Up Close, My First Friend Was an Absurdly Pretty Girl
She was an unbelievably pretty girl up close. Snow-white hair and skin just as pale. Amethyst purple eyes that added an air of mystery to her looks. Ever since Hunters appeared and Constellations descended, people with unusual hair colors and eye shades had become common. Their awakened abilities and contracted Constellations drastically altered those colors. Appearances changed too. People who used to be rare sights on TV were now a dime a dozen, even at the neighborhood noodle joint.
But the girl in front of him put them all to shame. She was overwhelmingly beautiful... ethereal. More mysterious and bizarre than the stars in the night sky. And her outfit was the weirdest part. The white tee barely reached halfway down her thighs, stretched out at the neck to expose one shoulder. The fabric was so thin that sunlight filtering through the trees traced her silhouette. Yet somehow, the important bits stayed hidden, leaving his mind racing in all directions.
And that innocent smile of hers? Equally bizarre. Corpses lay bleeding out everywhere, including Kim Seung-hyeok with a fist-sized hole punched through his gut right up ahead. What could possibly be so fun in a scene like this? And what was with the grass she was chomping away at? No matter how you sliced it, that looked like poison ivy...
No way that's it.
Choi Seok-hyeon grimaced and snapped at her.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Haneul. Who's the mister?"
"None of your business. Haneul, right? You got no clue what kinda mess you're in?"
"The puppy house intro?"
"Fuck that puppy house shit."
Choi Seok-hyeon swaggered toward her.
"Who sent you?"
"Nobody. They told me not to come, but I just showed up anyway."
Her casual "just showed up" made him freeze in his tracks.
"Where from?"
"Hmm... the Association?"
"...The Hunter Association?"
That word jolted his brain into overdrive. But no matter how hard he racked it, he couldn't think of any reason the Association would send someone. Normally, Kim Seung-hyeok handled the thinking and decisions. Doing it himself was a real pain.
"Why would the Association send you after us?"
"I keep telling you, nobody sent me."
"Then why the hell are you all the way out here? What, the Association's closing the gate? Ha! If you're gonna lie, at least make it believable. I'm a goddamn gangster, but even I've got more brains than that!!"
"Eek, you're a gangster, mister? Hold on."
Haneul spat out the grass she'd been munching and stuck out her tongue. It was numb and tingling—definitely some potent poison weed. The blackened, dying grass around where it fell was proof. Normally it wouldn't react like that, but her vigorous chewing had squeezed out the sap.
Choi Seok-hyeon saw it differently. Who chews poison grass like that? This was a threat. A silent warning that she could dose him with something just as deadly if he didn't play nice... An Apostle of a poison-wielding Constellation? Or maybe just a poison-related skill. Either way, it pissed him off.
When he'd stabbed Kim Seung-hyeok's thigh, the Constellation Humanity's First Murderer had granted him power. A single touch caused endless bleeding. With that, this brat was nothing.
Choi Seok-hyeon stepped forward, convinced.
"You little bitch..."
"Seok-hyeon, don't. Let hyung handle this."
"Fuck off, you bastard!!"
Choi Seok-hyeon swung his sword in a frenzy. It didn't connect, but it startled her plenty. She felt the eerie power coating the blade.
"Dodge?! Dodge me, you fucker!!"
"Ehh? You can't just slice me up willy-nilly!"
"Shut up!!"
"No way!!"
Whoosh, whoosh. Haneul dodged the incoming blade while scoping out the area.
Huh?
A familiar yet alien power. She'd taken a hit from a similar dagger once before.
Debuff Blade?
In her mind flashed the "Healing Reduction Dagger." One nick, and the wound grew until death, bleeding nonstop. Lifespan shaved off with every drop.
Who was it again?
Probably the guy who'd killed her brothers. His dagger had been fiercer, more savage—practically fighting two opponents on its own. This blade was a degraded version. Why? Human-wielded? Or diluted across multiple users? Either way, an original existed.
A name, a name, a name...
She ducked, leaned back, leaped up, flicked it away with a finger, stood still as it missed...
"Ah? Huh? Oh!"
While dodging, memory hit her like a rush. An indescribable thrill shot up her spine—like forgetting something crucial, then suddenly remembering.
Beaming with pure joy, Haneul shouted,
"You're ■■, aren'tcha!"
Her eerie voice halted Choi Seok-hyeon. Distorted noise? Muffled like censorship? No. Her words never reached him. His head was already boiling; he couldn't hear a thing.
But he stopped anyway. Because of the messages popping up before his eyes.
[Constellation Humanity's First Murderer demands to know which arrogant mortal dares utter its true name...]
[Constellation Humanity's First Murderer screams in rage, eyes bulging.]
[Constellation Humanity's First Murderer shrieks for you to bow your head to that monster and apologize!]
