🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 06
‘One bottle of oil costs o-one million won……? If I sell just one bottle, that covers the monthly rent?’
Wasn’t my income always tight, even when I worked without a single day off and stayed open until late?
Even after tightening my belt and switching to cheaper medicine, my financial situation had never improved. Those days flashed past my mind like a panorama.
Gulp.
I swallowed without realizing it.
Who isn’t weak in front of money? Especially someone who has been eating plain rice and kimchi for a week because they have no money.
“Still not convinced?”
As my silence grew longer, the cat began thumping its tail against the floor.
No, actually, I was almost convinced.
It said it would completely cure the nervous sensitivity that had plagued me my whole life and let me earn money easily—what reason was there to refuse?
Even so, the reason I couldn’t readily give a positive answer was because of the ‘purpose’ for which the cat was lending me this power.
Save humanity and protect the peace of Earth?
Wasn’t that far too grand a cause for an ordinary 26-year-old self-employed person? I’m not some movie hero.
Mimi didn’t explain exactly what kind of work I would have to do, but it was obvious I would at least need to prepare myself for my once peaceful daily life to be turned completely upside down.
“I liked that cautious side of you too, so whatever.”
As if to end my 고민, Mimi lifted her tail straight up and walked with an arrogant stride.
I wondered what she was doing and looked over—only to see her pressing the power button on the remote with her small, round black paw.
The TV, which was set to a news channel, happened to be broadcasting breaking news.
[Breaking news. Korean S-rank Hunter Oh Hyeongtaek, who had headed to Tokyo to support a gate operation, has fallen into a maze gate and contact has been lost. Although Oo-ri, one of only three Hunters in the world with a search skill, has been deployed for four hours…….]
[Countries other than the United States and Japan, which possess search-skill Hunters, are left with no choice but to stand by and watch. The only hope is support from Hunter Kang Jinseo of South Korea, the only one to have cleared a maze gate…….]
[Although the maze gate is ranked D-grade, its danger level has been measured as A-grade due to the lack of any escape method. As time passes, survival rates are extremely low due to stamina depletion and food shortages…….]
“In case you didn’t know.”
The cat that had nonchalantly turned on the TV lay stretched out on the sofa, openly watching me.
Watching my expression twist in shock.
“Don’t expect another Hunter with a search skill to clear it.”
“……Why?”
“Because it’s that kind of gate.”
“…….”
[Waaah! Waaah!]
The camera captured a child sobbing miserably while clutching a rabbit doll.
Judging from the debris scattered around, it was clear the parents had been sucked into the gate.
The moment I saw that scene, my fists clenched.
They say tragedies that remind people of painful pasts are now widespread across the world. And they say the power to end it exists only in me.
……How could I refuse?
My 고민 didn’t last long.
“I’ll do it.”
“Good. From now on, you and I will stop the dangers that will come upon Earth, Bitna.”
The unknown being wearing the guise of a beast gazed at me and smiled meaningfully.
^[Title Acquired: Wise Chooser]^
^[Main Quest Generated!]^
^[Clear the maze gates that threaten Earth’s safety! (1/22)]^
Time Limit: 490 hours 55 minutes 40 seconds
^[Failure: You will lose someone precious]^
^[Success: 2 stat points, Class level up]^
Is this a dream or reality?
Dragging my exhausted body, I sank onto the sofa.
“Haaah…….”
I closed my eyes with the back of my hand resting on my forehead. The bizarre events of today flashed past like a panorama.
Not only did I awaken the moment I fell into a gate, but Mimi turned out to be some alien lifeform, and now she’s telling me to save Earth.
If anything, a dream would feel more plausible.
“I awakened, of all people.”
To me, a Hunter was not a hero who saved humanity from the massive threat called gates.
They were simply pitiful beings who had to throw themselves into gates for the sake of others.
Even so, the reason I had endured harsh training at the Hunter Training Center, hoping to awaken, was because I thought that if I became a Hunter, maybe I could avenge my parents.
I wanted to grow strong and wipe out every last gate that had devoured them.
But when I passed twenty-five and still hadn’t been declared awakened, I gave up on everything and focused only on real life. The world was already hard enough just trying to survive on my own.
‘And now, I awaken…….’
More than joy, what I felt was bitterness.
Eighteen long years had been enough time to not only extinguish emotions that once burned like an active volcano, but to turn them hazy like a fog-covered road.
