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Chapter 10. Lottery Winner
* * *
[Welcome to Veritas System access.]
[Chat┃Did something big happen?ㄷㄷㄷ (39)]
I was lying down reading webtoons when I jumped up in surprise ㅅㅂ What the hell, what kind of skill is it that a system-wide notification pops up?
(39 comments)
-I was getting my hair dyed at a salon when I saw the notification and screamed. The staff got startled and came running over asking if my scalp was stinging ㅅㅂ ㅠ
└(Author): ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ So what did you tell them?
└└I just brushed it off. The hairdresser looked like a total normie, so if I explained in detail that I’m actually a hunter and got surprised by a notification, they’d probably think I’m weird ㅋㅋ
└└└(Author): You bastard, are you embarrassed to be a hunter?
* * *
[Chat┃What, did Yeoun get movement skills as a group????????????? (53)]
ㅈㄱㄴ
(53 comments)
-It’s not official but everyone’s speculating that’s what it is
└(Author): There’s no announcement yet?
└└ㅇㅇ
* * *
[Chat┃I was driving when I saw the notification, got surprised, hit the brakes and got in a fender benderㅋ (231)]
Called insurance and waiting for a tow truck, but the driver behind me is also a hunter so we’re smoking and laughing asking each other if we saw the notificationㅋㅋ We both laughed because it was absurd but honestly I’m not laughing ㅠㅅㅂ
They say this counts as sudden braking without reason so I’ll be about 30% at fault, is this right..
(231 comments)
-Honestly, shouldn’t Yeoun pay for this instead?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Miraculous logic
└└(Author): Ahㅋ Honestly Yeoun kids should pay for this ㅠㅠ It’s so unfair
-At this point, the tower master should humanely make a function to turn off notifications while driving
└Yeah the tower master is an alien so they don’t think humanely~~ㅅㄱ
* * *
[Chat┃Just from the skill name, that looks like a movement skill (499)]
Leaping Steps?ㅋㅋㅋ
Anyone can see it’s a movement skill, my intuition from reading fantasy novels for years is telling me
(499 comments)
-The tower master bastard has zero sense for naming, so this is right. There’s no way it’s not a movement skill
└22 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-America couldn’t get it but our country got it first? President Seo Jeonghun, please give Yeoun Guild a medal
└Oh geez, why don’t you ask for military exemption too while you’re at it
└└Above comment crossed the line
-If it’s really a movement skill, doesn’t that mean every time they set new records, the time will be shortened even more than now?
└Thinking about it this way, isn’t it kinda terrifying for Cheonsolㅋㅋ The conquest times for floors they cleared with God Magnetic were already shortened by at least an hour each, but if it gets shortened even more;ㅋㅋ;;;;
└└The three guild masters must be shitting themselves right now. The absence of key hunters due to the reckless 55th floor conquest must be painful. Since this isn’t a game, they should have been more careful with conquest…
-Living in the provinces, seeing posts like this makes me… envious. Seeing most major guilds concentrated in the capital area really makes you feel the gap……
└There’s already a huge difference in cultural life, and now even guilds are different, it’s disillusioning.. Even when I try to focus and develop my guild properly, when major guilds post recruitment once, people quit saying they got accepted thereㅋㅋ…
* * *
Doun, Samin, and the Yeoun group tried to leave the tower after Kim Minhyeok finished collecting materials. Without having any idea what was happening outside.
They were just thinking about practicing more on the training floors or gathering at the guild building to deduce the acquisition conditions. The moment they came out of the tower, suppressing their excited and thrilled hearts, an unexpected chaotic scene greeted them instead.
“They’re out!”
“Skills! Tell us what skill you just got!”
“Magnet hyung!”
“Is it a movement skill? Please answer!”
“Siwon noona!”
It was complete pandemonium. Even normally, people would gather whenever they came to the tower for conquest. But they had never gathered in such enormous numbers before.
Since everyone was only asking if it was a movement skill, information had clearly leaked from somewhere. Samin naturally glanced at Kim Chansol.
“What, why are you looking at me. It’s not me. Absolutely not!”
Kim Chansol crossed both arms. Seeing him shake his head vigorously with an aggrieved expression, it seemed the leaker was someone else.
“Let’s go to the guild building first?”
Samin decided on a destination first to lead his group who were being pushed around and bombarded with questions. At this rate, forget practice—they’d be caught by people and subjected to interrogation disguised as questioning.
“Doun hyung?”
Even while pushing through the gathering crowd, Samin habitually looked for Doun. Fortunately, he could find him nearby, but Doun had a stiffly hardened face and was just clenching his innocent fists, trying to hide his anxiety. It was when Samin quickly pulled him to his side.
“Hey, fuck! Lee Doun! When people ask you something, answer them!”
Some man shouted Doun’s name in a sharp voice and yelled at him. It was a tactic frequently used by guys desperate to start a conversation somehow. However, his voice was so loud that Doun flinched in surprise.
Samin immediately wrapped his arm around Doun’s shoulder and whispered in his ear.
“Hyung. Just ignore it and let’s go straight to the parking garage.”
“…Yeah.”
Although his answer was a bit delayed, Doun’s voice was quite spirited. Thanks to the elation of obtaining a new skill not having faded yet, his attention was scattered.
Samin, who was naturally wrapping his arm around Doun’s shoulder to head to the parking garage, suddenly also pulled Hong Chan, who was standing well beside him, to his side. He did this because he was worried that Doun, who was already very conscious of people’s gazes, might be bothered by his contact. This way, he’d look like a guild master taking care of his guild members around him in the chaotic crowd, so it would be less burdensome.
