It’s 11:48 p.m. in the office of the Awakening Management Bureau's Field Response Team 1. The spacious office was brightly lit despite the late hour.

"Team Leader, would you like a snack?"

"Oh, sure. Just an energy bar, please."

Jung-bin, a conscientious government employee, was on duty today. It wasn't like he had any overtime or urgent work to do, but it was the usual thing at this time of the year.

-Well, it's only a matter of minutes, we'll be able to see the new rankings in 12 minutes! I'm really curious to see how the system would have ranked them.

Today was the day that every hunter looked forward to, the ranking update. Jung-bin chewed a few times on his front teeth as he put one hand in his pocket and held an empty paper cup in the other.

Once a year, the system ranked all the Awakened based on their skills and performance. This year, both new and established hunters waited for their rankings to be updated.

The new rankings are a testament to their abilities and can mean the difference between joining a new guild or receiving a new advertisement.

However, it was not uncommon for hunters to go on a rampage if they didn't get the rank they wanted, so the Awakening Management Bureau went into emergency mode around this time. The two on-screen announcers pointed to the data and said,

-It is unclear how the system calculates the rankings, but we know that it takes into account not only the rank but also the hunter's activity throughout the year.

-A-rank hunters can be ranked higher than S-rank hunters, and it's all thanks to them. Last year, there were a lot of hunters who came out of nowhere, and I think this year's rankings might be quite volatile.

-Nevertheless, the experts predicted that there won't be much change in the top 20. Let's take a look at the predicted rankings.

Lee Sa-young (S)
The Gospel of Matthew - Mok Tae-oh (S)
Jung-bin (S)
GyuGyu - Ban Gyu-min (S)
Honeybee - Yoo Chae-hyun (A)
Doctor - Nam Woo-jin (A)
I am a Craftsman ᅳ Hong Ye-sung (S)
Ham Seok-jeong (A)
Song Jo-heon (S)
Shield Guy- Bae Won-woo (A)
:

:

-Oh, the predicted ranking... It's no different from the current ranking, so you don't expect it to change at all?

-Yes, that's right, because it's been the same for the past two years.

It is a familiar face.

"Team leader, take this."

"Oh, thanks."

Jung-bin and his teammate stood side by side in front of the monitor and started eating an energy bar. After checking the predicted rankings, the teammate asked,

"Do you think your ranking will stay the same?"

"Well... yes."

In the last two years, the ranking has not changed up to 10th. The higher the hunter, the more active he is, and the more influential his natural skill will be. Therefore, as the panelists say, the ranking will not change again this year.

It's in the middle tier that the real generational change will happen. That's what they all thought, and Jung-bin agreed.

"If Honeybee gets an S-rank weapon, I don't know, but for now, I think I'll stay in the same position this year."

He had just finished folding the note into an empty wrapper when he was satisfied.

Bang, a firecracker exploded in the air. Jung-bin looked up in surprise at the bright white window that had suddenly opened.

[Ranking changes!]
[Do you want to see it now?]

A sound he had not heard in nearly two years. It was a sound that could only be heard when there was a ranking change. Jung-bin's face cracked slightly as he checked his rank.

He was ranked fourth. He had been number two when J was around, and after J's death, he had briefly moved up to number one, but with the arrival of Lee Sa-young, he had become number two again. He was also nervous about the 'second place for 10,000 years' formula, but with the arrival of another S-rank, Matthew, he went down a notch.

And now it's back to number four. There are only two things that can change the ranking.

A new number one or two is born,

The old number one or two dies.

Either way, it was going to be a big deal, and soon enough, Jung-bin... He was faced with a third, unexpected situation.

[Location: South Korea

J
Lee Sa-young ▼1
The Gospel of Matthew ▼1
Jung-bin ▼1
GyuGyu ▼1
Honeybee ▼1
Doctor ▼1
I am a handyman ▼1
Ham Seok-jeong ▼1
Song Jo-heon ▼1
Shield Guy ▼1]
One by one, the predicted rankings fell, and the number one spot went to...

The name everyone knew, J.

It's been eight years since that day, but his name is still heard everywhere. In documentaries about the Incheon Rift, in history books about Rift Day, in childish internet threads arguing about who was the strongest in the world.

He died in a rift eight years ago. That's what they said. No one had ever seen his body, but the rift had closed, and his name had disappeared from the hunter rankings. Besides, once a rift is closed, it cannot be reopened, so no one suspected his death.

But now J has suddenly appeared in the rankings.

