Chapter 5: The Wronged Gunje (Part 1)

Daejeon, Busadong.

The Ginseng and Herb Specialized Street.

Famous for the appearance of gates, monsters, and mana-absorbing herbs, it is now simply known as the Herb Street.

Ding.

"Excuse me."

"Welcome."

"I'm looking for something."

"What is it?"

"I'm looking for poison."

"…?"

The old man, who had been watching TV, turned his head.

A soldier.

A young man in a military cap and uniform, with a discharge mark prominently displayed, stood there with an awkward smile, waiting for a response.

"What are you looking for?"

"Poison."

"Something that kills when ingested?"

"No."

"…Are you an Awakened?"

"Yes. Here's my ID."

Han Yul opened his wallet and showed his temporary hunter ID.

"You are an Awakened. But why are you in your discharge uniform?"

"I was discharged."

"…."

"…."

Silence ensued. After a long silence, the old man asked again.

"Oh. Mobilization training?"

It's not unheard of for someone to awaken after serving in the military. He thought Han Yul might have just returned from mobilization training, but Han Yul's answer made even the listener solemn.

"I was discharged a week ago."

"…When did you awaken?"

"A week ago."

"On the day of your discharge?"

"Right after I received the discharge order and stepped out of the gate."

"…Oh dear."

Thud, thud, thud.

Tap, tap, tap.

The old man got up from his seat. Walking slowly, he patted Han Yul's shoulder and said with a very kind smile.

"Alright. What do you need?"

"Poison. A corrosive poison. Liquid would be preferable."

"Alright. Poison is effective against monsters, so we have some in stock. Wait a moment."

"Ah, and one more thing."

"Is there something else you need?"

"Do you have any herbs?"

"They are expensive, but we do have them."

"Then, do you have any…"

Drugs?

He almost asked out of habit, thanks to the old man's warm smile. When the old man, who was walking away, turned to look at him, Han Yul smiled and said,

"No, never mind. I just need the corrosive poison and the herbs."

"Alright. Wait here. How much do you need?"

"Let me see."

The prices of D-grade and E-grade mana stones set by the Hunter Association are 1.5 million won and 500,000 won, respectively.

Since being a hunter is a job where one can easily lose their life, 1.5 million won and 500,000 won are not considered high prices.

"1.5 million, no, 1.4 million won."

"1.5 million is 1.5 million. 1.4 million?"

"I need to go home."

The old man stopped all his actions and turned his head again.

"Home?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"My home is in Seoul."

"…Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Hmm? I thought you said you were discharged a week ago."

"I awakened. I stayed at a nearby motel to test my abilities…"

Testing his abilities. As a hunter who protects the nation against monsters, this is understandable.

"Didn't soldiers used to get paid much less?"

In the past, they would serve for just a few hundred thousand won… no, for their service. Due to the practical combat experience, soldiers' salaries are much higher than expected. Various allowances such as combat pay and danger pay are added.

Still, it's not as good as working for a medium-sized company.

"I sent the money home."

"Didn't you keep some for transportation?"

"I only kept enough for transportation."

"…."

A hopeless guy.

The old man let out a hollow laugh and tilted his head again.

"Going home?"

"Yes."

"But why do you need poison? Ah, sit and wait."

"Thank you. I have really bad luck. I think I'll have to fight monsters on my way home."

"…."

Han Yul said he awakened on the day of his discharge, right after he received the discharge order and stepped out of the military base.

The old man, with a tight-lipped expression, searched for the poison.

Seeing the old man's reaction, Han Yul smiled awkwardly and looked around.

The shop sells regular herbs and medicinal herbs, and even poisons for use as weapons.

At first, Han Yul was interested in looking around the shop, but he quickly lost interest and turned his gaze to the TV, which was still on.

The news was on, reporting the discovery of a gate, everyday news unrelated to hunters, and entertainment news.

Han Yul watched the news blankly.

After about 10 minutes, the old man's voice was heard, and Han Yul moved to the counter.

"This is a highly corrosive poison. Appraise it."

"Appraise."

Name: Kill Bee's Venom (10).

Description: The poison of the bee-type monster Kill Bee, with a strong corrosive effect.

"Good."

"Have you used it before?"

"I was a soldier. No, I used to be a soldier."

In reality, he judged it to be good based on its value.

However, the value system, which is a support system, does not exist for other hunters who obtained their abilities through dimensional trading.

Han Yul mentioned his former occupation, and when the old man looked at him with a sympathetic expression, he immediately appraised the next item.

Name: Kill Bee's Honey (15).

Description: The honey of the bee-type monster Kill Bee, which has been purified.

Effect: Physical Enhancement (0~1%).

"Is this also from Kill Bee?"

"If you go to the market and turn right, you'll see the gate right away."

"Wow."

Judging by the name, it seems to be a bee.

A monster that is not compatible with Magic Missile, which is small and numerous.

