A Hunter on Borrowed Time Keeps Surviving - Chapter 39

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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 39.
It was a summer night, sixteen years ago.
The Boys’ Room at the Orphanage held four or five decrepit fans that rattled and spun.
The window stood half open, and beyond the screen, cicadas sang their relentless chorus.
Most of the children were asleep, and the darkened room held only the soft sound of breathing.
“Si-ul.”
A quiet voice came from the lower bunk of a bed pressed against the wall—one side of the room.
Si-ul, thirteen at the time, and Hyun-woo, twelve, lay side by side beneath a thin blanket, chatting as they always did.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Hyun-woo turned on his side, his eyes bright with curiosity.
Si-ul gazed at the ceiling for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.
Hyun-woo always brought up these dreams about the future once the sun went down.
He rarely spoke about wanting a family sooner, or complaining about being scolded by a teacher during the day—but just before sleep, he’d always ask about something far down the road.
Si-ul didn’t mind it.
Because of Hyun-woo, he’d grown into a man with many dreams.
“I’m going to be rich. So rich I eat beef every single day.”
Hyun-woo’s eyes went wide at Si-ul’s bold answer.
“What about you?”
Hyun-woo drew closer, as though he’d been waiting for the question.
In the moonlight filtering through the window, the boy’s face gleamed with anticipation.
“I’m going to be a Hunter.”
“A Hunter?”
Si-ul turned his head to look at Hyun-woo.
This wasn’t said in jest.
The flush in his cheeks spoke volumes.
“Why a Hunter, of all things?”
“Because it’s cool.”
Hyun-woo raised his hand high, miming the grip of a sword.
“You hunt monsters, save people, make the news.”
“But you could die. The teachers said Hunter is a dangerous job, remember?”
“I’m not scared of dying at all.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. The Headmaster said you have to risk your life for something you really want to do.”
Hyun-woo made a snorting sound, as if accepting this as the natural price of such work.
“I’m going to get really good at fighting and become an amazing Hunter that’ll surprise everyone. And I’m going to win the Hunter Rookie Award.”
Si-ul tilted his head at something so unfamiliar.
“There’s a Hunter Rookie Award?”
“There has to be.”
“And if there isn’t?”
“Then one will be created.”
Back then, the profession of Hunter was so new that no such award existed.
Fortunately, the future proved Hyun-woo right—award ceremonies and recognition systems did eventually come to pass.
“But did you know? You can’t become a Hunter unless you’re an Awakener.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yeah. No matter how much you want it, if you don’t Awaken, you’ll just be a Porter.”
“Ugh! Then I’ll go into the Dungeon as a Porter and fight anyway!”
Si-ul couldn’t help but laugh.
Hyun-woo giggled at the reaction, delighted by his own stubbornness.
“But you’ll become an Awakener. There’s no one stronger than you.”
Si-ul reached over and ruffled Hyun-woo’s hair.
“Then once I’m rich, I’ll buy you Hunter weapons.”
“Really? You promise?”
“Only if you win the Hunter Rookie Award for sure.”
“Don’t worry. I’m definitely going to!”
The two went on talking about the future for a while longer.
Where they’d live as adults, what they’d eat, all the foods they’d never have to eat again once they left the Orphanage—small, ordinary things exchanged in the dark.
That time was precious.
To Si-ul, Hyun-woo was like a true younger brother.
Though they shared no blood, within the Orphanage walls they were closer than any family.
Hyun-woo clung to Si-ul as though he were a real older brother, and the two depended on each other.
The dreams they once shared in that cramped boys’ room were, in truth, nothing more than a fragile hope they clung to in order to endure their lonely life at the Orphanage.
“Oh right, you’re meeting your father tomorrow, aren’t you?”
Si-ul brought up the surprising news he’d overheard during the day.
“He came last time too, and now he’s coming again?”
Despite his attempt to hide it, anxiety threaded through Si-ul’s voice.
He was afraid—terrified, really—that Hyun-woo might leave the Orphanage.
Si-ul had been abandoned at the Orphanage the moment he was born and had long since abandoned any hope that his parents would return for him. Hyun-woo was different.
He had only been at the Orphanage for less than three years, and his biological father came to visit at least once a year.
‘What if Hyun-woo disappears…?’
If that happened, Si-ul knew the sorrow he’d feel would be something far beyond what the word loneliness could encompass.
He knew it was selfish, but he desperately wanted Hyun-woo to stay by his side.
“Dad’s leaving for the United States soon. He said he wanted to see me more before he goes.”
Hyun-woo explained the situation matter-of-factly.
By now, parting from family seemed to mean nothing to him.
Si-ul, meanwhile, felt relieved by that answer.
“That’s good then. Oh, I mean—I’m glad he comes so often…!”
“I’m not. I wish he wouldn’t come at all.”
“…Why?”
Hyun-woo’s lips pouted stubbornly as he spoke.
“He’s just going to abandon me anyway.”
Those sharp words made Si-ul flinch.
He understood them too well.
People around them pitied Si-ul for not even knowing what his parents looked like, but in truth, he considered it a blessing.
You can’t miss someone whose face you’ve never seen.
“That’s right. Why does he keep coming if he’s just going to abandon you? Stop seeing him altogether!”
When Si-ul expressed anger on his behalf, Hyun-woo laughed.
“Should I? When Dad comes tomorrow, I’ll tell him to kick me in the ass on his way out. Hehe.”
As Hyun-woo spoke, he suddenly grabbed Si-ul’s sleeve.
“You’re not going to leave me and go anywhere, right?”
“Of course not! How could I leave you? Will you visit me if you get adopted, or will you die without seeing me?”
“Even if I get adopted, I’ll come see you once a week, no matter what!”
