Chapter 138

Byeon Soo-hyeon took off his damp shirt. He tossed the top into the laundry basket in the corner of his small studio apartment.

He gulped down some water first.

“Fuck. How many times has it been?”

It must have been a month. Since then, he’d had the same dream every time he fell asleep.

The Demonic Cult Leader’s first disciple, Jin Cheon-geuk?

Some scenes were blurry, others were vivid.

Like the one where he was training in swordsmanship.

Jasimgeom Technique.

It was a sword style created by the Heavenly Demon himself for the Acolytes who had just entered the Demonic Cult.

It was so realistic that he felt like he could wield the Mind Sword right now if someone handed him a wooden sword.

Of course, that was impossible.

“What the hell is this? Did I enjoy reading wuxia novels or something?”

No, that wasn’t it.

Byeon Soo-hyeon had no time for such things.

Life was bleak and miserable, what time did he have for wuxia novels.

It was clearly just a stupid dream.

The problem was that this stupid dream had been repeating for a whole month.

Just as his thoughts were about to continue, his phone rang.

It was a text from the hospital. A bill for his mother’s surgery.

He let out a deep sigh and went to the bathroom.

His limping leg was particularly painful today.

His reflection stared back at him in the mirror. It was a disgusting sight every time.

Because it naturally reminded him of the incident that had crippled him.

It hadn’t even been that long ago. Just a month.

The day the world was turned upside down. That very day.

-Kuaaack!

The Dungeon’s Rank had suddenly risen, the Team leader of his guild had thrown him, a porter, to an Orc as bait, and the Orc had slammed its axe into his leg.

If the Orc that was about to devour him hadn’t turned into particles and scattered, Byeon Soo-hyeon would already be in the Orc’s stomach.

He found out later. That Choi Gi-woong had made all the Dungeons and Gates in the world disappear.

And he realized. Just how cruel the world was to him.

There was no compensation. The evidence was weak. The Dungeon drone had been destroyed early on, and his team members had all colluded to blame him instead.

That was the end of it.

Without so much as a small fuss, the incident Byeon Soo-hyeon had experienced was buried.

Lost in thought for a moment, Byeon Soo-hyeon shook his head.

“I can’t just sit back and do nothing either.”

After changing his clothes, he left his apartment and first bought a bottle of soju.

And then he downed it in one go.

He felt his fear melt away.

“Shit, I’ve got nothing to lose now.”

He struggled to the front of the building.

A sign that read “Fit the Awakening” was dangling precariously.

The office atmosphere was desolate.

Most of the things had already been moved out, and only a few people were visible.

Familiar faces.

It was the Team leader and the guild members under him.

“We will inform you of the compensation amount at a later date.”

“Of course. We will wait patiently, whether it’s a year or two.”

The person the Team leader was fawning and groveling over looked like an agent from the Association.

“It won’t take that long. The settlement will probably be finalized within a fortnight.”

“Oh my. I would be very grateful if you could do that.”

“There are no disqualifying factors, right? Like tax evasion, or accidents within a Dungeon.”

“What could there be? We ran our guild cleanly.”

The CEO, who was usually such a devil, was fumbling in front of the Association employee.

Seeing that, Byeon Soo-hyeon couldn’t help but scoff.

It was then.

The Association employee turned his head toward him.

“That person is…?”

The CEO was visibly flustered. What are you doing here? his expression screamed.

“Uh, ah. He’s our employee. No, he was an employee. We’re closed now.”

“Ah.”

The Association employee nodded.

“Well then. I’ll see you at the next evaluation.”

“Yes. Agent. Please take care!”

The Team leader bowed his head deeply and saw him off. After the agent had completely disappeared, his expression changed.

“Byeon Soo-hyeon? What brings you all the way here?”

“What do you mean? I came to get my money.”

“Money? What money.”

“The compensation for turning me into this cripple. Have you already forgotten?”

Byeon Soo-hyeon growled, but it had no effect.

Not just the Team leader, but the guys next to him were busy snickering.

They weren’t even human.

“You’re not talking about that Orc Dungeon, are you?”

The Team leader came closer. Byeon Soo-hyeon instinctively took a step back.

He thought the alcohol would protect him, but he was wrong.

The pressure from a Hunter was on a different level.

“Hey. What did I say back then? I told you to back off because it was dangerous.”

“Team leader, when did you…”

“I did!”

A rough hand grabbed his shoulder. It hurt so much it felt like it would tear.

It hurt so much that Byeon Soo-hyeon felt like he was about to burst into tears.

But he couldn’t back down like this.

“Give… it to me. The money.”

“What was that? I can’t hear you.”

“You guys… are all getting compensation. I want mine… too.”

He desperately needed this money for his mother’s surgery.

“If not, I’ll go to the Association and report…”

“Well, look at this guy.”

The one who stepped forward then was the vice-leader.

The guy who had been grinning next to the Team leader grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.

“You think Awakeners are a joke because we’ve been nice to you? What? Report to the Association?”

This was an Awakener who had torn an Orc apart like paper.

Naturally, he was no match for him.

“Go on. Report it. Let’s see what happens. Let’s see what happens. Go on and report it.”

Then he handed over his phone. Byeon Soo-hyeon took the phone with trembling hands.

He couldn’t muster the courage. He felt like he would die the moment he reported it to the Association.

The snickering from all around grew louder.

“The little shit just barks when he can’t even do it. Lower your eyes.”

“……”

“Lower them. Your eyes.”

Byeon Soo-hyeon slowly lowered his gaze. The vice-leader, who snatched the phone back, stepped away.

“Hey, you punk. Why are you scaring the kid?”

The CEO came closer.

The bastard was grinning.

“My heart aches too. Soo-hyeon. But what can I do when things turned out this way. Tsk.”

