Livelihood Support Funds (2)

Even if I took the time to wander around, examining every single applicant was realistically impossible. Still, no matter how you looked at it, I couldn't understand how I'd missed a talent like this.

I'd had some small connection with her in my previous life, which was why her skills appeared for me. I already knew what they did. Even if used poorly, they turned her into a burst dealer. Used properly, they could put a boss monster to sleep in a single blow. A monstrous skill. The synergy between Super Strike and her trait was so perfect that it might as well have been an A-rank ability.

The skill was impressive, but what interested Chae Mu-jin most was Lee Min-ji herself.

Female dealers are rare. Jobs aren't truly random—they follow the awakened's nature.

Women usually ended up in support roles. Supporters or healers. Even when they became dealers, the vast majority were long-range. And this girl hadn't taken the certified hunter exam out of mere curiosity.

Scars covered her body. Many wounds could mean weakness, but they also proved she'd survived. Some were recent—the scabs hadn't even fallen off yet.

“Um~ No matter how pretty I am, it's embarrassing if you stare that hard.”

I ignored Lee Min-ji's words and spoke to the referee.

“This applicant is an adult, right?”

“Ah, yes. She's twenty, fully an adult.”

“Then why is she wearing a school uniform?”

I'd asked the referee, but Lee Min-ji answered.

“Because wearing a school uniform makes me look pitiful.”

“That's an insanely stupid reason.”

“But it works great.”

I wanted to talk with her more, but the match was about to start. Still, this wasn't bad. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lies mixed easily into conversations with words, but not into conversations with the body.

The moment the timer hit zero, Lee Min-ji charged straight at me. Her running speed wasn't fast. And she boldly held her hammer high above her head as she ran. A complete no-guard position. An obvious stance that said she'd give flesh to take bone. It looked downright bizarre coming from a frail-looking female high school student.

Interesting.

I started running too—in the opposite direction. She seemed to chase for a while, but soon gave up and forced a smile.

“Are you just going to keep running away? What kind of man does that?”

“Man or woman, wouldn't anyone die if they got hit by that hammer?”

“You're pretty famous, ahjussi. What will people say if you keep running like this?”

“I don't care. Let them say whatever they want.”

While talking, Lee Min-ji crept closer. For every step she took forward, I took two steps back. After more silent psychological warfare, her face gradually turned vicious. I'd hit her weakness perfectly, so of course she was irritated.

Lee Min-ji was a classic conditional burst dealer. Her job was probably one specialized in tanking. That explained the scars and her tactics. Her greatest weakness, for someone slow but with strong attacks and decent tanking ability, was simply refusing to fight her.

“Ah~ Really? So you're going to run away until the end? Fine. I won't chase either.”

Lee Min-ji squatted down. I stopped ten ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠steps away.

“Good. This distance is perfect. Let's just talk.”

“What do you want to talk about?”

“If we're going to talk, I should introduce myself first. My name is Chae Mu-jin. I'm twenty-six. And my job is...”

Wham!

She charged with a surprise attack in the middle of our conversation. I'd already read her intention from her eyes, so I slipped into her range and slammed my elbow into her solar plexus.

“Ugh!”

As she dropped her weapon and curled up like a shrimp from the vital hit, I told her.

“Manager.”

The spectators who'd come to watch my match opened their mouths wide at the bizarre scene. At first they were disappointed. Running from a girl? But it all turned out to be strategy. Lee Min-ji had looked for an opening with a surprise attack, but I'd countered as if I'd known it was coming.

Rushing into an opponent's range wasn't as easy as it sounded. Failure meant death. Lee Min-ji was down. She'd dropped her weapon. At this point my victory was certain, yet instead of finishing her, I started a conversation.

The spectators were dying of curiosity. Why talk instead of ending the match? And what were they talking about?

The most dumbfounded person was Lee Min-ji herself.

“Manager… like for celebrities?”

