Day 2: Flames of Defiance
Late to rise on the second day of preparing for the B-rank disaster in the reversed zone, I stretched with a long, lazy yawn.
The sun was already high in the sky, and my phone was flooded with dozens of unchecked alarms, but I ignored them and savored the sweet sleep.
This is the bliss of the unemployed.
'Must've been exhausted from all that magic use.'
Pouring myself a cup of instant coffee, I checked my mana reserves. Shockingly, what had been completely drained was now over 80% naturally restored.
In the corner of my vision floated all sorts of info posts that Bingbing Girl had compiled and sent overnight.
Every single one was incredibly helpful and valuable.
A bit burdened by the excessive kindness, I left that question.
That chilling pupil that seemed to pierce right through the soul.
6th tier, huh.
Mage tiers seemed similar to hunter ranks but carried some deeper mystery.
Since my flame magic had already reached 2nd tier, I asked if that meant I'd jumped to 2nd tier in a single day, and everyone just scoffed.
Reviewing these chat logs again made one fact crystal clear.
'Even the other mages don't know about the shop.'
Last night, after earning points, a new "Shop" page appeared in the Cradle.
From these special items—and the scroll went on forever no matter how far down I went.
There were even childish prank items like that.
From my rough scan, two caught my immediate interest.
I had a way to rocket-deliver chicken without reaching 6th tier. The 4000-point price tag was just too steep to mention it.
I could barely afford even one mana potion anyway.
I subtly floated the idea of the shop to Bingbing Girl, but she'd never heard of it. So this must be a perk exclusive to me.
"You again."
I eyed the grimoire on my desk. What the hell was this thing, really?
I had no idea how far its influence reached. And how the hell did my parents, A-rank hunters, even pick up something like this? It had to be from a high tower floor...
'The summon ticket is the real prize.'
Just from the description, it was a godsend that could solve my predicament in one shot.
Summon her, and it's game over. But way too expensive.
'Killing that rapist only netted 100—and that was with a "first kill" bonus.'
I'd be lying if I said I hadn't considered torching the local detention center and wiping out 200 or so.
Who do you take me for, a psycho? I couldn't do that, no matter what.
'Killing defenseless civilians wouldn't be free points anyway.'
Save it as a last-resort desperation move.
'Check the standard Plan B first.'
Time to get moving today too.
Grabbing the pre-made chicken breast sandwich, I headed out.
"Get the person in charge out here!! What the hell is wrong with this barrier?!"
"We can't get supplies! You gonna take responsibility if my shop goes under?!"
"My mom's on her deathbed in a Seoul hospital—please, just let me out!"
"My son's a hunter, a hunter!!"
As expected, arriving at the district office, it was chaos from complaint bombardment.
What could you do?
Trapped in a barrier created by dozens of illusion-type hunter officers.
Try to leave Hakik-dong in Incheon Michuhol-gu, and you'd loop in place due to cognitive restriction. No phone signal, no internet.
Civilians had every reason to freak out.
"Ma'am, that's not it. This is part of a national military training exercise..."
A familiar male officer was sweating bullets, spouting the standard manual response.
"Huh? Baek Seo-hu?"
Our eyes met by chance, and he looked at me like I'd just spotted his savior. He seemed ready to kneel and beg for help.
"Whoever that is, wrong guy. How the fuck do you tax-thieving public servant scum handle anything?!"
But I blended in as one of the aggressive complainers and slipped through the entrance smoothly. Flashing the employee ID I'd grabbed just in case, the path opened right up.
Resignation hadn't processed yet, huh.
Classic civil servant efficiency.
I was confident this ID would get me into district offices nationwide even a year after I died.
Surprisingly, most desks in the office were occupied.
Even facing imminent death, salarymen would clock in that day.
"S-Sunbae?"
Officer Lee Ye-ji greeted me. Her eyelids were puffy from crying all night.
"Cancel the resignation?"
"Nah, just tying up loose ends. You made it in too, huh?"
"Nothing to do at home... Top brass issued a gag order, can't even tell family. Felt stuffy, so I came. You never know—maybe you'd change your mind and show."
"Seafood for you parents?"
"They like it, so I booked an omakase with a fish tank."
"Good spot. Perfect for a last meal."
We chatted lightly as usual, then I took my seat and picked up the receiver for the secret hotline.
Ring, ring.
Hearing the tone after a full day made my heart race. Soon, a middle-aged man's voice answered.
