Damn Hunter Life 3
* * *
I spent a busy day from the first day of possession.
Actually, it wasn’t so much that I was busy, but rather this body was the problem – it accumulated extreme fatigue just from looking at the status window screen for a bit.
“Ugh.”
I threw my body onto the bed and fell into a dead sleep.
Late at night.
For some reason, I woke up in the middle of it. Even though I was covered with blankets, I could feel the cool temperature.
“…!”
When I lifted my eyelids, I saw someone standing on my stomach.
A white, hazy ghostly figure.
It was a spirit monster from the gates that I’d seen in the original work. I don’t know how it got here, but—
“Gasp!”
A chill suddenly strangled my neck. My breath was completely cut off.
Thunk! Its claws struck right next to my head. Feathers flew from the torn pillow.
Cut black hair scattered along with them. Come to think of it, my hair is long.
Right. I’m Gyeon Gang-hyeon now. I possessed someone.
He’s someone who wouldn’t have anything to say even if he died, but still, being alive is slightly more helpful than being dead.
“I absolutely won’t die.”
I’d bragged loudly to Ja Hyeong-woo that I wouldn’t die.
If I were to die like this now, what could be more embarrassing than that?
When my thoughts reached that point, the paralysis in my arms and legs was released.
As soon as my body could move, I slid down from the bed. I kicked the door with all my strength. I don’t know where such strength came from in this frail body.
As I ran down the corridor, a giant’s massive hand that appeared from somewhere suddenly wrapped around me from behind.
Splash.
When I barely dodged it, there was a sloshing sound from the hand that touched the floor. As if it were made of liquid. Blue light rippled in my vision.
“Water…?”
This is a very familiar setting. I definitely remember seeing this in the original work.
What this was—
Crash—! The translucent hand devastated the surrounding walls like a storm. Broken wood fragments flew to both sides.
Crazy, why does a ghost monster have physical power! If it’s a ghost, it should act like a ghost and pass through walls!
“Aaaah!”
I was startled by the white thing with disheveled hair reflected in the wall mirror in front of me.
But looking closely, it was Gyeon Gang-hyeon – me.
A thin body with a pale face, white clothes, and long black hair.
This is the ghost.
But there’s nothing behind me in the mirror?
When I turned around with a puzzled thought, a white fluid was flickering and approaching in the wide-open corridor.
Since it’s not reflected in the mirror, that thing really is a ghost!
“Huff, huff.”
As I ran, I glanced and saw it floating leisurely, slowly chasing me. It didn’t seem to be narrowing the distance, as if it thought I was a toy in its hands.
A spirit with water properties. I know what that is.
The one exception that exists in Hunter School where monsters cannot exist.
I do know what that exception is—
But so what if I know! I can’t catch it!
Even though I ran so hard, I was soon surrounded by the grasp that thing extended. I was caught between a rock and a hard place.
I gritted my teeth hard enough to make a grinding sound. I glared at the monster approaching with rippling movements.
I don’t have awakening skills or a body good for escaping. Even facing a life-threatening situation, there was nothing I could do.
All I had was information from the original work.
That’s not an ordinary monster.
It’s Ja Hyeong-woo’s familiar.
While other Twelve Zodiac familiars are animal-shaped, the mouse successor Ja Hyeong-woo’s familiar could change its appearance according to the folktale that ‘mice eat fingernails and transform into humans.’
Hiding its mouse form and chasing me, it’s more like an assassin than an open attack.
‘Did that bastard Ja Hyeong-woo send it to kill me?’
…No. Ja Hyeong-woo also didn’t know of this spirit’s existence in the very early part of the original work.
“What is this?”
“Wait! Don’t kill me!”
In the original work too, he recognized it as just a monster from the gate and immediately tried to kill it.
Originally, this familiar should be following the original protagonist Ja Hyeong-woo around…
Somehow the original work got twisted, and now it’s attached to an innocent guy causing havoc.
Bang! The large pillar behind me snapped like a wooden doll. Goosebumps rose all over me.
