Chapter 32

Chapter 32: A Small Gift

In South Korea, a world-renowned hunter powerhouse, there are a total of 37 rankers, and 20 of them are in Seoul.

And among those 20 hunters in Seoul, if we pick the relatively young rankers, we get:

Rank 20 – Jang Daewoong, the Berserker.

Rank 58 – Giparang, the Fine Bow.

Rank 380 – Gi Soyul, the Dark Empress.

Rank 510 – Lee Sunah, the Black Sword.

Rank 830 – Yoo Sangdon, the White Swine.

These are the ones who stand out. These young individuals in their twenties are the rising stars who would lead South Korea as a hunter powerhouse in the future. Internet enthusiasts call them the five stars shining in the sky of Seoul and refer to them as the “Five Stars of Seoul.”

* * *

“...”

—Gulp.

I swallowed my saliva.

Jang Daewoong...

As someone who dreams of becoming a ranker, how could I not know him?

I stared blankly at the monster that had fallen from the sky.

He was ranked 20th globally, 2nd in South Korea, and the eldest of the Five Stars of Seoul. He was the man who was known to crush an entire mountain with a single punch.

I never expected the acquaintance Gi Soyul mentioned to be such a big shot.

I was inwardly impressed.

Well, Gi Soyul was a big shot, too, wasn’t she?

[08:31:01 PM]

“Just one minute late, but luckily not too late.” The corner of Jang Daewoong’s mouth raised slightly. “Except for the men here, are all of you Firedog’s lackeys? Ah, by the way, Firedog is my nickname for Hellhound. Gahaha.”

He clenched his fist and stood up, laughing heartily. But no one laughed along with him.

“Haah...”

“Oh, uh...”

All the hunters of the Shadow Lurkers were sweating and looking around nervously. Some tried to sneak away, but they couldn’t. Everyone in this place was overwhelmed by the Berserker’s immense power.

Even though it was just one person’s appearance, it was like a giant Siberian tiger appearing before dozens of sheep. The presence of the Berserker was making everyone’s hearts tremble.

“B-Berserker, sir.”

At that moment, assassin Ko Jaeyoung cautiously stepped forward.

“Did you call for me?” Jang Daewoong stared at Ko Jaeyoung.

“Y-Yes, I did. Excuse me, but may I ask what brings you here?”

“You’re not excused.”

“Ugh.”

Jang Daewoong’s aura grew stronger. Just his gaze completely crushed Ko Jaeyoung’s spirit.

Even so, Ko Jaeyoung didn’t give up. Or more precisely, he couldn’t give up because that would mean his inevitable death.

“Th-This is a private matter involving us Shadow Lurkers, Parang, and that man over there, Joo Donghoon... N-Not that I’m trying to offend you, sir, but wouldn’t it be better not to make an enemy of the Shadow Lurkers?”

“Hmm, interesting words.” Jang Daewoong smirked. “So, you claim that I shouldn’t make an enemy of the Shadow Lurkers?”

“...”

Ko Jaeyoung flinched, looking troubled.

“Hahaha, that’s beyond my imagination! Unfortunately, I thought the opposite: that the Shadow Lurkers should do everything to avoid making an enemy of me. It seems like we had a misunderstanding!” Jang Daewoong burst into laughter.

Damn it.

Ko Jaeyoung gritted his teeth.

The Berserker wasn’t wrong. The leader of the Shadow Lurkers, Hellhound, was ranked 92nd, while the man in front of him was ranked 20th. There was an unimaginable gap in their skill levels. Making an enemy would be a 100% loss for the Shadow Lurkers.

“Buddy, first off, there’s a huge error in your words. The moment Firedog attacked Giparang without fear, this ceased to be a private matter.”

“N-No way. Did you make an alliance with Parang?” Ko Jaeyoung’s eyes widened.

Oh?

I was also surprised because the Five Stars of Seoul was just an unofficial name enthusiasts gave. There had never been any indication that they were close.

“And second. I very much dislike Firedog and especially the Shadow Lurkers. I actually hate them. Hahaha,” Jang Daewoong continued speaking.

“...”

