This Is a Disaster
"W-why is this person suddenly acting like this?"
Yoo Insook couldn't help but be shocked by what was happening right in front of her. The man was slumped on the floor, his pupils dilated, drooling like an idiot.
"Who knows? Why is he acting like that all of a sudden? I'll call an ambulance."
Yushin’s eyes were ice-cold as he held his phone. In truth, the reason Yang Jongchan had ended up like that was because of the killing intent Yushin had secretly focused on him. It was impossible for an ordinary person to withstand Yushin’s killing intent.
'You won't be able to sleep properly for a few days, old man.'
He should actually be grateful. Grateful that he met Yushin here. If he had met him in the Abyss, he wouldn't just be out of his mind—he would have lost consciousness forever.
"What kind of trouble is this? I hope he's alright."
Even in that situation, Mom was worried about Yang Jongchan as he was carried out.
"Mom, don't worry about it. He probably had some underlying condition."
"Uh-huh. My heart is still pounding. I was so startled..."
That was when it happened. The doorbell rang again, signaling another visitor.
Who is it this time?
When he went out to check, a familiar face was standing at the door.
"Hahaha! Greetings! Hunter!"
It was Park Haesu and Yoon Hyewon.
Why is this guy here again?
Perhaps reading his unimpressed expression, Park Haesu held up a fruit basket.
"I had some things to discuss, and so, here I am... Oh!? You must be his mother. Nice to meet you. I am Park Haesu, the Raid Team Leader from the Hunter Management Department."
Is this déjà vu? It was similar to the situation from just a moment ago. As expected, Mom let Park Haesu and Yoon Hyewon inside, and they sat down with the dining table between them, just like before.
"We heard the news. You registered as a Hunter yesterday, right?"
It seems the news that I became a Hunter has spread to every corner of the country. Seeing how everyone knows about it.
"You seem to have a lot of interest in me."
"We are always interested in talented Hunters. But you're E-rank? There must be a reason, right? For example, an S-rank Hunter wanting to live a quiet life..."
Park Haesu grinned. What is this guy saying after eating a warm meal?
Yoon Hyewon, who was next to him, seemed to think the same thing, as she furrowed her brows and glanced sideways at Park Haesu.
"If you're here to scout me or something like that..."
"That's correct. The MNL Guild was here a little while ago, right? And they were carried out, weren't they?"
Park Haesu smiled slyly, as if he knew exactly why they had been carried out.
"However, because of that, your life as a Hunter might become difficult."
This guy still hasn't grasped who I am. Daring to threaten me?
"Well, of course, they might not be able to cause direct harm to Hunter Cheon Yushin, but they will subtly interfere with your gate access or magic stone sales."
"..."
Unlike before, Park Haesu wore a serious expression.
"The MNL Guild isn't the top guild in the country, but they have their own influence. Plus, since they have a bad reputation, they might bother you without caring about their own face."
If they bother me, I'll just crush them. That's what I'm best at.
Park Haesu continued in a subtle voice.
"But if you join our Hunter Management Department, all of that will be resolved."
At Park Haesu's signal, Yoon Hyewon spread out a portfolio.
"First, you will have unlimited access to all gates."
That sounds good.
"Without an entry fee?"
"Of course. We are the Hunter Management Department. The Hunter Management Department is above all guilds. We can gain entry with a simple request for cooperation."
Yushin tilted his head. That's a bit different from what I know?
"No way? If the HunterNet isn't wrong, I heard the Hunter Management Department is on the verge of bankruptcy? That you have no power? That there are fewer than 20 Hunters left?"
A sharp truth-bomb pierced Park Haesu's heart.
Park Haesu cleared his throat and said,
"That is the case right now, but... if we have several Hunters like Hunter Cheon Yushin, we can become strong enough. And the gate management authority was originally the exclusive right of the Hunter Management Department. We just don't have the capacity right now. Don't you want to become strong quickly? If you have the ability, you will be given top priority for all uncleared gates that occur in the future."
That's a decent condition. All my skills, the source of my power, are sealed, and I need to level up to break through them.
That was when it happened. Yoo Insook, who had been quietly looking at the portfolio, screamed.
"H-house?!"
"Mom, what's wrong?"
Yushin looked at where Yoo Insook’s gaze was fixed. It stated that they would provide a house for free.
Yoon Hyewon said in a gentle voice,
"Yes, Mother. As you can see, we provide free housing for Hunters belonging to the Hunter Management Department. This house is cozy and pretty, but it would be too small for three people to live in. Especially if you have a sensitive high school girl. If you join our Hunter Management Department, you can move into a 40-pyeong apartment. And it's not far from the Hunter Management Department, either. Doesn't that sound good?"
"F-forty pyeong..."
