The Unprecedented Porter

"Here is the new contract." Park Hyeon-sik lifted a piece of scrap paper and showed it to Kim Seon-mi. Her eyes widened as she read the document.

"W-what is this?" The contract she was looking at was filled with crooked, handwritten letters.

1. Loan Amount: 50 million won

2. Repayment Period: Starting from when you find employment after graduation.

3. Interest: Zero percent

4. Special Clause: Under no circumstances are you permitted to abandon your studies.

Kim Seon-mi's jaw dropped. It was a contract straight out of a dream. He was lending her 50 million won without charging a single cent in interest, and the repayment didn't even start until she was employed. Why would he show her such kindness...

At that moment, Manager Kim came rushing over, flustered, and grabbed Park Hyeon-sik’s arm. "Oh, boss! If you do this, our company is going to go under! Why on earth are you doing this!"

Park Hyeon-sik looked at the manager trying to stop him with a serious expression. "Don't worry about it. Making money is important, but isn't saving someone's life even more important?"

"No, that's not what I..." Manager Kim tried to say more, but he shut his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mouth the moment he met Park Hyeon-sik's eyes.

And so, Kim Seon-mi left with the 50 million won. She was sobbing, repeating her thanks over and over again. Soon, only silence filled the office. It was Manager Kim who broke the silence.

"Boss. I'm not joking, we really are in the red again this month. If we keep going like this, we might actually go bankrupt. Are you really going to keep giving away money you earned by breaking your own back?"

But whether Manager Kim rambled or not, Park Hyeon-sik just stared out the window. The past flickered in his eyes.

"I had a time when I was young, just like that customer just now." Park Hyeon-sik's voice lowered. "Back then, my father suddenly collapsed. A man who had been perfectly fine, suddenly diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. At first, I thought it was nonsense. I thought my father was playing a prank. He used to joke around a lot."

"..."

"But you know what? It was real. Terminal lung cancer. I thought that was the kind of thing that only happened on TV. I never imagined my father would be the one to get it."

Tears welled up in Park Hyeon-sik's eyes before he knew it. But his mouth didn't stop.

"But you know, it's terrifying. I realized for the first time that it wasn't the lung cancer that was scary, but the money. Ten million won a month went out like it was nothing. I had no money, Manager Kim. I had no money. Heh heh heh. I was turned away at the bank, and after begging my relatives for help, I was cursed at and kicked out. In the end, I couldn't borrow the money. I didn't have the money to treat my father."

His fist clenched tightly.

"Because I had no money... I had to let my father go in a six-person hospital room. Heh heh heh. A single room cost half of my father's salary. And that was just for one day. In the end, I couldn't even make my father's final moments comfortable. That regret has become a grudge in my heart."

Park Hyeon-sik continued, looking out the window. "I made a vow then. That if I ever made a lot of money, I would definitely help people who didn't have any. That I wouldn't let anyone else lose their family like I lost my father."

His gaze turned back to Manager Kim. "That's why I do this. It's no use calling me a fool."

"..."

Tears were welling up in Manager Kim's eyes as well. Just as the silence between the two men dominated the office,

A loud, garish ringtone that didn't fit the current situation shattered the silence.

"Oh, the phone!" Park Hyeon-sik's sorrowful expression instantly shifted to tension. There were two cell phones of different colors on the table. The one ringing was a pink, old-fashioned folder phone.

Hyeon-sik picked up the phone with a determined expression and opened his mouth.

"There has never been a porter like this until now! Is this a human or a robot! Yes, this is Park Hyeon-sik, the ultimate, tireless gate porter, speaking!"

His side job was being a porter.

#

Park Hae-soo was driving. And sitting in the passenger seat next to him was Cheon Yu-shin. Keeping his eyes on the road ahead, Park Hae-soo spoke up.

“The place we are heading to is an uncleared gate. It is estimated to be D-class. Furthermore, since it is uncleared, we don't know what kind of monsters will appear. We don't know the environment either. I will say it again, you don't have to go in.”

They were currently on their way to an uncleared gate. This time, the Hunter Management Department had decided to clear it themselves instead of handing it over to a private guild. Or rather, Cheon Yu-shin was scheduled to clear it.

"It's only D-class, so why are you making such a big fuss?" He was a man who worried too much.

"This is not a gate where you can use the word 'only'. It is an uncleared gate, for heaven's sake!"

"E-class or D-class, they're pretty much the same. It's only a one-letter difference in the alphabet, so let's not be so uptight."

No, you man! How can you say it's just an alphabet difference!

Despite Park Hae-soo's worry, Cheon Yu-shin just yawned and closed his eyes.

"Just wake me up when we get there. Yaaawn."

Park Hae-soo shook his head at the sight of his utter nonchalance. 'Does he have multiple lives or something? How can he be so relaxed?'

An uncleared D-class gate requires a raid team of 30 people, including a B-class hunter. In fact, he wasn't supposed to come alone like this. When Park Hae-soo had first suggested clearing the uncleared gate, his plan had been to go with the entire Hunter Raid Team 1 that he was in charge of. However, Cheon Yu-shin had insisted on a solo clear, claiming he was enough on his own.

In the end, Park Hae-soo, who held the position of the 'subordinate' in the relationship between the absolute 'superior' and the absolute 'subordinate', had no choice but to dismiss the team members who were on standby. When the absolute superior insists that he won't go in otherwise, the absolute subordinate has no choice but to follow.

That was when it happened.

Beep-beep-beep!

Cheon Yu-shin's phone, which he had just been about to fall asleep with, rang loudly. Annoyed by the loud noise shattering the start of his nap, Cheon Yu-shin frowned and answered the phone.

