The Day When Nothing Happened
The logo-emblazoned defensive gear of the Hyunmu Guild entered my field of vision. It was Park Jung-ho.
“Jung-ho. What brings you here?”
“Me? A friend asked for help, so I came. He sounded pretty desperate, so I even took some time off and headed down. But what about you? We were putting a team together to go in and rescue you. When we heard you’d gotten out on your own, honestly, we were worried sick. You’re not hurt, are you?”
“I’m fine. I hid well and came out when the timing was right.”
“Yeah… Still, you managed to get out alone. What about the Investigation Bureau? Why’d you come all the way down here?”
“I quit the Investigation Bureau. I tried to stick it out, but I just couldn’t see any hope left.”
“Makes sense… I heard about how the Bureau handled things. Even listening from the sidelines, it was ridiculous. I can only imagine how disappointed you must’ve been.”
“Well, that’s the kind of position it’s always been. Just a disposable tool for the country. That’s why I didn’t want to stay there anymore.”
“Then you should’ve gone into a gate. With your skills, you could’ve done plenty in a C-rank dungeon.”
“I looked into that too. But these days the guilds have pretty much monopolized the gates. There’s almost no room for someone like me to squeeze in alone.”
“I figured getting involved would just cause trouble, so I came down to the break region for now.”
Jung-ho thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Given your situation, I can understand that choice. So you’re operating solo right now?”
“Yeah… for the time being. It’s inconvenient, but I want to move freely and see how things play out.”
“Then you’re not interested in our guild? If I recommend you, I could get you a spot right away.”
“No. Right now, being alone suits me better.”
“That won’t be easy. You said you’re moving solo.”
Jung-ho hesitated briefly before speaking again.
“Lately there’ve been some ugly rumors going around the break region. Word is there are people targeting hunters who come out after a hunt or hunters traveling alone like you. Black hunters who kill people and take their gear and belongings.”
“We call those kinds of guys hyenas.”
“Really? There are people like that?”
“There are. They’re more dangerous than monsters. They’ll pretend to be injured to get close, or act friendly at first and suggest forming a party. Then they drag you deep into the forest, steal your gear, and erase every trace.”
“Right now the Hunter Association has stepped up patrols in the break region, and the hunter police are on standby at all times. Still, if anything happens, don’t try to tough it out—just run straight to the free hunter zone.”
“They’re worse than monsters. If they got stronger, they should be thinking about dealing with monsters, not harming people.”
“To them, people are easier and more profitable than monsters. Some were criminals even before awakening, and others apparently went crazy from hunting and ended up like that.”
“Anyway, if you’re going to travel alone, be extra careful. Stick to crowded areas and keep checking your surroundings.”
“Got it. Thanks. I’ll be careful. And… do you happen to know where the trolls are coming from?”
“Trolls? Those are at least B-rank. Don’t even think about taking one on by yourself. Even I’m not exactly eager to face one alone.”
“I know. That’s why I have no intention of dealing with trolls at all. I’m not planning to go any deeper either—I’ll stick to the areas judged as C-rank.”
Jung-ho pondered for a moment, then pointed with his finger.
“If you go about two kilometers inward from here, there’s a dense thicket. I think there were stories about trolls coming out from around there. The mountain range entrance where the thicket starts is already B-rank territory, so don’t go any farther in than that.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a voice calling for Jung-ho came from somewhere.
“Ah, my friend’s looking for me. Let’s catch up later.”
He raised a hand once and disappeared among the people.
I stood there for a moment, gazing in the direction Jung-ho had pointed.
Today, I’ll only go as far as the C-rank boundary.
After settling on that thought, I turned in the opposite direction from Jung-ho and headed deeper into the break region.
Once I entered the Chuncheon break region, the scenery changed noticeably. The gentle terrain gradually rose in elevation, and dense forests lined both sides of the path without interruption. As the edge of the mountain range, visibility was short, and sounds only reached me after passing through the trees once more.
I moved a little farther inward. This was the section where the traffic of free hunters noticeably thinned out.
“Arin, Elly.”
The space rippled gently, and the two spirits appeared.
Arin scanned the surroundings once and immediately spoke up.
“Whoa, a forest. The smell’s pretty strong too.”
Elly silently surveyed the area.
“The mana density is still low. Somewhere between the entrance and the middle.”
Before long, faint presences revealed themselves first. Several goblins emerged from the underbrush. I raised my hand, and psychokinesis responded instantly. One of the goblins in front was lifted into the air and slammed straight into a tree trunk.
“Elly.”
At the short signal, arrows of water shot out straight. The remaining goblins collapsed to the ground without even having time to react.