What does that mean...

-What? No, what is this?

-Wait a minute, the top spot is now ....

-Has the ranking changed?

-Is it J?

J is alive.

And he's probably still in the Incheon Rift.

Worst case scenario... the Incheon Rift might have reappeared.

The smile disappeared from Jung-bin's face. His teammate stuttered as he checked the rankings.

"Te, team leader."

He grabbed his suit jacket from the chair and headed for the door. His teammates scrambled after him.

"No, team leader! What the...? Did I see that right?"

"How many people do you have available to move in immediately?"

"Uh, not counting the ones on the ground... About ten in all."

"Tell them to move all but the minimum number of people to Incheon, and keep everyone else on standby."

"Incheon?"

"Yes. To the Incheon Rift."

"Understood!"

"The director will give you instructions on how to deal with the media. Those of you who remain, respond according to the instructions. ...."

Jung-bin's pager buzzed before he could finish his instructions. He hesitated slightly, checked his understanding with a glance, and pressed the receive button.

[Director Ham Seok-jeong]

A soft voice of a middle-aged woman flowed through the speaker.

-Team leader Jung-bin.

"Yes, sir."

-There is a lot of work until late at night. Have you seen the rankings?

"I have, and I'm leaving for Incheon right now."

-Yes. I suppose you know what to do.

"Yes. We'll check to see if the West Sea Rift has reopened, and then search the immediate area for J and the other hunters, keeping their survival in mind."

-If J isn't in the west. And if the rift hasn't reopened....

There was a brief silence. The director of the Awakeners, Ham Seok-jeong, said firmly.

-You must find them.

"Yes."

-By any means necessary.

Incheon, in front of the memorial.

Jung-bin brushed his hair from his face as he jumped out of the helicopter. His destination was the memorial.

There was a person standing in front of the memorial with a clear view of the sea. It wasn't hard to recognize him from a distance as he stood a head taller than everyone else. Jung-bin took a moment to catch his breath and walked over to the black figure.

"Lee Sa-young."

"......."

With his hands in his pockets, Lee Sa-young stared at the top of the monument. At first glance, he looked calm, but Jung-bin had a hunch.

He is back.

There was a noticeable ferocity that could not be resolved or not. To the point where a weak person can't stand it and loses his mind. Jung-bin sent a signal to the team members standing behind him. He wanted to prevent anyone from approaching him.

The team dispersed in unison; no hunter, let alone a reporter, was allowed near Lee Sa-young in this state. A sharp pressure squeezed the air as if it could tear a man apart at any moment. Jung-bin stood three paces behind him, watching him.

After a moment of silence, he spoke.

"Rift?"

He must have meant, "Have you come to check the rift?" Jung-bin tensed and replied,

"Yes, it is."

"It's not open."

"......."

With an impatient jerk of his chin, Lee Sa-young pointed to the calm sea. The waves were gently breaking in the moonlight. His gaze was still fixed on a single hint of writing at the top of the monument.

Originally, the Incheon Rift was a joint venture between the Rift Management Agency and the Awakening Management Bureau. The size of the rift and the scars it left behind were too great for any one guild to control, so no guild applied. The rift came from the Western Sea, and no one wanted to store a bomb that could explode at any moment.

One day, however, Lee Sa-young appeared out of nowhere, and instead of sharing the results of the Pado Guild's research lab, he demanded that the government take possession of the Incheon Rift. That was enough of a headache, so the government didn't even bother to consider it and handed the bomb over to the Pado Guild.

Ever since that day, Jung-bin has had a small question nagging at him.

Why did Lee Sa-young take possession of the Incheon Rift?

And now. Why is Lee Sa-young here? Is he afraid that something will happen to the rift that belongs to the guild? Is he angry that he lost the top spot to J?

"If that's the case, go back and manage your hunters."

"......."

It was a clear gesture of congratulation. The gas mask's gaze flickered into the air, just outside the monument. He was probably looking at the same thing as Jung-bin.

+82 [CH.1] 「J has entered the room.

J appeared on the channel.

Now that he had confirmed the safety of the rift, it was time for the second mission. He flicked his fingertips to give instructions,

"Stop before I crush your fingers."

A languid voice murmured.

"Tell Ham Seok-jeong."

"......."

"The Incheon Rift belongs to the Pado Guild."

"......."

Lee Sa-young slowly turned around to face Jung-bin. Ah, he suddenly realized,

"Everything that came out of the rift is ...."

Lee Sa-young said,

"is mine."

For this day....