A Hunter on Borrowed Time Keeps Surviving - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 16.
The Investigation Room at the Special Hunters Bureau looked nothing like what Si-ul had imagined.
There were no desks, no chairs.
No partitions or shielding devices were visible either.
An empty, cavernous space—like a vacant gymnasium with nothing but open air in all directions.
The acoustics were so severe that even his footsteps echoed grotesquely against the walls.
‘This doesn’t feel like an investigation room… it feels like I’ve walked into an execution chamber.’
Si-ul’s eyes swept across the surroundings, full of wariness.
“You’d think an investigation room would at least have a desk, wouldn’t you?”
Si-ul flinched and turned his head.
Kang Ho-cheol had approached from beside him with such ghostly silence that Si-ul hadn’t even noticed him entering the room.
“We don’t need desks. We don’t conduct our investigations through paperwork.”
Killing intent dripped from every word Kang Ho-cheol spoke.
His expression and tone painted a picture of someone about to administer torture.
Then a voice cut in from behind, tinted with displeasure.
“There’s no need to frighten our valuable witness with unnecessary intimidation.”
Baek Ga-hyeon chided Kang Ho-cheol and organized the documents he’d been holding.
Kang Ho-cheol dropped the playful demeanor and stepped back a pace.
In the center of the investigation room, Si-ul and Baek Ga-hyeon now faced each other.
“You exercised your right to remain silent throughout the entire journey here, didn’t you? Should I interpret that as a lack of willingness to cooperate?”
Silence hung in the air.
Yet Si-ul’s fingers trembled, betraying his emotions despite his efforts to conceal them.
‘These really are Special Hunters… I’ve only heard rumors, but to actually meet them…’
The Special Hunters consisted entirely of A-Ranked operatives and above—the nation’s strongest military force.
Most concealed their identities, or so he’d heard, yet these people had revealed themselves to him so easily. To Si-ul, this was terrifying.
‘Could it be because I’m someone they’ve already decided to kill anyway, so my identity doesn’t matter…?’
Meanwhile, Baek Ga-hyeon carefully observed and recorded Si-ul’s smallest reactions.
“The Black Gate that appeared on the date you mentioned—we didn’t believe it at first either. The probability of a Black Gate manifesting is extremely low, and there’s no precedent for one in Korea.”
Baek Ga-hyeon turned a page in his documents and continued.
“However, when we investigated the faint traces of mana lingering at the point of rupture, we received confirmation from an overseas research facility that it was indeed a Black Gate.”
Si-ul’s shoulders jerked.
Baek Ga-hyeon showed Si-ul the transmission from the overseas research facility.

Those characters seemed to loom unnaturally large before Si-ul’s eyes.
“The overseas facility took considerable interest in the matter. Black Gates are rare to begin with, but more importantly, no one in the world knows their secrets.”
With that, Baek Ga-hyeon withdrew a photograph from the folder he’d been holding.
“That is, until we found a witness like you.”
Si-ul instinctively stepped backward.
The photograph she held was a still captured from CCTV footage.
Though the image was grainy, Si-ul immediately recognized the man in the photograph as himself.
“Only you can reveal the secrets of the Black Gate to the world. I ask for your cooperation once more.”
Baek Ga-hyeon bowed respectfully.
Even Kang Ho-cheol, who had been playing around moments before, lowered his head in acknowledgment from behind.
Only then did Si-ul’s lips part.
“What is it you want from me?”
Si-ul asked in a flat voice, and Baek Ga-hyeon answered immediately, as though he’d been waiting for the question.
“Tell us everything you saw inside the Black Gate that day.”
There was no doubt in his eyes that Si-ul had already emerged from within the Black Gate.
Si-ul sensed intuitively that half-truths wouldn’t work here.
‘There’s no way I can just brush this off…’
Si-ul moved his lips, but hesitated and said nothing.
One slip of the tongue could cut his remaining lifespan in half instantly.
“I’m sorry, but I cannot provide you with that information.”
In that instant, coldness flashed across the eyes of both Baek Ga-hyeon and Kang Ho-cheol.
“It’s not that I won’t speak—it’s that I cannot.”
Si-ul offered the maximum answer he could within the bounds of what he was able to say.
True to his admission, nothing he had witnessed inside the Black Gate could be revealed.
