Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: American dream (3)
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Because it was late, the Hunter Association offered to drive him home, but Seo Dae-hyun turned down the kindness.
He just wanted to walk today.
He needed time to collect his thoughts.
The sorrow of losing his comrades outweighed the joy of growing stronger through his fraudulent trait.
He took a moment to sort out his mind amid the cool autumn night breeze.
Seo Dae-hyun read through the status window and learned about his abilities.
Every Awakened had a different status window layout.
In his case, it was tied to the military system.
They said the status window reflected the Awakened's aspirations.
When Seo Dae-hyun first awakened as a Healer, a comrade from training camp had died.
Clutching his empty chest, he'd called for his mother in his final words, like a candle flickering out.
'The reason I transferred to Necromancer...'
And Seo Dae-hyun's forces had no personnel limit!
• Can infinitely increase the number of soldiers.
• Absolute obedience. • +1
When he first saw it, he thought he'd misread it.
It was that overpowered.
'Infinite, huh...'
The system's messages never lied.
He continued reading the status window.
If his forces grew, the locked positions and ranks would unlock automatically.
He could control the dead, but he didn't want to desecrate the deceased.
It would strengthen his forces, but he wasn't that desperate.
Kim Hyun-jun and Michael were exceptions.
Seo Dae-hyun viewed naturalization in America positively.
"Citizenship, huh."
Even before reawakening, he'd harbored thoughts of living in the US.
In fact, he'd planned to apply after a few more years of work.
Before reawakening, Seo Dae-hyun was a Healer without Heal.
Back in Korea, he'd be lucky to do odd jobs at a mid-tier guild, let alone the Association, just to scrape by.
But thanks to Kim Hyun-jun's parents, he'd landed a job in the US and was adapting well.
His naturalization application had been postponed due to unmet conditions, but that turned out for the best.
It wouldn't be too late after reaching S-Rank.
American dream.
As David said, in America, proving your ability meant you could achieve anything.
B-Rank satisfied naturalization requirements, but it wasn't enough to pursue the American dream.
Living in America didn't mean cutting ties with Korea.
He could visit his mother and the kids whenever he missed them.
Since coming to America, his busy days meant no trips back, but they kept in touch.
Though not recently.
'I should visit this winter.'
Video calls let him see their faces, so he didn't feel too lonely in this foreign land.
During active duty, smartphones were banned for security reasons.
He couldn't understand why security mattered when fighting monsters, not humans.
His company commander and battalion commander dodged the question.
When he asked again, they cited insubordination and crushed him with rank.
That's when he truly felt it—the military was that kind of place.
After surviving a beast horde, he'd close his eyes for stamina recovery, only to open them to morning.
On days the beasts didn't push further south, he'd thought he'd get precious rest like rain in drought—but no.
He dug trenches all day.
21st-century slavery.
The reason was simple: to impress the 'higher-ups' like division and brigade commanders.
Hard to believe, but... that was it.
Soldiers whispered that phones were confiscated not for security, but to block leaks of such absurdities.
They had superhuman strength but were inexperienced kids in their early 20s.
Dragged in forcibly, with low F-E Ranks, they couldn't rebel.
Most frontline Awakened were F-E Rank.
Seo Dae-hyun reaching A-Rank was exceptional.
Forget C-Rank—surviving to discharge was uncertain for most.
Killing monsters in dungeons versus the battlefield was worlds apart.
Battlefield monsters weren't high-rank.
The problem was their numbers, like grains of sand on a beach.
Even discharged Kim Hyun-jun barely scraped C-Rank.
Surviving to discharge was a miracle.
After Seo Dae-hyun was appointed Squad Leader, he negotiated with the officers.
For combat leave, he wanted to rest comfortably in barracks.
Once he hit A-Rank, officers had no choice but to humor him.
The unit's sole Healer discharging would shatter their three-digit accident-free streak.
It eventually dropped to single digits anyway.
Ring ring—
It was a call from the mother who'd raised him like her own son.
After picking up and staying silent for a while, she sensed something was wrong.
"Dae-hyun-ah. Did something happen there?"
He played innocent.
"...What do you mean?"
Even if it had, he'd pretend otherwise, like always.
Honestly, today had been mentally exhausting.
He didn't know how to express it and hadn't shown it, but her call brought it out naturally.
He'd thought he'd grown numb to comrades dying, but it was an illusion.
He'd just wanted to believe that.
Seo Dae-hyun changed the subject.
"Did you have lunch?"
It was 1 p.m. in Korea.
"I ate with the kids. What about you, Dae-hyun?"
"Not yet."
He chatted with his mother for the first time in a while.
He didn't mention today's events.
As the call ended, he arrived home.
He opened the door and stepped inside.
It was pitch dark.
Checking the time, it was 2 a.m.
Bedtime.
He moved quietly to avoid waking the family.
Squeak.
Halfway up the stairs, Kim Hyun-jun called from below.
"Hyung... are you... back now?"
"Hyun-jun-ah."