“No. A manager for hunters. I'm the president and manager of a hunter management agency.”

“First time I've heard of a job like that.”

“Of course. I created it. Anyway, how long are you planning to talk while lying down?”

“Can I get up?”

“Sure. You're no match for me anyway.”

“Wow. You're really annoying.”

Lee Min-ji stood up, then sat on the bare floor following my lead. I'd hit her in the solar plexus, but she looked completely fine. It wasn't an act—she really was unharmed. The impact had momentarily stopped her breathing, but almost no damage had gotten through. Her mood, however, had taken a hit.

“When monsters cut or bit me, I only thought it hurt. But getting hit in the solar plexus feels strangely unpleasant. I'm still a girl, you know.”

“There is no gender for hunters. I beat and kill everyone equally.”

My tone was calm, but because it carried sincerity, Lee Min-ji tensed slightly.

“Have you killed before?”

“I'm the one asking questions. Why do you want to become a certified hunter?”

“You're a really weird ahjussi. The benefits are good, obviously. They give lots of support and people like you.”

“Do you know what the biggest mistake kids make is? They think they're good at lying.”

“I'm not a kid, and I didn't lie.”

“You told the truth about the good parts of being a certified hunter. But you hid why you actually want to become one. You have another purpose.”

“...Haven't you read too many mystery novels?”

“You're right. If I hadn't awakened, I probably would've made a living as a detective. Maybe that's why—even small things bother me and I can't sleep.”

I moved close enough to be uncomfortable and stared straight into Lee Min-ji's eyes.

“I'm extremely bothered right now. Why someone with a story like you wants to become a certified hunter.”

Lee Min-ji didn't avoid my clear, deep gaze. She stared right back.

“You don't have to act so serious and try to intimidate me. It's not some amazing secret. But why are you curious? Pity? Just killing time?”

“If it was pity or killing time, I wouldn't have revealed my job.”

“Whoa~ So you're scouting me right now? Wow. But isn't the manager usually the subordinate? Why does it feel like I'm the one being interviewed?”

We'd only exchanged a few words, but I was certain. At least personality-wise, she was exactly the type I was looking for. She was crazy. The sincerity in her tone, the madness flowing from her eyes... She was a human being twisted somewhere.

Of course, that didn't mean she'd passed the interview yet.

“It is an interview, but even if I like you, if you don't like it, I won't force you. So speak comfortably. Why do you want to become a certified hunter?”

“Revenge. Revenge for my parents.”

“Revenge is good. Who do you need to kill?”

“Ahaha. You make sense, at least, ahjussi. Other people only react badly when I say revenge.”

“I'm a revenge advocate. So, what bastard is it?”

“Bahamut.”

What came out of her mouth wasn't a person's name. But there was no way not to know who Bahamut was. Not because I was Chae Mu-jin, but because any hunter in South Korea would know.

“The Bahamut you're talking about—you don't mean the Monarch Bahamut, do you?”

“That's right. That Bahamut. The one that swallowed Jeju Island ten years ago.”

I felt a slight headache coming on. I'd thought it would be at most an A-rank villain or a named-class boss, but a Monarch-class? Boss monsters were largely divided into three tiers. 'Named' for those whose first subjugation failed. 'Monarch' for those with three or more failed subjugations, or ones where even attempting subjugation was difficult. And finally 'Apocalypse,' where victory couldn't be guaranteed even if the entire nation mobilized.

Bahamut had survived four subjugations and ultimately taken Jeju Island. Fortunately, since it was an area-type boss, it stayed on Jeju Island. As long as we didn't touch it first, there was no problem.

Or so we thought, until it bit us ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hard.

It wasn't an apocalypse-class, but Bahamut was still a monster that needed to be killed. Three years later, it would leave Jeju Island and land in Busan. There wouldn't be many casualties, but Busan would be occupied, losing its port and power plant. Countless hunters would be dispatched to fight it. Hunters from overseas would come to help, but they still wouldn't be able to stop it.

