THTSO | Chapter 001 – Memento Novels

Chapter 001

Prologue

At 10:00 AM, an ordinary alley in Mapo-gu, Seoul, was swarming with Hunters.

The heat radiating from the crowd was more lethal than most Dungeon Breaks.

“Yujin, I came because you asked, but how much longer do we have to wait? It’s already been three hours… Can’t we just go to another shop?”

“No, absolutely not. This isn’t just a shop; it’s a holy ground. With just a few items from here, even a B-rank Hunter like me can solo an A-rank Gate.”

“Solo an A-rank Gate? Just from items? Does that even make sense?”

“It’s because it doesn’t make sense that there are this many people here, Ga-hee. Even if you’re a student who knows nothing about Hunters, you’ll get in trouble saying things like that elsewhere.”

Yujin pointed to the bulletin board standing in front of the shop’s large window.

It read: [Today’s Recipe: Sweet Rain of Mana Candy (Peppermint Flavor) – 200% Rapid Mana Recharge!]

“This is the shop of the nationally certified Hunter, Ms. Ye Bin-na. Do you understand now?”

“Oh?! I’ve heard that name! The hero who cured all those Hunters who retired due to Mana Addiction?”

“Exactly. So let’s just be grateful that ordinary people like you and me can even behold Ms. Bin-na’s items, okay? There are plenty of amazing items for civilians too, so look forward to it.”

“…But if it’s her shop, wouldn’t people be fighting over who got here first? Why is it so orderly and quiet?”

Yujin snorted.

“Are you crazy? If you fight here, you’ll be killed by the part-timers.”

“The part-timers?”

As soon as she finished speaking, the shop door swung wide open.

“We-hyang is now open. Welcome, ladies!”

A handsome man with red hair appeared with a vibrant greeting. Boasting celebrity-level looks and a tall stature, his appearance triggered cheers from the female customers.

“That’s Mr. Oh Hyung-taek. The S-rank Hunter who can shred hundreds of monsters with a single blade of wind.”

“An S-rank Hunter is a part-timer…?”

“Didn’t I tell you not to call the customers ‘ladies’? Do you want to die?”

The part-timer who appeared while slapping Hyung-taek on the back was a cute woman with short hair.

“That’s the S-rank Healer, Ms. Shin Na-ra. There’s no healer in Asia as great as her.”

That wasn’t all.

“Now, now, please enter carefully without pushing each other.”

A large, muscular part-timer was guiding customers with a gentle smile.

“That is Korea’s Shield, the S-rank Tanker Seon Dong-wook. A legendary figure who can take on a hundred men alone.”

Ga-hee stood there with her mouth agape.

“Why are S-ranks working part-time here?”

“Well, because the Owner is even more amazing.”

When her turn came, Ga-hee entered the shop as if possessed. The displays were divided into Attack, Defense, Healing, and Cosmetics sections, filled with charming items.

“…The scent is lovely.”

The fragrant floral scent and the plant-filled interior instantly put Ga-hee’s mind at ease.

“Check out, please, Boss!”

A male customer approached the counter with an armful of goods. The rumored Shop Owner greeted him with a bright, radiant smile.

“Hello! I’ll help you with that!”

The customer’s face flushed at the Owner’s sunny smile. However, that warmth didn’t last even a second.

This was because a man who had been quietly folding boxes next to the Owner was now glaring at the customer with a chilling gaze. He tilted his head slightly to the side while staring him down.

“Next customer.”

It was an aura of bloodlust so cold it made one’s bones ache.

“H-Hic! Hunter Kang Jin-seo…! I-I’m sorry!”

The customer turned pale and finished his transaction while repeatedly apologizing.

“I told you not to be so scary to the customers.”

“…I was just having trouble tying the ribbon.”

The man—no, the living legend of South Korea, S-rank Hunter Kang Jin-seo—frowned as if he disliked the crowded shop, but upon seeing the Owner’s wide smile, he went back to folding boxes.

Ga-hee watched this bizarre scene blankly and thought:

‘What on earth is the rank of a Boss who can use those monster-like S-ranks as part-timers?’

“See you next week, Grandma!”

After finishing my bath-time volunteer work at the nursing home, I hurried my pace. My entire body’s senses were starting to prickle with needle-like sensitivity. It was proof the medicine was wearing off.

I yanked open my car door and frantically pulled a pill bottle from my bag. A sharp headache began to stab at my brain. I swallowed the pills without even looking for water, but it was already too late. Cold sweat soaked my body.

“Haah.”

Breathing heavily, I climbed into the car, blocked my ears with earplugs and a headset, and pulled on an eye mask. Finally, after bringing aroma oil to my nose, peace arrived a few minutes later.

“They say cheap things are a waste of money.”

Because of my tight finances, I had switched to a cheaper medication, and this disaster happened immediately. I tossed the eye mask aside and glared at the offending pill bottle. It was labeled ‘Sung Hunter Hospital.’ It was the only Hunter hospital in Korea and was famous even abroad.

“…I’m going there too often for someone who isn’t even an Awakened.”

Letting out a short sigh, I started the car. I should contact the hospital to see if I can move up my appointment.

“I don’t even know if I can pay next month’s rent.”

My bank account is getting lighter, but my sensory hypersensitivity is getting worse. I couldn’t help but sigh throughout the drive.

