Chapter 15
What exactly was so funny? I awkwardly handed the phone back to Baekmae.
Honestly, I was just as flustered. Making the front page of a major portal site overnight?
“So much for laying low…”
Still, another thought crossed my mind. Despite all the hate…
“It’s not as bad as I expected?”
Maybe it was because I had mentally prepared myself. Or maybe going through something as absurd as reincarnation had desensitized me to most shocks.
Of course, that didn’t mean there weren’t some comments that pissed me off.
“That’s a relief. Do you know why I called you?”
“Yes.”
“Oh? That sounds promising.”
I straightened up in my seat and answered, because—
“You wanted to check whether I had any connection to Najin, or whether I held dangerous beliefs or might act unpredictably, right?”
We were in the president’s office at the Hunter Association headquarters, and I was currently being interrogated.
“As expected, you’re sharp. Sorry if it’s uncomfortable, but I hope you understand. We have a duty to investigate every possibility in this case.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Considering the shockwaves from Najin’s betrayal, it was only natural for the association to be sensitive.
“Najin, you bastard.”
Listing out the damage he’d caused me could fill an entire encyclopedia, but to keep it brief:
That lunatic terrorist had left every bad precedent possible as a senior who shared the same ability, then disappeared.
Najin’s “Gate” ability allowed him to commit mass terror at will—he was basically a walking nuke.
Sure, other ability users could become dangerous too, but the problem was…
“There were barely any precedents to begin with, and Najin’s screw-up just made things a complete mess.”
Unlike other abilities, there were fewer than ten people with Gate powers in all of recorded awakened history. Even in the original story, Najin was the only one in his generation.
Naturally, there were no laws in place, and no one knew how to regulate this power. The unfamiliarity made it even more terrifying.
And Najin didn’t just commit terrorism. If that was all, I wouldn’t be in this mess.
First, he had lived quietly as a Hunter before betraying his teammates and escaping. Because of that, people started suspecting I might do the same.
Second, he had faked being weak for years, keeping his true strength hidden while planning his escape. Now they suspected I might be hiding my power too.
Third, he had intentionally triggered the terror attack during a live mission broadcast, making the horrific scene in Gangbuk air nationwide and traumatizing the whole country!
Given all this, it was surprising public opinion wasn’t even worse. Actually, talking about it is just making me angrier.
“You started gathering teammates out of nowhere on the first afternoon of the test. One of them just happened to be a newly transformed awakened.”
“That was just coincidence.”
“Was it?”
Baekmae smiled mysteriously and shrugged. Her face looked innocent enough, but I felt more on edge than I did reading the hate comments.
The comments didn’t matter. I had passed the exam fair and square.
What did worry me, though, was the slight chance the association might go back on their word, influenced by public sentiment, and decide to fail me or take disciplinary action.
“So… is this a good sign or a bad one?”
No one in this world could guess what Baekmae was thinking.
In the original story, she played the role of Baekgyeon’s enigmatic older sister. She was a distant branch member of the Baek family.
Chairman Baek was such a hardcore meritocrat that he’d cut off even direct descendants if they lacked ability, and Baekmae had been adopted as his child at a young age because she was just that talented.
“You can check with the other teammates—”
“Okay, okay. I was joking. I know it was a coincidence. I only asked because it was a bit of a strange alignment of events.”
She gestured toward the desk, where the nameplate for the Hunter Association president was flipped upside down.
“Don’t stress too much. I’m just temporarily acting in this position. I’m not actually the president. And I have no plans to punish you or anything.”
“Then… what happens to me?”
“There’s one thing to clarify. It’s true you helped close the Gate, but anything that happens during the exam is treated as part of the exam itself. So, you won’t receive any separate reward for this. Do you object?”
“N-No.”
“Good. That’s not how most young people respond. I like it. Still…”
She smiled softly, eyes curling.
“The Hunter Association won’t forget what you did. At least, I won’t.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Old fogies like me might be a pain, but hang in there.”
She stood and handed me a card.
“You’re free to go, Hunter Kwon Asol.”
It was an apprentice Hunter license with my name on it.
* * *
Even after leaving the president’s office, I stood in the hallway for quite a while.
I looked down at the glossy white card and then lifted my head.
In the end, no one died in the Hunter test. Kwon Seou and the other main characters came out unscathed, and I passed the exam.
It was a good outcome. Definitely good, but…
[Mission Complete!
