Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: 3. Memories of the Past Life (1)
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The special information came with a map attached.
Kang San, momentarily flustered by the unexpected situation involving the Blood Demon's memories, quickly pulled himself together and booted up the internet.
'A dungeon at the location marked on the map, huh.'
Dungeons.
They were a phenomenon derived from links.
People called it a "link" when the Backside World connected to the surface world, but dungeons were a rare case where the connection led underground instead. Unlike links, dungeons rarely got discovered right away. If luck was on your side and one was found quickly, that was fortunate—but if a dungeon had been connected to the Backside World for over a decade and suddenly opened, it unleashed a hellish abyss, as the saying went.
It had happened exactly three times worldwide.
Those abyssal hells had opened, prompting governments around the globe to periodically scout for dungeons.
'Let's plug in the address first.'
He needed more information.
Fortunately, it was simple enough to check.
He accessed the government-run site for dungeon management and searched for any dungeon at the address on the map.
[No search results.]
"......None?"
No information came up at all.
That meant it was an unregistered dungeon.
Kang San fell into thought.
'Unregistered dungeons are supposed to be reported to the government by principle. If you raid one without telling them and get caught, you're in deep trouble. Raiding an unregistered dungeon is straight-up illegal.'
It wasn't a law for government monopoly.
If an individual raided one successfully on their own, fine—but the problem was failure. Monsters that tasted blood would pour out through the entrance into the world. If the government knew in advance, they could prepare countermeasures, but otherwise, innocent people died.
However.
Kang San had no desire to go that route.
Reporting it meant taxes, and government officials showing up would keep him from claiming the full rewards. There were plenty of cases where model hunters got screwed over. He couldn't trust the government's handling either, so he had no intention of sharing this "Blood Demon's Memories" opportunity with them.
He set aside the dilemma for now.
Before deciding, confirming the dungeon actually existed took priority.
Kang San headed out right away.
It didn't take long to get from Seoul to Gangwon Province.
The spot on the map was Geumhaksan Mountain in Cheorwon, and the dungeon was supposedly far off the beaten hiking paths. Fortunately, he found it quickly. The map helpfully pinpointed the exact location, and his Dungeon Scanner reacted, confirming one underground.
Digging into the ground would secure the entrance for immediate entry.
But he didn't rush it.
Raiding an unregistered dungeon required utmost caution, more than ever.
'I'm in the middle of practical testing, so I can't use Guardian's Will right now. I need to wait out the week-long cooldown, and prepare fences to seal the entrance in case of failure. I can't endanger people just for my greed. If Azmun pointed me to a dungeon beyond my level, escaping a sealed underground tunnel would be next to impossible.'
Haste invites death.
It was the survival rule Kang San had learned bone-deep while scraping by as an F-Rank Arrow Sponge, the lowest of the low.
Skill?
Important, sure.
But the world didn't always go as planned.
Even an A-Rank hunter far stronger than Kang San could die to an unexpected monster beyond their level. That's why Kang San was cautious in his choices. Once decided, he pushed forward boldly—but in a situation like this, he wouldn't rush and botch it.
Memories of his past life.
Honestly, he wasn't sure why he needed to risk his life for them.
But he had to do it.
He didn't know what it would bring, but he was already inextricably tied to his past incarnation.
As he descended the mountain.
Kang San's phone rang.
Checking the screen, he saw a familiar name.
[Jung Min-hyuk]
"Min-hyuk?"
A name buried in distant memories.
Kang San's face showed surprise.
The call's purpose was nothing major.
Just a suggestion to catch up over coffee after so long.
The issue was their relationship.
'......Am I really close enough to this guy for coffee?'
Old memories surfaced.
Back in school.
They'd been pretty friendly then.
Not directly close with Jung Min-hyuk himself, but since Kang San's buddy hung out with him, they crossed paths often. That was it, though. After turning twenty, Min-hyuk ghosted him unilaterally. Rumors said he'd awakened post-adolescence, got rated E-Rank right away, and started networking. Kang San didn't know if it was true, but he hadn't missed Min-hyuk enough to reach out anyway.
And now.
Min-hyuk was calling first.
Reconnections from old friends usually followed predictable patterns.
Scams, MLMs.
Or if not.
"Here's my card."
"Castle Management?"
"Yeah, they offered great terms, so now I'm a hunter manager."
The intent was obvious.
E-Rank promotion.
Contact from a management friend.
Min-hyuk's goal was clear.
