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SSS-CLASS HUNTER WHO DIES TO LIVE

Chapter 10: The Start of a Solo Run (1)

What is the most irritating situation to wake up to in the morning? The smartphone alarm you set last night ringing especially loudly? Your hair caked with grease overnight, leaving you sticky even when you lie still? Or simply the fact that you have to work yet another day?

-Get up! Hurry up and wake up!

"Oh, please just stop..."

-From now until you get out of bed, I'll sing you a song we loved back in my homeland. For your information, I mastered sound attacks while I was alive. One verse from me, and thirty small fries would have their heads burst open!

None of these compare to the worst situation: having a restless, unascended ghost nagging at you.

-Do you even know what time it is to still be in bed!?

"What time is it anyway?"

I glanced at my smartphone.

The lock screen displayed "AM 4:01" in a stylish font.

"It's only four in the morning, you maniac!"

-Ha! At four in the morning, even the bugs are stirring. You're weaker than bugs, so you need to wake up earlier.

"It's just because you can't sleep and you're bored, right?"

-I don't understand what you're saying.

The Guardian Spirit turned its head slightly, as if caught off guard.

"Wow, so that's why Sword Saint gets up at four every morning for training. Not out of diligence, but because you're too noisy!"

-Fine. I woke him because I was bored on my own. Satisfied? Thanks to me, he gets up early and trains, which is a huge benefit, so I deserve gratitude for that too. Hurry up and prostrate yourself in thanks.

"I just want to kill you..."

-Heh heh. I'm already dead, so you can't kill me. If that pisses you off, try dying too! Ah, right. Even when you die, you can't stay dead. You zombie bastard. From now on, your name isn't Kim Gong-Ja. It's Kim Zombie.

"Damn it."

I threw on some workout clothes and went out. The two-pyeong room was unbearable with the ghost talking without pause.

For my mental health, I stepped outside and jogged under the still dark morning sky.

"Huff, huff..."

-Listen, Kim Zombie. Aside from your stubbornness, you have no talent.

The Guardian Spirit floated beside me.

-I prefer to teach from the ground up. But you, you're beneath the bottom. The very bottom.

Since copying the [Sword Constellation] skill from Sword Saint, it's been three days.

During this time, I hunted the Flame Emperor again and carefully avoided encountering Sword Saint. I've been training according to the schedule set by the Guardian Spirit.

-In terms of talent, you possess what one might call abyssal talent. Ah, how impressive! I'm jealous!

"Huff... Please don't bother... me while I'm running...!"

-Well, you need special tutoring. And for that, you need to prepare a hefty tuition fee.

The Guardian Spirit grinned wickedly.

-Time to go win the lottery, Zombie.

There's a guild known as Sang-Ryun, also known as the Merchants Union. The guild leader, ranked 3rd among hunters, is known as the 'Countess'.

As I mentioned before, the Countess is the only one who can send goods out of and bring them into the outside world. Essentially a walking corporation, thanks to her overpowered skill, Sang-Ryun monopolizes the tower's economy.

Which means...

"Excuse me."

"Yes, how can I help you?"

"I'm here to collect my lottery winnings."

In Babylon, the city on the first floor of the tower, Sang-Ryun is the sole issuer of lottery tickets.

"Ah, you've won our Sang-Ryun Happiness Lottery!"

"Yes, well."

"Congratulations!"

The clerk, wearing a cat-ear hat, bowed deeply. His salesperson smile was like a bright sunflower.

-Every time I see that, I wonder why they wear cat-ear hats.

‘The guild leader is a cat lover.’

-No matter how much someone likes cats, making sane people wear cat ears? They’re definitely a pervert. I'm sure of it.

‘Is that really important right now?’

Of course, the clerk probably thought the cat-ear hat looked idiotic too. But he was the lowest of the low in the workplace hierarchy. Whether it was cat ears or cockroach antennae, if the guild leader ordered him to wear them, he had no choice but to shut up and obey.

