Chapter 39: Spicy Revenge

Fwoooosh.

A burst of flames erupted radially from Ber’s beak.

Lee Chulhun’s pupils, which had expanded in anticipation of taking down the Black Bat, trembled violently.

‘Was it just his imagination, or did Ber’s face seem to curl into a mocking smile as their eyes met?’

“No way…”

Lee Chulhun tried to step back, sensing a bad feeling. But because he had been rushing forward, he couldn’t retreat fast enough.

A searing pain exploded across his forehead and scalp.

Lee Chulhun’s scream echoed all around.

Ber looked down at him with a sorrowful expression, waving one of his feathers over Chulhun’s forehead.

Just then, a Black Bat swooped in behind Chulhun.

Ber unleashed another burst of flames at the incoming monster, intentionally grazing Chulhun’s head in the process.

“Piiiii…” (Better act like I feel bad.)

‘You’re doing great, Ber.’

Whoever his spirit master was, they clearly trained him well in expressions.

As Ber let out a pitiful whimper, as if it was all an accident, Lee Chulhun’s eyes flipped.

“You little bastard…!”

His palm brushed over his scorched scalp.

The touch sent waves of unbearable pain due to the burns, but what overwhelmed it even more was the fury toward Ber.

“I’m really sorry. I don’t think Ber meant to do that…”

Roy ran over with an apologetic expression and began handling the attacking Black Bat.

Lee Hajun and Kangchul, who had been standing there stunned, snapped out of it and moved in to assist Roy.

“Chulhun, please.”

Kangchul grabbed Chulhun’s arm and shook his head firmly.

He knew just how much Chulhun valued his hair.

Even part of his eyebrow had been singed.

But other teams were now running over, and more cameras were pointed in their direction.

At this point, Chulhun’s on-screen behavior had crossed a line that even editing couldn’t salvage.

The reality of his situation hit him.

Though they’d been friends since childhood, due to his family’s circumstances, Kangchul had always had to trail behind Chulhun like a shadow.

He hadn’t joined this Hunter Idol program out of personal ambition.

It was the pressure from Chulhun’s family, worried that he’d cause trouble.

“Let’s go to the medical booth and get that treated first.”

The burn on Chulhun’s scalp wasn’t minor.

The fire had been strong enough to burn off all his hair and even leave some of the skin warped.

“You haven’t reached level 10 yet, so we can’t authorize movement to the medical booth. We’ll give you a recovery potion instead.”

One of the production staff, after contacting HQ via radio, approached Chulhun and Kangchul.

“You’re seriously saying that after seeing the state I’m in?”

“…Well, injuries like this are always a possibility in a hunter’s job. You signed a waiver acknowledging that before joining the program.”

The staff member didn’t look pleased.

They felt bad that Chulhun got hurt, but his high-handed attitude left a bad taste.

“Yes. We understand. Thank you for the recovery potion.”

Kangchul accepted the potion and gave a polite bow, stepping in for the overly agitated Chulhun.

The staff member let out a light sigh and returned to his post.

“I’ll help you reach level 10.”

Roy came back and stood beside Chulhun and Kangchul, flashing a sheepish, apologetic smile.

Chulhun clenched his fists so tightly that burn scars pressed into his palm.

Kangchul quietly applied the recovery potion to Chulhun’s wounds.

The burn marks faded quickly…

But sadly, the lost hair did not grow back.

***

“Finally… everyone has reached level 10.”

Hajun Lee bit his lip hard, overwhelmed with emotion after finally reaching level 10.

Tears threatened to spill, so he stared up at the sky and blinked rapidly.

“Did you get a good trait?”

“One moment, please.”

At Roy’s question, Hajun summoned his ability window.

[Please select one of the following traits:

• Piercing Arrow
• Rapid-Fire Archer
• Smash]

“Um… the ones I can use right away are…”

Just by looking at the names, both Piercing Arrow and Rapid-Fire Archer clearly required a bow and arrows.

But Hajun still hadn’t gotten any archer-related weapons.

That said, choosing Smash felt like a waste, since it would take a long time to reach the next level where he could choose another trait.

“Don’t rush it. You don’t need a combat trait right this second.”

“R-Really?”

It was Roy who helped Hajun out of his dilemma.

Thanks to Roy’s words, Hajun looked visibly more at ease and closed the ability window.

“I’ll go ahead and fire the flare signal.”

“Okay.”

Choi Jungwoo shot the signal flare into the sky.

A trail of light shot upward and exploded in the air with a small burst.

“Roy, Hajun, go ahead without me…”

Chan Kim gave them a wistful look.

Many of the members in his team still hadn’t reached level 10 yet—including himself.

“You’ve got this, hyung!”

Hajun clenched both fists and sent an enthusiastic cheer his way.

Without saying a word, Roy gave Chan a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

***

“This way, please.”

The return trip after completing the mission was smooth.

The production crew had brightly lit the surroundings and activated disruption-type artifacts to keep monsters away.

