9 chapter - Lee Yuna (3)

“Are you talking to me right now?”

“Yeah. Who else would I be talking to, huh? You piece of shit, Choi Changshik.”

The moment he said Choi Changshik, I figured out where all that hostility was coming from.

He’s one of the victims.

After three miserable months in this body, I’d gotten used to it. I could fully sympathize with anyone who started cursing the second they saw this guy’s face.

Well… I guess from his point of view, this wasn’t a first meeting at all.

“What are you staring at, asshole? You got a problem? Want to take it outside?”

Yeah, this guy definitely knew the real Choi Changshik.

But from my point of view, he was just some random dude. So I gave him the only answer I could.

“Sorry, but… do I know you?”

The man’s jaw dropped. He looked stunned for a moment—then shouted.

“I’m Kim Woojin! Kim Woojin, goddamn it!”

Still doesn’t ring a bell.

“…I’m sorry, but how exactly do we know each other?”

“I knew you were a raging asshole, but this? Seriously? You don’t remember the guy who worked under you for a whole goddamn month like a goddamn dog?!”

Damn.

So someone else actually put up with Choi Changshik for a whole month?

I couldn’t even say I didn’t know him without sounding like a liar now.

I was frozen, stuck without a good way to respond, when—

“Hey! Kim Woojin! What the hell are you doing?!”

A woman, clearly one of Woojin’s teammates, ran over and stepped in front of him.

“You said you were going to the bathroom—why are you out here picking fights with strangers?!”

“Move!”

“I said stop it.”

This was getting complicated.

If he really spent a month with the real Changshik, then he’d definitely know how nasty the guy was.

If I suddenly acted all nice and polite, he’d know something was off.

What would Choi Changshik have done in this situation?

Knowing that bastard, the answer was obvious.

He would’ve thrown the first punch.

I was just about to go for it when something completely unexpected happened.

Smack!

Lee Yuna’s small hand slapped across Kim Woojin’s face.

“…What?”

He stood there frozen, staring down at her like he couldn’t process what just happened.

She glared up at him, furious.

“You’ve got zero manners. I think you’ve got the wrong person—apologize.”

Kim Woojin’s face turned beet red.

“You crazy bitch, are you out of your mind?!”

His fist shot toward her.

Wham!

“...!”

But instead of hitting her, Kim Woojin’s punch slammed into my face.

He paused for a moment, confused, then took a step back and shouted,

“Hah! What, you trying to play the good guy now just ’cause a girl’s watching?!”

It was almost funny, how easy it was to read his thoughts.

He was starting to question everything.

Did I really mistake this guy for someone else?

Because there was no way the real Choi Changshik would’ve taken a punch for someone else—ever.

Spit.

I spat blood onto the ground and looked him in the eye.

“You threw the first punch.”

Instinct had kicked in. I’d moved without thinking, taken the hit for Lee Yuna.

And in that moment, I realized something:

I couldn’t pretend to be Choi Changshik. Living like that guy… it was only possible if you were an actual psychopath.

Even if I wore his body, I was still going to live my way.

“Oh, what, you think that means anything? You’re still a worthless little D-Class shithead acting tough in front of a C-Class Hunter—!”

This time, I made the first move.

I rushed him.

Startled, Kim Woojin swung—but I slipped inside his guard and grabbed his arm.

Then I slammed him into the asphalt.

Boom!

“Guhhh!”

He hit the pavement so hard his eyes rolled back and his body twitched before going limp.

I blinked in surprise.

I had tried to hold back… but the sound his body made said otherwise.

Okay, I really am stupid strong now.

That was the first time I’d used my full strength on a human.

It drove the point home—just how much stronger I’d gotten.

He’s got some kind of body enhancement Trait, too, right? He’ll be fine… right?

He wasn’t moving.

And I was starting to get nervous.

…He’s not dead, is he?

Worried, I knelt down and shook him.

“Hey. Wake up.”

“Uuurgh…”

Thank god.

He was alive.

“You okay?”

“Y-you bastard… you threw me…”

If he could still cuss me out, then he’d probably just blacked out for a minute.

Mild concussion, at worst.

“Woojin! Oh my god!”

The woman from earlier finally snapped out of it and ran to him, hugging his crumpled body.

Then she turned to glare at me.

Her eyes—were glowing red.

“You—!”

My instincts screamed.

That… was dangerous.

Something’s coming.

