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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Became a Hunter with the Heavenly Murder Star Trait
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"Huh? Lee Tae-pyeong?"
I turned my head.
And there she was—an unexpected face.
A muscular beauty with her black ponytail.
Ban Hae-young, the Butcher.
Korea's greatest—and worst—battle maniac.
She's famous as the Hunter who constantly storms the tower.
Dopamine addict?
Or just plain crazy?
There are roughly a thousand Hunters still alive in Korea right now.
That number fluctuates wildly, hovering around nine hundred ninety-something.
A thousand might sound like a lot,
but in reality, fewer than a hundred are actively climbing Babel Tower.
And among them, one name that always makes the top tier.
Ban Hae-young.
'If it's Ban Hae-young, she's top-tier, so she must be loaded...'
So why was she in the dorms?
"Oh, you know me! Right?"
"Uh, y-yeah, I do..."
I gave an awkward reply.
"Of course you'd recognize her."
The man next to her chided her.
He had a cool demeanor, but he was strikingly handsome too.
"Sorry to interrupt your meal."
He apologized to me politely.
Han Si-on.
If Ban Hae-young was the typical battle junkie,
then he was pure magic type.
And incredibly smart at that.
With those two as the core, they added a healer, tank, and supporter.
A perfectly balanced five-man party—the backbone of Korea's peace, you could say.
"Heavenly Murder Star, right?"
Ban Hae-young pulled out the chair across from me and sat down, firing off the question.
"You massacred Ratmen in the Tutorial, killed a Lizardman, and even tore apart a Vampire!"
It was all true.
But I hadn't expected her to know about it.
"How did you hear about that?"
I asked, stunned, and she burst into hearty laughter.
"Word's spreading like wildfire."
"Word?"
Ban Hae-young eyed me with sparkling eyes.
Han Si-on answered instead.
"Yes. You're the first newbie in half a year."
Oh. Right.
Normally, one comes in every two months or so,
but no one had cleared the Tutorial in the last five months.
And now two survived at once.
Plus, one of them ripped apart a Lizardman and a Vampire.
No wonder the rumors flew.
That's what Han Si-on explained, anyway. I scratched the back of my head sheepishly.
"Compared to you two, I'm nothing..."
Just stating the obvious.
Ban Hae-young was a warrior who tore through Orc hordes barehanded.
Han Si-on was the Undead Slayer.
To them, a Lizardman and Vampire were small fry.
"Not at all."
Han Si-on looked at me seriously.
"Showing that kind of skill in the Tutorial is truly impressive."
"Yeah! You've got monster potential, Tae-pyeong!"
Their eyes were dead serious.
No flattery or exaggeration.
"If I'd run into a Vampire in the Tutorial, I never would've made it back alive."
"Same here."
They were so earnest it got embarrassing.
I awkwardly scratched my head again, and Ban Hae-young let out another booming laugh.
"Grow strong quick and join our party! We're stuck on a section right now."
"Aw, no way I could..."
"I'm not kidding. For real. I'm dying of frustration here."
She thumped her chest.
Han Si-on nodded too.
"We've been trying for a month now. We might need a different approach... and you, Lee Tae-pyeong, could be it."
Before things got even more intense,
"Haha, thanks, but I doubt I can reach that level."
I laughed it off lightly, and they dropped the subject.
They looked disappointed but knew pushing harder wasn't smart.
We chatted casually after that.
About our old jobs and such.
Ban Hae-young asked for the webtoon title I'd worked on, said she'd check it out.
Han Si-on comforted me, saying the housing scam would be handled by the Bureau.
Then a call came in, and they left.
Finally, I finished my meal.
Must've talked more than I thought.
Suddenly starving.
I wolfed down the piled plates in a blink.
Then stood up again.
More food.
Truffle something steak.
Seafood stir-fried noodles.
Oh, gotta save room for dessert.
There was mango cake.
That and coffee to wrap it up—perfect.
"Hmm-hmm-hmm~"
I found myself humming.
Hunter perks are better than expected.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The rules for using the Hunter dorms were simple.
Enter the tower once a year, no exceptions.
Meet that, and you get the dorms for a full year.
Everything provided is free.
Obviously.
It's compensation for risking your life.
Only those who stake their lives can enjoy it all.
I'm doing okay financially,
but plenty of Hunters come from rough backgrounds.
