The sole heir to a ruined world

Chapter 19

| You have defeated the “Corrupted Scout Goblin.”

| The last remaining scout goblin was also killed.

| It took only about 10 minutes to eliminate all the goblins.

By using lightning, Hank-yul was able to hunt all the goblins by himself, without the warriors needing to step in.

Before he got the lightning power, hunting alone used to take him at least an hour.

Thinking about that, he realized how much he had improved.

Mana: 52.416

| Hank-yul invested all the magic stones he collected from the goblins into his mana.

| The goblins also dropped other loot besides magic stones.

One of them was a “Solid Restrained Shield.”

When used, it greatly increases defense.

When equipped, it allows the user to use basic shield skills.

Hank-yul tried wearing the shield.

“Oh.”

| A strange memory entered his mind.

It was the shield technique learned by a goblin who had just become a soldier.

Hank-yul followed the movements from memory but soon lowered the shield.

“This isn’t my style.”

Using a shield would make him safer, but since he used lightning, the shield would just get in his way.

The warriors also didn’t want to use a shield.

| After thinking for a moment, Hank-yul handed the shield to a villager who was staring at him.

“Here, you take it.”

| The villager quickly took the shield.

As soon as he wore it—”Conditions met.”

| The villager has met the conditions to become a “Shield Bearer.”

| “…Huh?”

| Hank-yul widened his eyes at the unexpected system message.

He had simply given the villager a shield, yet he could now become a Shield Bearer.

“Does this mean that if I give different weapons to the villagers, they can become different classes?”

It made sense.

The warriors were created because they fought.

If a Shield Bearer appeared after getting a shield, then other weapons like bows or gauntlets might create different classes.

“Looks like I have more things to buy when I go out.”

Hank-yul accepted the villager’s Shield Bearer class advancement.

| Time until Shield Bearer evolution: 23 hours 59 minutes

| Time until Corruption: 6 hours

| Time until the Sapling grows: 7 hours 27 minutes

Hank-yul checked his remaining time and sighed.

“There’s nothing I can do inside.”

Lying around doing nothing didn’t suit him.

Since he had found a way to get stronger, he had to keep going.

“I’ll head out.”

Hank-yul patted the villager’s round head and returned to reality.

—

The sun had not yet set, and his delivery of potion bottles hadn’t arrived.

After looking around his house, he stepped outside.

“To go to the Gate, I need to accept a mission from the Hunter Management Bureau. Should I take a taxi?”

It took about an hour by public transport from his house to the Management Bureau.

As he walked, he wondered if he should get his own car.

—

The Hunter Management Bureau was as noisy and chaotic as ever.

There were hunters and regular people crowding in with complaints.

The staff handling them were overwhelmed.

Among them, sitting behind a counter, was Min-Hari, a member of the Gate Management Team who processed dozens of complaints every day.

“Sigh…”

She watched the back of a hunter who had just left after filing a complaint and let out a deep sigh.

She was exhausted.

She had been handling hunters’ and citizens’ complaints for over a year now.

When she first joined, she never expected the job to be this hard.

“Should I quit?”

A warm home.

A life without financial worries.

If she returned home, she wouldn’t have to deal with people who had nothing to do with her.

But despite thinking about quitting every day, she kept coming to work.

“Why are you sighing so much? What if someone sees you like that?”

A voice spoke from behind, followed by a tap on her chair.

Min-Hari turned to see her colleague smirking at her.

“I’m just tired.”

“I get that. Dealing with people all day makes me wonder if I’m really human or just an emotional trash can.”

Her colleague sighed and placed a cup of coffee in front of her.

It was steaming, meaning it had just been bought.

“Thanks.”

“If you’re thankful, cover my shift later.”

“You might as well ask me to die.”

Her colleague’s workload was just as hard—if not harder—than hers.

Covering their shift? She might as well bite her tongue and die.

Her colleague seemed to read her thoughts and laughed.

The laughter wasn’t annoying, so Min-Hari smiled a little too.

“Oh, right. Did you see that notice?”

“What notice?”

“The one from higher-ups. They said we must report if a hunter named ‘Hank-yul ‘ comes in.”

“Oh, I saw it.”

Min-Hari nodded.

She had seen the notice on her company messenger when she turned on her computer that morning.

It said that any hunter named Hank-yul must be reported immediately.

“Who is he? Why is management making such a fuss? Is he some S-rank hunter?”

“I don’t care.”

Min-Hari shook her head.

Even if the higher-ups were looking for Hank-yul, it had nothing to do with her.

She just had to do her job.

“Yeah, you’ve always been like that since you started working here. You have no ambition to move up.”

