"What, what are you talking about, that's..."
I was trembling. I was scared.
"Even if you awakened, why would you become a hunter? You're still young, not even an adult..."
Han Yoojin's brother is an S-rank awakened. Even saying that didn't really hit home. After the shock of the first dungeon, awakened individuals started appearing, and things were gradually falling into place, but for ordinary people, it was still nothing short of a disaster.
The dungeon and the monsters were just unknown fears, that's all. Even for me.
"Just stay home instead of going out for no reason."
My brother said straightforwardly. Until now, Yoohyun was showing signs of worrying about me too. If at this moment I had just listened to my brother... No, let's not think useless thoughts. Eventually, the lizard would have approached Yoo Hyun, and then we...
"Yoo Hyun! Han Yoo Hyun!"
My brother left my side. Lost in thought, I couldn't accept it. I struggled futilely to somehow return things to the way they were. Even though the world had already changed.
"Yoo Hyun, please..."
I held onto the phone, pleading. The background was my old house. My face looked haggard. Memories of not eating or sleeping properly flooded back.
"Don't do anything like a hunter, okay? It's dangerous. If something goes wrong in the dungeon, they might not even find your body. Not even a body... But why are you going there, Yoo Hyun?"
An S-rank hunter. At a time when the dungeon difficulty was still low, it was a grade that didn't need to be worried about. But as I was at that time, I didn't feel it at all. All the rumors I heard were ominous, and the TV constantly talked about the dangers of dungeons and monsters.
Lacking equipment, lacking hunters, and even more lacking experience, it was a time when even low-level dungeons saw lower-ranked hunters dying left and right. Failed dungeon conquests, awakened individuals who never returned, injuries, deaths, disappearances.
Every day, I felt my blood drying up. Would a familiar name ever come up on the list of injured, dead, or missing? I had nightmares several times.
"I'll do better than my brother. To make sure there are no shortcomings, I'll try harder..."
It was quiet beyond the phone. That fact shook me more than my current self, more than the memories from that time. What thoughts were going through their mind as they listened to me? They must have known what I was going through, but with what feelings?
I cried.
"...Please don't go into the dungeon."
Yoo Hyun.
I didn't understand, and my brother couldn't back down. In the face of sudden and drastic changes amidst the confusion, both of us were young and immature.
I didn't even touch the money Yoo Hyun sent, returning it with trembling hands. To me at that time, it was a terrifying sum of money, almost equivalent to my younger brother's life. Yoo Hyun probably hoped I would accept it and live safely on the money for daily expenses, but as someone who trusted sending my brother to his death, I couldn't accept it at all. Instead, I was overwhelmed with helplessness. There was nothing I could do. My feet were like lead. Being dragged into the military might have been a blessing in disguise, as I was writhing in chest pains that felt like my breath was being cut off.
I was assigned to a unit that did auxiliary work related to the dungeon. Looking back now, it seemed like Yoo Hyun's influence was behind it all. To stop me from dissuading my brother and to protect me as I roamed around the dungeon and even the breaker zone, and to inform me about the changed world.
While doing mundane tasks that weren't very dangerous, I naturally learned more about the dungeon and hunters. How impressive an S-rank hunter was.
During that year, I adapted to the world of dungeons. The related industries developed, the status of hunters rose, and dungeon breaks decreased, becoming commonplace. At the same time, high-ranking hunters became objects of envy. People around envied my brother, who was establishing his own guild and rapidly growing. Some even said it was like winning the lottery.
"Crap.
"...No one's here."
I muttered, staring at the empty house upon my return a year later. What was there to celebrate? What was there to congratulate? There was nothing for me. Yet, calls came from here and there, saying they heard about my brother.
That day, I fled. I left the house empty, along with everything belonging to my brother. That was when I told Yoohyun not to contact me. I didn't want anything from my brother. If I accepted even the smallest thing, it felt like the rumors swirling around would become true.
It must be rewarding to raise someone. Thanks to my brother. If I gather money. I won't have anything to worry about.
But I didn't wish for any of it. It didn't feel sweet at all.
Even after running away like that, I couldn't completely give up on finding my brother.
[MKC Guild successfully conquered the third S-rank dungeon in the country. Multiple casualties occurred, and MKC Guild Leader Choi Seokwon Hunter also suffered injuries...]
