Transferred to an SSS-rank Production Class

“One last time, just one more try.”

With millions of won already gone, one more wouldn’t make much difference.

As I picked up the staff rolling around in the corner of the bed, my hunter watch rang.

[Emergency Field detected. Assemble at Waiting Room 1 within 15 minutes.]

Talk about rotten luck. Of all times to be called for standby duty.

Grumbling, I stuffed the Ruby Staff into my inventory. Being picked for standby duty was a rare occurrence.

Fields that appear without warning trigger a “flood” – releasing monsters outside the gate if objectives aren’t met within the set time.

The main task for mid to low-rank hunters like myself was to terminate these fields.

The World Tower conquests commonly associated with hunters were handled by the elite “conquest teams”. They were rarely summoned for such matters.

‘Those folks are too busy with main quests to bother with this kind of thing.’

“Wonder what unfortunate souls I’ll be working with today.”

Let’s see, potions sufficient, equipment repaired. Perfect.

“Equip gear.”

In an instant, my comfortable loungewear transformed into battle gear. Though familiar, I double-checked my attire just in case.

A form-fitting short-sleeve shirt, pants with multiple pockets, a windbreaker, harness, and combat boots. With mostly standard-issue equipment, everything was a stark black. Only the quiver and bow had any color.

While some famous high-ranking hunters customized their gear to match a concept, that was a distant dream for me.

As I slung my bow and headed to the waiting room, I tried to guess who I’d be paired with.

“Most of my friends are off-duty today.”

The thought of entering a field with people I didn’t work well with was already giving me a headache.

◆◇◆◇◆

[Guild member Hunter Yun Gaho confirmed.]

Ding-!

As I absent-mindedly tried to enter the waiting room, something dropped from the ceiling with a bell-like sound.

‘A person?’

Wait, why did a person appear from the sky? It was a girl who looked to be in her mid-teens. Wearing a hanbok-style dress, she spun around me.

“Surprised you, didn’t I!”

“Taeyang, greet her! You should greet Mr. Kim first. Or do you want me to scold you?”

On the shoulder of the girl with her hair braided into two donut-shaped buns sat a tiny bell the size of a fingernail. The bell bounced up and down, scolding the girl.

‘What’s that thing?’

Though seemingly annoyed, the girl bowed deeply in greeting.

“Sori nags all the time. Hello, I’m Cha Taeyang. I’m seventeen. I joined recently. Oh, and… right! They said I’m an A-rank hunter.”

“Her trait is A-rank too!”

“Oh yeah, that. The 13th month’s…”

I hastily covered Cha Taeyang’s mouth. Surprised by my sudden action, she wrinkled her nose.

Trying to reveal her trait name to a stranger—she clearly knew nothing. Why hadn’t anyone told her such important things?

“Hunter Cha Taeyang, you might not know this as a newcomer, but you should never tell anyone your trait name. Not even fellow guild members.”

“I can’t even just say the name?”

“No. Not unless it’s someone you truly trust.”

Cha Taeyang nodded, seeming to understand. I was relieved to see she was as sharp as her determined eyes suggested.

Seventeen, was it? Just barely old enough for hunter activities.

She’s in for a tough time. I couldn’t help feeling sympathetic.

“Thank you for teaching me.”

“Kind Mr. Kim, thank you!”

“It’s not Mr. Kim, it’s Yun Gaho.”

“Goblins call all humans Mr. Kim.”

Goblin? I thought it was just a strange item, but it was actually a goblin.

Unable to hide my surprise, the goblin cleared its throat. Though the unusual had become commonplace since the World Tower appeared, the existence of goblins was still shocking.

Cha Taeyang stroked the goblin with her index finger, then rummaged in her pocket and offered me a yakgwa pastry.

“So, are you a hunter too, unni?”

I nodded and bit into the yakgwa. Cha Taeyang’s face bloomed into a big smile.

“You know, you’re the first hunter I’ve talked to besides the witch unni!”

But why are you speaking formally to me? Oh, is it okay if I call you unni? Where are we going for this assembly? Do you like yakgwa too?

Cha Taeyang bombarded me with questions. Seeing her excitement reminded me of my rookie days, making me unusually talkative.

“We’re both hunters. Age isn’t that important among hunters. Rank matters more. Oh, careful, that’s a real arrow, don’t just grab it…”

I started to stop her from reaching for my quiver, but remembering she was A-rank, I let her be.

Cha Taeyang tossed and caught the arrow I gave her, but her eyes sparkled when I explained about the field.

Emergency fields were trickier than the well-documented fields inside the World Tower or the fixed fields that appear periodically in certain areas.

Yet, seeing someone so clueless assigned here, it probably wasn’t a high-rank field. C-rank at best? A small mercy.

As I chatted with Cha Taeyang, three people entered the waiting room.

Except for one man who looked barely twenty, I recognized them all.

