Chapter Text
‘Only I’ll die here now….’
Sung Jin-Woo wasn't doing this out of some noble determination to sacrifice himself or something like that. No, there was certainly an element in him calculating the best possible outcome in his decision. Even if he survived and got out of here today, he would have to live like a cripple for the rest of his life.
Obviously, continuing as a Hunter would be impossible. And it was also questionable whether he would also be able to live normally. He had only graduated from high school, and since he had no discernible job skills, he simply didn't have too many options left to put food on the table.
'Mom's hospital fees...and my sister's school fees too.'
If that were the case, then he might as well ensure that his family receives better compensation from the Association, even if it was just a penny more.
'The compensation paid to family members was 300 million won or 400, when one is killed during a raid?' That was a large amount for the worthless life of an E rank Hunter.
At last the approaching statues arrived, one climbed up to the altar. Jin-Woo glared at it and lifted the sword up.
“Come.”
Unfortunately, the expected attack did not come from the front, but from his back: a long spear penetrated Jin-Woo's back and came out of his chest.
Jin-Woo spat out a mouthful of blood. An unimaginable amount of pain rushed in like a tsunami wave.
“If you were stabbed a couple of inches higher, you’d have a hole in your heart by now!” Ju-Hee's nagging he heard only a few hours ago slipped past his mind like a scene from a revolving lantern.
The stone statue raised its spear. Jin-Woo was lifted into the air, still pierced by that spear. However, he only had to struggle for a brief moment, because the statue slammed him into the altar. SLAM!! The sounds of bones breaking could be heard from every corner of his body. He shrunk away from the intense pain.
“Euh….. Euh, euh…..”
As he began to tremble, the stone statues slowly surrounded him, forming a encirclement around him. Jin-Woo raised his head and looked at them, his entire being trembling nonstop.
‘I… I don’t want to die like this.’
Now that he was facing his final moments, tears welled up in his eyes. He recalled the faces of his family. He even remembered Ju-Hee's face, her face filled with anxiety and concern for his safety...
'I don't want to die...' He didn't want to end his short twenty-four years of life in this place.
The stone statue wielding a sword took a step closer without a hint of emotion. Then, he raised his sword high. Even though he was trembling a lot, Jin-Woo did not look away from the statue. Finally, the statue's sword slashed down, and at the same time, Jin-Woo couldn't help but think once more.
'Only if, only if I had one more chance! 'After thinking those words, Jin-Woo's eyes widened. It happened then, as if someone had pressed the "pause" button, the terrifyingly fast-moving sword suddenly stopped in midair. No, actually that was not correct; it hadn't stopped at all. It simply had slowed down so much that he ended up thinking that way.
One millimetre in one minute? It was very slow, but the sword was still definitely coming down.
'Wha-what is going on here?' Jin-Woo couldn't hide his astonishment.
It was then that a strange man that he had never seen before appeared before his eyes. A very fair, almost pale-skinned man; his body is robust and defined, being visibly quite muscular; in contrast, he is a tall man with black hair.
The man's red eyes, similar to the color of blood, looked directly at the poor dying creature on the altar. To someone like him, humans are nothing but weak and defenseless creatures. But even if he thinks that way, he decided to give this human another chance to live and become stronger with the help he plans to give him.
He approached the dying young man, then crouched down beside him. There was nothing attractive to look at, Jin-Woo was not a handsome man nor did he have a good body, there was nothing that the Demon of Lust Belial could gain by saving this human. Still, it could at least serve as entertainment for a while.
"I must congratulate you, Sung Jin-Woo, you have completed the requirements for the Secret Quest: Courage of the Powerless."
"Secret Quest? Completion Requirements Met?" Jin-Woo couldn't understand any of that. "No, wait a minute. Other than all that, who are you?"
Too bad for him, Belial ignored Jin-Woo’s questions and continued on regardless. "You have acquired the rights to become a player. Do you accept?"
He had acquired a right? Accept what, exactly?
'Looks like they'll give me something...' Jin-Woo thought.
He grew up in extreme poverty since his childhood, so he had never refused freebies until now. However, that was a story for when he was still alive. What good was free stuff when he was dead?
"……."
When Jin-Woo hesitated and didn't reply, the man asked again as if urging him to accept.
"You don't have enough time left to make your decision. Your heart will stop beating exactly 0.02 seconds after you refuse to accept. Will you accept?"
