Chapter Text
Chapter 4
It was a new day as Jinwoo got out of bed and stepped into the bathroom to get himself ready. While brushing his teeth, Jinwoo looked at his chest and saw the dragon tattoo on his chest was no longer red and was now a deep purple. More questions flooded the Player's mind, but he pushed them aside as his phone rang in his pocket, making him quickly finish up and answer it. On the other side was Chairman Go and he quickly greeted Jinwoo nicely while also informing him that his re-evaluation will be skipped over for today because he needed to meet with him about important matters that required his help. After the phone call ended, Jinwoo quickly ate breakfast with his mom and sister before leaving his home as he spawned wings from his back and flew up in the air as he took off in a burst of immense speed towards the main building of the Hunters Association. Once he arrived there, Jinwoo saw a numerous amounts of photographers and reporters down below as there was another hunter down below named Lee Minsung who seemed to have some appointment at the building, but Jinwoo didn't really care about that as he quickly flew down and landed before everyone as silence rained down amongst the crowd while Jinwoo walked past an irritated Minsung.
"Hey! Who do you think you are to---!"
Lee was quickly silenced as Jinwoo glanced back at him with one eye, releasing a faint, but immense form of power that made Minsung imagine an immeasurable wall between him and the Shadow Monarch as Jinwoo continued marching forward till he entered the building and saw Go and Jinchul standing there waiting for him. After a brief moment of introductions, the three begin to walk down the halls as Jinchul handed Jinwoo his new S-Rank Hunter License while Chairman Go explained the reasoning to why he called Jinwoo so urgently. To sum it up, Chairman Go was gathering up a team of S-Rank Hunters to try and take back Jeju Island one last time from the Ant Infestation there, but he needed Jinwoo's assistance in this, especially after getting the report of the recent Dungeon Break that had occurred near the area where the Hunters Guild was located at that Jinwoo helped clear effectively by himself.
("To be fair, it would allow me to test my new powers and see how far I've evolved."), Jinwoo thought with interest
"We'll be heading out in 4 days from now. Some of the S-Rank Hunters are actually sparring with each other as to be ready for raid before it begins.", Gunhee explained as the mana waves from the sparring session were reverberating nearby.
"Alright, I'll tag along. From what I've heard, past attempts have been pretty harsh and now the ants are evolving to where they can get to the main land."
"Correct. This is why this needs to succeed. If we lose here, then all can be lost from how quick they were able to mutate and evolve. I believe if you take out the Queen Ant, it'll at least stop their production and eventually lead to their extinction over time. So really, our main objective is to kill the queen with minor-to-no causalities.", Gunhee explained with determination burning in his eyes.
All three Hunters would reach the Gymnasium and see Baak Yoonho training with the Fame Guildmaster, Ma Dongwook, as the two Hunters were going against each other in physical combat. However, the second Jinwoo entered the building, everyone immediately felt the hidden overwhelming pressure he unconsciously emitted and turned their attention towards him. Jinwoo looked over everyone in the room and walked up to a balcony to continue observing from above as the Japanese S-Rank Hunters quietly conversed to each other about the Shadow Monarch before them, Goto Ryuji, Japan's Strongest S-Rank, had major interest in Jinwoo as he asked his translator, Hanekawa, to tell him about Jinwoo and how proficient he was as an assassin-type Hunter, which confused the woman as she corrected her Guild Master that Jinwoo was a Mage, shocking and confusing Goto given how Jinwoo was concealing his presence.
"You all need something? I'm just observing for the time being.", Jinwoo said to everyone looking at him.
A mixture of reactions came from the Japanese Hunters at Jinwoo's dismissive response, but Goto's interest only grew further as he told Hanekawa something and she looked at him strangely before turning towards the direction of the Shadow Monarch.
"Mr. Jinwoo, a request was given by Mr. Goto."
"Hmm, what does he want from me?", Jinwoo asked as he looked down at the woman.
"He wishes to spar with you with the condition that the winner is decided by whoever's wrist is grabbed first. Do you accept?", Hanekawa explained.
("Meh. If he's the strongest hunter from Japan, then maybe he can do something to help me actively wake up for the time being."); "Alright. I accept your challenge, Ryuji Goto."
