Chapter 12
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Pathetic Thief Kim Hyeji
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Ughhh!!!”
Ahh... So cold. Modern society.
Getting blatantly kidnapped right at the subway station entrance in broad daylight, and everyone’s just ignoring it.
Here I am, an EX-rank Blacksmith plastered with E-rank stats all across the board, too feeble to resist the strength of the exhibitionist from next door. I had no choice but to let her drag me off.
‘Using awakening abilities to satisfy her twisted desires...!’
Thinking back to how she looked this morning, this behavior of hers was definitely driven by impure motives.
‘Hm?’
I hadn’t seen her face earlier and figured anyone pulling a stunt like this had to be ugly, so I was disgusted. But that wasn’t the case.
For a split second just now, I caught a glimpse—a puppy-faced beauty.
I stopped struggling and decided to calmly accept the situation.
‘Yeah... They say even if you fall into a tiger’s den, you can survive as long as you keep your wits.’
It’s absolutely not because I might actually enjoy this or anything.
I just realized there was no point in flailing around and provoking her.
She dragged me to the back of a pillar in the first-floor parking lot of a nearby building.
“I’ll let go of your mouth, so be quiet.”
I nodded vigorously to show I understood. She glanced around, then finally released my mouth.
“Phaaa... Um...”
“I said be quiet.”
“Sorry...”
This was completely my misjudgment.
I got too excited after making some money.
I’d promised myself to be careful until Yena finished her training and could protect me, or until I could protect myself. But I broke that promise in just one day.
“Ahh... What’s gonna happen to me now...”
“What do you mean, ‘happen’...!”
“Why’d you drag me here like this... I don’t even have anything worth taking...”
“That’s not it...!”
“Then why...”
Since I wasn’t resisting and stayed quiet, she answered me reasonably politely.
Though telling me to be quiet while she’s the one being so loud...
“You’re the guy from next door, right...?”
“Ah, yeah... So I was right...”
I hadn’t seen her face earlier, so I wasn’t sure, but it really was her.
That dizzying figure had stuck with me so strongly that even with clothes on now, I recognized her silhouette right away.
“You’re dressed normally now, though...”
“Ah... Th-that was a mistake earlier!!”
“You mistook that outfit for something else...? Ah, yeah, I guess that could happen...”
The very idea of owning that kind of outfit was ridiculous, but pretending to understand and sympathize seemed like the better play.
“Eeeeek...!!! I’m telling you, it’s true?!”
Guess that backfired.
I’m no good at deceiving people, so I decided to just be honest.
“Mistaking clothes like that for something else, buying them, and then wearing them out... that’s kinda...”
I ended up sounding a bit pitiful without meaning to, but luckily she didn’t get mad.
“...I got tricked into it...”
“Tricked by who?”
“Sigh... It’s embarrassing to explain, so just open the Hunter Gallery and search for ‘Monster Gentleman Theory’...”
“Monster Gentleman Theory...?”
“Yeah, quick.”
I had no idea what it meant, but she didn’t seem malicious, so I did as she asked.
I logged into the Gallery right away, searched for “Monster Gentleman Theory,” and tapped the top post.
[Tip for Newbies] About the Monster Gentleman Theory...
Author: Friendly Old Geezer
For those who’ve just awakened and jumped into the hunter world.
Especially newbies soloing gates without guild attention or help—read this.
Everyone’s probably seen half-naked female knight characters in games, comics, or anime.
Why do they fight dangerously with such revealing outfits?
Are they dumb?
Exhibitionists?
Absolutely not.
It’s the golden rule: female characters get stronger the less they wear.
And surprisingly, this applies to reality too...
With gates appearing and divine powers awakening, it’s not weird at all for this to be real.....
Sincere sh*tpost lololol
Gasp, so to succeed as a hunter, the aesthetic of wearing less is essential!
Author: Yeah, you got it exactly.
Solo Level Up: Thanks!
Pulling this crap so seriously lol
She got duped by a joke post that was so absurd even the author didn’t seem serious?
“...I saw it.”
“Yeah. That’s the one.”
“What even is this...”
“That’s it.”
“Ah...”
So she wasn’t an exhibitionist, but she was mentally unhinged after all.
My earlier fear turned to pity, and I started genuinely worrying how she’d survive this harsh world alone.
“Ugh... Why are you looking at me like ‘low-IQ life must be tough, poor thing’?! That’s your face right now, isn’t it?!”
“Oh...”
She’s surprisingly quick on the uptake.
“The person who tricked me is the one at fault! And with monsters coming out and shooting fire everywhere, who’s to say this couldn’t be real too!”
