Becoming Sexy Guy
As soon as the mock battle with Sexy Guy ended, I headed straight for the infirmary.
Just like yesterday, I'd lost a ton of blood today too, and my stamina was already in the gutter. I was staggering along, barely managing to put one foot in front of the other, but my heart felt incredibly light.
My first victory ever meant the world to me.
That said, it wasn't all smooth sailing. I'd made a solemn vow in my heart, but I couldn't help worrying about what came next.
First things first, what I could do right away was fight those cadets who'd tormented me in the rank battles starting two weeks from now. And give them trauma even worse than what they'd inflicted on me. To do that, I needed to get way stronger than I was now.
Sacrifice souls, huh...
I knew better than anyone how tough it would be to offer up souls with my ability.
Souls mean hunting monsters or humans...
Hunting humans was obviously off the table.
Sure, I'd decided to become a villain, but only against the bastards who'd fucked with me. I didn't want to turn into some monster who hurt innocent civilians.
Besides, if I went around killing people and got caught, I'd rot away the rest of my life in an Awakener prison. What would be the point of all this suffering then?
That's when a system alert popped up.
You can now use the Tip Card!
Oh! Was my Rare ability finally shining?
I used it right away.
Gates are full of high-quality souls!
Are you worried you're too much of a pushover?
How about visiting the Labor Office?
Huh? Yeah, why didn't I think of that?
I'd already decided to go villain, so rolling with unregistered hunters at the Labor Office wouldn't be an issue, right?
As I sorted out my thoughts, that's when—
Tadak-tadak—
I heard footsteps rushing toward me.
Yeah. The exact same sound that had rung in my ears that day I got falsely accused as a sex offender.
Thump thump thump thump thump thump thump.
My heart started pounding like crazy. My whole body froze; I couldn't take a single step. My hands shook uncontrollably. A shrill ringing pierced my ears.
"Hah... hah..."
My breath caught in my throat. Tears welled up in my eyes. The extreme stress made me feel like I was about to pass out any second.
"S-S-S-Sunbae! A-A-Are you okay...?"
Ah... it was Ha-eun.
"Hoo... hoo..."
The anxiety in my heart slowly subsided. My breathing started returning to normal bit by bit.
"Y-You look really hurt... I-I'll walk you to the infirmary..."
"I'm fine."
I drew a firm line, forcing down my trembling breaths.
"Th-Then at least take this..."
Startled by my blunt refusal, Park Ha-eun held out some Crunch chocolate again. I still hadn't eaten the one she'd given me earlier. How many of these did this girl carry around?
"Thanks. I'll enjoy it."
No point refusing anyway—she'd just shove it in my pocket again. So I took it.
"Um, u-um, sunbae..."
"Yeah?"
"Fr-From next time... c-could you talk casually to me...?"
"......"
Why was this girl going so far out of her way for me? But asking that outright was damn near impossible. I was fully aware of my current reputation.
"We'll see."
"P-Please do. I beg youuu..."
"...Got it."
No matter how I sliced it, her hanging around me was a bad idea. What if the arrows turned toward her? From Ha-eun's perspective, keeping her distance from me would be best.
With that, I turned and walked off alone.
I finally made it to the infirmary and got treated.
"You get hurt every damn time you spar? Aren't you the one who bugs me the most in this academy?"
"Sorry."
The infirmary wasn't a place you could just waltz into anytime. Treatment from a high-rank Healer Hunter was worlds apart from regular medical care in value.
But injuries from spars were fair game.
"That wound on your arm doesn't look fresh from today."
"Yeah. It isn't."
I'd tried sneaking it in for treatment, but she spotted it like a ghost.
"Eh, whatever. This one's on the house."
"Thanks."
"All done. Get lost."
"Yes, ma'am. Thanks again. Take care."
I bowed politely and left the infirmary. Thanks to her, even the bite wound from yesterday's monster got fully healed, and I headed home.
The next day, Saturday.
I woke up at the crack of dawn, grabbed a sword from the academy's supplies, and headed for the Labor Office run by the Residual Shadow Guild. Nothing special about picking that one—it was just the closest to home.
Labor Office, huh... Never thought I'd end up there...
About ten years ago, in 2027.
Right when everyone was imagining a future where AI devoured all industries and human jobs vanished.
The first Gate opened, and everything changed.
Gates that would rampage and destroy everything if left unchecked. And the emergence of Awakeners who could handle them.
Only Awakeners could raid Gates. More precisely, only those with mana sensitivity could even enter. Otherwise, you'd get torn to shreds the moment you stepped in.
No matter how advanced physical AI got, it couldn't replace Awakeners. Machines lacked mana.
Starting from C-rank Gates, even firearms couldn't hurt monsters much, so Awakeners had to infuse weapons with mana to fight.
