Chapter 3

The Hunter Who Sees the Future 003

Chapter 3

“Kyaa~ Song! This kind of opportunity doesn't come often, so if you change your mind, let me know.”

Seeing that Song Jin-woo didn't react, Choi Kang-hyun seemed to get bored and started to play pranks on another porter.

It was fortunate for Song Jin-woo, but the porter being targeted turned pale as if he were about to die.

Choi Kang-hyun's style is the most annoying.

He never crosses the line but torments people just enough that they can't report it to others, and he continuously and persistently does evil deeds that make people's blood boil.

If he were to show a serious face here, it would only make things worse, so he had no choice but to endure it.

‘Damn it.’

After walking a bit, they were able to leave the Forest of Demons.

Walking a little further along the road nearby, they arrived at the Safety Zone where the portal was located.

At least here, there's no need to worry about being attacked by monsters.

“Phew~ We've arrived. Let's wrap things up.”

He perfectly completed the difficult task of obtaining the golden griffin's egg.

Now, all that's left is to distribute the items obtained there and store them in the guild's warehouse.

The porters handed over the bundles they were carrying to the guild members.

The bundles they were carrying were magical items with a lightness enchantment, and they were also the property of the Han Young Guild.

The people who received the bundles began to thoroughly search the porters' bodies, as they might have tried to steal items.

Since even items that can detect items are used, porters don't usually try to steal, but occasionally, foolish ones do appear.

“What's this?”

A man who was inspecting a porter other than Song Jin-woo found a golden feather in the porter's groin.

It was the feather of the golden griffin.

“This bastard!”

The man didn't give the porter a chance to explain and started punching him wildly.

“Ugh! I, I'm sorry! Please spare me!”

The porter was instantly beaten to a bloody mess.

Song Jin-woo frowned at the sight but didn't show it. He only lamented the man's foolishness.

If you die here, your body won't even be found, and it won't be registered as a murder case.

It's an unwritten rule that no authority will be involved in anything that happens here.

Fortunately, the man didn't die from the beating and was left in a mess.

This is also due to the strict rules of the Han Young Guild, which doesn't take lives.

“Tsk!”

But now, the man won't be able to do any activities here and won't receive his pay for today.

If he wants to work as a porter again, he'll have to do it under even harsher conditions.

“Now that we're done, let's go.”

People started to leave through the portal, leaving behind the man who was still dazed.

Song Jin-woo also left, looking at the fallen man and following the group.

This place is dangerous, but it's a Safety Zone, so there's no need to worry about being attacked by monsters.

Whoosh~

As they passed through the portal, their heads started to feel dizzy, and they soon became so disoriented that they couldn't control their bodies.

It felt like they were on the border between consciousness and unconsciousness, unable to distinguish between reality and dreams, and eventually, they couldn't even feel their physical senses.

But as time passed and everything subsided, their minds became clear again, and the dizziness from before was completely gone.

Bang! Bang!

Whoosh~

When they regained their senses and looked around, the dangerous area where monsters roamed was nowhere to be seen. Instead, they saw a tall skyscraper.

And around it, countless cars were moving noisily.

They had returned to reality.

“Well, everyone did a good job. This concludes the exploration of the Central Continent.”

The appearance of the people who had entered through the portal had completely changed.

Just a moment ago, they were wearing fantasy-style equipment, but now they were dressed in ordinary modern clothing.

Inside, there were companions with the characteristics of different races like dwarves and elves, but now they were just ordinary humans.

Of course, Song Jin-woo, who was originally a regular human, didn't undergo a significant change, but there was a noticeable difference.

It was his right leg.

One leg was much thinner than the other, and the bone structure was twisted. To compensate for this, crutches were inserted under both armpits.

This was Song Jin-woo's original appearance.

He didn't use crutches because of an accident; he had suffered from polio since childhood and missed the treatment window, so he had to use crutches for life.

“You really look like a corpse now.”

Choi Kang-hyun sneered at Song Jin-woo, who had returned to his original form.

He called Song Jin-woo a "corpse" not just because his surname is Song, but because of his disability.

“With a body like that, you can only survive as a porter, hehe!”

Choi Kang-hyun mocked Song Jin-woo, but Song Jin-woo's expression didn't change at all.

He had already endured countless such gazes and insults since childhood, to the point where he couldn't even remember them all.

So, he had no reason to react to being mocked for his body now.

After spending some time near the portal, a person from the Han Young Guild came.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The team leader was enough to verify the results. Song Jin-woo's job was just to get confirmation from the financial officer.

“It's been confirmed. I'll send the money to the usual account.”

“Thank you.”

This way, he earned another two million won.

He usually earned money by doing other part-time jobs, but it wasn't enough to cover his needs.

For Song Jin-woo, who couldn't do decent work due to his condition, this was almost the only way to earn a large sum of money.

Now that they had safely returned to reality, all he had to do was go home.

As Song Jin-woo, who had relaxed, was about to walk to the bus stop, his crutch wobbled, and he lost his balance, ending up sprawled on the ground.

Thud!

It wasn't because he made a mistake or his crutch got caught on something. The culprit was nearby.

“Ah, sorry.”

There, Choi Kang-hyun stood with a despicable smile, having deliberately tripped Song Jin-woo's crutch.

Satisfied with seeing Song Jin-woo covered in dust, he chuckled and disappeared.

“...Bastard.”

The only thing Song Jin-woo could do was to curse under his breath and swallow his anger.

