episode_0033

I had a dream.

A very old dream.

A dream from before [that skill] had manifested.

“Oh, Chang-gi, it’s been a while~! Meeting in person instead of just talking on the phone feels like it’s been years!”

“It’s only been a few months since the end of vacation when we met, not years, Inma. And during vacation, your parents came down with you, remember?”

“They got into a fight while having a drink and went back up soon after! Every time we meet, we end up arguing about old stories, and you never seem to get tired of it~!”

“My mom is so persistent. It’s been years since that burn incident, and she’s still bringing it up.”

The two of us, wearing high school uniforms, were chatting away.

Even after moving, we kept in touch frequently and our parents would often bicker, but we still met up regularly.

From elementary school to middle school to high school… we actually had fewer days where we couldn’t meet.

There was distance between us, but not enough to keep us apart. During middle and high school, we met almost every day in the city.

“By the way, I still get surprised when I think about that time. I never thought you were a girl.”

“I had no idea you wouldn’t catch on until the third year of middle school.”

“Well, you were flat-chested! But how did I know that!”

“Even though I didn’t know, I was surprised when you suddenly tried to drag me to the men’s bath when I was about to enter the women’s bath! Do you know how shocked I was!?”

“I was wrong back then. But seriously, it’s like night and day compared to back then. How did you grow so much in just a few years?”

“Hmph.”

“Don’t sulk. Hey, isn’t your shoulder heavy?”

“It is. I have to keep changing my bra size because it doesn’t fit.”

“…Really?”

“Don’t look at me like that. You’re not using me as a punching bag, are you? If you are, I’ll kill you!?”

“Are you crazy? Who would use a mountain servant like you as a punching bag. If you’re going to do it, I prefer a curvy beauty with a plump butt~!”

“Ugh. You pervert.”

I jabbed his side.

Chang-gi, despite always speaking crudely, was a good friend and benefactor who respected my boundaries when I expressed discomfort.

He knew that I was quite excited by his teasing, but he found it amusing because my reactions were funny.

“If you keep showing that you want to do it… why don’t you have a girlfriend?”

“Girlfriend? I got rejected by Queen in our class when I confessed to her last time.”

“Why? You’re tall and handsome!”

“Handsome? You’re the only one who overestimates me. Outside, I’m just a loser. I don’t have any friends because I read comic books all the time. And girls don’t like me because of the burn scars.”

“Even if you say that, I won’t apologize~! Nyah!”

“I didn’t say it because I wanted to hear you apologize to me. I just said it.”

“For guys, scars are like medals. You’re a woman with no discerning eye.”

“That’s true.”

With that, the two of us laughed and leaned on each other.

Whenever Chang-gi put his arm around my shoulder, my heart would race.

I didn’t have any intention of dating. Not yet.

I just enjoyed those innocent times and often went out with him, hugging him like a friend.

“Come to think of it, do your parents say anything about us meeting?”

“They sometimes make snide remarks. They say I’ve already hurt you enough, so I shouldn’t burden you.”

“My parents say the same thing. They tell me not to burden your parents. To be careful not to casually offer favors.”

“Every time we meet, we end up arguing about old stories. It seems like our parents aren’t as bad as we think.”

At this point, I had a vague idea of what our parents were talking about.

When we meet, we fight at the drop of a hat, but it’s not like we have a bad relationship.

I’m subtly bringing up stories to connect me and Changgi.

I wondered what era we were in to be connecting like this… but I liked having parents like that.

“We’re all adults now. Everyone’s preparing for college entrance exams or getting certifications, what have you been up to?”

“I’ve been going to the Ora Gym for basic training these days.”

“Ora… wait, that’s hunter training!”

“Yeah.”

“Your family isn’t struggling financially! Why would you suddenly do something so dangerous!?”

“There was a hunter ranking test against the nation before. I didn’t participate then, but apparently I’m extremely talented. They said I’m at least S-rank? I haven’t reached the top yet, but getting a hunter rank is rare enough that they strongly recommended I try it out.”

“So you became a hunter? Even if that’s the case, why do something so risky…?”

“It’s S-rank~! Top of the top! So even if I get tricked, I’ll go along with it. I went to the Ora Gym for a bit and it immediately manifested!”

