The Demonic Human Driver
“Ugh…” I stretched as I woke up in my dorm bed. [PM 9:30] It was already 9:30 in the evening.
“Ah. I should’ve eaten dinner before sleeping.”
The moment class ended, I had returned to the dorm. I lay down on the bed thinking I’d only close my eyes for a bit, but ended up sleeping soundly without realizing it. By now, the school cafeteria would definitely be closed.
“I guess I’ll have to go to a nearby convenience store.”
I slipped on my slippers and headed outside. Thud— As I stepped out the school’s main gate, the [CI Convenience Store] came into view right across the street. I figured I’d just grab a lunchbox there and head back.
The light turned green, and just as I was about to cross—
Screech—
A luxurious black sedan pulled up on the other side of the road. A man who looked like a chauffeur stepped out of the driver’s seat and opened the rear door. Cha Jiyun emerged from the back seat.
“....”
She gave the chauffeur a brief nod and walked into the convenience store. Not long after, her arms were filled with all sorts of snacks—[Choco Star], [Jjanghu], and more. She looked down at the pile in her arms with a bright smile that didn’t suit her usual demeanor.
“...”
I stood there blankly watching the scene. She must have felt my gaze, because she suddenly turned her head toward me. Our eyes met.
Her eyes began to tremble as if an earthquake had struck, and she turned to the chauffeur.
“....Kim, the chauffeur.”
“Yes. What is it, Miss?”
The chauffeur quickly approached Cha Jiyun.
“.....You said your daughter likes snacks, didn’t you?”
“Pardon? I don’t have a daughter yet…”
“...I bought these especially at your daughter’s request. From now on, buy them yourself.”
“Huh…? What on earth are you—”
Chauffeur Kim looked completely bewildered. She glanced at me, then dumped the entire pile of snacks from her arms into his.
“Ah… Thank you. I’ll enjoy them.”
“....”
She silently stared at the snacks now piled in Kim’s arms. Her expression looked sullen.
“..Let’s go.”
Bang— She slammed the car door shut with considerable force.
“...Let’s go, Chauffeur Kim.”
“Yes!”
The chauffeur hurried back to the driver’s seat. I watched the man Cha Jiyun called Chauffeur Kim with a sharp gaze. He looked to be in his early thirties, with sharp features.
No doubt about it. That’s him. He’s the Demonic Human who made a contract with a demon. In the future, there are countless routes where he goes berserk and kills Cha Jiyun. I have to eliminate him before that happens.
Even aside from him, there were already numerous Demonic Humans lurking around. People who had contracted with demons. Normally, they were indistinguishable from ordinary humans. But once something triggered them to go berserk, they would instantly gain demonic power and become incredibly strong.
In comparison, my current stats and skills were pathetically weak.
“Ha… I really need to unlock my skills soon.”
Growth felt urgent right now. There was a Demonic Human attack coming next week, after all.
I went into the convenience store, bought a lunchbox to tide me over, and returned to the dorm. Sitting at my desk, I turned on my computer.
Beep—
The monitor screen lit up.
“Let’s see… how much money do I have right now—”
I accessed my bank account on the computer.
[Sunhyeop Bank - Nam Doyun’s Account: 0 won.]
“..........Shit.”
As expected, the account was completely empty.
“Ha… This is bad.”
I went to an online marketplace.
[Tears of Heliwood - 20 million won, 3 remaining in stock.]
I needed this right now. Only with this could I survive the Demonic Human attack next week. It was an essential material to unlock Nam Doyun’s cheat skill.
Without it, there was no way I could defeat a Demonic Human with my current stats and skills.
The problem was that I had no money at all. How was I supposed to come up with 20 million won in just a little over a week? As a mere student, not even an active hunter? It was impossible.
“Ha…”
I let out a deep sigh. What should I do…?
While deep in thought, I happened to come across an article.
The Oriental Guild, represented by Samhwa Group’s second daughter Cha Jiyun, had decided to raid the ‘Labyrinth Swamp’ dungeon the day after tomorrow. Public attention was focused on the Oriental Guild.
