[No Title Provided]
This novel didn't feel right. "If only I could quit being a hunter... I want to quit." Cha Yaeun, an F-rank hunter. Her weary face repeated the words, but she had no choice.
Even with the virtual "unfit for hunter" judgment of being F-rank, she had no option but to keep at this job. Money. Her father, lost in a gate accident. Her mother, who survived but lay in a coma. With both parents gone, Cha Yaeun had to support her family and younger siblings. Being a woman fresh out of high school, what other way was there to earn the massive hospital bills and living expenses?
Even if she gritted her teeth and sold her "dignity," it wouldn't cover everything. Unless she snagged some massive sugar daddy, but who was she kidding? Her only path was to risk her life diving into gates, assisting other hunters with their hunts—as a porter. At least until she could send her siblings to college, Cha Yaeun resolved to keep walking this tightrope.
But every time she stepped into a gate where life hung by a thread, weak thoughts crept in unbidden. Before starting this grind, she'd watched media coverage of flashy hunters and harbored fantasies. She knew not everyone could become one of those chosen few, but still... "What if it's me?"
Reality? After the others fought, she picked up the spoils and provided support. An F-rank hun—porter, at best. She was trying to break out of this rut, but if effort alone did it, the world would be full of S-rank hunters.
"Good work, everyone!"
Somehow, she'd survived another day and made it home. A few scrapes from getting caught in the crossfire, but a bit of ointment would fix that. Dragging her exhausted body through a shower, she collapsed onto the sofa, mentally tallying this month's utilities, mom's hospital bills, and rent.
If I hit one more gate tomorrow, I can scrape by this month.
It was razor-thin. She wanted a buffer for emergencies. Maybe push herself when there was a breather? Lost in thought, Cha Yaeun sighed.
Hah, time for a novel.
Obsessing over unsolvable problems just ramped up the stress. Today's gate clear ended early, leaving time before her siblings got back from school. Perfect for her modest hobby: reading. Webnovels. Cheap entertainment at its finest. Cha Yaeun was human too. Thrust into the role of family head as a young woman, she needed this release valve more than most.
"Hm? A new one?"
Scroll, scroll... An unfamiliar title caught her eye.
"Let's see... Lebalheonda? That's a weird title."
It hadn't been there a few days ago, yet it had rocketed into the bestseller ranks. That meant proven fun—readers had vetted it.
"What's it about? Hunter story? Another self-insert or fanfic?"
In a world where hunters existed for real, novels starring them—celebrities in their own right—were common. But those were more "about hunters as celebs" than true hunter tales. More like idol dramas modeled on real hunters, or straight-up fanfics about favorites, as Cha Yaeun put it.
Ironically, because gates, monsters, mana cores, and hunters were real, proper hunter stories didn't thrive. Fiction let imaginations run wild; reality boxed them in.
Then came Lebalheonda, written as if hunters didn't exist. Its impact? Obvious from a sub-20-chapter newbie hitting the charts. Or...
"What the—...? This is good?!"
One chapter in, and Cha Yaeun was hooked—favoriting, recommending, commenting. Part of it was the quality, sure, but also personal bias. The protagonist was an F-rank hunter like her. Supporting family no matter the pain or injury? Identical situation.
If the gender matched, she'd wonder if it was her life story. But nah, cases like hers weren't rare. Plenty of F-ranks stuck with it despite the odds, all with tragic backstories. No surprise if the novel character mirrored real folks.
Still, it hit home. The protagonist of Lebalheonda, Kim Min—an F-rank who never gave up, holding onto hope for better days. Fight on.
Cha Yaeun found herself cheering him on, utterly immersed. Real life or fiction, F-rank woes were the same: ignored, treated like trash. Awakened and mana-adapted, but no skills? F-rank it was. The old ranking system let F-ranks enter gates, but now calls for reform rang out—they weren't "real" hunters.
F-ranks barely differed from normals beyond boosted physicals. Why license them for gates if they couldn't fight monsters properly?
Steady gate runs built mana and growth, but not like life-or-death combats.
Kim Min, the scorned F-rank hunter, wasn't just grinding for survival. His brother vanished in a Black Gate; he aimed to grow strong enough to enter and find him. So he persisted despite the ridicule.
Some mocked him as a fool; others cheered. Kim Min knew the odds: survival in humanity's worst disaster? Near zero. But quitting? No. At least learn how his brother died—for revenge, if nothing else. Even in death, bring remains home to bury by their father's grave.
That resolve faced crisis.
"Sorry, Kim-ssi. But the living gotta live."
"Park-ssi ajusshi...?"
Lucky day, they said. The raid went smooth—mana cores, drops, even a rare artifact from a low gate. Party buzzing about payout...
"Good work, all. Now, harvest time."
The hidden villain struck. The raid was a trap from the start—for mana cores, artifacts, drops. But the real goal? Awaken the gate's "solitude" ritual for power. Not a normal gate—a trap. Victims locked in, forced to turn on each other.
Team up against the villain? Ignore the urge? Impossible. Ritual active: lose will to fight, auto-eliminate.
In the hellish chaos, irony: last survivors were Kim Min and another F-rank. Park Mingoo—aka Park-ssi ajusshi. Pure luck. In all-enemy mode, prioritize threats: strong first, weak F-ranks later.
Others killed each other; these two slipped through. But luck ran out.
"Can't buy you that meal now. Sorry, Kim-ssi. Living gotta live."
Park Mingoo chose suicide.
"Ajusshi?!"
"Live, Kim-ssi... Get home to your family somehow..."
Park had lost wife and kids to a gate disaster—zombie-walking since. No suicide courage, just hunting death. Unlike Kim Min's drive, he chose family reunion now, saving Kim Min.
Staring at the cooling corpse, Kim Min sobbed. Not what he wanted. Didn't crave death or this survival.
"Ah, damn it. Why do even trash like me survive?"
No time to grieve. The villain emerged for his prize.
Kim Min glared with pure hate. Villain shrugged nonchalantly.
"Well, survivors are the strong ones, right?"
As he dragged Kim Min to the altar...
"Gurk...?"
Park Mingoo's parting gift: dagger artifact, snagged pre-trap. Kim Min stabbed the careless villain's throat.
"Burn in hell."
Artifact indeed. Villain shrugged off hunter attacks with regen. Dismissed F-rank flailing—forgot the dagger.
"P-Poison...!"
Plain-looking, but poisoned. Outpaced his regen.
No slacking, though.
"Die! For ajusshi—for everyone!"
Kim Min charged the staggering villain, slashing relentlessly.
"Y-You little...! F-rank scum...!"
"You're dying to that scum."
Villain's counter severed Kim Min's left arm. Agony be damned—bloodshot eyes, unrelenting assault. Desperate duel: F-rank vs. at-least-D villain. Should've been stomp, but artifact ambush tipped scales razor-thin.
Winner of the brutal fight?
"Me... like this...?"
"Shut up and die!"
Kim Min. Final thrust into the disbelieving mouth.
Villain collapsed bleeding on the altar. Kim Min toppled atop, arm gone, unbalanced.
"Stop the bleeding..."
He'd bleed out. Must treat fast. Reaching for his pack, recalling ajusshi's words—
"Can't die—"
Blackout, sprawled over villain's corpse on the altar.
And so, final victor Kim Min claimed the ritual's ironic reward. The mere sacrifice... chosen.