So the state sets these terms accordingly.
Like the Tutorial,
sign the contract, and you're obligated to enter the tower once a year.
You can goof off for 364 days.
But just once.
You have to clear it, or those 364 days aren't guaranteed.
Come to think of it,
it's like living day-to-day.
Trading your life for a year's time.
"Hmm..."
I read the tower entry info on the provided pad.
Technically, I could lounge for 364 days
and climb on the last.
But that'd feel as nagging as unfinished summer homework.
The Tutorial ended easier than expected,
and the more I learned about Heavenly Murder Star,
the more confident I got.
Just a vague feeling it'd work out.
"Might as well knock it out early. Clears the mind."
Yeah.
Do it.
Then relax the full year!
I hit the climb application button.
More info popped up.
There were two types: solo single entry
or party with other Hunters.
This mattered.
Solo or party changed the dungeon type.
Random by default,
but split into two main branches.
"Party, huh..."
Ban Hae-young and Han Si-on's faces from earlier flashed in my mind.
They'd told me to grow fast and join them.
"Hmm."
But would I even fit in a party?
Plus,
with Heavenly Murder Star,
unsure about teaming up.
What if I lose it in bloodlust and...
attack people instead of monsters?
That'd be a disaster.
'Solo for now.'
Decision made, I submitted the single application.
Truth is, you don't even need to apply to climb.
Just say [Enter Babel Tower] and you're in.
No one's permission required.
But we apply anyway for one reason.
You can still die after clearing.
Injuries on return, etc.
Quick treatment saves lives.
Not everyone has a healer in their party,
and healing potions aren't common.
Especially for newbies like me.
Apply and enter, and the emergency team waits.
For injuries, frenzy, chaos states, etc.
Like Tutorial return.
Few countries have this setup.
Lucky to be born in Korea?
'Hope I come back safe again.'
Not really worried, though.
Excited, even.
Can't wait to dive in and start the slaughter fest...
...
...
...
...Huh?
Did I just say slaughter fest?
Nah.
Who'd expect a bloodbath entering a dungeon?
Hard enough protecting yourself.
"Ughhh!"
I stretched to shake off stray thoughts.
Just one form, but all that reading made me stiff.
I poked around the room,
went down to the second floor for more food,
hit the third-floor gym to loosen up,
back to second for seconds,
soaked in hot water,
even ritually purified with a thorough bath,
"Zzz..."
and crashed on a bed bigger than my old place.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Next day.
Thanks to the application, a call came early morning.
Confirming if I really planned to enter the tower.
Most lounge a year then enter reluctantly,
so they worried I was drunk-dialing or something.
"Yes. I'm going."
Clean answer left them speechless.
They just gave basement entry point directions and hung up.
I stretched lightly
and headed down for breakfast.
Buffet on point again.
Start light with soup?
Piled bread high,
ladled creamy mushroom soup into a huge cold noodle bowl.
Butter bread soaked in it—divine.
Can't skip veggies.
Heaps of those too.
Cheesy omelet, grilled sausage.
Delish!
But felt lacking, so
finished with a steaming bowl of hanwoo beef soup over rice.
Ah, finally full.
Strolled the lobby on the way out,
then headed to the entry point on time.
Basement setup for all kinds of accidents.
A staffer greeted me right away.
"Lee Tae-pyeong? Confirmed for first-floor entry today. Correct?"
"Yes."
"First tower entry since Tutorial return..."
The staffer hesitated.
"Maybe try a party first?"
Hm?
Party out of nowhere?
'Ah...'
Training center memory surfaced.
-Low levels: Recommended to join Bureau-matched parties.
Forgot amid Tutorial prep.
Parties recommended until level 10.
Solo death rate higher.
Gov can't afford to lose Hunters, so they push parties.
But just recommended.
Not mandatory.
"Nah, I'm good."
Staffer looked shocked.
Lowbies always start with parties.
Standard procedure.
But not for me.
Recalling the Tutorial...
Solo suited me better.
"...Understood. This way, then."
I followed the staffer inside.
Similar to Tutorial space, but cozier.
No restraints on the chair, for one.
I sank into a plush massage chair, listened to entry instructions again.
Return precautions same.
Emergency team ready for issues.
Could be subdued if frenzied or confused.
Etc.
After all explanations,
final entry confirmation.
Of course.
"Yes."
"Entering."