Chapter 12
“You know about slime viscosity too, right, bro? If we use it as a bandage for sealing wounds, couldn't it reduce blood loss in emergencies?”
“……Ah!”
Enlightenment lit up his eyes.
“It's easy to overlook because of that awkward prerequisite of feeding it blood, but if you use its functions right, nothing beats it.”
The storage function, in particular, was invaluable to me.
If I had my subordinates around me all the time, I'd be constantly dealing with anemia symptoms.
If I get used to this nausea, it won't interfere with daily life.
In gates where life and death flip in the blink of an eye, even the tiniest slip couldn't be tolerated.
To prevent disasters, I needed some insurance.
For me, that was blood.
The Red Slime was my emergency blood pack.
And that wasn't the end of its uses. If anything, that was the core.
Embed the Red Slime into my Blood Mirror, stab a beast to store its blood.
If I'm on the brink of death, absorb it back into my body and unleash the 'Punishment' of Eternal Blessing to finish it off.
It would be my turnaround in a desperate moment.
I can't tell bro about this part.
No way I'd casually say I'm trading beast blood to survive.
If the chance comes, he'll see it with his own eyes someday.
I dissolved the Red Slime, slipping it back into the gap of my Blood Mirror, and resumed eating.
Bro let out a hearty laugh.
“Must be your lucky day. How does the exact reward you wanted drop from a Hunter certification exam gate…… And, uh.”
He almost said SSS-grade there.
Bro was tied to the Eternal Pact Contract too. One slip, and he could end up marked for Punishment.
“Anyway.”
I smoothly changed the subject.
“Kid's got some lingering resentment. Just kidding. Luck's part of skill.”
……I wasn't being polite.
If he didn't know my Luck stat, he'd just say 'lucky guy.'
A despairing -44 Luck stat turned even good fortune into anxiety. Ignorance really was bliss sometimes.
To shake off my unease, I pulled my Hunter card from my wallet. The ink was still so fresh it might smudge if I rubbed it.
……I never got one in my past life.
There was a time I craved this credit-card-like thing. I'd pounded on the Association's doors with an E-grade label in my past life too, facing rejection over and over. Now it was in my grasp.
Bittersweet.
Happy? Not sure.
My ultimate goal was dismantling the Hunter ecosystem.
Alone.
To do that, I had to infiltrate deep into enemy territory.
This Hunter card was the first key.
“Wonseok, when you hitting the Hunter popup store? Tradition is you stamp it right after issuance. Shame.”
“No Credits.”
Credits (Ⓒ) were the cornerstone currency of Hunter society.
You might wonder if they're necessary, but Hunters wanted currency separate from normals. That's how Credits were born.
True to the name, they symbolized credit—non-transferable. Proxy purchases were allowed, though, so you could lend them with one intermediary step.
“Don't say you'll lend me Credits. Feels like thorns already mooching.”
“Haha, don't get ahead of yourself. You'll have to buy this one anyway.”
“……?”
First time bro said something like that.
He brought up a fresh topic out of nowhere.
“You already knew about the Eternal Pact Contract.”
“Saw it on the wiki.”
Having cleared a gate at top rank, I recalled the Eternal Pact Contract.
The first button of my grand plan was delaying guilds noticing me as much as possible.
With the close ties between the Association and guilds, only the pact could seal lips—so I requested Yuneobyeon to draft a contract infused with it.
“Wiki must not list the contract price.”
“……? It's paid?”
“Just in case—items infused with powers like that all cost Credits.”
Crazy.
“I covered your first tuition.”
“……”
“Ribs are getting cold. Eat up.”
My heart pounded so hard it felt like it'd pierce my ribs!
And from his tight lips, it wasn't pocket change.
1 Credit = 1 million KRW. No decimals, so minimum 1 million at least.
This timing, with the anemia too……
Felt like I'd choke.
“……I'll buy it.”
With the money bro gave me yesterday.
“Hear that, Naeuni? Uncle's treating! Eat lots!”
“Yeah!”
Naeuni chowed down heartily.
My gut twisted knowing I'd burned bro's real cash out of ignorance—but niece healed it instantly.
Right.
I glanced at the wall clock.
The minute hand hit 12, pointing to 8 PM.
My fist clenched.
“Bro.”
“Done eating?”
Forgot my face was working overtime.
Guy picks now for serious talk.
“……Happy birthday.”
“What, out of the blue? Mine was yesterday—we had a drink for it.”
“They say birthdays are a week now.”
“Day of is enough. Why drag it a week.”
He grumbled, but his cheeks puffed happily.
Good.
Made me happier.
Today, 8 PM sharp.
Bro's time of death in my past life.
“And Naeuni.”
“Yeah!”
Thanks to yesterday and today.
