[ OFF(2) ]
“H-how may I help you…?”
The young employee, who appeared to be in his early twenties and was standing near the entrance, stiffened as soon as he saw Kim Seonghan. It’s understandable; Seonghan’s face isn’t exactly the kind you’d want to run into in a dimly lit place.
“Do you know Kim Minui?”
Kim Seonghan asked in a low, almost interrogative voice. The kid looked like he was about to cry; he was absolutely terrified.
“Ki-Kim Minui… Ah, Minui hyung? Yes! He contacted us!”
I wondered why Seonghan was asking, but it seemed that Minui had mentioned he’d smooth things over since this was one of his regular spots. The employee visibly relaxed and forced a smile.
“So you’re a senior of Minui hyung. Please come in! We’ve reserved a quiet spot for you!”
It felt like we were being ushered into a private room. Of course, there were no private rooms, just a table in a secluded corner. I was most pleased by the partitioned seating.
I was really in the mood to hide away.
“I’ll bring out the most popular items right away! For drinks, would you like imported beer? We also have whiskey—our best is Ballantine’s 17-Year, though we don’t stock much because it’s not in high demand.”
The employee quickly regained his energy and was now speaking in a lively tone. These days, kids sure are fearless.
Kim Seonghan, seated across from me, glanced at me, signaling that I should order. I picked up the menu on the table, then set it back down carefully. There was a lot of stuff—snacks and drinks. But my go-to was just good old soju.
“Just bring a mix of beer and soju, enough to keep us going.”
Whatever works, just make it decent.
“Yes, hyungnim!”
The employee saluted sharply and quickly disappeared.
The fast-paced music, the chatter, and the laughter were all loud. On the way in, I noticed a long bar and a small stage. Was this place half club or something?
While I was briefly surveying the surroundings, the drinks and snacks arrived. That was quick. The table was laid out with assorted fried foods, fruit, budaejjigae, and snacks. There was even chicken… salad? Why salad?
“If you need anything, just call~.”
I’d be full just eating the appetizers. I took a sip of beer to wet my throat and grabbed some snacks. These fries are delicious. The seasoning is just right, and the cheese sauce, sweet with a hint of salt, perfectly complements the greasy flavor. A satisfying salty-sweet combo.
“I’d like to apologize once again for the misunderstanding.”
Kim Seonghan spoke in a serious tone, his expression equally serious, his demeanor sincere. All of this set to the lively backdrop of a popular upbeat song proclaiming, “I’m the prettiest.”
This is definitely not the right atmosphere. I want to get drunk quickly.
“Well, I did act in a way that could be misunderstood. There’s also the awakening broker incident.”
It wasn’t a misunderstanding, but since he keeps calling it that, I’ll just let it slide.
I answered casually as I speared a piece of chicken salad with my fork. Wow, this chicken salad is great. What’s the sauce? It’s spicy and tangy—perfect with beer. The chicken is moist and chewy, looks like they used thigh meat. As expected, boneless chicken is best when it’s from the thigh. Kim Minui sure knows his food spots.
“Wasn’t there something more to it than that? You’re not the type to be easily fooled by some scammer.”
Seonghan spoke with conviction. Well, I wouldn’t be fooled now, but this is getting awkward—what am I supposed to say?
“Actually, it was because of a personal curiosity about awakening brokers. I have a strong interest in awakeners and dungeons. I’ve done quite a bit of research and studying on my own.”
In the future.
“Team Leader Seok also mentioned that you have extensive knowledge about hunters. But it was still a dangerous move.”
“Well, I knew Yuhyun wouldn’t just let it slide. As expected, he caught me and dragged me away. It happened a bit sooner than I anticipated, though.”
Kim Seonghan smiled as he drained his beer.
“You seem to approach things quite methodically, Yujin.”
Not at all, I’m the embodiment of impulse. This whole regression was impulsive. If I’d cooled my head and acted methodically, I would’ve just become the strongest myself, clearing dangerous dungeons and living the good life.
“When you first found Park Yerim, I thought it was just luck, but gaining her trust, dealing with potential threats early, and wrapping up the contract with Team Leader Seok so neatly—those aren’t things that could be achieved by luck alone.”