[There is growing public opinion questioning the timing of the auction of the S-rank dungeon by the Haeyeon Guild...]
[Concerns arise over the mysterious hospitalization of Hunter Yoon Kyungsoo, leader of the Sudam Guild...]
Even S-rank hunters get injured. At the time, there were many worried glances directed at Yoohyun, who was not only the youngest S-rank hunter in the country but also in the world. As the dungeon conquest period dragged on longer than planned, negative articles poured in.
I had to look at all of that as a thorough outsider, so it was natural that I began to pursue awakening. It felt like the only way.
If I just awaken. If by any chance I become an S-rank hunter, everything will return to normal.
"They're being somewhat lenient."
It stung a bit, but it was fine now, so it was okay.
- Don't let your guard down.
Changeling lifted one of his front paws and gently pressed it against my cheek. His tiny claws scratched slightly.
"I won't let my guard down."
I know it's just the beginning now. It's my life. Still, if I look at it like this, it seems okay after all. Because there are people waiting outside. As long as I don't forget that.
Unlike now, the Awakening Center has reopened. Unlike now, I awakened at the Awakening Center. F-rank Support Hunter. If I had given up here, would it have been easier? But now, in the present, I would have disappeared. Instead, I'm still here with Yoohyun, until the end in this world.
"...Let's not think about it."
Don't get caught up in it.
"You shouldn't say such nice things!"
Thwack, with a sound, I was kicked in the stomach. My body floated for a moment before hitting the ground. Pain spread through me, causing me to blink. Wait, just a moment.
"You only have the reputation of being Han Yoohyun's brother, so why are you being so stubborn?"
The man, sitting cross-legged, pressed my head firmly against the ground, clucking his tongue.
I was just a bystander until a moment ago, but somehow, I found myself inside the illusion. Wow, it really feels like a perfect 4D experience.
'How far do I have to endure quietly.'
The contract stated that I wouldn't resist the skill activated now, so I should be taking it. It hurt, but it didn't feel like I was physically being attacked. It was just a simple illusionary pain. After all, the contract explicitly stated that the skill of the King of Harmlessness didn't inflict physical harm. If it hadn't, I wouldn't have signed it.
It was a bit bewildering, but I'm still okay. In fact, everything up until now has been too easy. Life isn't going to end just because that jellyfish guy was so confident.
"Even if you were rejected by your talented brother, wouldn't someone give you something just to avoid the awkwardness, even if it's reluctantly? Right?"
"...Sorry, who are you again?"
"What?"
"There are so many pathetic guys like you around here that I can't even remember them all. How am I supposed to remember every passing extra villain?"
I quickly glanced at my inventory list. It seemed that only the items I had at the moment were available. My stats were still at the mediocre F-rank level, unchanged.
"Resisting with my physical body now isn't a violation of the contract. It stated that I can react according to the situation, not my real body or abilities."
"What nonsense are you talking about, huh?"
As luck would have it, there was a suitable dagger in my inventory, so I gently thrust it into the guy's throat in front of me. Twisting the wrist holding the dagger, I made sure to cut off his breath as I scanned my surroundings. There wasn't just one person around, of course.
"Cra, crazy!"
"Get him!"
As the guy who reacted the fastest rushed at me, I threw the corpse at him with all my strength. The freshly dead body flew, splattering blood everywhere, causing him to panic and dodge. His frantic movements left him completely vulnerable. If I just ignored such a gap, it wouldn't be the behavior of someone who was kidnapped and threatened.
I lowered my body beneath his gaze and swiftly approached, tripping him up in one breath. His already unbalanced body easily fell, and once again, I precisely struck his throat.
"Sh, shit! You killed someone!"
Reacting realistically to the illusionary situation, the remaining guy ran away in a panic. I threw a knife at the back of his head, but it missed and landed on the ground with a thud. My strength alone wouldn't have reached him. Yoohyun would have nailed it beautifully.
"Hey, you might not be listening anymore, but my brother never abandoned me."
Not even once.
Rather than being tormenting, this was actually quite refreshing, I thought for a moment.
"Ow, darn!"
A searing pain shot through my arm. I instinctively stifled a scream. Yelling about getting injured in a dungeon is suicidal behavior. It's like advertising to monsters that there's weakened prey here.
With gritted teeth, I blinked my blurry eyes. A knife was stuck in my limp arm. It looked like quite a good item. Definitely not low-tier equipment.
