunt an E-Rank monster alone.
Jo Deok-jin proudly smiled after barely knocking down one red wolf. He was covered in blood because he didn't finish it cleanly, but he seemed to think it was cool.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Th...thank you!"
"Kuhahaha!! Just trust me!"
We muttered while looking at Jo Deok-jin.
"How long do you think he'll last?"
"I don't think he'll last even 10 minutes."
"Really? I think he'll last at least 10 more minutes."
*
The world feels so small.
I never thought I'd see the students I saw on TV with my own eyes.
They looked flashy in the video, but when I met them in person, they felt lower level than me.
'Even if they're called super rookies, aren't they just students in the end?'
There's bound to be a difference between them and Hunters like himself who have gone through all sorts of hardships while hunting real monsters.
They probably did some post-processing on the video to promote the Academy. No matter how flashy it looks, it's meaningless without substance.
"Hehahahaha!!!"
It's a shame I don't have my own equipment, but does a skilled person like himself need that?
He drew out Mana and strengthened his sword. Even if it's a cheap sword, adding Mana makes it sharper than any other sword.
Even though it's an Aura mixed with impurities, it's enough to deal with the red wolves.
'Hehe, they're watching well, right?'
Turning his head to check the back, he could see Kim Si-woo and Kim Tae-yeon watching him fight.
Yeah, how many chances do students who only received education at the Academy have to experience real combat like this?
'Even if they say the Korea Academy and the Japan Academy have different levels, the Academy is the same everywhere.'
He had the experience of being rejected in the past interview, but if the actual students are at that level, he didn't think he needed to be so desperate.
He hadn't seen a decent guy among the guys from the two Academies who acted all high and mighty.
Well, the guild level is low, so there are few applicants, but if the super rookies are at that level, he knows what the rest are like.
'I wonder if she's falling for me?'
Jo Deok-jin felt strength entering his body as he checked Kim Tae-yeon's face.
There's a big age difference, but does age matter to a Hunter? All that matters is that your hearts match.
What if he showed her how active he was?
"Hehahaha!! Come on in, you bastards!!"
"Yo...you're amazing! Hyung-nim!!"
"My nickname in our guild is Slaughterer! Slaughterer!!"
Jo Deok-jin said that and swung his sword. The red wolves, who smelled the blood, were rushing in from all directions.
He hid his slightly heavy breathing and swung his sword.
'If I've blocked this much... shouldn't the Association be coming soon?'
He was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. None of the guys around him were helpful, and he couldn't get help from the C-Rank Hunter because he was a healer.
But asking Kim Si-woo and Kim Tae-yeon behind him for help would be too embarrassing against just E-Rank monsters.
'Man, Jo Deok-jin! You've been through more difficult situations than this, you can do it!!'
At the moment he made up his mind, a giant wolf that couldn't be compared to the other wolves appeared in the distance.
"Hyu...hyung-nim!! Th...there's a strange guy over there!!"
"Giant Wolf..."
It's a C-Rank monster, but it's a medium-sized monster that he can't handle alone.
"Ha...ha! D...don't worry!! This Slaughterer Jo Deok-jin!! Can handle it enough!!"
Did it hear his voice? The Giant Wolf turned its head and started running straight towards here.
'Sh...shit! I'm screwed! I shouldn't have shouted... I...I don't even have equipment... Sh...shit... Should I run away now...? But then I'll get disciplined, right?'
At the moment his head became complicated, the Giant Wolf came right in front of him. The pressure felt from its size was no joke.
"Yo...you little shit, come at me!!"
At the moment he swung his sword, the Giant Wolf lifted its front paw and attacked, and Jo Deok-jin's sword limply rolled in the air.
An enormous pain rushed in as he tried to move his arm. Turning his head to check, his arm was broken.
"Ah... ah..."
At the moment death was approaching, he heard a muttering voice from behind.
"See? He lasted more than 10 minutes."
"Ki...Kim Si-woo... Student...?"