WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Oblivious
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a B-Rank Hunter ◈
Chapter 11
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The shopping mall was a mess, with smashed mannequin limbs, shards of glass, scraps of paper, and other debris scattered everywhere.
At a glance, it looked full of miscellaneous items, but most of it was just trash. There was no Vanaskelium response, and even if someone went through the trouble of carrying it out, it would be hard to recycle. Most things in dungeons were like that.
That was why hunters searched through dungeons piled with trash for anything a little more valuable, fighting monsters and plunging into anomalies.
Their reasons for doing so were varied, and each was desperate in its own way. Still, people sometimes cursed hunters as dungeon janitors because of it.
Which meant the object in Dohyeon's hand was why hunters endured that insult.
[Vanas 11X Battery Pack: The remnants of fire and lightning. Its soul's heart is ancient, but has not yet gone cold.]
“A perfectly intact battery...”
Its smooth black surface was about the size of an ordinary car battery. An array of differently shaped terminals lined one end, while a small indicator light on the side blinked blue.
A battery, and one with its light on, meant it was actually charged. Even carried out as it was, a company or laboratory would buy it for a high price, and extracting Vanaskelium alone would yield a considerable amount.
If that were all there was to it, its value might have been questionable. But Yggdrasil's message was unusual as well. The remnants of fire and lightning. A soul's heart.
Dohyeon's instincts said it was expensive.
[You are no less extraordinary yourself, Helisbyorn. Do you not wonder what just happened to you?]
“The ring's power sent me berserk, and I tore every hunter and monster apart. What I'm wondering is what that power cost me.”
The Valkyrie's figure was reflected in shards of glass scattered across the floor. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at Dohyeon. After their first conversation, Dohyeon had been the one trying to ignore her.
But regardless of whether the Valkyrie was surprised, Dohyeon began searching the corpse's bags and clothes along with the battery.
Besides the heavy battery, there was an intact bundle of cables, tough tape, a small paper box filled with screws, and a silver wristwatch.
They were all as clean as new, things that would be easy to recycle even with a low Vanaskelium response.
“This is a proper haul...”
There was also a dagger hidden at the corpse's waist and a hand axe lying nearby.
After gathering everything, Dohyeon pulled the sword embedded in the corpse's chest and wiped its blade on the corpse's clothes. Considering how roughly it had been swung during today's exploration, the blade was in good condition.
Having recovered the long sword as well, Dohyeon rose and glanced at the storefront glass beside him. The tall Valkyrie's form was dimly reflected there.
“So? What is it?”
Dohyeon glared straight at the Valkyrie beyond the glass. The Valkyrie, who seemed lost in thought, met Dohyeon's gaze through the window.
With a faint smile, she spoke.
[I am not some demon from an old tale that takes souls in exchange for power, warrior. Look within yourself. Does it feel as though I have taken something from you?]
“...”
Still glaring at the Valkyrie beyond the glass, Dohyeon raised his left hand and looked at his index finger. The ring, marked like a black tattoo, was there.
The entire body ached as if it had been pushed beyond its limits. The back and shoulders hurt. The eyelids were heavy, and exhaustion had clouded the mind. After moving so violently, the stomach churned and the mouth was dry.
Even the left hand Dohyeon was looking at now trembled faintly. It did not show outwardly, but the legs were shaky too.
Taken together, it felt terrible enough to die, but it did not seem as though anything irreversible had been lost.
“So what? You're saying this ring is just an absurdly good artifact that lets me tear dungeon monsters to pieces in exchange for carrying around a ghost nobody else can see and getting a little tired?”
Despite Dohyeon's deeply suspicious look, the Valkyrie continued to speak gently with that faint smile.
[Vargband does not give you what you lack. The ring merely brought forth what was already inside you.]
“What was inside me? What kind of bullshit is that?”
[It means exactly what it says. Who was it that fought those enemies, defeated them, and now stands here? Who is it that breathes alone?]
“What do you mean... So that was my power? The way I fought earlier?”
[Who else could have done it? It was surely your hands that tore apart the Faceless One and hunted the hunters who came seeking a fight.]
“But...”
Dohyeon looked down at those hands again with dazed eyes. Then something occurred to him, and he reached into the corpse's bag again.
What Dohyeon pulled out was a water bottle. After taking a large gulp, Dohyeon splashed water over his hands and began washing his face.
Even while gathering the battery and equipment, Dohyeon had not realized he was drenched in blood.
It could not be washed away completely. Still, enough blood came off that it would not dry into black scabs.
Dohyeon wiped a palm over his face, shook off the water, and spoke.
“Don't give me that crap. I wasn't moving of my own will earlier. My body wasn't doing what I thought.”
[Was that so?]
“Not ‘was that so.’ That's what happened...”
