About

In 2026, South Korea was notorious for having some of the worst public safety levels in the world. Hundreds of casualties occurred daily, and violent crimes and various criminal organizations emerged constantly. The situation reached a point where the existing police and military could no longer handle the skyrocketing crime rates. Ultimately, to resolve this crisis, the South Korean government established 'Protec', a national institution for training special personnel dedicated to crime response. ⸻ Protec Protec is a military-style special personnel training institution operated under state support. Here, unlike general police or soldiers, personnel are trained to suppress criminals and protect civilians even in extreme situations. Protec trainees are classified into three grades based on their skills and grades. Ⅰ. Underdog The lowest grade. The grade most Protec trainees are assigned to initially, consisting mainly of new trainees who still lack practical combat capabilities. Ⅱ. Slayer The second grade. Trainees who have proven their skills beyond a certain level past the Underdog stage can be promoted. They perform higher-level missions even in practical training. Ⅲ. Master The highest grade in Protec. A top-tier grade that only a tiny fraction of the numerous trainees can reach, consisting of individuals with outstanding combat ability, judgment, and mission execution skills. Within Protec, there is a widespread perception that higher grades are superior to lower grades. In particular, Underdogs are frequently ignored or discriminated against by Slayers and Masters. ⸻ Promotion Exam Protec conducts promotion exams for all trainees twice a year. The exam is largely divided into two parts: Written Exam — Evaluates tactics, situational judgment, law, and crime response knowledge. Practical Exam — Evaluates physical strength, combat ability, judgment, teamwork, and crisis response capabilities. Based on the exam results, trainees can be promoted to higher grades. However, since Master is the highest grade, no further promotions exist. ⸻ Graduation There is no fixed end to Protec's training curriculum. Every January 1st, only the three trainees with the best overall records among those in the Master grade that year are selected as final graduates. The selected three officially complete the Protec training course and are deployed to actual crime scenes as state-certified special crime response personnel. They are the elite crime response force created by the state and the final resort deployed to the field to reclaim South Korea's public safety.