Even if he tried to die a hero by exposing the truth to the world, if his lifespan was entirely drained the moment he uttered the first word, it would be nothing but a meaningless death.
“There’s a reason behind this, then?”
Fortunately, Baek Ga-hyeon grasped Si-ul’s intent correctly.
“I had a hunch about this. The mana concentration in a Black Gate is almost always SSS-Ranked Dungeon level. In a dungeon like that, the chances of encountering a Demon Realm Lifeform are quite high. That’s why the government has been predicting that you were exposed to Curse Magic from a Demon Realm Lifeform.”
It was a remarkably accurate deduction.
Si-ul felt so moved that tears pricked at his eyes.
Ever since falling under the Curse Magic, he hadn’t confided in anyone about his situation—he’d been living in hell.
The moment someone appeared who understood his heart for the first time, emotion welled up in his chest.
“We’ve been wondering whether your failure to report was voluntary or compelled. Shall we assume it was compelled?”
Si-ul didn’t answer, but his silence was answer enough.
“Good. Then let’s move on to another matter for now. Please answer only the questions you’re able to answer.”
Baek Ga-hyeon pulled a remote from his jacket pocket and pressed a button.
A screen flickered to life on the Investigation Room wall.
‘That’s….’
It was footage from when Si-ul and Min Hyeong-sik’s team had raided the Skeleton Spawn Dungeon not long ago.
“In fact, we’ve been investigating you closely from that point onward. Every dungeon request the government made was for the purpose of studying your extraordinary latent abilities.”
Si-ul let out a faint gasp as he watched the footage.
‘I was completely exposed? So this whole time they’ve been following me around?’
Si-ul shuddered, rubbing his arms—then suddenly stiffened.
‘Wait… they’ve been following me this whole time means….’
Si-ul turned his neck stiffly to look at Kang Ho-cheol.
When Kang Ho-cheol met his gaze, he flashed a knowing smile.
“That was… amusing.”
……
He felt like shame was literally shortening his life.
They’d even been watching that ridiculous lie about being a Special Hunter.
“Technically, impersonating a Special Hunter isn’t something we can overlook lightly. However, since you’re currently under our protection, I’ll let it slide this time.”
Fortunately, Baek Ga-hyeon forgave Si-ul’s transgression with merely a warning.
Si-ul still hunched his shoulders further out of shame.
“From our surveillance, your actual abilities don’t match your registered rank with the Hunters Association. We also confirmed you were using skills that should only unlock at B-Rank. Is this connected to the Black Gate?”
Baek Ga-hyeon’s question was sharp, but Si-ul kept his mouth shut.
“So it was connected. You also possess a rare characteristic—your entire flank was completely torn open, yet you returned to perfect condition in mere seconds.”
Cold sweat traced down Si-ul’s spine.
‘They really saw everything….’
But in his mind, that ridiculous lie about being a Special Hunter kept circling.
“I’ve never seen High-Speed Healing like that before. The speed at which you recovered your wounds was beyond anything I’ve witnessed among domestic healers.”
Si-ul blinked dumbly.
‘Ah… they’re interpreting it as a healing ability, not immortality?’
In a way, that was the more reasonable interpretation.
An ability that could never die wasn’t an easy hypothesis to arrive at.
‘Thank goodness they didn’t see the part where my head split open… that would’ve been mentally traumatic for them.’
Another relief was that he hadn’t yet received an Information Disclosure Penalty.
The investigation had progressed considerably, and several peculiarities had been exposed, yet his expiration date remained unchanged.
‘After all, I didn’t directly show them the Quest System, and they misread the characteristic, so it can’t be counted as information disclosure. I haven’t said anything out of my own mouth.’
For now, he could breathe easier.
And he’d made a decision—he needed to cut this off here.
“I can’t answer questions about my abilities. The more you ask, the more difficult my situation becomes.”
Si-ul asked them to stop their questioning.
If they kept broadening their reasoning and eventually figured out his true ability and the Quest System, then he really might have his lifespan cut short.
“Understood. I won’t pursue your abilities any further.”
Baek Ga-hyeon readily accepted Si-ul’s request.
“Well then….”
Baek Ga-hyeon sighed, flipping through several questionnaires.
What kind of Curse Magic was this witness under that made him so guarded with his words?
