LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 101
Chapter 101: Goodbye, My ■■ 2
That night, after wrapping up the broadcast and leaving the automatic upload to the AI drone camera, Shia headed to the café in front of her house.
“Give me 30 chocolate lattes and 20 iced teas, please!”
“…Excuse me?”
“Oh, and do you have cake?”
“..Ah, yes, we do. We have Maldives cheesecake and Dungeon cocoa chocolate cake.”
“I’ll take five of each.”
“You mean five slices?”
“No, five whole cakes each.”
“………..”
Had there ever been such a monstrous order since the opening?
The part-timer at the counter scanned the order form up and down with a blank face.
“Um, customer? It’s 30 chocolate lattes, 20 iced teas, and five whole cheesecakes and chocolate cakes, right? You didn’t make a mistake, did you?”
“Yup.”
“Is this for takeout?”
“No, I’m eating here.”
“…….”
Wow, what the hell…
The part-timer looked at Shia with a face that went beyond shock and into awe.
There must be others with her…right?
No, there has to be. There’s no way…
“Oh! Oh dear. You’re back, customer!”
“Oh, hello, sir?”
At that moment, the café owner, who had been in the kitchen, rushed out with a bright expression, as if he was greeting an elementary school friend he hadn’t seen in decades.
He probably wouldn’t have come out this quickly, even if it were his own parents.
“Oh dear, if you’d said something, I would have been out sooner! Let me see… You’re eating a lot today too. You’re alone, right?”
“Yup!”
“Excuse me…?”
She’s alone…?
She’s eating all that by herself?!
“I’ve kept your usual seat upstairs empty. I always reserve it for you in case you come!”
“Oh, really? Thank you.”
“No, thank YOU, customer! Just sit comfortably, and we’ll bring it to you!”
“……”
The café owner smiled brightly.
The part-timer looked on the verge of tears.
And as always, Shia radiated her usual bright, saintly aura, as she finished her order and sat down.
“…….”
“Hello?”
Less than a minute after she sat down, a woman with black hair and glasses approached Shia.
It seemed like she had been waiting for Shia to arrive for quite some time.
Yeonju took off her glasses, neatly folded them, and put them in her pocket before extending her hand to Shia.
“I’m Yeonju, an official administrator of the Yeon Family. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Shia.”
“As you probably know, I’m Shia, the Saintess of the Dead.”
Shia also shook her hand lightly.
Yeonju looked exactly like she did in the video call from her smartwatch.
But seeing her in person, Yeonju appeared even younger than Shia had expected.
Though she’d heard Yeonju was 45, she could easily be mistaken for someone in their late twenties.
“I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I just ordered what I usually get.”
“Oh, that’s quite alright…”
“I couldn’t possibly eat all this by myself. Think of it as a gesture of goodwill, and have some drinks when they arrive.”
“Thank you. By the way, I know that your registered age is over 80, so please feel free to speak comfortably. You’re much older than me, and I’ve been instructed to treat you like Miss Yeonhwa or Miss Yeonseo, so please, be at ease.”
“Alright, I won’t hold back.”
Nodding at Shia’s words, Yeonju sat down and immediately opened her smartwatch.
It wasn’t a regular lifestyle smartwatch like the one Shia had, but an office model designed for handling information and tasks.
“I’ve gathered as much information as I could about Park Yoon-jung, but this is all I could find.”
The hologram that emerged from Yeonju’s smartwatch contained data on the young hunter, Park Yoon-jung, whom Shia had encountered in the jungle dungeon.
As Yeonju handed over the hologram, Shia slowly began reading the contents.
“Not much, huh…”
“Yes, there’s not much. In summary, Park Yoon-jung is 19 this year, born in 2088. She hasn’t even had her birthday yet, so she’s still a minor. She was diagnosed as an Awakened at age 8 in a hospital, but… it seems she couldn’t attend a Hunter Academy. She dropped out of Wolseong High School a year ago, and there’s no record of her enrolling in any other educational institutions since.”
“Ah, exc… excuse me… the 20 iced teas and 30 chocolate lattes… they’re ready….kyaa?!”
“Oh, thank you.”
At that moment, as the nervous part-timer brought over a cart filled with iced teas, Shia casually extended her tentacles to retrieve the drinks.
In an instant, several of her tentacles neatly stacked and organized the iced teas and lattes, leaving both the part-timer and Yeonju speechless, watching in silence.
“…I-I’ll bring the cakes right away…”
“Okay, thank you~”
As the part-timer walked away again, Shia glanced over the hologram that Yeonju had given her, tilting her head.
“…No records at all? But she looked like a Hunter? How is that possible?”
“Minors can’t legally become Hunters. During the early days of the Great Rift, when humanity was on the brink of extinction, there wasn’t much choice, but now, Hunter Academies exist for a reason. It’s a delicate issue that could lead to accusations of child exploitation, so once society started to recover, one of the first things they addressed were the laws regarding minors and Hunters.”