It hadn't been staying still. It had been gathering strength on Jeju Island.

Had Lee Min-ji joined the subjugation force back then? I didn't know. What was certain was that even after that, Bahamut couldn't be caught and was left alone. Which meant Lee Min-ji was one of two things—she'd died before challenging Bahamut, or she'd died after challenging it.

I looked at Lee Min-ji again.

“If you become a certified hunter and work hard, do you think you can catch Bahamut?”

“No.”

“You know your limits.”

“I don't even know if a Bahamut subjugation team will be formed in the first place. But trying and not trying are different, aren't they?”

Lee Min-ji smiled. It wasn't the fake smile she'd shown earlier, but a pure one. It wasn't beautiful, though. It was a pitiful smile that had let go of everything.

“Revenge is all I have to live for.”

Clap, clap, clap.

I clapped slowly but strongly. Lee Min-ji picked up the giant hammer she'd dropped and said,

“Are you mocking me right now?”

“Not at all. The first clap was because I was moved. The second was sympathy. The third was applause of joy.”

“Why are you joyful?”

“Because the talent I've been looking for has appeared.”

“Are you after Bahamut too, ahjussi?”

“Not that.”

“Ugh!”

Lee Min-ji lifted her hammer. She looked ready to smash it down at any moment, but I walked right under it instead.

“Join our hunter management, Min-ji.”

“Will you help me catch Bahamut? If you will, I don't mind joining.”

“I will help, but probably not in the way you're thinking.”

“Ah, seriously! Stop going in circles and tell me straight. What good does joining that damn hunter management do for me!”

“To put it simply...”

I pointed my finger at her.

“You.”

“Me.”

“Bahamut.”

“What about Bahamut?”

“I'll let you catch it yourself.”

Lee Min-ji froze solid with her hammer still raised. Then her face hardened as well.

“You must have taken my talk of getting revenge on Bahamut as a joke.”

“Not at all.”

“Then how can words like that come out of your mouth? Even a subjugation team made entirely of A-ranks couldn't catch Bahamut. Yet you're saying you'll let me catch it alone? It's ridiculous.”

“I understand how you feel. I don't have any fame, so it's natural not to believe me. So let's do this.”

I raised one finger. Her gaze focused on the tip.

“Receive my consulting for just one month. If my words still sound like nonsense to you then, I won't stop you from leaving.”

“But that means wasting my precious month. If I don't like it, you should at least give me 100 million won.”

“Hahaha. As expected, since you fit my taste so well, your personality is just as sassy.”

I was confident enough that I'd bet not just 100 million but even 10 billion, but the fact that she would make such a suggestion annoyed me.

“You said it yourself. The chance of a Bahamut subjugation team being formed is practically zero, but you'd still bet on that slim possibility. At that point you're saying you'd devote years of your life as the nation's dog, yet you can't spend just one month under someone who says with confidence that he'll let you catch Bahamut?”

I turned my back and walked toward the exit.

“Forget it. As expected, save a black-haired beast and it'll demand a bundle of money and a persimmon.”

I walked quickly and even put my hand on the doorknob. But Lee Min-ji snorted. Young as she was, she'd been through her share of hardships.

He's playing hard to get? Does he think I'll fall for it?

The referee, who knew nothing of such psychological warfare, shouted.

“Applicant Chae Mu-jin. If you open that door and leave, it's an automatic forfeit.”

“Yes, I know. I forfeit.”

“W-wait!”

Creak.

Before Lee Min-ji could stop me, I really walked out. Not even 1% of regret could be seen in my back. She ran out belatedly and looked around, but Chae Mu-jin had already disappeared into the crowd.

She agonized. But not for long. Even though countless people were watching, she didn't care and shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Ah, ah, really! I was wrong! Ahjussi—no, Mu-jin oppa! Let's talk!”