Just as she was about to do something—

“That’s enough.”

A calm voice came from behind her.

And just like that, the red glow in her eyes vanished.

“D-Division Chief…”

The man she called her Division Chief was someone I recognized too.

Ryu Sumin.

An A-Class Hunter from Taeseong Guild. The number one name that came to mind in South Korea when you thought of fire-based Hunters.

He had that handsome “silver fox” vibe that made him popular even with regular civilians.

I’d seen someone in the restaurant earlier wearing sunglasses like a wannabe celebrity—turns out that was Ryu Sumin.

Now, without his shades, he looked utterly exhausted.

He gave me a small bow.

“Please accept our apology for Kim Woojin’s behavior. That was completely out of line.”

And in that moment, I realized something.

He’d been watching the whole thing.

And he hadn’t stepped in.

If he hadn’t seen what happened, he would’ve been furious, demanded answers, maybe even retaliated.

After all, all he saw now was Kim Woojin lying unconscious on the pavement.

“I’m sorry too. The guy started swearing at me the second we met—I think I overreacted.”

I stepped back, just a little.

Because, yeah—this was someone I needed to be careful around.

And to be fair, I did go a little overboard.

If this went to court, it could count as attempted murder.

In reality, it was just a fight, but the law always sides with whoever has the power and the money.

If Kim Woojin didn’t have a physical enhancement Trait, he could’ve died.

And that side? They had the status and the influence to crush a nobody like me.

So yeah—I knew when to back off.

Ryu Sumin looked at me closely and said,

“…You’ve changed a lot.”

“Huh?”

“You’re much calmer now.”

Wait—did he know Choi Changshik too?

Shit. Was this guy more connected than I thought?

I gave a vague response.

“…Yeah. A lot’s happened.”

“I heard about it.”

He must’ve seen the confusion on my face, because he clarified.

“I heard you recently lost a friend. My condolences.”

Ah.

“That you stayed at the funeral hall for all three days as chief mourner… you two must’ve been close.”

“…We were.”

“It’s a tragedy, but it seems like it’s brought out a positive change in you. I hope you can find peace.”

With that, Ryu Sumin and his group left.

Like a storm had rolled in and passed through.

Lee Yuna came up to me, looking worried.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re bleeding. Let me see your hand.”

She took my hand, and a gentle warmth flowed through me as the cut inside my mouth healed.

“Thanks.”

Lee Yuna smiled softly, then asked,

“Did you study judo or something?”

“A little.”

“Still, your ears don’t look like dumplings?”

“Only the hardcore guys get cauliflower ears.”

I learned more than just judo.

I spent so much time and money chasing after some damned Trait.

Not that it ever paid off.

Still, it wasn’t totally wasted.

Even as an F-Class Hunter, I ended up in enough fights with monsters that those skills came in handy.

“You were really good. Judging by what that guy said, he was a C-Class, right? But you dropped him in one shot.”

“Probably amateur level. I trained pretty hard.”

The instructors used to rave about my talent.

Sure, most of it was probably just sales talk, but I think there was some truth to it.

“Come on, let’s get going. I’ll walk you home.”

“Thanks.”

**

“Kreeek!”

A Goblin burst out from a crack in the cave wall, lunging at Lee Yuna.

But she calmly drew her dagger and called out to me.

“Over here!”

Just staying calm was enough to throw off a Goblin’s charge.

They were naturally cowardly creatures.

I finished off the one I was already fighting, then sprinted toward her.

In an instant, I was in front of her, swinging my blade.

Slash!

That one was the last.

As the fight ended, the trace of blood in my right eye finally faded.

At the same time, I felt the overflowing mana in my body surge toward my heart.

“Nice work today.”

“I didn’t do anything. You did all the hard work.”

That wrapped up our last F-Class Gate.

It had been two weeks since Lee Yuna’s promotion to D-Class.

This was already our fourth raid together.

In that time, I’d gotten pretty good at using Choi Changshik’s Trait.

Having these eye drops makes things way easier.

I’d made a solution mixing blood with saline, and it was surprisingly efficient.

Now I didn’t have to injure myself every time I fought. I could also adjust the power and duration of my skills depending on the concentration.

I’m pretty sure Choi Changshik didn’t understand his Trait at all.

At first, I assumed he must’ve known. It was his ability, after all.

But after tearing through his entire apartment, I didn’t find a single vial of stored blood.

