….
South Korea.
Incheon International Airport.
Home.
Jin-Ho took a moment to orient himself, checking his phone out of habit…
According to his calculation it is still three years before Sung Jin-Woo would enter that fateful double dungeon and begin his transformation from the World's Weakest Hunter into the Shadow Monarch.
But apparently, Jin-Ho had arrived at an interesting time anyway.
The airport's arrival terminal was in chaos.
Cameras flashed like strobe lights.
Reporters jostled for position, microphones extended like weapons.
Behind them, a crowd of civilians pressed against hastily erected barriers, held back by airport security and what looked like professional bodyguards.
The noise was overwhelming - shouted questions, angry voices, the mechanical whir of camera shutters.
At the center of it all stood a man who commanded attention through sheer physical presence.
Hwang Dongsoo.
Jin-Ho recognized him immediately.
Mid-thirties, built like someone who had spent equal time in dungeons and gyms.
His body was large and muscular, the kind of physique that came from actual combat rather than aesthetic training.
Black hair in a military-style buzz cut. His face was set in an expression of barely controlled irritation, jaw tight, eyes scanning the crowd with obvious disdain.
An S-Rank hunter. One of Korea's most powerful.
And from the looks of this media circus, one who was about to become one of Korea's most hated.
Jin-Ho moved to the side, positioning himself where he could observe without being in the direct path of the commotion.
The reporters were relentless, their questions coming in rapid-fire succession:
"Mr. Hwang Dongsoo! Why are you leaving your homeland?" A female reporter in a sharp business suit pushed her microphone forward aggressively.
"Is it true you have accepted an offer from the American Hunter Bureau?" Another voice, male, accusatory. "How much are they paying you to abandon Korea?"
"What about your responsibility to protect Korean citizens?" An older reporter, his voice carrying genuine hurt. "We invested in your development as a hunter. The government subsidized your early training. Don't you have an obligation to stay?"
"Are you really choosing money over your own people?" A younger journalist, clearly emotional. "How can you call yourself a Korean hunter after this?"
"Is this about the recent incident with the association? Are you leaving because of the political pressure?"
"What message does this send to younger hunters who look up to you?"
The questions kept coming, each one sharper than the last. Jin-Ho watched the surrounding crowd - not just reporters, but ordinary citizens who had come to the airport specifically to witness this moment.
To bear witness to what they clearly saw as a betrayal.
Their expressions ranged from disappointment to outright fury. Some held signs with messages Jin-Ho could read even from a distance: 'TRAITOR', 'KOREA NEEDS YOU', 'MONEY OVER COUNTRY?'
But the anger wasn't just directed at Hwang Dongsoo.
"The government is just letting him leave!" someone shouted from the crowd.
"They should pass laws against this! Make it illegal for S-Ranks to emigrate!"
"What's the point of the Hunter Association if they can't even keep our strongest hunters here?"
The dissatisfaction was palpable, aimed not just at the hunter abandoning his homeland, but at the Korean government's apparent inability to stop him.
At the system that had trained and empowered these hunters only to watch them leave for better opportunities elsewhere.
And Hwang Dongsoo's reaction to all of it?
Nothing.
No hint of embarrassment, shame, or attempt to justify his decision or offer reassurances to his countrymen.
Just cold, naked irritation.
His expression said clearly: Why is this such a big deal? I am making a business decision.
He looked annoyed that people were making a fuss, frustrated that he had to deal with this circus instead of simply boarding his flight.
Like a celebrity bothered by paparazzi rather than a national figure abandoning his responsibilities.
His eyes swept the crowd with barely concealed disdain, as if he couldn't understand why these people didn't grasp that personal power and advancement obviously took priority over vague concepts like national duty or social obligation.
Jin-Ho knew the truth behind this departure, even if the reporters and civilians didn't have the full picture.
Norma Selner.
An American hunter with two extraordinarily rare abilities: precognition and, more critically, the power to upgrade other hunters' abilities.
Before the Rulers had begun spawning gates across the human world, she had worked as a fortune-teller, fitting, given her later awakening.
