Chapter 21
“Mother, I’ll be heading back now.”
“Yes, thank you for coming all this way.”
“Haha, not at all.”
After saying goodbye to my mother, the guild master left the room.
As soon as he was gone, my mom quietly asked,
“So, how did the talk go?”
“It went fine.”
“Are you joining the guild?”
Her eyes were full of hope.
Maybe she thought that since even the guild master had personally come to visit, my stubbornness might’ve finally softened a little.
“It was a similar kind of offer… but I said no.”
Unfortunately, I couldn’t meet her expectations.
[Would you consider becoming my disciple?]
That was the proposal the guild master made.
He asked if I’d be willing to learn under him — and after a short moment of thought, I declined.
‘If I start training under someone and they discover the artifact inside my body, that’s the end.’
He didn’t seem like a bad person, but that had nothing to do with keeping my secret.
Besides, I couldn’t trust someone I’d only met for the first time today.
‘If this gets exposed, they’ll treat me like a monster and cut my head off on the spot.’
That’s how serious this was.
Having an artifact embedded in my body was an absolute top-secret matter.
Becoming a disciple of someone like Hunter Go Geon-young — a big shot — would no doubt be helpful in the future.
But for now, rejecting the offer was the best decision.
“I just want to take my time choosing the right guild.”
“…Still, I think Mir Guild would’ve been a good fit.”
Her disappointment was written all over her face.
She must have been worried that if I went around alone without a guild, I’d get seriously hurt one day.
“You do plan to join one eventually, right?”
“Of course. Joining a guild does make things easier in a lot of ways.”
That wasn’t a lie.
If one day I became strong enough that no one could question me even if my secret got out, maybe I could join a guild openly.
‘Still, having an artifact inside me will always be a hassle…’
Even if I became powerful, people would still look at me like I was a walking time bomb.
Months had passed since the artifact merged with my body and I was still fine — but that wouldn’t be enough to change anyone’s mind.
‘Unless I make my own guild someday.’
If I started my own guild, there’d be far less risk of being exposed.
But to do that, I’d have to become a top-tier hunter first.
At least A-rank — that’s the kind of power and money needed to form a guild.
That was a dream far too distant for now.
It was a problem for the future. For the time being, I looked back at my mother.
“I’ll tell you once I join one. So don’t worry, and get some rest.”
“If my son joined a guild, I wouldn’t have to worry at all.”
“Then just worry a little bit for now.”
Seriously, how much had Yena and the guild master been talking her into this?
Mom was usually understanding, but now she was acting all worked up — clearly, those two had gone on and on about how amazing Mir Guild was.
‘Well, there’s no one else who visits her, so I can’t exactly tell them not to come…’
It was a little annoying, but Yena kept Mom company when she was bored and lonely.
If I told her not to come, Mom would just get lonely again.
‘Tch. Whatever. I can deal with some nagging.’
After all that effort they were putting in, a little scolding was something I could endure.
“You’ve always been like this, you know? So stubborn about the weirdest things.”
“….”
“Just like your father — you normally listen well, but when you get fixated on something, your eyes light up and you won’t budge…”
“….”
She was unusually talkative today.
That day, I got an earful for almost three hours before I finally managed to escape.
‘Maybe I should tell them not to come anymore…’
The next day.
[27,620,180₩]
“With this much, I won’t have to worry about living expenses for a while.”
The payment from the gate raid had been deposited a day after completion.
Since I’d soloed the entire skeleton swarm and defeated the boss monster, I earned more than I expected.
‘If only that boss hadn’t appeared at the end, I might’ve walked away with nothing. Guess I got lucky after all.’
The skeletons had dropped a ridiculous number of mana stones.
At first, I’d thought about using all of them to upgrade the artifact, but then I’d have nothing left to pay hospital bills or daily expenses.
So I sold everything except the mana stone I’d obtained from the Lich King.
My teammates were kind enough to let me keep that one.
[Training Room Upgrade and Energy Refill: 2/100…]
Even after absorbing a D-rank mana stone, my energy barely moved.
‘I’ll need to start tackling gates above D-rank.’
I could grind through D-rank gates slowly, but that’d take forever.
And in my situation — hiding something that could get me killed — I didn’t have time to play it safe.
So, to prepare for higher-level gates, I headed somewhere new today.
[Now arriving at Jamsil Station.]
Jamsil — a busy district full of people.
The reason I came here was simple: weapons.
Jamsil’s Weapon Department Store was the largest in Korea.
With so many reputable brands, it wasn’t the kind of place where you’d get scammed.
