◈ Episode 5. Demon Hunter (2)

So, it’s a freelancer.

I came home from work and the sun hadn’t set.

It’s a chance for photosynthesis that I didn’t have as a salaryman.

Part of me wanted to jump straight into bed with the sun.

Thud.

I gathered up my clothes and hung them on a hanger.

As if that wasn’t enough, I went straight to the bathroom.

I turned on the shower.

Shoot!

Damn aristocratic discipline and rules!

I’m even more annoyed that I’m slowly getting used to this tiring routine.

Still, let’s look on the bright side.

It was definitely a good thing that cleaning didn’t feel like a chore.

“It’s dusty.”

……Although it still felt odd to be cleaning in a mask, even in my own home.

By the time I was done, the sun was setting.

“Yeah, no photosynthesis on my arm.

I immediately got to work on dinner.

Gone were the days of meal delivery and quick fixes.

Fresh ingredients arrived in an early morning delivery.

Skilfully chopped and prepared.

How did an aristocrat get so good at cleaning and cooking?

Because, if you ask me, Grandfell was a fallen aristocrat.

“Not bad.”

This, too, is a set-up for learning to make a living.

Unsurprisingly, Grandfell’s high-minded pride was not dampened by getting water on his hands.

To me, it’s a character trait that’s both annoying and appreciated.

‘It’s better for you to make it anyway,’ he says.

In reality, I’m seeing the benefits of living in moderation.

My back pain has disappeared, thanks to my steadfastness.

Chronic fatigue, insomnia, and other ailments that come with the territory have also disappeared.

Of course, it’s not all good.

When I looked in the mirror, my hair glowed in the fluorescent light.

“You’d think I had grey hair.

Silver hair has been in the Claudie family for generations.

The setting was bleaching my hair to a silver colour.

The only good thing is that the silver hair looks pretty good with my current appearance.

Tsk-tsk.

I brewed green tea and we had tea time.

‘I can’t believe these green teas cost 50 won each. Really.’

I thought, but I didn’t mind a bit.

I had learnt to enjoy tea and relax over the past few days.

Perhaps it’s the effect of Grand Prix’s high self-esteem.

‘Yeah, it’s better than the habit of sitting in front of the computer as soon as I’ve eaten whatever it is.’

It gave me more time to think.

So maybe.

I was able to arrive at a pretty plausible possibility.

“……Black history affects me in real life.”

One by one, each time I recognised the settings of the Grand Prix, they became real.

Could it be, then, that Grampel’s “talent,” hailed as the greatest genius in the history of the Claudie family, was also unrealised?

“Grampel’s talents were not limited to one thing.

A brilliant mind is one thing.

His magical talent was such that he could imitate most magic just by looking at it. And then there was his physical potential.

There was a good reason why Grampel was chosen as the heir to the family at the tender age of seven.”

The more I think about it, the more it seems like a second-grade idea.

I mean, you’ve just knocked off everything good and cool, haven’t you?

“Deeply embarrassing.”

I muttered.

Ashamed of my black history.

I’m ashamed of my overwhelming praise.

Only time will tell.

That would require some testing.

“Convenient times.”

I accessed Netflix on my smartphone.

I searched for videos of players.

Sure enough, there are more of them.

Channels of players with millions of subscribers popped up.

-Rift Cheats 1 7 ─ Griffin’s Nest

-What skills do Flame Wizards use?

A Day in the Life of a Non-Tactical Class Alchemist Vlog

Each one of them had a huge number of views.

It was understandable.

The average person can’t even see the Rift, let alone access it.

It’s only natural that players in the rift would be interested in hunting monsters.

Of course, if the rift collapses, we’ll be able to see it in real life.

That would be a disaster, not a spectacle.

I chose a suitable video.

“?”

I was about to play when a text popped up.

I checked the number and it was Nam Chul-min.

We hadn’t actually exchanged numbers, but I had contacted him after seeing the job posting.

He must have had my number.

……What’s with the long text?

To summarise the long text, he said he wanted to meet up.

Right away, or tomorrow if that doesn’t work.

I don’t know what it’s for, but it’s troubling.

“This is a task that requires concentration.”

I’m sorry.

This could change my player’s life.

I reply briefly, then play the video.

A video of a boss raid, with skills and magic flying around.

For a long time.

After watching it for a while, I spoke up.

“Good enough.”

*sigh

A high-end restaurant in Cheongdam-dong.

Nam Chul-min and Nam Tae-min.

The brothers were waiting for their appointment.

“I’m still half skeptical.”

“You trust me half-heartedly, ugly brother? Thank you.”

“Bro, do you keep saying that?”

Nam Chul-min burst out laughing at Nam Tae-min’s outburst.

“Why didn’t I know then?

Tae-min is proud of his brother.

“Everyone’s talent is different, I was just playing ignorantly, and you just didn’t have enough time to play. You’re more knowledgeable about Arcana than I am, I promise.”

He realised that he was being genuinely appreciated.

How could he feel inferior to his brother?

Nam Cheolmin was genuinely ashamed of his foolishness.

“Just kidding, just kidding.”

 

“But I’m not going to lie to you. I’m going to do it right, analyst.”

“That said, can I record that?”

“Sure.”

“Haha, do you really believe this?”

Nam Chul-min decided to quit the player.

He was going to accept Nam’s offer and become an analyst for the guild.

The experience of having his body taken over by an imp was, of course, the reason for his decision.

‘I knew I wasn’t good enough, more than that.

The man who saved her from despair.

This was the only way he could repay the favour.

He didn’t just defeat the imp.

