Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: I'm Not Doing Newbie Cosplay!
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Kim Taesung was a C-Rank Hunter affiliated with the Yeohae Guild.
He'd managed to squeeze his way into what was considered one of Korea's top guilds—often called the strongest—thanks to some connections.
But his unique skill was nothing more than basic strength enhancement.
And on top of that, he hadn't put in the relentless effort like others did.
So naturally, he hit his limit pretty quickly.
And because of that, the role assigned to him in the guild—purely on account of being a C-Rank Hunter—was running Academy Parties in Omen Gates.
For guilds ranking in the top five,
along with the perks they received, came various obligations.
One of those was operating Academy Parties with their own personnel to nurture the hunters rising from below.
The justification sounded noble enough, but Kim Taesung knew the truth.
This was essentially a demotion.
To run an Academy Party, you generally needed to be two ranks above the gate's level.
Typically, F-Rank Hunters entered Omen Gates.
Rift Gates were for E-Rank.
Gates and hunter ranks were interchangeable like that, so to lead an Academy Party in an Omen Gate, you had to be at least D-Rank.
Yet they'd handed that job to him, a C-Rank Hunter?
It wasn't a sign of trust.
Despite his C-Rank status, his skills were lackluster, so the guild had just dumped their unwanted chore on him.
In reality, hardly any hunters volunteered for Academy Party duty.
Sure, the guild paid a modest daily wage,
but it was just that—modest. You could make way more efficient money clearing gates you were actually qualified for in that time.
'Wonder what kind of morons will show up for today's Academy Party.'
But hilariously enough, Kim Taesung was quite satisfied with his position.
Not the position itself, but the work matching his temperament perfectly.
Did Kim Taesung have some innate talent for teaching or helping others?
Of course not.
Quite the opposite—he was a petty little man who looked down on others and crushed anyone he deemed beneath him without mercy.
But that's precisely why this Academy Party teacher role suited him to a tee.
In the Yeohae Guild, teeming with monsters and geniuses,
even as a C-Rank Hunter, Kim Taesung couldn't hold his head high.
Outside the guild, he strutted around bragging about his Yeohae affiliation.
But inside, he was just a headache they kept around because they couldn't outright kick him out.
Here, though, it was just an Omen Gate swarming with F-Rank Hunters barely taking their first steps.
And in the Academy Party, strictly the greenest of the green—plenty of prey to stroke his ego.
'That idiot from the day before yesterday couldn't even hold a sword properly, yet he thought he could be a hunter. Everyone and their dog awakens these days. That's the problem.'
Kim Taesung's main role wasn't teaching.
He just watched the newbies bungle and panic among themselves, snickering from the back,
then swooped in at the right moment to clear the dungeon and lord it over them like some smug young fogey.
Telling them how real hunters acted, what mindset they needed,
how to swing their weapons, and if they were that spineless, just quit.
At a glance, it seemed like solid advice from a C-Rank Hunter, meaty and to the bone.
But really, it was him hurling snowballs packed with sharp pebbles to patch his shattered ego.
That was the one hobby—and joy—of a petty man like Kim Taesung.
'Still, these idiots fill my wallet nice and plump, so I shouldn't treat them like total trash. Hmm.'
Plus, this hobby brought in some nice side income.
Before every Academy Party, Kim Taesung always made sure to inform the party members that if he stepped in, all magic stones and items were his.
There were objections sometimes,
but a growl about whether a Yeohae Guild member was lying shut them up quick.
Most hunters scraped together gear with whatever money they had—saved or borrowed from parents—but
few bothered researching the fine print or rules.
Today, too—what prey would satisfy his body and soul?
Despite being a hunter himself, he treated fellow hunters as hunting targets.
Without a shred of guilt, as he paced in front of the Omen Gate,
"Hello. I heard you're looking for rookie hunters...?"
'What the hell kid is this?'
A girl who looked no older than elementary school age approached and spoke,
and Kim Taesung clicked his tongue inwardly in annoyance.
He despised so-called "school lunch kids" or "jammin"—young awakeners.
Maybe because he'd only awakened at twenty-seven and scraped to C-Rank.
Seeing kids awaken young with bright futures ahead just twisted his guts.
"Yes, come on in. You're a rookie, right?"
Even so, Kim Taesung hid his dark thoughts and flashed a bright smile.
Imagining the brat entering the dungeon, freaking out, bursting into tears while he cackled—it lifted his mood right away.
'Fuck, what the hell is this kid doing.'
But that thought didn't last.
Right after entering the dungeon, Kim Taesung sensed something was seriously off.
