Human Hunter
October 4th, 6:13 AM.
The team members huddled together around the lamp flame, their faces pale as they ate breakfast. Everyone looked exhausted, having either slept little or woken up haunted by nightmares. Of course. They had just witnessed a human head roll across the ground and separate from its body. It was only natural that they were still reeling.
Kang-jun had gone through the same ordeal before, so he understood their reactions perfectly. The fact that the women were holding up better than expected was actually a relief. There had been plenty of cases where people trembled with chills all day long or screamed at the top of their lungs after seeing the aftermath of a horrifying murder scene. The trauma was worse than most expected.
“Hmmph.”
Kang-jun cleared his throat. All eyes turned to him. He swept a glance over the group and began to speak.
“Yesterday was pretty shocking. I know exactly how you’re all feeling.”
Kang-jun adjusted the pace of his words, carefully balancing strength and gentleness. Too much at once could push them over the edge, but too little would do nothing. The right rhythm was everything.
“Some of you probably went through the same thing at the Training Center. The trainers there died quite a few of them too. Here as well. People die a lot in dungeons. When things get boring, monsters show up.”
He set the plate he was holding down on the floor for a moment.
“There’s one piece of advice I want to give you. We can’t just sit here and do nothing.”
His voice grew firmer.
“I understand the shock. Seeing someone die like that isn’t something you see every day.”
Hye-mi’s lower lip trembled. The scene she had witnessed flashed before her eyes, and her expression darkened even more.
“But we still have mountains to climb. This is the 3rd Dungeon. There are four dungeons in total, and we’re only in one of them.”
A couple of the members lowered their heads. They looked uneasy.
“We came here because we had no choice, but we can’t just give up and die. …I didn’t want to kill anyone either. But I had no choice. I had to protect you all.”
Ah.
Kang-jun’s words made the women’s eyes glisten with emotion. They were lost in their own sorrows and had never truly considered the pain he must be carrying. …In truth, the ones who had actually killed were him. He was the one who had suffered the most.
Of course, Kang-jun was already completely immune after suffering through every illness he had ever experienced. But he always let a little of that touch show at moments like this. It had its effect.
“I’m not exactly at ease either. But we have to overcome it. Don’t we? For all of us. We’re a team, after all.”
“Y-yes… that’s right, Team Leader.”
Zixi nodded with determination in her eyes, agreeing with Kang-jun. Park Hana and Kim Hye-mi followed suit a moment later, both nodding.
“This kind of thing could happen anytime. Of course, killing people isn’t easy. But I told you yesterday, didn’t I? If you hesitate for even a second, you’ll lose a precious teammate right next to you.”
They exchanged glances. They remembered. The teammates who had collapsed under brutal attacks. Especially Hye-mi, who had witnessed both her sisters fall. It was a terrifying kind of fear.
“If we don’t kill them, they’ll kill us. That’s the world we live in. Police? Heroes? No one in the labyrinths will help us. …You all felt it in your bones.”
The members had just realized with painful clarity that the labyrinths were dangerous not just because of the monsters. Humans were terrifying too.
“Well, let’s leave it at that for now.”
Kang-jun clapped lightly and gave a small smile, lightening the heavy atmosphere.
“So right now, we need to decide. Should we keep exploring or head back?”
Everyone looked at one another, exchanging uneasy glances. What should we do?
That was when Zixi raised her hand.
“I want to keep going. The team’s funds are still too low. If we leave now, it’ll be tough to make it through October.”
“Good idea. …Any objections?”
No one spoke up. In fact, it would be hard to turn back now without bringing up mental issues. Money was urgent. If they didn’t get exploration fees here, their remaining cash would run out quickly. They had already missed a month of exploration in September, so things were tight. There was money from applying to a private team in the 50th District after the incident, but it wasn’t much.
“No objections? Then we’ll keep exploring.”
“Yes.”
Everyone nodded lightly in agreement. Of course, today’s exploration would be gentler than yesterday’s. Everyone’s bodies were still recovering.
After deciding to continue, the team began packing up the campsite. Kang-jun folded the tent, set it against the wall, and took out a small bag from his pocket. It was the Hunter Team leader’s identification card.
…Just take a look at it.
He wasn’t planning anything grand like tightening the shadows behind the back of his target. He simply wanted to know who this guy was. …He could probably dig up information from Jang Hwa-young in secret.
Actually, the Hero Association was already putting serious effort into wiping out Hunter Teams like this. Kang-jun had learned that the headquarters even had a secret division specifically for them.
When the situation called for it, they could team up to take down monsters, but by cutting off the new allies who could help them, the power of humans themselves was steadily declining. In a way, it was like the number of children who would one day become the country’s workers was shrinking.
Kang-jun thought about all this for a moment, then tucked the card away again. The body was dumped in a corner where no one would come across it. If left like that, at least the evidence would vanish without a trace within a day.
“Let’s move out.”
The Kang-jun Team moved out in formation once more.
“Is it okay not to report it?”
Hye-mi looked genuinely worried about simply leaving the body behind. Even though it was a Hunter Team, if they just vanished without saying a word after killing someone, wouldn’t that be seen as wrong? She seemed anxious that they might be accused of something.
