READ NOVEL ONLINE Episode 30
I suddenly remembered the information the devil had casually given me during our first meeting. He’d said that while there were no gate disasters in the divine realm, there were rating attacks.
I waited anxiously, chewing my lower lip, but no more narration boxes appeared. That made me even more uneasy.
In fact, it wasn’t uncommon for new webtoons to suffer rating attacks when they first came out. Unless they had already secured a core fanbase through other channels before launching, it was almost 100% guaranteed.
I, too, would just shrug it off when a new webtoon I liked received low ratings of 6 or 7, and I never bothered to log in and give it a 10-star rating. Like most readers.
However, Tito’s mental state – the author of
Still, as a professional author, Tito must understand these webtoon industry dynamics better than I do.
I was trying to suppress my anxiety, thinking Tito would handle it calmly, when suddenly:
[SYSTEM:
A strange rectangle with glowing outlines suddenly appeared in my vision. Similar yet different from the narration boxes I’d often seen, this box was filled with small, dense text.
My eyes widened as I unconsciously read the contents. These were comments left by the gods.
«BEST Comments
Toby ┃ Legendary artwork;
Lyingdown ┃ Pretty art style
Don’tShout ┃ Huff huff how long has it been since a new Hyunpan work? I’m running to be in the vanguard
GoldenGoblin ┃ Oh, nice artwork
wldn**** ┃ Did you sharpen your skills? The quality is insane»
Contrary to my worries, the best comments were all favorable. A sigh of relief escaped my lips without me realizing.
「Having pre-paid with cached cash, Tito quickly flips through six episodes, including the preview chapters, with tense eyes.」
So authors have to pay for their own previews too?
I didn’t have time to marvel at this newfound knowledge. Soon, a flood of best comments for the backlog of episodes started pouring in.
I carefully examined the best comments, sorted by most likes, to gauge the general sentiment in the divine realm. The expansion of
«BEST Comments
Don’tShout ┃ Even if gates open, we have our trusty squinty-eyed character, right? Once squinty opens his eyes, it’s all over, right?
2398321 ┃ It’d be weirder if an unawakened civilian stayed sane in that situation. Go Chagyeong!
paperjam ┃ I don’t usually say this, but the artwork is really top-tier»
As if commenting faster than anyone else, one god in the best comments section cried out my name:
«BEST Comments
Don’tShout ┃ Wait, Sun-woo wasn’t the trusty squinty-eyed character…??!! I believed in you, what’s with this F-grade!!!!!!!!!»
(T/N: broooo me fr)
Judging by the content, they were watching the scene where I awakened as an F-grade hunter. Though it was just text, my face burned with embarrassment.
‘At least they seem to be enjoying it…’
The comment, plastered with excited punctuation marks contrary to the username, proved the reader’s immersion.
«BEST Comments
TitaniumMental ┃ I thought they’d be overpowered, but the protagonist seems to have some difficulty using skills. Wonder how they’ll overcome this… rebooting ┃ Wow, they’re broadcasting that live ㅠ One mistake and it’s instant nationwide humiliation, that’s too much
BrightRedPuberty ┃ We urgently need a hunter labor union… Kids, let’s demand better treatment~»
Through the new best comments, it wasn’t hard to infer the content of recent episodes. The webtoon’s plot was already racing towards the entrance ceremony.
«BEST Comments
Don’tShout ┃ I finished it in no time; Author, I know you have a preview of the preview, hand it over
minorLife ┃ Sun-woo, you’ve worked hard… I hope you get a big corporate sponsorship next episode to show them ㅜㅜ
LookingForHandsomeMenOnMountainsides ┃ No, Yeo Wook’s beauty is just insane the more I look, what’s with that mole near his eye? You’re doing this on purpose»
Among what seemed to be the best comments for the latest episode, one supportive comment about me caught my eye. It meant many gods were paying attention to me, even though I wasn’t the protagonist.
If I keep working hard, could I receive more support from the gods?
