What sort of image should I show Chae Nayun from now on?
Without a doubt, “that incident,” which I hadn’t known about, was something every cadet, including Kim Suho, knew. The original Kim Chundong probably knew too. Which meant apologizing now would only make it seem like an even greater mockery.
“No.”
······On top of that, no matter how much I thought about it, it seemed it would be easier to remain a bastard to Chae Nayun until the very end. The highest-priority goal I had set for myself right now, the very first reason I was working myself to death without rest, was—
Because I had to kill her older brother within the appointed time.
Even if, by some chance, I worked hard enough to improve my relationship with Chae Nayun, it would only return to me in the future as an even more vicious sense of betrayal and hatred.
“Because you might get hurt. This uses live ammunition.”
In that instant, the weight of the air changed completely. Chae Nayun gripped her bow. She held it so tightly that the blood drained from her hand.
“I don’t think I’d get hurt even if I got hit by yours.”
Barely suppressing her anger, Chae Nayun answered instead with a cold sneer.
My counter was simpler.
“You wouldn’t get hurt. You’d die.”
“······Ha. Look at this bastard?”
Chae Nayun abruptly stepped right up in front of me. She looked ready to hit me at any moment. According to her profile, Chae Nayun was 165 centimeters and I was 174, but for some reason, she felt much taller.
“What the hell are you trusting to act so cocky?”
The atmosphere rapidly overheated, and just as even more spectators were about to gather—
“Chae Nayun. Step back.”
An instructor suddenly intervened. Relieved by her timely appearance, I let out a breath inwardly. Chae Nayun snapped her head toward the instructor.
“Why?”
“Until a dueling pistol is made, Kim Hajin cannot spar with cadets.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I do.”
“Why—”
“Failure to follow an instructor’s order is grounds for disciplinary action.”
“······.”
When it came to training, an instructor’s words were absolute. Chae Nayun clenched her teeth as though she felt wronged. But soon, left with no choice, she shot one last glare at me and turned away. The audience that had been watching the unusual spectacle also returned their attention to their own business.
Everything went back to normal again.
“Pick up your gun.”
The instructor said as she wrapped bandages around both hands. Was her name Park Hyunah? I asked her,
“But are they actually going to make a dueling pistol?”
“No idea. How would I know that?”
Crack, crack. Before the spar, the instructor loosened the joints in her neck and wrists.
“For now, come at me.”
Then she smiled and crooked her finger.
Somehow, this person seemed to be enjoying herself.
* * *
On Thursday, there was the Hunting Club’s orientation. But like most orientations, attendance wasn’t mandatory, so I decided to skip it today. Part of it was because of my uncomfortable relationship with Chae Nayun, but more than anything, I wanted to receive the weapon I’d been promised as soon as possible.
“Ah. I’m looking forward to this.”
This place was one of the many coffee shops scattered throughout Seoul, “Angelbucks.” I had taken a seat and was waiting for the item. For reference, cadets could use portals privately about five to six times a month as long as they submitted a written reason.
Time passed to 5:29:55, 56······ 5:30.
At the exact appointed time, the coffee shop door opened.
A man in a black suit and sunglasses was holding a suitcase in one hand. The man looked around, then met my eyes. I smiled and waved. The man’s expression didn’t change. He strode over with his long legs and stood before me.
“Mr. Kim Hajin?”
“Yes. That’s me.”
For some reason, I felt like I knew who this man was. If it was Yoo Yeonha’s trusted subordinate, only one person came to mind.
Jin Sechan.
The man, who I presumed to be him, didn’t even sit down and simply placed the suitcase on the table.
“The item is here. Please check it.”
“Why are you in such a hurry? Have a seat first.”
I gestured to the seat across from me. Before receiving this item, there was a simple test I needed to do.
“...Hmm.”
The man sat across from me without complaint.
I took my laptop out of the bag I’d brought. Just yesterday, I had added a special setting to this laptop. In other words, I had used the laptop to modify the laptop’s settings—something like that.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
But the man tilted his head.
“Why are you tapping empty air?”
“······You can’t see this?”