He couldn't tell if he was hallucinating or not, but he still had to realize that he was only a moment away from dying forever. He finally saw countless other weapons headed his way, aside from that damned sword, that was it. Now that things had evolved to such a degree, he might as well.
"...If you're going to give it to me, then give it to me already." Jin-Woo said with difficulty, he couldn't speak well right now.
Belial smirks, feeling a sense of superiority and control over this foolish dying creature. “Without even thinking about the consequences behind accepting such a good deal, you are definitely a foolish human being.” He laughed and grabbed Jin-Woo's chin bringing his face closer.
Being so close to the seductive and handsome demon, Jin-Woo couldn't help the blush on his cheeks, ignoring the fact that this handsome man had said something worrying to him. Just one look into his eyes left him mesmerized and he forgot countless things, is this what it feels like to be bewitched?
"Congratulations on becoming a 'Player', my 'Player'." Belial gave Jin-Woo a kiss on the lips, then a blinding light suddenly enveloped Jin-Woo's body, and at the same time, he lost consciousness.
...
Jin-Woo opened his eyes and saw a white ceiling, his nose stung from the smell of disinfectants, and also felt the sensation of a hard mattress against his back. This made him immediately recognize where he was.
A hospital?
Ever since he met B-rank Healer Ju-Hui, the frequency with which he stayed in one had dropped a bit, but still, hospitals were familiar places to Jin-Woo, just like he would be at a local store. So much that he even heard a rumor that there was a special seat reserved for him at Hunter's hospital as well.
Jin-Woo raised his upper torso up. He then placed his hand on his chest and felt the vibrations coming from there. His heart was beating without a problem.
I… survived?
However, it was not just that. Unlike before, his entire being felt light and airy. He’d be feeling heavy-headed and fatigued whenever he woke up from a hospital bed. But, now it was a different story. No, it was as if he had woken up in his own bed after a good night's sleep.
"What’s going on...?" This shouldn't have been possible when he thought back to the moments before he blacked out.
A sword was falling on his head right before his eyes. Even if he was lucky and the sword missed, he was still surrounded by countless terrifying enemies. Those damn things were strong enough to give the assault team consisting solely of A-rank, no, S-rank Hunters a real hard time.
"But, I came out of that situation alive, was I dreaming things then?"
"No, nothing was a dream."
The sudden voice of a man caught Jin-Woo's attention, he looked to his right and saw a handsome black-haired man floating in the air. The moment he saw this handsome man, Jin-Woo remembered everything that happened, including the kiss he shared with Belial.
However, Jin-Woo could not afford to pay attention to Belial, if he decided to talk to him, the young man would look like a madman talking to the air. Unfortunately, he doesn't know about this fact and ended up opening his mouth to speak.
"Who are you?"
In the corner of the hospital room, two men dressed in black business suits directed their gaze at Jin-Woo, making the young man realize that there were other people inside the room.
“I apologise if we took you by surprise.”
The question Jin-Woo asked was not directed at those men, but since they cannot see Belial, they thought that the young man was talking to them. Jin-Woo had never seen the faces of these two before. One of them with the close-cropped hair like a soldier and wearing a pair of sunglasses, approached the bed and presented him with a business card.
“This is who we are.”
Jin-Woo received the business card and read what was written on it: ‘Woo Jin-Chul, the section chief of the Monitoring Division, the Korean Hunter’s Association?’
The Monitoring Division was the only department in the Hunter’s Association with many strong Hunters in their payroll. Well, since this department was tasked with managing the country’s Hunters so, quite obviously, they would employ many high-class Hunters to facilitate that purpose.
“What does the Monitoring Division want from me?”
Woo Jin-Chul dragged a chair closer to the bed and sat down. The other man, who must’ve been his subordinate, stood behind him. The unspoken pressure emanating from the two buff guys staring down in close vicinity was quite heavy. The story they conveyed was rather surprising, though.
“I was unconscious for four days?!”
“By any chance, do you remember what happened before you blacked out?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Please tell us everything you can remember.”
Jin-Woo told them everything with sincerity, except for the strange man who was present with them right now, he was an idiot for not realizing before that those two couldn't see him.
“And that’s when you lost your consciousness… Is that all?”
“Yes. I open my eyes next, and I’m in a hospital.”