“R-really? That superpower-like thing we only see on the internet!?”

“Yes~! It’s real! They told me not to use it recklessly outside, so I can’t show you now, but I’ll show you later in secret!”

“Wow… that’s amazing…!”

“Hehe~! Changgi, what rank did you get?”

“Well, I’m just around D. They say I’ll be average with training.”

“Hey, that’s good. Most people can’t even get E, so starting with D means you have potential~!”

“Is that so?”

“Some people have trained to S-rank, so depending on your skills, you can make it work~?”

“Ugh….”

I wanted to stop myself at that time.

I knew what I was going to say from now on.

But I clung to the one I loved and rubbed my body against his.

From the side, I looked like a beast in heat. But pretending to be innocent was disgusting.

“It’s perfect timing. How about we become hunters together?”

“With you? Oh, so suddenly like this?”

“We don’t have anything else to do~! I’m S-rank and I’ve learned at Ora, so I can train you too, Changgi!”

“Even if you say that, becoming a hunter is too out of the blue. Your parents won’t just sit back, right?”

“Come on, say you’ll do it with me. If they get mad, we’ll run away together.”

“Run away… do you have a reason to do that with me?”

“You weren’t studying anyway. You didn’t prepare for college or get any certifications. Were you planning to just follow your parents and farm after graduation?”

“Well, that’s true but….”

“Let’s go together~! Don’t aim too high, just aim for mid-tier and make a lot of money to treat your parents well~!”

“Treat them well…?”

“They can’t spend their whole lives farming. They’re getting older.”

“………….”

I knew his weaknesses.

Beyond his rough language and vulgar behavior, he respected his parents.

I used that as an excuse.

Saying we should earn a lot and treat them well, I knew he wasn’t interested in farming at all.

I used his pure love for manga as a weakness.

…In conclusion.

“Changgi, do you know about this?”

“About what?”

“About hunters. If you reach a certain level, you’re exempt from military service?”

“What, really?”

“The Hwangdong Tower has 60 floors. The Baekun has 40 floors. The Hwanggeum has 20 floors.”

“Hwangdong starts getting tough from the 50th floor, Baekun from the 30th. Aren’t the hurdles too high?”

“I could easily reach the 70th floor. Let’s go together. I’ll support you.”

“I can’t stand it when you talk like that.”

It was a cheat.

A bad word that could drag Changgi into becoming a hunter no matter what.

I only dragged him in because of my ‘desire as a woman’ to travel with him.

At that time, I didn’t even realize I had such feelings.

I just thought it would be fun to become a hunter with Changgi… it was just a vague thought.

Stupid bitch.

“Shit, my parents are pissed. If you don’t come in right now, they’re gonna pluck out all your pubic hair.”

“Why are you treating us like innocent little kids?”

“You’re treating us like a man-eating gumiho. Why are you dragging other people’s precious sons into such dangerous things?”

“Our parents are the same. They said they would kill any man who dares to mess with their precious daughter.”

“Is this messed up?”

“We’ve already done it, so what can we do now? Anyway! I found a good guild!”

“Where?”

“It’s called 【Maan】. It’s a newly established guild, and the mother and daughter are running it together. And on top of that! The female guild master there is the same age as us! She’s really skilled! We can definitely rise quickly there! Let’s join now while there are plenty of people and secure a high-ranking position!”

“Joining a guild with our parents…?”

“There must be a reason for it. When I talked to them last time, they were both gentle and good people. So, what do you say, wanna go?”

“You have a good eye for people. Alright, let’s go.”

“OK! This way. Let’s go~!”

After becoming adults and leaving home, we lived together.

Our first guild was 【Maan】, and we hit the jackpot before it rose to fame.

We trained hard and quickly improved our skills, and Changgi also became stronger as a result.

Even though we were D-ranked, it seemed like we had bought our skills.

Perhaps it was because of my good physical abilities, but in some ways, Changgi was much stronger than me, and we made a big impact together.

“Hey, aren’t those two the executives from Maan?”

“Yes, they are. They’re the young couple who recently reached the 75th floor.”

“Ah, they look so fresh and nice.”

