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Chapter 8
Three days had already passed since I came up to Seoul.
Despite my determination to dive into an Abyss or dungeon and grow stronger immediately, I had spent those three days resting comfortably, as if I were finally being rewarded for all the hardships of my previous life.
I hadn’t really had a choice.
To enter a dungeon or the Abyss, you needed a Hunter License issued by the Association.
And I didn’t have one.
So for three straight days, I stayed alone in my enormous house—too large to comfortably wander around—doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and living while organizing every major and minor event from my previous life.
“Good. I finished everything just in time.”
After carefully storing all ten notebooks inside my inventory, I quietly reviewed my plans.
First, I’ll ace the Hunter License Exam.
Then I’ll immediately enter the tutorial.
The Hunter License Exam was held once a month, timed with the admission period for new hunters entering the Abyss tutorial.
It was also the only opportunity for newly awakened hunters to enter the Abyss.
And today was that day.
Of course, I had no intention of repeating the same mistake from my previous life by entering Tutorial Area 11 again in hopes of finding the hidden stage inside the Golden Tower.
There was no way a hidden stage capable of granting such an absurd divine power—and even sending someone back in time—would exist twice.
The important thing was this.
I must enter Tutorial Area 7.
There were many tutorial zones within the Abyss.
Almost as though they had been designed to help weak humans adapt to the Abyss, there were fifteen different tutorial areas, each with unique monsters and varying levels of difficulty.
In my previous life, I entered Area 11—a forest terrain with a below-average difficulty.
This time, I planned to enter Area 7—the Desert.
A tutorial universally recognized as one of the most difficult.
Area 7 was practically abandoned.
The scorching sun.
Almost no drinkable water.
Fewer monsters than other regions.
And even those monsters were troublesome to hunt.
Naturally, almost everyone avoided it.
But I knew something nobody else in the world did.
A year and a half from now… a promising hunter will discover an enormous hidden stage in Area 7.
That lunatic practically enjoyed suffering.
Obsessed with exterminating every monster buried beneath the desert sands under the blazing sun, he eventually stumbled upon the hidden stage.
Its name was…
The Ruins Where the Most Brilliant Sun Sleeps.
Inside lay a sacred relic belonging to a Constellation of the Divine King class.
And this time… it’ll be mine.
Like every hidden stage, it could only be entered once.
Once cleared, it disappeared forever.
I’d need to prepare thoroughly, but I wasn’t overly worried.
I couldn’t imagine myself being weaker than that so-called prodigy, who had received endless support from a powerful guild.
And if necessary… I’ll use Equivalent Exchange.
Even if I had to pour mountains of money into strengthening my stats, I’d make it happen.
With my plan settled, I stood up, took a shower, put on the tracksuit I’d bought at the department store, and left the house.
It was still early morning, with the sun barely rising.
I first stopped by the hospital to visit my younger sibling, whom I wouldn’t be seeing for quite some time.
After asking the nurse to continue taking good care of them, I headed toward the Hunter Association.
Hunter Association
The entrance to the Association was packed.
Today was the only Hunter License Exam held each month, so aspiring hunters, their families, reporters, YouTubers, and countless spectators crowded the area.
“…Sigh. How am I supposed to get through that?”
Just looking at the sea of people made it hard to breathe.
After taking a deep breath, I charged in.
“Ahhh! Who’s pushing?!”
“Hey! You bastard! Stop shoving!”
“Which asshole is pushing?! You wanna die?!”
Ignoring the curses flying from every direction, I quietly kept moving, trying to reach an area with fewer people.
That had been the plan.
Slip inside unnoticed.
Avoid attracting anyone’s attention.
Unfortunately…
Luck wasn’t on my side.
《The mischievous and playful Misfortune laughs as it throws dung onto your path!》
The instant the message appeared, my foot landed on a puddle of melted ice cream someone had dropped.
I slipped.
My balance collapsed.
Even with my Myth-grade physical stats, it was too late.
In an instant, I became wedged between the rushing crowd like filling in a sandwich.
And then…
As though someone had been waiting for exactly this moment…
Chaos erupted.
“Kyaaa! It’s Lee Ji-hyung!”
“Oppa! I love you!”
“L-E-E J-I-H-Y-U-N-G!”
“Take pictures! Hurry!”
“Over there! It’s Lee Ji-hyung!”
The massive wave of people swept me away.
