Max Ranker

The scent of freshly cooked eggs and rice drifted through the small apartment as Baek Jin Hwan stirred awake. His body still ached, the bruises from last night's fight pulsing like dull embers under his skin.

He groaned, shifting in bed, feeling the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him.

The events of last night still played in his mind. The fight. The kill. The system notification.

 [F Rank → E Rank Progress: 1/100]

One.

He had only killed one demon.

And it wasn't enough.

Jin Hwan pushed himself up with a wince, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow across his small room.

From the kitchen, he could hear the faint clatter of plates.

He pulled himself together and stepped out.

Yun Hee was already dressed in her training gear, her long hair tied up in a ponytail as she scarfed down breakfast at the dining table.

She looked up as he entered. "Oh! Oppa, you're awake?"

Jin Hwan grunted, dragging himself to the fridge and grabbing a cold water bottle. "Yeah."

Yun Hee studied him as he took a long sip. "You look tired."

He shrugged. "Didn't sleep well."

Her brows furrowed, but she didn't push. Instead, she smiled brightly. "Anyway, I'm heading out soon! Today's training is all about team coordination. They're making us fight in groups against summoned monsters!"

Jin Hwan leaned against the counter, watching her. "You excited?"

She grinned. "Of course! I want to get stronger as fast as possible."

Jin Hwan's grip on the water bottle tightened slightly.

She had a real future ahead of her. One with structure, proper training, and an actual support system.

Unlike him.

Pushing the thought aside, he forced a smirk. "Just don't show off too much. You'll make enemies."

Yun Hee rolled her eyes, grabbing her bag. "Yeah, yeah. Oh—eat breakfast before you leave, okay?"

Jin Hwan gave a lazy salute.

She shot him one last smile before heading out the door.

Once she was gone, the apartment fell into silence.

Jin Hwan exhaled slowly, his gaze drifting to the black card on the counter.

It was time to go.

The coffee shop was small and tucked away in a quiet alley near the outskirts of the Underpass District. The kind of place where people didn't ask questions.

Jin Hwan stepped inside, the scent of roasted coffee beans filling the air. The shop was nearly empty—just an old man behind the counter and a few scattered customers.

At a booth near the window, Joo Sang Hyuk sat waiting, sipping from a steaming mug.

His sharp eyes flicked up the moment Jin Hwan entered.

A grin spread across his face. "Didn't take you long to reach out."

Jin Hwan ignored the pleasantries, sliding into the seat across from him.

"Where can I find more demons?" he asked bluntly.

Sang chuckled, leaning back. "Straight to business, huh?"

Jin Hwan's expression remained cold. "I don't have time to waste."

Sang studied him for a moment, then sighed. "Alright. There's something called Illegal Bounty Jobs. Ever heard of them?"

Jin Hwan shook his head.

Sang smirked. "Didn't think so. The official Hunter system only allows registered Hunters to take on demon-hunting missions, right?"

Jin Hwan nodded.

Sang tapped his fingers against the table. "But demons aren't just in Gates anymore. Some have slipped through the cracks—lurking in slums, underground tunnels, abandoned buildings."

Jin Hwan narrowed his eyes. "And Hunters don't go after them?"

Sang let out a dry laugh. "Why would they? There's no money in it. The Association only funds Gate-clearing missions because they offer valuable resources. These stray demons? They're just an inconvenience."

Jin Hwan clenched his jaw.

So the big guilds and high-rank Hunters ignored them.

And the government? Too busy handling major outbreaks.

Which meant…

"Civilians take matters into their own hands," Jin Hwan muttered.

Sang grinned. "Exactly. Business owners, landlords, people who live near infested areas… They pay under the table for someone to clean up their mess."

Jin Hwan leaned forward. "And you're saying I can take these jobs?"

Sang's eyes gleamed. "That's why they're illegal. No paperwork. No regulations. Just kill the target and get paid."

Jin Hwan frowned. "I don't want anything that will draw attention."

Sang snorted. "That's why it's perfect. These bounties aren't tracked. No one will ask questions, and no one will care who does the killing."

Jin Hwan fell silent, considering.

Illegal or not, it was exactly what he needed—a way to hunt without restrictions.

Still… something didn't sit right.

"If it's that simple, why doesn't everyone do it?"

Sang grinned. "Because most people aren't crazy enough to go after demons without a safety net."

