I Became a Hunter with the Heavenly Slaughter Star Trait. - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 1

Episode 1

That’s right.

Trait.

They said I’d get a trait as soon as I entered the tutorial.

There’s still a chance.

If a decent trait appears…!

Hm?

Thousand Deaths?

* * *

“Ugh…”

Han River Riverside where the cold night wind blows.

I gazed at the flowing river water with a lukewarm soju bottle in my mouth.

‘What am I really going to do now.’

I’ve cried so much that tears won’t even come anymore.

Only dried tear stains remain.

“Haah…”

I let out a deep sigh and looked around.

I can see people chattering away happily while eating chicken, ramen, cola and beer.

If it were usual, I might have been leisurely eating some ramen too.

But…

‘I don’t even have money to buy a single chicken now.’

What chicken.

I can’t even buy a single ramen.

No, even the bus fare to get home is barely enough.

How did it come to this?

All South Korean citizens must have heard of it at least once.

Whether on the news or from people around them.

Jeonse fraud.

Yes, that’s exactly it.

A vicious scam that hits innocent tenants in the back of the head, no, completely destroys them.

Who would have known that the officetel I contracted a few months ago was a trap set by that notorious scammer constantly featured on the news.

I never dreamed of it.

I was just happy.

The fact that I finally had a space I could call ‘home’.

For me, the meaning of ‘home’ had to be greater than for ordinary people.

Because I was from an orphanage.

Life at the orphanage was neither happy nor unhappy.

Because from a young age, I had no desires.

If you don’t expect anything, you won’t be disappointed either.

I don’t know how much that principle I realized before even coming of age helped me.

Eighteen years old.

When I reached the age where I had to leave the orphanage.

I headed to a gosiwon.

The first thing I bought with the support money was none other than a tablet.

I’d been obsessed with comics since middle school and drew pictures, and I had some talent.

I even received a few freelance jobs in high school.

Using that experience, I started working as an assistant.

While others went to college, dated, and traveled.

Days of drawing like crazy in a gosiwon room filled with just a bed and desk.

Still, it wasn’t painful.

Even with part-time work, though tight, I could make a living alone.

And I could nurture the dream of becoming a webtoon artist someday.

Above all, my creed of ‘if you don’t expect anything, you won’t be disappointed either’ was a great source of strength.

Until I was hit by the jeonse fraud.

My meager savings and loan money.

All of it became debt.

I couldn’t believe it.

Why did this happen to me?

All I wanted was just an ordinary life.

Could it be that even that is too much for me?

“Kuk kuk kuk…”

I let out laughter like someone who’d lost their mind.

Even the couple happily eating chicken next to me looked at me.

“Should I commit suicide.”

I muttered without realizing it while looking at the Han River.

And like a revelation.

In the distance, I can see a building’s billboard.

A billboard flashing overwhelmingly among countless signs and advertisements.

[Challenge yourself! And take it!]

The sight of hunters passing by with a spotlight along with flashy CG.

[1234-7777 ∥ Babel Tower Climber Management Bureau]

A phone number appearing under a spinning purple magic stone.

“…”

Right.

If I’m going to commit suicide.

I should do it spectacularly.

I took out my phone and dialed the number I just saw.

“…Is this the Babel Tower Climber Management Bureau?”

* * *

Babel Tower Climber Management Bureau.

Unofficially, it’s called the Hunter Administration Bureau.

The general public and media more often use the term hunter instead of calling them Babel Tower climbers, so it became known that way.

20 years ago, a ‘tower’ appeared in the heart of Seoul.

It wasn’t something that happened only in Seoul.

It was a worldwide phenomenon.

Massive towers piercing through to the stratosphere appeared in each country’s capital.

When America named this ‘tower’ Tower Babel, this unknown existence officially came to be called Babel Tower.

America was the first to explore Babel Tower, but the results were disastrous.

The conclusion they managed to reach was that Babel Tower was an ‘illusion’ that didn’t actually exist.

The footage of a combat helicopter passing right through Babel Tower caused a worldwide sensation.

And one question arose.

Then, how exactly can one enter that tower?

This question was soon resolved.

[Humanity’s First Successful Entry into Babel Tower!]

[Will the Tower’s Secrets Finally Be Revealed?]

In fact, the method to enter Babel Tower was surprisingly simple.

Just by saying “Babel Tower entry,” anyone could enter regardless of gender or age.

However, the problem was returning.

[Babel Tower Survivor’s Testimony: “That Place Was Hell!”]

Average survival rate after entering Babel Tower: 8%.

An abysmal probability.

As the number of people who entered Babel Tower only to go missing increased exponentially, naturally fewer people entered the tower.

Not just fewer, but now virtually none.

Items like magic stones obtained inside Babel Tower traded for high prices, so one could make big money just by entering…

But even in Babel Tower, reality’s absolute truth applied.

Namely, the truth that “you only have one life.”

Thus, the hunter shortage became not just Korea’s problem, but a worldwide issue.

-Then can’t we just not climb Babel Tower?

-It’s not like it actually exists anyway;

…such opinions existed.

However, after the “Demon Realm Transformation” in North Korea, such opinions became impossible to find even if you searched with your eyes wide open.

Demon Realm Transformation.

If Babel Tower isn’t conquered for a certain period of time, dimensional rifts appear around the tower.

