From Today, I'm a Player

The crumbling Jeong In-Chang suddenly raised his head after hearing what Lee Jun-Kyeong just said.

“That sort of thing even happened in a small guild like the Northern Army. The gates appeared suddenly, and Hunters with powers were born. People who used to be regular humans suddenly became ordinary humans with no power. That sort of thing…”

Lee Jun-Kyeong stared directly at Jeong In-Chang with an intense look.

“In the era we live in right now, it’s something that could happen to anyone. No, I would bet that it would happen anywhere,” he said, his volume rising a little.

“It’s something that is already happening. Didn’t a guild like the Northern Army work so hard to keep a secret like that as well?”

By killing those they had conflicts with, combined with the powers they had by being Hunters, they were able to commit the perfect crime, altogether avoiding suspicion.

They may have threatened or persuaded the victims’ families, or worse…

‘They could have just killed them as well. Even the victims’ families.’

It wasn’t just mere suspicion as Lee Jun-Kyeong knew the future. However, he didn’t try to explain it to Jeong In-Chang. If he pressed on further, Jeong In-Chang could truly end up completely broken.

"…”

Lee Jun-Kyeong suddenly asked, “Will you be turning away from it all, Mr. Jeong? Are you willing to let other people undergo everything you and the other surviving guild members had endured?”

He could see emotions beginning to bloom in the fading light of Jeong In-Chang’s eyes.

“I want to stop those types of things. I want to rectify the wrongs we have done. I don’t want to… I want to prevent the same thing you have seen, heard, and endured from ever happening again,” Jeong In-Chang replied resolutely.

Fury had been ignited in him. Then, Jeong In-Chang, his eyes full of anger goaded on by Lee Jun-Kyeong’s words, asked a question.

“Do you think you can stop such things, Mr. Lee? Is this not arrogance and pride? I know you have great power, but from what you’re saying, you already know about that man, don’t you? Compared to his power… we are like dust.” His indignant outburst was correct. Moreover, Jeong In-Chang seemed to think this all had happened because of that man.

‘It doesn’t matter what you think, though.’

There wasn’t much difference between that man and Choi Yeong Seong. It was more than likely that he had intervened to further hide the secret murders that had been committed by the Northern Army Guild so far, even if all of the evidence was destroyed using the power of the Hunters.

Considering the number of guild members they were trying to sacrifice, the number of things the Northern Army Guild had done couldn’t have been small. None of this could have been hidden away. There had to have been a facilitator who must have had incredible strength and ridiculous power.

‘That man.’

Jeong In-Chang interrupted Lee Jun-Kyeong’s thoughts.

“If you really think you could change it all, prove it. Prove that you have the power to do so, that you can change the world with that power. No, if you could just tell me anything convincing, I’ll believe you. Can you do that?”

His expression was as if he was asking Lee Jun-Kyeong to take responsibility for what he said. There was nothing wrong with what Jeong In-Chang had said, and at that time, the skull on his right wrist began to tremble ever so slightly.

Buzz.

[A Skull That Contains Souls has finished processing.]

[A Skull That Contains Souls will be activated soon.] 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐧𝗼𝘃𝐞𝐥．𝗰𝐨𝗺

He then heard a voice. Without any time to process the notification, Lee Jun-Kyeong decided to respond to Jeong In-Chang. He had already made up his mind.

“I…”

He had come to the conclusion that he needed to say something that would be able to persuade Jeong In-Chang.

“...have come from the future.”

Jeong In-Chang’s face spasmed.

‘That was worth the confession.’

He didn’t know what Jeong In-Chang would think, but Lee Jun-Kyeong was confident.

‘I have obtained two Heroes.’

[A Skull That Contains Souls has been activated.]

[A Skull That Contains Souls has been born as a true Familiar.]

***

Rather than deceiving Jeong In-Chang, Lee Jun-Kyeong told him the truth.

“Ha.” Jeong In-Chang sighed in disbelief.

“If that was a joke, then forget about it.”

