NOVEL NEXT CH 5
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**An A-Class Flame Hunter and the Illegitimate Child of the Samma Group.**
Up until about the middle of
Ironically, he was also the most popular supporting character.
It was all due to his outstanding looks and venomous personality.
The author had even mentioned it before.
Villains who harbor poison tend to be more glamorous.
I used to like Samma Young quite a bit.
He was a bad guy, but having someone like that on my side would make me feel more secure.
There was a time I hoped Samma Young would stop opposing Kang Han and become part of the same team.
But that was when he was just a character in a book; now he’s nothing but a headache for me.
“I need to do something about him.”
He’s set to awaken as an S-Class, but he’s going to return darker and more vicious.
Then he’ll make life hell for the Justice Guild, obstructing everything they do.
“Do you think I’ll let that happen?”
There’s a mountain of things to do.
The advertisement next to the bus displayed a slogan in slightly smaller font than a photo of Samma Young.
**[There are grades even in the market, “Samma Hunter Market”]**
Wow, how can they come up with such a perfect ad?
That ad must have been planned by Samma Young himself.
At that moment, a taxi that had been idle for a while began to move again.
The last glimpse I caught of Samma Young’s face was still strikingly handsome to the point of being overwhelming.
* * *
“Look at that style.”
As I got out of the taxi and looked up, the scale of the Korea Awakener Association was so immense that it was hard to take in all at once.
The modern building complex, constructed where luxury hotels used to be across from City Hall, was uniquely topped with a hanok-style eaves.
It was unmistakably the Korea Awakener Association.
“Ah, I can’t resist my national pride.”
I wasn’t the only one thinking that; several people who appeared to be tourists were taking pictures in a frenzy.
Inside this grand and beautiful association complex, facilities for hunters were perfectly equipped.
From training facilities to a research center studying gate ecosystems, a support center helping hunters efficiently tackle dungeons, and the awakening registration center where I had matters to attend to today.
“It’ll be perfect once we replace that association head bastard.”
After admiring the building a bit longer, I headed to the information desk.
“Hello, how can I assist you today?”
The receptionist greeted me with an unnaturally wide smile.
“I’m looking for the awakening registration center.”
“Ah.”
…Ah?
Something about her reaction seemed odd; she handed me a map with noticeably less friendliness than before.
Then, pointing to a small building in the corner of the map that was barely visible, she said, “Go here.”
It was so small I had to squint at the map to see it properly.
“It’s in the basement of the next building over.”
“Basement… 4th floor.”
Yeah, with a large building and expansive grounds, of course, there would be a basement.
But still, this was a bit much.
“Ah, okay. Thank you for your help.”
I turned around and walked away from the desk, making my way for a long time.
And walked some more.
The windows became fewer, and the once dazzling interior grew strangely lackluster.
Finally, arriving at the most remote building on the association grounds, I was greeted by a slightly creaky escalator.
Down, down.
As I reached the 4th basement floor, as the staff had mentioned.
“Wow, the association really knows how to make it tough.”
Under the shabby fluorescent lights, in stark contrast to the natural light pouring in from the vast windows I had seen earlier, a waiting room resembled a bustling market, packed with aspiring hunters sitting tightly together like beans in a pod.
Out of the entire population, only 0.01% are chosen by the system.
Even if they manage to awaken, the chance of getting a C-class or higher title of ‘Hunter’ is less than 10%.
The odds are horrendous, but the mindset of “Still, if I can awaken” has long been ingrained in everyone’s minds.
Facing monsters that humans cannot combat with strength, guns, or bombs brings about significant danger and the risk of rampaging.
Yet, despite all that, the profession of Hunter became an object of envy.
In other words, all the people packed into this small space, well over 100, were aspiring hunters.
What’s even more disheartening is that very few people here, like me, seem to show signs of awakening.
Most of them are desperately scanning in hopes that maybe today they’ll finally awaken, like scratching a lottery ticket.
“Where do I go from here?”
With so many people, it was challenging to grasp the center’s layout all at once.
Farther from the rows of seats that looked like bank waiting chairs, I spotted a few people dressed neatly in suits or uniforms bearing their guild’s name, sitting and staring blankly at their phones.
They must be headhunters from various guilds.
Though the odds are slim, they wait in hopes of recruiting a new awakening with a decent grade.
“Ugh, it’s hard to see them sitting way in the back like that.”
I made my way toward the reception desk I barely spotted.
“Hello. I’m here for the awakening test…”
“Fill out this application form and wait over there.”
Before I even finished my sentence, the disinterested receptionist thrust a clipboard at me.
“The test fee is 50,000 won, and there are no refunds even if you don’t awaken.”
As if she had been through this routine a thousand times, her monotonous tone felt like a vending machine dispensing drinks. I filled out the application.
Then I handed it back and asked, “How long is the wait?”
“Do you see the people over there?”
The center staff pointed to the waiting area with the pen tip.
“Once those people are done, it’ll be your turn.”
In other words, it meant there wouldn’t be any public during the waiting time.
I had prepared for this.
I pulled a piece of paper from my bag and handed it to the receptionist.
“I have a medical opinion stating I have awakening waves.”
“A medical opinion?”
The receptionist paused her work and looked up at me for the first time.
“Yes, with this, I should move up in the priority list, right?”
“Uh, yeah, that’s right.”
The receptionist, still looking a bit bewildered, nodded as she carefully reviewed the opinion letter before clearing her throat and saying, “The awakening scanner is currently being checked. I’ll call your name as soon as it’s done, so please wait nearby.”
Just as expected.
I was glad I got the opinion letter before leaving the hospital.
Otherwise, I would have been stuck waiting all day in that crowd.
Maybe sensing something from my conversation with the receptionist, I could feel the gaze of headhunters sneaking glances at me from behind.
