Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Identity (1)
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Pkatju tossed out some fresh bait.
ㄴ Pkatju: Anyway! Now you're really gonna clear the 20th floor, register with the Association, and become an A-rank, right?
Her words brought the gallery back to life, which had been quieting down a bit.
ㄴ Anon(124.48): If you're gonna do it, might as well do it right away, yeah?
ㄴ MagicIsFirepower: Yeah. You get a ton of perks at A-rank. You can stand on equal footing with the government in deals.
ㄴ MagicIsFirepower: You can even start your own guild. And claim ownership of a tower.
ㄴ MagicIsFirepower: There aren't any towers left in Korea anyway. Most of 'em are just trash who don't even think about climbing higher... Just take 'em.
ㄴ Fridge: (Demand harsh punishment)
ㄴ Pkatju: Once you're A-rank, you won't have to hide your identity anymore, right? We could meet up IRL just once...
ㄴ MagicIsFirepower: But you never show when I ask?
ㄴ Pkatju: ? No need to meet anyone but newbies.
ㄴ MagicIsFirepower: Outright discriminating...
A-rank hunter.
That goal, which had felt so distant, was now right in front of me.
Did that mean I no longer had to live as an unregistered illegal hunter?
But it wasn't without problems.
ㄴ Anon(55H.555): Thing is, there's a bunch of issues to sort out.
ㄴ MagicIsFirepower: Problems? What problems?
ㄴ Anon(55H.555): Won't my ranking update once I clear the 20th floor?
I calmly typed out my thoughts.
Lately, things had been quiet for some reason, but there was that one guy trying to track me down.
ㄴ Anon(55H.555): If I register as A-rank right after the 20th-floor ranking updates, won't everyone know I'm a ranker immediately?
The gallery fell silent again at my concern.
Seemed like no one had thought of that.
ㄴ Fridge: Huh, now that you mention it. Hmm, what to do about that...
ㄴ Pkatju: Even if you're not Demigod, once they know you're a ranker, no one's gonna leave you alone.
ㄴ Fridge: Yeah, you'd get contacted nonstop from all over the world.
ㄴ MagicIsFirepower: So you have to keep hiding even after becoming A-rank? That's bullshit!
ㄴ Fridge: Maybe it's better not to register at all.
ㄴ MagicIsFirepower: No, I'm getting pissed just watching. You have the power but have to hide it?
It was just as they were worried.
I still couldn't be free.
"That guy wasn't around, I could've plastered Hunter Gallery with my name for months..."
I let out a sigh.
Once with that rare mage certification.
Again with the A-rank certification.
And the final blow as ranking number one.
"Throw in a face reveal in the middle..."
Wow, so much I could do?
Thinking about it made me really regret it.
I could've poked at them one by one whenever I got bored, nonstop fuel for the fire.
Hell, maybe a gallery named after me would've popped up.
But I'm a realist.
Best to lay low until I thought I could take on an S-rank.
"I don't even know how strong I am right now..."
Definitely way past average A-rank.
But against an S-rank? Caution won out.
To find out, I'd have to go to the Hunter Association again...
The debate just wouldn't end.
That's when Beetle, who'd been quietly watching the convo so far, finally spoke up.
ㄴ Beetle: Then I guess I'll have to pull some strings when you register with the Association.
All the mages focused on his words.
ㄴ Fridge: You? How?
ㄴ Beetle: With my authority, I can tweak the registration process a bit. Manipulating records is a piece of cake.
ㄴ Beetle: Register as A-rank but don't announce it...
S-rank hunter.
The weight of that name was no joke.
If he stepped in personally, it wasn't impossible.
ㄴ MagicIsFirepower: For real? You'd do that much?
ㄴ Beetle: Of course, even then, newbie, you'd have to meet me once. Can't avoid that.
ㄴ Beetle: That cool with you?
Beetle's proposal was perfect.
The one way to solve all problems at once.
Sure, meeting face-to-face was a bit iffy.
But there weren't any other options.
I'd built at least minimal trust with Beetle so far.
If he'd wanted to find me, he would've when I first messed up and posted that certification pic.
More than that, this direction felt kinda fun for some reason.
ㄴ Anon(55H.555): Yeah, thinking about it, this sounds more fun.
ㄴ Beetle: Fun?
ㄴ Anon(55H.555): Bragging "I'm A-rank" everywhere looks tryhard. Better to quietly get certified, then casually reveal when needed.
ㄴ MagicIsFirepower: Like Cooking King Biryong?
ㄴ Fridge: Grandma...
ㄴ Anon(55H.555): Yeah. Hiding power plays are the most fun.
ㄴ Beetle: Honestly, I don't get that vibe... Anyway, take that as agreement.
That was when it happened.
Knock knock-.
The sound of someone knocking on the front door broke the silence.
I furrowed my brow.
I don't have friends or family.
Who the hell would come at this hour? Cultists?
"Who is it?"
Without much thought, I got up and headed to the door.
The intercom screen showed a middle-aged man and a young guy, both in police uniforms.
Police? What the hell?
Puzzled, I cracked the door open.
"What is it?"
The older cop looked at me, made a troubled face, and said,
"Kiddo, is there an adult home? Got a complaint from next door. Something about vines or whatever spilling over from the window..."
