[User Status: Lv. 6]
[Current XP: 180 / 2400]
[Health: 120/120]
[Mana: 90/90]
[Agility: 22]
[Strength: 8]
[Perception: 15]
[Luck: 25]
[Charm: 19]
[Skills: Wind Step Lv. 3, Rabbit's Mark Lv. 1, Graceful Hare (Trait), Aerial Drift, Whirlwind Dancer (Title)]
[System Color: GOLD]
[System Mood: Smug]
[Note: You smell slightly like burnt pork. Consider bathing.]
❖ Back at East Korea's Guild Tower – Evaluation Hall
Two hours after leaving Gate 342-B, Jin Hwan was seated in front of an obsidian desk inside the Tower's Appraisal Wing. His hair still had bits of monster ash in it. He tried to flatten his rabbit ears nervously as the examiner across from him tapped away on a glowing screen.
The room was cold. The examiner's gaze was colder.
"Name?"
"Jin Hwan."
"Rank?"
"F-rank."
"Power?"
"...Rabbit."
A pause.
The examiner slowly raised an eyebrow.
"...Rabbit?"
"Yup."
Silence.
Then—click, click—the examiner typed something.
"Noted: Comedic support role."
Jin Hwan almost flipped the desk.
Outside, his team waited. Kang Dae-Jung leaned against a vending machine, chugging strawberry milk like a war god who had embraced his soft side.
Cho Hana stood against the wall, arms crossed, silent as usual, while Joo-Yeon hummed a song and fed her slime rabbit little energy cubes.
A few moments later, the door opened.
Jin Hwan stepped out with a sour face.
"She wrote 'Comedic support role' on the record."
Joo-Yeon giggled. "Maybe she ships you with me!"
Hana didn't even blink. "Unlikely. You lack charm."
"Wha—?!"
Dae-Jung slapped his back. "Don't worry, buddy. I think you're a solid C-rank bunny."
"You think I'm C-rank?"
"On a good hair day."
Jin Hwan muttered under his breath as he pulled up his system menu.
❖ Golden System Interface – Skill Log Access
[New Skill Tree Unlocked: Elemental Affinity – Wind Branch]
[Branch Initiated: Rabbit's Wind Aura Lv. 1]
[Description: Passive field of wind increases agility and reflexes for self and nearby allies.]
[New Feature Activated: Quest Chain]
[Main Quest: Rise from F-Rank – 0/10 Public Recognitions Earned]
[Reward: Unique Title – Shadow Under the Sun]
[System Mood: Proud. Do you feel the breeze of destiny, bun-boy?]
As Jin Hwan stared at the new interface updates, a soft chime rang through the guild's halls.
A loud voice echoed from the upper floors.
"All teams from Gate 342-B report to the central forum. Immediate debrief by the Association Head."
The four looked at each other.
Dae-Jung grinned. "Looks like someone's watching us now."
❖ Guild Tower – Central Forum
The grand forum was a marble amphitheater with dozens of hunters seated, all in neat rows like students. Screens floated midair, showing replays from the gate mission—battle footage captured from the drones and system logs.
A large screen showed Jin Hwan flipping through the air, rabbit ears fluttering, as he tagged the boss with Rabbit's Mark and performed a full aerial dodge.
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
"Wait, who's that?"
"That bunny guy?"
"Thought he was some F-rank sidekick."
"He moves like a B-rank assassin!"
Jin Hwan shrank into his seat, trying to disappear.
On the stage, a woman with silver hair and piercing violet eyes stood, arms behind her back.
Name: Han Seul-Ki
Rank: S-Rank Hunter
Title: Association Head – Korea Branch
Specialization: Time Magic
Status: Dangerous.
Elegant. Sharp.
She stared at the footage in silence.
Then her gaze swept across the crowd.
"A new era of gates is beginning. Evolving. Unstable. Unexpected. And hunters with 'unique' signatures like this one—" she nodded toward Jin Hwan on the screen, "—will become critical."
Jin Hwan felt the weight of two hundred hunters' stares.
One guy near the back whispered, "Was he… seriously an F-rank?"
Another: "Golden system. What the hell is that?"
Then, like fate kicking him in the shin—
"Jin Hwan. Step forward."
He stood on jelly legs and slowly walked toward the stage.
Han Seul-Ki eyed him curiously.
"You showed agility rivaling a C-rank assassin, aura control despite having no formal training, and a golden system interface. Explain."
Jin Hwan gulped.
"I... I have no idea what I'm doing."
Silence.
A few people chuckled.
Even Seul-Ki cracked a faint smile.
"Good. Stay that way. Arrogance kills faster than monsters."
❖ After the Meeting – Guild Cafeteria
As Jin Hwan finally got a tray of food and sat down, trying to enjoy his grilled chicken, Joo-Yeon dropped into the seat beside him.
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Choke—!!" Jin Hwan nearly dropped his tray.
"Because if not," she leaned close, "I claim first."
Across the cafeteria, Cho Hana looked up from her soup, narrowed her eyes slightly, and took a slow, deliberate bite.
Even Dae-Jung smirked.
"Bunny boy's got options, huh?"
[System Alert: Danger Level – Social. Incoming Relationship Chaos.]
[New Quest Unlocked: Harem Hazard I – Survive the next 7 days without accidentally accepting a proposal.]