Chapter 195 – One Day is Enough

Kim Pil-young, who had raised his upper body from the bed, read the article with an excited face.

[People mistakenly believe that all hunters are heroes.

This is due to the notion that they protect society from monsters, but in reality, few hunters pursue monsters out of a sense of justice.

They hunt simply because they were fortunate enough to be chosen as awakened ones, and because hunting monsters pays well.

There’s no qualification exam required to become a hunter.

As mentioned earlier, luck is all that matters.

In other words, character isn’t considered at all.

This means that anyone, whether good or evil, can become a hunter.

This is why there are cases of criminals serving time in prison who become hunters.

Of course, those who are only level 1 don’t escape from prison.

But what about outside prison?

There’s a hunter who conceals his past as a former gang member and has laundered his identity.

A-rank Hunter Kim Pil-young (31) is one such person.

He became involved in the gang world since high school.

He was part of a well-known organization in the Chungnam region called the Bucket Gang.

As a member of the organization, he encouraged his close junior classmates from the same high school to join the gang life.

The famous S-rank twin hunters, Choi Woo-hyun (30) and Choi Woo-jin (30), were those juniors.

The three dropped out of school and lived as organized criminals, committing the usual crimes.

Fraud, intimidation, assault, extortion, and so on.

They did anything that made money.

They didn’t care about legality.

They were three individuals who weren’t afraid of the law when faced with violence.

During this time, the hunter era began, and fortunately, all three of them awakened.

It was nothing short of a stroke of luck for those who had been living at the bottom of society.

Few people were interested in hunters’ pasts, after all.

After laundering their identities and consistently working as hunters, they have now become veterans with over 10 years of experience.

The twins have already risen to S-rank hunters, and Kim Pil-young will soon become the twenty-first S-rank.

Ironically, those who were once nothing more than societal evils are now treated as heroes.

People who might have been serving time in prison now, had they not been fortunate enough to be chosen as awakened ones.]

└ LOL This reporter is crazy. He’s directly targeting S-rank hunters.

└Reporter, are you still alive? I’m worried you might be assassinated.

└Is this also the reporter’s baseless speculation?

└Doesn’t seem like speculation. I have an acquaintance who’s a hunter, and from what I’ve heard, Hunter Kim Pil-young acts just like a gangster. The twin hunters too.

└Damn, it’s disgusting how these gangster thugs launder their identities and pretend to be heroes.

└But seriously, what was he thinking when he wrote this article? Does the reporter have multiple lives or something?

└He probably went crazy over the view count LOL

└Or maybe he’s confident he won’t face retaliation.

└Well, if something happens to the reporter, one of the three will definitely be the culprit.

└Or maybe all three of them.

└Ugh, I wish these thugs wouldn’t appear on TV.

“This son of a bitch…!”

Kim Pil-young’s anger reached its peak as his buried past was exposed to the world.

“I was trying to live a decent life, and now this happens. Damn it!”

He had planned to appear in public service advertisements and focus on image management once he became an S-rank hunter.

But now, everything had turned to dust because of a targeting article by some unknown reporter.

‘It’s not over yet. If I quickly request for the article to be taken down…’

Kim Pil-young checked the author.

‘Go Du-sik from Daemun Daily?’

Just as he memorized the name of the media outlet and the reporter and was about to look for contact information, his phone rang.

Riiing- Riiing-

It was a call from the advertising company he had contracted with.

As he answered the phone with an anxious feeling, his fears were confirmed.

-Hunter Kim Pil-young, you’ve seen the article, right?

It was a complaint call.

-Is it true that you were really a gang member, as the article says?

“Ah, that’s not true…”

-Well, the truth doesn’t really matter. What’s important is that the public has started to believe the article. If your image isn’t rehabilitated, it will be difficult for us to continue working together.

“Are you saying you want to terminate the contract?”

-Yes. We can’t use someone rumored to be a gang member in our advertisements.

“Then what about the termination penalty fee…”

-Of course, you, Hunter, who have caused social controversy, should pay the penalty fee.

“No, why should I pay? The reporter wrote fiction on his own!”

-Regardless of who’s at fault, as long as it’s not our responsibility, you have to bear the cost. This is clearly stated in the contract.

“Damn it! Why? What did I do wrong?”

-Sigh… Acting just like a gangster.

“What did you just say?”

-Well, if you want to insist, we can handle this legally. And please watch your language, even if you are an S-rank hunter. Before I sue you for defamation.

“What? You bastard, you’re asking for it…”

-I’ll add threats to the defamation charges. This call is being recorded. Since it’s an S-rank hunter, not just anyone, threatening to kill someone, we won’t lose the case. See you in court.

“…”

Kim Pil-young, who had been trembling with anger, threw his phone into the corner of the bed as soon as the call ended.

“Damn it. This is really messed up!”

Not only had the contract fallen apart, but legal issues were now involved as well.

“Just my luck!”

He had been trying to shed his gangster image, and now this happened.

‘This is all because of that reporter bastard.’

If it weren’t for the reporter who had targeted him, the situation wouldn’t have deteriorated this far.

‘Who the hell is it? Who leaked the information?’

Not only he but also the twin brothers had been affected.

‘Is it those guys after all?’

It must have been gang members from the same organization or rival gangs from the past who leaked the information.

‘But why now?’

His past had never been exposed for over 10 years.

‘First, I need to meet that reporter bastard.’

