Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The Bet
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As evening fell and I headed out for the hunt, people were clustered in front of the scoreboard.
“Hyung, you heading out now?”
Sangheon spotted me first and came over with a greeting.
“Yeah. You just got back? How’d it go?”
“Yes. Hunting in the mountains was tougher than I expected, but I think I’m getting the hang of it now.”
“Ten? Nice job.”
On the scoreboard, among the thirty-four Awakeners, Yang Sangheon’s name sat at 12th place with a 10 beside it. I was in 34th.
“Hellhounds are faster than they look—I probably couldn’t have gotten ten on my own. It was only possible herding them with my party members and blocking their escape routes. Why don’t you join us, hyung? With your skills, you’d be welcome.”
Sangheon glanced at my score with a worried look. Ever since I’d saved him during the Choi Miran incident, he’d been looking out for me.
“Nah, I prefer going solo.”
“Let me know if you change your mind.”
Even as I chatted with Sangheon, the murmurs from the crowd continued.
“Alright, get some good rest. See you tomorrow morning.”
Worried that the bad vibes might rub off on him too, I quickly said my goodbyes and headed for the mountains.
I walked slowly at first, until the people were out of sight, then picked up speed and started running. The other Awakeners drove to the points they could reach by car, but I ran to burn stamina. In this subjugation, I needed to level up not just my Acute Senses skill but also my stamina and agility stats.
Panting roughly, I bounded up the mountain like a wild animal. Clouds blocked the moonlight tonight, making it far darker than yesterday, but thanks to my new Acute Senses skill, I could perceive my surroundings even better than before.
I could have climbed quietly, but instead, I deliberately snapped branches as I passed and stomped hard to make noise. Hellhounds would charge at a lone target.
A sharp prickling sensation hit from behind, so I slammed to a halt and spun around. A Hellhound was frozen mid-lunge, poised to attack—it hadn’t expected me to turn.
I lunged at the rigid beast in an instant, and it bolted backward in retreat.
I poured power into my thighs and accelerated. Just as the distance shrank to a few meters, another Hellhound burst from the side, aiming for my throat. It had lured me in for a flank attack, but I’d already pinpointed its position with Acute Senses before it even charged.
I smashed my fist into the flying beast’s head. Glancing sidelong to confirm it had crashed to the ground with its skull burst open, I kept running.
As I nearly caught up, the first one kicked off the earth and leaped in reverse, gaping its jaws full of razor fangs at me. Instead of dodging, I thrust my arm into its mouth, let it clamp down, and slammed it into the dirt. My arm bore bite marks and shallow gashes, but not deep enough to pierce muscle. I crushed it flat beneath me.
After dealing with the two, I scanned around—about ten more Hellhounds encircled me at a distance.
A standoff unfolded with the Hellhounds keeping their spacing as they surrounded me.
If I went for one, it fled while the others closed in.
Tonight was darker than yesterday, so I had to rely more on senses beyond sight, but Hellhounds could see as well in the dark as in daylight. I’d thought gaining the skill and boosting stats would make it easier than yesterday, but it wasn’t much different.
No rush. It was only day two of seven.
* * *
I wrestled Hellhounds all night again. To make matters worse, rain started falling, and I only managed five.
Killing them was one issue; transporting them was another. I’d ventured farther than yesterday, and five Hellhound corpses took up serious bulk, making the trip back to the resort a hassle. So I kept hunting in the mountains until morning when the checkpoints opened.
By dawn, I’d bagged two more for a total of seven, which I turned in at the nearest checkpoint.
“You okay? The healer hasn’t arrived yet—what do we do?”
The Awakening Bureau official there to open the checkpoint and the Hunter on guard duty were stunned to see a blood-soaked Hunter show up this early. They fidgeted anxiously.
“It’s not my blood.”
I scraped off the crusted blood on my arm to reveal clean skin. It was my blood, sure, but showing it off was easier than explaining the skill.
After handing over the corpses, I hitched a ride back to the resort on their transport vehicle.
* * *
I showered and headed down for breakfast, piling my table high with food as usual. Staying focused all night had burned through a ton of energy.
The whispers from the other Hunters were even louder than yesterday.
“Why doesn’t that guy join a party? Is he here on vacation?”
“Subjugations have a minimum payout. He’s just here to mooch free meals off that.”
The rumors had already solidified into fact.
“Guys like him are why all Hunters get flak for leeching off taxpayer money.”
Thanks to Acute Senses, every word drilled right into my ears, whether I wanted it or not.
Unpleasant stuff, but it didn’t really get to me. I didn’t have the luxury to worry about what others said.
Ignoring the hostile stares, I finished eating and returned to my room to rest.