In a dark blur, Jinwoo appeared down below as the shadows below shifted slightly and he would step forward along with Goto onto a small arena as the two hunters stared each other down while everyone else watched on in anticipation. Suddenly, with a burst of speed, Goto appeared before Jinwoo with his hand outstretched as he went to nick Jinwoo across the cheek, but when he pulled his hand back, the Jinwoo before him vanished like the wind, revealing it was nothing but an afterimage. The real Jinwoo shoved Goto forward from behind as the Japanese hunter nearly lost his footing and became agitated when he saw the Shadow Monarch smiling at him, almost as if he were looking down on him. As the match went on, all of the observers from Japan were shocked at how easily Jinwoo was handling Goto and his attacks as if they were minor inconveniences while everyone from Korea was proud knowing such a man existed within their country. After a while, Goto realized that him holding back was just making him look bad and decided to get serious, causing Jinwoo to be caught off guard for a second as the System detected the presence of Goto's killing intent aimed directly at him.
("Ain't no way this man is really thinking about killing me right now. Ugh, at least Magic Beasts have better common sense to not temper with beings better than them at most times."), Jinwoo thought with annoyance.
As Goto appeared inches before Jinwoo, the King In Black would catch the man's hand by the wrist and hold it tightly as the two stared each other down intensely before Goto would gruff and stand down while Jinwoo released his wrist and smirked as a round of cheers from the Korean hunters filled the gymnasium. Goto muttered something under his breath in Japanese, but to his surprise, Jinwoo heard and understood what he said and simply complimented him for his skills before walking off. Despite the hidden compliment, Goto's body trembled ever so slightly as when he tried going all pit against Jinwoo, the 2nd time their eyes met, he felt like he was staring down death in the face and was only moments from truly stepping into his realm with just one wrong move. All of the hunters would eventually part their ways for today, however, Jinwoo would teleport away and arrive in a special dimension that once belonged to the previous Shadow Monarch, Ashborn, but was now his as he referred to it as the "Realm Of The Anti-All" as everything here was under Jinwoo's complete control, making him akin to a God here as there. Once Jinwoo's presence was felt in the dimension, all of the SSS there cheered at the arrival of their king and the highest ranking soldiers personally stepped up and kneeled before Jinwoo as their eyes gleamed with admiration and undying respect for the King In Black.
Shadow Sym-Soldier Rankings:
- Grand Marshals: Bellion & Grendel
- Marshal Commanders: Tusk & Igris
- General Commander: Blizzard
Smirking at his abnormally large army, Jinwoo pulled up the Store via the System and saw he had a large stash of gold and salvageable items he could trade for more gold, making the monarch grin as he decided to go on a little spending spree while also doing some more training for the time being before the Jeju Island Raid.
Time Skip
Today was the day. Support Helicopters were moving towards Jeju Island with tons of Hunters carrying them, all of which were of S-Rank. Jinwoo was seated in between Cha-In and Choi Jong as the former was looking at Jinwoo strangely due to her not being able to smell anything bad coming from him compared to most Hunters, which added onto the interest she had towards him. A brief debriefing was given to everyone as the Japanese Hunters were going to give off a bright signal that would alert the ants and draw them out so they could go into the nest and exterminate the Ant Queen without facing too many problems. Before everything went into action, Jinwoo stood up and placed himself in the middle of his Korean Hunters for their attention.
"Given this is our last shot at this and that this is my first raid with you all, I made sure to come here prepared and to look out for all of use equally.", Jinwoo said calmy as he raised his hand.
The shadows beneath everyone converged into one as a chest rose up and Jinwoo would pop it open to reveal a plethora of S-Rank weapons and equipment, shocking everyone as the Shadow Monarch picked up some stuff and started handing them out to specific hunters. Choi got a special ring called the "Ring Of The White Flame", which would elevate his Fire Magic into being able to produce the same white flames Esil could conjure and control. Cha-In got a unique sword called the "Elf Blade Of Silence", which produced no sound when swung and had incredible piercing power that paired perfectly with her speed. Baak got a pair of gauntlets called the "Apex Devourers", which augmented his beastly transformation and physical capabilities to levels beyond normal S-Rank comprehension. Lim-Tae received a custom bow called the "Widowmaker" that produced trick Mana arrows and he could apply these effects to regular arrows too. Dongwook got a pair of gauntlets like Baak called the "Titan-Slayers" that let him create targeted tremors and produce shockwaves via expelled Mana. Finally, Byung-Gyu obtained a new mage book called "Kandiaru's Grimoire", which not only amplified his Healing Magic, but gave him access to some of the spells used by Tusk/Kargalgan.
"Incredible!", Dongwook exclaimed.
"Even Black Markets could barely make up with items like this.", Byung said in shock.
"Where did you acquire such powerful items, Jinwoo~San?!", Baak asked in amazement as everyone looked at him for an answer.
"Heh. That'll be a secret for now. You may all keep them after this. Right now, let's focus back on the mission at hand since we're reaching our objective point.", Jinwoo said with a smirk as everyone prepared themselves.