Not even tools for extracting it. So chances are, he never understood what triggered his power.

He probably just assumed his Trait made him stronger the more Goblins he killed, after that first battle when blood accidentally got in his right eye.

Now I understood why Choi had never been desperate to get promoted to C-Class.

Goblins show up most frequently in F-Class Gates. In D-Class and above, they become rare.

From his point of view, there was no reason to push for higher-level raids.

He must’ve just focused on grinding strength in F-Class Gates.

But the stronger he got, the less likely he was to ever figure out his Trait. Since in F-Class raids, he’d rarely get hurt badly enough to notice the blood-triggered ability.

Even without using his skill properly, someone with physical enhancement could still be powerful.

With the right body, you didn’t need much else to clear a Gate. So it made sense he never felt the urgency to figure out the fine details.

“You really seem to be getting stronger lately. After that first fight, you haven’t even gotten a scratch…”

It’s true I’d gotten a bit stronger, but the growth was slow.

More than anything, I’d just gotten used to this body.

To using its abilities.

“Almost sounds like you want me to get hurt.”

“That’s not what I meant! It’s just… if you never take any damage, I don’t get to use my power.”

“You’re looking at it the wrong way. Not needing your power means we’re doing everything right.”

“I know… but it still feels like I’m getting paid for nothing.”

Honestly, considering how valuable her Trait was, I was barely paying her anything. And yet she still thought like that.

She really was a good person.

“Think of it like an insurance policy. You pay for car insurance, but that doesn’t mean you want to get into an accident, right?”

“…Yeah, that’s true.”

“Anyway, what do you want to eat today? Beef again?”

“Absolutely!”

Every time we finished a raid, we’d go eat expensive beef.

Technically, as a D-Class now, she was entitled to a 50/50 split of our raid earnings—but she still insisted on taking only 250,000 won per raid.

Which meant my wallet was finally getting some breathing room. And with that came generosity. Or guilt, maybe.

So I kept treating her to high-end beef.

If you think about it, it’s basically her money I’m spending anyway.

Also, it turned out I really liked beef.

We headed straight to our usual spot.

“Welcome! You two are back again!”

We’d become regulars here in no time.

“One large assorted platter and a bottle of soju, please.”

Before long, a beautiful spread of beef was laid out in front of us.

I started placing the red slices on the grill.

Sizzle.

That sound was pure bliss.

As I zoned out watching the meat cook, Lee Yuna spoke up.

“It’s next week, right?”

“What is?”

“The C-Class promotion exam for this quarter.”

“Yeah.”

Unlike D-Class, which you could apply for anytime, C-Class exams were held quarterly.

“I’m kind of excited. The C-Class test is a big deal, right? Not like the F and D ones.”

“Of course.”

C-Class Hunters were officially recognized by the government as capable of leading D-Class Gate raids.

Naturally, the exam had to be tough to match.

The structure of the C-Class test was actually kind of famous.

“You think you’ll get famous after it airs?”

Because yeah—it’s televised nationally.

The viewership for the C-Class exam regularly beats most sports broadcasts.

“That’s only for the talented and the good-looking.”

There were even people who debuted as celebrities after gaining popularity during the exam.

These days, some folks intentionally take the C-Class exam just for the exposure.

“Why not? You’re tall, and honestly… you’re pretty good-looking.”

True.

As much of an asshole as Choi Changshik was, he did have a nice face.

With a physique like his and a face like that, he fit the profile.

“Plus, you’re strong enough to take down a C-Class Hunter! You’ll stand out during the Qualification Stage for sure.”

The Qualification Stage.

You had to defeat a summoned creature with the strength of a D-Class Gate boss in a practical combat test.

It was the highlight of the exam.

“But hey… have you found teammates for the test yet?”

Normally, the Qualification Stage was done in a team of three Hunters.

Just then, the meat hit that perfect level of doneness.

I picked up a slice, popped it into my mouth, and casually replied,

“Nope.”

Lee Yuna froze with her chopsticks mid-air.

“I’m a loner, remember? I’ll be doing it solo.”

She dropped her chopsticks in shock.

“What?! You’re going to fight a boss-level monster alone?!”

I didn’t want to, obviously.

If you failed the Qualification Stage, it didn’t matter how high your other scores were—you’d fail the whole exam.

But what choice did I have?

No one wanted to team up with a jerk like Choi Changshik.

“No worries. I’ll figure something out.”