My trapezius muscle was aching.
I rubbed the back of my neck with one hand.
It was still sore from the aftermath of the car accident.
‘Seriously.
If you don’t know how to drive, you’ll end up causing an accident on a quiet road like this.’
But of course, Kang Chang-ho seemed completely oblivious to my suffering.
The man was shamelessly asking for my phone number.
“Come on, Hunter Kang Chang-ho.
Kang Chang-ho-nim…”
Was this really how ordinary people reacted when they saw an S-Class?
Earth’s weaker lifeforms seemed to instinctively feel threatened by the new humans awakened to mana.
It was probably similar to standing in front of a massive predator.
“Uh, well…
since there was an accident…
yes, the repair costs…”
“Of course I’ll cover them.
Come this way.”
Still, no matter how intimidating they were, S-Class Hunters were ultimately intelligent modern humans.
Kang Chang-ho handled the compensation issue surprisingly smoothly.
After pulling several thin white slips from his wallet and handing them over, the taxi driver immediately quieted down.
‘What was that?
Why did he suddenly shut up?
Is it better than cash?’
Now the only victim left was me.
Kang Chang-ho turned toward me.
“Anyway, what’s your contact information?”
“Yes?”
“I’ve already used up all the cash I had on me.
We’ll have to settle your medical expenses later.”
I wasn’t entirely sure what he was talking about.
Was this how car accidents were normally handled?
‘It’s only a phone number.’
I didn’t want to stand out, so I simply followed the customs of Earthlings.
But the conversation Kang Chang-ho started while we exchanged numbers was rather strange.
“Hunter Kim Ki-ryeo, were you on your way to look after that little chick today?”
He paused while entering my number and glanced down.
“It’s a waste for someone like you to be working as a porter.”
“Well.”
“I know a job that pays much better.
Want to hear about it?”
A lucrative job?
“Listening doesn’t cost anything.”
The proposal that followed was completely unexpected.
“Kim Ki-ryeo, stop working as Ahn Yun-seung’s porter and come work under me.”
“…!”
“Of course, I’ll give you eighty percent of all profits and items earned inside the Gate.”
Scouting me under those absurd conditions?
As expected, this S-Class Hunter must have sensed the potential hidden within Kim Ki-ryeo’s body.
‘He probably can’t accurately estimate my total mana without seeing me fight, but a sensitive human like this can still tell something.’
Let’s see.
The condition for my reincarnation had been that I would be reborn in the corpse with the highest mana capacity on this planet…
Then perhaps Kim Ki-ryeo’s mana capacity—in other words, his Awakening value—was equal to an S-Class Hunter’s.
Or perhaps even higher.
‘If that’s true, then once I recover my magic, this entire planet is finished!’
Haha!
For the first time in a while, I felt a sense of pride.
Trying to suppress my smile, I answered calmly.
“Well.
It’s difficult for me to enter S-Class Gates right now.
Would I really be able to work with you?”
But the moment I heard Kang Chang-ho’s response, the smile vanished.
It felt as though cold water had been poured directly down my spine.
“…S-Class?”
“Yes?”
“No matter what, I’d never send a Hunter of your level into a Gate like that.”
The question slipped out before I could stop myself.
“Didn’t you approach me because you recognized my Awakening level?”
But Kang Chang-ho answered as though it were obvious.
“Your Awakening level?
It’s high for an F-Rank, but there’s nothing particularly special about it.”
He removed his sunglasses.
His reptilian eyes studied me carefully.
“Look.
My offer was simply that I wanted to raise you personally.”
“…!”
“I’d keep you alive inside Gates, teach you what I know, and provide material support.”
In other words…
He was offering sponsorship.
Kang Chang-ho looked at me expressionlessly.
He was probably wondering what kind of confidence I had to casually bring up entering S-Class Gates.
‘Not to mention Kim Ki-ryeo is officially F-Rank.’
Anyway, right now…
I’d completely misunderstood his intentions and gotten ahead of myself.
That’s embarrassing.’
My face felt hot.
I hurriedly corrected myself.
“Oh.
I see.
I misunderstood for a moment and said something strange.
Please forget it.”
Kang Chang-ho rolled his eyes slightly.
“Hunter Kim Ki-ryeo, should I take that as acceptance?”
The question sounded so natural that I nearly nodded.
Fortunately, I regained my senses.
What had we been discussing?
Right.
Sponsorship.
And why exactly was Kang Chang-ho trying to sponsor me?
“Wait.”
He was an S-Class Hunter.
One of only three top-ranked Hunters in Korea.
From his perspective, an F-Rank Awakened should be no more significant than an insect.
“So you’re saying you didn’t approach me because of my Awakening level.”
Yet he was trying to recruit someone he’d only exchanged a few words with yesterday.
“Then what exactly did you see in me that made you make this offer?”
That was the real question.
I wanted to know his true reason.
However—
Kang Chang-ho simply smiled.
He offered no explanation whatsoever.
Holy shit.
Yun-seung-ah, where are you?
For some reason, I desperately wanted to see him right now.
“Anyway, thank you for the offer, but I’ll have to decline.”
“Really?”
“Like you said, Hunter Kang Chang-ho-nim, there’s nothing special about me.
I’ll just keep working as a porter.”
This Earthling’s suspicious behavior was genuinely frightening.
I decided to leave immediately.