Just as I was about to call up the status window as a last resort and press ‘Hunter Emergency Call’—
Ping!
A clear sound rang in my head.
==
<Semi-Awakened Temporary Window>
==
Semi? And temporary too?
I’d never seen such text even in the original work.
‘If it’s awakening, then it’s awakening, but what’s half-awakening?’
==
There is a skill available for symbolization.
Would you like to learn it?
[Yes/No]
==
A new skill development window. This one appeared in the original work too. Seeing the exact same text that appeared in the original work made my heart pound.
When even awakening scraps are precious, there’s no way I’d refuse this.
For a moment, I thought that if I chose ‘Yes’ here, there would be no turning back, but I couldn’t delay any longer.
==
Semi-awakened Gyeon Gang-hyeon,
You have acquired the skill <Boundary Between Life and Death (No Attribute)>.
==
Black light surrounded my body.
In the work <Hunters Who Achieve Harmony>, the only guidebook leading hunters was the ‘status window.’ It was useful because it had various functions.
First, it quantifies awakened individuals’ physical abilities to help development so they can train lacking stats.
Second, it can express the power of the Five Elements (attributes) according to the Twelve Zodiac as skills.
Most importantly, it connects the awakened individuals. Especially the successors deeply intertwined by the Five Elements could not only know each other’s life status but even teleport to each other.
But what about me?
As if saying ‘Someone like you doesn’t deserve to be a successor,’ there was no mention of successors anywhere in the status window no matter how hard I looked.
==
Gyeon Gang-hyeon (Semi-awakened)
<Boundary Between Life and Death (No Attribute)> Skill
==
All that was visible was one skill.
Moreover, isn’t the skill name suspicious? Does using this mean I’ll be at the boundary between life and death? Won’t I die from using it?
Crash—! The watery hand struck right in front of me, snapping me back to attention.
“…I’m already at the boundary between life and death anyway, aren’t I?”
Then is this a special skill that only appears during crises?
Being grateful for whatever’s given, I swallowed a sigh and just activated the skill.
[‘Boundary Between Life and Death’ skill is being activated.]
Hearing the skill voice that I’d only seen as text in the original work was strangely unfamiliar.
“…!”
The two hands visible in my vision became translucent like a ghost.
The hair fluttering in the wind and white clothing were the same. My body seemed to have melted into the background.
Everything about my body that had been fluttering gradually settled down.
It wasn’t that the wind had stopped. The leaves of the half-broken flowerpot around me were still scattering.
I was ignoring all external physical laws.
Ja Hyeong-woo’s familiar that had been sliding closer stopped for the first time.
The palm that had been striking the ground wildly like catching mosquitoes came to a complete halt. It was natural since it was just hitting empty space repeatedly.
‘I’m saved with this.’
I got one hit in. The exhilarating feeling was brief.
There’s a problem. My body was already creaking from the long-distance sprint. But now it won’t move at all. It’s like gravity is acting twice as strong on me alone.
“Ugh…”
If I use this for too long, I’ll really roll from the boundary between life and death to the death side.
==
<Boundary Between Life and Death (No Attribute)>
Origin: A body that became incomplete due to the condensed ki of the Twelve Zodiac came to straddle the boundary between the afterlife and this world.
Description: Temporarily cuts off vital signs and hides.
==
So it’s just a half-dead state.
It seems like an ability optimized for escape. It would have various uses, but…
‘What do I do from here now…’
I couldn’t move at all right now. I thought it was remarkable that I wasn’t fainting. My body naturally slumped down.
I barely managed to lift my gaze and made eye contact with the familiar looking for me.
The grayish specter seemed to finally realize that it couldn’t inflict physical damage on me in my current state.
It became slightly more distinct in form, and finally revealed its true appearance.
As expected.
It was human-sized, with a white shadow-like appearance with only two ears and a mouse tail sticking out prominently.
It was definitely Ja Hyeong-woo’s familiar.
{You little rat bastard.}
The eerie sound that pierced my eardrums made me instinctively shrink, but I sat facing it, trusting in my skill.
