Hunter Department [2]

Oh Joon-hyuk, his eyes filled with envy, swarmed me with questions. I answered sincerely at first, but quickly grew tired of it.

Just then, the professor walked in, and the lecture began.

"Today, we'll be discussing B-rank dungeons."

I stared at the professor with a bored expression. The middle-aged professor continued his lecture calmly.

I looked around. Less than half of the students were paying attention. Most were distracted by their smartphones. After all, hunters could drop out of college and still live comfortably.

Without the university's support policies, the Hunter Department would have been empty.

I rolled my eyes and glanced at a girl sitting a little distance away. She was watching the lecture with an arrogant gaze, arms crossed.

Her silky black hair cascaded down her back, framing her pale skin, which seemed almost translucent in the dimly lit classroom. Her slightly upturned eyes, a subtle yet striking feature, added to her enigmatic presence. The way she held herself, exuding confidence and a hint of superiority, made it impossible to ignore her.

Han Ha-rin.

She was the prettiest girl in our department. No, she was the most beautiful girl in the entire university. She was also my first love. Though it was unrequited.

She was a senior in the class of '17, one year ahead of me. Currently, she is a D-rank hunter with the ability to gravity manipulation. She was also known as the younger sister of Han Ah-young, an A-rank hunter.

'She wears clothes that don't reveal much, but with my trained eye, I can tell... She is at least an E-cup.'

Her pure face contrasted with her voluptuous body, which was exactly my type. Honestly, the first time I saw her, it felt like I'd been struck by lightning.

At the time, I approached her as if possessed, but her response was colder than a winter's wind. I later learned one of her nicknames was the Ice Queen.

My first love ended that day. What replaced it was an ugly lust.

'I want to fuck her senseless.'

I wanted to twist that proud face with pleasure. In my fantasies, she was already my personal sex slave.

But reality was bleak. I was an aspiring hunter who had not yet awakened, while she was a talented D-rank hunter at a young age.

'Wait! I've awakened my ability too.'

My ability was peculiar, but it was incredible. Depending on how I used it, it opened up limitless possibilities.

A flame of determination ignited within me. I had given up on her because we were worlds apart. I had turned away, thinking that the grape was sour.

But what if there was a chance?

'If I become strong enough to stand on equal footing with Han Ha-rin, I will make her mine.'

I believed her arrogance stemmed from her power. If I could match her strength, she wouldn't be able to ignore me.

Just then, Ha-rin turned her head toward me. Our eyes met.

She immediately frowned and glared at me. Startled, I quickly looked straight ahead and pretended not to notice.

Just meeting her eyes made my heart race, whether in a good or bad way.

'Damn it! I'm going to fuck her.'

***

After the lecture, I brushed past Ha-rin and used my new skill: Erogenous Zone Detection. I couldn't resist my curiosity about her sensitive spots.

[Han Ha-rin's Erogenous Zones: Left Nipple, Tongue, Armpits]

"…Hah!"

There are three sensitive spots. Whether she was a virgin, I didn't know, but she certainly had the potential to be quite a vixen.

"But what good does knowing her erogenous zones do? I can't even touch her."

I suddenly felt depressed.

Rape? This was reality. And Ha-rin was a D-rank hunter. Physically and ability-wise, she was far superior to me.

If I fought Ha-rin, I'd lose within ten seconds.

"Should I hack her smartphone?"

With the thought of finding out if she had a boyfriend, I hacked her smartphone at an opportune moment.

[Hacking successful]

[You have 10 minutes to access Han Ha-rin's smartphone]

I examined her personal information thoroughly.

Ten minutes was more than enough for that.

"…Huh?"

But there was nothing special on her phone. The first thing I checked were her contacts. She had very few friends, let alone a boyfriend.

"Well, she only hangs out with 2-3 girls in our department because of her nasty personality."

I was relieved. Except for those girls' contacts, there was no one who seemed like a boyfriend. The same was true for her Messenger app.

"Her photos were also just family and friends."

I grew more anxious. It would be nice to find some clue to approach her, but there was nothing.

"In times like this, the internet is history. Search history reveals a lot."

I checked her repeated search history. There were searches for restaurants and hunter gear, but I focused on other keywords.

-Han Ah-young

-A-rank hunter

-Ability enhancement

-Gravity manipulation techniques

-Mana awakening methods

-How to become stronger quickly

"Is this inferiority complex?"

It seemed Han Ha-rin felt inferior to her older sister, Han Ah-young. Then again, until recently, I was also searching for "How to awaken hunter abilities" multiple times a day.

"I don't know how to use this information yet, but… it's valuable."

I quietly repeated the information to myself so I wouldn't forget it.

***

Combat Training Room.

Oh Joon-hyuk and I faced each other with swords.

Around us, other students and the professor were present, but no one paid attention to us. The training room was vast, and we were just using a small part of it.

"Huh?"

Oh Joon-hyuk tilted his head.

"What?"

"Just, you had a hard time even holding a sword before. Have you gotten stronger?"

"I've gained some muscle."

"You bastard. You always seemed to be goofing off, but you've been training secretly. Are you going to start using mana too?"

"No way."

Mana.

It's a different kind of power from abilities. Also known as Qi in other places.

While abilities are innate, mana is acquired, through talent and training, one can awaken mana and use superhuman strength.

Most C-rank and higher hunters could use mana alongside their abilities. They said that once an ability reaches a certain level, understanding mana comes naturally. I always thought that was bullshit.

