Choi Jong-In

Tall and slim, Jong-In wears his red hair in a curtain cut that falls across the left of his right eye, and a warm, approachable grin tends to stay on his face. His everyday wardrobe leans on pinstriped business suits, while channeling his magic turns his eyes a vivid magenta. Eight rings sat on his fingers during raids, paired with a billowing crimson cloak over a gold-brown and white combat outfit. Time barely marks him in the revised timeline; the same crimson cloak returns, though now over a fully black suit, and he adds a pair of glasses.

Shrewd and personable at once, Jong-In rarely cracks under strain and reads a situation almost instantly. Cigarettes are a constant for this chronic smoker, who is usually spotted outside lighting one up. Much of that temperament carries over after the timeline shifts, joined by a deeper care for ordinary people, which surfaces when he puzzles over why Suho keeps saving lives without ever showing his face.

Korea has no greater mage-type Hunter than Jong-In, and many place his might on par with Baek Yoonho. The mage role leaves him fragile up close, since he wants for the muscle, quickness, and toughness that other classes carry, so a rounded squad brings out his best work, a lineup spanning Tanker, Fighter, Ranger, Assassin, and Healer. Nationwide he is the premier fire user, with whispers that one spell could topple a high-rise, and his blazes have wiped away entire swarms of ants and clusters of earth giants. Heat, shape, direction, and dousing all bend to his will, yet he cannot lend fire immunity to anyone else. For all the mage frame's frailty, he proved sturdy, staying awake and on his feet after the Ant King ripped his chest open, and quick enough to dodge the heat vision fired by the Statue of God. So deep is his reservoir of mana that scarcely anyone matches it. The short list of exceptions runs to Jinwoo while bearing the Black Heart, the late healer Min Byung-Gyu, and a few National Level Hunters, Christopher Reed among them.

For offense he calls on Flame Spear, hurling several burning lances at his targets, and Flame Prison, a wide mesh of fire that both attacks and shields and holds firm against B-Rank magic beasts. He can twist fire into a small dragon with Flame Dragon to reduce nearby foes to ash, or draw it into a bow with Flame Arrow, a shot strong enough to send an upgraded Boss-grade beast flying. Wielding fire makes him immune to scorching heat and safe from his own blaze. After the timeline resets, a pact with a nameless fire elemental, manifesting as a blue flaming bird, grants him Summoning Magic.