Chapter 28
There was a standard procedure among regressors who came back from the future.
Buy stocks or coins and balloon their starting funds. I had no idea if it actually worked that way. I'd only seen it in web novels and webtoons.
I wanted to do the same.
But the world line I lived in was notoriously harsh, even among the infinite multiverse.
Not just domestically—guilds dominated the global stock markets.
And they only accepted investments in Credits.
For a small fry like me scraping by without enough Credits, it was impossible.
To earn Credits, I have to hit the Abyss Gates.
Abyss Gates weren't optional—they were mandatory.
Even if reality wasn't playing nice, I couldn't just sit on my hands.
I planned to make full use of my available knowledge to prepare for the future.
I set aside a day, hunkered down in a café, and pruned every possible scenario.
It all boiled down to one option.
Hunter savings accounts.
I even had a decent stack of blood donation certificates that qualified me for premium rates, if luck was on my side.
Decision made, I headed to the Namdaemun district, teeming with banks.
That's where I ran into him.
"Seo Hunter! Long time no see!"
……Jeong Hamin.
Seeing a R&Y Hunter right in front of Namdaemun left me speechless.
"Heading to the bank, by any chance?"
The stench of shady money deals wafting off him was probably just my imagination, right?
"……."
Honestly, my gut reaction was:
Here we go.
……It felt like a weight lifting off my chest.
Jeong Hamin was overly friendly toward me—enough to make my skin crawl.
I couldn't pretend to read the sleazy mind of a R&Y Hunter.
He just loved schmoozing and building connections, so maybe I'd pinged on his radar. That was my best guess.
"Whoa, fancy running into you here! I've been looking everywhere!"
"Why were you looking for me?"
"To share some good news. Over sushi at my favorite spot!"
A chill ran down my spine.
Scratch that.
I'd have been better off never crossing paths.
And sushi, of all things.
This guy had zero self-awareness as a Korean.
Eating sushi with Jeong Hamin would mean I could never face King Taejo or Yi Sun-sin again.
I'd let my guard down because it wasn't a Chaos Gate. Big mistake not using the Surprise Texture Mask. I wanted zero entanglements with R&Y Hunters.
"I've been busy."
"You've been crushing it, but we haven't seen hide nor hair of you! Seriously, it's not that you're hard to spot—it's like you don't have a face!"
Another shiver. Every word stabbed like a dagger. Like an ox backing up and accidentally squashing a field mouse.
"Appreciate the kind words, but I'm swamped. Gotta run."
"To the bank, right?"
"……."
"I need to hit one up too. Wanna go together?"
As if he knew which bank out of all these I'd pick.
"My main bank is Korea Hunter Bank."
Ah, damn it all.
Our paths overlapped.
It was a bit novel coming from a Hunter, but Korea's Hunter welfare was world-renowned. Foreign media couldn't stop praising it.
Which means Hunters are treated too well...
The welfare foreign Hunters envied most? Hunter savings accounts and insurance.
The moment Korean guilds seized dominance, they sunk their claws into finance. They hustled to recruit more Hunters.
Early on, they lured with fat salaries. But inflation hit fast.
The tipping point: spending more to earn more, a vicious cycle.
The guilds' stopgap solution.
Hunter savings and insurance.
Guilds froze salaries at a baseline and dangled insane post-career perks instead.
Ludicrous interest rates and insurance payouts hooked plenty of Hunters. But...
It's called bait for a reason...
The fine print: Hunter savings revert to the guild upon the Hunter's death. A glaring loophole.
Are all Hunters idiots?
Hand on heart—does anyone actually read the microscopic terms before signing?
Even the meticulous ones? Guild-bought bankers worked their silver tongues. In minutes, they shipped Hunters' brains straight to la-la land.
—Ugh, Hunter sir. This rate is special because you're with OO Guild. Only for first-timers—if you pass, you'll regret it...
—F-Fine, sign me up.
Vile bastards.
Hunter savings were tame compared to insurance. That was far more vicious.
※ This policy is based on contracts between certified insurers and subscribers under Article 12 of the Hunter Safety Management Act.
1. Basic Coverage Items
Coverage for medical expenses during dungeon missions
· Full-body injury coverage for thigh or upper arm amputation, rupture of 4+ internal organs, etc. (up to 500 million KRW limit)
Fact one.
That's basically a corpse. Not even a dozen healers could save you.
Family compensation upon death
· State funeral support and survivor pension
· National honors if recognized as line-of-duty death
Fact two.
