I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City

The era has shifted drastically.

The act of tearing apart monsters and mercilessly eradicating supernatural criminals—
Hunters who proudly boasted of such violent feats are now a rare sight.

The new era of peace no longer desired such savagery.
Society had evolved to the point where flaunting brute strength made it difficult to survive.

With the frequency of monster appearances dropping to near zero, people even joked that gates were nothing more than urban legends.
The profession of hunting had gradually morphed into something closer to being a celebrity or influencer.

The reason hunters with great power no longer showcased overwhelming might to the public was simple:
They had started to notice something—
As gates all but ceased to appear, the supernatural powers within their bodies began to dwindle. Their once-mighty physiques were reverting to normalcy.

Thus, hunters adapted. They humbled themselves, their once-proud noses brought down from the sky.
To maintain their names and fame, they began appearing on variety shows, shooting photo spreads, selling autobiographies, and uploading videos on their own channels.
Even the once-stubborn head of the Hunter Association had taken up a second career as a trot singer.

Meanwhile, I…
I, too, was a hunter, but I couldn’t help but marvel at their bold moves.

I had no reason to sneer at them or call them shameless.
Instead, I admired their courage in quickly accepting reality and venturing into new fields.

As the threat of monsters disappeared and supernatural powers began to dissipate,
only those who swiftly accepted the downfall of a hunter’s value and position could hold onto the wealth they had accumulated.
The hunters who abandoned their pride and ventured fearlessly into new realms were simply the first to realize this truth.

However.

I, Lee Rohan, while foreseeing the future, had not yet reached out to the rapidly changing trends.
I remained one of the hunters who continued to contribute to public safety, as always.

Ding!

“Hm?”

As if urging me to throw myself into the whirlwind of change,
a message popped up on my computer as I sat idly after work.

[Hello, Hunter Lee Rohan. This is Solomon, a director from Sunday Games.]

A familiar company name. A recognizable nickname.
I jumped out of my chair and grabbed my smartphone.

“Sunday Games?!”

The company that anyone dabbling in subculture games would know.
The one that monopolized my free time and drained my wallet clean.
I blinked at the unexpected message and repeatedly checked the official account badge to confirm its authenticity.

[Whenever you mention our games, all of us at Sunday Games perk up and listen. Your posts on our official site have left me in awe...]

I rolled my eyes and read the lengthy message word by word, carefully digesting each sentence.

[We would like to briefly introduce a project, Salvation, that Sunday Games hopes to achieve in collaboration with you...]

It hit me: this was real.

“What… is this?”

True to my Korean nature, I muttered “What” instinctively as I tried to piece together the unbelievable information.

In conclusion, my SNS post about enjoying Sunday Games’ Abyss City had been the catalyst.
They were offering a sweet proposal: to create a new character based on me.

“Me? As a game character?”

Considering the company’s reputation, they must know the risks of using a real person for collaboration in a gacha game.
They had to be aware of this.
So why? Why me? If they were going to do this, wouldn’t it make more sense to collaborate with an idol?

“Besides, aren’t there plenty of good-looking hunters to choose from? Why me?”

Speculations and assumptions bubbled up like foam in my mind.
Who was the lunatic at that company who decided to model a character after an obscure male hunter like me?

On top of that, wasn’t their player base mostly male?
I could already imagine gamers raging, “Who is this guy? Another male character in the lineup?”

But!

Even so!

What gamer could refuse the chance to become a character in their favorite game?
No matter their intentions, wasn’t this an irresistible temptation worth diving headfirst into?

“Alright!”

Without hesitation, I sent back a reply: “I look forward to working with you.”

***

How much time had passed since I started collaborating with the game company?

Until today, I’d obediently followed every direction given by their employees.
Last week, I had spent an entire day repeatedly swinging a sword in a bizarre outfit.
Today, I was told, was reserved for filming interviews for the making-of footage and official broadcast.

"I’ve really come this far, huh."

I sipped coffee to moisten my throat, which had gone dry from nerves.
Sitting with a straw in my mouth, fiddling with my smartphone, a voice called out to me.

"Hunter, we're ready for the shoot!"

"Oh, I'm coming!"

I squeezed between the cameras and sat in the empty chair.
Next to me was a female host I’d only seen on Sunday Games’ official broadcasts, and my inner fanboy couldn’t help but flutter.

“It’s not a big deal, even though it’s an interview. Just think of it as a casual chat and answer comfortably.”

“Got it. I’ll do my best.”

To someone like me, who always watched their update broadcasts, the whole situation felt surreal—
even more so than meeting a famous hunter in person.

The host straightened her back, flipped through her cue cards with practiced ease, and cleared her throat.
She glanced at a signal from the camera crew, leaned in slightly, and whispered that we’d begin before flashing a bright smile and launching into her energetic voice.@@novelbin@@

“With the tension in Academy City reaching its peak, there are many students eagerly anticipating the next chapter of the story! What new winds and conflicts will sweep through Academy City...!”

Her enthusiastic voice rang out, carrying a mix of excitement and drama.
She read through her script flawlessly, without a single stumble, while I sat awkwardly beside her, nodding clumsily and fiddling with the microphone.