[Constellation Humanity's First Murderer orders you to end it all with that sword right—]
[Constellation Humanity's First Murderer—]
[Constellation Humanity's First Mur—]
Choi Seok-hyeon stared at the endless flood of messages. The Constellation that promised power for killing his favorite person now demanded suicide. Why? For what? His powers and Apostle privileges were still intact. Suicide for salvation? No way. Few Constellations could resurrect, and even they had limits. Humanity's First Murderer couldn't save lives—its name said it all.
He couldn't obey. Better to kill everyone here and survive alone. He'd always been dumb; reason fled him now.
Choi Seok-hyeon advanced. Haneul stepped closer too. Messages flashed like mad, blotting out his vision.
"Don't do it!!"
Kim Seung-hyeok's blood-choked cry came from behind.
"Should I not?"
"Dieeee!!!"
Haneul reacted to the shout aimed at Choi Seok-hyeon. He ignored it, swinging blindly. The power would find her throat. 10cm, 5cm, 2cm. One touch, and she'd fountain blood.
Then kill Kim Seung-hyeok, claim all his wealth...
Clank!
Chains rattled in his ears.
[Constellation Humanity's First Murderer shatters the Chains of Discipline and rises.]
[Constellation Humanity's First Murderer seizes your heads in towering fury.]
"Wai—"
Splat.
Choi Seok-hyeon and all the other Apostles under the same contract had their heads explode.
"I didn't do it!"
Haneul raised both hands above her head, protesting innocence.
*****
Choi Seok-hyeon was dead. All of them were. Only half-dead Kim Seung-hyeok and the snow-white girl remained.
He squeezed his eyes shut, thinking. He didn't believe she'd caused the carnage. Then who? A Constellation. That one called Humanity's First Murderer.
Constellations can do that?
Word was they were bound by rules, unable to descend directly. Some loophole, then?
Who knows.
No point pondering when he was dying anyway. He groped his wound in resignation. Bleeding slowed. Pain eased, flesh knitting... but too late. Too much blood lost, wound too deep. Potions gone. No recovery from here.
Crawl on grit? Gate entrance was worlds away—15 hours' walk. He'd drop in under an hour.
Ask the new girl for help?
I'd love to...
But shameless. Dragging his injured ass might kill her too. Besides, he had no savings, no property—all given to his brothers, who betrayed him. Nothing to offer in return.
We all die in the end. Fuck these Constellation whims.
He ground his teeth, fishing out a cigarette and lighting up. Blood-soaked, but it'd smoke if it caught.
As he fumbled for his lighter, he spotted the girl squatting ahead, back to him. Not sorting bodies. What, then?
Gawking? Full psycho?
His despair deepened—until he saw the coins spilling at her feet.
"No."
Kim Seung-hyeok's voice cracked in dismay.
"Hey, Haneul, right?"
She blinked big at him.
"Yeah, Yoo Haneul. You?"
"Kim Seung-hyeok. Haneul... what the hell are you doing?"
"Huh?"
"Why're you... looting the corpses?"
She glanced at the bills crammed in her hands and gasped.
"Eek, habit kicked in and I farmed 'em."
"What kinda habit is—"
"Might as well finish clean now that I started."
"Hah..."
Looting corpses wasn't taboo. Gate dead? Pocket their stuff, deliver the body to the Association. Standard half the time. No body? Bury it, bring ID. Fine too.
Even if they betrayed me, looting in front of a comrade? Right?
While Kim Seung-hyeok reeled, Haneul looted efficiently. Her face lit up with a grin. Cash alone topped four million won; gold and diamonds galore.
Pocketing mystery bills and jewels even he didn't recognize, she approached and held out a bright red vial.
"Here, mister. Drink this."
"...A potion? That a potion?"
He'd never seen one like it, but red screamed standard Hunter fare.
Not quite. Hunter potions came in monster-skin tubes for durability. No spotless glass like this.
"Yup."
"Where'd you get it...?"
"My pocket."
Kim Seung-hyeok blinked dumbly. Pocket? On that stretched tee? No pockets anywhere.
"Tastes like crap but works great. Chug it and hang in there. I'm off."
"Off...?"
Just leave? After the potion save? Without teaming up? She'd dump the whole incident on him.
Mass Hunter deaths meant investigation. He'd take the fall. It was his crew's mess anyway.
To him, Haneul had done zilch. Heads just popped. Constellation's doing. But no blaming gods meant he was guilty.
Unfair. Victim turned perp...
He blurted it out.
Telling him to shoulder it all?
She replied off-topic.
"Yup, gotta go home."
"Home...?"
Pouting at his confusion, she planted hands on hips proudly.
"Mister, I might not look it, but I've got a place in Seoul."
Who didn't? Well, some, but a solo D-rank gate diver? Had to.
Her brazen confidence left him speechless.
"It's even mine outright."
"...Cool."
"Hehe."
Her smirk twitched—right answer, apparently.