Picking up his crutch again, he awkwardly brushed off the dirt from his clothes and struggled to move forward.

* * *

When he got home, his younger sister was there. She rarely spent time at home due to her studies and practical training, so it was unusual for her to be home early.

Seeing Song Jin-woo, his younger sister, Song Hana, approached him with quick steps.

She had long brown hair tied back, and she was about 160 cm tall, similar to Song Jin-woo. Unlike him, who looked unremarkable, she had a pretty face that could make passersby turn their heads.

“Welcome back, big brother. You must be tired.”

Song Hana held Song Jin-woo's cold hand tightly. Seeing this, Song Jin-woo smiled and patted her head.

“No, it's fine. Don't you have classes today?”

“I finished early today.”

Song Hana was currently studying the violin at a music high school.

While there are countless violinists in this world, Song Hana's talent was special.

She grew up being called a prodigy from a young age, and her reputation spread so widely that she even appeared on TV programs.

Of course, her skills were still far superior to those of her peers, and she received a lot of admiration and envy.

Her parents, who knew about her talent, supported her music studies despite their modest financial situation, saving their own food and clothing to do so.

Music studies required a lot of money, but thanks to their diligent work, they were able to continue without much difficulty.

It seemed that the two siblings' lives would be peaceful.

If not for the accident that day.

A drunk driver hit their parents as they were crossing the street at a green light and fled the scene, leaving them dead on the spot.

It was a horrific accident, but the driver was unlicensed and uninsured.

His assets had already been moved, so they couldn't receive proper compensation.

Moreover, he received only a two-year sentence on the grounds of diminished capacity.

No matter how much Song Jin-woo complained, the law couldn't punish him further.

In the end, Song Jin-woo became the head of the household at the age of 21.

Despite his poor health, he had worked hard and attended a prestigious university.

But due to the family's financial difficulties, he had to take an indefinite leave of absence.

The problem was his younger sister, Song Hana.

Now a second-year high school student, Song Hana had outstanding skills, but to succeed in the music industry, connections were essential.

Absurdly, even a prodigy like Song Hana needed to take private lessons from university professors to get into a good college, whether she wanted to or not.

The cost was astronomical.

The private lesson fee alone was 4 million won per month.

Considering the monthly rent, the tuition for the music high school, and other living expenses, it was an amount that Song Jin-woo couldn't earn even if he worked 24 hours a day and dropped out of school.

He thought that with her talent, she could receive support from the school, but reality wasn't that simple.

Most benefits went to people from well-off families, and he could only hope for a scholarship to cover tuition.

In some cases, even a recommendation for a competition required a significant amount of money.

The success of a poor genius had long become a thing of fiction.

“Big brother, you're hurt!”

Song Hana, who was examining Song Jin-woo's body, was startled to see small wounds and went to get medicine from the room.

These were the wounds caused by Choi Kang-hyun's push earlier.

Song Jin-woo's mind drifted back to Choi Kang-hyun's despicable smile, and he wore a bitter expression.

He didn't want his sister to worry about anything else.

Song Hana, who brought the first-aid kit from the room, skillfully tended to Song Jin-woo.

Thanks to having a brother who was a porter, she had become adept at treating wounds.

“Stay still.”

Song Hana began to disinfect Song Jin-woo's wounds with a cotton swab.

Each time the swab touched the wound, it stung, but his heart felt full despite the pain.

After treating Song Jin-woo for a while, Song Hana spoke hesitantly.

“...I'll quit the violin and do part-time jobs.”

Song Hana knew very well how dangerous the work Song Jin-woo did was.

She knew better than anyone.

So, when Song Jin-woo went into the dungeon, she became so anxious that she couldn't even breathe if he was even a little late.

To her, giving up her violin studies was nothing.

What she hated more was that her only remaining family member, her big brother, had to go into dangerous dungeons.

This wasn't the first time Song Hana had said this. She must have said it hundreds of times, though she hadn't counted.

But Song Jin-woo's answer was always the same.

“I'm fine, so you just focus on your violin practice.”

Perhaps the violin was the fastest way for the two siblings to succeed without buying a lottery ticket.

But Song Jin-woo wasn't doing this for money or success.

Becoming an excellent violinist was Song Hana's dream since childhood.

With her talent, she would surely achieve it in time.

The voice of Choi Kang-hyun from earlier suddenly came to mind.

It wasn't just Choi Kang-hyun. Everyone who knew about Song Jin-woo and Song Hana's situation either worried or mocked them for being foolish.

Those who didn't know the full story criticized Song Hana, saying she was using her disabled brother to pursue her music studies.

But all of this was Song Jin-woo's decision.

“You need to do well first.”

Song Jin-woo, who had always been a kind big brother willing to give up anything, never compromised on this.

With his inconvenient body, he usually did part-time jobs and went into dungeons with hunters whenever there was work.

To end this, there was only one thing he could do.

“I... will work hard.”

To become an excellent violinist and truly lift the family.

Knowing this, Song Hana practiced harder than anyone else.

Her delicate hands were covered with the marks of blisters that had burst and healed many times.

Perhaps because they were siblings, Song Hana was as determined as Song Jin-woo.

Once she picked up the violin bow, she wouldn't let go even if her hands bled.

Thinking about her big brother, who risked his life to go into dangerous dungeons, she couldn't stop.

Genius combined with effort made Song Hana's skills surpass the level of a student long ago.

Seeing her determined face, Song Jin-woo simply raised his hand and stroked her hair.

As a big brother who couldn't do much to help, it only made his heart ache.