0. The mana meter was only showing the number 0.
— "We apologize for bothering you," said the Hunters Association officer, looking at Uhyon.
— "It's fine. At least it was a reasonable assumption," replied Uhyon, disappointed by his own false hope.
— "Thank you for your time, Mr. Uhyon and Mr. Feng."
After the Hunters Association officers left, Mr. Feng began to speak.
— "Well, at least now you're cleared. Let's move on to the earlier matter. I asked the doctors and found out that fainting in such situations is common. So now, let me tell you what really happened. No, better yet—just watch this screen!"
Mr. Feng began playing a short video on his laptop.
— "This footage is from a store camera near the car accident. The expertise gave it to me. No matter what, you have the right to know the details."
It showed that the car hit Uhyon, and immediately exploded. Through the smoke, blurry shadows appeared, and next to Uhyon's unconscious body, an unknown person showed up. Moments later, he disappeared again. Two seconds later, the camera malfunctioned for an unknown reason.
— "Mr. Feng, why are they suspecting me, even though the Hunters Association saw that person too?" Uhyon asked, confused.
— "Because they think that person might be a relative of yours. Moreover, magic abilities like that don't just appear out of nowhere. Your mana is almost identical to that of your relatives. From it, they believe the criminal can be identified," replied Mr. Feng clearly.
— "Well, I'm just glad nothing happened to you," said Mr. Feng with a relieved expression.
— "Alright, Mr. Feng. See you tomorrow," said Uhyon as he said goodbye and left the room.
As he walked out of school, more questions began to fill his mind. What did the scar on his forehead mean? Who was that person earlier? And why did he save him in such a critical situation?
When Uhyon arrived home, it was already 2:00 PM. As always, he made his favorite ramen and sat down to eat while watching TV.
The news was on.
"British hunter Steven Maguire has officially become a 4th legendary-rank hunter. The United States has purchased him for £10,000,000,000," the announcer said. "Let us remind you, the U.S. guild 'Demons' has now obtained a federal license to clear dungeons worldwide. There are also rising theories that Steven Maguire may be a descendant of King Arthur."
"If you're a hunter, money doesn't matter—you make money run after you," thought Uhyon.
"And in the main news: the federal order has officially announced the closure of the investigation into the cause of the catastrophe from 20 years ago. More than 100 mages, and over 150 assassins and tank-type S-rank and national-level hunters lost their lives in that disaster."
"Of course. No one pays that much for easy work. Hunters earn such money because they gamble with their lives," thought Uhyon. Seeing that there was nothing else worth watching on the news, Uhyon switched off the TV.
His daily routine was nearly always the same. According to his schedule, he had to do his homework now. But today, he felt strange. He considered many possible explanations about what had happened, but none seemed solid, so he dismissed them. He drank a glass of water and decided to take a nap before work.
The alarm rang. He opened his eyes. But he hadn't slept soundly. In his dream, he saw strange creatures—demons—and realized he had already been pulled into this mess. He quickly changed clothes and headed to work—as a cashier in a store. The store wasn't far from his home, so he always walked there. He didn't need much money because, as an orphan, the government had given him an apartment. He only had to pay utilities and his own expenses. Interestingly, he had no known relatives. Or perhaps, he simply didn't know them. He even took a DNA test. But nothing changed. It was as if something had erased all information about his parents and relatives. Sometimes, he even thought he might be from another planet.
Anyway, he reached the store. He greeted the manager, Baek Min-sung, and took his position.
He went about his usual tasks. Everything was normal, as always. After some time, Kang and his friends entered the store. One of them said something mocking upon seeing Uhyon, and the others burst into laughter. The door was far away, so Uhyon couldn't hear what they said. They slowly gathered what they needed and came to Uhyon's register. Total: 9100₩.
When Uhyon asked Kang for the money:
— "I forgot my cash. Just write it down as debt or pay it yourself!" Kang said in a threatening tone.
— "Stores haven't given credit in over 25 years. And why should I pay for your stuff?" Uhyon, who was usually calm, replied more firmly this time.
— "What? Got some nerve, huh? Think you can stand up to an A-rank hunter?"
— "There are cameras here. You can't just—"
— "Hey kid, nothing and no one can stop me!" Kang growled as he grabbed Uhyon by the collar.
But this time, Uhyon strangely remained calm.
— "Let him go, Kang. You know he's lost his mind. That's why you should've thrown him harder that time," one of Kang's friends said.
— "Right. I wish I could go back to that day. Because of you, I scored 20/100. If I could go back, I'd hit you so bad you'd have no choice but to help me!" Kang threatened.
— "Now hurry up and pay for me…"
— "Hey, what's going on here? Using force is forbidden here!" Suddenly, Baek Min-sung arrived.
He was also an A-rank hunter, but unlike others, he didn't enjoy violence or killing, which is why he didn't work as a hunter.
"Get out of here, all of you—now!" Mr. Baek shouted in anger.
Kang, dropping the money on the counter and whispered in Uhyon's ear, "You got lucky this time," then let go of his collar and left with his friends.
"Idiot… 'No one can stop me,' huh…" Uhyon thought.
— "Are you alright, Uhyon?" asked Mr. Baek.
— "Yeah, I'm fine."
— "Alright. Go wash your face, you look pale," Mr. Baek said with slight concern.
— "Okay, thank you," Uhyon replied, shifting his serious expression into a smile.
What puzzled him was that even though he felt calm, his face had gone pale.
He entered the restroom to wash his face. Suddenly, all the fear and anxiety he was supposed to feel earlier hit him twice as hard, giving him a headache. He lost his balance and almost fell. Holding his head tightly with both hands, he tried to regain control. Then he splashed cold water on his face twice. Just as he was about to wash it a third time, a strange crash was heard...