Who’s calling whom a little rat bastard?
I succeeded in buying time for now, but there was no chance of winning like this.
{When that skill wears off, you’re finished too.}
And it seems to have guessed its own advantage too.
==
If the caster loses consciousness, the skill will be immediately canceled.
==
So I have no choice but to make a Hunter call after all? Just when I thought I’d gotten a skill, how embarrassing.
But wait.
Could that familiar possibly not know that I can call other hunters? It probably wouldn’t have attacked like this without knowing that.
‘For instance, hiding when other hunters come and trying to kill me again later.’
Then even if I press the Hunter call, I can only get through the current situation, but the danger won’t disappear.
And if it’s a successor’s familiar… wouldn’t it be stronger than regular hunters?
I ultimately reached the conclusion that I had to solve this situation myself.
‘…Let’s change tactics.’
I lifted my head and sparkled my eyes while looking as pitiful as possible. I’m about to die, so what’s pride worth?
“Why are you doing this to me?”
First, I need to know that thing’s purpose to make negotiation possible.
That ghost seemed to have a young mental age. If the prey acts scared, it would get excited and babble on.
As expected.
{A troublemaker bastard. Unlike your pretty exterior, you’re filled with nothing but filth inside.}
What, it attacked me because I’m a troublemaker?
{A successor who’s only a successor in name and can’t even awaken is unnecessary to the master.}
I got it. That was the familiar’s real intention. The reason it wants to kill me.
‘Because it thinks I’m holding Ja Hyeong-woo back.’
That familiar sees everything in the world as less than bugs, but it was different only toward its master. It cherished and served only its master, Ja Hyeong-woo.
But through episodes, it comes to suppress that violent nature to follow its master, and ultimately becomes a reliable companion standing by Ja Hyeong-woo’s side.
Wait, then?
I thought of a clever move.
‘A way to make that familiar give up attacking me on its own.’
One fact I can deduce from the situation because I know the original work.
If that mouse ghost had already come under Ja Hyeong-woo’s command, it would have been impossible for it to come kill me of its own accord like now.
Because the protagonist of this work is an extreme pacifist.
Even if I were a worse troublemaker or criminal, he’s not someone who would leave me to die.
So if it were under Ja Hyeong-woo’s command, that monster would have followed Ja Hyeong-woo’s values too.
But right now it came to kill me. That means Ja Hyeong-woo and that ghost currently have no relationship.
‘Really trying to kill someone at all costs.’
Who would have thought that Gyeon Gang-hyeon, who avoided sudden death, would be selected as a target that the mouse familiar wants to kill to prove its loyalty to Ja Hyeong-woo?
But I’m going to survive this time too.
“You’re Ja Hyeong-woo’s familiar, right? You want to kill me to get Ja Hyeong-woo’s favor?”
The mouse familiar flinched for the first time.
I didn’t miss the chance and delivered a sharp blow.
“But do you know this? Your thinking is completely wrong. If you kill me, Ja Hyeong-woo won’t forgive you. That bastard Ja Hyeong-woo terribly hates people dying.”
As if mulling over my words, the mouse familiar didn’t say anything for a while. I guess it sounds plausible when you think about it?
“If you’re going to suck up, you should at least understand your master’s tendencies.”
Soon a completely agitated voice came thundering to my ears.
{Believing in Ja Hyeong-woo’s favoritism to pull such a move—!}
“Favoritism, what bullshit is that? He and I fucking hate each other.”
It worked. This time I smiled faintly.
However, I couldn’t lift the corners of my mouth as much as I wanted.
I was really at my limit now. This damn skill was weighing heavily on my body.
Thud, my exhausted body collapsed onto the grass.
I felt the skill wearing off. I closed my eyes with some anxiety.
“…”
Beyond my fading consciousness, another voice approached.
“Gang-hyeon!”
My mind snapped awake.
The owner of the voice was Ja Hyeong-woo.
With his cotton t-shirt and pants, and his hair loose and disheveled, anyone could see he’d rushed over after waking up.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
