Chapter 8: System (5)

Jiho glared at the handkerchief before throwing it into the fire that Tae Woong had started in order to get rid of the evidence that he had thrown up blood.

Only after the handkerchief was completely burned did Jiho let out a sigh before sitting on the ground. 

His body was in a terrible state with this kind of skill.

Tae Woong probably noticed too. He didn’t say anything, but in the last fight, he was on high alert and fended off a monster before Jiho could.

“Hah…”

After overworking himself and throwing up blood, it felt like there was a heavy weight hanging off of his body.

Jiho lied down and closed his eyes.

He wanted to rest up for later, but he couldn’t fall asleep. Instead, complicated thoughts filled his head.

‘It should be crazy outside right now.’

A sunken dungeon that was at least an S-rank had appeared, and the hunters that were dragged in were two hunters weaker than that rank. Everyone is probably expecting them to come out dead. 

Although there are probably people who are hoping for a positive outcome…

The person they are hoping for is Seon Tae Woong, not Shin Jiho.

It’s obvious that no one believes Shin Jiho will be of any help in raiding the dungeon. In fact, even the people who are hoping for Jiho to come out alive–like his guildmembers, friends, or family–are probably all cheering Tae Woong on. 

There’s no reason to be disappointed; they’re right.

Although Tae Woong was able to go through the dungeon a bit easier thanks to Jiho, even if Tae Woong was by himself, he would have still made it here somehow.

It’s possible that even a C-rank support hunter would have been more helpful than a vague combat hunter like Jiho.

Jiho stared at his white hands. Since an awakened one’s strength doesn’t come from the muscles, even with the skill of body strengthening, one’s outer appearance doesn’t change much. 

His hand, which was pale and smooth because he had only studied in the past, felt weaker than usual today.

Of course, it actually is weak too.

Jiho smiled bitterly.

‘Should I slowly dissolve the guild or hand it over to someone else and step down as a hunter?’

Jiho could feel that he was at his limit. This event had pressed the switch on Shin Jiho’s desire to escape, dispelling all of the doubts he had felt before. 

No matter how much he tries, as a B-rank hunter, Shin Jiho will never be able to escape the rumors and move forward anyways.

Although he was acting stubborn before, the time might’ve come.

The time to stop going against his family stubbornly and overexerting his weak body to try to do something. 

‘Everyone will probably be happy.’

Everyone; his family and friends who worried about him, the many hunters who didn’t like him, and the people who claimed that Shin Jiho’s reputation was hurting Chungram.

It was time to stop this struggle that no one else but himself desperately wanted.

If he really wants to be a hunter, he can wait a few years for people to forget about him before starting over. 

Leave behind Shin Jiho, the name that is tainted by all sorts of scandals, and…

‘Useless. B-rank.’

Even though Seon Tae Woong’s taunts were annoying, his words weren’t wrong.

Yeah. Let’s just make this one the last.

Jiho slowly closed his eyes. Darkness enveloped him.

Tae Woong woke up after one hour.

Jiho, who hadn’t actually fallen asleep and was just closing his eyes, stumbled up. Tae Woong tsked when he saw Jiho’s tired face.

“I told you to sleep; what were you doing instead of sleeping? So dumb.”

“I did rest. I just couldn’t sleep since unlike Hunter Seon Tae Woong-nim, I’m not careless.”

“Bratty B-rank.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

After deciding to step down as a hunter, Jiho lost the motivation to respond to the words that he would have usually responded to.

Tae Woong looked at the calm Jiho in surprise, but he brushed it off as Jiho just being nervous. He began to warm up.

After finishing, Tae Woong looked at Jiho with a resolute face.

“B-rank, I’m not expecting much from you. Don’t overexert yourself. That being said, don’t relax either. Even if you’re only a B-rank, it’s better than nothing.”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember the signals I taught you earlier?”

Jiho thought back to the signals Tae Woong had taught him while they were passing through the tunnels.

“If you need to get ready to use a big skill, either shout ‘Skill!’ or raise your right arm and shake it. If your skill reaches its limit, raise a fist, right? And…”

Jiho listed off the signals that Apollon Guild used. Although they weren’t hard to memorize, Tae Woong looked shocked.

“You remember everything. Well, you are a Korean university student, after all. You would be better off studying than being a hunter. You didn’t quit school, right?”

“I am on break right now.”

“Good. When we go out, you should stop being a hunter and go study. You could study things related to hunters. A lot of F-ranks go on that path.”

“Haha…”

Jiho laughed emotionlessly. If they get out of here, doing as Tae Woong said was indeed the best.

Thinking that his words were being taken in through one ear and out the other as always, Tae Woong tsked.

“Anyways, we have to escape here to go to school so we should try our best.”

“Yes.”

“When you see my signal, create a distraction. Try to move according to the plan as best as possible and don’t step out of line. If you get hurt, it’s all over.”

“Okay.”

“That’s all you have to do.”

Shin Jiho nodded his head without much protest, even though the words clearly held little expectations for him. It was only right that the comparatively weaker Jiho followed Tae Woong.

If he could get stronger, it would be better.

Jiho closed his eyes before opening them again. If he’s going to quit anyways, he shouldn’t leave any regrets.

Coming out of here alive is his last deed as a hunter.