1
Everyone has a time in their past that remains unstained and pure, if they only look back. A time when one could run about vigorously, painting vivid pictures in one's mind with boundless imagination.
A time when the greatest worries and fears were nothing more than overdue summer homework or a mother's nagging.
Believing in a brilliantly successful self, ten or even twenty years down the line.
Without any basis whatsoever, there was surely a time when I believed without a single doubt that things would turn out that way.
Clang──!!
However, as is the case for everyone, life is never smooth sailing—except for an extreme minority born into it.
Clang──!!
Just as I am swinging a pickaxe in a dungeon right now.
**
32 years old. Team A of the labor squad in a reasonably sized guild.
This was the current standing of Baek Woojin, a man who had given up on the path of a Hunter.
"Phew."
Having mined a magic stone the size of his forearm—thickened to its limit from years of fieldwork—Baek Woojin paused his swinging and wiped away the dripping sweat.
Embedded in the walls where the guild's raid squad had swept through were magic stones of various sizes, holding a clear, sky-blue glow reminiscent of an ion drink, while on the other side, the already mined magic stones lay neatly stacked.
It was a sight he had been looking at for five years now; it was beyond familiar, bordering on tedious.
"You little punk, I told you you'll wear your body out like that."
"Thank you."
Even though there was still plenty of lunch break left, the squad leader had approached with a drink. Woojin gave a quick nod of thanks and downed the offered beverage in one gulp.
"It's not that I don't understand your circumstances, but for people like us, you see—"
"Are you going to say that our bodies are our greatest assets?"
"That's right, you bastard."
"Yep. I know."
Who wouldn't know that?
Baek Woojin believed without a doubt that he was the one in this squad who understood that fact down to the very marrow of his bones.
After all, in an attempt to shake off a long-standing grief and start anew, he had taken the wealth he had painstakingly saved up, lost it all to a rental deposit scam, and been reduced to a pauper overnight.
It wasn't because he enjoyed scarfing down his lunch just to swing a pickaxe while everyone else rested. He simply had no other choice.
"Kya, but seriously, Woojin, your skill never fails to amaze me every time I see it."
"Anyone can do this much."
"Well, they could if they tried."
The squad leader crouched down, lightly tapping the magic stone Woojin had just extracted, and chuckled.
"But even the veterans who've rolled around in this field for ages can't match this efficiency when extracting them. Efficiency."
Of course, Woojin was well aware of this fact as well.
Anyone who has rolled around in this business for a few years can extract a magic stone cleanly without damaging it. However, just as the squad leader said, there were very few workers—let alone within this guild, perhaps only himself—who could extract them at a speed comparable to an average laborer without inflicting a single scratch.
'But what does it matter?'
Woojin smiled bitterly as he watched the squad leader effortlessly lift the magic stone he had struggled to move with just one arm.
The squad leader, a D-rank Awakener, possessed a passive skill that boosted his strength.
If he set his mind to it, he could probably crumple that pickaxe lying over there like tin foil.
And what about himself?
'No, no. Let's not think about it.'
He had Awakened just like the rest, but his physical abilities were hardly any different from an ordinary person's. He nearly spiraled into his habit of pessimistic thinking, but as much as time had passed without him getting used to it, his emotions had worn so thin that he now recovered quickly.
'But what has that guy been staring at since earlier?'
Woojin's gaze followed the squad leader's. The man had paused while lifting the extracted magic stone and seemed to be peering inside it.
Inside the clear magic stone, which looked almost appetizing enough to eat, a single foreign object caught his eye.
'A ring?'
Unless the squad leader had poisoned his drink and messed up his vision, the foreign object embedded within the magic stone the man was holding was undoubtedly a ring.
"Ahem!"
Belatedly noticing Woojin's gaze, the squad leader set down the magic stone and closed the distance between them.
"Woojin."
A voice lowered as much as possible.
Even though there was still plenty of time before lunch break ended, the squad leader kept a sharp eye on the entrance, making sure no one was coming, and whispered softly.
"You like money, right?"
