VSP 168

“Shit, it’s over. It’s finally all over. So I can rest now, right? I can afford to be a little lazy.”

Only when that thought crossed his mind did the tension finally bleed out of his rigid body. Dogyeong, who had been quietly watching Sejun, stepped forward and pulled him into his arms.

“Sejun-hyung.”

“Yeah…”

Dogyeong looked like he had a lot to say, but he eventually kept his mouth shut. Sejun simply patted his back in silence.

“…”

Ryu Sehyun watched the scene from a distance.

He suddenly had an impulse, but he knew now wasn’t the right time.

That impulse might never get the chance to surface for the rest of his life. He stifled it like he always did. He had too many things to do first.

“Phew.”

Sehyun massaged his shoulder. He’d received some basic treatment from Yerin earlier, but he was still sore.

Na Yookyung lightly punched him.

“Mr. President, you know we don’t get to rest, right?”

“I know.”

It wasn’t like he ever could. Right now, there wasn’t a single moment to spare. It was as if a massive structure built of Legos had collapsed all at once.

It was like a massive structure built entirely out of Lego had collapsed. Everything but the foundation had collapsed. He was at a loss as to where to begin.

“Don’t worry too much.”

Every hardship passes eventually. Besides, they were the main players in this victory, the heroes who had protected the country. Even if it was exhausting, it was a thousand times better than failing. Na Yookyung tapped Sehyun’s shoulder. She fiddled with her artifact and changed the channel.

“My babies! Are you alive? I told you to stay as far away as possible!”

As a guild leader, she was already busy checking on her members’ safety.

Of the remaining twenty-five-year-olds, two men were sprawled on the floor, while Yerin was sitting on the debris.

“F-fuck… I’m exhausted.”

“Me too.”

“You guys are so weak for men.”

Despite her words, Yerin looked up and down Dohun’s body, which was particularly badly injured. She sighed.

“Hey, both of you, tell me where it hurts most.”

“My whole body hurts.”

“My heart hurts.”

That last one came from Choi Hangyeol. A vein bulged on Yerin’s forehead.

“Choi Hangyeol, even in this situation, you’re still talking bullsh…”

She stopped herself when she saw where Hangyeol was looking. He was staring at Sejun and Dogyeong. This guy didn’t even seem to know his own feelings, and now suddenly?

She sighed again.

“Hey, life is first come, first served.”

She was blunt, willing to treat physical wounds, but with no intention of healing a stung heart. Hangyeol gloomily muttered.

“…There might be a loser’s bracket.”

I doubt it.

Yerin thought, but she chose not to rub salt in her twin’s wounds. Lee Dohun, lying next to them, looked at the two with a face that screamed, What kind of conversation is this? Yerin couldn’t stop sighing.

These idiots.

Yerin looked back toward Dogyeong and saw him lifting Sejun and heading somewhere. She briefly thought it might be better for them to get treated before moving, but she decided against speaking up. Something else was probably more urgent for those two.

After treating the two idiots on the ground, Yerin felt her mana hit rock bottom. She breathed a sigh and flopped onto the ground right next to them, not caring about her dignity.

It was over.

Realization dawned on her.

“Wow.”

Lying down gave her a perfect view of the sky, and the dark surroundings were starting to brighten.

“The sun’s coming up.”

Since it was late summer, the sun rose early. Her body, finally realizing it had pulled an all-night marathon, was drained of strength. Yerin closed her eyes.

The long dawn had finally come to an end.

***

Even after the incident dubbed the ‘Pangyo Disaster’ was settled, the aftermath was enormous.

Citizens who spent the night in shelters… leaning on blankets, waiting to be returned home.

[‘I have no home’… citizens out on the streets.]

Relief supplies continue to be distributed nationwide.

[‘I really thought I was going to die’… testimony from a high school girl.]

TV news and articles were filled with nothing but stories about the event. The victims, the people who lost their homes, and those who lost their jobs, the battle had cost so much that there was an endless stream of tragic reports. Since it was a global crisis, the heated atmosphere did not seem to subside for a while.

