Chapter 26

< OFF(2) >

“Hey, how did you get here...?”

A young employee in his early twenties, standing near the entrance, stiffened when he saw Kim Sung-han. His face was indeed frightening to encounter in the dim light.

“Do you know Kim Min-woo?”

Kim Sung-han asked in a low, interrogative tone. He's going to make the kid cry. He's completely terrified.

“K-Kim Min-woo... Ah, Min-woo hyung? Yes! I received a call!”

The employee, who had been wondering why he was being asked this out of the blue, realized that Kim Min-woo must have told them he was a regular and had spoken well of him. The employee relaxed and forced a smile.

“So you're Min-woo hyung's senior. Please come in! I've prepared a quiet spot for you!"

Somehow, the atmosphere made it feel like he was being led to a private room. Of course, there were no private rooms; it was just a separate seat in the corner. The location was good, but what I liked most was the partition.

I felt like I wanted to hide in every way.

“I'll bring you the best one quickly! For drinks, imported beer? We also have whiskey, but the 17-year-old Valentin is the best. We don't stock many bottles because it doesn't sell well.”

The employee, who had already regained his energy, spoke confidently. Kids these days are fearless.

Kim Sung-han, sitting opposite me, looked at me as if waiting for me to order. I picked up the menu on the table and then put it down again. There are so many dishes and drinks. My staple is just soju.

“Bring me a mix of beer and soju, please.”

Sure, just the right amount, good.

“Yes, hyung!”

The employee, who had regained his composure, quickly moved away.

The loud music, the chatter, and the laughter were all quite noisy. As I entered, I noticed a small stage area in the long bar. It seemed to be half a club.

While I was briefly looking around, the drinks and dishes arrived. They were quick. A variety of dishes like mixed fried food, fruits, budae jjigae, and snacks lined the table. This is chicken... salad? What kind of salad?

“Please let me know if you need anything~.”

I could get full just from the dishes. I took a light sip of beer to quench my thirst and picked up some food. This potato fry is delicious. The well-soaked seasoning and the sweet cheese sauce make it a perfect greasy-sweet dish.

“I apologize again for the misunderstanding.”

Kim Sung-han said with a serious face, a serious voice, and a serious attitude. The cheerful pop song playing in the background made it seem out of place.

Indeed, this atmosphere is not right. I want to get drunk quickly.

“I did act in a way that could cause a misunderstanding. The Awakening Broker thing, too.”

It's not a misunderstanding, but since you keep calling it that, I'll go along with it.

I answered appropriately and picked up some chicken salad with a fork. Wow, this chicken salad is delicious. What kind of sauce is this? It's spicy and hot, just the kind of flavor that goes well with beer. The meat is moist and chewy, so it must be from the thigh. Thigh meat is the best for boneless chicken. Kim Min-woo knows his good places.

“Wasn't there something else on your mind? You're not the type to be fooled by a con artist.”

Kim Sung-han said with confidence. I wouldn't be fooled now. This is going to cause a conflict in settings, how do I get out of it?

“Well, it was out of personal curiosity about Awakening Brokers. I'm quite interested in Awakeners and dungeons. I've done quite a bit of research and study on them.”

I did that in the future.

“Team Leader Seok also mentioned that you know a lot about hunters. Still, it was a dangerous move.”

“Of course, Yoo Hyun wouldn't just sit still. As expected, he was immediately caught and dragged away. It was a bit faster than I expected.”

Kim Sung-han smiled as he finished his beer.

“You seem to act quite strategically.”

No, I'm the embodiment of impulse. The regression itself was impulsive. If I had cooled down and acted strategically, I would have just become the strongest, cleaned up the dangerous dungeons, and lived well.

“I thought it was just luck until you found Park Yerim, but gaining her trust and preemptively dealing with potential issues, and even smoothly ending the contract with Team Leader Seok, is not something that can be done by luck alone.”

“No, I had quite a bit of luck.”

If I had the luck to regress, you could do it too. Oh, and you need the skills too. But getting the skills was also partly luck.

Indeed, luck is the best.

“When you went to save your friend, I must say, I was quite moved. To risk your life for an old friend you hadn't seen in a long time. It made me think you're someone I can trust and rely on.”

“Not that much...”

I saved him because he had an SS-grade skill. It's embarrassing and makes my skin crawl to be treated as if I did a purely just and selfless act. Yoo Myung-woo and Seok Si-myeong are also building up misunderstandings, and I don't know how to resolve them.

To hide my embarrassment, I quickly finished my drink. I hope the buzz comes quickly. There's nothing to gain from your expectations of me.

“My friend's rescue was just an impulsive act. Like helping someone who has fallen on the street, a reflexive action.”

“Even if it's impulsive, there's a big difference between helping someone who has fallen on the street and pulling someone out of a track where a car is coming.”

“...With you here, it wasn't that dangerous.”

Stop it, please. My face is turning red even though I'm not drunk.

Let's change the topic. What should we talk about? Something trendy? ...Actually, I can't remember what's popular these days. There might be a new X-series movie. Wasn't the fourth installment of Monster Taming released this year? When did the variety show featuring only Awakeners start?

“Do you know about the Hunter show that started today?”

“...Yes?”

“No, never mind.”

It hasn't started yet, I guess. It was fun. High-level hunters appeared as guests. I even applied to be a participant in the lower-level hunter special, but I was rejected.

“Were you also an early Awakener?”

Since I know nothing about the world, I turned the conversation to the hunter I know best. I need to spend some time glued to the TV and computer.

“Yes. Of course, I was. More than half of the current Awakeners awakened during the first dungeon shock.”

