Chapter 4
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: A Bold Request
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Once you become an Awakened One, you're generally required to register as an Awakened One and a Hunter with the Hunter Association.
And all Awakened Ones must complete 60 hours of training over six weeks, plus two field experiences.
Hunters who don't register with the Hunter Association face restrictions on various infrastructure, from basic amenities to joining guilds and entering dungeons.
After entering my ID QR code and joining the 'Korea Hunter Association,' I reviewed the amount of information available and concluded that joining was far more beneficial than not.
Awakenings usually occur in one's early twenties, though it's rare for people to awaken in their thirties or teens.
Statistically, the early twenties were the most common age group.
"Ten hours of training and one field experience left."
Thankfully, there wasn't much training left.
* * *
At the front of the room, a man in a suit was giving a lecture with a presentation displayed on a screen.
“Dungeon Breaks, or so-called rifts, most often occur when a dungeon raid fails. Typically, for an A-rank dungeon, the limit is about four to five attempts. Most rifts happen in D-rank dungeons. So, you can assume the chances of a rift occurring in an S-rank dungeon are practically nil. That means you don't need to worry too much.”
The instructor put down the microphone, announced a break, and left the lecture hall.
I rested my arm on the desk and looked down at my notebook, which was densely filled with notes.
It was a formulaic lecture, but since it had been a while since I'd attended one, I found it quite interesting.
‘I think I get why that guy said the classes were meaningless.’
Most of the information was well-organized on the Association's website, and you could find it with a simple internet search anyway.
As I was sipping the last of my coffee, someone bumped into me from the side.
Thankfully, there wasn't much coffee left, so it didn't spill, but the force of the impact felt so deliberate that I looked up.
"Oops. Why are you glaring at me, you talentless loser?"
"Hey, you think you can handle the remaining dungeon practical? Wouldn't it be better to just give up on being a Hunter?"
"It's been half a year since you Awakened, and you're still unaffiliated. Isn't that a problem? Are you even an Awakened One? The Association must be out of its mind to accept a guy like you."
"Who are you guys?"
I finished the rest of my coffee and crumpled the cup in one hand.
Three men had approached me. One looked a bit older, but they all seemed to be around my age.
"Playing dumb, are we?"
"What?"
"You damn talentless freak. We got a warning because of you. I can't believe a loser from our school days is an Awakened One like us. Did you pull some strings or something? Huh?"
I stood up, still holding the cup.
From what the fat one just said, I pretty much understood the situation.
‘So that's why I woke up in bed.’
Come to think of it, Choi Soo-hyun had mentioned something about a fight.
These three guys, who disliked Kang Han-gyeol, had used 'training' as an excuse to beat him up.
It was the kind of thing you'd read about in a novel somewhere.
If I had any memory of it, I might have considered revenge, but without my memories, these guys and I were essentially strangers.
I had no reason to hate them.
"Has he lost his mind?"
The fat guy reached for my shoulder as I started walking toward the trash can to throw away the cup. I slapped his hand away.
"How dare you touch me with those pig trotter-like hands."
"W-What did you say?"
"Did I say something wrong? You should be glad I don't remember that day."
I bumped past his shoulder, threw the empty coffee cup in the trash, and returned to my seat.
"You'll regret this!"
I don't know if they'd been lectured by Choi Soo-hyun, but thankfully, the three of them didn't bother me again.
The break ended, and toward the end of the class, the topic of the upcoming dungeon practical came up.
"As you've all heard, there will be a dungeon practical next week. The team assignments are as follows, and the scheduled dungeon is listed below."
On the large presentation screen, about thirty people were divided into six teams.
I was in Team 4.
‘A D-rank dungeon, Goblin Village.’
I'd looked up various things about dungeons, so I had a general idea, but without any actual experience, it didn't feel real.
The one silver lining was that some of the monsters in the dungeons here were the same as the ones I'd hunted on the Arbelicia continent.
Goblins and orcs were prime examples.
When I was first summoned to Arbelicia, there was a goblin village nearby, and I went through hell because of it.
Thanks to that, I could say I knew more about goblins than anyone.
"That's all for the announcements. Please gather at your respective meeting points."
The instructor bowed his head, declaring the end of the lecture. At the same time, the phone on my desk vibrated.
「HN (Notification): An invitation to the 'Ujangsan Dungeon Chat Room' has been sent to Kang Han-gyeol. Accept/Decline」
HN was short for Hunter Network, a system that supported communities, group chats, and notifications.
I pressed the [Accept] button.
「Ujangsan Dungeon (5)」
'Kang Han-gyeol' has joined the chat room.
Kang Han-gyeol: Hello. I look forward to working with you.
