Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: A Billion Won? Yeah, That's Mine!
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As we emerged from the gate, the dimensional rift melted away like soft snow.
We stumbled out through the haze of red smoke.
The outside was pure pandemonium.
The trainees were filing down from the training grounds one by one, with Instructor Jo leading them from right near the gate.
The situation had wrapped up before the trainees could even fully evacuate.
“Whoa!? They’re out!”
One trainee’s shout hushed the training grounds like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over it.
The other trainees, still stamping their feet in frustration at not having evacuated yet, and Instructor Jo all gaped at us with mouths hanging open.
“Y-You guys…!? How in the world…”
Instructor Jo asked in a trembling voice.
It was a gate anyone could see was at least A-rank, no question—dangerous as hell.
Yet here we were: four mere trainees who’d smashed the core and gotten out in just twenty minutes.
It defied all common sense.
Kim Min-jun glanced back at me, his legs shaking.
Are we really doing this?
Stick to the script we rehearsed. Play it cool.
Min-jun flinched under my glare and turned to Instructor Jo.
“Ahem! As you can see, us White Tiger apprentices handled it.”
“Y-Yeah! You must’ve gotten lucky dodging the boss and smashed the core!”
“Well…”
Kim Min-jun started the act just like we’d rehearsed.
Except it was godawful acting.
“Haha! Yeah, some Blood Fang boss wannabe popped up, but who do you think we are!? White Tiger Guild’s rising stars! With our fantastic teamwork and that… unbreakable camaraderie! We took it down real slick!”
“R-Right! Min-jun hyung stabbed the boss’s weak spot with his sword… that… eyeball or whatever.”
Hyung-seok chimed in from the side, but his eye contact was shaky as hell.
“We’re A-rank, after all! Ha. Ha.”
Se-mo pushed up his battered glasses and forced a grin.
Why not just slap a neon sign on your forehead saying I’m bullshitting you?
“Whoa… insane. An A-rank gate in 20 minutes?”
But the White Tiger name—one of the Big Three guilds—covered for their crappy performance with room to spare.
More than that, trainee or not, they were A-rank awakeners.
The fact they’d gone in with training weapons, or that they were green as grass with zero combat experience, all faded easy next to “A-rank” and “White Tiger.”
“Big corps are on another level. We were sweating even against goblins.”
“These kids are the ones doing hunter work…”
Aws-struck stares poured in from the trainees, turning the White Tiger trio’s ears bright red.
Seeing them flustered like that, yeah—they were still kids.
Instructor Jo let out a sigh of relief and approached the trio.
“Good. Thank god. No casualties… Four A-ranks going in was a miracle.”
He wiped cold sweat from his brow, looking a decade younger.
If the trainees had gotten massacred in there, his head—instructor or not—would’ve rolled too.
But relief was relief, and training was training.
Smack! Whack! Thwack!
“Ow?!”
“Why hit us?!”
“You little punks! Gate screaming danger and you barge right in!? Didn’t you hear me yelling not to go in!?”
Instructor Jo delivered a solid knuckle rap to each of the White Tiger trio.
“Showboating gets you a dog’s death! Disobeying orders in the field means license revoked! Got it!?”
“S-Sorry, sir!”
“Our bad!”
The three clutched their heads and shrank like turtles.
So bold just moments ago—hopefully this scare matured them a bit.
Instructor Jo huffed over to me next.
My turn.
I wondered if it’d actually hurt.
His hand froze mid-air as curiosity flickered through me.
He sighed at me and slowly lowered it.
“Sigh… What’s the point in hitting a kid who rushed in to look out for his team?”
No hit, huh.
Kinda disappointing now.
I was curious if it’d hurt or not.
“You were reckless too, but rushing in as the eldest to protect the young’uns? Commendable.”
The instructor patted my shoulder and hurried back to lead the trainees.
See? Live right, and fists swerve even when you half-want ‘em.
“Situation clear!! Training’s done for today. Back to barracks, everyone!”
The trainees whooped and stampeded down the mountain.
We blended into the crowd for our final descent.
The rescue team and ambulances from the Association president barely arrived before turning right back around, scrambling.
In the midst of it, familiar faces appeared in the distance.
Yoo Na-yeon and Han Yoo-jung were rushing over, faces pale.
My eyes met Na-yeon’s as she looked up.
She checked my limbs were all intact, then finally relaxed into a relieved smile.
Han Yoo-jung next to her clutched her chest and collapsed right there.
That’s how worried they were, huh.
Two S-ranks fretting like that? Honestly, I was grateful.
Gotta buy ‘em dinner next time.
I gave an awkward wave.
I’m back safe. Tadaima.
Third morning.
We Group 7 were exempt from the final mental training before the closing ceremony.
As the ones who’d explored inside the gate, we had to give statements first.
The interviews happened not in some drab interrogation room, but a bright office.
My handler was Yoo Na-yeon.
“Name: Lee Sang-hyuk. Affiliation: Hunter Association HQ. Correct?”
