Chapter 81
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Why are you doing this to me! Why! (2)
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What the hell is this about a duel?
This wasn't some martial arts novel.
I had no reason to fight, nor any desire to.
I turned my head to Choi Soo-hyun.
"Hyung, who is this guy?"
"Can't you tell just by looking? He's from the Raon Guild."
"You think I'm asking because I don't know that?"
The guy who had abruptly challenged me to a duel was wearing a cape, a symbol of the Raon Guild.
Among the Raon Guild members, the followers of the god Lux specifically wore capes.
I had seen the Raon Guild Hunters wearing blue capes just like this one when they entered the Cockatrice Dungeon.
Who wouldn't know he was from the Raon Guild?
Choi Soo-hyun grumbled, his hands in his pockets.
"Hey, am I an encyclopedia? You think I'll have an answer for everything you ask? I don't know either! Why are you asking me when he's standing right there? Hey, you! This kid wants to know who the hell you are! Who are you?"
Why was he getting so worked up?
It seemed less like he genuinely didn't know and more like he was pretending not to, knowing it would be a hassle if he admitted it.
"Ahem, it seems my reputation has not yet reached the esteemed Hunter Choi Soo-hyun. My apologies for the late introduction. I am Choi Jae-hyung, a Hunter from the Raon Guild."
"I know."
At Choi Soo-hyun's words, Choi Jae-hyung bit his lip.
See? He was doing it on purpose.
A white rose was drawn on the chest of Choi Jae-hyung, who looked to be around my age.
'Does that mean he's the same level as Han Jong-ho?'
But compared to Han Jong-ho, who was called a team leader, Choi Jae-hyung looked much younger.
"I've heard all about your atrocities in the Cockatrice's farm. You don't really think you can survive after making an enemy of our guild, do you?"
"So... what are you going to do about it?"
Didn't we all go into that dungeon with the unspoken agreement that it would be a chaotic mess?
I couldn't understand why this complete stranger was making such a fuss.
'It's not like those Raon Guild guys have that much camaraderie.'
He was obviously just looking for a fight.
And just as I expected, he changed his tune and latched onto me.
"Let's duel."
"What's wrong with you? I said no!"
"You really don't know who I am?"
"You said you're Choi Jae-hyung."
"Not my name."
"Raon Guild?"
What else was there?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Choi Jae-hyung's face flushed.
"You awakened last year, right?"
"I think so?"
"We were in the same class! We were Hunter trainee classmates! How can you not know me, the one who graduated at the top of the class!"
Hmm, so we were trainee classmates.
Sorry to say, but when I possessed this body, the training was almost over, so I have no memory of my time as a trainee.
Even if I did remember, I doubt I would've remembered a guy with such a faint presence.
Besides, that.
"It's a two-month program. Does being 'classmates' even mean anything?"
He flinched.
At my words, the guy coughed repeatedly.
It seemed even he knew he was stretching it.
"You're planning to participate in the raid, right?"
"Yeah."
"I need to see for myself if the reports from the other Hunters are true."
"And why do *you* need to do that?"
"You and I are around the same age, and we awakened around the same time. We even became B-Class Hunters at a similar point. So why are you more famous than me?"
"Huh?"
Famous? What was this guy talking about?
Choi Jae-hyung fumed, huffing and puffing.
It seemed Choi Jae-hyung considered me some kind of rival.
"And for that reason, let's duel!"
"No. Besides, I've never thought of you as a rival, and there's nothing for me to gain by fighting you."
"So you do think of me as a rival after all!"
"No! That's not what I meant!"
Abruptly demanding a spar or a duel was one thing, but this guy was not normal.
He had a completely different vibe from the arrogant Raon Guild members I'd seen before.
I waved my hand dismissively at Choi Jae-hyung.
'Rival, my ass.'
I hadn't even noticed his presence until he appeared right in front of me.
As I continued to refuse, Choi Jae-hyung practically begged me.
"If you think of me as a rival, you could at least spar with me! What's so hard about that?!"
"It's not about whether it's hard or not. Anyone would refuse if a complete stranger suddenly challenged them to a fight."
"But we're not strangers."
"We were trainee classmates, so I guess we're not. But just because we were in the same class doesn't make us all friends, you know?"
I wasn't about to fall for such a flimsy trick.
"That's not it. This isn't the first time you and I have sparred. Don't you remember?"
No matter how hard I wracked my brain, I had no memory of sparring with Choi Jae-hyung.
Seeing my silence, Choi Jae-hyung continued.
"During our trainee days. We sparred, remember?"
"..."
"I'm sorry for knocking you out back then."
Choi Jae-hyung bowed his head and apologized.
My mind raced.
Hunter trainee, spar, knocked out. No memory.
It was clear what point in time Choi Jae-hyung was talking about.
A shock, like being hit in the head with a hammer, made my vision go white.
'It was you!!'
I thought it was those fat bastards who had picked a fight with me!
Who would've thought I'd fought some guy I didn't even know the face of and gotten knocked out!
I grabbed Choi Jae-hyung by the collar and shook him.
"Have some conscience! If you're going to hit someone, you should at least come and apologize!"
"S-Sorry. I got really busy with things after that, and it just... happened."
Choi Jae-hyung gently removed my hands from his collar and dusted off his cape.
"I thought you were pretending not to know me because you were still upset about it, but to think you actually considered me a rival... I'm a little moved."
Don't blush!
Choi Soo-hyun is right here! You almost got me in huge trouble!
And I never thought of you as a rival, so stop getting the wrong idea!
Fortunately, it seemed Choi Soo-hyun also thought I was just pretending not to know him out of spite.
'That was a close call, seriously.'
