ALL NOVEL
Chapter 87:
“Kim Kiryeo, what are you doing?”
“A person of your level would know without me having to say anything, right?”
I changed my posture without hesitation on the narrow foothold.
“Then just a simple explanation. Others tend to think that awakened people like us are very strong.”
“….”
“In reality, it’s not necessarily the case. Awakened individuals are vulnerable to internal attacks with even a slight lack of mana control…”
“….”
“If you target their insides, they can burst more easily than you might think.”
It’s truly amazing. Who would have thought that a simple low-grade magic tool could suddenly change the course of the conversation?
“Kang Changho, do you know exactly what the criteria for judging the skill of Improvement?”
Blazing.
In an instant, a sun-like magical power gathered around my ears. This was a signal that the spell could be completed immediately with just a bit of focus from the caster.
“I don’t know for now.”
“….”
“But no matter what the actual standard is, I don’t think anyone would be able to make a decision faster than me if the entire brain and spinal cord were blown away like this.”
In short, this person is now making a threat to that S-Class.
“Hunter Kang Changho, are you still trying to touch me like this?”
A shocking declaration that if things go wrong, he would take his own life to prevent [Improvement] from activating!
The S-Class asked back as if he were dumbfounded.
“If someone tries to kill you, you’ll commit suicide? Do you think that even makes sense right now?”
However, Kang Changho had no choice but to keep his mouth shut after hearing the sentence that followed.
“Of course it makes sense! Because I can really do it.”
“…!”
Now, let’s talk practically for a moment. If you were to fight against a magician of similar level, what do you think would be the most crucial factor in determining the outcome?
Attribute? Amount of knowledge? Unfortunately, it was all wrong.
Surprisingly, fights between magicians are often decided by momentum. Since magicians are creatures heavily influenced by their mental state, the moment one side perceives that they might not be able to win against the other, the situation can shift dramatically.
And one thing I can confidently declare right here and now. I’ve never lost a battle of momentum between magicians like this.
“Look.”
Yeah, not even once.
“Hunter Kang Changho.”
I soon decided to change in attitude. If I use this [Pyromancer Necklace], no matter what you do, I will kill myself first, so don’t think about it.
“You’re too much with your bluff. There’s no way something like that would be realistically possible…”
At this, Kang Changho seemed genuinely taken aback for the first time, and I couldn’t help but smirk at his reaction.
“Bluff?”
Well, this wasn’t just a statement for the sake of momentum battle.
Tuk, tuk, tuk.
Around the time the footsteps of a giant spider could be heard nearby. I look up into the empty air with my arms crossed.
“I’m sorry, Changho-ssi, but I have no regrets about this life.”
What follows is a short self-talk.
“To be honest, I’ve lived enough by now.”
“….”
“I’ve seen enough dirty things (work), and I’ve already achieved what I’ve been longing for (retirement).”
“What?”
“Of course, it would be great if I could live like this any longer.”
While the other person is silent. I straightened my posture and spoke confidently.
“Still, it’s better to die than to be swayed by someone like you.”
As the conversation continued, the S-Class expression gradually showed a variety of emotions.
Shock.
Perplexity.
Surprise.
“Haa.”
At the end, even a small exclamation.
“Anyway, if you want to steal someone else’s skill, just quietly wait for the contract to expire.”
“….”
“Don’t mess things up with unnecessary interference.”
How many people in this world can assert themselves against an S-Class? But no matter what my opponent was, I had no intention of living my life bowing my head for 10 years.
Not even a bit.
“Do you understand?”
Now it’s time to sort things out. While I was prepared to self-harm at any moment, I spoke with a tone close to calmness.
“If you understood, could you please get rid of this spider lurking nearby? I feel like my head is going to explode from being so annoyed.”
At that moment, Kang Changho, after staring blankly across the collapsed path for a while, suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
With eyes full of strong interest, he laughs.
***
“…Yeah. I lost.”
It seems this guy really wants my skills. When I threatened to make his desire for Improvement useless, he immediately became obedient.
“I promise I won’t do anything like this again. So put that necklace down first.”
It is a dramatic conclusion. Surprisingly, Kang Changho even broke out in a cold sweat, trying to dissuade my self-harm. At this point, I’m curious as to what skill this guy thinks I possess.
‘Ugh, it’s done. It’s too bothersome to ask.Anyway, no matter what you imagine, I’ll be the one who knows how to use that magic anyway…’
Clank.
I willingly put down the necklace. Of course, it was a meaningless gesture. After all, I could perfectly control such low-grade magical tools even if they were under my feet.
“I’m glad it worked out well through conversation.”
Kang Changho seemed to have noticed this to some extent. He squinted one of his eyes and showed a strange reaction. Although he no longer displayed the same aggressiveness as before, the opponent’s physique was still imposing, which was quite pressure.
“Hmm…Hunter Kang Changho, of course, I am also reflecting on some of this.”
The threat of suicide is a kind of last measure. If Kang Changho had pretended to be insane and rushed at me, saying, “Let’s both die,” there would have been no solution. So, I decided to withdraw at this point.
“From your perspective, it’s definitely unsettling for a contractor to go to such a place.”
“Haha.”
“As an apology, from now on, if I go to a dangerous place, be sure to report it…”
Wait. But come to think of it, Kang Changho doesn’t like me lingering around the gate in the first place.
‘Huh?’
So, at this point, since I’m going to kill Hunter, should I just ask him to lend me 3 billion won?
