NOVEL NEXT Episode 7
[SYSTEM: Hunter awakening conditions have been met. Do you wish to awaken as a Hunter?]
It was a system message that appeared in an endless white space. Below it, only two options—[Yes] and [No]—were flickering.
I instinctively tried to check my hands, but strangely, I couldn’t see any part of my body, including my palms. It felt like I had entered a VR game.
Even so, the memory of being mauled by the monster just moments ago remained vivid. The thought of that unbearable pain of death made me shudder involuntarily.
I had thought for sure that a death flag had been raised, but fortunately, it seemed I could awaken as a Hunter.
I didn’t know what the Hunter awakening conditions were, but I cast my gaze towards [Yes]. The seemingly choice-giving question felt somewhat devious. Who could choose [No] in this situation?
As soon as the message disappeared, my consciousness faded away once again.
* * *
“Time really isn’t moving.”
A woman leaning against a police car hood grumbled discontentedly. Her sharply upturned eyes were anything but ordinary.
The man standing next to her, checking his blade, nodded in agreement.
The fact that the gate was still open meant that there were survivors remaining inside. However, the Hunters who had rushed to the scene as soon as the gate burst open could only wait endlessly for the containment to be lifted.
Han Ju Nam, the Hunter in charge of Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, and Sung Kyung-min, the Hunter in charge of Mapo-gu, had been staring at the red curtain for over 20 minutes now.
[SYSTEM: A containment-type gate has opened at Seunghwa Building in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. 31 minutes 02 seconds until containment is lifted.]
Every time Han Ju Nam anxiously checked the system message, her medium-length hair brushed against the shoulder of her white, shirt-style combat uniform.
On her left forearm, a patch with the Korean flag and the words “Seoul Gangnam Branch” was attached with Velcro.
Hunters in South Korea are essentially civil servants belonging to the Gate Disaster Response Headquarters under the Ministry of National Defense. All Hunters living on Korean soil eat the nation’s rice.
Those who awaken are registered on the reserve Hunter list as soon as they awaken. Even if they try to hide it, the system exposes everything the moment they awaken as a Hunter, so it’s impossible to conceal.
After training and counseling, when the awakened person’s combat ability reaches a certain standard, they become a Hunter with a high annual salary.
Since no one knows when and how gates will open in their country, each government is extremely reluctant to let Hunters leak out.
So the Korean government exercises its specialty by incorporating all Hunters as government agents, grinding people down to block the gates.
Some Hunters fight with patriotism and a sense of justice as their opium, while for others, high salaries and Hunter sponsorships provide motivation.
Undoubtedly, Hunter Han Ju Nam belonged to the latter category. Creating a visor with her hand to block the sunlight, she grumbled again.
“Why is Yeongdeungpo so intense these days? As soon as I switched to day shifts, gates keep opening during the day like clockwork.”
“But you get a performance bonus every time you’re dispatched.”
Sung Kyung-min shrugged and responded to Han Ju Nam’s complaints.
“What’s the use of that money when I don’t have time to spend it?”
“How about transferring to the countryside?”
“You go.”
-Wee-oong! wee-oong!
Around them, police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, and even heavy military vehicles had gathered to surround the building where the gate had opened, blocking civilian entry.
Despite evacuating all the civilians working in the area, the space in front of the gate was crowded with various military and police forces, firefighters, and broadcast journalists dispatched from each terrestrial broadcasting station.
A large crowd had gathered with tense faces, but it wasn’t very noisy. They were either using radios at low volumes or standing by in silence.
The loudest voices came from the reporters in front of the cameras.
“This is reporter Min-jae Hyung. I’m currently at the scene of the containment-type gate disaster that occurred in Yeouido.”
Han Ju Nam, who had been listlessly checking the body cam attached to her chest, suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
Her partner, Sung Kyung-min, was staring at the gate with the same expression as her.
[SYSTEM: Hunter ‘Maeng Sun-woo’ has awakened in the containment-type gate in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.]
[SYSTEM: Hunter ‘Maeng Sun-woo’s unique skill
Ding dong ding dong. Hologram windows appeared one after another with a cheerful sound.
For a few seconds, the people at the scene could only stare at the system message in front of them with surprised faces.
The first to speak was a reporter who seemed experienced.
“Yes…! We’ve just received new information. It appears that a civilian has awakened inside the containment-type gate! A Hunter named Maeng Sun-woo…”
Then, broadcast reporters from each station rushed to report the new information, and the surroundings instantly became as noisy as a marketplace.
* * *
My head felt like it was about to split.
When I opened my eyes, enduring the headache, everything around me was filled with a bright blue light. If I had to compare it, it felt like being inside an infrared sterilizer used to sterilize tin cups.
I wasn’t even sure if I had closed my eyes or opened them. I mechanically moved my eyelids to check if my eyesight was intact.
Every muscle ached, and a loud ringing echoed in my ears.
「Tito feels satisfied as he draws the scene of ‘Maeng Sun-woo’ awakening. The tablet pen describing the facial wounds in detail is somewhat obsessive.」
Heaving a deep sigh, I felt around and sat up, leaning against the wall. A faint blue smoke leaked from inside my torn school uniform shirt and quickly disappeared.
I had really awakened.
Well, I couldn’t thank Tito enough, even if I said it a thousand times.
I examined my body while moving my stiff arms. Having died and come back to life, all the wounds I had at the time of death were healed. However, the clothes I wore were in tatters, with not a single piece of intact fabric.
I felt a strange sensation as if my blood was circulating ten times faster throughout my body. Even the sensation of moving a single finger felt unfamiliar.
As my vision cleared somewhat, I noticed the system messages that had been piling up.
[SYSTEM: You have awakened as a Hunter!]
