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Chapter 21: To Protect What Is Precious, You Must Become Strong. (1)
“Debt collectors? Did we have debts?”
There was nothing in Shin Hyunwoo’s memories about that.
But Shin Hyunyoung’s expression suggested otherwise.
The warmth that had lingered on her face during dinner had vanished completely, replaced by a cold and dark expression.
Beyond the door, their mother Choi Misoon’s desperate voice could still be heard.
“Please. Please give me more time. There’s no way I can come up with one billion won within a month. I’ll pay it back, I promise, so please wait.”
Judging by how aggressively they were collecting, it didn’t seem like money borrowed from a regular bank.
‘Did she take out a private loan?’
There were fragments of memory that allowed Shin Hyunwoo to piece together the situation.
After a fairly prosperous childhood, his father had suddenly died in a traffic accident.
From that day on, Choi Misoon had become the head of the household and struggled desperately to raise Shin Hyunyoung and Shin Hyunwoo.
His father had operated a factory that produced goods for major corporations as a subcontractor, but his sudden death had changed everything.
The debt threatening their family now was probably connected to his father’s unexpected passing.
‘I was planning to take things easy for a while, but I guess that’s not possible anymore.’
He would need to increase the number of dungeons he cleared each day.
‘If it’s loan shark money, the amount owed will snowball the longer it sits.’
The fastest way to repay it was to increase both the speed and frequency of his dungeon raids.
‘First, I need a helper who can handle errands regularly and a vehicle for traveling between dungeons.’
The next day, at the Janganpyeong Used Car Market.
He had decided the previous night to solve the transportation problem first, so he headed to the used car district.
‘I can hire a helper through Hunting Mate later. Let’s buy a car first.’
Since he had already found a suitable listing online, there was no need to wander around.
‘There it is.’
After spotting the sign of the dealership he was looking for among countless storefronts, he entered the building without hesitation.
He went up to the third floor and stepped into an office labeled Chorong Car.
The moment he entered, several large men turned their gazes toward him.
“How can we help you?”
The youngest-looking of the bulky men approached and asked.
“I’m here to buy a car. I spoke with Park Mudeok.”
The young man turned around.
“Ah! Mr. Shin Hyunwoo?”
Another large man greeted him.
He was probably the dealer named Park Mudeok whom he’d spoken with on the phone.
“Welcome. I’ve been waiting for you. Shall we go look at the vehicle first?”
Forcing a smile, Park Mudeok led him out.
The other large men followed behind in a group.
After briefly glancing at them, Shin Hyunwoo followed Park Mudeok.
Outside, Park Mudeok stopped in front of a long row of vehicles and turned around.
“Oh, right. Which car was it you wanted to see?”
“The Dextron Sports from Seongyong Motors listed for ten million won. That’s the one I inquired about.”
“Ah, the Dextron Sports. That’s unfortunate. It just happened to sell this morning. Too bad, but let me show you something even better.”
‘A fake listing? Well, that’s a first.’
He had only come out to casually buy a used car, yet he found himself dealing with something far from casual.
Anger rose inside him, but he chose not to show it and instead watched Park Mudeok’s performance.
“Here’s a 2022 Hyundae Motors The New Slanzer. Very popular model. Less than thirty thousand kilometers—practically brand new. It’s listed at forty-five million won, but I’ll give it to you for forty million.”
‘About ten million overpriced, isn’t it?’
Park Mudeok stared at him for a moment when he received no response, then continued.
“Not a fan of sedans? Then let’s look at an SUV.”
Pointing at the SUV parked next to the Slanzer, he said,
“2023 Helisade. This one’s got less than ten thousand kilometers on it. Brand new. Absolutely no accidents. Price is sixty million won.”
Again, Shin Hyunwoo said nothing.
Perhaps feeling pressured by the silence, Park Mudeok spoke again.
“Ah, what the heck. I’ll knock off another five million. Take it for fifty-five million. That’s practically giving it away.”
