04. Ghost Town (1)
Hunter Association, Outdoor Training Grounds.
“Sarang is similar to a spirit and can freely manipulate the element of fire. As Hunter Kim Suho mentioned, it's likely due to the power inherent in the 'Fire Lion' species.”
The combat instructor looked at Sarang, who was lazily draped over Kim Suho’s head. With her fluffy red fur, she looked more like an adorable cat than any kind of lion. But Kim Suho had described her that way, and the system recognized her as such.
When someone once asked if Sarang was a cat, she responded with a hiss and a clear show of anger.
“She can use a technique that condenses fire into arrows for attack, create a wall of flames to block enemies for defense, and even form large fireballs to fire in all directions as support. It seems she’s capable of all of these.”
Kim Suho nodded. Sarang, realizing the instructor was praising her—or rather, her species—stood up.
She puffed out her chest and lifted her chin.
—Nyaaang.
“Kyaaa!”
The screams of female staff assisting with combat training filled the training ground.
The instructor shook his head and turned back to Kim Suho.
“I heard you acquired a skill that cancels out mental-type magic and abilities along with your summoning. Is that correct?”
“Yes. To be precise, Sarang has two skills, and that’s one of them.”
“I see.”
It was unusual. Unlike most summoners, Kim Suho had one skill, while his summon had two.
“If you didn’t have talent with the sword, I would’ve recommended a gun, a bow, or a staff. But clearly, that’s not the case.”
Even humanoid monsters like Level 1 Goblins and Kobolds can be hunted by civilians if given a gun.
To test Kim Suho’s combat style, the instructor had him fight a goblin barehanded, without Sarang’s help.
“Animal-type monsters felt awkward at first too, but I adapted quickly.”
“I think the irregular combat classes I took in school helped.”
After the Gate Incident, the government made "Combat Training" a mandatory subject in high school. Students learned to handle firearms, watched combat footage of Hunters fighting monsters, and discussed strategies in case of war-like scenarios.
‘I’m glad I took it seriously.’
If a Gate appeared near the orphanage, which had no political connections, they could be lower on the rescue priority list. That thought had driven Kim Suho to participate passionately in every combat class, even optional ones after school.
“Hmm. It’s unclear.”
“Unclear?”
“Yes. Usually, you can guess future skills based on the second skill… but in your case…”
“Ah.”
Kim Suho had only acquired one skill upon awakening.
“For now, just stick with the sword.”
“For now…?”
“Yes. Once you hit Level 10 and gain your second skill, reconsider then.”
Ghosts flew in, radiating mana. Though the energy of these spiritual monsters disrupted his senses, Kim Suho remained focused thanks to Sarang firmly pressing down on his head.
He twisted his torso and tilted his head to dodge a charging ghost.
Just barely missing him, the ghost—Specter—was struck by Kim Suho’s flame-coated sword.
Shaaack!
Skills like Fire Arrow and Fireball consume both mana and mental energy due to the control they require. In low-level Gates, they’re inefficient.
That’s why the instructor had asked Sarang about her known skills, and she had demonstrated several techniques.
“Oh…”
A black gem dropped where the Specter vanished.
“This is better than expected.”
In one hour, Kim Suho hunted fifteen Specters and collected six dark mana stones.
“Let’s see…”
He pulled out his smartphone and opened the calculator.
His armor and chest protector were gifts from the Association, along with his Hunter license. But he had bought his sword second-hand from the Association’s shop on the first floor.
“One F-grade mana stone is worth 100,000 won…”
Mana stones and Gate-mined ore blades were cheap at the Association's support shop, though still not exactly affordable.
“Still pricey though. This sword cost 999,000 won… What is this, home shopping?”
He let out a dry laugh, put his phone away, and kept walking.
“Doesn’t seem like I’ll get to use this for long.”
The Fire Enchant skill was excellent. It allowed him to hunt monsters immune to physical attacks without infusing mana himself. But the drawback was severe weapon durability loss.
According to the instructor, his weapon might break before he even reached Level 5.
“Tch. Isn’t there somewhere I can get a better weapon?”
As he worried, Sarang tapped the back of his head with her tail.
—Nyaaang.
“An enemy?”
Sarang moved from his head to her usual spot on his shoulder and pointed in a direction with her front paw.
“Hm?”
Following Sarang’s gaze, Kim Suho saw a massive castle.
“……”
—Nyaaang.
There should be weapons over there.
Even though her meows were unintelligible, he somehow understood her.
“Hm. Sarang?”
He picked her up and brought her in front of his face.
—Nyaaang.
“I checked, and that’s where the Gate’s core is.”
Sarang groomed herself while looking at him like, “So what?”
Kim Suho placed her back on his head.
“Where there’s a Gate core, strong monsters await.”
Sarang tilted her head.
So?
“It’s too tough for us now. Let’s go in after I hit Level 10.”
Fifty days remained until the Ghost Town Gate would break.
“Let’s search for a new weapon then.”
3 million won.
After taxes, he had 2.7 million won left.
“Wow, this is why people become Hunters.”
