Episode 14: I Suppose You aren't Aware

Standing over the ice bears he has felled, Jinwoo raises their shadows to swell his army. Out in the real world a mere three hours have elapsed, and an impatient Hwang Dongsoo, having traced a connection tying Jinwoo to Manager Ahn, turns his fury on Ahn until Baek Yoonho intervenes, sparking a thunderous brawl between the two S-Ranks. Within the snowy expanse, A-Rank Kim Chul teeters on madness, stumbling upon the slaughtered bears and fleeing in dread. Outside, Woo Jinchul halts the S-Rank clash, insisting Jinwoo was rated E-Rank, and a frustrated Hwang relents for now and departs, driven more by bloodlust than evidence.

At the low-rankers' campfire, Kim Chul appears and, enraged that they survived while his comrades died, draws his sword and demands a confession before Jinwoo steps from the shadows and knocks him out cold. Jinwoo's true concern is the invisible ice elves nearby. Their leader reveals himself and taunts Jinwoo, who startles everyone, himself included, by answering in the monsters' tongue. After downing a tough elf in one strike, he learns a chilling truth: every magic beast is compelled to kill humans, save for him, raising new questions about the System guiding him.

The leader, Barca, offers a grim truce, the remaining hunters spared if they will only give themselves up. Jinwoo turns it down and calls forth his shadow army for an all-out battle, soon realizing Barca far outclasses ordinary summons. As the two duel in a blur of strikes, the others take cover.

Jinwoo absorbs the slain ice bears into his shadow army. The friction between Jinwoo and Ahn ignites a fierce fight between Baek Yoonho and Hwang Dongsoo before Woo Jinchul breaks it up. A maddened Kim Chul threatens the low-rank hunters and is subdued by Jinwoo. The ice elf leader and his kin appear, and Jinwoo discovers he can speak their language and that magic beasts are driven to kill all humans except him. He rejects Barca's truce and commits to battle.

When Kim Chul recovers and foolishly attacks, Igris cuts him down, letting Jinwoo pull his shadow free to create Iron, a towering, loyal warrior whose brute strength aids the fight despite his lack of intelligence. Coordinating Jinwoo's stealth, Igris's precision, and Iron's force, the trio wears Barca down, and a returning dagger distracts him long enough for Iron to pin him and crush him with a warhammer. As the gate reverts to blue, it is the surviving low-rankers, including Jinwoo, who emerge rather than Kim Chul. Baek Yoonho mourns Chul's death, apologizes to Jinwoo, and urges Ahn to recruit him by any means. Walking home with Song-Yi, Jinwoo reflects on the weight of having taken a human life for the third time, while a fresh morning brings Jinho in new armor and a surprising decision by Song-Yi to join them.

The fourteenth episode adapts webtoon chapters 51 through 55 within the Red Gate Arc, scripted by Fuka Ishii and directed by Tatsuya Sasaki for A-1 Pictures, airing in Japan on January 11th, 2025, with the ReawakeR opening and UN-APEX ending.

The adaptation shifts the Baek and Hwang clash slightly later and feeds Jinwoo's camp ice bear meat instead of bread. Kim Chul charges screaming rather than ambushing, and Igris stabs him horizontally instead of from below. Iron celebrates with shadow mages rather than knights, and Baek reports six missing guild members instead of nine. Added scenes include the elves targeting fleeing hunters, Baruka inviting Jinwoo and Igris into the fight, and an original washroom moment of Jinwoo reflecting on killing. Cut content includes Iron's Taunt skill, Igris stalling Baruka alone, and Park Heejin's alert to Jinwoo about Kim Chul lunging at him.