"Gah, damn, it's... ugh!"
The knife was roughly pulled out. When was that? Anyway, an F-rank hunter with a bit of experience shouldn't have complained about a whiny opponent.
"Don't dwell on it too much. Even if that Haeyeon Guild Leader guy isn't interested in my brother, he still benefited from him, didn't he? There's quite a bit of profit from selling out your brother's name, right? So, think of it as paying the price."
Laughter echoed above me. There were also voices cursing Haeyeon. They seemed to be the ones who clashed with Yoohyun and suffered consequences.
After it became known that my relationship with Yoohyun soured, some guys started venting their frustrations on me after quarreling with Haeyeon. However, it didn't last long. They all got swept away, citing that venting their frustrations related to Yoohyun at Haeyeon was irritating.
Being subjected to this was considered harming my brother, and I even heard such remarks publicly.
"...All you bastards will die, damn it!"
"Why, do you think Yoohyun will come to save you?"
"That guy's ruthless too. He didn't hesitate to cut off the one who looked after him instead of his parents. Is that what being human means?"
My anger surged. The absurdity of that nonsense vividly resurfaced a beat too late. That was when I...
"Damn it, am I not enough?"
I was only an F-rank, causing accidents, getting involved in unnecessary trouble. Even now, it's like this.
"But still, are you comfortable calling him your brother?"
"Just, ugh, it's a fact, why! What's so hard about reaping a few benefits like Haeyeon Guild Leader does? If it was worth discarding, then it was discarded!"
I said that. And kept saying it afterwards. Yeah, it was easier that way.
If there's no reason, I might really die. If it's my fault, I can accept it. The more everyone blames me, the more Yoohyun remains blameless, and it's just me being greedy and making mistakes, ruining everything.
If only I did well, succeeded, it seemed like I could go back to how things were before.
I might have been a bit out of my mind. It must have been hard to stay sane.
"...It's not Yoohyun's fault."
Then it's mine. As everyone around me says. Becoming a hunter with inferiority complex towards my brother, causing trouble after being rated as F-rank, Yoohyun just discarded such trash, so if I became successful, he would return to his original self.
Perhaps that was my last hope... and at the same time, a terrifying wind to try to achieve. If I'm fine but Yoohyun is still chilly.
"It's a bit painful."
The more I look back, the more futile life seems.
Brief flashes of past violence brushed past me. It felt like I'd endured all kinds of nonsense. If it was just violence, Diarma was the worst. Since he didn't die, he could do whatever he wanted without restraint.
And once again, blood splattered.
"D-don't mess..."
A familiar face collapsed. He was a man in his mid-thirties.
Crash!
A monster lunged at me as I stood there dazed. It was a large creature, bipedal like a dog, swinging its claws, and I instinctively dodged. I felt agile. The opponent was a Grade E monster, and I had the stats of an E-grade hunter doubled.
I swung the spear in my hand. The blade pierced the monster's jaw, dripping saliva, and then I twirled it, thrusting the blade into its throat. With the impaled monster's body still on the spear, I blocked the attacks of other beasts rushing in.
With claws and teeth piercing my comrades' bodies, I grabbed the spear and leaped upwards, using it to vault over the monsters. As I descended behind them, I drew my knife. The skills of the dead man suddenly came to mind.
Even pulling out two knives from the reserve jungle gear, I adeptly wielded them like dual wielders. The blades became sharper, slicing off two monster heads cleanly. Then, I threw the knife in my right hand with force. Thud! The blade struck the back of the monster attacking the hunter.
"Y-Yoojin!"
The surviving hunter looked at me with astonishment. Normally, no one could have saved him. Suddenly gaining strength only led to chaotic swinging of the knife without the experience or mindset to act rationally.
The person I truly wanted to save even now.
"...You're alive."
Though revival through regression wasn't perfect, being alive was enough. So, this was also okay.
"No matter how many times you show up, it'll end the same if you surrender."
This time, there was agreement with my words, and it ended after just one attempt. However, there was something unfamiliar in my memory.
"Hyung."
He appeared before me. It was Yoohyun, twenty-five years old. Yuhyun was standing in the house we used to live in together. He smiled warmly. That scene was definitely not in my memory.
"I'm sorry."
His eyes, as dark as night, looked incredibly sorrowful.