Chapter 1 Prologue
It started with a goblin. A rank popped up beside it: D. This was nothing—just the usual side-dish material that could be handled with a single flick of a finger.
She raised her right hand and lightly snapped her index finger.
Bang!
A refined, crisp sound shook the dungeon air.
―Kraaak!
The goblin fell instantly.
Goblin (F) has been defeated!
Gained 50 EXP!
Kang Sori walked forward to collect the byproducts.
“Perfect. This should be enough for tomorrow’s menu.”
Obtained Goblin Food: “Leaves of the Golden Oak” x3!
The screams of monsters echoed behind her as she made her way past the goblin packs and even defeated a small dragon-like Dryg. She even took down the boss Dryg without incident.
“Ah, the customers are going to be happy.”
The guests she had scheduled for Thursday wanted Boss Dryg steak. Her management philosophy was simple: promise to obtain anything first, figure out how later.
She looked around to confirm that all monsters nearby were eliminated. Luckily, no one else appeared in this dungeon, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
“How long do I have to keep doing this? Such a headache.”
Kang Sori was the restaurant owner and an unregistered hunter.
Equipped: Stealth Hood (S)
Thanks to the Stealth Hood, she didn’t have to worry about being recognized—but it didn’t erase her existence either. That meant she could still run into other hunters. And lately, suspicion toward unregistered hunters had been increasing.
“I need to be able to hunt without distractions.”
But her brief sigh of relief was cut short. Sometimes, life doesn’t go as planned.
“Kyahhh!”
Suddenly, the floor beneath her gave way, and Kang Sori began to plummet into the endless void below.
Rumble!
The broken floor crumbled beneath her feet, producing a rough, terrifying sound. It all happened in an instant. Who would have thought that a C-rank dungeon would have a trap even after she had defeated a boss Dryg? Still, like a proper hunter, she grabbed a nearby jagged rock to steady herself. It was precarious; the rock could have broken at any moment.
Gulp.
Kang Sori swallowed hard and cautiously looked down. Though she casually hunted bosses as if it were nothing, that didn’t mean she had lost all sense of fear.
This was bad. She couldn’t think of a clever solution. She couldn’t just die so suddenly and pointlessly.
‘I still want to live!’
She kicked instinctively, but the rock she was clinging to began to break.
Crack.
Was this how it would end? So futilely? After all the trouble she had gone through dealing with nuisances, would she die like this?
Then, someone’s hand grabbed hers tightly.
She looked up frantically, but all she could see was a silhouette.
A hunter? A savior?
It felt oddly familiar, like déjà vu, enveloping her hand. There was no time to hesitate—she grabbed the savior’s hand immediately.
With strong force, the savior pulled her back up onto solid ground. Her legs, dangling in midair, were suddenly back on firm floor.
Phew. I’m alive. I almost died.
She steadied her trembling body and took a deep breath. Whoever it was, she had to at least express her gratitude.
“Th-thank you…”
As she lifted her head to speak, the silhouette’s true identity was revealed. That familiar déjà vu feeling.
Shiny, lustrous black hair, eyes that seemed slightly indifferent, a strong jawline, and long, elegant limbs. His slightly messy bangs were his trademark. The country’s #1-ranked S-class hunter.
Lee Gijoon.
Of course. She’d thought it odd that he hadn’t appeared today. Why him of all people, when there were so many other hunters?
She pressed the hood deeper over her face, frowning.
He had begun intruding on her peaceful ingredient hunts at the restaurant. Every time she felt someone’s gaze while hunting, he was often nearby, staring as if he could pierce through her hood.
She knew it was him, but she didn’t run away immediately. After all, he had saved her life, and she intended to at least repay that debt.
But he seemed to want something else.
A subtle, dangerous smile spread across his face as he approached. Her heart still raced as she stayed alert.
He came so close it was as if he might kiss her, prompting her to pull the hood down further and step back.
She absolutely did not want her identity revealed.
His long, slender fingers reached toward her hair, hovering delicately over the hood.
‘No!’
Kang Sori twisted her body quickly, but he anticipated it and grabbed her arm, whispering into her ear:
“Lately my record’s been lousy because of you. Since I saved your life, I get to take the boss first, right?”
His teasing tone revealed his true thoughts.
Sori’s eyes widened. So that mischievous smile meant that? But what about my Thursday reservation?!
“Wait…!”
Before she could protest, he disappeared somewhere, taking the boss Dryg with him.
She only fully realized what had happened after the sandstorm-like smoke he created dissipated.
“What… just happened?! Seriously?!”
She complained to the empty air.
“No, even if I went around the dungeon for ingredients, taking the boss first wasn’t wrong, right? The customers wanted it. Why didn’t he just come first and hunt it himself?!”
Her shoulders shrugged as she argued, but only the echo of the wind replied.
She recalled the lingering touch of his long fingers. Clearly, he had done it deliberately to distract her. And perhaps…
He had already noticed her face beneath the hood.
“Ugh, so annoying.”
Then another nuisance emerged.
Looking for someone to ride the anti-romance ex-boyfriend train!
Anti-romance hotspot! Guaranteed good ending!
Quest: It couldn’t be easier
Retrieve the Boss Dryg. Just have a meal with your ex!
So easy, right?
Reward: Frozen Boss Dryg x1
Failure: Restaurant Reputation -20
The system window, spitting out commands as it pleased, was the second “main character” of the story.
She crossed her arms and stared at the erratic system window. Not surprising—it wasn’t the first time.
She sighed deeply and muttered:
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have awakened in the first place.”
The supposedly polite system was actually a die-hard anti-romance fan.
She tried dragging the system window away from her view, but the more she did, the sharper and larger it became.
Her frustration boiled over.
“Really… just stop with this anti-romance nonsense! I’m so mad I could die! You deal with your own anti-romance!”
She raised her middle finger in the air and shouted.
The #1-ranked hunter in the country, Lee Gijoon, was her ex.
Thus began the era of Great Awakening. Gates opened, monsters poured out, and awakened humans began to emerge with powers unlike ordinary people. But to the general public, life went on as usual.
Instead, the internet became a breeding ground for rumors and playful posts about awakenings.
Everything started with one trivial post:
[Title] Has anyone been to Happiness Restaurant?
[Author] LookingForTyrannoMob
I heard they serve monster meat there. Is it true? The texture is apparently unlike anything I’ve seen.
[25 comments]
ㅁㅁ: No
ptsdOm: Yes, it’s really monster meat. I’ve been there.
┗ DungeonNoob: How? Are you a hunter?
┗ ptsdOm: Not a hunter, but I’m awakened.
┗ DungeonNoob: All awakened people are hunters, what are you talking about?
┗ BeginnerHunterFun: LOL, nonsense. If you really went there, I’d shave my head.
┗ ptsdOm: Awakened a month ago.
┗ BeginnerHunterFun: So what kind of awakening?
┗ ptsdOm: I don’t know. I just suddenly awakened. Awakening name…
┗ BeginnerHunterFun: Can’t even finish your sentence, typical lie. Should have begged for awakening. Sad pretending to be awakened.
RoughSunfish: Just a rumor. The meat’s bad, that’s why people say that.
LookingForTyrannoMob: Wait, I was working. ptsdOm, didn’t you take a menu pic if you went?
┗ ptsdOm: Wrong button, posted early. Damn, filming prohibited. Sealed by magic. Awakening name: InfamousChief.
┗ DungeonNoob: Wtf LOL. Awakening name is InfamousChief? Did you just make that up?
Awakening as “InfamousChief”? Ridiculous.
Kang Sori typed, chuckling.
The cursor blinked next to “DungeonNoob.”