What answers could he possibly extract from him?
What questions could he ask to deduce the secrets of the Black Gate?
In those brief moments, Baek Ga-hyeon tried to make the best choice.
Then, quite unexpectedly, he posed a sudden question that shifted the tone of the Investigation Room.
“What is your dream?”
Si-ul’s brows rose quizzically.
“…Sorry?”
“I asked what your dream is. Your ultimate goal.”
It was an abstract yet romantic sort of question.
Si-ul hesitated at the unexpected question before answering.
“I want to live a long and healthy life.”
Kang Ho-cheol, who had been listening to the conversation from behind, exhaled deeply.
‘That’s not what I asked, witness.’
Just as Kang Ho-cheol was about to voice his frustration, Si-ul added something more.
“And I want to conquer an SSS-Ranked Dungeon.”
Both Baek Ga-hyeon and Kang Ho-cheol’s eyes widened in shock.
‘SSS-Ranked…?’
‘Did I hear that right?’
They questioned their own ears.
Even these two S-Rank Special Hunters wouldn’t dare attempt an SSS-Ranked Dungeon.
Those seven dungeons in the entire world boasted a difficulty so extreme that there were virtually no successful records of conquest.
‘The best SSS-Ranked Dungeon raids end with people simply making it out alive. Even the world’s greatest hunters survive by the skin of their teeth, and here this person is saying they’ll conquer one?’
Such words should never come from the mouth of an officially registered D-Rank novice hunter.
Yet from his expression, it was clear that Si-ul spoke in earnest.
The unwavering determination, the resolve—it all shone vividly in the steadiness of his gaze.
“That’s amusing.”
Kang Ho-cheol’s lips curled upward.
“I’m guessing that dream is connected to the Black Gate?”
Kang Ho-cheol stepped forward with sudden enthusiasm, inserting himself into the investigation.
Watching Kang Ho-cheol’s abrupt shift to active engagement, Baek Ga-hyeon’s eyes narrowed slightly.
‘Here we go again.’
Kang Ho-cheol, a senior among the Special Hunters.
He had always been particularly fond of younger hunters with grand ambitions.
He was someone who championed the development of Korea’s hunter society and the world’s progress more than anyone else.
For someone like Kang Ho-cheol, Si-ul—who claimed that conquering an SSS-Ranked Dungeon was his goal—was an endlessly fascinating prospect.
“The way you’re not answering suggests it really is connected to the Black Gate.”
Kang Ho-cheol smiled as he observed Si-ul’s silence.
“Your ambitions are grand, but your current strength seems lacking. Are you really planning to challenge an SSS-Ranked Dungeon despite that?”
As Kang Ho-cheol’s tone took on a mocking edge, Si-ul’s expression hardened and he lifted his chin defiantly.
“I’m lacking now, that’s true. That’s why I run raids without rest. I even resent the time you’re wasting by keeping me here like this.”
As Si-ul pushed back with intensity, Kang Ho-cheol laughed even more heartily.
“My apologies then. We’ve been interfering with your training.”
“Senior? I can just handle the investigation…”
Baek Ga-hyeon, sensing the atmosphere had grown tense, tried to step between the two men.
But Kang Ho-cheol raised his hand, signaling Baek Ga-hyeon to wait, and continued his conversation with Si-ul.
“What can we do? We have no choice but to continue investigating you until we uncover the Black Gate’s secrets. That’ll disrupt your training, so I hope you can bear with us.”
Si-ul furrowed his brow and shook his head.
“I cooperated today, but you can’t keep dragging people in for this every day. That’s a clear violation of human rights.”
For someone standing before a Special Hunter, it was quite a bold statement of conviction.
Yet Kang Ho-cheol seemed to approve of it.
“Fine then. How about I make you a proposal? You need to grow stronger, so you need to face various dungeons and enemies. Meanwhile, we need to keep investigating you, so we need to stay by your side anyway.”
Kang Ho-cheol said he had a way to solve everything, and placed his hand on Si-ul’s shoulder with a firm pat.
“Become a Special Hunter. You’ll grow far faster than you would otherwise. I’ll help you.”
A hunter with limited time continues to survive
Author |
Kutsummatsu
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(주) Samyang C&C
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© Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. — No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without the express written permission of Dreambooks.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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