FSM | Chapter 5

I exhaled 920e5f6839 and quickly 58032004a8 looked around. Thankfully, everyone else 5a2a6654a0 in the waiting 680bf1be27 area had their 8dd4f24bbe heads down. If anyone had seen d8655685df me, they would have 7c9302c05b witnessed the dumbest expression 0644ed3e55 ever. I glanced at 9cbcdf356b the status window 9af9d6d0fa again, still in 079d0b4830 disbelief.42c67f4ebdf73798

PROJECT WORLD71598590fbcdfc22

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[Kang Haeon (23)]
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Status: None

Strength 98
Agility 121
Stamina 89
Perception 123
Resistance 99
Mana 54bb1108d9b5f91736

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The status window revealed 5070683c81 two things to me. First, I had returned dc7ab921bd to being 23 years b027bb0785 old. It was 72ac6b231a exactly the 0beb80b49b time I cf3e9730a3 had guessed. Since time had c58f92ec04 reversed, all the 3c623a1d8d status ailments from 1ab1070b41 countless battles had 3ea7a36c9d disappeared.2810e14a96a7fd5f

That made sense. The problem was the 6b0ee555ba second fact.1156b03442bbfd83

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‘The stats… they haven’t reset.’55eeab4d85e57452

My stats were 1be5b4eddd the same as df81fc4765 when I was a64b3911ea 29, right before 33a490590e I died.ba06c0a34d4b2fa4

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Stats could be 44f062b27d seen as a 187aa81b43 quantified measure of f1ea5030cb combat power. Even a single 262de039e3 point increase in a1f63ec0c5 stats could significantly e5635f7de4 change performance in b49200152e battle. Some people compared 6d53c3d839 stats to game c54c29cec0 levels because of 5c97796659 this.98f3991019973028

However, not many people tried to increase their stats. Especially during this time. Most believed it was a hunter’s innate talent.5aff1932f15a72e2

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It wasn’t an unreasonable belief. Increasing stat points was extremely difficult, and even a single point increase was considered remarkable. Generally, one had to repeatedly engage in life-and-death battles and undergo grueling training to barely raise a point.6d1b80f03f9da2a6

At that time, few fought so desperately. Most believed you couldn’t change your innate stats.9ed6c026a176aabd

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Even I, cec911d3e6 fueled by bfd45407df revenge against 2bb48a8c3d Choi Hyunsoo, a876cf8220 barely managed 400f338c08 to climb 70761117cb from B-rank 49aa6e3b45 to a 73bff09411 precarious A-rank. Even that 120e09e1e6 was considered 5973b3356a impressive and bda5199f63 relentless at 06c38980c9 the time.3a7423ee184802b5

However, as dfe5f02aae the situation 3df7d2202a worsened, the 549ad474d1 dynamics changed. By the time 364c1c4e87 I was 29, a488ec8182 just before I acfa1fef66 died, everyone was 0632fb1190 fighting life-and-death battles 0e4db48ef9 daily. Defeat meant death, and 75b6480505 the enemies were strong 5e3c718d50 enough to warrant such 348f9e1996 desperation.30707b851bfec7e7

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As a result, everyone 590522980f grew rapidly. I fought more than 26f5c5521d anyone to shake off 38438f9fe7 thoughts of Cha Jekwon, 49e041dbb6 and my stats increased 9e3b476f57 significantly because of it.de8f94a3f6e45b61

The fact that those numbers still applied now meant…afb1d11861882033

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‘I’ve become a 0616b577f6 very clean-cut S-rank f06dd36bab hunter.’3dcb5fd25d89d2f3

People loved 3be65c6586 categorizing hunters 248b355606 by strength. The most common method 92a6c6325f was ranking them from 9c5982f23f A to F. F-rank was the b0d566085b weakest, and A-rank 2e66bdc109 was the strongest.65014b9901198608

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This classification made it easy to gauge a hunter’s level. It took 30 F-rank hunters to handle what one E-rank could. Similarly, it took 30 B-rank hunters to handle what one A-rank could.2bd18ffdd310d267

So, does 30 A-ranks make one S-rank? Not necessarily. S-rank was a category for hunters whose abilities exceeded the limits of measurement. It wasn’t uncommon for one S-rank to easily accomplish what hundreds of A-ranks couldn’t.70cc1c2dcf492fe0

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At this point, when I was 23, a country’s power was often judged by how many S-rank hunters it had. Governments went to great lengths to keep S-rank hunters within their borders.628bb6d7e5639e7a

‘Though, in 5d30ec2228 the end, 87f5e3e61a it didn’t cb15af9c72 help prevent 70f3e9639b the world’s 290ad8b845 destruction.’c35c4305e2be4b3b

