STC chapter 3

* * *

I tried to salvage the situation by smiling. Forcing a smile made the corners of my mouth form an awkward arc.

“Of course I know, my dongsaeng (Little Brother).”

“Dong… saeng?”

The man frowned slightly at the friendly term. Hmm, that’s not it either. I thought we were quite close since he hurriedly handed me a handkerchief after seeing me spit on.

‘This is tough.’

Just then, as I was struggling, a sharp pain like a migraine hit my temple.

At the same time, just like in the cafeteria when my friends’ information was injected into my mind, the personal information of the hunters in front of me flashed through my head.

★???/20 years old/F-rank Hunter (Summon Defense)★

★??/24 years old/A-rank Hunter (Physical Attack)★

Their names were full of question marks, but I could roughly grasp their information. Soon, a simplified memory scene appeared in my mind.

While I knew the Vice Guild Leader unilaterally because he was so famous, I had encountered the tall hunter a few times in the cafeteria or training ground, and we had some conversations.

The last scene that came to mind was him handing me a drink last night, telling me to drink it.

‘Is he a caring type?’

Seeing someone who was so timid without any fault made me realize that it wasn’t just about being kind-hearted; it seemed to mean a lot to him when someone was kind to him.

“Hyung was just joking. Ah, thank you for your help, Vice Guild Leader.”

I bowed to the Vice Guild Leader in a polite manner. The tall man tilted his head again at my courteous attitude.

Since I didn’t know Kang Baram’s original personality, I was a bit worried that I might arouse suspicion. But what could I do? Who would think that someone else had taken over this body? I just had to act confidently.

“Alright, Hunter Kang, was it? Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir.”

I quickly answered and hurriedly left the place. Only then could I escape the commotion and get to work.

* * *

My fingers were busy moving across the keyboard. For several hours, I compiled information from various communities, news articles, and the guild’s official website, along with the memories flooding into my mind.

The guild I belonged to, ‘Idea,’ was undoubtedly the best guild in South Korea. It was under the management of Guild Leader Chae Gohae, and I had seen an article stating that the only SS-rank hunter in South Korea belonged to this guild.

One might think that a guild would have the most hunters among its members, but that wasn’t the case. Hunters, especially those of high rank, were only a small fraction, while most were part of the strategy and maintenance teams that supported them.

‘Jeong Yeonji and Heo Taekyun were in the strategy team.’

No wonder they didn’t seem to like the hunters much, except for me. Although they were called the strategy team, they had to clean up all the messes created by the hunters.

Only the top of the strategy team planned tactics based on past data to prepare for the opening of high-rank gates. The rest managed the hunters and cleaned up the ruins left behind. Just reading about it was tedious and boring.

‘Should I consider myself lucky to have transmigrated as a hunter?’

Hunters were broadly divided into attack, defense, and support types.

Attack and defense were self-explanatory, and support usually helped element-based attack hunters by manipulating elements like wind or, rarely, by having healing abilities.

And I was Kang Baram, 23 years old. I was 26 in my previous world, so I felt like I gained something. Anyway, I was a D-rank physical support type.

I recalled the condescending hunter I had met in the hallway earlier. Upon confirming the details of this world, I understood why he openly disregarded me.

Unlike typical support types, I could only use superhuman strength for three minutes to sweep the front lines before the actual battle. After that, I became useless for 10 minutes due to the limit time.

‘What’s the point of having D-rank strength if I’m overall just a F-rank?’

Therefore, ‘the previous’ me had always been treated worse than dirt in this world. There were plenty of people who snickered behind my back, calling it a pearl necklace on a pig.

Leaning back in my chair, the backrest tilted slightly. I wiggled my toes and clasped my hands behind my head.

‘There’s no easy way to live anywhere.’

If I were to possess a character in a fantasy novel, I wish I were the SS-rank hunter of this guild.

But nothing was as foolish as complaining about things that had already happened. Besides, wasn’t this a bonus life?

‘Let’s think positively. There will be many interesting things in the future.’

If there was one consolation, it was that having majored in boxing in my previous life, I didn’t feel much discomfort using superhuman strength.

Surely, there must have been a training ground in the guild. After learning more about this place today, I thought I’d start using it from tomorrow.

* * *

The next morning, fully prepared, I left my room. I headed to Heo Taekyun’s room. Since I didn’t have the courage to barge into the girls’ dormitory where Jeong Yeonji stayed, I went to Heo Taekyun first.

