What Does "Chaos" Mean to an NPC? 3
“Yes, this is Kim Suho.”
“Yes, this is Lee Musin. I’ve received the report that the situation has been resolved. There may still be some enemies lingering, so please wait just a moment. We’ve just arrived, so we’ll clean up and head up right away.”
The sender of that warning text must have contacted Lee Musin. Considering that my actual fight hadn’t even lasted five minutes, it seemed like they’d reached out to him immediately after texting me.
More surprising than that was the fact that someone had been monitoring me. I hadn’t noticed a thing.
But thinking it over, it made perfect sense. It would be ridiculous to leave an Irregular like me without any surveillance.
In the meantime, Lee Musin arrived with about a dozen hunters in tow.
“Phew, you’re safe. I was startled. Seeing you unharmed like this puts my mind at ease.”
Lee Musin let out a deep sigh of relief, as if a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders upon seeing me safe.
“More importantly, who were they? Do you know anything about them?”
“No, I’d never seen them before.”
At that moment, a voice came from one of the hunters Lee Musin had brought.
“Chief! It’s the Justice Guild.”
“Justice Guild?”
“A mid-sized guild of about forty members known for all sorts of villainy.”
Lee Musin spoke quietly to his subordinate in a low voice.
“Find out why, no matter what. Round up every surviving guild member and investigate them thoroughly. And if the others are connected...”
After finishing with his subordinate, Lee Musin turned back to me.
“As you heard, they’re from the Justice Guild. Have you had any prior dealings with them?”
“No, first time hearing of them too.”
“I see. We’ll handle the rest. And I apologize for not mentioning the monitoring agents sooner—you might find it unpleasant. In truth, their role isn’t direct surveillance of you, Mr. Kim Suho, but watching for external threats. They’ve never actually observed you up close. Plus, they’re my direct subordinates, so no worries about identity leaks.”
“It’s fine.”
I could sense his sincerity, and besides, I’d half-expected something like this. If anything, without my NPC abilities kicking in, those agents might’ve saved my life—no hard feelings there.
“Shall I assign additional security details? They’d all be my direct subordinates—no identity issues—and top-tier hunters capable of handling crises.”
Lee Musin spoke with earnest gravity, but I didn’t need it. An hour ago, maybe, but now? I genuinely didn’t require help from other hunters.
“Chief, I appreciate the concern, but I really don’t need it. If something comes up, I’ll contact you right away.”
“...Understood. I don’t doubt your strength, Mr. Kim Suho—this scene speaks for itself. I just wanted precautions for the worst case. Contact me anytime, and I’ll send people immediately.”
“Yes, I’ll do that if needed.”
Once Lee Musin’s team cleared out the bodies and left me alone, I finally opened my status window.
Status Check, Swiftness
Materials, Potion Shop, Quest Assignment
Compared to an hour ago, these stats were absurd. Strength and stamina had jumped from 15 to 339 and 257. The rest had skyrocketed too, and I’d even gained a new skill called Swiftness.
Swiftness
Movement speed doubles for 3 seconds.
Mana cost: 30
Not cheap on mana relative to duration, but the effect was impressive.
The bracelet’s info had updated too.
◈ Potion Maker's Staff
◈ Mana Blade
“I thought I knew everything by now, but there’s still so much I don’t understand about being an NPC.”
Not everything, sure, but I’d figured I wouldn’t be caught off guard like before. Wrong.
I still had no real grasp on NPCs.
“Kao... Never saw that coming.”
Dying in Kao state like a game and losing stats or skills? Wild. But the real shocker was the NPC protection.
This building I’d bought recognized as an NPC Hideout? I didn’t know if it worked outside, but inside? I was invincible.
Enemies’ abilities cut by 90%, mana attacks nullified 100%. Even by raw stats, they’d need over 4,000 to beat me.
A hunter with 4,000+ stats? If one existed, mana attacks would still fail. And mental immunity? My first kill, yet no guilt, no burden. Felt like hunting monsters.
Incredible. I couldn’t stop marveling at the NPC class.
Then a thought hit me.
“Wait, if all the buildings I buy count as NPC Hideouts? And the land too?”
Chills ran down my spine.
“Crazy... What the hell is an NPC, really?”
“So, you’re saying they schemed to buy this building?”
“Yes. They planned to blackmail the original buyer into defaulting, bankrupt the construction firm, force an auction, and keep manipulating to snag it cheap. We’ve arrested all remaining Justice Guild members on Hunter Law violations—no worries there.”
Lee Musin’s explanation only deepened the mystery. What the hell happened with Jeonghun?
I considered asking when he showed up, but since Justice Guild was done, I dropped it.
