Chapter 12: Collision Pt. 1

“You took down an orc? How did you manage that? Why didn’t you say anything about it yesterday?”

Kim Su-Yeong put the newspaper in front of Lee Jun-Kyeong, as if signaling him to reread it, and repeated his question. Lee Jun-Kyeong read through the article.

“There’s no identifying information about me.”

While the newspaper covered the Super Rookie's birth, there was no personal information detailing who it was. At most, there was some information describing the recent Tutorial and the Rookie’s awakening rank of D. However, the Hunters who had participated in the Tutorial with Lee Jun-Kyeong and their acquaintances most likely would be able to identify it as him.

“Hunter Lee?” Kim Su-Yeong called out.

Lee Jun-Kyeong blinked. “Ah, yes.”

The other man asked patiently, “Could you please explain why you didn’t tell me yesterday?”

“Yesterday…”

‘It was because the beef was so delicious.’

Lee Jun-Kyeong swallowed that thought down and instead asked, “But what were you trying to point out by showing me this?”

Kim Su-Yeong looked incredulous. “What did I want to point out… I’m saying that Hunters are now getting more attention than celebrities!”

“So what about that is important enough for you to point out?”

“Well…”

Kim Su-Yeong quickly shut his mouth. That was right. What was so important about it that he had to come to Lee Jun-Kyeong’s house this early in the morning? Although it was important enough to have been plastered across the newspaper's front page, it wasn’t as if Lee Jun-Kyeong’s personal information had been leaked.

“Whether it’s the giant guilds or high-ranking members of the association, they all probably know about me, don’t they?”

Lee Jun-Kyeong was right. Even if the media hadn’t covered it, it wasn’t like he had attended the Tutorial alone. It was clear that they would have been interested in him anyway due to just how unusual his actions had been. Kim Su-Yeong lowered his head in a strange sense of defeat.

‘What did I just do?’

He thought to himself, concerned if he had to explain that he was just too excited. To explain that he had run to this place as soon as he saw the newspaper because of a strange feeling. That it was the feeling of knowing some sort of secret that no one else knew about.

“While you’re here, I have a favor to ask you,” Lee Jun-Kyeong said, interrupting Kim Su-Yeong’s weird train of thought.

“I want to start attacking dungeons.”

***

Lee Jun-Kyeong was the Hunter who had awakened as a D-Rank, and was the emerging Super Rookie who had defeated an orc. While others struggled to describe him, Lee Jun-Kyeong was lost in his own contemplations.

‘The Familiar…’

Familiar summons was a power that was only available to a Hero among Heroes. Only the chosen ones among the Hunters, who were favored by the Sponsors, could touch it. He had earned a power that even the Demon King had taken a while to acquire at a blinding pace, a power he had used without any fear.

‘What the hell is this?’

Lee Jun-Kyeong felt confused. The Familiars of the Heroes had been widely known later on, as the Familiars were just as, if not more, loved and famous as the Heroes themselves. Lee Jun-Kyeong knew most of the Familiars, even the ones only found in the book that were unknown to most people; that said, this was the first time he had encountered a Familiar like this.

“Ha…”

Lee Jun-Kyeong’s eyes drifted toward his right wrist to look at a never before seen bracelet that was now hanging upon it. There was a small skull that looked like it was threaded on a thread made of iron. At first glance, it appeared to be a rustic design that may have been in fashion. This was the Familiar Lee Jun-Kyeong had summoned.

His Familiar.

[A Skull That Contains Souls]

[Familiar]

Information about the Familiar came up as soon as Lee Jun-Kyeong desired it. Underneath, there was a brief description of its powers.

[Cannot be activated because it does not contain a soul.]

It was too short and difficult to understand.

‘Isn’t this similar to an item?’

A Familiar was a being that appeared with strong powers from the beginning while supporting the Hunter. They were usually beings with powerful innate powers or some special animals.

‘There were some that were similar to this.’

Among Lee Jun-Kyeong’s vast knowledge of the types of Familiars, some Familiars resembled items.

‘And the strongest of them all was his weapon.’

He was someone who Lee Jun-Kyeong had to encounter someday. He was a Hero who had dominated this era. It was said that his weapon was this type of Familiar.

Shoo!

While Lee Jun-Kyeong had been thinking deeply about this matter, a spear cut through the wind.

“Kehek!”

There was a final scream; a monster had lost its life. Green blood and corpses still leaking blood filled the area around him. These dead monsters were very familiar to him. After all, they were goblins.

[You have leveled up.]

[ is satisfied with your performance.]

[You have cleared the dungeon.]

