Chapter 1: Chapter 1 – My Childhood Friend Is Top Ranker
The house burned on a dark night.
It was my friend's house.
As a child, I was running without any fear, even though the firefighters were trying to stop me.
-What there happened?!
-I have a friend! She hasn't gotten out yet!
Oh my, I was quite a bold guy.
And I was crazy. Because I was young, I didn't know the fear of fire and smoke.
The child, who did not even know the simple common sense that if you inhale smoke incorrectly, you will die, ran like a flying insect to an incandescent light bulb in the early morning and jumped into the flames.
It was then that I felt something was wrong.
Because it hurt.
My neck was sore. My eyes couldn't stop crying as if they had been sprayed with insecticide. In the meantime, I didn't notice that as I fumbled with my hand, I grabbed the heated handle by mistake, and my palm melted. It was so painful that I clearly didn't even know it was pain. In that state, I continued running toward the burning house and caught my friend hiding in the corner.
-What are you doing there? Let's get out quickly!
-I'm so scared!!
-Don't cry! We can go out now! Now, follow me quickly!
My friend cried.
The reason she cried was not because of fear of fire but because her friend's hand holding her hand was damp.
However, as the situation was urgent, I did not have the energy to notice it. She was so intelligent that she opened a plastic bottle that was lying around and poured it on his friend's head.
'Why didn't he notice that? Are you expecting too much from a child? Probably so.'
Anyway, my friend was safe.
We got drenched in water, and I ran forward, holding my friend in front of me. The flames caught on to my clothes along the way, but I didn't even feel any pain. I couldn't stop thinking that I could survive if I got out, and by the time I finally got out, I was in terrible shape.
My parents, who had always been blunt, cried for the first time.
My full body covered was in burns.
I have no memories after that. Because I was taken to the hospital right away.
However, I remembered the voice my friend shouted before losing consciousness.
-You bitch! You bitch…
-Thank you!
-Thank you so much!
-You bitch!!
And… What happened?
A few days after I was admitted to the hospital, my parents and her parents fought in front of my friend and me.
An obscene story that children should not enter into. I was just trying to find a friend for the sake of friendship, but the adults didn't attach any meaning to it and just cursed at each other for petty things.
It was annoying.
I remember burying my face in the pillow and ignoring the two parents who said such things when they came to see me at the hospital. The only time I was happy was when the friend I saved came to visit me without forgetting her kindness.
Even though it didn't last for a few days.
The house burned down due to some kind of accident, and my friend moved out.
I don't remember meeting her after that.
*
Bibibbibibig.
I woke up to an irritating sensation that felt like a chopstick was being inserted into my ear canal. A slightly worn-out ceiling and a stale widower's smell greeted me in a studio apartment that was good for a single man.
"I've been having all kinds of crazy dreams since morning."
Hmm.
I asked myself if I was dreaming about how many years ago I was dreaming. I peeled off the crusty mucus from my eye and felt the bedside with my other hand.
For some reason, the liquor bottle was rolling around, so I threw it away and turned off the alarm on my phone.
Nevertheless, the noise did not stop. There was a mixture of everyday calm noises and the sound of the TV that was on before going to bed.
"Everyone, look! Peace was achieved by the holy hunter who conquered the brass tower!"
"Another great person who will bring glory to the Republic of Korea has appeared here!"
"Age 27 years old. You're the current guild leader of [Chorus], and the person whose slogan is world peace, right?"
"Yes. Yes. The Savior who saved Africa. Isn't he the person who, befitting his nickname, has recently concluded a peace treaty through inter-Korean talks?"
"It's not something that a young person in their mid-20s would do."
"Even though it's a new guild, it's amazing. Recently, this guild's popularity is skyrocketing, right?"
"You sent all the soldiers of the Republic of Korea Army to the reserve forces. There's a lot of support in that regard as well──"
"Hey, Song Seong, I'm really a human being."
"I don't know where someone like that came from."
"Thanks to you, my son is also out of the military. I am truly grateful."
"Look at the letter sent from Africa. Everyone said thank you so much!
"Why is my ranking still that high even though I'm so active?! It's strange!
"Mr. Song Seong! It's been a while since we conquered the Tower of Brass! What is the next destination for [Chamok]?"
"The Silver Tower has already been conquered! As expected, what's next~?"
