The Hero Returns Home, and the F-Class Hypnotist of Atraxia - Raha
Kang Cheol-sik escorted the hero’s party to the Hunter Association with the utmost care and respect.
“This is the Hunter Association. We handle all matters related to Gates and Hunters. The entry procedures for Park Yeon and his companions, along with the rewards for resolving the SS-class Gate, will all be processed here.”
The Hunter Association stood at the very center of the city.
Its overwhelming scale and the massive security forces guarding the perimeter made the facility’s power immediately obvious.
The hero’s party was guided through a spotlessly clean lobby and ushered into a VIP room on the seventh floor.
“We will conduct a simple test to determine your eligibility for entry. Please rest assured that we will not be evaluating your abilities or measuring your strength in any way.”
Personality Assessment Test
There are times when I cannot control my own power. (1–5)
If necessary, I will take what belongs to others. (1–5)
Marriage is the act of kidnapping a woman I like. (1–5)
There is no value in listening to anyone weaker than myself. (1–5)
1 = Strongly Disagree, 5 = Strongly Agree. Total of 15 questions.
The test was a straightforward multiple-choice questionnaire of only fifteen items, so it ended quickly.
“Can you really filter out criminals with something like this? Anyone with half a brain could just lie their way through it.”
“True villains often don’t even realize their actions are evil. Just the other day, someone bragged about getting a perfect score.”
“Do you send people like that straight to prison?”
“No. All this test allows us to do is deny entry or mandate additional education. In most cases we simply teach them the city’s rules and release them into society.”
Every member of the hero’s party received an “Suitable” rating.
“That concludes the entry procedures. We will now distribute these terminals. They contain all the laws, regulations, and guidelines for operating as a Hunter. Please read them whenever you have a spare moment.”
The hero’s party received what appeared to be smartphones.
While the others were busy learning how to operate the devices, Park Yeon handled his with practiced ease.
Lily had sent the messages the instant she understood how the device worked.
Raha, who had stolen a glance at the screen from the side, let out a sigh.
“You really are something, Saintess. I can’t even imagine how badly you want the Hero.”
“What do you mean?!”
The companions laughed and teased one another.
Even while they played around, Kang Cheol-sik continued his duties.
“Finally, let us discuss the rewards for conquering the SS-class Gate.”
At the word rewards, both Yunia and Raha’s eyes sparkled with particular interest.
“Thanks to the consistent testimony of the returning S-class Hunters, we have confirmed that Park Yeon made a tremendous contribution to the SS-class Gate subjugation. Accordingly, we will recognize him as an S-class Hunter and disburse the appropriate compensation.”
Atraxia could be called a city of Hunters.
The threat of Gates was real even at this very moment, and the ones who faced that threat were the Hunters who staked their lives to enter the Gates and fight.
Hunters received more resources than ordinary citizens, and the higher their rank, the greater their privileges.
An S-class Hunter enjoyed treatment comparable to nobility or high-ranking politicians within the city.
The compensation the Association had decided to grant Park Yeon included credits—the common currency of Atraxia—housing, attendants, transportation, and various special privileges.
Yunia listened to the explanation all the way through and nodded in satisfaction.
“These are exactly the rewards the Hero deserves.”
“If you have any questions or require adjustments, please contact the Association number at any time. We will guide you to your residence once it is ready, so for the time being please stay at the hotel we have prepared.”
Kang Cheol-sik escorted the hero’s party all the way to the hotel.
Before parting, he bowed at a perfect ninety degrees, just as he had when they first met.
“Once again, thank you for your assistance with the SS-class subjugation!”
The Association handled all check-in procedures for the hotel.
The hero’s party was assigned one room per person.
Each room featured a separate bedroom and living area, plus a balcony with space to enjoy drinks.
The lounge contained only what appeared to be staff. No other guests were visible.
The entire floor had been reserved exclusively for the hero’s party.
The group gathered in the hotel lounge and chatted.
“Hoho. They certainly know how to treat important guests.”
Yunia covered her mouth and laughed like a noble lady.
“Right, right! They said if it weren’t for us, that Raha friend of ours would have turned this whole world into ruins!”
“She’s not my friend! Anyway, they said we can eat and drink as much as we want. Nom nom. This is delicious!”
“I’m so glad everything worked out. Really.”
The others recalled the hardships they had endured after falling onto Mount Taeo and breathed sighs of relief.
Park Yeon placed his hand on the Holy Sword and quietly scanned their surroundings.
He sensed no traps or sinister schemes from the Association.
Had things truly gone this smoothly?
Maintaining a minimal level of vigilance, the Hero spoke to his companions.
“In this world, let us all rest deeply and recover our strength. We will gather for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The rest of the time is yours to spend freely. When dealing with the Association or outsiders, I will handle it alone whenever possible.”
“Hero! I have a question!”
“Lily? Go ahead.”
“Can I come visit your room? Preferably tonight…”
“Let’s all get proper rest today. It’s still too early to let our guard down completely.”
