episode_0005

First, I asked my old friend, 【adult】 Song Seong-yeon, about the achievements she made before becoming a Hunter.

In the middle of our conversation, the Ranker neatly cut a piece of well-cooked pork belly and wrapped it for me to eat.

“Ah~.”

“Are you really gay?”

“Just taking care of you since it’s been a while we met. Why make a big deal out of it? No, seeing you react like that, are you…?”

“You bastard. Are you crazy?”

“Haha~ Look at you reacting like that. Hey, did you get turned on by me?”

“Oh, just give it to me, damn it. Stop eating because it’s dirty.”

“Ugh, being sulky~!”

Knowing that if I reacted strongly, it would come back at me, I just took it in.

Damn. It was delicious.

“Where were we in our conversation?”

“We were talking about… how you formed a guild after becoming a Hunter and conquered the Hwangdong Tower?”

“Yes, yes~. By conquering the Hwangdong Tower, I gained a lot of skills and techniques. The skills I acquired were more towards the [Hunter Comprehensive Headquarters] side… So, I left it to the government and traveled around different countries whenever I had the chance, using my skills to volunteer and help in places with food shortages.”

“They talked a lot about you on TV. They said you hired many people who were worried no one would call them by their real names, right?”

“Yes, I hired many. I hired a lot, didn’t I? It’s my pride. Conquering the tower, volunteering, I was very busy, but it was worth it.”

Meanwhile, there were also people on TV who criticized Seong-yeon’s actions.

They questioned why someone with such abilities was traveling abroad. As various countries were engaging in a technological competition using Tower technology, such criticisms existed everywhere.

“The next thing I tackled was the military. Do you know what I did then?”

So Seong-yeon made a move. A significant one at that.

He achieved a feat that silenced those critics, something any Korean man would applaud.

“I’m one of the direct beneficiaries of your kindness, so how could I not know? After Hunters and Towers emerged, Kim’s regime collapsed, and when the new regime took over, just as North-South relations were improving, you resolved the imminent war situation due to food shortages. Thanks to you, the North-South Peace Treaty was signed.”

The threat of North-South war completely disappeared.

Thanks to this, people like me with even a bit of talent were all sent back to the reserves, and laws were enacted to allow those aspiring to be Hunters to bypass military service.

At that time, the government wanted a large number of Hunters to conquer the Tower, so they significantly increased the number of Hunters climbing the Tower as an opportunity.

The internet went wild with joy.

I was too.

“Were you in the military?”

“Around 23…? When I was a private, orders came down to the unit. I was really confused on my way home, thinking, ‘What is going on?’ Without even a discharge certificate, as I stumbled home, I wondered if it was a dream until letters flew into my house and I saw the internet festival, then I felt reality sink in.”

“The government officials were in a hurry because three Towers were erected, so they needed Hunters urgently. We were worried that monsters might return like in North Korea.”

“Hey, I still wonder if this is a dream and if I’m actually dozing off in my room at the Ministry of the Interior. Is this a dream? If not, there’s no way my childhood friend did something crazy like that.”

“Fortunately, it’s reality. Don’t worry.”

“I’m not suddenly being conscripted, am I?”

“Since it’s voluntary enlistment now, that won’t happen. Chang-gi, you’re 100% civilian.”

“Is that so? Really? Oh, active-duty soldiers were happy because their salaries increased. It’s great.”

Currently, there are hunters heading to North Korea for missions. Through an agreement made at that time, they have established a cooperative relationship between North and South Korea, periodically calling upon hunters due to monsters flowing back through the tower. With Kim’s regime having collapsed not long ago and being busy with internal reforms, there is no reason for friction between them.

“North-South Hunter Agreement. Improving the food situation in impoverished countries. Currently focusing on conquering the Hwangdong Tower….”

“Impressive?”

“Very. How did someone as insignificant as you manage to pull that off? I’m impressed!”

“Hehe~! I worked really hard, you know? Come on, give me some praise!”

After brushing off his nose, he chuckled softly, finding it cute, then ruffled my hair so much that it felt like it was going to fly away before enjoying some drinks.

Rather than envying him like a childhood friend, I was genuinely proud, so this time, I treated him to a meal.

“Hehe. Oh~ You’re quite something. Thanks for protecting my youth. This is a small token of my appreciation.”

“Your heartfelt gesture! I’ll enjoy it~!”

Nom nom!

As I took a bite of the meal, I couldn’t swallow it and ended up lightly nibbling on my fingertip.

“-Chomp♪”

His thin tongue licked my finger clearly.

“Hey, you!”

“You got sauce on it~!”

“Why have you been like this since earlier?”

When I accused him of being a pervert, he either found my reaction amusing or funny, giggling.

He acted like a brat.

If it were just an ordinary man, he would have probably thrown a punch right away, but for some reason, what this guy was doing felt more like aegyo than anything else.

Is this a dangerous signal?

“Am I really gay?”

Why do I feel this way about such behavior? Frustrated, I quickly downed my drink.

“Ma’am! Two more bottles here, please~!”