Si-ul smiled and held up his pinky finger.
“Let’s make a promise. We’ll never abandon each other.”
Hyun-woo linked his pinky without a moment’s hesitation.
“Promise. We’re family, after all.”
Sworn brothers who would be together for life.
Their vow gleamed brilliantly beneath the moonlight.
But… sadly, the two boys’ promise was never kept.
In the summer after the typhoon passed, Hyun-woo’s biological father came to the Orphanage again.
The typhoon had grounded his flight to the United States, forcing him to spend a few more days in Korea.
The two boys climbed to the Hillside Behind the Orphanage and spent time together.
But the typhoon had weakened the slope, and a boulder came loose. The landslide that followed swept them both away.
That accident buried many things beneath the earth.
The bodies of a father and son.
The promise of sworn brothers.
* * *
Inside the translucent barrier in the middle of the Swampland, all was quieter than the world outside.
Beyond the barrier, the Supernova Team’s forms appeared only as hazy silhouettes.
Zero whined and scratched at the barrier with his front paws from the outside, but no sound reached within.
And there, inside the barrier, Si-ul stood face to face with a monster wearing Hyun-woo’s face.
“Si-ul… brother….”
That familiar voice. Hyun-woo’s voice, exactly as Si-ul had heard it sixteen years ago.
Until just a moment ago, Si-ul had been furious.
He’d hurled curses at Sin Morgue wearing Hyun-woo’s form, and his fingers had trembled with the urge to pull the trigger of Hidden Roulette.
But now his demeanor had changed.
He had to suppress it, by force if necessary.
He’d learned that pouring emotion into a fake would only hurt himself.
Si-ul closed his eyes and steeled himself.
What stood before him was not Hyun-woo.
It was only a vile creature mimicking Hyun-woo’s face and voice.
Brother, why won’t you look at me? Did you not want to see me?
Hyun-woo stepped closer.
His hair, matted with mud, clung to his forehead.
The broken, twisted shoulders and blood-soaked body—it had copied every detail of Hyun-woo after the accident.
As Si-ul stared, something twisted inside him.
The rage didn’t cool; it burned hotter.
And in that moment, Jang Jin-yeong’s face came to mind.
‘Now I understand why he couldn’t finish this boss.’
Even knowing it was a fake, even if his head understood that truth, facing a creature wearing the face that hurt most and calling out to him—he would have rather turned his back and abandoned the Dungeon entirely.
Si-ul felt the same.
He wanted nothing more than to leave this place.
He couldn’t bear to see that monster wearing Hyun-woo’s face any longer.
Yet the reason he planted his feet here and held his ground was a vow he’d made long ago.
In memory of Lee Hyun-woo
Age twelve, full of dreams
Forever living in our hearts
Before his brother’s grave, the young Si-ul had forced himself to smile.
Then, in a whisper, he made a promise.
— I’ll become the finest adult I can be—for both of us.
That resolve had been buried under sixteen years of time, and Si-ul had nearly forgotten it.
But seeing Hyun-woo’s face now, shame washed over him.
He’d promised to become someone admirable, yet the man he was now seemed far from that ideal.
‘I’m sorry, Hyun-woo. And… thank you.’
The reason Si-ul had gritted his teeth and fought against the Terminal Curse was simple: he wanted to live.
But from this moment forward, he would change.
“You’re not Hyun-woo.”
Si-ul spoke in a hollow voice and turned away.
The boy flinched.
“Brother…”
“Shut up. I don’t want to hear ‘brother’ from a demon spawn like you.”
Si-ul replied coldly and exhaled a long breath.
‘If I let a fake shake me, that’s what would truly defile Hyun-woo.’
Si-ul lifted his feet from where he stood.
His gaze shifted from the boss toward the barrier’s exit.
The monster wearing the boy’s face smiled.
It sensed that Si-ul, like Jang Jin-yeong before him, was abandoning the fight and trying to leave the barrier.
From that moment on, Sin Morgue no longer called out to Si-ul.
It wore a wicked expression, silently urging him to hurry and get out of its lair.
“…At this distance, no blood should splatter.”
Si-ul took a few steps, then abruptly stopped.
Without looking back, he raised the Hidden Roulette in one hand.
One final round remained in the cylinder, and the target was already locked.
As he’d learned during the Wyvern Goblin encounter, once a Hidden Bullet fixed on its target, it would pursue relentlessly to the point of impact, even if the user looked away.
“Lucky I had one shot left. If I didn’t, I’d be furious.”
Si-ul muttered this with a dry chuckle.
At that same instant, the Hidden Roulette’s trigger was pulled.
Bang!
A sharp gunshot echoed through the barrier.
Immediately after, a dull, piercing sound rang out behind Si-ul’s back.
And with it, a pulse of Mana extinguished.
That was confirmation enough that the boss was dead.
Si-ul never looked back.
He didn’t watch Hyun-woo’s face fade away, nor did he see the moment the creature wearing it collapsed.
Instead, he scrolled through the system windows before his eyes, line by line.
【Quest Success!】
【You have successfully eliminated a life-threatening enemy with a Headshot.】
【You receive 3 Level-up Points as a reward.】
【Current accumulated points: 8】
Si-ul’s gaze moved below the quest success notification.
Larger text appeared below.
To calm his unsettled mind, he needed to see something cheerful quickly.
The next notification was exactly what he needed.
【Consecutive Quest Condition Achieved!】
【Bonus rewards granted for completing 10 Consecutive Quests in a row.】
【Please select one of the two rewards.】
【4 Level-up Points or Yong-seong Gun】
A Terminal Curse Hunter Continues to Survive
Author |
Kutsummatsu
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]
Without written permission from Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books, no part of this book may be used in any form or by any means.

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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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