When Jeong Dajeong finally woke up after falling asleep like that, it was already early afternoon.
With a sizzling sound, meat was cooking on the grill. We were at a pork belly restaurant where my brother and I would occasionally eat out, though rarely. The last time we’d come here was when Jeong Dajeong had just gotten a job and received his first paycheck.
Jeong Dajeong, who kept yawning even after waking up, apparently still tired, asked, “So? Did your CSAT results turn out the same as the preliminary scores?” He hadn’t asked about the preliminary results at all on the day I took the exam, but even if he pretended otherwise, he must have been curious about the final results after all.
I showed him the CSAT score report I’d crumpled up and stuffed into my pocket. Jeong Dajeong’s face lit up as he took it.
“Wow, my Daon is impressive. How do you study this well without even going to an academy? Did you inherit your brains from me?”
Becoming a great mage isn’t just about having a lot of mana. You have to guide that mana according to formulas, so if you’re not smart, it’s impossible to become a mage in the first place. “Since I was an archmage in my previous life, it’s not like I’m smart because I take after you…” is what I wanted to say, but his expression was so bright that I decided against it.
“Then you met all the minimum requirements for early admission, right? That’s great. The scholarship status should come out with the acceptance results, I guess?”
“Yeah. I’ll probably get one.”
The grades alone were good, and on top of that it was a socially considerate admissions track, so there was a high chance of receiving a scholarship.
…That was something I could say only up until the supernatural ability test.
I let out a deep sigh.
He really hasn’t seen the news.
That was why he could be talking so casually about college.
Normally, even if you become a Hunter, you can postpone mandatory service until after finishing university. But in my case, as a potential S-rank, it would be more efficient to develop my abilities as quickly as possible. The government’s Hunter Management Agency, which would probably contact me soon, would think so too.
And I agreed with them.
If someone is after my life, it’s better to lift the stat restrictions as soon as possible.
If Yu Hanul hadn’t shown up, “Jeong Daon” would have died in that dungeon according to some unknown person’s plan. Even if I couldn’t catch and kill the unknown enemy… at least to prepare, raising my stats quickly was the most urgent priority right now. Besides, even apart from that, living a normal daily life was impossible under the current circumstances.
I’d worn a mask to cover my face on the way here to eat out, but just seeing the part-time woman working at the pork belly place keep glancing at me made that obvious.
It’s not like I’m some celebrity.
Of course, on public broadcasts my footage was still mosaicked, so my face hadn’t been officially revealed yet, but in a world where social media is so developed, hoping my personal information wouldn’t spread was unrealistic. Since yesterday, the two videos of me had been ranked number one in trending videos on every site, so it wasn’t strange for people to react like that. And in the lawless world of the internet, the mosaic wasn’t even properly applied, so there was no way people couldn’t recognize my face, especially the video in the auditorium, where I threatened that school-violence perpetrator whose name I’ve already forgotten. The framing was insanely good.
Still, my foolish blood relative, who knew nothing after being run ragged by a black company for days, kept passionately lecturing while flipping the pork belly.
“So, don’t think about taking on more pointless part-time jobs and just manage your grades properly. If you mess up your GPA because of some part-time job and end up extending your job search period, that’s even more stupid, you know? I’ve got a job now, so don’t worry and—”
“…Hey, Jeong Dajeong.” Since I couldn’t hide the fact that I’d become a Hunter forever anyway, I decided to broach the topic. “About college, somehow…”
Clack! Jeong Dajeong slammed the tongs he’d been using to grill the meat down onto the table and put on a fierce expression.
“Daon.”
He probably thought he looked intimidating, but to me it was just ridiculous. It was no different from a herbivore throwing a tantrum.
“You’re not saying you’re not going, are you? We already talked about this. Sure, these days going to a good university doesn’t automatically mean success, but with our family background, there are still situations where you need good credentials. And honestly, you don’t really have anything you’re good at besides studying.”
“No, that’s not it— Wait a second. Why am I supposedly not good at anything?”
This bastard.
“Listen to your brother on things like this. I can afford to send you to college now, you know.”
I fell silent. It wasn’t that I didn’t know that.
…I just don’t know how to bring it up.
To be honest, since I remember my previous life, even though Jeong Dajeong is an “older brother,” I don’t truly feel like he’s a real senior to me. We are siblings connected by this body and blood, but my mind still leans more toward the demon I was in my previous life. Even so, it’s also true that he devoted himself to me for nineteen years.
Even contractors who offer their hearts to demons and form contracts aren’t this devoted. At the very least, contractors ask for their wishes to be granted. But Jeong Dajeong has never wanted anything from me. If there is anything he wants, it’s simply for me to remain Jeong Daon, to stay as Jeong Dajeong’s younger sister.
That’s why, whenever possible, I want to listen to what he says…
But that’s impossible.
Now that I’m a potential S-rank Hunter, and with some unknown person out there targeting my life, living an ordinary life was out of the question.
At least, that was the case for Jeong Daon.
And at the same time, it wasn’t a situation where I could hide the fact that I needed to work as a Hunter from Jeong Dajeong. For one thing, the tiny single room in the crumbling multi-family house where we lived had terrible security. I’d already been attacked by the guy who caused yesterday’s Dungeon Break, and there was no guarantee it wouldn’t happen again.