"Is it expensive?"

"Not really."

"Even though it has a physical enhancement effect?"

"It might work, or it might not. The probability of it not working is very high."

"Indeed."

Generally, hunters look for herbs that start at 1% effectiveness. The success rate is so low that one would need to take it a hundred times to see an effect once.

"The poison is 300,000 won, and the honey is 500,000 won."

"…That's expensive."

"This is already a discount. It's just… Ahem! You remind me of my son."

It was probably because he felt sorry for Han Yul.

Ignoring the unspoken words that naturally came to mind, Han Yul bought the Kill Bee's Venom and Kill Bee's Honey.

"See you again…"

Would it be appropriate to invite a newly discharged soldier, who awakened as a hunter on the day of his discharge, to visit the area near his former base again?

"Thank you for your service."

"Yes, take care."

The old man changed his farewell, and Han Yul, in turn, gave a standard greeting and left the shop.

"100,000 won left."

He needed to use the money for transportation to get home, so he left the Herb Street and took a bus.

The destination was Daejeon Station.

More precisely, his home.

"Discharged for a week. Huh."

Han Yul let out a hollow laugh at the absurd situation and entered Daejeon Station as soon as he got off the bus.

To communicate, one must speak out loud for the words to be transmitted. So, even though there was plenty of time left, Han Yul bought a ticket and immediately went to the train station to use his dimensional trading ability.

"Mr. Rest, are you available?"

"Yes. I have obtained a highly corrosive poison called Kill Bee's Venom and a medicinal honey called Kill Bee's Honey, or should I call it a medicinal honey? Anyway, it has a medicinal effect."

He knew that Rest, like himself, was hiding his ability in a sparsely populated area to avoid detection.

Name: Improved Shield Spellbook (50).

Description: An improved 1st Circle Shield spellbook by Rest.

To trade the spellbook and the technique, the required value is 130. However, they had already decided on the trading method through their conversation.

Han Yul, who matched the value of 130 with Kill Bee's Honey, Kill Bee's Venom, and a 500 won coin, learned the Shield spell from Rest while sitting on a bench.

"…Shield."

Pfft.

A shield-shaped barrier appeared after the incantation.

"I see."

"Yes."

There is something he genuinely wants to know.

"Mr. Rest, does the effect of magic increase with ki?"

When he used ki and incanted, two Magic Missiles were created.

After nodding once, Han Yul explained the situation when he faced Trini.

"It's magic, right?"

What kind of magic gets stronger or weaker based on the ki of a close-combat fighter?

"Ki…"

Ki (氣合).

The act of focusing one's mind and strength to perform a specific action.

"In other words, magic becomes stronger when you use ki."

The form will naturally be remembered after repeated use, so he should focus on the incantation, which is the spell.

He ordered the poison and the drugs, clearly preparing for something. Han Yul understood, but the situation Rest was in was more serious than he thought.

"…It must be a very dangerous task."

"Be careful."

***

Where did it all go wrong?

At what point did the world start sending signals to him?

When his grandfather explained the gate?

When Rest jokingly said he had bad luck?

-Announcement: The Gate Surge Phenomenon will occur in about 3 hours. The location is the D-grade gate known as the Kill Bee's Dungeon, at Hanbat Comprehensive Stadium. Hunters, please move immediately. Hunters, please move immediately.

The train arrived.

"…."

It will depart in 10 minutes.

"Damn."

Should he ignore it?

Impossible.

Han Yul is the Wronged Gunje.

He became very famous while active at the E-grade gate in Doansum Forest.

Sighing, Han Yul got off the train and trudged to the taxi stand in front of Daejeon Station.

If a surge occurs, the Hunter Association will cover the transportation costs for hunters.

"Hanbat Comprehensive Stadium."

Han Yul took out his ID and told the driver the location.

"Oh, a hunter… sir?"

A hunter. The taxi driver, who had greeted him with a smile, slowly trailed off as he saw Han Yul's uniform in the rearview mirror.

"The Wronged Gunje?"

"…."

Now even the taxi driver knows him.

He must be the most famous among newly awakened hunters.

"Haha. Yes, that's right. I'm the Wronged Gunje. Please hurry."

"Oh, oh."

The taxi driver nodded awkwardly and stepped on the gas.

While driving, the driver kept glancing at Han Yul through the rearview mirror and finally spoke with a business smile.

"Did the surge happen as soon as you returned to your hometown? Haha. You have bad luck."

"I was waiting for the train to go home after being discharged when the surge happened."

"…."

"…."

"…Haha. You have bad luck. So, did you awaken during your service and receive the discharge order?"

"I awakened on the day of my discharge."

"O-oh, I see."

Bad luck.

Staring blankly at the rearview mirror, Han Yul met the taxi driver's eyes. When the driver turned his head away first, Han Yul felt a lump in his throat and turned his gaze to the window.