-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 002
Chapter Title: The World is Falling Apart
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The world is falling apart. Even though I'd seen it with my own eyes on the news, I just couldn't believe it.
Thirteen years ago, mysterious entities known as Erosion Cores appeared all over the world.
The energy flowing out from those Erosion Cores corrupted the land around them. That's how the Erosion Zones came to be.
Erosion Zones are places where monsters from people's imaginations—or ones no one could even dream up—suddenly pop out.
It's not like people can't live there. But anyone living on land that's been swallowed by an Erosion Zone has to be ready to face monsters at any moment.
"No way. Damn it. What the hell is this bullshit."
Still, Earth hasn't completely choked yet. People with superhuman strength who can kill monsters and smash the problematic Erosion Cores appeared—Hunters.
For the next thirteen years, the war to eliminate the Erosion Cores raged on.
"Doesn't look like things went smoothly."
You could tell just from the flood of speculation online, mirroring humanity's thick air of despair.
Whenever things start going well, people instinctively split into factions and fight. Call it politics.
In the end, that instinct tripped humanity up again this time. While I was lost in thought, the night passed and dawn broke.
As of now, in accordance with government executive order, power, gas, and water supply will be suspended until sunset.
"What kind of nonsense is this in my lifetime."
Controlling electricity, gas, and water? Am I really in South Korea right now? Not North Korea? I clicked my tongue at the announcement blaring from the speakers.
They say South Korea was one of the first countries where Hunters appeared, and their response was incredibly swift.
Thanks to that, the Erosion Cores that popped up here were dealt with early on. A good number of countries managed to control their Erosion Cores and monsters to some extent through their own Hunters, but...
Nowhere is as safe as Korea.
In fact, even with the executive order cutting off gas, water, and power at times... A quick search on my smartphone confirmed that no other place matches Korea.
Erosion Zones: zero. Any Erosion Cores that appear on our territory get handled immediately by Korean Hunters before they can grow too big, so aside from minor damage, monsters are hard to spot.
Hell, the U.S. President got impeached for trying to get Korean citizenship for his daughter.
"Ordering makgeolli from the grandma next door might be awkward now."
You can't laugh it off just because your house is fine while the neighbors burn. Fire could spread anytime.
This year, South Korea's GDP growth: 0%. If things keep going like this, Korea could be in danger at any moment.
I tossed my phone aside and closed my eyes as I stared at the screen.
"...I hate this."
I don't want to do it. After 35 years of hell, I finally made it back to Earth 25 years in the past. It's like getting discharged from the military only to be told to reenlist. What's the difference?
There are plenty of talented people in the world besides me. I crossed countless brushes with death and finally returned to my homeland flowing with milk and honey. Honestly, I just want to rest.
The very next day, I went to the job the original owner of this body had been working.
I was an intern at a logistics company.
Of course, I was clumsy at it, but honestly, even the original owner probably couldn't do better than me.
Every day was pure joy.
Even if my senior was a pain in the ass, it was fine. He wasn't as bad as nobles treating commoners.
No problem if the boss glared at me like he wanted to kill me. Kings didn't just glare—they actually tried to kill you.
Overtime? No complaints. It wasn't like trudging through blizzards so cold your nostrils froze shut, unable to sleep for days.
All the hardships and obstacles I could face at this company were nothing compared to the life I'd lived when put in perspective.
So I was living well. And I firmly believed I could keep adapting and thriving.
Until three months after I returned to this world.
"Bankrupt?"
Earth—no, the company went bankrupt.
I stared blankly at the empty office. The company didn't scam me. If anything, the company got scammed by the harsh realities of the world.
To classify it, it was bankruptcy due to an external factor—a natural disaster? One of the newly appeared Erosion Cores hit the company's core directly, and in the process of Hunters dealing with it, the company took massive damage.
Of course, it's not officially bankrupt yet. But it's as good as bankrupt.
"Son of a bitch."
What kind of shitty situation is this? They're not messing with me, are they?
The company went under. No, it's about to. So what do I do for a living now? Look for another job?
After that, I applied to about twelve companies and, hilariously, got rejected from every single one.
'This year, even South Korea's GDP growth hits 'zero'. Is the last bastion falling?'
That article I'd seen before slammed into my mind. In the current situation, reemployment is practically impossible.
"I'm out of money."
No way to make ends meet. With no one to rely on as an unemployed bum, I had almost no cash left. I had to do something to survive.
"...Life's playing tricks on me. Tricking me!"
There is a way to make a living.
"You leave me no choice."
It's not about like or dislike. If I don't do something right now, I'll starve to death, and no other paths to money are visible.