I continued deeper for a while longer. The monsters that occasionally appeared were mostly C-rank or lower, more like signs that this zone hadn’t yet been touched by human hands than actual threats.
Around the time the sun began to set, I found a suitable clearing. Going any farther would put me in the heart of proper C-rank territory.
“This is far enough for today.”
I set up the tent, cleared the area briefly, gathered some dry branches into a pile, and dusted off my hands.
“Arin, could you start a fire?”
“Sure.”
A small spark flew, and a campfire came to life right away. The flames stayed low, showing no sign of spreading toward the underbrush.
I turned to Elly.
“Elly, could you wash me off? I feel a bit gross.”
“Got it. Stay still.”
Cold water passed over my body. The dust and odors clinging to the surface of my gear were washed away along with everything else.
“Thanks for washing the gear too. Feels much better.”
“Is this enough? If it gets dirty again, just say so.”
I watched the campfire burn low for a moment before looking at Arin.
“This is a forested area, so your attacks are a bit risky. If we were inside a gate I’d burn everything, but the break region makes me too cautious.”
“Don’t worry, Jihoon. I can control the fire completely. I can start it and put it out right away. Elly’s here too!”
“If there’s any sign of the fire spreading, I’ll extinguish it immediately.”
“Then starting tomorrow, I’ll ask you to handle the attacks too. Thanks for collecting the mana stones today.”
“Tch! Earlier you said if I had nothing to do I should just dig up mana stones.”
“Sorry. But if we want to move quickly, we had no choice. Even if they’re low-grade, we can’t just leave them behind. It’d be such a waste! You keep asking to move to a bigger place!”
“You’re bringing that up again? Next time, if you save up money and don’t move and buy something stupid instead, I might actually set your room on fire while you’re sleeping.”
“Arin! You sound like you’d really do that after drinking, so don’t say things like that! Take it back right now!”
“Hey! Byun Jihoon, who do you think I am? Why are you only like this to me?”
“Arin, didn’t you know you get drunk and act like a total drunkard every time? You even hit me and recklessly start fires inside the house—Elly had such a hard time chasing you around putting them out!”
“That was just because I was in a good mood and couldn’t control my strength! Don’t be so petty!”
“Y-Yes… I was wrong.”
“Tch! Whatever! You just practice your Harmony Heart Method and go to sleep! Elly and I will take the night watch.”
“Thanks, Arin! Elly! You two are the only ones I can rely on!”
The night passed quietly like that. Aside from the occasional sound of beasts, nothing disturbed me.
The next morning, Elly and Arin had taken turns returning to the spirit realm overnight to recover their energy, and I headed deeper once more. The terrain grew rougher, and the mana density had clearly changed.
At the boundary between B-rank and C-rank, I spotted a group of orc scouts. About ten of them. They were scattered, and their guard was loose.
The battle didn’t last long. I aimed mana bullets and took them down one by one, while Elly and Arin immediately followed up on any that tried to scatter. There was no chance for escape.
After the brief commotion passed, the surroundings returned to order.
That was when it happened.
“Whoa—nice skills.”
A voice came from behind me. It was the hunter I’d seen at the entrance. This time he wasn’t alone. Five of them stood at loose intervals.
“You took down ten of them by yourself? Whoa~ You really are skilled! I could tell right away from your gear.”
The guy next to him snickered.
“Still, look at that. You’re sweating. Two bombs and it’d be over.”
“Hey, that’s only for real emergencies. If we set one off here, we’d be advertising that we’re around.”
“And if monsters show up because of it, we’re all dead, you idiot! We have to handle this as quietly as possible.”
Even as they spoke, their gazes dropped to the ground. The orc corpses scattered about, and me standing beside them.
“Your gear looks good, and you’ve already taken down ten orcs.”
“At that rate, yesterday and today’s haul must’ve been pretty decent. Probably got quite a few mana stones too.”
The calculation that they should strip me clean wasn’t even being hidden.
I slowly lowered my posture. Sweat beaded on my palms.
“Who the hell are you people?”
“What is this all of a sudden?”
He laughed. This time he didn’t even bother trying to hide it.
“Don’t tell me you don’t know who we are. Are you a complete newbie?”
After a brief silence, he dropped the name.
“You know of the Wyvern Guild?”
The hyenas Jung-ho had warned me about yesterday flashed through my mind.
“The illegal hunter guild in the Gangwon region that moves like hyenas in the break region. Those bastards who do every kind of human trash act—rape, murder, arson, human trafficking!”
“Yeah, that’s us. Heh heh… Simple, right?”