“Uh…!”
No matter how strong I was, even a hunter with Myth-grade physical abilities couldn’t overpower the momentum of several hundred people.
Besides…
If I pushed back with any real strength, I’d probably be sued for assault.
One punch from me would leave someone seriously injured.
Damn it!
I twisted my body, desperately trying to escape.
But I had already lost control.
At last, my body was literally thrown free from the crowd—
Straight toward someone else.
THUD!
With a heavy smack, I crashed directly into another person before hitting the ground.
“Gasp!”
“Oh no!”
“Are you insane?!”
As shocked cries echoed around me…
Misfortune burst into laughter.
《The mischievous Misfortune clutches its stomach and laughs hysterically!》
《The sleeping Great Fortune opens one eye at the noisy laughter… then closes it again.》
《The mischievous Misfortune prepares another prank!》
《Annoyed, Great Fortune lazily waves a hand and interferes with Misfortune.》
《An unpredictable fortune descends upon you!》
“Which bastard did that?!”
As I struggled to stand, the man I’d crashed into cursed furiously behind me.
He shoved me back down before springing to his feet.
“Are you out of your damn mind?! Aren’t I paying you people to stop idiots like this?! What the hell are you security guards doing?!”
I looked up.
Standing there was a handsome thug—
No…
A celebrity.
“…The Flame Demon… Lee Ji-hyung?”
The moment I saw his face, memories I’d forgotten resurfaced.
The future Flame Demon (Yeomma).
An A-Rank Mage.
Known for his explosive temper and uncontrollable anger issues, earning him the mocking nickname “Flame Lunatic.”
Eventually, he’d abandon his humanity altogether, become a criminal, and transform into a demonic being.
He had already found success as both an idol and an actor.
Yet despite that, he’d chosen to become a hunter without hesitation.
In my previous life, he’d risen to heights someone like me—who had crawled through rock bottom—could never hope to reach.
“The Flame Demon? What kind of stupid crap is that? You think throwing yourself at me would get you compensation or something? Damn stalkers are all the same.”
He showered me with furious insults.
But I barely heard them.
Because another memory hit me.
Seeing that I still wasn’t reacting, Lee Ji-hyung’s temper finally exploded.
He swung his leg to kick me while I was still on the ground.
But…
His kick never landed.
《Unknown Fortune activates!》
Trying to dodge, my hand slipped once more.
Completely by accident…
It struck the leg he was balancing on.
“Uh…?”
His footing disappeared.
Like any typical mage, his physical balance was terrible.
He toppled helplessly toward me—
Only for his own raised foot to slam into his chin.
“Ughk!”
Letting out a bizarre cry, he instantly went limp.
Knocked unconscious by his own kick.
…What the hell?
Seriously?
All I wanted was to quietly finish the exam, enter the tutorial, and claim the hidden piece.
Instead…
Everything had already gone completely off the rails.
《The mischievous Misfortune laughs, quite pleased with the outcome!》
《Great Fortune, looking exhausted, falls asleep once more.》
This was all that damned Misfortune’s fault.
How ridiculous.
It was supposed to be my unique ability, yet it had a mind of its own like a Divine Authority.
“Damn it.”
Just imagining Misfortune laughing at me made my teeth grind.
“Because of you… everything’s ruined.”
I tossed the unconscious Lee Ji-hyung toward his stunned bodyguards and hurried to my feet.
Too late.
The reporters who had witnessed everything shoved cameras in my face.
Lee Ji-hyung’s fans—who practically worshipped him like a god—showered me with vicious abuse.
Worst of all…
In the distance, guild recruiters who had been watching the scene for amusement suddenly realized their prized prospect had been knocked unconscious because of me.
Their murderous stares pierced straight through me.
Great… I’ve been marked.
Just my luck.
I sighed, wondering how I could possibly escape this mess and regain some peace.
Then—
Screeeech!
A luxury car pulled up behind the crowd as though perfectly on cue.
Someone stepped out.
“…Ah.”
The attention focused entirely on me instantly shifted toward her.
“Isn’t that…?”
“So the rumors were true?”
“Hah… the chaebol princess really has everything.”
“Unbelievable. Lee Ji-hyung and Seo Mina in the same class? This year’s exam is insane.”
Even standing beside a celebrity whose livelihood depended on appearance, her beauty stood out effortlessly.