As I reread the short comment, the infirmary door suddenly opened. A well-dressed man entered with the school nurse—an unfamiliar face.
He spoke as soon as he saw me. “Hunter Maeng Sun-woo, I’m from the Hunter Management Department of the Gate Disaster Response Headquarters. I’m Hunter Hwang Jaeyun.”
After this brief introduction, Hwang Jaeyun immediately started checking my status window. I didn’t know what was going on, but watching him read my skills with narrowed eyes made me tense.
All my S-grade skills were hidden. There was no way he could see them. My status window, showing only D-grade, F-grade, and no-grade skills, would look pretty pathetic.
Seemingly finished, Hwang Jaeyun pulled out a stack of documents from his bag. “Was it the
“Huh? Berserk…? No, there was a small problem, but… it wasn’t entirely my intention…”
He raised his hand, stopping my stammering. His expression was not just firm, but downright cold. “Was Hunter Maeng Sun-woo herself the cause of the rampage?”
“Uh, yes…”
“Thank you for confirming.” Hwang Jaeyun’s tone was devoid of emotion.
I looked at him sheepishly as he glanced at the first page of his document. He thrust the papers at me. “This is an official damage compensation claim for the destruction of the special ambulance interior. Please check the back for witness testimonies as well.”
I received the claim in a daze. The official document from the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters to the Gate Disaster Response Headquarters was in typical government format.
It wasn’t hard to find the compensation amount, marked in long numbers.
One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million…
My eyes widened as I counted the zeros with trembling fingers. The compensation was a whopping 7.5 million won. I looked up at Hwang Jaeyun, shocked. “Do I have to pay all of this…”
He glanced up at my trembling voice.
“Do I have to pay it all? Isn’t there any government support?”
“The Ministry of National Defense has already covered 50% of the compensation. This document is for the remaining 50%.”
My jaw dropped. The original compensation was 15 million won. Without the Ministry’s mandatory support for minor hunters, I’d have been destined to pay over 10 million won out of pocket.
I knew the ambulance’s medical devices had been damaged when I tested my skill, but I had no idea it would be this expensive.
“You can request the 7.5 million won compensation from the private company sponsoring you.”
Though tremendously troubled by this sudden debt, I managed a forced smile. Only one thought circled in my mind: ‘I’m in real trouble.’
Even though I’d accepted the Children’s Foundation’s sponsorship, my conscience wouldn’t let me hand them a 7.5 million won bill. I knew about their tight finances, where they needed to save every last won.
The Children’s Foundation had received personal donations since the entrance ceremony, but I couldn’t recklessly ask for such a large sum.
It seemed I had no choice but to take responsibility and pay the compensation myself.
However, the problem was that as a prospective hunter, I essentially had no steady government salary coming in.
The monthly scholarship for students, in lieu of a salary, was 500,000 won—not much different from a normal part-time job. Although the school covered food and lodging, even if I saved every penny, it would take 15 months to pay off the compensation.
“I’m sorry, but could I pay the compensation after a few months?” I asked with the most apologetic expression I could muster.
The hunter silently glanced at my mobile phone lying on the blanket. Its screen, having suffered another ordeal in the traffic accident, was so shattered I’d have to pay extra to sell it second-hand. Hwang Jaeyun’s knowing look after confirming this was irritating.
While other hunters were raking in millions from advertising, all I’d managed since awakening was to accumulate debt.
“In principle, we require compensation to be paid within a week at most. It’s a matter of public trust in the entire Gate Disaster Response Headquarters,” the hunter replied with a displeased face, letting out a small sigh. Anyone watching would think he was dealing with someone who’d run off with mutual aid money.
I suppressed the indignation rising from my solar plexus. People should always know their limits based on their situation. I really… don’t have money to be defiant right now.
Forcing an embarrassed smile, I carefully asked, “I’m really sorry, but would installment payments be possible?”
Hwang Jaeyun looked at me as if to say it obviously wasn’t.
I couldn’t bring myself to voice the brazen follow-up thought that 15 months of installments would be nice.
Money really is always the problem.