TOP 33

Chapter 33

The Price of Taking a Risk

We had successfully fended off the Mirinae gang’s ambush.

Though, when I thought about the people who had died, I wasn’t sure if calling it “successful” was right.

“Gather the deceased to one side and do a head count.”

“Yes, understood.”

The situation was being quickly organized, with Joo Eun-seol taking the lead.

There was a train conductor, of course, but since it had been a battle between hunters, it was natural that someone from a prestigious guild like hers took command.

“Is the train repaired yet?”

“Most of it, but… the roof of Car 5 is completely gone, and that’s a bit…”

“……”

Unexpectedly, the biggest share of damage to the train was caused by me.

‘It couldn’t be helped.’

【That’s right! Yujin, you had no choice!】

If I hadn’t used “One Punch” back then, I might’ve been the one who died.

Losing the roof of the train was a small price to pay.

Of course, I had no intention of admitting aloud that it was my doing.

“Those Mirinae bastards… they’re truly vicious.”

“Indeed.”

Yes. This was all their fault.

While I was busily rationalizing things to myself, Joo Eun-seol approached me.

“The situation’s mostly under control. We’ll be able to depart again soon. Though… we’ll probably arrive in Seoul well past schedule.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Um, and….”

“?”

“My introduction is late. I’m Joo Eun-seol from the Royal Guard Guild.”

A belated introduction.

Now that I thought about it, we hadn’t even exchanged proper names yet.

We’d naturally spoken during the life-or-death battle we fought together, but we didn’t even know each other’s names.

“Ah, I’m Kim Yujin.”

At my simple response, just stating my name, her eyes lit up.

“Then… you don’t have a guild yet?”

“Not yet.”

Her intentions were obvious—so obvious it wasn’t even offensive.

In fact, there was nothing to be offended about. She was being straightforward.

“In that case, would you consider joining ours?”

“No.”

“Ah….”

She hadn’t expected such an outright rejection, and her face showed her surprise.

Not wanting to give the impression I had something against the Royal Guard, I added,

“I haven’t even registered as a hunter yet. Once I get my official rank, you can try asking again.”

I was confident in my abilities.

That’s why I judged that proving myself first and then receiving recruitment offers would raise my value more.

Accepting her offer now would only put me at a disadvantage.

“Ah! I see!”

She let out a small sigh of relief, as though grateful I’d left the door open for the future.

‘Now I feel a little guilty.’

Of course, I had no plans of ever joining her guild.

The Royal Guard was a solid guild, but their main business was “protection.”

The structure meant focusing more on missions than personal growth.

And since my priority for now was growth, they weren’t an option.

“Then, Yujin, is this your first time going to Seoul?”

“Yes.”

“Would you like me to guide you around? Seoul can be a bit complicated if it’s your first visit…”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“Ah, I see.”

From there, the conversation turned to small talk, nothing of much importance.

Still, it felt strange.

‘Normally, I should be the one trying to build rapport….’

But it was Joo Eun-seol who was clearly making the effort to keep the conversation going.

Well, that only showed she valued my abilities highly.

Of course, there was probably another reason.

‘That wish I have from her… what should I ask for?’

During the battle, I’d thrown out a blank check, promising her I’d claim a wish later.

She was probably worried about how I’d use it.

Of course, I wasn’t going to demand something outrageous. And she wasn’t obligated to grant something unreasonable either.

Still… it was a pretty high-limit blank check.

Given the circumstances then, she’d have little choice but to accept most requests.

While I was still mulling over how to maximize my gain, someone else approached us.

“U-um….”

It was Han Su-gyeol, a young-looking man with a small build, yet impressively compact muscles.

He timidly asked Joo Eun-seol,

“Is… is the transport… still on schedule?”

“There’s no problem. The roof of Car 5 may be gone, but we’ve been told the train can run at a slower speed.”

“Phew, that’s a relief….”

“There was a small incident, but the contract will still be completed as planned. No need to worry.”

“Y-yes, thank you….”

Her professional tone reassured him, and he nodded.

I studied him curiously.

Han Su-gyeol, a Purple-grade craftsman of the Blacksmith Guild.

In short, he was among the top 100 awakened in the entire production field.

With his cold looks, I’d expected arrogance. But surprisingly, he was timid.

‘Well, he hasn’t really appeared in media much.’

Maybe it was just my prejudice, assuming that someone with ability must also be proud.

But in person, he seemed solely concerned with ensuring the safe transport of the rare monster’s corpse.

‘Hmm… how do I befriend him?’

In a way, I’d already done him a huge favor, helping ensure that rare corpse could be safely delivered.

