#47
The next morning, Ha-seong ate cereal soaked in milk for breakfast, just like any other day. While putting the still-crispy cereal that hadn’t fully absorbed the milk into his mouth, Ha-seong scrolled through articles on his phone.
The murder case that had happened the day before yesterday. There were several articles about the incident, but they weren’t featured on the main page. And above all, the victim’s personal information was thoroughly kept private. The fact that he was a hunter couldn’t be found in the articles either. The Management Bureau had probably controlled the information.
Well, if an article about a hunter being murdered by someone spread, it would certainly become a big issue.
[Ha-seong-nim, can I eat more cabbage?]
At that moment, the pig crept over and asked. It seemed like it had been eating a lot of cabbage lately, but since he couldn’t pay attention to it because of work, he should at least give it this much.
“Go ahead.”
[You know, if they killed another hunter, could that person also be a hunter?]
The pig said while crunching on cabbage. That day, the pig had also been in the meeting room. Of course, since it was in Ha-seong’s arms, Woo-bin wouldn’t have known.
“Who knows.”
[But that victim hunter was stabbed to death with a knife, right? Not by a skill.]
Ha-seong had been thinking about that part too. Excessive bleeding from stab wounds. Of course, he didn’t know whether that knife was just one that ordinary people could use, or if it was a weapon suitable for hunters. Additional information that should come from Woo-bin was still nowhere to be heard.
Moreover, even if the culprit was a hunter, there was a possibility they had killed with an ordinary knife to hide that fact. But if the culprit was the same person who had been artificially tampering with dungeons, the possibility of them being a hunter was much higher. After all, manipulating dungeons or gates was much more naturally thought of as something a hunter would do.
[Anyway, humans really are scary. Killing people so casually.]
The pig finished eating all the remaining cabbage without leaving any.
Humans are the scariest. He agreed with that sentiment. Ha-seong knew that better than anyone. After finishing all the remaining cereal, he prepared for work.
Ha-seong left home a little early today. The reason wasn’t special. He was planning to stop by ‘We’ll Sell Anything’ for the first time in a while. After waiting a bit, the bus arrived. He got on the bus going in the opposite direction from Nameless. The route that had been familiar until just a few weeks ago now felt a little unfamiliar.
The streets of Jongno 3-ga were always crowded. Hunters who came to buy quality items, guild officials who had made deals with shops, and merchants. Even though it was early morning, this place was already full of all kinds of people.
Ha-seong walked slowly. The slightly cool air and the shining sunlight. The typical autumn weather felt pleasant. As he went deeper inside, he saw a shop front that was unusually crowded with people.
‘Business must be really good.’
Ha-seong thought this as he passed that shop. But something was strange. When he walked further, there were no more shops from that point.
The ‘We’ll Sell Anything’ shop was located at the very end of the street. But why wasn’t it there? If not, then he must have passed it. Ha-seong turned his head and stared again at the crowded shop he had just passed.
“……”
There? No way. There couldn’t be that many customers at ‘We’ll Sell Anything’. Of course, Boss Kim had good judgment, but he was still the only one who had recognized the true value of that judgment.
Ha-seong walked slowly and looked up. When he saw the sign, Ha-seong stood still in that spot.
<We’ll Sell Anything>
You’ve succeeded. Ha-seong smiled a little at that sight. For some reason, it seemed like hunters had finally recognized the true value of this place. As Ha-seong tried to push through the crowd and enter, he felt the glaring gazes of the hunters standing in line. Wasn’t cutting in line one of the things Koreans couldn’t stand?
Ha-seong smiled awkwardly, roughly claiming he was staff, and went inside. It was crowded outside but quiet inside.
“There’s still time before opening…”
Boss Kim, who had rushed out after hearing the door sound, saw Ha-seong and widened his eyes.
“Who is this! Isn’t this Ha-seong!”
Boss Kim paused for a moment as if buffering. It probably took some time for him to recognize Ha-seong, who hadn’t visited in a long time.
“Boss-nim, you’re going to become really rich. The customers outside are no joke, right?”
Even though it wasn’t open yet, hunters were crowding like that. This shop had probably become a famous spot for so-called “opening runs,” where people rush as soon as it opens. When Ha-seong chuckled, Boss Kim laughed heartily.
