2 chapter - F-Class Hunter Park Jihoon (2)

When that familiar sensation coursed through my entire body once again—

“Huuhh…!”

—I had returned to being human.

I could feel my hands and feet, and they moved according to my will.

But there was one glaring difference.

‘This isn’t my body?’

It wasn’t mine. It was Choi Changshik’s.

Gurgle.

Choi Changshik’s body was covered in wounds, and I could explicitly feel something seeping into them.

Something was infiltrating his body—something sticky, something red and gelatinous.

‘What the hell is going on?’

It was hard to keep up with the situation.

‘No way… is this my Trait?’

Suddenly, I remembered what Choi Changshik had said to me earlier.

“Want me to kill you? Who knows, maybe you’ll rewind time or something.”

It wasn’t regression.

But it was a Trait that only activated upon death.

‘So my Trait activated when I died… and that monstrous form from earlier was the result?’

That red, gelatinous monster.

It looked just like a slime.

‘And then Choi Changshik’s corpse fell on top of me…’

By the time I regained consciousness, I was inside his body.

‘…A slime that wears corpses?’

What kind of madness was this?

Was the Trait I had so desperately wished for nothing more than transforming into a monster?

That couldn’t be.

‘This is complete bullshit—!’

But I didn’t have time to stay confused.

“Grrr?”

Right in front of Choi Changshik—or rather, in front of me—stood a goblin radiating an ominous presence.

It was massive, about the size of a fully grown human.

“Grruuh!”

The goblin swung its sword.

I barely dodged, rolling to the side just in time.

Clang!

‘What the fuck?! What is that?!’

I had never seen a goblin like this before.

I wasn’t even sure if it was a goblin.

It was nothing like the usual small, weak creatures found in F-Class dungeons.

This thing was built like a tank. With those massive muscles, it looked like it could easily bench 500 pounds.

‘That’s a damn goblin?!’

The only saving grace was that the monster wasn’t in perfect condition.

A longsword—one that belonged to Choi Changshik—was lodged deep in its stomach.

It was his final act of defiance before dying.

‘That’s it!’

All I had to do was finish what Changshik started.

I quickly got to my feet and grabbed the hilt of the sword buried in its abdomen.

“Hnngh!”

I twisted and yanked it out with all my strength.

“Kraaaaaahhh!!”

Blood and entrails spilled from the gaping wound.

The goblin lashed out with its sword, but its attack was slow and sluggish.

I easily dodged.

“Grruuhh!”

I stepped back, watching the monster collapse onto its knees.

There was no need to finish it off.

It was already dying from severe blood loss.

Then—

‘Huh?’

A chill ran down my spine. I turned around instinctively.

“Kriiik!”

A goblin was sneaking up behind me.

‘Shit, I’m screwed—Wait…’

Just as I thought it was too late, my body reacted on its own.

Before I even realized it, my sword had already sliced through its waist.

Schhk!

The goblin was cut clean in half.

I stood there, frozen.

‘…What the hell?’

Strength was surging through my body.

The sword I held felt as light as a feather.

‘Ah.’

In the chaos, I had completely forgotten.

‘I’m not in my own body right now…’

This wasn’t F-Class Hunter Park Jihoon’s body.

It was D-Class Hunter Choi Changshik’s.

And then—

Wooong.

‘Huh?’

As the bisected goblin died, I felt a faint energy surge within me.

‘No way…?’

It wasn’t enough to be certain just yet.

The power boost was subtle.

‘Alright, let’s test this out.’

I turned my gaze to the massive goblin that was on the verge of death.

‘If I kill that thing…’

I’d know for sure.

My grip on the bloodstained sword tightened.

I had killed countless goblins before.

Gates weren’t exactly safe zones, after all.

But this monster was different.

‘Stay calm. It’s already dying. Just go in and slice its throat.’

With a short breath, I charged forward.

“KRAAAAH!!”

At that moment, the goblin—which I thought was about to die—

roared with its final burst of strength.

It swung its weapon with everything it had.

