A Ranker’s Guide to the Good Life
Chapter 4

Blue holes from Otherworld were disasters. They were essentially rifts in space-time that ignored the rules of the natural universe. They had also come to be known as “monster gates.”

According to the Special Disasters Act, hunters were duty bound to handle them as they appeared. Thus, whenever Babel Network predicted a gate’s location, the Hunter Association of Korea would discuss which hunters to send there.

In that way, the hunters who were assigned could get their affairs in order ahead of time, then stand by until the designated time. They would take down the monsters that came through, then seal the gate once the horde was quelled. It was an orderly system that proved efficient for all those involved.

However, as previously mentioned, the spontaneous rifts and guerrilla dungeons continued to appear no matter how hard Babel tried to get them under control. At such times, the bureau would deploy crisis reaction teams and conscript any and all hunters who happened to be in the vicinity and were willing to help. They could deal with such incidents much faster if the location in question had a higher population density.

Without warning, a siren’s wail cut through the air.

[Sudden gate detected. Sudden gate detected.]

[A spontaneous rift has materialized. All citizens in the vicinity, please evacuate the region and seek refuge immediately.]

! Emergency Disaster Alert! [Ministry of the Interior & Safety]

Coordinates: 37°30'16.4"N 127°03'00.4"E

Level 6 spontaneous rift detected at 20:14 today. By order of the Special Disasters Act, all available hunters in the vicinity are requested to assemble.

Oh, lucky me.

Jio’s strawberry smoothie wound up being the last order the shop could take that day.

As soon as the siren had sounded, both the employees and the customers swiftly began to evacuate. The fact that order was maintained throughout such incidents showed just how often the citizens had been exposed to similar situations despite being a country of powerful hunters.

Jio stood up as well since she would draw too much attention if she was the only one who remained seated.

It’s been a while since I was called in.

She had been stuck at an arts boarding school after taking her first college entrance exam, which had prevented her from checking her phone. If the institution hadn’t already proven itself enough of a societal malady, they had also forbidden any and all phone usage while students were on campus. Thanks to that, she hadn’t experienced a mandatory draft in a while.

Let’s see... A level 6, huh? Jio mulled over the details while sipping her smoothie before quickly concluding, Yeah, they should be fine without me.

Rifts were graded with levels from 1 to 9 based on their degree of danger. Level 1 was the most dangerous, while level 9 was about as easy as a tutorial. Well, by Jio’s standards anyway. In the case of a level 1 rift, the government wouldn’t stop at a simple disaster message. They would announce a nationwide draft. And anyone who refused to participate in the event of such a draft would be considered a traitor to the country.

For example, a certain hunter by the name of Yu fled to the US a few years prior after a level 1 gate appeared. He was essentially exiled from ever setting foot on Korean soil again after that. According to the last people who heard from him, he was living under the alias Stephan Yu.

In any case, a level 6 gate was in the low-to-mid range of difficulty, so it would pose no major threat as far as the country’s #1 ranker could tell.

Even D-tier and DDD-tier hunters can handle this one easily on their own. Besides, this is Seolleung Station on a weekend we’re talking about. There must be at least a couple dozen hunters hanging around nearby.

Jio tugged her hood down over her face as she pushed the glass door open and left the shop.

“Huh?”

Isn’t the gate supposed to be... a level 6? Or did the grading system change while I was trapped at that boarding school?

With the gate open, monsters had begun to appear. As more evacuating citizens rushed past her, a few people bumped into her shoulders. Her hood fell back due to the impact of one particularly powerful nudge, which had allowed for her field of vision to expand. Her expression became graver as she held her straw in her mouth and took another sip.

Hey, those are dune spinners. Aren’t they supposed to form colonies? They never show up alone.

Again, she took a sip.

Look at that. I knew it. 2, 3, 4... That’s no level 6 gate. It’s more like a level 4, she thought as she continued to sip her drink. Sheesh! What is this country coming to?

If anyone had heard her thoughts, they would have been at a loss for words to hear her making such comments while doing nothing to help. Fortunately for her though, no one could. At a glance, Jio Gyeon was just another law-abiding citizen.

Given her short height, she seemed more like the one in need of protection rather than the one who could protect others.

[Your celestial Fate Reader is confused to see you still standing here. He asks if you failed to receive his warning earlier about the gate.]

“Oh, you’re back,” Jio muttered glumly.

You should’ve been clearer, she thought, but the celestial seemed miffed and didn’t respond.