‘But it’d sound cheap if I said that out loud.’

Saying “Without me, you’d have been screwed” would just make me sound like a fool.

Better not to risk alienating him.

‘Should I use that request ticket from Ji Hyun-ung?’

I still had the Purple-grade commission voucher for the Blacksmith Guild.

If I mentioned I wanted to use it and asked if he’d take the job, that could naturally lead into conversation.

It didn’t have to be him specifically, but if it was, he’d probably put in more care when making my gear.

Besides, Han Su-gyeol was considered top-tier even among Purple-grade craftsmen.

Just as I was mulling this over—

“U-um… Hunter?”

“Yes? Me?”

“Y-yes.”

He’d spoken to me first.

Perfect timing, blowing away all my earlier worries.

“Th-this… you’ll need this, right…?”

What he held out was the power source from the exosuit the blue Mirinae thug had worn.

Earlier, we’d agreed to split the loot from him 50-50 between me and the Royal Guard.

Among the loot was the exosuit itself, worth billions—at least, I’d thought so.

《 Unstable Incomplete Suit – Armor, Rare 》

• An unstable powered exoskeleton.

• Increases wearer’s strength and speed by 50%.

• Costs 1 month of lifespan for every minute of use.

‘Unstable and incomplete…?’

Once I saw its details, my excitement died.

This thing was worthless. With such a penalty, it wouldn’t even fetch a million won.

We’d agreed to have it appraised and sold through the Blacksmith Guild, but I had no expectations.

The power source, however, was another story.

《 Aether Box – Energy Source, Unique 》

• Refined mana usable as a power source for various artifacts.

• Can be used as the power source for a Mithril Golem.

An item that could power a Mithril Golem!

This meant I could reactivate my Mithril Golem, which had been out of service due to lack of fuel.

“Thank you.”

I accepted the small box-shaped aether gratefully.

‘So that’s what he’d been working on all this time.’

He must’ve remembered how I’d been eyeing it.

“A-and… one more thing.”

Apparently, that wasn’t all.

“I’d like to make a separate request to you….”

“A request? What kind?”

“P-protection….”

So he wanted to hire me as his personal guard.

Which meant I didn’t need to worry about how to get closer to him—he was the one asking for me.

Though there was a slight problem.

“Customer…?”

A stunned voice came from beside me.

It was Joo Eun-seol, who’d already been hired to protect him and his cargo.

“We’re already contracted to provide protection—”

“T-that’s still valid! I-I just want to add extra protection….”

A double contract.

Not illegal, but definitely questionable in ethics.

Still, it was flattering.

Though… with Joo Eun-seol watching, it felt awkward.

“……”

Sure enough, her lips pressed into a thin line. She didn’t look happy.

Yet, Han Su-gyeol, glancing nervously at her, still pushed through.

“A-as payment… I’ll… I’ll make you an item.”

“Just any item?”

The request was already low-risk—since another ambush was unlikely.

But to offer vague payment like that…? Even if he was Purple-grade, that seemed weak.

“At least… something worth thirty million won… guaranteed.”

—That was too good a deal!

So good that trying to haggle further would just backfire.

‘There’s no reason to refuse this….’

Of course, the only concern was Joo Eun-seol.

If accepting it soured my relationship with her, was it worth it?

I glanced at her.

“…Haa.”

After a long moment, she sighed.

“Well, I suppose I can’t stop you.”

Looks like she’d accepted it.

“Alright then. Guard you until we reach Seoul?”

“Yes, please!”

He nodded with visible relief.

Given that without me, the Royal Guard alone wouldn’t have stopped Mirinae, I understood his attitude.

Though, whether he knew that or not…

‘Not like I’ll need to do much anyway.’

I’d only been able to play such a big role because the power balance between Royal Guard and Mirinae had been close.

That gave me room to tip the scale.

Han Su-gyeol probably thought I was some great powerhouse…

But technically, I was ranked lower than Joo Eun-seol.

If it came down to it, I’d just barely scrape by with “One Punch.”

‘Well, no harm letting him think highly of me.’

A little misunderstanding was fine if it worked in my favor.

So I left Car 5 and moved my things into the cargo hold with Joo Eun-seol and Han Su-gyeol.

Before we arrived in Seoul, in the cargo hold, I used the wish I’d been saving from Joo Eun-seol.

I asked for what I thought was the maximum reward I could barely justify under the promise.

Her reaction was explosive.

“Wh-what are you asking for?!”

“Is it impossible?”

“N-no, it’s not that, but…!”

“You’re not planning to break the promise you made in the name of the Royal Guard, are you?”

“Ugh…!”

It seemed I’d completely cornered her.