CLANG!

Too bad.

A dying monster couldn’t muster much force.

I easily parried the attack and—

Schhk!

—severed its head.

Thud.

The massive goblin collapsed.

And the very moment it died—

Wooooong!

“…!”

A powerful energy surge coursed through my entire body.

That confirmed it.

‘A Predator-Type Trait…!’

Not only had I taken Choi Changshik’s body, but I had also inherited his Trait.

A Trait that grew stronger the more monsters were killed.

A legendary Trait.

There was a Hunter in Korea who had the same kind of ability.

An S-Class Hunter.

Jang Taegyu.

He had climbed to S-Class within a single year thanks to his Predator-Type Trait, which allowed him to absorb power from the monsters he killed.

‘Of course, mine won’t be nearly as special as his…’

I had spent three months working with Choi Changshik.

If his Trait had been that special, I would have noticed it long ago.

And if he really had such a powerful ability, he wouldn’t have been stuck farming F-Class Gates all the time.

‘Even so… it’s still a Predator-Type Trait.’

Other hunters needed constant training to develop their Traits.

But Predator-Type users got stronger just by working.

‘Even Choi Changshik improved drastically in just half a year.’

He may have been D-Class, but based on his performance today, he was on par with top-tier C-Class Hunters.

‘And after taking down that monster goblin, his power must have increased significantly.’

At this rate, he might have even been able to challenge a B-Class Hunter.

As I was deep in thought—

“Kriiik.”

—A group of goblins had silently surrounded me.

There were at least twice as many as before.

But strangely enough—

I wasn’t scared.

Shudder.

If anything, they were the ones who were afraid.

They sensed the power difference.

Their instincts screamed that I was a predator.

Their eyes were filled with fear.

‘Ahhh…’

I understood now.

I wasn’t prey anymore.

I was the hunter.

Since they weren’t attacking, I struck first.

Crunch!

A single kick shattered a goblin’s jaw, rendering it completely unable to fight.

“KIIIIIK—!”

Another goblin lunged at me, but—

Thud!

The goblin, mid-leap, found its throat caught in my grip.

I tightened my fingers around its neck.

“Kehhk—!”

It thrashed wildly, trying to break free.

Its claws scraped against my forearm guards, but all they did was snap against the reinforced material.

“Kkiiek—!”

The remaining goblins, realizing I was occupied strangling their comrade, charged all at once.

But—

Schhk!

With a single swing of my sword, I cut down two goblins in one motion.

The remaining goblins froze in place, staring in horror.

“Gurk—gkkk!”

The only sound in the now eerily silent cave was the choking gasps of the goblin in my grip.

Then, as its struggles ceased and its body went limp—

“Kiiiaaaak!!”

“Kiiik!”

—The goblins surrounding me turned tail and ran.

Which made them easy prey.

One by one, I hunted them down.

Schhk!

With the final goblin’s head severed, I stood still for a moment, surveying the battlefield.

‘This is beyond C-Class…’

In my three years as a hunter, I had seen plenty of C-Class Hunters fight.

But none of them had ever displayed such absolute dominance.

‘B-Class…!’

It had taken only half a year for Choi Changshik to reach this level.

And now, all of that power belonged to me.

**

Hunter Management Bureau Investigation

“So, to summarize: You entered a supposedly F-Class dungeon, but over a hundred goblins and a human-sized goblin appeared, indicating abnormal conditions. Yet, you still successfully cleared it?”

“Yes.”

“And Hunter Park Jihoon, who accompanied you, died during the raid?”

“…Yes.”

Once a Gate was cleared, it would disappear the moment a hunter exited.

Which meant the only source of information about what happened inside was my testimony.

“Did you personally confirm Hunter Park Jihoon’s death?”

“…Yes.”

“Understood. The 126 F-Class Mana Stones and the single D-Class Mana Stone you submitted as evidence will be reviewed before processing your compensation. That will be all—please have a good day.”

The D-Class Mana Stone had come from the human-sized goblin.

