Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Seoul
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The suffocating silence in the VIP room was broken by the return of the branch manager.
"It looks like everything's been handled smoo...?"
He burst through the door, freezing in place upon spotting Seo Ye-rin, his face a picture of genuine shock.
"Boss... ma'am?"
"You. Pay cut. Three months."
"Ah... Understood."
His shoulders slumped under the client's unyielding command and the promise of lost wages. But the punishment didn't end there.
"Pfft! You. Cleaning. One month."
"No way! Please, anything but cleaning!"
"No. Cleaning. One month. Take responsibility for the loss."
"Damn it! Do you know how much hell I went through to escape cleaning duty?!"
"Angry? Die?"
"...No, sir. Thank you. I'll work hard!"
I had no idea what this "cleaning" entailed, but seeing the branch manager freak out like that... it was probably best not to ask.
Seo Ye-rin popped a candy into her mouth and casually asked if he wanted to die. The air around her sharpened in an instant, even though it wasn't laced with killing intent—just half-joking.
'Gives me chills.'
'Her mana must have reacted to her will.'
She was an S-rank hunter who wielded the power of words. Her speech carried real force.
I couldn't sense mana yet without a Magic Power stat, but my heightened senses from the Infinite stat were screaming a warning.
Stay away from Seo Ye-rin if you want to live.
I instinctively took a step back from her domain. It felt completely natural.
"Oh ho~! Interesting."
"...Your senses are sharp. And you don't even have mana."
That move only drew even more attention from the two of them.
"Ahem! So, uh, could we hear how it went?"
I cleared my throat, turning away from their intense stares, and hurried the conversation along.
"Ah! Sorry about that. The mercenaries to transport your sister to the Miracle Guild Hospital VIP room in Seoul have all been assembled and are already en route. They're all C-rank and C- rank mercs from Black Money, so no worries. With the boss here, no one's crazy enough to mess with a client's family."
Wow!
I nodded and bowed to the branch manager.
"Thank you. Now my sister can be transferred safely."
"No need to thank me. Considering that fox bastard's rudeness to you, this is the least we could do."
"Agreed. Apology."
"...No, it's more than enough."
An S-rank hunter bowing her head. Who knew receiving a damn apology could feel so burdensome and terrifying?
"Next, we've secured a place for you to stay in Seoul. Luckily, we own a three-story house right near the Miracle Guild Hospital, so we're giving it to you for free. Oh, and it's up against a mountain—the mountain's ownership will be transferred too."
"For free?"
"Yes! Technically, it's a mansion the boss bought, but she's offering it as part of her apology."
"Right. Compensation. I. Have. Many houses."
A house and mountain worth tens or hundreds of billions, just handed over?
"I won't refuse. I've lived so poor, I love free stuff."
"No need to refuse. This isn't the end of the compensation."
More? Now it was starting to feel overwhelming.
That fox's screw-up must have been bigger than I thought. Even for an underworld bank, trust is everything when handling clients' money.
Part of this compensation was surely hush money.
'Not like I'd blab about it anyway.'
Would I go around bragging about committing a crime just because things worked out?
"Hold on. Card."
"Ah! Here it is."
He handed over a red card marked with an A. Seo Ye-rin lightly touched it, and the letter expanded to three: VIP.
"VIP?"
"Yes. We wanted to make you VVIP, but the process is a hassle. The boss used her authority to grant VIP status."
VIP meant 15% fees. A massive 30% drop from the brutal 45%.
I suppressed a grin and bowed again.
"Thank you!"
"No problem. Just... please keep this from leaking outside."
"Of course. With all this and meeting an S-rank hunter, who'd I be to talk unless I'm insane? Handle those mercs yourselves, Branch Manager."
Kang San and his goons—the bait used to catch the fox—were probably locked up somewhere in Black Money by now.
"They're already dealt with."
Or dead, it seemed.
"Well then. I'll be going. Watch him."
Only after confirming all compensation and my silence did Seo Ye-rin stand and leave.
The air lightened noticeably once she was gone.
"Phew!"
"Hoo!"
The branch manager and I exhaled deeply in unison, no words needed.
"Looking forward to seeing you again, Customer Shin Juha."
I nodded at him finally using my name.
'A warning?'
Not just that, but calling me by name definitely carried a caution.
We know who you are—keep your mouth shut!
"I get it. Don't worry. And thanks for the compensation. I'll be off now."
"Safe travels! One of our staff should be at the house to guide you."
And so I left Black Money, pocketing my VIP card with a satisfied smile as I exited the Black Market.
"To Seoul, please."
I had nothing much to pack for the move. The rooftop room had no essentials worth taking anyway.
