The Hunter Son's First Gift
The morning news screen shifted, and the suited anchor looked straight into the camera as he began speaking.
“We’re live at the scene of last night’s clash between hunters.”
The footage changed. Cracked asphalt, twisted guardrails, and buildings with their outer walls torn away flashed across the screen in sequence.
“The incident completely destroyed a section of the road, and nearby buildings suffered severe damage as well.”
The anchor’s voice remained calm, but the weight of his words was unmistakable.
“So far, forty deaths have been confirmed, with more than fifty injuries reported.”
The screen changed again. Charred remains of a cargo truck lay scattered, surrounded by discarded equipment.
“The attack occurred last night when a cargo truck traveling along an outer road in Gyeonggi Province, along with the hunters escorting it, came under assault.”
“The attackers are believed to be hunters affiliated with the Dark Guild, though their exact motive and the sequence of events remain unclear.”
The anchor glanced down at his notes before continuing.
“However, on-site investigation has revealed that certain items disappeared from the vehicle after the attack.”
The footage showed the damaged cargo compartment and its empty loading space.
“The Hunter Police Bureau has concluded that the participating hunters seized specific items before fleeing the scene and are currently tracking their movements.”
The anchor paused briefly, then added, “The exact nature of the stolen goods has not been disclosed. Further details are being restricted to avoid interfering with the investigation.”
Subtitles scrolled across the bottom of the screen.
‘Joint investigation launched by Hunter Police Bureau and Hunter Association’
‘Tracking movements related to stolen goods’
I turned off the screen and stood up. This incident had nothing to do with me right now.
While lying still and thinking about last night, the unease in the Break Zone lately came to mind, along with the items I had sorted in my pocket dimension to give my parents. I left the house and headed for their place.
It was Saturday, so both of them were home. The moment I opened the door, my mother greeted me as if she had been waiting.
“Oh, you’re here? What brings you by so suddenly?”
“I had something to take care of nearby.”
It was nothing special, but she studied my face for a long moment, her expression making it clear she wanted to check my condition before I could even say I was fine.
“Son! You’re not hurt anywhere, are you? I’ve been worried sick watching the news lately.”
“I’m not hurt. I’m perfectly fine.”
Even after I said that, she reached out to check my arms and shoulders again. Just then, my father emerged from the inner room.
“Jihoon’s here? Have you eaten?”
“We were just about to have lunch ourselves.”
My mother quickly added, “Right. Did you eat? Or should we go out for something nice?”
I thought for a moment, then shook my head.
“No, I’ve been craving Mom’s cooking. I want kimchi jjigae! Make kimchi jjigae for me.”
My mother’s eyes widened.
“Really? You’re sure kimchi jjigae is okay?”
“Yeah. I even bought some meat on the way.”
I lifted my bag for emphasis, and a smile immediately spread across her face.
“When did you even buy that? Alright, I’ll make kimchi jjigae.”
My father, who had been about to sit on the sofa, looked at me and asked, “You’re really okay, right? You quit being an investigator to become a hunter, so isn’t this more dangerous? You’re not pushing yourself too hard, are you?”
“I’m fine. If anything, I’m being more careful than before.”
My father didn’t nod easily.
“You’re not moving around alone, are you? I hear there are a lot of hyena hunters these days—people who target the injured.”
“I know. That’s why I don’t move alone, and I deliberately avoid dangerous areas. Don’t worry too much.”
Only then did their expressions soften a little, though their concern hadn’t completely disappeared. Their worried faces tugged at my heart, but it still felt good to be home after so long.
We sat around the table and ate. Kimchi jjigae, rolled omelet, and grilled mackerel. It had been a while since I’d tasted proper home cooking. We talked about how things were going lately, the strange weather, and small neighborhood stories—from the construction noise upstairs to the supermarket out front changing owners. It was the kind of conversation where nothing important happened, which made it all the more comforting.
After the meal, I hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
“Here.”
I took two envelopes out of my bag and placed them side by side in front of my parents.
“I prepared 100 million won for each of you.”
After a brief silence, my father spoke first.
“Jihoon… what is this money all of a sudden?”
My mother pushed the envelopes back toward me.
