Seho Lee.
He was one of the hunters who had witnessed the most geniuses.
First of all, his father was that kind of person. His father, the guild master of Swordwind Guild, had wandered from one manpower agency to another while raising him, until he awakened about fifteen years ago.
After awakening as an A-rank hunter, his father became a promising hunter in his middle age, and not long after, he proved his genius and rose to an S-rank hunter, growing Swordwind Guild into one of the top five guilds.
Seho grew up under such a father and went on hunts with geniuses gathered in the guild.
When watching the guild members’ hunts, Seho had only felt that it was cool.
But today, when he watched Jinwoo’s hunt,
‘Is this what a hunt looks like?’
It was a completely different impression than when he had seen the hunts of geniuses before.
From the moment Jinwoo drew his sword as if possessed, predicting the movements of the red wolves and moving forward, to the application of mana that cleaved through the wolves in one strike.
And even further, saving his skills until the very end and using his abilities at critical moments.
It felt less like a hunt and more like witnessing a performance of art.
‘Isn’t he a spirit user? How can he be this strong just using a sword?’
When Jinwoo used sword energy to take down the boss monster, Seho was so mesmerized that he didn’t even notice which skill was used.
He didn’t even realize sword energy was in play; it only looked like a beautiful sword dance.
From Seho’s perspective, the skill use was so far beyond his reach that it felt like a B-rank hunter fighting purely with physical strength and no skills.
But Jinwoo was staring off into the distance.
‘I clearly said he was a B-rank hunter before the hunt, but now he’s using sword energy…’
Seho felt that unnecessary complications were brewing, and he wanted to avoid that kind of trouble.
He had less than a year left to live… or maybe even less, so wasting time trying to explain away lies wasn’t worth it.
‘Should I just let it be?’
(Anonymous 1): Yeah, that guy’s strange.
Jinwoo then used his stealth skill, slung a single red wolf carcass over his shoulder, and vanished in an instant with Byeol and Baekgu.
“…Hmm?”
Seho barely snapped out of the lingering afterglow of the fantastic sword dance and finally looked around.
No matter who Jinwoo was, the priority was to give him a business card and bring him into the guild.
There was no other way.
Seho lacked talent as a hunter, but his eye for talent and his qualities as a manager were exceptional.
Though he was a bit dense and often disregarded or mistreated, he was by no means someone to be underestimated.
That was why he was called the successor of Swordwind Guild.
As if to prove his worth, Seho immediately pulled out a business card from his pocket.
Usually, he didn’t reveal his identity to hunters, but somehow, as if a recorder had started without his knowing, he began to introduce himself.
“I’m Seho Lee of Swordwind Guild. Hunter…? Huh? Where’d you go?!”
However, as soon as the afterglow faded, Jinwoo had already exited through the gate using his stealth skill, taking only the experience from clearing the gate along with the red wolf carcass.
Seho interpreted this as:
…Is he saying, ‘I’ll give you mana stones, but keep my power a secret?’
To think a reclusive master, the kind you only see in martial arts novels, existed even among hunters!
Seho jumped to conclusions and prematurely celebrated.
‘Still, we have to find him.’
Even if he was a hunter who gave out mana stones, with that level of talent, they had to track him down somehow!
Among the top five guilds in Korea—Hwarang Guild, Sprout Guild, and Swordwind Guild, the moment these three guilds began searching for Jinwoo had come.
*****
Though it didn’t go exactly as Anonymous 1 intended, I still managed to defeat the boss monster in one blow.
Thanks to that, I earned an additional 500 coins as a reward, bringing my total to 2,000 coins.
‘I should buy a car.’
I recently realized traveling in this small car wasn’t easy.
It wasn’t uncomfortable when I traveled alone, but after Byeol and Baekgu were born, the car felt a bit cramped.
Considering I sometimes had to sleep in the car, I definitely needed to buy a bigger vehicle.
Might as well get a camper van.
‘I’ll exchange about 500 of the 2,000 coins for cash.’
There’s a saying that being too frugal leads to misfortune.
If I secured about 100 million won, I could at least buy a camper van and make future travels easier.
“Meat! Meat!”
First, I should give Byeol the meat she’s been craving so much.
I headed to a nearby campsite with Byeol and the spirits.
Generally, countryside areas have many mountains along the roads, making driving enjoyable.
There’s the pleasure of seeing the surrounding trees, the sunset fading into the sky, that kind of thing.
Upon arriving at the campsite, I skillfully butchered the red wolf, used my mana purification skill, and grilled the meat.
“Delicious?”
“Woong!”
Baekgu bit into the red wolf meat beside me and smiled brightly as if to say it was tasty.
Bae-i! Bba-ya!
The quiet campsite nestled in the mountains was perfect for relaxing since we were the only visitors.
(Anonymous 1): Tribute please. I sponsored you a lot today.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Me too, I’ve sponsored you plenty so far!
(Messenger of Cheongha): Lately, I keep thinking about red wolf steak and can’t sleep, can’t sleep.
(Father of Crops): … Jinwoo, do you need more crops? I want to trade.
(Endless Waiting): I want to try some too.
I was in a good mood today, and I’d gained much from the constellations up to now.
Besides, there was plenty of red wolf meat.