Physically replicating mana circuits? Impossible from the jump.
Even after ages of brain science, we still didn't fully understand it—just like mana circuits, which humans couldn't grasp completely.
Anyway, that kicked off a human-centric society again. Or more accurately, a Hunter-centric one.
All investments poured into Hunters, guilds, and magic tool workshops. Funding for semiconductors and AI dried up, leading to a full industrial overhaul.
Tech progress hadn't changed much since 2027. Without money flowing, advancement crawls.
So what's the Labor Office?
Remember that asshole Arthur who smashed all the suppressors? After that, Gates exploded in number across Korea, and the Hunter Association couldn't handle them all.
Guilds started reporting and clearing Gates on their own. But registered pro Hunters are limited, right?
So they opened Gates to unregistered folks with mana sensitivity. Labor Offices broker low-rank Gate raids for them.
The people working there? They're the closest thing to villains. Plenty awaken strong powers but skip Association registration to commit all sorts of crimes. Raiders who ambush and kill other Awakeners for loot, traitors smuggling dungeon byproducts— you name it.
The Association knows but turns a blind eye. As long as Gates get cleared, they don't care.
That's why they don't outright call them villains.
Unregistered Hunters. That's their official label.
Before entering the Labor Office, I checked my state one last time.
No one there reveals their real identity, right?
So I'd prepared. My other Rare item.
The ultra badass mask.
I put on the skull-patterned mask and steeled myself at the entrance.
Heard there are tons of shitty bastards in there...
No one rolling in a place like this would be right in the head. I couldn't afford to look like a joke. If these bottom-feeders marked me as prey, everything would go to hell from the start.
Fuck, I'm an Awakener too! No reason to wuss out.
This was just a small Labor Office on the outskirts of Gyeonggi. No need to fear random scrubs.
I hyped myself up and flung the door open boldly.
What I saw was...
"Who the fuck's this guy?"
"Raider?!"
People jumping up, weapons drawn. Guess my mask pulled too much aggro.
"That mask means he's no normie. What're you?"
"Where you from, punk? Huh?"
Whoa, fuck, check out those eyes. Scary as hell. And their vibes were no joke.
Not good. Time for Plan B.
"Hello, seniors! Newbie here to greet you!"
A crisp 90-degree bow. Then I shouted again.
"I'm a total newbie, still way too green! I'll work my ass off from now on! Please take care of me!"
Another 90-degree bow.
I'd watched it on NewTube last night! Said to be the key to thriving in society. No clue if it'd work on villains, though.
"......"
"......"
A beat of silence. Then...
"Hahahahaha!"
"What? Thought raiders were hitting us."
"Mask had me on edge, but he's got manners."
It worked?
A burly middle-aged guy stood and approached me.
"So, you wanna work here?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Full of spirit, eh!"
He slapped my back hard. Ow, that shit hurt for real.
"Polite one. Good upbringing shows."
"Thank you!"
Mom and Dad were gone, but no need to bring that up.
"Like you. I'll take him under my wing. Cool with you, Blanco?"
"Doesn't matter. Team Leader."
Yes! Landed a gig right away. Big guy was Team Leader, sharp-eyed one was Blanco.
"Ever been in a Gate?"
"Just E-rank."
"Today's D-rank... but I'll show you the ropes. Up for it?"
"I'll give it my all! Please guide me!"
"Hahahahaha! More I see, more I like ya!"
Watching that NewTube vid was the right call. Nail the greetings, and you're halfway there!
"So... what should we call you? Got a handle?"
"No, nothing. Just call me Newbie!"
"Nah, can't do that. Tradition: seniors name the newbie. Lemme think... what fits..."
Team Leader pondered long and hard.
"Hmm... that mask is striking... and your build's solid. Yeah, sexy! Sexy Guy it is!"
"Pardon? W-What...?"
"Like it? Blanco, whaddya think? Sexy Guy! Rolls right off the tongue, huh?"
"Yeah... sure..."
Exactly the kinda name Labor Office villains would slap on you. Sense of humor's trash. Even Blanco shot him a deadpan look. But as a newbie, I couldn't argue with seniors' tradition.
Tradition's tradition.
And so, my codename became Sexy Guy.
(Though I soon learned there was no such "tradition" to begin with.)
Anyway, our party—Team Leader, Blanco, and me (Sexy Guy)—filed for the D-rank Gate raid.
We piled into a rickety old van and headed for the D-rank Gate on Ganghwa-do.
This would be my first real Gate dive, and the tension was insane. With unregistered Hunters of unknown backgrounds, no less...
But I had to do it.
To harvest souls.
To spin the gacha.
To grow stronger than anyone.
And to get revenge on those academy fuckers.