The F-Rank Hunter Defies Fate Chapter 1.3

“Plus, isn’t that person an ordinary person? Don’t you know the hunter law? If a hunter kidnaps an ordinary person, it’s aggravated punishment!”

It had been quite a while since hunters began to appear in the ordinary world. If all those with power were good, it would be fortunate, but reality was not lenient.

As damages caused by powers beyond human capability repeated, the state hurriedly created the hunter law. The details were a bit more complicated, but to sum it up in one word, if a hunter intentionally caused harm to an ordinary person, they would receive aggravated punishment. And that with compound interest.

In such a situation, for Baek Yoogeom, who could be called the signboard of Saeguk, to commit kidnapping, Cheolmin wanted to deny reality even though he had seen it with his own eyes. Right now, the young man also seemed not to grasp the situation, but if he said he would file a complaint, it would become a headache.

“He’s not an ordinary person.”

Focus returned to Yoogeom’s eyes, who had not even pretended to listen no matter what Cheolmin said. Cheolmin, who had been gritting his teeth and nagging so that the sound would not leak out, captured the young man chatting with his son in his eyes with a just-in-case mindset.

“Really? If it’s an ability to the extent that you take notice, there’s no way I wouldn’t know about it.”

Cheolmin, fiddling with his chin with two fingers, scanned Harang from head to toe. He himself had recognized and taken in Yoogeom even in the days when there was nothing. Yet Harang looked like an ordinary young man.

Just looking at his appearance, he seemed like he could be an idol, which was counted as one of the wannabe jobs before hunters, without any shortcomings, but hunters were not those who earned their living with faces.

“Well, we can check on the hunter net. Name? Do you know it?”

“Min Harang.”

It was a question asked without expectation, but Yoogeom answered promptly. Cheolmin, amazed by the fact that Yoogeom could memorize a person’s name, accessed the hunter net.

“Age?”

“Twenty-six.”

The name was unique, but just in case, when he asked for the age as well, it came out smoothly. At this point, that young man had to absolutely be a hunter.

With a praying mindset, Cheolmin inputted Harang’s name and age. The job search site, prepared to easily scout excellent hunters, fairly disclosed from low-rank hunters doing self-promotion to familiar faces actively working.

Occasionally, there were those who wanted to live hiding their identities, but due to the crimes caused by hunters in the early awakening period, their wishes could only be broken mercilessly. Therefore, if the young man dragged in by Baek Yoogeom was a hunter, no matter how low the rank, he had to be registered.

“Hey, you bastard! He is an ordinary person!”

Thinking maybe the age was wrong, Cheolmin, who had repeatedly searched by name only, could not endure anymore and shouted. Min Harang, Harang, Min Ha-ram, even changing one letter at a time, the result was the same.

“Still, we need to see the fortune.”

In Cheolmin’s mind, Harang was pointing at his own face saying he would sue, but Yoogeom was only confident. Looking at the eyes that seemed somewhat off, it felt like he was facing a devout believer of a cult religion.

“What the hell is that fortune!”

Creeped out with goosebumps all over, Cheolmin slammed the innocent desk.

“This is what I took to the 73rd floor.”

He thought it would end with him just huffing alone, but unexpectedly, Yoogeom pulled something out from the air. The item probably taken out from the inventory was a small tin case.

“What about that thing.”

The tin case contained candies that hunters ate to prevent drowsiness. It was a familiar item to Cheolmin, who practically operated the guild, but he had no idea why Yoogeom suddenly pulled it out.

“This blocked an attack once.”

Yoogeom turned the direction of the tin case and shoved it right up to Cheolmin’s nose. Unlike the flat front side, the back side was dented in the middle, crumpled. Considering it was an item used by hunters, it should be much sturdier than regular products, but the fact that only the center was cleanly caved in was curious.

“Is that true? Give it here for a bit.”

Even with Yoogeom’s way of speaking that seemed to just toss hints, Cheolmin could easily piece together the puzzle. The word madman that had been floating around until just now disappeared, and a long-awaited sense of expectation took its place.

“This was the lucky item that day.”

“Why are you telling me this now. We have to catch him right away! Should we do a short-term contract first?”

“Short-term?”

Yoogeom, whom he thought would immediately say he knew, furrowed his brows. It was an inexplicable expression. Even while fervently believing in superstitions to the point of kidnapping an ordinary person.

“Then we have to make a contract. Isn’t that why you brought him?”

“Not that. Why short-term?”

Cheolmin was momentarily at a loss for words. Even if not necessarily a hunter, luck was indeed important. However, he could not trust Harang, who suddenly popped out, just based on the evidence Yoogeom showed.

“Of course it has to be short-term. It could be coincidence, and if it’s skill, we can verify first and contract again.”

“No. If he runs away again, it’ll be too late then.”

Saying that, Yoogeom’s gaze headed outside again. Cheolmin, swept up in the rapidly changing waves, could finally look at Yoogeom objectively.

It was not like an ordinary person shaking his legs or unable to keep his body still without rest, but recalling the usually stone-like Yoogeom, it was not normal. Cheolmin discovered anxiety in Yoogeom’s blue eyes.

“Then get the stamp first.”

Instead of persuasion, Cheolmin held out the contract. Until now, there had been no parachutes in the Saeguk Guild. Even his own son Hyemin had been taken in after thorough skill verification, but this time, Cheolmin decided to make an exception.

As the old saying goes, there are no parents who can win over their children. Although Yoogeom’s blood was not mixed with his, from the moment Cheolmin found the abandoned child, he had resolved to embrace him. If it was the first time the guy, who had accepted even risking his life in the field as a matter of course, showed interest, there was nothing to do about it.

“Hey! Hey, that’s not it!”

