“Thank you for the letter you gave me the other day. I read it gratefully.”
“Ah…”
“I’m sorry I didn’t have time to prepare a reply today.”
“Th-that’s okay! I didn’t write it expecting a reply.”
“I’ll make sure to respond next time. Even if I have to send it through someone else.”
“Oh… You really don’t have to…”
“But I want to.”
There was a firmness in his voice as he said that.
To be honest, I would be happy to get a reply.
Could we even become something like pen pals?
“Th-then… I’ll look forward to it.”
“Yes.”
That topic ended, and silence fell between us.
I was wondering if I should bring up why I had followed him here—but thankfully, the silence didn’t last long.
“You’re still in your trainee period, aren’t you? Did your mentor give you permission to come?”
“Y-yes! B-but this is my first time entering a dungeon alone…”
“Would you like to come with me? It shouldn’t be too dangerous.”
“Is that really okay? I’d love to.”
“Yes. But it’s still a dungeon. Don’t let your guard down—and stay close to me.”
“I will.”
I was so relieved to hear that.
I had worried, even if just a little, that he might reject me.
Overjoyed, I quickly moved to his side, and he let out a soft chuckle.
For some reason, I felt welcome.
That made me happy, and I smiled back.
Then a large hand gently brushed over my hair.
“Then, for your safety… I should deal with the rats first.”
“Ah…”
The way he said “rats” was cold and chilling.
So, he had known.
The “rats” must have realized it too, because they finally revealed the presence they’d been hiding, as if they’d been waiting.
It meant they were ready to make a move.
But unlike usual, they weren’t sneering or insulting “Gray Coat.”
– Click. Click-click.
Loud, deliberate shutter sounds rang out.
They even turned on flashes and lights, snapping picture after picture of us.
Big grins stretched across their faces.
“Wow. This is a scoop.”
“And look who it is—the famous ‘Miracle Kid’? Man, this is gonna make us rich.”
“Miracle what? What’s that?”
“Don’t you watch the news? He was dragged into a gate and came back alive. People were saying he awakened even though the gate poison got to him. It was a big deal for a while.”
“Oh, that bastard’s him?”
“Heard he might be an S-rank… doesn’t look like much though.”
Their eyes made it clear they thought I didn’t live up to the rumors.
But that wasn’t the point.
The real issue was the illegal photos being taken with obviously malicious intent.
I stepped forward toward one of the camera guys and held out my hand.
“I never gave permission to be photographed. Hand over the camera.”
“So, you two an item or what?”
“Did you sleep together? So the ‘Miracle Kid’ is the bottom, huh?”
“How is he in bed, Gray Coat? Is he A-rank in the sheets too? Or S-rank?”
“…Those comments are inappropriate. Please stop.”
“I always wondered—wasn’t he hospitalized for over ten years? Where’d the money for that come from? Heard his dad’s not around either.”
“With that pale, pretty face, I’m sure just lying in bed made him money. That ‘miracle’ title sure sells. How much per night?”
“……”
I couldn’t fully understand everything they were saying, but their tone and faces were filled with malice.
It was obvious they were mocking me.
– Crackle.
I heard the sound of electricity in the air.
He was silent, but I could feel it—the more they spat vile words at me, the more the man standing behind me boiled with anger.
If I stood by and did nothing, “Gray Coat” would probably deal with them himself.
But this was my problem.
Something I had to deal with myself.
“If you hand over the memory card with the data and apologize for your comments, I won’t pursue it further.”
Before “Gray Coat” could make a move, I stepped between him and the men and issued a warning.
But they just laughed, like they couldn’t take me seriously.
Worse, they weren’t even afraid of him.
One of them walked right up and grabbed my arm.
“C’mon, don’t be like that. How about we go into business together?”
“Way better than just selling your ass—AARGH!”
I saw no reason to listen any longer.
I hated being touched, so I immediately grabbed his wrist and twisted it hard to break free.
His scream startled me a little—but these weren’t ordinary civilians.