As I read the article, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
“No. Now that I think about it, there might be a way.”
I stared at my phone, waiting for her message.
******
“Miss Cha Jiyun has arrived.”
Chauffeur Kim spoke into the intercom.
Click—
The gate opened.
“Miss, we’ll arrive at the Chairman’s location in three minutes.”
“....Yes.”
Her family home was less like a house and more like a grand castle. It had a backyard, a courtyard, and a garden—it was enormous. The chauffeur drove her further inside.
Screech—
“Miss, we’ve arrived.”
The chauffeur opened the rear door. She stepped out. In front of her stood a building in traditional Korean style, but its scale was massive.
“Where is Father right now?”
“He’s in the study.”
“..Thank you.”
She bowed her head slightly and entered the building.
“Welcome, Miss.”
Upon entering, the attendants greeted her.
“.....”
Cha Jiyun gave them a brief nod.
As she walked toward the study, she suddenly stopped. A voice from behind had called out to her.
“Hey, little sister. You saw your big brother but didn’t even greet me?”
“......”
She silently bowed her head.
“Could you all step aside for a moment?”
Her older brother addressed the attendants nearby.
“Yes, understood.”
Soon, only the two of them remained.
“Jiyun. I heard you were appointed as the representative of the guild our company recently established?”
“...That’s correct.”
“Ha…”
He shook his head and continued.
“Jiyun. You still haven’t given up on becoming Father’s successor?”
“......”
She stared at him in silence.
“Jiyun.”
He placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Father entrusted me with electronics and hotels, but he only gave you a single ‘Hunter Guild.’ Don’t you see what that means?”
“......”
“Of course, Hunter Guilds are important in this day and age. Companies without one have to rely solely on mercenaries.”
“.....”
“The problem is that the Hunter Guild industry is already oversaturated. Jiyun, why do you think Father gave you something that’s obviously doomed to fail?”
“....What do you mean?”
She glared at him as she spoke.
“Haha. Why are you acting like this when you’re such a smart girl?”
He laughed dismissively.
“.......”
“He wants you to fail and cleanly wash your hands of management altogether.”
“....... Is that what you think?”
“Of course?”
“...I don’t agree. In this era, the Hunter Guild is arguably more important than the electronics or hotel businesses.”
“Hmm… Let’s say that’s true. But?”
“..It’s true that the probability of failure is high, but the fact that he entrusted me with something so important means he’s giving me an opportunity, doesn’t it?”
“Well, sure. Let’s say that’s the case, for argument’s sake. But your guild is entering the ‘Labyrinth Swamp’ dungeon the day after tomorrow, right?”
“...That’s correct.”
“That dungeon has never been cleared before, so there’s no information on it, while all the hunters in our guild are complete novices.”
“........”
“Statistically, the chance of clearing it in a situation like this is less than 10%. You know that, don’t you?”
“......”
“So instead of failing and making a disgraceful exit, why don’t you just step down gracefully now, hmm?”
“......Whether we clear it or not, we won’t know until we try.”
“Pfft.”
The man chuckled.
“Well, fine. Go ahead and try. I’ll be waiting with anticipation.”
The man left with a sneer.
“...Hoo.”
Cha Jiyun let out a deep sigh in the spot where he had stood. She desperately wanted to succeed in this ‘Labyrinth Swamp’ dungeon raid and wipe that smug look off his face.
Knock knock—
She knocked on the door to her father’s study.
“May I come in?”
*****
After her meeting with her father, she entered her room. She turned on her computer and sat down.
“...Hoo.”
She sighed deeply and opened her KakaoTalk chat window.
Cha Jiyun closed the chat window. To successfully clear the dungeon the day after tomorrow, she needed information about it. But as expected of an uncharted dungeon, there was no publicly available information whatsoever.
What should she do? Should she cancel the raid even now?
While she was pondering this, one person came to mind. The one who had known about the Lich’s defensive magic during the entrance exam—a spell that hadn’t been revealed to the world yet.
Nam Doyun.
If it’s him…
She quietly picked up her phone and made a call.
“Hello?”
Nam Doyun answered.
“....Could we meet for a moment?”