[ Pretending to Forget (2) ]
‘It was a Triple A skill, wasn’t it?’
It felt wasteful to leave it unused, but I never thought I’d use the Optimized Awakening skill that could only be activated once a month. I didn’t even feel like applying a keyword. But now that I can use the Optimized Awakening up to three times a month…
‘A-rank special skills aren’t exactly common either.’
Might as well start building some connections.
-Hello. Yes, it’s the new one I brought in^^
As soon as I sent the message, the reply came back instantly.
-OMG, you repliedㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Thank you so much! I watched the stream and it was so moving!! Peace is so cute, and Chirp is seriously just pure love!!!
-Ah, yes. Thank you.
-My dream is to awaken and join Haeyeon Guild! I want to be Peace’s foot mat!!!
I’ll be leaving Haeyeon soon, but… Why a foot mat, though?
‘What should I even reply to that?’
I can’t exactly say, “Yes, do your best to become a foot mat.”
-It’s not easy to awaken, after all^^
At least for now. Once the Awakening Centers pop up, any random person will be able to awaken and run around trying to be a Hunter. It’ll be chaos. It was a complete mess back then.
-Exactlyㅠㅠㅠㅠ I tried everything but nothing workedㅠㅠ So I asked an awakening broker!!
What?
-OMG, I wasn’t supposed to say thatㅠㅠ It’s a secret:)
Honestly, this kid…
‘Something must’ve gone wrong in a dungeon.’
No wonder I didn’t remember seeing his face. He was probably seriously injured or… maybe dead. It had to be one of those.
Now, what do I do with him?
-That awakening broker is a scam.
-A scam?
-Yes. So don’t meet with any brokers.
The conversation, which had been real-time, suddenly paused.
-They’re already here…
Damn it. What kind of broker did he run into? Most of them back off if you say you don’t want your money back, but a few scumbags lure people in from the start with the intent to kill them. They buy exclusive access permits, go into a dungeon, and once they kill someone inside, there’s no body, no evidence.
Sure, if they do it enough times, they’ll eventually get caught, but for now, dragging a civilian into a dungeon isn’t even considered murder. Just an unfortunate accident.
Even if they do get caught, the worst they’ll face is a suspended Hunter license. And since most brokers are low-rank Hunters, it’s not much of a hit for them.
-Where are you? Who’s the broker?
-Near Wonhyo Bridge in Yeouido, a D-rank dungeon. I don’t know their names, but there’s a mix of C-rank and D-rank Hunters. The leader is a C-rank Hunter.
Great. If there’s a C-rank Hunter in the team, they’ll be thorough about keeping things quiet because they have more to lose if they get caught. He won’t be able to just walk out.
-Should I just say I don’t want to go through with it?
-No, wait a second. When are they going inside?
-The whole team isn’t here yet. The team leader messaged me a bit ago saying he’ll be about 30 minutes late.
Thirty minutes. Wonhyo Bridge isn’t far from here. Should I contact someone from Haeyeon Guild? Or…
‘Maybe I should just go get him myself.’
No need to complicate things. I’ll just use Thorn Trap, then hide using Hidden Picture, and sneak him out quietly.
-Are you inside a building?
-No, I’m in a van outside.
Looks like the team leader already secured the access permit. You need both a password and a Hunter license chip to enter, so they won’t be able to go inside just yet.
-They told me to turn off my phone for fan managementㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-Listen to them and stay calm.
It’s not a difficult task, and I might as well get him indebted to me while I’m at it. It’s safer for him to stay hidden, but if I go over there and tell him I was so worried I came personally, he’ll probably fall for it easily. He wants to be a Hunter that badly? Then I’ll put him to work as a front man.
It didn’t take long to get there since it was a busy time of day with lots of people around. Near the Wonhyo Bridge D-rank dungeon building, there was a suspicious-looking van parked on the side of the road. The van was black, with black-tinted windows.
‘The team leader hasn’t shown up yet?’
The dungeon building was in an alley. I could use Thorn Trap and pull Park Hayul out when they pass through the alley.
‘Or maybe I’ll save him right before they enter the dungeon?’
It’d be better to make it a bit more dramatic. It wouldn’t be bad to rescue him just after they go inside. The dungeon gate stays open for an hour, and inside, I can use attack skills as much as I want. The shield skill from my Black Fairy Earring works on others too, so there’s no risk of Park Hayul getting hurt.
The best time to act is right when they reveal their true intentions. Park Hayul might still be unsure whether to believe me or not by then.
Let’s decide based on how things play out.
‘I should also test how far my hidden skills work.’
Should I use them on Yuhyun? I’ll have to explain how I got this untraceable title. Maybe I’ll say I got it by accident. My brother’s been so protective of me lately. A stat F-rank with this much protection from S and A-rankers? Except for the Holy Lady, I don’t think anyone else has it this good.
-Screech!
Just then, a car pulled up and came to a sudden stop by the side of the road. Finally, they’re here.