This very phenomenon occurred in the heart of Pyongyang, North Korea.

When dimensional rifts occur, otherworldly monsters and alien races that could only be seen inside Babel Tower pour out. Not only that, but terraforming also proceeds due to the dimensional rifts.

Inside the tower, no matter how pathetic you are, you can at least make a final stand with traits and skills.

Outside the tower, hunters are ultimately just human.

Not only do traits and skills become less efficient, but there are various restrictions too.

Generally speaking, fighting inside the tower is overwhelmingly advantageous.

That it’s much more beneficial to climb the tower rather than face monsters in reality after Demon Realm Transformation occurs.

Through North Korea as a textbook example, the entire world learned this.

North Korea was a country that prohibited Babel Tower climbing from the beginning.

To eliminate unstable elements and achieve national unity.

However, when faced with the crisis of terraforming after Demon Realm Transformation, they urgently requested help from China and Russia and barely survived.

After that, Babel Tower climbing became a task for the entire world.

Therefore, hunter recruitment became every nation’s duty.

There were countries like the US and Japan that recruited hunters with patriotism and massive capital.

There were also countries like China and Russia that forcibly conscripted hunters.

And Korea was…

“Tsk tsk.”

The reception desk of the Babel Tower Climber Management Bureau.

Two civil servants in charge of reception and guidance were watching a man sitting awkwardly in the waiting room.

A civil servant clicking his tongue while flipping through the registration application.

The application had the name ‘Lee Tae-pyeong’ written on it.

25 years old. Applying to register as a Babel Tower climber at an age when he should be enjoying his prime youth.

“I understand his circumstances are pitiful, but…”

The man shifts his gaze to Lee Tae-pyeong visible beyond the registration form.

“Another suicide hopeful added today.”

“Don’t say such unlucky things. Some people do come back alive.”

“That’s only because there aren’t many of them.”

At those words, the woman sitting beside him closes her mouth.

Because it was the truth.

The number of hunters currently existing in Korea doesn’t even reach a hundred.

This is because the hunter mortality rate is very high.

The number of tutorial survivors is statistically 8%.

This is Korea’s standard, and globally it’s only 4%.

In Korea’s case, the Management Bureau implemented policies to assist tutorial entrants, so the survival rate is relatively higher.

Other countries only begin support for those who have already survived the tutorial.

A kind of qualification verification, you could say.

But Korea also assisted tutorial entrants.

Because only that way would it help with new influx.

Of course, it was still a terrible level.

Even with national assistance.

It meant 92 out of 100 people would die.

“Do you think he can survive?”

“He has to.”

“Why?”

“It’s pitiful.”

“Well…”

“He’s a victim of rental deposit fraud.”

* * *

South Korea has a Special Law for Babel Tower Climbers.

This special law contained clauses that were very attractive to certain people.

Becoming a climbing aspirant would exempt minor criminal records, and furthermore, all debt relationships would also be completely exempted.

Initially, there were many complaints about this special law.

However, as the perception spread that attempting to climb was tantamount to death, most of those complaints disappeared.

A place where those who had nothing left to give up reluctantly set foot.

The mockery of calling them suicide hopefuls rather than climbing aspirants might not be entirely wrong.

“Have you finished reading everything?”

“Yes? Yes. Yes.”

Since I don’t have much occasion to talk with people, I ended up answering three times in bewilderment. But the civil servant in front of me just points to the signature line as if nothing happened.

“The moment you sign, you’ll be granted climbing aspirant status.”

“Yes…”

Gulp.

The moment I sign here, I become a suicide hope…

No, a climbing aspirant.

The moment I become a climbing aspirant, all my debts disappear.

But.

At the same time, I’ll be obligated to enter the tutorial.

After completing the tutorial, climbing challenges are free… but that’s a story for after surviving.

‘Wasn’t I here to commit suicide anyway.’

Boldly.

It’s all or nothing anyway.

Either successful suicide, or successful debt repayment.

I took the pen the civil servant handed me.

And then.

[Lee Tae-pyeong]

Without any grand flourish, I wrote my three-character name clearly and carefully.

As soon as I put the pen down, the civil servant immediately took the application to check it.

Whether my signature was properly there.

“Mr. Lee Tae-pyeong.”

“Yes.”

“From now on, you will be granted the status of climbing aspirant.”

“Yes…”

Why do I feel relieved rather than anxious?

Is it thanks to my principle that if you don’t expect anything, you won’t be disappointed?

Certainly, I’m in a state of expecting nothing at all.

Like becoming the world’s greatest hunter.

Or conquering the tower to save the world from the threat of demonic transformation.

Or even making tremendous amounts of money, or receiving people’s praise.

I have no expectations whatsoever.

“Phew…”

As I let out a light sigh, the civil servant, who had a stern face, looked at me with a slight smile.

“Well then, I’ll guide you to the dormitory where you’ll be staying, Mr. Lee Tae-pyeong.”

“Dormitory…?”

“Yes. During the three months of tutorial preparation training, accommodation, meals, and necessary supplies will be provided.”

When I looked at him with surprised eyes, the civil servant seemed to realize something and continued his explanation.

“Oh, of course it’s not mandatory. If it’s inconvenient, you can stay at home…”

“N-n-n-no!”

“Pardon?”

“I n-need it. The dormitory! And meals too!”

…Being a suicide aspirant might not be so bad after all?

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