"Gyumin! Second one from the right—it's targeting Doyeon! Block it!"
"Got it!"
Her white hair fluttering spectacularly.
The girl issuing crisp, swift orders to party members who looked at least ten years older.
And those orders impressed even him, a C-Rank Hunter.
No, beyond impressive—it was weird.
'How the hell does she know?'
The little girl who called herself a buffer somehow anticipated the monsters' moves before they happened and called them out first.
Like she could see the future.
But he'd never heard of such a unique skill.
No awakener anywhere in the world could foresee the future.
Which meant only one thing.
'This shitty school kid's doing newbie cosplay. Obvious as hell.'
Newbie cosplay.
A gaming term for veterans pretending to be noobs to fool others.
It happened in the hunter world too—not common, but streamers multitasking as hunters turned it into content.
Clearing low-rank dungeons with real rookies for videos and racking up views.
New hunters got a kick out of dungeons clearing despite their floundering,
or someone they thought was a fellow newbie suddenly taking charge—plenty of fun moments.
Kim Taesung was convinced the girl before him, Yang Hayang, was one of those.
Otherwise, how could a self-proclaimed rookie show such cool judgment and foresight on her first gate?
'That's why her gear's so shabby. Not even trying to hide the cosplay.'
Her worn standard-issue gear only bolstered his theory.
It'd been four years since awakeners appeared.
Info had spread, and now even first-time hunters broke savings or tapped parents to gear up properly.
But that equipment? Clearly old stock, stored for years.
Probably dug out today for the cosplay after sitting 2-3 years.
She might think it was perfect camouflage, but to Kim Taesung, it screamed amateur.
"Everyone take two. I'll take one."
'Oh ho, yielding magic stones too? Whatever your angle, you're going all out for the camera.'
Lowest-grade stones from Omen Gates fetched about 30,000 won each.
Barely a chicken dinner.
But fresh rookies foot-in-gate obsessed over them, highs and lows.
Her coolly yielding them while winning hearts? Sealed the deal for him.
'Time for a proper schooling. Who does this school kid think she is, messing in my turf?'
The stones didn't matter.
But she'd ruined his fun—his big hero moment saving the party at the end.
Woooong...!
Finally, the exit gate reopened.
Thanks to Yang Hayang's performance, the party emerged unscratched, exchanging polite bows.
"Thanks to you, we cleared it smooth. Hope we party up again sometime."
"I owe you big, Hayang. You look so young, I underestimated you—embarrassing."
"You helped me a ton. See you next time if we can."
"Yeah! Definitely next time!"
Watching Yang Hayang wave cheerfully with a smile amid it all, Kim Taesung clenched his fist.
Only when the rest of the party vanished into the distance did he make his move.
"Ah...! You worked hard too, Taesung. Watching over us..."
She noticed him approaching and hurriedly bowed in thanks—it even looked fake to him.
That snapped his last thread of reason, and he growled.
"Hey."
"...Yes?"
"You little brat, pulling that obvious bullshit in front of an adult? Wanna get hit?"
"W-what are you talking about...?!"
Figuring nice talk wouldn't cut it, he'd gone hard.
She tucked tail quick but clung to the act—disgustingly so.
No, her acting was so sloppy it was unbelievable.
Just moments ago, cool as a commander.
Now flailing hands like her IQ dropped, face crumpling like she'd cry.
'If you didn't know better, she'd pass for a brainless school kid.'
But she couldn't fool his eyes.
"Think I wouldn't notice? Obvious school kid doing newbie cosplay to show off, slumming it here. Didn't learn you get flak for that in Academy Parties?"
Officially, Academy Parties were sacred learning spaces for real newbies.
First steps in dungeons, battling monsters,
getting oriented to hunter life with guidance.
Even without malice,
a higher-rank hunter showing up and basically solo-clearing ruined that.
He had grounds to chew her out.
"I-I don't even know what newbie cosplay is..."
"Shut up. Which guild you with?"
He was Yeohae Guild, after all.
Messing up their Academy Party with cosplay, even if it went smooth and no harm done—it was pierce-worthy.
These brats usually quaked when they realized the mess they'd made blew up.
Kim Taesung shrewdly pressed that point to corner Yang Hayang.
"N-no guild. I just registered as a hunter today."
"Bullshit. Fine. I was gonna let it slide once, but trash like you needs weeding out early."
As he reached for the trembling girl's nape like grabbing a small animal,
Grab—
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?"
A woman with fiery red hair approached and gripped his wrist like she'd crush it.