The 65 Million Won Debt Bestowed on a Jobless Bum
Crackle! Zap zap!
The sudden booming sound that shook the building brought Oh Sang-jin running.
He couldn't believe what was happening right in front of him.
This was the premium training room, its durability verified by dozens of A-rank hunters. The pride of Hunter Place—and now one wall had a massive hole punched clean through it.
A trace of unimaginable power.
The edges of the perfectly round breach sparked and crumbled away.
It looked like a bomb had gone off, yet the hunter responsible stood there calmly.
A hint of surprise on her face, but otherwise acting like it was no big deal.
What the hell does an F-rank have to do to pull that off?
Oh Sang-jin's mind raced.
He had no clue how to handle the cleanup or report this to the boss.
If I'm not careful, I'll get punched for offending him or something.
Property damage was straightforward—bill for repairs, labor, downtime fees, a bit extra for hassle, per the terms.
If the culprit wasn't at least A-rank.
If she weren't a monster who could punch through compressed titanium plating.
At this point, if she just paid for the wall repair, they'd be lucky.
"Customer."
"Well, uh..."
"...The facilities team is on the way, so leave this to them and come with me."
"Okay."
There was no point sticking around the scene. Oh Sang-jin led the VIP-turned-problem-customer to the consultation room.
2.
"...So the repair estimate alone is 65 million won. And that's excluding labor and lost operational revenue."
"...Can I pay in installments?"
I'm utterly fucked. Or was, anyway.
Who could've known a casual Lightning Fist would punch way past A-rank?
Even at my peak, that kind of output would've topped out at B-rank if I was lucky.
'Hey, Minsu! You're just lightning jabs—super fast but weak as shit! Toki! You're a bunny!'
For some reason, Smith's taunt from that poorly Korean-patched game popped into my head. If only it had been weak.
My account balance maxes at 20 million even if I scrape it all together.
It wasn't that I didn't want to pay—I straight-up couldn't.
"I've only got 20 million in cash right now, so I'll need some time for the rest..."
"Ah, uh..."
The tank-top staffer's face flickered between conservative and progressive in real time.
He probably thought I was bullshitting to skip out on the bill.
No, really, I'm broke but I intend to pay.
I felt bad for the guy who'd trusted my registration rank and let me into the training room.
"The boss will be here soon anyway, so hang tight and we'll talk then."
"Got it."
He brewed an iced Americano from the machine and left the room.
Click.
"What the fuck? Thought we had a sucker, but shit just got complicated..."
The words from outside drifted in, unbidden.
Pretend I didn't hear that.
Given the mess, I let it slide through one ear. The guy had just followed procedure—what fault was his?
Am I too strong for my own good?
Sachiko's snide habit suddenly felt relatable, and I hated it.
Humans are fickle. Part of me fretted over the clusterfuck; another wanted to party hard the second I got home.
How could I not be thrilled?
I'd used my ability, and my mana circuits were fine—no overload pain. The power was insanely amped.
Testing Lightning Fist's output was the smartest move I'd made today. Sure, it landed me with a 65-million-won bill in real time, but hindsight's 20/20—ignore that.
If I'd lost control and gone for Technique 5—or hell, even 2?
I'd probably be wanted for murder or terrorism by now, on the run.
"Handle it from here. Go back to the desk—the other rooms are fine."
A new voice from beyond the door. The boss, as the guide had mentioned.
Sure enough, the consultation room door opened, revealing an absurd bulk.
A 2-meter-plus tower of muscle in his forties, person-shaped.
The staffer's build was impressive, but that was human muscle. This was person-muscle. Not the same as a musclehead.
"Pleased to meet you, customer. I'm Choi Yun-deok, owner of Hunter Place Gwanak Branch."
"Hello."
I stood and bowed to his massive pecs.
He returned the greeting and pulled a business card from his pocket.
Hunter Place Gwanak Branch
S-rank Hunter Choi Yun-deok
S-rank hunter.
The first second-gen S-rank I'd met, and he ran a gym.
At my peak, I was bottom-rung S-rank.
The Hunter Association didn't subdivide beyond S. Pass the minimum quals, you're S-rank.
So even among S-ranks, combat power varied wildly.
Like gacha games—same 5-star, but one’s meta and another’s fodder.
'How the hell are scrubs I couldn’t even touch calling themselves S-rank like me?'
"I heard the gist. You trashed our best facility."
"......"
Not wrong, so I kept quiet.
"By the book, we'd demand full repairs and damages."
The air around the human-muscle grew heavy, like weights stacking on.
Intimidation tactic? I'm F-rank on paper.
Creak! Groan!
Choi Yun-deok ramped it up, no mercy in sight.
