On the day of the Mutated A-Rank Gate raid, people gathered one after another at the designated location. Sungshik also arrived at the promised spot on time that day.

As he parked, he noticed an array of high-end cars powered by mana stones. It seemed that since most of the participants were superhumans ranked 5-star or higher, they all owned expensive luxury vehicles.

Should I change my car too?

—That’s a good idea. If you're going to change it, how about that red one over there? Its intense color seems to ignite a man’s primal instincts.

Sungshik was merely contemplating the idea, but Heaven-Splitter enthusiastically chimed in. Sungshik turned to it with a bewildered look.

Wait… why is a sword interested in cars?

—Hmph, isn't it natural for men to have a special attachment to their beloved vehicles?

Sungshik was at a loss for words. He had never even considered Heaven-Splitter having a gender, yet it suddenly claimed to be male, leaving him dumbfounded.

Swords have genders now?

—Of course! Just look at my form. Unlike those short swords or rapiers, don't I exude masculinity?

Now that he thought about it, there was some logic to its words. Though labeling things by gender was seen as foolish these days, heavier swords like greatswords and broadswords did tend to be preferred by men.

Well, I do have plenty of money…

Thanks to several successful raids and gate expeditions, Sungshik had accumulated a decent fortune. He could easily afford a high-end car or a sports car without any issues. It was becoming clear why superhumans could amass wealth so effortlessly.

No wonder everyone wants to become a superhuman.

Public admiration, immense wealth, and overwhelming power—superhumans had everything people desired.

Though, there's a dark side to it as well.

Even for superhumans, battling monsters always carried a high risk. Living as a superhuman meant constantly facing the possibility of death.

Of course, top-tier superhumans like Sungshik had far more freedom from such dangers.

—Especially once you reach complete Flower, the 8-star level. At that point, no one below that realm could even be considered your enemy.

Indeed, achieving 8-star status meant that only others within the same realm could pose a threat.

The second metamorphosis. Unlike the superficial transformation experienced at 7-star, the complete metamorphosis of reaching 8-star transcended human limitations entirely. It was a transformation of one's very existence. At that stage, even without possessing the Indestructible Vajra Body, the sheer durability of one's flesh became comparable to being impervious to blades.

Moreover, the near-limitless mana one gained at 8-star formed a constant layer of energy around the skin, further enhancing its resilience.

—And from 8-star onwards, you can wield Aura Qi. It can cut through anything, but at the same time, defensive Aura Qi makes it impossible to penetrate unless it's by another Aura Qi user.

Yeah, I know.

As Sungshik extended his hand, sword energy flickered like a mirage before twisting into a visible form. This was Ken-Ki—the preliminary stage before Aura Qi, a power that only those who had reached 7-star could manifest.

Ken-Ki and Aura Qi were fundamentally different in strength. However, even Ken-Ki alone would be seen as an almost invincible force to anyone below 7-star. With this power, there was no one among the gathered warriors who could stand against Sungshik.

While he was lost in thought about the nature of power, a small compact car pulled into the parking lot. For some reason, it caught his attention, so he kept watching. Through the heavily tinted windows, the silhouette of the driver seemed somewhat familiar.

Screech.

After parking, the person stepped out, revealing a face Sungshik knew very well. There was no way he could mistake her.

With a pleased expression, he called out.

“Subin.”

At the sound of her name, Kim Subin turned to look at him. Her eyes widened in surprise, and then a bright smile spread across her face.

“Wow, Sungshik! It’s been so long!”

After reuniting, Sungshik and Kim Subin spent some time catching up. Since they had kept in touch, they were already aware of each other’s recent activities, but seeing each other in person after so long, they naturally ended up talking about their changed appearances.

“Oh~ Sungshik, I think you’ve gotten even taller! Why do you look so handsome all of a sudden?”

Kim Subin marveled at how different he looked compared to the last time they had met.

