The Knight King Who Returned with God-Chapter 15 The Perpetual D-Rank, Koo Dae-seong

D-Rank Hunter Koo Dae-seong visited the Hunter Association once again this year for his annual rank assessment.

"Oh~ Koo! You're back again this year?"

The middle-aged man who greeted him with familiarity was Team Leader Kim Do-han, someone Koo had worked with a few times on gate mining teams.

"Long time no see."

"You're really persistent, I'll give you that."

"Haha..."

At Kim's comment, Koo Dae-seong gave a sheepish laugh.

He was now thirty-two years old and had awakened as a Hunter more than ten years ago.

Those with talent usually awakened their mana in middle school and secured admission into Hunter Academies.

But Koo had awakened at the age of twenty-two. His measured rank was D, and he had no unique skill.

"How about this year? Think your rank will go up?"

"Haha... all I can do is try."

Ten years. Koo had been stuck at D-Rank for ten years. They say even the talentless can usually reach C-Rank, but he wasn't even that—he was a perpetual D-Rank.

"How about joining my team instead? Someone like you—hardworking, dependable—you'd be our ace in no time."

Not all who awaken mana become combat Hunters.

There are production roles, research tracks, and many simply work in regular industries.

But for Hunters without notable skills or talents, most end up as porters for raid teams or miners who gather loot just before a gate closes.

They're physically stronger than regular people, so it's doable—but at the end of the day, it's manual labor.

Koo Dae-seong had been doing this grueling work for a decade. And still, he couldn't give up.

Even a D-Rank Hunter could earn far more in a dungeon than through regular labor.

'I need to make more money. If it's not a dungeon with high life-risk bonuses, I can't even cover the interest payments.'

He had debt. An elderly mother to care for. Younger siblings who depended on him. Without income as a Hunter, he couldn't manage.

Still, he had hope. That someday, he might awaken his own unique skill and become a raid team member, tackling high-level gates.

He clung to that dream of one day shining as an awakened Hunter.

But reality was harsh. Even the faintest sliver of hope was beginning to vanish.

"All I can do is try," he repeated.

Even as he said it, he didn't really expect anything. His goals had become grounded—if he could just get to C-Rank and stop being treated like a glorified porter, he'd be grateful.

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"Hmm? A young man's coming in."

At that moment, someone walked into the Association's waiting room. He was blonde—a rare sight, likely a foreigner.

"Someone from Europe, maybe?"

"Looks like royalty or something."

Everyone's gaze turned toward the blonde man.

—Wow, he's good-looking.

—Holy crap... he's really good-looking.

He certainly stood out.

A dignified presence, clear blue eyes, and golden hair. An air of nobility and elegance.

Above all, in a crowd of black-haired people, the blonde man couldn't help but draw attention.

"Is he a foreign laborer or something?"

"He's European, right?"

"Come on~ not all of Europe is rich. There are poor countries too."

Even after the Cataclysm, Korea had remained a fairly well-off country.

Aside from its painfully low food self-sufficiency—relying heavily on imports—it wasn't a bad place for foreign workers to come for jobs.

"Hmph..."

Apparently curious, Kim—unable to resist meddling—walked over to the blonde man.

"Hey there, young man. How are you?"

"Do not speak to me so casually, you base creature."

"...Huh?"

"???"

It almost felt like he'd misheard. The intensity of the insult that came in response to a simple greeting was so fierce, it left him speechless.

"Hah, must've learned Korean a bit wrong, huh?"

"Y-Yeah, seems like it..."

Kim returned without even being able to question him. At that moment, the blond man's eyes met Koo Dae-seong's.

"Ugh..."

He couldn't breathe. Just from that gaze alone, he felt a crushing pressure. It was as if a massive presence was weighing down on him.

"Haa..."

The only reason Koo was able to breathe again was thanks to the Hunter Association staff calling his number—57.

"Number 57, Koo Dae-seong!"

"Y-Yes! I'm coming!"

Koo Dae-seong dashed over to the staff member. He felt a strange chill prickling on his back, as though the blond man's gaze was still on him.

'Pathetic, every one of them.'