“Yeah.”
“Trainee #161, Lee Sang-hyuk! Answer properly!”
Na-yeon clicked her pen sternly, face all serious as she scolded me.
This girl’s loving the roleplay.
Did the Association president really pay her to goof off?
She’s got way too much free time.
“Yes, correct. Hunter Yoo Na-yeon.”
“Good. Now, give your statement on yesterday. What exactly did you see inside, how’d you fight?”
I recited our rehearsed model answer with the White Tiger trio.
Kim Min-jun led with wind to clear paths, Se-mo froze monsters’ feet with ice magic, Hyung-seok covered with arrows.
I just cheered from the back.
Not total lies, so easy to spin.
Na-yeon sipped coffee, laughing like it was ridiculous.
“Pfft. Might as well write a novel.”
“All true, though?”
I shrugged innocently.
“Blood Fang’s feet stuck by kids’ magic, neck sliced by trainee blades. Huh? You think I’m some gullible fool?”
Hmm. Maybe a stretch.
But if they don’t buy it, what’re they gonna do?
Na-yeon scribbled my words on the form for show, glanced around, then lowered her voice.
“Fine. I’ll log it like that. White Tiger kids said the same—no issues.”
“Thanks. Saved me a hassle.”
Na-yeon shoved the papers aside and propped her chin, staring me down.
“But Sang-hyuk. You know this, right?”
“Know what?”
“Association’s on edge right now. That gate? Man-made.”
Figured as much.
Same bastard behind the department store incident.
No Dungeon Break this time ‘cause the idiot trio blundered in clueless.
“Any chance of catching the perp?”
Na-yeon’s face hardened at my question.
“No signs of outside intrusion. Except that cotton candy guy—but we had eyes on him nonstop.”
“So who did it?”
“Secret, but… high chance it’s an inside job.”
Inside job?
Just instructors and fresh-faced trainees here.
“Brass suspects a spy among the trainees. Had an investigation team sweep at dawn.”
“Investigation team means…”
“Mental-type awakeners, yeah. Scanned memories while everyone slept. Quick, a few hours.”
I furrowed my brow.
“That’s illegal, right? Reading memories without evidence or consent?”
“Told you—secret.”
Chilling stuff.
Abilities meant for grilling criminals, used on promising trainees—without permission, while they slept.
I knew the industry trampled human rights, but this bad?
No wonder I hide my identity.
“Wait, they didn’t scan mine too…”
“Even if they wanted to, level gap’s too big. Couldn’t read it.”
Small mercy in the mess.
“So. They find the culprit?”
“That’s the issue. Scanned every trainee—no red flags. Just memories of grueling training and wanting to go home.”
“No way one of the instructors…”
“That’d be a headache. Memory scans wouldn’t catch prep done ahead of time.”
True.
Instructors could prep terror anytime, anticipate audits and scans.
So this is the hunter world.
Glamorous outside, brutal and tangled within.
Which industry isn’t, though…
“Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll watch my back. Lips sealed on this, don’t worry.”
“Yeah. You’re sharp—you get it.”
Serious talk done, Na-yeon flashed her usual playful grin.
“Lucky you. Group 7’s early discharge confirmed, right? Thrilled to head home solo?”
“Who wouldn’t be?”
I chuckled and stood.
First time ditching delivery for “confinement”—but clocking out early felt damn good.
Home sweet home. Early discharge!
Me and the White Tiger trio packed under envious stares and strutted out the main gate.
Great weather, fresh air.
Best of all? The envelope in my hand.
[Awakener Mandatory Training Completion Certificate]
Training stipend of 300,000 won already hit my account.
Peanuts, sure—but money’s money, 10k or 100k, feels good landing in the bank.
“Hyung-nim! Thanks for everything!”
Waiting for a taxi at the gate, Kim Min-jun, Han Se-mo, and Lee Hyung-seok snapped to attention and saluted.
They knew I’d saved their hides, at least.
No brushing me off as an outsider—their loyalty to White Tiger’s savior ran deep.
Guess shredding that Blood Fang left an impression.
“Yeah. You guys worked hard too. Thanks to you, I get early out.”
“No way! We just rode your coattails, hyung-nim.”
As Kim Min-jun bowed ramrod-straight, Se-mo grinned ear-to-ear and offered a shopping bag.
“This… it’s not much, but our token of thanks. Gate loot and some guild nutritionals.”
Inside gleamed the red mana stone from the Blood Fang.
Smaller than expected, but after total annihilation, even this scrap was a win.
“Mana stone? We said you guys took it down—keep it.”
“As expected of hyung-nim! A mana stone from an A-rank boss? At least 1 billion won!”
“But I did take it down. Fair’s fair—I’ll claim it.”
I reached for the stone but paused.
Kids with sudden big bucks? Bad for their education.
Pfft.
Kim Min-jun, tense since yesterday, finally relaxed and laughed.
“Puhahaha!”
“Hah, you’re hilarious!”
We all cracked up together. No one held back.