I Hate Manual Labor (1)
Cheongsung Gate Recruitment Office was an agency that arranged jobs for harvesting byproducts from gates that had already been cleared.
There were plenty of similar agencies handing out work to awakeners, but Cheongsung was thriving for one simple reason.
It had a contract with Sirius, Korea's top guild.
Thanks to that, the place was packed from morning on with people looking for work.
So, what now?
I'd dredged up memories from ten years ago and somehow made it to work, but I couldn't remember a damn thing about what came next. Too much had happened over those ten years.
"Hey, Ishin. You're just getting here?"
The moment I heard that voice, my fist clenched involuntarily.
A voice I could never forget.
Im Hyun-su.
The bastard who'd ruined my life. I'd completely forgotten I'd run into him here.
I turned my head. Im Hyun-su looked exactly as I remembered.
That friendly face, those kind eyes. No one here had a clue what kind of trash lurked inside.
I forced down the boiling rage in my gut.
I could smash his face right here, but that wouldn't achieve my goal in coming back. Expose him? How? I was just a day laborer with no power or evidence. I'd end up looking like the crazy one.
So, hold it in.
Endure.
Im Hyun-su eyed my expression and asked, "Something wrong?"
I gritted my back teeth and replied, "Nothing at all."
"We were worried when you showed up late without even a call."
Im Hyun-su spouted that sappy crap effortlessly. He was so good at playing the caring guy that everyone at the agency knew him.
Even me—a washed-up academy grad drifting into this place—he'd approached first, hand extended like a good Samaritan.
I'd trusted him wholeheartedly until he sold me out. The filthy memory bubbled up, and I bit my lip hard.
"Watch out today. Section Chief Park's in a foul mood since morning. Something must've gone down at home."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. He was barking like a mad dog even while handing out supplies earlier. Hurry up and grab yours—you might already be too late."
Sure enough, Im Hyun-su was already holding his daily supplies.
Ah, right. The supplies.
Forgot about those.
You needed special gear to enter a gate.
No wonder it was so crowded this early, before the sun had even properly risen.
I clicked my tongue and hurried to the supply distribution counter.
Just like Im Hyun-su said, Foreman Park's face was even uglier than I remembered. He immediately yelled at the hesitant line of workers.
"Move it, faster!"
Leaning against the wall, Foreman Park puffed away on his cigarette right under the no-smoking sign.
Despite his rotten temper, everyone flocked to Cheongsung because of the gate supplies they handed out.
Unlike other agencies that just brokered jobs, this place provided basic gear for free.
But mine ran out right in front of me.
"All gone?"
"Yeah, first-come, first-served—you know that."
The staffer glanced nervously at my stiff expression.
"Should've come earlier, huh?"
Foreman Park waved me off irritably.
"What're you standing around for? Planning to camp here forever? Everyone, get to work!"
At his booming shout, the hopeful crowd scattered like roaches.
"Hah."
I glared at the warehouse stuffed with pilfered Sirius supplies and started walking.
Yeah. This was the reality I knew.
Even tied to Korea's top guild Sirius, they still bled awakeners dry.
Those who missed out lined up at the supply kiosk right next door to buy their own.
Everyone knew it was highway robbery, but no one complained. You'd just lose your job.
Truth be told, I didn't need them. My B-grade potential meant mana poisoning wasn't a big risk for me.
But tall trees catch the wind. I didn't want to stand out, so I'd bought them religiously before.
Back then, anyway.
Not now, when every penny counted.
Most gate supplies were junk anyway—better off with substitutes. The key piece was the mana poisoning filter for your gas mask, which barely strained out the mana in gate air.
Gates—rips to other dimensions—were thick with foreign energy: mana.
High concentrations were poison. Awakeners who could handle it were fine, but for normals, it shredded cells and shut down organs.
Early days, before research, even non-awakeners entered gates. Now, strictly forbidden.
Even awakeners weren't immune. Only those strong enough to filter mana internally were safe. Most miners had too-low mana sensitivity to become hunters.
Unable to detox naturally, they needed precautions.
Mana stones themselves were dense mana clumps—prime poisoning risk.
Im Hyun-su sidled up. "Get your supplies?"
"Had some left from before."
I bullshitted him.
"Everyone heading to Gapyung Gate, over here!"
A distant shout had Im Hyun-su slap my shoulder.
"Let's go."
I boarded the van to the gate with him.
It was already packed. Crammed shoulder-to-shoulder, the men's stench was indescribable.
Musty unwashed clothes, days-old sweat, stale smoke. I'd never noticed in the old days, but years rubbing elbows with high society made it unbearable now.
Damn it. Make money and bail. Just make money.
I pinched my nose shut and stared out the window.
Then Im Hyun-su spoke up. "Man, why's Jo-hee's face like that again?"
I glanced over. Amid the weary crowd, one face stood out—deathly pale.
Lips turned blue at a glance: early mana poisoning.
Im Hyun-su called to Han Jo-hee. "You didn't skimp on filters again, did you?"
"Well, I was sick last month and took some days off. Rent's overdue..."
"Even with overdue rent, how can you skip filters?"
Han Jo-hee sighed at Im Hyun-su's words.
"They jacked rent up 40% out of nowhere last month. 200 for a dump you can barely lie down in? Come on."
Korea was safer from gates than most places, but "gate-safe zones" were still hot property. Real estate ads flaunted it.
"Hah, can't move with my little brother depending on me..."
Im Hyun-su asked, "He's at Hunter Academy, right?"
"Yeah. Kid's a prodigy—nothing like me. I'll back him no matter what. Make sure he doesn't end up like this."
Determination lit Han Jo-hee's face. Silence fell in the van. Everyone knew her story. We were all hunter washouts.
"Still, don't wreck your health. You won't last."
Han Jo-hee gave a bitter smile and nodded at Im Hyun-su's advice.
I narrowed my eyes at him. Outwardly caring, but scheming to drag her down inside.
She was prime bait.
I wanted to warn her, but not with everyone watching.
And would she even listen to an outsider like me?
Unlike me, Im Hyun-su knew everyone here.
Calling him out now would just make me the weirdo.
Plus, it'd paint a target on my back.
Maybe because of Han Jo-hee's story, a bitter quiet hung in the van the whole way.
Four hours later, the van stopped at the gate. The pent-up awakeners poured out and gathered.
A green flag marked it cleared. A few stood guard against possible gate breaks.
People checked their packs: picks for mana stones, special bags for storage.
Once ready, they lined up before the guards.
"From Cheongsung?"
"Yeah. You the escort hunter?"
"Yup."
The yawning guy counted us, confirmed the number, and headed to the gate.
"You know the drill: five hours mining. Head to the entrance when done. Flare if trouble."
Words we'd heard hundreds of times. He looked as bored as we felt.
"Follow me through, one by one."
The gate looked paper-thin from the side, but stepping through whisked you to another dimension.
Scholars still studied it. Even ten years from now, no one cracked how it worked.
People ascended the steps and passed through. Their bodies vanished like mirages in the pale purple shimmer.
I stepped forward.
A jolt like electricity hit as I crossed. Hot wind brushed my face.
Ah, jungle type.
Of all things. I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Jungle gates were hell for mining—sweat pouring just standing still.
High humidity beading sweat instantly, sticky mud sucking at your feet.
But no one grimaced. They marched ahead briskly.
Five hours to meet quota. Hustle or bust.