By the time they reached the safe zone, Roy and his teammates all slumped down to the ground.

“Some teams are still out on the mission, so the assembly in the gym won’t happen for at least another two hours. If you’re injured, head to the medical booth. If you’re hungry, there’s a food truck over there where you can grab a bite.”

“Okay…”

The team barely managed to respond to the staff’s kind instructions.

Once the staff left, everyone collapsed flat on the ground without even trying to hold back.

Lee Chulhun and Kangchul stayed close by instead of heading elsewhere.

Lee grit his teeth and rubbed his bare scalp with a palm, clearly frustrated.

Roy’s team wasn’t the only one in that state.

Other participants who had completed the mission earlier were sprawled all over the open field.

“Thank goodness no one’s seriously injured…”

Hajun glanced around at his teammates one by one.

When he looked at Chulhun, he subtly shifted his gaze so it didn’t land on the shiny surface of his head.

“Looks like we finished the mission right in the middle of the pack.”

Siwoo, lying down and catching his breath, sat up and scanned the surroundings.

Roy absentmindedly stared up at the night sky scattered with stars while clutching his growling stomach.

“Anyone hungry? I’m thinking of grabbing something from the food truck.”

“You think I can even swallow anything right now?”

“Hyung, come with me.”

Ignoring Chulhun’s grumbling, Roy got up and brought Hajun with him.

The two walked side by side toward the food truck area.

It was already packed with people.

Like Roy and Hajun, some who had recovered a bit of energy had gone to grab snacks.

“This is the trendy tteokbokki everyone’s talking about.”

“Tteokbokki? That spicy stuff?”

“This brand is known for spicy tteokbokki, but the cheese-bomb black bean version is even more famous. Roy, you should get the black bean tteokbokki.”

Roy’s eyes wavered as he recalled the traumatic experience of eating spicy tteokbokki before.

Sensing this, Hajun kindly suggested another menu.

“This feels like product placement. We have to make it look super tasty.”

Hajun glanced around, then whispered softly in Roy’s ear.

Roy gave a small nod.

Hwang Guman had specifically instructed them to always exaggerate when promoting sponsored products.

“Welcome! What would you like to order?”

“Could we get menu items 1 and 2, three servings each? And also two sets of assorted fried snacks and two rice balls, please?”

“Sure thing. It’ll be ready in a moment!”

It was Roy and Hajun’s turn.

They ordered generously, and before long, the food came out, neatly packaged and looking delicious.

“Let’s grab utensils and drinks too.”

Next to the food truck were disposable utensils and various kinds of bottled drinks.

Roy carried the heavy food while Hajun picked up the rest, and the two headed back to where their team was waiting.

“Huh? Where did Chulhun and Kangchul?”

The two had been there before Roy and Hajun left, but now they were gone.

“They went to the medical booth,” Jungwoo replied, eyes glued to the food in Roy’s hands.

He subtly pointed to his head with his finger.

Realizing why they might’ve gone, Hajun gave up on looking for them and sat down.

“I really wanted tteokbokki…”

Siwoo’s eyes sparkled.

Just moments ago, he looked like a dried-up squid, but now that seemed like a total lie.

“Everyone, clean your hands with these.”

Roy handed each teammate a wet wipe.

Even though they were sitting on the dirt and laying the food out there, no one had the energy to get up and look for a table or chairs.

Leveling up restored vitality and healed wounds, but it didn’t do anything for hunger.

***

After nearly ten straight hours of physical exertion, everyone was starving like they’d been dancing nonstop.

Even Hajun, who was usually obsessed with strict meal plans, watched Roy unpack the food with hungry, pleading eyes.

“I’m not even thinking about dieting today. I’m just gonna eat.”

“Chew slowly, or you’ll get indigestion.”

Roy poured drinks into paper cups and handed them out to the team.

From inside Roy’s shirt, a small figure crawled out and stretched.

“Pii!” (Contractor, what is this? I’ve never seen this kind of food before.)

“Looks like Ber wants to try some. Wait, can spirits eat human food?”

“Yeah, apparently they can.”

“You can communicate with Ber too?”

Hajun asked with curiosity as he took a bite of tteokbokki smothered in cheese.

When Roy confirmed, Hajun nodded in understanding.

Spirit summoners were extremely rare, and not much was known about spirits in general.

‘Ber, you don’t need food to survive though.’

“Pii?” (That’s so cold! I’ve descended into another world—I have to try the local cuisine!)

Spirits didn’t need to eat like humans.

In fact, low to high-level spirits couldn’t even consume food.

Only spirit kings had the special privilege of eating human food.

“Then want to try this one?”

Without changing expression, Roy pointed to the spicy tteokbokki with his fingertip.

Ber waddled over to the food and tilted his head, sniffing.

“Pii.” (It smells so weird. Pick one up for me, would you?)

Ber pointed at a piece of tteokbokki with one wing.

Roy picked up one rice cake drenched in sauce using his chopsticks.

“Here you go—say ah~.”