"Who in the world hates money? Anyone who says they do is definitely a scammer."
"Damn right. Bastards who refuse money are far more dangerous than those who covet it. You little punk really know what's what."
He replied nonchalantly, but Woojin's mind was racing.
'Hah, this is seriously dogshit.'
The reason the squad leader—who always gave robust orders to the laborers—was lowering his voice?
Unless the thing sitting on his neck was just for show, it wasn't hard to figure out that the squad leader was trying to secretly pocket the ring embedded in that magic stone.
There were only two witnesses.
The squad leader and himself.
If the witnesses colluded, no one would ever know what transpired here today. At least, for the time being.
Neither humans nor beasts become addicted to dopamine for no reason.
Once you get a taste of something thrilling, you can never go back to the way things were.
He could bet his life on it: if he accepted the squad leader's proposal now, the man would try to rope him in every time an opportunity like this arose. The squad leader wasn't the type to fixate on a coin dropped in front of him; he was the sort to ponder how to roll that coin to reap greater profits.
Simply put, rather than seeing his own cut diminish right away, it wasn't hard to guess that he would determine sharing the burden of his crime to create a perfect accomplice would be far more beneficial in the long run.
And whatever the case, a long tail is bound to get caught.
"You're a smart punk, so you already know what I'm proposing without me having to spell it out, right?"
Just as expected.
Now there were only two choices laid out before him.
Accept the squad leader's proposal and become an accomplice.
Or reject the proposal and leave this line of work entirely.
Of course, there was a third option as well.
Becoming a whistleblower.
However, in any organization, a whistleblower is never welcomed. That was the harsh reality of the world.
"Woojin."
As his hesitation dragged on, the squad leader called Woojin's name, applying subtle pressure.
"Squad leader."
"Yeah. You'll do it, right?"
As if everything had already been decided, the squad leader leaned over and reached his hand toward the magic stone he had set down.
That moment approached incredibly slowly, like a scene from a movie.
Having encountered all sorts of human scum and enduring through wickedness in various incidents up until now, he had made one firm resolution.
"I didn't see anything today."
That in this life, even if he was saddled with terrible luck, he would just live a quiet, long, and inconspicuous life.
"And I'm quitting this job after today as well."
"……."
The squad leader's hand remained frozen in place, resting on the magic stone.
Just as expected.
It seemed it wasn't the answer he had been hoping for.
But so what?
He had no family to support and was dead broke; his only possession in the world was his own body.
If he had been saddled with massive debt, his thoughts might have been a little different. But with no debt to his name, he figured he'd just head out to the quiet countryside and live out his days farming.
"Think about it again."
"Squad leader."
"You know it too, right? Even the most trivial relic can easily smooth out at least one of the wrinkles in the lives of schmucks like us."
"There are so many wrinkles in my life that smoothing out just one wouldn't even be noticeable."
"Haa."
Sensing the unwavering conviction in his reply, the squad leader scratched his head in frustration and picked up the magic stone.
"I'll make sure you get a hefty pay for today's work."
"I won't refuse that much."
"Good. Let's talk after we wrap up."
Presumably to extract the ring embedded in the magic stone before the other squads returned, the squad leader headed for a secluded corner.
'Was I a traitor who sold out an entire country in my past life or something?'
Eventually, a deep sigh escaped Woojin's lips.
**
From morning until late afternoon.
"Alright, alright, good work today everyone! We still have some work left, so hurry on home at a reasonable pace so it doesn't affect tomorrow's schedule!!"
"Great work today!!"
The labor squads packed up their gear one by one and filed out.
Feeling the squad leader's gaze fixed on him with his arms crossed, Woojin subtly slowed his pace and let all the other members of the squad leave first.
"Let's go a little further inside for a moment."
"Yes."
Since it wasn't exactly an above-board transaction, Woojin was also in favor of moving away from the exit, so he followed the squad leader deeper inside. And there, at the spot the squad leader led him to, he met a man he couldn't possibly pretend not to know.
"Hello."
"Y-yes..."