Woo Jin-Chul and his lackey exchanged meaningful glances. For some reason, they seemed to be troubled by Jin-Woo’s lack of knowledge. Actually, Jin-Woo was the one who wanted to find out what happened the most in this room.
“Just how did I get to this hospital? Did a large Guild participate and kill those damn things?”
“Well, actually...” Woo Jin-Chul awkwardly opened his mouth.
“By the time the agents of the Monitoring Division and the White Tiger Guild arrived at the scene after being briefed by the survivors...”
The White Tiger Guild was a super-massive Guild and also one of the top five in the country. The Association had recognised the danger, hence they requested the aid of such a huge Guild as the White Tiger Guild in the first place.
Just what did happen back there? Jin-Woo nervously swallowed a dry spit, then his eyes trailed off to Belial who gave him a evil grin. Seeing this, Jin-Woo couldn't help but to avoid eye contact, not daring to glance at him for a second time.
“By the time...?”
“…Everything was ‘gone’. The only thing to be found within that open space was you, Mister Sung Jin-Woo. There was not one trace of the god statue nor the stone statues.”
“Come again?!” Jin-Woo displayed a shocked, disbelieving face.
“It’s hard for us to believe it as well. If there had been any inconsistencies in the testimonies of the survivors, or if we had failed to find the remains of the victims in the chamber, we might have suspected something fishy was going on.” Woo Jin-Chul scratched his chin.
It’d been six years since he got ranked as an ‘A’ and started working for the Monitoring Division. He could confidently say that he had witnessed and experienced pretty much everything during his tenure. However, this kind of situation was a first even for him.
He had asked other Guilds as well as the Associations in other countries, but the end result was nothing worthy to speak about.
“So, this is what we’ve been thinking….” Woo Jin-Chul carefully opened his mouth:
“There were powerful creatures in that chamber, without a doubt. But, they were taken care of by an unknown group, or an unknown person. Because, no otherworldly beings escaped from the Gate before it was closed, you see.”
They had to consider all the possibilities. Even if the odds were low, they had to confirm them all. The head honchos of the Association deliberated, and then deliberated for some more, and finally came up with a theory.
Woo Jin-Chul carefully studied Jin-Woo’s reactions as he continued on.
“We… suspect that Hunter Sung Jin-Woo might have gone through another Awakening.”
Another Awakening! Jin-Woo’s eyes shot open wide.
Although extremely rare, there had been instances of a human who had awakened his or her abilities as a Hunter going through yet another Awakening. Often referred to as ‘Re-Awakening’, those who undergo this process would normally become extremely powerful compared to before.
Originally, once a Hunter’s rank was assigned at the beginning, it rarely changed. A Hunter’s abilities were determined the moment one went through an Awakening, that was why. However, it was a different story for those going through the Re-Awakening process. Jumping past their own limitations to rise up from, say, rank C to A, or even from B to S, such things had happened before.
Woo Jin-Chul nervously swallowed his saliva. ‘Sung Jin-Woo…. If he went through a Re-Awakening and became a rank S, no, maybe even exceeding that, then it’s possible for him to kill those monsters all by himself.’
The god statue was said to have melted rank C Hunters with nothing but its eyes, according to the survivors. If one were able to kill such a creature even while unconscious, just how powerful one could possibly be?
To prepare for this unlikeliest possibility, Woo Jin-Chul labelled this incident as ‘top secret’ and made sure everyone involved would keep their mouths shut. This was also the reason why Sung Jin-Woo found himself in a hospital room all alone, as well as being looked after by some of the finest medical practitioners in the nation.
Woo Jin-Chul’s chest began beating real fast. ‘Could Korea finally have a Hunter on the level of an international powerhouse…?’
Woo Jin-Chul signalled to his lackey. “Bring it here.”
Then, the lackey went to the corner of the room and began rummaging through a briefcase placed there.
“That is…?” Before Jin-Woo could finish his question, Woo Jin-Chul explained first.
“It’s the device to measure your magic energy.”
He added that, although this device had been miniaturised, its efficiency or accuracy did not fall short of the actual full-size measuring device located in the Hunter’s Association.
“All you have to do is to place your hand on this magic crystal over here.”
