Yoo Chan-seok was a Hunter who could defeat Kang Hoon, the leader of Jannabi’s Team 1, if he could secure a similar level of magical power.
It was a firm assessment, where one might question if it was an overestimation. The aide sitting in the passenger seat even turned his head toward Lee Se-eun in surprise.
— Is he really that good?
"Yeah. That’s why I recommended he work as a freelancer and handed him a job."
After hearing her explanation, Kang Hoon laughed.
— You really think he’s that capable huh. That makes it even more regrettable that we lost him.
"It’ll go one of two ways. He’ll either become strong enough to be a Partner, or this is as far as he goes."
Even if he joined now as a Junior, there wasn’t much Yoo Chan-seok could learn.
"Yoon Sung-hyun looked like he wanted to bring him into his team as a Junior."
— Uh oh, then shouldn’t we pay a little more attention to him?"
Even if he had the potential to become great, for now, he was just a sprout.
Yoon Sung-hyun was the type who wouldn’t hesitate to trample a sprout if things didn’t go his way.
"Taebaek’s company philosophy is survival of the strongest."
— Though they don’t exactly advertise it openly.
If Yoo Chan-seok didn’t join him, Yoon Sung-hyun would probably try to ensure he never took off.
"I was a bit worried, but it seemed like he wanted to train for about a month. I thought that was a good idea, so I handed him the training room allocated to me by the Association."
Even for a company like Taebaek, there wasn’t much they could do inside the Association’s building. They could pressure the Association if they wanted, but that would be taking a step too far.
— What about after a month?
"Incheon City Hall requested a job. I sent him to Gyodongdo."
It was a job from the Korean government, not an environment where Taebaek could play dirty.
If there was a problem with a job from a private company or individual, it wouldn’t lead to much follow-up, but any unexpected issue with a government contract would trigger all kinds of investigations.
"No matter how ruthless Yoon Sung-hyun is, he won’t make a move until Yoo Chan-seok returns from Gyodongdo."
He might talk about survival of the fittest, but deep down, that mindset came from a fear of becoming prey himself.
Taebaek was the kind of place where if your position weakened, you got eaten.
— That makes sense.
Even after Yoo Chan-seok returned from Gyodongdo, if he were given a few more similar requests, he wouldn’t get trampled before he could grow.
"If we establish a connection like this, maybe in the future when Yoo Chan-seok becomes successful, we could work together through cooperative contracts."
— I trust your judgment. You play the role of the brain for Jannabi anyway.
Lee Se-eun laughed and twirled her hair with her fingers.
"It’s hard to be both smart and be a good person, but that’s what I do."
— Give me a break. Anyway, you’re heading back to Cheorwon, right? Take care.
After the call with Kang Hoon, Lee Se-eun crossed her legs, whistled, and gazed out the car window.
"A month, huh."
It was a short amount of time for big changes.
* * *
A month was more than enough. The first thing I did was search for various medicinal herbs through an app on my smartphone.
So-called elixirs.
"I don’t need anything too outrageous."
I didn’t need some thousand-year-old ginseng rotting in a snowy mountain or some ten-thousand-year-old fo-ti root buried underground like a corpse.
Sure, I couldn’t afford those things even if I wanted to, but the truth was I didn’t need them.
"This should be just enough."
While browsing the app, I found a few items Hunters used as emergency supplies.
They looked like ampoules packaged in small glass bottles. The concentration of medicinal ingredients was barely better than red ginseng candy.
And they cost 5 million won.
"Why are the cheapest ones more expensive than a studio apartment deposit?"
Once a Hunter acquired a license, they received 7.5 million won in support from the Association.
Thanks to Hunter Lee Se-eun’s help, I also received 5 million won as an advance for the Incheon City Hall job. That totaled 12.5 million won.
"At least I can save on living expenses this month."
The vacant training room Se-eun lent me came with meals provided by the Association. Of course, I still had to pay rent and other fixed costs for my studio apartment.
With this money, I could buy a decent spear and spend the rest on the ampoule. Whatever was left, I would save.
[Your order is scheduled to arrive today at 4:30 PM.]
Much faster than a regular delivery. I figured there was some arrangement for expedited service when Hunters ordered items.
"This is modern life. This is civilization."
After completing my purchase, I tossed my smartphone onto the bed and stretched. In the other world, I had to run around in person to get anything.
Buying a single spear would have taken two to three hours at least. Getting something like an elixir meant waiting several days.
"I’m glad I came back to Earth, even though it’s falling apart."
When I moved slightly, I let out a groan.
"Time to heal before the goods arrive."
Se-eun had crushed me like a tofu under her weight. She could’ve gone easier.
I limped over to the bed and collapsed.
Thanks to continuously absorbing ambient magical power, I could at least walk with a limp. Without it, I wouldn’t have had the strength to push a wheelchair.
As I recovered from my injuries, the items I ordered arrived.
"The spear is good enough."
It wasn’t special, but it was sturdy. There was no chance this spear would break under the weak strength of my current body.
"And this."
I opened a small box containing the ampoule. After inspecting it, I opened the cap and sniffed. A faint but refreshing scent wafted out.
