Those Who Ask for Nothing
Since my identity had already been exposed to this degree, I decided it would be best to explain the current situation at least partially. Hiding it completely was off the table the moment I was found out, so it made more sense to pull them in, give them a sense of belonging, and ensure their lips stayed sealed even tighter. Cheon Ma-ru excused himself, saying he’d step out so the two of us could talk.
“Ah, so that’s why oppa’s heading to the Association right now?”
“Yeah. If this doesn’t go smoothly, it could become a massive headache.”
For the record, I’d dropped the formal speech. She was like a little sister to me, and she’d asked me to speak casually.
“Huh? Then can I come with you?”
“It should be fine. Why? Do you want to meet the Association President?”
“Well… maybe just once…”
Come to think of it, he was an old man who nagged me constantly, but to someone else he could be an idol and a goal.
“Now that I mention it, you said you were my fan, right?”
“Yes! I collected all your merch! Most of it’s back home, but I brought things like this keyring—”
Watching her proudly show off my merchandise put me in a good mood. I usually felt embarrassed, but this time a wave of pride washed over me. Maybe it was because she reminded me of my own little sister?
“But why did you become my fan? I don’t do any fan service, and I’m not exactly the warm, friendly type.”
“That’s exactly what’s cool about you! A Hunter’s real job isn’t fan service—it’s protecting people from monsters and closing Gates!”
She wasn’t wrong. Looking at the Hunters rising in popularity these days, it was hard to tell if they were Hunters or idols. Awakening did improve your skin and give you a slight boost in appearance, though.
“And you probably don’t remember this… but you saved my life once, unnie.”
“Me?”
“Yes! Do you remember the Gate Break in Haeundae three years ago?”
“Oh, yeah. I remember.”
It was one of the worst disasters in Korea’s history. An entire major guild had been wiped out. The Daehae Guild, one of the biggest at the time, failed to clear an A-rank Gate. Their follow-up response was botched, triggering the Gate Break. The people in the surrounding area died in droves.
It was horrific.
Normally one S-rank and several A-ranks could clear an A-rank Gate without much trouble. Everyone knew that, so no one was on high alert when the catastrophe struck without warning.
“Mom and I had gone to Haeundae for a day trip. We figured the Gate would be closed properly on its own, so we didn’t think much of it.”
It had been over twenty years since Gates first appeared. People had long since accepted them as part of everyday life. The era of panicking over a single Gate had passed.
“Then the Gate Break alarm suddenly blared. We panicked and ran, but we got caught anyway.”
Nagas had poured out of the Gate—monsters with human upper bodies and snake lower bodies. They tore off people’s limbs and swallowed them whole, dissolving and consuming them.
“I wasn’t an Awakened back then, so there was nothing I could do to resist. That’s when my right leg was grabbed and ripped off.”
“Wait. If it’s too difficult, you don’t have to tell me.”
“It’s fine. It was a long time ago and I’m okay now. I even brag about it to my friends sometimes.”
Her smiling face held no trace of shadow. Unlike mine.
“Anyway, I was crying from the pain of my leg being torn off. Mom tried to protect me, but she couldn’t. She was a non-Awakened, after all. She still is.”
Of course a non-Awakened had no chance against monsters from an A-rank Gate.
“That’s when unnie came flying in and slaughtered every last one of those monsters. I genuinely thought a god had descended.”
“…Sorry I was late.”
“You weren’t late at all. Not a single person who was with me died.”
“…”
“That moment became my turning point. Honestly, the X-rank Gate was so massive in scale that it didn’t feel real to me.”
She spoke with a smile, but I couldn’t return it. As if she understood, she looked straight into my eyes and spoke seriously.
“Unnie.”
“…Yeah.”
“You can’t save everyone.”
“…”
She must have noticed what I was thinking. This family really was sharp.
“You’ve already done your absolute best and more. So why do you keep bowing your head in shame?”
The Haeundae Gate Break had occurred a month after the X-rank Gate was resolved. It happened after I became an X-rank. Maybe that was why some people blamed me for the disaster. They said even an X-rank Hunter had been too slow. What exactly had I been doing?
The reason I gained untouchable fame in Korea was after I single-handedly stopped the monster swarm pouring out of North Korea. Before that, posts calling me incompetent or lazy kept popping up online. It was laughable. In China or the United States, X-rank Hunters were so treasured that rumors said they’d be found innocent even if they committed murder. But this country did everything it could to screw me over.
Come to think of it, that was the first time I had failed to save someone. Until then I had only cleared Gates. I had never experienced a Gate Break before. That made it even harder. The criticism pierced my heart. The wailing of the bereaved families reminded me of my own childhood. Even though I knew it wasn’t my fault, the words wouldn’t come.
Any other X-rank Hunter would have ignored the noise and swept it all away, but I couldn’t. I had made a promise to my father. I wasn’t the kind of person who could be that ruthless.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, unnie. If anyone badmouths you, just stab them. Honestly, you’d be fine even if you did.”