He leaned in. "Tell me, Jin Hwan. Are you?"

Jin Hwan didn't hesitate.

"…When do I start?"

Joo Sang Hyuk led him to the back of the coffee shop, through a door that opened into a dimly lit hallway. At the end of it was a small, private room with a single desk, a cheap laptop, and an old monitor. The air was thick with cigarette smoke, and the only light came from the monitor's faint blue glow.

A man in his mid-40s, wearing a worn-out hoodie, sat hunched over the desk, tapping away on the keyboard. He barely acknowledged them as they entered.

"This is Mr. J, our little information broker," Sang said with a smirk. "He's the guy who connects people to the bounty system on the dark web."

Jin Hwan didn't waste time. He stepped forward. "I need an account."

Mr. J didn't even glance up. "Name?"

Jin Hwan hesitated for a fraction of a second. His real name was out of the question. If the Korea Hunter Association ever caught wind of what he was doing, he'd be blacklisted for life.

"…Kang Hyun," he said finally.

Sang raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Mr. J typed for a few seconds. "Fake ID, fake name. You'll need a crypto wallet for transactions. Got one?"

Jin Hwan shook his head.

Mr. J sighed, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a cheap preloaded crypto card. "This one's got a clean history. I'll set it up under your fake name. Ten percent of every bounty goes to me."

Jin Hwan narrowed his eyes. "That's a steep cut."

Mr. J finally looked up, his deadpan gaze meeting Jin Hwan's. "You don't like it, find your own way in."

Sang chuckled. "Relax. This is just how things work here."

Jin Hwan exhaled sharply but nodded.

Mr. J got to work, and within minutes, Jin Hwan's fake profile was live.

Username: ShadowHunter

Rank: Unverified

Bounty Jobs Completed: 0

Status: Waiting for Contracts

A list of recent bounty posts scrolled across the screen.

• [C-Rank Demon] – Industrial Zone – Reward: 5,000,000₩

• [B-Rank Demon] – Abandoned Metro Tunnel – Reward: 15,000,000₩

• [D-Rank Demon] – Old Apartment Complex – Reward: 2,000,000₩

Jin Hwan's gaze flickered over them, but before he could click on anything, a small gray lock symbol popped up beside each bounty.

[ACCESS RESTRICTED: Only Verified Hunters Can Accept Jobs]

His fists clenched.

"So I have to wait until I get verified?"

Sang nodded. "That's how it works. You need at least one completed bounty before they trust you with bigger ones."

Jin Hwan gritted his teeth. He didn't have time for this. He needed to kill. He needed to rank up.

He closed the laptop sharply, standing up. "Let's go."

Sang chuckled. "Patience, my friend. Just give it time."

Jin Hwan wasn't interested in waiting.

Jin Hwan returned home in silence, his mind racing.

As soon as he stepped inside, he locked the door, tossing his jacket onto the couch. The apartment was quiet—his sister was not back from her hunter training

He dropped onto the living room floor and started stretching, trying to loosen his sore muscles. The aches from his first demon kill were still there, but he couldn't afford to rest.

After a few minutes, he moved into push-ups.

One. Two. Three.

His arms burned, but he kept going.

He needed to get stronger.

His mind kept replaying the fight.

The demon's speed. Its claws. The moment he nearly died.

He clenched his jaw, forcing himself into a plank position.

He was still too weak.

If he had fought anything stronger, he would've been torn apart.

He had to fix that.

Jin Hwan pushed himself harder, sweat dripping down his forehead.

BEEP.

His phone vibrated against the floor.

Jin Hwan froze, heart pounding.

Slowly, he grabbed the phone, unlocking the screen.

[NEW BOUNTY ALERT]

Target: Low-Class Demon (F-Rank)

Location: Abandoned Factory District

Reward: 500,000₩

Status: Unclaimed

Jin Hwan stared at the screen, his breath slowing.

It wasn't much. But it was a start.

His grip tightened around the phone.

He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.

It was time to kill.

Jin Hwan braced himself, every muscle in his body tensed.

The final demon was different.

Its movements were calculated, more precise than the first two. It wasn't just attacking blindly—it was waiting for him to make a mistake.

And in his exhausted state, Jin Hwan knew that wouldn't take long.

The demon lunged.

Jin Hwan swung his axe, aiming for its neck—

Too slow.

The demon sidestepped effortlessly, its claws striking out.