However, the chest that had been filling with affection shattered to pieces when Yoogeom pulled out the absolute pledge document. As the name implied, the pledge that could bind one person’s life entirely was one of the items obtainable only from the high floors of the tower.

For a seasoned hunter who had been through thick and thin, it might be different, but holding it out to an ordinary person was something that made no sense. For the sake of future relations, he wanted to stop Yoogeom, but the son who did not listen to words had already kicked open the door and left.

“But Master, you seem really amazing!”

“Yes?”

Harang, who had closed his ears to the sudden praise of Yoogeom, asked back unguardedly.

“If you match the lucky color or item, strangely the body feels light. So actually, when looking at my brother’s fortune, I asked to look at mine too.”

Like tripping three times but only once, or not getting lost in the tower even though he was directionally challenged, anecdotes poured from Hyemin’s mouth.

“I see…. It must have been a coincidence.”

Harang, forced to hear things he did not want to know, laughed awkwardly and waved his hand.

“No. My brother said the lucky item even blocked a monster attack! Isn’t that amazing? The tarot trend on Worlds right now is because the guild members who were there at that time spread the rumor.”

Damn. Harang muttered curses inwardly and clicked his tongue. No wonder absurd requests had been pouring in since a few months ago. He had drawn cards as they seemed urgent for money, but they were hunters. If he had known their identities, he would never have accepted them.

“Honestly, I thought it was just superstition? But when I see it myself….”

“Sign.”

Someone interjected, cutting off Hyemin’s words that were pouring like a waterfall. The rudely interjecting person was Yoogeom, who had dragged Harang all the way here. He was grateful that the burdensome gaze was blocked, but his expression naturally soured at the paper brought right up to his nose.

“What is this?”

“It’s the contract for you joining the guild. Sign, stamp anything.”

Harang, who only knew card interpretation, looked at the paper Yoogeom held out with a novel feeling.

To be frank, it was tempting. The Saeguk Guild was rightfully one of the top companies in the country, and he had heard that even the compensation for ordinary staff was substantial.

Isn’t there that saying. Even a slave is better off as a slave in a high official’s house.

“This isn’t a contract! Don’t you know I’m an ordinary person? I can’t even sign something like this.”

Harang, who had glanced sideways to at least check the conditions, jumped up at the content different from the contracts he knew. Because in the places where work period, annual salary, welfare should be written, there were items about losing life or body parts. Moreover, it was not the texture of the A4 paper Harang was familiar with. It was much thicker, and just looking at it gave a chilling feeling.

Harang, overwhelmed by the fear that even his hand might brush it, buried his body deeply into the sofa as if it were his lifeline.

“This can be signed by ordinary people too.”

Yoogeom, looking at the startled Harang bluntly, spat out as if what the problem was.

“That’s not the problem. What is this article 1! The weak cannot refuse the strong’s demands. If violated, dedicate the remaining life to the strong? Do you think this makes any sense right now?”

Not just article 1, but the rest of the items were all contents hard to say with his own mouth. From having to be together wherever the strong is, to the contract period being lifetime.

Even if they went back to the Joseon era with its class system, there would be no human who would sign such an absurd contract.

“Don’t you need money?”

When Harang, completely fed up, even turned his head away, Yoogeom flapped the absolute pledge document and followed. Harang, who had squeezed his eyes shut at the persistent attitude, lifted his eyelids at the word money as if possessed by something.

He had stopped after reading three lines at the absurd content, but the most important thing was written in the last line. Signing bonus and hazard pay, etc. He did not know why an ordinary person had to bear it, but adding up all the various costs….

‘How many zeros is this?’

Harang, counting the endless zeros one by one, forgot to even breathe when it exceeded eight. An amount he would never touch in his lifetime was written on this scrap of paper.

Maybe, he is not really crazy about fortunes? Baek Yoogeom was not entrusting a monster to him anyway. If he thought of it as catering to a difficult customer’s whim, it seemed doable.

‘No, no. What am I thinking right now.’

Harang strongly slapped his own cheek with a smack sound. He had a momentary lapse in judgment at the amount he was seeing for the first time in his life.

“Money, I can just earn it. It’s not like I have no abilities.”

He shouted confidently, but the ending tone was a bit off. In reality, he had no such abilities. The places that would hire Harang, who had only middle school education, were at best day labor or factories, and it had been a long time since physical labor became impossible after hunters appeared.

As the great hunter era began, low-rank hunters who could not enter the tower poured into society. Even if they were the lowest F-rank, they had far superior physical abilities to ordinary people. Naturally, those like Harang, lacking both education and stamina, could only be pushed into deeper quagmires.

Unlike Hyemin, who had rabbit eyes at the sudden self-harm, Yoogeom was looking at Harang’s appearance indifferently. He himself seemed unaware, but his tightly clenched fist was trembling finely. It looked like a puppy imitating a fierce beast, which made him want to laugh.

“Oh dear, this guy is at it again.”

Right on cue, someone wedged between the two. The one who appeared, breaking the atmosphere that had bristled like sharp thorns, was Cheolmin. Cheolmin, who had been late because he was modifying some parts of the basic contract form, ignored the sweat beading on his forehead and put on a good-natured smile.

“This is the real Saeguk Guild contract.”

“The real contract?”

Harang’s tightly shut lips parted, and a sharp retort popped out. There is a saying that beans grow where beans are planted, and red beans where red beans are planted. Since he said he was family with Baek Yoogeom, his wariness was bound to be high. Moreover, the aftereffect of the absolute pledge document he had seen just before had his whole body’s nerves on edge.

What was displeasing was that even in the midst of that, Yoogeom was expressing dissatisfaction with his whole body. Harang deliberately turned his body the other way and checked the real contract Cheolmin held out. The bundle of papers starting with short-term/service listed the Saeguk Guild’s information, work period, and so on.