“If I get promoted, I’ll just have more work and responsibilities. What’s good about that?”

“You’re the only one who thinks like that. That’s just like you, Min-Hari.”

Her colleague chuckled.

Min-Hari let out a small sigh.

“I just wish I could rest a little longer.”

The time spent chatting and joking around felt sweet.

Unfortunately, her break didn’t last long.

“Ah, I have to go now.”

“Huh?”

“Someone’s here. Good luck.”

Her colleague patted Min-Hari’s shoulder, held the paper cup in her mouth, and left.

Min-Hari didn’t even have time to say anything before looking at the man who sat in front of her.

He had pulled his hood down low and was glancing around nervously.

His hunched shoulders showed that he was very aware of people’s stares.

He gave off a vibe that could make someone feel protective, but Min-Hari wasn’t particularly moved by it.

“I just hope he’s not a troublesome customer.”

She had been working for a year now.

She had dealt with so many people, and she had also met enough difficult ones to be exhausted.

She had seen people act nervous at first, only to suddenly start yelling and complaining.

“What brings you here today?”

“I was told I need to ask the Management Bureau to enter a Gate.”

“Ah, are you a Hunter?”

The man nodded.

“May I see your Hunter License?”

He searched his pockets and handed her the card.

It looked brand new, without any scratches.

Name: Hank-yul / Rank: F

Min-Hari blinked.

Hank-yul.

It was the same name from the official notice she received earlier.

“Are you Hank-yul?”

“Yes.”

“For identification, could you please remove your hood for a moment?”

At her request, the man took off his hood.

Seeing his face, Min-Hari let out a quiet gasp.

He was very good-looking.

His features were sharp and elegant, but not in a feminine way.

She realized that he was probably wearing the hood to avoid drawing attention.

When he pulled the hood back on, she almost sighed in disappointment.

“Alright, you’re confirmed. You want to enter a Gate?”

“Yes, an F-rank Gate, please.”

“F-rank? You won’t earn much there. Why not try an E-rank instead?”

He shook his head.

“It’s my first time. I want to go in safely.”

“Alright, let me check. Please wait a moment.”

She started typing on the keyboard.

Hunter.

Hank-yul.

It was exactly the name mentioned in the official notice.

“But… is this really the person the higher-ups are looking for?”

He was only an F-rank Hunter.

It was his first time entering a Gate.

His record was completely clean.

The chances of him being the same Hank-yul from the notice were very low.

“I should report it anyway.”

She quickly sent a message about Hank-yul’s arrival and then checked the F-rank Gates.

There were many F-rank Gates.

The higher the Gate’s rank, the rarer it was.

F-rank Gates were so common that people sometimes found them on the streets.

“Do you have any preference for the Gate location?”

“Anywhere close by is fine.”

“Then I’ll find one near your home in Dobong-gu. Do you need a porter? Our Bureau provides them for free.”

Hunters had many benefits.

Even though they worked to earn money, they also kept the world safe from Gates.

Porters were one of those benefits.

“We can also handle the loot from the Gate for you.”

Since he was a beginner, it was her duty to inform him of these services.

“I don’t need a porter. But please take care of the loot for me.”

“Is he an Inventory-type ability user?”

She nodded.

“Just tell me the date and time you want to enter, and we’ll send a staff member to assist you.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“It’s our job. Do you need anything else?”

“No.”

“Then, when would you like to enter?”

Hank-yul glanced into the air, then spoke.

“I’ll go now.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

Min-Hari was briefly surprised.

He was a beginner, yet he was making such a quick decision.

But as a Bureau employee, she had no right to interfere with a Hunter’s choice.

“Understood. I’ve scheduled it for you. The field staff will take care of the rest once you arrive.”

“Thank you.”

Hank-yul stood up.

As she watched him leave, Min-Hari absentmindedly played with her coffee cup.

“He’s polite.”

She had expected him to be difficult, but he wasn’t at all.

Just as she looked at the recently closed entrance—

Bzzzt.

Her phone vibrated on her desk.

Father: How long will you keep wandering outside? It’s time to come home.

A message from someone she didn’t want to hear from.

Father: The Chairman is also very worried about you.

Seeing the second message, she flipped her phone over so the screen wouldn’t show.

She was about to assist the next visitor when she saw a familiar face approaching.

Her eyes widened.

Yoo Jin-Chul was walking straight toward her.

“Where is he?”

“Huh?”

“Hank-yul. Where did he go?”

His urgent and demanding tone startled her.

She pointed toward the entrance.

“He just left.”

“Damn it!”

Jin-Chul quickly ran toward the exit Hank-yul had used.

Everyone nearby froze in shock at the sudden outburst from the Team Leader of the Management Bureau.