The magical energy that filled the gate dungeon began to transform. It was a sign that the dungeon was dissolving. As Lee Jun-Kyeong was quickly picking up the items and spoils of battle, someone softly commented, “You’ve been through a lot.”

Before long, he was Kim Su-Yeong’s familiar face waiting for him. The dungeon had been cleared, and Lee Jun-Kyeong was pushed out.

“...”

He embarrassedly straightened his waist, which had been bent while picking up items.

“You’ve already succeeded in conquering your fourth dungeon.”

The more he got to know Kim Su-Yeong, the more he felt as though the manager was an odd fellow. Every time Lee Jun-Kyeong closed a dungeon, no one was more elated than Kim Su-Yeong. Furthermore, no one was as amazed as the manager whenever he thought Lee Jun-Kyeong had gotten stronger. He was a very easy-to-read person.

‘I’m grateful.’

Kim Su-Yeong was someone to be appreciated. He had only ever received this type of sincerity from one other person, Yeo Seong-Gu. Unexpectedly, Kim Su-Yeong had started to become a special person to him.

“You can hand me the spoils and the items to me for processing and sale.”

As Kim Su-Yeong reached out, Lee Jun-Kyeong naturally took all of the items out of his inventory and handed them to him.

The Inventory was a unique storage space, also called a subspace, that could only be received by Hunters who had been acknowledged by the Sponsors. Of course, it wasn’t something that required special attention to obtain, so it was still something that any Hunter who had grown to a certain point would receive.

“Thank you for the items. We will deposit the funds once the sale has been completed. Furthermore…”

“You don’t have to tell me you’ll do it for free,” said Lee Jun-Kyeong, cutting off the other man. While Kim Su-Yeong had started to become a special person to Lee Jun-Kyeong, this was still a relationship built on using each other. It wasn’t with negative intent. It was a business relationship built on trust and mutual benefit. It was not like there was a guild backing Lee Jun-Kyeong either, so some benefits were expected as by-products when managing a special Hunter. It was a given that Kim Su-Yeong wasn’t helping Lee Jun-Kyeong from only the kindness in his heart.

‘They also said there’s a certain level of commission every time I cleared a gate, right?’

That was why guilds were trying to accept even the most haphazard Hunter. For Hunters in guilds, the guild would handle everything Kim Su-Yeong had been doing and, therefore, earn additional commission.

It was a complicated system.

“Has the next dungeon been booked?” Lee Jun-Kyeong immediately asked Kim Su-Yeong.

The other man suggested, "How about getting some rest?"

"…"

"It seems like you’re overdoing it." Kim Su-Yeong continued to speak while waving his hands at Lee Jun-Kyeong’s furrowed expression, “I wasn’t presuming to give you advice or anything. Simply put, there are no more dungeons to reserve currently.”

“Huh?”

Lee Jun-Kyeong’s puzzlement was warranted. After all, this was a world overrun by dungeons. In fact, their problem was that they couldn’t close all the dungeon gates. To think that it was impossible to book one. That wasn’t a thought that made much sense. Kim Su-Yeong continued to speak as if he had caught on to Lee Jun-Kyeong’s confusion and irritation, “There is a guild that has slowly been making a name for itself these days and had reserved more than 20 low-level dungeons simultaneously.”

“Wait, what?” Lee Jun-Kyeong asked incredulously.

No matter how low level these dungeons were, to think they had claimed more than twenty of them. Lee Jun-Kyeong was bewildered, wondering what the Hunter Association had been thinking in accepting such a reservation. But, seemingly noticing his expression again, Kim Su-Yeong continued, “Of course, while the Association had originally refused the request… But they had no choice but to accept it later as the guild had completely cleared all the gates it had been able to reserve.”

It was impressive. That was Lee Jun-Kyeong’s honest impression after hearing Kim Su-Yeong’s explanation. It was no different than the guild expressing their confidence in their ability to clear more than twenty dungeons in a short time.

“Still, there are some low-level gates in the countryside. Should I make some reservations there?”

“No.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong shook his head. The gates in the countryside weren’t efficient. Even if it wasn’t something Kim Su-Yeong had brought up, Lee Jun-Kyeong had already been thinking about taking a break.

“Then I’ll reach out to you later.”

After Lee Jun-Kyeong had said those final words, he left the area where the gate had occurred.

***

‘A guild that could reserve more than twenty dungeons at a time in this era…’

Even though they were called low-level, reserving more than twenty dungeons and clearing them efficiently wasn’t an easy task. To think that the Hunter Association had no choice but to accept the reservation after recognizing their skills.

