The Causality Reversal Shop opened.
The first thing that came to mind was information about how to use the shop.
『 Causality Reversal Shop: Notes 』
It was simple.
It was the kind of shop system commonly seen in games. In other words, I could use Points to purchase items in the shop.
The most important part was number one.
'When I can't Level up anymore, I can obtain Points instead of Experience?'
Surely the Points weren't also multiplied by 100,000x.
It wasn't impossible, but considering it specifically stated Points rather than Experience, that probably wasn't the case.
Click.
When I pressed the confirmation button on the notes window, another holographic window immediately appeared.
『 Causality Reversal Shop - Categories 』
'...For a shop, it's pretty bare-bones.'
The only available category was consumables. Still, since it had a number attached to it, there would probably be new categories added in the future.
'It would be nice if weapons or accessories were added later.'
Maybe new types would be added every time my hunter Rank increased. That was only a guess for now.
'The important thing is what they sell under consumables.'
The first things that came to mind were potions and elixirs. Potions restored wounds or magical energy, while elixirs permanently increased attributes. Both were items worth several million won.
Even simply obtaining and selling them would result in profit.
'There probably won't be anything bad.'
Since this shop appeared as a result of Talent Adjustment, I expected it to contain items above average.
Click.
When I pressed Consumables, the list appeared.
『 Causality Reversal Shop - Consumables 』
My eyes narrowed as I checked the list.
'What is this?'
They were items I had never seen before. Names of items I had never even heard of in my entire life were written there.
'Were there ever items like these?'
It was true that my experience as a hunter was lacking. I had spent my life stuck as an F-rank hunter, eventually living no differently from an ordinary person.
But I had still seen and heard plenty of things throughout my life.
Before the apocalypse, I had even searched through related information extensively because I wanted to become a high-Rank hunter.
Even so, I had never heard of these two items.
'This is genuinely the first time I've heard of them.'
Maybe that was only natural.
The only person in this world who had unlocked the Causality Reversal Shop was probably me. These items might have been created thanks to my Trait, Talent Adjustment.
Just in case, I searched the internet, but all I found was game-related content. There was nothing about hunter equipment.
As I carefully examined the System window, one word caught my eye.
'Wait, does that mean Potion of Wealth Acquisition is free?'
Instead of a price, it said "Free."
How generous.
The number of Points I currently possessed was obviously zero. It seemed like I was being allowed to purchase one item as a test.
'Potion of Wealth Acquisition...'
If possible, I wanted to choose the Talent Acquisition potion, but the Potion of Wealth Acquisition was the only option I could purchase for free.
'Since they're giving it to me for free, there's no reason to save it.'
Besides, I needed money right now.
Clearing gates required a lot of money. Even basic items could have wildly different prices depending on their performance.
Ding.
『 You have purchased Potion of Wealth Acquisition (Common)! 』
『 No Points have been consumed because a free item was purchased. 』
'Since it says wealth, it probably includes expensive items besides money.'
If I could properly secure starting capital, it would accelerate everything I planned to do from here.
Even though hunters existed, this was still a capitalist society where money was an excellent weapon.
And if I combined that with my knowledge of the future?
The synergy would be beyond imagination.
'Even if I want to invest, I need money first.'
My entire fortune right now, even after selling the magic stone obtained from the demon, would only be around five million won. There was a limit to how much I could grow that.
Even twenty times that would only be one hundred million won. It wasn't a small amount of money by any means, but considering the astronomical costs required for top-tier hunters, it was woefully insufficient.
In the first place, a larger snowball was easier to roll from the beginning.
After selecting the Potion of Wealth Acquisition and waiting for a moment, a liquid mass of light flowed out from the shop window.
Sssrrr...
The liquid mass took the shape of a slender bottle. The pattern on its surface reminded me of Goryeo celadon. It looked surprisingly convincing.
I reached out and picked it up.
'Should I at least read the description before drinking it?'
『 Item Description 』
It contained the grand phrase "reverses causality." The explanation wasn't intuitive. Still, I had confirmed that it wasn't something dangerous to consume, which was enough.
One thing was certain: it would benefit me.
'Time to drink.'
Pop.
I pulled out the stopper, brought the opening to my mouth, and drank it in one gulp. A sweet liquid flowed down my throat.
『 You have used Potion of Wealth Acquisition. 』
'...Did something change?'
I slowly turned my head around and looked at my surroundings. I didn't feel like I had gained any new senses or anything like that.
