Obtained End-Game Gear for a Bowl of Ramen - Chapter 1

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

Episode 1. Just One Bite?
Towers began to rise across the world, and Gates started opening everywhere.
That’s when Hunters appeared—climbing the towers, sealing the Gates—but….
I envy them. The Hunters.
They make so much money. Draped in amazing items, wielding flashy skills.
The treasures they bring back from the towers, the spoils of war—incredible.
And the sight of them fighting to close a Gate? Magnificent.
There are people who’ve never heard of celebrities, but nobody doesn’t know an S-Rank Hunter.
Everyone wants to become a Hunter.
Dangerous? Injuries pile up? One wrong step and you’re dead?
What other job doesn’t have those risks? Life is just struggle anyway.
At least if I’m going to die, I’d rather be a Hunter and get rewarded for the effort I put in.
Son Jeong-ho understood this perfectly.
For three years, he’d tried relentlessly, nosebleeds and all, but still hadn’t landed a job.
The problem was simple: just wanting to be a Hunter didn’t make you one.
First, you had to Awaken.
But how? Nobody knew. It was pure luck. An elementary school kid passing by could Awaken as an S-Rank Hunter, a grandfather at death’s door could Awaken as A-Rank and spring back to life, a retired special forces unit could become D-Rank Hunters, or….
Boom!
[You have Awakened!]
Son Jeong-ho could Awaken while boiling instant noodles in his kitchenette.
“Awakened? Just like that?”
He’d heard Hunter Awakenings happened suddenly, but this suddenly?
His first feeling wasn’t joy—it was dread.
Had he finally cracked from the endless cycle of part-time work? It seemed possible.
It had been three years since he’d left home to live independently, and he was still scraping by with odd jobs in a cramped studio apartment while preparing for job interviews. Anyone would’ve lost their mind.
‘I’ll understand once I open my Status window.’
Every Hunter could see their own Status window—a personal panel.
It showed who you were, how strong you were, what Skills you possessed.
Jeong-ho turned down the flame under the pot and opened his Status.
Boom!
[Name: Son Jeong-ho]
[Unique Skill: Tower of Heroes Entry]
[Stats] [Level: 1]
—Strength: F —Agility: F
—Defense: F —Perception: F
—Mana: F —Luck: F
[Common Skill: Tower of Trials Entry]
‘……?’
He had Awakened.
The problem was: every stat was F. A single F-Rank stat dropped your Hunter Rank by two entire tiers.
Towers tested every Hunter stat comprehensively, and Gates were too unpredictable—the fewer weaknesses you had, the better your odds.
‘I’m all F’s.’
It meant he was trash—useless as a Hunter.
The Unique Skill was strange too. Tower of Heroes Entry?
Every Hunter received exactly one Unique Skill.
Since no two ever overlapped, it determined the entire trajectory of a Hunter’s career. It was the most crucial decision.
Ranged Unique Skill meant you’d be an archer, marksman, or gunslinger.
Magic Unique Skill meant mage; healing meant support.
Tower of Heroes Entry meant…?
Jeong-ho looked out the single window in his studio apartment.
The building across the street blocked most of the view, but through a narrow gap he could still see a tower rising sharply into the sky.
“That’s the Tower of Trials. Tower of Heroes Entry means….”
[Skill Activated: Tower of Heroes Entry]
[Entering the Tower of Heroes.]
“Wait, I haven’t even finished my noodles…!”
Flash!
A blinding light. Sound muffled away. A profound silence, as if he’d been ejected from the world itself.
As the light gradually faded, a cold stone hall came into view.
<Kufufufu. This is the Tower of Heroes.>
Jeong-ho turned his head, searching for the source of that voice.
A massive shadow in an oversized hood hovered before him, and all that was visible were a pair of crimson eyes floating in the darkness.
“W-who are you?”

He could have sworn the shadow was smiling.
Wait—what did you say? The hundredth floor of the Tower of Trials?
“I haven’t even made it to the first floor of any tower yet.”
The shadow’s eyes shifted instantly.
It looked him up and down with an expression of naked disdain.