“Min hyung, what’s this all of a sudden?”
“Our youngest, I was worried you’d get swept away and fall.”
“…What?”
“Come on, let’s go.”
Samin pushed through the chaotic crowd while embracing even Hong Chan, who couldn’t hide his bewildered expression. In the end, Hong Chan had to walk to the parking garage while forcibly caught in Samin’s arm.
Wondering inwardly, ‘Why is this hyung suddenly acting like this?’
* * *
Yeoun Building, visible after just a 1-minute walk from subway station exit 3. Park Sangyeon was breaking out in a cold sweat dealing with the suddenly gathered crowd in the lobby of the guild building where Hunter Guild Yeoun used this every floor.
About 10 minutes before Samin and his group entered the building, even media reporters claiming to be covering the story began to appear.
As if he had anticipated this situation, Samin calmly entered through the building’s back door. Then he gave Park Sangyeon the extreme measure of sending people away and locking the building entrance.
“Wow. Crazy. They followed us all the way here asking what skill we got? Did you leak the information?”
The guild members only started grumbling and catching their breath after entering the guild master’s office on the top floor of the building, where Samin mainly resided. Even Kim Chansol, who liked receiving attention, was startled. She had even turned off her phone completely, worried it might explode from the notifications pouring in.
“No, I think our skill acquisition was announced with a system-wide notification? We couldn’t see it because it didn’t show up for us. Is this the first time this has happened?”
Do Hyeonwoo, who belatedly browsed the Veritas System community, said. Then Kim Chansol jumped up and pointed at Samin.
“See! Guild Master, I told you I didn’t post it! The crazy tower master did that, so why did you suspect me! Earlier!”
“What did I say? I just looked at you because you were next to me.”
“Geez! Guild Master, you definitely had the eyes of someone who was convinced I was the culprit earlier!”
Samin lightly ignored Kim Chansol’s indignant protests. This wasn’t a one or two-day thing, and above all, Kim Chansol held no grudges. Like now, she might yell in front of him or grab his collar, but she wouldn’t stab him in the back.
Knowing this, Samin just shrugged his shoulders. Then he went and took out a bunch of bottled drinks from the refrigerator in one corner of the office. After placing the bottles on the table with words for people to take what they want to drink, he showed special care only for Doun by opening the cap for him.
“Hyung, drink this. It was hectic with all those people in front of the tower earlier, right? Some crazy bastard was yelling too.”
“…Thanks. I’ll drink it well.”
“If you’re grateful, will you give me points?”
He really seemed to want to become a boyfriend. Even to Samin’s shameless request for points in exchange for bringing a drink, Doun chuckled and said he would give them.
‘Now he’s finally smiling.’
Seeing Doun smile with a quite comfortable face, Samin felt relieved and finally took out his phone, which had been ringing fiercely. Then he sent a simple notice to the group message room where guild members had gathered.
[It’s true we got a movement skill but don’t tell anyone yet, and we’re having a meeting now so people who can come to the guild building should come, and the front door is locked so come through the back door ㄱㄱ]
As if everyone had been waiting for Samin’s notice, Jang Hyeonseong, Choi Jiyoon, Seo Subin, and even Dong Jiwon, who was always slow to respond, quickly checked the message and said they would come here right away.
While Samin was stretching after checking messages, Park Sangyeon entered the office. Except for his slightly disheveled hair, he looked neat, so it seemed the messy lobby cleanup had ended successfully.
“Hyung. I told them to send out even the reporters for now, is that okay?”
“Yeah. It’s fine. You worked hard cleaning up downstairs.”
After encouraging Park Sangyeon, Samin glanced at Doun. The juice bottle he had given him to drink earlier was completely empty.
Feeling the gaze, Doun slightly raised his head to look at Samin. Looking at that grinning, genial face made his heart beat strangely fast.
“Let’s rest until the other guild members arrive. Even if someone asks what skill it is, don’t answer yet.”
At this very moment, Samin’s phone was also constantly receiving texts, messages, and even phone calls. At this rate, his overheated phone might explode. Just as Samin was wondering if he should turn off his phone like Kim Chansol, he discovered a text from an annoying bastard.
[Superstitious Dog Manners: Is it true you got a movement skill?]
‘If this bastard is texting first, he must be really curious?’
Samin leaned back against the sofa. When Samin’s expression worsened while looking at his phone, Doun slightly leaned his upper body toward Samin.
“…Is something wrong?”
“Ah, some crazy bastard who believes in horoscopes in the 21st century suddenly sent a text pretending to be friendly.”
Samin held out his phone to Doun, showing him the text content.
‘Crazy bastard who believes in horoscopes?’
From the context, he seemed to be talking about Libra Guild Master Zodiac.
“Are you talking about the Libra Guild Master?”
“Yes. After we fought, he ignored the texts asking him to apologize and now he’s texting because he’s curious. How annoying.”
Just from his hostile reaction, it didn’t seem like Samin would easily answer Zodiac’s question. Strictly speaking, Zodiac Kim Jeonghyeon was no different from the head of a guild that was Yeoun’s competitor. He wasn’t someone to readily share preemptive information with either.
“What are you going to do? Just ignore it?”
“I’m going to send this.”
Samin wrote a reply to send to Zodiac Kim Jeonghyeon in front of Doun.
[Didn’t today’s horoscope mention something like this?]
Doun’s pupils wavered as he quietly stared at Samin’s fingers.
‘Is, is this right?’
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