Because of that, the Goblin Cave would almost certainly be reclassified as a D-Class Gate.

‘That means I qualify for the C-Class promotion exam.’

Yesterday, I had been just another nameless F-Class Hunter.

I hadn’t even been eligible for D-Class promotion.

Now, I was on track for C-Class.

It still didn’t feel real.

‘What now?’

After clearing the Gate, I had rushed straight to the Hunter Management Bureau to file my report.

Usually, this was a simple process done via the Hunter app, but considering the abnormal conditions and the fact that someone had died, I had decided to report in person.

Now, all my tasks were done.

‘…Might as well head home.’

**

Returning Home—Or Not

Best Officetel, Unit 302.

Strictly speaking, this wasn’t my home.

This was Choi Changshik’s home.

‘First time stepping inside…’

I had driven him here plenty of times when I worked as a designated driver, but I had never been inside.

Slowly, I entered the passcode.

Beep-beep-beep-beep—click.

“Wow.”

Compared to my cramped 7-pyeong studio, this was on a whole different # Nоvеlight # level.

A spacious, well-furnished living room.

Contrary to Changshik’s nasty personality, the apartment was spotless.

A TV sat in the neatly arranged living space.

The open-concept kitchen made the room feel even bigger.

There was even a separate bedroom with just a bed, and a bathroom twice the size of the one in my old studio.

‘Now this… this is a real place to live.’

A sudden curiosity struck me.

What about Changshik’s bank account?

Checking was easy.

He always used biometric authentication because typing passwords was too much trouble for him.

Fingerprint and iris scans solved everything.

‘Let’s see…’

What I found stunned me.

23 million won.

(Over $17,000 USD.)

‘…That’s a lot!’

I had been barely scraping by, working day-to-day jobs just to afford food.

Meanwhile, Changshik had been living in a nice officetel, owned a car—albeit a small one—and had this much saved up.

And now…

His home.

His car.

His money.

His abilities.

All of it belonged to me.

“Hah…”

I let out a chuckle.

Guilt?

Not even a shred.

That bastard used to threaten me with a knife when he got pissed.

This just felt like payback for all the shit he put me through.

‘Thanks, asshole.’

I had no attachment to my life as Park Jihoon.

It had been a pathetic, miserable existence.

And frankly, I was tired of it.

‘Yeah. Park Jihoon is dead. From now on, I am Choi Changshik.’

I made my decision.

**

Strange Healing & A Growing Secret

After showering, I examined the wounds covering my new body.

‘Are these… healing?’

I pressed lightly on one of them.

Squish.

A red gelatinous substance was clumped over the wounds, sealing them.

But was it actually healing me? Or was it just blocking the injury?

I had no way of knowing.

And going to a hospital was out of the question.

Even if a doctor could treat me, there was a chance my secret would be exposed.

‘That can’t happen.’

What would people do if they found out about my Trait?

If they saw my red, gelatinous form?

‘I… look exactly like a slime.’

I might be treated as a monster.

And if that happened…

I could be hunted down.

“Hah… Let’s just wait and see.”

Maybe the wounds would heal on their own after a few days.

Since there was no pain, I figured it would be fine for now.

‘For now, let’s check the phone.’

If I was going to live as Choi Changshik, I needed to know everything about him.

Thankfully, I had spent three months working under him like a dog, so I already knew a lot.

‘He cut ties with his family. No friends, no girlfriend.’

He only associated with people when he had to.

In a way, he was just like me.

The difference was that Changshik had chosen isolation, while I had been forced into it.

Either way, his life wasn’t so different from mine.

‘No one to contact him…’

A completely solitary existence.

The eerie similarity made me uncomfortable.

An Unexpected Call

Riiing—

A call from an unknown number.

“Huh?”

It wasn’t a spam number like 02 or 070.

It was a real phone number.

So I answered.

“Hello?”

[Hello. This is Detective Lee Changhee from the Gwanak Police Gate Investigation Unit.]

An uninvited guest had appeared.