Chapter 3
Kang Ha-min ended up getting a tour of Seoul's night sky against his will.
The moment he finally returned home, he collapsed straight onto his bed.
His whole body ached.
At this rate, he was definitely going to wake up sick tomorrow.
I seriously thought I was going to die.
No.
He really had almost died.
He had nearly been hit by a bus and killed on the spot.
Even now, remembering how the bus had completely filled his vision made him dizzy.
Still, thanks to that experience, he had realized one thing for certain.
I really became a Hunter.
He had actually become a Hunter.
Normally, people probably realized something like that while fighting inside the Tower or during a Dimensional Break.
But I realized it while almost getting hit by a bus.
That somehow sounded incredibly pathetic.
Kang Ha-min sighed to himself.
Then he turned his gaze to the side.
There stood a man looking around the neighborhood with great interest.
Sword God Baek Cheon-myeong.
A man who had risen from a grave.
Things were so chaotic earlier that I didn't get to think about it properly.
Baek Cheon-myeong had spoken as if he had experienced the Tower before.
But how?
He obviously wasn't someone from modern society.
Just look at the way he was staring at the city right now.
Anyone could tell that he was seeing modern civilization for the first time.
Just where had Baek Cheon-myeong come from?
More and more questions began to surround Ha-min's Mythic Class, Gravekeeper of a Ruined World.
Riiing, riiing.
Just then, his phone rang.
The caller was his mother.
"Ah, Mom."
"Son, you haven't called lately. What have you been doing?"
Ha-min suddenly froze.
"...Ah, just working."
He still hadn't told his parents that he had been dismissed.
He felt guilty, but he couldn't bring himself to tell them yet.
"Work, huh? Right. Things have been all over the news lately. Nothing's happened to you because of it, right?"
"Ahem, of course not. What does something involving a National Assembly member have to do with low-level people like us?"
That nearly gave him a heart attack.
Even talking to his mother wasn't easy.
"That's good, then. Son, can your mom ask you for a favor?"
"A favor?"
"Yes. Your dad hurt his knee again recently, remember?"
His father's knee had always been a chronic problem.
Recently, it had gotten worse again, forcing him to go to the hospital.
"Your mom had something urgent to spend money on, and then your dad's knee got worse at the same time."
"Business has been bad for me this month too, so I'm a little short on his hospital bill. Could you lend me some money just for this month?"
There was guilt in his mother's voice.
His parents had spent their entire lives trying not to become a burden to their child.
But times were difficult.
There weren't many places willing to hire elderly people like his father and mother.
Their family had never been wealthy to begin with.
Even so, his parents had supported him through all the years he spent studying for the civil service exam.
That was exactly why he couldn't tell them the truth.
"Ah, Mom, you should've told me sooner. Why are you acting so sorry about it?"
"I'm still a civil servant, you know. I get paid every month. I'll send it right away. How much do you need?"
He had already been dismissed, yet he suddenly found himself bragging.
He normally wasn't the type to show off in front of other people.
But in front of his parents, he wanted to act dependable.
"One million won should be enough."
After the Dimensional Breaks began, insurance companies had raised their prices one after another.
Whenever a Dimensional Break occurred, people died in huge numbers.
When demand exceeded supply, prices naturally rose.
Because of that, ordinary citizens could barely afford insurance anymore.
At least South Korea still had a functioning national healthcare system.
Otherwise, medical costs might have become completely devastating, like they had once been in the United States.
Even so, hospital bills were still a burden for ordinary people.
And if treatment was delayed, illnesses would only get worse.
So Ha-min transferred the money to his mother without hesitation.
"I sent it. Take good care of Dad, and make sure you take care of yourself too. I sent another hundred thousand won, so use it to get something good to eat."
He heard his mother sniffle over the phone.
Maybe it was because he had never been able to do much for them.
For some reason, his nose began to sting too.
"You're the only son I have. Thank you. Let's have a meal together soon."
"Okay."
After the call ended,
Kang Ha-min quietly opened his bank account.
Even though he had been a civil servant, he had only worked for three years.
A civil servant's salary was stable, but it was small.
Naturally, he had always earned much less than an ordinary office worker.
There was no way he had much money saved.
On top of that, he had been living in Seoul while paying off his student loans and his family's debts.
"...Hehe. I've only got ten thousand won left."
There was barely ten thousand won left in his account.
This wasn't even an era where ten thousand won could buy much happiness anymore.
He had become completely broke in an instant.
At this rate, he wouldn't even survive until next month.
Then again, according to his original plan, he had intended to start saving money this year.
His student loans and his family's debts were finally almost completely paid off.
Just when he thought he could finally breathe a little easier, he got fired.
The harsh reality of survival tightened around his throat.
Grrrrumble.
The moment his bank account became pitiful, his stomach seemed to notice and began growling.
What incredible awareness.
I think there's only one pack of ramen at home.
Even if he started working a part-time job immediately, he wasn't sure he could survive until payday.
"Master."
"Wah!"
A voice suddenly came from behind him.
Startled, Ha-min spun around.
Baek Cheon-myeong was standing there.
A dark shadow covered his face.
For some reason, it gave Ha-min an ominous feeling.
Baek Cheon-myeong's eyes gleamed sharply.
Ha-min had a bad feeling.
The kind of bad feeling that made you realize one careless answer could drag you into something terrible.
"If you're short on money, isn't there a simple solution?"
Yeah.
He knew it.
"...You're going to tell me to climb the Tower again, aren't you?"
"From what I've seen, it appears that in your world as well, climbing the Tower allows one to obtain wealth and fame."