‘That’s ridiculous.’

That sounded absurd. The profit to be gained from a single gate was beyond imagination. The Hunter Association’s job wasn’t simply to just manage the Hunters and save people. Instead, they tended to pursue their interests first. The fact that they would accept the guild’s ridiculous reservation request meant something else.

‘There must be some sort of connection.’

A connection so extensive that he had to be concerned about it. No matter how low level the dungeons were, for a guild, especially an emerging guild, to raid more than twenty dungeons was the same as letting them monopolize all of the profits from more than twenty dungeons.

‘They are supporting them.’

It was clear that the Hunter Association was trying to raise the guild. But then, he wondered, who would it be? Whose guild was that guild?

‘If I had to guess…’

There was one. But if it really was who he was concerned about, then there were definitely conflicts that could occur between them because Lee Jun-Kyeong and that guild were like water and oil. There was something that was changing the situation. It was something that hadn’t been in the book or was an event unknown to the future. Or, it may have been a change due to his presence.

"Thank you."

Lee Jun-Kyeong smiled sincerely and bowed his head toward the cashier. In front of him was a shabby shopping cart crammed with groceries. He had decided to take a break for a while and go grocery shopping.

"Whew…"

It was different. Even the air was different. The world he had lived in the future and the world of today were completely different, even in the taste of the air. Even the energy that radiated from the people and the magic power that spread through the atmosphere was distinct. Everything was different. He could feel it.

'It’s because it’s the past.’

Moreover, it was the age of heroes. It had only been a short time after the first gate had appeared.

Lee Jun-Kyeong walked down the road, deliberately not taking a bus or a taxi. It wasn’t a long walk anyway, and he had wanted to enjoy the day and the ambiance of his surroundings. His mood further brightened at the sight of the full shopping basket.

“Now I won’t have to worry about what I’m going to eat.”

It wasn’t that the salary he had received while working at the convenience store was small. His boss, Heimdall, or Yeo Seong-Gu, had given him more than the usual wage. However, a slightly higher than average salary was meaningless to non-Hunters.

‘The taxes.’

While Hunters received benefits that brought their tax burden close to nothing, ordinary people had to pay most of their income in taxes—for their lives, saved by the Hunters. It was the cost to pay them back, like a protection fee paid to the Hunters for constantly protecting them. It was a life of struggle for ordinary people, worrying about their daily meals after paying the extensive taxes.

On the other hand, it was different here too. He had a bankbook filled with pages showing that he had a hefty amount of money. However, as much as the weight of his bankbook increased, so did the weight laying heavy on his heart. He had been stabbed with a sword there, which had pierced through with the book. The words Heimdall had said.

‘The world...’

He worried if he would really be able to change it. If he could prevent the coming of the future he had lived in. It was such a grandiose task that it filled him with worry. As his mind became complicated with many concerns…

“Please leave me alone!”

He heard an old voice. The voices stemmed from a deserted alley. Lee Jun–Kyeong contemplated it for a moment.

“Is it okay to do this just because you’re a Hunter?”

‘Jerk.’

Lee Jun-Kyeong turned around immediately. He entered the deserted alley, towards the place where he had heard the voices. At the same time, he focused his mind.

‘It’s a Hunter.’

He could feel the Hunter’s energy emanating like a weak voice. It was a feeble magic power. Compared to his own, slightly lacking strength, it was even frailer. This wouldn’t be a problem. Lee Jun-Kyeong took a moment to grab his cell phone and fiddle with it.

“Please, won’t you leave me alone?!”

Hearing the desperate cry of the old man, Lee Jun-Kyeong entered the alley.

"What do you think you’re doing?" Lee Jun-Kyeong asked in a lower voice than usual. As soon as he entered the alley, he saw an almost broken pushcart and a pile of collapsed boxes. There was a crying old man with two stout men standing over him. It was a situation that needed no explanation.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Even the voice of the stout man spitting at the old man made it obvious what was happening.

“Are y’all…” Lee Jun-Kyeong smirked, raising one corner of his mouth, and finished, “Thugs?”

However, the light in his eyes had steeled over. While it was difficult to see in detail, as it was hidden by the jackets they were wearing, there was definitely some sort of pattern. It was a pattern that clearly belonged to a certain guild.

‘There’s no way.’

He wasn’t sure of it, but for some reason, it brought to mind

‘that guild.’

1. Another old way of speaking from another grandpa.

.

2. This is in informal speech, which is quite a rude way of speaking to someone who you’ve just met

3. Now that he’s been disrespected in speech, Lee Jun-Kyeong drops his polite speech for a much coarser informal one.