Prologue

Hunter is a 3D job.

It’s tough, dangerous, and dirty.

And the pay sucks like a dog’s.

You might think they make a lot of money selling mana stones or monster by-products, right?

“Monster mana stones are nothing more than useless rocks with no potential use.”

Back when the gates first opened.

Scientists brought mana stones for research.

That was their conclusion.

Just rocks.

Since then, monster hunting became a painful and desperate necessity for humanity to survive.

There were no successful hunters admired by all as seen in novels or webtoons.

And in South Korea, these 3D jobs are taken on by men.

By force.

“The mana affinity test results are very high.”

“Yes?”

“People with a mana affinity above a certain level serve as hunters inside the gate instead of in the military. For three years.”

“What the hell? Three years?”

“You get a monthly salary of 2 million won. They also send you on frequent vacations. It’s much better than military service.”

“I could die! I don’t want to go! Just make me do military service!”

“If you refuse, according to the conscription law, you’ll serve a prison term.”

“Then I’ll just serve the prison term!”

“No. You’ll serve it inside the gate. Unpaid for five years. So, it’s much better for you to serve as a hunter inside the gate for just three years.”

It sounded like a lie, but it was true.

Naturally, most of the hunters conscripted into the gates tried to escape.

But military facilities were installed outside the gates to catch escaping hunters and return them inside.

Each escape attempt added a year to their service.

Inside the mana-abundant gates, they could use magic, status screens, or aura blades.

But once outside the gate without mana, they became ordinary people without any abilities, defenceless against soldiers with guns trying to subdue them.

Forcing hunters into servitude inside the gate was no different from conscription by the state.

But surprisingly.

Truly surprisingly.

Despite imposing such actions on young men, South Korea continued to function smoothly.

Beings with mana affinity.

In other words, Awakened were rare, averaging about one in a thousand people, and among them, those who were not elderly, sick, or female might number around fifty thousand out of a population of fifty million.

Moreover, hunters who had already completed their service had no desire to return near the gate, making it impossible for hunters to unite.

In other words, even if the families of active hunters protested and sued the government for damages…

[Entertainer Park has been confirmed to have used drugs!]

[A new cell phone is released. Will it match last quarter’s sales?]

[Streamer XX tries to scam viewers with a scam coin!]

There was no detailed coverage in the media, and even shocking incidents were quickly forgotten by the public.

When hunters died, their bodies were often devoured by monsters, and the remaining families received a meagre compensation of 10 million won.

So today, hunters were dying in the unknown land beyond the gate.

Yet they persevered.

Because the country ordered it.

Because they would suffer if they didn’t.

Even though we didn’t want it, the country forcibly placed this heavy burden on our shoulders, saying that if we didn’t do it, cracks would open up, leading to the destruction of the country and the deaths of your families.

Even if these kids in their early twenties and thirties wanted to resist, what could they do in this situation?

But.

[The family of the deceased Hunter Lee Sangmin claimed that treatment at the base was inadequate.]

[Families blamed Base Commander Cho for embezzling funds for medical supplies, causing shortages. Base Commander Cho vehemently denied this.]

[In response, the Ministry of Defence stated that the incident was not the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence and was simply an unfortunate accident caused by the worsening of Hunter Lee Sang-min’s underlying condition.]

-Another left-wing loser is back. Kekeke

-How weak do you have to be to die during Hunter R&R?

-I hope he gets even worse.

-It’s hilarious to think about these assholes on their deathbeds. Kekekekeke

-Thank you for sharing the good news.

I’m starting to feel more and more sceptical.

Is this country really worth defending?