The Hunter of the Other World Who Is Being Misunderstood – Chapter 87

Ch 87: Mind Game （2）

“Kim Giryeo, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Someone of your caliber should know without me having to explain, right?”

I nonchalantly shifted my stance on the narrow foothold.

“Then, a simple explanation. People tend to think that awakened ones like us are very tough.”

“….”

“But that’s not always the case. Even a slight miscontrol of mana can make awakened ones vulnerable to internal attacks…”

“….”

“If you target the inside, it’s easier to break than you’d think.”

It’s quite a strange thing.

That a simple low-grade magical tool could suddenly change the flow of the conversation.

“By any chance, does Kang Changho-ssi know exactly what the criteria for the killing judgment of that skill, ‘Enhancement,’ are?”

Burning fiercely.

In an instant, mana, like a scorching sun, gathered near my ear.

This was a sign that the magic could be completed immediately if the caster focused their consciousness even slightly.

“I don’t know.”

“…….”

“But whatever the real criteria are, if you blow away the brain and spinal cord like this, there won’t be anyone faster at making a judgment.”

In short, I was now, in a way, threatening the S-rank hunter.

“Hunter Kang Changho, are you still going to try and touch me?”

A shocking declaration that if things went south, I would commit suicide to prevent 『Enhancement』 from activating!

The S-rank hunter retorted as if dumbfounded.

“You’ll kill yourself if I try to kill you? Do you think that makes any sense?”

However, Kang Changho had no choice but to shut his mouth after hearing the following sentence.

“Of course it makes sense! Because I can actually do it.”

“…!”

Now.

Let’s have a practical conversation here.

If you were to fight a magician of equal rank, what do you think would be the most important factor in determining victory or defeat?

Attribute? Knowledge?

Unfortunately, you’re all wrong.

Surprisingly, battles between sorcerers are often decided by momentum.

Magicians are creatures that are more affected by their mental state than you’d think, so the moment one side feels like they can’t win, the situation shifts dramatically.

And I’ll make one thing clear here.

I have never lost in a battle of momentum between sorcerers.

“Hey.”

Yes. Not even once.

“Hunter Kang Changho.”

I then asserted with a changed attitude.

If I use this 『Pyromancer Necklace』, I can commit suicide before you can do anything, so don’t even think about it.

“Don’t bluff so much. There’s no way that’s realistically possible…”

At this, Kang Changho seemed to be flustered for the first time, and I laughed insipidly at his reaction.

“A bluff?”

Well, this wasn’t just a statement for a battle of momentum.

Thud, thud thud.

Just as the sound of the giant spider’s footsteps could be heard nearby, I looked up at the sky with my arms crossed.

“Changho-ssi, I’m sorry, but I don’t have any attachment to this life.”

What followed was a short soliloquy.

“Honestly, I’ve lived enough.”

“….”

“I’ve seen a lot of dirty things （at my job）, and I’ve already achieved the thing I wanted most （retirement）.”

“What?”

“Of course, if I could live longer, it would be the best.”

While the other party was silent, I straightened my posture and spoke confidently.

“But I’d rather die than be swayed by someone like you.”

As I continued my sentences, the S-rank hunter’s face gradually showed various emotions.

Shock.

Bewilderment.

Surprise.

“Huh.”

And in the end, even a small exclamation of admiration.

“Anyway, if you want to steal someone else’s skill, just wait quietly for the contract to expire.”

“….”

“And don’t mess things up with unnecessary interference.”

How many people in this world could assert themselves to an S-rank hunter?

But no matter who the other party was, I had no intention of living with my head bowed for a full 10 years.

Not even a bit.

“Do you understand?”

Well, it’s about time to wrap things up.

I spoke in a tone close to calmness, even while being ready to harm myself at any moment.

“If you understand, why don’t you get rid of that spider lurking next to you? It’s been annoying me, and I feel like my head is about to explode.”

Then, Kang Changho stared blankly at the other side of the collapsed road for a long time before suddenly bursting into laughter.

“Hahaha!”

He was laughing heartily with eyes full of strong interest.

◈◈◈

“…Okay. I lost.”

This guy, it seems he really does want my skill.

As soon as I threatened to make Enhancement useless, he immediately became docile.

“I promise I won’t do this again. So, please put down that necklace.”

A dramatic settlement.

Kang Changho even broke into a cold sweat, unlike his usual self, trying to dissuade me from self-harm.

At this point, I was curious about what skill he thought I possessed.

‘Oh well, whatever. I’m too lazy to ask. No matter what he imagines, I’ll know how to use that magic anyway…’

Clink.

I readily put down the necklace.

Of course, it was a meaningless action.

After all, I could perfectly control even a low-grade magical tool like this with my toe.

“It’s a relief that we resolved this through conversation.”

Kang Changho seemed to have noticed this to some extent. He squinted one eye and showed a strange reaction.

He no longer showed the same aggression as before, but still, considering his physique, I felt quite burdened.

“Um… Hunter Kang Changho-nim, of course, I’m also reflecting on my part.”

The self-destruction threat was a temporary measure.

If Kang Changho went crazy and charged at me with a “you die, I die” attitude, there would be no solution. So, I backed down appropriately at this point.

“From your perspective, it must be unsettling for a contractor to go to such a place.”

“Haha.”

“So, as an apology, from now on, if I go to a dangerous place, I’ll be sure to report it…”

Wait a minute.

But now that I think about it, Kang Changho hates the fact that I’m even near a gate, right?

‘Huh?’