Facing a good-natured smile and an extended hand for a handshake, Woojin took the man's hand for the time being.
B-rank Awakener Kim Tae-min, a core member of the raid squad currently assigned to this dungeon. That was the identity of the man whose hand he was shaking.
"You must be wondering why I'm here."
"……."
Judging by the atmosphere alone, it didn't seem like a bad situation. However, driven by an instinct warning him of danger, Woojin chose silence over a response.
As if understanding Woojin's choice, Kim Tae-min used the hand he was shaking to lightly pat Woojin's shoulder, then extended his other hand toward the squad leader.
In response, the squad leader placed a thick envelope and the familiar ring onto Kim Tae-min's palm.
"You might not be aware of this, but just as the Guild Master cannot fully control everyone simply because they belong to the guild, it's the same for our raid squad. That is precisely why the guild prefers individuals with bright and virtuous characters, even if their skills are a little lacking."
Kim Tae-min pressed the envelope into Woojin's hand.
Even without opening it, the sheer weight of it made it easy to guess that the amount inside was substantial.
If this had been a deal with the squad leader, it should have ended right there. However, Kim Tae-min went a step further. Taking the ring extracted from the magic stone, he grabbed Woojin's stiffened hand and slipped it directly onto his index finger.
"It must have been a temptation hard to resist, yet you managed to cast it aside. I hold that trait of yours in high regard, Mr. Woojin, and would like to offer you the position of squad leader for a new labor team."
"Excuse me?"
Despite the instinct screaming danger, Kim Tae-min's proposal was so astonishing that Woojin couldn't help but open his mouth, ultimately breaking his silence.
"You may have heard the rumors, but guilds of our size frequently conduct these kinds of tests to screen for trustworthy individuals. And you, Mr. Woojin, have passed that test flawlessly. If this has offended you, I apologize."
"No... it's fine."
"Then, what is your answer to my offer?"
"...If you'll have me, I'll work hard."
"Haha! I'm the one who should be asking for your help. Just consider that ring and the money as a sort of down payment and take them."
As Kim Tae-min offered a gentle smile and patted his shoulder, Woojin stared at the envelope in his hand and the awkward ring on his index finger, swallowing hard.
"I need to discuss some things with the squad leader separately regarding the formation of the new team. Mr. Woojin, you can rest up tomorrow and report for work the day after."
"Yes... Then, I'll be heading out first."
"Have a safe trip back."
Seeing Kim Tae-min even waving at him, Woojin gave a short bow and turned around.
'Hah, finally...!!'
Normally, he would have tried to confirm whether this was a dream or not, but his heart was pounding so hard it made his head spin, proving that this was reality and not a dream.
Is this why people get addicted to dopamine?
Thinking that he could finally understand the mindset of dopamine addicts a little, he took a few steps forward—and right at that very moment.
Stab──!!
Accompanied by a sickening sound, his body swayed momentarily, and a searing heat flared up in the center of his chest.
"Cough...?"
Mixed within the cough he spat out was a thick, metallic clump.
'Fuck.'
A curse slipped out involuntarily as his body pitched forward against his will.
Of course it would end up like this.
Even though he had face-planted onto the cold, hard floor, all he could feel was a dull, numb ache.
"Ah~ As expected, humans are at their most beautiful when they're plummeting into the abyss."
He never would have guessed that the true identity of the man with the stellar reputation was a mad, pleasure-seeking murderer.
"Didn't you promise to break his neck and kill him? I don't care about the corpse, but cleaning up the blood is a hassle."
"Haha, my apologies. It was just too hard to resist."
"Eyy..."
Through his narrowing field of vision as his eyelids fluttered shut, a pair of damnably familiar shoes came into view. And then, the owner of those shoes crouched down.
"Aigoo, Woojin. Why did you have to refuse my offer and make things troublesome for me?"
If he could, he would have loved to bite into that ankle, but unfortunately, his body refused to obey.
"Jeez, why isn't the ring..."
With the fading voice as the last thing he heard, Woojin lost consciousness.