"First, we must introduce our special guest sitting beside me! Some of you may have already guessed..."

After more than a minute of monologue, during which she introduced me,
the host turned her attention toward me, signaling her intent to ask a question.

“I have a personal question for you, Hunter Lee Rohan! There’s a rumor that hunters’ reflexes are so sharp they never miss a parry against any boss. Is that true?”

“In that regard, I’d say hunters certainly have an advantage. When I play games, I usually turn off all the assist options and rely on manual controls.”

“Wow! Then you must have cleared all the combat achievements, right?”

“Not quite. I tend to focus on leveling up only the characters I’m attached to, so there are quite a few gaps in my records.”

As we exchanged a few words back and forth, I felt my nerves gradually ease.
It seemed like the host’s considerate demeanor had helped me relax.

After some light conversation, another question followed as she turned the next cue card.

“What do you think is the unique charm of Abyss City?”

This was one of the questions I had received in advance and had already prepared for.
Thanks to that, the words flowed out of me effortlessly.

“I started working as a hunter quite early, so I never got to properly attend school. It would be a lie to say I didn’t have fantasies about school life. For me, the biggest appeal of Abyss City is how it lets me vicariously experience that.”

“Ah! Abyss City certainly captures the warmth of daily life alongside its action elements!”

This was a divisive point among gamers.
Personally, I enjoyed the everyday life sections, like part-time jobs, more than the combat parts.

“Yes, I often think, ‘If there were a school for hunters, wouldn’t it look something like this?’
Also, since I love open-world games, I find exploring the map to be incredibly fun.”

“And then...!”

The light banter continued, consisting of questions and answers that might or might not make it into the final video.
The host exchanged quick glances with the camera crew and, to my relief, signaled that we were wrapping up with a satisfied expression.

“Hunter Lee Rohan’s character, ‘Rohan,’ will be available in the pickup event from June 2 for one month! And don’t forget to look forward to the new storyline and quests being updated!”

“Thank you very much!”

We stood up, exchanged farewells, and clapped, marking the end of the shoot.
When the cameras all tilted toward the ceiling, I also shared a brief thank-you with the host.

“You worked hard, Hunter Rohan!”

“Thank you. You too.”

“When your character comes out, you’ll have to pull for it, right?”

“Of course, I’m going to max it out regardless of performance. At this rate, the money I earned from this project will go right back to the game.”

She burst out laughing, saying she would’ve done the same.

After a short chat and a promise to meet again, I headed off to retrieve the bag I had tossed in the corner.

“Next is the voice recording session, right?”

I wondered what kind of skills and storyline my character would have.
Reflecting on the past few hours, the reality of the situation hit me again.

The fact that I would soon appear as a character in my favorite game was surreal.
Honestly, I didn’t even care about getting paid for this—I felt like I should be paying them instead.

“What kind of luck is this?”

When I die, this is definitely going to be the highlight reel they play at my funeral.

“Better stock up on growth materials as soon as I get home.”

Grinning at the happy thought, I picked up the bag lying on the floor.
Just as I stood, a female staff member with a badge around her neck approached me with sparkling eyes.

“Hunter! Hunter!”

“Yes?”

“Before you go, could you take this?”

“What’s this?”

She handed me a neat, unmarked box. It was about the same size as the box you get when you buy a smartphone.

“Our CEO is a huge fan of yours and wanted to give you a gift.”

Her words made me doubt my ears.
I blinked and asked again.

“The CEO of Sunday Games...?”

“Yes! He really wanted to come today, but he was too busy, so I’m delivering it on his behalf. He was so disappointed!”

Was this just lip service?
I couldn’t easily respond.

‘Isn’t the CEO Japanese?’

While I stood frozen in confusion, she continued with a cheerful explanation.

“I don’t know all the details, but the CEO said they were once chased by a monster and you saved them. Somewhere in Apgujeong... was it a department store?”

“!”

A flash of clarity cut through the fog in my mind.

Apgujeong.

The place where a massive gate had opened, bringing literal hell to Earth.
I had been dispatched to evacuate civilians and rescue people there.
I distinctly remembered cutting down hordes of monsters as I fought my way into the department store.

“So that’s why they offered me this job…”

Sometimes, things like this happened.
Moments of frantic chaos for me had been a lifeline and salvation for someone else.
I’d received letters of gratitude before, but never a gift of this magnitude.

“Phew.”

Feeling both understanding and relief, I exhaled deeply.
Looking at the staff member, I asked, “May I open it?”

“Of course!”

With a click, I opened the box to find a rectangular card inside.
It was a familiar design for any Abyss City player.
I couldn’t stop the grin spreading across my face.

“Is this my picture? It looks so young.”

Looking closer at the name confirmed it—
It was a student ID merch for ‘Rohan,’ the character based on me.
The best gift I could have imagined.

Just as I was thinking of how to express my gratitude, I looked up and froze.

“...?”

The staff member with the badge was gone.

In fact, I was no longer in the studio.

“Huh?”

Before my eyes was a brand-new world.