Solo Leveling: Digispirit.

In the end, Cha Hae-In interrupted him before he could continue examining the D-Scan. "So? What happened?" she asked.

"Well, it’s actually quite simple. Good things, mostly. I’m officially S-Rank now. I can see it and feel it clearly," Takuya replied.

"I know that. From what I saw during the fight, you’re probably even above me in raw power."

Takuya immediately shook his head. "No, that’s not the case. What you saw during the trial was basically my potential ceiling. I still need to reach that level through training. Right now, I believe I’m around the same level as you."

He could feel the difference quite clearly. In practical combat ability, he and Cha Hae were currently around the same general level. Takuya believed he could probably win somewhere around forty to fifty-nine percent of their fights, mostly because he possessed the advantage of functioning as both a warrior and a mage at the same time. Cha Hae was vastly superior in pure close combat experience, but she lacked long-range attacks or elemental abilities that could support her fighting style. Depending on who gained the advantage during the initial exchange, Takuya’s versatility gave him a slight edge, perhaps even a little more than slight in certain situations.

"You’re telling me you can still grow stronger?" Cha Hae asked, one of her eyes practically beginning to twitch.

"Well, technically, it’s more like adapting to latent power that’s already there. But yeah, pretty much. I can continue growing. My power just works differently from that of an average Hunter," Takuya explained. He had already told her something similar before, but considering everything she had learned today, maybe the shock had been a little too much.

"Oh, right. So you have to gradually adapt until you can reach the level you showed when you lost control earlier. Maybe even become stronger than that eventually, right?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Cha Hae sighed. "I really wish I could keep getting stronger like that."

To tell the truth, Takuya wished she could too. The stronger the Hunters became, the better their chances would be against the Monarchs—or whatever the hell was coming in the future. Unlike Jinwoo, Takuya couldn’t create his own Shadow Army.

He would have to rely on something else.

Well...

The power of friendship, apparently.

"Let’s try to find a way," Takuya said. "The world is already crazy enough. There should be some method out there. We probably just don’t know about it yet."

"Oh? Is that the confidence of an S-Rank speaking?" Cha Hae asked as she stood up and stretched her arms, checking how her body felt. "But now it’s your responsibility to make sure you’re right. After all, you owe me one."

Right.

Takuya suddenly remembered how badly he had thrown her around during the trial.

It had basically been Hulk and Loki in the first Avengers movie. It was only thanks to her resistance as an S-Rank—and the fact that Vritramon hadn’t been fighting intelligently—that she had escaped with little more than bruises and scratches.

"Sorry," Takuya said.

"Don’t worry about it," Cha Hae replied with a shrug.

After that, the two of them actually used the entire vacation Guild Master Choi had given them. More than anything, it gave Cha Hae enough time to fully recover. By the end of the week, just as they were preparing to return, she told Takuya something that caught him slightly by surprise.

"I hope you don’t mind, but I reserved an hour for your re-evaluation at the Hunters Bureau. I also told Guild Master Choi what happened—or at least the part he needs to know. He’ll be waiting for us at the Bureau, so we should get going. The plane will be here soon," Cha Hae explained.

Of course, Takuya didn’t mind. This was something they had already discussed, so it wasn’t really a surprise. Now that he had officially reached S-Rank, even what everyone else would interpret as a third awakening wasn’t much of a problem. What was the worst that could happen? At most, he might attract the attention of a National Level Hunter or some foreign Guild. He could delay any meeting or offer for a year without much difficulty by pointing toward his existing contract with the Hunters Guild. And after that, he fully intended to become stronger than a National Level Hunter anyway.

At that point, nobody would be able to force him to do anything. So showing off wasn’t really a problem.

Then a stupid idea entered his head. "We don’t have to wait for a plane. Follow me."

They were still inside the hotel, so Takuya immediately jumped upward and ran toward the roof. Once there, he turned toward Cha Hae and extended one hand.

When he had watched Veemon evolve, Takuya had noticed something important. Veemon hadn’t needed to say anything or perform some ridiculous pose to transform.

Takuya knew he didn’t need to either.

But he had to try it at least once.

Even if someone thought it was cringy.

Takuya opened his hand in front of himself.

"DIGISpirit!"