"Hunter."
In the end, this is it. I was stunned and dumbfounded. After coming back to Earth, I end up circling back to this crap.
Once I start this, there's no going back. I knew that full well. My head wanted to quit this line of work, but my body, trained for 35 years doing just that, felt otherwise.
"..."
Even sleeping comfortably in bed, I'd suddenly wake up sleeping on the hard floor without the AC on. I always hid a baseball bat or kitchen knife nearby, just in case.
Walking down the street, I'd tense up if I felt someone behind me. That's how I'd lived for 35 years. The choice I made when survival paths closed off.
"...Fine. I'll do this crap one more time."
I didn't waste 35 years planning to go down with the sinking ship of this world.
The decision was made. I knew what to do. All that was left was action.
"Things had to turn out like this."
A sense of entitlement kicked in. I could endure working at the company, scraping by on a mediocre salary. Hell, I enjoyed it. That's what I'd wanted for 35 years.
But after busting my ass to escape that living hell, ending up back in something similar? Fine, then I'd claim rewards worthy of my choice.
I had no intention of living as some run-of-the-mill Hunter scraping by day to day.
"Hunters are highly respected in this society, after all."
I'd become the best, enjoy every perk, and live so well others would choke with envy.
The selection process, held quarterly, was now just a month away.
I applied for the soonest Hunter selection and started preparing what was needed.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Every quarter, Hunter companies operating in Korea send people to the Association building in Seoul.
To scout promising talent during the periodic Hunter selections. Plus, it doubles as a break for company Hunters with achievements.
Hunters fighting nonstop on the front lines bordering Erosion Zones couldn't just pull back for vacation right now.
With the click of high heels, a woman in a suit entered the Alliance building, a tobacco pipe in one hand, flanked by attendants.
"It's an honor to have you here, Miss Lee Se-eun."
The woman called Lee Se-eun glanced at the greeter and smiled back.
"Thanks for the warm welcome. I'd like to see the participant list."
"Here's the list of first-round passers."
"Thanks. Here, candy."
With those words, she pulled a small hard candy from her pocket and handed it to the person who'd given her the list.
These were participants verified to at least sense mana.
They'd all become Hunters. These days, as long as you can sense mana, you get the qualification no matter what.
That urgent the situation is.
"251 people."
"The tournament-style tests will run over a week."
The woman lit her pipe with a match, exhaled smoke with a whoosh, and flipped through the papers.
"Is it really okay for me to be away a whole week? What the hell is the boss thinking?"
The situation at the ceasefire line wasn't good. News and papers were foaming at the mouth, stirring anxiety about the Erosion Zones beyond invading the South.
"Seems there's a promising talent they're excited about. Top grades at the Academy."
"Still just greenhorns."
The Academy, once optimistically founded to train Hunters professionally, was steadily producing Hunters above a certain level.
Sure, after Korea's successes, similar institutions were popping up elsewhere... but to her, who'd been dancing on the edge of life and death in Erosion Zones for ages, they were still unripe kids.
"Train them well, and they'll definitely be useful."
"Maybe, maybe not."
One attendant nodded.
"Even Academy standouts sometimes flop in real combat."
"Exactly what I'm saying. Here, candy."
Lee Se-eun rummaged in her pocket again, pulled out another hard candy, and handed it to the attendant with the list.
"Not looking at more?"
"I skimmed it. Evaluations on paper from others don't mean much anyway."
She tapped out the ash from her pipe and rubbed her eyes.
"No matter how much the boss expects, if they don't pass my eye, they're done."
"The 1st Team Leader will value your opinion more anyway."
It wasn't an exaggeration to say Lee Se-eun alone was holding back the erosion at Cheorwon's border. Neither the Alliance nor her company, Zanabi LLC, could ignore her influence.
"I'm enjoying the vacation, but I'm worried about Cheorwon."
"A week should be manageable somehow. Plus, this is the Hunter selection—future pillars of our defense."
As they talked, people from other guilds started taking their seats one by one.
"Other guilds sent some big names too. Looks like they're all gunning for the one the 1st Team Leader wants."
"That girl, Han Sang-ah, right?"
Academy graduate. Decent at handling mana, awakened ability is lightning.
Still a rookie, but with proper training, she'd have plenty of uses. Lee Se-eun tapped her phone.
"She could charge my battery too, huh?"
"Hunter candidate, not a generator."
"Yeah, well, looks like it's starting anyway."
Time was up. From now on, it was qualified candidates duking it out in a tournament.
"Let's see them raise their price."
Lee Se-eun's eyes gleamed as she packed fresh tobacco into her pipe.