Once the Bureau discovered her unique skillset, she had been given a position of significant influence.
Her current mission was recruitment.
Specifically, recruiting particularly powerful S-Rank hunters from foreign countries by offering them something no amount of money could buy: greater power through her upgrading ability.
Hwang Dongsoo had been one of her targets.
And he accepted without a second thought.
Within a few more months, he would be joining the Scavenger Guild under Thomas Andre, one of America's National Level Hunters.
He would gain power, prestige, and access to resources Korea couldn't match.
And Korea would lose one of its strongest defenders.
What was happening right now - this public spectacle, this media circus, would cement Hwang Dongsoo's reputation as a traitor.
Korean citizens would remember him not for his past achievements but for this moment.
And from the look on his face, he genuinely didn't care.
His eyes were full of greed.
Not subtle ambition or calculated risk-taking, but pure, naked hunger for more power, more strength and recognition.
In a way, Jin-Ho thought with dark irony, it looked similar to his own drive.
There was another figure beside Hwang Dongsoo that Jin-Ho recognized immediately.
Hwang Dongsuk.
The older brother.
Physically similar but with longer hair and a less imposing presence. His expression was tight with frustration, and he was clearly arguing with his younger brother in low, urgent tones that the microphones weren't quite picking up.
Jin-Ho knew him too and his future.
Hwang Dongsuk would eventually be killed by Sung Jin-Woo, Jin-Ho's dear friend, the future Shadow Monarch - during a dungeon raid gone wrong.
Or more accurately, during a dungeon raid that went exactly as Dongsuk intended, an attempted murder that would backfire catastrophically.
Like his brother, Dongsuk was selfish, arrogant, and sociopathic.
He had little regard for innocent lives and would happily sacrifice other hunters for his own benefit. His reputation in the hunter community was terrible, people knew he was dangerous to work with, that he treated lower-ranked hunters as disposable.
But despite all his character flaws, Hwang Dongsuk had one quality his younger brother apparently lacked: loyalty to his homeland.
Even now, Jin-Ho could see it in the way Dongsuk's hand gripped his brother's arm, in the intensity of whatever he was saying. He resented his brother's decision to betray their people for money and power. Was trying, even now, to convince him to stay.
It was almost touching, in a twisted way.
The sociopathic older brother who'd later try to murder Jin-Woo in a dungeon was currently the moral one in this situation, trying to prevent what he saw as a betrayal of national duty.
Jin-Ho watched this drama unfold from his position at the edge of the crowd, his expression neutral.
None of this was his problem.
Whatever happened between the Hwang brothers and Korea's hunter politics wasn't his concern.
He was about to turn and walk away.
Hwang Dongsoo's head snapped in his direction.
Their eyes met across the crowded terminal.
For a moment, Jin-Ho felt it, the pressure of an S-Rank hunter's mana, the way power radiated from Dongsoo like heat from a fire. It was instinctive, automatic, the way predators sized each other up.
And apparently, Jin-Ho had stared too long, had watched too intently, and failed to mask his own presence sufficiently.
"Hey, you." Hwang Dongsoo called out, his voice cutting through the noise of reporters and the crowd. "What are you looking at?"
The question was aggressive, confrontational. Not curious - threatening.
The entire media circus paused, cameras swiveled toward Jin-Ho. Reporters turned, sensing a new angle to their story.
Jin-Ho stood there, suddenly the focus of dozens of cameras and hundreds of eyes, and felt the familiar weight of cosmic irony settling over his shoulders.
He had traveled through dimensions, saved burning children, taught at Japan's most prestigious hero academy, and built networks across multiple realities.
And he was back in Korea less than five minutes before getting called out by an S-Rank hunter having a public meltdown.
Perfect, Jin-Ho thought with resignation. Welcome home indeed.
Hwang Dongsuk's hand moved to his brother's shoulder, clearly trying to redirect his attention. "Dongsoo, ignore it. We need to—"
But Dongsoo shrugged him off with casual violence, his irritation now focused entirely on Jin-Ho like a laser.
