Birth of the Heroes

While Mark meshed into his new life as a demon and learned new things about himself almost every day in the underground lab—trying out the limits of all his abilities and waiting for the complete data regarding Tier 1 to arrive, the world wasn't silent. 

After nearly two weeks of seeing no trace at all regarding the Red School Demon, the Hunters withdrew from the scene, and each moved to do their own things. The Red School Demon was, for now, 'confirmed' dead.

A-Rank Hunter Hanmo left the Sangrok Sports High School, too, with his three new students. The world began to forget about the Red School Demon and focus on the Trio Hunters. 

…

Far from the Mega-Dungeon, on a private beach, Hanmo and his students were chilling under a blue sky with the harsh sun above them. 

Seagulls croaked as they flew by, and Hanmo pushed back his white hair while lying below a seaside umbrella. On his side, drinks were already losing their coldness, and an unlit cigarette was in his mouth.

"So, tell me about yourself," the mentor said to the three students around him, who were in their beach clothes. 

For a fun beach, the trio had this depressing aura around them, and he didn't like the dark vibe of the people surrounding him. Hanmo liked his men to be sharp and chill. 

But he couldn't blame them too much; they had their reasons—their friend had committed suicide, and it was apparently due to their bullying. They were just teens; one couldn't put too much pressure on them.

"Shiden, you start. Also, tell me your ability."

He already knew their basic data, but starting this out with good rapport seemed like a start. A good start. He wanted to be a mentor figure in their heart as much as in their mind.

The lean, tall youth looked at the skies and sighed. He had black hair and similarly shaded eyes, with a leanly muscular build. Shiden would be the popular kind. 

"I am Yamura Shiden. I used to play baseball, but I don't anymore. There's not much to say about me—my superpower is that I can change the shape and structure of anything I touch. I can take a steel bar into my hand and turn it into a sword."

"That's not bad. If you become an A-Rank Hunter, you might even surpass me." Hanmo praised. 

The ability did seem to have ungodly potential, but he was not too impressed. 

Their strength was still growing day by day physically, and they could already be considered the top of the top tier C-Rank Hunters, but only if they became A-Rankers by the end of their Awakening period would their abilities matter.

An Awakening Period usually lasted three months at most. Only if they became A-Rank Hunters capable of fighting Tier 2 Demons would their abilities truly shine. 

Only A-Rank Hunters mattered. No matter how good their abilities were, they were all the same in the face of a higher-tiered Demon. They would have super tough resistance around them, and only an equally strong force could break the resistance.

"Next." Hanmo spat out the cigarette and took a sip from his drink.

The only woman—girl—in the camp took a deep breath. She had a chubby face and brownish-black hair, added with shimmering brown eyes. She felt like an innocent little schoolgirl—and she was exactly that.

They were struggling kids.

"I… I am Sanae Maki. I am an orphan like the other two. I used to be the class president, and I wanted to become a doctor when I grew up. But I guess that's not for me." She melancholically bit her lips and continued, "My ability is my shadow. There is a whole world within my shadow, and I can store things in it. Its size is also expanding daily as my body is growing stronger."

Hanmo nodded, smiling and ruffling the girl's hair. "I still believe you can be the most useful of you three to literally any Hunter. You are a godly support, Maki. But you are also the most timid of you three. You should grow a spine." 

But then he thought of the next guy, and the thought changed. 

This guy's ability could also help many if he grew strong enough.

"I am Park Fulan. Like the other two, I am an orphan, but I have a healing ability. I can emit a strange light from my body, and it can heal severe wounds. But I can't heal missing limbs as of yet, but I kinda feel like I might be able to do that at some point soon."

That ability could be a key to the whole civilization's success against the Demons. It was sweet. 

Hanmo's icy blue eyes glittered. It looked like the sky itself. 

"I am Hanmo. They call me the Ice God."

"""We know"""

Hanmo stayed silent for a second and looked up at the sky. It seemed so peaceful. Yet, it was all but an illusion. At this rate, the world would end in five or so years.

"Maybe, as the media says, you three really might be the fated ones who would save this world. An attacker, a support, and a healer. All three of you also have exceptional abilities. 

"I can see how you three might be able to defeat the Dungeon Demon deep inside the Mega-Dungeon if you guys became A-Rank and teamed up with other Hunters. I look forward to it."

Ting.

Suddenly, Hanmo's phone rang, and he looked at it calmly.

A message was there.

"A new Tier 1 Dungeon Demon just appeared inside the Mega Dungeon and ran out of it. It moved using some kind of special ability and is around 30 kilometers away from the Mega Dungeon's entrance. The 30-Second buff is still around it, and until it ends, the World Will can't do anything to it."

Another?

Hanmo finished the drink with a gulp and, pushing on Maki's head like a table, he stood up. Maki irritatedly fixed her hair.

The mentor said calmly, "Another smaller Dungeon would open up outside the Mega-Dungeon now. It might be dangerous, but who wants to come and have some learning experience?"

All three of them had shining, cold eyes.

Shiden smiled. "We each want to help our world. We will save it!"

The four of them looked at each other and then chuckled. Hanmo snapped his fingers, and an icy plate appeared out of nowhere. They all stood atop it, and it whizzed through the air at breakneck speed. 

"First, you will destroy normal Dungeons. Then, we will hunt down the Mega Dungeon. In this mission, I will just watch from the side and won't interfere unless absolutely necessary. Show me what you three have got."

Slowly, the three children seemed to be coming out of their trauma, and Hanmo was ready to help them get through it more easily. He couldn't wait to see their full potential.

The three, on the other hand, were eager to have their first fight while being protected by an experienced and powerful Hunter.

As they passed through a cloud and appeared in a different place—a huge abandoned church—the flying ice stopped in place above the sky.

I'll kill them. Hanmo swore. I'll kill each and every one of those demons. If I can't do that with my own hands, my students will end them.

His heart was full of hatred. 

"Let the hunt begin."