In other words, to become a C-rank hunter, you need to be able to use mana.

With a few exceptions, the condition for becoming a C-rank hunter is mana awakening.

"Let's start."

Oh Joon-hyuk swung his sword and approached me. Previously, I struggled to even see his sword, but now I could not only see it but also raise my sword to defend against it.

This must be the effect of my increased agility stat.

Clang!

"Oh?"

"I'm not the same as before."

I spoke confidently, but the situation gradually turned against me. Despite being F-rank, Oh Joon-hyuk was a close-combat hunter. His ability allowed him to harden parts of his body into steel. As a result, he consistently trained his body.

My slightly increased stats didn't suddenly make me capable of handling an experienced hunter like Oh Joon-hyuk.

I focused entirely on defense, blocking his sword. That was all I could manage.

"Phew~ Damn!... I lost!"

I said, and Oh Joon-hyuk grinned. He wasn't tired at all. I realized the physical prowess of hunters.

"Hey. You lasted three minutes this time. You couldn't even last one minute before. You're improving. If you awaken your ability, you'll easily beat someone like me."

I had already awakened my ability but chose not to mention it. Despite the awakening, my physical abilities hadn't improved drastically. That was a bit disappointing.

"No way."

I sighed and walked over to the bench. From a distance, Han Ha-rin was training with the professor. She probably wouldn't be in the training room if it weren't for the professor.

Ha-rin threw a black sphere at the professor.

"Gravity Orb! Good! But, Ha-rin, it's too slow. It's easy to dodge."

"..."

The professor was not just any professor. He faced Ha-rin with ease and provided timely instruction. Ha-rin's arrogance extended to the professor, but he didn't seem to mind her attitude.

"Han Ah-rin has Han Ah-young backing her. Even the professor can't say much."

There are fewer than ten thousand A-rank hunters in South Korea. Among them, Han Ah-young is at the top, belonging to one of the top ten guilds in the country. Her recognition is on par with that of celebrities. With just one word from Han Ah-young, a professor could be blacklisted in the hunter community. She's not a next-generation S-rank candidate for nothing.

"Hey, are you staring at Han Ah-rin again? Didn't you say you gave up?" Joon-hyuk said, handing me a bottle of water. I chugged it and replied.

"I've been thinking it's a bit too early to give up."

"Too early, my ass. She's in a different world from us. It's not just a tree you can't climb; she's from a whole other dimension."

"Then I'll just go to that dimension."

"You're insane."

Joon-hyuk laughed and continued, "How about some chicken and beer tonight?"

"…No. I'm going to be busy for a while."

My eyes didn't leave Han Ah-rin.

***

Back home, I immediately opened my smartphone and launched the [Play Life] app.

'If I gain superpowers in the play world, can I use them in real life?'

That question still lingered.

But one thing was clear:.

'I managed to get Rea Kotomori's panties. That means I can bring other items from the play world too.'

What if I could use those incredible weapons from fantasy worlds in reality?

'Even if it's just the items, I could become powerful quickly.'

For the first time, I wasn't driven by lust but by the desire to become stronger as I browsed the play world options.

The first world that caught my eye was 'Absolute Throne.' This novel has been adapted into both a drama and a game, featuring magic and powerful artifacts. But it also had monsters, making it a perilous world.

'I'm not sure I could survive with my ability.'

The second option was 'Star Wars.' It's a sci-fi movie set in space where humans and aliens engage in fierce battles. It was quite an entertaining film.

'I could use my hacking skills to their fullest, but it's too dangerous.'

In 'Star Wars,' human lives are depicted as insignificant as ants. It's even more dangerous than 'Absolute Throne.'

And I didn't just want a powerful weapon; I wanted something that would give me permanent abilities.

'Vampire Detective… This seems like a good choice.'

The Korean drama 'Vampire Detective' is about a detective who becomes a vampire. Towards the end of the series, there's an item called the 'Orb of Life.' If a vampire consumes it, they become human; if a human consumes it, they stop aging and gain superhuman abilities.

'Set in modern Seoul, I can use my hacking skills. The vampires in the drama aren't that supernatural either.'

I knew the plot of 'Vampire Detective,' which had ended relatively recently. Knowing the future in the play world is a huge advantage. Moving carefully, I could easily obtain the Orb of Life.

'My goal is to get the Orb of Life and return to reality immediately. Hooking up with the actresses from the drama is just a bonus.'

That was genuinely a bonus.

[You have chosen vampire detective]

[An avatar is being created]

[No customizable avatar settings are available]

[Kang Eugene]

-22-year-old genius hacker.

-Known as 'Taker' in the underworld.

There was only one setting.

'…This is the only option?'

It wasn't a bad setup. It was quite fitting to blend into the original story.

'Hooking up with girls is just a bonus.'

I made a vow to myself, but honestly, I wasn't very confident.

[Starting Play]

***

"..."

I woke up on a chair in a dimly lit room. There were three glowing monitors in front of me and a large computer tower humming beside them.

I looked around the room. There were beer cans and instant noodle cups scattered everywhere, and a messy bed behind me.

'This is a shut-in's room.'

First, I hacked the computer in front of me.

I needed to learn more about my avatar, Kang Eugene, and the computer was a treasure trove of personal information.

[Hacking successful]

[You can access Kang Eugene's computer for 3 minutes]

"…Oh?"

As I browsed through the high-security files, I found something interesting.

A client list.

One familiar name caught my eye.

Moon Ji-hyuk.

The protagonist of the drama 'Vampire Detective.'