It was just a crash pad—out at dawn to earn money, back near midnight for a quick sleep.
Exhausted, I took a taxi all the way to Seoul and dozed off. I woke to the driver's voice some time later.
"Whoa! Thank you!"
I'd promised triple the fare, so the driver was thrilled with the payout. Stepping out, I gazed at the building before me.
Miracle Guild. Not one of the top five major guilds, but always mentioned alongside them—a powerhouse.
And for good reason. They only recruited healers, holy knights, or those who wielded divine power.
The Miracle Hospital stood before me: a hospital and guild HQ built on their vast healer resources.
From day one, it outranked all famous hospitals, claiming the top spot—and never relinquished it.
"Ah! You're the one who called ahead? For a VIP single room?"
I nodded to the polite receptionist.
Veteran that she was, she explained without a hint of rudeness despite my shabby appearance. I pulled out my card.
"Ten million a day. Two hundred fifty million a month. Two point eight billion a year, right?"
"...Yes. Correct."
"I'll pay a year upfront. Spot available?"
"Yes! One opened up a few days ago. You can move in right away. And the patient?"
"Coming now."
I watched my sister arrive, flanked by two mercenaries.
Seeing her comatose, like she was dead, brought a pang of frustration.
'Hang on.'
When I checked the first-floor Golden Treasury inventory, I hadn't looked for my own enhancements first.
Potions to cure my sister's mystery illness!
And I found it quickly.
《→Elixir 》
No appraisal skill, so I didn't know its exact effects. But this elixir was beyond the legendary one every hunter dreamed of.
In the treasury, where value determined placement, it sat below the regular Elixir.
'Before regression, the one and only Elixir was bought by a Middle Eastern A-rank hunter—the richest guy around.'
Priced at two point eight trillion. It permanently ignored all debuffs, downgraded statuses, and massively extended lifespan—a miracle drug.
From memory, that Elixir came from a U.S. C-rank hunter who caught a Golden Goblin.
'Just hold on a bit longer.'
I needed to raise ownership fast to withdraw locked items.
'Getting stronger is the only way.'
I clenched my fists, renewing my vow. No more crawling as a bottom-feeder, taking hits this life.
'I'll wake my sister, avenge my parents, and hunt down whoever cursed me with this damn thing!'
With resolve firm, I thanked the mercenaries, admitted my sister, and finally caught my breath.
Hiss! Hiss!
My sister slept inside the life-support capsule—a pinnacle of magitech.
Pre-regression, we couldn't afford such high-grade capsules. Just basic ones with D-rank healer skills every three days.
I walked to the capsule, stared at her sleeping face for minutes, then left the room.
'Mom, Dad. This time, I'll keep your dying wishes no matter what!'
I'd protect my sister with my own hands, come hell or high water.
Whoosh! Bang!
An ashtray flew, smashing precisely into a man's head and shattering.
"What? Say that again? My ears must be playing tricks."
"...Shin Juha seems to have awakened. He beat up our staff sent to finish him and ran. Sorry."
The boss scowled, silently staring at his bleeding subordinate.
"How much did that guy borrow?"
"Three thousand. He's paid back just over eight thousand so far. You'd ordered to recycle him since we'd sucked him dry."
Recycle: forcing debtors with no more juice into illegal organ trade or worse.
It meant this criminal outfit squeezed every last drop— and if Shin Juha hadn't awakened pre-regression, that's how he'd have died.
But the moment he awakened and thrashed five thugs, his value skyrocketed.
'Newbie trash awakenings usually don't open stats.'
Those with potential, though, unlocked stats and good unique abilities right away—the so-called prospects.
No stats, and he couldn't have dominated five guys.
Meaning Shin Juha wasn't some bottom-barrel F-rank worm!
'Shin Juha... Shin Juha...'
As an E-rank himself, the boss knew the gap between F and E well.
That's why he coveted him more. Easy to control—a guy who'd squirmed in his grip.
'Even if I feed scraps to the guilds...'
They were outsiders. If trouble brewed and losses loomed, they'd bail first, feigning ignorance.
'I need at least one more non-F hunter besides me for this company.'
Decision made, the boss addressed his lined-up underlings.
"Find him. Bring Shin Juha back, no matter what. Start nice, talk him down. If not... Cheol-woo."
"Yes, boss!"
"You rough him up and drag him in. Fresh awakening means he's not strong yet. F+ like you can take him easy."
"Got it, boss! What're you idiots waiting for? Move your asses!"
Thus, the boss deployed his right-hand man to hunt Shin Juha. But by then, I'd already fled that hellhole for Seoul.