It was understandable. Having reached 7-star and undergone a metamorphosis, Sungshik's skin had become clearer and more radiant, and he had grown another 3 centimeters, now standing at 185 cm tall. His transformation was obvious at a glance.

Seeing her admiration, Sungshik chuckled and responded.

“You’ve become even prettier, Subin.”

Indeed, Kim Subin had grown even more beautiful. She was at the age where her looks were naturally blossoming, and the saying "she gets prettier by the day" fit her perfectly.

The two of them walked into the raid team area together, chatting amicably. Since Kim Subin was part of the host guild, her identity check was completed instantly. Meanwhile, Sungshik, who had joined as a mercenary, had to go through a more detailed verification process. Once again, he participated under the alias "Big Sir" rather than his real name.

After finishing the verification, he went to find Kim Subin again.

“Hey, let’s grab dinner together later. This senior here knows all the best restaurants in the area. There's a steak place that does an amazing job. Let’s go there.”

“Sorry, but I already have plans.”

“Come on, don’t turn me down. What plans? Wait, don’t tell me you’re rejecting us because you don’t want to eat with us? That would be really disappointing. We’re your seniors, you know. It wouldn’t be good to embarrass us like this.”

“It’s not that, it’s just—”

Kim Subin was surrounded by three young men. Their outfits bore the emblem of the Nati guild. Judging from the situation, they were persistently trying to invite her to dinner.

“Come on—”

“I’m sorry, but the plans Subin mentioned are with me.”

Sungshik suddenly stepped in between them. The three men immediately frowned as they turned to him, scanning him up and down to determine his affiliation.

Heh.

After sizing him up, they smirked as if they had already figured everything out. It was obvious at a glance that Sungshik was a mercenary. Their expressions made it clear that they found him laughable.

The fact was, apart from Kang Hanil, none of the mercenaries participating in this raid were particularly noteworthy. Among them, the only one with any recognition was Sungshik, known under his alias, Big Sir.

However, in the case of Sungshik, there were so many different rumors circulating about him, and many of them were hard to believe, so people considered them all baseless gossip. As a result, aside from Kang Hanil, the mercenaries essentially regarded these people as insignificant. In reality, all the mercenaries, except for Kang Hanil, were rated 5-star.

But this trio from the Nati guild were all 5-star+ ranked high-tier superhumans in Korea. So, at a glance, they scoffed at Sungshik, who was clearly a mercenary.

“Hey, friend. Do you two know each other? Oh man, in that case, why don’t you make an appointment next time? We’re a bit busy right now, so we’ll be getting to know Subin first. Got it?”

“Yeah, we’re a bit busy. Have you heard of the Three Captains of the Nati guild? That’s us. We’ve got a lot on our plate, you see.”

They introduced themselves to Sungshik with an air of arrogance, acting as if their demand to postpone the conversation was perfectly natural.

The Nati guild trio. They were the core power of the Nati guild. All of them were 5-star+ ranked, making them among the top high-tier superhumans in Korea.

However, they were also infamous for being arrogant and hedonistic. Because of that, they were well-known, whether in a good or bad way.

They naturally assumed that Sungshik would recognize them. If this had been before his regression, he might have remembered them, but now, he had no interest in them whatsoever. He didn’t even know who they were. Instead, he just found it annoying that a bunch of weaklings, who would go flying with a single flick of his hand, were buzzing around him.

“Sigh, excuse me. Didn’t you all come here to raid? If you’re here for the raid, why not focus on the raid?”

Sungshik didn’t bother hiding his annoyance—it was written all over his face.

“What?”

“Is this guy out of his mind?”

Predictably, their reaction was not pleasant. The atmosphere immediately turned hostile.

“Where does a mere mercenary get off…?”

“Are you insulting all mercenaries with that remark?”

It was then. A deep, weighty voice rang out.

Turning toward the source of the voice, there stood a young man. He was large, with a masculine and handsome face. The bulging muscles that showed even through his clothes radiated a powerful presence.