Condition: Score 50 within time limit (Current Score: 803/50) — Final Rank: 1st
Reward: <100G>, <One Random Trait of C-Rank or Higher>]
[Rewarded Trait: <Slightly Lucky> (C)
In moments when luck is desperately needed, your luck slightly increases at a set chance.]
[Would you like to check the Main Quest?]
As soon as I opened the system, all the notifications I had ignored so far came pouring in.
At the very end was the Main Quest window, which I hadn’t opened even once since quickly turning it off at the test site.
“….”
I stared at the Main Quest with a blank expression.
As if begging for attention, one part glowed more brightly than the rest.
I had survived and become a Hunter.
And now…
[Main Quest:
<Ensure the survival of the character ‘Kwon Seou’ until the end of the story>
Penalty for failure: Death]
…I will continue to survive. No matter what it takes.
* * *
In Kwon Seou’s memories, Kwon Asol was always strangely mature.
She didn’t throw tantrums, didn’t fight over toys, didn’t cry or whine.
Maybe because of that, Seou relied on his older sister more than his parents growing up.
She was always by his side, and her maturity sometimes made him feel brave, and other times, small.
Then one day, Seou realized something.
“Noona is different from me.”
And he wasn’t the only one who thought that.
“I’m home!”
“You’re back? Wash your hands and change your clothes. Mom, Seou’s here. Stop crying, okay?”
“Noona, where are you going?”
“I’m going grocery shopping with Mom. I’ll be right back.”
After their father died, Asol began filling the empty space he left behind.
She comforted their grieving mother, managed the house—it was all her responsibility.
Before Seou even had time to feel his father’s absence, Asol had already taken care of everything. So Seou never had to see the darker side of home life.
Naturally, he grew up immature.
His sister was so responsible and strong, he figured it was okay for him to lean on her.
It wasn’t until over a decade later that Seou first saw his sister’s breaking point.
“Noona… what happens to us now?”
It was the day of their mother’s funeral.
“Hey. Why are you worrying about that? Do I look that useless to you? You think I can’t even take care of you?”
“Uh, what?”
“Kwon Seou, you just focus on studying. No matter what, I’ll make sure you get into college!”
Even then, while comforting him, Asol didn’t seem like someone who had just lost both parents. She was mature even in that moment.
So Seou thought she was truly okay.
“Seou, I need to make a quick phone call. I’ll be right back. Stay here, okay?”
“Okay…”
He had been crying in her arms for a while before she said that. Once she left, he wiped his eyes and noticed her phone lying beside him.
“Noona forgot her phone.”
She had said it was an urgent call—guess she left it behind by mistake.
After a moment of hesitation, Seou picked it up and went to find her.
And just as he reached the emergency stairwell—
“…Mom… what do I do now…?”
The ever-mature Asol was leaning against the wall, sobbing her heart out.
That day, Seou realized:
They were only one year apart. She wasn’t unfazed—she was just pretending to be okay.
She had lived her whole life trying to be the perfect daughter for their parents, and now she was trying to be the strong older sister for Seou.
Knowing that, Seou couldn’t stay the same.
“Kwon Seou, you’ve been studying a lot lately. Suddenly aiming for college or what?”
“Yeah. I’m gonna get into a university in Seoul.”
“Huh? What?”
“I gotta head to the library. Enjoy basketball.”
“Wait—hey!!”
Seou wanted to be someone his sister could lean on. So he studied hard, worked on his social skills, and tried to become a better person.
When he finally got into college, he thought it was all over.
“How did it end up like this?”
Who would’ve thought he’d awaken as an ability user out of nowhere?
The old Seou might’ve been thrilled, but knowing how desperately his sister wanted a normal life, he couldn’t be happy about it.
So Seou made up his mind.
“Don’t worry, Noona.”
For her sake, he could try even harder—even if everything had gone off-script.
“I’ll become a Hunter strong enough to protect you.”
He’d do whatever it took.
But right now, he had a new problem.
Heading toward the meeting room where Asol was, Seou stopped dead in his tracks.
In the hallway, he saw something shocking.
Two people standing suspiciously close—his sister and someone else.
“…Seou?”
At the sound of her voice, Baekgyeon turned as well.
Why were they tucked into a corner of the hallway when it was so wide? Why so close together?
And now that he looked closely, Baekgyeon—his mentor—looked like he was intimidating Asol.
He wasn’t doing anything outright, but his build and scary face alone were threatening enough.
His sister looked scared. (Maybe.) She was even trembling. (Possibly.)
“W-What are you—”
Frozen in shock, Seou’s expression hardened. Then he lunged between them.
“Just what do you think you’re doing!?”
