Chapter 16
Chapter 16
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Awakening (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
An Ji-ho looked at me and spoke.
"A request? Of course I'll hear you out! Whatever it is, just say the word!"
An Ji-ho responded cheerfully in a confident voice.
However, his confidence didn't last long.
"What...?"
He looked shocked as he asked me back.
"You want me to get you a Mana Suppression Artifact?"
I knew it.
I knew it was a tough request.
But An Ji-ho, who already owed me a ton, had no choice.
"C-Could I ask why? What the hell do you need it for?"
An Ji-ho darted his eyes side to side, his face full of bewilderment as he trailed off.
"To practice my abilities. Without getting caught by the Hunter Management Bureau."
"Without the Bureau noticing? Woojin, you don't mean..."
"Yeah, exactly. I don't want to report my awakening to them. It all happened inside a nested gate, so the Bureau has no clue."
In this world, all hunters fell under the Hunter Management Bureau's oversight.
It was absolutely essential for maintaining order.
But in reality, not every awakener followed the Bureau's rules.
Just like the villains in any hero story, there were bad guys dodging the Bureau's eyes and ears—or outright opposing them—abusing their powers left and right.
Unregistered hunters.
They were the ones called rogue hunters.
They didn't properly conquer towers or deal with the monsters spilling out from detached gates.
On the flip side, they never turned down any shady gigs and committed all sorts of crimes without hesitation. They were true villains of this world.
They had zero sense of justice or duty—chasing only their own gain and safety. That's what rogue hunters were.
Some might say all hunters are like that anyway?
No. Hunters at least didn't mess with civilians.
They had some respect for the law as members of society.
Whether strong or weak, they carried a sense of responsibility for their special powers and the duties of being a hunter.
Great power comes with great responsibility.
Hunters who lived by that were superhuman in name only—they were worlds apart from rogue hunters.
Rogues are kinda like the evil sects in wuxia novels.
Hunters as the righteous sects, the Bureau as the imperial court.
Call the tower and gate monsters the demonic cult, and it fits pretty well.
...Huh. Now I'm craving some wuxia after ages.
The smutty kind loaded with erotic scenes.
Anyway, it was only natural for An Ji-ho to freak out when I said I wanted to hide my identity(?).
"Woojin, are you thinking of becoming a rogue hunter...?"
Not registering with the Bureau usually meant that.
"No way. You've got it wrong—I'm not planning to go rogue."
I slowly shook my head.
"Then why dodge the Bureau's control?"
"It's a hassle."
"Huh? What?!"
"I haven't even decided if I'll do the hunter thing yet. School and my day job are already a lot—don't wanna get dragged around by the Bureau on top of that."
An Ji-ho nodded slightly, like he got it.
The Bureau's grip was that tight.
"I don't wanna cause trouble for anyone else either, so I'm practicing control. Over my abilities."
"Oh, that's what it's about."
An Ji-ho let out a blatant sigh of relief.
Sorry, but it was a lie.
I wouldn't harm bystanders, and sure, practice was part of it—but really, I planned to blast my powers everywhere on the sly.
For pervy stuff, of course.
"Still, doesn't it feel like a waste?"
An Ji-ho, clueless to my schemes, added with a hint of regret.
"With your talent, you could aim for S-rank hunter."
He had a point.
I hadn't spilled my exact abilities, but my feats in the nested gate were plenty to judge my potential.
Truth was, my powers were more than enough for S-rank.
Lots of them, good combo too.
The original protagonist wasted his and stalled at B-rank.
The Bureau graded hunters on three big things.
Awakening abilities, mana capacity, and track record.
Mana and records come with growth, so S-rank was basically guaranteed for me.
Side note: the protagonist sticking at B showed how half-assed he lived.
"I'm still an academy student. I'll think about career stuff later."
I shook my head.
"Ah, right. I was being nosy."
An Ji-ho gave an awkward smile, chuckling like an old man despite being in his early thirties.
I steered the talk back.
"I explained why I need the artifact. So, you'll get it for me, right? Obviously, I'll pay full price."
If I mastered Presence Concealment, I might hide my mana too.
But right now, I needed the artifact.
Awakened folks weren't allowed to use powers against civilians.
More precisely, no casual use outside towers and gates.
"Hmm, it's not easy. They run hundreds of millions of won, and they're rare to begin with."
An artifact that let you dodge Bureau rules? Had to be super rare.
"Tough, but not impossible, right?"
"...I've thought this before, but you're awfully sharp for a student, Woojin."
"Living alone teaches you a lot. Seen my share of crap too. Guess that's it."
"Anyway, you're right—it's not impossible."
I smiled inwardly at his words.
An Ji-ho would grow Lunar Guild into one of Korea's top five soon enough.
I knew his connections were solid, so getting the artifact was a done deal.