They were awakened, and veterans at that—more experienced than I was.
They weren’t people I needed to go easy on.
“Jaehee, you know that no matter how abusive a hunter is, it’s hard to punish them, right? The Management Bureau can’t really intervene in dungeon conflicts between hunters, so they let things slide.”
“But that goes for us too. As long as you don’t inflict permanent damage or end their hunter careers, it’s all good. So don’t hold back too much, alright?”
“I’ve trained you really well over the past month, so don’t chicken out and go in with confidence.”
“If you step in, even that bastard Gray Coat will be thrilled.”
Those were Cha Taeyang’s parting words to me right before I teleported.
There were a lot of things mixed in there that I didn’t quite understand, but even so, his words were more than enough to boost my confidence.
If possible, I wanted to punish these people myself.
I was really, truly angry after watching that whole series of videos.
People should be held accountable for their wrongdoings.
It’s the only way they’ll stop repeating them.
I didn’t know how effective my actions would be, but they’d have some impact, surely.
“You can’t touch others without their consent.”
“Oh, fuck this. I’ve really had enough of this shit.”
“Hey, move!”
The man, grinding his teeth furiously, seemed like he was about to charge at me—but then stopped cold at his companion’s call and quickly backed off.
— RUMBLE.
Right after that, the ground trembled, and walls rose up from the floor, blocking the space between me and the man in the gray coat.
I knew immediately what they were thinking.
They wanted to stall until Gray Coat could step in—and in the meantime, take me out first, since I looked like the weakest.
That way, they’d buy themselves time to run.
And more than anything, it looked like they were still busy taking a few more photos.
I guess today, escaping with pictures of us took priority over harassing Gray Coat.
But I had no intention of letting them go.
I came here specifically to ruin every single one of their plans.
“Tch!”
“You bastard!”
As soon as they confirmed the wall had gone up, one of them lunged to grab me.
I dodged his hand and threw myself at the guy in the back holding the camera.
Ever since my awakening, I’d always felt light on my feet—but today, it felt even more pronounced.
Was it because we were in this vast dungeon, not the cramped training room of a mid-tier guild like Taeyang’s?
Or was it my resolve to teach them a lesson giving me strength?
Either way, they didn’t manage to catch me—and instead, I caught one of them.
“What… That speed…!”
The guy was clearly shocked as I suddenly appeared in front of him.
I grabbed him by the collar and located the camera.
He fumbled to pull something from his coat—probably a teleport scroll—but I was faster.
I snatched the camera and slammed it to the ground.
— CRACK!
The camera smashed into the floor with such force it left a dent, bursting apart with a loud crash, shards flying everywhere.
“Aaaargh!”
The camera was the only thing broken, yet the guy screamed like he had been hit.
His face went pale, and his voice echoed through the whole area.
Had he never learned that dungeons demand silence—especially with all the sound-sensitive monsters around?
I frowned instinctively.
“What the hell, it’s totally wrecked.”
“Fuck. Did you buy that crap off the bargain rack?”
“No! Do you know how much that thing cost, damn it!”
“The memory! We still have the memory card—!”
The memory.
Sure enough, I’d already spotted it flying off intact, and I knew exactly where it had landed.
Before the others could reach it, I turned, ran to it, and crushed it underfoot.
Then I ground it into the floor for good measure, making sure everything inside was completely destroyed.
It wasn’t just broken—it was pulverized.
Now, thanks to that, Gray Coat wouldn’t end up the subject of any rumors because of me.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
But those guys… they were surely feeling the complete opposite of relief right now.
“You little shit!”
The guy who’d held the camera was the first to lunge at me—he must’ve been furious.
But—
“I can see everything.”
His movements were so slow it was laughable.
When I sparred with Cha Taeyang, I could barely keep up.
If I lost concentration even for a second, I’d have no idea where he moved.
There were countless moments I’d wondered, ‘Did he just teleport or something?’
But these guys?
Not even close.
I could see everything clearly—even without focusing.
Dodging was effortless.