[Hello. This is Yang, the HR team leader of the MNL Guild...]

Cheon Yu-shin hung up the phone and frowned. "Again? They're really being a nuisance."

"Is it the MNL Guild?"

"Yeah. It's not even a spam call; they keep calling from different numbers even after I block them. I feel like flipping the whole place over."

Park Hae-soo smiled at Cheon Yu-shin's remark, treating the MNL Guild's HR team leader like a door-to-door salesman.

"You aren't planning on joining them, are you?"

"Of course not. Why would I join such a crappy guild? Maybe if they gave me the guild leader position, I'd consider it."

"Of course. But you absolutely must not join. Just being part of such a crappy guild is embarrassing."

You must join our Hunter Management Department. You really must.

Before long, Park Hae-soo, who had been driving along the mountain road, saw an orange portal shimmering in his eyes.

"We're here. That's it right there."

Following Park Hae-soo's guidance, Cheon Yu-shin went straight into the gate.

"What is this place?"

The first thing that greeted him upon entering was a sound like a ghost wailing under the dark night sky. Numerous unmaintained graves were situated among the bushes swaying in the wind. And between those graves, a thick fog was spread out. It was an eerie place where it felt like a ghost might pop out at any second.

However.

"This is a very interesting place, isn't it?"

Yu-shin inhaled deeply, as if he were breathing in fresh air instead of the dank atmosphere. Dark magic has its roots in the energy of darkness and death. To Yu-shin, this place felt incredibly familiar and brought him comfort.

"Alright, shall we see if we can dance to the tune?"

Yu-shin took a slow step forward. Beneath his feet, the dry fallen leaves piled up on the ground crunched and broke. The sound echoed quietly against the backdrop of the silent graveyard. As he walked, the wailing grew louder.

Suddenly feeling a chill, Yu-shin shuddered. "Oh, refreshing!"

Yu-shin made a raspy sound, like someone who had just stepped into a sauna. That was when it happened.

The fog around the graveyard scattered in all directions, revealing black shapes. Yu-shin grinned even as he saw them. Instead of holding his breath, he shouted.

"If you're human, show your face, and if you're a ghost, get lost!"

As if responding to his playful voice, the black shapes began to dash forward quickly. Straight toward Cheon Yu-shin.

'This is fun.'

He could feel a faint *Magi* from the black shapes. A negligible, extremely rare amount of *Magi*.

When the distance had closed to a certain point, Yu-shin muttered in a low voice.

"Dark Arrow."

A black arrow flew from Yu-shin's hand toward the shapes. The black shapes that were hit directly by the Dark Arrow screamed and faded away like mist. And,

His hypothesis was correct. The things in front of him were not ghosts. They were something imitating ghosts—in other words, they were definitely creatures playing around while manipulating *Magi*.

As if what had happened until now was just a game, the wailing surrounded Cheon Yu-shin. For an ordinary person, it would have been enough to make their ears bleed and cause them to lose their mind. But Yu-shin, on the contrary, closed his eyes with a smile on his lips, as if he were listening to calm classical music.

The *Magi* he had just consumed began to recover, albeit extremely minutely. Before long, Yu-shin was leaving his body entirely to the wailing.

"More! More! Louder! Make it even more bone-chilling! Drive me even crazier!"

Like a mad conductor leading an orchestra, Yu-shin raised his voice. As if responding to Yu-shin's conducting, the wailing gradually grew louder. Eventually, it reached a point where you could only hear a high-pitched screeching.

"Hahahaha! Still not enough. Still! More, more!! Make me even more excited!"

Yu-shin burst ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into a bizarre laugh. That was when it happened.

The wailing that had filled the surroundings suddenly stopped.

Hm? Yu-shin, who had been enjoying the wailing like classical music, opened his eyes. The graveyard where the wailing had vanished was desolate beyond description.

"What is it? I told you to make me enjoy it more!"

But only the sound of the wind could be heard; the wailing was no longer audible.

Sob, sob, sob, sob!

This time, a woman's voice, filled with deep resentment, could be heard. She's really doing everything, isn't she? The previous wailing was better than this.

In the distance, a creature wearing white mourning clothes with long, flowing black hair could be seen. The concepts were truly diverse.

'Is it a virgin ghost this time?'

Interesting.

The ghost slowly flew toward him. As it got closer, the ghost's face began to appear clearly. Her skin was pale, and she was bleeding bright red blood from her mouth. What was even scarier was that her eyes were filled with resentment. And she was staring at Cheon Yu-shin with those eyes. But Yu-shin just smirked.

"Yeah, so you want to play house."

Compared to the ghost-type demons he had experienced in the Abyss, the virgin ghost in front of him felt almost cute.

Yu-shin didn't pull back; instead, he ran quickly toward the virgin ghost. The ghost widened her eyes, as if she hadn't expected him to charge at her. Yu-shin gave a playful smile to the flustered virgin ghost.

"If you're a virgin ghost, go to paradise, and if you're a monster, spit out an item and die!"

Slap!

"Kuaaaak!"

Kuaaaak? Not Kyaaaaak?

From the mouth of the virgin ghost who had been slapped, it wasn't a thin woman's voice, but a thick man's voice that rang out.

Slap!

Cheon Yu-shin, who had hesitated for a moment, slapped her cheek again. This time, the other cheek.

"You son of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a bitch!"

Huh? She talks?! And she's a man? But a son of a bitch? When did I ever see you, you son of a bitch?

Yu-shin's palm moved with such incredible speed that it was invisible to the eye. Slap-slap-slap-slap-slap! Every time he moved, the sound ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of skin hitting skin followed.

"W-wait a minute!"

The appearance of the virgin ghost in white mourning clothes began to change.