In the end, he didn’t believe it. Instead of explaining that he really was from the future, Lee Jun-Kyeong gave him a different reason.

“Soon, something big is going to happen,” Lee Jun-Kyeong said.

Rather than giving him invisible hope, he offered visible despair.

“Many people will die, more will cry, and even more will change.”

“How…?” Jeong In-Chang asked with a gaze of disbelief.

“When that time comes, we will need your strength. You must have heard that the Association would summon us soon, right? Let’s meet again, then. Please consider what I’ve said?carefully.”

That conversation Lee Jun-Kyeong had with Jeong In-Chang was three days ago.

-The foul Northern Army Guild, could the damage they received at the Rhine River Gate be retribution?

-Hunter kills ordinary people.

-The Northern Army Guild and the many evils they committed.

-Hunters killing ordinary civilians; their deaths go unnoticed.

TV Channels had been playing news about the Northern Army Guild nonstop. The public opinion that had been incited by the Rhine River Gate couldn’t be suppressed, but rather, it had ballooned further.

-Kill them.

-Put them to death.

Any and everyone who exposed the Northern Army Guild was being targeted. But, he was sure that even if they had turned themselves in like Jeong In-Chang had said, they weren’t the only ones who had wanted to expose their sins.

“Did that person make a move?” Lee Jun-Kyeong said to himself while flipping through the news channels. The sins of the Northern Army Guild that were suddenly being revealed were so terrifying that it was a miracle that they had been able to hide them until this point. Also, the quantity and quality of the released information were high, as if…

‘As if they had prepared it in advance.’

It looked like that person had planned to discard them once they’ve outlived their usefulness. It was akin to cutting off a long dragging tail in order to make sure they destroyed its very ability to exist in the world.

‘To make sure no one is left that would trust them.’

That was his?way.

Lee Jun-Kyeong turned off the TV. Because of how the situation was unfolding, the Northern Army Guild members who had killed the victims’ families would end up paying the price for their sins.

‘If the Northern Army Guild hadn’t been annihilated now…’

They would have continued to murder under Choi Yeong-Seong’s command. They had started with oppression and coercion, leaving no way out for those who had already wet their hands with blood. If, by chance, they continued to survive and repeat their actions under Choi Yeong-Seong the Slayer Squad would end up being born.

That squad was essentially a group of psychopaths who would grow numb to the ability to feel guilt and would see ordinary people as bugs, no, even lesser than bugs. In the first place, it was his fault they had been marked as sacrifices for the gate. Without him, they wouldn’t have been abandoned, leading to the possible birth of the Slayer Squad.

‘Judging from the fact that they voluntarily surrendered, or from what Jeong In-Chang had told me…’

It looked like these people still could feel a smidge of guilt. It was enough to prick their consciences. In a way, it was as if Lee Jun-Kyeong had saved them from falling into further corruption. Still, it wasn’t enough to say that everything had ended well.

‘Was this a good result?’

They had been forced to commit those deeds under pressure from the higher-ups. Even if their sentences were likely to be commuted, considering the various reasons related to the special characteristics of being Hunters, it was still too hard for him to decide whether what he had done was right.

It was a complicated situation. Fortunately, Jeong In-Chang hadn’t been a part of any of it, even if it was doubtful that Choi Yeong-Seong and Choi Yong-Su had intended to try to keep him away from the dirty work deliberately.

‘It's not something that I would know.’

Even though everything was over, it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

In addition, his meeting with Yeo Seong-Gu showed that not everything had been adequately resolved.

Buzz.

If there was something that had definitely been dealt with, it was the vibrating skull on his wrist. The Skull that Contains Souls had finally been activated. When the Rhine River Gate raid had been completed successfully, the Skull that Contains Souls had benefited a lot.

‘It wasn’t enough that it absorbed Choi Yeong-Seong, but it also absorbed Choi Yong-Su too.’

Neither of the two were heroes. Even though neither of them had become a fully flourished Hero, the Skull that Contains Souls had absorbed both souls in place of the soul of a Hero. Perhaps their potential was enough for it.