So, I decided to use my tribute skill without accepting sponsorships from the constellations.
Hearing this, the constellations rejoiced like children who got the toy they wanted.
To receive such praise for simply sharing a lot of food without asking for anything felt pretty good.
Time flew by quickly.
After spending about three more days in Yangpyeong, I finished my trip, purchased mana stones at the coin shop, and successfully converted them into cash.
Having money meant I didn’t have to waste time on unnecessary things.
I bought the camper van with the 100 million won I exchanged for mana stones.
In the past, I would have scoured used car apps and websites, analyzed each estimate, but since I don’t have many days left and have enough money, I bought a new car quickly.
“Wow…”
Bae!
“Nice, huh?”
“Uk!”
Ppa-ya!
The fairly large white camper van was attractive.
Inside the massive vehicle, there was a small kitchen, bathroom, bed, and TV—everything.
It was literally a moving house.
Owning a home had always been my dream, and getting this—even if it was just like this—made me smile.
I almost want to recommend camper vans as an option for modern people exhausted by everyday life.
I lay down on the camper van bed that was now completely mine, with Byeol and Baekgu by my side.
Baekgu’s white fur was soft and fluffy, lulling me toward sleep.
‘No, I can’t sleep yet!’
Barely waking up from the drowsiness, I searched for the next travel destination.
It only took about an hour to get from Yangpyeong to Seoul.
It was pretty close, so I thought maybe I should check out Seoul for a bit.
‘Maybe I should head to Gangneung?’
The tall buildings in Seoul were nice, but I wanted to see the sea.
You can’t just see the ocean anytime you want.
If I took National Route 6, I could go all the way from Seoul to Gangneung, end to end.
It was a popular route for those on a national pilgrimage, passing through Hanam and Yangpyeong in Gyeonggi Province, then Hoengseong, Pyeongchang, and finally Gangneung in Gangwon Province.
Since we were already in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, I thought it would be nice to slowly explore the surroundings and make our way to Gangneung.
Taking the national road at a relaxed pace and resting along the way.
‘Alright, it’s decided.’
Then the next travel destination was set.
We would head to Hoengseong, Gangwon Province.
*****
The buildings of Swordwind Guild, Hwarang Guild, and Sprout Guild were once again filled with the glow of overtime lights tonight.
They were all searching for Jinwoo.
At Hwarang Guild, they sought the hunter who cleared an A-rank gate in five minutes.
At Sprout Guild, they searched for the hunter who saved the constellations from crisis with a golden apple.
And at Swordwind Guild, they were looking for the hunter who went on a hunt with Seho—unaware that all these hunters were the same person: Jinwoo.
While the major guilds in Seoul sparkled at night, at a midpoint on National Route 6 between Yangpyeong and Hoengseong, a young man was trembling.
The young man’s name was Sejin Bin.
He was a fresh twenty-year-old, currently undertaking a national pilgrimage.
Why? Because everyone feels a surge of ambition around twenty years old.
Having graduated high school, he chose not to attend university and decided to carve his own path.
Though going to college might have helped, during school life he found his interests lay elsewhere.
That was painting.
He wanted to paint his own pictures, not just the subject-limited entrance exam art.
While building his foundation with exam art, he lost the desire to enter university and gave up entrance exams altogether, starting his national pilgrimage to paint his own art.
He left only one letter at home and took the 300,000 won in his piggy bank with him, setting off without a plan.
He recorded his national pilgrimage journal on video and began painting the beautiful sights as he traveled.
From small countryside houses to grand restaurants, paintings of food he wanted to eat, and views confirmed atop mountain peaks—he started capturing everything.
The national pilgrimage from Seoul to Gangneung normally takes about a week to ten days, but a week had passed and he hadn’t even reached Hoengseong because he was busy painting.
‘Ugh… I’m hungry.’
Should I turn back?
Go home?
If I do, all the time I’ve spent so far will be wasted.
I already painted more than enough, but this national pilgrimage was a monumental chapter in my life.
Starting at twenty, armed with just a camera, 300,000 won, brushes, and drawing paper, the pilgrimage was a big deal.
A twenty-year-old full of ambition.
It felt like putting the first button of adulthood on properly.
I could proudly show my parents my pilgrimage videos and say, ‘This is how strong my will is, so please believe me!’
I’d had experiences others couldn’t, so I could brag about it with my friends at parties.
Not only that, but I had big dreams.
Shy and without many friends in school, he was the first to find a field he wanted to pursue, and to achieve that, he was traveling the country painting.
He wanted to upload the precious videos to SNS to show the public the youth and paintings of a spirited but otherwise ordinary young man.
With nothing in hand, he was pushing himself to the limit to promote his paintings to the masses.
‘…Alright, I’ll endure.’
I can’t go back.
I resolved to somehow reach Gangneung and paint the sea.
I decided to endure the cold and hunger, pitching my tent near a countryside pavilion by the national road.
Also, worried someone passing by might see me, I wrote on a cardboard sign:
[Twenty-year-old painter on a national pilgrimage. Traveling with 300,000 won. Please support me.]
It was shameless, but I hoped that when I woke up the next day, there’d be at least a bag of snacks.
And just as I was about to fall asleep.
Bang—!
A camper van stopped in front of the pavilion.
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