…But to be an Awakened, and not attend a Hunter Academy, and even drop out of a regular high school…
“Her family must be in serious trouble.”
“It’s not just serious; it’s dire. Park Yoon-jung’s parents have five separate records of being treated for alcoholism and gambling addiction… but now that government support has been cut off, they haven’t even been to a hospital. It seems they have no intention of treating their addictions. Their credit rating is also extremely low, and there are records of them taking out loans from third-party financial institutions and loan sharks. Naturally, there’s no sign of them resolving any of their debts, and the situation is ongoing.”
“So does that mean Yoon-jung…”
“She likely found a party or guild willing to take her in despite her being a minor. And now, she’s the one making money to support her indebted parents.”
Upon hearing this, Shia felt a surge of heat rise in her head.
“And… regarding your request to confirm whether you and Park Yoon-jung are related by blood…”
“……….”
As Yeonju spoke those words, Shia bit her lip.
The heat in her head seemed to cool down again.
Sluurp Sluuurp … Gulp
Each time Shia took a sip of iced tea to cool her head, an entire cup emptied.
“…Phew, thank you.”
“No problem. It seems like you might need some time alone. I’ll take my leave now.”
“…Alright.”
“If you need anything, feel free to contact me at any time.”
○○○○○○
“I want to treat our guild members like family.”
Bang!
“Urgh…!”
“But… shouldn’t we be helping each other out?”
Whack!
“Why won’t you help me? Why the hell not?”
Thud!
Thud!
“Ugh…!”
“Hey, get up. You’re not getting up?”
A dull, heavy thud reverberated through the room, so loud that it was hard to believe it came from a human body.
All the guild members immediately hunched their shoulders.
“Have I said anything wrong? Hey, Byung-ryul. Answer me, am I wrong?”
“No, you’re not…”
“Right? I’m not, right?”
“Y-yeah, that’s right…!”
As he grabbed Byung-ryul’s throat with one hand and lifted him up, the man gasped for breath, choking.
“But am I the only one working hard for the guild? Why is no one helping me?”
“………”
But even with those words, none of the Hunters in the office said a thing.
Everyone knew that staying silent and waiting for this moment to pass as quickly as possible was the best option.
Among them was Park Yoon-jung, still a minor but already working as a Hunter.
The other Hunters sat rigidly, trembling like they were in front of a military drill instructor, each with a face full of fear and worry.
“How many times has it been now? Do you think money just falls out of the ground to feed lowly C-ranks and D-ranks like you? Do you think cash will just appear if you dig for it? Our earnings have been hitting rock bottom every quarter, and you guys still aren’t pulling yourselves together?”
Thud!
Thud!
It seemed like he was lightly kicking their shins, but a B-rank Hunter’s light slap could be deadly to a regular person.
The C-rank Hunters on the receiving end of the guild leader’s strikes might not be critically injured by these light blows, but the humiliation and pain were unavoidable.
“Hey, Kim Seok-won.”
“Yes.”
“How many times has it been for you? It’s been over four years since you became a C-rank, right? I even gave you the leader position of Squad 3, but your party hasn’t met the quota more than ten times this month alone.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Sigh… Seok-won, you know I like you like a little brother, right?”
“Yes.”
Thud!
“Then why the hell do you keep making me hate you?!”
“…Ugh…”
In that moment, Yoon-jung could only sigh internally.
Sigh, he’s being particularly shitty today.
When is this going to end…
It was nothing new.
Not just once or twice.
It happened fairly often.
The guild Yoon-jung belonged to, “Sanwoomul Guild,” was what people called a trash guild.
It was the kind of place where Hunters who were desperate, at the limit of their abilities, or drowning in debt, had no choice but to end up.
The guild had a harsh quota system, outrageous fees, and regularly held training sessions and committed acts of violence under the guise of discipline.
But the Hunters who were driven to this guild had no room to complain, no matter how unreasonable the violence got.
On the surface, Sanwoomul Guild was known for paying off the debts of Hunters, covering major surgeries for their families or themselves, and lending money to those struggling with living expenses.
It was charitable and benevolent enough to be awarded the Guild of the Month by the Hunter Association.
They marketed themselves as a “family-like guild,” and a guild that shared both joys and sorrows together.
Of course, none of that was a lie.
Sanwoomul Guild really did lend money to Hunters in need.
‘Once you borrow, though, that’s the end…but I’m not one to judge.’
However, the moment a Hunter borrowed money from Sanwoomul Guild, it was as if they had handed over their leash.
Once the guild leader had someone by the leash, the smiling, friendly façade would drop, revealing the irritated and harsh face of a true small-time guild leader.
