James left for home after insisting on continuing our pen pal relationship. During the remaining time, I lay on the bed, flipping through TV channels and rolling around.
Living a life of idleness with nothing to do... itβs really the best. Some people say that being idle is boring, but thatβs not the case for me. The more I play, the more I want to play, and I could probably play forever.
Three days passed like this, and today, I received a call from Jina saying that the shop repairs were complete.
The leisurely hotel life had to come to an end, and I left the hotel to return to the shop.
But the shop felt unfamiliar. Is this really our shop?
The floor was spotless, and everything from the wallpaper to the furniture inside had been replaced with new items. Even the coffee machine and various utensils were neatly arranged.
To have it changed to this extent, getting attacked by monsters might be a worthwhile experience.
No, just kidding. Just kidding. Take it back. I donβt want to go through that again, no matter what.
While I was indulging in these unrealistic fantasies, Miumi, who had disappeared, quietly appeared from inside the shop.
"Miumi, where have you been?!"
"I was called away for a bit."
"Where?"
"That... the system called me."
Something seems off. She said she was an agent of the system and was helping me, but when the monsters appeared, she ran away to save herself and is now making excuses.
"What did you say back then?"
"Meow."
Miumi was evading the question.
"Why, didn't you say something about a cursed seeker?"
"Meow, I'm hungry."
I wanted to press her further, but Miumi looked dejected, so I stopped.
Well, anyway, the monsters are dead, and I returned safely, so it's probably nothing.
Just as I was about to drink the last 100th cup of mixed coffee, I made eye contact with a suspicious person.
Chapter 2: Americano, One Step at a Time
Korea No.1 Hunter Community - Hunter Channel
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- Ranking, guild chases, and public shaming are prohibited. Flame wars belong in dungeons.
[General Discussion] Is Muwon really that strong? (377)
Recommendations: 39 / Disrecommendations: 488
Author: KimchiMandu053
(Picture)
Today's HunterTV live stream featured a video and spec capture of the second-ranked player, Seo Cedric.
It's a bit strange that Seo Cedric, with his specs, couldn't take the top spot...
Honestly, the top-ranked player never shows up, lol. Is he even real??? People just acknowledge him as the top hunter in Cheongna.
Being active is what makes the top spot meaningful, lol. I think Seo Cedric is better.
AppleCarrotJuice: This is new, lol.
arc***: I give it 3 points. Too low-level trolling.
γ γ : I've never seen anyone compare Muwon to Seo Cedric, lol. Check your eyes.
- KimchiMandu053: Why can't you see that Seo Cedric cleared the B-rank quest dungeon with 60% contribution? Has Muwon ever done that???
γ- γ γ : Wtf, your best evidence is a B-rank dungeon clear, lol.
γ- Muwoong: Of course, C&L probably gave him the final blow, lol.
γγ- KimchiMandu053: Stop laughing and explain. Has Muwon ever done that?
γγγ- γ γ : Eat shit.
Entity: Are you Seo Cedric?
sus***: Seo Cedric, stop posting on Hunter Channel and go to sleep.
HealerWanted: Why do Seo Cedric fans pick on Muwon, who's just minding his own business, lol?
- 10YearHunter: Seo Cedric is a puppet, lol.
Pakimchi: Today's topic is this.
- ttl***: Sir, go to work;
γ γ : From seeing Muwon being praised for being in Cheongna, it's clear you're a noob troll. Cheongna didn't make Muwon, you idiot.
ChaChaYoung: Is this post that strange? Honestly, it makes sense, right? Seo Cedric is indifferent, but a 60% contribution on a B-rank is impressive.
- rrr***: Exactly, lol.
- γ γ : How much do you get paid to write this? lol.
Flight: Trolling so hard, lol. Seo Cedric is strong, he awakened to S-rank and took second place. But there are reasons for the hate on Hunter Channel. C&L has been pushing Seo Cedric a lot. There's a rumor that the 20th-ranked player left C&L because of this.
Flight: Continuing. Isn't it Muwon who created the current Dungeon Management Bureau?
- GolemGive: What are you talking about? It's not a public organization.
γ- LimeLove: Before the bureau, it was the Awakened Center. Hunters were forced to be public servants and couldn't form guilds, lol.
Flight: Lime is right, lol. There was a lot of corruption and exploitation of hunters. Latte would be arrested if they spoke out on Hunter Channel, lol.
- LimeLove: They were taken underground and pressured to delete their posts. They had to mine minerals in dungeons and offer them.
- γ γ : Even if they got items, they had to give them to the center, lol.
γ- 10YearHunter: There are a lot of conspiracy theories here. Is it true that the center conducted experiments?
γγ- DungDung: There are rumors, but I don't know if they're true. The Awakened Center did something to create Awakened, lol.
γγ- γ γ : It's real, all the evidence has been deleted.
γγ- [Comment deleted due to multiple reports.]
γγ- [Comment deleted due to multiple reports.]