[SYSTEM: Your unique skill
‘Human Deserving Death? What kind of skill name is this?’
I stared bewilderedly at the system message, which even had an exclamation mark at the end. I was just dumbfounded.
“…Open status window.”
It was easy to find the newly updated skill in the cheerfully appearing status window. When I read the description of
Who would have known that the skill description would be even more outrageous than the skill name?
[Skill]
Human Deserving Death (F-rank/Unique Skill): Becomes the top priority target for monsters within a certain range.
(T/N: TITO! YOU FUCKING BITCH!)
This was just a death aggro puller. Moreover, since the unique skill was the lowest F-rank, it was natural that I would become an F-rank Hunter.
As far as I knew, there weren’t even twenty F-rank Hunters in the country. They were the second rarest existence after S-rank. Of all things, even when awakening me, it had to be as an F-rank.
“Tito, I take back my thanks…”
My voice, speaking to myself, was thoroughly scratched. However, no rectangles appeared around me. It seemed Tito had no intention of drawing me.
At that moment, a narration box appeared in front of my eyes.
「Tito ponders how to make ‘Thomas’s’ lines even more infuriating.」
“Who’s Thomas? A foreigner?”
「One corner of Tito’s mouth rises crookedly as he focuses on depicting ‘Thomas’s’ expression, who is reluctant to open the rooftop door, as villainously as possible.」
It seemed Kang Chagyeong had finally managed to reach the rooftop doorstep with Director Park and the assistant director. But now an unknown person named ‘Thomas’ was locking the rooftop door.
Thinking I should go to the rooftop first, I barely managed to get up with my stiff body. Fortunately, the building key was still in the inside pocket of my coat.
The camera tripod that the assistant director had been carrying all along was thrown in front of the elevator.
As I bent down to pick up the tripod, a system message appeared in front of me.
[SYSTEM:
The skill had activated completely regardless of my will.
-Thump thump.
The sound of heavy footsteps. And then, grr, a familiar growl echoed in the narrow emergency staircase.
Instead of running away, I gripped the tripod tightly with both hands. A faint blue smoke rose from my hands up the tripod.
It was fascinating to see the blue aura, often seen when Hunters use their abilities, coming from me too, albeit weakly. I was examining my palms when it happened.
With a stench so strong it made my head spin, the monster finally revealed itself on the stairs.
A familiar appearance.
I could tell it was the one that had killed me as easily as breaking a child’s wrist.
The monster’s rotten, crumbling eyes stared straight at me. The tentacles protruding from its side wriggled as if exploring the situation.
F-rank monsters were at best only as big as wild wolves or bison. They weren’t very powerful, but their small size made them quick.
Although the only skill I could use was F-rank aggro, having awakened as a Hunter meant physical attacks should be possible too.
-Grrrr.
“Well, well, look who it is.”
The fear stemming from the monster’s repulsive appearance and massive size was still there. To overcome it, I glared at the monster brazenly. My hands tightened around the tripod legs.
The monster contorted its smashed face and then immediately launched itself at me with momentum. It was like a bull charging.
-Whack!
Right after the tripod in my hand struck the monster’s maw, I was violently slammed against the wall by its force.
“Keck, cough!”
A fit of coughing erupted due to the impact. Even so, I didn’t let go of the tripod, which was about the only usable weapon.
I could see the monster’s yellow eyes burning with rage. Just before it was about to leap again, I jumped up with all my might.
For a moment, my vision soared close to the ceiling. It was an impossible height to jump.
Quickly twisting my body in mid-air, I landed on the monster’s slippery back. To avoid falling off, I clenched my thighs, causing the monster to open its maw and howl.
“Die, die, you filthy bastard!”
Half consumed by frenzy, I relentlessly pounded the monster’s face with the end of the tripod. The iron tripod legs crumpled pathetically under my grip.
-Keeruk, keeeee!
With a tearing screech, chunks of unidentifiable, moist flesh flew up to my face. Like chopped octopus tentacles, the flesh pieces wriggled and crawled around my nape.
“Argh, you bastard! That’s disgusting!”
Startled by the horrific sensation, I bashed the monster even harder.
The monster thrashed about, slamming its body against the walls in an attempt to shake me off. It was a hellish rodeo like no other.
Then the monster’s long tentacles wrapped around my neck and started to squeeze. Even with my breath cut off, I swung my arms with all my might, trying to smash the monster’s head, my eyes bulging.
Throughout the attack on the monster, sharp pain seeped into my shoulder blades. It was due to my violent movements, squeezing out every ounce of strength I had.
Because of the sudden increase in strength, it was difficult to gauge how much force to use.
Just when I thought I was really going to die this time, the massive body convulsed violently. In an instant, I was thrown to the bare floor, clutching my neck and coughing. At the same time, a system message popped up.
[SYSTEM: The F+-rank monster’s breath has ceased.]
The monster’s head, which had been rotting and mushy, had turned into something resembling porridge after I hit it countless times.
Only after confirming there was no more movement did I manage to get up, my body aching as if I had been beaten for three days and nights.
A foul stench emanated from the reddish slime that had seeped into my sneakers. After retching while supporting myself against the wall with one hand, I started moving again.
Just taking down one F+-rank monster had left my whole body exhausted. It was hard to believe that after all this struggle, I had only managed to kill one F+-rank monster. No matter how I looked at it, this world was really harsh on F-rank Hunters.
Even though my physical abilities had increased to superhuman levels, it was completely different from the high-ranking Hunters who could reportedly slaughter monsters with a single punch.
“Guess I’m not cut out to be a popular character…”
Muttering bitterly, I hopped to avoid stepping on the monster’s corpse spilled on the floor.