In the meantime, chaos was unfolding near the subway station. Passengers were rushing out of the exits, while more and more hunters were quickly arriving on the scene. Jio was hesitant even then, but she soon relaxed when she spotted a familiar face amid the confusion.

“You bastards need to get your sh*t together! Get that barricade up properly! Can’t you even handle a few class 5 monsters?!”

The crisis reaction teams from the bureau had finally arrived. A BBB-tier hunter by the name of Gyena Kwon was barking orders at her unit. She belonged to Rescue & Suppression Team 1, which was said to consist of the most elite hunters in the country.

Since she reported directly to their team leader—the high-ranked hunter Sigyun Kim—Jio knew of her already.

She’s a reliable one. She can handle a few dune spinners. In fact, she could probably take those ones and their whole colony down, no problem.

As if Jio’s thoughts had predicted what was to come, a dune spinner collided into the ground right at that moment. The situation was beginning to stabilize rapidly since Gyena was directing everyone through a loudspeaker.

Nice. Things are clearly getting under control. All right, time for me to hit the road. Hey, Celestial, you there? I said I’m leaving... Sheesh, you’ve been so touchy today.

It wasn’t easy to live with a celestial in general, but one who was fully grown didn’t help. She threw away her empty smoothie cup, then turned around to make her way home. However, her plan was immediately foiled.

“Um... So why can’t I leave?” she asked one of the riot police officers blocking her path.

“As I’ve already explained, it’s far more dangerous under these circumstances for civilians to walk around alone. I understand you’re anxious, miss, but please follow our instructions and stay inside the barricade.”

“That’s enough arguing, kid. Just come stand over here with us,” one of the bystanders chimed in. “We’ll all be in danger if you keep distracting the rescue team from doing their job.”

“But... my adorable, rabbit-like mother and innocent, deer-like younger siblings are waiting for me at home.”

“Oh, you poor girl. Your house must be nearby, huh? We understand your concern, but there’s no helping it. Just come over here for now.”

The public’s peculiar herd mentality had evidently already taken effect. All the bystanders wanted was for the young woman to behave like everyone else and stick to the rules since it was an emergency.

Sheesh... We Koreans can be so nosy sometimes! I know they mean well, but this is overkill.

Since arguing would only draw more attention, Jio begrudgingly walked inside of the barricade. Once everyone’s gazes had turned away from her, she began to fire off text after text with one hand.

[Me: Hey!]

[Me: Jirok!]

[Me: Jirooooook!]

[Me: Help! I’m stuck behind a barricade. Don’t just sit home eating dinner without me! I’m hungry and cold. Get over here and help me!]

Wait... What’s with all these ominous, red exclamation marks next to my messages? Oh, right, she thought as she realized that her messages couldn’t go through.

“Hey, mister! Does this barricade have Wi-Fi?”

“This isn’t a café, kid. I know you’re having a hard time, but just hang in there, okay?”

The bystander woman had been showing her concern for Jio for some time already. As she patted the closet hunter on the shoulder, the young woman’s face fell instantly.

[Your celestial Fate Reader would like to inform you that you should have listened to him earlier. He sucks his breath in loudly and asks if you’ve ever been taught to listen to your elders.]

W-what should I do?

Jio glanced at the hunters and wondered if there was anyone else she might recognize. Of course, she also knew that there was next to no chance that other top-tier hunters would have shown up for a level 6 rift.

Her tiny circle of acquaintances was strictly limited to the top rankers.

Why are all these guys so... insignificant? It’s depressing.

While she entertained her impertinent thoughts, rubble flew around the subway station like cherry blossoms cascading down in spring. Had she made a run for it, a stray block would have likely crushed her skull.

It was immediately clear why the officer had stopped her from leaving earlier.

“Hey, why hasn’t the suppression team closed the gate yet? Isn’t Agent Kwon more than capable enough to deal with it on her own?” a young riot officer asked another who was holding a shield near the barricade.

The senior officer checked their surroundings before whispering, “Didn’t you hear what they said earlier?”

“What’re you talking about?”

“An F-tier hunter ran inside. Apparently, some kid didn’t make it out of the station before the gate opened. Now we’re waiting for him. Damn it! Why’d that thing have to materialize at the station’s exit of all places?”

“An F-tier? What good will he do?”

“Probably nothing.”

“What?!”

“Don’t you know how unpredictable these rifts are? Even if we don’t intervene, they can close on their own.”

“Oh...”

“And if that happens, he’ll never make it out. Even the D-tier hunters are hanging back because they don’t want to risk it. I don’t know who the hell that guy thinks he is.”