Flight: Anyway, Muwon rebelled against the center, killed the center's people, and formed a guild 10 years ago. The Awakened Center collapsed, and the bureau was created.
- cba***: Does that make sense? A single hunter causing the center to collapse? Ridiculous.
γ- γ γ : If that hunter was the top-ranked, what could they do? If he left the country, he'd lose his top spot.
Flight: Haha, that's why Muwon can hide his identity and the bureau can't touch him.
- NicknameWhat: Thanks for the explanation.
- GolemGive: Wow, Muwon is a god. He freed hunters from being public servants, lol.
CouchHunter: Did you forget that Seo Cedric abandoned the Chuncheon A-rank dungeon 2 years ago? Who cleaned up the mess? Muwon, who supposedly does nothing.
- SniperElf: It was famous, lol. Seo Cedric's great escape.
- γ γ : You're defending him for just an A-rank? Do you know it mutated inside? Muwon stopped it from turning Chuncheon into a wasteland, lol.
KimchiWhere: KimchiMandu, now that Chuncheon is mentioned, you changed your nickname and ran, scared?
- SuperGodKimchi: I could have let it go, but Seo Cedric fans always bring it up.
del***: [Link] Here's Muwon's Chuncheon dungeon video. You can see the A-rank demon melting the moment it enters Muwon's field.
- SugarHalf: What? Is that real??
- Legend11: That's such a cheat skill, and you're comparing it to Seo Cedric, lol.
- cba***: The face is blurred, lol.
- GolemBought: The video is deleted, lol. Missed it again;;;
- γ γ : Cheongna scum, watch this together, lol.
DoubleHead: But why does Muwon hide his identity so much? Even videos without his face are deleted;;;
- JejuGuild1st: Being top-ranked is something to brag about.
γ- KanoChang: You're not a show-off like him, I guess.
- γ γ : Is he ugly or something?;;;;
γ- lI1l1Il: Hunters get appearance corrections when they awaken, right?
γγ- γ γ : Even that couldn't fix him, lol.
γ- MayoMayo: Han Isung, do you know Muwon's face? Is he handsome or not?
* * *
Whoosh, a black shadow disappeared beyond the window.
"Miumi, Miumi, that!"
"Meow?"
Did I just see something? I definitely saw someone standing by the window.
Unlike my alarm, Miumi just lay on her stomach, scratching the floor as if she hadn't seen anything.
I felt a chill run down my spine.
Actually, while resting at the hotel, I was in a state of bear anxiety. I was startled by polar bear documentaries on TV, my heart raced at the sight of large bear plushies in souvenir shops, and my heart pounded at the sight of bear emojis in KakaoTalk.
I almost died, so the aftereffects were severe.
Could it be that monsters are appearing again...?
No, no. That can't be. Calm down. How unlucky can a person be? It was probably just a leaf blown by the wind.
"The wind is really strong today."
"Meow? What are you talking about? It's a nice day."
The wind... right?
"Umm..."
"What's wrong?"
"Ugh..."
"If you need to use the bathroom, go."
"That's not it!"
I couldn't take it anymore. After some thought, I put down the paper cup of the last mixed coffee.
I can't leave this eerie feeling at such a historic moment before completing the quest.
I think it was just a leaf blown by the wind, but I have to check, even if it's nothing!
I'll confirm it and then receive the 5 million won with a clear conscience.
I opened the door and went to the front yard. The yard was a narrow space between the wall and the shop, so it didn't take long to look around.
'No one is here, right?'
I was about to go back inside, relieved.
Squish.
'Squish?'
I felt an unfamiliar sensation under my foot. What is it? When I pressed my foot down again, a short scream came from below.
Looking down, I saw someone crouched under the wall, pointing to their foot, which I had stepped on with my left foot.
"Ow, ow... Could you, um, move your foot...?"
"Aaaaaah!"
It's a person. A person appeared.
Wait, a person? Phew, I thought it was a monster. Why is a person hiding here?
"Shh, could you lower your voice for a moment...?"
The person hiding behind the wall had messy hair and a thick-rimmed glasses that obscured his face. His complexion was pale, and he was grinning nervously.
My grandmother used to say, "Be careful of men who smile on first meeting."
Actually, she never said that.
But he looked suspicious at first glance.
"Who... who are you?!"
"Could you lower your voice a bit...?"
"Could it be... a peddler?"
"No, that's not it..."
At that moment, I heard movement from the other side of the wall. It sounded like several people were running this way.
The man covered my mouth with his hand and hid behind the wall.
"I don't read newspapers. The plumbing is fine, and I have plenty of toothpaste... Uh?!"
"Shh, be quiet."
"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Ugh ugh (What the hell is 'shh' supposed to mean, you lunatic)!"
"Just a moment, stay still."
"Ugh (Let me go)!"
I struggled, but the man didn't let go.
"Where did he go?"
"Check over there!"
"If we catch him, we won't let him off easily!"
After a while, the voices faded away. Once the people were completely out of sight, the man stood up.