The Forgotten Legend
Maeng Juim.
About twenty years ago, during the early days of the Babel Tower's appearance.
During those chaotic times, he was a hunter who practically ruled South Korea, ranking within the nation's top ten.
While his individual abilities were impressive, the team he belonged to, Demons, was legendary for their flawless synergy.
They were so formidable that they were said to be stronger than the team of the number one ranked hunter at the time.
Naturally, they were the undisputed top earners of contribution points in the early days of the tower.
It was no exaggeration to say that Demons carried South Korea's tower climbing efforts on their backs.
That was, until that incident occurred.
INCIDENT:The 49th Floor Mermaid Kidnapping Incident
It wasn't an incident where a mermaid was kidnapped.
It was an incident where a hunter was kidnapped by mermaids.
And that hunter was none other than Maeng Juim.
The mermaids of the 49th floor were notorious for being far more ferocious and dangerous than any beastmen or wild beasts encountered in the 40s.
At the time, South Korea was repeatedly attempting to clear the 49th floor to break into the 50s, and the pressure on Demons was immense.
Because of this, Maeng Juim ended up using an ability he never should have used.
Maeng Juim's trait was Charm.
Essentially, it was a trait that made him attractive to other races and monsters.
Thanks to this trait, Maeng Juim had survived countless crises.
Sometimes by drawing aggro, other times by catching enemies off guard.
His growth accelerated even further when he reached level 30 and acquired his second trait, Confusion.
His skills were improving day by day.
Until he encountered the swarm of mermaids on the 49th floor.
The 49th floor required hunters to survive the onslaught of a mermaid swarm while isolated on an island.
Because the mermaids possessed innate mental defense, Maeng Juim's Charm trait didn't work properly.
The Demons' standard strategy relied on beating down monsters dazed by Maeng Juim's trait. With his charm rendered useless, clearing the floor became exponentially harder.
The mermaids did not miss this opening and relentlessly pressured Demons.
Finally, just as his teammates were on the verge of being skewered by the mermaids' tridents, Maeng Juim activated a skill he had never used before.
He used Temptation.
Temptation, which lured monsters to the user, was nothing short of the ultimate aggro skill.
Thanks to it, his teammates managed to escape the mermaids' clutches and flee the 49th floor.
However, Maeng Juim did not return from the tower for a fortnight.
Two weeks later, he miraculously returned, only to immediately announce his retirement.
He vanished from the hunter community just like that.
Once ranked tenth in South Korea and enjoying celebrity-like popularity due to his handsome looks, Maeng Juim spent years in hiding.
Now, he was just a middle-aged man in his fifties with a scruffy beard and a protruding belly.
He had reached a point where even the Charm trait could no longer salvage his appearance.
"Back then, the mermaids were absolutely crazed."
"Twice, no, five times more than usual!"
"Hunter Maeng's ability even affected humans..."
With his former teammates' testimonies proving the danger of his ability, his team disbanded, and no hunters willing to stand by his side, he had declared his retirement.
Everyone, including Maeng Juim himself, believed he would never show his face in the hunter community again.
Yet, ironically...
Lee Taepyeong.
A rookie hunter dubbed the "super rookie" summoned Maeng Juim for the raid to clear the Tsushima Island Demonic Outbreak.
With the subjugation of Tsushima Island, Maeng Juim's life was about to enter a brand-new phase.
"Hunter Maeng Juim, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
I was the very first to greet him.
Scratch, scratch.
Maeng Juim stared at me blankly while scratching his belly.
"Lee Taepyeong?"
"Yes, sir!"
"You look better in person."
"Oh, come on. I can't compare to you, Hunter Maeng."
I offered him a handshake with a bright smile.
Grab.
Maeng Juim grabbed my hand with the same hand he had just used to scratch his stomach.
"How do you know who I am?"
"I saw you a lot in coffee commercials when I was a kid."
"Coffee... Ah, Starfox?"
"Yes! 'If you crave smoothness, Starfox.' That one!"
"That was over ten years ago. I don't even remember it."
"That's fine. I remember it for you."
I shook his hand enthusiastically.
Whispers erupted from behind us.
"Maeng Juim?"
"Who's that?"
"You know, the guy who retired over ten years ago..."
"Haven't you heard of the mermaid incident?"
"Why bring back someone who retired so long ago?"
"I heard Hunter Lee Taepyeong personally requested him...?"
Everyone seemed quite bewildered.
Well, that was understandable.
He was a hunter who had retired ages ago.
No one knew if his skills were still intact.
But I absolutely needed Maeng Juim.
Because...
Thud.
At that moment, Choi Muryeong stood up from his seat.
"Introductions can wait."
"..."
"First, let's divide into teams."
Just what I wanted.
I raised my hand high and spoke.
"I'm definitely teaming up with Hunter Maeng Juim."
"..."
Choi Muryeong's eyebrow twitched.
"Huh?"
Maeng Juim also looked dumbfounded.
But for me, Maeng Juim was the absolute top priority.
"You can't just decide things on your own like—"
"Is there anyone else who wants to go with Hunter Maeng?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence.
I was the only one with my hand raised.
I grinned and looked at Choi Muryeong.
"See?"
"..."
"Since Hunter Park Geumja will be staying in Busan anyway, let's just count her as part of our team."
"..."
"And we don't really need a fourth member."
"What...?"
"A two-man team of me and Hunter Maeng, and a five-man team for the rest of you. How about that?"
