Kim Seong-jae hadn’t been having much luck lately.
Snow had fallen the same day he got his car washed, he’d paused to tie his loose shoelaces only to get hit by an electric scooter, and the Association President—who happened to be undercover as a spy—took notice of him and dragged him into an S-rank dungeon… It was the kind of streak that could only be described as sheer misfortune.
But among all those disasters, the worst of them was—
‘That… that bastard…’
—getting stuck in a dungeon called <Tower of Hellnest> with that bastard.
Kim Seong-jae looked at Baek Tae-beom with an expression of pure disgust. Within his own guild, Red Apple, Baek Tae-beom was considered a high-risk individual.
Why? The answer was obvious. Whenever Baek Tae-beom encountered them, he beat them senseless like he’d run into lifelong enemies on a narrow bridge. He tore through them like shaking grain from the stalk, slipping through the legal cracks, leaving their bodies dangling like trophies before disappearing like some gangland specter.
He seemed to believe he was some sort of legendary hero, and the problem was that his guild had committed so many illicit acts that they couldn’t even fight back properly.
How helpless he had felt, watching his guildmates collapse like autumn leaves. Their guildmaster, Yoo Jin-woo, had even clutched the back of his neck in frustration.
But lately, Baek Tae-beom had been oddly quiet—and now, he showed up clinging to something strange.
Sharp eyes, pale skin, a face as pretty as a courtesan’s. From Kim Seong-jae’s perspective, the guy looked utterly delicate. And yet Baek Tae-beom was going around with him like he was carrying precious cargo. What made it even more absurd was that this guy turned out to be a Hunter whose rank couldn’t even be measured.
At that point, Kim Seong-jae knew for sure—something was wrong with the world.
Granted, he had a high-ranking Constellation, Guardian of Clear Waters, Ha-baek, and his own rank wasn’t bad either. He’d made a tidy sum doing spy work, and he had no major complaints about his life.
But that guy—looking so fragile—was supposed to be that highly ranked?
‘Bullshit. The measuring device must’ve been busted.’
What really pissed him off, though, was having to raid a dungeon together with those two.
‘Seriously, are their eyes dripping honey or what… Why the hell are they looking at each other like that?’
Kim Seong-jae folded his arms, clearly annoyed. It was the first time he’d ever seen that look on Baek Tae-beom’s face. He was gazing down at Choi Ga-hyeon like he was the most precious and beloved thing in the world—like he was hopelessly in love.
‘Anyway, I’ll just avoid them as much as possible.’
As if that wasn’t enough, he was already ready to tear his hair out dealing with Blue Star, who’d been assigned to the same team. Instead of keeping things orderly as someone in a leadership position should, Blue Star dragged around his fan club, taking selfies and cracking jokes that didn’t match the atmosphere at all.
Kim Seong-jae had never liked Blue Star, but he’d played along with his antics anyway—yet he didn’t even get much out of it in return.
‘They might as well just hang out without me, huh?’
Worse yet, he was forced to join up again, meaning he had to lay eyes on Baek Tae-beom’s damn face all over again.
“Guys! Ga-hyeon! Do you know how much I missed you?”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Birds of a feather, indeed. Watching Blue Star sprint straight toward Baek Tae-beom, Kim Seong-jae let out a derisive snort. And Choi Ga-hyeon knew Blue Star, too?
It seemed like that guy had a weirdly close connection with a bunch of top-ranked Hunters. That felt worth looking into. Quietly, Kim Seong-jae sidled up to Choi Ga-hyeon.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Kim Seong-jae.”
He flashed his most pleasant smile. Choi Ga-hyeon’s expression turned vaguely sour, but Kim Seong-jae wasn’t deterred. He had confidence in his looks, after all.
He wasn’t exactly a supermodel, but he wasn’t bad-looking, right? He’d spent his life hearing he was “pretty decent,” so even if he didn’t have Baek Tae-beom’s face, he figured he passed for a good-looking guy.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Hunter Choi Ga-hyeon.”
He adjusted his glasses so the Association badge was clearly visible. Choi Ga-hyeon blinked slowly, then replied in a clipped tone.
“You’re with the Association.”
“Yes, that’s right! Haha. I’ve had my hands full trying to keep Blue Star under control.”
Maybe if he got close to this Choi Ga-hyeon guy, something good would come of it?
He had that cat-like face, and when he smiled, it gave off a softer impression. Kim Seong-jae found himself warming up to him.
“I see.”
“Yes, so—”
“Hyung, let’s go.”
Before Kim Seong-jae could even finish, Baek Tae-beom came to take Choi Ga-hyeon away. The cold look he gave Kim Seong-jae made his legs go weak for a second. Still, he wasn’t going to give up.
He was pretty sure Choi Ga-hyeon found him at least a little likable.
‘If I can get close to him and dig up a weakness…’
This mission’s payout would be fat. Kim Seong-jae made up his mind.
Get close to Choi Ga-hyeon.
At first, he’d only planned to stick around the dungeon long enough to get a taste, then slip out. But now, he was rethinking that plan.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go smoothly.