“Why are you giving us this so suddenly? Did something happen to you?”
“No. My rank went up recently, and I found some good items while hunting, so my income’s been pretty good.”
My father looked back and forth between the envelopes and me before asking, “Still, this is a lot of money… You didn’t do anything dangerous, did you?”
“I earned it safely. I’m pulling my own weight now, so you don’t have to worry.”
My mother hesitated for a long time before finally placing her hand on one of the envelopes.
“I don’t know if we should accept this… It’s money our son worked hard for, and it’s such a large amount.”
“Mom! It’s fine. Just take it! Your son’s a capable hunter, you know. Once I started making money, I realized I hadn’t done anything to help you two. So I want you to use this to get a new car, go on a trip, pay off any debts—don’t feel burdened. I haven’t been able to give you much allowance until now, so think of this as making up for it! Haha!”
“Son! Just knowing you’re healthy is already a huge source of strength for your mom and dad. So don’t think things like that… We’ll put this allowance from our son to good use!”
“Yeah… Son. Thank you. We’ll use it well!”
My parents stared at the envelopes for a moment before finally accepting them. Their faces looked more relieved than joyful. That expression felt so familiar that I couldn’t help but smile.
Then I opened my pocket dimension and took out a necklace and an earring.
“Where did those suddenly come from? And what are they?”
“They’re items called a pocket dimension pouch. Pretty rare, right? See? Your son’s got some skills.”
“My, that’s amazing. Things just appearing out of thin air like that…”
“Haha. Anyway, these are items I happened to get. They can block an attack once in an emergency.”
My mother’s face hardened as she listened to my conversation with my father.
“Something that dangerous…”
“That’s exactly why you need them! The inside of the Break Zone feels pretty risky these days.”
I spoke firmly.
“Wear them whenever you go out! I mean it. Dad, you have to wear yours too, no matter how annoying it is.”
My parents nodded silently and accepted the items.
After chatting with them a little longer, I stood up to leave. My mother followed me to the door.
“Don’t get hurt.”
“Make sure you eat properly.”
“Yeah. Don’t worry.”
“And don’t go to any dangerous places—always look around carefully!”
“I will. Go back inside.”
I left my parents’ house, got in the car, and started the engine. Instead of heading straight home, I turned the wheel toward Dasan-dong in Namyangju. It wasn’t far from my parents’ place, yet it wasn’t too far from the city center either. It was easy to head toward Cheongpyeong, and the road to Chuncheon wasn’t bad. For me right now, having multiple directions open was more important than being toward any one side.
I stopped by a real estate office and looked at several places. Because it was a new town, most of the buildings were in good condition. One in particular caught my eye. I decided on that one.
A 34-pyeong unit. Three bedrooms. The living room was comfortably spacious without being excessive, and the natural light coming through the windows was decent. There was no need to look any further. The layout was convenient for living and practical for bringing in other people if needed.
I received the contract and only checked the necessary parts. After signing, I stepped outside—the sun was already setting.
On the way back to the car, I gripped the steering wheel and thought for a moment. It wasn’t too far from my parents, and it was close enough that I could reach them quickly if needed. That was enough for my current situation.
I drove straight home. That was enough for today.
Exactly one week later, I moved into the house I had signed for. I had the money, and I barely had any belongings to move. Thinking about it, calling it a “move” felt a bit off—it was more like I was just relocating my body.
Before going home, I stopped by Seongwon Industries to settle the auction proceeds. I confirmed the amount President Lee Tae-shik had prepared and took it as is. After the 20% commission, roughly 1.9 billion won remained in my hands. When it came to this kind of business, credit was everything.
With that, I could finally take care of the things I had been putting off.
Starting the day after the contract was finalized, I focused on furnishing the house. Furniture stores, appliance shops, online orders. A bed, sofa, dining table, refrigerator. I knew the choices were excessive for living alone, but since I was settling down, I didn’t want to do things halfway.
Only after paying the balance did all the procedures finally come to an end. It was just a single document, but with it, the ownership transfer was completely finalized. This house was now undeniably mine. The first house I had ever bought in my life.
As I walked through the rooms, I felt better than I had expected. I found myself smiling alone without realizing it. Just the fact that I finally had my own place was enough.
