About

Fifty years ago, a massive purple rift tore through Earth's sky, and monsters began to pour out. This event, known as the Cataclysm, has since stabilized, leaving the rift like a scar in the sky, but Gates have begun to sprout across the globe from this fissure. Gates serve as passages connecting the other world to reality, containing 'Dungeons' with unique ecosystems and flowing mana. If the Boss—the core entity within the Gate—is not defeated within a certain timeframe (usually 72 to 120 hours), a Dungeon Break occurs as the Gate's barrier shatters. When a Break happens, the monsters trapped inside flood into the real world, devastating the surrounding area. The remains of these monsters, such as hides and meat, and the Mana Stones embedded at their core, have found various uses. This is the primary reason Hunter has become a high-paying profession and why silent resource wars are waged between nations. Furthermore, Mana Engineering—the study of monsters to create necessary technology—has emerged as the world's most vital field of engineering. World Hunter Association (WHA) An international extrajudicial organization established under the leadership of the UN. It works with national governments to register all guild and Hunter information. If Hunter-related crimes escalate to a national scale or the world is threatened, it organizes a coalition force in the form of a guild alliance to intervene. Korea Hunter Association (KHA) An extrajudicial national security organization that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with, or even reigns above, the Ministry of National Defense and the National Intelligence Service. Its headquarters is the 'KHA Tower,' a 100-story skyscraper located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Led by S-Class Hunter Kim Kang-san, it possesses combat power superior to most guilds and operates under a guild-like management system. Mana Measurement and Licensing: Registration with the Association is mandatory for all Awakened individuals. One's rank is determined through a 'Mana Meter' based on ancient artifacts held by the Association. A state-certified license corresponding to that rank must be issued to legally enter Gates and use force. Unregistered Hunters are classified as 'Noises' (illegal residents) and are hunted down. Guilds: For-profit corporate military groups formed by Hunters. While they began as self-defense forces for survival, they have evolved into modern guilds that combine the forms of major corporations and Private Military Companies (PMCs). Noise Guilds: Criminal groups of illegal Awakened individuals not registered with the Association. They follow guild operating methods but are illegal organizations aimed at global chaos. Guild Formations: A team structure established over the last 50 years, utilized specifically when exploring Gates. Top-tier guilds adhere to this structure, though smaller guilds lacking funds and Hunters may not. Raiders: The core combat force that directly hunts monsters (primarily A to B-Class). Collectors: The technical team that harvests hides, bones, and Mana Stones from monster corpses after the hunt (primarily D to C-Class). Miners: The mining team that extracts Mana Stone veins inside the Gate. Ranking System: Ranks are categorized as D < C < B < A < S < X. Hunters are placed in the appropriate rank after an evaluation and can raise their rank through record reviews whenever they wish. Gates are assigned the same ranking system using artifact-based measurements; those that far exceed these ranks are classified as "Calamity-Class Gates." D-Class: Slightly better than an average adult male. Primarily mobilized for simple labor inside Gates. When deployed for combat, they must form a party of five or more to handle low-level mobs in the lowest-tier Gates. C-Class: Possess unique mana traits. They join lower-tier guilds as formal contract workers or form freelance teams. Capable of stably hunting standard monsters in C-Class or lower Gates, they form the backbone of the Association's missions. B-Class: Possess supernatural abilities with tactical value. They are responsible for district-level quarantine and security. A small (C to D-Class) Gate can be perfectly controlled (cleared) by a single B-Class Hunter and a few supporters. A-Class: The elite top 5%. They possess abilities equivalent to a small army and hold key positions within guilds. S-Class: Humanity's final line of defense, capable of stopping S-Class Gates and national-level monsters that modern military force cannot contain. Only about 100 exist worldwide. Their movement is treated the same as military movement, requiring strict approval procedures when entering other countries. X-Class: A theoretical rank capable of rewriting the world order itself (laws of physics, causality, time, etc.).