Pay close attention to the survivor pension upon death.
Guilds are bloodthirsty about dodging every penny in taxes.
No way they'd pay pensions to non-Awakened just because they're family.
So they pulled off a brilliantly insane loophole to nullify it.
What if the survivors... just disappear?
Sounds crazy, but...
This is the ugly underbelly of the Hunter industry.
Believe me—I lived it.
After my brother died in the line of duty, Naeuni faced nonstop death threats. I barely hid her in the countryside in time, or God knows what would've happened. Multiple close calls.
There are add-on coverages too, which guilds honor per the terms.
But pocket change compared to their profits.
"Since you're Jeong Hunter's associate, we're offering this rate and these clauses, sir."
……The man in front of me rattled off the revolting terms without batting an eye.
This was the Namdaemun branch of Korea Hunter Bank.
To elaborate: the VIP exclusive lounge.
Coincidentally sharing a destination with Jeong Hamin, I'd come in with him...
Bailing now would just make things messier.
VIP treatment felt legit. Everything gleamed. One hitch: the door's mana stone sensor blocked all radio signals.
They knew leaking terms would bring public backlash on them too.
The real scum are the ones who know and do it anyway.
……And Jeong Hamin, that bastard, dragged me here fully aware...
He's grinning.
"Pretty words, but the terms are pretty standard!"
"Haha. You're a tough one, Jeong Hunter. Standard? Look at the numbers—they're different."
"Hmm. Fair point?"
Listening to demons banter with a blank face felt like hosing cold water through my brain folds.
Too much rage paradoxically cooled me down.
Wait... isn't this actually a good thing?
From what I'd pieced together, Jeong Hamin was:
A loose cannon.
A Hunter who chased his whims. Unpredictable. Even R&Y struggled with his antics before half-abandoning him.
Seating me in the VIP lounge and chumming it up with the deputy manager...
Probably to gauge my reaction. I kept sensing sly glances.
Maybe I can turn this to my advantage.
Since we'd dragged this out, time to pile on a few more words.
I hadn't come to the bank just for retirement funds.
In my past life, my brother's Hunter savings vanished into thin air.
I'd meant to hand it over to Naeuni.
By any means necessary.
But his account had evaporated without a trace.
The bank was definitely involved.
Yeah. Here I was, at my brother's main bank.
Innocent or not, I had zero intention of letting them off.
I'd shred those contracts stained with innocent blood myself.
Not submitting to the system. To catch a tiger, you enter its den.
In the midst of their boisterous laughter, I pretended to pick up a dropped pen.
Slapped on the Surprise Texture Mask quick.
Perfect. Now I was a man without expressions.
My voice cut through the chuckles.
"Nice terms."
"Oho! You see it!"
"……."
The deputy manager's face lit up like he'd been waiting.
Jeong Hamin looked puzzled.
I tapped the paper stack with my fingernail and continued.
"I'll take the savings. But I'd like to tweak the insurance clauses."
"Haha! Insurance adjustments are within my authority! Hunters serving the nation deserve every convenience!"
"I'd appreciate that."
I shot a glance at Jeong Hamin beside me.
The deputy manager's smile froze for a split second.
He got the implication.
Jeong Hamin guarantees this contract.
Guild-bank power dynamic: guilds on top, banks below.
Lying in front of an R&Y Hunter? Massive risk for the bank.
He wouldn't refuse.
Couldn't.
"……Let's hear it."
I kept my lips a straight line and nodded.
"You won't hate it."
The VIP lounge emptied of the two Hunters.
The bank's deputy manager sank into thought.
His head throbbed. Brain vessels twisting.
His gaze drifted to the paper stack. The freshly stamped savings and insurance contract.
"Doesn't make sense..."
By this contract...
Seo Hunter was taking a 99% loss.
No need for common sense.
Did he even have a brain?
"……Idiot or lunatic?"
That's all it screamed.
The deputy had sweated faking reluctance.
Pretending to dissuade.
Reluctantly agreeing.
"Jeong Hunter reeled in some crazy mark..."
But.
That guy's face nags at me.
Too serene.
He'd seen desperate Hunters aplenty, but Seo Wonseok was another level. Eyes worn beyond polish.
"……Just nerves."
Still.
If this contract somehow swung in Seo Wonseok's favor...
Deputy couldn't cover it with a resignation. Losses would bleed the Namdaemun branch dry, HQ too.
"No way."
Like getting struck by lightning a hundred times straight.
The deputy manager shook his head dismissively.