“If you come with me, you’ll improve much faster.
I’ll even give you items that increase mana capacity.”
Persuade me all you want.
Do you really think I’ll fall for it?
“Sorry, but I’m busy right now.
I have a lunch appointment.”
“You certainly seem popular.”
Just then, an empty taxi with its red vacancy sign lit approached from the distance.
“Taxi!”
I practically threw myself in front of it.
After flagging it down, I escaped, leaving Kang Chang-ho standing alone on the roadside.
“Hmm.
Hunter Kim Ki-ryeo, huh.”
I could still see his figure shrinking in the side mirror.
Even after putting distance between us, my heart continued racing.
For the record, saying I had an appointment wasn’t a lie.
“So you were late because you got into a car accident with Kang Chang-ho?”
“Now that I think about it, that accident might’ve been intentional…”
The rich scent of black bean sauce filled the air outside the restaurant.
After finishing our meal, I explained everything while we stood outside the building.
Ahn Yun-seung looked horrified.
“Wow.
So the rumors about him picking fights with strong Hunters are true!”
“Ugh.”
“Honestly, even an A-Rank like me could’ve become a target.”
“Really?”
“Thankfully, you were there.
There’s no way another Awakened would stand out when someone like you is around.”
What was I supposed to do?
Call the police?
But imagine explaining it.
An S-Class Hunter wanted to sponsor me, protect me, and give me items.
I’d get laughed out of the station.
“If Kang Chang-ho is interested in someone, then you’re way more likely than me…”
My mind was so occupied that I barely heard what Ahn Yun-seung was saying.
“Well, we probably shouldn’t tell anyone about this, right?
Um…
then what should we talk about?”
An awkward silence followed.
Then he suddenly brightened.
“Ah, right.
Hyung, did you watch the news this morning?
Korea ranked second in last year’s Gate Management Excellence Evaluation.”
It didn’t take long for him to change the subject.
“Abnormal mutations are still a serious issue, but civilian casualties have dropped significantly.”
“Yeah.”
“There are even reports saying humanity may soon overcome the Gate disaster entirely.”
The topic he chose was excellent.
Gates.
That mysterious phenomenon had always fascinated me. This story is hosted at g.com.
‘At first, I assumed they were transportation portals created by Earthlings…’
Seven years ago, a mysterious phenomenon appeared simultaneously across the world.
Gates.
Monsters.
And alongside them, Awakened individuals.
I sank into thought.
Now I understood why humanity had awakened to mana so late.
After researching Earth’s structure, the answer became obvious.
Normally, planetary mana is generated deep within the core.
However, on a planet with rock layers as thick as Earth’s, core mana struggles to reach the surface.
As a result, atmospheric mana concentration increases extremely slowly.
Living beings must first absorb sufficient mana before they can perceive it.
On Earth, that process takes several times longer than it does on Alphauri.
‘The conditions are completely different from my homeworld.’
Despite possessing advanced technology and even pursuing space travel, humanity never noticed the mana hidden beneath its feet.
Then, seven years ago—
The Gate phenomenon appeared.
‘A kind of well.’
Humanity was suddenly exposed to mana.
They awakened.
They evolved.
And they learned primitive forms of magic.
That much made sense.
But…
“Hmm.”
I still didn’t understand what Gates actually were.
They weren’t built by Earthlings to draw up mana.
And terrifying creatures lived inside them.
Creatures that were universally hostile toward humanity.
‘I don’t understand.’
Gate technology didn’t originate from Alphauri.
It certainly wasn’t Earth’s technology either.
Then what exactly were they?
“Hyung?”
I looked up when Ahn Yun-seung called me.
“Oh, sorry.
I got distracted.”
“What were you thinking about?”
“Nothing much…”
How long had he been talking?
Oh right.
Hadn’t he just mentioned that deaths caused by Gate-related incidents in Korea had dropped significantly?
“What if I were the one who created the Gates?”
The thought slipped out before I could stop it.
It was just idle conversation.
“Then I don’t think I’d like the current situation very much.”
“Why?”
“Regardless of their original purpose, the monsters inside Gates are trying to kill us.
The treasures inside are just cheese placed on a trap.”
“…!”
“But when the rats slowly figure out the trap and start taking only the cheese…”
Naturally, anyone would think the same thing.
“Wouldn’t that be a little irritating?”
It was a peaceful afternoon.
We had eaten lunch.
We were walking down the street, chatting casually while cicadas chirped nearby.
It should have remained that kind of day.
“…Huh?”
Then I felt something strange.
A tremendous energy.
Like molten lava rising from deep beneath the asphalt.
Mana.
Sharp.
Violent.
Powerful enough to make every hair on my body stand on end.
And it was emerging directly beneath Ahn Yun-seung’s feet.
“Ahn Yun-seung!”
There was no time to think.
I shoved him away with all my strength.
The instant he moved—
A brilliant curtain of light erupted from the ground where he had been standing.
It split the world in two.
“What is thi—?!”
The overwhelming light forced my eyes shut.
When I finally opened them again…
“…Oh my god.”
A mysterious white world stretched before me.
Soft light drifted across the horizon like a distant halo.
As I looked around, I sensed a magical structure almost identical to the Gate I had entered before.
In other words, I was inside another unknown Gate.
“Fuck, you’ve got to be kidding me!”
Someone save me!