“Thanks.”
“Not confirmed, but watch out for Lee Sehyuk of Cheonmang Guild. He’s been taking hefty sums from Lee Sang-sik. He probably won’t act directly over this, but if he does, contact me immediately—we’ll handle it.”
That was unexpected. Cheonmang Guild, one of the Big Five, popping up out of nowhere.
“Got it. I’ll call if anything happens.”
I ended the call with Lee Musin.
“Lee Sehyuk of Cheonmang Guild. What’s your deal, popping up like this?”
If he’d been steadily taking bribes from Lee Sang-sik, he wasn’t legit either. Answer was clear.
I wouldn’t obsess, but if he showed, I’d respond in kind. No touch, no problem. Otherwise? Justice Guild 2.0.
“Whoa, Suho. Since when can you shrug off Big Five hunters? Snap out of it. You’ve got Jeonghun and Yeji too.”
Now I was worrying about them more than me. I could hole up here, but they couldn’t.
So, no telling Jeonghun about yesterday. No need to stir trouble with Justice Guild dismantled.
Priority: Toughen up Jeonghun and Yeji.
“Run infinite quests with Jeonghun and Yeji for now. Tomorrow, I’ll speed through leatherworking. Even all-nighters, finish fast and jump to blacksmithing.”
With overflowing strength and stamina, blacksmithing was fine now. But with the leatherworker coming and hides ordered, skipping felt wasteful.
Just a taste, then bail if needed—no pressure. I dove in casually.
Time flew, and it was meeting day with the leatherworker.
But.
“Ha Geonmin?”
“Yes.”
“Pardon, but are you really her?”
“Yes, I’m Ha Geonmin.”
“Hmm... Your voice sounded rougher on the phone.”
“Th-that’s because I had a sore throat then.”
“A hunter with a sore throat?”
At my baffled reaction, Geonmin finally came clean.
“Sorry. If I said I was a woman, they’d whine about women touching leather—go herd sheep or brew potions. Ah, not that you’re whining, sir—previous bosses. B-but my skills are real. Please, just give me a chance.”
Whining bosses. Not the worst slur—street talk. But from her? Shocking.
Ha Geonmin was beautiful. Not just pretty—pure, innocent beauty, top-tier among those I’d seen.
Harsh curses from that face? Stunning. She’d held back mid-sentence; unrestrained, it’d be full-on profanity.
Her reason made sense, though. Hunter world favored men. Awakening ratio 7:3 male. Leatherworkers/blacksmiths? 9.5:0.5 male-dominated.
Rare for women unless exceptional, and hiring leaned male.
“Why? With such skill, you could’ve joined a better workshop than mine.”
“W-well...”
She hesitated, hiding something. At least no instant lie—good sign.
“Any lie from now on, and you’re out. Be honest, prove your skills, and you’re hired per contract.”
“I-I want to touch it.”
I flinched; startled, she waved frantically.
“L-leather! I want to touch A-rank or higher dungeon leather!”
“Wouldn’t a bigger workshop have that?”
“No. Big ones reserve A-rank+ hides for master artisans. I started my own shop but couldn’t source them, went bankrupt, racked up debt. Saw your ad... Unlimited budget for all hide materials? I got hooked.”
She’d faked her voice out of blind faith I’d supply endless A-rank hides.
“What if I’d gotten offended and rejected you?”
“Th-that’s...”
She hadn’t considered it. Ridiculous.
“One last question—decides everything. Be careful. Why obsess over A-rank+ hides like this?”
Her ditzy demeanor vanished; fervent leatherworker emerged.
“I want to craft leather armor surpassing plate. Needs A-rank+ monster hides. Thought you could supply them.”
“Using my money for your ambition?”
No flinch at my sarcasm.
“No. You’ll make armor eventually too. Later, for A-rank work, we’d collaborate. No other leatherworker does that—win-win for you.”
Solid reason. Better than solid—I liked it. Ambition as a leatherworker? Welcome.
I needed production hunters beyond myself. With Seo Taeju and Seo Taehee on deck, a skilled, driven leatherworker was gold.
No hesitation—I hired her.
“Good. Looking forward to working with you.”
“Hire me, and I’ll teach you everything about leatherworking. I’ll work my ass off.”
“Yes, you’re hired.”
“No bad intentions. Never steal hides or anything.”
“A-are you listening? Hired!”
“I’ll serve you as a lifelong benefactor. Grant me your boundless mercy. Don’t cast me out.”
She ignored me, rambling on, words veering off wildly.
I seriously wondered if I should hire someone else.
Next chapter continues... The Hunter Who Awakened as an NPC