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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Customizing Room (2)
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The top floor of a skyscraper.
A man gazed out at the Gangnam nightscape through the glass window.
The guild master of Hero Guild and ranked fourth in the world hunter rankings.
White Flame, Baek Jincheon.
He asked dryly.
"He assaulted five civilians?"
"Yes."
In response to the branch manager's answer, he rubbed his thumb and index finger together out of habit.
It was a tic that emerged whenever he was in a foul mood.
With a crackling sound, a white ember rose and plopped onto the potted plant beside the window.
Sizzle.
The ornamental tree, as tall as an adult, was incinerated in an instant.
Not even ash remained.
The branch manager bowed his head even deeper, looking mortified.
"He's a handful, that colt of yours. Isn't he?"
"It's just a shame there's no replacement. We can craft any public image we want, but no one can match his hunter abilities."
"How are we handling it?"
"Choi Jinseung, the lawyer, is taking the case. He's never failed on that front."
Baek Jincheon nodded slightly at the branch manager's reply.
Kang Inhyeok.
For Hero Guild, which was gunning for the world number one spot, he was undoubtedly essential.
But his wild, reckless antics needed a little reining in.
"You can go now. Tell Kang Inhyeok to come see me."
"You're going to... handle it yourself?"
"Yeah. He needs to gain a better sense of his position."
"But he's still..."
"I know. I have no intention of breaking a tool I haven't even used yet."
"...Understood. Then..."
"Dismissed."
With permission granted, the branch manager bowed properly and left the room. Only then could he finally rub his stiff, tense neck.
"Whew... That was close..."
Standing before the guild master always made him feel like a frog frozen before a snake. It was embarrassing to share the S-rank hunter title with a monster on an entirely different level...
"Sigh. If only he'd listened when we talked it out nicely. Why make more work for everyone..."
Thanks to that, overtime was in the cards again today.
Bzzz.
"Oh, honey. Sorry, but looks like I'll be working late... What? No, of course I know it's your birthday. I want to get home soon too... Why are you yelling? I'm sorry, okay? Yeah, yeah. That Tira-something cake. I'll pick it up on the way... Yeah."
Muttering curses at the troublesome colt, the branch manager hurried back to his office.
For swift resolution, getting off work, and household peace.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
By the time Kim Gunja and his friends came to their senses, a lawyer named Choi Jinseung appeared before them.
He delivered his ultimatum bluntly.
"One hundred million won. That's the settlement for each of you here. Let's end it there."
"What...?"
"You call that an offer...!"
Kim Gunja and his friends were furious. It wasn't just about the money.
Byunghoon, the aspiring actor, had his face ruined beyond repair, and Jintae with his shattered legs would limp for life.
Hangil, who was set to inherit his family's one-man restaurant, could no longer cook properly, and Giyun was drooling uncontrollably from his broken jaw.
Kim Gunja's right arm was mangled enough to impair daily life.
Perfectly healthy people were now doomed to lifelong disabilities, and instead of an apology, they got this one-sided demand!
"Just go home. There's no settlement with Kang Inhyeok."
Kim Gunja's words drew nods from his friends.
They wanted an S-rank awakener to pay for abusing civilians.
Choi the lawyer looked baffled at Kim Gunja's statement.
"What are you talking about? Why would you sue your lifesaver?"
"What bullshit is that!"
Byunghoon snapped.
Choi pulled out a few photos from his pocket.
It was the car accident scene.
Kim Gunja and his friends lay collapsed, the wrecked car flipped on its side.
Kim Gunja's pupils trembled.
"Drowsy driving. The driver admitted it, and there are witnesses. If Hunter Kang Inhyeok hadn't found you and rushed you to the hospital, your lives would've been in jeopardy. So why sue your lifesaver..."
Crash!
A vase shattered at the lawyer's feet. Unable to contain his rage, Jintae growled.
"Cut the crap."
Giyun chimed in.
"Do we look like idiots? We'll blast this all over the internet and media, and you..."
"Go ahead. If you're so sure."
The lawyer's voice dropped low.
"Ha! Think we're scared of that?"
"Not at all. I don't expect you to be. But... would your families think the same?"
"What... did you say?"
Choi continued calmly, as if it were no big deal.
He started by mentioning their parents' and relatives' workplaces, then breezed through how the only evidence was their word against his, Hero Guild's capital and influence in politics and business, and the grueling ordeal of a legal battle.
Kim Gunja and his friends grew paler with every word.
Choi Jinseung.
He knew exactly what terrified ordinary people most.
He added,
"...And we've already framed the narrative for the media: 'The scum who tried to extort money from their lifesaver.' Your families won't escape unscathed. Oh, blackmail? Yes. Blackmail. Got a problem?"
"..."
"Take your time discussing. I'll be back in exactly one hour. We'll return your phones then, whatever you decide."
After he left, Kim Gunja and his friends exchanged no words.
How much time passed?
"...Let's do it. Settle."
Someone broke the silence.
"If it were just me... hell, if it were really just me, I'd grit my teeth and fight. I really would..."
He squeezed out the words, voice thick with tears.
"But dragging families into the mud? Can't do that to a kid about to be born. Can't force that on them. Sorry, guys... let's settle."
Byunghoon spoke almost like he was begging—what was he so sorry for?—and they answered with silence.
One hour later.
Choi returned and wordlessly handed over the documents, as if it were all routine.
