Chapter 1: The Ordinary Dreamer and the Aspiring Slave

Year 2*, Month **, Day **.

Suddenly, across the globe, mysterious structures began to materialize out of nowhere.

Like lightning striking a clear sky, these buildings appeared spontaneously. Each one differed in appearance and the time it seemed to have taken shape, yet they shared one unmistakable trait: hidden within every structure lurked a bizarre lifeform, entirely hostile to humans, with forms, natures, and behaviors unlike anything seen before.

World leaders reacted to these sudden appearances in their own ways. Some nations sealed off the areas around the structures, while others dispatched armed forces to investigate.

And then, without warning, she appeared.

“Hello, humans of Earth! Having fun so far?”

A woman with messy brown bobbed hair sticking up haphazardly and old-fashioned horn-rimmed glasses perched precariously on her nose appeared via hologram all over the world, her face bright with a smile.

“Well, of course you’ve been having fun. Nothing catastrophic happened, did it? Monsters didn’t overrun the main civilizations of Earth. Some unknown plague didn’t wipe out seventy percent of humanity. And, of course, nuclear war didn’t contaminate eighty percent of the planet. Must have been wonderful to live, right?”

Holograms had sprung into being without any infrastructure or warning, and now this painfully thin woman was verbally assaulting humanity with what could only be described as absurdity.

Naturally, some people jeered, and others eyed her suspiciously. But the woman, still smiling serenely, raised a finger and continued:

“So, I thought I’d crank up the difficulty a bit.”

And almost immediately, explosions and screams erupted around the world. There was no time to react before she continued, cheerfully oblivious:

“The beginner’s tutorial is over. From now on, it’s real combat mode. Of course, I know humans have lived in a paradise free of apex predators, so I won’t go overboard at first. Let’s start lightly—with a dungeon monster parade!”

And then… the time of tragedy began.

Date: 20//

<Title> Hey, Have You Heard About the Ruler?
<Author> DalgonaCoffee

<Content>
TL;DR: That’s the gist.

<Comments>

Ratatouille: Are there really humans still believing that?
└ DalgonaCoffee: Not exactly believing, but the story keeps popping up, so it feels a little suspicious.
└ Ratatouille: LOL if that’s true, then the rumor about the top-ranked player’s hobby being handicrafts might actually be real too, f*ck.

SupremeExistence: Are you saying hunters, those arrogant bastards, would bow their heads? Even if the president showed up, they’d still stand tall.
└ DalgonaCoffee: True enough.

LouisYaEmida: Honestly, doesn’t it sound more like some shadow power behind the scenes rather than an actual ruler? Haha, a secret influencer in the hunter world following the trend of Dynamic Korea politics?
└ DalgonaCoffee: Haha, “shadow influencer” sounds so tiny, doesn’t it?
└ L.BForever: Hey, where’d you get that Louis photo in your profile?
└ LouisYaEmida: Link ☞ https://*****.*******……
└ L.BForever: Wow, thanks!

C.Q: Isn’t it obvious if you think rationally? Most hunters are prideful as everyone knows. The idea that someone secretly controls them, or that even the number one ranking hunter swears loyalty—that’s just nonsense. Honestly, a middle-school self-insert fanfic would be more believable. I can imagine some of the hunters involved hearing this rumor would get annoyed and have every right to curse.
└ RashGuard: True, but the way you lay it all out makes it funny, suspicious, and weird.
└ NorthCall: Honestly, are you an outsider?
└ DalgonaCoffee: You’re right, but when asked about the rumor, didn’t they just laugh it off or stay silent? That silence makes people talk even more.
└ C.Q: Probably because it’s not worth responding. The rumor itself is trivial.
└ DalgonaCoffee: You’re taking it too seriously, haha. Do you know anything about the rumor?

The sudden emergence of dungeons and monsters, followed by the administrator’s tyranny, forced the world into rapid, involuntary change.

Awakened individuals, called Awakeners, began to appear in response to combat situations with monsters—or other catalysts.

These Awakeners could utilize the System, and alongside them emerged a professional vocation: Hunters, specializing in monster extermination.

New government departments were established to manage Hunters and Awakeners, and support organizations arose to assist them. Those who adapted survived; those who didn’t either perished or were left behind. Thankfully, among the nations of the world, South Korea was on the side of the survivors.

True to its +82 reputation, South Korea adapted rapidly to the sudden threats and changes, emerging as the country with the fewest casualties during the initial monster parade.

Surviving nations and factions then prioritized monster extermination and dungeon management, forming transnational organizations that created the professional occupation of Hunters.

Five years later, the Hunter system had stabilized, and South Korea’s society had largely returned to normal—but an absurd rumor circulated within the Korean Hunter community.

South Korea’s C-rank Hunter, Yoon Seohee, lived a busy life.

The common image of a Hunter is someone venturing into dungeons, slaying monsters, collecting rare drops, and making a fortune—a life reserved for A-rank or higher Hunters. For C-rank Hunters like me, life was very different.

“Your performance seems low. Any personal issues lately, Seohee?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Sorry won’t fix this. You need results. Even as a C-rank Hunter, this level of performance isn’t acceptable. You think the company will pay you for this?”

Unlike A- to S-rank Hunters, who either freelance or form their own teams to tackle high-level dungeons, B-rank and below usually work in small guilds or dungeon brokerage companies. Naturally, the dungeons they handle are low-level, and their rewards come not from rare monster drops but from common resources found everywhere.

Put simply: C-rank Hunters mostly gather resources in fields or mildly dangerous areas, not slay monsters.

“Want me to be honest? Even without you, Seohee, dozens would fight for this spot. Too many people act like they’re special just because they awakened. There are over a million C-rank Awakeners now. Do you know what that means? One in fifty people in this country is an Awakener.”

No one was unaware of this. Rare treatment for Awakeners only lasted about a year after the Cataclysm. B-rank and above may have different circumstances, but C-rank Awakeners were essentially disposable labor—backed up by nearly a million replacements.

Thus, a C-rank Hunter failing to meet assigned quotas deserved the “parasitic” treatment I received.

“Pull yourself together. If you can’t handle it, just resign. I don’t want to nag you endlessly.”
“Yes… I’m sorry.”

All I could do was apologize once again, bowing deeply, before leaving the office, hearing the exasperated manager’s order to leave.

As soon as I stepped out, a fellow Hunter came running.

“Seohee! Are you okay? What did the manager say? Was it harsh?”
“I’m fine. As a C-rank Hunter failing quotas, this is expected.”
“But it’s not your fault, Seohee! Actually, it’s partly my fault for—”
“I accept all of it, including that. By the way, how’s your brother’s hospital bill, Jimin? Sorted?”
“Yes… thankfully… No, that’s not the point. You gave me resources last time, and—”
“It’s fine, really. Oh, I’m hungry. Let’s get lunch. After that morning and the manager’s nagging, I need it.”