Seo Dae-hyun had sensed his presence before he spoke.
It was too quiet for mere presence.
He just knew. Where he was.
Seemed like part of his Necromancer ability.
Within a certain range, he automatically knew his soldiers' (summons') locations.
Hyun-jun conveyed his thoughts without speaking.
It wasn't a voice.
Their minds brushed briefly.
"Mom made food, so eat when you come?"
White rice and bulgogi sat on the table.
Kim Hyun-jun's mother had prepared it expecting Seo Dae-hyun's return.
What was so lovable about him to make such dinner?
'If I'd only kept my wits back then, I wouldn't have let you die.'
Witnessing Michael's death before his eyes dredged up past memories.
PTSD had clouded his judgment with severe anxiety.
"Sorry. I'm sorry."
He felt guilty toward Kim Hyun-jun and his parents.
"This... clears... the... debt..."
In contrast, Kim Hyun-jun smiled without resentment.
Seo Dae-hyun had once saved Kim Hyun-jun's life.
'You repaid that long ago.'
Providing him a job here settled the favor.
Kim Hyun-jun had watched Seo Dae-hyun's pain up close.
Reborn as a soldier, he vividly felt his deep suffering.
"Hyung..."
Hyun-jun's current state wasn't truly living.
If all Necromancer abilities unlocked, there might be a way to restore him as human.
"I'll definitely bring you back to normal."
Seo Dae-hyun promised Kim Hyun-jun in a resolute voice.
The next day.
As if nothing had happened yesterday, Hyun-jun's parents went about their normal routine.
Hyun-jun, who usually slept late, got up early for once to help his mother.
Then a middle-aged man's voice rang out.
Not his father's.
[Hyung, you up?]
Kim Hyun-jun had messaged Seo Dae-hyun via voice on his smartphone.
"You...?"
Seo Dae-hyun was speechless at the innovative idea.
[It's TTS. lol]
This time, in an elementary school kid's voice.
Good he'd found a temporary solution.
[What do you think? lololol]
"Change the voice."
His father snatched Kim Hyun-jun's phone and said firmly.
It was grating on the nerves.
[ㅠ Got it.]
An aggrieved tone.
"That won't do either."
Kim Hyun-jun sent a stiff voice message.
[Yes, understood.]
Gloom didn't last.
Kim Hyun-jun showed a Gold Mark photo.
It was a game tier.
[Hyung, this body's OP, right? Played all night, no fatigue.]
As a soldier, Kim Hyun-jun needed no sleep.
He could, but felt no tiredness without it, so he'd gamed through the night.
[Saved on coffee lololol]
Everything fine except speaking.
[Thanks to it, I won promotion matches yesterday lol]
Seo Dae-hyun narrowed his eyes, scanning the phone screen.
"1/11/11"
Deaths: a whopping 11.
Even non-gamer Seo Dae-hyun knew the famous game.
Everyone played it in school.
[No, I'm support!]
"1/11/11"
[1v1?]
Seo Dae-hyun and Kim Hyun-jun bantered like brothers.
Yesterday's events felt distant.
Breakfast was sandwiches and corn soup.
Kim Hyun-jun didn't need to eat but pretended for his parents.
Seo Dae-hyun asked permission to quit farming.
He needed to become a Hunter, not a farmer.
"...I see."
"I'm sorry. I'll move out in a week."
No farming meant he couldn't stay.
"Dae-hyun-ah, are we inconveniencing you?"
His mother asked, furrowing her brow.
Seo Dae-hyun shook his head.
"No, you're not."
If so, he wouldn't be eating here.
"I just felt like I might be overstaying."
"Nonsense. Of course you can stay."
Kim Hyun-jun's parents would've let him stay even if he switched jobs.
"But."
Seo Dae-hyun trailed off; his mother took his hand with a smile.
They were stronger than he'd thought.
"Then keep staying here."
She glanced at Kim Hyun-jun.
"And Hyun-jun, you quit your job too and go with Dae-hyun."
[Really?]
Kim Hyun-jun asked, stunned.
Seo Dae-hyun was quitting farming to enter dungeons.
To wield this power, he needed strength first—and dungeons for that.
"But dungeons... Hyun-jun too."
His parents had opposed him becoming a Hunter.
Hyun-jun's rank in life was C-Rank.
A bit iffy for big guilds, but his three years military service qualified him for easy entry.
He'd skipped guilds to focus on farming.
Opposed by mom and tied to dad's landowner legacy, plus fear of monsters after near-death in service.
Most frontline discharges quit Hunting due to PTSD.
"Yes. We talked a lot with him yesterday."
They'd decided after hearing everything before Seo Dae-hyun left for the Association.
So unexpected, Dae-hyun and Hyun-jun were flustered.
"What about you, Hyun-jun?"
His thoughts mattered most.
[Hyung, I want to enter dungeons too.]
Kim Hyun-jun had monster trauma.
Despite it, he'd overcome fear to save Seo Dae-hyun.
As a soldier, his mental strength had grown, not just physical.