A sinister smile crept across his face as he watched Kim Gunja and his friends silently press their thumbs to the papers.
One hundred million won.
A fortune.
But no one was happy.
Not a soul.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After that day, Kim Gunja and his friends unconsciously avoided contacting each other.
The trauma ran that deep.
Their closest friends had become triggers for nightmares.
The friends simply believed time would heal it all and desperately pushed through each day.
To forget that day.
Kim Gunja was just as desperate, but different from his friends.
He'd quit his job and holed up in his room like a shut-in.
For a full month.
The place he finally ventured out to was a private academy.
Park Chunduk, his college senior and a C-rank hunter, ran it to train novice awakeners for their hunter licenses.
Park Chunduk welcomed his long-lost junior.
"Whoa, long time no see! What's with the cast on your arm? Hurt yourself?"
"Hyung. How do I become an awakener?"
"What? What's this all of a sudden... Hey, hey! Why are you crying? What's going on?"
Park Chunduk panicked.
Kim Gunja.
This high school junior looked mild-mannered but had a steel core.
Even when his only family—his grandfather—passed in their second year,
—If I cry, Grandpa won't rest easy.
he'd said at the funeral, holding back tears to the end. And when Park Chunduk dropped out due to family issues to toil on construction sites,
—It makes sense for someone who needs it. Grandpa would've wanted that too.
he'd shown up and shoved a wad of cash his grandfather left behind into his hands—a guy with guts like no other.
Yet here he was, barging in and sobbing uncontrollably. Like a man haunted by a grudge.
Murmurs rose.
"What's going on?"
"Whoa, first time seeing a grown man bawl like that."
"Yeah, it's breaking my heart. Jeez."
Park Chunduk, flustered, realized the aspiring hunters were watching.
"L-Let's go inside first. Calm down, man!"
He soothed Kim Gunja and led him to the office.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Feeling better now?"
Kim Gunja gave an awkward smile after sipping hot tea.
"Sorry. ...I must've looked pathetic."
"Pathetic? Understatement, dude. Anyone else, I'd have kicked 'em out. You know that?"
Park Chunduk clicked his tongue and asked,
"So. What the hell happened?"
"Might take a while. You got time?"
"Don't care if I don't. You showing up like this ain't normal."
A bitter smile tugged at Kim Gunja's lips as he slowly began his tale.
That nightmare of a day.
The more he spoke, the redder Park Chunduk's face grew.
And when he reached the lawyer's threats,
Bam!
He slammed his fist down, unable to hold back.
The desk split in two, spilling the unfinished tea onto the floor.
"Those fucking bastards! You should've told me sooner, you idiot! Hold on! I know someone at the association—I'll call right now...!"
Kim Gunja stopped Park Chunduk as he excitedly grabbed his phone.
"Hyung, thanks, but... does that guy have more pull than Hero Guild?"
"..."
Park Chunduk had no reply.
In Korea, nothing outranked Hero Guild's influence. Not even the president.
"Sorry to be blunt, but... that's reality, right?"
Besides, Kim Gunja hadn't come just to report to the association.
Park Chunduk muttered "goddamn it" and set his phone down.
"Hyung. Remember what I asked earlier?"
"Huh? Oh, how to become an awakener? There's natural awakening and forced... Wait. No way, you're not?"
"Yeah. It's the only way I can think of. My one shot at fighting back."
"Sigh... I get what you're thinking, but that's..."
Park Chunduk scratched his head.
Become an awakener for revenge?
Against an S-rank hunter?
Honestly, tough—no, impossible.
"You're 29 this year, right?"
"Yeah."
"Haa..."
Too late.
Forced awakening favored the young; mid-twenties was the latest viable age.
Reading Park Chunduk's expression, Kim Gunja spoke reassuringly.
"I know. No chance for me. But... I can't just sit still. I'm too pissed. That day still haunts me. Every time I picture myself standing there like a useless idiot, my hands shake."
His hands trembled like he had essential tremor as he spoke.
"So I'm grasping at straws coming here. If I don't do something, I'll lose my mind. Hyung, can you help me?"
That furious, huh.
Park Chunduk couldn't bring himself to ask.
He sighed deeply and nodded.
"Alright. I get it. Let's start with a mana resonance test."
"Resonance test?"
"Yeah. Checks if you have the aptitude for awakening. No mana affinity, forced awakening's a bust."
Park Chunduk pulled out a fist-sized manastone.
"Looks pricey."
"About a million won? Steep for disposable."
"Ah. Then your account number..."
"Dude. Priorities? Gimme your hand."
Kim Gunja extended his hand. Park Chunduk placed the stone on it and infused his mana.
A ticklish energy flowed through Kim Gunja's hand, soon spreading a cool clarity throughout his body, then fading, repeating.
This is mana. Strangely familiar, despite it being his first time.
As the blue stone gradually turned opaque, Park Chunduk's expression shifted oddly.
"Huh...? Wait, dude..."
Seeing that, Kim Gunja smiled bitterly.
"It's fine. Just tell me straight."
He'd steeled himself. No big hopes anyway.
"You're... already awakened?"
...Huh?
"You're an awakener already, you punk! Only awakeners can absorb the stone's mana! Puhaha! What the hell, man! This is gold!"
Park Chunduk pounded Kim Gunja's shoulder like it was his own victory. Stunned by the unexpected news, Kim Gunja just blinked in bewilderment.
"I'm... an awakener?"