“Hearing it like that, yeah, I guess...”
“Right?!”
“Yeah. Well, I’ll be going now.”
Any more of this conversation, and I’d start feeling dumber too, so I decided to bail quickly.
“W-wait a sec!”
“...What now.”
“Um... Do you happen to have any money?”
“...Don’t tell me you blew it all on that bikini armor?”
...
She blushed and nodded.
“Sucks that you’re broke, but why ask me? I don’t have any either.”
I wasn’t planning to lend any, but it was true—I was flat broke.
To stretch until the 24-hour listing expired and the sale money hit, I needed to grab some cup ramen with my remaining comics and head home.
Grrrrrrowl...
“Ugh...”
“Hungry?”
“A little...”
“When’d you last eat?”
“Yesterday... morning?”
“You an orphan by any chance?”
“Ahh...”
She made an embarrassed face like she’d been caught.
She was my neighbor, and now that I knew we were both orphans, I started feeling for her.
Plus, with the misunderstanding cleared up, she’d shifted from “weird person to avoid” to “peer neighbor.”
It’s definitely not for any impure reasons.
“Sigh... I was about to grab some food. I’ll buy, wanna come?”
“...For real?”
“We’re next door anyway. Pay me back later.”
“Thank you so much...”
“If you’re grateful, let go of my wrist already.”
“Ah, right!!”
Finally free, I bolted out of the parking lot and headed straight for the convenience store.
She hesitated for a bit, then came trotting after me and started walking beside... um, Bikini Girl?
“What’s your name?”
“Ah, I’m Kim Hyeji. Um... What’s yours, neighbor?”
“Shin Yujun.”
“Aha...”
After hearing my name, her lips twitched oddly.
What weird thought was she having now?
We’d just met, but remembering her shocking morning look and how she fell for a blatant troll post with zero deception intent, I figured she was pitying me again.
We arrived at the convenience store.
I worried she’d complain about it just being a conbini when I said I’d buy food, but...
“Thank you so much...”
Seeing her timidly place just one triangle kimbap on the counter made me adjust my image of her a bit.
“Nothing else? Cup ramen maybe?”
“I can get more...?”
“Grab as much as you want.”
“Whoa!! Shin Yujun is a god!”
So that’s why she’s been holding back.
Kim Hyeji beamed and dashed back to the shelves, returning with three small cup ramens.
Beep!
2+1 sale item!
Classic orphan pick.
If my awakening ability had sucked, I’d have lived frugally like that too...
Nah, if it had, I would’ve saved money, so I wouldn’t have borrowed from others starting the day after awakening.
“Ehehe...”
After checkout, Kim Hyeji hugged her cup ramens and kimbap, grinning ear to ear.
Seeing her so openly happy made it feel worth buying.
Might as well eat together, so I got hot water for my one cup ramen, while she prepped one kimbap and two small cup ramens.
“Huaa... Thanks for the meal!”
“Dig in.”
Three minutes until the ramen was ready.
She stared at her cup like her life depended on it until then, but I couldn’t hold back my curiosity.
“You told me to check that Gallery post earlier.”
“Ah. Yeah...”
Mentioning it seemed to hit a sore spot; her energy deflated instantly.
Maybe because of her puppy face, I pictured droopy dog ears naturally.
“Your nickname wouldn’t be Solo Level Up, would it?”
“Oh, yeah!”
I asked carefully, and she confirmed right away.
“...Don’t people usually keep nicknames secret...?”
“Ah...”
Didn’t expect her to admit it so easily.
Come to think of it, she was one of the people who left a long comment begging for my C-rank shortsword.
‘Yeah... Name’s Kim Hyeji too...’
It’s such a common name, meme’d to death for women, so I didn’t believe it, but she’d openly used her real name in comments.
Her D-rank Thief claim must be real too...
‘Wait, don’t orphanages teach even basic stuff these days?’
As a fellow orphan, her clear struggle adapting to awakener society stirred sympathy and pity.
Slurp...
She startled for a second, then started chowing down on her ramen.
“Don’t go blabbing your nickname to strangers from now on.”
She chewed and swallowed the ramen in her mouth before replying late.
Good thing—I was worried she’d talk with food in her mouth.
“Mhm...”
‘Hm, at least her table manners are solid.’
“But if I wanna DM Yujun, I need your nickname!”
“Fair point.”
Fine, I’m a good guy, not desperate enough to scam an orphan. Good choice.
“It’s DM, not pokki.”
“Pokki.”
“Sigh... D...M.”
“Po...kki.”
“Just eat your food...”
What a riot.