The structure of this guild was built on crushing debt, a command hierarchy stricter than the military, and a vicious cycle of violence, debt, and gaslighting to grind people into generating capital.
Naturally, as long as they owed the guild, the Hunters couldn’t escape. And most had signed unfair contracts when they first joined.
“Guys, I don’t make money by digging in the dirt, do I?”
“”””No…””””
“Huh? I can’t hear you?”
“”””No, sir!””””
The guild leader assigned ridiculous quotas, only to use it as an excuse to “discipline” the Hunters with gaslighting and violence, leaving their shins bruised and battered.
It was an effective way to instill fear and loyalty.
Even if they were beaten, the Hunters in this guild had no options for escape or resistance.
The guild leader himself was an A-rank Hunter.
And if that wasn’t enough, filing a complaint through the Hunter Association wouldn’t do much good because Sanwoomul Guild was practically a subcontractor connected to a giant guild in China, not a Korean guild.
Since the real owner of the guild was a foreigner and the Korean branch was just a subsidiary, any complaints filed with the Association wouldn’t make a dent.
In fact, one guild member had once filed a complaint against the guild leader’s abuse, but it was buried without a trace, likely due to bribes from either Sanwoomul Guild or their Chinese parent company.
Naturally, the person who made the complaint paid a hefty price, and after that, there were far fewer who dared to resist.
“Sheesh, don’t you guys feel ashamed? Aren’t you embarrassed to be ignored by someone younger than you? Are you planning to spend your whole life here, barely paying off your debt?”
“Yes…”
“We’re sorry.”
“Squad 1 received full support and went to China last time, right? You should try harder, don’t you think? I’m sure you all want to make money, right? Let’s do better. Come on!”
Finally, as the guild leader’s long rant seemed to be winding down, Yoon-jung raised her head.
She’d heard this same speech so many times that it was starting to bore her.
“Alright, if you understand, get out.”
“Yes, let’s go.”
“We apologize, Master.”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
“Oh, Yoon-jung. You stay behind.”
“……”
As the other Hunters left the guild leader’s office, they glanced at Yoon-jung with concern.
“Uh, Guildmaster… Yoon-jung has to handle the profit distribution today, and she’s busy…”
Their faces were filled with worry, fearing what the cruel guild master might do to the young girl.
“Come to think of it, Yoon-jung, didn’t you say you had to get home early today?”
“That’s right. Yoon-jung said she’s busy, so maybe today…”
“Hey, am I a joke to you? Do you want to stay up all night? How about we all watch the sunrise together, sharing our bonds of friendship?”
“…….”
“If you understand, get lost.”
Sigh… What a shitty bastard…
That damn guy…
That son of a b**ch…
Of course, the master of the Sanwoomul Guild was more arrogant and trashy than the other Hunters could have imagined, so their attempts to stop him were utterly futile.
The other Hunters cast pitying and sympathetic glances at Yoon-jung, but she just shrugged her shoulders as if to say she was fine. In the end, they hesitated, but had no choice but to close the door and leave the office.
“…..”
“…..”
Scratch, scratch
The master of the Sanwoomul Guild quietly scribbled on some documents with Yoon-jung standing silently in front of him.
In the suffocating silence of the office, Yoon-jung glanced at the ticking clock, then slowly closed her eyes.
This kind of atmosphere was unbearable.
“Let’s go. I’ll give you a ride.”
“…Yes.”
Naturally, refusing was not an option.
And so, Yoon-jung had to take the elevator directly connected to the parking lot with the guild master.
In the oppressive silence, Yoon-jung wanted nothing more than to get out of there, but in terms of power and social status, the guild master was in complete control over her.
“It must be hard for you.”
“No, the guys in my party… I mean, the older guys help me, so it’s manageable.”
“I feel like I’ve helped you a lot too.”
“Of course, if it weren’t for the guild master, I wouldn’t even be here.”
“Right, right. Sigh, if only the other guys knew their place like you and appreciated how hard I work… don’t you think?”
“Uh, yes.”
Answering half-heartedly, Yoon-jung hoped this time would end quickly.
The guild was always claiming financial difficulties, barely paying the members their salaries. Despite that, the guild master’s personal car was incredibly luxurious.
‘…Bullshit. That hunk of metal must have cost at least 500 million won, just for one of its options… Some financial crisis, huh.’
“Here, get in.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Perhaps wanting to show off his wealth, the guild master looked at Yoon-jung with a slightly excited expression.
Ugh, I can totally see what this bastard is trying to pull…
Of course, Yoon-jung, already used to this, had to maintain a look of admiration and praise the guild master for his success.
Once Yoon-jung got into the car, it started moving somewhere.
“……..”
“…….”
“Ahem, so… Yoon-jung, did you give any thought to what I mentioned last time?”