“If only I were a few years younger…”

“It’s a rare opportunity, should we apply for a party with them?”

“Oh, stop it. They got stuck on the 80th floor. I heard they’re moving to the Tower of a Hundred Floors for hunting.”

“Isn’t that area still underexplored?”

“Yes. It’s obvious they’re going for the rewards.”

“Ah, they’re diligent even though they’re young…”

People around us began to recognize us.

We knew that our skills had reached a plateau, and we would move to another place soon.

Changgi and I had no skills.

“Are you sure about this?”

“About what?”

“You seem too hasty. We’re doing well here without any sense of danger. Why do you want to move to a new hunting ground?”

“You’re right, we don’t feel any danger here. They say hunters need to feel danger to activate their skill cards, so I thought it would be a good experience to visit a different tower.”

“But the Tower of a Hundred Floors… the guild master and deputy guild master were against it.”

“They weren’t completely against it. They mentioned that they might move to that area soon. But they thought it was too early for now.”

“That’s true. Let’s not act recklessly.”

“Come on, let’s go and scout ahead! Please, Changgi! Let’s just check it out once! Please?”

We were reasonably strong.

But I couldn’t stop my desire here.

The reason was simple.

One day, I heard someone gossiping about the person I loved.

Changgi was my savior and lover, so I had enough reason to go wild.

“These bastards… just because we don’t have any skills, they look down on Changgi…”

“We made it to the 70th floor of the Tower of Bronze, but they say we don’t have skills…”

“They exempted me from military service, but I want to give Changgi a skill card…”

Even I had a tendency to show some favoritism to the man I liked.

I was truly foolish and sick with love…

Now the barrier has become even more severe, but at that time, I had such thoughts even though I was well-behaved.

“Let’s just go up to the 30th floor! How about it, call?”

“We can handle the 30th floor with our skills…”

“Right? That’s why I prepared a map!”

“Oh, you really called me with that intention from the beginning? No wonder you asked me to bring equipment!”

“Hehe~! Oops!”

“You know you’re going to get scolded when we get back, right?”

“Why? Are you planning something naughty again?”

“…Shut up.”

“Hehehe~!”

Up until now, they were lovers without any physical intimacy.

Although they had only been dating for a short while, it was a time when the atmosphere was starting to heat up, and they thought it might be good to take the next step.

In that sense, they were greatly looking forward to this event of leaving the guild home.

They even thought about booking a lodging near the Baek Eun Tower to seduce each other secretly… if only things hadn’t turned out that way.

“Hey… don’t run away…”

“Y-You can’t… don’t leave me! How can I let you go like this!!”

“If this continues, we’ll both be done for…”

When they came to their senses, they were on the 51st floor of the Baek Eun Tower.

They had climbed much higher than they initially expected.

I seduced, I led, I made a mistake.

The result of not knowing the enemy was too weak and lifting their feet was this.

“If only I hadn’t provoked the enemy!”

“If only I hadn’t insisted on climbing higher!”

“If only I had given up quietly on the 30th floor and not been greedy for skills!”

A huge boulder, like a mountain, descended on their lower body.

The body of the one they loved disappeared deep into the ground.

“Aaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!”

“I’m sorry! I was wrong!”

“I was greedy! I’ll receive the punishment, so please, even if I have to die, please save Changgi!”

“Lord of the Tower! Please, are you listening!?”

“She’s not someone who should die in a place like this! She’s really a good person!”

“She saved me! She’s really kind!”

“So please, give her back!!”

“I’ll take the punishment!!!”

When they came to their senses, they were begging.

They were desperate.

In the midst of their pleading, the boulder that had killed Changgi approached.

They probably thought they would die together. And in reality, they did.

Because they were crushed.

“Hey.”

“Hey, what are you doing?”

And then, hell began.

“It’s the day of the meeting today, and you’re still lying there. What are you going to do?”

“…Huh? Changgi? Seriously, Changgi?”

“Yeah, I’m Hong Changgi. Why aren’t you getting up? The guild leader has been waiting for you.”

When they came to their senses, they were lying on the bed.

The one who had died was waking them up.

I should have accepted this miracle at that moment.