Sure enough.
When Kang San didn't seem thrilled, Min-hyuk cut to the chase.
"I heard you just got promoted to E-Rank. Congrats, man—you earned it. Rumors had you bouncing around as an F-Rank Arrow Sponge, but you pulled through. You've always been the type to achieve your goals somehow since we were kids. Truth is, that's why I reached out. If you're not with an agency, how about joining ours? E-Rank hunters rarely get offers from managements, but we're friends, right? We gotta help each other out."
Hunter managements.
They were a cornerstone of modern society.
Hunters were human too, needing oversight, so managements arose to handle them like any other profession.
As Min-hyuk said, E-Rank hunters seldom got recruited.
So why bother? One reason.
Castle Management was that small-time.
Desperate enough to bait unproven sprouts.
'Interesting.'
Truth be told, meeting Min-hyuk hadn't appealed much.
But their tie wasn't so frayed he couldn't grab coffee, so he'd come—and sure enough, expectations held.
No need to agonize.
Castle Management wasn't enticing, and Kang San didn't need a manager now anyway.
"Sorry, not interested."
"Aw, come on—you just don't know how great managements are. They make life so much easier. They'll plan your growth, assemble raid parties for you. You hit E-Rank after six years—that's rare."
"And in return, they take half your earnings. That's why you're contacting an E-Rank hunter."
"Hey! Why say it like that!"
Min-hyuk's face twisted angrily.
Flushed red.
But he didn't deny it.
As Kang San said, they'd offer a 5:5 split.
Sign a standard five-year contract, and he'd be their slave in exchange for "help."
Kang San said coldly.
"If it's such a good deal, pitch it elsewhere. Don't waste time chasing someone who said no and embarrass yourself. And doesn't it feel awkward for a guy who vanished for years to pop up with this? Even as an E-Rank, I don't need your help—so don't contact me again."
"Hey, wait......!"
Kang San stood abruptly.
He heard Min-hyuk calling desperately from behind, but he had no interest in tangling further.
Then Min-hyuk yelled.
"What an asshole. E-Rank punk acting all high and mighty. I was being generous because you're a tanker with some use, and you turn it down? Fine, go ahead and thrive. After six years as F-Rank trash, I'll be watching if you actually make it!"
Min-hyuk's voice didn't reach Kang San.
Already distant.
Probably, he'd never pick up from him again.
Jung Min-hyuk returned to the office.
The unexpected failure left him seething, unable to calm down.
"Who does he think he is."
It grated on him.
E-Rank.
Not that impressive, honestly.
He'd started as E-Rank himself.
At twenty, his future had seemed golden—until he realized he had no combat talent, quitting after three years. Then he pivoted to hunter management. His hunter experience helped a lot.
Kang San.
Nothing special about targeting him.
Agencies constantly checked promotion lists from exam sites.
A familiar name caught his eye; E-Rank but a tanker, so useful maybe.
But what?
Shot down flat.
He'd expected smooth talk, so rage boiled over.
"I don't get it. A guy who took six years to hit E-Rank should beg to sign, ratios be damned. Damn it, he tanked my whole deal."
On his way out that morning.
Min-hyuk had bragged the contract was a sure thing.
The guy was his friend.
He knew his situation—no way it'd fail.
Result.
"Contract?"
"......Failed."
"You useless bastard!"
Whack!
Back at the office, the team lead hurled a stack of papers, and Min-hyuk bowed his head.
"You know how pathetic your last month's been? Zero contracts. I figured this one you'd nail since you boasted, but you blew it? What happened?!"
Couldn't tell the truth.
Min-hyuk gauged the team lead's mood and mumbled.
"I could've closed it, but his skills were worse than expected. He barely passed the E-Rank exam by luck, so bringing him in would've wasted resources. Sorry. I thought a six-year E-Rank tanker might be worth it, but I got ahead of myself. Next time, I'll snag a real prospect."
No other choice.
By badmouthing Kang San, he dodged the bullet; the "lacking skills" bit softened the team lead's anger.
If true.
Kang San was small fry not worth pursuing.
The team lead said.
"Can't be helped then. But get one contract in a week. You know we're prepping to join a big agency under Heavenly Firmament. To secure your spot there, you need results."
"Got it."
"Alright, back to work."
And so the incident wrapped up.
A minor blip at Castle Management.
They soon forgot Kang San, merging under the major agency Heavenly Firmament shortly after.
But did they know?
In the near future.
This would stir what storm?