“It’s fine. You don’t have to worry.”
Kang-jun reassured her. He was certain nothing would happen. Even if another team passed by, they would likely just watch without reporting anything, treating it like a show. In fact, they wouldn’t even touch the equipment unless it was absolutely necessary. That was the unwritten rule of the labyrinths. In the end, everyone had died because of the one who had done the killing. That’s why Hunter Teams moved around so freely.
Of course, the temptation to strip the body clean was there, but rushing it would do no good for the team’s morale. Damaging the group’s image for a few thousand won was a long-term loss, and things like that couldn’t be measured in money.
…Kang-jun still had to stay the good guy, the kind older brother.
9:22 AM.
The Kang-jun Team passed through the 7th region quickly and arrived in the 10th region. This area was especially full of water pools. The sound of water dripping echoed from everywhere.
“Watch your step. Don’t step into any water.”
Kang-jun had warned them several times. Everyone walked carefully when passing near the pools.
They encountered monsters several times in the 10th region. Estimated level 150. Kang-jun deliberately stayed out of the fights. He wanted the team to grow stronger.
Ogerman and Hanna were good at drawing aggro. Meanwhile, Zixi had summoned a suitable-sized fireball and slammed it into the monster’s body. Her accuracy and control were improving daily. It was a huge step up from throwing mana balls at the team’s backs when she used to be a toilet.
Zixi was the kind of person who always levelled up.
She didn’t have a single flaw. She was the kind of talent that belonged at the top of any party. In just one or two more years, she would be more than enough as a magic dealer.
Of course, Hye-mi and Hanna were strong enough for their level as well. Zixi was just exceptionally talented.
The team members had grown enough that, even without Kang-jun, they could handle monsters easily in the 3rd Dungeon. As long as they didn’t make mistakes, they would be able to take on at least one in the 2nd Dungeon. Level 170 was realistic.
The members’ stats were steadily rising. In just two days, Zixi and Hye-mi had each gained three levels. Ogerman gained two, and Park Hana a whopping five. Since Kang-jun hadn’t fought at all, the experience points were pouring in, and the level-ups came quickly.
They stuffed monster bones into their bags. If only they could eat a mana core, that would be even better, but the chance of getting one from a low-level monster was almost zero. Better to just hope for a trait explosion instead.
Still, Kang-jun felt that the team had grown stronger after experiencing the Hunter Team ambush. It was as if a firm resolve had been planted deep inside them.
Yes, that was how growth happened, bit by bit. …If your own framework collapsed, a new world would open up. By slowly expanding the framework and changing your perception, that was what life was all about.
Originally, laws and morals had filled your entire field of vision, but once the framework broke, areas outside those values would begin to appear.
Once a strong framework began to crumble, the rest fell apart easily. That’s why Kang-jun valued this first experience so highly.
The acceptance of murder.
Of all things, it was the most powerful catalyst. People died, and that was the end. There was no value greater than that, really.
But he didn’t want to turn his teammates into emotionless animals. So he drew a clear line, constantly reminding them of the limits of murder.
Only against humans who threatened the lives of his teammates.
In this way, the dignity of most lives was preserved. He would simply make an exception for those cheap bastards who died.
That way, their mental state wouldn’t be too damaged. They could continue living almost as if nothing had changed. And there weren’t that many such human scum to begin with.
Of course, when they entered other dungeons, they would have to form new values, but that was still too premature an issue, and in the 3rd Dungeon, this was more than enough.
October 8th, 8:22 PM. …Six days had passed faster than he expected.
The Kang-jun Team exited the labyrinth exhausted. Hanna looked up at the starry night sky and let out a delighted “Wow!”. After days trapped in a dungeon with nothing but damp walls, everything outside felt beautiful.
They climbed the metal stairs, feeling indirectly like prisoners who had finished their sentence. Freedom really was wonderful.
Hye-mi kept swallowing the snot that kept running down her nose. Her eyes were red as if she wanted to cry at any moment, yet she held it back bravely. She only wiped the occasional tears that spilled over.
The same kind of emotion washed over the three women. Hanna sniffled just like Hye-mi. Zixi simply cried silently inside.
When they entered the manager’s office, Hye-mi’s face looked tense. She was worried that someone might discover she had killed.
Of course, as Kang-jun had promised, nothing happened. They only paid the tax on the items they had harvested and left the office once more.
“There was really… nothing at all.”
Hye-mi muttered as if she couldn’t believe human lives were so cheap. Kang-jun simply ruffled her hair without a word and stepped outside.
“Thank you very much!”
The manager greeted them with such bright cheer, completely unaware of what they had experienced underground. Hye-mi suddenly felt the manager auntie seemed far away, as if they lived in completely different worlds.
She had laughed, but the laugh had come out strangely. She had seen her own smile reflected in the van window by chance.
It was the gentle smile of her senior that she sometimes saw.
Ah.
She had finally realized.
Even her senior lived in a completely different world from them.
The Kang-jun Team loaded everything into the van and climbed aboard. The engine roared as the vehicle started moving.
Hye-mi pressed her head against the window and stared blankly outside.
It was still the same. Then and now.