I AM NEUTRAL
"Yoon Seojun! Get your lazy ass up!" Kim Junghoon was tugging at my shirt again.
"Just let him be, you don't have to go that far".
"He'll miss out on all the... ".
I smacked his grip off and helped myself up from the bench I was lying on. "what?"
"Did you hear?! It's that hunter again, he eliminated the predator who ranked 7. Witnesses say it was bloody but they still didn't get a good look at his face. I guess he keeps his identity secret because otherwise he'd be getting in trouble with the higher ranked predators. Anyways, I'm not sure he took rank 7 alive".
"The hunter huhn? " that guy turned out to be a load of bullshit. You'd be surprised, in a school were a system was initiated to curb bullying one would expect for things to die down and for bullies to blah blah blah. Who the fuck are we kidding? All this nonsense turned every student to a freaking Mad Max character.
More nitwits were inspired to become bullies, I guess they enjoyed the power that came with being a predator. The blood rush as they see their names posted as the week's target and the frenzy everyone else made as they tried to keep their guards up. Then there were those pathetic victims often called preys who occasionally cast votes to determine each new target and make donations to increase the bounty. There were also people like me, whose status was neutral. People like me don't get to give two fucks because no one's picking on us, we just try our best to survive the year in the shadows. And lastly, there were those mindless freaks playing hero....THE HUNTERS. Of course anyone can play hunter but only those who has successfully completed a hunt and claimed a bounty had the true status of a hunter. And there's this particular one that pisses me off lately.
"Seojun.... Junaaa.... Did you space out again?" Kim Mi-rae was looking more concerned about me than she should be. I mean I'm not the one who has my life hanging by a thread.
"Ah.... Yes... Just for a bit".
Kim Junghoon a neutral and Kim Mi-rae a prey, I wouldn't exactly call them friends because I don't have any intention of keeping any but they were always around me for some reason. They weren't my friends, they were just always....there.
...
In spring, the 24th of April 2024 at 8:47pm in the school's science lab, I held Kim Mi-rae's lifeless body in my right hand and a bloody knife in my left. That was my third year of Senior High.
...
I've seen him thrice, he wore a black nose mask with a black face cap, a hoodie and some regular sneakers. He didn't speak much but when he did his voice was exceptionally deep for a high schooler.
The first time, I witnessed him claim a bounty, a bounty that over 50 people struggled and 9 people were severely injured for. He just walked in and claimed it like he didn't give a shit in the world. The hunter has good martial arts skills I'll give him that but there was something about him that irritated me. I'm not the kind to loose my cool but when I see him my brain cells seem to stop working, my feet goes numb and my hands dead cold. Was I afraid of him? Me? Never! It couldn't be.
The second time was at night, I saw him running through an alley about 7 minutes before Do-yun a runaway target's bounty was claimed. No much surprise there. Then he came back up the alley and we made eye contact for about 10 seconds before he went his way. The smell of blood was strong and his aura was intimidating. I am neutral so I shouldn't fear a hunter...right?
The third time I had chased after him. I knew he was on a hunt and would not take it lightly with anyone who dared interrupt but I had to be sure for myself that I wasn't afraid of him. He was good at parkour so I had trouble keeping up. At the end of the day I caught up with him even though I was late to the show.
The bastard had already caught the target. The target was Choi Jeong-dae a rank 35 predator. I wondered why he'd waste his time and energy on such a useless bounty anyway
"Give me your hands while I'm still asking nicely" the deep voice snarled as the Hunter knelt down to catch a better gaze of his target. It sent chills sliding down my back.
Jeong-dae was cowering on his knees, he had obviously undergone a major remodelling and as a result his right eye was completely shut.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry please spare me. I'll leave, I'll leave the school! Please spare me!"
"....."
And with another left hand to Jeong-dae's jaw he was down and unconscious. The hunter didn't even bother that I was there to watch all of that, he took out the pocket knife and slashed of Jeong-dae's right index finger. He then dragged his unconscious body under some pile of rubbish and walked away. Well...of course I followed
"You! Hey you! Are you crazy?" He ignored me and kept walking away so I just kept going "I'm talking to you you moron. His body could be discovered anytime soon so at least hide it properly idiot!"
He stopped and trurned to face me, he walked up to me so close that I could feel his breath. I could only determine that this guy was at least 6 ft 1, he definitely was an athlete, he definitely was in his third Senior Year as well. He definitely was my classmate but not knowing who exactly was behind that mask made me feel uneasy and vulnerable for some reason. Someone like him compared to a 5'7 like me? Who am I kidding if he wanted to pick a fight I'd be dead on the spot.
"What are you ?" the voice growled again.
"I'm... I'm...I am neutral".
"Good" and just like that he was off.
But I guess four is quite the unlucky number.
This time I followed him to the school science lab. Everyone was either studying or playing so the halls were quite empty. I just wanted to know... who in the freaking hell he was. But it was another ball game when I got into the science lab. The son of a b*tch had murdered Mi-rae, stuck a knife in her guts and ruthlessly pulled it out. My whole body was numb so I fell to my knees. Then that bastard casually dragged her, placed her in my arms and handed me the knife and just like the other time....he was off.
Some students heard the noises and came running into the science lab and then one scream begat another.... The students just kept pouring in. I couldn't even move. What in the freaking hell just happened? Kim Junghoon ran in too, his face was unfazed I couldn't tell what he was thinking. I couldn't tell what I was thinking. Was I even thinking?what in the world was going on.
STATUS UPDATED
NAME: Yoon Seojun
AGE:18 years old
CLASS: Grade 12 class B
STATUS: Predator
PREDATOR RANK: 82
PREY COUNT:1
BOUNTY: ₩10,000
In spring, the 24th of April 2024 at 8:47pm in the school's science lab, I held Kim Mi-rae's lifeless body in my right hand and a bloody knife in my left. I BECAME A PREDATOR.