Chapter 21

‘It was definitely a man’s voice . ’

And it was a harsh and rough tone too . I bolted up and sat straight in my seat .

‘What did he say at that time… After coming out of a so-so college, he was in debt, I think he said something like that . ’

Did he mean it wasn’t from borrowing for tuition? And thinking of the call just now and the attempted suicide, I came to a common conclusion . So he took out a private loan .

Fuck, it wouldn’t be that the SS-Rank production skill died and couldn’t be revealed to the world, right? Even if he borrowed a lot of money, and didn’t repay it, uh, was it an easy thing to kill someone? They probably just beat him up .

Although an accident where you die or become crippled[1] could occur .

‘……Shit . ’

With an urgent heart, I called Yoo Myeongwoo, called the man whose name I didn’t know, again .

“Pick up, bastard!”

If it’s money, I’ll pay it instead so pick up already! Do you know how much he’s worth! But there was no answer on the other side of the cell phone .

“Damn, what should I do?”

I didn’t even know where he was so I couldn’t find him . Immediately, I wondered if I had to do that much .

Losing Yoo Myeongwoo would be be an incredible waste . But truthfully speaking, he wasn’t strictly necessary now . I had prepared a solid enough footing to live well off of, and didn’t need to receive something like the incentive .

So even if I acted like I didn’t know, there wouldn’t really be a huge problem, but . There was no need for me to handle Yoo Myeongwoo’s mistakes, but .

“……He’s someone who would be able to live well without being jealous of others if he gets the skill . ”

I remembered the face that was stained with tears . I thought of the despairing voice that talked about completely losing his own worth . As well as the crappy[2] 5 years that were my past as well as the future .

“It can’t be helped . ”

I sighed once and picked up the cell phone I had thrown onto the sofa .

Anyone would have thought like that at least once . Can it be that I’m special? Can it be that anyone could see the specialness that I myself don’t know and tell me? And can it be that my life will change completely for the better?

In the reality where Awakened People appeared, that type of thing wasn’t a naive fantasy . Can it be that I suddenly Awaken as a S-Rank Awakened Person, or at least A-Rank? Though, at the same time, it was a futile dream that had an extremely low possibility of occurring .

But Yoo Myeongwoo had me .

The sole person who told him, who had fallen all the way to rock bottom, that he was special, who could really make him special .

‘So, what else can I do? I know that rock bottom and I also know that hope . ’

I had also hoped and failed and was discouraged . Without a helpful hand .

I put in the phone number from my memory . It was 2 years later when I met that guy . But he was working 3 years before we knew each other, and I never saw him change his phone number, so it would probably still be the same .

After ringing, that guy picked up the phone .

[Hello, this is Hamster[3] Detective Agency!]

A cheerful voice was heard . He was still the same . But what was with this detective agency name .

“Is this Do Hamin-ssi?”

[Yes! This is the head of Hamster Detective Agency, Do Hamin . ]

“I want to find one person, is that possible?”

[Of course, it is possible . As long as we have their name, description, and cell phone number that has been used for over 1 year, anyone and quickly! We can find them . Besides just the number, if the cell phone itself was used for over 1 year, then a fast investigation is possible~ . ]

The chattering voice spoke, full of confidence . With just one glance at Yoo Myeongwoo’s cell phone, it seemed like it was used easily over 1 year, so it would probably be okay .

Do Hamin was a kind of information dealer . He was especially good at finding people, and I didn’t know what skill he had but he could track somone’s location straight away with their appearance and a serial number exceeding six digits of something they had possessed for over 1 year .

At first, that is, right now, he was someone who was only doing background checks at the detective agency . Then, his ability was so exceptional that word got out, and at the end of all sorts of trouble, he became an information dealer in the Hunter community .

There were a lot of Hunters who were bothered by Do Hamin even while buying information from him . I was also really annoyed, changing my cell phone and cards, from my ID card to my Hunter license, every year after getting involved with that guy .