Around the time the move-in date arrived after the contract was signed, the appliances and furniture began arriving. Refrigerator, washing machine, bed, sofa. Once they each found their places, the house started to feel like a home.
Then dishes, bedding, and daily necessities caught my eye. At first, I thought it would be simple, but once I started choosing, there was no end to it. Still, I didn’t mind. From now on, I would be living in this space.
Before I knew it, the spirits had taken my phone and were organizing the order list, dividing and marking items.
“We need this.”
“That would be nice to have.”
“…Why don’t we have that?”
I had no idea what their criteria were, but the list kept growing. That day, I spent the entire time staring at the shopping list until the day ended.
As the house gradually filled up, even though it was clearly spacious for one person, it somehow started to feel full. The reason became obvious soon enough.
Arin began decorating her room with red-toned furniture and ornaments. From curtains to rugs to lighting—everything matched in color. Out of nowhere, she ordered a strangely shaped doll and smiled in satisfaction.
Elly was the complete opposite. She matched her room in blue tones and even brought in a large fish tank on one side of the room. When she released fish into it, I was momentarily speechless.
A fantasy, or something like that… I had no idea why spirits had such fantasies. It seemed like Korean Wave culture had even reached the spirits.
Around the time things were mostly settled, a thought suddenly occurred to me. Maybe I should invite the Investigation Team 3 members over for a housewarming. I chuckled for a moment, then immediately dismissed the idea. The spirits’ rooms came to mind first. Explaining them would be awkward, and it was the perfect setup for misunderstandings. That was also why I still hadn’t told my parents I had bought a house.
After finishing the move, I felt it was time to start moving again. The house was settled, and I was ready to return to my daily life.
The destination was the Cheongpyeong Break Zone.
I had deliberately avoided running into Investigation Team 3 until now because it felt awkward, but I couldn’t avoid it any longer. It was close to my parents’ house, and it was the fastest place to reach from my new home as well. I couldn’t ignore it.
Life had more or less sorted itself out. It was time to return to being a hunter.
The entrance to the Cheongpyeong Break Zone showed no particular abnormalities yet. Traces of multiple cleanups remained, and I dealt with a few C-rank monsters lightly before heading deeper inside.
Even after entering the B-rank monster spawn zone, there were no major issues. While the number of monsters had increased, their movements followed familiar patterns. The hunting never stopped, and I naturally moved even deeper.
It was around the time I approached the boundary of the A-rank zone that I first heard sounds from afar. The clash of metal, the dull explosive bursts of mana. It wasn’t just once or twice—it continued in succession.
I stopped walking and looked around. I had only just entered the B-rank section, yet the sounds I was hearing weren’t normal. The metallic clashes and dull explosions continued without pause, mixed with shouts and beastly roars. This wasn’t the kind of noise that should be coming from this depth.
“Arin, it sounds like there’s some kind of commotion up ahead. Can you check the situation inside for me? Don’t go too deep.”
Arin’s presence naturally slipped forward. She didn’t reveal her existence unnecessarily, nor did she seem to speed up. A moment later, she returned and reported.
“There’s a battle going on inside. Dozens of hunters at least. B-rank monsters are the main force, but A-rank monsters are mixed in too.”
Arin continued.
“There are already a lot of corpses around. Plenty of hunter bodies and monster bodies. The monsters have surrounded the hunters, so it looks difficult for them to retreat. But there’s something strange. The hunters’ outfits are all different. They don’t look like they’re from the same group, and their movements don’t match. They’re not coordinating, and their expressions are all rough. It doesn’t feel like they trust each other while fighting.”
I mulled over Arin’s words for a moment. A hastily gathered group, an unprepared battle, already surrounded. The situation couldn’t be good.
I lowered my body and carefully moved toward the direction of the battle. My presence still hadn’t been noticed from this side. Just a little closer. I needed to see it with my own eyes and judge.
The sound of metal clashing and beasts roaring grew clearer. Every time mana exploded, the air trembled, and the aftershock reached this far. Irregular movements began brushing against the edge of my vision.
The Cheongpyeong Break Zone had long since become a battlefield.