"Speaking of money, what about the nested gate rewards?"
"Rewards?"
"You're not planning to just pay me the standard daily rate, are you?"
I grinned playfully.
"As if. Do we look that shameless?"
An Ji-ho grinned back.
"If the cut's not enough, just say. I can sell the house to cover the artifact."
"Huh? Sell your house?"
"Three-story in Hannam-dong. Should fetch about 5 billion won."
"F-Five billion? Real estate's that hot now?"
"Dunno the market, but yeah—it's pricey, and someone's bound to snap it up."
The buyer? None other than Choi Si-hyeok.
He'd been thirsting after Cynthia forever. A top-tier house in "Cynthia territory" near the subway? He'd pay through the nose.
"No idea what that's about, but you were loaded, Woojin...?"
"Just an old inherited place. Bank's empty. If I were rich, why the part-times?"
"R-Right."
"Anyway, please make it happen."
"Got it. Your awakening stays secret. I'll snag that artifact somehow."
Talks wrapped, I stretched big.
"By the way, you feeling okay?"
Worry filled An Ji-ho's eyes as he looked me over.
"Eh, more or less..."
"Soo-jung patched you up first, but aftereffects linger. Plus awakening and mana exhaustion on top."
"Hearing it now, yeah—bad luck stacked."
"Rest in the hospital a few days. I'll square it with them."
"Thanks, Ji-ho hyung."
Plan(?) going smooth.
I couldn't help smiling at his considerate, cooperative vibe.
Soon, An Ji-ho finished up and stood.
"Get some real rest. Nested gate mess and aftermath? We'll handle. Hit me up after discharge."
With the nested gate incident(?) and my awakening settled for now, I plunged into deep sleep.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Early morning.
Yoo Harin, who'd tossed all night, suddenly kicked off the covers.
"Argh, damn it!"
Two days had passed since that Saturday, but her mind was still stuck there.
"I'm insane, totally insane!"
She just couldn't forget.
"Only a lunatic would do something like that...!"
She was mortified enough to die.
Yoo Harin, sneaking peeks at Kang Woojin and Cynthia's lovey-dovey antics while jerking off under the sink.
She'd spent the whole weekend replaying it nonstop.
They must've noticed. Gotta be! I moaned so loud!
Lost in self-Q&A, she cursed herself with hollow eyes, yanking at her hair wildly.
"Harin-ah, Harin-ah, you crazy bitch... Why the hell did you...?"
She even dry-washed her face for no reason.
Wanted to hole up on some remote island.
"Haaa."
After endless sighs, Yoo Harin flopped face-down on the bed again.
Did the beastman power trigger some heat cycle...?
Honestly, it felt good.
"First time, and like that..."
She'd felt brand-new sensations and truly learned what pleasure was.
That's why it was worse.
Out of nowhere, doing pervert shit like that...
She couldn't forget the ecstasy—and caught herself craving another go.
She hadn't acted on it, but her body heated up all weekend. She'd squirmed, thighs clenching and releasing unconsciously.
"Nngh."
Like right now.
"Ah!"
Then she glanced at the clock.
"...Gotta head to Woo-chin's place today too."
Yoo Harin mumbled low, her face indescribable.
She had no clue what expression to wear around Kang Woojin.
He'll make me do more weird pervert stuff if I go, right?
Dread hit hard, yet she felt this sneaky excitement—herself so foreign.
What'll it be this time...
Imagining, she swallowed dryly.
Bzzz.
Her phone vibrated then.
W-Woo-chin?!
Fortunately—or unfortunately—it wasn’t him.
[Missed Calls: Choi Si-hyeok (3)]
Vibration stopped; she sighed in relief.
"Ah... Si-hyeok..."
This made three over the weekend(!).
"Forgot..."
She knew about the missed calls but hadn't called back all weekend.
Her head was full of Kang Woojin and that day.
"How'd I end up like this."
Ignoring Choi Si-hyeok, she muttered self-mockingly.
And for good reason: he was always #1 in her heart.
She valued him above all.
Yet Yoo Harin had shoved him aside for the first time ever.
New confusion crossed her face; she buried it in the pillow.
What if Si-hyeok hates me...
But she didn't dwell long.
"Ugh, screw it!"
She bolted up, muttering on.
"Si-hyeok broke his promise to me first anyway."
She fired off a quick text, finally dragged herself off the bed to the bathroom.
Wash up and get dressed quick.
Time for her promise(?) with Kang Woojin neared.
Ready in a flash, Yoo Harin fulfilled the contract faithfully as always, heading to his place to look after him.
However.
Ding-dong!
No response despite ringing the bell repeatedly.
Bang! Bang-bang-bang!
Knocking same.
"What the. He out?"
Her phone buzzed right then.
"Huh?"
This time, really Kang Woojin.
'Woo-chin's hospitalized?'