Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Misfortune
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-Bro, is that the guy? That weak-looking nerd has all that money?
-Yeah, that's him. Get ready. He's worth 1 billion each—1 billion! Let's have some fun without holding back, relieve some stress, and make a buck today!
-Hell yeah! With that kind of cash, we'd better take it lying down. Let's gear up quick!
They'd been tailing Shin Juha this whole time, and the moment he stepped into the outskirts, they sprang into action.
The outskirts were the one lawless zone in the Black Market beyond the reach of the surveillance team and Black Money's eyes!
Kang San, an [F+] Rank Hunter, flashed a sinister grin as he revealed himself along with his underlings.
The thrill of the impending battle surged to the top of his head, making his body tremble. With that wicked smile still plastered on his face, he issued the command.
"It's been a while, so let's toy with him nice and slow before killing him."
"No blowback, right?"
"Of course not. The client already confirmed it. Ah... 1 billion means I can finally head topside for a bit!"
The group of five was originally a party that operated in the Tutorial zones.
Led by Kang San, the eldest and party leader, they consisted of one [F] Rank Hunter and three [F-] Rank Hunters.
Whether it was good luck or bad, these guys who'd been delinquents since high school had all Awakened and stuck together tightly. They couldn't hide their ugly natures and committed crimes that drove them all the way out here to the Black Market outskirts.
"Bro, the guy's heading into the alley like a gift. Time to work him over."
"Yeah. Idiot's practically begging us to kill him! Let's go, boys!"
And so, that foolish and vile evil sealed its own doom.
"Hey~! You there, mask-wearing nerd! Come chat with us a sec!"
'They're here.'
I stopped in my tracks and turned around.
Somehow, they'd already blocked off all three alley exits and were closing in slowly—criminals through and through.
One behind me, two on each side. The only thing to watch for was their coordinated ambush.
I took a deep breath to steady myself and sharpened my senses to their peak.
"Heh heh heh, nice to meet ya. Wonder why a nerd like you is wandering our turf so carelessly?"
"You step into our turf, you pay the toll!"
"The toll's your life."
Crude, petty, and childish voices echoed from all sides, but I didn't waver.
I just clenched my fists, bracing for the fight ahead.
'All five have swords.'
From the strength I sensed, three were [F-] Rank, one [F] Rank, and one [F+] Rank—a pretty solid party by their standards.
Even with the Infinite stat and dumping 20 points into it at once, this would be a tough fight.
I had no weapons or advanced martial arts.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say all I had was some self-defense honed from goblin hunts—basic experience at best.
But for some reason, I wasn't scared at all.
The system message confirmed these guys were my so-called bad luck personified.
"So, nerd, why'd you come all the way out to these outskirts?"
"Why do you care? What's it to you?"
"Why wouldn't it be? This is our turf fair and square!"
I let out a hollow laugh at Kang San's bluff.
"You lot, who can't even escape F Rank, claim a piece of the Black Market?"
Lies have to make sense for anyone to pretend to buy them. This was just pathetic—no thrill, no fun, nothing.
"You little shit! What makes you so cocky? You're just a fresh 0-level Awakened Hunter. Even if we're stuck at F, we can easily kill a punk like you!"
My smirking face hardened in an instant.
"What? Surprised I saw your Status Window? You've been bluffing all this time, kid! Think slapping an A-Rank card on your chest makes you some high-rank Hunter? Boo-hoo-hoo! Look at our nerd freaking out!"
"Puhahaha! He didn't piss his pants, did he, bro?!"
How'd they know?
One thing was sure—they'd never checked my Status Window. My senses hadn't picked up a thing.
So how did they know I was level 0, freshly Awakened?
Retracing my thoughts for a moment, I smacked my forehead in realization as one person came to mind.
'That fox bastard!'
No wonder I felt off when I went in for the consultation. He'd used his ability to peek at my Status Window.
Back then, without the Infinite stat, I'd brushed it off as nothing, but now I remembered—a faint tug on my senses.
"Ah... what filthy, petty Misfortune."
"Keh heh heh! Now that you know your place, hand over that card nice and easy!"
Kang San shot a glance backward as he spoke. A subtle signal any rookie Hunter would miss, but I read it instantly.
Shring!
The guy behind me drew his sword in a flash and thrust it forward. The sharp blade hurtled straight for my shoulder.
"Hup!"
My heightened senses had warned me, so I just twisted my shoulder slightly to dodge.
"Wha... huh?"
The sword sliced empty air instead of my shoulder. The [F] Rank Hunter gripping it blurted out a dumbstruck voice.
But that split-second opening was fatal.
Seizing it, I slammed down on his sword wrist. The moment he dropped the blade, I drove my foot into his solar plexus.
"Gahk!"
The [F] Rank Hunter flew back and crashed into the wall.
"Fuck! What the—?"
"Sang-rim!"
"Wha... what the hell? He's supposed to be level 0!"
Maybe because the strongest after their boss went down without a fight?