Whenever a gate closed, a sizable shockwave would shake its surroundings as it sucked everything in. Since the current spontaneous rift had appeared right above one of the station’s exits, it was easy to predict the damage that would befall whatever was in its vicinity.

“Still... I hope he makes it out,” the younger officer muttered.

However, the likelihood of such an outcome seemed slim.

The senior officer stared at the exit as well as he said, “If he does, then he’ll be a hero.”

* * *

The final dune spinner made a thunderous noise as it crashed into the ground. Gyena Kwon hesitated for a moment, but she soon strode forward confidently.

“Wrap things up! Team 1 will head into the station!”

“Hey! Have you lost your mind, Gyena?!” one of the senior agents from Rescue & Suppression Team 2 hollered while grabbing Agent Kwon’s arm.

“If he hasn’t come out yet, then those things must’ve started laying eggs in the station! Don’t you know what that means? We have to close the gate right now! What’s the matter with you?!”

“Then you close it. I’m still going in,” Gyena said coldly as she shrugged off her senior’s grip.

“You’re what?”

Memories of her team leader sighing and telling her to get her temper under control suddenly floated through Gyena’s mind. Even so, she was still set on following her heart.

“I said you close it, you barking son of a b*tch!”

The air around the gate was already immensely ominous. She had no time to lose.

But just as Gyena turned toward the exit, someone shouted, “Th-there they are!”

“Medical team! Get a stretcher over here right away!”

A young man carrying a small child made a dramatic exit out of the gate. The moment they jumped out, the opening for the station’s exit collapsed with a thunderous rumble. The medical team hurried over, but the young man would not turn his gaze away from the child’s eyes. Gyena was already quite close to the exit, so she could see the young hunter’s lips moving.

She could just make out that was saying, “It’s all over now. You’re all right.”

Upon closer inspection, the F-tier hunter was covered in injuries, but the child appeared to be unharmed. Gyena felt herself sighing with relief.

He’s a true hero! All anyone could talk about was the fact the guy is an F-tier, but what did that matter?

She was someone who had accepted the job of a government official who upheld justice in exchange for a meager salary, rather than join a team where she could earn millions. She had always believed that such hunters were precisely the sort of people their world needed.

The others who were watching felt similarly. Meanwhile, the citizens standing beyond the barricade cheered and applauded wildly.

Feeling a rush of admiration, Agent Kwon approached the young man to say, “Pardon me, but I think we’d all like to know your name.”

* * *

Wow... That was some next-level stuff. Truly amazing, Jio thought as she clapped along with the crowd.

Of course, she hadn’t forgotten her goal to leave. She turned to the person next to her.

“So we can all go home now, right? After seeing that, I really miss my mom.”

In truth, she missed her bed. The outside world was a brutal place, and she wanted to be back in the safety of her blankets.

The monsters had been dealt with, and no one had died. All that remained was to close the gate.

If Jio could just get home, take a shower, and write in her diary about the amazing incident she had just watched, she thought that would make for the perfect end to her day.

But like a tumbling ball of snow rolling down a powdery hill until an avalanche had formed, Jio’s question had ignited the crowd’s impatience. Seeing a hero in person was indeed gratifying, but heroes were much more fun to watch on a TV screen in the comfort of their homes rather than behind some barricade.

The riot officers were hesitant for a moment when they noticed the looks the citizens were giving them, but they eventually moved aside. They knew that the worst of the disaster had already been averted.

[You have gained the “Inciter” trait.]

What was that?

[Your celestial Fate Reader groans as he complains to the neighboring celestials about his charge. He wonders where she picked up so many bad habits when she hardly ever leaves her room.]

Hmm... Seems there’s been some sort of misunderstanding, but... Oh, well. That doesn’t matter right now.

Her first priority was getting out of the barricade. Once the crowd finally began to move, she blended in with the group, then pulled her hood back on.

Before she left, she looked back at the scene for a fleeting moment. Someone had been biting their lip while nervously watching her, but their eyes widened in shock upon meeting her gaze.

* * *

Somewhere very far away, Fate Reader cupped his chin while laughing in disbelief.

I guess this was bound to happen.

* * *

He hadn’t expected to find her there at that point in time. Had he known he would, he suspected a number of things could have been different. For one thing, the extent of the sacrifices might not have been necessary. In fact, he was sure of that.

He walked forward quickly, then reached out without hesitation. As far as he knew, he was approaching the strongest mage in the world.