Elegant.
Perfectly composed.
Every step dignified.
And finally…
Golden eyes that seemed utterly indifferent to everything in the world.
Truthfully…
When I recognized Lee Ji-hyung earlier, the first thing that came to mind hadn’t been him.
It had been…
Her.
Seo Mina.
A fellow examinee from the same generation.
And someone hundreds of times more famous than Lee Ji-hyung.
The woman who would one day become known as the Thunder Emperor (Raitei)—
Korea’s second SS-Rank Hunter.
People often said that if perfection had a human form…
It was Seo Mina.
Overwhelming beauty.
Enough talent to become Korea’s strongest.
And the granddaughter of the chairman of the nation’s largest conglomerate, Seohwa Group.
Money.
Talent.
Power.
Status.
She possessed everything.
She lived the exact opposite life from mine.
After watching her for only a moment, I realized everyone’s attention had completely shifted away from me.
Without hesitation, I slipped into the Association.
As I fled farther from her, I clenched my fist.
But this time… things will be different.
I’ll defeat the woman destined to become an SS-Rank Hunter.
I’ll take first place.
And I’ll prove my worth.
With that resolve, I registered my information and entered the examination hall.
The inside of the exam hall wasn’t much quieter.
Since the test hadn’t begun yet, the aspiring hunters chatted at their assigned desks.
“Yo! Taking it again this month? Doesn’t seem like you have money to waste. This is your fifth attempt already, isn’t it?”
“Hah! Look who’s talking! Isn’t this your seventh try? At this rate, you’ll still be failing next year!”
Some reunited with familiar faces from previous exams.
“Nice to meet you! Let’s both pass today!”
“Yeah! Fighting!”
Others encouraged one another to ease their nerves.
Meanwhile…
“So, we finally meet. Miss Seo Mina. Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Ji-hyung. I’m an actor and idol.”
“…”
The same trash who had just been knocked unconscious by me was already trying to flirt with her.
I quietly chose a seat far outside Lee Ji-hyung’s field of vision.
If that idiot starts throwing another tantrum, it’ll just become another headache.
Misfortune had toyed with me enough already.
It was a little disappointing that Great Fortune hadn’t done more to help, but I couldn’t rely on it forever.
When I find whoever cursed me… I’ll make them suffer exactly what I’ve been through.
Just imagining the person responsible made my teeth clench.
At that moment, the examinee sitting beside me held out a piece of chocolate.
“I hope you pass. Relax a little.”
He must have mistaken my scowl for nervousness.
I thanked him with a nod and popped the chocolate into my mouth, pushing thoughts of Misfortune aside.
Seeing my expression soften, he started chatting.
“There are a lot more applicants than I expected. How many do you think will pass?”
“Very few.”
There were nearly three hundred examinees.
Less than ten percent would pass.
That was only natural.
Anyone could eventually pass the written exam through repeated attempts.
The practical test, however…
Without Awakening, it was almost impossible.
“Over eighty percent of them aren’t awakened.”
“They’ll fail the practical.”
Most weren’t even aiming to become hunters.
They simply wanted licenses so they could work as porters accompanying hunters into dungeons and the Abyss.
Whether hunter or porter, a license was mandatory.
The people proudly bragging about taking the exam five or seven times?
They were exactly those kinds of applicants.
Being a porter paid better than construction or part-time jobs, so they kept trying.
“I see.”
“You look awakened.”
“Just don’t panic.”
“You’ll pass.”
“Thank you!”
That was exactly what the Hunter License Exam sought to determine.
Could you face monsters…
And kill them without fear?
Not long after our conversation ended, the examiner entered.
Looking around at the noisy room, he frowned and shouted.
“Silence!”
His voice, infused with mana, instantly silenced the entire hall.
“We will now begin the written examination.”
“Remain in your assigned seats.”
“You have two hours to answer one hundred questions.”
“After the written test, lunch will be provided.”
“The practical examination will begin immediately afterward.”
“As soon as the practical concludes, successful applicants will be announced.”
“Those who pass will receive standard Association-issued equipment before entering the tutorial under my supervision.”
“Any questions?”
No one spoke.
“Very well.”
“Begin the written examination.”
The written test, covering essential knowledge every hunter needed, began.
I answered every question perfectly.
It took me only thirty minutes.
Then I leaned back and waited quietly for the rest of the exam to end.