He hadn’t just defeated an imp.

He had saved himself.

Nam Chul-min wanted to repay him.

“At this point, I’m curious. My brother can’t be wrong about you and……. You hunted real imps, right? Overwhelmingly?”

Nam nodded at Tae-min’s question.

“Actually, I wouldn’t even call it overwhelming, because you didn’t seem the least bit nervous while fighting that imp, let alone out of shape.”

“Well, if you say so, I suppose, but I don’t understand?”

Nam Tae-min scratched the back of his head in frustration.

“Why would a player like that enter a jerp rift?”

The reason was simple.

At the time, Nam and Ho-yeol were only level 55.

But Nam Tae-min and Nam Cheol-min couldn’t help but notice.

Nam Tae-min frowned and continued.

“Besides, that battle is frankly questionable. To resist under such conditions means that his mental strength stat is huge……. You said he fought with a dagger, not magic.”

“That’s right.”

“They say there are thousands of classes in the Arcana, but I have no idea.”

Sigh.

Nam shook his head.

But frustration and possibility were two different things.

“…… So you definitely want to recruit him and find out, right?”

After all, wasn’t he a player his brother recognised?

Nam Tae-min was able to become the 11th ranked player thanks to the help of Den Nam Chul-min.

From analysing boss patterns.

The direction of the guild’s operations.

Even the recruitment of new players.

He knew that without his brother’s help, he wouldn’t be where he is today.

“Well, I’m grateful.”

Moreover, he helped his brother.

Therefore, Nam Tae-min wrote a signing contract to express his gratitude.

Looking over the contract again, Nam Tae-min clicked his tongue.

“I don’t want our new recruits, or even our executives, to see this.”

“What, they’ll go crazy?”

“Of course not. It’s a losing proposition for us.”

But an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Tae-min was confident.

So he relaxed and waited for a reply.

Ziying─

“You got back to me quickly. What did he say?”

His phone vibrated.

Nam Tae-min calmly sipped his orange juice.

“…… Says you’re having trouble?”

“?!”

Gulp.

The juice dripped from Nam Tae-min’s mouth.

“What, what, what?! Let me see!!!”

I couldn’t believe it, so I checked the text myself.

-I can’t believe it.

It was only four letters.

It was a reply to a long text.

But who was Nam Tae-min?

He caught the hint in that short text.

“…… doesn’t mean no, it means difficult.”

His eyes narrowed.

“So, another guild offered you first?”

Players are plentiful, but valuable players are rare.

That was why guilds were so keen on recruiting rookies.

And in South Korea, it was even harder to recruit promising players.

The Wizard’s Tower rose in Seoul.

Thanks to it, all of the biggest guilds in the world were based in Seoul.

Nam Tae-min’s narrowed eyes were directed at his competitors.

“Bastards, no matter what, Seoul is our home.”

Gaon, the top guild in South Korea.

But when you go out into the world, you can barely count them among your five fingers.

Nam Tae-min was well aware of that reality.

That’s why he couldn’t afford to lose even one player.

“Hyung, tell me something specific.”

“What?”

“What he looks like. I think I’m going to have to run and fetch him myself.”

“What does he look like…….”

At the words, Nam recalled the man from his memory.

T-shirt, slacks, and as if that wasn’t enough, shoes.

“My first impression was that he had all these things.”

Although he wore the right items inside the crack…….

It was definitely not the right outfit for a crack.

And he kept his shoes on the whole way.

But in the crack, he didn’t look the least bit dishevelled.

He tangled with the gnolls and engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

In a trap and surrounded.

Even when faced with imps.

Nothing changed in him.

Through it all.

It was as if he was looking down from on high.

“……but it’s hard to put it into words.”

Nam Tae-min asked him as he struggled.

“Did you see some kind of fantasy animal? Why, you can’t even explain it?”

……A fantasy animal?

At the sound of it, an idea popped into my head.

“……Yes!”

I’d never seen one because they didn’t exist in modern-day Korea, but……. I couldn’t think of a better word to describe the man’s appearance.

“He looked like an aristocrat, and a very noble one at that.”

“……Eh?”

*sigh

“Good enough.”

It was about possibilities.

As I stared at the video, a dizzying array of thoughts ran through my head.

It wasn’t cool, envy, or any other primal emotion.

I was seeing magic and ‘analysing’ it.

“!”

The concept of magic popped into my head.

It’s a ridiculous concept.

At its core, it was a skill, not magic.

But I could see it.

I was convinced that I could manifest that magic if I had enough magic power to back it up……!

Naturally, it wasn’t Lee Ho-yeol’s talent.

“He hasn’t made up his mind yet.”

The Claudy family, the greatest genius in history.

Grampel’s talent was obvious.

Of course, it was still too early to tell.

But the potential is there, and it’s worth the investment.

And the possibilities were many.

Magic, swordsmanship, archery…….

Grampel’s talents were not confined to one place.

Zhang Haida, the Lee Ho-yeol of the past.

Well, if you’re going to set it up, you might as well smash everything that’s cool and good.

You’d be embarrassed anyway, wouldn’t you?

Let’s be proud in the face of black history.

I knew it was possible, but there was no rush.

Swordsmanship, Archery, and Magic…….

There was no point in deciding on a career path right away.

It was the vague nature of the Demon Hunter class.

But ambiguity isn’t always a disadvantage.

Yeah, you can be ambiguous when everything is a plus, right?

Even if that’s not the case, it’s best to keep all possibilities open for now.

“Well.”

Time to invest some of the stat points I’ve been saving up.

[Points on hand: 12].

I checked the status window.