Gun Flower (5)
What’s the most important thing for hunters living in modern society? If you ask that, people usually pick three things. First, power. Second, reliable comrades. And third, promotion.
Hunters are all about meritocracy, risking their lives in dungeons and gates, so yeah, power and comrades make sense. But why promotion? If you ask that, I can only answer one way: you have to promote yourself to find comrades who fit you.
The days of just flashing your hunter rank to recruit a team are long gone. These days, hunters film their exploits with hunter-exclusive body cams or drones, upload them to their YouTube channels, and use that for self-PR. When recruiting at hunter agencies, showing those videos demonstrates your skills and abilities—super convenient.
Even Cheongmyeong Guild, the most conservative of Korea’s three major guilds, actively uses SNS communities like Hunter Star for promotion. That says it all.
Hunters are real-life heroes, and that’s why people go crazy for the job. Hunter channels pull views on a whole different level from regular folks or celebrities, so if you’ve got the chops to run one, it’s a win-win: money and promo.
“Open a YouTube channel, rake in cash, get promoted—total no-brainer, fuckin’ sweet.”
Becoming a hunter YouTuber. Back when I was a half-assed nobody with nothing to show, it was unthinkable. But now? Totally doable. I’m not some half-ass anymore, and I’ve got the title of Yoo Seo-ah’s benefactor to boot.
Right after Yoo Seo-ah’s clarification stream, curiosity about me was at an all-time high. Perfect timing to launch a channel. Promote my abilities with YouTube videos, recruit a team that way, keep growing. Lay the groundwork for my own guild. That’s the plan.
“But to film, I need gear first. Start with a body cam? Drones are too pricey…”
I was about to pull up Hunter Shop, the site for hunter gear trades, on my phone when:
The house owner's intent to promote the Safe House has been recognized.
Service promotion is essential for operating and developing the Safe House.
This Safe House will actively support the house owner's promotion efforts.
Using the Safe House Customization System, 'always-on recording' function has been added to 'Feature – Black Box'.
It can do that?
“...So I don’t need to buy recording gear?”
[Searching]
[Search complete]
No existing hunter-exclusive recording equipment can match the Safe House's performance.
Purchasing new recording gear would be a clear waste.
The Safe House system shot down my question like, why buy that crap? Thinking about it, Yoo Seo-ah’s Black Box footage was insanely high-res with crystal-clear audio. In that chaotic melee, it captured every stabber and stabbee perfectly, no glitches. Comments were all like, “What gear even shoots like this?!”
Yeah, no need to worry about recording gear.
“Man, this ability’s convenience is off the charts. What a cheat.”
When I first awakened the Safe House ability, I thought it was just a lucky massage parlor. But the more I used it, the more I liked it.
We will continue striving for positive evaluations. House owner, keep pushing forward as well.
“...Yeah, let’s do our best. You and me.”
Plan set. Before launching the YouTube channel, one last check.
“Alright, time to test the real power!”
The newly upgraded Man-gae-hwa (Custom Ver.)’s firepower.
※
“F-rank request, ‘Goblin Small Colony Extermination and Goblin Ear Collection.’ Accepted. We wish you a safe return.”
“Thanks.”
I took the freshly printed request form from the staffer and tucked it in my inside pocket. What she said was the same line I’d heard for the past ten years, but different this time. Her eyes, usually dull with annoyance and fatigue, now sparkled with curiosity.
And it wasn’t just her.
“That Kang Jinseong guy’s debuting as Gun-hwa or whatever, heading to a small colony for a warmup?”
“Nothing beats a goblin small colony for shaking off rust. Guy knows his stuff.”
“Yoo Seo-ah straight-up said she wants to keep good relations… how insane is that unique ability?”
“Didn’t you catch the stream? Saved her from the brink of death and healed her up completely.”
“Fuck… I wanna be friends with Kang Jinseong too.”
When I first walked in, eyes glared with hostility. Post-stream? Total thaw. Now it was curiosity, goodwill, and folks eyeing a connection.
But after openly showing enmity earlier, they were too embarrassed to chat me up. The hunters in the agency just stared. I wasn’t interested in them anyway, so I bounced.
※
“Been a while. Almost four years?”
The F-rank dungeon Goblin Small Colony near Namsan. Korea’s most famous—and easiest—dungeon, a rite of passage for rookies. And the spot where I first met Yoo Seo-ah.
Back then, she couldn’t even take a single goblin. Squeezing her eyes shut before the enemy? Peak noob.
“And now she’s soared so high…”
I glanced into the hunter gear shop. There was a poster of Yoo Seo-ah modeling Cheongmyeong Guild gear. Not even two months in, and already doing ads? She was on another level.
“Yeah, time for me to grind too.”
But unlike before, I wasn’t resigning myself. I’d had enough bitter, unfair days. I’d get strong, build a crew, climb high, live large. Not envy others—be the one envied.
With that resolve.
“Let’s go.”
I stepped into the Goblin Small Colony.
Whoosh—!
That familiar sensation entering a dungeon, like passing through a thin membrane. Once through, the world transformed. Dungeon inside and out were separate dimensions—one step, total shift.
A vast, damp, humid cavern. The Goblin Small Colony was a massive cave like a plaza, riddled with goblin nests. Like an RPG hunting ground.
“Hiyah!”
“Chak!”
“Die, you goblin shits!”
“Hammer comin’ through!”
Clang! Clang! Slash! Crunch!
Long a training ground for rookies honing senses. Rookies battling goblins up ahead proved it. I passed them, heading deeper—where insiders knew to go.
Step. Step. Step.
The colony seemed one big cavern, but no. Goblins dig narrow tunnels for nests, avoiding the open plaza. Strong ones lurk deeper, away from traffic.
Why the weaklings near the entrance getting farmed? Overpopulation pushed ‘em out. They breed like rabbits, litters huge—inevitable crowding.
“That’s why goblin extermination requests never stop.”
Leave ‘em breeding, risk dungeon break and hell. Always available at agencies.
Swish— Swish-swish— Swish—
Lost in thought, walking deeper, I heard quiet footsteps. Like sweeping with a broom—goblins dragging feet to sneak.
But I’m D-rank, superhuman with mana, senses sharp.
Magazine production.
['Man-gae-hwa Magazine x1' production complete.]
Click.
Grateful for the target, I loaded the Man-gae-hwa magazine into Gun-hwa.
Suddenly— Pop!
“Keeheeek!”
I spun toward the goblin leaping from the tunnel, dual-wielding daggers.
Click.
Silently pulled the trigger.
BOOOOM—!!!!!!
The massive explosion rocked the cavern.
Thud. Thud.
The goblin vaporized, leaving only its feet.
“......Huh?”