[If you deposit into the bank account I just texted, I can find them right away!]

Do Hamin said, after receiving Yoo Myeongwoo’s phone number, name, and description . Ack, I haven’t been to the bank yet .

“…Can I pay by card by any chance?”

[Yes, I will send you the link . There is an additional 10% commission charge . ]

This tax evader . Soon after paying, Yoo Myeongwoo’s current location was sent via text . As fast as always .

‘Now what should I do?’

Yoo Myeongwoo’s location was a junk shop called ‘Hope Resources’ . He probably wouldn’t have sold his cell phone to the junk shop, and it seemed like it really was some shady place .

‘A D-Rank or higher Awakened Person wouldn’t be moneylending at a junk shop, right?’

Though, if the other person’s level was low, I could deal with up to D-Rank with my items . For now, I stood from the sofa . The probability of the other person being a normal person was higher so it would be better for me to handle it .

The problem was if I went out alone, Yoohyun might kick up a fuss .

‘It would be a little weird[4] to take Yerim . ’

After labelling myself as her guardian, continuously showing immoral scenes to the kid would be a bad thing to do .

For now, I went outside and down to the building lobby . I stood near the entrance that had a considerable number of people going in and out dspite it being the weekend, and called Kim Sunghan .

[What is it . ]

“I’m going to go out for a short while, but I thought I should at least let you know . If you’re busy, you don’t need to come out . I’m already at the lobby . There are a lot of taxis in front of here, and would there be any mishaps? Yoohyun might get angry but- . ”

With a thump[5], the call was ended . Would it take several minutes for him to come? There were a lot of eyes so if he tried to drag me in, I would yell .

Shortly, I heard heavy striding footsteps coming closer .

“Han Yoojin-ssi . ”

At the voice that was suppressing anger, I smiled bright and turned around . You shouldn’t spit on a smiling face .

“You came quickly . I could go alone, so I’m really sorry to bother you so . ”

This was all due to the nitpicking of that guy you follow wholeheartedly, Yoohyun, so don’t complain to me .

Kim Sunghan took a deep breath and then turned his body .

“Please follow me . ”

“To where?”

“Of course, to the parking lot . ”

Ah, what was going on? I thought he would say something for sure, but he was too agreeable . He wouldn’t pretend to go to the parking lot and then grab and throw me into the elevator going up, right?

Just in case, I put some distance between us and followed, but Kim Sunghan went straight to the parking lot without turning around even once . Hmm, it was convenient but it was suspicious .

“Where are you going?”

Kim Sunghan asked, opening the car door . After seeing the A-Rank dorm treatment, it was a little uncomfortable to put him in the role of chauffer .

“Myeonmok-dong[6] Hope Resources . ”

I’ll quickly get my driver’s license so I’ll have to bother you for a little while longer[7] .

Hope Resources was a shabby 2-floor building located in a secluded place . The clean sign, that looked less than several months old, was awkward against the wall that showed its age .

“Can you go alone?”

Kim Sunghan asked, seeing me put on the leathers gloves before I left the car .

“There’s probably only going to be normal people, so it would be better for me to go alone . If they pointlessly nitpick, it’ll be annoying, so please wait in the car . ”

If it was someone like Kim Sunghan, the possibility of someone recognizing him was high . And I wanted to resolve it nicely through words if possible .

Going toward the building entrance, I called Yoo Myeongwoo again . He didn’t pick up, and there was no bell sound either . Though it might’ve been on vibrate .

‘Normally, it would be the basement or 2nd floor . ’

The glass door was covered in a white film that said Hope Resources in big letters, so I couldn’t see inside . I said I didn’t need help, but just in case, should I have a safeguard?

The door was locked so I rung the bell next to it . Having the door locked despite being a shop and having an intercom with a camera, it seemed pretty shady .

[We’re closed . ]

I had to ring the bell two more times before a curt reply came . In case[8] the other person wouldn’t hear, I quickly spoke .

“I came to pay back money!”

