Hunter Callsign: Chosen One. Real name: Joseon Won.

He was an S-Rank Awakened, a member of the New Five Heroes, and a former soldier.

Though the precise details of his past were unknown, the most credible theory was that he was an elite graduate of the Korea Military Academy.

As the sole S-Ranker in the entire ROK Armed Forces, he fought on the nation’s front lines. After the fall of North Korea, he was responsible for holding back the monster waves surging from China and Mongolia.

Once the border was stabilized, he became the first commander of the 666th Special Operations Unit, a new Awakened task force established by the ROK Army Special Warfare Command to address the Gate crisis.

He recruited Awakened personnel from every branch of the military and trained them into an elite force. The 666th came to be regarded as the most powerful Gate special operations unit in the Republic of Korea.

But as Joseon Won was promoted, his duties shifted from the field to administration. The higher his rank climbed, the fewer opportunities he had to face Gates and monsters directly.

He ultimately concluded that the various restrictions that came with his military status were becoming an obstacle to defending the country.

He laid down his rank insignia at his final post as a colonel and retired from service. Afterward, he began a new life as a civilian mercenary—a Hunter.

Even to this day, he maintained close ties with the military, and the 666th Special Operations Unit, which he had founded, still cooperated with him.

A civilian Hunter who was, for all intents and purposes, a military man.

That was the public’s perception of Chosen One, and it wasn’t far from the truth.

“…Hearing all that, he sounds like a respectable soldier.”

Jae-hee gestured discreetly toward Chosen One, who was dressed in a Joseon-style general’s uniform and speaking in an archaic dialect.

“So how did he end up… like that?!”

Hae-eun answered. “He’s always loved Joseon-era military uniforms. Apparently, he’s a huge fanboy of Admiral Yi Sun-sin.”

“Who doesn’t like Admiral Yi? But that’s a whole different thing from dressing up like this!”

“He loved it so much that even before he retired, he used to cosplay in Joseon-era armor for every official event.”

The signs had been there even before he took off his uniform. After retiring and becoming a Hunter, he had been completely consumed by the concept.

“I think his current character concept is… ‘A nameless general who died serving under Admiral Yi was reincarnated in modern Korea, only to find that Gates had opened.’”

“His… ‘character concept’?”

“That’s the persona he’s adopted. I heard his fan club even builds out the whole world lore and plays along.”

“He has a fan club?”

“All the New Five Heroes have fan clubs. They have light sticks, cheer songs, the whole deal.”

Jae-hee sank into thought.

The man was clearly a severe case, but as eccentric as he was, he wasn’t hurting anyone. Maybe it was fine…?

Just then, Chosen One, having entered the transport, spotted Ghost.

“Hah.”

An undisguised hostility radiated from him, visible even through his haetae-faced helmet.

“It has been a long time, senior.”

“…”

“I wondered which Awakened special forces unit had agreed to cooperate, but to think… it was the ‘Angel Unit’?”

Chosen One swept his gaze over the prisoners in the transport, then turned his back without a second thought.

“No matter how dire the situation, I possess the pride of a warrior who defends Joseon. Joining hands with criminals is not the path I pursue.”

“…”

“Let us consider this matter concluded.”

With that, he actually began to stride away.

Hae-eun shrugged as if to say, what can you do?

Ghost just scoffed. “Still got that incredible pride… Well, fine by us. Means we don’t have to risk our necks.”

“No, it’s a problem for me,” Hae-eun said. “I’ve already received a ton of stuff. I’d rather not have to give it all back.”

It was then.

“Hm?”

Chosen One, on his way out, met Jae-hee’s wide, round eyes.

He looked Jae-hee up and down, then asked in bewilderment, “And what is this child doing here? Does the Convict Unit now resort to using children?”

“Uh…”

“Even for a unit that exists in a legal gray area, this I cannot overlook. Senior, just how far do you intend to fall—”

“I’m a convict, too.”