Suddenly, pillars of mana waves were expelled from different parts of the island before giant swarms of flying ants were seen rushing out of the hive. Choi Jong would step up with a special glint behind his glasses as the door to the chopper opened up and he would snap his fingers as sparks of white were seen before an eruption of white flames covered all of the ants and burnt them to a perfect crisp as their ashes blew away with the wind. Choi smirked as he jumped down and landed near another swarm of ants as they rushed at him, but with another snap of his fingers, the ground sparked and erupted with white flames as the ants were eviscerated without a trace.
"You can all come down here!", Choi yelled as he looked up at the chopper.
As everyone started hopping all the way down, Jinwoo and Cha-In were the last two as the latter looked at the former with eyes of secretive amazement she's never really shown before while Jinwoo glanced at her and smiled as he took her hand and jumped from the chopper before sprouting wings from his back to slow down their fall and land gracefully. Quickly, everyone rushed inside the hive as back farther behind them at sea, command ships would activate special jamming signals that temporarily disconnected the link between the Queen Ant and her drones, which will prevent said ants from coming back from the hive should their Queen attempt to call for them. Once the Korean hunters entered the hive, Choi would create a Flame Prison as to prevent ants from entering or leaving the hive, which was then reinforced by Byung via Barrier Magic mixed with Curse Magic, ensuring entry or escape was borderline impossible. Once a pathway was found towards the Queen's lair, everyone rushed down towards it and found an entire area full to the brim with ant eggs.
"A spawning ground! That queen has been putting some work in.", Doogwook said in shock.
"Thankfully we're here to put a halt to it, permanently.", Choi declared as he lifter his hand up.
"Wait!", Byung said suddenly before pointing at a specifically large egg that has already been hatched, "What kind of ant came from that?!"
"A royal guard possibly? Regardless, we have to take care of them before anymore hatch." Choi affirmed.
As this was happening, Jinwoo had snuck off and was observing a group of the Japanese hunters as they were cutting down most of the ants coming there way. However, that was, until, a specific aura cascaded over them before a black blur moved at blinding speeds at them to kill them in one swipe. But, before that outcome could occur, Jinwoo summoned Blizzard and the elf would dash off to grab the hunters before the new enemy could kill them and place them in a safe spot, surprising all of them until they saw Jinwoo stepping out into the clearing. The black blur would appear again to try and dice off Jinwoo's head, but the Shadow Monarch easily caught its attack by the wrist and slammed it on the ground before conjuring a Necrosword and impaling it into the enemy's chest, pinning it to the ground as it was a black ant with glowing red eyes that stared up at Jinwoo in fear.
"You almost caught a few bodies had I not intervened. However, something isn't right. Your presence, while powerful and overwhelming to many, isn't singular to just you. In a lack of better words, you aren't the only ant born with such strength.", Jinwoo said with narrowed eyes.
The black ant was swallowed by the darkness and dragged under into the Realm of the Anti-All as Jinwoo looked over at the group of Japanese hunters he saved and gave them a silent thumbs up before disappearing in a blur as he moved around the island and located the next black ant as it had engaged with Goto's team and was about to kill Japan's strongest hunter, but was stopped by Jinwoo stepping in between the two and blocking the ant's fatal strike before kicking it away as it stared at the Shadow Monarch for a few seconds before widening its eyes in fear as it attempted to fly away. However, Jinwoo was already a step ahead and the rumbling roar of Grendel was heard as he flew at blinding speeds and chomped down on the ant before disappearing into the shadows as quick as he came. Goto looked up at Jinwoo in surprise and slight envy at the power he had, but was thankful nonetheless as Jinwoo healed the swordsman but placed a hand on his shoulder as he leaned in close into Goto's ear.
"Consider this a way for you to owe me. I know you and your friends attended this raid so you could let me and my fellow Hunters die from the powerful beasts. So, make sure you remember that I decided to spare you and let you and your friends walk away with your lives before EVER thinking of trying something like this again, got me?", Jinwoo warned in perfect Japanese.
Goto shuddered as he looked down at Jinwoo's shadow to see millions of eyes staring back at him along with the swirling pool of the living abyss eagerly wanting to devour him as Jinwoo patted him on the shoulder and dashed off as the swordsman reached up to his ear piece and told all of his teams to meet up for a small chat before running off. Once he was far away enough, Jinwoo closed his eyes and looked into his shared vision with the symbiotes he has secretly attached to the other Korean Hunters via the equipment he gave them earlier and saw that they found where the queen was, but strangely enough, she was already dead. Then, an earth-shaking screech was heard as the hunters looked over to see a black ant as big as the queen standing upright as it looked down at all of the hunters in a mixture of hunger and rage. Knowing this could go wrong very quick and also wanting to fight as well, Jinwoo quickly teleported into the hive right before everyone as they were all shocked at his sudden appearance, but were glad nonetheless.