And just to note, the clerk was a man.

That thing... was their unisex uniform.

"Just to be sure, have you checked the date of your ticket? Tickets over two years old are ineligible for prize collection."

"It's fine. It's from last week."

"Great!"

I had bought the ticket immediately after the Guardian Spirit attached itself to me. I needed to win the lottery at least once anyway, and the Guardian Spirit kept insisting, "First, you need starting capital!"

"Then we'll begin the identity-verification process. Oh, by the way, what prize did you win?"

"First prize."

"Excuse me?" the clerk blurted reflexively.

"First prize."

"......"

"Here, check the number."

Above the clerk's head hung a display board. Like a slot machine in a casino, the accumulated amount for the [Sang-Ryun Happiness Lottery First Prize] blinked.

53,000 gold.

About 5.5 billion won in the currency of my homeland.

-Earning money is so easy, right?

The Guardian Spirit's lilting voice drifted through the suddenly quiet surroundings. The clerk, still looking flustered, said, "I've confirmed the number. P-please wait just a moment, sir. I'll fetch the person in charge immediately." "Sure. Take your time." The clerk hurried off somewhere. Inside the Merchants Union headquarters, I could feel several people whispering and stealing glances at me. They must have overheard that I had won first prize. Every one of them looked envious.

-Zombie, are you going to be all right? At this rate, won't you get shanked in some deserted alley?

"I have my plans."

I shrugged.

"It isn't something I could keep hidden just by trying, either."

Every hunter who wins the lottery gets recorded. The same went for the Flame Emperor. That's how I knew he won the first prize twice in the past.

‘It's safer to be open about it.’

Winning the lottery and getting assassinated right after would be a PR disaster for Sang-Ryun, who needs to sell tickets.

Soon after.

"Thank you for waiting, Mr. Kim Gong-Ja. I am Arthur Taylor, the person handling your case."

A man, more polished than the clerk, approached and bowed. He was also wearing a cat-ear hat.

"I'm known as 'The Banker'. Feel free to use my alias."

"Kim Gong-Ja. Your alias suits your guild quite well."

"Ha, I often hear that. Shall we go upstairs?"

The Banker smiled amiably.

Anyone with an alias had to rank within at least the top 300. He was a ranker whom I, still only an F-rank, could not dare compare myself to, yet the Banker remained courteous to me throughout.

-Of course, he's catering to a customer worth 53,000 gold.

The ghost chimed in again.

-Kim Zombie, I've been thinking. You've never been treated well in life, so you're easily moved. Remember a few days ago, when I complimented your talent for dying and you looked so touched? It's pitiful, really.

‘Ah. Just shut up, please.’

-Humans shouldn't be so easily manipulated, kiddo. You should think like me. Everyone in this world exists to adore and worship me.

I'm determined never to take after Yoo Soo-Ha or you, no matter how desperate I am.

Coincidentally, Yoo Soo-Ha and this ghost share similar aliases. Flame Emperor and Sword Emperor. Maybe anyone whose title ends in 'Emperor' is a complete lunatic?

"Excuse me, Mr. Kim Gong-Ja. Is there anything wrong...?"

The Banker inquired as he guided me upstairs, his face clouded with concern. Worried I might look like a madman, I quickly responded.

"No, it's nothing. Just lost in thought for a moment."

"Ah, that's a relief."

The Banker sighed, relieved.

"I was worried I might have inadvertently offended you since you looked a bit unwell. Haha. Glad to hear that's not the case..."

What's with this guy? Is he an angel, maybe?

-Tsk, tsk. You're so easy to impress.

I ignored the psychopathic ghost's gibberish.

We entered the VIP meeting room. The table was already laden with a pile of gold coins, apparently prepared in advance by another clerk.

The Banker smiled broadly.

"This is the total amount for Mr. Kim Gong-Ja."

"...Impressive."

There were over 50,000 gold coins!

