Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: 1. F-Rank Arrow Sponge (1)
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Sometimes, there are people like that.
People so utterly unlucky that you pity them, but you hesitate to get too close for fear their bad luck might rub off on you.
Kang San was one such person.
It had happened when he was so young he could barely remember.
His parents were killed by monsters that emerged from a link to the Backside World. It was the moment his peaceful childhood in a well-off family shattered to pieces. After that, his inheritance vanished into the hands of distant relatives he didn't even know, leaving him to grow up practically an orphan. Those relatives, who legally became his guardians after seizing his family's wealth, abandoned him without a shred of compassion.
And that was why.
From a young age, Kang San harbored a venomous determination and tenacity that didn't suit a child.
To achieve his burning desire for success, he barely slept four hours a day, juggling studies and part-time jobs.
He had talent.
He was smart, quick to learn, and gifted with sharp instincts—far better than most. His teachers showered him with attention, marking him as a star student. But the problem was that life refused to grant him even a scrap of luck.
The first time he sat for an exam.
On his way to school, the bus flipped in an accident.
And similar disasters kept happening.
He'd butcher an exam without realizing his appendix had burst midway, or on test day, a fallen bike outside would block the door to his basement room, forcing him to miss it entirely in a ridiculous mishap. Excuses fell on deaf ears. People might buy it once or twice, but when it kept repeating, Kang San's reputation hit rock bottom, beyond repair.
Flunk-out.
That was the label slapped on him.
With doors to Hunter Academy slammed shut and even basic jobs out of reach, Kang San pinned all his hopes on one final miracle.
Awakening.
The shortcut to becoming a Hunter.
Those chosen by the gods wielded innate talents from birth, but even at twenty, one could forcibly awaken latent potential and turn their life around. For that day, Kang San never slacked for a moment. Finally reaching twenty, he awakened his abilities with help from a government agency.
And the result?
"You're F-Rank. Your stats are one thing, but awakening with zero skills? If innate talent's top 1%, this is bottom 1%."
The grade-9 civil servant's words.
Even desk jobs for washed-up Hunters mocked him. Kang San's spirit crumbled.
Ruined.
He knew this life was doomed, but this was beyond salvage.
That's when he spent a while as a total wreck.
But Kang San rose from the depths of despair, clawing his way to live life on his own terms.
Time flew by.
Now, at twenty-five.
People called him an "Arrow Sponge," the dregs of society.
Thwack!
"Gah!"
An ogre charged in like a mad bull, swinging its club. The Arrow Sponge next to him screamed as the blow landed.
Drip—
A sickening crack echoed.
He'd been holding his own just fine until then, but while focused on one ogre, he missed the other lunging from the side. It sounded like bones snapping, no doubt about it. Still, the Arrow Sponge, sweat pouring down his face, desperately hugged his tiny round shield to his body, barely covering himself.
"Please, use your magic already!"
Kang San had no time to help.
This raid.
The team clearing an F-Rank zone consisted of two F-Rank Arrow Sponges—including himself—and one mage.
The mage.
A Hunter whose innate talent guaranteed at least E-Rank.
Positioned in the rear, the mage looked flustered by the chaos up front. Probably weak in real combat. His spells could easily take down ogres at one circle, but the green-faced mage botched it, slamming a Fire Arrow into the ground.
"Just hold on a bit longer!"
'Fuck.'
The frantic voice.
As the mage rushed his casting, Kang San swallowed the curse rising in his throat.
What rotten luck.
As an F-Rank Hunter barely above a regular human, Kang San stuck to missions he could handle. Pay was day-laborer level—meager for risking his life—but given his skills and luck, tougher jobs were suicide. He'd succeeded hundreds of times this way, but this run? He'd stepped in shit.
'What kind of idiot forms a solo party?!'
Kyaaak!
Clang!
He blocked the ogre's attack.
His arm trembled from the shock through the shield, but he gritted his teeth, calmly reading the ogre's moves.
'Left.'
Whoosh!
Kang San faced two ogres.
With only two F-Rank Arrow Sponges, four ogres was excessive. The moron mage had nearly wiped them already, but Kang San's experience and shieldwork kept the balance—he was marking two perfectly. Without him, the line would've collapsed, and the mage would've been dead.