“I used a skill. I had a Tower of Heroes Entry skill.”

“Is something the matter?”

The shadow muttered to itself and spun around a full one hundred eighty degrees.
Jeong-ho felt irritation rising in his chest.
There were limits to how dismissively one could treat another person. It wasn’t as if he’d asked to come here.
“Fine, I’m going. Just let me finish my ramen first.”
Any longer and the noodles would turn to mush.
Besides, he owed this rude shadow a little payback.
‘I’ll splash broth all over the place on my way out.’
Slurp—
Fortunately, the ramen had cooked to perfection.
Thanks to the cool air of the Tower of Heroes’ chamber, the hot noodles had cooled rapidly to just the right temperature, chewy and delicious.
Though every one of Jeong-ho’s Stats was F-rank, his years of living alone had honed his ramen-cooking skills to an art form.

“Ramen.”

“It’s instant food. And it turned out perfectly delicious. Would you like to try some?”
The shadow turned its head slightly.
For a moment, it felt as though their eyes had met—those crimson orbs and his own—and he caught the faintest glimmer of curiosity.
“Just one bite?”

Yet his eyes hadn’t stopped wavering since he’d started eating.
Jeong-ho casually pushed the ramen bowl closer.
Those crimson eyes kept stealing glances, and the shadow finally relented.

As if wielding telekinesis, the bowl rose into the air, and the shadow took hold of it before turning away.
“Just one bite, please.”
Slurrrp—
“I said just one bite.”
Crunch. Slurp-slurp-slurp.
“Isn’t that quite a lot more than one bite?”
The shadow tilted its head back and gulped down broth without restraint.

The shadow handed back the empty bowl.
Not a single drop of broth remained—it had been licked completely clean.
“Wait! You ate all my ramen!”
An awkward silence settled between them.
The shadow blinked its crimson eyes sheepishly.

A complete one-eighty in demeanor.
Tentacles extended from the shadow’s form and began rummaging through its own body.
It was rather grotesque.

Three items emerged from the shadow’s body.
A sword, a book, and something that looked like an apple.
-Cold Iron Short Sword (Original) (Legendary)
-Fruit of Life Extension (Original) (Legendary)
-Skill Book: Fire Bolt (Original) (Legendary)
Was this a dream? Legendary? All for a single bowl of ramen?
Items from the Towers and Gates come in five grades total.
Common, Rare, Unique, Epic, and Legendary—Legendary being the highest.
In the three years since Hunters emerged, has a Legendary item even dropped three times?
They’re priceless—literally impossible to trade—and you’re telling me you’d hand over a Legendary item for a bowl of ramen?
And what’s this word “Original” supposed to mean?

“You’re really giving me a Legendary item?”

If you’re offering, why would I refuse?
Jeong-ho examined the items one by one.
—Cold Iron Short Sword (Original) (Legendary): A blade forged in extreme cold. It freezes before it strikes, cuts as it strikes, and shatters into fragments after striking.
The description alone is brutal. But I can’t use a sword. My Strength and Agility are both F-rank.
—Fruit of Life Extension (Original) (Legendary): Upon consumption, cures all ailments instantly and adds thirty years to your remaining lifespan.
A terrifying effect. The immortality everyone dreams of. An item beyond valuation, but…
‘What’s the point of extending my life here?’
I can’t even find employment. What good is living longer if I have no future?
All my Stats as a Hunter are F-rank.
I’d love to live a long, quiet life, but not without the ability to at least survive day by day.
Now that I’ve Awakened as a Hunter, I need something actually useful to a Hunter.
—Skill Book: Fire Bolt (Original) (Legendary): Learn Fire Bolt (Original).
Weighing everything, the Skill Book is the best choice.
Fire Bolt is the most basic of magic skills.
Even Hunters with F-rank Magic Stat often use it—to bait enemies from a distance, or at the very least to light a cigarette.
“I’ll take the Skill Book.”