E-Class Hunter Lee Seo-jun

Another shitty dungeon hunt was finally over.

The party members scattered after exchanging goodbyes—everyone except me. Nothing new there.

Today's haul had been double the usual, but my chest still felt hollow. I knew money wasn't the real problem, and I didn't particularly feel like digging for whatever else it might be.

I climbed the subway stairs and pulled out my smartphone, opening the Awakened community app. My thumb scrolled down the party recruitment board until it stopped.

Any openings for an E-class dealer?

The results were pathetic. Every post that popped up carried the same exact line in the conditions.

E-class dealer Lee Seo-jun applications banned.

"…I'm fucked."

Five years since awakening. When I climbed from F-class to E-class, I thought the world was mine for the taking. I was sure D-class was right around the corner. That belief alone was enough to make me take out a bank loan and buy gear in advance.

But I stalled at E-class.

More precisely, my physical stats ticked up a little over time—but I never got a single skill. Not one, from the day I awakened until now.

While everyone else mowed down mobs with ranged skills, I had to charge in bare-handed. That piled up until the parties started calling me dead weight, and eventually I landed on the blacklist.

"An E-class worse than F-class."

That was the nickname they gave me.

Five years later, there was still no sign of a skill. The only thing that arrived without fail every month was the interest collection texts.

Should I just quit being a hunter and work as a dungeon guide instead?

I told myself it was still too early. It didn't make the future look any less bleak.

Then a nasty thought started crawling up from somewhere deep.

Maybe I should join some organization. Even a criminal one—at least the money would be real.

I'd heard rumors that criminal outfits were thriving these days.

Of course it was pure fantasy. Just a thought that crossed my mind, nothing more.

I kept chewing on useless ideas like that until I was home before I knew it.

A basement studio.

I kicked off my shoes and threw myself onto the bed.

I stared blankly at the ceiling.

The F-class woman from today's party suddenly floated into my head.

I couldn't remember her name. The only thing that stuck was those bouncing tits.

The way her chest heaved under the combat suit, that slim waist, the ass that swayed with every step—it all kept flickering in front of my eyes.

…She looked fucking delicious.

But she had a B-class boyfriend.

He was the one who'd put the party together. The reason a B-class would gather a bunch of E-classes was obvious—carry his girlfriend through the dungeon while showing off.

By now she's probably getting railed by that bastard.

My guts twisted. Not that there was a damn thing I could do about it.

I set the phone down and sat in front of the computer. I picked out a porno from the hub, hit play, and finally treated myself to a proper happy time for the first time in a while.

And right as I was about to come—

"Huh…?"

My cock suddenly started burning like crazy. It wasn't the surface heat of a burn; it felt like heat was surging up from deep inside my body. This wasn't normal.

"Fuck, what the hell is this?!"

I was about to call 911 when my head felt like it was about to explode.

"Guhhh…!"

Everything went white. Something rang out inside my skull, but the pain left no room to care.

I clenched my teeth and rode out the pain that felt like it would knock me out cold.

And then—

Ding.

A short notification chime, and the pain vanished completely. As if it had never been there at all. Not a trace left behind.

A translucent window floated up in front of my eyes.

Ding.

What the hell is this, and what was that about 10 trillion sperm?

The voice saying I'd jerked off forty thousand times floated back up, but I didn't have the mental bandwidth to care about any of that right now.

I stared blankly at the window, then tapped Browse.

Dozens of titles unfurled in a long list. Every erotic novel, manga, movie, drama, and game I'd ever consumed, plus original works I'd never even seen before, scrolled out one after another.

My eyes locked onto one of them.

The erotic game I'd left unfinished yesterday.

The Landlord of Rainbow Villa

The story was simple. The old landlord of the villa dies, and his son comes to inherit. Digging through his father's belongings, he finds an old pocket watch; the moment he touches it, hypnosis powers settle into him.

Using that, he takes the villa's women one by one. That was the whole plot.

There barely was a story. But that was the selling point. No ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠complicated thinking required—just enjoy the women and you were done.

So I picked it.

I swallowed hard.

"This… isn't some hidden camera prank, right?"

I glanced around. Just me in the cramped studio. Nowhere to even install a camera.

"Ah, no way."

I thought no way, and pressed Yes.

The scenery flipped in an instant. What appeared before my eyes was a rundown four-story villa.

