A Hunter on Borrowed Time Keeps Surviving - Chapter 27

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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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Chapter 27.
Several days after finishing the A-rank Dungeon raid with Do I-hyeon.
Si-ul visited the Daeho Guild’s rookie development department.
The moment he opened the conference room door, Do I-hyeon’s manager approached him barefoot with a warm greeting.
“Welcome! I hope you didn’t have any trouble finding us? Please, have a seat.”
The manager seemed noticeably friendlier than at their last meeting.
Looking around, Si-ul noticed training records for Do I-hyeon spread across the table.
‘She’s pleased, then.’
Sure enough, the manager picked up a sheaf of documents and showed them to Si-ul with pride.
“It’s been truly remarkable. Since that last raid, I-hyeon’s growth rate has changed dramatically.”
Her voice trembled with barely concealed excitement.
“In Hologram Training Combat especially, his reaction speed has improved significantly. Before, he’d observe the situation before moving, but now his decisions come instantly.”
She flipped through the screens, marveling as she went.
“But the biggest change is his mental fortitude. Even under pressure, he doesn’t panic—he identifies precisely what he’s capable of doing.”
The manager started to say more, then set the documents down and bowed deeply to Si-ul.
“As his manager, I simply wanted to express my gratitude. You didn’t just take him through dungeons—you’ve fostered genuine growth.”
Si-ul, embarrassed, waved a hand dismissively.
“I haven’t done anything. I-hyeon’s the one who kept up so well.”
“That’s not what he says. He keeps praising you—calls you the greatest hunter he’s ever seen.”
Si-ul felt deeply uncomfortable in the glow of such compliments.
To break the awkwardness, he moved the conversation to what he’d actually come here for.
“Speaking of his practical training…”
Just as he was about to broach the subject, the manager cut him off.
“You wanted to schedule the next dungeon, right? I-hyeon mentioned it.”
Si-ul’s face brightened.
Relief washed over him at not having to explain.
“To be honest, when I first heard about it, I was suspicious of you. I wondered if you were getting I-hyeon focused on profit rather than training.”
Si-ul’s shoulders tensed.
It wasn’t an unfair assessment.
Money wasn’t his goal, but he was pushing for raids driven by other ambitions—that much was true.
“But seeing these results, I realized I was being unfounded in my doubts.”
She picked up a tablet and smiled warmly.
A dungeon schedule was displayed on the screen.
“We’ve secured a new A-rank Gate for next Monday. As you requested, we’ll be accelerating I-hyeon’s practical training.”
At the welcome news, Si-ul’s lips curved into a smile.
“Thank you. I’ll make sure to guide him well in the next dungeon.”
“I’m the one who should be grateful. Please continue to take good care of our I-hyeon.”
After exchanging courtesies, Si-ul was preparing to stand and leave—observing proper decorum with just a few more words.
He’d already gotten what he came for; there was no reason to linger.
But the moment his weight left the conference room chair, he heard something he couldn’t simply overlook.
“Ah, there was something I wanted to ask you.”
“Yes, please.”
“Aren’t you going to file a Re-awakening Report?”
Si-ul’s pupils wavered.
“…Why would you say that?”
“It’s in the records.”
The manager leafed through Si-ul’s file as she spoke.
“Looking at your activity log, it’s clear to anyone that you’re a Re-awakening Hunter.”
Faced with an undeniable fact, Si-ul fell silent.
At least her tone carried no suspicion or hostility.
“If you don’t file a Re-awakening Report, does that mean you won’t be able to work as an accompanying hunter anymore?”
The manager shook her head.
“No, there’s no regulatory issue. It’s just that I keep receiving inquiries, so I thought I should mention it.”
Si-ul’s brow furrowed.
“What kind of inquiries?”
A strange unease crept over him.
The manager pointed to her phone and let out a sigh.
“There are reporters investigating you.”
“…I’m sorry?”
Seeing Si-ul’s bewildered expression, the manager continued.
“Didn’t you know? Si-ul’s been doing such remarkable work that he’s attracted journalists like fans. I assumed you’d naturally be aware of him.”
Fans? Journalists?
Si-ul had never heard of such things.
“You should go down and see for yourself. They’ve been here since this morning.”
The administrator pointed toward the window of the conference room connected to the building’s wall.
Through the glass, four figures could be seen loitering in front of the main building on the first floor.
The administrator explained that they were journalists interested in Si-ul.
Si-ul approached the window with a bewildered expression and looked down at them.
‘What are those people doing…?’
* * *
Si-ul stepped out through the front gate of the Daeho Guild’s main building, his eyes narrowing.
The four journalists he’d seen from the conference room window were still standing in the same spot.
Two holding cameras, one clutching a notepad, one fiddling with a phone while surveying the surroundings.
‘When did they start tailing me?’
He’d been acutely aware of the presence following him until now.
But he’d assumed they were government people.
Government agents ostensibly assigned to monitor him under the guise of protection.
Yet journalists had been mixed in with them.
“Ha.”
A dry laugh escaped his lips.
“Excuse me.”
Si-ul strode toward the journalists.
The journalists jumped in alarm, their heads snapping up.
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
“Oh, he’s coming!”
It was the journalists who were flustered now.
Si-ul stood before them, hands stuffed in his pockets.
“Why are you following me?”
He asked in a flat, humorless voice, and the journalists wore blank expressions.
“You’ve been waiting here since morning, and you’ve been calling Do I-hyeon’s manager for days. Why are you investigating someone else?”
Si-ul displayed his displeasure directly to the journalists’ faces.
The air in the space froze over.
But then the atmosphere shifted.
“…Ha-ha!”
One journalist suddenly burst out laughing.
After that, their mouths opened.
“Thank you for speaking to us first! You’re Hunter Kim Si-ul, aren’t you?”
