Villain wants to live as a commoner chapter 47

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Baek Gunho, who had seemed to be losing ground, suddenly vanished.

As soon as he disappeared, I instinctively used my power to push away anything that might approach me.

The sword aimed at my back couldn’t break through my defense and sought a different target.

I barely managed to block the rapid strikes coming from all directions.

Baek Gunho could easily shoot sword energy like in a comic.

But he didn’t seem inclined to use such skills right now.

That was a relief, but even so, I couldn’t keep up with his movements.

I was just wildly lashing out with my power, hoping to fend him off.

But if I kept just defending, sooner or later, I’d get hit.

‘I have to counterattack.’

Catching Baek Gunho, who moved so fast that I couldn’t even see him, with my power was impossible.

If I couldn’t pinpoint him, I’d just have to crush the entire area.

I scattered my power widely, pressing down on everything around me.

Baek Gunho’s movements slowed under the pressure of my power.

I added a bit more force and then grabbed him with my power.

Baek Gunho, held captive by my power, hung in the air, his sword still in hand, as our eyes met.

‘Now that I’ve caught him… What do I do?’

A few blinks of time passed.

Baek Gunho frowned, and suddenly, the power I had over him dissipated. He slipped out without a care.

Baek Gunho, holding the wooden sword in one hand, walked toward me.

He seemed exhausted, not intending to continue the fight.

“What are you doing?”

“…How did you do that?”

The power I was using on Baek Gunho had vanished in an instant.

“Are you not going to take this seriously?”

Instead of explaining, Baek Gunho scolded me.

“I can’t do it.”

“Seo Heewon.”

His voice was stern, like when I’d done something wrong.

But I had my own complaints.

Who attacked out of nowhere and now has the nerve to be mad?

“No, seriously, I can’t… I’m just not cut out for fighting and all that.”

Did he think I was like him, some battle junkie? I was a pacifist.
If I wasn’t, I’d have joined some shady guild doing illegal stuff a long time ago.

Baek Gunho looked at me for a moment before letting out a small laugh.

“Well, you are pretty soft.”

“…I’m not that soft.”

“Yes, you are. You’re trembling over the thought of a little injury when it’s not even life-threatening.”

Soft, my foot. I’m just an ordinary civilian.

It’s not like I go around slicing up monsters in dungeons every day like him, hanging out only with hunters, getting more and more extreme…

“You’re kind.”

Baek Gunho ruffled my hair. I recoiled, disgusted by his touch.

He seemed suddenly in a good mood, probably why he was doing something he didn’t usually do.

Baek Gunho put the sword back into his inventory.

“I think we’re done for now.”

“We’re finished?”

“Yeah.”

The moment he said it, I plopped down on the ground.

“Don’t be so dramatic…”

“I’m tired because of you.”

Splitting the sea was exhausting, but more than that, dealing with Baek Gunho had drained me completely.

I shot a glare at Baek Gunho, who was criticizing me, then sprawled out on the ground.

His nagging followed immediately.

“Get up. We’re still in a dungeon.”

“We’ve already taken care of all the monsters. What’s the big deal?”

“There could still be some left—”

“You can handle them.”

I plugged my ears, unwilling to listen to his scolding any longer.

Baek Gunho sighed and stood quietly beside me. I cautiously removed my hands from my ears.

“You’ll really take care of them?”

“For about five minutes.”

“That’s a long time for you.”

“I need to call people in when we get out.”

“Why?”

“We need to harvest the monsters.”

Baek Gunho pointed to the monster corpses.

True, those monsters were money.

Especially in a dungeon, the corpses disappear after a certain time. We couldn’t just let that money vanish.

The mention of money had me quickly agreeing.

I reached out my hand to Baek Gunho, and he grabbed it, helping me to my feet.

“Are they worth a lot?”

I pointed to the carcass of the monster I had defeated and asked, “How much is it worth?”

Baek Gunho answered.

“Around 100,000 won per head.” (around 74.87 USD)

Wait, I’ve taken down at least a few dozen…

My jaw dropped. That pile over there was worth an entire apartment.

“Why is it so expensive?”

“That magic stone is a key component in mana amplifiers. This species can only be found in this dungeon.”

“Oh…”

“Do you want it?”

As I stared at the monster’s body, filled with greed, Baek Gunho casually asked.