Leon turned his head slowly in the association lobby, casting a cold judgment over the gathered crowd.

Weak. With his level of insight, Leon could peer into a person's inner self with a glance and sense the energy within them.

And yet, the energies within these people were without exception feeble and pitiful.

Most who came for rank testing were either forever low-rank Hunters or people attempting their awakening tests for the first time.

Without an academy background, none of them showed any signs of "talent."

But Leon hadn't come to find the strong.

'Not even a single passable soldier... what a tragedy.'

He wasn't here to recruit knights. He was here to find soldiers—men-at-arms—to support and follow knights into battle.

Naturally, the standards for knights and soldiers are very different. He wasn't looking for mere serfs to use as meat shields, so they needed at least some talent—but none could meet even that low bar.

'Although, there was one somewhat promising one.'

Leon didn't only see energy. He observed their features, scars, and the traces of life etched into them.

With his experience, he could gauge a person's worth just by their face.

Most of them were full-grown adults, yet their expressions bore not a trace of hardship.

A few had well-trained muscles, but at best they were the type suitable for grunts... or laborers, maybe.

'I didn't expect to be satisfied from the start.'

When his number was called, Leon rose to his feet and entered the interview room.

"Number 77, Leon... Dragonia Lionheart?"

The interviewers were Hunter Association officials. They knew he was a "Survivor," someone from another world—but they didn't know his personality.

"Address me as Your Majesty, commoner."

"Uh..."

The interviewer hesitated, but after a nudge from their superior, they nodded reluctantly.

"Ahem... Y-Your Majesty..."

Leon listened to the government official's respectful speech with satisfaction. He knew his sense of propriety didn't match the norms of Earth—but he still insisted on enforcing his own values and customs.

'A king has no need to abide by the laws of commoners.'

Even if he was now on Earth, he had ruled as a king for 300 years. He was nobility, a knight of blue blood.

Royalty is not bound by the rules of the lower class. Even if the difference came from an entirely different world, there was no reason for him to accommodate.

"Well then, please place your hand on the measuring device for the test."

The Hunter rank test had two stages.

First, the measurement device assessed one's unique skill and job aptitude.

Usually, the resulting job aligned with the unique skill—most became warriors or swordsmen. On rare occasions, a wizard-type was identified, in which case the Magic Tower would be contacted.

The second stage was a live combat trial inside a gate maintained by the Association, which determined the final rank.

Since rumors had spread about Leon being an incredibly strong Survivor, even the staff were curious about what kind of unique skill he might have.

"Fools!"

"Excuse me?"

Instead, what came back was a furious shout from Leon.

"How dare a commoner test the honor of a knight!"

"...What?"

"T-The measuring is done by a magical device. It's quite accurate—"

"How could some machine possibly measure the abilities of a knight? Only honorable knights and the gods have that right!"

"...Uh..."

The staff were flustered. Survivors with unusual personalities were common, but this was the first time someone had outright refused the test.

"Umm, t-then... the next part of the test... no, you refused the test entirely so..."

Then why did you even come?

"I came to find capable soldiers, but even the examiners are these... rabble."

'He's headhunting? That blatantly?!'

Sure, major guilds—especially the top 10—often scouted skilled Hunters. But to refuse the test and openly recruit?

"There isn't a single one I'm satisfied with yet. What's the next test?"

"Uh... there's a live combat test inside a gate."

"Good. True skill is forged through consistent training and real battle. I will observe."

"N-No..."

Not observe... you mean participate, right? But with another nudge from their superior, the staffer had no choice but to nod.

Each gate has its own concept.

The broadest classifications are dungeon-type and field-type, but within those are smaller categories like quest-type or raid-type.

Normally, once a gate is cleared, it's closed and eliminated.

However, some gates are intentionally left open—either by avoiding killing the boss or not fulfilling the closing conditions. Seoul Station Gate is one such case.

"Is everyone okay? No dizziness? Some people feel nauseous when passing through a gate."

The Seoul Station Gate was a field-type gate with a sprawling green meadow.

Koo Dae-seong let out a quiet sigh as he looked around the Seoul Station Gate, which he was now entering for the tenth time.