Leaning against a vending machine outside a chicken shop, Kim Suho checked his mobile banking app and shook his head.
“No… maybe I’m just a special case.”
Ghost Town wasn’t a typical Gate with a 10% mana stone drop rate. Spiritual monsters here dropped stones at a 30% rate.
And the fights weren’t hard. He scattered flame orbs to separate clustered Specters, then hunted them one by one.
Plus, he was solo. No need to split earnings with a party.
He checked the Hunter community forums to see average daily earnings for low-level Hunters.
“Yeah, I’m definitely an outlier.”
The average daily income for an F-rank Hunter (Level 1–10) was about 300,000 won.
Even low-level Gates could be fatal with a single mistake. Most Hunters spent a lot of time cautiously fighting one monster at a time.
But Kim Suho was different. With Sarang’s precision and his enchanted sword, he hunted Specters quickly and easily.
“…Should I increase my daily quota?”
He thought about it briefly but shook his head. Training and researching Sarang’s skills were more valuable right now.
“They’re here.”
While jotting down training ideas in a notepad, he heard the sound of a motorcycle.
“Oh, Suho. You’re back! How’ve you been?”
It was Yoon Chul-bae, the chicken shop owner, greeting him warmly as he got off his bike.
“Good. And you, sir?”
Yoon had volunteered at Suho’s orphanage for over five years, donating and making chicken for the kids every three months without fail.
So whenever the orphanage ordered chicken, they chose Yoon’s shop.
“I’ve been managing just fine. Haha!”
Despite his rough appearance, Yoon was kind. He opened the shop door with a laugh.
“Come on in.”
“Excuse me.”
Inside, the aroma of fried and spicy chicken filled the air. As Suho salivated unconsciously, Yoon poured himself a cup of water and asked:
“Picking up chicken today?”
“Yes.”
“Haha! How many?”
“Sir.”
“Yeah?”
Just as he was heading to the kitchen, Yoon turned to look at Suho.
“How many do you have left?”
“What?”
Suho smiled and pulled out his wallet, showing his Hunter license.
“No way. You became a Hunter?”
“Yup.”
“Wow. Should I be jealous?”
Should he really be?
Risking your life in Gates where one mistake can mean death…
“Take care of yourself.”
“I will.”
“So, how many are left?”
“Sir.”
“…?”
“Why don’t you call it a day? By the way, Boiled Pork House and Hyeju’s Tteokbokki shop already closed.”
“…Hahahaha!”
“Whoa…”
Kang Han-seul, staring at a table full of soy sauce boneless chicken, looked around the orphanage dining hall.
“Yay! Yay!”
“So tasty!”
“I want a drumstick!”
“I want a wing!”
“I want the neck!”
“Huh? The neck?”
“I love the neck!”
“Eat all you want! Eat all the necks!”
It was a chicken party. The kids were ecstatic over the late-night feast.
“Hey, hyung.”
Kang Han-seul called Kim Suho, who was handing out chicken to the younger kids.
“What?”
“How much did you earn?”
“Three hundred.”
“…In a day?”
“In a day.”
“Damn. I want to awaken too.”
“I’m kind of a special case.”
Han-seul knew. Suho operated in a Gate well-suited to Sarang, did solo runs, and the Gate was low-level. But it was still surprising.
“You can really hunt 100 a day? No other Hunters there?”
“The place is called Ghost City, it’s huge. But no one else is around.”
“What about monsters?”
“There’s a ton. Maybe because they’re spirit-type, or maybe because the place was abandoned. I don’t know.”
“So, no people, tons of monsters, which Sarang can easily handle, and being a low-level Gate, there’s not much danger?”
“Exactly. You get two pieces.”
“I’ll get fat.”
“Then you shouldn’t have come down. You said the same thing last week while eating the tteokbokki I brought.”
“….”
Without replying, the girl silently grabbed two chicken boxes and ran to the table.
“So tomorrow, another three hundred?”
“Not sure. I got 30 mana stones thanks to a 30% drop rate.”
Even if you kill 100 Specters, you don’t guarantee 30 stones.
“But between 100 to 300, yeah.”
“Wow.”
“Han-seul.”
“…Huh?”
Startled, he snapped out of his thoughts.
“I’ll buy you a computer this month.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Let’s upgrade it all.”
“Holy crap, you’re insane.”
It didn’t seem impossible.
“How long until the Gate closes?”
“50 days.”
“Perfect.”
“Perfect.”
“…But when things go too well, something always happens.”
“It’s a low-level Gate. Even if something goes wrong, we can handle it.”
Suho reassured Han-seul with a confident grin.
The next day.
“…What the hell?”
Kim Suho, with Sarang on his head, entered the Gate and looked around in shock.
“It’s murky?”
The Specters, which were originally a translucent gray, had turned pitch black.
—Nyaang.
Sarang tapped his head with her front paw and pointed to the sky with her tail.
“…What’s that?”
Just yesterday, the sky had a blue moon hanging above the city. Now, a red moon glowed ominously.
Recalling his conversation with Han-seul the night before, Suho gulped involuntarily.
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