A plan flashes through my mind in an instant. However, this idea was abandoned in just a few seconds. Even if I think about it a little, there is more than one side effect that will follow.
‘If I suddenly ask for millions, it will look suspicious. He will naturally wonder what I plan to do with that kind of money.’
It’s just a gut feeling, but I have a strong sense that I shouldn’t let that Earthling know my true intention is fresh lungs.
My problem isn’t going to end with just getting a lung. I’m in a hurry right now, so there’s nothing much to change…
‘Maybe it would be more troublesome to find a replacement body.’
Right. A body.
A suitable vessel to replace Kim Kiryeo. In other words, I’ll need at least an E-Class or higher corpse.
As expected, it seemed that recklessly abandoning the title of a hunter wasn’t such a good idea.
‘This is a profession where the death of awakened individuals can be viewed quite naturally.’
So, I decided to solve the money problem on my own.
“Shall we leave the gate now? We’ve defeated the boss.”
“Yeah.”
“And the items we get from here are split 8:2, right? I recorded our previous call.”
At the current pace, it won’t take that long to reach the goal anyway.
***
<Mid-fall, park near Mapo-gu>
Srrrrk.
The noise of counting bills flows from an ATM machine.
Click.
By the time the sound ended, several sheets of blue paper were sticking out beyond the cash withdrawal slot.
Sssk.
I count the bills that come out of the machine one by one by hand. And I thought about it as I moved it into my wallet.
“100,000 won.”
What should I buy and eat with this today?
The last 7 days were truly a typhoon-like week. I went into a gangster’s lair to catch a Rakshasa temple, and because of that, I got into a life-threatening fight with an S-Class hunter.
“Phew.”
These were truly hectic days. But now that is all a thing of the past. After all my hard work, I finally completed all my schedules.
“I can finally live a little better now.”
Lately, I’ve only been able to sparingly assist Ahn Yoonseung with his skill training. And that’s only on Thursdays each week. On other days, Yoonseung has separate matters to attend to at his company or something like that.
‘I guess he’s preparing to return in earnest.’
The money… No, it’s not about the money. But seeing someone I met for the first time on Earth drifting away is disheartening. Still, it’s something that can’t be helped.
Shaking off my thoughts, I took a bite of the triangle kimbap.
Oh, by the way, where am I having my meal right now?
“Chirp, chirp, chirp.”
“Why are birds so common on this planet…?”
As I glanced down, my eyes met with a familiar creature at my feet. That’s right. I’m currently out in a park in Seoul.
“And why do the birds of this planet walk…?”
To be exact, I’m sitting on a bench and eating triangle kimbap and a soda.
“Gruk, guu, guu, guu.”
“Hmm, it’s actually quite cute.”
Is it a peaceful and good time? Honestly, the past week felt quite exhausting. There were even times when I stayed up all night for nearly three days straight.
‘No, if it’s going to be like this, why did I have to reincarnate?’
I decided to find my original intention, even if it was late. Rest—such an easy thing to achieve now, but how difficult it was to attain in past lives.
‘Let’s rest for a while.’
I enjoyed a peaceful afternoon, feeling satisfied.
Just like that, time passed helplessly.
***
And 10 days later.
-Crrrrk.
After a few days of rest, I’ve developed a sort of routine. I guess I’ve become more accustomed to cash in hand rather than using cards.
‘20,000 won.’
Wake up in the morning, I withdraw the amount I’ll need for the day and use that money to buy some triangular kimbap at the convenience store—a type I haven’t tried before. When I arrive at the park, I sit down on the bench where I always sit and eat. Lately, it’s just been a repetition of this kind of lifestyle.
-Crispy.
But I quite liked this routine because everything was still interesting to the soul that had crossed over from a distant universe.
‘Interesting.’
Clouds, birds, green vegetation.
Lately, I’ve been completely engrossed in exploring Earth. In a way, it was a hobby befitting an alien.
‘Hmm.’
However, staying in the same place for ten days means I inevitably start noticing and memorizing things. For example, the color of the beak of the pigeons often seen around here. Or that woman who can be seen on the rooftop over there.
‘She’s there again today?’
When I sit on the bench and lift my gaze, I always see the same scene. An Earthling appeared on the roof of that building at 11 o’clock as if she had made an appointment.
‘Even the posture is the same.’
Her round bun has strands sticking out messily. She wears angular glasses and is always in the same white coat.
Maybe it’s because I’ve seen her face every day for the past ten days, but I’m starting to feel a strange sense of familiarity.
“Hmm.”
I was quietly lost in thought as I took the last bite of the triangular gimbap.
‘I wonder if she’ll be there tomorrow too?’
…Only three seconds have passed since I thought of it.
“Huh?”
A few seconds later.
The figure in the white coat suddenly placed one foot on the railing. Even without looking, it’s clear what this implies.
-Clank.
“H, huh?!”
Suddenly, someone on the rooftop attempted to jump off. A person is falling.
“Ahh!”
When I saw that, I suddenly got goosebumps. My mind turned completely blank. Of course, I’m capable of casting magic even in such a state, but…
Honestly, I’m not confident in the results. Kim Kiryeo’s magical power is only F-Class, and the opponent fell from too high a place.
Whoosh.
Immediately after the wind magic was cast to slow the fall speed, I rushed to the building across the street. It was to ensure the person’s safety.
“H, heugkh.”
Anyway, I was wondering where on earth she had fallen…
Now, I see a woman lying motionless near the flowerbed. And she’s wearing a white coat too.