Yoo Insook’s eyes became dreamy for a moment at the dream-like offer. A house felt more realistic than the vague mention of 500 million won. In fact, it was already cramped for the two of them living in this house. She had been worrying about whether she should take on debt to move to a bigger place now that her son was living with them. And that wasn't the end.
"The annual salary is 500 million won. And anything acquired inside the gate, while it depends on your contribution to the raid, becomes the Hunter's property."
This time, even Yoo Insook gulped and looked at Yushin. Yushin nodded heavily, as if he understood his mother’s gaze.
That's it!
Park Haesu clenched his fist tightly. With this, the Hunter Management Department had gained a chance to become much stronger. However.
"I refuse."
"Yes. A good choi—wait, what?"
"I said I refuse. I don't like being tied down. The MNL Guild? If they interfere with me, they'll be the ones getting crushed, won't they?"
"N-no..."
Park Haesu tried to speak but soon closed his mouth. Then, he chuckled.
"Very well. But if you ever think about joining somewhere later, please consider our Hunter Management Department again. Our department isn't as bad as people say. It’s also the place where you can become the strongest the fastest, provided you have the ability. And please take this."
Park Haesu handed something over. It contained a list of gates organized by region.
"This is a list of gates our department has cleared. They are E-rank gates, but there shouldn't be any major problems for you to adapt for the time being. Of course, the entry fees are waived as well. As you know, this is a privilege given only to Hunter Cheon Yushin. A privilege."
"Why go this far?"
Yushin was curious. Why go this far for someone who even rejected his scouting offer?
"You caught a Harpy on the very day you woke up after being in a coma for five years. And you didn't even use much strength. And the rank of the Hunter who caught that Harpy is only E-rank. Isn't that a very interesting story? It's like a cliché of a Hunter hiding their power."
Huh? What did you say?
"Hahaha. Just a joke. A joke. Anyway, I just want to earn some points with Hunter Cheon Yushin. With a Hunter who might become a future A-rank Hunter."
Park Haesu packed up his things while laughing.
"Then we will be taking our leave. Please enjoy the fruit we brought."
Yushin caught them as they were leaving with those greetings.
Could it be?
A glimmer of expectation appeared in Park Haesu's eyes. And then.
"When exactly are you going to give me the reward money for catching the Harpy?"
That is that, and this is this. I have to get what I'm owed.
#
Hunters wielding bows, swords, spears, and shields were gathered in the Hunter Management Department hall.
Park Haesu clapped his hands and said,
"Alright! Everyone worked hard clearing E-rank gates today. Since the Section Chief specially gave us the corporate card today, let's go eat something delicious."
Joo Jowoon, a young man whose clothes were covered in dust from rolling around, said,
"Ayy, isn't it just pork belly again?"
"Hahaha, please understand. If we go around eating Korean beef with the corporate card, it'll immediately hit the internet news."
"Ha! Those trash reporters, seriously, what does it matter what others eat?"
Someone placed a hand on the grumbling Joo Jowoon’s shoulder. When Joo Jowoon turned around, a handsome man with pale skin was standing there. It was Baek Woohyun, the Attack Team Leader of the Raid Team.
"That's enough. We just need to fill our stomachs, no need to waste energy."
"Hehehe, if the Captain says so, then it is so."
Joo Jowoon scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.
"Then let's go quickly. Team Leader?!"
"The car is ready, so you can move right away."
"Yahoo! Company dinner! Let's drink until we drop today!"
"Wooooah!"
At Joo Jowoon’s words, the Raid Team members cheered. Baek Woohyun silenced the excited atmosphere with a single sentence.
"Don't drink too much. We're going into a gate again tomorrow."
"Eh? C-Captain. Isn't today the last of the remaining uncleared gates?"
"Are gates only gates if they're uncleared? There are still cleared gates remaining."
At Baek Woohyun’s cold words, Joo Jowoon forced a laugh.
"I'll stay behind and practice in the practice room, so eat moderately and go home."
"Whoa, you're going to practice right after the hunt?"
Joo Jowoon shook his head at Baek Woohyun’s words.
"Hunter Baek Woohyun, you're not coming to the dinner?"
Baek Woohyun looked at Park Haesu.
"Yes. I don't have enough practice time."
"Can't be helped. Hunter, practice a little and go home. If your body wears out, our Raid Team comes to a full stop. You know that, right?"
Baek Woohyun nodded and went straight up to the 3rd floor where the practice room was located.
Park Haesu shook his head, calling him a real practice addict. But that was only for a moment.
"Then let's go too!"
"Yahoo! Company dinner!"
Joo Jowoon ran toward the parked car. Park Haesu chuckled, as if he couldn't help it.
"He likes to play like that, but his skill is 3rd place, so I have nothing to say."
