Chapter 10
After finishing the call, the broker let out a sigh of relief.
Once he confirmed no one was around, his demeanor grew much more relaxed.
The broker hung up and looked me over again.
A gaze mixed with blatant greed.
“So, kid. You brought the mana stones?”
“Here. See it?”
I took the pouch containing the mana stones from my bag and shook it.
The broker reached out to take the pouch.
“Mister, do you think this is my first day in the business?”
I snatched the pouch back again.
“Bring a scale. And don't even think about cheating the weight.”
I took a seat on the far side of the sofa so he couldn't get too close.
A large table stood between him and me.
Minimum safe distance.
Basic stuff.
“Heh, heh, heh. You're quite the cheeky one.”
The broker snorted as if my bold attitude was absurd.
His gaze stayed fixed on me.
It was like the eyes of a stray dog staring at prey.
I could feel the tension inside the officetel growing heavier and heavier.
“What are you waiting for? Go on, check it. See if this really is 1.2 kilos.”
“Fine, fine. We'll do it your way.”
The broker sighed and brought out a scale.
Only then did I hand over the mana-stone pouch.
There was one of my fingers inside that mana-stone pouch.
I had prepared it before even coming here.
I started running a mental simulation for an ambush.
‘If anything feels even a little off, blow the pouch first....’
The pouch stuffed with mana stones would work like a fragmentation grenade.
Of course, I'd have to control the force so I didn't actually kill anyone.
I had already practiced this yesterday.
‘Anyone coming in through the door can be dealt with using Quicksand.’
It wasn't as though I wasn't worried.
Beating a bunch of trash thugs like this wasn't a big deal in itself.
But the cleanup after starting something was giving me a headache.
I wanted to hide the fact that I was a mage as much as possible.
Once a fight started, I'd have no choice but to reveal that I was a mage.
‘Ah, screw it. They're just thugs. What are they gonna do? It's not like they can call the police or anything....’
I forced down as much of my anxiety as I could.
Since my savings were already running dry, this was something I had to do sooner or later.
You can't live on mana stones alone.
Five years since the Tower appeared.
South Korea's social infrastructure had already been battered badly.
The most obvious example of that was public safety, especially where the police were concerned.
Police numbers were dwindling due to retirement and line-of-duty deaths.
The remaining cops no longer wanted to get involved in crimes tied to hunters.
The farther out you went, the worse it got; in some regions the police were practically backing powerful hunters instead.
But thugs this pathetic couldn't possibly have police connections.
If they went to the police for help, they'd just get brushed off.
In a situation like this, I could probably get away with making a scene to a certain extent.
‘Honestly, public safety before the Tower was just too good.’
Since this country had once maintained the best public safety in the world before the Tower, the current vacuum felt huge.
In fact, this was probably what most countries were really like.
I'd never traveled abroad, so I didn't actually know what public safety was like overseas.
But everyone in the gallery said the same thing, so it must be true.
“It's really 1 kilo of mana stones.... Where on earth did you get this?”
The broker's words cut off my long train of thought.
The broker was still looking at me with a suspicious eye.
Come on, you're going to stab me in the back and take it all anyway, so why are you still testing the waters?
“Didn't I tell you? I'm a hunter. I went straight into the Tower and mined it myself.”
“...How high did you go?”
“4th floor.”
“Mm-hm, mm-hm. So, the 4th floor, huh. You can mine 1 kilo of mana stones on the 4th floor.”
It was a face that didn't believe me at all.
Thinking about it, that was only natural.
I had mined twice as many mana stones as other people.
Normally, you couldn't mine more than 1 kg of mana stones on the 4th floor.
“I said I'm really a hunter!”
“Yeah? What's your class?”
“...Can't tell you. It's a special class.”
“Mm-hm, I see. A special class, huh.”
“I said it's true!”
Having nothing left to say, I let out a shriek.
The broker left the mana-stone pouch alone and sipped a cup of coffee.
This guy must have money. Most coffee-producing regions had been wrecked by portals that sprang up after the Tower appeared.
In a world like this, coffee counted as a luxury item. Cigarettes too.
Seeing him drink his coffee so leisurely, I swallowed hard.
It's been a long time since I last had any....
Did he notice that?
The broker snorted and asked me a question.
“Do you not have a mother, by any chance?”
“...?”
“And no father either?”
Was that a surprise family-insult attack?
It was all true, which made it even harder to take.
A new experience: getting utterly crushed in a real-life argument.
My head rang.
It hit even harder because I was confident in online flame wars.
‘Fine. I'll just blow off one of his arms right now.’
This wasn't a decision I was making out of anger. It was a thoroughly rational judgment.