Hunter Seo Boseok had broken free of fate's curse and been reborn.
“Happy birthday to you too, Naeuni.”
From the rooftop of a building overlooking Seoul Station, Gija-ryeong set her indispensable modern potion—coffee—on the railing and stared at her phone.
“Heaven-sent reporter, Assistant Gija-ryeong~”
A voice intruded.
Gija-ryeong flicked her screen-focused gaze toward the footsteps.
“……Team leader.”
Her senior, freshly promoted to Hunter guild beat reporter.
He approached, sipping canned coffee.
“Eyes'll pop out. Squeeze harder. Want me to smack your head?”
“If you're bragging about the promotion, I'm out.”
“Cold. Not that. Just airing out.”
“Then I'll move.”
As Gija-ryeong tried to step aside.
KakaoTalk!
She whipped out her phone lightning-fast.
“……”
Ad text.
Team leader snickered.
“No word from your source?”
“……How'd you know?”
“When a reporter stares at their phone desperately, it's always one thing. Waiting on a tipster.”
“……”
“Drives you nuts. Usually we hand out cards first? Waiting for contact is suffocating.”
Had to admit it.
Guy had insight worth the promotion.
If only he wasn't so flighty and showy.
“Just wait then. Like stocks—forget it, and the info ripens and comes back.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
“Don't look grateful.”
Team leader crushed his empty can and spoke up.
“Guilds are in uproar lately.”
“Brag and I'm gone.”
“Yesterday, some Awakener got SSS-grade from a Hunter cert exam gate.”
She froze.
“Previous top was B+. Huge deal. Guilds are bloodshot hunting that Hunter, but get this—they demanded anonymity via Eternal Pact Contract.”
Team leader shook his head in disbelief.
“To hike their price, at least reveal the name first, stamp it. Makes no sense.”
“Team leader.”
“Yeah?”
“That was definitely yesterday?”
“Obviously.”
“Got it.”
Gija-ryeong bolted for the rooftop door.
“Thanks for the tip.”
“Tip? What tip?”
“Don't know? Fine.”
A quick bow before her sneakers echoed down the stairs.
I asked around from bro and made it back to my studio.
Forgot my home address……
Exhausting day already. Acting scatterbrained drained me more.
Messy studio.
I crashed hard.
How long did I sleep?
Sunlight pierced the curtains, waking me.
……
Refreshed.
No red threads nearby, no anemia haze. Stretched big and hit the bathroom.
Under the strong spray, I reviewed my schedule.
Hunter popup store.
Place I'd never crossed the threshold in my past life. Just gawked from afar……
Hunter-exclusive gear popup required a Hunter card. Hunters hogged modern perks selfishly.
“Hoo.”
Don't scowl, Wonseok.
Shamelessness eases the path ahead.
I dried off and headed out.
Maybe passing yesterday's hurdle lightened my steps. Heart raced a bit.
Never.
Absolutely never entering the Hunter store!
“Nothing I can buy anyway.”
Ink barely dry on the card.
Balance was predictably slim.
Today was scouting day.
Who knows.
Grabbing the subway strap, I patted my chest with the free hand. Felt the Red Slime's squishy lump under my shirt, dormant.
Might be treasures like the Red Slime—undervalued now.
From a future view, gate and mana stone research was still primitive.
Items hyped now might be trash later.
And vice versa.
Feels like treasure hunting in an antique shop.
Personal reasons meant solo today.
Bro took family to amusement park—Naeuni's birthday two days out. Politely declined his invite.
He bought the popup store excuse easy.
"This stop is Seongsu, Seongsu Station."
“Already here.”
Out the turnstile, short walk, and the popup store appeared.
Seongsu's signature edgy exterior.
Bulky hunks blocked civilian access. Entrants via the red carpet reeked of money. Hunters, after all.
Hunters meant at least C-grade Awakener. That alone meant financial freedom for their generation. B-grade spanned juniors to three gens. A-grade, three generations. S-grade, forever.
Hmm, tricky.
I scanned my outfit.
Dress code mismatch.
Dressed too naively.
Just looking anyway.
As I tried peeling off the sole sticker I'd slapped on.
“Heh-hey. No way, no.”
A guy next to me grabbed me.
“……”
Who?
“Look at you, total Awakener vibe. No Hunter card? They'll rough you up. Not just chase off.”
“Got it.”
Nodded along, trying to enter.
“Ha.”
……?
“Always some punks acting like Hunters just 'cause they're Awakened.”
I slowly turned.
Why pick a fight?
He flinched at my stare. Then glared back hard.
Ah.
Fox under the fence, sour grapes only.
Frustrated alone, now dragging bystanders down.
Classic petty Awakener.
Superhuman era's inequality birthed these pathetic portraits.