Damn Hunter Life 6

* * *

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Gyeon Gang-hyeon is fucking handsome though? [413]

For real, his face is powerful

No, I don’t understand why he hasn’t done face reveals until now?

With that face, even if he shit on the street, face fans would cover for him;;;

―Comments―

―He’s super skinny, you could see his wrist bones, looked pitiful

―The girls in our class only talk about Gyeon Gang-hyeon’s looks, fucking pathetic

∟But the guys only talk about Myo Cho-hui?

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ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Did anyone watch the 6 o’clock news today [188]

‘While voices of concern are being raised about the academic atmosphere of Hunter School, which fails to correct the words and actions of enrolled students, objections are being raised regarding the scope and authenticity of the broadcast transmission consent forms written at the time of Hunter School admission.’

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Fuck, first time I burst out laughing watching the news

The reporter’s neutral diplomacy is funny too, but correcting words and actions ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

―Comments―

―That’s funny too ‘Mr. Gyeon’ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ No, his surname is from the twelve zodiac, so they basically told everyone

―Even with the mosaic you can see his face ㄱㄱㅎ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ What’s the point of the mosaic

―So did ㄱㄱㅎ awaken? You must have, right Gang-hyeon?

∟Why did you only put the first consonant ㅋㅋㅋ

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But ㄱㄱㅎ is right [862]

Wasn’t I the only one uncomfortable with ㅅㅈㅎ broadcast station gritting their teeth and grabbing passing hunters to get something, anything?

I think they should cut out those lightning interviews or whatever

―Comments―

―I agree, that interview crossed the line a bit

∟Fuck, the people agreeing now, you all came to watch saying it was good when it aired

∟Of course you have to watch…

―The kids all said it was fine at first, why is ㄱㄱㅎ talking shit

∟That’s why they’re saying those consent forms were forced on them

―Wasn’t the original purpose of the broadcast to watch over them because there are too many minors, no guardians inside, and you don’t know what might happen in the gates?

∟Then why make it all public to the media

∟It’s all about money in the end

∟No, the profits are being shared with the kids

―Don’t take sides and fight here

―When Gyeon Gang-hyeon made that statement, he didn’t seem to hear Sa Ye-ho’s opinion

∟?: Yeah I’m an attention seeker. Please invade my privacy~

∟ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

―The moment you enter Hunter School, you’re basically a celebrity ㅇㅇ

∟Wouldn’t it interfere with the kids’ training though

∟If I were their parents, some broadcasts would be pretty sad…

====

The bombshell statement from the Dog successor who had never shown his face.

This incident, which was no different from internal whistleblowing, created a controversy of considerable scale following ‘the chaos caused by the appearance of the first gate’, ‘Hunter School Stage 1 first strategy’, and ‘the first death among young hunters’.

It was certainly good that public opinion gained strength calling for banning indiscriminate content creation attempts from outsiders for students’ convenience. However, this didn’t stop there and spread into a situation where all disputes surrounding the special space called Hunter School caught fire.

What calmed the chaos was a single video directly delivered to the association by the Twelve Zodiac successors that same evening.

[Public]

Against a plain empty wall background, a black gat placed on a table appears on screen. Soon the video’s focus fixes on the face of the person sitting across from it.

The man wearing a light purple dopo with his hair in a topknot looked elegant like a Joseon Dynasty scholar at first glance. His deeply set eye sockets and protruding brow bones evoked the image of a banker working in finance. From any angle, he looked like someone who would suit calculators or keyboards rather than physical combat.

His identity was Woo Sae-geon, the ‘Ox’ successor, the eldest among successors and an irreplaceable leader.

If Ja Hyeong-woo was called the guardian deity of successors, Woo Sae-geon was called their war god.

[“Student Gyeon Gang-hyeon’s statement was not discussed with us successors.”]

Throughout the short announcement, his shadowed eyes didn’t blink.

[“We gratefully accept the positive interest toward Hunter School and will repay it with efforts to become even stronger.”]

Just as it seemed the video would end there, Woo Sae-geon raised his eyebrows high and took a few more seconds.

[“Gyeon Gang-hyeon.”]

His voice calling the name without warning was extremely sharp.

[“Do you think you’re qualified to say such things?”]

Gyeon Gang-hyeon, who watched the video to the end, smiled bitterly at home.

‘Oh my. He’s trying to kick me out.’

But what to do? I have no intention of being quietly cut out.

‘Before long, the Twelve Zodiac will need me.’

* * *

I reread the text that came to Ja Hyeong-woo right after the video of me cursing in front of reporters aired.

[Are you crazy?]

Well, it’s too short to read anyway.

My reply was also left below. It was already dated two days ago, and I hadn’t received a response to it.

[ㅗㅗ The crazy one is you bastard texting during training time]

When I first saw Woo Sae-geon’s video provoking me, I was definitely confident.

Based on the original work information I knew, I would use the current public fear-mongering controversy as a concept to get recruited into the Twelve Zodiac.

‘But I need to awaken to fight or do anything!’

Though I knew other things, I didn’t know how to awaken. It wasn’t in the original work either. Well, all the original characters were already awakened.

Since it’s a world inside a novel, maybe I’ll awaken if I receive hunter education.

They say excellent students get plenty of points? The more points the better, and according to the original work, there will be times when I need to use them in large quantities later. Anyway, since I had to receive education, I took a look at the general hunter education curriculum.

‘Korean, English, Math academic courses. Can’t take these after age 20.’