Bathed in the spotlight, the room shone brilliantly. The sight alone made my heart race. Whether it was a show or not, the effect was certainly overwhelming.

"You may take all these gold coins with you, or you may secure a vault with our Merchants Union and store them there. Which would you prefer?"

"Um."

I tried to regain my composure.

'The allure of money truly is powerful.'

I was honestly tempted.

But my goal is to reach the top, to become an envied and accomplished Hunter. Money is merely a means to that end.

'Become someone who wields money, not someone wielded by it, Kim Gong-Ja.'

Regaining my composure, I slowly nodded.

"I'll deposit it in the Sang-Ryun vault."

"Ah, such a wise choice, Mr. Customer!"

The Banker was visibly pleased.

"I always advise our winners that while I fully understand their desire to take the money with them, it's generally safer to store it with us. You know, there are always those with ill intentions..."

"And also."

I continued.

"I would like to purchase a position as an honorary guild member of Sang-Ryun."

"Pardon?"

"The cost for a second-class honorary membership is 10,000 gold, right?"

I approached the table and placed my hand on the pile of gold. The golden glow was enchanting. Yet, I was already familiar with a much more captivating flame.

My future.

For the sake of my future, I was willing to invest any amount of this gold.

"I'll pay in full."

"......"

The Banker paused, looking at me intently.

"Mr. Kim Gong-Ja, you don't belong to any guild yet, do you?"

"No."

A guild.

Joining a guild for a Hunter isn't just about socializing. The most significant aspect is the protection it offers.

Even though there's the Hunter Association and Vigilante Corps...

'You never know when you might be attacked.'

Both Yoo Soo-Ha and the Sword Saint had managed to kill me, as I learned firsthand.

A lawless land. Compared to the developed world outside, this place is brutally savage.

'I must not foolishly follow in the Flame Emperor's footsteps.'

Yoo Soo-Ha lived for himself, arrogantly.

Even after winning the lottery twice, he never paid any 'protection fees'. He must've lived carelessly, thinking all the money was his to enjoy.

'And that's why he was later assassinated and poisoned.'

Pathetic.

Why would I need to antagonize the major guilds unnecessarily?

"...Understood."

The Banker jotted something down in his notebook.

"Anyone who pays the set price can become an honorary member of our guild. I'll have a staff member issue your second-class honorary member card right away."

"Ah, and one more thing."

I added a few more requests.

"I'm currently living in a cheap studio. I'd be grateful if Sang-Ryun could recommend a place for me to stay for the time being. Of course, I'll pay properly."

"......"

"And, the press will probably try to find out who the lottery winner is. When that happens, it's okay if you don't reveal my real name, but please let the journalist know that I'm an honorary member of Sang-Ryun."

The Banker paused briefly, pen in hand, momentarily lost in thought.

"Very thorough, Mr. Customer."

"Ah, well. You have to be prepared in today's world, right?"

"...You're absolutely right."

The Banker agreed as the Sword Emperor laughed uproariously behind him.

-Hey. He thought you were an easy target, but you caught him off guard. This is priceless. That's why I love teasing these elites.

'Oh, come on. You were the one calling people gullible. What a hypocrite.'

-Did I say that? I don't remember. If I don't recall, it probably wasn't me.

Unbelievable. Even if your personality is filthy, this is just too much.

I must never become like him.

-Well, anyway, you're managing quite well on your own.

The Sword Emperor smirked.

-I was worried I'd have to babysit you, changing your diapers and everything. But looking at you now, I think you'll be fine.

'If only you were mute, you wouldn't be so detestable...'

-Ah, kiddo. You seem to be in a good mood, too.

Indeed.

Despite my inner grumbling, a smile crept onto my face.

'Of course. It's just the beginning.'

4000 deaths and 4000 days of regression.

The privilege of regression I couldn't properly use while seeking revenge on the Flame Emperor.

Now, it's time to fully enjoy that privilege.

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