This year's assessment wouldn't be much different from last year's. No unique skill, no increase in stats.

To overturn his evaluation, he'd have to show results in this live combat test.

And for that, party members were crucial. Koo glanced over the other members assigned to his test group.

"Wow~ So this is a gate? Oppa, this place is totally a hotspot!"

"Jin-mi, let's turn our phones off for now."

'Two total beginners...'

Then he spotted the blond man—the foreign laborer he'd seen in the waiting room earlier.

'Sigh...'

Coming for a rank test at that age likely meant he awakened late. Academy graduates are tested separately.

In this five-person party, three were basically rookies. Koo turned to the last member, holding onto a shred of hope—an old man with a kind smile.

"Heh heh, the air's really nice here."

The man looked easily past sixty. Maybe he awakened during the Cataclysm 30 years ago, but all the strong first-generation Hunters had already made names for themselves.

Which meant this old man, like Koo, was probably just a middling C or D-rank Hunter.

'Didn't expect much, but still...'

It was only natural—people who come for these general rank tests are either total newbies or long-time D-rankers.

"Alright, everyone. Don't worry about danger—since I'm a B-rank Hunter, I'll step in if needed. Just focus on clearing the gate."

With the Association observer staying behind, Koo stepped forward.

"Let's start with introductions and role assignments."

This was his chance to act as team leader and maybe earn a few bonus points.

"I'm Koo Dae-seong. I've been a Hunter for ten years now, class is Warrior, and I'm a main damage dealer."

"Shin Tae-hoon. I awakened this year. I use a shield and spear."

"I'm his little sister, Shin Na-yeon~ I mostly use daggers, but I've been learning archery lately too~"

Still unsure of their aptitudes—definitely beginners. Koo cautiously asked:

"Have either of you attended a training center?"

Since the Academy has age limits, those who can't attend usually go to private training centers run by veteran Hunters.

They're not as systematic, but it's something.

"We both went to a training center for three months each."

Total rookies. Koo, not expecting much, turned to the elderly man.

"Sir, how about you...?"

"This old man's name is Oh Kang-tae, fifth year as a Hunter. I did awaken, but I got laid off recently from my company."

His weapon was gauntlets. Not much experience for his age.

And gauntlets? Even if he had the Martial Artist class, the short reach compared to swords or spears would be hard to overcome.

"Alright... lastly, the foreign laborer—do you understand Korean?"

"..."

The blond man—Leon—just stared at Koo Dae-seong in silence for a while.

"I do not fight."

"Uh... you fight well? Did you learn Korean backwards or something?"

"A dragon-slaying blade is not meant for catching chickens."

Definitely learned Korean weird. Koo scratched his head awkwardly and moved on to set positions.

"Okay... Tae-hoon, you'll tank in the front. The elder and I will handle main damage. Na-yeon, you'll provide ranged support with your bow. And... the foreign guy—wait, where's your weapon?"

While everyone else had brought their gear, Leon had nothing on him.

"Hey... foreign guy, didn't you bring a weapon?"

Strange. Even the Association lends out basic weapons.

"Um, handsome oppa? Want to borrow mine?"

At that moment, Shin Na-yeon shyly stepped forward, holding out her dagger and bow. She looked at Leon with sparkling eyes—he had this aura that felt somehow beyond human.

"Which do you want to use? I mostly use daggers, so... want to try the bow? Do you know how to shoot?"

It was the latest model—a smart bow with auto-aim and tension adjustment.

"You would have me use this?"

"Yup~ Just give it back after you're done!"

Leon stared silently at the bow handed to him, as if he'd heard something unthinkable.

Then, as if he had just been deeply insulted, he furrowed his brow and flung the bow to the ground.

"Aaah! My bow!"

"W-What the hell are you doing?!"

Shin Tae-hoon burst out in anger seeing his sister's bow tossed like trash. But Leon, the Knight King, was equally furious—for reasons the commoners could never understand.

"A knight does not use cowardly ranged weapons."

Unbelievable.

Koo Dae-seong pressed his fingers to his forehead.