‘This greedy little pig.’

It didn’t just eat their souls. Whether it was the water gem he had obtained by defeating the water golem in the fifth wave or even the Essence of Water from killing the river worm in the tenth and final wave, it suddenly announced that all the materials had been gathered and started activating without any approval on his end.

‘Forget about the water gem…’

The Essence of Water was a treasure among treasures; if he had sold it at a fair price, he would have earned an unimaginable amount of money.

He groused, “I could have gotten a good shield if I had gone to find Park Jae-Hyun.”

If he had used it as a material for equipment, he might have gotten a unique-graded armor or even better. However, the Skull that Contains Souls had eaten them up from his inventory without a single word of explanation and had activated.

‘As if anyone would say it wasn’t a Familiar given?by him…’ Lee Jun-Kyeong continued to grumble internally.

[<The Sky of the Apocalypse> raises a question.]

[<The Sky of the Apocalypse> smirks in your direction.]

[<The Sky of the Apocalypse> waves its hands toward you.]

All he heard was the reactions of the indecipherable <The Sky of the Apocalypse>. Regardless, the activation had ended, and the punk had finally gotten a name.

He said aloud, “Hyeon-Mu.”

Suddenly, the bracelet that was wrapped around Lee Jun-Kyeong’s wrist broke off, and the skull began to float in the air and rise. It had been the size of a fingernail but instantly swelled up into the size of a fist.

-Did you call me, Master?

It suddenly spoke, one of its eyes shining so blue that it pricked at his eyes.

***

After raiding the Rhine River Gate, Lee Jun-Kyeong didn’t go on any hunts or even leave his home. Due to his sudden popularity, his face had been plastered everywhere, and all the attention was on him.

‘It’s definitely going to be annoying if I try to go out right now.’

People would express their interest in him. It was a result he had intended, but it was still inconvenient. In the present age, not long after Hunters were born, the popularity of Hunters was similar to that of celebrities. No, they were even more popular than that.

The reasoning was easy to understand. They were something that could only be seen in novels or movies and only existed in imagination.

Heroes.

Those who carved their own flesh and bones to aid mankind. Of course, while the reality was different, they had that sort of appearance to people at first glance. It wasn’t an inaccurate representation of them, either.

After all, the Hunter Association worked hard to maintain that image of Hunters.

However, the sudden popularity wasn’t the only reason Lee Jun-Kyeong wasn’t attacking dungeons.

“Aah.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong sat cross-legged, groaning as if he was enduring pain, but there was seemingly nothing there that was causing it.

Sweat trickled down his forehead, dripping down his face, and dropping from his chin. He closed his eyes.

‘This isn’t enough.’

If anyone asked him who had grown and benefited the most from the Rhine River Gate, while he wouldn’t have answered, the answer was himself. He had leveled up and obtained the accompanying increase in stats, combined with a further increase due to his sponsorship.

It was an upgrade that other Hunters couldn’t have even fathomed. Furthermore, the Familiar [Hyeon-Mu] had been born, and Muspel’s Spear had leveled up in the river worm’s stomach alongside Reign of Fire.

More importantly, his mana had risen to the point he had desired. He nodded and opened his eyes to look at the blue window displaying his stats.

[Status Window]

[Lee Jun-Kyeong]

[Special Ability: Player]

[Sponsor: <Sky of the Apocalypse>]

[Level: 34, Strength: 81, Agility: 93, Stamina: 101, Mana: 120]

[Authorities: Reign of Fire Lv 4]

[Familiars: Hyeon-Mu, A Skull that Contains Souls (disabled)]

There were three things of note in the status window. His level and stats had grown due to the Battle of the Rhine. His level had reached a whopping 34, and his total stats were 395, approaching the 400 mark.

It was an encouraging level of growth. He had reached a point where both the Hunter Association and himself were sure that he had reached A-Rank.

Another surprising thing was other than the increase in stats and his Familiar’s activation, nothing else had changed.