I also felt a slight amount of magical energy in that scent.
"This is just right."
Most people who handle mana absorb it from the air, channel it through their meridians, and store it in vessels like their heart or dantian.
If mana is water, then meridians are pipes, and blood vessels are filters. The heart or dantian is the reservoir.
Normally, using mana is like drinking filtered water from a purifier.
"But I..."
Only use pipes. I absorb mana from the air, use it immediately without filtering or storing it, then release it.
Since I don’t store mana, I can’t unleash massive power all at once. But no matter how long I fight, I never run out of mana.
This is the secret behind my stamina, along with the Black Flame. Even after fighting Lee Se-eun for over four hours, I never ran out of mana.
"If I had time, I wouldn’t need this nonsense."
Like a river carving out a wider bed, the mana I take in and release constantly strengthens and expands my meridians.
I grow stronger just by breathing.
"But I don’t have time now."
I downed the ampoule in one gulp.
‘This is how I got strong enough to save another world once. It’ll be the same this time.’
With that thought, I closed my eyes.
* * *
A month later, I left the training room I borrowed from Lee Se-eun and headed to the gathering site in Ganghwa Island with all necessary documents.
I was in the best condition possible. I had done everything I could in a month.
"Hello."
"Are you a Hunter?"
After confirming my license through my smartphone and verifying my identity with the documents, the man who appeared to be a government employee nodded.
"Hunter Yoo Chan-seok, your identity has been confirmed."
After I signed a brief contract, I received the upfront payment.
"You’ll depart at 9:30 AM. Yoo Chan-seok, you’re in… Group 8."
The patrol zone included Eumnae-ri and Gyodong-myeon.
"The identified Alpha Erosion Core is a church at the northern end of Insa-ri. Please avoid entering that area. Any damages incurred after entering that zone will not be compensated by the government."
If they tell you not to go, it’s probably dangerous. An Alpha Erosion Core is inherently risky, so it was only natural to be cautious.
"Understood."
I walked over to the seats prepared in the auditorium.
"This feels like going to reservist training."
Just the thought of it put me in a bad mood.
"I haven’t seen you before. I hope we get along."
A few people were already seated. Their expressions were hard to read when they saw me. One of them scanned me and looked puzzled.
"Are you really a Hunter?"
"How else would I be here?"
At my response, he rubbed his chin.
"I mean, I can sense some mana… but why is it so faint?. How does someone like you end up on the team? Great, my luck’s trash today."
Someone like me? I had eyes, a nose, a mouth, and pretty much looked like a normal human being. At least treat me like a person.
Well then, since I have a wish…
"If it disgusts you that I’m on your team, go complain to Incheon City Hall, you thin chopstick-looking woodpecker bastard."
I offered him some kind, beautiful words.
"What?! You little- "
I reached out and pressed down on his head. He tried to stand but was pinned by my strength.
"Eek!"
He tried to stand again, but I timed it perfectly, letting go of his head and grabbing his collar instead.
With his strength to stand and mine lifting him, he briefly floated in the air.
Then came the slam. With a thud, he hit the floor.
"Feeling sleepy? Go nap at home. Don’t pick fights with random people."
It was a brief commotion. There weren’t many people gathered yet, so not too many eyes were on us.
"You there."
But one person spoke to me. I looked toward the voice and saw a woman with a sword at her waist.
"Oh, quick-draw sword."
I remembered her. She was the one I fought last during the Hunter license test. She had used a sword technique with an electromagnetic rail.
"I’m Han Sang-ah."
"Yoo Chan-seok."
I dusted off my hands and extended one to her. Han Sang-ah looked at my hand, then shook it.
"Sang-ah, you know this bastard?"
Huh, they were acquaintances? The guy who had been floored got up and spoke to her.
"Yes, senior. But this person doesn’t deserve to be called ‘this bastard.’"
What’s going on? Why was Han Sang-ah taking my side? From the way she called him senior, they were probably from the same academy.
"What? Who is this bastard?"
"He’s the one who beat me like how an owner beats their dog, during the license exam."
Well, she wasn’t wrong… but I didn’t expect her to admit she got beat like that. Most people soften the story a bit when they lose, right?
"In this day and age, beating up dogs puts you in huge trouble, you know."
"Oh, right."
She muttered quietly and looked back at her senior.
"He beat me to a pulp."
She wasn’t muttering for herself, she meant it. Come to think of it, when I told her to raise her left hand if she was hurt, she actually did. She’s a serious and a funny one.
"He beat you to a pulp?"
"Yes. And I crapped blood for a week."
Judging from the earlier conversation, that was probably not an exaggeration.
"My bad. I didn’t think your poop would come out looking like it had hot sauce for a week."
"It wasn’t hot sauce, it was blood. Hot sauce might burn your butthole, but it doesn’t change the color of your poop."
I went silent after hearing her response. Was I the weird one, or was she? How was I supposed to respond to that?
"That can’t be right. I can barely sense any mana from him. He must’ve gotten lucky."
That’s because I don’t store mana in my body.
"Even if I fought five of you, senior, I wouldn’t lose just from bad luck."