I lifted the laptop.
“······.”
He looked at me as if I were insane.
I see. I had slightly suspected it until now, but it seemed what I’d thought was right. This laptop was visible only to me.
“Haha. It’s a joke, a joke.”
That was good for me. I turned on the laptop.
The setting I added with the laptop yesterday was as follows.
[If a setting different from the original draft written by the target “Kim Hajin” exists within a 50m radius of the target “Kim Hajin,” whether it has been changed and its general contents will be sent as a message to Kim Hajin’s laptop.]
[*Does not apply to characters with too much narrative importance.]
The reason I had deliberately spent SP to add this laptop setting was that I judged it more efficient and intuitive to notice changes through an objective medium than to recognize the changed settings myself and have the co-author tell me about them.
Whether the co-author hadn’t thought of this method or had encouraged it, it only cost 200 SP.
[A setting change has been detected.]
And now, just as expected, there was a notification on the laptop.
[Jin Sechan—His feelings toward Yoo Yeonha have deepened compared to the original.]
Well, this much was fine.
“Looks good. Then I’ll check it now.”
I opened the suitcase.
Click. Click. With dull yet elegant sounds, the case opened. Sure enough, a brilliant light burst out from within.
“······Wow.”
A white pistol and magazines were carefully nestled in luxurious red velvet. It was far more beautiful than I’d hoped.
“One full-parts ‘Desert Eagle’ as promised, and sixty top-grade magic bullets.”
“Yes, yes. You can go now.”
Jin Sechan was an afterthought now. I checked its settings with the laptop first.
===
[Desert Eagle] [High-Grade] [Metal Attribute]
A masterpiece pistol. Various effects have been added.
「Destructive Power Amplification─1/10」
「Low-Grade Weight Reduction Magic」
「Intermediate Recoil Control Technology」
>>>
[Mana Bullet] [Top-Grade] [Non-Attribute]
A .44 Macon steel mana bullet compressed with highly pure mana.
「Destructive Power─4/10」
===
Seeing it directly in writing made it even better.
Without any particular modifications, I felt like I could take this and head out right away to hunt mid-low-grade monsters without much trouble, and in a month, I could probably go to Suwon’s Devil’s Nest and retrieve Aether.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“Ah, yes, yes. Take care.”
I sent Jin Sechan off half-heartedly and checked my available SP.
I had about 250 left.
Now, how should I use this so that people would say I used it well?
* * *
As he left the coffee shop, Jin Sechan contacted Yoo Yeonha. As soon as she picked up, Yoo Yeonha spoke.
—Did you deliver the item?
“Yes.”
—There wasn’t anything unusual about that man, was there?
“That’s······.”
There certainly hadn’t been anything that could specifically be called unusual. But there had been something strange. The attitude that man showed, no matter how Jin Sechan thought about it, wasn’t a composure a seventeen-year-old should have. On top of that, his natural response, as though he knew who Jin Sechan was······.
—Yes?
“······No. There was nothing particularly unusual.”
But there was no way to find out anything from such a brief meeting. Besides, among Cube’s cadets, there were many children who were unusually mature. Even Yoo Yeonha, his master, possessed dignity and arrogance that could hardly be called appropriate for her age.
—All right. I understand. Good work, Sechan-ssi.
“Yes. Thank you.”
With those words as the last, Yoo Yeonha ended the call.
He wanted to talk with her a little longer, but today, Jin Sechan decided to be satisfied with this much.
────────────────────────────────────
────────────────────────────────────
Connections (1)
“······170,000 won?”
At the unexpected price, my voice rose slightly.
The employee at the Portal Customs Office replied indifferently.
“Yes. From Seoul to Wonju, Gangwon Province. It is 170,000 won.”
Unlike traveling from Cube to Seoul, there was a fee to use the portal from Seoul to Gangwon Province. I had brought my card, but 170,000 won was a considerable burden. Especially when I was in a situation where I had to save money.
“Uh. Hmm······.”
“Customer. The next person is waiting.”