Kim Tae-woon (Admin): Yes. Same here.
Nam Woon-ik: Welcome.
Choi Min-hyuk: Ah shit, we got the dead weight.
Kim Tae-woon (Admin): ??
Choi Min-hyuk: That bastard's unaffiliated.
Nam Woon-ik: I heard there was one unaffiliated Awakened One in this batch. Is that him?
Choi Min-hyuk: He's a total troll.
Lee Ye-eun: Excuse me. Can you watch your tone?
Kim Tae-woon (Admin): Everyone, calm down for now.
After packing my bag and stepping out into the hallway, I silently lurked, reading the real-time chat messages.
It seemed the guy named Choi Min-hyuk was one of the three who had approached me during the break.
Kim Tae-woon neatly wrapped up the conversation.
Most of it was meaningless chatter.
「Ujangsan Dungeon (5)」
Kim Tae-woon (Admin): Alright, let's meet this Friday at 2 PM. Does that work for everyone?
Nam Woon-ik: Yes
Choi Min-hyuk: yeah
Lee Ye-eun: Got it.
Kang Han-gyeol: Sounds good.
Seeing everyone else reply, I sent my own message last.
No sooner had I sent the message than another one arrived.
「Choi Soo-hyun: Kim's Seolleongtang. By 1 o'clock.」
I looked up the location and found it was in the building right across from the Association.
It was lunchtime, so the place was quite crowded.
Choi Soo-hyun raised his hand slightly.
"What do you want to eat?"
"Seolleongtang."
"Two seolleongtangs over here."
Choi Soo-hyun, who had ordered faster than anyone, took a sip of water from his cup and leaned back in his chair.
"You're more shameless than I thought."
"It's only been a week since we last saw each other. That's a harsh thing to say."
"A whole week, you mean. What reason would I have to see a trainee's face again after just a week?"
I gave an awkward laugh at Choi Soo-hyun's sarcasm.
After receiving his business card, I'd spent several days wondering how to contact him.
When I finally did, Choi Soo-hyun reacted as if he genuinely hadn't expected me to call.
"You said you'd tell me in person, so I came. What is it you want to say?"
Choi Soo-hyun asked while eating the noodles in his seolleongtang.
"I'll get straight to the point. I'd like you to be my sponsor."
"Pfft—cough."
My words must have been quite a shock, because Choi Soo-hyun started coughing.
In the world of Hunters, being unaffiliated wasn't as simple as being classless in a game.
Once most Awakened Ones had a 'god' they served, their guild was practically decided for them.
It was no different from people who worshiped the same god forming a religious group.
Hunters usually joined guilds with a high concentration of members who served their god.
The Hunter Association provided some support, but being a public entity that had to distribute benefits to all Hunters, its resources were spread thin.
Being unaffiliated, chosen by no god, meant that you couldn't receive support from anywhere.
Choi Soo-hyun wiped his mouth with a wet wipe and went back to eating his seolleongtang. I didn't speak again until he had finished his meal.
"Shameless bastard."
"Isn't that why you gave me your card?"
"As if. You're a trainee, and I'm an instructor. Though, I wasn't the one who trained you. I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
"That sounds like there's a chance if I'm not a trainee."
I put down my spoon and looked at Choi Soo-hyun.
Even if it was just information from the internet, the more I looked into Choi Soo-hyun, the more I felt I had to secure his help.
Choi Soo-hyun hadn't simply left his faction.
Even after becoming unaffiliated, he was courted by renowned guilds both at home and abroad, not just his former Cheongwol Guild.
Choi Soo-hyun had rejected all offers and stubbornly remained a public servant.
Being a civil servant Hunter wasn't bad, but it couldn't compare to the money and fame earned by frontline Hunters.
‘There's a high chance this guy has a story.’
He must have realized something among those mysterious gods.
I was sure that the secret he held was related to why he gave me his card.
An S-rank Hunter... moreover, the Cheongwol Guild that Choi Soo-hyun had belonged to was one of the top three major guilds in South Korea.
This world was just like the one I came from. Strength was a symbol of wealth and honor.
If he'd risen to an executive position in the Cheongwol Guild, he must have earned a lot of money.
From his perspective, it was highly likely he had the financial means to support a beginner like me.
I didn't care if it was selfish.
There was nothing more foolish than ignoring a valuable asset right in front of you.
Choi Soo-hyun stood up first.
"Prove your worth. Then I'll think about it."
Shaking the paid receipt, Choi Soo-hyun said he had something to do and left the restaurant.
As Choi Soo-hyun disappeared from view, I got up from my seat as well.
"Excuse me, sir. The bill hasn't been paid yet."
"Ah."
He could have just paid for both while he was at it.
What a cheapskate.