Then, at that moment.
A strange blue light passed through my vision. I quickly looked around, searching for it. The blue light had gathered like a water droplet on the smartphone lying on the floor.
'A smartphone...?'
When I lifted the phone, the size of the droplet shrank and moved to one corner of the screen.
'Ah, am I supposed to press this?'
After touching the droplet of light a few times, someone's phone number appeared. The droplet trembled slightly. It seemed to be telling me to press the call button.
But the person on the other end was unpleasant.
It was Yoon Jeongsu, the director of the hunter agency. The same guy whose missed calls I had checked and ignored earlier.
'Is it telling me to call this guy again?'
A few days ago, I had received a call from this man and worked as a fill-in once.
'And I got 45,000 won for it.'
Before my return, I had been trapped by this man and spent most of my hunter life under him. He was a piece of trash who exploited me like a slave because I was F-rank.
Looking back, I would have been better off doing manual labor during that time.
'The thing that drives people the most insane is hope. That vague hope. The ridiculous belief that if I just kept going a little longer, I would escape this damn F-rank. That was the problem.'
Desperation becomes prey for cruel people. I had been desperate back then, and Yoon Jeongsu had taken advantage of it.
'I was just going to cut ties with him.'
But since the Potion of Wealth Acquisition was telling me to press it, I pressed it. Well, if it made money, what wouldn't I do?
The call began ringing.
After about two rings.
Yoon Jeongsu immediately answered.
He shouted loudly in an enraged voice.
The endless stream of nonsense made me frown involuntarily. If someone talked this much garbage, should it be recognized as an art form?
If it had been the old me, I would have apologized and rushed to the agency. Back then, Yoon Jeongsu had seemed like my only path to surviving as a hunter.
Of course, that wasn't who I was now.
"Hey. Stay right there."
The blue droplet of light was moving up and down on the front door.
***
Thirty minutes later.
'Essence of Hunter Agency.'
I was standing in front of the agency run by Yoon Jeongsu. The sign hanging on the second floor of the old commercial building felt strangely familiar. I suppose it's true that everything becomes beautified after enough time passes.
'I came here, at least.'
The droplet of blue light had led me here.
'Where exactly is the money supposed to come from here?'
With that question, I climbed the stairs. When I reached the second floor, I saw a familiar door. The droplet was hanging on the doorknob.
Creak.
"Fill-in! You fucking bastard!"
Whoosh!
The moment I opened the door, a plaque came flying toward me. I slightly lowered my head. The plaque passed right above my head and smashed into the wall, breaking into pieces.
'...'
Something was thrown at me the moment I entered. The person who threw it was obvious. I looked at Yoon Jeongsu sitting across the cramped office.
He was the director of this agency. No, that's wrong.
He was just a bastard.
"You ignored my calls? Ha, thinking about the requests I lost because of you pisses me off again. You'd better prepare yourself today."
Yoon Jeongsu shouted, veins bulging on his forehead.
He wasn't a hunter. He was an ordinary person. Even so, there was a reason he could act so arrogant toward me.
The first reason was that I was the lowest of the low, an F-rank.
The second reason was the two D-rank hunters he employed.
"I guess we need to teach you a lesson after a long time."
"Look at this bastard's expression. Seems like he still hasn't come to his senses after waking up."
Two large men sitting on black sofas on either side stood up.
Crack.
As if this was something they did often, they loosened their fingers and rolled their shoulders.
"Huh, he's still standing there like that. You don't even lower your eyes? Boss, something's wrong with this bastard. Did he eat something strange?"
As I stood there silently, the two men laughed as if I was ridiculous. It was obvious why they were saying this.
If it had been the old me before my return, I would have fallen to the floor and begged the moment I arrived at the agency.
'...'
Just remembering it made my mood worse.
Yoon Jeongsu glared at me with displeasure before speaking.
"Exactly! That's what I'm saying. Just like when I called him last time, this kid suddenly got weird. Teach him a lesson so he'll come to his senses."
"Yes, boss."
This place was only called an agency. It was practically no different from a gang hideout. I was almost impressed that the old me had endured here.
The two D-rank hunters slowly walked toward me. One of them placed a hand on my shoulder.
"If you don't want your teeth damaged, bite down hard."
He raised his other fist. The moment that solid fist flew toward my head...
『 The effect of Skill 'Perception Lv.10' has taken effect. 』
I slightly lowered my head and moved to dodge.
Whoosh.