And now I had to enter that terrifying gate twenty-one more times and risk my life running through it. I truly didn’t feel like it.
I’m not particularly good at running, and my awakened stats aren’t high either.
Maybe I survived the first time by luck, but no one could guarantee what would happen next.
I glanced at the alien lifeform casually pressing the TV’s power button with its paw.
“Haa.”
……Still, I said I’d do it. I should take responsibility.
“Status window.”
With a desolate heart, I looked at the cat-eared status window.
^It wasn’t as absurd as when I first saw the class and skill names, but even now, I couldn’t help letting out a hollow laugh.
What on earth is this unheard-of class?
“How am I supposed to save the world with this?”
I deliberately muttered loudly enough for the cat to hear. Mimi twisted one corner of her mouth and smiled.
‘What does that mean?’
As I shifted my gaze back to the status window, a popup window suddenly appeared and sparkled.
^[Would you like to receive the clear reward?]^
Ah, right. I’d been too out of it earlier and forgot.
‘What will I get?’
With a secretly pounding heart, I pressed the “Yes” button, and a square gift box popped into existence.
The box bounced around, constantly changing the color of its wrapping paper. It might have looked cute, but the name attached beneath it made me uneasy.
“A Sweet Item Random Box for Beginner Shop Owners……?”
A random box?
When I looked at the cat in confusion, Mimi’s yellow eyes sparkled intensely. As if urging me to hurry and open a birthday present.
“Are there duds in this?”
“No.”
At the words that there were no duds, I boldly tapped the box.
Ta-da!
With a tacky sound effect, a single sheet of paper fell out.
“W-what is this?”
I jumped to my feet and picked up the item from the floor.
To think the clear reward was just a piece of paper. Unable to hide my disappointment, I examined it.
“……A short-term employment contract?”
What on earth is this? How is this a gate clear reward?
When the paper fell out, I naturally thought it was a scroll, but an employment contract?
Just as I whipped my head around to protest to whoever made this clear reward into a lottery—
“Oh, you pulled something very good right from the start?”
The cat widened its eyes and formed its mouth into a small circle. It didn’t look like it was acting.
“This is good?”
I cast a suspicious glance back at the fluttering paper.
[Short-Term Employment Contract]
-
Duration: One month from the contract date
-
Job Description: All tasks necessary for store operation (However, tasks unrelated to store operation cannot be ordered.)
-
Wage: Unpaid
“……What, unpaid? Is this a slave contract?”
My brow furrowed.
I didn’t even understand why I should hire part-timers for this tiny shop, and I had no idea how to interpret these absurd job details—especially the word “unpaid.”
I really couldn’t tell what made this a good item.
With a rough motion, I flipped the paper over. There was more writing on the back.
“Terms and conditions……?”
[Employment Contract Terms and Conditions]
-
The employment relationship lasts for 30 days from the contract date, and the employee is automatically registered as the employer’s ‘party member.’
-
For efficient store operation, the employee is granted the following abilities for one month:
-
All basic stats (Strength, Agility, Stamina, Intelligence, Luck) increase by 30%
-
Mana regeneration speed increases by 30%
-
Immunity to all status ailments and debuff effects
-
100% item drop rate upon clearing gates and 30% additional coins acquired
-
One-time nullification of 100% of all physical and magical damage
-
10% reduction of Mana Addiction
-
During the contract period, the employee cannot inflict any harm upon the employer.
-
The method of concluding the employment contract is as follows……
“Th-this…….”
The paper in my hand began to tremble.
My eyes wandered over the letters, unable to find their place, and my parted lips refused to close.
The contents of the contract were not just unprecedented—they were shocking.
The listed abilities surpassed the effect of using dozens of existing S-grade items simultaneously.
“You’re saying just this one contract can grant such scam-level buffs……?”
“Khmm! Didn’t I say it was a good item?”
The cat’s tail stretched out proudly.
“This goes beyond good—it’s broken…….”
Among them, the most unbelievable ability was the ‘reduction of Mana Addiction.’
Mana Addiction is a disease caused by residual mana accumulating in the body or brain, leading to various side effects. All Hunters suffer from it to some degree.
Because of this illness, a Hunter’s active lifespan is limited to an average of 15 years, and the higher the rank and the greater the mana usage, the shorter that period becomes.
Some even say that if Mana Addiction didn’t exist, humanity would already be free from gates.
The problem is that in the past 20 years, not a single potion or skill capable of curing Mana Addiction has ever been reported.