Joo Jowoon, despite his young age of 22, was the next most skilled person in the Raid Team after the Attack Team Leader, Baek Woohyun. Anyway.
Park Haesu also gulped at the thought of greasing his throat for the first time in a while.
'I should go quickly too.'
His steps felt light at the thought of loosening his tie and relieving his stress for the first time in a while. By now, the Hunters were already in the van, sticking their heads out the window and shouting for him to hurry up.
That was when it happened. His quiet phone vibrated.
"This is Hunter Raid Team Leader Park Haesu."
"Ah, an emergency meeting has been scheduled?... I understand... I'll be right up."
Ah... I wanted to go to the company dinner, but this damn emergency meeting. His steps, which had been light until just a moment ago, became heavy. It was the fate of a salaryman.
#
A week passed. The gate list that the man named Park Haesu gave him was used very usefully. By going in and out of two gates a day, the magic stones he collected totaled just under 600. In one week, the money he earned was close to 60 million won. In just one week! Of course, he hadn't cashed them out yet, but magic stones don't go anywhere.
Yushin suddenly thought of the uncleared gates. His daily routine always ended with reading HunterNet. Because of that, Yushin now roughly knew how the world was turning.
'They say items also come out of uncleared gates, I should go inside sometime.'
If the opportunity arises, that is.
He heard the sound of the door lock being pressed, and the door opened. It was his younger sister, Cheon Jina.
"Oh, sister? You're home already?"
"Yeah, where's Mom?"
"She's on the night shift today."
"Ah! Was she? I lost track of time. Oppa, is there any food? I'm starving to death."
Cheon Jina’s face was full of fatigue. Is studying that good? Because she lives in a dormitory, she only visits home once a week. It looks like a judge or prosecutor will come out of our house in the future. She’s a very admirable kid. But there’s no food, which is the most important thing. In times like these, eating out is the answer.
"Sister. How about pork belly today?"
"...Pork belly? Really?"
Vitality slightly returned to his tired sister’s face.
"Call?"
"Call! Let's go quickly! Ah! Wait a minute, let me change out of my school uniform! You have to wait! Don't go first!"
"Got it, you brat."
Jina, who changed into casual clothes in an instant, led Yushin. She said it was a famous pork belly restaurant. It’s just pork belly, though.
They arrived at the pork belly restaurant.
"The name is Daebak Samgyeopsal?"
"Yeah! They say it had a different name originally, but it changed to Daebak Samgyeopsal because it was rumored to be daebak (awesome) delicious. Isn't it fascinating?"
Cheon Jina looked up at Yushin with sparkling eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, it's very fascinating."
"Ayy! What's with that reaction? You don't seem to believe me!? Just try it, you'll be surprised if you try it? Hehehe."
Cheon Jina, excited by the delicious smell of pork belly, went inside first. Should I have brought her sooner? Actually, I didn't know she would like it that much. She’s in her third year of high school, the most important time. Because of that, Yushin was careful because he felt sorry for taking up her time.
'It's not bad to arrange a place like this once in a while.'
Feeling a ticklish sensation for some reason, Yushin grinned and went inside.
Cheon Jina had already taken a seat at the very end and was sitting there with an apron on. With chopsticks in both hands. She looked incredibly cute. Just as he was about to walk toward his sister with a satisfied smile,
"Hey, she’s fucking hot, isn't she?"
"I called dibs. Fuck, why is she so pretty?"
"Is she an aspiring celebrity or something? It's daebak. Daebak."
"Hehehe, I should get her number in a bit, her body is just insane. Insane."
Wait, these bastards?
Dressed in clothes covered in luxury brands, the men whispered among themselves. Thinking they wouldn't hear what they were whispering, the lewd comments directed at his sister became increasingly severe.
Yushin, who was about to clench his fist and smash the back of their heads, saw his sister Cheon Jina. His sister was gesturing for him to come quickly.
Hoo... Let's endure. Let's endure. You guys are lucky today. If it weren't for my sister, seriously.
Watching his younger sister look so happy, Yushin tried to close his eyes and ears.
"Yahoo! This is the very place called Daebak Samgyeopsal because it's daebak delicious. I found out a few days ago, and it's really delicious!"
A young man’s voice was heard from the entrance. When Yushin turned his head slightly, 8 men were pouring in. Huh? It’s the Hunter Management Department? He had already memorized the uniforms of several guilds and the Hunter Management Department through HunterNet. Because of that, it wasn't very difficult to recognize that the uniforms they were wearing belonged to the Hunter Management Department. They sat down while laughing and chatting, and Yushin also sat down in front of Cheon Jina.
That was when it happened.