SHLKK—!

Pain exploded in Jin Hwan's left arm.

The force of the blow sent him stumbling backward, crashing into a stack of old metal crates.

He groaned, struggling to push himself up. His vision blurred, and warm blood dripped from his arm.

"Damn it…"

The demon didn't give him a chance to recover.

It pounced again—

Jin Hwan rolled to the side just in time.

The demon's claws ripped through the crates behind him, metal screeching as they were torn apart.

Too fast. Too strong.

Jin Hwan knew he was in trouble.

If he took another direct hit like that, he was dead.

But he wasn't about to die here. Not yet.

He forced himself up, gripping the axe tighter despite the pain in his left arm.

The demon circled him, its blood-red eyes glowing in the dark.

Jin Hwan's heart pounded in his chest.

He needed a plan.

His axe was too slow.

He needed to force the demon into a position where it couldn't dodge.

His eyes darted around the factory—looking for anything he could use.

And then he saw it.

A hanging chain, rusted but still intact, swayed slightly from a metal beam above.

If he could lure the demon toward it…

Jin Hwan took a shaky breath.

Then—

He rushed forward.

The demon snarled in surprise, not expecting him to charge.

It lunged to intercept.

Jin Hwan ducked low at the last second, sliding across the dusty floor.

As he passed beneath the demon—

He swung his axe upwards, slashing at its leg.

The blade bit deep.

The demon screeched, stumbling forward.

That was his chance.

Jin Hwan leaped toward the hanging chain, grabbing hold and swinging himself around.

The demon turned—but it was too late.

Jin Hwan used the momentum from the swing to bring his axe crashing down onto the demon's skull.

CRACK!

The blade didn't go all the way through—but it was enough.

The demon staggered, shrieking in agony.

Jin Hwan landed on his feet, panting.

Not yet.

Not dead yet.

The demon swayed, its head gushing dark blood.

Jin Hwan gritted his teeth, ignoring his pain.

He took a step forward—

Then another.

And with everything he had left, he raised his axe one last time—

And swung.

THUD.

The demon's head hit the ground.

Its body collapsed a moment later, twitching before finally going still.

[Rank Up +1]

Progress: 4/100 

Jin Hwan stood over the corpse, his entire body shaking.

His lungs burned.

His arms ached.

Blood dripped from his wounds.

But he was alive.

Barely.

Jin Hwan sat against the rusted barrel, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His entire body ached, his muscles screaming in protest after the brutal fight. His left arm throbbed from where the demon had slashed him, and dried blood stuck uncomfortably to his skin.

The factory was silent now.

Only the sound of his own breathing and the distant drip of water from a leaking pipe filled the air.

The stench of demon blood hung heavy around him, thick and metallic.

Jin Hwan let his head fall back against the cold metal.

"Damn…" he muttered, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle over him.

His grip on the axe loosened. His fingers were still trembling, both from adrenaline and the sheer insanity of what he had just done.

I actually did it…

Three demons.

Alone.

With nothing but a small axe and sheer desperation.

He had barely survived.

A few inches to the left, and the last demon would have gutted him.

A second slower, and he would have been dead.

He wasn't some seasoned Hunter.

He wasn't even a Hunter at all.

He was just a Disappointment of the Baek Family.

And yet—

Progress: 4/100 (F → E Rank)

The system's notification flickered in his vision.

The proof that he was changing.

That he wasn't the same powerless Jin Hwan from before.

"…Ha."

A weak, breathless chuckle escaped him.

Was it from relief? Exhaustion? The sheer absurdity of it all?

Maybe all of the above.

He reached into his pocket, fingers fumbling for his phone.

His screen lit up, illuminating his sweat-covered face in the dim factory.

The bounty listing was still open.

Three demons. Confirmed kills.

Jin Hwan stared at the screen for a moment, then pressed [Clear].

A loading icon appeared.

Then—

[Bounty Status: Cleared]

A ding echoed from his phone.

A message.

Unknown Number:

Once confirmed, you'll receive your payment. Thanks for your hard work.

Jin Hwan frowned.

The number wasn't saved in his contacts.

And there was no name.

Just a plain message.

Something about it felt… off.

He stared at the text for a long moment before sighing.

Right now, he was too tired to care.

Too tired to question who was really behind these bounties.

For now, he just wanted to get home.

Before his body gave out completely.