-Yes! Two more bottles of soju for table 7!

-Right away!

I hadn’t even finished a sip, and we had already drunk everything.

Goodness, at this rate, we might end up wasted. I need to control myself, but I can’t because of this guy.

“Anyway, that’s all there is to my story. It’s not much different from what’s shown on TV. Except recently, they’ve been relocating bases to conquer the Golden Tower, right?”

“They control internal information at the government level, don’t they?”

“Yes. Hwangdong, Baekun, and the Golden… It’s the most difficult tower but also the most problematic.”

“What’s the situation like?”

“I can’t talk about that here. We didn’t meet up for me to discuss these things with you over drinks.”

Instead, he followed up by pouring more drinks into our glasses, wanting to hear my story.

This devilish guy. He’s trying to get me drunk.

“Is there anything special about me? When I became an adult, my parents said if I wasn’t going to college, then at least work or get a certification, but I impulsively said I’d become a hunter.”

“Weren’t your parents against it?”

“Not really. They said where would a guy who looks like he’s in pain from burns go anyway. Shut up and prepare for a civil servant job, they said, which made me rebellious. So I impulsively entered the tower, started punching the second floor bare-handed, luckily learned something, and made it this far.”

“Did you do everything alone?”

“Of course. I learned to come here and learn from books and HunterTube. The world is truly great. Top-tier hunters even share such things for free.”

Then, a military warrant was issued, so he went to the military, thanks to Sangyeon, he came out immediately and resumed working as a hunter.

“My parents are still strongly opposed. Where did they hear that lower-ranked hunters are trash? They kept saying that. Last Chuseok, when I went down, they were so stubborn that they even cursed in front of our ancestors, saying they wouldn’t listen even if they died.”

“That’s right. It’s because of your stubbornness that I survived.”

Once again, he gently brushed my hand.

Damn gay bastard.

Is this feeling of dark humor in his actions just my imagination?

“Embarrassing. Stop touching me because it’s embarrassing.”

“Hehehe~♪”

It was a fox-like laugh.

That’s not a face a guy should make.

“In the D rank, there’s even a stigma attached to it. The rumors weren’t good, so what happened there?”

“Just, that’s how it turned out.”

“Just how it turned out? There must be a reason for it. Stop avoiding eye contact and spill it to me.”

Even when staring so obviously, it was awkward.

It wasn’t about being labeled as a sinner or anything like that; it was genuinely my fault.

“I don’t know what you’re expecting, but it’s just as the rumors say. I used to scavenge corpses in the lower levels. Especially if the corpse had identification, handing it over to the [Hunter Association] would fetch a reward. The compensation was quite substantial, so over the past year, I’ve been scavenging excessively, which led to that kind of stigma.”

“Today everyone was suspicious. Whether Chang-gi harmed someone. If not, whether he tampered with the bodies. I know you’re not the type to do such things, but…”

“They didn’t say anything wrong. I didn’t harm anyone, but I did occasionally touch objects. Rather than letting a dead person use them, I preferred to use them myself.”

“….”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t touch your kids.”

“No, I never suspected that. As you know, it’s really rare for remains to be returned to the families when someone dies in the Tower. Since everyone else ignores them, there are surely people who appreciate you actively retrieving them, even if it’s for money.”

That statement wasn’t wrong either.

The Hunter Association and the families were always grateful to me.

So, I live with my head held high.

“Do you have a skill for scavenging corpses?”

“Whether you call it a skill or something unique, honestly, it’s not a skill to show off to others, so…”

“What’s with that?”

“Sigh.”

I hesitated on whether to say this.

My embarrassing skill. The damn skill bestowed upon me by someone in the Tower.

Damn it.

“Want another drink?”

“Pour me one.”

I downed the drink Sung-yeon handed me.

As she also wrapped another ssam (wrap) for me as a side dish, I naturally accepted it now.

Not a lover, so why is she treating me so well?

Damn gay bastard.

“Feel like talking now?”

“Don’t talk about it elsewhere.”

“I’ll see it for myself and decide.”

“Really! I said I’m not showing this anywhere!”

“It’s okay, show me. What’s so embarrassing between us?”

“Between us? It’s an awkward relationship after decades of not seeing each other.”

“Oh, Chang-gi. I’m a Ranker in my own right. Maybe I can help you.”

“…Arrogant bastard.”

Mocking Rankers only at times like this, I took another sip. I subtly accepted the wrap this gay guy provided.

…Tasty.

“Forget it. Hey, look at me closely.”

“Like this?”

“[Skill Information Disclosure].”

As I muttered softly, I revealed the skill above my palm.

Beyond the transparent SF-style interface, familiar descriptions were listed.

[Nectar(Νέκταρ) (E~?)]

[Your semen gains the power to attract females.]

[Has a slight cosmetic effect.]

An E-rank skill unknown to English.

For all its grandiose name, it was pretty useless.

“What on earth is this…”

Even Sung-yeon, a seasoned Ranker who had seen it all, couldn’t hide his confusion at my skill.