To think the one who knocked out the original Kang Han-gyeol wasn't the fat guy but someone else... If I had denied it any further, this wouldn't have ended as a joke.
Choi Jae-hyung seemed to have nothing more to say about that incident.
Darkness began to fall beyond the lobby's glass windows.
"I've apologized, so let's spar."
"Get lost."
"I believe I already asked you. Why are you more famous than me?"
"And what does that have to do with us sparring?"
"Among my peers, I should be the most famous."
"I'm not famous."
"Hmph, everyone who's anyone knows you're the one in the video who stole our guild's monster, and that Park Si-woo is your sponsor."
I couldn't really deny that part.
It wasn't something I could hide anyway.
Choi Jae-hyung's obsession with fame was definitely unusual.
Could this guy be...
"Are you an attention seeker?"
"O-Of course not."
The corners of Choi Jae-hyung's lips twitched as he turned his head away.
I was insulting him.
Seeing someone get happy after being insulted was making me furious.
As Choi Jae-hyung clung to me, begging for just one round(?), a strange man approached.
"What are you doing over there?"
"Ah, Guild Leader."
"Guild Leader?"
A large man in a suit walked over.
He wasn't carrying a weapon, but he exuded the aura of a Hunter.
There was only one person Choi Jae-hyung, a member of the Raon Guild, would call 'Guild Leader'.
The leader of the Raon Guild.
'Was his name Kang Moon-guk?'
I knew he was tall and powerfully built, but seeing him in person, his presence was truly intimidating.
Beside me, Choi Soo-hyun took his hands out of his pockets and let out a quiet sigh.
"I suppose you were making a scene again, talking nonsense about duels and spars. This is not your guild. Don't cause trouble."
"It's not like that this time."
"Not like that?"
"He's genuinely someone worth fighting."
In that moment, the image I had of the Raon Guild completely crumbled.
'Weren't they supposed to be villains, bad guys, something like that?'
At least Han Jong-ho and his friends had the distinct air of typical villains.
In contrast, I didn't get that vibe from Choi Jae-hyung or Kang Moon-guk at all.
Kang Moon-guk clicked his tongue at Choi Jae-hyung's words.
"You pathetic fool. You should know who to pick a fight with. No matter how you look at it, there's no way you can beat Choi Soo-hyun."
While I was arguing with Choi Jae-hyung, Kang Moon-guk had been standing a short distance away.
It looked like he was taking care of some business, but that wasn't important.
Even with the distance, he wasn't so far that he couldn't have heard my conversation with Choi Jae-hyung.
It seemed he was just trying to smooth things over.
'But something about this feels off.'
I might not be a match for Kang Moon-guk, but I didn't think I would lose to the guy in front of me.
Besides, hadn't this guy said he was the one who knocked me out during the mock battle?
It felt a bit strange to say 'me'.
'No, wait. I possessed this body *because* this guy knocked out Kang Han-gyeol.'
So should I be thanking him?
The Kang Han-gyeol before being knocked out wasn't me, so I can't call him my enemy. But since I am Kang Han-gyeol now, it means he's the guy who knocked me out.
It was a difficult problem.
"It's not Choi Soo-hyun. As great as I am, I know my place. There's no way I could beat such a great senior."
"Haha, 'great senior'? The world changes in three years. A mountain that hasn't moved an inch in that time can't be much of a mountain."
"What did you say? You old geezer?"
"To think the snot-nosed kid who used to run around in a school uniform is now wearing a suit. You've grown up."
Choi Soo-hyun and Kang Moon-guk glared at each other as if they were determined to fight.
The atmosphere was so tense it felt like a fight could break out at any second.
Hmm, should I make a run for it?
Knowing Choi Soo-hyun's personality, it wouldn't be strange at all if he started a fight with Kang Moon-guk.
Just as I turned to look for an escape route, Choi Soo-hyun grabbed me with lightning speed.
"W-What is it?"
"What? When you get down to it, this is your fault for getting tangled up with a punk like this."
"How is that my fault?"
"That's right, it's not the young man's fault. Choi Jae-hyung is a master candidate that the Raon Guild is promoting. To fight with our Jae-hyung would be an honor for him. How could that be a fault?"
Wow, that guy.
No, that geezer.
Contrary to his large frame, he was black-hearted. He was definitely hiding a snake in his belly.
"He's got a point."
"You're a man! Have you no pride?!"
"What does this have to do with pride! If I fight, I'm just playing into their hands! I'd rather be insulted than do something that gains me nothing. Am I crazy? I'd rather spend that time clearing another dungeon."
"It sounds to me like you're willing to fight if there's something to be gained. Did I hear that correctly?"
This old geezer!
Why does he keep butting into a conversation between... well, younger people?
I brushed Choi Soo-hyun's hand away and glanced at Kang Moon-guk.
"One hundred thousand. Of course, your side will have to put up the same amount. How about it?"
"I won't accept anything less than 500,000 points."
Kang Moon-guk's eyes narrowed.
"Hahaha, you're a greedy one."
"If you're scared, then back off. We'll just be on our way."
"If you're thinking Jae-hyung is on the same level as the Hunters you killed in the dungeon, you are gravely mistaken."
I smiled quietly at Kang Moon-guk's continued attempts to intimidate me.
The Hunters and staff in the lobby were sneaking glances our way.
Among them were even some reporters who had come for other business and were now watching out of curiosity.
"Fine."
"W-Wait a minute! I said I wanted to spar with him, but I don't have that many contribution points..."
"I'll cover it for you."
"Guild Leader!"
Choi Jae-hyung's eyes sparkled, welling up with tears of emotion.
"He said yes, hyung."
"What are you talking about?"
"Just lend me 500,000 points."
"Ninety percent if you win."
...
Are you kidding me?