Following my memory, I reached Heo Taekyun’s door. Just as I was about to knock, the door swung open. There stood Heo Taekyun, looking scruffy as if he had just washed his face.

Still, having seen his face once before, I was glad. I grinned and slapped him on the shoulder.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Huh? Oh, what brings you here…?”

“What brings me here? We stood in line for a long time at the cafeteria yesterday because we were late. I want to have breakfast early and go to the training room.”

Heo Taekyun blinked slowly. He seemed quite surprised by my sudden appearance.

Indeed, seeing that Jeong Yeonji personally woke me up yesterday, it seemed that ‘the previous’ Kang Baram wasn’t particularly diligent.

In fact, I had read quite a few fantasy novels involving possession in my previous life. In such cases, the possessed character usually acted according to the original character’s personality, but that didn’t suit my nature. The original Kang Baram was too timid and quiet for my liking.

Moreover, as a D-rank nobody hiding in a corner, most people wouldn’t care if my personality changed a bit.

‘By the way, where did Kang Baram go while I’m here?’

Suddenly, I was concerned about that. I had clearly died saving Nero, so it wasn’t likely that his soul went to my previous world.

I suddenly remembered the question Jeong Yeonji asked me in the cafeteria yesterday.

[Hey, were you that hungry? Well, you were out of contact since last night. Did you just sleep without eating?]

Out of contact and slept straight through? Did he die suddenly in that time?

While lost in thought for a moment, Heo Taekyun, who had walked ahead, scratched his belly and shouted.

“Kang Baram? Are you coming?”

“Uh, coming!”

Since it was a question I couldn’t solve right away, I put it aside and quickly followed my friend.

* * *

However, my expectation that only fun times lay ahead was soon shattered.

Idea, befitting its reputation as South Korea’s top guild, was filled with high-rank hunters, including the SS-rank hunter. It was a place where my D-rank status couldn’t even be acknowledged.

Therefore, there was no place for me, a mere D-rank, to fit in. The guild was full of exceptional hunters, and they all subtly or openly ostracized me. Hence, my daily routine was limited to moving between the dormitory, the cafeteria, and the training room.

Even in the training room, the hunters didn’t welcome me. My sudden presence made them uncomfortable.

‘Ah, I’m bored.’

Just after finishing my morning training and lazing around, my hunter watch on my wrist blinked. It was a call from Jeong Yeonji.

I sprang up, curious about the sudden call. Usually, calls during work hours meant a gate summons.

“Hunter Kang Baram, are you taking a break right now? We’ve got a call. A new gate has opened at M-349. You need to go there immediately.”

Just as expected. This was the first gate call since I came to this world. I was already itching from boredom, so this was perfect.

“The M sector? Okay, I’m heading out right now. What’s the rank?”

“It’s a B-rank gate, but the Guild Master has put together a good team, so it shouldn’t be too dangerous.”

“The Guild Master personally put together a team?”

“Yeah, an A-rank gate opened up recently, so most of the higher-rank hunters have been sent there. There aren’t many left around right now.”

Whatever the reason, it was better this way. Going into a gate was far more exciting than dying of boredom. Although I had never been to the field, I had confidence from extensive hologram training.

Thinking this, I hastily packed half-gloves and potions for hunters.

“Great, so when do we leave?”

“Oh, I just got a message. Hold on.”

Jeong Yeonji’s voice from the speaker grew distant for a moment, then came back, sounding somewhat uneasy.

“Ryu Min, Chae Goya, and, um…”

Chae Goya? Seriously? I had to question the naming sense of his parents.

Still, the names sounded familiar, striking a unique chord. Where had I heard them before?

As I was racking my brain, Jeong Yeonji announced the last team member’s name clearly.

“Ye Ilhu.”

“Ye Ilhu?”

“Yeah, Ye Ilhu. What’s going on? Why would an SS-rank hunter be at a B-rank gate… along with the Vice Guild Master, Ryu Min?”

Jeong Yeonji’s puzzled voice faded into the background.

Ye Ilhu. The moment I heard that name, my arm dropped to my side, and my steps, which had been striding across the guild dormitory hallway, came to a halt.

“No way.”

Finally, the scattered puzzle pieces started to come together.

Ye Ilhu, Ryu Min, Chae Goya.

‘Why are the side characters from my sister’s BL game here?’

That’s right.

‘Lover War.’

The notorious, dark BL game my sister had worked on.

* * *