Chapter 15: Episode 15 – Recruitment Day

Chapter 15: Episode 15 – Recruitment Day Episode 15 – Recruitment Day A man in a long gray coat moved through the early morning mist, his black boots clapping softly against the rain-dark pavement. His collar was upturned, shielding him from the breeze. His face was unshaven, eyes sunken, and briefcase swinging at his side like a tired pendulum. He didn’t look like much—just another mid-tier employee from one of those talent-hungry agencies. But his ID card shimmered under his coat. WN Agency – External Scout Division Lee Sang-ho – Rank C He lit a cigarette with a tired hand, the flame snapping under the wind’s breath. The ember glowed for a second before he let out a soft puff, gaze drifting toward the long, winding line that wrapped around the block. A queue of dreams. A caravan of madness. The people standing there? They were no ordinary folk. One man wore combat boots two sizes too big, his coat stitched with patches from old military factions. His beard was tangled with wires. Next to him, a girl with metallic wings folded tight against her back. Her expression was still, not blinking once. Farther down the line, a teenager with no arms used his teeth to hold a tablet and scroll through exam guides. Every single one of them wanted it. The badge. The license. The title. Hunter. The speaker above crackled with a mechanical cough before looping through its desperate pitch: "Be a Hunter! Brave! Dramatic!" "Don’t think twice. Awaken proud." "Even the weak can make us loud." The voice repeated, too chipper, too clean. Like an AI trying to smile. Sang-ho exhaled another trail of smoke and stepped closer to the building. It loomed above him, made of dull silver and reflective glass. No windows. Just solid panels like armor. The entrance had a rotating scanner and biometric arch, both humming softly like a cat purring with something to hide. He passed the checkpoint without issue. Hunters didn’t get stopped often. His eyes adjusted as he stepped inside. The air was too clean. Like the whole place had been sterilized moments ago. The tiles were polished white. Not a speck of dirt in sight. Yet the scent of bleach was sharp—like it was fighting to hide something more foul. His boots tapped against the floor. It echoed too well. Ahead, a hallway stretched like a throat. At its center, a flickering red sign buzzed quietly: EXIT – FAILED HUNTERS Two doors. No windows. No sound. No one walked in. No one walked out. But the janitor in the corner, mopping the floor near it, wouldn’t meet his eyes. His hands moved slow. Methodical. Like he was wiping away memories, not grime. Sang-ho shivered and kept walking. This was the hidden side of recruitment. Not the shiny posters. Not the gear ads. Not the VR simulations showing hunters slaying beasts in glorious slow motion. No. This was the ground level. Where hope either bloomed or bled. He reached the observation balcony—a narrow strip of glass that overlooked the evaluation floor below. And there, through reinforced one-way panels, he saw them. The examinees. Around twenty of them, seated in rows, waiting like soldiers before a mission. But none of them looked like warriors. A kid with cracked glasses and ink-stained fingers. A woman in her fifties clenching a prayer bead. A tall man shaking in his boots, eyes darting around like a trapped animal. And there, in the middle, sat one boy who stood out without trying to. Kim Do-hyun (김도현). Rank? Unknown. Aura? Dormant. Expression? Calm. But Sang-ho had seen that kind of calm before. Not indifference. Not fear. Acceptance. The kind of calm that says, "Whatever comes, I’m ready to face it." Sang-ho opened his folder. One line was already scribbled at the top under Do-hyun’s name: Keep tabs. Potential wildcard. He snapped the folder shut just as the speakers above the exam room buzzed again. "Candidates, your results will be processed shortly." He saw the proctor hand out cards—flat little devices like hotel keys. Each one glowed briefly before settling into a soft blue light. Do-hyun accepted his card, gave it a quick look, and blinked. No change in posture. No groan. No protest. Just a soft, breathy laugh. Like a kid who got a participation ribbon and still thought, "Hey, not bad." Sang-ho adjusted the screen settings and zoomed in. Do-hyun’s bracelet ID lit up. Rank: F Hunter License: Valid The ID bracelet clinked as Do-hyun pulled his sleeve over it. He stood up slowly, stretching his shoulders. Sang-ho watched the boy tilt his head a little. Like he was thinking too much for someone who just passed at the bottom. He had seen it before. Those who failed... cried. Those who passed high... laughed. Those who got average... shrugged. But that reaction? That strange, thoughtful smile? That came from someone who had already played five moves ahead. Sang-ho jotted another note. Instincts suggest awareness. Possible lateral thinking type. Body language relaxed but purposeful. He leaned back, tapping the glass lightly with his knuckle. What was that kid thinking? Down below, Do-hyun waited at the exit scanner. His eyes darted up to the ceiling for a second. As if he could feel someone watching. And maybe he could. Sang-ho crushed the cigarette in his palm. No pain. Just a dull ember smothered under callused skin. He looked to the side. A poster clung to the wall beside the scanner. Bright orange. Friendly font. "Congratulations, New Hunter!" "You are the future!" "Join a guild today!" But Do-hyun didn’t even glance at it. Instead, his gaze lingered on the wall across from him. There, etched into metal, was a smaller plaque. Faded with age. Most people missed it. But he didn’t. "Glory to the First Sacrifices. This floor was built on blood." His eyes narrowed slightly. The system wanted to celebrate. But the foundation? Was soaked in warnings. He turned and walked through the scanner. It pinged once, then turned green. The doors hissed open. Outside, the sound of the city came back. Wind in vents. Honking from two streets down. The looped speaker message still playing on a side wall: "Be a Hunter! Brave! Dramatic!" "Don’t think twice. Awaken proud." "Even the weak can make us loud." Do-hyun chuckled again. "The weak, huh?" He adjusted the bracelet. Something was off. The test had been easy. Too easy. Multiple-choice questions. Fill-in-the-blanks. Shoot a target with a Glock at a controlled range. Do a short form on combat stance. Then walk through a scanner and get stamped. It was cleaner than a bank job. Faster than renewing a driver’s license. He wasn’t even tired. Thanks to the Vitality stat, he had barely needed four hours of sleep. His eyes were sharp. Muscles balanced. Reflexes quiet and fast. But that was the part that nagged at him. If being a hunter was so dangerous... Why was it this easy to become one? Do-hyun paused on the steps. A gust of wind blew past, and the city towered before him. He looked down at the badge on his wrist. It was real. He was officially a Hunter. But something inside whispered: "This basement... hides more than it shows."