Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: The Heroine Saves the World
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"Ahh, slept so well."
Rubbing my eyes as I sat up, it was already time for everyone else to head to work.
Yesterday, I'd been thrilled checking my status window and seeing the Dark Addiction skill, but then I got furious realizing I had to do... favor-building to use it, and ended up passing out just like that.
I definitely remembered being pretty pissed off right before bed.
"Hmm. Well, it's not all bad."
Scratching my belly as I mulled it over, I figured having a skill like that was better than nothing.
"Anyway, if we get really close, the efficiency skyrockets, right?"
Believe it or not, I was a die-hard fan of the webnovel Sejong's Final Chapter.
Having possessed into a story I loved so much, I had no desire to butt heads with the characters.
Getting along with them had to be a good thing, didn't it?
I nodded to myself as I plopped down at my desk.
It had been ages since I'd last used it. I wiped away the thin layer of dust and flipped open a notebook.
"Gotta jot it all down before I forget."
Everyone in possession stories did this.
Squeezing my post-college-entrance-exam brain for all it was worth, I recalled the immediate tasks ahead.
The ultimate goal: prevent the world's end.
But to do that, I needed at least four key elements.
First, as many hunters as possible had to survive until the apocalypse hit.
This was where my Dark Purification skill came in.
Favor-building was a bit of a snag, but I'd make it work somehow.
Second, grow the Justice Guild.
It had to be the central force fighting ahead of the end times.
The ragtag guilds chasing their own interests needed a shining example—a group charging at the forefront.
Third, familiars were just as crucial as hunters.
People still saw them as lucky pets for now, but time would reveal their true importance.
The problem was humanity didn't have much time left.
I'd have to step up and ensure the familiars' survival and evolution.
And finally, the most vital piece.
"Kang Han-i has to get stronger."
This world's protagonist was Kang Han.
But unlike those fantasy leads who started OP and stayed dominant, Kang Han was a growth-type with plenty of handicaps.
Ever since his grandfather, the first Korean Awakener and S-rank hunter Kang Myeong-hun, the Justice Guild—one of Korea's top five—had completely fallen from grace.
The catastrophic fifth dungeon break pinned the blame on Kang Han's mother, S-rank hunter Kang Young-won, who died conquering it, and on the Justice Guild.
All that remained for Kang Han was a small, rundown building, a mountain of debt, and the public's scorn and misunderstandings.
Even as an S-rank, he couldn't unleash his skills' true potential and got mocked as a "flashy fraud."
In this era where gate locations and ranks were still perfectly predictable, Kang Han was the protagonist breaking his limits to grow.
The key word there was "still."
Gates defying headquarters' predictions would soon appear more frequently, leading to mass casualties.
Only then would Kang Han and the Justice Guild get reevaluated—but by that point, they'd already taken a beating.
All these factors delayed his real growth until the novel's midpoint.
"Think I'm gonna watch that play out twice?"
What if Kang Han and the Justice Guild regained their former glory sooner than in the story?
What if he awakened to his true power early?
I rummaged through my drawer, pulled out another notebook, and started writing.
Kang Han and the Justice Guild, plus other high-rank hunters' names, key skills, and weaknesses.
I jotted down every major event from start to finish in Sejong's Final Chapter.
Then items that could be fed like elixirs, hunters who died regrettably or underperformed, and ideal familiars to pair with characters.
Hours flew by in a trance until I'd filled a whole thin notebook.
I scanned it once more for omissions, but this covered everything that came to mind right now.
"Haa, protecting my 25 billion is no joke."
Rubbing my sore hand, I burned the contents into my memory one last time.
Your fates are tied to my 25 billion!
After checking my skill window and organizing my knowledge of Sejong's Final Chapter to map out my plans...
I strolled through the night streets toward Yeouido Hangang Park.
This wasn't some leisurely midnight walk.
"Sleeping in a bomb shelter like this. What a sight."
Under dim lighting, crowds rivaling Christmas crowds in Myeongdong had gathered.
"Hit him harder! More!"
"Yeah! Right hook!"
"Nice, Number One! That's it!"
"Fuck, do you know how much I bet on you?!"
"Get up and fight, you pussy Number Ten!"
Stockbrokers from nearby firms, investors, even congressmen flashing their badges.
These folks who looked prim in suits by day were now veins bulging, spewing profanities.
This was an illegal betting ring wagering on bare-knuckle fights.
Even worse, the two fighters—bandaged up and slugging it out on concrete without a ring—were Awakeners.
Whoosh—thwack!
"That's it!"
Groan—thud!
"That all you got, hunter fuck?! Hit him more!"
Items masked their faces, clothes, and hair, making them look like dueling black mannequins. But the blood pouring from their wounds was vividly real.
"Press him, Number One! Kill the bastard!"
Number One—the taller, buffer one—seemed pretty popular.