“Put down everything you’ve got and I’ll at least spare your life.”
“Hah! In all this time, has there ever been someone you actually spared?”
“Heh heh… No… there hasn’t.”
“Status, hurry up and stop talking so much! Just finish it already! Damn, if it was a female hunter we could’ve had some fun… heh heh.”
“Hey, shut your mouth and get ready instead.”
That was the moment.
I sensed a presence from the underbrush on the right. A hunter in black clothes charged forward with daggers in both hands. I reflexively deployed psychokinesis. I wrapped the charging hunter’s body and hurled him straight toward the cliff on the side. The man slammed hard into the cliff, bounced off limply, and fell below.
Leaving that sight behind, I shouted toward the one who seemed to be the hyenas’ leader standing in front.
“Damn it! You really want to do this, huh?!”
I turned my body to create distance and yelled.
“Arin, Elly. Take one each.”
The space split, and the two spirits appeared.
“What the— a summoner?”
“Where the hell did those kids come from all of a sudden!”
Arin moved first. Flames skimmed across the ground and bound the feet of one of the men who had been sneering from behind. He screamed and rolled on the ground as the fire slowly spread from his feet, but the flames showed no sign of dying out and only grew larger.
“Don’t move.”
Elly formed a sphere of water and sent it toward another. The water completely covered his face and stayed in place without scattering. The man thrashed in agony, his movements gradually slowing until his body stiffened and went still.
Elly and Arin were furious. It was because of the stories about the hyena hunters I’d told them last night.
I drew my sword and charged toward the one who seemed to be the leader. There was no need to hesitate. The sound of metal clashing rang out briefly. I deflected his sword, lowered my body half a beat faster, slashed, dodged, and slashed again. When I drew up my mana, a blue light overlaid my blade. Mana Sword. Metal and mana dug in simultaneously. His armor split, both legs were severed, and he collapsed to the ground. When one arm was cut off as well, any further counterattack became impossible.
At that moment, the air behind me split and blade-shaped wind poured forth. It was the wind-element hunter who had been laughing and talking about female hunters earlier. I reflexively twisted my body to avoid the attack, dodged to the side, raised my hand, and compressed my mana. Then I fired it immediately. A mana bullet. It struck him squarely in the vital point below his abdomen. With a dull bursting sound, his body rolled across the ground. A high-pitched scream burst out. He clutched the vital point below his bleeding abdomen with both hands and rolled miserably on the dirt.
“You said you don’t just kill female hunters—you rape them, play with them, and then kill them.”
I approached slowly.
“The moment you do something like that, you’re no longer human.”
The man’s screams grew louder.
“Even in death, I’ll make sure you can never use it again. Because it won’t be there anymore.”
I severed the arm of the man thrashing in pain, then cut off his legs as well. His thrashing and screams gradually weakened until they finally stopped.
The last one. The man who had been slammed into the cliff earlier. The moment I tried to approach, Elly had already finished him off in the same manner as before and turned around.
The surroundings grew quiet once more.
Only then did I notice my hands trembling slightly.
I had killed people.
For a moment, my breathing faltered.
But it didn’t shake me as much as I’d expected.
They’re not human.
They’re monsters.
They’re worse than monsters.
Once I organized it that way, my mind quickly settled.
I gathered the corpses and their gear together. I left the gear as it was and only searched their pockets and backpacks. I picked out anything that looked valuable. Cash, a few small miscellaneous items, and from inside the backpacks poured out C- to D-rank mana stones. Roughly a hundred or so. I hesitated for a moment, then put them all into my pocket dimension. It felt unpleasant, but it was too wasteful to leave them behind. That was enough to convince myself.
I pushed the corpses toward the B-rank monster zone. After a while, heavy footsteps echoed from deep within the forest. It was a troll. The creature picked up the corpses and dragged them into the forest without a care, disappearing.
I watched the scene until the end.
There was no need to see any more. I turned my back and left the dungeon break region. This time I had no intention of going any deeper. It was time to go home.
When I arrived home and closed the door, the inside of the house felt excessively quiet. My body was clearly tired, but my senses were strangely subdued. I stood under the shower for a long time, letting the water hit me. Blood, dirt, and the damp odors that had clung to me slowly fell away under the stream. My body was definitely being washed, but my mind showed no particular reaction. The fact that I had killed people remained in my head like unresolved information rather than reality.
I wiped my face with a towel and looked in the mirror. It was a familiar expression, and my mood was no different from usual. That felt strange. As if nothing had happened at all, truly a day when nothing had happened, the deep night passed like that.