"Sky Orphanage, serving with heart. Who is this?"
"Baek Seo-hu here, Director. Got something to say."
"Ah, yes, of course. Long time. What's up?"
Covering my mouth, I whispered so no one else could hear.
"I've awakened. Could aim for A-rank on measurement."
"Oh, congrats. You always wanted to be a hunter—dream achieved. You'll be a big help to the co—"
The director paused, then continued.
"Right, you were in the quarantined zone. I get it. An A-rank hunter's worth breaking the barrier for. I'll talk to a congressman I know—wait a bit."
This was Plan B.
Some ancient strategy text said victory without fighting is best.
No need to force danger if you didn't have to.
Screech—
Leaning back in my chair, I scanned the office.
Even in this mess, everyone stuck to their roles.
Inventing lies to calm residents.
Rushing to extend an elderly pedestrian's life by even a day.
Clinging to crumbling order and rules.
"..."
For a fleeting moment, I didn't want to abandon them.
Childish thinking. Death ends it all. Even with the grimoire, a B-rank disaster was a towering wall with slim odds.
This weird feeling—was it truly mine, or the grimoire's karma to punish evil?
The obvious dilemma dragged on until the reply came.
'Points, maybe?'
Arakhan invading from another dimension to trash the city was evil to me. Taking it down would yield massive rewards, obviously.
Nothing like that rapist. A huge boost for my future.
'Taught since childhood that risk equals opportunity.'
Like gaining courage to open the grimoire only after the prophecy—this could skyrocket my mage growth if I survived.
This era was perilous.
Dangers like this could strike anytime, and I couldn't always count on escape routes.
...All just plausible excuses. Truth was, straight up.
'Fuck it, I think I can win?'
I wanted to clash with Arakhan. Needed a target to unleash all my magic on full throttle.
'Why the itch?'
Couldn't forget the thrill practicing alone in the ruins.
Until now, I'd lived passively, ordinarily.
But magic turned me into someone else—baseless confidence filling me, heart burning like I'd swallowed fire.
Ding-a-ling.
The signal echoed through the office at last.
"..."
All eyes turned to me. An impossible rescue. Connection to the outside. Hope of any kind gathering.
"Baek Seo-hu."
"Message from the government: Rescue denied. Incheon's fate is in your hands—good luck."
My deep deliberations felt embarrassingly tossed aside. Was this even a proper country?
Click.
"Knew it."
But I laughed freely and hung up.
"Lee Ye-ji, call the District Chief."
"...What's going on?"
Instead of answering, I held out my palm.
Whoosh!
The flames, now tinged blue at 2nd tier, blazed fiercely.
"Awakened yesterday."
Back to Plan A after all.
"Cancel the omakase."
Now, to hunt Arakhan.
"Whoa..."
"What the..."
"..."
Every civil servant in the office dropped their work and froze. At the end of their gazes, blue flames rippled across the ceiling.
Perfectly avoiding the sprinklers. No threatening heat even up close. Clear intent not to harm them.
"What kinda control is that?"
District offices handled all the government's dirty work, so they dealt with hunters often. Thus, unanimous verdict on the freshly awakened Baek Seo-hu: not ordinary. At all.
"Why'd you drag me out here, you pain in the ass..."
The District Chief scratched his head as he entered.
"What the hell is..."
His jaw dropped. Baek Seo-hu spoke.
"I'm taking down Arakhan now. Need prep, so help me out. Planning to hole up in the underground training room for the next five days."
No hesitation in his voice. Like he could really slay a B-rank disaster.
"Using the elixirs in the storage room."
"Wait, hold on. That's not—"
The District Chief snapped to.
"You know how much those cost? Billions, easy. You're not even contracted with the state. I don't have authority to—"
"Hey, you fuck."
Baek Seo-hu spat it out. The blatant curse flipped the mood instantly.
"Still not getting it? Just do what I say."
"What did you just...?"
Officers glanced around at this new side of him. Even the jaded District Chief froze.
The savagery conveyed boredom.
No time to waste on you.
Or rather—no, a mere civil servant daring to defy a hunter?
In the one night since he'd quit, everything had shifted. Status, relationships.
Even if those ceiling flames dropped and torched him, the District Chief had no way to punish Baek Seo-hu.
The stark reality hit terrifyingly hard.
"...Do as you wish."
Finally, the District Chief bowed his head.