The Hunter Academy Reunion
The Hunter Academy was an educational facility established by a former association president to salvage human hunters who suffered from low survival rates. As time passed, many guilds began poaching talented hunters early on, leaving the Academy feeling like a gathering place for losers with nothing better to do. But I didn't regret it now. After all, it was there that I awakened my Interspecies ability.
A lot had happened in the short time since I awakened that power. Following Miho, I turned Rania into an Interspecies target, and I even pinched an Ice Dragon’s heart from an S-class double gate. When I looked it up out of curiosity later, it turned out to be an ultra-rare item that wasn't even listed for sale, let alone worth the 100 billion I had estimated. Well, eventually, I found some peace of mind, started looking back on the past, and became a little curious about how my old friends were doing. The luxury of a successful man, I suppose.
‘…Is this the place?’
A barbecue joint run by a Reptilian. It had a crude name, but it was more famous than I thought.
“Oh, Kim Doyen? You were alive!”
“Long time no see, Heo Sung-soo.”
Heo Sung-soo. He was a peer I’d grown close to while training at the Hunter Academy. He lacked talent, but he had grit, so back then, he was a guy who at least aimed to be a C-class hunter.
“How many years has it been? Connections are everything in the hunter society, so why haven’t you shown up? Everyone from our batch is here, except for the ones who died.”
“…Is that so?”
I chatted with Heo Sung-soo about our days at the Hunter Academy as we walked into the restaurant. We had reserved a room capable of accommodating a large group, so the stage was set for us to eat and drink comfortably.
“…Oh! This guy is still alive?”
“Na Yumi? You’re the only one who cried during the Goblin training simulation, why are you still alive?”
Na Yumi. With her cute appearance and bright, friendly personality, she was quite popular, and she was a girl I’d had a bit of a crush on. Now, with my standards raised infinitely, she honestly didn’t feel attractive at all.
“Hey! Which century are you talking about!”
We were talking about savage things like who was dead or alive, but since we were people who rolled in a rough profession, it was all just exaggerated banter, not meant to be taken seriously. Stories about gates, backstabbing guild superiors we didn't like, up-and-coming hunters, recent social issues, and so on. It was a surprisingly fun gathering with stimulating conversation, and just as I was thinking I was glad I came, Na Yumi, who had spoken to me first, came over and sat next to me.
“What is it, kid?”
“You drink better than I thought?”
“…I guess so.”
My stamina is low, so… is it because of my virility? It felt like my alcohol tolerance, which used to make the world spin after just one bottle of soju, had suddenly exploded.
“Hey… so, what’s your hunter rank?”
There were 31 people in total. As Heo Sung-soo said at the beginning, there was the reason of coming to eat and drink, but there was also the purpose of building connections among ourselves. The chatter died down, and I could feel everyone leaning in to listen.
“Currently undergoing re-evaluation.”
“…Re-evaluation? What, did you re-awaken? What was your rank before that?”
“F-class. I’ll probably get at least B-class, right?”
The period for my rank re-evaluation was indeed approaching, and if I were measured now, F-class? No, at least A-class… or B-class?… Hmm. Come to think of it, I didn’t have any skills other than Word and Survival Expert, but since my rank itself was high, it would come out higher than F-class. So, it wasn’t a lie.
“I… see.”
Everyone’s interest faded, as if they were looking at an empty shell. Well, if a peer showed up at a gathering like this without a decent car, barefoot, and said, ‘I’m F-class now, but I’ll be B-class soon,’ I wouldn’t believe it either. Well, they didn’t ignore me just because my rank was low. I was the lowest at F-class, but there were some E-class hunters too. The average rank of this group was around D-class anyway. Even if I, an F-class, showed up… wouldn’t it just stop at ‘Oh, he’s a bit low’?
‘Should I get going?’
Actually, it wasn’t that I didn’t have the desire to show off that I had awakened an SSS-class unique ability that was beyond insane, but I had met a few friends I wanted to see after a long time, and I had played enough. It was nice to mingle with pretty women to my heart’s content, but sometimes you need to meet up with the guys and enjoy yourself.
Just as I was thinking of leaving first, Na Yumi started acting up, saying she was making a ‘bomb shot’ to commemorate my rank re-evaluation, so I decided to accept that one last drink before leaving. The atmosphere was already such that people were forcing drinks on others, like, ‘What? You had a daughter? Drink!’ Even so, she seemed to have a conscience, as she only put alcohol in it, making it a high-proof drink that tasted like nothing.
“Cheers. Bottoms up!”
“Ugh…”
I downed the drink in one go.
‘What? Why is it so delicious?’
I had clearly seen Na Yumi dumping all sorts of alcohol into it, so it was strange that it tasted good. Had my sense of taste broken?
-…Are you okay?!
Miho’s voice, or more accurately, her telepathy, reached me.
-What is it?
-Information has arrived that poison has entered Master’s body!
-…Poison? Wait a second.
Thanks to the statue Miho had given me, I didn’t feel any abnormal reactions in my body.
“Uh… I’m fine. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“……Uh, yeah…?”