The name "Rainbow Villa" felt like a joke—paint peeling, iron gate rusted through, railings bent in places.

"This is actually real… right?"

My heart hammered like mad. Five years of humiliation as an E-class felt like it was exploding all at once.

"Heh… hahaha!"

Laughter burst out of me.

I laughed for a long while, then looked up at the villa again.

Damn… the condition on this place is absolutely tragic.

I wondered why anyone would live here—then remembered it was Seoul. That explained everything.

I looked down at myself. Instead of the baggy tracksuit, I was in jeans and a hoodie. I felt my face. Still my own face.

Good. Becoming a completely different guy is not on the menu.

That was when it happened.

"Urgh… so drunk…"

A disgusting sound came from behind me. I turned.

The fat landlord I'd seen dozens of times in the game was staggering toward me. Belly fat rolling under a tank top, greasy hair, drool running from the corner of his mouth, a soju bottle in one hand.

Wow. Seeing him in person, he's twice as revolting.

He stopped right in front of me.

"Who… the hell are youuu!"

Exactly like the game's opening scene. No hypnosis watch yet. The villa women still knew nothing.

The corner of my mouth twisted on its own.

I swept the surroundings fast. Dark alley. Broken CCTV.

The camera had been dead for three years.

No eyes watching.

"You little shit! Who the fuck are you?!"

I took one slow step closer.

"You're exiting the stage."

"What?"

I reached out. Even an E-class was still an Awakened. Strength and speed on a completely different level from ordinary people.

I grabbed the landlord's neck with one hand and twisted.

Crack—

It was almost disappointingly easy. In less than ten seconds, the fat body went limp.

Thud.

…No guilt at all.

Strange. First time killing a person, and my chest actually felt lighter. Was it because this was fiction? Or had I always been this kind of guy? I couldn't tell.

Either way, I felt good. Something hot coiled deep in my lower belly. After the murder, my lust surged even harder.

First, dispose of the body.

Getting discovered would be a pain.

I considered how to handle it, then remembered Storage from the menu earlier.

Does the menu just appear if I think about it?

The moment I thought of the Infinite Library, a translucent window floated up.

I pressed 【Storage】.

I pressed Yes, and the corpse evaporated in an instant.

"…Ha. Convenient."

I dusted my hands lightly and stepped through the villa entrance.

Fourth floor. The landlord's room. From now on, it was mine.

I went straight for the drawers. Cold metal brushed my fingertips.

A silver pocket watch.

The moment I opened the lid, the usage instructions burned themselves into my mind.

Look the target in the eyes and deliver a command. The subject falls into a suggestive state.

Simple. And powerful.

If I take this back to reality…

I opened Storage and tried to put the watch in.

Ah.

Regret climbed all the way up my throat. If I could just bring this power into reality, my whole life would flip overnight.

…Or would it?

Reality already had mind-control type Awakened. Every last one of them was under strict government management. The slightest abuse and you were shipped straight to a containment facility.

Shame, but… whatever. Doesn't really matter.

I had the Infinite Library either way. In the worlds of fiction, I was the rules and the law. No government. No Management Bureau.

I muttered to myself as I slowly descended the stairs.

"Alright then. Time to have some fun."

Third floor, unit 301.

I pressed the doorbell.

Ding-dong—

"…Yes? Who is it?"

A sharp woman's voice came through the door.

I cleared my throat and steadied my voice.

"I'm the new landlord. Han Su-yeon, could I see your face ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for a moment?"

The door opened cautiously.

Han Su-yeon peeked out.

Long black hair loosely tied back. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠White tank top and dolphin shorts.

She looked like she'd been relaxing at home.

My gaze drifted downward on its own.

Her chest swayed between the tank top straps. The thighs continuing down from the dolphin shorts were white and firm.

…In pixels she was just pretty. In the flesh, she's something else entirely.

"Excuse me, where exactly are you looking right now?"

"…Sorry."

Her eyes scanned my face, wariness plain on her features.

"So what brings you here at this hour?"

I immediately pulled the pocket watch from my pocket.

"Han Su-yeon, would you take a look at this for me?"

"No, you show up out of nowhere in the middle of the night and… look at what… look…"

The watch hands turned slowly.

Her pupils began to loosen, just a fraction at a time.