‘That must be… Kang Hanil.’

Indeed, the one who had appeared was Kang Hanil. The man currently regarded as the strongest superhuman in Korea.

“Ah… no, senior. That’s not what I meant… I-I’m sorry.”

“W-we’re sorry.”

The Nati guild trio, who had been looking down on Sungshik just moments ago, shrank back in front of Kang Hanil.

“You shouldn’t be pressuring juniors like that. As a senior, you should act with dignity.”

“Y-yes, sir. You’re absolutely right. We were being careless.”

“Good. As long as you understand. The raid is about to start soon, so shouldn’t you be getting ready?”

“Y-yes, understood. Please forget what we said earlier. It was a slip of the tongue.”

“Yeah, yeah. I got it. Now go.”

After groveling to Kang Hanil, they quickly disappeared the moment he told them to leave.

“Thank you for your help, senior.”

“It’s nothing.”

Kim Subin bowed politely, and Kang Hanil responded with a warm smile.

“And you are…?”

“I’m ‘Big Sir,’ participating as a mercenary this time. Nice to meet you.”

As Sungshik introduced himself as Big Sir, Kang Hanil extended his hand.

“Oh, I’ve heard a lot about you. Nice to meet you. You carried the last A-rank gate raid, didn’t you?”

“I just lent a hand. The rumors are exaggerated.”

“Hah. You’re humble, huh?”

Sungshik used Insight on Kang Hanil.

Name: Kang Hanil

Rank: 6-star (★★★★★★)

Traits: [SS Rank] Hyper-Sense, [A Rank] Strength Amplification

‘Oh.’

Sungshik’s eyes gleamed as he read Kang Hanil’s status window. As the rumors said, he was indeed a 6-star superhuman. But what surprised Sungshik was…

‘A multi-trait holder. And one of them is an [SS Rank] trait.’

With this level of talent, he had the potential to become a top-tier ranker—perhaps even one of the 11 Thrones.

‘What a shame he died so early in the past.’

Sungshik confirmed that Kang Hanil had the potential to become at least a 7-star superhuman.

‘This time around, I won’t let him die meaninglessly because of a gate break.’

Though their interaction was brief, Kang Hanil seemed to have a decent personality. If he survived and continued to grow, he would undoubtedly be a great asset in facing the Nights of Trial.

‘Interesting.’

Kang Hanil looked down at the hand he had just shaken with Big Sir. Even after shaking his hand, he couldn’t sense anything from him.

There were only two possible explanations for this.

‘Either he’s truly insignificant, or he’s so strong that I can’t even gauge his power.’

As a superhuman, the former was impossible. That meant it had to be the latter.

In truth, Kang Hanil had an exceptionally sensitive combat intuition. At a glance, he could roughly assess an opponent’s strength. While it wasn’t as precise as a ‘Scouter’ trait that quantified power, he could clearly tell whether someone was stronger or weaker than him.

Especially when he physically touched someone, he could usually detect their hidden strength. He even had a skill related to this.

‘There’s no way I’m wrong. He’s definitely stronger than me.’

One of the reasons he had managed to rise to a 6-star rank so quickly, despite working solo, was because he had always been able to sense danger and avoid it. He trusted his instincts completely.

‘The rumors were true.’

The unbelievable power that had been talked about in whispers. At least 6-star+, or perhaps even 7-star. The probability that those rumors were true had just skyrocketed.

‘This is exciting.’

Faced with a superhuman who might be stronger than himself, Kang Hanil grinned.

‘The world is vast. If his power is real… what will people think once they find out?’

He had read many discussions comparing himself to Sungshik. Most dismissed Sungshik’s strength as mere rumors, some even ridiculing him.

‘It won’t be long now.’

If Sungshik’s strength was real, then the world would soon know. It was only natural.

‘I might get to see his power firsthand in this raid.’

Looking toward the gate entrance, where an ominous energy surged, Kang Hanil pondered.