“What.” A stunned Chosen One froze mid-step.

A mischievous impulse took hold of Jae-hee, and he began to spout nonsense tailored to Chosen One’s “character concept.”

“Sir General. As you said, we may have been assigned to this Convict Unit for our crimes, but I believe our love for our country is second to none.”

“What did you say?”

“Has this nation not been defended time and again by the righteous armies that rose in its hour of need? This is a country where all citizens fought as one to overcome foreign invaders.”

“…”

“When one has the righteous will to protect the nation, what does it matter if one is a thief or a statesman? To protect our homeland, must we not all fight together against the invaders?”

Hearing this, Chosen One’s eyes widened, and he stared intently at Jae-hee.

Crap. Did I overdo it? Jae-hee thought.

“…My thinking was too narrow.”

In fact, it had worked beautifully.

“Yes! ‘What matters is a heart that beats for Joseon’…! The ‘Joong-Jo-Ma’!”

“Wha? The… Joong-Jo-huh?”

“A commendable spirit, boy! From whom did you learn such an attitude?”

“Uh… from her…”

Jae-hee pointed toward Ghost, who was staring back at them with a dumbfounded expression.

“Ahem. It seems I have misunderstood you, senior. I had no idea you possessed such ardent patriotism.”

Ghost shook her head, but Chosen One paid her no mind.

“And to take on such a fine young man as your disciple… You must be so very proud.”

Chosen One clapped Jae-hee on the shoulder, nearly pulling him into an embrace, and looked at Ghost with a gaze full of envy.

“I, too, wish to follow your example and find such a worthy disciple.”

“…”

“Very well! Let us all rise up as one, annihilate the foreign invaders, and protect Joseon!”

Chosen One threw an arm around Jae-hee’s shoulders, raised his other fist high, and roared.

“Make Joseon Great Again!”

Jae-hee, figuring what the hell, raised his hand and shouted back. “Great again!”

Ghost pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a sigh. “I think we could have gotten the mission canceled… Why’d you have to overdo it…”

“That’s our Boy for you. Phew, what a relief. Now I don’t have to give back all my goodies.” Hae-eun smiled, thoroughly pleased.

And just like that, they had clumsily secured Chosen One’s consent. The frosty atmosphere had been replaced by a sudden, bizarre warmth.

With Chosen One now actively on board, the military forces began to prepare for deployment in earnest.

Heavily armed special forces members were assigned to four helicopters while support troops loaded various supplies onto a large transport plane, one that looked about one and a half times the size of the Black Parade’s own cargo plane.

As Jae-hee watched them, he saw a familiar face.

“Huh?” He wasn’t sure at first, but a closer look confirmed it.

Overcome with a pleased surprise, Jae-hee waved enthusiastically and approached her.

“Sergeant! You’re Sergeant Mu-gung Hwa, right?”

“Oh?”

The female soldier loading supplies into a helicopter—Sergeant Hwa, who had fought the Foghowlers with them in the Incheon fishing village—turned in surprise.

She recognized Jae-hee and Ghost and broke into a bright smile. “Sir Hunter! It’s good to see you again.”

“Have you been well? Is your leg okay?”

He was asking about the leg she’d injured fighting the Foghowlers.

Mu-gung grinned and patted her thigh through her uniform. “I was lucky enough to be treated by a Hunter with a healing ability, so it’s fully recovered. It left a pretty long scar, though.”

“That’s great!”

“Have you all been well in the meantime?”

“Um…” Jae-hee paused, thinking of the three missions he’d endured since they last met.

He’d been dragged to Chuncheon, Mt. Gwanak, and Gangnam Station and had gone through hell and back. He’d almost died at Gangnam Station, in fact.

He couldn’t exactly say he’d been “well,” so he settled for, “I’m still breathing!”

“Haha. That’s what counts. How are Mr. Bone Powder Hunter and Mr. Status Window doing?”