Just as I had finished steeling myself,
the broker suddenly propped his chin on both hands and put on a serious expression.
“I have a daughter at home about your age.”
“....”
“Her mother died in that disaster five years ago, and I've been raising her on my own.
I started hunting to feed my daughter. But I quickly realized my limits. I started thinking I might die if I kept it up.
So I gave up hunting altogether and chose something a little safer.”
‘What is this sudden melodrama....’
Even with my dumbfounded expression, the broker started spilling an unasked-for story.
“Seeing you, I think my choice was right.”
“What do you mean?”
“I started thinking that if I'd died too, my daughter might have turned out like you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
What do you mean, 'like me'?
It left me feeling strangely irritated.
“And even if you try to hide it, it's no use.”
“What?”
“You, you're missing a hand, aren't you? Even if you keep it in your pocket, it shows. And now that I look, you only have four fingers on your right hand too.”
“....”
That was because I'd just used Quicksand.
I can reattach it.
Watching the old man in front of me spin fantasies all on his own, I broke out in a cold sweat.
“At first I thought you might have been caught by some bad men and forced to beg, but from what I just checked, that doesn't seem to be the case.”
Checked what?
Don't tell me that phone call from earlier was about that?
So that sigh of relief wasn't because I had no accomplices, either.
And that look that seemed greedy wasn't greed at all, just a naturally rough-looking face?
And all of this was because he really was worried about me...?
No, it can't be.
There was no way there could be someone that kind in the world. That had to be it.
“I don't know whether you stole it or really went into the Tower, but.... You'd better stop doing dangerous things like this. If it's money you need, I'll give you some.”
“...Cut the crap and pay up. Since it's 1.2 kg of mana stones, you owe me 20 million won.”
“Do you have a bank account?”
“Of course. I'm an adult.”
“Fine, tell me the account number. I'll transfer it right away.”
The broker really did send the transfer right there on the spot, and coolly at that.
“Did it go through? How much came in?”
“Yeah.... It's really 20 million won. Wait, what's this extra 5,678 won?”
“I was checking whether it was really your account and not some actual beggar's.”
“That's kind of shady.”
“Anyway, get home safe. Don't stay out too late. It's a nasty world these days.”
“Hmph, if you're so worried, why don't you walk me home?”
“Ah, should I?”
He really seemed like he meant it, so I hurriedly stopped him.
I left the officetel with a dazed expression.
In the process, I broke a sweat sneaking my hand and fingers back into place while watching the broker's reaction.
If he found out, it'd feel like rising from the dead at my own funeral.
“There are really people like that in the world...?”
It felt like the world had betrayed me.
I felt like I was the bad guy for constantly suspecting the broker and sizing up an opening to take him down.
Even after I got home, I sat there in a daze for a long while.
Then my phone vibrated once more.
This time, it was an alert from the banking app.
[Nara Bank : 30,000,000 won deposited. Depositor : SSalDaPam]
“What is this? A new kind of scam?”
That nickname was definitely the Telegram ID the broker had been using.
I immediately sent a Telegram message.
[I think you sent it wrong? Another 30 million won just came in.]
[Think of it as pocket money from your uncle ^^~~*]
“Wow, is that really how you talk?”
The guy who'd been spitting out rude one-liners before we met was acting like this now, and it was so hard to get used to that I was starting to feel disgusted.
“I'll put up with it... because he gave me 50 million won.”
Right. If he's tacking on an extra 30 million won in free money, what can't I put up with?
Even holiday nagging is bearable once you've gotten a fat New Year's allowance.
I bit my lip and sent my thanks.
“Ha, my mental state took a huge hit today....”
Maybe going out to meet people really was a mistake after all.
I don't know why I had the nerve to do that.
To get the broker out of my head as quickly as possible, I turned on my computer and went into Hunter Gallery.
But as I scrolled through the gallery posts, I had no choice but to pause at one title.
[Title: Daaamn... I screwed up again....]
[✪ Title: Chitchat) In this harsh world.... Somehow my heart aches...]
[Title: Successful Hunter Bro... Today's dinner....]
A blue star icon marking a featured post shone among the trash posts.
But what had grabbed me was the strange vibe I felt from the title.
“This couldn't be...?”
I clicked the post, just in case.
[✪ Title: Chitchat) In this harsh world.... It was somehow a day that left my heart aching....^^]
[Everyone, thank you all for your hard work today~,,,,
The world is really harsh and tough these days, isn't it? I keep going day by day thinking of my little girl waiting at home.... Heh heh....;;
Today I had a deal and met a client,,,, and when I opened the door, there stood a completely fresh-faced young lady,,,,
“Is this guy insane?”
I didn't need to see any more.
This was written by the broker.
I kept reading on with trembling hands.