The employee’s voice as she snapped at me was cold. Sure enough, when I turned around, quite a lot of people were waiting. Each of them had at least one deadly weapon on their back or at their waist, so they seemed to have the same purpose as me.
“Uh······ By any chance, can this do anything?”
Before obediently paying, I first held out my Cube cadet ID. I was sure I had heard from Kim Suhyeok that this cadet ID had some benefits. Since it wasn’t a part I had set, I didn’t know very well.
“Haa······.”
The employee even sighed as though she found it extremely bothersome before accepting it. But in the very next moment, her eyes widened, and a voice much brighter than before came back.
“Ah. You were a Cube cadet. Cadets can use it for free up to six times every month~”
“Oh, really? That’s a relief.”
“Would you like to use it?”
“Yes.”
Only then did the employee take my wrist and stamp it.
I was inwardly impressed by the service that had changed so drastically. My outward appearance wasn’t the least bit impressive, but in this world, hero really was quite a good profession.
“Thank you.”
“Yes. Have a good trip, Cadet Kim Hajin~”
At some point, this female employee had even memorized my name.
I smiled bitterly and walked into the portal.
* * *
The panorama of Wonju, Gangwon Province, could be summed up in one sentence.
“There are seriously a lot of foreigners.”
As expected of my setting, Wonju was an international metropolis. Although there were no high-rise skyscrapers due to the threat of monster invasions, practical and solidly built structures lined the streets. Foreigners of various colors walked around carrying their own weapons, while the agency employees assisting them busily tapped away at something. They were probably calculating the value of the monsters caught today.
It was a scene distinctly different from Seoul or Busan, yet striking in its own way.
“Looks like I caught quite a lot today. How much will I get?”
I let out a laugh at the clumsy Korean I heard from somewhere.
The common languages of this world were English and Korean. That was how high Korea’s recognition and prestige in the international community were, but in truth, Korea was a country that had gone from hell to heaven by the slimmest of margins.
New dungeons and towers were constantly regenerating on the Korean Peninsula. The major textbooks explained the reason in several ways. The first was scientific and geological factors that even I couldn’t understand, and the second was a religious explanation that the Korean Peninsula had been blessed or cursed. Neither was a clear answer.
In any case, the many towers and dungeons on the Korean Peninsula produced a tremendous number of monsters. If there had been no high-quality heroes capable of controlling them and converting them into industrial power, Korea would have perished long ago.
However, the Republic of Korea was the homeland of no fewer than five of the Nine Stars—heroes above heroes, the nine sacred heroes. And since one of them had even served as the twentieth president of the Republic of Korea, no further explanation was necessary.
“You hunted three hobgoblins, so after taxes and fees are deducted, you’ll earn about 600,000 won.”
Under domestic tax law, foreigners had to pay more taxes. Even so, foreign mercenaries and heroes never stopped coming to Korea. This was because the hunting process was safe enough to justify enduring the high tax rate.
If one fell into danger while hunting, they could send a rescue request, and within three minutes, agents or heroes would be dispatched. The Republic of Korea was the only country in the world with such a system.
“Take this. You’ll feel a bit better if you drink it. It’s a troll blood potion.”
“Ah, thank you very much.”
I walked down the street while personally observing the sight my settings had created.
There were truly many interesting things. Blacksmiths, weapon shops, general stores, taverns, and so on. Shops one might only see in the Middle Ages were being operated inside modern buildings, making it feel somewhat like a world inside a game.
I wondered if the setting I had added without much thought—“Wonju is also famous as a tourist city”—had been expanded this much.
As I kept walking, before I knew it, I had arrived at the entrance to the “Field.” There were already many people waiting there. If I wanted to hunt in peace, I would have to go to Hamgyeong Province, but Hamgyeong was too much for me as I was now.
“E-excuse me?”
Just as I was roughly checking my gear and about to head inside, someone called out to me.
Tall, hunched shoulders, round glasses. A man with an ordinary impression overall.
I did not know him. Most likely, he was an agent.
“Yes?”
“Are you, by any chance, here to hunt beasts?”
“······Are you an agent?”
“Ah, yes. H-here’s my business card.”