‘About fifteen million overpriced this time. So he thinks I’m a sucker.’
Now it was obvious.
The thug standing before him saw him as an easy mark.
‘Well, this is a new experience. Never thought I’d be targeted as a sucker.’
His continued silence began to crack Park Mudeok’s composure.
“If someone’s talking to you, at least respond.”
His voice rose.
As if on cue, the other large men surrounded Shin Hyunwoo.
“What are you idiots doing?”
Perhaps offended by the casual speech, Park Mudeok’s expression turned cold.
“That’s quite rude, customer. If you’re here to buy a car, just buy one quietly…”
“Bring me the Dextron Sports while I’m still asking nicely.”
“Still talking down to me? Keep that up and you’ll end up at your own funeral.”
Park Mudeok stepped closer threateningly.
Tap. Tap.
He poked Shin Hyunwoo in the chest with the back of his hand.
“Listen, customer. If you want to walk out of here on your own two feet, stop talking and pay.”
“What if I refuse?”
“Ah… this bastard. Looking to die? Then this is what happens.”
Whoosh!
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Without warning, Park Mudeok threw a punch.
But nothing happened to Shin Hyunwoo.
Instead, Park Mudeok clutched his own hand and groaned in pain.
“H-Hyungnim!”
“This bastard! What did you do to our boss?!”
The large men shouted in outrage when they saw Park Mudeok groaning.
“Get him, boys!”
“Yes!”
“Yes, boss!”
“Leave it to us. You’re dead today, punk!”
The thugs advanced, openly threatening murder.
Whoosh!
Thud!
Whoosh!
Thud! Thud!
“Urgh!”
“Ugh!”
“Gah!”
Just like Park Mudeok, they grabbed their hands and groaned.
The fact that the impact sound had been a heavy thud instead of the usual smack when hitting a person should have told them something was terribly wrong.
“I know a thing or two about throwing punches myself.”
Bam!
Bam! Bam!
“Kgh!”
“Gasp!”
“Huuurk!”
He kindly planted one punch into each of their stomachs.
With pleasant drum-like sounds, the men collapsed onto the ground and began inspecting the contents of their breakfasts.
“Bleegh!”
“Ugh!”
“Uwaaak!”
After glancing over the fallen thugs, he walked toward Park Mudeok.
Only now did the man seem to realize what was happening.
“A-A Hunter!”
Before anyone noticed, he had dropped to his knees.
Still clutching his aching hand, he looked up at Shin Hyunwoo with submissive eyes.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t realize you were a Hunter and dared to play games with you. Please spare me.”
To Park Mudeok and his gang, Hunters were predators.
Apex predators capable of devouring street thugs like them at any moment.
Faced with a form of violence far more immediate than the law itself, Park Mudeok had become a completely different person.
“Please. Please spare me.”
The reason he was acting this way was simple.
The violence possessed by the new social class known as Hunters.
Violence capable of killing someone simply because they were offended—and the overwhelming power to carry it out.
‘He’s treating me like a murderer? Should I actually kill him?’
The thought crossed his mind briefly.
But he couldn’t.
Most Hunters operated legally within the boundaries of the law.
Only a small minority became Black Hunters who caused trouble.
‘Forget it. Killing trash like this would only create more headaches.’
For a moment, Investigator Kim Yunseong’s face flashed through his mind before disappearing.
“I’m not going to kill you, so bring me the car.”
“Pardon?”
“The Dextron. Before I really do kill you.”
“Y-Yes! Yes, sir! I’ll bring it right away! The Dextron! I’ll get it!”
The moment he finished speaking, he sprinted off at full speed.
‘Was that guy secretly a Hunter?’
It was probably just a normal person’s superhuman self-preservation kicking in when faced with a life-threatening situation.
His movement had been fast enough to be mistaken for a Hunter’s.
Vroooom!