Then, should I try asking him to lend me about 3 billion won since I’m going to quit being a hunter anyway?

A plan flashed through my mind for a moment.

But this idea was discarded in just a few seconds.

Even after a little thought, there were too many side effects that would follow.

‘If I suddenly ask for money in the hundreds of millions, it’ll look suspicious. It’s obvious that people will become curious about what I’m going to do with it.’

This was an intuitive feeling.

For some reason, I had a strong feeling that I shouldn’t let that Earthling find out that my goal was a fresh lung.

My problem wasn’t just about getting a lung. There was no point in rushing things since nothing would change drastically right away…

‘Maybe finding a body to switch into might be more troublesome.’

That’s right. A body.

After that, I would also need to find a good body to replace Kim Giryeo. In short, I would need to find a corpse of at least E-rank or higher.

So, it didn’t seem like a good idea to recklessly give up my status as a hunter.

‘This is a job where you can see the death of an awakened one quite naturally.’

So, I decided to try to solve the money problem on my own for now.

“Shall we leave the gate now? We’ve caught the boss too.”

“Sure.”

“You’re giving me 80% of the items we got here, right? I recorded our call from earlier.”

At this rate, it wouldn’t take too long to reach my target amount anyway.

◈◈◈

Whirr, whirr, whirr.

The sound of counting bills from an ATM machine echoed.

Click.

When the sound stopped, several blue papers popped out from beyond the cash dispenser.

Swish, swish, swish.

I counted the bills that came out of the machine one by one with my hand. And as I moved them to my wallet, I thought.

“100,000 won.”

What should I buy to eat with this today?

The past seven days had been a week like a typhoon.

I went into the lairs of gangsters to catch the Nacha Temple, and because of that, I had a life-threatening fight with an S-rank hunter.

“Huu.”

Days lived breathlessly.

But all that was in the past. After all my efforts, I had finally finished all my schedules.

“Now I can finally breathe.”

Recently, I had only been occasionally joining An Yunseung for skill training.

And that was only on Thursdays. On other days, Yunseung said he had separate business at his company or something.

‘He must be preparing for his full return.’

It felt bittersweet to see my source of money… no, the first acquaintance I made on Earth, drifting away, but it couldn’t be helped.

I shook off my thoughts and took a bite of my samgak kimbap.

Ah, but where am I eating right now, you ask?

“Coo coo coo coo.”

“Why are there so many birds on this planet…”

When I glanced down, a familiar creature was making eye contact with me at my feet.

That’s right. I was currently in a park in Seoul.

“And why are the birds on this planet walking around…?”

To be precise, I was sitting on a bench, eating samgak kimbap and a carbonated drink.

“Guluk, coo coo coo coo.”

“Hmm, they’re kind of cute when you look at them.”

What a peaceful and good time this was.

To be honest, the past week had been too much. There were times when I stayed up for three whole days straight.

‘No, if this is going to be like this, why did I even reincarnate?’

I decided to find my initial purpose, albeit late.

Rest. How difficult it was to achieve this simple thing in my past life.

‘Let’s rest for a while.’

I enjoyed the peaceful afternoon with a satisfied feeling.

And so, time flowed by relentlessly.

◈◈◈

And 10 days later.

━Whirr, whirr, whirr.

After resting for the past few days, I had developed a kind of routine.

It seemed that cash was more familiar to me than a debit card.

‘20,000 won.’

I would wake up in the morning, withdraw the amount of money I would use for the day, buy a type of samgak kimbap I hadn’t tried yet at the convenience store, and then when I arrived at the park, I would sit on the bench I always sat on and eat.

Recently, it had just been a repetition of this kind of life.

━Crunch.

But I quite liked this daily life. Everything was still interesting to a soul that had crossed a distant universe.

‘It’s fascinating.’

Clouds, birds, green vegetation.

These days, I was completely absorbed in exploring Earth. In a way, it was a very alien-like hobby.

‘Hmm.’

But when you stay in the same place for 10 days, there are things you can’t help but memorize, even if you don’t want to.

For example, the color of the beak of the pigeons that were often seen around here.

Or that woman you could see on the rooftop.

‘She’s there again today?’

When I sat on the bench and lifted my gaze, I always saw the same scenery.

A certain Earthling would appear on the rooftop of that building at 11 o’clock as if they had an appointment.

‘Even her pose is the same.’

A round updo with wisps of hair sticking out.

Angular glasses.

And always the same white coat.

I had seen her face every day for 10 days, so I even felt a strange sense of familiarity now.

“Hmm.”

I quietly pondered as I ate the last bite of my samgak kimbap.

‘Will she be there tomorrow too?’

…I had only thought that for about 3 seconds.

“Huh?”

A few seconds later.

The person in the white coat suddenly put one foot on the railing. It was obvious what this was foreshadowing.

━Thud.

“Whoa, whoa?!”

Soon after, someone tried to jump off the rooftop.

A person was falling.

“Eek!”

Seeing that, I suddenly felt goosebumps. My mind went blank.

Of course, I was a prodigy who could cast magic even in this state…

But frankly, I wasn’t confident about the outcome.

Kim Giryeo’s mana was only F-rank, and the other party had fallen from too high up.

Whoosh.

Right after a wind magic was cast to reduce the falling speed.

I hurriedly ran to the building across the street. It was to check on the other party’s safety.

“Huff, huff.”

Anyway, where did she fall? Turns out…

Now that I looked, a woman was lying motionless in the nearby flower bed. And she was wearing a white coat.