I said I came to give money so would there be anyone who would reject? As expected, I soon heard footsteps coming closer and the door’s lock was unfastened .

“It’s been a while since someone came to pay on their own . “

A large man muttered as he opened the door . I was wondering, but it seemed like it really was a loan shark . And… it seemed like my prediction was slightly wrong .

It didn’t seem like it would become a big problem so I put on a smiled that insisted I was harmless and went inside . Despite being a junk shop, the 1st floor was neat and clean .

“Follow me . ”

The man took the lead and walked toward the stairs .

“It is the 2nd floor?”

After purposely speaking loudly, I followed him up and saw a crude iron door that didn’t suit the interior . When the door opened, there was an outwardly normal-looking reception room .

Including the guy who came up with me, F, F, F, E, D . And sitting on the sofa was Yoo Myeongwoo with a forced smile .

“Huh? Myeongwoo . ”

Wow, imagine seeing you here . As soon as I acted like I knew him, those guys, including Yoo Myeongwoo, turned to look at me .

“…Han Yoojin?”

“What, you know each other?”

The D sitting on the sofa opposite to Yoo Myeongwoo asked .

“We were friends when we were kids, and met a few days ago in front of the Hunter Association . ”

“Association? You’re an Awakened Person, too?”

“Yes . I’m just an F-Rank, though . ”

“FF?”

“I’m FE . Thankfully I qualify to be a Hunter . ”

At my words, D laughed beamingly, pretending to be nice . Then F2 came closer and added, pretending to be friendly .

“You’re a young man with a bright future, huh? Your name is Han Yoojin? Just now we were going to introduce an easy job that makes good money to your friend, do you want to join in?”

“A job?”

“That’s right . Your friend already contracted . ”

Did he already sign? Were these bastards trying to intecept someone else’s hard work? I was actually getting angry .

If it was a normal contract, then it wouldn’t matter, but if it was a Hunter-use contract, especially an illegal one, then it would get troublesome . Before I knocked things over, I guess I should check it carefully first .

“Can I also hear about it?”

“Of course! Here, here, sit down . ”

Thinking they caught a pushover, they even friendlily handed over coffee . Of course, it was an instant mix in a paper cup .

As I sat down next to him, Yoo Myeongwoo sneaked a peek at me anxiously . It seemed like he wanted to say something but his mouth wouldn’t open due to fear . It’s okay, so just sit there quietly .

“Our friend, when did you Awaken?”

D asked .

“On Friday . It’s only been few days . ”

“Then you probably don’t know much . This Hunter community, you know, isn’t an easy neighborhood . For an F-Rank, it’s hard to go around a dungeon, and it’s close to impossible to get into a guild . ”

“Is that true? But they say you make a lot of money if you become a Hunter…”

“To make a lot of money, you have to be E at least, and they don’t really let F’s into parties . ”

I put on an expression like I was hearing this for the first time in my life . Then, I gave a big sigh .

“I was happy because they said I was qualified to be a Hunter, it looks like I counted my chickens before they hatched[9] . ”

“Haha, does the world work that easily? But you don’t have to worry . I specially! Will put just you into a guild!”

“A guild?”

“That’s right, a guild! Basically, I mean we will specially let you join our Hope Resources Guild . The guild leader is C-Rank and I, the vice guild leader, am D-Rank . ”

“Wow, you are a D-Rank? Are all the people here all Hunters?”

“Of course . Hey, bring over a contract . ”

F2 put a contract on top of the table . Thankfully, it was a normal contract .

“The conditions are simple . Instead of the little F-Rank dungeons that don’t even make money, we’ll send you into no less than D-Ranks . Of course, our guild’s combat Hunters will handle the monsters, you and your friend only need to take care of the byproducts in this really easy, money-making job!”

“Ah, is that so . ”

So this was a mine worker contract .

Among dungeons, there was one called collection-type . It had a natural environment where useful flora and fauna lived, or a mining environment where minerals could be dug up, etc .