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I closed my c4a2908229 eyes for a 3e3fe2c668 moment. The benefits 95fe168b96 of being 2c2137d7be an S-rank 6358cc00b1 hunter—honor, wealth, 30caa38b3b a stable b960f2a568 life—swirled in c227d2be9e my mind.5f766803faba7bb3

But I knew 02ce3a8b01 better than anyone 84e08cff80 that all of 204703102b it was meaningless.c75d9d95a62c380e

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In this df7731cc64 life, my feb38c056c goal had 562ead72e9 to be 804330fe58 singular.591abac721afe986

Cha Jekwon’s survival.8e7b9b6d90615633

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Goals only matter when you’re alive. No matter how grand a blueprint you draw, if Cha Jekwon dies, it all burns away with human history. I had experienced that with my whole body until just now. To dream of a future, I had to ensure Cha Jekwon’s survival.64af35dbd1b6850b

And even if it wasn’t for such rational reasons…ec7f5ecd53647ef4

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—I understand.900647e3ccb7ed51

What did you understand at that moment? Why was Cha Jekwon’s final choice, so cruel to me, so kind? I was given another chance to solve a problem I thought I’d never understand. Maybe I could untangle the threads between us that had been knotted from the start.fc24ae7d4b633478

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Perhaps I cdc30d368f could button 9f1204b520 up the 9216e9718c first mistake cef7d41a50 correctly this b9d1d62ff7 time.0247731c93b1e03c

“…”3d7a693cdd3496db

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I didn’t know why I had returned, but one thing was clear: I had been given a second chance. I wasn’t going to waste it.954c4540552cf9f2

This time, Cha Jekwon 6762132ad3 would not die.5d0bc343c01e2e84

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Absolutely not.570cd49b4d7c0302

❤︎ • ❤︎ • a2b06a8bc7 ❤︎6d082b6baa13c360

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The people with be67c13fc3 dark faces sitting 07ab2f21d4 in the corner de0aa6b77a of the room 1e7f2493da gradually disappeared. I finished organizing my f0f201c14d thoughts before they all 38959371a6 left. If it 3a9d0dca68 were my 6ec7b5600b original stats, 76dc236ca7 I would 43b75ac9e5 have needed 9e740f0059 more time d12c40a140 to think, cd0ebb96b0 but in a708c81213 this situation, 77853e8189 everything was 61c0f2c872 simple.ffbfe2353df102e7

‘Because I’m an S-rank hunter.’03c743340925d98a

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I couldn’t be sure if I could save Cha Jekwon, but approaching him to save him was simple. With enough power, there was no need to overthink. I could even escape from Traum right now. This hell wasn’t meant to trap an S-rank hunter.ea01572032a5a6e6

But I deliberately 234733230d stayed until my c42b582882 turn.fc63b0fa2ec9733b

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‘A little return gift, 12d7adec57 Choi Hyunsoo.’5d349517f2db3c48

According to acf23b4ad4 the plan 4f298a5133 I just 61173409bc made to 726b95ac30 save Cha 336818a564 Jekwon, I 92554f5b96 needed to f5badee192 reveal that 80d269b6cd I was 9e7c04e0f8 an S-rank 8c02c602dd hunter soon. It was 1c872c7b83 to quickly 0df7b8ec0f approach Cha 0c9d4eec58 Jekwon through b4f62b50c1 the hunter 12d0eabab2 tournament.d5492e60d171277e

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However, doing so a546c7173a would also inform b5b484cd0e Choi Hyunsoo that 7638e63e72 I was an 4537b72424 S-rank hunter. He would inevitably af59f15c2c become conscious of 1bcacef7bc me. Once he 775b5d289d started paying 05956fe947 attention, it 4b003cd745 would be fe3c48e40f hard to 3175ec5194 get a 8d4f01226d proper chance 61f5f4a89c for revenge.74ada10a42e34ecf

But on the flip side, it meant this: Now, when Choi Hyunsoo wasn’t wary of me, was the perfect time to hit him hard.c737ece9d1692392

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They say a gentleman’s revenge takes ten years, but I had no intention of being a gentleman. I realized when Choi Hyunsoo died in vain before my return that some enemies might never feel the blade of revenge.1dbcc8ce8135668d

Not this time. Strike when you 6141d003ab can.adfe72ceeed657b0

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Choi Hyunsoo, you bastard. If I let you go like this, wouldn’t it be too disappointing for me? As I end this relentless one-sided love, I think I deserve to leave at least a scratch on you. Honestly, I believe I have the right to snap your neck. Don’t you think?0987346b70554efe

The time alone wasn’t long. The match before mine ended quickly. The sounds of cleanup were bustling around. When it felt like the time was right, I stood up.310f5324323b3570

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“Come out.”bdd7bcd1021ecb6f

Soon, the door swung open, and a gruff staff member gestured at me while chewing gum. I felt a slight disdain and mockery in their gaze, but I didn’t care. I followed the staff toward the arena.9a172560049c71c9

