Fright

"Sorry, please let me through. I'm in a hurry." Aria repeatedly announced, making her way through the crowded audience.

Voices of displeasure were raised at her unbecoming conduct.

Aria didn't care about their thoughts. She wanted to escape. No matter what.

'There's no way I'm facing that thing.. Not now.' Her heartbeat sped up. The ominous feeling she got from the woman was the exact opposite of the 'Hero'.

If the 'Hero' was a bright, sunny ball of light, then the woman would be a concentrated, completely blackened shadow ball, bringing you chills the moment you found it.

Before she knew it, her stomach started churning. The thought of encountering that disgusting menace firmly embedded within the woman's holier-than-thou disposition rubbed her in the wrong way.

She disappeared into the alleys and never looked back at the stage.

On the stage, the press continued. Only, Cha Seol-hyun was a bit distracted. Her face also warped.

"What's wrong, Seol-hyun?" Sensing his sister's rapidly deteriorating mood, Cha Jeong-in whispered out to ask her.

It was rare that his little sister was willing to display such a face in front of the public.

She of all people knew how big of a mission they were handling.

Not only as a Hunter, but as the entire Association.

Seol-hyun normally wouldn't drop her act.

What caused her to go against that?

"...Nothing, brother," The woman, revealed to be the hero's little sister Cha Seol-hyun replied, staring at the secluded alleys Aria disappeared into for a short while before turning back to the cameras and reporters and attending to them.

"Do you feel unwell?" Unable to resist his inner mind that told him to pursue the matter, Cha Jeong-in bugged her one more time.

"Brother. I'm alright. Just focus on the press, this upcoming dungeon subjugation has to succeed by all means. It's an important step in Athena's growth." Cha Seolhyun reminded. She regained her calm.

"..You're right. I'm sorry." Apologizing with haste, he kept his gaze on the cold little sister he trusted with his life.

Cha Seol-hyun had always been with him, supporting his rise to fame and preparing plans that he wouldn't be able to manufacture.

Although she once had a cheerful personality, it had been eaten up by the world's transformation by now.

A fact that he both appreciated and hated at the same time.

"Remember. Athena has to thrive in order for the world to be salvage." Those words were frequently said by her. That was their driving factor.

Their belief in being the 'saviors'. The light to the world.

"Athena has to thrive," Cha Jeong-in repeated, his voice turning smaller in volume.

He let out a stressed sigh and fixed his composure. He was entrusted with a task that was essential to entirety of humankind.

"Mr. Cha, we heard that a recently identified A-rank dungeon has appeared in the middle of Gangnam. Many businesses have been bothered by it due to the public's fear. How will this matter be solved?" A reporter hired by the association asked. The question was one that everyone had in their mind, so Cha Jeong-in was instantly swept with curious and anxious gazes coming from all directions.

"Athena will be taking care of it." Cha Jeong-in announced with a reassuring tone.

"By Athena, you mean..?" The reporter questioned with a confused tone as she had not been informed of the new term.

"This new dungeon has been identified as one of the most dangerous ones up to date." Cha Seol-hyun spoke up, as the cameras panned to her direction and the masses waited for her words nervously. "To combat that, we fortunately have assembled a team to tackle the problem."

Taking a deep breath in, Cha Jeong-in chanted 'Athena has to thrive' multiple times inside his head.

In fact, he wasn't that adept at his hero act.

He just had to do it.

"The media has reported about this team previously. There has been a lot of heat surrounding the star rookies we recruited recently. Athena is the team we are preparing to introduce in the near future. In fact, in this very moment, we shall disclose one of Athena's members. Han Seong-woo, the stage is yours," Cha Seol-hyun announced.

A male figure started to climb up the stage's stairs. The camera turned to the robust male that walked up to the Cha siblings, effectively capturing every single angle of the supposed rookie.

Han Seong-woo.

He was a man renowned for his innate ability. Upon the very first day of his Hunter exam, he received a High A rank.

This was the highest record known to man, apart from an overseas Hunter who reached S rank the moment they got tested.

Aside from that one S-ranker, the rest only gathered around High A and lower.

High A candidates were immediately accepted into the Association's higher ups and will be assigned to a personal team. That was how rare they were.

Those who reached High A by their first exam, in South Korea, amounted to a small number of four people.

Cha Jeong-In, Cha Seol-hyun, Han Seong-woo, and a hidden solo Hunter who continuously refused to reveal his identity.

"Thank you for attending today's press. I am Athena's leader, Han Seong-woo. We, Athena, are hunters that have been meticulously selected by the association head himself. Please trust us with this dungeon and continue on with your lives. We assure you that there will be no casualties. Fellow hunters, too, please do not try anything impulsive."

He was a man of high charisma. Born with exceptional looks and immense talent, Han Seong-woo was destined to achieve greatness even if he didn't become a Hunter.

He was born in a good family, smart, and was known to have great temperament.

Now, he obtained the High A evaluation on his first try. People were bound to trust him.

He was a great asset to the Association.

Everyone who saw the media, from the broadcasters to the mass public heard his statements and became shocked. Pleasantly so.