'Incoming!'
Boom!
"Ngh."
The shield shook violently.
Kang San's face twisted for a split second, but he didn't miss the opening as the ogre—ogre-faced beast—exposed itself.
Thud!
Yeowp!
A powerful shield bash sent the ogre flying. Before the other could strike, Kang San lunged forward and stabbed its torso. Thunk—the blade sank meaningfully. He aimed to finish it as it screamed, but the ogre rolled away, bleeding profusely, denying him the kill.
Still, progress.
One critically wounded—victory seemed possible. Then a tearing scream snapped him alert.
"Agh!"
Crash!
The other Arrow Sponge finally went down. His probably broken arm dangled limp; the shield lay far off, dropped. Two ogres charged the juicy prey. In the dire scene, Kang San glanced at the mage.
'This bastard.'
Gone.
The mage had bailed as things turned south, retreating to reality.
The shimmering portal.
It meant no escape.
Saving the Arrow Sponge now would just get him killed too, capping his misfortune with a dog's death.
'Can't do that.'
No helping him.
Four ogres, including the wounded one.
Beyond Kang San's ability.
As harsh as it was, like the mage, he leaned toward fleeing.
That was reality.
Arrow Sponge.
Why else call them that over the cool "Tanker" title?
Because they lacked skill, they were expendable. Kang San knew it. F-Rank Arrow Sponges could die any second.
Thus.
'Run.'
He turned to bolt.
No matter how cursed his life, he hated dying like a dog.
Then—
'What the hell.'
The sudden voice.
Kang San's face twisted.
Three hours earlier.
While prepping for the raid, Kang San had suddenly met someone claiming to be a "divine messenger" of Azmun.
"You have been chosen by Azmun, the God of Ordeals and Tribulations."
"...What?"
"In your past life, you were the Blood Demon. That's why this life's so wretched. From now on, you must endure trials to atone for that karma. Each trial resolved chips away at your evil karma, with rewards scaled to difficulty."
Absurd nonsense.
Kang San couldn't swallow it.
"What bullshit is this?!"
He snapped.
Already on edge from a bad vibe, the messenger's ravings pushed him over.
"Believe me or not, that's your call. But keep living like this, and your past karma bars eternal happiness. Accept the trials. Clear them to atone, and live the life you want. Note: Choose as an apostle wisely. Once you start, no turning back. Ignore quests, and you'll lose everything gained—your karma worsens. Not just a quick death; you might end up a vegetable, unable to even end it yourself."
He hadn't believed then.
The divine messenger.
Luca Bellino, was it?
Kang San ignored her.
His luckless life left no room to trust her easily.
And.
'Blood Demon? That's a stretch.'
Blood Demon.
A name from wuxia novels.
Usually a psychopathic maniac slaughtering for no reason, insanely powerful, leaving mountains of bodies. Sure, the fantasy world was now real, but past-life wuxia? Hard to buy.
Besides, Blood Demon?
Ridiculous.
Miserable as his life was, he'd stayed clear of crime.
Not that much of a scumbag.
"Choose wisely."
Luca Bellino vanished.
And now.
Kang San faced the quest.
He'd dismissed her words, but this forced his hand.
Thud thud thud.
'Was she telling the truth?'
His heart pounded.
Past karma.
Blood Demon.
Details didn't matter.
The quest reward.
If real, it was devilish temptation he couldn't ignore.
'Stats and a skill.'
The skill especially burned in his mind.
Other F-Ranks had at least one; his lack made him bottom 1%.
With basics, he wouldn't be this pathetic.
Mouth dry.
Suddenly, Luca Bellino's words resurfaced.
"Ordeals and tribulations are always set at a life-risking level for your 'current ability.' Remember that."
Accept the quest?
No going back.
Beyond losing gains, worse misery made his body shudder.
A fleeting moment.
Thoughts tangled in his head.
But the instant he halted, his choice was made.
'Fuck it.'
It could change his life.
After twenty-five years of hell, he'd grab any lifeline.
"Gah!"
Kim Chun-sik's scream.
Kang San gritted his teeth.
Looks like he had to save the guy.