[This is the 5 o’clock Hunter Radio News. As the development of the sudden Gate prediction device in the U.S., which had garnered worldwide expectations, ended in failure—]

Beep-beep!

The traffic light changed. The car directly in front of the stop line moved slowly, and the stopped cars began to turn off their brake lights one by one.

“Uh…?”

At that moment, the hands gripping the steering wheel became slick with sweat. A certain ‘unpleasant’ feeling pierced through my nerves. It was a sensation I knew well but never wanted to feel.

I looked around frantically. The busy area, where a subway entrance opened onto a six-lane boulevard, was packed with people and cars.

“Now? A Gate is opening here…?”

At this rate, a massive accident was guaranteed.

“Why here of all places…”

My sensory hypersensitivity is more acute than that of most Hunters. I can feel mana even though I haven’t awakened. Because of that, I once had high expectations of awakening as a high-rank Hunter. Ultimately, I never became one.

However, due to my senses becoming unnecessarily sharper as the days went by, I started to sense the flow of mana right before a Gate appeared—something that no current technology or skill can predict.

One day, Na-ra told me:

‘Bin-na, don’t tell anyone you can predict Gates. Understood?’

When a young me asked why I should hide it when predicting a sudden Gate could reduce casualties, she stated firmly:

‘Do you think that skill will be used with good intentions for everyone? Hiding it is better for you.’

I didn’t understand it back then, but I do now. I know this ability of mine could actually become a threat to me. There is nothing more dangerous than a powerless civilian possessing an incredible ability.

‘That’s why I’ve been living quietly.’

But what am I supposed to do when it’s happening right in front of my eyes…?

While I was panicking, the car in front of me departed.

Honk, honk!

Since I wasn’t moving, the cars behind me were blaring their horns in an uproar. Eventually, I took my foot off the brake, but the wheels rolled slowly, reflecting my agonizing indecision.

‘What do I do, what do I do?’

The Gate was set to appear right in the middle of this four-way intersection. Even if it were a small Gate, it was certain that at least hundreds of people would be sucked in. Furthermore, based on my feeling, that Gate would open within three minutes at the latest.

There wasn’t much time left.

Vroom—.

The moment my slowly rolling car was about to cross the stop line of the intersection, I just went for it.

“Ugh, I don’t know anymore!”

Screeeech!

Driving in the straight lane, I yanked the steering wheel hard, cut into the left-turn lane, and crossed the center line.

BEEEEP!

I ended up stopped right in the middle of the intersection. It was the kind of driving one wouldn’t do unless they were insane.

Honk! Honk! HOOONK!

“Hey, you crazy bastard!”

“Can’t you drive straight?!”

The cars following behind and those coming from the opposite direction slammed on their brakes and voiced their fierce complaints.

“Pant, pant.”

For someone like me who had never even sped in my life, this was a massive transgression. Feeling my heart about to burst, I stepped out of the driver’s seat. My legs were shaking.

With my hat and mask pulled down low, I grabbed the safety triangle from the trunk, placed it on the road, and waved my hands wildly.

“It’s dangerous! A Gate is going to appear!”

“Are you nuts! Driving like crap… what? A Gate?”

The people who were pouring curses out of their car windows froze at the word ‘Gate.’

“It’s going to appear in the middle of this intersection! Everyone, reverse!”

“Everything looks fine, what are you talking about?”

“Stop the nonsense and move, right now!”

The drivers began to rev their engines, looking as if they would run me over at any moment. Though my heart was trembling enough to make me faint, I didn’t move from where I was blocking the cars. If I could just hold out for one minute…!

“Ah, I said move!”

“Are you crazy?! If you want to die, go die quietly by yourself!”

“I-I am an employee of the Hunter Association! Please follow my instructions!”

Since I had already lost my mind, I decided to commit one more crime: impersonating a Hunter Association employee. In a world where Hunters and Gates are rampant, the awareness of Association employees is very high, so the effect would be certain. Even civilians who know nothing about Gates would believe the word of an Association employee.

“She says she’s from the Hunter Association!”

“Really?”

As expected, even those who were cursing began to believe me. The aggressive drivers started to slowly back away.

It worked! At this rate, no one would be caught in the intersection…!

It was then.

Ding-dong-dang~♬

—The pedestrian light has turned green. You may cross.

The pedestrian signal changed to green. A curse climbed to the tip of my tongue.

“Don’t cross! A Gate is going to appear here!”

I ran around, stopping people from crossing. Perhaps my desperate voice reached them, as people hesitated and stopped their pace.

‘10 seconds left.’

Now, only I had to evacuate. Sensing the mana around me going wild, I hurriedly ran toward the sidewalk.

‘Was a six-lane road always this wide…?!’

I ran for my life and barely succeeded in escaping onto the sidewalk. Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, I spotted an elderly woman crossing the crosswalk from the opposite side. Perhaps her hearing was failing; despite everyone calling out to her desperately, she just walked slowly with her hands on her hunched back.

Damn it!

I knew that if I ran to her, I would be sucked into the Gate, but my body moved before my thoughts.

“Grandma, it’s dangerous!”

Grit my teeth, I ran to her and pushed her back with all my might.

And in that instant.

VROOOOM!

The Gate entrance manifested immediately. Yes, right under my feet.

“Aaaaaagh!”

I was sucked into the bottomless abyss of the Gate.

At the same time, a window like this appeared before my eyes:

[Compatibility Determination Complete]

[Congratulations on your Awakening!]