Jinwoo, completely drained from finishing his Job Change Quest, is sprawled out on his bed when his sister Jinah calls to remind him about her parent-teacher meeting. Even though he’s obviously tired, Jinwoo agrees to go with her. When he shows up at the school, though, he’s almost unrecognizable. The plain, nondescript look he used to have is gone—replaced by sleek, stylish clothes and a sharp, fresh bob cut. Jinah can’t hide her shock. She teases him, asking what happened to the brother she’s used to. As they walk through the halls, Jinwoo draws the attention of some of her classmates, who can’t help but gawk at his transformation. Grinning, Jinah jokes about helping him find someone to “hook up with.” Jinwoo, unfazed, just pinches her cheek and brushes it off with his usual calm attitude.
During the meeting, Jinah’s teacher praises her academic achievements but quickly shifts to a heavier topic: What if Jinah awakens as a hunter? The teacher asks Jinwoo what he thinks, and his response is firm. He says he’d never let Jinah become a hunter, even if she awakened, because he couldn’t bear to put her in danger. The conversation turns to one of Jinah’s friends, Song-Yi, whose future as a hunter is becoming a growing concern. The teacher looks to Jinwoo for advice, sensing he might have valuable insight into the risks of the hunter world.
A new hunter and Hwang Dongsoo arrives
Later, Jinwoo crosses paths with Song-Yi, the E-Rank hunter he and Jinho recruited earlier—and, as it turns out, one of Jinah’s classmates. During their conversation, Song-Yi realizes Jinwoo is Jinah’s older brother. She casually brings up their earlier talk about hunters and makes it clear she’s not backing out of the business. Jinwoo sees the resolve in her eyes and, after a brief pause, nods. “Come with me,” he says, leading her somewhere without explanation.
At the same time, Hwang Dongsoo touches down in Korea from America and is met by Woo Jinchul at the airport. Hwang’s first impression isn’t great; he makes a snide comment about how outdated Korea feels and seems surprised that the Hunter Association’s manager would bother greeting him in person. Sizing up the situation, Jinchul asks how long Hwang plans to stay. Hwang shrugs it off, saying he doesn’t like Korea enough to linger.
Then, with an edge to his voice, he lays out his plan: find Jinwoo and Jinho, trap them in a dungeon, and kill them. The E-Rank goes first, then the D-Rank. Hwang, brimming with arrogance, turns to Jinchul and taunts him. “So, what about you? Think a ‘scrub’ like you can stop me?” Jinchul doesn’t flinch. “I’m just here to do my job,” he replies calmly, his words sharp enough to cut through the tension.
The Red Gate
At the C-Rank gate, Jinwoo and Song-Yi meet up with Ahn Sangmin and Hyun. Jinwoo had called in a favor with Ahn, who secured them spots on a mission with the White Tiger Guild. The mission is a training run for the guild’s rookie hunters, set in a C-Rank dungeon. Jinwoo’s goal is clear—he wants Song-Yi to get a firsthand look at what it really means to be a hunter. They’re introduced to Kim Chul, an A-Rank tanker from the White Tiger Guild with a serious reputation. But Kim’s not thrilled when he sees two E-Rank hunters tagging along. To him, they’re just dead weight.
As the team enters the gate, Jinwoo quickly realizes something is wrong—it’s starting to transform into a Red Gate. Without wasting a second, he grabs Song-Yi’s hand and tries to make a run for it, but the gate slams shut before they can escape. Trapped inside, Jinwoo shouts to Ahn and the others outside, telling them to alert the main raid team about the emergency. Ahn doesn’t hesitate and calls Baek Yoonho, the White Tiger Guild’s master. Baek is shocked—a routine C-Rank gate turning into a Red Gate? He promises to get there right away.
Frozen Dungeon
Jinwoo and the others are trapped in a frozen dungeon and are instantly attacked by some Ice Elves one member of the team is killed. The elves flee. Kim Chul splits off with half the team and Jinwoo remains with the rest. Chul is attacked by giant polar bears, but manages to block one and then cut it in half without much effort. Elsewhere, Jinwoo and the others face polar bears of their own. However, Jinwoo defeats them himself.
While the others eat, he summons his Shadow Army to handle the vast polar bears forcing the alpha bear to appear. Most of the shadow army is defeated by the alpha, but the only shadow strong enough to defeat it is the Blood-Red Commander Igris. Igris decapitates the alpha bear, while the group with Kim Chul is slaughtered by the ice elves and the dungeon boss, Baruka.