“Wow, it’s been a long time. You got a good job but didn’t even visit, so I was quite hurt.”
“You were probably too busy to think about me at all.”
Ha-seong looked at the cold water Boss Kim had poured for him.
“No, I really didn’t know it would be such a hit.”
Sometimes he wondered if this was a dream or reality, Boss Kim added, glancing outside the door and lowering his voice. Though the door was closed, so it didn’t seem necessary.
“Well, I made a deal with Nameless once! As word of this started spreading, this place became a complete marketplace.”
No wonder Boss Kim’s face seemed so bright. He was even glowing, and he was probably buying beef weekly now instead of the once-a-month he used to.
“This is all thanks to you, Ha-seong.”
“It’s not thanks to me, but thanks to Cha Do-hyeok.”
This happened because of the name Nameless. Nameless had power and value just from its name alone. It was similar to how even a common short-sleeved t-shirt would jump in price if it had a famous brand’s logo on it. Since that famous guild was making deals with the shop, there was no way it wouldn’t cause a stir. Maybe Cha Do-hyeok had predicted this and told him not to worry.
“No. To me, you’re my benefactor. Everything seems to go well after I met you.”
With that, Boss Kim sincerely expressed his gratitude. Thank you—words used when wanting to express gratitude to someone and convey sincerity. It was one of the common greetings, but to Ha-seong, those words were actually a bit awkward.
Maybe it was because he had never heard such words even in situations where he should rightfully receive gratitude. After all, you only become familiar with words by hearing them a lot.
“And that hunter named Cha Do-hyeok is really a good person too. After making one deal, he takes really good care of me.”
Boss Kim clapped his hands excitedly, saying people from Nameless came regularly. Honestly, that part was a bit surprising. Cha Do-hyeok and attentiveness seemed quite far apart.
“He seems like a really good person. Don’t you think so?”
A good person. Honestly, Ha-seong couldn’t easily answer that. It wasn’t because he thought that guy was bad. In short, he didn’t know. He couldn’t judge well whether he was a good guy or not. Of course, you couldn’t arbitrarily judge people with just those two categories, but still, Cha Do-hyeok was, how to put it, still an unknown to Ha-seong.
‘He’s probably worried about scarring that pretty face.’
“……”
Well, compared to the beginning, he did seem to think about him at least as much as an ant’s dropping. The fact that he only used honorifics with him was probably evidence of that.
“But what brings you here today?”
While he was lost in thought, Boss Kim asked again. Ah, Ha-seong hummed low and opened his inventory. Then he took out two items. One was a horn from a hedgehog monster, and the other was a scale from the python that had been the boss of that S-rank gate.
“I came to give you these.”
Both belonged to quite high-grade items. When Ha-seong coolly spoke and turned to walk toward the entrance, he had farmed items with hands faster than eyes. It was regrettable that he couldn’t pick up more because the dungeon collapsed so quickly.
“Ha-seong…”
“Yes?”
“You’re not stealing things like this, are you?”
Boss Kim’s complexion rapidly worsened. Even though he had sold items while disguising himself as a middleman before, now that he had entered Nameless, Boss Kim seemed to think there was nowhere for him to obtain items.
“I need to become rich, so I don’t steal. Don’t worry.”
Ha-seong covered by saying a hunter he became friends with in the guild had given them to him. And ultimately, that dungeon was as good as conquered by Ha-seong, so this was a legitimate act. Of course, he tried not to get caught by Cha Do-hyeok.
When he handed over the items, Boss Kim tried to give him money, but Ha-seong waved his hands saying it was fine, that he was just giving them because they came to mind.
“You should prepare to open now.”
Looking at the clock, it was approaching 8:30. The shops on this street opened considerably earlier than other ordinary stores. Some even opened at dawn.
“Oh right. That’s right.”
“If you’re even a minute late, those glaring hunters might get angry, so get ready.”
Some of the hunters standing outside were already watching Ha-seong with suspicious eyes, wondering if he was really staff or not. Kids these days really are scary. Ha-seong shook his head and got up from his seat.
Ha-seong also had to go to work soon anyway. As he was exchanging final greetings with Boss Kim and about to leave, some sound came from outside, followed by several people’s screams.
Ha-seong was startled and stared outside the door.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
