An Mi-hyeon had lofty aspirations as a Hunter.
I will become the strongest Hunter!
That was An Mi-hyeon’s goal.
She worked toward it every day.
Even while handling her duties at the Hunter Association, circulating her Mind Method whenever she had a spare moment had become second nature to her.
After finishing work, she always stopped by the training center for a personal training session.
Was it because she desired strength so fervently?
Whenever she encountered a powerful Hunter or one with the talent to become powerful, her interest was immediately piqued.
The same had been true when she first met a Hunter named Yu-gwon.
The sight of him overwhelming dozens of Kiraks had been shocking.
His movements clearly lacked even the most basic foundations.
Despite that, every swing of his sword left the Kiraks helplessly collapsing to the ground.
“That was…… sheer talent.”
It was a battle that could only be described as a display of talent.
That was true of every movement Yu-gwon had shown her.
That was why she had mustered the courage to approach him and hand him her business card.
She wanted to speak with him, even briefly, about Traits, Skills, and combat.
Furthermore, if there was any chance of recruiting him into the Hunter Association, she wanted to do so.
However, An Mi-hyeon’s request for some of his time had been flatly rejected.
He had also completely failed to keep his promise to contact her using the information on her business card.
‘Unbelievable.’
She was dumbfounded.
All the more so because no one had ever treated her this way before.
Then—
She heard that the man had come to the Hunter Association.
He had come to have a Hunter License issued.
“That’s strange. It isn’t a replacement, but a first-time application? He didn’t appear entirely inexperienced…… What is going on?”
The Yu-gwon whom An Mi-hyeon had witnessed had not seemed like an especially experienced Hunter.
There had been an unpolished quality to his movements while fighting the Monsters.
However, it made no sense to say he had little experience.
‘How could an inexperienced Hunter defeat Kiraks? Especially dozens of them.’
What Yu-gwon had accomplished was the slaughter of dozens of E-Rank Monsters known as Kiraks.
A Hunter would need at least six months of experience to accomplish something like that.
Even then, that was only under the assumption that the Hunter had awakened a high-rank Trait.
However—
“I only awakened recently.”
When she met Yu-gwon in person, he said something almost impossible to believe.
“What? What do you mean……?”
She could understand his confidence when dealing with the C-Rank Awakened.
However, what she had just heard was far more difficult to accept.
“I said I awakened recently. That’s why I came to have a Hunter License issued.”
Suppose—just suppose—that Yu-gwon’s claim was true.
It could mean only one thing.
‘Then…… just how extraordinary is his talent?’
A genius.
Yu-gwon had awakened a high-rank Trait and possessed the talent of a true genius as a Hunter.
***
An Mi-hyeon stared at me with her eyes widened into circles.
Her eyes were already rather large, but now they looked even bigger.
More importantly, why was her face so small?
If I stood beside her, my head would look enormous.
“E-Excuse me…….”
An Mi-hyeon even stammered slightly as she called out to me.
Was the fact that I had awakened recently really so surprising?
‘Ah! She saw me fighting the Kiraks, didn’t she? Then her reaction makes sense. I killed dozens of E-Rank Monsters despite having awakened only recently. I even killed one with every slash. Wait! Didn’t I sometimes kill two or three with a single slash?’
Only then did I understand An Mi-hyeon’s reaction.
“You aren’t lying, are you?”
An Mi-hyeon regarded me with suspicion.
It was understandable.
Anyone who had witnessed my battle back then would have found it difficult to believe.
Still, going out of my way to explain everything sounded rather troublesome.
More importantly, when would it finally be my turn?
“An Mi-hyeon? When will it be my turn? This seems to be taking longer than I expected.”
“What? Ah! I’m sorry.”
Judging by her reaction, my turn had already arrived, but she had forgotten to tell me.
It was a waste of time, but anyone could make a mistake.
“Then I’ll go take the tests. Have a good day.”
The process of obtaining a Hunter License was not difficult.
They tested several of my physical capabilities and confirmed whether I could control my Inner Arts as I wished.
Finally, I underwent an aptitude test intended to guard against the misuse of great power for criminal purposes.
I passed everything without difficulty and received my Hunter License.
- The people here employ a great deal of mysterious sorcery. What an astonishing world.
The machines used during the tests must have fascinated him, because Martial God Jin Cheon-woo repeatedly exclaimed in amazement.
I would probably see that reaction often for a while.
This world contained quite a few strange objects and machines, after all.
‘It’s over.’
As soon as I received my Hunter License, I tried to leave the building.
I had to keep moving if I wanted to grow stronger quickly.
However—
An Mi-hyeon came running toward me from a distance.
“Wait!”
An Mi-hyeon looked desperate.
I considered simply continuing on my way, but her unexpected words brought me to a halt.
“Yu-gwon! You still need to receive your payment!”
“My payment? What payment?”
“The money from the Kirak byproducts you collected last time. We also recovered a Mana Stone. We can give you cash instead of the Mana Stone if you prefer.”
“Oh!”
They would even do this much for me?
The Hunter Association was incredible.
“Of course, the Hunter Association handled the disposal of the Monsters and collected all the byproducts, so we will deduct the corresponding service fees.”
“How much will I receive in total after all the fees are deducted and the Mana Stone is converted into cash?”
“In that case, the total amount you will receive is…… thirty-two million won.”
“Wha—?!”
Thirty-two million won?!
It was a staggering sum.
My mouth dropped open so forcefully that I nearly dislocated my jaw.
Had my body not become sturdier after awakening, it might truly have popped out of place.
“……I’ll take all of it in cash.”
“Write down your bank account number, and we will deposit it shortly.”