The large man's fist passed through empty air. After missing, he cracked his neck. His brow furrowed.
"Hah, you dodged? Hold this bastard down."
The other hunter standing behind me approached.
Grab.
He tightly seized both my arms so I couldn't move.
"This bastard's mind has completely rotted. Yeah, getting beaten until you're covered in dust on a day like today should wake you up."
The man in front rolled up his sleeve and began shadowboxing. Then, with a nasty smile, he threw a jab toward my face.
These guys were mistaken.
They thought I was still at the bottom as an F-rank.
'Because until just a few days ago, I really was F-rank.'
But now, I was the same D-rank as the two in front of me.
In the first place, these two had given up on becoming proper hunters. They were nothing more than thugs who bullied F-rank hunters like me and other weak hunters while stuck at the bottom of D-rank, gaining a sense of superiority from it.
'Our basic physical specs are similar, but there is one decisive difference between them and me.'
That was Skills.
The Skills possessed by hunters stuck at the early stages of D-rank rarely exceeded Lv.5 in Common Skills.
And even the number of Skills they possessed usually reached only around three at most.
In contrast, I had twelve Skills.
All of them were Level 10.
It was obvious who had the advantage.
『 The effect of Skill 'Strength Lv.10' has taken effect. 』
『 The effect of Skill 'Martial Arts Lv.10' has taken effect. 』
"Urgh?!"
I twisted my body, and the man holding me was dragged along.
Bang.
The large man's jab struck directly into his companion's face.
"Uh, sorry. This bastard..."
He seemed confused for a moment, but soon swung his fist again.
His movements were absurdly slow. Slow enough that I wondered if he was doing it on purpose.
Swoosh.
I simply lowered my upper body as if giving a greeting.
"What?!"
The man holding me flew forward and crashed into the other large man. The two tangled together and fell to the floor. The large man glared at his companion.
"Hey, what are you doing? You can't even hold down one guy properly?"
"Wait. Something's weird. Why is this guy's strength so..."
Yeah, it must seem strange.
Crack.
This time, I loosened my hands. But the fallen man tried to stand up.
"Where do you think you're going?"
I didn't even need some grand motion. I kicked him hard in the abdomen.
"Ugh!"
A groan came out. Unable to speak from the pain, he clutched his stomach and trembled. I wondered if it really hurt that much.
"Ugh—!"
"Hey, why are you acting so dramatic? Stop messing around and..."
The large man lying beside him frowned. He would understand it wasn't an act if he took the hit himself.
Bang!
I landed a jab directly on the large man's face.
"Argh!"
His face slammed into the floor, his head hitting hard. He rolled around clutching his head. His face turned red as he glared at me.
"You bastard!"
"This bastard?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Honestly, I thought revenge was pathetic. Eliminating demons was what mattered. These kinds of people didn't matter at all.
But now that I was hitting them, it felt like ten years of resentment in my chest was finally being released.
'Hah. I almost missed out on something this satisfying.'
Fine. Since I was here anyway, I would repay even the beatings I had received before my return.
『 You use Skill 'Memory Search Lv.10'. 』
Thanks to the Skill, I remembered everything in extreme detail. So these guys had beaten me more than once. Then I would make sure to return every single hit.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Urgh!"
"Say that again."
"B-boss..."
Oh right. I almost forgot.
"Who did you call boss?"
"Ugh! T-teacher..."
Bang.
I should punish both of them evenly.
I thoroughly punished the one lying there clutching his stomach as well. It would be troublesome if he got up and pulled out a weapon.
Especially if he later tried to take revenge. I beat every part of their bodies enough that they wouldn't even think about such a thing.
Eventually, the two hunters lay unconscious on the floor, foaming at the mouth.
I brushed off my hands roughly and stood up.
"Huff..."
Yoon Jeongsu sat there with his mouth open.
It was understandable that he was shocked. The two D-rank hunters he trusted had just been completely destroyed by a hunter who had been F-rank only a few days ago.
"You, you..."
"Yeah. Say it."
"How, how did you..."
His expression was frozen, a mixture of shock and despair. I had even considered going easier on him if he begged for forgiveness, but he continued struggling until the end.
"If you hit me, your hunter career is over. Do you think you'll be fine after causing this much trouble? You know this industry is small, right?"
A ridiculous threat.
I smiled.
"Is that so?"
For someone saying that, the blue droplet of light was frantically pointing around his jaw.
As if telling me to strike that spot hard.