Of course, people didn’t just brood over their sorrow. There were also stories of heroes who saved the world.

There was a lot of interest in Jeong Siwoo, who evacuated people alone, in all the S-rank hunters defeating an EX-rank boss without a single fatality, and in Cha Dogyeong, who delivered the final blow, but there was one person who received the most attention

Seo Sejun.

[Seo Sejun’s battle data… What are the chances of an EX-ranj?]

[Has Seo Sejun’s combat power surpassed the existing S-rank criteria?]

The news talked about Sejun’s potential evolution to EX-rank every single day. Similar things had been said in the past, but the reaction this time was different. Before, most people would’ve said, “Sejun as an EX-rank? Are you joking?” but now, the comments looked more like this:

 -Why are we still talking about this?

 -Is there actually anyone left who thinks Sejun isn’t EX-rank?

Even though it was from a distance, cameras had broadcast the situation in real-time, and there were testimonies from other hunters. The S-ranks didn’t exaggerate or downplay Sejun’s performance; they told it exactly as it was.

“Do you believe Hunter Seo Sejun has re-awakened as an EX-rank?”

The icing on the cake was a reporter’s question to Cha Dogyeong. Or rather, Dogyeong’s response.

“Yes.”

It was just one word, but it came from the only EX-rank hunter of this generation. Naturally, it had more impact than anything else.

The world’s second EX-rank hunter! While foreign media went wild wondering what was happening in Korea, the man who caused all the fuss was…

“Oh, come on!”

He was holed up in his family home, obsessed with a game where you eliminate fruits by making the number 10. Curled up against Hoya and holding a tablet, he’d been playing since morning, but he failed to reach his target score again.

Sejun stared at the “Time Over” screen with trembling hands before burying his face in Hoya’s fur in despair.

“How do you even get over 100 points in this!”

Choi Yerin had introduced him to the game because he was bored at home.

‘What was your score again, oppa?’

When she heard his score, she snorted and bragged that her best was 124. Sejun, being simple-minded, took the bait and had been completely hooked ever since. But despite his efforts, his scores were disappointing. His highest was 97. He just couldn’t break the cursed 100-point mark.

“Ugggh.”

Hoya looked at his owner, who was falling into despair over a mobile game, with a somewhat pitying gaze, but Sejun didn’t notice.

[I told you there was a 631 in the third row from the top right.]

The system decided to chime in with some coaching.

“I don’t know what you mean when you say it like that!”

[But it’s right there.]

“If you’re so good at it, you do it!”

[Then it wouldn’t be Sejun-nim’s score.]

That was true. Sejun groaned and went limp again.

[Grrr.]

Hoya silently rubbed his head against Sejun’s limp body. Thanks to Sejun’s overflowing mana, Hoya could now stay by his side constantly. In reality, just keeping Hoya summoned still consumed a significant amount of mana.

But Sejun didn’t struggle with mana anymore. His mana pool had grown bottomless, and he had gained a high-speed recovery skill. Just summoning Hoya didn’t even put a dent in his reserves.

Seo Sejun (EX-rank Hunter)

Ability: Summoner

Title: Hoya’s Partner

Stats

 Stamina: 120/120

 Mana: 1980/1980

 Attack: 195

 Defense: 85

 Agility: 190

 Intelligence: 140

 Luck: 30

Skills

Summoning, Spirit Summoning, Summoner’s Contract, Battle Tactics, Swift Evasion, Army Summoning, Summon Reconstruction

Passives

Lord of Summoning, Contractor’s Priority, Mana Circulation, Battlefield Synchronization

These were Sejun’s current stats. Every stat had jumped significantly upon reaching EX-rank, but his mana had increased to an almost ridiculous level.

His other stats still weren’t that impressive compared to combat types, but his mana, the thing that had always held him back, was now so great that it was officially his specialized stat.

Of course, even with these stat increases, Sejun lamented. If only his intelligence had increased by 100 more than the others, his game score would have been over 100.

His brain, already fried by the game, could only come to that conclusion. It was because he was too used to being an EX-rank hunter.