The faces of those who'd eagerly awaited my screams twisted in horror.
"Hoo... now it's a fair fight. It's no fun if only you have swords."
I picked up the sword from the unconscious [F] Rank Hunter on the ground.
The Infinite stat's gift of martial talent—faint, but it hit the moment I gripped the hilt.
How to attack, how to dodge, the path the blade should trace.
"You're after my card and my life, probably. I've got questions for you too, so...!"
Before I even finished, I kicked off and charged the nearest foe.
"Let's settle this!"
My sword whipped from left to right, smashing into his blade with a Heavy Strike.
Clang!
"Kgh!"
Sparks flew as blades clashed, and the groan came from him.
He panicked. Sure, his talent sucked, keeping him at [F-] for over five years. But with two of the core physical stats unlocked and over 20 points each, how was he losing an arm-wrestle to a level 0 Hunter?!
"Wha... what is this?! What trick did you pull?!"
"What trick? You picked the wrong opponent. Thought levels were everything?"
Of course, it was laughable from my side. I was a Mythic Hunter with two Mythic stats, after all.
"Bullshit! You're just a fresh Awakened punk!"
I dodged their frenzied, denial-fueled swings and fell back momentarily.
The time their rage bought was enough for the other three to join in, four swords converging on me at once.
"Tch!"
No matter how tough the Infinite stat made my body or how much martial talent it gave, I couldn't evade all four.
Thud!
I kicked the ground and leaped high to dodge, but...
"Where you going?!"
Kang San's sword dogged me relentlessly, slicing my thigh.
"Argh! Damn it."
Hot blood streamed down, the searing pain snapping me alert and igniting fury.
"Kahaha! I don't know what Unique Ability you Awakened, but you're still a green rookie who's never hunted properly!"
"Shut up."
Fine, I admit it. I underestimated you too much. Got arrogant with my new power, sloppy and naive.
Treated you like the goblins that died under my hands—forgetting one of them killed me in the end.
I'd held off using it to avoid the cost, but...
"Now I'll fight for real."
I activated one ability. The highest-grade Unique Ability I'd confirmed while slowly luring them in.
A translucent scale materialized behind me.
"Grant me the overwhelming power to crush them!"
"Exchange."
Pay coins of equal value to gain the power I desire. That's the might of this origin-grade Unique Ability, Equivalent Exchange!
"What the hell are you—?!"
As expected from an experienced [F+] Rank Hunter. Kang San was the first to sense something was up and charged at me with everything he had.
"Die!!"
But too late.
Exactly 250,000 usable Purple Coins vanished from my inventory.
A shiver raced through my body once more, and I thrust my hand out, slapping the flat of his incoming sword.
Bam!
The sound was too alien for mere sword-on-fist. Kang San's blade flew from his hand, spinning through the air before slamming into the ground.
"Th-this... what...?"
He had every reason to be stunned. He'd boosted his Strength with a Unique Ability, powered up his attacks with a skill, even gained Agility—yet he lost!
'A mere level 0 not only reads my attack but disables me?!'
"M-monster!"
Kang San had no choice but to say it. This was a being from another world. Not some bottom-feeder scraping by in the shadows like them, but a radiant genius ascending to the stars.
In that instant, he realized it—the terror and pressure of facing a high-rank Hunter, and one undeniable fact.
No matter what he did, he couldn't beat the Shin Juha before him!
"Sleep for a bit!"
With that, Kang San's consciousness faded under my flying fist.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Gurk! Guh! Gyaa!
Three punches later, I'd knocked out the remaining scrubs. I sighed and checked them over.
Pathetic bottom-feeders turned criminal trash.
'Not that I don't get it.'
Excluding the promising talents, [F-] to [F] Rank Hunters who don't graduate the Tutorial make their living hunting monsters in the Tutorial fields.
But the money from that is pathetically low for a Hunter's income.
And since F-Ranks make up the vast majority, even with countless vast Tutorials, monsters run short.
E-Rank Hunters raid Abyses and real-world Dungeons, pulling in thousands a month.
Before regression, as an [F-] vet, I scraped by on 500-700 a month at best.
Sure, that's still above average for regular jobs.
But it factors in life-risk pay, higher expenses than office work, and Hunters love splurging—it's never enough.
You might die tomorrow, so why not buy the best gear and potions, live luxuriously while you can?
'I half-dabbled in crime myself thanks to those loan shark bastards.'
Still, wrong is wrong.
I sheathed the sword with a sigh and opened my inventory, pulling out my best potion. I doused my thigh wound—bone-deep, blood gushing.
Sizzle!
"Hss!"
Intense sting, then rapid regeneration as smoke rose from the closing flesh.
"Now... what to do with you?"
Ultimately, the fox bastard was why they targeted me.
Obviously, a Black Money employee trying to kill a customer is unforgivable, even for an underworld bank.
And from the looks of it, this wasn't their first rodeo.
'Need solid proof.'
My eyes flashed as I stood, approaching the unconscious Kang San and slapping his face without hesitation to wake him.