"Ah, fuck, it ruins the taste of the alcohol. I guess the water management here isn't good? I see the faces of the Hunter Management Department."
"Shouldn't the dropouts catch monsters? Do they have time to eat?"
"Hey, hey! They can hear you. They can hear you."
The guys who had been making lewd comments about his sister just a moment ago started talking loudly. Even the one who was stopping them had a face full of mockery as he raised his voice. Their intentions were obvious. They were openly insulting the Hunter Management Department.
The Hunters belonging to the Hunter Management Department tried to close their ears, but Joo Jowoon, who was still full of youthful vigor, couldn't just listen to their words mocking them.
"What did you just say?!"
Joo Jowoon, who jumped up from his seat, shouted at them. As the situation reached a standoff in an instant, the room was plunged into silence. Since there were quite a few families who had come out to eat besides them, the children were also terrified by the threatening atmosphere. But the standoff, once started, did not end.
"Hahaha, look at this young brat, talking informally to an adult without manners?"
"Ha! An adult should act like an adult. You're acting just like a kid, do you want to be treated like an adult?"
"What? A kid? You want to die, you bastard! Do you know who we are?!"
"How great could you be?"
"We are the 3rd Attack Team of the MNL Guild."
"MNL? The MNL that has that rat-like guy as the guild leader? You talked like you were so great, so I was scared!"
"Y-you bastard?!"
Yoon Hoo, the 3rd Attack Team Leader, whose head spun because they insulted his guild leader, shouted,
"Everyone here, get out right now! If you don't want to die."
In an instant, tables and chairs were pushed back. People also screamed and ran outside.
"O-oppa, shouldn't we get out too?"
Cheon Jina also didn't even look at the pork belly that was being grilled deliciously, as if her appetite had completely vanished. Hoo... What should I do with those bastards? It’s a fun evening date with my sister for the first time in a while. But you’re interfering with it?
But he would endure it one last time.
"We're fine. They say it's so delicious here. We should eat the pork belly and leave."
Just as he was about to cut the grilled pork belly and move it to his sister’s plate.
"Hey, mister, didn't you hear me say get out? Huh?! Get lost right now, you bastard!"
One of the guys who had been making lewd comments stood in front of Yushin. However, Yushin handed the pork belly to Jina as if he couldn't hear the insults directed at him.
"Eat slowly. You paid for it, so don't get indigestion."
"O-oppa..."
His sister’s eyes were already filled with fear. It was a completely different expression from her usual playful self.
"You bastard, are you pretending to be cool in front of a girl right now?!"
The man slammed his fist down hard on the table, and the table, unable to withstand the force, split in two, and the tableware fell to the floor. And the iron lid that had been grilling the pork belly also rolled onto the floor. The problem was the aftermath. The pork belly oil that had been on the lid splashed directly onto his sister’s legs.
"Kyaaaaak!"
Jina screamed and slumped to the floor. In an instant, her snow-white legs turned bright red from the oil.
"Y-you crazy bastard! What are you doing to an ordinary person right now!"
Joo Jowoon grabbed the collar of the man who had slammed the table and threw him away. Without caring about the man who was groaning after hitting the wall, Joo Jowoon looked at the man to apologize on his behalf. But Joo Jowoon couldn't dare to open his mouth.
Wh-what is this person?
The emptiness where not even a shred of emotion was revealed, and the violent killing intent hidden within that emptiness were constricting Joo Jowoon’s entire body. It felt like a rabbit standing in front of a lion.
Gulp.
Joo Jowoon’s body froze just like that. Cheon Yushin stood up abruptly from his seat. Then, he placed his hand on the crown of Jina’s head, who was slumped on the floor and complaining of pain. Then, she collapsed into Yushin’s arms, powerless, as if she had fainted.
"Ha... I caused this trouble because I asked to eat pork belly for no reason."
Yushin stared at his sister’s legs. It was obvious that if he left it like this, burn scars would remain. Yushin placed his hand over the place where his sister had been burned. Then, a black light flickered around his hand.
'What is that?'
Joo Jowoon didn't care if the back was noisy or not and carefully observed Yushin’s actions. He realized instinctively that the man in front of him was by no means an ordinary man. And the man created a miracle. The wounds that had turned bright red from the burns were disappearing rapidly, as if time had been turned back.
'D-don't tell me, a Healer trait?'
Gates and Hunters appeared like a game, but there hadn't been anyone with a Healer trait yet. But he had met someone with a trait suspected to be a Healer. Yushin, who had treated his sister using Magi, looked down at his sister in his arms. How many seconds had passed? Yushin, who had stood up while holding his sister, walked to the floor table and carefully laid her down. Then, he turned around. Since Joo Jowoon had been focusing on him, he could see his expression and his eyes. And he thought,
'This is a disaster.'