Awakeners' superhuman brawls were too fast for normal eyes to follow, wrinkling more than a few brows.
Thud!
Crack!
Finally, Number One's powerhouse punch shattered Number Ten's jaw, ending the match.
"We won! Fuck yeah, we won!"
"Damn, that weak-ass Number Ten."
"Told you Number One's the champ—why bet on Ten? Tsk tsk."
Plenty cheered Number One's victory.
"Drinks on me tonight!"
"Wooo! That's our congressman!"
Fighters hid their identities with items, but the gamblers flaunted theirs shamelessly.
In the frenzy, the winner Number One stayed silent.
He just stared down at Number Ten, still sprawled ignored on the ground.
Moments later, Number One quietly slipped away from the ring into the bomb shelter's dark corridor.
I wove through the crowd and followed him.
Step—step—.
His weary footsteps echoed in the dark, damp passage.
He had to sense me tailing him, yet Number One didn't glance back—like it was routine.
'No way I'm the first to follow Number One to uncover his identity.'
I kept my distance, trailing him.
The destination wasn't far.
He slumped into a rickety chair in a narrower, chillier spot than the entrance tunnel.
Leaning back against the concrete wall, he let out a deep, groaning sigh.
"Haa."
Fsssh.
With a faint sound like powder scattering, the item covering his face dissolved.
Sweat-matted brown hair, bruised cheekbones, busted lip oozing blood.
A man staring blankly into space with exhausted green eyes.
This world's protagonist, Kang Han.
Then, a man approached from the opposite corridor.
I ducked into a corner and eavesdropped.
"Hey, Kang Han. You were off your game today."
"......"
Kang Han didn't reply.
No energy or will for it.
"Ungrateful prick. Think I don't know I threw you a B-rank?"
The man sneered, tossing a wad of cash at Kang Han's feet.
"Come back next week. Don't vanish for months like last time."
As the man sauntered off whistling, Kang Han stared silently at the bills on the ground.
Slowly, he picked them up.
Bloodied hands—his or his opponent's?—clenched the thick stack, crumpling it.
But that was it.
The pride of the Justice Guild's third-generation master, savior of the nation.
The dignity of a pre-Awakening soldier defending the country.
This cash was exchanged for all that.
I slipped away quietly as he dropped his head in hollow defeat, leaving the bomb shelter.
Approaching Kang Han now wouldn't achieve anything.
"Just wait a few days."
Before walking the path to help this world's protagonist avert the end, I had my own preparations—and confirmations—to make.
The next day.
A journey of a thousand—no, ten thousand—miles begins with a single step.
I strode out boldly to register as an Awakener at the Association, but hit a fork right away.
"Bus or... taxi?"
Tight finances meant I'd never taken a taxi before.
But with Mega Lotto winnings and 25 billion in the bank, surely a cab was fine?
After a moment's hesitation, I flagged an empty one passing by.
"To the Awakener Association, please. The one next to City Hall."
Hope I didn't scream "first-time rider."
Luckily, the driver just started up without a word.
No weekday rush-hour traffic.
I tore my eyes from the climbing meter and gazed out the window.
A gentle breeze wafted through the open window.
'This is why people take taxis.'
No acrid exhaust fumes tainted the air—it felt refreshing.
"Whoa, nice."
Like a dog on a drive with its owner, I stuck my head halfway out, savoring the fresh air.
This was a hallmark of this world.
About 40 years ago, gates opened, dungeons were found inside, and humanity ditched fossil fuels.
Mana stones from dungeons became the energy source; even this taxi ran on refined mana fuel.
The first gate in central Seoul nearly razed the city with its monster hordes.
But as Awakeners emerged and gate prediction stabilized, people called gates humanity's second chance.
Complacently enjoying peace, oblivious as gate patterns broke and doom loomed.
"Look, doomsday cultists protesting up ahead. I'll swing around when they pass, sir?"
The driver's words drew my eyes forward: over a hundred marching on the road under police escort.
"Doom is coming! Follow the Leader to paradise!"
"Believe in our Leader who saves wretched souls!"
Placards screaming 'Leader to Heaven, Doubters to Doom!'—their eerie chants chilled the air.
"Ha, right, them too."
The protagonist's path was thorny, but this was a minefield from the start.
"Pardon, miss?"
"Nothing. Just take your usual route."
I brushed it off and looked away.
A bus had stopped in the next lane; I glanced idly—
"Holy shit."
I felt the driver peek via rearview, but that wasn't important now.
I knew hunters outshone idols here, but seeing him on a massive billboard ad?
The broker platform for hunter items and dungeon byproducts was simple: one man lounging sideways.
Yet it grabbed eyes like nothing else.
Damp black curls, toned bare chest peeking from a luxe black suit collar instead of a shirt.
A flashy look laced with venom, one corner of his mouth crooked up.
"Sama Young, right here."