Chapter 10

“I’m so sorry… Thank you, really, thank you so much, Taewoon. But you did beat them up a bit too severely.”

“…I apologize.”

“I’m joking, really. You saved my life, so this is a cheap price to pay. Once I’m fully recovered, I’ll treat you to a lavish meal.”

After completing the Dungeon Conquest, Yoo Gahee, who had fortunately regained consciousness, received first aid from emergency responders and was transported to the hospital.

The fact that she was still joking until the very end was a great relief, as it suggested there were no major problems.

“I should also offer my thanks. I survived thanks to you. You look like someone destined for greatness.”

“Me too! Honestly, I was quite panicked, but I survived because you two responded so calmly.”

After exchanging warm greetings, we filed the conquest report for the dungeon, including facts about the new Specter, and then parted ways.

The next day, Taewoon suffered from an extreme sense of boredom, something he had never experienced in his entire life.

‘Why am I like this?’

Actually, he thought he vaguely knew the reason.

Taewoon had lived a life fueled by spite every single day, denying his own situation of being unable to bloom his Trait.

Recently, he had embarked on a tumultuous adventure in the Red Man Theater and had even completed a Dungeon Conquest he had only dreamed of.

‘Was resting always such an awkward activity?’

Since it was common sense to rest deeply and manage one’s body after visiting a dungeon, he tried to do so.

However, no matter how much he thought about it, he felt too restless.

“Sigh, I might as well go train.”

Eventually, rising out of familiar physical inertia, Taewoon left his house and walked down a familiar street, only to clutch his forehead as a sudden realization hit him.

“Habits are scary, truly scary.”

While walking in a daze for a moment, his body had instinctively headed toward Hongsim Hall, where he had stayed for five years.

Taewoon let out a sigh and changed his destination to the Association’s public training center.

It wasn’t exactly his preference because it was crowded every day, but he thought that occasionally, this wouldn’t be so bad.

And then.

“Ah, aaaah! Mr. Seo Taewoon!”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been waiting for you! Do you have a moment?”

A skillfully dyed blonde bob, and a smile that radiated cheerfulness at a single glance.

Due to the sudden intrusion of Han Saebom, Taewoon was dragged to the cafe in the center’s basement in the blink of an eye.

“So, to summarize, you want to recruit me into your guild?”

“Yep! I’ve already received permission from the Guild Master!”

Given the incident with Yongcheol, he honestly thought that an offer might come eventually. However, even considering that, the recruitment offer from the Baran Guild through Han Saebom was incredibly fast.

He was happy that his value seemed to be recognized, but on the other hand, it was quite awkward.

‘…As expected, I don’t think the timing is right yet.’

Taewoon’s Theater of All Things was an exceptionally special Unique Trait.

Until he obtained the minimum strength to protect himself, he wanted to avoid belonging to any organization as much as possible.

“It is a grateful offer. The conditions are excellent for someone dealing with a rookie Hunter who has nothing.”

“Right? I really put a lot of effort into recommending you.”

“However, unfortunately, I have no intention of joining a guild yet.”

“…Really? You haven’t been talking to anywhere else, have you?”

“I haven’t.”

Han Saebom was visibly disappointed. However, there was no sign of her giving up.

“Then around when will you feel that way?”

“I don’t know that either.”

“If you keep playing hard to get like that, you’ll just snap up an offer the moment a giant guild bites, won’t you?”

“I don’t know that either.”

“Hmph, you don’t know anything about your own business.”

He wondered if her attitude was a bit too light for discussing a contract, but that actually made her feel more approachable, so he didn’t feel bad about it.

The Baran Guild.

Looking at the archives, their reputation and performance seemed decent, and they certainly had a family-like atmosphere, making them an attractive option.

But still, thinking about it again, now was not the appropriate time.

“I’m sorry. However, if I ever feel like joining a guild in the future, I will seriously consider yours first.”

“…If you put it that way, I have no choice but to wait. Then, this conversation ends here, and I have a separate proposal for you.”

“A proposal?”

Since the Baran Guild also had rookies currently in training, she asked if he would conduct Weapon Arts training for them.

On the surface, there was nothing strange about it, but honestly, it was a slightly embarrassing proposal for Taewoon.

“I’m not sure if I have that level of skill. I’m just a rookie who has just bloomed a Trait.”

“You beat Mr. Yongcheol just fine at the training center, so why wouldn’t this work?”

“…….”

“You know how it is. Learning from an expert who hasn’t Awakened means the decisive feeling of handling the body is different. And Hunters with outstanding skills usually work in the field; they don’t often become instructors.”

That was why teaching rookies systematically was not as easy as it seemed. Especially in fields like Weapon Arts.

“…I understand. If that’s the case, I will accept.”

“Great! Then I’ll contact you again once the details are decided!”

Feeling that she had successfully secured at least one proposal, Han Saebom drank her beverage with a beaming face and left Taewoon’s side.