He didn’t know what the reporter was thinking when he wrote the targeting article, but he had messed with the wrong person.

Kim Pil-young immediately picked up the phone he had thrown and made a call.

“Woo-jin.”

-Yes, hyung.

“Did you see the article?”

-Yes…

He could tell just from his voice.

That Choi Woo-jin was also unable to contain his anger.

-What are you going to do?

“What do you want to do?”

-I want to find all the bastards involved and teach them a lesson.

“I agree.”

Judging by his anger, he too must have been satisfied with his current image.

“I’m planning to visit the reporter first and ask him some questions… Want to come along?”

-Do you think he’ll talk willingly if we just ask?

“Of course, we can’t just ask.”

Kim Pil-young’s lips curled up into a sinister smile.

* * *

“Over here!”

Hong Se-yeon, who had been waiting at the meeting place, waved her hand when she spotted Min Do-jun.

However, her expression turned slightly displeased when she saw the woman next to him.

‘Is that her? The hunter he wants to recruit?’

Honestly, she was pretty.

That’s why suspicion arose first.

She wondered if there might be a special relationship between her and Min Do-jun.

‘Otherwise, why would he personally introduce her to a guild?’

Even before Min Do-jun approached, she had already tentatively labeled the woman in front of her as Min Do-jun’s girlfriend.

If not his girlfriend, then at least someone he was interested in.

Perhaps because of this thought, Hong Se-yeon couldn’t hide her displeased expression.

“Guild Master. Is something wrong…?”

“Ah, no. By the way, who is this person?”

At that, Hyun Su-a stepped forward and bowed her head.

“Hello. I’m B-rank Hunter Hyun Su-a.”

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

Though she said it was nice to meet her, Hong Se-yeon’s expression was cold.

In contrast, when she spoke with Min Do-jun, her expression became warm.

“Guild Master. Have you been well?”

“Of course. It’s been about two weeks since I slept at the office, right?”

Hyun Su-a was startled by the mention of sleeping at the office.

Min Do-jun, also aware of this, immediately clarified.

“Guild Master. Someone might misunderstand if they hear that.”

“I’m sorry. Hyun Su-a, please don’t misunderstand. I just slept because I was drunk at that time, nothing more.”

“Ah, I see…”

Meanwhile, Hong Se-yeon, who had caught Hyun Su-a’s subtle change in expression, raised an eyebrow.

‘See?’

Her intuition was telling her.

That Hyun Su-a, like herself, also had feelings for Min Do-jun.

“…Let’s go to the restaurant.”

Min Do-jun, aware of both women’s feelings, quickly led them to the restaurant before the atmosphere could become awkward.

The three arrived at a Korean restaurant and enjoyed lunch with dozens of dishes.

“You said you’re Hunter Hyun Su-a, right?”

“Ah, yes!”

“Have you heard about our guild?”

“Yes. I know that only women can join.”

“That’s right. Being able to form parties with only women is an advantage of our guild. There are definitely female hunters who find it uncomfortable to form parties with male hunters. But contrary to rumors, we don’t have misandrist ideologies or anything like that.”

“I see.”

“You know Healer Lee Min-ji, right?”

“Yes.”

“Recently, our image has worsened because of her, but did you see the article that came out yesterday? Have you seen it?”

“You mean the article about her committing crimes to avenge her sister?”

“Yes. Thanks to that article, I think our guild’s image will improve a bit. Don’t worry and feel free to join.”

“…Has my membership already been approved?”

“Yes.”

“What about tests or anything like that…”

“You came through Hunter Min Do-jun’s recommendation in the first place. That means you’re trustworthy. And while we don’t recruit based on appearance, someone like you would definitely pass.”

“Ah…”

Hyun Su-a lowered her head, seemingly embarrassed.

Hong Se-yeon had no intention of rejecting her from the beginning.

‘I can’t refuse Do-jun’s request.’

Though she wasn’t entirely pleased, Hong Se-yeon had decided to grant whatever Min Do-jun wanted in order to maintain their relationship.

“What would you like to do, Hunter Hyun Su-a? Your membership has been approved, and if you want, we can sign the contract right away.”

“Ah, I’d like to think about it a bit more…”

“Yes. Take your time to consider.”

Hong Se-yeon smiled and glanced at Min Do-jun.

It was a look that seemed to say, “Recognize my goodwill in accepting Hyun Su-a.”

Min Do-jun, aware of this, expressed his gratitude with a nod.

“Now, shall we talk about our matters?”

“Let’s do that.”

Hong Se-yeon handed Min Do-jun a file, just like before.

“It’s an S-rank dungeon called [City of the Dead] in China. The date and location are written there.”

The appropriate level for this place was 3,800, making it a higher-tier dungeon than Vampire’s Night.

“There’s one spot left, and when I mentioned your name, they gladly accepted.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Among the S-rank dungeons suitable for you right now, this is the only one you can enter the soonest.”

“You didn’t have to go through all this trouble…”

“It’s partly to congratulate you on becoming S-rank, and partly because I feel sorry for the inconvenience I caused at the office. So please don’t feel burdened.”

“Then I’ll gratefully accept.”

Hong Se-yeon, who had been smiling, suddenly exclaimed, “Oh, right!”

“You don’t have an S-rank dungeon entry ticket anymore, right?”

“No.”

“Then you’ll need to reach level 3,000 to enter. There are three days left until the entry date. Will that be okay?”

Min Do-jun smiled as if there was no problem.

“Yes, one day is enough.”