“They’re like mosquitoes living off the blood of the weak—the scourge of society. Not manly at all.” Jang Daewoong clenched his fist tightly and raised it.

—Whoosh! Whoosh!

An immense amount of energy began to gather around his fist.

“And third. Do you really think I’m the only one who came here?”

A meaningful question from Jang Daewoong.

As if to answer that question, another person fell from the sky—a woman with black hair and a long rapier.

“Wow, as expected of the Berserker, such amazing speed! I ran here as fast as possible, but I’m just now arriving!”

It was Lee Sunah the Black Sword, ranked 510th in the world, arriving with a bright smile on her face.

In the shadow, Ko Jaeyoung quickly used one of his skills.

[Using skill ‘Corpse Creation’ (B-rank).]

It was his survival technique, corpse camouflage. A corpse identical to Ko Jaeyoung appeared in front of him. It was a fresh corpse that looked like it had just died.

Hehe. Even a ranker wouldn’t see through this trick...

It was then that Ko Jaeyoung’s eyes widened in horror.

—Poke, poke.

Someone was poking his back with the end of a stick.

“Human.”

Surprisingly, the one poking him was a skeleton—Joo Donghoon’s so-called “Sunny.”

“What are you doing hiding there?”

Amazingly, the skeleton spoke.

“H-How did you find me?” Ko Jaeyoung was flustered.

“Do you think such a trick would work on me, who has lived without eyes for an entire lifetime?”

Tricks were meaningless to the Sun Spear as the concept of vision was just an amusing novelty.

—Flash!

Sunny’s spear glowed. The shining light instantly eradicated the shadow Ko Jaeyoung was hiding in. Naturally, it drew the attention of the rankers nearby.

“F-Fuck!”

Ko Jaeyoung cursed and gathered his energy.

It had come to this: do or die. He thought he should at least take Joo Donghoon with him, even if he died.

“Die!”

—Thunk!

Just as he was about to step forward and thrust his dagger into Joo Donghoon’s throat...

—Thud!

“Ugh, argh!”

Something struck his chest, making it impossible to move forward. Ko Jaeyoung’s gaze slowly dropped down.

There, he saw a bone spear savagely embedded in his chest.

—Gush!

Blood gushed from his mouth.

“How laughable, human. Did you really think you could pass me and reach my lord?”

“Urgh... Guh!”

“You exude the same filthy feeling as the humans from my world.”

The Sun Spear slowly turned his embedded spear, as if knowing exactly how to maximize a human’s pain.

“I-I was killed by a mere skeleton...?”

Coughing blood, Ko Jaeyoung shook his head. He couldn’t believe that his life while aspiring to become a ranker would end so miserably.

The cold skull face approached Ko Jaeyoung’s.

“Seeing your eyes, I can tell exactly what you’re thinking.” Sun Spear’s voice was chilling. “Do you think your life is over?”

“Urgh, urgh. Ugh!”

Ko Jaeyoung lowered his head, clenching his jaw shut. There was no more anger or any emotion left on his face—only resignation. The pain kept growing, making him want to give up on life.

“I thought so too. But there’s definitely an afterlife. I’m the proof of that. Look at me. The dead me is now living in reality.”

“Ugh, what?”

There’s an afterlife?

Ko Jaeyoung’s eyes shook.

“You’ll pay for your sins even after death.”

“W-Wait... Please spare me. I’ll atone for my sins while I’m alive! While I’m alive! Please!”

Ko Jaeyoung desperately begged for his life.

—Gush!

However, the Sun Spear mercilessly pulled out his weapon.

—Swoosh!

It gracefully spun its spear and instantly pierced Ko Jaeyoung’s neck. His trembling body soon went limp.

“...”

This was the final moment of the criminal who had used any means to achieve his goals.

In Seonyudo, all the hunters from the Shadow Lurkers perished without leaving a corpse.

“...”

—Step, step.

I looked down bitterly at the dead Ko Jaeyoung. In fact, I had given the order for everything Sunny had done and said.

“Farewell. Don’t feel too wronged; you’re just getting back what you gave.”

Making him tremble with fear before meeting his end, that was the small gift I had prepared for him. A small gift compared to the deeds he had done.