When the first dungeons appeared, people were like primitive humans who had just discovered fire, cautiously and curiously peering at them. Then, the dungeons, which were over-saturated, burst one after another.

Fortunately, the early dungeons were only F to E grade. The monsters that poured out into the outside world were not powerful enough to be dealt with by ordinary weapons.

However, ordinary civilians without weapons found it difficult to deal even with F-grade monsters. Despite the expected high number of casualties, the actual damage was surprisingly low.

This was thanks to the people who awakened after being attacked by monsters.

The initial skills of Awakeners vary depending on the awakening environment. Early Awakeners, who felt the threat to their lives, mostly had attack and defense skills as their initial skills. Although most were F to E grade, they were much more useful in dealing with lower-level monsters than unfamiliar ordinary weapons.

The situation quickly stabilized with the appearance of a few mid to high-level Awakeners. Still, in Korea alone, there were a million injured and ten thousand dead.

“The place I was at was in the countryside, so it was even more dangerous. Most were elderly, making it difficult for them to awaken, and even if they did, their stats were low.”

Kim Sung-han said as he finished his drink. As he said, in areas with a high elderly population, the damage was so severe that there were no survivors.

“Fortunately, I awakened at the A grade, which helped reduce the damage.”

“You must have been a hero in that town.”

“The elders in the village still often contact me. They send me things too.”

He smiled a little shyly.

“Fortunately, I was visiting my grandparents' house on a weekend, which was a stroke of luck. Otherwise, I wouldn't have seen my grandfather again.”

“You seem to have a good relationship with your grandfather.”

“He raised me.”

“Oh... then your parents...”

“They are alive. After the divorce, my mother remarried, and my father went abroad, sending only child support. Since I became an adult, I haven't heard from him. I think he has started a new family. As a result, I barely remember what they look like.”

I see. It seems that few people have smooth family lives.

While Kim Sung-han and Yoo Hyun's cases are different, many early Awakeners did have their families fall apart. Awakening meant being attacked by monsters, and many were with their families on weekends.

Even if not, the unprecedented situation with a million injured was traumatic, and many still bear the scars.

“My grandfather, who was like a parent to me, passed away last year due to illness. At that time, the guild leader and Team Leader Seok helped a lot. They even brought in a healer from abroad to treat him.”

“I see.”

Healers can't cure diseases, but they excel at replenishing energy and reducing pain. Unlike narcotic painkillers, skills have no side effects. The high cost is the biggest drawback.

As the conversation deepened, the empty bottles of alcohol increased. Strangely, the buzz didn't come. It wasn't completely absent, but it was a frustrating, barely noticeable feeling.

“You seem to have a strong tolerance for alcohol.”

Kim Sung-han said. No, I don't. My alcohol tolerance is low. My tolerance increased only after I leveled up five years later, thanks to my stats. Now, at level 1, I should be flushed after one bottle of soju. Why am I fine?

“...It's just going down well today.”

I tilted my head in confusion. Why am I not getting drunk? Of course, I don't want to get completely drunk. If I accidentally say something and reveal my skills, it would be troublesome.

But a little buzz would make it easier to let slip the keywords. I can't say them with a clear head.

“It's better not to get too drunk. My drunk behavior is embarrassing.”

I've already laid the groundwork.

“Do you cry?”

“Nah, that's not embarrassing. My drunk behavior is... confessing to anyone.”

I naturally made an embarrassed face without needing to act.

“I once got slapped after confessing while drunk.”

Of course, I've never really done that... I did get slapped after confessing while sober. I don't understand why she slapped me instead of just saying no. Did she hate me that much?

“That must have been awkward. I had a college classmate who would grab anyone and start talking when drunk. There were many victims during the reserve training.”

...What is reserve training? It can't be referring to a reserve unit.

I laughed it off and took a sip of soju, not wanting to ask and feel embarrassed. Maybe I should go to college. I have plenty of time to study and take the college entrance exam...

‘I’m having all sorts of thoughts even though I’m not drunk.’

What college? Why am I not getting drunk? I should have been blacking out by now. Come to think of it, the beer I drank last night didn't do much either. I thought it was because I only drank half a can.

What's the problem? I haven't used any items to increase my mana, and I haven't used any skills... Could it be because of a skill?

‘Is the poison resistance skill the culprit?’

That was the only skill I suspected. Does it block alcohol, which is a poison, above a certain level? It is toxic and can be harmful in large amounts, but it's not a poison.

...If it's the poison resistance skill, does that mean I can't get drunk at all now? No more pleasant buzz? That's crazy.

“Your expression looks bad. Is the alcohol too much?”

“No, it's just that I'm a bit worried about something...”

My alcohol! My chicken and beer! The upcoming Awakener League is going to be so fun, and I have to watch it sober!

‘Damn, why is it a passive skill? Can’t I turn it off? I’ve never heard of turning off a passive skill.’

Since it doesn’t consume mana, it’s usually not something you think about turning off. It’s not supposed to turn off in the first place. Passive skills are called passive for a reason.

‘Still, it would be nice if I could turn it on and off. Can’t I just turn it off once? I don’t want to pretend to be drunk and say the keywords with a clear head. Poison resistance skill, turn off. Poison resistance skill, off.’

It doesn’t work...

[Poison Resistance (L) skill has been canceled.]

Clang!

“Han Yoo-jin, are you okay?”

No, I’m not... I’m an idiot... I didn’t think it would actually turn off.

The alcohol hit me like a dam breaking. Damn, it feels like I swallowed a ball of fire... I need to use the skill again...

‘What was the skill name...’

What was it...

And then I blacked out.

< OFF(2) > End

ⓒ Geunseo

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