“You’re the hottest person on the Hunter Community these days!”
“I’ve only seen you from a distance. Meeting you up close—your presence is incredible!”
Bright voices poured out all at once.
Si-ul stood dumbfounded.
“We were hoping to request an interview! Thank you so much for coming out!”
The journalist holding the notepad’s eyes gleamed.
“Do you know what nickname the industry has recently given to Hunter Kim Si-ul?”
“…I’m sorry?”
“Monster Newbie!”
The journalists even applauded, adding how remarkable this was.
“Normally, Monster Newbie is a title only A-rank or higher novice hunters carry, but this year is completely unprecedented. For a D-rank Hunter, you’d be the first, wouldn’t you?”
“That’s right. That’s why there’s so much buzz. People are wondering—what’s this Hunter’s actual true rank?”
“The community’s been abuzz with theories: a hundred percent chance you’re either a Re-awakening or a registration error from the start.”
Si-ul had already run out of words.
Ambiguous praise and pressure poured down, leaving him unable to respond.
“So when are you planning to file your Re-awakening Report?”
“What rank do you think your actual grade is?”
“There’s been talk that you’re in negotiations with the Daeho Guild over an exclusive contract—is that true?”
The journalists had now launched into a full interview.
They were even raising their cameras to take photographs.
Si-ul’s expression grew increasingly rigid.
‘S-s-shut up…!’
Whether praise or attention, for Si-ul both were nothing but exhausting noise.
But it seemed too late to shake them off.
They thrust their notepads at him with expressions even more venomous than the monsters he’d fought.
Si-ul, wracking his brain for a way out, suddenly glanced skyward and stretched his finger toward the distance.
“Oh, look—a baby dragon over there.”
All four reporters jerked their heads around with a whip of surprise.
“Where?!”
“A dragon appeared in the city?!”
Their cameras swung upward in unison.
But the sky held only clouds drifting lazily past—nothing else.
…
The reporters turned back.
Si-ul had vanished from the hall.
“What? Where did he go!”
“He was just here…!”
At a distance, peeking out from behind a flowerbed beside a building, Si-ul’s face emerged.
A long exhale.
A heavy sigh fell from Si-ul’s lips.
He pulled his shirt up to his chin like a hat, then slipped quietly into the crowd and disappeared.
‘Dungeons are better.’
* * *
Evening, with moonlight seeping softly through the window pane.
Si-ul’s lodging was thick with the smell of beef.
Beside the griddle, blackened with grease stains, sat several empty beer cans.
“This is what makes life worth living.”
Si-ul savored his moment of reward again tonight.
Beside him, Zero lay sprawled on the floor, crunching through a dog treat.
“Eat slowly. You’ll choke again.”
“Woof!”
Si-ul laughed and patted Zero’s head.
The happy moment didn’t last long—soon Si-ul’s expression darkened.
The voice of a reporter from earlier that afternoon echoed back to life in his mind.
— Do you know what nickname people in the industry have given you lately, Hunter Si-ul? Monster Newbie!
‘It’s strange that people aren’t talking about how much I’ve been doing.’
Clearing A-rank Dungeons one after another, taking down bosses alone, leaving behind extraordinary records that don’t match his official rank at all.
Looking at it objectively, it was a trail impossible to overlook.
‘Still, I never realized the attention would pour in like this.’
Si-ul set down his beer can and weighed the gravity of the situation.
‘Reporters starting to tail me isn’t just a matter of popularity.’
It meant every action he took was being caught in someone’s gaze.
And there was no way to know when or how that gaze would return to haunt him.
‘The government will probably suppress anything related to the Black Gate, but everything else…’
Si-ul’s eyes drifted to Zero beside him.
Buzz.
…
The phone Si-ul had left on the table vibrated.
[Caller ID Restricted]
Seeing the text on the screen, Si-ul quickly guessed who was calling.
“Hello.”
— This is Kang Ho-cheol.
As expected, it was a call from the government.
— I heard you had contact with reporters earlier today.
“…Who told you that?”
— There are many eyes watching from all sides.
“I didn’t give an interview or anything. We just ran into each other for a moment.”
Si-ul answered tersely, frowning.
The thought that someone was monitoring his every move left a sour taste in his mouth.
— There’s no need to worry. I’ve already taken care of it—those reporters won’t get a single article published. Until the investigation is complete, your name won’t appear in the media.
Si-ul felt relieved, yet unsure whether this was something to be glad about.
“But they’re talking about me on the Hunter Community too, I heard.”
Si-ul asked, and Kang Ho-cheol answered with a hint of laughter in his voice.
“We can’t control the Hunter Community. And you don’t strike me as the type who’d be shaken by rumors anyway.”
It was a fair point. Whatever rumors circulated on the Hunter Community, Si-ul paid them no mind.
Not as long as Zero’s existence remained hidden, and the information embargo held.
“In any case, thank you.”
“Think nothing of it.”
Just as Si-ul was about to hang up, Kang Ho-cheol added one more thing.
“We can only suppress the press. Your activity records will continue to be exposed.”
Si-ul brought the phone back to his ear.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m saying there’s only one status that allows someone to clear dungeons while leaving no activity record at all.”
“You’re talking about a Special Hunter?”
Kang Ho-cheol’s voice carried his intent plainly.
“Yes. I thought you might need one.”
A terminal Hunter continues to survive
Author |
Katsumatta
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
Editor in Chief |
Editorial Department
Published by |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. — Dream Books
Address |
7F, Gwangseong Building, 28 Bongeunsa-ro 114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260731071
Blog |
blog.naver.com/dreambookss
Twitter (X) |
@dreambookss
Submissions |
[email protected]
No part of this book may be used in any form or by any means without written permission from Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. — Dream Books.

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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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