I turned to him, my eyes wavering.

“Huh?”

“You killed it. I’ll give it to you as a reward.”

For a moment, I was tempted. If I took all those magic stones, it would be like hitting the lottery. I could quit my job and live leisurely for a while…

But from the moment I decided to live a normal life, I swore I wouldn’t make money off monsters or dungeons.

I shook my head, which wasn’t thinking straight.

“N-No… It’s fine.”

“Let me know if you need it. I’ll give it to you.”

Baek Gunho tempted me. Yeah, it was definitely tempting in many ways.

The fact that he could just hand over something worth billions to me without a second thought really hit home—he’s rich.

I knew that, but it was still surprising to be reminded of it.

“I don’t need it, so stop asking.”

“Why? You like money, don’t you?”

Who doesn’t like money? Of course, I do.

But just because I like it doesn’t mean I can accept it without a second thought. I let out a deep sigh.

“If I start using my skills to make money, the first time will be hard, but the second time will be easier, right? Then I’ll want to do it again. The more I do it, the more likely it is I’ll get caught. If I was going to do that, I should’ve just become a hunter from the start.”

“…….”

“I like money, but I don’t suddenly need a huge amount of it… It’s too much. I don’t need something like this.”

It was all thanks to my uncle’s advice. He helped me hide my powers, but he also made sure I had a firm mindset.

I had no intention of breaking my promise to him.

The only windfall I desired was a first-prize lottery ticket that I could collect without any issues—not money earned by using my hidden powers.

“Let’s just get out of here.”

I tore my gaze away from the pile of money… no, the monster’s carcass.

It was better to leave this place before I gave in to temptation.

“Good. You’ve grown up.”

Baek Gunho laughed and said as he listened to me.

“What do you mean, grown up?”

“You’ve grown up.”

“What are you talking about…?”

He spoke as if he had raised me. But it wasn’t him who raised me—it was my uncle.

Baek Gunho didn’t seem to notice my incredulity as he looked at me fondly before taking the lead.

✧✧✧

After completing the test, I was full of enthusiasm, eager to do something right away.

But Baek Gunho told me to wait. He said we couldn’t move hastily.

So, I waited patiently, thinking he’d ask me to do something eventually. But there was no word from him.

Just as I began to suspect he might be stringing me along and then ghosting me, I received a call from Lee Shinhae for the first time in a while. He said it was time to service the gun and asked me to come by.

“Can I come tomorrow?”

─ Tomorrow? I have a shoot tomorrow.

“Shoot? Are you going on TV? What are you filming?”

─ I’m not sure. It’s just a quick appearance as a favor. It’ll be over soon, so just come by.

“Is that okay?”

─ Yeah. Since you’re coming anyway, you might as well check it out.

So, the next day, I headed to his workshop in a car that Lee Shinhae sent. But on the way, there was a minor accident.

“I’m sorry for the mistake…”

“It’s okay, it wasn’t your fault, driver.”

It was clearly the other party’s fault, but I couldn’t help wondering if it happened because of my bad luck…

After sending the apologetic driver to the hospital, I took a taxi to the workshop.

Due to the accident, I was a bit late, and the filming crew had already set up.

As I got out of the car, I felt their curious glances.

“Heewon, you’re here.”

The person who greeted me was a producer affiliated with Lee Shinhae’s workshop.

“Why did you take a taxi?”

“There was an accident on the way.”

“What? An accident?”

“It wasn’t a big deal. I sent the driver to the hospital.”

“You should go too, Heewon.”

“I’m an awakened one, remember? I’m fine.”

“Still, just in case, you should definitely get checked out.”

I agreed to do so and then glanced at the filming crew.

“By the way, what are they filming?”

“You didn’t know? It’s for ‘Hunter Observation Journal’.”

‘Hunter Observation Journal’—a reality show where active hunters showcase their daily lives.

“Is Hyung filming for ‘Hunter Observation Journal’?”

“No way. He hates things like that. He’s just making a brief appearance as a favor because of a friend.”

I didn’t know Lee Shinhae was close enough with any hunters to do them such a favor.

“Who’s appearing today?”

“A Hunter named Moon Haeyoon from the Pasa Guild. Do you know her?”

I was surprised to hear a familiar name.

We’d met by chance at the guild and kept in touch occasionally.

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