I straightened up and peeled myself off the wall. The car door opened, and a large man stepped out.
When I saw his face, I couldn’t help but smile silently.
‘…Wow, what a surprise.’
To think I’d run into someone I killed before. What a thrilling experience. I kind of want to go over and greet him. With a big smile.
Hey, we met four years ago… or maybe it was a year from now. You nearly killed me, and I slit your throat. Fond memories, aren’t they? Right?
The other people getting out of the van were also familiar faces. The second person I killed, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth. Park Hayul must’ve been dead by then.
‘I didn’t expect this. Or rather, I didn’t think about it.’
Of course, they’re alive. The ones who were killed. The ones I killed.
The initial survival rate for F-rank Hunters is low. In the first year, without experience or proper gear, half of them flee, and of those that remain, half die or suffer irreversible injuries.
To put it simply, even those who step into the dungeon with resolve have a 50% chance of getting carried out. And when I became a Hunter, the Awakening Centers had just started appearing, so there was an influx of rookies, leading to a chaotic situation with many social issues.
‘It’s no wonder Yuhyun was so sick of it.’
Back then, it must have been difficult for him to take care of me. There were too many eyes watching, and public opinion was bad. Trying to help me in secret would’ve been impossible.
Looking back now, it feels like there was some kind of operation targeting me. It was too extreme to be the work of just a few trashy reporters. I was the perfect target—a convenient F-rank, easy to exploit and sensationalize, and it was the perfect opportunity to drag down Haeyeon Guild’s reputation.
Whether it was the government, the association, or competing guilds, not using me would have been foolish.
Anyway, despite the chaos, I survived. Even without a proper team, I managed to get through the first year and settle into relative stability after two years.
And Final Recompense. A skill that transfers the target’s skills and stats to me at twice the efficiency for one hour if they die after receiving a keyword.
The keyword application for the Nurturer title was ridiculously easy. Just buy people coffee, chat a bit, smile brightly, and cheer them on a few times. By the time I entered the dungeon, I could usually apply the keyword to a couple of people.
“Hurry up and get inside. Hide your face well, our VIP.”
Park Hayul pulled his
hood down low as instructed. He also put on sunglasses.
…I swear, I didn’t apply the keyword for the sake of using Final Recompense. Except for when I killed those bastards. It was only a small 10% growth buff, but it was better than nothing, so I applied it. There were some people among them I wanted to keep around.
Most of them died, though. And I survived.
Buff skill applied, plus Final Recompense. By the time I was in danger, Final Recompense would have kicked in, and thanks to that, I survived.
So, yeah… That happened, but it’s in the past now…
The fact that I killed those bastards and they tortured me? None of it happened anymore.
I quietly followed them. C— to D-rank. Even standing right next to them, they didn’t notice me at all. Even when we went inside the building, and even when we stood at the dungeon gate.
“All set?”
“Gear’s all in place.”
This was an upper-level D-rank dungeon, so they were well-prepared. Upper-level D-rank dungeons are smaller than lower-level C-rank ones but can yield as much as 50% more profits, so they’re more efficient in terms of labor. The time it takes is a quarter of the time, and it’s safer too. If you’re aiming for a jackpot, C-rank is better, but for steady income, D-rank is the way to go.
The dungeon I entered with these bastards was an upper-level D-rank one. They’d baited me in with the offer of taking me to a D-rank dungeon. Even though I’d been burned by unwarranted kindness before, I was dumb enough to fall for it again. I had no choice but to take whatever came my way at that time.
“This is the dungeon, huh!”
As soon as they passed through the gate, Park Hayul shouted excitedly. Oh, kid…
Whack!
“Ah!”
One of the Hunters kicked him in the shin. Then, with a low voice, he warned him.
“You think you’re a celebrity or something? What, trying to advertise to the monsters too? Shut up and don’t draw any attention.”
“…Yes.”
That kid really doesn’t have any sense of danger. It’s common among non-awakened people. If you haven’t awakened, it means you’ve probably never experienced a dungeon break. You’re still a peaceful modern person. The concept of dungeons and monsters doesn’t feel real to you yet.
That’s why so many rookie Hunters died right after the Awakening Centers popped up. The explosion of new awakeners caused the quality of training to drop, which was another factor.
“We’ll head in at 3 o’clock. Mark the entrance.”
The team leader spoke. This dungeon was a rocky area with several forks in a valley. It wasn’t as complex as a maze, but marking the path would help avoid unnecessary detours.
I followed closely behind the demoralized Park Hayul as they moved forward slowly.
-Sssss!
Crack!
Out of the rock wall, a monster that looked like a mix between a snake and a caterpillar sprang out.
Thunk!
The shield-bearer deflected the monster as it charged forward,
Wham!
And the spearman behind the shield pierced the monster’s head with precision. Blood splattered into the air as the long body, thrashing like a caught fish, soon went limp. Another one came, then another. The hunting process became almost mechanical.
The team had a C-rank leader at the front, shield and spear wielders on the sides, a C-rank defensive Hunter at the rear, and a support guy doubling as a pack mule.