「──Golden Tower.」
… Hmm.
There was a lot of noise from the morning with news about a certain hunter.
A story about Song Seong, the guild leader of [Chomok], who distinguished himself as a hunter a few years ago.
They're talking about things like he prevented a war, that he had a big impact on the world situation by capturing the Brass Tower, and even announced the tower the hunter is headed to next.
Although Song Seong was not interviewed directly on any of the screens, it was just photos or old videos.
'He is a great man. He is 27 years old, the same age as me. Why does such a young guy go to various countries, hold talks, and save the country?'
While brushing my teeth, I looked at pictures on the TV.
It's a face I've been wandering around for a few years now, even before I went to the military, but I tend to just glance at it because I'm not interested, but today I looked at it in more detail.
'It's a familiar name... Is it a man or a woman?'
Aside from his short hair and white bridge, he was both handsome and beautiful. I don't know if I should call this androgynous, but that's exactly what it looks like. His eyes are like a fox, and he looks like he's good at attracting women. I gritted my teeth and searched on my phone, but most things, including gender, were managed in accordance with the [Hunter Information Management Act].
'Isn't it a problem to criticize age in the media?'
'You guys are so fucking stupid.'
Instead, I checked the full-body photo, but I couldn't determine the gender. If he had breasts, it would have seemed like she was a woman, but even though he was mostly wearing light clothes, there was no outline of a woman in those photos at all.
Maybe that's why the reaction within the hunter community was, "Of course it's a man." And except for anonymous people who sometimes make a fuss by saying, "That's a woman!" the standard response was to be a man.
What I was able to find through a search was that he was the guild leader of [Vegetables] and had the nickname [Saint]. He is a strategist who climbed the Brass Tower and a great man. Although there were many achievements, his hunter ranking was still mediocre at 9th place.
'It's Song Seong. She has the same name as that guy. He said he was somehow dreaming of his old self, and he kept mentioning him on TV.
Since she has the same name, I guess I may have inadvertently influenced the dreams. I heard that my interest is rising today.
I never thought it would be the same name as my old friend.
"Pfft!"
I spat out the water, took a quick shower, and looked in the mirror.
I was a man covered in burns.
I have spotted burns all over the body, like a hyena. Compared to other burn victims, the clean stains were a small consolation.
'The burns looked deeper today. Is it because it's been a while since I had a dream like that?'
"… What kind of skills does such a great man have? He must be such an amazing person. Maybe he has the skills to heal my burns?"
I thought volunteering seemed to be my specialty, and maybe I could help.
I even thought about asking for a favor when I got a chance, but then I laughed and said that it was a shameless thing to do.
-Ranking 9th.
It may be vague, but considering the number of hunters, the ranking is ridiculously high. Moreover, he is the guild master who leads the guild. Since they are now challenging the Golden Tower, there will be no time to deal with these idiot hunters.
Name: Hong Chang
Alias: [Scavenger]
Hunter Ranking: none
Hunter Grade: D
Affiliating Guild: none
Age: 27 years old
"…"
Even though we are the same age, someone is a ranker and someone is a D.
Not everyone can achieve that much, so I pretended to adapt to reality, but in reality, I was a little envious.
Especially the skills.
A luck talent that shares the value of a Hunter just like an Auror.
Have I been hated by the tower?
My skill was:
[Nectar(Νέκταρ) (E~?)]
[Your semen has the power to attract females.]
[It has a slight cosmetic effect.]
"What is this?"
Why semen on a subject with such a grand name?
What are the beauty effects?
Every time I see this damn skill, my eyes and forehead get itchy.
'I've been climbing the tower since I was 20... I was so happy that I finally got the skill and called my parents.
This was the reason why I drank alcohol almost every day for the past year.
From the age of 20 to 27, I had to go out for military service for a while, but even considering that, it was a long time, and this is the reward.
When a latecomer was overusing skills and training an Auror alone, I thought I would finally be free from that miserable feeling, but then I received this skill.
"Fuck. You gave me this skill just because I have a place to fuck."
It's been a while since I was living alone . In terms of years, it was a little over a year.
I experimented with various things in my spare time, and the skill description boldly stated, "You will have the power to attract females." So I was somewhat excited at first, as I am a man.
….
Let's just conclude.
This skill was a trash skill worthy of [Grade: E].