On top of a circular plate, there was a fist-sized magic crystal embedded in the middle. Its colour was pitch-black, as if it was a black hole that wanted to suck him in! It was one of the highest quality magic crystals that cost as much as a billion won, not to mention that could only be found in monsters ranked A or higher.
When Jin-Woo stared at the magic crystal without saying anything, Woo Jin-Chul formed a dignified, serious expression and spoke up.
“This is a necessary step during our investigation, so please, cooperate with us.”
Belial noticed that Jinwoo wasn't sure of what to do, so he sat on the bed near the young man. "Don't worry, you're still a weakling, no one would notice the change."
Jin-Woo placed his hand on top of the black crystal and soon enough, warm rays of light oozed out from it. Cold sweat drops formed on the foreheads of Woo Jin-Chul and his lackey.
Not too long after then, the light surrounding the crystal dissipated. Woo Jin-Chul hurriedly took off his sunglasses and confirmed the numbers.
Right away, a small earthquake rocked Woo Jin-Chul’s eyes. “How can this be?!” He rechecked the numbers, but it remained the same.
‘How can…' How could a person holding a Hunter licence possess the magic energy value of only 10?! When considering the fact that the lowest average value for rank E, the bottom rank was around 70 to 100, Sung Jin-Woo was no different from a regular person.
Woo Jin-Chul rapidly realised that being here was a waste of time, so he got up from his seat.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, sir.”
Woo Jin-Chul and his lackey quickly packed up to leave.
“Uhm, excuse me. Can you tell me what is….” Just as Jin-Woo was about to ask, Woo Jin-Chul bowed his head slightly.
“Thank you for your cooperation. If you remember anything else, please give us a call anytime.” As if their rear ends were on fire, two men-in-black rapidly left the room as soon as they put away the device. The hospital room that felt rather small suddenly became quiet and lonely.
Jin-Woo scratched the back of his neck. "If I'm still a weakling, what was the purpose of you saving me?" He asked without looking at Belial.
"There are no shortcuts to becoming strong, I just gave you the means to scale higher levels than you could ever reach before."
Not knowing what those means are and unable to question Belial, Jin-Woo looked up without thinking and then saw "words" floating in the air: You have several unread messages.
“…?” He closed his eyes and opened them again.
You have several unread messages.
The words remained floating up there without a single change. He shook his head vigorously several times and even rubbed his eyes, but they were still there.
Jin-Woo massaged his sore forehead and lowered his head. 'It hasn't been long since I started seeing a strange man, but now, I even see strange words floating in the air too...'
Could something in his head really be broken? There was a condition called PTSD, after all. People who have been in a major accident or traumatic event usually suffered from this condition. It was only a few days ago since he witnessed the deaths of many of his comrades, not to mention that he himself almost died as well, so it wouldn't be that strange to see or hear strange things as a possible side effect.
However, there were a couple of things that prevented him from dismissing this out of hand. Jin-Woo's gaze lowered to his leg; the leg that was cut in half by the stone statue's shield was now very fine and graceful. The man who appeared out of nowhere inside the underground temple hidden in the depths of the dual dungeon, is now in front of his eyes; his leg fully healed; and now, those words floating in front of his eyes.
There was the possibility that all these things were not isolated events, but were linked to each other. When his thoughts reached here, his aching head felt just a bit clearer. Jin-Woo slowly raised his head.
Once the confusion in his heart calmed down and he felt calmer, he became very curious about the content of those so-called unread messages. After all, there could be answers to his questions within those messages. In order to confirm the messages, he reached out towards the words, and his hand simply went past them.
‘It’s not touch-operated?’
It seemed that he had gotten too used to how a smartphone worked. However, he couldn't think of any other way to access the messages other than by tapping the "icon". But then he thought that maybe talking out loud could work, so Jin-Woo started muttering the possible combination of words one by one.
Belial couldn't help but laugh at Jin-Woo's ridiculous attempts to open the messages, he could ask him how to do it, but maybe he knows that the demon isn't going to answer any questions.
"What are you laughing at? Instead of laughing, explain it to me already, will you?!"
It was then.
“…Who are you talking to?”
He felt a cold, questioning gaze coming from the side, so he turned his head to look. And, he saw his little sister in her school uniform looking at him from the half-open door.
“Uhm…..” Jin-Woo was speechless.
Her brother, busy glaring at the wall while demanding someone to explain something to him – Jin-Woo simply didn’t know how to explain this one to her.