“No, luck played a big part.”
If you’re lucky enough to regress, you could do it too, Seonghan. Oh, and you’d need a skill as well. Then again, I got my skills partly out of luck too.
Luck is the best stat, honestly.
“And then when you went to save your friend, to be honest, I was moved. It’s not like you’ve known him for a long time, and yet you risked your life for an old acquaintance you happened to run into. It made me think that you’re someone who can be trusted to have my back.”
“I-it wasn’t that big of a deal…”
I only saved him because he could gain an SS-rank skill. Getting treated like I selflessly did something out of pure righteousness when I was actually full of ulterior motives is both embarrassing and cringe-worthy. I’m getting more and more misunderstood by people like Myungwoo and Seok Gimyeong, and there’s no way to clear it up.
To hide my discomfort, I downed my glass in one gulp. I wish I could get tipsy quickly. Even if you pin your hopes on me, I won’t be able to live up to them.
“It was just an impulsive decision. It was like helping someone who collapsed on the street—just a reflex.”
“Even if it was impulsive, there’s a big difference between helping someone who collapsed on the street and pulling someone out of the path of an oncoming train.”
“…But it wasn’t that dangerous since you were there.”
Please, stop. I’m going to blush before I even get drunk.
Let’s change the subject. What should we talk about? Something trending these days? …Now that I think about it, I have no idea what’s popular anymore. The new X-m*n series should be out. Did How to Train Your Monster 4 come out this year? When did that variety show starring awakened celebrities start airing?
“By any chance, have you heard of ‘Starting Today, I’m a Hunter’?”
“…Pardon?”
“No, never mind.”
I guess it hasn’t started airing yet. STIH was a fun show. There were even high-rank hunters as guests. I applied for the lower-rank hunter special episode recruitment once. Didn’t get in, though.
“Were you one of the early awakeners, Seonghan?”
Since I have no idea what’s trending, I just steered the conversation toward something I know best—hunters. Looks like I’ll need to spend more time watching TV and browsing the internet.
“Yes. Not only me, but over half of the current awakeners had their first awakening during the initial dungeon shock.”
When dungeons first appeared in the world, people approached them with a mix of caution and curiosity, like primitive humans discovering fire. But soon after, over-saturated dungeons began to burst one after another.
It was fortunate that the initial dungeons were only F to E-rank. With limited mana, the monsters that poured out into the world were generally manageable with ordinary weapons.
However, for unarmed civilians, even an F-rank monster was a formidable opponent. The casualty rate should have been massive, but the actual damage was surprisingly minimal.
This was due to the large number of people who awakened after being attacked by monsters.
The initial skills of early awakeners varied depending on their awakening environment. Most early awakeners who faced life-threatening situations gained attack or defense skills as their initial abilities. While these were mostly F to E-rank skills, they were much more effective against low-rank monsters than unskilled civilians wielding ordinary weapons.
As soon as even a small number of mid to high-rank awakeners appeared, the situation quickly stabilized. That being said, Korea still suffered millions of injuries and tens of thousands of deaths.
“At the time, I was in the countryside, which made it even more dangerous. Most of the residents were elderly, so it was difficult for them to awaken, and even if they did, their stats were low.”
Kim Seonghan emptied his glass again as he spoke. As he said, in areas with severe aging populations, dungeon bursts could result in high casualties, sometimes leaving no survivors.
“Fortunately, I awakened as an A-rank, so I was able to mitigate the damage.”
“You must be a complete hero in that town.”
“The village elders still contact me occasionally. They send me things from time to time too.”
He smiled, looking a bit embarrassed.
“I happened to be visiting my grandfather’s house for the weekend, which was a stroke of luck. If I hadn’t been there… I probably wouldn’t have seen my grandfather again.”
“You must’ve been close with your grandfather.”
“He raised me, after all.”
“Ah… So your parents…?”
“They’re alive. But after the divorce, my mother remarried, and my father moved abroad, only sending child support. Since I became an adult, I’ve lost contact with my father entirely, so I assume he’s started a new family as well. I barely remember what either of them looks like.”
I see. It seems like there are very few people with peaceful family lives.