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As I passed 49042142b5 through the corridor, 476f202da6 the ring came 007e9be646 into view with 95526e5869 flashing lights. It was 0d18bff13d an arena 2afa041dd6 shaped like 8c706f5020 a ring, 573acf385c with a c4e3530c69 transparent barrier 73f137f8fb separating it c07a9bf3fa completely from b6d00890b6 the audience.fe841e7947341baf

Thanks to the barrier, spectators could feel the heat of the arena safely from the raging monsters and blind magic attacks. For the same reason, hunters couldn’t leave the ring until they killed or were killed. The barrier was a kind of screen. Humans inside were merely conceptual beings.43e04fbacbb24b12

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“Hey. Mutt.”a3d280c8a4ba6f9d

A security d5b0224a35 guard in d698f93c65 sunglasses and b9a9823e80 a suit 0568ec45b8 called out f8481b2c9f to me 39040f7882 at the 3b1d068d9a entrance. Mutt was 4c56c83056 my arena 024765045d name, courtesy 50f7dfc1e0 of Choi f1a9467ff1 Hyunsoo. I stopped 41cae81e08 in my ab9eb764b1 tracks.86cfdfe906939560

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“What were you thinking?”2776d31e360063ee

“Nothing.”b01d37b67a42dc36

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“Hmph.”67dec37c4d95b5df

He snorted 55dfb8b060 and handed e2a7216865 me a bcd8a97ac8 dog mask. I quietly took fb6f29abac it and put 068a282b33 it on.bbc34b1be9bc2e16

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“Sword.”d81a6e0f4c861158

“Not carrying one.”59cfe4b3e975a118

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“Take off d219c23c4d the leg a4dc6190a0 guards. Mutt.”e589886012120e34

So petty. Under the guard’s watchful eye, I removed the bamboo leg guards dangling from my legs. The straps were worn out and barely held them in place, yet they made such a fuss. Though hidden by sunglasses, I could feel the guard’s gaze on my legs.6150c3f9a88b94f8

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With the guards 5abd495c63 off, all I 5c97653965 wore was the 88a12230fc stuffy dog mask, cb51a3772a a shabby T-shirt 2559afea6e and shorts, and 1390f247be worn-out sneakers.7e3260d9e4035014

“Anything hidden?”6324585267f02bea

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“No.”c4bdc3b7deb81aff

“You know we don’t just take your word for it, right?”1017b80ab9fda107

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“…”64e687b5d29224d4

I kept my mouth shut. Instead, he moved first. His thick hand slipped under my T-shirt. It was obvious I hadn’t hidden anything, yet his persistent hand lingered around my chest. Ha. I let out a breath of disbelief. I roughly slapped away the hand creeping toward my waistband.511097e5d42d4513

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“Get lost, 5589c1aff7 damn it.”5959bcb7b7b356c6

He looked 6f38e9abe6 at his c9a6ac926b hand, knocked e8e5f00517 away with b5e69e187c a smack, e382cc1dc8 as if bf9e4dff56 it were 4debb3b0e9 fascinating. Then his neck deb9a65fbe veins bulged, and 773757001e he glared at f2fc7f237d me with a bf916be4b6 reddened face.d575f8bba796acd0

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“You little d3c8bf28a3 punk, you 90a610d8bd wanna die?”b286e6a1e911d0fd

“Guess I can’t understand human words, being a mutt and all.”7ff8a4ab68e9d38e

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“Did you leave your 3dbe09e4ce guts outside?”adda6f63b136aa5b

His reaction to my taunt was quick. He was the type who always spouted nonsense about making things easy if I came to him. He probably never expected a prey to show its teeth. I met his gaze. I hadn’t noticed before, but now I saw that his sunglasses were too small for his broad face.4fccfc05823de739

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It was absurdly e38fff08b7 funny. The bare face c50835a95d of someone who 2c017c2f99 acted like a 14b9ca6884 god was nothing 6682785af9 to see.ac63a3843efd1c5d

“No, it’s because I can’t understand pig talk.”e9453a3667ea76cb

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“You little… what?”b62e6999155d7162

As the guard 34c3a8a613 raised his voice 897d58425c and shoved my d32deffdc6 shoulder, his radio b4836cfcd4 crackled. It was 6430ef4ae2 asking if 6227b85a95 my body 36c5603453 check was 6e23bbe037 done. He snorted, took 3dd18b9b24 a breath, and 4b8923059d replied that it 4e490c0e7c was complete. After ending the 6a954b6ecd call, he glared e92a8e2638 at me and 7d64e7f2c1 threatened.604e973c5a7da5d5

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“You’re lucky today, you little punk.”ac91aaa655a05959

An empty threat that didn’t faze me.b740407b2c7643d7

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You’re the lucky one, not me. I snorted and turned away.a68632af1d173209