Chapter 3
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 003
Chapter Title: Academy Trainee Kim Geuk [1]
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About four years ago, Korea was pretty much done for.
Can't be helped, really. With monsters raiding residential areas and turning half the cities into slums, plus man-eating spirits crippling maritime shipping, no country could have stayed intact.
In the midst of all that, the surge in national pride TV wasn't just because people desperately needed something to numb their minds.
It was the actual fact that Korea was doing better than most other countries—meaning while Korea was barely hanging on, others had already collapsed entirely—that made Koreans feel so smug and happy.
Wish Korea had just completely fallen too.
What a shame.
Look around, and it's all civil service academies or hunter academies.
A few clothing stores and nail salons here and there, but they're all shuttered and dark. Restaurants have pulled down their shutters too, leaving just one convenience store stocked to the brim with rice and instant noodles. Hard to believe this is Incheon, Korea's spiritual capital. Damn.
I stepped into the sorriest-looking hunter academy of the bunch.
A young woman was sitting at the reception desk. She flinched when I approached—probably spooked by my size. Cute.
"Here to register?"
She forced a smile, but I didn't smile back and just asked,
"Yeah. How much per month?"
She explained that they had to do a consultation first to set the fee, then scurried off to fetch the director.
A man who seemed to be the director soon showed up and started acting all buddy-buddy.
"You a bodybuilder? Your physique is insane! Been prepping to become a hunter for a while, huh? You served in the military?"
"No."
"Then we'll need to give you extra shooting training... You haven't awakened yet, right?"
"I have."
My curt reply seemed to shock him. He stared at me with wide eyes and asked, baffled,
"You're an awakener?"
"What, you don't take awakeners?"
"No, it's not that. We just don't get many enrollees who are already awakened. Uh, hold on. If you could fill out this application and specify your abilities..."
I did as told, and he took the form, squinting at it.
"Physical Enhancement and Teleportation? You're not messing with me, are you...?"
"I don't have a lot of time."
Even as I snapped irritably, he didn't seem offended. He adjusted his glasses, glanced between me and the paper, then pulled out his smartphone and asked,
"Your name?"
"Kim Geuk."
He tapped away on his phone at my answer, then muttered while staring at the screen.
"Yep, matches. Naver brings up your face. Oh man, you're a UFC fighter? Two fights, two wins, awakened once, worked with the Korean Awakener Alliance, then awakened again?"
"All that's on the internet?"
"Sure is. You're a big deal. So... any reason you're enrolling here? Someone recommend us?"
"Looked cheap."
I figured that came off rude, but he didn't bat an eye.
"Ah, yeah, we are cheap. So you really want to sign up?"
I shot back, what, you think I'd come here to fake it? He seemed satisfied but still a bit uneasy.
I couldn't figure out why he kept acting like that. He said they didn't get many awakener students—too hard to teach? Or did they not want awakeners as enrollees?
"So, how much is tuition?"
My gruff question got an unexpected response.
"For awakeners like you, Mr. Kim, tuition's free. Textbooks, gym access—all free. We'll even cover range fees and ammo. And if you show up consistently, we throw in meal and transport allowances."
I blinked a few times before asking,
"Why?"
"We want to advertise that we've launched hunters who are awakeners. Helps our instructors build their resumes, builds networks for the students. Just agree to let us use your name and likeness..."
Never saw that coming. I couldn't think of a reason to refuse, so I agreed, and he smiled.
Then the next moment, I froze in shock.
He suddenly stood, grabbed both my hands tight.
What the hell is this guy doing? Before I could shove him off, he said,
"Thank you. You have no idea how glad I am you came. Looks like my luck's finally turning. Had a good dream last night, and now a VIP like you shows up..."
The embarrassment didn't end there.
"Instructors! Come here a sec. See this fine specimen? We need to take extra good care of him from now on. This guy's, well..."
The instructors he'd introduced me to just stared blankly for a while, then one stuck out his hand for a shake, leaving me flustered.
When class started, it didn't seem like the kind of atmosphere where students bonded much, but the instructor insisted on introducing me to everyone.
"Check this guy out. Kim Geuk. You all need to get friendly with him. He's..."
They went "ooh" once when he mentioned I was a UFC fighter.
But when he got to me being a dual awakener—Physical Enhancement, Teleportation, all that—the room erupted in awe from the students who'd been zoning out until then.
"Whoa."
"Fucking jealous..."
Pretty fresh reaction. Being an awakener trumped being a fighter by a mile, apparently.
And so, with all eyes on me, class began.
Shooting time. There's a range nearby, so we used live rounds.
An instructor stuck right by my side. He adjusted the sights, handed me a pistol. I didn't understand a word of his shooting instructions, which puzzled him.
"First time firing a gun?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Too tall for the military? But you must've shot at basic training, right?"
"I did go to basic."
"Well, that was ages ago. No wonder you don't remember."
I skipped mentioning how I'd punched a drill instructor on day one and never even got to fire a single round. Looking back now, it wasn't something to brag about.
Anyway, he patiently explained everything step by step without a hint of annoyance. Told me to give it a shot.
I did as told. Hit dead center every time. He went from impressed to clicking his tongue.
"Ah, figured there was something off about nailing it on your first try. Physical Enhancer, huh? Recoil's meaningless with that strength. We have special guns for folks like you—need those for practice... Hang on. I'll scrounge one up by week's end."
Mid-conversation, a nearby student chimed in.
"Instructor, you mean borrow a hunter rifle? Isn't that basically a heavy weapon despite the name?"
"Bribe the cops a bit, they'll lend it."
"Even then, can't just grab any. You've got 17kg ones, 22kg ones—weights vary wildly. Need to test his physicals first..."
Instructor and students alike were debating what gun I'd use. The attention was overwhelming, bordering on bewildering.
And the bewilderment continued with the excessive kindness.
Everyone else seemed military vets, handling loading and mag swaps like pros, while I fumbled alone. What happened? Instructor and even neighboring students jumped in to help without complaint. Was I at a hunter academy or daycare?
What puzzled me most was the students' interest and goodwill.
Instructor fussing over me made sense—director's orders. But the students? Baffling.
I could see it in the bathroom mirror: I wasn't the approachable type. So why?
Breaks were endless with students chatting me up.
After sitting quietly through some criminal law lecture, one came over acting chummy.
"Bro? You can half-ass the criminal law class."
"I'm broke—if I don't pass, I'll starve."
"You pass without it. Hunter written test's way easier than a driver's license. Just bubble the 'nice guy' options like elementary school morals quiz."
"That easy?"
"Yeah. Hunter exam's a joke overall. Country's always short on monster hunters. Long as your limbs work, male or female, they pass you."
"Then why bother with academy?"
"It's after you become a hunter that's rough... Academy's for not getting chewed out or dying on the job. Criminal law? Useless before or after. For real. Total waste."
"If it's skippable, why's it on the syllabus?"
"For show."
"Teacher said it's super important."
"He's desperate not to get fired. Guy used to teach criminal law at a civil service academy. Cops aren't hot anymore—no students, got canned. If he flops here, he starves. So he hypes it up. Blow it off. That glasses nerd's never hunted—knows jack about the industry. Less than me. Swear."
"You seem to know the hunter scene."
"Not expert, but close? Run a hunter community."
"Hunter community? Online?"
"HuntWeb? You don't know it?"
He insisted I check out the community—full of working hunters, better for industry dirt and info than asking instructors.
Also said, "Bro's an awakener, so verify and pin the badge!"—no clue what that meant.
After a few more classes, the day at hunter academy wrapped up.