"This one is extremely powerful. Go and handle the rest of the ants on or around the island, but if you want to stick around and watch, then don't get in the way and keep your guard up.", Jinwoo said as he walked up to the giant ant and the two stared each other down.
In an instant, both individuals started exchanging punches with one another as the pure shockwaves caused the entire hive to tremble and shake violently as the onlookers were amazed at the exchange. With a last punch to the face, Jinwoo and the Ant King would be pushed away from each other as the former grinned and snapped his fingers as a new pair of daggers spawned in his hands while the Ant King sharpened its claws and mandibles before the two would dash back at each other as they started clashing violently against each other. This battle was being broadcasted to the world as everyone worldwide was viewing the immeasurable power of Korea's 10th S-Rank Hunter and many were cheering him on as Jinwoo land a critical blow on the Ant King before kicking it back. Then, using Ruler's Authority, Jinwoo lifted the ant up into the air before slamming it down with immense force as he leaped up into the air and came down with his daggers to stab the Ant King, but the giant insect's instincts made it react unconsciously and move to the side as it turned its sights towards the observing Korean hunters before roaring and sprinting off towards them. The hunters quickly prepared to retaliate, but were stopped when a red chain wrapped around the Ant King's throat and stopped it in its tracks as everyone looked up to see Jinwoo being covered in a blood red substance.
"For a while now, you ants have playing predator with us and it has costed too many lives. So, I want you to remember these next few words, cause they'll be the last ones you'll hear. Let There Be CARANGE!!!"
Jinwoo's body would be covered in a red symbiote as his face contorted to show white eyes and an array of sharp teeth as he let out a screech of his own before yanking the chain around the Ant King's neck and bringing it towards him as his arms shifted into blades that he used to slash the arms off the ant and stab into its body before tossing it aside as Jinwoo pounced on the beast and started ripping it apart as the screams and shrieks of the beast were emanating throughout the caves of the hive. After a while, the Ant King was nothing but a mess on the ground as Jinwoo had brutally ripped it to pieces and would look up to the sky before releasing a scream of victory that echoed throughout the hive. This marked the victory of Korea and the world as the only remaining threat were still fighting in the skies or attempting to invade the mainland if they got past the sea defense. Jinwoo returned to his normal form and immediately brought the Ant King back to life under his command and named him "Beru" before doing the same to any dead ants on or around the island, allowing the world to see the true power Jinwoo had as Chairman Go smiled brightly and had a tear of joy run down his face as he thanked Sung-Jinwoo for his cooperation in this operation.
Some Time Later
To say Sung-Jinwoo was the topic of the world would be a severe understatement. Everywhere you went, you would hear his name brought up and how he was the "MVP" of Jeju Island. Even some of the Hunters from Japan, including Goto Ryuji himself, outright stated had Jinwoo not been there, they would've died to the evolved ants there. While the attention was something new to Jinwoo, he can't blame anyone but himself as something like this was bound to happen one day sooner or later. However, questions arose about Jinwoo's control over the dead and how far it could really go along with many other mysteries surrounding the Shadow Monarch. Currently, Jinwoo was coming from a small meeting with Chairman Go and was about to go pick his sister up from school when he was randomly approached by a man he never recognized before.
"The man of the world. Sung-Jinwoo, it's an honor to meet you."
"Um, can I help you with something?", Jinwoo asked with a raised eyebrow.
"My name is Adam White, but you can just call me Adam. I am a Senior Official from the Federal Bureau Of Hunters and I was wanting to talk to you about something important."
"With all due respect, is it really that important that it couldn't be done over a phone call?", Jinwoo asked as he was about to enter his car.
"Ah yes, who am I to forget about keeping one's interest. Ever wondered about a special individual capable of increasing the latent abilities of other Hunters, Mr. Jinwoo? Or, in a lack of better words, an Upgrader?", Adam said with a small smirk, earning a side look of interest from the Shadow Monarch.
Scene Change
Go Gunhee stood before many high-advisory individuals as an important meeting was going on and the main topic revolved around that of Hunter Sung-Jinwoo. As mummers started quieting down around the large room, Chairman Go closed his eyes and breathed a calm sigh before steadying his gaze as stepped close to the mic.
"I'm glad many of you could make it to such an important matter today. I won't hold you all long and have but one thing to request from you all."
As the room went completely quiet and everyone looked at the Chairman, the next words to leave his mouth shook everyone to their core.
"I, Chairman Go Gunhee, say we grant Hunter Sung-Jinwoo the official title of the world's 5th National Level Hunter."