After some time, the guild master finally spoke, and Yoon-jung glanced at him.
“…What you mentioned… You mean the exchange hunter thing?”
Exchange hunters were like exchange students sent to foreign universities.
Korean guilds would form brotherhoods or sisterhoods with foreign guilds, and they would exchange hunters, or sometimes money, in an international hunter exchange program.
Though called a hunter exchange, it was more akin to hiring mercenaries to work for foreign guilds for money.
“Yeah, that. The guild in mainland China looked through our hunter profiles and said they’d like you to come over.”
“…….”
To be honest, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t tempted.
The offer promised the chance to make a large sum of money in a short period, and for someone like Yoon-jung, who was struggling financially, it was certainly an attractive offer.
Though it was a paid arrangement, there would still be a lot to learn.
It was a chance to observe how foreign guilds operated, what kinds of techniques and know-how their hunters used, and possibly even learn from instructors assigned to her.
“No, thank you.”
But it felt too suspicious.
What exactly did the Chinese guild see in her to specifically request her?
“Yoon-jung, I’m saying this for your own good. You need money, don’t you?”
“….”
Yoon-jung was a minor hunter who hadn’t been able to attend the Hunter Academy due to her horrible family situation and unworthy parents.
Awakened individuals who graduated from Hunter Academies were usually guaranteed a stable life, but in Yoon-jung’s case, her family was deeply in debt, so she couldn’t even dream of affording tuition.
The emergency savings and school fees she had painstakingly saved up had already been squandered by her parents, who were both alcoholics and gambling addicts.
Because of this, Park Yoon-jung had dropped out of high school and continued her life as a hunter without any proper education.
“I’m fine. The money the guild master lent to my family already…”
“You still have to pay off your parents’ debt. You have to make a living on your own. I know for a fact that your current income isn’t nearly enough.”
“……..”
“And if you go there, you’ll get full support. They’ll even assign you a personal instructor. For someone like you, who never even attended Hunter Academy, this is a huge opportunity.”
Although Yoon-jung’s income had increased since becoming a hunter, the situation at home was so dire that it was like pouring water into a broken jar.
Screeech!
Just then, the car came to a sudden stop, and Yoon-jung looked around.
It was… an isolated area.
Ah, shit… I’m screwed.
Now that she thought about it, the car had taken a completely different route than usual.
“Yoon-jung, you know I can’t stand the other guild members, but you’re different, right?”
“………..”
“I really like you, you know? You’re young, but so smart and capable. Your skin is so fair, and compared to the other girls, you’re much more…”
Damn, here comes the horny dog.
As the guild master slowly leaned in closer to her, Yoon-jung scanned her surroundings.
But they were in an isolated place, the car doors were locked, and…
The guild master was an A-rank hunter. In terms of power, social standing, and every other status, he was in complete control over her.
Normally, the older hunters in her party would create an escape route or draw attention away from her somehow, but today, the guild master seemed to have planned everything.
“…….”
“Yoon-jung, I…”
Thud!
At that moment, there was a loud thump on the car roof, as if something heavy had fallen on it.
Annoyed that his new autonomous car might have been scratched, the guild master turned his head toward the window.
“…Ah, what the hell is…”
Crack!
“…!?”
“What the… Urk!”
In an instant, the window next to the guild master’s seat shattered into pieces, and something black and writhing from outside grabbed him.
Of course, Yoon-jung had no idea what was happening.
She could only blink, frozen in place, as the guild master’s limbs were twisted at odd angles by an immense force and speed.
And then, a series of dull, sickening thuds reverberated from the roof of the car.
“You…! What… are…?!”
Snap!
“Urgh…”
Thud!
“Stop, wa—”
Thud! Crack!
“……”
Thud, thud, crack!
Snap!
Thud!
Bam! Crash!
Crunch!
Snap!
“…What… the hell…?”
At some point, the guild master’s voice stopped completely.
All that could be heard were the dull sounds of something being crushed and torn apart, like paper ripping or some other grotesque, unnatural noises.
[Miracle – Great Healing]
[Curse – Forgetfulness]
“………..”
What the hell is this…
What in the f**k… Could a monster have escaped from a dungeon?
From the looks of it, whatever grabbed the guild master wasn’t human…
More time passed, but after that, no other sounds were heard.
No, it only seemed like a long time had passed from Yoon-jung’s perspective.
In reality, not even a minute had gone by.
At first, it felt like something had climbed onto the roof of the car, but now, there was no sense of weight or any other presence at all.
*Knock knock knock*
Uh… Who is it?
“Hello!”
“Ahhh! What the f**k?!”
Suddenly, Yoon-jung heard a sound from the window next to her seat, and when she turned her head, she almost had a heart attack.
“…I-Is that you, Shia… Unnie…?”
“Hehe!”
…Why the hell are you here?