He grumbled, “When in the hell are you going to sponsor me…”

It wasn’t as if he was begging for another Authority.

‘Please, can’t you just give me one skill?’

He would be even stronger if he had even one passive skill, like shield mastery or spear mastery. Since he had Muspel’s Spear, he didn’t need any weapons, so he begged his Sponsor to please give him a skill. However, his damned Sponsor didn’t do anything except raise his stats.

[<The Sky of the Apocalypse> frowns at your greedy complaints.]

It wasn’t wrong. Even though it didn’t provide proper support, Lee Jun-Kyeong’s growth rate was the best out of all Hunters.

‘It’s not enough with just this.’

While he had earned a rank worthy of a Hero, he still hadn’t become one yet. He would only become a Hero after receiving a title from a Sponsor, like Choi Yeong-Seong’s Gunther or Yeo Seong-Gu’s Heimdall. Of course, the two couldn’t be compared that easily, and Yeo Seong-Gu’s ‘Heimdall’ was something special, but it worked as an example.

A Hero would become stronger, as if they had raised dozens of levels, just by earning a title. Moreover, it wasn’t just that he wanted to get stronger, either.

‘After the cataclysm, the ratings would be adjusted anyway.’

The colossal event he had told Jeong In-Chang was about the cataclysm, where many things would change and be destroyed. While there was still some time left, it would arrive any time now.

‘I can’t stop it.’

No matter how hard Lee Jun-Kyeong tried, even if he had more power than the Demon King at this point, he wouldn’t be able to stop the cataclysm. When that time arrived, the ranks of Hunters would be readjusted.

‘Would A-Rank Hunters even be able to reach the C+-Rank?’

Unbelievable changes would happen. Before the cataclysm occurred, Lee Jun-Kyeong had to do his best to become strong.

What he had been trying to do with his eyes closed was something that he was able to attempt now that his mana had reached over 100. Stats would grow incomprehensibly every time a digit’s place increased. For example, it was like there was a wall that couldn't be overcome by force between a strength level of 99 and 100. His mana had reached over 100, so he was able to do things that he couldn’t have even attempted before.

[Mana was like the air around us.]

It was a verse he had seen in the book of the Demon King.

[I, and many other Heroes, had a thought. Couldn’t it be that we weren’t properly using the true power of mana?]

Talented, blessed geniuses, Heroes with incredible power that grew stronger and stronger, and the Demon King had figured it out together.

[We thought of a method. A method to try to draw out more of the power of mana.]

It was the first iteration.

[A way to make the mana gifted by the Sponsors entirely ours; we called it a Mana Stream.]

They had eventually succeeded and found a way.

If a Hunter had a mana value of 1, they were only able to use 0.3 of it. However, this was a method meant to use that mana to the fullest, and it currently didn’t exist at this time.

He complained, "It’s not working."

It might have been because it was all written by hand, but Lee Jun-Kyeong struggled to materialize it.

‘If you can’t even use a mana stream…’

The mana stream was the first developed method. Later, the Demon King took what he had made with the other Heroes and developed it into his own mana stream. It was a method of ultimate efficiency that no one else had ever achieved. However, it was too early for him even to attempt the first iteration.

He felt as though it was useless to devote more time to something that wasn’t working, and he came out after washing his sweaty body. Furthermore, there was another reason he had stopped attempting to create a stream.

"I’ve come to pick you up."

Kim Su-Yeong knew the password to his place, so the other man had just opened the door and came in.

"Let's go to the Association."

Today was the day they had to head to the Hunter Association for the investigation.

‘Will I finally meet him?’

It was the first day Lee Jun-Kyeong would be meeting that man.

1. Like how lizards will cut off their own tail to save themselves, giving them up to be eaten while they escape.

2. It says ????, which refers to the pain one gets in their eyes from something too bright. It's often described as an icy cold pain in the back of one’s head in Korean.

3. While it reads name(??) in Korean, and not title (??), it functions more like a title than a name.