From affordable weapons to high-end potions, they had everything.
I’d come here often back in my academy days.
‘First, I need a sword.’
The one I’d used in the last raid was too worn out to use anymore.
Mom had bought it for me when I entered the academy — I’d used it for over three years.
‘Normally, no one uses a weapon like that for D-rank gates and above.’
It was as basic as they came.
Its performance never went beyond “average.”
It held sentimental value, sure, but it wasn’t fit for tougher raids.
If I wanted to tackle higher-ranked gates, I needed something sturdier and stronger.
‘But where should I go…?’
There were too many brands to choose from.
If I didn’t have much money, it would’ve been simple, but I was planning to spend at least ten million won — which gave me options.
‘Maybe I’ll just go with a safe, well-known brand.’
As I walked, I stopped in front of a store.
The sign read: “Foot Op.”
An American company, well-known internationally, offering everything from budget to premium-grade gear.
In the U.S., most hunters used this brand.
‘Yeah. Better to buy from a trusted brand than gamble on some random store.’
Their products had solid reputations and plenty of user reviews.
More importantly, they were reliable.
Rather than going for overpriced luxury brands with flashy designs, a practical, no-nonsense place like this was perfect for buying real equipment.
I stepped inside.
“Welcome to Foot Op!”
The clerk greeted me with a bright smile — it felt like walking into a clothing store, except the racks were filled with weapons and armor instead of shirts.
“May I see your Hunter License, please?”
“Sure.”
I handed it over, and the clerk, seeing the F-rank license, returned it without so much as a change in expression.
“Verified. Feel free to look around.”
I got my license back and headed inside.
The store was spacious, divided neatly into sections.
‘Let’s see… the longswords should be around here.’
After a bit of searching, I found the longsword section.
I skipped over the cheap ones right away, slowing down only when the price tags started rising.
‘Everyone says the Foot Op 91 is the most popular model…’
It had a clean design and great durability — top reviews across the board.
I’d wanted to try it ever since my academy days, and with today’s budget, I could afford it easily.
‘Where is it…?’
I scanned the shelves quickly — and then froze.
“…Hansoo Yi?”
A familiar face.
Anyone from the academy would recognize that expressionless face.
Her hair was jet-black, almost unnaturally so — like it had been drawn on with a crayon.
As soon as I said her name, she slowly turned her head.
“….”
Her face didn’t move at all — no reaction, no expression.
Well, we’d never even said hello at school, so it must’ve felt weird to hear me call her name out of nowhere.
‘I didn’t mean to call out… it just slipped.’
The atmosphere got awkward.
Just as I was about to brush it off, she spoke first.
“Hi, Jung Juhyuk.”
Her voice was as cold and flat as her face.
I was surprised she greeted me at all — but what shocked me more was something else.
“…You know my name?”
We’d never been in the same class, and I was somewhere around 200th in ranking — hardly someone she’d remember.
Maybe she just recognized my face from being in the same year.
But still, it was strange — she’d never interacted with anyone, so hearing my name from her was unexpected.
“We’re classmates.”
“Well… yeah, technically.”
“I actually only learned your name recently. I just remembered your face before.”
“I see.”
Probably from rumors.
I could already guess what those rumors were about, so I decided to leave before she brought them up.
“Anyway, I’ll get going. Enjoy shopping.”
“….”
I took a step back to slip away — no point dragging out a conversation with someone I barely knew.
And if she had heard those rumors, I really didn’t want to stick around.
‘I’ll just ask an employee to bring out the model I want.’
I turned to leave —
—but something tugged on my sleeve.
“Why?”
“….”
I turned back. Her hand dropped away, and she stared at me blankly.
“Are you here to buy a weapon?”
“Yeah.”
“I see.”
“….”
Silence again.
‘What is she trying to do?’
She’d been known for her strange, unpredictable personality at the academy — and now I understood why.
“If you don’t have anything else to say, I’ll be—”
“….”
I turned to leave again.
But then — step, step.
I could feel her following me.
“Why are you following me?”
“I’m curious.”
She started talking all at once.
“You don’t look strong at all, so I was wondering how you managed to solo-carry that raid.”
“I just got lucky.”
“Was the tournament match where you took second place also just luck?”
Her voice was emotionless, but her words carried certainty — like she already knew the answer.
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Think whatever you want.”
I tried to brush her off and walk faster, but again — she grabbed my sleeve.
Now I was actually getting annoyed.
I frowned, turned back — and still, her face didn’t change.
Then she said quietly,
“Fight me.”
