Chapter 71

“Don’t make such a fuss over that paltry strength of yours, Jung Haseong.”

Let’s see.

I had blurted that out as a defense mechanism, but now I had to figure out how to continue.

‘Hmm.’

Honestly, there wasn’t much I could boast about with an F-Class body. Since showing off my own strength was out of the question, my options were limited.

‘I’ll have to tear him down instead.’

I decided to criticize Jung Haseong.

It couldn’t be helped. Right now, I had to make myself seem like someone strong at any cost.

“It’s a disaster for the world that an awakener like you stands at the very top.”

Tap, tap.

I casually picked at the blister on my palm as I effortlessly tore into my opponent.

“You can’t even control half of your abilities, yet you’re worried people might treat you like a monster...”

“What?”

“Isn’t it a little arrogant to worry about being treated like a monster when that’s the extent of your skill?”

However, the longer I spoke, the more cornered I felt.

The young man standing before me, Jung Haseong, was practically the embodiment of someone blessed with everything.

“For someone ranked number one, your control is atrocious.”

His social standing.

The immense quantity of mana he had been born with.

The only flaw possessed by this S-Class hunter, who lacked nothing in either respect, was his poor control over magic.

So I tried to focus on Jung Haseong’s immaturity and emphasize it, but...

“Honestly, when it comes to handling skills, you’re no different from any random F-Class awakener on the street. Don’t you agree?”

That weakness did not diminish Haseong’s combat power in the slightest.

On the contrary, it merely proved that S-Class hunters were so overwhelmingly powerful that they had no need for clever techniques.

‘By Earth’s standards, he really is a monster.’

I was trembling inwardly, but I refused to let it show.

“Don’t grow complacent with where you are now, Jung Haseong.”

Rustle.

I tightened my grip on the plastic convenience-store bag to conceal my nervousness.

“If you keep thinking that way, you’ll never improve. Do you think becoming an S-Class hunter is enough?”

For now, I was saying the sort of things a strong person might say.

“Instead of wallowing in self-pity, you should constantly be thinking about how to become stronger! Especially if you’re an awakener.”

As I continued criticizing his skill usage, my words gradually dried up.

I had already run out of things to say.

Moreover—

‘Huh?’

Because I had been too frightened to meet his eyes, it took me a moment to notice.

Jung Haseong had been staring at me in astonishment for quite some time.

Perhaps he was shocked that an F-Class hunter had dared to speak back to an S-Class hunter.

But the real problem was that, despite all my criticism, he did not appear discouraged in the slightest.

‘Damn it!’

My feet were practically on fire.

I realized that my earlier bravado had failed to instill even the slightest caution in Haseong.

“I-I wasn’t trying to offend you! I’m worried about you too. You still have plenty of room to become stronger, but you’re so obsessed with work...”

I hurriedly added an explanation.

“I-I’m only saying you should think about the future!”

“The future?”

“You might be able to clear any dungeon with ease right now, but you never know what could happen later, do you?”

There was one problem.

In my previous life, I had lived as an archmage, so I had rarely needed to ingratiate myself with anyone. Most problems had been resolved through force.

It was only natural that I was rather clumsy when it came to flattery.

“You shouldn’t push yourself so hard already. Take care of your health. For the sake of your future.”

“...”

“Doctors don’t tell you these things, do they? Honestly, if I hadn’t insisted that you rest back in August, your career as a hunter might already have ended. Then all that relief work you love so much would have gone to waste, all because of a moment’s stubbornness.”

“Is that so?”

“S-so, what I’m trying to say is... I hope you’ll take proper care of yourself and continue receiving treatment...”

I’m doomed.

Did the algorithm governing my soul somehow decide that worrying about his health would make me look good?

In the end, I concluded the conversation with almost the same words I had used last time.

I had begun with bold bravado, only to trail off weakly at the end.

Just as I was studying Jung Haseong’s expression and wondering how to bring this conversation to a close—

“Hunter Kim Kiryeo!”

At that moment, a voice like salvation reached my ears.

“Huh?”

It was Seonwoo Yeon.

The B-Class awakener suddenly rushed out and planted herself between Haseong and me.

Come to think of it, there was nothing unusual about Seonwoo Yeon appearing here. The corridor where we stood was directly opposite the rear entrance of the emergency room.