Someone’s head got blown off after going after treasure. Seriously? Falling for such an obvious trap? How fucking dumb could you be? Kim Seong-jae didn’t give a damn if people like that died.
Sure, it was sad when someone’s life ended. But in this brutal industry, did anyone really think weaklings stood a chance of surviving?
Watching those who gave up and turned back, Kim Seong-jae clicked his tongue. Then he sneered at Choi Ga-hyeon.
It was obvious at a glance—must be the first time seeing such carnage, fresh out of the gate as a Hunter. Normally not the type to speak up, Kim Seong-jae decided to offer some personal wisdom.
“What was that?”
“Come on, it’s not like this is the first time seeing people die, right? The ones who just died were nobodies anyway—just greedy fools who only had eyes for quick treasure. If anything, their deaths will only help us in the long run by getting rid of the dead weight. Think of it as a net gain.”
Choi Ga-hyeon said nothing, seemingly at a loss for words. Ignoring Baek Tae-beom’s sharp glare, Kim Seong-jae continued with feigned kindness.
“Judging by the look of it, I’d guess you haven’t been a Hunter for long. You’ll need to get used to this kind of horror. Especially for someone like you—unmeasurable rank and all…”
“…You seem pretty used to it yourself, don’t you? Mr. Kim Seong-jae.”
“Of course! I may not look it, but I’m a veteran Hunter. It’s a bit insulting to be compared with someone like you, Hunter Choi.”
Kim Seong-jae gave a playful grin. But Choi Ga-hyeon’s expression remained unchanged—still unable to accept what he’d heard.
“Still… how can anyone ever get used to people dying?”
‘There it is. Fucking kids these days.’ Kim Seong-jae cursed inwardly. What’s the big deal about someone dying? Being a Hunter is a fate you’re born into—being strong, being smart, even dying like an idiot in a trap like that—that’s all just fate.
People die every day. Whether it’s because they failed a raid or had some tragic accident. What, is he going to mourn every single one?
“This is how you survive in this industry. It’s a world ruled by survival of the fittest. Hunters die all the time—it’s in the news daily. If this kind of thing still shocks you, you’re in trouble.”
‘Sensitive little shit,’ Kim Seong-jae added mentally, offering a consolation that wasn’t really a consolation. But then Choi Ga-hyeon smiled sweetly.
“If it’s survival of the fittest, that must mean Hunters compete with one another too.”
“Exactly. Otherwise, you wouldn’t—ACK!”
Without warning, a staff hooked around Kim Seong-jae’s ankle and sent him sprawling down the stairs. He was dumbfounded. He’d gone out of his way to offer some friendly advice to the kid, and this was the thanks he got?
‘Fucking disrespectful little punk.’
Grinding his teeth, Kim Seong-jae continued the dungeon raid with only one thing on his mind—fucking up Choi Ga-hyeon. He didn’t love the idea of entering the boss room, but if it gave him the chance to screw over that bastard, then maybe it wasn’t such a bad opportunity.
But then—
‘After that, it all goes blank…’
When he came to, he was in a hospital room. His entire body ached like it had been shattered and reassembled. The doctor and the healing Hunter said it was a miracle he was even alive.
It was probably thanks to Lim Chang-joo. The man might’ve been part of the Association’s covert ops like him, but when it came to healing, he was damn good. Humming to himself, Kim Seong-jae dialed the number of Yoo Jin-woo, guildmaster of Red Apple.
‘Well, at least my name ended up in the S-rank dungeon raid report. That’s kind of nice.’
Browsing through the various articles, feeling pleased with himself, Kim Seong-jae scowled when he saw Baek Tae-beom’s face listed as one of the key contributors. He didn’t remember anything, but he was sure the guy hadn’t done shit. Didn’t need to remember to know that.
Then suddenly, the hospital room door exploded open.
Startled out of his wits, Kim Seong-jae leapt up. Standing in the doorway were Baek Tae-beom and Choi Ga-hyeon—exactly the two people he’d just seen in the articles.
“Wh-What the hell?! You crazy fuckers!”
But Baek Tae-beom, his body wrapped in bandages, marched in without a word and drew his sword. He pointed the blade directly at Kim Seong-jae’s throat.
“E-Eeek! What are you doing?! Guards! I’ll report this, right now—!”
“Apologies, but this hospital belongs to our side. I don’t think your request will go anywhere, Mr. Kim Seong-jae.”
“Y-You bastard! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
Kim Seong-jae jabbed a finger at Choi Ga-hyeon, who was slowly approaching. He had the unmistakable air of being the mastermind behind all of this. Then Choi Ga-hyeon gave him a sweet, gentle smile.
A chill ran down Kim Seong-jae’s spine.
“Sometimes, you’ve just got to charge straight ahead, don’t you think? After all, you’re the one who taught me that the Hunter world is a survival-of-the-fittest kind of place, Mr. Kim.”
“Guards…!”
“And since fate’s handed you to us on a silver platter, we figured we’d go ahead and wring you dry.”
Choi Ga-hyeon’s expression was shameless. He lifted only the corners of his lips and said softly,
“You’re going to tell us everything you know.”