He took a step forward, and the crowd instinctively parted like water before a shark. The bodyguards shifted nervously, uncertain whether they should intervene.
Airport security exchanged glances, clearly recognizing that stepping between an S-Rank hunter and whatever had caught his attention was a career-limiting decision.
"I asked you a question." Dongsoo said, his voice dropping lower but somehow becoming more menacing. The kind of quiet that preceded explosions. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
Right now, they were just a few steps apart.
Maybe three meters.
Close enough that Jin-Ho could see the barely controlled fury in Dongsoo's eyes, could feel the mana beginning to radiate off him in waves that made the air shimmer and distort.
The entire airport terminal seemed to hold its breath.
People and reporters fixed their attention on the confrontation.
Guards moved forward to try to reason with Dongsoo, but their words died in their throats when he glanced at them. His elder brother Dongsuk tried again, his voice urgent: "Dongsoo, this isn't worth it. You have a flight to-"
For a second, Dongsoo seemed to consider brushing it off.
His jaw clenched, his eyes flickered with the internal calculation of whether this random bystander was worth the trouble.
But then he looked at Jin-Ho again.
And what he saw snapped something inside him.
There was no fear, or even an ounce of intimidation whatsoever.
Just... calm observation.
Like Jin-Ho was watching an interesting but ultimately unimportant insect.
It baffled Dongsoo completely.
By now, this random civilian should be stammering apologies, backing away, maybe even dropping to his knees to beg forgiveness for the offense of staring at an S-Rank hunter.
That was the natural order - the strong commanded respect through presence alone, and the weak acknowledged it.
But Jin-Ho just stood there, unfazed. Meeting his gaze without flinching.
They stared at each other across the small distance.
To anyone observing, the physical mismatch was obvious.
Jin-Ho had grown taller over his time in other dimensions - nearly 180cm now, and his body was clearly fit despite his casual clothes covering most of his frame.
His posture was relaxed but centered, the stance of someone who had been in enough fights to know how to stand.
But compared to Hwang Dongsoo? He looked small.
An easy opponent. A civilian who had made the mistake of catching an S-Rank hunter's attention at the wrong moment.
The cameras captured it all - the size difference, the tension, moment before violence that would make excellent television.
Jin-Ho had several options running through his mind.
He could apologize, claim he was just another curious bystander, defuse the situation and slip away into anonymity. It was a smart and safe play.
He could ignore the question entirely, turn and leave, and let Dongsoo's ego handle the perceived disrespect however it wanted.
Let the man rage at his back while Jin-Ho simply walked away from this circus.
Or he could do what his instincts - honed by countless confrontations with beings far more dangerous than one S-Rank hunter with an attitude problem, were telling him to do.
"Hey, are you deaf?" Dongsoo's voice rose, his patience finally snapping. "Lower your gaze before I—"
He took a step forward.
His superhuman strength was evident in the movement - casual, controlled, but loaded with threat.
The ground beneath his foot cracked, concrete fracturing in a spider-web pattern from the pressure. The sound echoed in the suddenly silent terminal like a gunshot.
But just then, something happened.
Something that even Jin-Ho, with all his experience and foresight, never expected.
Someone rushed between them - not cautiously, or diplomatically, but with the desperate speed of someone trying to prevent a catastrophe.
It was a man in his late twenties, dressed in an expensive business suit that screamed corporate success.
Black hair styled professionally, glasses that somehow made him look both intellectual and exhausted, the kind of person who spent too much time in offices and not enough time sleeping.
He positioned himself directly in front of Jin-Ho, arms spread slightly in a protective gesture that was more symbolic than effective, facing down an S-Rank hunter with nothing but apparent desperation and whatever courage he could muster.
"Wait! Please wait!" The man's voice was breathless, urgent. "This is a misunderstanding! My brother didn't mean any disrespect!"
Jin-Ho's eyes widened in genuine shock.
"Jinsung?" His voice came out flat with disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
….
.
[To be continued…]
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