Dohyeon turned toward the Valkyrie beyond the window and growled, then suddenly collapsed onto one knee. Strength had left the body all at once.
With the world spinning and vision blurred, Dohyeon saw the Valkyrie stroking the hair of the kneeling figure.
[You seem tired. You have gathered enough spoils today. Should you not return now?]
For an instant, warm fingers seemed to brush through Dohyeon's hair. Startled, Dohyeon whipped around, but the Valkyrie did not exist in reality. When Dohyeon looked back at the window, she was merely standing straight and looking down.
“...”
The Valkyrie was right. It was time to leave. Dohyeon was in no condition to keep exploring. The fight had gone on too long, and while there were no injuries, the body's condition was terrible. There was plenty of loot, including the battery, so there was no reason to push harder.
Dohyeon pushed off one knee and stood. An emergency exit sign reading EXIT stood out in a corner of the mall.
There might have been more things to pick up. The dead hunters' bags and equipment could still be found and taken.
But Dohyeon had no stamina left, and after rampaging with the ring's power, the mind was not entirely sound either.
A proper hunter did not get greedier in a situation like this.
Dohyeon headed for the exit.
* * *
Outside the dungeon was the kitchen of the old shop. It looked exactly as it had when Dohyeon entered.
Leaving the kitchen, Dohyeon saw two men sitting at restaurant tables and chairs, smoking.
The Hand Axe Team's errand runner and driver.
“Huh? What?”
“...”
The errand runner seemed slightly flustered by Dohyeon's appearance. As if looking for someone else, he craned his neck and glanced past Dohyeon.
In contrast, the driver's face darkened deeply as he looked at Dohyeon. He drew hard on his cigarette, then spoke to Dohyeon, who was worn down with fatigue.
“...We'll check the reactivity and match the current top market price.”
His voice was calm and dry. Dohyeon turned, and their eyes met.
Both gazes were dry.
“I already have somewhere I deal with.”
“For a first transaction, I can offer three percent above market.”
“I'm fine.”
The driver stared at Dohyeon sullenly, then rose. He approached, took out a business card from inside his jacket, and held it out. Dohyeon accepted it, gave a slight nod, and walked away.
As Dohyeon left the shop, the errand runner's whisper came from behind.
“What? Where are Jangseok and the others? Why did that bastard come out first?”
“He’s solo. He probably grabbed what he could and got out fast.”
“Huh? The guys don't like that. Solos running off with the good stuff first. That's why every solo they run into...”
“Then it looks like Jangseok died at his hands.”
“What? That's impossible...”
It was late, and the alley was dark. As Dohyeon walked to the car through that darkness, something rustled down from the hair and clothes. Despite washing up, dried blood was still flaking off.
Before opening the car door, Dohyeon shook out his body and hair. The bag and long sword went into the backseat, then Dohyeon took out the water bottle and towel and roughly rinsed the hair. Water from the wet hair fell onto the alley asphalt, drip, drip.
While drying off with the towel, Dohyeon noticed the two men standing inside the shop entrance and looking over. The driver smoking a cigarette was expressionless, while the errand runner looked confused.
Dohyeon accepted their stares without concern, got into the driver's seat, and shut the door.
“...Whew.”
It had not been a particularly unusual day. After entering and leaving dungeons for around ten years, a hunter saw and experienced all sorts of things.
When facing uncontrollable anomalies, monsters, and greedy hunters, even experienced hunters could die in a single careless moment. Why else would A-ranks, who were practically tanks inside dungeons, retire to seek other jobs once they had earned enough? A mistake meant death even for them.
In that sense, the Hand Axe Team hunters who died today were no different from Dohyeon. Everyone merely struggled to survive that moment, and Dohyeon had simply been luckier.
One day, that luck would run out. One day, Dohyeon too would collapse in a dark corner of a dungeon, bleed, and grow cold like other hunters. Becoming motionless like any other inanimate thing.
Dying in there.
[And yet, why do you enter dungeons?]
“...!”
Dohyeon suddenly raised his head and glared into the rearview mirror. The Valkyrie's helmet and wings filled the backseat.
Dohyeon growled.
“You really do read my thoughts whenever you want.”
[I could not help hearing the soundless voice echoing within you. If you do not wish to answer, you may remain silent, warrior.]
“And you expect me to believe you aren't inside my head?”
[I only said you may think so if you wish. The decision is still yours.]
“...”
After glaring at the Valkyrie's green eyes for a moment, Dohyeon lowered his gaze and started the car. The old sedan drove out of the alley.
* * *
Night had fallen over the road. Only the streetlights lined along the roadside gave off light. It was late, and the road on the outskirts was nearly empty. The next moment, the car entered a tunnel, and orange tunnel lights filled Dohyeon's view.
When Dohyeon glanced at the rearview mirror, the Valkyrie's face was there, the orange lights sweeping across it in broad bands. She was looking out the window.