‘Skill operation practice. Skipped because I’m unawakened and have no skills to practice. The stealth technique that others can’t see is useless here…’

‘Five elements attribute understanding. Shouldn’t I be going in as a teacher for this? Still, if I say I want to take it, I’m a successor so I could probably squeeze in somehow.’

I need to take at least five subjects. I looked at the remaining subjects.

‘Basic physical training.’

‘Swordsmanship/Archery/Spearmanship basics.’

‘Group combat practice.’

‘More training.’

‘Anyway training.’

‘Anyway physical work…’

The trash who just collapsed and napped for 30 minutes after walking up 3 flights of stairs earlier gloriously fell to his knees.

I want to take education to awaken, but what if the education requires awakened stamina?

“I’ll awaken even if it’s just out of spite.”

/I wish you good luck.

“That status window pops up whenever I’m about to forget it.”

Come to think of it, isn’t there anything in the status window? I searched through the status window like shaking out empty pockets.

Semi-awakened temporary window. Even though it’s temporary, there’s nothing. No stats, no signs of any further progress…

<Skills>

Boundary Between Life and Death (No Attribute)

Staring intently at the only text floating there, something occurred to me.

‘Maybe I can develop this skill.’

Here’s one setting from the original work.

Among the awakening skills appearing in the original work, there are no skills without attributes.

‘So my skill is a type I’m seeing for the first time too.’

Unawakened people don’t belong to any attribute, and since I failed to awaken, it was natural if you think about it.

The original work was even titled <Hunters Who Achieve Harmony>. So having no attribute seems like a flaw at first glance. The same goes for the only skill being about cutting off vital signs and becoming half-dead.

‘But thinking about it differently, having no attribute could mean being able to contain any attribute, right? Even though it shows as no attribute, my skill is ultimately a hunter’s power… So it might not be nothing (無) but empty (空).’

Therefore, hypothesis. Can’t skills marked as ‘no attribute’ be arbitrarily filled with attributes? If this is correct, ‘no attribute’ might become an opportunity to overcome the shortcomings of other skills.

‘Of course, it’s not something I can do alone.’

I shifted my gaze to the gourd I’d received from Ja Hyeong-woo and set aside, now tied to the bedroom coat hanger.

I flicked away Ja Hyeong-woo’s note tied together with the gourd string. Grabbing the gourd stopper, I opened it with a click. A pitch-black opening appeared.

“Hey, squeaky.”

I expected the Mouse Familiar to immediately jump out to strangle me, but it was quiet as a dead mouse. I became someone who just called a name into thin air.

“I’m calling you. Squeaky. You gonna keep ignoring me? You know what I’ll tell Ja Hyeong-woo?”

Bringing up Ja Hyeong-woo worked as expected. A blue figure the size of a person smoothly appeared on the table.

{Disgusting bastard.}

“Is that how you talk to your benefactor?”

The Mouse Familiar trembled violently. I leaned my upper body away from the backrest and rested my chin on my arm placed on the table.

“Ja Hyeong-woo abandoned you. You know, right? That bastard tried to eliminate you.”

{……}

The familiar fell silent for a moment.

Drip, drip. Soon translucent blue droplets fell from what was presumably its eyes.

I quietly watched the tears that disappeared upon touching the table.

‘I shouldn’t say that it’s because Ja Hyeong-woo thinks you’re an ordinary familiar without speech or intelligence.’

I’ve never lied. Right?

Still, when the time comes, I planned to send it back to Ja Hyeong-woo’s side later.

Even though its personality was shit, how long was I going to keep the Mouse Familiar that becomes Ja Hyeong-woo’s important weapon in the original work locked in a gourd?

I should send it back to its original place. Of course, after sucking out all the sweet benefits.

“How about this?”

The Mouse Familiar looked up at me.

“Stay by my side until this summer. Protect me when I’m in danger and cooperate with what I do. If you do well, I’ll speak well of you to Ja Hyeong-woo. Then maybe Ja Hyeong-woo will forgive you too?”

Actually, Ja Hyeong-woo fucking hates me, so even if I speak well of you it might not work! And Ja Hyeong-woo doesn’t even know the Mouse Familiar has intelligence. But at least he’d listen if I told him this.

Naturally, the Mouse Familiar got angry. It trembled so much it seemed like it would shatter into pieces.

{Why should I do your—}

“You know Ja Hyeong-woo’s stubbornness, right?”

Ja Hyeong-woo’s personality that both this ghost and I know well.

Even now, Ja Hyeong-woo and the familiar are at odds like this, so did they really immediately get along and join forces in the original work?

In the original work, the Mouse Familiar realized that Ja Hyeong-woo misunderstood its intelligence and worked hard to prove its intelligence by hovering around him.

Even so, Ja Hyeong-woo wasn’t easy.

“Your attitude of prioritizing me alone over citizens’ lives is wrong. I won’t use you.”

The current standoff was essentially no different from the original work except for my interference.

Anyway, in the original work, then—

“—Servant of ‘Ja’. Come to me.”

‘Busan Gate Episode’. Among countless swarming monsters, bloodied Ja Hyeong-woo first calls his familiar and commands obedience.

The Mouse Familiar had also grown quite subdued by then, unable to bear the loneliness. Though angry at the master who had abandoned it until then, it was still its master. The familiar anxiously watched Ja Hyeong-woo’s miserable state and willingly threw itself at one call.

“Say you protected and cared for someone you tried to kill before. Wouldn’t he find that admirable? Then Ja Hyeong-woo would acknowledge you, right?”