His effort was wasted—the pressure didn't faze me.
Instead, the room's furniture cracked and shattered innocently.
This isn't telling me to pay with my body, right?
"...Hah."
Thankfully not—he sighed, and the pressure lifted.
My shoulders, sore from these tits, feel refreshed. Any premium sessions like that?
The relief in my stiff spots made me almost miss the pressure ending.
An S-rank's intimidation treated like a massage—what a weird vibe.
"Mind follows body," they say.
Months from now, would my psyche turn full 20s girl too? A worry I'd never considered crept in.
Whatever. Rookie mistake using power on a newbie F-rank.
"Sure, I damaged your place, but that doesn't justify force, does it?"
"I'll knock half off damages for that."
"Fair enough."
Of course not. Good hunters, don't try this.
"So, what's next on your agenda?"
No way he'd slash that sum for nothing. What was his angle?
"As I said, normally we'd bill you."
Choi Yun-deok rested his interlaced hands on his chin.
"Unfortunately, you checked privacy protection."
True. Didn't want my info floating around with discrepancies.
"Puts us in a bind. Can't go to cops or court."
Ridiculous. Privacy over property damage?
Ah, classic kid tactic—flash the law first.
This guy didn't want cash. Something else.
Right now, I'm—no, I am—23-year-old greenhorn Lee Ha-yoon.
Like fleecing a kid with candy for 5.5 million, he aimed to extract using info only he knew.
Just likely a hassle instead of money.
"Legal could push a claim, but it'd suck for both sides."
He unlinked his hands, eyeing me steadily.
"So, one simple favor to settle it all."
"I'm listening."
If I had to pay anyway, better be fieldwork for combat XP.
3.
The next day.
I waited at Suwon Gate 3 for someone.
'My niece hits the gate tomorrow. Party up with her.'
Newbie hunter's first real gate run—escort only. Snapped it up.
F-rank mobs, maybe packs of five max.
32.5 million won gig? Sweet deal.
Niece hates handouts, won't go with uncle no matter what.
"Lucky. Family double-awakened."
If even one relative had awakened 15 years ago...
I knew better than to dwell, but the thought snuck in sometimes.
A bit longer, and the girl matching the description ran up.
"Huff, huff...! Wait long? Sorry I'm late!"
"Nah, just got here."
"I'm Jeong Su-ah! Let's crush it today!"
"Lee Ha-yoon. Nice to team up."
Brown bob cut, slender and youthful. Baby fat lingering on a 20-year-old F-rank.
Today's ward. Ms. 32.5 Million. Jeong Su-ah.
Escort her, farm F-rank mats from Suwon Gate 3. Done.
"Shall we?"
"Y-yeah! Let's go!"
Breath steady, we headed in.
Best to clock in early, clock out early.
No future meets expected, skipped icebreakers.
Gen gap anyway—doubt we'd click.
"Two F-rank hunters. IDs checked."
The guard handed back our bracelets.
Su-ah and I strapped them on and entered the gate.
—Zing.
Hot air rushed in like stepping from AC into summer.
Nice to feel it after 10 years.
"Whoa!"
Beyond the gate stretched a near-primeval forest.
"What exactly do we grab?"
"Um..."
Su-ah looked skyward, scanning something.
Reliving the request via Status Window, probably.
Didn't know requests logged like game quests.
This shit real or a game?
"Hunt 15 F-rank monsters! Proof auto-goes to inventory."
Inventory too?
"Yours should show the same—different request?"
Her question, assuming I'd check my Status Window.
"My Status Window's... unique. No request details, sadly."
"Ah, gotcha. Yeah, everyone's a bit different. I'll set alerts for when we're done!"
She poked the air again post-sentence.
Still not used to it.
Short setup done, we plunged into the forest depths.
Hunter mana and monster presences deeper in—long hike ahead.
Chit-chat to kill time. Not bonding, just boredom.
"You insisted no uncle? Gates don't overrun these days!"
"Right?"
She'd said drop formalities, then unleashed chatter-storm.
Energy vampire type.
Su-ah yapped nonstop before I could ask anything.
Why hunt? Fave hunter? Total mismatch topics, as expected.
I half-listened, strolling leisurely—
"...So I wanna be like Hunter Park Min-su!"
"What?"
A too-familiar name snapped me alert.
Park Min-su? Second-gen one?
Common name, sure, but idol-worthy high-rank namesake?
Might as well probe.
Like googling similar names, fun if famous.
But Su-ah dropped a bombshell.
"No, sis! First-gen S-rank! Thunder God, Park Min-su!"
"...Thunder God?"
Dizziness hit, strength drained from my limbs.
Fuck, how'd I forget that damn moniker.