A blue circle of data formed around his hand before expanding across his entire body. Another enormous circle appeared in front of him like a magical formation made entirely of data, while a second one manifested above. The two structures descended and connected around him.

Then Vritramon manifested.

The five-meter-tall dragon stood on the rooftop, his crimson and golden armor shining beneath the sunlight.

Cha Hae immediately felt the aura of an S-Rank radiating from him.

"Hop on. Let’s fly over Seoul," Takuya said.

"Are you sure you want to attract that much attention?" Cha Hae asked.

Takuya simply shrugged. "If not now, when? If I’m going to become the tenth S-Rank awakened in Korea, what’s better than making an entrance?"

His voice was much deeper now, sounding like an odd mixture between a dragon and something mechanical.

Takuya turned his back toward Cha Hae, who stared at him for a moment before jumping onto his shoulder. Vritramon spread his wings and launched himself from the rooftop.

The people below who suddenly spotted a gigantic red dragon taking off naturally panicked. Several immediately called emergency numbers connected to the Hunters Association, but by the time anyone arrived at the hotel, there was nothing left to find.

Takuya climbed higher until they were flying near the clouds. He had to admit that it felt incredibly comfortable. Flying came naturally to Vritramon’s body, and there was something relaxing about simply gliding through the air. Cha Hae seemed to enjoy it too. She eventually moved from his shoulder onto his back, sitting comfortably as she watched the scenery pass beneath them.

Once they began approaching Seoul, Takuya slowly descended until he became visible above the buildings.

And that was when the chaos began. People on the streets looked upward and saw a five-meter dragon flying directly toward the Hunters Bureau. Phones immediately appeared everywhere as people started recording.

Cha Hae, sitting calmly on his back, had only one thought. Show-off.

Meanwhile, inside the Hunters Bureau, Director Go Gunhee suddenly felt two S-Rank signatures approaching the building.

His expression immediately became more serious. His second-in-command, Jincheul, sensed them as well.

"Is this the re-evaluation Guild Master Choi Jong-In mentioned?" Go Gunhee asked.

"Most likely," Jincheul replied as he looked through the window. "So one of their members experienced a double awakening? Or they managed to recruit an S-Rank from overseas? No, that’s unlikely. A double awakening would be more plausible." His expression hardened slightly. "That’s troublesome. If that’s the case, the Hunters Guild will unquestionably become the most influential and powerful Guild in Korea."

Go Gunhee stood up.

"Sir, are you going to meet them?" Jincheul asked. The answer was fairly obvious, but he still had to ask.

"A new S-Rank is an important matter. Even if they’re already affiliated with a Guild, I should see this personally."

Go Gunhee walked through the building and quickly reached the entrance. Choi Jong-In was already there, standing with his hands behind his back as he looked toward the distance.

He had to admit, whatever method Cha Hae and Takuya had chosen to arrive, it was certainly making an impression.

And as Guild Master of the Hunters Guild? He couldn’t help but feel proud. Takuya was practically announcing his presence to the entirety of Korea.

And for his Guild, that was sweet.

"Director Gunhee," Choi Jong-In greeted him with a small respectful bow.

"Choi Jong-In. It’s good to see you." Go Gunhee chuckled. "I can sense that your Guild members are putting on quite the show. Was it really necessary to give my subordinates even more work?"

He wasn’t angry, but it was also true that the Association would be the one dealing with the public panic caused by whatever stunt was currently approaching them.

"Well, perhaps it’s the power—or imprudence—of youth. He is our youngest Hunter, after all," Choi Jong-In replied.

That caught Jincheul’s attention immediately.

"Excuse me for interrupting, but your youngest member is Takuya Kanbara, isn’t he? The A-Rank who originally rose from C-Rank? He already experienced a second awakening."

"Well, apparently we now have the first third-awakened Hunter," Choi Jong-In replied with a smile. "Or perhaps his power simply works differently. Personally, I think the second possibility is more likely."

"Oh?" Go Gunhee’s interest immediately increased. "That would make this an unprecedented situation. Are you certain that’s what happened?"

His question barely left his mouth before something descended from above. Vritramon landed directly on the pavement in front of them. The impact shook the ground.

The sudden appearance of a five-meter-tall dragon caused practically every Hunter nearby to release their mana instinctively, preparing for battle. Then they noticed Cha Hae sitting calmly on the dragon’s shoulder.