For now, I accepted the card. Whoever he was, if I wanted to sell beast carcasses, an agent was essential.
But the moment I saw the company name and the name printed on it, I doubted my own eyes.
[SH Agent Team Leader Park Suhyeok]
“······Mr. Park Suhyeok?”
“Ah, yes. Pleased to meet you.”
He smiled as he straightened his shabby clothes.
Park Suhyeok. I knew him. Sure enough, he did not seem all that different from the image I had imagined while writing.
Park Suhyeok was probably the person with the most appearances among the agent-related characters. That was because SH Agent, the agency he founded, would later rise to become the best agency in Korea.
“Haha. You p-probably haven’t heard of us, right? We haven’t been around for long.”
Though he seemed to be having a very hard time right now.
I looked at him and smiled.
One of the most important factors in life was undoubtedly “connections.” After all, a person’s future and their end would change depending on what kind of ill-fated ties they formed, and what kind of relationships and goodwill they exchanged.
But this world was still in its early stages, so there were many people who would become great later, but were insignificant at present. And the easiest, best way to get close to a famous person was to befriend them before they became famous.
“SH Agent. I don’t think I’ve heard of it before······”
The one thing that bothered me was that Park Suhyeok was originally a connection meant for Kim Suho.
But agents worked with all sorts of people anyway.
“For some reason, you seem trustworthy.”
“H-haha. I’m glad to hear that.”
“Ah. But.”
I very naturally took out my laptop and checked the settings. Fortunately, there were no particular changes to Park Suhyeok. In other words, that extraordinary ability of his was still intact.
“My main weapon is a firearm. Is that all right?”
“Come now. What does that matter? Gun or sword, mercenary or wandering hunter (遊獵家), new customers are always welcome!”
Park Suhyeok smiled brightly and held out his hand.
* * *
The pistol was loaded with eight rounds. The highest-grade magic bullets cost around 150,000 won per shot. If I killed one low-grade monster, I would get around 300,000 to 400,000 won, so taking the commission into account, I could not spend more than one bullet per beast.
Keeping that firmly in mind, I entered the Field.
Behind me, Park Suhyeok followed along closely. Normally, agents waited outside the Field, so it seemed he really was in a desperate situation right now.
“Ah. There’s one over there.”
Had we wandered around for about thirty minutes? At last, I found one.
A huge body and tusks jutting out of its mouth. It was a beast called a Steel Boar, corresponding to lower-intermediate 9th grade. It was not a boar wearing steel armor—an iron hog or something like that—but a Steel Boar because the hardness of its hide was tougher than steel.
“I think it would be best to let that one go.”
As I approached to catch it, Park Suhyeok suddenly grabbed me. I asked back.
“Why?”
“······Pardon?”
Park Suhyeok looked as if he was wondering whether he really had to explain even this.
“You can’t deal with that boar using a gun. You won’t even be able to pierce its outer hide.”
“But it’s expensive.”
“Pardon?”
The price of a beast carcass faithfully followed the logic of capital. In other words, there had to be parts worth paying for. That was the reason the government set bounties on beasts that brought no profit even if caught, such as “undead.”
“Even so, you can’t. In terms of compatibility, you’re at a disadvan······.”
“We’ll have to see about that, won’t we?”
I immediately drew my pistol and aimed at the creature. The pure white barrel flashed under the blazing sunlight.
“W-w-wait, excuse me? Hold on—”
The flustered Park Suhyeok made a fuss, but I did not hesitate. I pulled the trigger. The bullet fired smoothly and rushed fiercely toward the boar’s forehead. Before the boar could even recognize the attack, the bullet reached its brow and pierced through its steel-like hide. With its brain penetrated, there was nothing the boar could do now. It collapsed limply on the spot.
“Nice.”
It was quite satisfying. Both the weapon’s performance and my own skill. Without the slightest margin of error, I had accurately pierced the boar’s vital point, the “forehead.”
“······Wow?”
Beside me, Park Juhyeok exclaimed with his mouth hanging open.
Ah, for reference, the setting I added to the Desert Eagle was simple yet effective.
=