The Knight King Who Returned with God

The Eternal D-Rank Hunter, Koo Daeseong

D-Rank Hunter Koo Daeseong visited the association once again this year for his rank evaluation.

"Oh~ Mr. Koo, you're here again this year?"

A middle-aged man greeted him warmly—it was Kim Do-han, the team leader of a gate mining squad that Koo had worked with several times.

"It's been a while."

"You sure are a hardworking guy."

"Haha..."

Koo Daeseong responded with an awkward smile.

At thirty-two years old, he had been awakened as a Hunter for over a decade.

Talented individuals typically awaken their magic powers during middle school and receive admission to an academy.

However, Koo had awakened at twenty-two, with a rank evaluation of D and no unique skills.

"How about this year? Do you think your rank will improve?"

"Haha… I'll do my best."

For ten years, he had remained D-Rank. Even those with no talent could supposedly reach C-Rank, yet he wasn't even a stagnant C-Rank—he was a stagnant D-Rank.

"Instead of struggling, why not join my team? You're diligent, and you work hard without complaints. You'd become an ace in no time."

Not all awakened Hunters pursued combat roles.

Some worked in production or research, while others found jobs in conventional industries.

However, most Hunters without talent or special abilities worked as porters for raid parties or in mining squads, harvesting materials from gates right before they closed.

Though they were far stronger than regular humans, at the end of the day, they were just laborers.

Koo Daeseong had been doing this grueling work for ten years, yet he couldn't give up.

Even as a D-Rank Hunter, the money he earned from dungeons was incomparable to manual labor.

'I need to make more money. Without dungeon raids that offer life-risking bonuses, I can barely pay the interest on my debt.'

He had debts, an elderly mother to support, and younger siblings to take care of. Without his income as a Hunter, it would be impossible.

But he still had hope. One day, he would awaken a unique skill, join a raid party, and conquer high-ranked gates as a true Hunter.

He dreamed of the day he would finally shine as an awakened being.

Reality, however, was harsh, and even that tiny sliver of hope was beginning to fade.

"I'll do my best."

Even as he said it, he had no real expectations. His goal had become more realistic—if he could at least reach C-Rank and escape his life as a mere porter, he'd consider himself lucky.

"Hm? A young fellow is coming in."

At that moment, someone entered the association's waiting room. Unusually, the newcomer had blonde hair—clearly a foreigner.

"Is he from Europe?"

"He looks like royalty."

People in the lobby turned to look at the blonde man.

"Wow, he's handsome."

"Damn… he's ridiculously good-looking."

He was certainly eye-catching.

His sharp gaze, striking blonde hair, and deep blue eyes gave him the air of nobility.

Moreover, in a room full of dark-haired individuals, the blond man stood out even more.

"Maybe he's a foreign worker?"

"But he's European?"

"Hey~ not all Europeans are rich. Some countries must be poor."

Even after the Great Cataclysm, South Korea remained a wealthy nation.

Aside from its low self-sufficiency in food—relying heavily on imports—it wasn't a bad place for foreign workers.

"Hmm…"

Curious, Kim Do-han approached the blonde man with his characteristic nosiness.

"Hey there, young man. How are you?"

"Do not speak to me so casually, you lowly being."

"…?"

"???"

For a moment, they thought they had misheard him.

The sheer intensity of the insult left them speechless.

"Haha, he must've learned Korean wrong?"

"Yeah… must be."

Unable to respond, Kim Do-han returned to his seat.

At that moment, the blonde man's gaze met Koo Daeseong's.

"Hngh…!"

He couldn't breathe.

The sheer presence behind that gaze crushed him.

It was as if an overwhelming force was pressing down on him.

"Haa…"

Only when his number, 57, was called by an association staff member did Koo Daeseong manage to exhale.

"Number 57, Koo Daeseong!"

"Y-Yes! Coming!"

Hurriedly, he ran toward the staff.

The lingering sensation of that gaze sent a chill down his spine.

'They are all pitiful creatures.'

Leon scanned the waiting room, evaluating those gathered with cold judgment.

Weak.

Leon could see through people with a mere glance, sensing the energy within them.

And what he saw was pitiful—small and insignificant.

After all, those who came for a rank evaluation were either stagnant low-rank Hunters or newly awakened individuals testing their abilities for the first time.

If they hadn't attended an academy, it meant their "talent" had gone undiscovered.

But Leon wasn't here to find strong warriors.

'There aren't even any soldiers worth recruiting. How lamentable.'

He wasn't looking for knights—he was searching for foot soldiers, men-at-arms.

Of course, knights and soldiers had vastly different standards.

He wasn't looking for peasant conscripts or mere meat shields, but even his modest expectations weren't being met.

'I did spot one decent individual, at least.'

He wasn't just evaluating energy levels.

He analyzed their faces, their scars, and the traces of their life experiences.

With his years of experience, Leon could assess a person's worth at a glance.

Most of the people here were adults, yet their faces bore no signs of hardship.

Some had trained muscles, but at best, they were fit for manual labor.

'I can't expect perfection from the start.'

When his number was called, Leon stood and walked toward the examination room.

"Number 77, Leon… Dragonia Lionheart?"

The examiners were association staff. They knew he was a survivor, but they didn't know his personality.

"Address me as Your Majesty, commoner."

"Uh…"

The examiner hesitated before being nudged by his superior.

"Ah… Y-Your Majesty…"

Leon nodded in satisfaction.

He was aware that his values clashed with Earth's norms, but he insisted on his definitions of justice and etiquette for a reason.

'A king does not concern himself with the laws of commoners.'

For 300 years, he had ruled as a king.

He was a noble knight, a sovereign of blue blood.

A king did not bow to the customs of peasants—cultural differences meant nothing to him.

"Now, please place your hand on the measurement device for the test."

The Hunter rank evaluation had two phases.

First, a device assessed unique skills and class aptitude.

Most ended up with common warrior or swordsman roles, though rare magic-user aptitudes would be reported to the Mage Tower.

The second phase was a practical test in a controlled gate, which would determine the final rank.

Since rumors suggested Leon was an exceptionally strong survivor, the staff was eager to see his abilities.

"Fools!"

"Excuse me?"

Leon's booming voice startled them.

"How dare a commoner measure a knight's honor?!"

"Uh… what?"

"The measuring device is not judging you; it's a magic tool. It's highly accurate—"

"A mere machine cannot gauge a knight's worth! Only honorable knights and the gods themselves may judge us!"

"Uh…"

The staff were dumbfounded.

They had seen plenty of eccentric survivors before, but this was the first time someone outright refused the test.

And so, Leon, the self-proclaimed king, continued his unpredictable march toward the practical test—where his true strength would finally be revealed.