The blonde is Seo Young-woon, an A-rank tank famous for being difficult, and beside him is Deputy Guild Leader Hwang Jae-hee. Someone of Hwang Jae-hee’s status wouldn’t be in the field, so probably here for a briefing.

“Do we really need to be called for a C-rank field?”

“It’s near the National Assembly building in Yeouido. You know how fussy the higher-ups are.”

“Sigh, but still. Two rookies who’ve never even entered the World Tower, and one C-rank. Isn’t this too much? You don’t think I don’t know you called me specifically to cover for these people?”

Way to make the C-rank feel bad, saying that so casually.

Many people disliked working with Seo Young-woon because of his attitude.

Cha Taeyang, standing next to me, growled at his blatantly contemptuous look.

“I won’t hold you back, sunbae! I graduated top of my class from the Seoul Hunter Academy!”

“Trainee Jo Sung-hyun, please correct your form of address. Who are you calling sunbae?”

“Why are you picking on someone you’ve just met, mister!”

“I’ve heard much about you, sunbae. I’ve always admired you…”

It was chaos, with everyone, including Cha Taeyang’s goblin, piling on Seo Young-woon.

A field with these people? No thanks. Hwang Jae-hee, wearing an expression similar to mine, shook his head and approached me.

“Under these circumstances, Hunter Yun Gaho, you’ll have to take on the role of party leader.”

“What? Is that really necessary? Wouldn’t Hunter Seo Young-woon, being A-rank…”

“You know well the terrible consequences of having a socially inept party leader, don’t you?”

Despite being badmouthed as lacking social skills, Seo Young-woon didn’t bat an eye. Does this mean he’s self-aware despite his nasty temperament?

Seeing my pale face, Hwang Jae-hee remained firm.

“No need to feel pressured. Given the location, Seo Young-woon had to be mobilized, but it’s still a C-rank field.

Though inexperienced, both Hunter Cha Taeyang and Jo Sung-hyun are A-rank. Jo Sung-hyun, being from the academy, has field experience.”

“…What’s the field type?”

“It’s a raid. You need to find and eliminate the field’s boss within the time limit.”

Three A-ranks and one C-rank for a C-rank field, and a raid at that – the composition made sense. I reluctantly accepted the role of party leader.

Hwang Jae-hee’s weary face brightened a bit.

This mission is a C-rank field, “The Wizard’s Garden.”

The time limit is eight hours, which is quite generous. Judging by the field name, plant-type monsters were expected.

Plant-type monsters, especially in a C-rank field, would likely be stationary. It was a good opportunity for Cha Taeyang and Jo Sung-hyun to gain experience relatively safely.

“What? Yeouido is close by. Can’t we just run there? It’d be faster.”

“Using abilities within the city is illegal.”

“How old-fashioned. No one would see us at night anyway.”

Hwang Jae-hee shoved the grumbling Jo Sung-hyun into the back seat. Seo Young-woon sat in the front passenger seat, diagonally opposite from Jo Sung-hyun.

The only one left was Cha Taeyang, but at seventeen, she couldn’t possibly drive.

‘I guess… I have to do it.’

I reluctantly took the wheel.

“Why don’t we introduce ourselves before we arrive? I’m Yun Gaho, your party leader. My main weapon is a bow, and my overall rank is C.”

“Eck, why is someone like you in Hwangya…”

“I’m Cha Taeyang! I said I’m A-rank, and my specialty is martial arts!”

“Hey, I was talking!”

Who knew even introductions would be this difficult?

The kids in the back seat started bickering immediately. When Seo Young-woon glared back, Jo Sung-hyun shut his mouth.

Whether it was because he was a famous A-rank, or a direct senior from the same academy, I’m not sure, but thanks to that, it got quieter.

“Seo Young-woon. A-rank tank.”

“…I’m Jo Sung-hyun. I joined Hwangya as a graduation requirement. I mainly use a sword.”

After Seo Young-woon finished his introduction, Jo Sung-hyun reluctantly spoke up.

I’m not sure how much Cha Taeyang and Jo Sung-hyun can contribute, but at a glance, the balance seemed decent.

“Though I’m C-rank, I probably have the most field experience among us. In case of emergency, please follow my instructions.”

“Taeyang, you should listen well to that Mr. Kim!”

Except for the goblin, no one responded to my words.

The silver van glided through the empty night streets towards Yeouido.

◆◇◆◇◆

In front of the National Assembly building, Anomaly Management Bureau vehicles were lined up. The bureau staff had controlled the area well; not a soul was in sight.

We parked by the road and approached the field gate with the group.

After showing our awakened person registration cards indicating Hwangya guild membership to the bureau staff guarding the gate, we stood before it.

Lights of indescribable colors flowed chaotically. The sight of what looked like a shattered world never got easier to witness, no matter how many times I saw it.

After a final equipment check, we stepped towards the gate.

[Entering field ‘The Wizard’s Garden (C)’.

– Time limit: 07:15:58

– Person limit: 5]