“Aww…”
The party was told they could freely use every service the hotel offered.
The buffet. The swimming pool. The grand bath. The fitness center. The sky lounge. The game and recreation rooms. The wine room. The snack bar. The bakery café. And more.
“I want to try this thing called gaming!”
“A bath… Lily, would you like to go together?”
“I can exercise at the fitness center? I think I’ll go take a look.”
The Hero’s iron wall remained unbroken today as well.
The female companions browsed the available services and gradually drifted off one by one.
Day 1 in Atraxia.
The beginning looked extremely promising.
The announcement echoed from every speaker in the city and every portable terminal.
The people who had been waiting inside the shelters for the outcome of the decisive battle erupted into cheers.
“Hooray!”
“See? I told you nothing bad would happen! I told you, didn’t I?!”
Bursting with excitement and relief at having survived, the people in the shelter embraced one another before parting ways.
It would have been better if they had all just died…
Park Chun-sik felt no joy at the news that everyone had survived.
He was not some suicidal person who wanted to die.
On the contrary, Park Chun-sik valued his own life above everything else in the world.
If saving himself required the sacrifice of a hundred innocent people, he would sacrifice those hundred without hesitation.
Even if the number rose to a thousand or ten thousand, his choice would not change.
He was simply an utterly selfish human being.
The reason such a man wished for the world’s destruction was simple.
Association VIPs have entered the hotel. All employees must report to work immediately.
They’re calling us back to work only two hours after the threat of destruction ended… I want to kill someone.
The Rune Hotel—the finest hotel in Atraxia.
Park Chun-sik, who worked there as a cleaner, had many complaints about the world.
Damn it. I wanted to awaken a cool ability and live as a Hunter too. So why did I awaken some trash ability and end up changing Matrix sheets for a living… Sigh.
Most people awakened some kind of ability, large or small, upon reaching adulthood.
And nearly everyone dreamed of awakening a powerful ability and becoming an S-class Hunter.
Park Chun-sik had hoped for the same.
However, the ability he actually awakened was Hypnosis.
It was a simple mental-type ability that planted strong suggestions in a target and distorted their perception.
Mental abilities usually received favorable evaluations.
That was why Park Chun-sik had expected that even if he couldn’t reach S-class, he could at least achieve A-class.
That expectation had been the problem.
The ability proved to be garbage in actual use.
Not just garbage—complete and utter trash. Waste that couldn’t even be recycled.
It had no effect on the monsters that emerged from Gates.
It didn’t work on villains, let alone non-Hunters.
For five years after awakening, he had tried using the ability on every person whose eyes he met, yet not a single one had fallen under his hypnosis.
What kind of trash ability is this?
His pure physical stats were also poor, so it was no different from having no ability at all.
Park Chun-sik had no choice but to abandon his dream of becoming a Hunter and live as an ordinary laborer in Atraxia.
The Rune Hotel was one of the better-paying jobs available to non-Hunters, yet Park Chun-sik could never find satisfaction in his life.
A life where he did not want to die, yet secretly hoped the world would be destroyed by an SS-class dungeon.
That was the kind of person Park Chun-sik was, and the kind of life he led.
“The guests staying on the V floor are people the Association has specifically asked us to treat with extra caution. Rumors say one of them could become the first SS-class Hunter. Everyone, be especially mindful of your conduct.”
The hotel’s on-site manager gave the staff a stern warning.
There were six VIP guests in total.
They had reserved an entire floor for security reasons, so fortunately the workload would not be heavier than usual.
Customer has finished using the recreation room.
Park Chun-sik moved according to the orders coming down from above.
He cleaned up traces of the customers’ use and maintained the facilities in optimal condition.
After the recreation room came the fitness center, the sky lounge, the snack bar, and so on.
The VIPs actively used the hotel’s internal services.
Every time a guest used a facility, Park Chun-sik moved through the hotel cleaning in their wake.
In doing so, he naturally passed by the VIPs.
Insane! I thought I’d seen plenty of beautiful women while working at The Rune, but these are on a completely different level!
Simply seeing their faces as he walked past made his heart race and his breath catch, like a boy who had never been around women.
A blonde elf.
A black-haired priestess in nun robes.
A red-haired beauty in armor.
Because refugees frequently flowed in through the Gates, the people of this world were no longer surprised by other races or visitors from different civilizations.
But…
“Heheung! I have conquered the snack bar! Shall we move on to conquer the wine bar next?”
Two sharply pointed horns.
A thick, living tail covered in black scales.
Sky-blue hair that swayed with every step and a large chest that could not be hidden even by loose clothing.
The woman he met for a single instant was breathtakingly beautiful.
I want her.
Humans feel instinctive greed toward anything that sparkles.
Park Chun-sik’s intense desire caused his ability to react.
The ability is reacting now? I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s activating!
The hypnosis ability that had been completely useless, like garbage, for nearly ten years since awakening.
It had finally manifested at the most desperate moment of his life.