Staring blankly into space while communicating telepathically, I moved in sync with Na Yumi’s reaction. …No way. Five years ago. The moment I was thrown into an endless wheel where I ended up with a 200 million debt flashed through my mind.
“Hehe… look here, oppa~.”
Na Yumi, who had started using a sweet, seductive voice, took off her outer garment, exposing her shoulders and cleavage. But I suppressed the rage rising within me and acted according to the situation.
“Ah, you crazy bitch… trying to sell me off to the Hunter Union again? If you get caught doing that, you’re dead.”
“Sung-soo oppa. The suckers I target are all F-class trash. I’ve sold them over 10 times already, and they’re still fine, aren’t they?”
“Whew… I don’t know. Please, just don’t get caught and drag us down with you.”
“You’re so cold. I’ll give everyone 10 million won each, so keep it a secret. Okay?”
There were 30 people besides me, so the hush money alone was 300 million. It was clear this wasn’t her first time, as her actions were as smooth as water. The others just tried to ignore the scene and looked away.
“Come on, here are my breasts~ Look at this, and here. You just need to sign here. You stupid oppa.”
Looking at the contents of the paper Na Yumi handed me, it was a fraudulent contract full of malicious conditions perfect for trapping someone.
“…Damn it, I can’t take this anymore.”
“Uh, yeah… what? You’re not in your right mind…”
Whoosh. The air in the large room changed in an instant.
“Hubby~ Why do you look so unhappy?”
Because a Ho-jok who was arm-in-arm with me had suddenly appeared.
“These assholes, can you tie them all up first?”
The quick-witted ones were already preparing to run.
“Hehe. Don’t worry. This room is already separated from the outside world.”
As if to prove Miho’s words correct, the guy who tried to open the door and run away immediately faced a solid black void and collapsed.
“Na Yumi, you fucking bitch…! I told you to keep it reasonable!”
“Did that stupid bitch not even check if he had a backer?!”
“M-Miho…? The Miho who is famous for re-awakening as an SSS-class hunter recently… why is she here…?”
“S-Senior? What brings you here?”
Miho, who had scanned the surroundings with cold eyes, snapped coldly.
“…Quiet.”
Her words didn’t just end as speech; everyone’s mouths were firmly sealed shut, unable to open.
“Ha, haha….”
Five years. The time I was forced into a hellish environment as a talentless hunter, spinning on that wheel. If I hadn’t had the Interspecies ability, if I hadn’t had Miho, even if I had luckily escaped that hell, I would have been in danger of falling back into that abyss. I was about to relive those hellish times, the five years I had spent living like a corpse, trying to forget everything.
The strength drained from my body. Miho, startled, caught me, and I sat on the floor for a moment to collect my emotions.
“Master… are you okay…?”
Seeing Miho looking at me with worried eyes, I felt a sense of relief.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you.”
Once the exhaustion and emptiness that had briefly dominated my body faded, they were replaced by an uncontrollable rage. I stood up and walked toward Na Yumi.
“Na Yumi… can you unlock this bitch’s mouth?”
As soon as she said, ‘I’ve unlocked it,’ Na Yumi knelt and began to scream.
“O-Oppa! I’m really sorry! T-This wasn’t just me, the kids here and I planned it together… Argh!”
“Shut up. It’s interrogation time, you piece of shit.”
The happy gathering of peers had turned into a savage atmosphere where it felt like someone had to die for it to end.
“So, you get 400 million per head for selling humans to the Hunter Union?”
“N-neck….”
Na Yumi, whose entire body was so swollen that she couldn’t even pronounce words properly, was trembling, kneeling with both hands raised. And the same went for the others. Of course, I didn’t beat them until they were as mangled as Na Yumi.
“I have memories of hearing bad things about the Hunter Union. That they only catch relatively weak races, and among them, only the weak ones, to use them for profitable work….”
Miho, who had been watching me closely for a while, trailed off. Did she remember when we first met?
“…Don’t be scared for no reason.”
“Y-Yes?”
“I’ve forgotten all about that time. No, honestly, I’m grateful that you took me with you without thinking back then.”
“Th… Hehehe. If that’s the case, then it’s fine!”
Miho laughed happily and pressed her body against mine. The soft sensation tickled my body. She does this knowing it’s what I like. Still, I had to do what I had to do. I took out a small bottle containing a succubus’s love nectar from Na Yumi’s handbag. A succubus is a monster that kills hunters by hiding its shabby appearance with illusions. It is said that a succubus’s love nectar has the effect of making people stupid.
“O, Oha… plea… forgive me…!”
“Open your mouth.”
I poured all the liquid into the mouth of Na Yumi, whose hands and feet were tied in mid-air, unable to move.
“Ugh… it’s dirty.”
Miho held her nose, leaving a brief review at the sight of her jumping around and starting to pee. I had found out everything I needed to know.
“What should I do with them? Is memory manipulation possible?”
“Yup. If it were one or two, I’d do it right away, but 30 people is a hassle to do one by one… so, there!”
Blue energy erupted from Miho’s hands as she focused her mind for a moment.
“They might become idiots, but isn’t it enough that they’re alive?”
It was a chilling thing to say with such a bright expression, but there was no reason for me to care about their circumstances.