The Team leader clicked his tongue and took a wallet out of his pocket. A few crumpled 50,000 won bills came out.

The Team leader shoved them into his pocket. Byeon Soo-hyeon was still frozen like ice.

He couldn’t resist until the very end.

Byeon Soo-hyeon downed his soju shot and stared at the TV.

In his daze, a few words stuck in his ears.

He saw a familiar face, too. Choi Gi-woong was smiling on the screen.

[Furthermore, International Awakener Association President Choi Gi-woong has announced plans to distribute Hunting Grounds uniformly across the world and has also encouraged active participation from Civilians in joining the Association.]

“Where do the guys who lived off Dungeons go now?”

It was a voice from the next table.

“I heard they pay a lot for that.”

“Really?”

“They said you can make at least 5 million won a month just by hunting in an F-Rank Hunting Ground.”

“Five million? Geez. Then every Tom, Dick, and Harry will do it.”

“That’s why every Tom, Dick, and Harry is doing it. Thanks to Choi Gi-woong. They say there are ten Hunting Grounds all over the country now, so you don’t have to worry about finding a spot.”

Fwoosh-

A flame ignited in the hand of the man at the next table.

“See this? You can call me a Great Mage now. I joined the International Association yesterday.”

“Whoa, shit. I’m preparing to be an archer. How did you pass that?”

“It’s all talent, talent. The Association gave out the same Skill Books, didn’t they?”

Byeon Soo-hyeon looked at them with envy.

That was right. The International Association had kindly handed out introductory Skill Books.

Warrior, Elementalist, Divine Mage, Mage, and so on….

They even kindly included a manual so that anyone could awaken their Mana.

That must have been six months ago.

Naturally, Byeon Soo-hyeon had tried it too.

But he soon fell into despair.

He had no talent whatsoever.

It was impossible to be this untalented in Mana.

Not in magic, not in Elementalism, not even in swordsmanship. It was so bad that even the Skill Book academy shook their heads and said this path wasn’t for him.

Now that his leg was crippled, it was out of the question.

“Mind Sword.”

Suddenly, the word popped out of his mouth reflexively.

Then he chuckled.

“What am I thinking. Crazy bastard.”

It was a ridiculous fantasy.

A sword style from a stupid dream?

There was no way a klutz like him could imitate it.

In other words, registering with the Association was also a pipe dream….

[Also, to encourage registration with the Association, the International Association has promised a support payment of 300,000 won to those who register.]

“…300,000 won?”

They’re giving 300,000 won just for registering?

Byeon Soo-hyeon felt the alcohol wear off in an instant.

“…Right. I’ll just register. Just register.”

-If you just master the Mind Sword, there will be no one in the world who can handle you.

-Yes. Cult Leader.

-Tell me when you have mastered it. I will teach you the Chilyanggong….

Fwoop!

Byeon Soo-hyeon shot up.

Another stupid dream. It seemed to have a continuing story for a stupid dream, but. A stupid dream is just a stupid dream.

“This is no time for this.”

He quickly washed up and left his studio.

The entrance to the Association was already bustling with people.

They were all people who had come to register their names.

They all looked strong. Dressed in a plain shirt, he looked particularly shabby among the people decked out in Items.

“Byeon Soo-hyeon, twenty-seven this year.”

“You’re registered. There will be a test for an additional Rank evaluation.”

“A Rank… evaluation?”

“Yes. You won’t be disqualified for getting an F-Rank, it’s just a simple test. By any chance, what is your Class?”

“……”

After a moment of hesitation, he spoke.

“I know how to handle a sword, a little.”

It felt like he was lying.

“Swordsmanship. Please go to the Training Arena on basement level 2 and present your number.”

In a daze, Byeon Soo-hyeon went down to the basement.

Just as the smell of sweat began to slowly spread.

Someone was knocked down right in front of him.

“C-Rank. Next. Come on up.”

He saw a familiar face.

A face he had only seen on TV. It was Kim Soo-gyeom. Choi Gi-woong’s direct team member.

The Association agent who, aside from Choi Gi-woong, had broken through to A-Rank in the shortest amount of time.

Seeing such a big shot right in front of him made his heart drop.

‘Is this right…?’

He thought for a moment, then shook his head.

He would be knocked out in one second anyway, and all he had to do was grab the 300,000 won.

“If I get noticed by Kim Soo-gyeom today, can I join Choi Gi-woong’s team?”

So, Byeon Soo-hyeon didn’t have such thoughts in the slightest.

“Mr. Byeon Soo-hyeon. Please come up.”

“Yes.”

He went up, holding a wooden sword prepared in the Training Arena. Byeon Soo-hyeon tilted his head.

For some reason, the wooden sword felt comfortable in his hand.

Then, he naturally fell into a stance.

A stance as wide as his shoulders, a centered waist.

Even Byeon Soo-hyeon found it strange.

Because it was just like the Mind Sword he had seen in his dream.

“Uh…”

Watching him, Kim Soo-gyeom tilted his head.

“It says you’re a Civilian? Have you learned any Skills separately?”

“No. I haven’t learned anything.”

Because I have no talent.

“But your stance is quite good.”

‘Good? My stance?’

Kim Soo-gyeom continued.

“I’ll start now.”

When Kim Soo-gyeom approached. He found himself on the ground.

He didn’t even have time to react.

But Kim Soo-gyeom’s expression, as he held a sword to his neck from above, was even stranger.

“This is a sword style that’s not even in the Skill Books. Have you really never learned it? Do you have a talent for swordsmanship itself?”

For some reason, Kim Soo-gyeom was looking at him with the face of someone who had discovered something valuable.

“By any chance, have you found a team?”

“Excuse me…?”

“If not, how about joining our team?”