“...”
Dohyeon deliberately looked away and worked the steering wheel in his grip. The car stayed quiet as it traveled down the road.
After leaving the main road and heading toward the apartment parking lot, Dohyeon turned the wheel before reaching it. The thought of not having eaten properly came to mind. It was late, so Dohyeon intended to go to a convenience store at least.
“...?”
Dohyeon's brow furrowed slightly. After parking in front of the convenience store, something looked wrong. Getting out of the car, Dohyeon found the front of the store in disarray. The glass was broken, and merchandise was scattered everywhere.
A middle-aged man was cleaning up the mess with a broom. When Dohyeon strode over, he looked up from sweeping with a tired expression and forced a bright greeting.
“Welcome. Quite a mess, isn't it? Watch your step.”
“What happened?”
“Ah... Ha ha. It's really something. The world's a scary place these days, isn't it? Ha ha.”
The middle-aged man was the convenience store manager. According to him, five or six people carrying weapons such as bats and knives had stormed in a few hours ago and robbed the store.
They had emptied the register and even searched the storage room, taking anything worth money.
More than anything, the part-time worker on shift had been badly hurt.
“Hurt?”
“Yes. I heard her head was badly split open. They said she might not wake up... Good grief, what has the world come to?”
“The part-time worker? The dark-complexioned girl?”
“That’s right. She was a diligent, decent kid, unlike most young people these days... She had to go through something awful after running into those lunatics.”
Dohyeon picked up the last lunch box from the ready-made food section and asked what that meant with a look. As the manager scanned the barcode, he tilted his head.
“Those lunatics tore the place apart demanding that she hand over her boyfriend. But she doesn't have a boyfriend right now. So she kept saying she didn't know anyone like that...”
“Boyfriend?”
“Yes. They said someone from their gang got hurt by this boyfriend, so they deserved compensation or whatever... The police looked at the CCTV and said they were troublemakers around here lately, told us to be careful from now on. A gang, apparently. Shouldn't they be locking them up instead of saying nonsense like that? Ah, would you like a bag?”
Dohyeon nodded, and the manager took out a bag, put the lunch box inside, and continued.
“Anyway... Now that there's that kind of danger, I won't be hiring part-timers anymore. I'll get one of those checkout robots the other convenience stores use. Maintenance costs a bit, but at least people won't get hurt.”
Dohyeon accepted the bag and left the convenience store. The manager's farewell came from behind.
After moving the car to the parking lot, Dohyeon gathered his belongings and entered the elevator.
After pressing the button and leaning against one corner, Dohyeon saw the Valkyrie standing straight in the opposite corner. Meeting her eyes, Dohyeon spoke shortly, almost spitting the words out.
“What.”
[You know already. They were targeting you. The one from the day before attacked that place for revenge.]
“...”
Dohyeon silently looked away. The elevator opened on the seventh floor, and Dohyeon strode out.
While walking through the hallway, the sound of something breaking and shouting came from a neighboring apartment. The couple next door seemed to be fighting again. Dohyeon paid it no mind.
Entering the apartment, Dohyeon was met by a chill. Standing in the entryway, Dohyeon stared blankly at the cold air for a moment, then took off his shoes and walked inside.
After that, Dohyeon moved as usual. A shower, laundry, organizing the weapons and belongings brought back, and sending a text to Lee Seongbaek at management.
By then, the eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. So Dohyeon decided to go to bed early and lay down.
“...”
The dark-complexioned face came to mind.
She might not wake up... So what? It was unfortunate that the woman was hurt, but what did it have to do with Dohyeon? Those punks would not find Dohyeon anyway. The police would probably arrest them.
“...”
No. They might not be arrested. The police had not been able to solve gang problems lately. They had been striking day after day over reasonable wage hikes and guaranteed police pensions, while revisions to laws on corporate private security had drained their motivation and power.
Convenience store robberies on the outskirts of the city happened several times a day, hardly enough to make the news.
Even without those punks, it was common for drug addicts to rob convenience stores for drug money. That was why the manager had talked about bringing in checkout robots.
So what? Was Dohyeon supposed to track them down and avenge the part-time worker?
That was too dangerous. Outside a dungeon, Dohyeon was just one person. Unlike in a dungeon, there was also the problem that killing and burying someone was not easy in reality.
Dohyeon was an experienced hunter, and the local police station knew him well.
Unlike those punks who roamed around in groups, the police could target Dohyeon precisely.
“...”
There was no reason to get involved, and nothing to gain. There was no reason to be angry because an unnamed woman was hurt. What did it matter whether she died or not? The punks would not find Dohyeon. They had no clue to follow.
That was what Dohyeon thought.
And then fell asleep.
* * *
Awooooo!
Under the moonlight, a wolf awoke.
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