But that’s neither here nor there.
I nodded to the receptionist and started to survey the waiting room.
“The main building is so dazzling.”
I recalled the entrance that had looked like a subway ticket gate behind the receptionist who handed me the map.
As long as I have an awakening registration card, I can use all the facilities behind it.
But if not, I’m out of luck.
As I walked slowly through the waiting room, enjoying the ambiance as if I were visiting a tourist spot, I noticed a large frame mounted on the wall.
It was a historical timeline, something commonly found in public institutions.
However, I couldn’t let the content slip by unnoticed.
**“The History of Dungeon Breaks”**
A Dungeon Break is a type of disaster that occurs when a gate’s dungeon isn’t cleared within a certain time limit or when the number of monsters within is not adequately controlled.
In other words, it’s when monsters from inside the gate spill out into the outside world.
This inevitably results in numerous civilian casualties among those who cannot contend with the monsters, leaving behind horrifying devastation.
“Ugh, how can they hang such graphic photos without a mosaic?”
The picture showed corpses scattered everywhere, smoke billowing up, and shattered buildings in vivid detail.
A disaster that, once it occurs, leaves such immense devastation that it’s feared the most by people in this world is a Dungeon Break.
The timeline explained five major disasters that had occurred to date.
My gaze fell upon the most recent one, the 5th Dungeon Break.
**“The 5th Dungeon Break caused by the reckless assault of the Justice Guild and the late Guild Leader, Kang Young-won, Hunter. Cheonho Station area in Gangdong-gu.”**
This incident was precisely why Kang Han and the Justice Guild had hit rock bottom.
At the time, the elite assault team of the Justice Guild did not survive and was completely annihilated.
Among them was, of course, Kang Han’s mother, S-Class Hunter Kang Young-won.
As a result, the Justice Guild had to pay astronomical compensation for the responsibility of the Dungeon Break.
The debts Kang Han is currently repaying were born from that time.
“Ugh, it’s so frustrating.”
Thinking of Kang Han, who struggled to exchange his pride and self-esteem for money, made me feel suffocated.
“That’s why it’s even more frustrating.”
The Cheonho-dong dungeon, which the Justice Guild failed to conquer, was merely the start of an unmeasurable number of mutation gates that would become increasingly frequent in the future.
And yet, there was nothing but a blank wall.
Just as I was eyeing the spot where
the timeline ended, a scream pierced the air.
“Uh! Huh?”
“Don’t just stand there! Someone call for help!”
A tall man, holding a woman who seemed to be a staff member, was shaking her as he rushed toward the reception desk.
“Help! This woman has collapsed! Someone, get her a doctor!”
A huge commotion erupted in the waiting room.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know, she just suddenly collapsed.”
The commotion continued to escalate as the front desk staff hurriedly moved toward the screaming man.
“Please stand back!”
“Hurry!”
As the man tried to lay the woman on the floor, he realized she had turned gray, her breathing shallow, and her body completely stiff.
The shock was palpable.
“Someone, call an ambulance!”
The commotion grew as more people rushed to the scene, but…
“No way…”
Someone murmured.
The tone was so low it sounded almost distant, but I could hear the panic laced within it.
A chill crept down my spine.
That gray skin… There was only one explanation.
“Awakening…”
Before I could even finish my thought, a strong feeling swept over the waiting room.
And a familiar presence came crashing down like a wave.
* * *
I quickly turned my head to escape the growing tension.
“Calm down.”
That was all I could muster in my mind as I surveyed the other hunters.
Those from different guilds who were waiting for their turn began to exchange uneasy glances.
My heart raced as if about to explode.
“Awakening…”
The term echoed in my head.
How could it be?
But that wasn’t the only problem.
“What should I do? What if I…?”
The waiting room, which had been filled with excitement and hope just moments ago, had turned into a cauldron of confusion.
“Damn it. What’s wrong with you?”
The tall man was still holding the woman, shaking her desperately, while the staff members hastily sought the location of the medical assistance they promised.
This is bad.
I clenched my fists, sweat pouring down my back as I silently gritted my teeth.
“If that’s the case…”
* * *
The situation was worsening, and I didn’t want to stick around to witness it.
I turned my back to the chaos, heading toward the exit.
But then, in the midst of the commotion, my gaze locked onto a woman sitting across from me.
The moment I saw her, time seemed to freeze.
**Her hair flowed like a river, her features delicately carved, and her gaze so clear that it cut through the chaos.**
I couldn’t shake off the familiarity; it was as if I had known her all my life.
“Y-You…?”
I had never met her before, yet somehow, she felt intensely familiar.
That stare.
And her lips curled up, just enough to express a sense of belonging.
The world swirled around us as if encapsulated in a bubble.
“W-What…?”
The moment of recognition seemed to last forever.
But the moment I took a step forward, the woman’s gaze shifted elsewhere.
And she vanished as if she had never been there.
“Hey! Hey!”
The turmoil of the waiting room faded, and I could only hear the panicked voices echoing faintly.
“Please, someone, call an ambulance!”
I felt like I was losing grip on reality.
A headache throbbed violently, and I staggered back.
“Did I just imagine it…?”
I tried to rationalize it, but the sense of loss and confusion drowned me completely.
“Damn it.”
I tried to regain my composure.
Then, I hurriedly made my way toward the exit.
“Focus.”
But all I could see was that woman’s face.
It was as if I was trapped in a dream from which I couldn’t awaken.
* * *
Once I stepped outside, I took a deep breath, attempting to calm my frayed nerves.
But I couldn’t shake the image of that woman from my mind.
“Who was she…?”
My heart raced, desperately searching for a name that wouldn’t come.
With every breath, it felt like I was drawing in a thin veil of hope.
“Please…”
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t help but wonder.
“Was that… my destiny?”