* * *
Another day of hunting passed, and by the end of day three, my score was still dead last.
“You here to sightsee?”
As I ate dinner, someone spoke up, so I looked up. A man with sharp eyes stood at my table, his face twisted in irritation.
“Nope.”
“Guys like you make the rest of us who actually work hard look bad. Pack your shit and get lost while I’m being nice.”
“You an Awakening Bureau official?”
“What?”
“Didn’t hear me? Are you an Awakening Bureau official?”
He just glared without answering.
“Didn’t think so. Then why are you picking a fight? It’s not your money.”
“Your payout comes from my taxes! And slackers like you make the Hunters risking their lives get shit on!”
His face flushed red with rage as he slammed the table. The corner splintered, and food spilled to the floor.
“Who’s the real asshole here?”
I said, eyeing the table and mess.
But when I glanced around, the spectating Hunters shot hostile glares not at the guy who’d yelled and trashed the food, but at me sitting quietly.
“Get outside.”
He ground his teeth and snarled.
“Fine by me.”
“You two! Cause any more trouble, and I’ll report you!”
As I started to stand, a management bureau staffer came rushing over at the commotion and wedged between us. Not a Hunter himself, but he bravely stepped in to break it up.
He knew Hunters couldn’t mess with management bureau officials lightly—reports meant serious penalties.
“We’re not fighting. Just gonna talk.”
I raised both hands to the official, signaling I’d keep the peace.
“I’ll be watching.”
The official warned us and backed off.
He’d nearly gotten caught in a Hunter brawl, sweat beading on his face. Most listened up, but Hunters caused trouble daily. If things went south, they’d even attack bureau staff.
“Hey, wanna make a bet?”
I said to the guy who’d come looking for trouble.
“What?”
“Whoever bags more in this subjugation—loser pays 100 million. Deal?”
“With your rank at the bottom? You think you can compete?”
He scoffed, face screaming it was absurd.
“Chicken out then.”
I tossed it out casually, ignoring the scoff.
Fuming, he pulled up the Hunter app and drafted a contract, sending it my way. The app handled party invites and all sorts of contracts; loopholes let you enforce bets like this. The sender was listed as Choi Cheolmin. I checked the terms and accepted.
“Have the money ready. Don’t even think about running.”
Choi Cheolmin growled and stormed off.
“Hyung, you okay? What’s your plan?”
Sangheon arrived late to the cafeteria after hearing the commotion and sat across from me after getting the story from his party.
“Simple—hunt more.”
“That’s Choi Cheolmin, right? He’s famous even among E-Rank Awakeners. He’s second on the Hellhound subjugation leaderboard. Word is his party’s scouting dens and wiping them out.”
Sangheon hunted with his group, so he had better intel than me.
“Don’t worry. I was planning to get serious anyway.”
I flashed him a confident grin.
So far, I’d focused on leveling Acute Senses and my stats over climbing the scoreboard.
But with a bet on the line, I had no intention of losing.
After dinner, I tracked down an Awakening Bureau official.
“I want to hunt at night too—can I have a checkpoint key?”
From here on, I needed volume, and shuttling back to the resort wasted time.
“No can do.”
“Huh?”
“Only bureau officials can have them.”
Hadn’t thought of that. In my past life, we’d done subjugations like this, but apparently rules changed later.
“Just give it to him. It’s an empty container anyway.”
Another official approached as I stood there stumped.
“Sure.”
The seated one handed over the electronic key without argument.
“We’ll bill you for damage or loss, so be careful.”
His name tag read Section Chief Kwon Jongil—not a low-rank.
“Thanks.”
I pocketed the key and bolted for the mountains at full speed. Days of scouting had given me a few likely spots.
An hour in, I found a den. In a basin ringed by peaks, over twenty Hellhounds lounged before a cave. The big ones were out hunting; most were small or injured.
Hellhounds rarely left their territory unless their numbers swelled, forcing them downslope for food and into villages. Periodic subjugations were essential. Packs this size scattered across the Gangwon Mountains would inevitably swarm settlements soon.
I charged down the slope at the resting pack.
Woof! They erupted in barks, rousing their napping packmates and calling the hunters back.
I dodged a blocker, grabbed its neck, and hurled it down. It bounced off the ground; I booted it into the oncoming swarm.
More Hellhounds piled on like a dog pack, their teeth sinking into me more and more. Fists struggled to land clean hits on the speedy bastards, so I hooked my fingers like claws and swung. With high strength and agility, even grazes gouged deep furrows in their flesh.
I dispatched the rushers one by one.
[Your level has increased.]
[Stamina has increased by 1.]
Pushing my body to the limit in the brutal fight had leveled me up.