"That is out of the question."
Choi Muryeong shook his head firmly.
He fell into thought for a moment, then spoke.
"I will join Hunter Lee Taepyeong's team. Hunter Ban Haeyeong, Hunter Han Sion, Hunter Seo Inha, and Hunter Sim Iyeong will form a four-man team."
"Oh?"
"Is there a problem?"
"Hmm... Do you have mental defense?"
Choi Muryeong looked at me as if asking why I was even bringing that up.
"I do."
"Well, then it's fine."
I shrugged.
If you want to survive around Maeng Juim...
You absolutely needed mental defense, whether through a skill or an item.
In my case, I was fine because of the Quiet Eira Forest's Earring I had received from Nairin.
Since it was an elven item, its effects were guaranteed.
Choi Muryeong stared at Maeng Juim and spoke in a cold voice.
"I know you were once an outstanding hunter."
"..."
"But if your skills have rusted even a little..."
"..."
"You had better give up on going to Tsushima Island."
Maeng Juim let out a hollow chuckle.
"Well, now."
Maeng Juim narrowed his eyes as he looked at Choi Muryeong.
"My skills are actually too good even now, and that's the problem."
"..."
Choi Muryeong turned his head away.
What an insolent brat. No matter how strong he is, the age difference is...
"Hey."
It was then.
Maeng Juim gestured to me.
"Can we talk for a second?"
"Of course."
I quickly followed him out.
We walked to the terrace at the end of the hallway.
As soon as Maeng Juim stepped onto the terrace, he lit a cigarette.
Puff. Puff. Puff.
He began to smoke aggressively.
He finished one in the blink of an eye and immediately lit another.
"You said your name is Lee Taepyeong?"
"Yes, sir."
"I know you're pretty famous these days."
"Thank you."
"You're doing well."
"Not at all."
"I only have one question."
Inhale.
He took a deep drag of the smoke.
Exhale.
Maeng Juim let out a long sigh.
"Why me?"
"..."
"If a young kid like you knows my name..."
"..."
"You must know exactly what I did."
"..."
The tip of his cigarette glowed red.
There was no sadness or anguish in Maeng Juim's voice.
Instead, it was filled with pure exhaustion.
"You saved your teammates from the mermaid swarm, didn't you?"
Ha!
Maeng Juim burst into laughter.
"Hey, kid."
"Yes?"
"Can you really call that saving them?"
"..."
"I just drew aggro and died by myself."
"But you're alive, aren't you?"
"No."
"..."
"I died in the tower that day."
The eyes of the man saying this were completely hollow.
"Why do you think I, someone who has been hiding for over a decade, crawled out at your call?"
"I don't know. Did you miss being a hunter?"
"Not a chance."
"Then why?"
"Because I want to die now."
Well, that was unexpected.
I scratched the back of my head.
"Do you know what my nickname is?"
"Isn't it Maeng-kkong-i?"
"It's Succubus, you punk. Succubus."
Puff, puff, puff. The speed of his smoking accelerated.
"No matter how hard I try to live, fuck..."
"..."
"Is that a fitting nickname for a grown-ass man?"
"Well, since a succubus is a female demon, it is a bit of an unusual nickname."
"Ha, you're a real piece of work, aren't you?"
"I hear that a lot."
"You have no idea how I've lived since that day."
Of course I didn't.
How could Lee Taepyeong, who was currently tearing up the tower with the Heavenly Slaughter Star trait, possibly understand how a middle-aged man with the Charm trait survived in South Korea?
"Yeah, I wouldn't know."
At my blunt reply, Maeng Juim stared at me again, looking utterly dumbfounded.
"...What did you say, you punk?"
"But here's the thing, Hunter Maeng."
"..."
"If you had some generic trait like Iron Fist or Diamond Body, I wouldn't have called you here."
Drop.
The cigarette fell from Maeng Juim's mouth.
Swipe.
I picked up the cigarette and tossed it into the ashtray.
"Your trait, Charm."
"..."
"I don't think there's a single aggro skill in South Korea—no, in the entire world—that can beat it."
"What?"
"Honestly, that 49th-floor incident too."
"..."
"Wasn't it a success, not a failure?"
"Wh-what...?"
"Everyone survived because Temptation worked."
"..."
Maeng Juim's face contorted into a strange expression.
His eyes flickered with a mix of comprehension and confusion.
"If it weren't for that, how else would your teammates have made it out of the tower alive?"
"That's..."
"Technically, you neutralized the mermaid swarm with a single Temptation, which triggered the clear condition and allowed them to return, didn't it?"
"Uh, well..."
"And you're the only hunter who survived in the tower for two whole weeks and made it back."
"..."
"That's why I need you."
"..."
"Hunter Maeng Juim."
I pulled a fresh cigarette from the pack he had dropped and handed it to him.
Take.
Out of habit, Maeng Juim placed the cigarette between his lips.
"So, you're saying you just don't like the nickname Succubus, right?"
"...Y-yeah, that's right."
"Don't worry."
"Huh...?"
"Once the Tsushima subjugation is over."
"..."
"I'll make sure you get a brand-new nickname."
Maeng Juim stared at me with an utterly baffled expression.
He looked like he was thinking, What the hell is this kid trying to pull?
Heh.
Whether he thought that or not.
I smiled warmly and lit his cigarette for him.
"How does 'Kappa Slayer' sound?"