A Hunter on Borrowed Time Keeps Surviving - Chapter 41

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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 41.
Ring, ring, ring!
A phone call came through.
Si Ul saw the caller ID restricted notice on his screen and answered as though he’d been waiting for this.
“I was wondering when you’d call.”
— There’s been a lot to clean up. You’re aware of the current situation, aren’t you?
The caller was Baek Ga Hyun.
“Yes. I’ve checked the community sites and YouTube.”
Si Ul answered calmly.
— The media is in an uproar right now. Even the government can’t guarantee how much longer they can keep a lid on this.
“So it seems.”
Si Ul moved to the balcony of his studio apartment and peered down at the street below.
Suspicious-looking people clutching cameras were packed densely in front of the building.
“Thanks to them, I’m apartment hunting these days.”
— …What?
“Normal life has become impossible. I need to move. What other choice do I have?”
Si Ul exhaled a long sigh.
A brief silence fell on the other end of the line.
Baek Ga Hyun flipped through a document and spoke.
— Where are you planning to go? Please contact us when you change your address.
…….
Si Ul glared at the caller ID restricted screen through narrowed eyes.
“Have you people been watching outside my apartment this whole time?”
— Why act surprised? Didn’t you already know?
“…Could you at least pretend to feel a little sorry? It’s proper stalking, after all.”
— It’s for your safety. Please understand.
Si Ul snorted and turned away.
His eyes drifted to the laptop sitting on the desk of his studio apartment.
The screen displayed a real estate map page.
“I’m going to Mapo. I’ll provide the specific address once I’ve signed the contract.”
* * *
In the heart of Mapo.
An ultra-luxury high-rise apartment stood towering in a location where you could walk to the subway station, the downtown business district, and even the Han River.
Si Ul stepped into the opulent lobby, where a refined fragrance lingered.
It was a space with high ceilings like a hotel, marble flooring, and the beautiful melody of a piano drifting through the air.
‘Is this really an apartment lobby?’
There was no need for a separate exhibition hall.
Si Ul followed the real estate agent, awestruck by the building’s imposing atmosphere.
The agent was dressed in a polished suit and guided him with a bright smile.
“The deposit in this complex is 1 billion won minimum. But this particular listing came through at 800 million — which is really, really rare.”
Si Ul feigned indifference.
“And the monthly rent was 10 million won, correct?”
“Haha… yes, that’s right. Given that it’s a high-end complex… this really is an excellent deal!”
The agent kept emphasizing the property’s value.
In truth, there was no need to emphasize it.
Any resident of Seoul knew this apartment was the dream address.
— Twenty-first floor.
When the elevator doors opened and he passed through the long hallway into the apartment, Si Ul was utterly speechless.
‘Wow….’
Floor-to-ceiling windows spanning one entire wall of the living room.
The view stretching cleanly out to the Han River was breathtaking.
Beside it was a matte-black kitchen that seemed to absorb light, along with elegant lighting fixtures.
Below, the wood flooring gave way softly with each step, making a striking impression.
Everywhere he looked, there was nothing but admiration to be had.
The apartment seemed to be telling Si Ul that his entire way of living had elevated to a different tier.
“What do you think? Places like this move fast. Especially short-term listings…”
“I’ll take it.”
Before the agent could even finish his pitch, Si Ul expressed his intent to sign.
“I’d like to move in immediately. I’m rather pressed for time.”
He decided there was no need to deliberate over a place like this.
The broker guided him through the contract procedures with a bright smile, and within moments the preliminary agreement was finalized.
After parting ways with the broker and his briefcase, Si Ul decided to take a walk through the complex to see more of it.
A quiet walking trail.
Lounge chairs nestled beneath lush landscaping.
A residents-only café, fitness center, sauna, and indoor swimming pool.
“Have I been living on another planet this whole time? I’m genuinely shocked.”
Si Ul let out a hollow laugh, finally grasping that the life awaiting him existed in an entirely different dimension.
After walking for some time, he sat down on a small bench at the heart of the complex to rest.
That was when an unfamiliar voice came from beside him.
“Looks like you’re moving in?”