She jumped down in one smooth motion and landed on the pavement. Choi Jong-In stared at Vritramon.

"Are you kidding me?"

It didn’t take a genius to understand who the dragon standing before them was. It resembled Baek Yoonho’s transformation ability, but taken to an entirely different level.

Vritramon was intimidating. More than intimidating.

If someone had told Choi Jong-In that the creature before him was the boss of an A-Rank dungeon, he wouldn’t have questioned it for a second.

However, Cha Hae had just casually descended from its shoulder. There was only one obvious answer.

"So, is the evaluation really necessary?" Takuya asked, his transformed voice rumbling through the area.

"Are you Takuya Kanbara?" Jincheul asked.

He knew the kid. He had personally participated in evaluating his previous Rank, and he could recognize certain similarities in the armor and general appearance.

But Takuya had gone from roughly human-sized to a five-meter dragon. The difference was absurd.

"I am." Then Takuya released the transformation.

The enormous dragon disappeared into particles of data, leaving the teenager standing in its place.

He had grown slightly since reaching the Perfect stage. His human body was now around 1.78 meters tall, noticeably taller than before. Apparently, increasing his Digimon power affected his physical human body as well, somewhat similarly to how Jinwoo’s increasing stats gradually changed his body.

Go Gunhee stared at him for several seconds before finally speaking.

"At this point, the evaluation will only be a formality. Still, let’s perform it properly. Please accompany me to my office." Everyone followed him inside.

The people outside, however, were already connecting the dots.

They knew Takuya Kanbara as an A-Rank Hunter and a member of the Hunters Guild. They obviously recognized Cha Hae-In, Choi Jong-In, and Director Go Gunhee as well.

And they had just watched Cha Hae-In descend from the shoulder of an enormous dragon that then transformed into Takuya Kanbara before he was personally escorted inside by the Director of the Hunters Association.

From the public’s perspective, there was only one reasonable conclusion.

If Takuya had developed an entirely new transformation and was being personally received this way...

Korea had just gained its tenth S-Rank Hunter.

Inside Go Gunhee’s office, everyone sat around the couches while Jincheul brought out the device used to measure magical power.

Takuya touched it. The result appeared immediately.

B-Rank.

Go Gunhee was the first to blink.

"The disparity in power between your forms is quite extreme," the Director commented. "Could you please repeat the process while transformed?"

Takuya nodded.

A moment later, he transformed into Vritramon again. His enormous body nearly reached the ceiling of the room, forcing him to crouch slightly as he extended one claw toward the device.

The result appeared almost immediately.

UNMEASURABLE.

He was officially S-Rank.

Go Gunhee nodded slowly.

"Congratulations, Takuya Kanbara. You are officially the tenth S-Rank Hunter of South Korea." Then his expression became slightly more serious. "However, this creates another matter we will need to address. Japan may attempt to reclaim you based on your records and nationality. More realistically, they’ll probably make you a very significant offer to return."

Takuya immediately raised one hand.

"I have no interest in going back. And if nationality or age causes problems, then just give me Korean citizenship. I doubt that would be difficult now. My only family is here anyway, and I’ve already had some issues with Hunters from Japan. You know about what happened with my family, right?"

Go Gunhee nodded.

"It will be handled. In that case, welcome to Korea." A faint smile appeared on the Director’s face. "Normally, I might offer a newly awakened S-Rank a position within the Association. But considering you’re already affiliated with a Guild, I assume you intend to stay there."

"Hahaha, yeah, pretty much. Besides, I can fight more in the Guild. I don’t want an administrative job," Takuya replied with a laugh.

Go Gunhee laughed as well. "Well said. Now we only have one remaining problem."

Takuya raised an eyebrow.

"How exactly are we going to explain that you’ve apparently awakened for the third time?"

"Oh." Takuya thought about it for approximately two seconds. "Just like that? The world’s first third awakening happened in Korea. I mean, I don’t really mind a little attention."

He gave them a thumbs-up. Everyone stared at him with an expression that said the exact same thing.

This kid has absolutely no idea what kind of mess he just got himself into.

Still, from their perspective, it was difficult to complain.

Whatever problems came afterward, Korea had just gained another S-Rank.

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