“Yeah. They’re both doing fine… I think. Probably.” Jae-hee’s voice trailed off, uncertain.

It had only been about three days since he’d last seen them, but on that prison cruise, anything could happen in that amount of time.

They’re…okay, right…?

A flicker of anxiety sparked within him, but what could he do? Worrying about it here wouldn’t change a thing. All he could do was hope for the best.

Jae-hee changed the subject. “Does this mean the 17th Division’s Gate Reconnaissance Battalion is part of this operation?”

“Haha, well…” Mu-gung scratched the back of her head sheepishly. “I was actually transferred.”

“Transferred?”

“It was a… disciplinary reassignment.”

“What? Why?!” Jae-hee’s eyes went wide with confusion.

Sergeant Hwa had done great work back then, hadn’t she? Thanks to her ability, everyone trapped in the fog had made it out alive.

Mu-gung explained with a bitter smile. “While I was in temporary command of the platoon, I focused too much on rescuing civilians instead of ensuring our own survival… and my reckless command got my subordinates injured.”

After the platoon leader and deputy leader were killed, she had been given temporary command, but that was by no means a license to do as she pleased.

The role of a temporary commander was to regroup the unit and retreat to safety as quickly as possible. With both leaders KIA, she had been granted defensive, not offensive, operational authority.

But Sergeant Hwa had continued the operation on her own initiative and had nearly gotten the entire platoon wiped out while trying to rescue civilians.

The Black Parade’s intervention had led to a good outcome, but it was a situation that still demanded disciplinary action.

“But… it all turned out well in the end…”

“An organization runs on principles and protocol,” Mu-gung said calmly. “Letting things slide just because the outcome was good will inevitably cause problems down the line. The disciplinary action I received was justified.”

“But still…”

“Of course, I have no regrets. If the same situation happened again, I’d do the same thing.”

With a faint smile, Sergeant Hwa gestured to the surrounding troops. “So, I was transferred and reassigned to the Army’s Awakened unit—the 666th Special Operations Unit.”

“Wow, at least you ended up in a famous unit!”

“Haha. It’s not like I’m a frontline operative. I’m in a support role. Hauling supplies, cleaning, that sort of thing.”

Just then, an officer who appeared to be her superior came over and beckoned.

“Sergeant Hwa, are you done over there? We need a hand here.”

“Ah, my apologies! I’m on my way.”

Mu-gung gave Jae-hee a nod. “Well, see you around.”

Watching her retreating back, Ghost clicked her tongue.

“The military brass is something else. I don’t know who’s in charge of personnel, but they played their hand well.”

“Huh? Why?”

“They had to discipline her, so they assigned her to menial work with the 666th. But at the end of the day, Sergeant Hwa possesses the rare ability to break through Realm Erosion.”

Ghost nodded. “It’s a punishment, yes, but it’s also a calculated move to cultivate her specialized skills for the future. She’ll learn how the 666th operates while doing grunt work, and then she’ll naturally be integrated into the unit.”

“Oh, so that’s how it works?”

“…Or maybe not.”

“Or maybe not!”

Mu-gung was already joking casually with the other NCOs as she continued to haul supplies.

Watching her, Jae-hee murmured, “Sergeant Hwa seems to fit in wherever she goes.”

“You can tell she’s a stand-up person. Personable, competent.”

Ghost sighed and glanced behind her. “Unlike us convict scumbags.”

In the brief moment she’d looked away, Daedalus and Icarus, the father-son duo, were getting chewed out for trying to swipe military supplies.

Iljimae was flashing Ghost a creepy smile while fiddling with the hilt of her blade, looking for all the world like she was planning to start some infighting.

Then there was Hae-eun, scribbling something down with an expression more sinister than anyone else’s, and finally, Jae-hee, the hopelessly naive rookie.

As Ghost stared at him, Jae-hee beamed and said, “But that’s the charm of our unit, isn’t it!”

Instead of answering, Ghost just let out a long, deep sigh.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.