Screeeech!
A short while later, Park Mudeok returned driving a vehicle.
A red pickup truck.
The exact one Shin Hyunwoo had seen online.
“Hunter-nim, I brought it.”
Ignoring the groveling man, Shin Hyunwoo slowly inspected the vehicle.
Of course, he didn’t know much about cars.
He simply checked for accident damage, verified the mileage, and made sure everything functioned properly.
“It’s truly accident-free. The mileage hasn’t been tampered with either. Please believe me.”
Naturally, he believed him.
Not because of the man’s words, but because of the situation.
The man had already been completely crushed by the power of a Hunter.
“Fine. I’ll take it. And learn to pick your victims more carefully. One day your head might end up rolling on the ground.”
“M-My head?”
Park Mudeok hurriedly covered his neck with both hands.
“It was ten million won, right?”
“W-Well… normally a vehicle like this should be at least fifteen million…”
His words dragged on.
Apparently, even in the face of violence, money remained precious.
“It was listed online for ten million.”
Shin Hyunwoo stared at him.
Park Mudeok immediately changed his tone.
“O-Of course! We must honor the listed price! H-Haha.”
The man forced an awkward smile.
Then Shin Hyunwoo handed down the final sentence.
“You promised me a discount earlier. Apply that and I’ll take it for five million. Sounds fair, right? I’m not robbing you. This is a perfectly legal purchase.”
Park Mudeok’s face twisted, but he didn’t dare refuse.
After completing the smooth transaction and finishing registration at the Jungnang-gu Vehicle Registration Office, Shin Hyunwoo finally felt like he truly owned a car.
As he listened to the engine hum smoothly while driving down the road, he felt like he was finally living like a proper person again.
“Should I get something to eat?”
He remembered skipping lunch because of his rather aggressive negotiation session with the thugs from Chorong Car.
Since he was hungry anyway, he drove toward Sagajeong Station.
Eeeeeeeeeeeng!
Just as he was waiting at a traffic light near his destination, a piercing siren rang through the air.
Beeeeep! Beeeep!
His phone immediately followed with a disaster alert notification.
“What now? Did a dungeon break somewhere?”
A frantic public announcement echoed through the area.
—Static. This is a notice from the Myeonmok 7-dong Community Center. A dungeon break has occurred near Exit 1 of Sagajeong Station. All residents are advised to evacuate immediately.
“What? Exit 1 of Sagajeong Station is…”
BOOM!
RUMBLE!
CRASH!
Monsters poured out from the right side of the intersection and immediately attacked the waiting vehicles and nearby civilians.
They had green skin, skinny bodies, oversized heads, and hooked noses.
“Gobrics? Here?”
The humanoid monsters wearing crude armor and wielding primitive weapons were commonly known on Earth as goblins.
“Those things appear in C-rank dungeons. Did a C-rank dungeon break?”
In the E-rank dungeons he currently cleared four times a day, humanoid monsters were rare.
Goblin- and kobold-type monsters usually appeared only in C-rank dungeons.
This was the first time he had seen such creatures since returning to Earth.
“If a C-rank dungeon broke immediately upon formation, the casualties will be severe.”
Though uncommon, some dungeons experienced breaks the moment they were created.
Normally, magical energy accumulated over one week to a month before reaching a critical point and causing a dungeon break.
Occasionally, however, a dungeon would spawn with maximum magical energy already present and burst open instantly.
“And it had to happen near a subway station?”
A break near a crowded subway station meant serious damage was inevitable.
“This is bad.”
There was another problem.
“What about my car?”
The goblin horde was spreading outward from the intersection, attacking stopped vehicles and pedestrians indiscriminately.
And that meant his newly purchased vehicle was in danger.
“You monsters dare threaten my car?!”
An uncontrollable surge of anger erupted from him.
He immediately jumped out of the vehicle.
“Stop right there, you filthy monsters! Stay away from my car!”