Perhaps she thought that by having him frequent the guild, getting acquainted, and talking, the possibility of recruitment would naturally increase?

She was truly a woman who knew how to draw people in.

‘It wouldn’t be bad to play the role of an instructor after a long time.’

After finishing his usual training, Taewoon returned home, checked the increased balance in his bank account, and fell asleep.

725,000 won.

That was the first fruit of labor Taewoon received after choosing the life of a Hunter.

Two days later, Taewoon conquered a Level 1 Dungeon once again with the temporary party members, excluding Yoo Gahee.

The missing member was filled by a man named Changsik, an acquaintance of Byeongcheol, who handled a bow at a high level, allowing them to complete the dungeon conquest without much effort.

‘A Level 1 Dungeon is certainly not that difficult.’

However, Taewoon had not become a Hunter just for that, so he needed to make constant efforts to raise his classification level.

And now, the Ticket Cooldown for the Theater of All Things was almost over.

‘…….’

Taewoon waited with a heart full of excitement, and finally, after another day passed, the promised time arrived.

【General-grade Ticket X1】

“…Alright.”

Without hesitation, Taewoon immediately thrust his hand into the mirror.

And then.

【Would you like to consume a Basic-grade Ticket to enter the Theater?】

“Of course.”

【With your current tickets, you can enter a total of 3 Theaters.】

▶【Misirahi Plains (★) / Nature, Documentary, Adventure】

▶【West East Hangman (★☆) / Western, Action, Adventure】

▶【The Mirror (★★☆) / Mystery, Horror, Creature】

Once again, Theaters with a wide variety of genres appeared.

West East Hangman had the same difficulty as the Red Man, which he cleared last time, and The Mirror was one star higher.

Taewoon felt his hesitation grow between the options.

‘Thinking simply, choosing the Misirahi Plains or the Hangman Theater would be the safe bet, but…’

After clearing the Red Man Theater, Taewoon had obtained power so strong that it could be said he was on a completely different level than before.

At the same time, by focusing on dungeon conquests for a week, he had built up sufficient training.

‘The Mirror with two and a half stars, I wonder if I can clear it?’

He had three opportunities. And unlike before when he knew nothing, he had now accumulated quite a bit of know-how.

After weighing various possibilities several times, Taewoon finally made up his mind and spoke the name of the Theater he wished to enter.

“…I’ll challenge The Mirror.”

【‘The Mirror’ has been selected. Would you like to enter the Theater?】

“Yes.”

As soon as the selection was made, a mysterious light emanated from the mirror. Then, Taewoon’s consciousness began to be sucked into the interior of the Theater once again.

The moment he closed and opened his eyes amidst the flickering light, Taewoon found himself back in the Theater.

There, he faced three welcome options.

【You may select an Entry Privilege!】

▶【A Handful of Blessing】

▶【A Step of Change】

▶【A Word of Advice】

“…Right, come to think of it, this is the biggest problem.”

He had clearly seen the effect of A Word of Advice in the Red Man Theater.

It provides one definitive hint to clear the Theater, but ultimately, how to utilize it depends on Taewoon.

In the Red Man Theater, he hadn’t found his bearings in time, so he didn’t feel like he had fully leveraged the advantage of the advice.

‘Advice is certainly a decent privilege, but…’

Since there were three options, he had a stronger desire to check the effects of the other privileges first.

In the end, after some deliberation, Taewoon decided to choose the more intuitive A Handful of Blessing over A Step of Change.

【Entry Privilege selected!】

▶【A Handful of Blessing: Once per cycle, you can escape the world inside the mirror at the desired moment.】

The moment he confirmed the content, his vision went dark again, and Taewoon’s consciousness was sucked into a giant vortex.

And when he regained consciousness, a massive mirror emitting a very alien feeling stood before him.

‘Huh?’

Before he could even collect himself, Taewoon’s consciousness was sucked somewhere like a roller coaster.

‘What was that? Just now, something definitely…’

The place he arrived at was a bustling downtown area.

Cars were passing by, tall buildings lined the streets, and it was a downtown area not much different from the modern world Taewoon lived in.

[Wendy, what are we doing about our appointment tonight?]

[David! Stop spacing out and hurry up and follow me.]

[Right. That’s it. People these days don’t know about that. Uh… what? I can’t hear you well because of the car noise.]

Judging by the slightly old-fashioned atmosphere, it wasn’t as if there was no difference in era.

However, despite that, this place was modern.

In the Theater of ‘The Mirror,’ Taewoon felt that something was slightly, very slightly, off from what he had expected.

‘There’s… no point in panicking.’

Anyway, since he had entered the Theater, there was something he had to test first before taking action.

A new privilege obtained by completing the entire process of watching a Theater for the first time after receiving a Cinema Skill and an Artifact during the last reward settlement.

Its name was ‘Companion of Memories.’