All in all, a well-balanced team of seven.
‘They’ll probably hunt for about an hour.’
They wouldn’t show their true colors until the gate deactivated.
The C-rank Hunter team, Gosan. When I met them, they had been operating for two and a half years. Now, they’re at the year-and-a-half mark—a well-established mid-tier team. With two C-ranks, they could’ve easily formed a guild, but they stayed as a D-rank dungeon specialist team and even made a name for themselves.
Their public image was pretty good too. No one knew about their side business.
“Today’s a good day for magic stones.”
The guy handling support waved an item that could detect magic stones back and forth. Park Hayul’s eyes followed his every move as the bellies of the snake-caterpillar monsters were split open. For a non-awakened person, he’s holding up surprisingly well.
Team Gosan, as part of their side business, targeted wealthy non-awakened people and low-rank Hunters. They used their good image to attract people who had plenty of money in their accounts or were easy to exploit.
Park Hayul was on the rise as a celebrity. From a quick glance at his social media, he had only debuted recently, but his face was already famous, and he had a significant role in an upcoming movie. If they handled him well, they could squeeze plenty of money out of him in the future.
Though, it seems they ended up killing him, whether by accident or on purpose. Their original plan must’ve been to keep him alive and use him.
They would’ve used the team leader’s skill to brainwash him.
[Awakener: Kim Yongjin
Current stat grade: C
Potential stat grade: C
Optimized initial skill
Acquired: Smash (C)
Acquired: Puppeteer’s String (D)
Failed to acquire: Kick (D)]
Puppeteer’s String. A D-rank special skill. What kind of life must you have lived to get a brainwashing skill as your optimized initial skill?
Mental-type skills generally have weaker effects compared to other skills of the same rank. At D-rank, even F-ranks can resist it, as long as their condition is stable.
That’s why these bastards lured F-ranks and non-awakened people into dungeons and messed them up to the point they weren’t in a stable state anymore. Once the Puppeteer skill took hold, they didn’t have to worry about anything else and could just milk them dry.
It’s no wonder Team Gosan never bothered forming a guild and focused on D-rank and lower dungeons. Why risk their lives when they could rake in easy money? As long as they kept up their public image, it was more than enough.
After traveling down the valley for a while, we reached a large open area. It wasn’t the end, just a halfway point. It had been about an hour.
“Let’s rest here for a bit.”
The leader, Kim Yongjin, spoke. As soon as his words dropped, the shield-bearers and defensive Hunter checked the surroundings. They were a well-coordinated team, that’s for sure.
“Your name’s Park Hayul, right?”
Kim Yongjin took off his spiked gloves and approached the awkwardly standing Park Hayul. Hayul nodded.
“…Yes.”
“You’re really good-looking. Every time I see you, I’m impressed. With a face like that, you’ll probably get a lot of CF deals once your movie’s out.”
“We won’t know if it’ll be a hit yet. And besides, I want to be a Hunter-.”
“Rich people are always the worst!”
Whack!
Kim Yongjin’s fist slammed into Park Hayul’s face. He thought he was holding back, but Hayul’s thin body couldn’t take it and swayed like a reed in the wind.
“With a face like that, you should be grateful and focus on selling your looks!”
“Ah, boss. Don’t hit the face.”
“Don’t worry. That much’ll heal with a potion, no problem.”
They laughed as Park Hayul froze with a dumbfounded expression. Blood trickled down from one of his nostrils. Even with a bloody nose, he still looked handsome.
“Um, excuse me…”
“How long do you think he’ll last?”
“I say thirty minutes, a hundred grand.”
“Celebrities are tougher than they look. I give him an hour. Five hundred grand.”
Back in my day, when I had just become an Awakener, the lowest bet placed on me was five hours. All these memories I’d forgotten are flooding back now.
“Um, wait, excuse me…”
Park Hayul started to back away slowly. They laughed as they watched him. The gate had already closed. Even if it were still open, a non-awakened person like him had no chance of reaching it safely. They were waiting for the gate to close not because they were afraid he’d run, but in case someone came to rescue him. He was a semi-famous figure, after all.
“Shall we start by breaking a leg?”
“We can’t have our star getting too hurt. Take it easy. Just enough that he can heal with a potion.”
The atmosphere was light-hearted, yet somehow Hayul ended up dead anyway.
“P-please… Ack!”
One of the D-rank Hunters kicked Park Hayul in the stomach. As he stumbled backward,
Thud.
I caught him.
“What the-?!”
The Hunter who had kicked Park Hayul quickly retreated. The others all took up defensive stances.
“What do you mean, what?”
I hadn’t worn a hat, and I took off my sunglasses, deactivating my Lizard on the Wall skill, all while smiling. Park Hayul’s eyes went wide.
“Huh, huh-!”
“Stay here quietly. And if you can, close your eyes.”
Because things might get a bit… intense for a non-awakener like you to watch.
–TL Notes–
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