“Haha…”
What a strange family. Everyone I had ever met had wanted something from me, yet these people told me I didn’t have to do anything at all. Not Cheon Ma-ru, who had been dragged into my stubbornness, nor Cheon Nu-ri, who had suffered because I was late.
It had been so long since I last felt this way that my eyes grew hot. Cheon Nu-ri silently handed me a handkerchief.
I knew I couldn’t be loved by everyone. No matter what I did, someone would hate me.
Maybe it was because I had lost my parents. There was a part of me that kept craving affection and attention from others. Every time I reached out, all I received in return were greater demands and expectations. Everyone wanted a safer environment, more resources, more authority for themselves and their country. For me, the expectations were always harsher.
That was why people who told me it was okay… were so incredibly precious to me.
After I calmed down, I called Cheon Ma-ru back inside. It was time to head to the Association.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Old memories just came flooding back for a moment.”
Thankfully, Cheon Ma-ru didn’t pry or interrogate Cheon Nu-ri. He simply patted my shoulder gently and let it go. They really were good people.
“So how are we getting to the Association?”
“They’re sending a car. Just in case, they said they’d wait somewhere about twenty minutes away from here.”
I put my glasses back on and finished preparing to leave.
“Let’s go. You’re coming too, Nu-ri.”
“Huh? Me too?”
“You said you wanted to see the Association President, right? Come with us. There’s something I want to show you.”
“Wow! Really?!”
“Is that okay?”
“Yeah, I already cleared it.”
He probably couldn’t spare much time, but there would be enough for a short conversation. If we were lucky, I might even get some simple advice.
After we left and walked for about twenty minutes while chatting lightly—
“Whoa…”
“Wow…”
A long black car was waiting for us.
“Is this it?”
“Yep. Let’s get in quickly. Just because it’s an Association car doesn’t mean it’s immune to traffic.”
The inside of the car was, as expected, comfortable. It was spacious, and even though the weather wasn’t that hot, the air conditioning was running nicely.
“Hello.”
“Good to meet you. It’s an honor to serve you.”
“Do these two know who I am?”
“Yes. They’re all directly under the President. They’re trustworthy.”
“Thank you.”
Cheon Ma-ru and Cheon Nu-ri climbed in awkwardly, clearly unused to riding in a car like this. And…
“…”
I kept feeling a gaze on us. From the feel of it, the person was an Awakened.
“Driver.”
“Yes.”
“There’s an Awakened watching us from the right rear. It might just be curiosity about the car, but please look into it.”
“Understood.”
“Wow… Unnie, you sounded like a secret agent just now.”
“Well, it’s not that different.”
After handling the minor concern, we set off for the Association.
When we arrived at the Association, we entered through the rear gate rather than the main entrance. It was a path reserved for high-ranking figures in politics, business, and the Hunter world. We reached the interior quickly and headed straight to see the President.
“Good to see you, Baek Wol.”
“Hello, Mr. President.”
“Hello. My name is Cheon Ma-ru. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Ah, hello! I’m Cheon Nu-ri…!”
“It’s an honor for me as well.”
For some reason Cheon Ma-ru remained perfectly calm while Cheon Nu-ri bit her tongue. After brief introductions, we received cups of tea and got straight to the main topic. There was no reason to waste each other’s time.
“…Is this true?”
“Yes. Would you like me to show you right now?”
“On whose body?”
“Mine, for starters.”
As requested, I engraved a simple rune on my own body. The engraving showed no sign of fading even after time passed.
“Hmm…”
The Association President let out a sigh. It was clear proof that this situation defied common sense.
“…What do you plan to do, Baek Wol?”
“I’m not entirely sure. But this ability is far too valuable to simply hide and erase.”
“Indeed. It would be an incredible waste.”
It could raise the level of every Hunter by a full rank. In an industry perpetually short on manpower, this might very well become a godlike existence.
“First, what I want to know is whether this is a unique ability of his alone.”
“Certainly. If others could learn it too, that would be ideal.”
Technology leaks would happen eventually, but until then Korea would enjoy an overwhelming advantage. Or we could sell the technology for a price before any leak occurred.
“Mr. President. Please gather people we can trust. Preferably Engravers.”
“You want to confirm its uniqueness first.”
“Yes. His safety is my top priority.”
The President looked slightly surprised at my words, then his expression softened into a warm smile.
“I will gather only those who can be completely trusted. Leave it to me.”
“Thank you. We’ll take our leave for now. Once the cleanup in North Korea is finished, I’ll come back and greet you properly.”
“Hoho, thank you for looking after this old man too.”
As I stood up to leave, a thought suddenly occurred to me. I turned back.
“Ah, Mr. President.”
“Yes?”
“Is the primary training ground booked for today?”
“Yes, I believe it was reserved for a group training session by the Mirinae Guild.”
“Ah…”
I had been worried about the reservation, but it seemed there was nothing I could do.
“Never mind. We’ll be going then.”
“Baek Wol. If you need a training ground, I know an excellent location.”
“Pardon?”
A good place?