A middle-aged man with neatly combed white hair was sitting next to Si Ul’s bench.
He was accompanied by a Golden Retriever on a leash.
“I haven’t seen you around before.”
The man spoke to Si Ul with easy familiarity.
Si Ul recalled the broker’s explanation that the complex had few units, which meant neighbors tended to get along well.
“I haven’t moved in yet—I just signed the contract a moment ago.”
“Then we’re neighbors. Let’s get along well. I’m Kim Dong Jin.”
The middle-aged man extended his hand for a handshake, even offering his full name.
Si Ul found himself reflexively grasping it and exchanging greetings.
“I’m Si Ul. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Si Ul’s smile faltered abruptly.
“…You’re a Hunter?”
Through that single handshake, an unmistakable energy flowed from Kim Dong Jin’s hand into his own.
Si Ul instinctively understood that the man was a high-ranked Awakener.
“Well, I suppose I could be called a Hunter now. It’s been quite some time since I retired, though.”
With those words, Kim Dong Jin released the handshake and began stroking the Retriever’s head with his free hand.
“It’s you, isn’t it? The monster’s new blood.”
Si Ul’s pupils contracted.
“…You know who I am?”
Si Ul was certainly known in the industry, but few people yet knew his face.
Still, Kim Dong Jin spoke with an almost certain conviction.
“I’m not a journalist, nor am I the sort with peculiar hobbies. It’s just an old habit from my previous work. I end up investigating people who stand out before I even realize it.”
“Your previous work…?”
“Yes. I was a Special Hunter.”
……!
Si Ul’s alarm was so violent that the Retriever jerked to its feet in response.
“Frightened? It’s alright.”
Kim Dong Jin soothed the dog by running his hand along its back.
Si Ul’s heart, meanwhile, showed no signs of settling.
“Why would you tell me that? Special Hunter status should remain classified even after retirement, shouldn’t it?”
“Didn’t I just say I investigated you? If you’re already going in and out of Special Hunter headquarters, there seems little point in hiding my former occupation.”
Special Hunters do not reveal themselves lightly.
Yet when they do reveal themselves, it falls into one of two categories.
Either they intend to kill you immediately, or they know your secrets well enough that their own identity cannot be concealed.
Si Ul fell into the latter category.
The reason Kang Ho Cheol and Baek Ga Hyun had casually revealed themselves was because Si Ul held the secret that he alone had witnessed the Black Gate.
And Kim Dong Jin clearly knew that secret as well.
“The more I observed you, the more curious I became. What exactly are your aims? Why do you rush about raiding dungeons so urgently, and how do you manage to grow so rapidly? It’s simply remarkable.”
Kim Dong Jin knew all of Si Ul’s raid records and the detailed particulars of his activities.
Though he claimed to be retired, Si Ul felt as though he were facing another Special Hunter.
Perhaps for that reason, he found himself responding cooperatively, as if in an interrogation room.
“…There’s no particular reason. I simply have a personal obsession with challenging a certain SSS Rank Dungeon.”
“Interesting. You harbor quite an amusing dream.”
“You’re welcome to mock me. There’s no precedent for such a thing, after all.”
Si Ul would never have expected to share his ambitions with a stranger met for the first time today.
Yet that single remark led to an unexpected revelation.
“Actually, there is precedent.”
“Pardon? What do you mean…?”
“Just as I said. There is precedent. The information was simply concealed.”
Si Ul’s breath caught as he turned his head.
“Do you believe our hunters aren’t capable of challenging SSS Rank dungeons?”
It was an abrupt question, but the answer came quickly.
Not entirely.
Korea’s prominent hunters were clearing S Rank dungeons without much difficulty these days.
Judging by their track record, it seemed to me that SSS Rank dungeons weren’t beyond Korean hunters’ reach—merely a matter of opportunity rather than capability.
“Strange, isn’t it? They have the skill, yet we hear no stories of attempts. At most, executives from major guilds collaborate with overseas partners on SS Rank gates.”
Kim Dong Jin let out a laugh.
A bitter one, as though suggesting everyone was being deceived.