For now, I’d set up defensive magic circles around the room, but with my overall level only around 12, if an enemy charged in prepared to die like last time, there’d be nothing I could do. Until I dealt with the unknown enemy, I had to put Jeong Dajeong somewhere with solid security. To do that, I needed to start working as a Hunter as quickly as possible. I’d need money to find a new place to live, after all.
— Yesterday, the Republic of Korea saw the birth of its eleventh S-rank ability user.
While a tense, not-quite-argument left silence hanging between us, the news played from the TV the pork belly restaurant owner had on.
“Oh, right. There was the supernatural ability test too, wasn’t there? A new S-rank—that’s impressive.” Maybe to lighten the slightly awkward atmosphere, Jeong Dajeong spoke in a slightly higher voice than usual. “I used to dream that I might come out as an S-rank in the test, too.”
I raised my chopsticks and warned him. “Don’t even dream about it, Jeong Dajeong.” With that soft personality of his, there was no way he’d make a good Hunter.
Jeong Dajeong laughed. I don’t know why. “It’s all in the past now. Anyway, whoever it is, an S-rank, lucky them. They’ll make a lot of money.”
“You really think so?”
— The individual is reportedly a student attending a high school in Eunpyeong District, Seoul, and became a topic of interest after being caught up in yesterday’s Eunpyeong District Dungeon Break.
“What? There was a Dungeon Break in our neighborhood yesterday?!” Jeong Dajeong’s eyes widened so much they practically popped out as he listened to the news.
“Don’t talk while you’re eating. That’s gross.”
“How could something like that happen and you didn’t even contact me?! Why didn’t an emergency alert come through?”
“Didn’t you have your phone turned off? You probably got the message.”
“Oh, right. I sent you a text, then my phone battery died, so I put it on the charger, and I didn’t even have time to check it again and forgot. I left it plugged in and just went home from work.”
That explained it. Normally, my family, Jeong Dajeong, should have been contacted when I got caught up in the Dungeon Break. I’d wondered why he didn’t know.
Jeong Dajeong muttered “Oh no” and grabbed at his hair. “This is bad. What if my company sent some kind of emergency message…?”
That emergency message had probably already been sent dozens of times. He’d probably pass out when he checked his phone back at work.
“Ah, whatever. What’s done is done. I’ll just get yelled at tomorrow.”
“That’s an excellent avoidance strategy.”
“When you put it like that, it kind of makes me feel like I should go back to the office right now.”
“Where do you think you’re going in the middle of a meal?”
“Ugh, fine. Let’s just eat. I’ve got to make sure my Daon eats, at least.” After clutching at his head for a while, Jeong Dajeong placed a piece of nicely cooked pork belly onto my bowl. “Still, getting caught up in a Dungeon Break right after taking the test, whoever it was must’ve had a really hard time. I can’t tell if they’re lucky or unlucky.”
“Isn’t that just bad luck?”
“True. No matter how much money an S-rank Hunter makes, they still have to go through training. Ah, well, they must be safe, right? If it’s on the news like that.”
“They must be safe,” I answered while lowering my arms, which were covered by long sleeves, as far under the table as I could. Beneath the fabric, the charred black scars were still there, but that was how human cognition worked. Believing in a reality you can’t see is called fanaticism. Therefore, as long as Jeong Dajeong couldn’t see my wounds, they might as well not exist.
Even so, unlike the scars on my arm, the fact that I was the subject of that news couldn’t be hidden forever. It was something Jeong Dajeong would find out as soon as he went to work tomorrow anyway. On top of that, the time was fast approaching for the call I’d given to the Hunter Management Agency.
I made up my mind and opened my mouth. “Uh, Jeong Dajeong. I’d like you to listen without getting too surprised—”
That was when…
“Oh my goodness, that’s right, it is!”
…the woman who had been fiddling with her phone in the distance suddenly ran over and checked my face.
“You’re Jeong Daon, right? Oh my, seeing you in person, you look even better!”
“…”
Actors who often appear in morning dramas always seem to go through that kind of hassle when they go to restaurants. It looked like I was about to endure a similar ordeal.
Not understanding the situation, Jeong Dajeong looked warily at the woman who had suddenly approached and asked, “Um, ma’am. How do you know my sister…?”
“I saw the video my friend sent me! Oh my, how admirable. At such a young age! How did you take down such a huge monster? You even saved all the civilians! Hey, could you give me an autograph?”
“…Aren’t you mistaking her for someone else? My sister is pretty, but she’s not an idol…”
“If an S-rank Hunter came out of our neighborhood, shouldn’t we at least put up a banner?”
“An autograph is a bit—huh?”
I nodded at Jeong Dajeong, who was staring at me with a dazed expression. “Yeah.”
“Huh?”
“Pull yourself together.”
Jeong Dajeong blinked for a long moment. “An idol… no, an S-rank Hunter?”
“Yeah.”
“Killed a monster… w-wait, what did you say? Then that S-rank Hunter who got caught up in yesterday’s Dungeon Break…”
“Yeah.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
The chopsticks clattered to the floor, and Jeong Dajeong fainted with his eyes open.
I calmly asked the woman, “Ma’am, then could you give us a complimentary bottle of soju?”
I’d better pour it straight into Jeong Dajeong’s mouth.