Although different from the situations of Kim Seonghan or Yuhyun, it’s true that many early awakeners had broken families. Awakening during that time meant being attacked by monsters… and since it was the weekend, many were with their families.
Even if that weren’t the case, the unprecedented situation with over a million injured left a lot of people scarred, and many still haven’t healed.
“My grandfather, who was like a parent to me, passed away last year from an illness. The guild leader and Team Leader Seok were very supportive then. They even brought in a specialist healer from abroad for his care.”
“I see.”
Healers can’t cure diseases, but they’re excellent for restoring energy and reducing pain. Unlike narcotic painkillers, skills don’t have side effects. The only downside is the cost.
As the conversation continued, empty bottles began piling up one by one. Yet strangely, I wasn’t getting drunk. It wasn’t that I felt nothing; I had that slight, tantalizing hint of tipsiness, but it wasn’t going any further.
“You seem to hold your liquor better than you look.”
Kim Seonghan commented. But that’s not true. I don’t have a high tolerance. My drinking capacity only increased because my stats improved after leveling up five years later, but right now, I’m at level 1, so I should be blushing after just one bottle of soju. Why am I still fine?
“…It’s going down well today.”
I answered, tilting my head. Why am I not getting drunk? Of course, I didn’t plan to get completely wasted. If I accidentally blurted out something about my skills while drunk, that would be bad.
But I need a bit of a buzz to make saying the keyword easier. There’s no way I can say it sober.
“It’s probably better not to get too drunk. I have a really embarrassing type of drunken behavior.”
Still, I laid the groundwork.
“Do you cry or something?”
“Oh, that’s not even embarrassing. I… confess to anyone when I’m drunk.”
I didn’t even have to pretend; the embarrassed expression naturally came out.
“I’ve even been slapped for confessing while drunk, you know.”
Of course, that never actually happened… though I have been slapped for confessing while completely sober. I still don’t know why she hit me instead of just turning me down verbally. Did she hate me that much?
“That must have been difficult. One of my college friends would kiss anyone when he was drunk. During training, he left a trail of victims.”
…Training? He doesn’t mean military training, does he?
Too embarrassed to ask, I just took a sip of soju and laughed it off. Maybe I should try going to college. I have plenty of time, so I could study for the entrance exam…
‘Even though I’m not drunk, I’m having ridiculous thoughts.’
College? Yeah, right. But seriously, why am I not getting drunk? Normally, I’d have blacked out by now. Come to think of it, last night’s beer didn’t seem to affect me much either. I thought it was because I only drank half a can.
What’s the problem? I’m not wearing any items except for the earrings that boost mana, and as for skills… could it be because of a skill?
‘Could it be the Poison Resistance skill?’
That’s the only skill that seems suspicious. Is it treating a certain level of alcohol as a poison and blocking it? Alcohol does have an addictive property and is harmful in excess, but it’s not exactly a poison.
…If Poison Resistance is the culprit, does that mean I can’t get drunk anymore? Am I saying goodbye forever to that nice, pleasant buzz? Damn it.
“You don’t look well. Have you had too much to drink?”
“N-no. I just remembered something… that’s a bit concerning.”
My booze! My chicken and beer! I was looking forward to watching the Awakener League that’s coming up, but now I have to watch that circus sober?
‘Damn it, why does it have to be a passive skill? Can’t I turn it off? I’ve never heard of anyone turning off a passive skill.’
Since they don’t consume mana, it’s usually not something you’d consider turning off. It probably can’t be turned off. There’s a reason it’s called passive.
‘Still, it’d be nice if I could toggle it. Maybe just this once? I really don’t want to pretend to be drunk and then have to say the keyword sober. Poison Resistance skill, deactivate. Turn off Poison Resistance.’
Of course, it’s not working…
[Poison Resistance(L) skill is deactivated.]
Clang!
“Han Yujin? Are you alright?”
No, I’m not alright… Damn it… What a stupid mistake. I can’t believe it actually… turned off.
It was like a floodgate burst, and the alcohol hit me all at once. Shit, it feels like I swallowed a fireball… I need to reactivate the skill…
‘What was the skill called again…?’
What… was it called…
And then the lights went out.
–TL Notes–
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