‘Did she hear my voice through the door?’

It would not have been difficult for her to find me once she stepped outside.

But why had she come out of the emergency room?

“Are you finished with your treatment already?”

“Yes. They came back sooner than I expected.”

Only then did I notice that the association employee’s severed index finger had been completely restored.

It seemed she had managed to meet a healer in the meantime.

“But I was wondering why the person who went to buy barley tea was taking so long.”

Seonwoo Yeon caught her breath and looked back and forth between Jung Haseong and me.

“Why are you always so eager to provoke Hunter Jung Haseong whenever you see him?”

“Excuse me?”

“I heard everything when I came out! You were speaking disrespectfully to Haseong-ssi. Y-you even called him pathetic.”

Immediately afterward, Seonwoo Yeon grabbed my sleeve, all the color draining from her face.

“Please don’t fight!”

“Ugh...”

“We’re standing in front of a hospital. There are many elderly people here who are especially vulnerable to mana.”

Personally, I thought it would be more useful to restrain the S-Class human weapon than a harmless person like me.

“Hmm.”

Well, this had worked out nicely.

I would use Seonwoo Yeon’s plea as an excuse to leave.

“You’re right. We shouldn’t fight. What could be worse than hitting another person?”

Surely Haseong must have felt something upon hearing that.

“Anyway, I’m sorry the errand took so long. Here’s your barley tea. Now, let’s all go home.”

“H-huh?”

“There’s an empty taxi coming this way. Taxi!”

Tap, tap.

Without looking back, I ran into the street.

My original plan had been to escape just like this.

“Wait.”

However, it seemed the other party had no intention of letting the conversation end there.

Jung Haseong, whom I had left behind, suddenly called out to me.

At the sound of his voice, I turned my head awkwardly.

“What is it?”

Then he said something unexpected.

“Ah. It’s about the payment for the healing potion you gave me before.”

“Huh?”

What?

Jung Haseong made an entirely unexpected proposal.

“...I apologize for taking so long to respond. I’d like to repay you now. Would you give me your bank account details?”

I had completely forgotten about that.

Still, I had saved his life once. Hearing that he wanted to repay the favor should have been good news.

‘But why now, all of a sudden?’

The question immediately arose in my mind.

This Earthling, who had previously seemed so hostile and obstructive, now wanted to repay me as though nothing had happened.

‘What is he plotting?’

Could this be some sort of sinister scheme?

Suspicion filled me, and I could not bring myself to accept the S-Class hunter’s offer so readily.

“It’s fine.”

“Pardon?”

“I said it’s fine.”

Clack.

A moment later, the taxi’s rear door opened.

“If you’re truly grateful, either withdraw the assault charges or have them dismissed.”

Jung Haseong looked slightly surprised by my answer, but I said nothing more.

It was becoming increasingly clear that there was a limit to how far I could bluff against an S-Class hunter.

“Phew!”

Vroooom.

As soon as the taxi began to move, I collapsed against the back seat and wiped the cold sweat from my forehead.

‘I survived!’

There had been a few twists and turns, but I had survived.

Moreover, this incident had made one thing even clearer.

Jung Haseong was undoubtedly the type who could not deal with a good bluff!

‘I said some rather unpleasant things, but in the end, he didn’t take it any further.’

Tsk, tsk.

What a coward he turned out to be.

I clasped my trembling hands together and renewed my vow.

Yes. I would continue cultivating the image of a powerful person, especially in front of those S-Class hunters.

‘If I look down on him, he’ll probably come at me with his sword again. And there’s no chance someone like me could dodge an S-Class strike twice...!’

It was the only way I could survive.

***

After Kiryeo left.

In front of the emergency room’s rear entrance.

“...”

Jung Haseong silently watched the taxi carrying Kim Kiryeo disappear into the distance before lowering his gaze.

His thoughts were in turmoil.

‘Work on becoming stronger.’

It was certainly a perspective he had never considered before.

Ever since becoming an S-Class hunter, he had focused exclusively on suppressing and minimizing his power.

‘It’s true that I can’t even control half of my awakened abilities. Is that what he meant...?’

Haseong looked down at his palm and gave a faint smile.

Honestly, he could not deny it.