I hurriedly wrote my account number on the paper An Mi-hyeon handed me.
My hand trembled.
I had never earned thirty-two million won all at once before.
‘I never handled this much money even when I worked as a Dungeon Porter.’
Dungeon Porters earned relatively high incomes, but not this much.
Moreover, whenever money entered my account, most of it disappeared soon afterward to cover my parents’ hospital bills.
“Being a Hunter is the best!”
“What?”
“Ah, I was talking to myself.”
Just as I concluded that becoming a Hunter was truly the best way to earn money—
BUZZZZ!
The smartphone in my pocket vibrated.
I immediately took it out and checked what had caused the vibration.
[(Hunter Association) Deposit: 32,000,000]
[Balance: 34,560,000]
‘Whoa!’
They had deposited it already?
How could they process it this quickly?
“I suppose that is the Hunter Association for you……?”
“What? What did you just say?”
“……I was talking to myself again.”
“I hope such an incident does not happen again, but if you ever hunt Monsters outside a Dungeon in the future, please contact the Hunter Association.”
“Yes. I’ll do that.”
Of course I would.
I would contact them without fail.
They handled the Monster Byproducts and even paid me the proceeds. Why would I not contact them?
SWISH!
I accepted the business card An Mi-hyeon held out to me.
“Huh? This is the same business card you gave me last time.”
“You never contacted me, so I assumed you had thrown it away. Do you still have it?”
Was this woman the type to hold a grudge?
“Of course I still have it, but I’ll take this one as well.”
I told her I still had it, but honestly, I had no idea where the business card she had previously given me was.
I decided to take another one.
“Then I’ll see you next time.”
“H-Huh? Wait! Yu-gwon!”
I heard An Mi-hyeon calling me from behind.
However, I had already spent far too much time here.
I needed to become stronger quickly, earn money, and avenge my parents.
To me, time was precious.
“I’m sorry! I’m in a hurry!”
I left An Mi-hyeon behind and rushed out of the Hunter Association building.
Then I headed straight to the hospital where my parents were staying.
‘Mother! Father! Your son is coming to see you after making some money!’
***
The first thing I did after arriving at the hospital was pay the hospital bills.
The second was repay the overdraft on my bank account.
Then—
KNOCK, KNOCK!
I knocked out of habit before opening the door and entering the hospital room.
“Mother! Father! I’m here.”
I brightly greeted my parents, who lay side by side.
That had also become a habit.
I had started doing it after hearing somewhere that even people in a vegetative state might still be able to hear.
“You’ll never guess what happened today! My business did well, and I made a large amount of money all at once!”
To my parents, I was a son who ran a business.
It was a lie I had been telling ever since I began working as a Dungeon Porter.
I had been unable to bring myself to tell them that my job involved entering Dungeons teeming with Monsters, and the lie had continued ever since.
“Father, you would probably say, ‘Do not spend recklessly just because you made a lot of money once. Focus on saving and continue working hard,’ wouldn’t you? Of course I’m going to do that. I’ll continue earning plenty of money and live well, so please don’t worry about me. And Mother, you would probably worry about whether I’ve been eating properly, but I’ve been eating very well. As for what I ate today……!”
I continued talking without pause.
I tried to make everything sound as entertaining as possible.
I believed it was one of the few things I could do for my parents.
“I’ll come again soon. You two need to get along and wait for me, all right?”
After saying goodbye to my parents in a playful tone, I left the hospital room.
“Phew……!”
That had been close.
I had nearly cried.
Was it because this was the first time I had seen my parents since nearly dying in a Dungeon?
The moment I saw my mother and father, my emotions had surged.
“Well done, Yu-gwon! If you had cried in there, your parents would surely have worried.”
Praising myself for forcing back my tears, I left the hospital and boarded the subway.
- Are you intending to use this contraption again? Good heavens! Why would anyone use something so dangerous……?!
After calming down the Martial God, who was making a tremendous fuss as expected, I eventually arrived at my destination.
“Now I’ve come to a Gate as a Hunter.”
A Gate stood in the distance.
It had the shape of an oval doughnut, and an ominous light spilled from its surroundings.
‘It’s truly fascinating. Entering that Gate leads to a Dungeon.’
Gates were connected to Dungeons.
In other words, anyone who wanted to enter a Dungeon had to pass through a Gate.
That was why I had come here.
However—
- Your parents did not appear to be in good health.
Jin Cheon-woo, who had been exhausting me with his constant fussing, spoke to me.
Unlike on the subway, his voice was serious.
“Yes. They are in a vegetative state.”
- Can you tell me what happened?
“…….”
- You need not tell me if it is too difficult.
For a moment, I could not speak.
It was not an easy story to tell.
I had been attacked by a Monster, and my parents had sacrificed themselves to save me.
Even so—
“No. I can tell you.”
I did not want to avoid it, so I told him.
I explained what had happened when my parents and I were attacked by a Monster.
- ……You have endured a difficult time.
“Well…… everyone has hardships.”
I deliberately answered as though it were nothing serious.
I felt that was the only way to keep my emotions from wavering.
I would soon have to fight Monsters. I could not afford to sink into melancholy, could I?
However—
- Train harder. Become strong with everything you have. Once you do, you will be able to restore your parents’ health with your own hands.
Martial God Jin Cheon-woo said something I could not understand.
I could restore my parents, who were in a vegetative state, with my own hands?
Not even doctors could do that.
“……What do you mean?”
Assuming he had misspoken, I questioned him again with a hint of irritation.
However—
- I meant exactly what I said. Your parents can become healthy again.
It had not been a mistake.
Martial God Jin Cheon-woo spoke with absolute certainty.
My parents could recover.