But usually, rather than collecting byproducts, magic stones and rewards from monsters had a lot more worth so if a Hunter had a certain amount of abilities, they didn’t do any collecting activies .

Of course, F-Ranks with low levels and no equipment could at least dig those up and sell them for good profit but collection-types that made money were D-Rank dungeons and higher .

So there were crappy guilds that pushed F-Ranks ‘miners’ into D-Rank collection-type dungeons . While official guild members hunted, the miners collected .

Miners, who had low ranks and levels and didn’t have any equipment, were frequently hurt or killed by attacks from monsters that weren’t handled yet . There wasn’t any compensation related to that of course and 70-80% of the collect byproducts were taken by the guild as a commission fee and barely a protection fee .

“Do you see here? As long as you join the guild, you can go into a D-Rank dungeon with D-Rank Hunters right away! And then you just have to pick and gather things that make money! It’s totally a piece of cake[10] . Getting only 20% might seem like a little but if you think of the dungeon bidding fee and supplying the D-Rank Hunters’ equipment, it’s definitely! Not little!”

“So you’re saying I just have to pick up things?”

“Of course, of course . You just have to stamp here . Thumbprints are good too . ”

I put down the contract that I was holding, with an extremely enthralled expression .

“Can I check just one more thing?”

“Just ask . ”

“The contract conditions seem good, but just in case, I want to compare it with Myeongwoo’s contract . My conditions might be lower . Since usually, the conditions of the person who came before are better . ”

At my words, D laughed loudly .

“Hey, this friend is thorough! Of course you can! Check to your heart’s content and then sign . ”

These guys had no structure, just showing off others’ contracts . F3 took Yoo Myeongwoo’s contract out of a vault and brought it over . It was also a contract on normal paper . Looking at that, there was no need to record this . Good, there was nothing to be hindered by .

I took Yoo Myeongwoo’s contract, and then ripped it lengthwise .

[1] this word can be used neutrally (I think) to mean ‘someone who is handicapped/disabled’, since that’s the original meaning, but it’s also used a lot as an (ableist) insult/slur, the way ‘r*tard’ or ‘cr*pple’ is in eng, so yeah >:/ I’ve seen it tl’d a lot as ‘fool’ or ‘idiot’, but that would be glossing over the insensitivity of the background of this word . I wasn’t sure if I should put it outright in the tl, but figured it would be censorship on my part if I didn’t, so I compromised and used ‘become crippled’ instead of ‘become a cr*pple’, since to my knowledge, the verb is okay while the noun is a slur . If I’m wrong about the verb being okay to use, then please let me know!

[2] lit . ‘like yeot’ where yeot is a type of krn taffy . Idk why ‘like yeot’ and ‘eat yeot’ became something bad when yeot is just a type of traditional confectionary but languages be like that

[3] idk if this is relevant but the word is the eng one transliterated into krn, tho I think that’s a common way (using the eng word, I mean) of referring to hamsters anyways

[4] lit . ‘a little like that’ which doesn’t make as much sense in eng, so I tweaked it

[5] it’s not that there was a thump over the phone, but the sound used here is, among other things, used when describing the sound of hanging up a phone call . It’s to imply that KSH hung up on YJ but the sentence doesn’t tl as well in eng .

[6] I don’t think I mentioned in prev . ch . s but ‘-dong’ in place names means ‘district’

[7] the 2nd half of this sentence is that ‘I request’ polite phrase again, but I thought this particular tl sounded better and brought out the meaning better in this particular case

[8] Either there is the typo in the text & the author meant ‘세라’ instead of ‘새라’ (both pronounced the same but the 2nd word, i . e . the one the author used, has no meaning), or I’m missing something here, but I’m like 90% it was a spelling typo

[9] lit . ‘just drank kimchi soup’ from the saying ‘don’t drink kimchi soup first’ or ‘people who get rice cakes don’t even dream but (you) drink kimchi soup first’

[10] lit . ‘lying down and eating rice cake’