What bullshit?
I was momentarily dumbfounded, but then it hit me.
Vines—there was only one thing that could be.
The cop peeked over my shoulder into the house.
His eyes went wide at the glimpse of the interior through the door crack.
"Wh-what's that? All those plants..."
At the young guy's reaction, the older cop also peered in with an incredulous look.
"Kid, mind if we come in for a quick check?"
Ah, screwed.
I swallowed a curse inwardly.
No choice. Refusing here would just make it worse.
Reluctantly, I flung the door wide open.
"Good lord..."
The cops stepped inside and couldn't hide their shock.
Vines and moss blanketing the walls and ceiling.
Plants scattered messily on the floor. And in the middle of the room, a high-spec computer sitting there.
They stood speechless for a moment, staring blankly at the surreal scene.
Their gazes soon turned to me.
Eyes full of pity.
My childlike appearance. Living alone. The house in an incomprehensible state.
To them, it all screamed neglected child.
The older cop knelt down carefully in front of me, meeting my eyes.
"You okay, sweetie? Where are your parents? Why are you alone?"
"They're... not home right now."
"Where'd they go?"
"Well..."
"And why's the house like this?"
Cold sweat trickled down my spine.
One wrong answer, and I'd be hauled off to a shelter for sure.
How to get out of this?
I racked my brain desperately.
Soon, a decent idea came to me.
I knew how cops thought.
In this changed world, they avoided hunters unless they had to.
Especially strong ones.
I put on a face like I was about to burst into tears.
First time acting, but no problem.
I recalled the time I got unfairly banned for 31 days.
Tears welled up quick.
"My parents... they're hunters. They just left for the tower..."
The young cop's face grew even more pitiful at my answer.
But the older cop's eyes wavered subtly.
He thought for a sec, then tugged the young cop's arm and whispered.
I heard every word.
"...If they're really hunters, it'll get messy. Check and come back later."
The older cop switched back to a gentle smile and said to me,
"I see. Got it. When your parents get back, tell 'em to contact the station, okay? We'll stop by again later."
He paused.
"And tell your parents to deal with those vines... gotta handle that."
I nodded vigorously, like the world's most obedient kid.
"Yes!"
At my innocent look, relief washed over the cop's face with a smile.
He patted my head.
"Heh heh, handling things on your own like a champ."
"Hehe..."
I forced a childish grin.
The cops left through the front door.
The second it clicked shut, the smile vanished from my face.
"Fuck..."
I muttered a low curse with a rotten expression.
Me, mimicking a damn kid?
Humiliation made my fists tremble.
"No, what the hell is wrong with them to file a complaint?"
Grumbling, I headed outside.
People these days have no neighborly spirit.
Anything happens, they call the cops instead of talking.
I circled around the apartment building to the side with windows—the opposite from the entrance, a view I never bothered with.
Soon, I lost my words at the sight.
"...Jesus."
My bedroom balcony window was completely buried under massive green vines.
But it didn't stop there.
The vines had spread everywhere, invading not just next door but the balconies above and below.
Next door was long gone, fully overtaken.
The vines wriggling up the concrete walls were straight out of a horror show.
My head throbbed; I pressed my forehead.
"Gotta deal with those seeds quick."
Leave it like this, the whole apartment turns jungle.
Plus, the cop said they'd come back.
If it's still like this next time, the "parents are hunters" lie might not cut it.
"No way out. None..."
I dodged the immediate crisis, but it was just a band-aid.
No guarantee stuff like this wouldn't happen again.
Towers spit out all kinds of weird crap.
More hard-to-store items could pop up.
I finally made my decision.
"Time to move."
Back home, I eyed the pile of mana stones dumped in the corner.
Spoils from climbing the tower so far.
Rough estimate by eye.
"Hmm... about 8kg?"
In cash, around 150 million won.
Plus the 550 million in my account...
"About 700 million total."
No clue on Daejeon house prices lately, but this should snag a nice place.
"A standalone house near the tower would be ideal..."
Five years ago when towers first appeared, the surrounding areas got wrecked.
Over time, new buildings rose from the ruins.
Housing just for hunters.
Guild buildings, training facilities, gear shops, amenities—all there.
The area around the tower had turned into a luxury hunter residential complex.
That was for big cities like Seoul or Busan. Daejeon, where I lived, was quieter and a bit shabby by comparison...
But it had the basics for hunters.
Then I realized the fatal flaw.
"Shit... I got no ID."
This body—this little girl's—couldn't do jack legally.
No birth registration, let alone ID.
Couldn't even rent a house, much less register as A-rank hunter.
Even if Beetle kept the registration secret, no ID at all would look too suspicious.
"Ask Beetle to make me an ID too?"
I shook my head immediately.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Better to find someone else than burden one guy too much.
On a whim, I grabbed my phone.
Sent a message to a familiar name: 'SSalDapam'.
Broker. He might know a way.
[Do you sell IDs by any chance?]
Reply came fast.
[SSalDapam: Sell 'em, yeah... But you can't do anything big with it?? Tops out at buying convenience store booze. Still want one? ㅠ_ㅠ]
[SSalDapam: Better meet up and talk. Uncle'll explain in detail.]
I accepted his offer.
Right now, that shady uncle was my only lifeline.