Based on raw numbers alone, his awakened stats were more than one and a half times the average of other S-Class hunters.

That tremendous power was like a ferocious wild horse.

And not once had he ever properly taken hold of its reins.

He had merely clung on while the raging current of mana dragged him along.

‘Pathetic.’

At some point, he had begun devoting himself entirely to suppressing that flame.

He had never imagined that someone would tell him not to settle for the present.

– Isn’t it a little arrogant to worry about being treated like a monster when that’s the extent of your skill?

It was an assessment he had never heard before.

Incompetent.

He had effortlessly handled A-Class gates and even cleared the high-level Baekin Tower, a place other S-Class hunters had hesitated to enter.

Those accomplishments had been a source of pride for him.

‘Right.’

It was a crude criticism.

That was precisely why it had opened his eyes.

‘Nothing he said was wrong.’

Sacrificing himself for the sake of immediate responsibilities truly was the same as devouring his own future.

Just as Kiryeo had said, he had grown complacent.

It should not have been this way.

Driven by anxiety and crushed beneath the expectations of those around him, he had unknowingly fallen into a twisted form of self-punishment...

—Ring, ring, ring. Ring, ring, ring.

Before long, a familiar sound came from his pocket, but Haseong did not answer.

[Association President ]

He had checked the caller.

“...”

Recently, the Hunter Association had been contacting him frequently.

Ever since he began visiting the hospital, they had started calling every few days, subtly probing him.

Where exactly was he hurting?

Why had the number of gates he reserved suddenly decreased?

Before taking a break, could he at least clear the A-Class dungeon he had previously promised to handle?

They hounded him as though he owed them something...

“Should I stop?”

Whoosh.

After taking a deep breath, Jung Haseong reached a decision.

It was time to let go.

Driven by fear of how others might see him, he had tried to meet their expectations at any cost, using constant work to suppress his inner fears.

But now, even for the sake of his own life, it was time to begin following the advice he had been given.

—Beep.

Jung Haseong switched off his phone and walked away.

‘I suppose I’ll have to stay off the internet for a while...’

At that moment, the pressure that had tormented him for years finally began to lose its hold.

[Jung Haseong Temporarily Suspends Activities... Poor Health Cited as Reason]

[Association Expresses Concern over Hero’s Statement: “No Definite Date for Return”]

A few days later,

Articles about Korea’s number-one-ranked hunter flooded newspapers across the country.

***

【 Anonymous Forum 】

[Title: Eyewitness Account of JHS Fight]

[Content:

Hey, I saw JHS on my way here earlier!!

I didn’t get a close look, but he was talking to someone across the street. Anyway, it’s kind of amazing how you can immediately tell he’s an awakener.

But something really surprised me.

When I saw Jung Haseong, I was going to cross the street and say hello... But then I suddenly heard someone shouting.

It turned out that somebody was swearing at Jung Haseong ㄷㄷ

Seriously, there was this gangster-looking guy yelling at him and cursing like crazy.

At first, I thought they were only arguing, but after I got home and looked through the photos I’d taken, I noticed burn marks on the guy’s hand.

It looks like Jung Haseong got into a fight with him today ;;

Well, people sometimes get into fights, so I didn’t think too much of it.

Still, it was surprising. On television, Jung Haseong always seems so mature, so I never expected to see him fighting with another hunter.]

[Comments (12)]

[Anonymous: Who would be crazy enough to pick a fight with an S-Ranker? ㅋㅋㅋ At least make your story believable next time.]

[Anonymous: Do you have proof?]

[Anonymous: Obviously written by some jealous loser sitting in his basement.]

[ㄴAuthor: (Photo)]

[ㄴAuthor: I literally wrote in the post that I took a picture as evidence. I just forgot to attach it.]

[Anonymous: Oh, the photo actually looks real.]

[Anonymous: There’s your proof.]

[Anonymous: What kind of lunatic picks a fight with the number-one-ranked hunter?;;]

[Anonymous: Who’s the hunter standing next to him?? Please tell me his name.]

[ㄴAuthor: Seriously, I’ve never seen him before.]

[ㄴAuthor: It looks like nobody knows who he is.]

[Anonymous: Isn’t this an unauthorized photo? You can clearly see the faces of ordinary people too. The author should probably take it down.]