“The truth is, our top-tier hunters have already challenged SS Rank dungeons and above dozens of times over.”
“What—what did you just say?”
Si Ul’s eyes widened as he repeated the words back.
“You’re wondering why such a massive story never made the news?”
Kim Dong Jin, reading Si Ul’s thoughts from his expression, continued.
“Because raid information is suppressed from SS Rank dungeons onward. The resources obtainable from within surpass imagination. That’s why every nation keeps it hidden.”
Whether Kim Dong Jin’s words were true, Si Ul couldn’t say.
They were nothing but sudden claims without a shred of evidence.
Yet instinct exists in people.
Si Ul sensed that the white-haired man now divulging classified information before him wasn’t lying.
“So what you’re saying is… Korean hunters have successfully cleared SS Rank dungeons and above?”
Si Ul engaged seriously with the topic Kim Dong Jin had raised.
“Not just cleared them. They’ve uncovered multiple secrets that ordinary hunters would never know, even until their dying day.”
“Secrets? What kind of secrets?”
“I obviously can’t tell you. One word out of my mouth and I won’t see tomorrow.”
For a fleeting instant, Kim Dong Jin’s gaze swept across something beyond the ornamental garden.
Si Ul saw nothing, but one never knew.
Beings capable of Invisibility like Zero might be watching from somewhere.
“Why are you telling me any of this?”
“Because you mentioned aiming for an SSS Rank dungeon. Consider it a tip from a concerned neighbor.”
Kim Dong Jin added the remark with a casual smile.
“If you want to challenge a dungeon of that caliber, there are only two paths.”
He folded down his raised fingers one by one as he spoke.
“Become the flagship hunter of a major guild and watch for occasional overseas collaboration opportunities, or… become a Special Hunter, one of the primary challengers of SS Rank dungeons and above.”
“…What do you mean by Special Hunters being the primary challengers?”
“The state decides who qualifies to challenge SS Rank dungeons and higher. As I mentioned, it’s due to the vast resources and prohibitions involved. Which organization would the state trust?”
Si Ul’s words died in his throat as the obvious answer crystallized.
The Special Hunter organization, without question.
Superior skill was a baseline requirement, and being government-affiliated made classified information management convenient.
“People mistakenly think Special Hunters exist to protect the nation, but that’s not their real purpose. They’re the ones who make the nation grow.”
Struck by wave after wave of shocking revelations, Si Ul’s mind grew hazy.
Then, suddenly, he saw how these facts applied to his own future.
“Then… you’re saying I can’t even attempt an SSS Rank dungeon with my current status?”
Si Ul had planned to leave for overseas as soon as he re-awakened to S Rank, so this point was critical to him.
Kim Dong Jin nodded slightly, as though Si Ul had grasped the crux of the matter.
“Let me offer you advice: if you want to challenge an SSS Rank dungeon, gain power. As a freelance hunter, you’ll never reach that goal.”
With that counsel complete, Kim Dong Jin wound the Golden Retriever’s leash around his wrist and stood.
“I’d like to talk longer, but I have a prior engagement. We’ll meet again. Good luck with your move.”
“Wait, just a moment—!”
Si Ul still had mountains of questions.
But Kim Dong Jin turned abruptly and walked down the path.
* * *
The confused expression on Si Ul’s face in that final moment lingered in Kim Dong Jin’s mind like an afterimage.
‘Maybe I gave him too much information at once.’
Kim Dong Jin stroked his chin and clicked his tongue.
In truth, leaking those classified secrets to Si Ul a moment ago hadn’t been a spontaneous act.
It was a request from Kang Ho Cheol, his former partner during Special Hunter operations.
‘Did I really need to leak such forbidden information to that young kid…?’
Kim Dong Jin felt an unsettling doubt, but it was a request he couldn’t refuse.
He’d never once seen Kang Ho Cheol stake his word so adamantly.
— Senior, I’m serious. If that kid joins our organization, we can shut down the Haeundae Section 91 gate.
A doomed hunter who keeps on surviving
Author |
Klutsmatz
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
Editor in Chief |
Editorial Department
Published by |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books
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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 reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the express written permission of 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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