The Chicken Legend's Game Becomes Reality - Chapter 42
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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 42
It was quite the news.
“Hwang Beom-young? Forced transfer?”
“Not him. Actually, Hwang Beom-young never hit us.”
“We got called to the school once, and when we talked to them, he wasn’t such a bad guy. Just… terrifyingly intimidating.”
What?
These bastards had switched sides to Hwang Beom-young’s camp while I wasn’t looking.
“Apparently the Hunter Gang was just riding on Hwang Beom-young’s coattails and showing off. Since his backing is so strong, they figured they could rough up some ordinary people and get away with it.”
“Huh.”
Interesting.
The fact that they understood the idiom precisely.
‘These guys look like they don’t study a lick at school, yet they’re still learning something.’
Roughly speaking, it meant a fox leveraging a tiger’s power to strut around.
I’d already grasped that Hwang Beom-young wasn’t as completely unhinged as I’d thought—more like he barely managed to stay within the bounds of common sense, walking a razor’s edge.
‘But why did he act that way toward me?’
After seeing my skills, Hwang Beom-young had genuinely believed I was a Hunter. That much was certain.
More surprising than that was the forced transfer of the Hunter students.
‘Hwang Beom-young’s Aunt must have pulled some strings.’
Last time at the hospital, Hwang Beom-young’s Aunt had told me she’d be taking special measures with the school.
It seemed she’d followed through and dealt with the trash Hwang Beom-young hung around with.
It was probably a decision made entirely for Hwang Beom-young’s sake, but in any case, it was fantastic news for the High School Boys.
The High School Boys who’d clung to me crying and begging for help after getting tangled up with Hwang Beom-young’s Gang had just seen their wish granted in an instant.
The three of them chattered excitedly.
“Wow, we can finally breathe.”
“We’re alive!”
“How is this even possible? Did you do something? Are you like the National Intelligence Service of the Hunter Community or something?”
They were really spinning fiction.
“Yeah, no. Move aside—there are customers behind you.”
The customers in the Convenience Store had been glancing over for a while, and now they shuffled forward hesitantly with their items.
The High School Boys kept talking even as I rang them up.
“Would you like to grab dinner with us after work? I’ll buy. My older brother gave me his card and told me to treat you.”
That was actually touching.
‘They’re starting to look like actual people.’
The one who’d tried to buy cigarettes when I first saw him was admittedly handsome in a subtle way, and Yang Ae-chui’s younger brother was objectively quite good-looking.
If they took this opportunity to get their heads on straight and act like decent human beings, that would be enough.
“Come back once I’m done. I’ll be a while.”
“We’ll wait over there without bothering you.”
“Oh, wait. By the way, where did you learn to fight? You’re really good at it. Could you teach me too?”
I’m ringing up customers one after another, and they just keep saying the strangest things.
Not that I expected much from them anyway.
“Can’t you see I’m busy?”
“My apologies.”
Once the queue had cleared out, the High School Boys sitting across the room—laughing and chattering, occasionally glancing my way—struck up another conversation.
“Hey, I’m curious about something!”
“Don’t.”
“Got it.”
There were still quite a few people browsing inside the Convenience Store.
The kid who’d been holding back his questions and joking around with his friends finally spoke up once the customers had finished checking out and left.
“So that day at the Hospital—what did Hwang Beom-young say to his sister? He was beating her so hard, and the moment she collapsed, he just froze up like he couldn’t even breathe.”
I almost cursed him out for asking when I’d told him not to, but I stopped myself.
I hadn’t been particularly curious, but hearing part of it made me oddly interested in the detailed aftermath of what happened after she passed out.
Another kid chimed in.
“Yeah, right. At first when she collapsed, he didn’t even seem to care, but then why did he suddenly go pale like that?”
“Maybe he panicked thinking about the cops showing up?”
“Man, it was absolutely insane. The police came flooding in, and right after that the Guild people poured in too—it was like watching a movie.”
“It’s a scene that’ll stay with me forever. And the best highlight of it all was his sister’s fighting skills. If Hwang Beom-young hadn’t been a Hunter, I swear his sister would’ve demolished him.”
“What are you talking about? Hwang Beom-young got knocked down. His sister beat him.”
“Considering Hwang Beom-young’s a ranker, that’s a landslide victory.”
“It was seriously the best.”
The High School Boys flashed me a thumbs up.
I stared at them blankly.
‘They’re talking like it’s some movie scene. I’ve got nothing to lose in life so I’m fearless, but what are these kids relying on to be so reckless?’
For them, that day had already become a memory.
A question suddenly occurred to me.
“You guys go to the same school as Hwang Beom-young? How’s he doing these days?”
“He’s quiet.”
“I think he found out that the friends he used to hang with were selling his name all over the place, got mad, and cut ties with them.”
“He doesn’t really seem to have a group he hangs out with. At school, he’s always been alone.”
So he’s a loner too.
Maybe it’s an inescapable fate for successful Hunters.
It was prime time for customers to come in, yet these kids without a single purchase were taking up space and chattering away endlessly.
“Should we try getting close to Hwang Beom-young?”
“As if. That bastard’s basically a chaebol—why would he hang out with us?”
“Aw, come on.”
These thoughtless High School Boys seemed absolutely thrilled that they’d managed to force their natural enemies to transfer schools.
Listening to them, I grew increasingly exasperated—it was interfering with business and getting on my nerves.
“Hey. Just get out of here.”
“Sister, we should grab dinner together. My treat.”
“….”
A card fluttered back and forth.
Hold on.
As it happens, the entire reward I received from Hwang Beom-young’s Aunt went straight into the deposit for monthly rent, leaving my account rather bare.
Back to frugal mode.
After a brief lull, the evening customers came pouring in by the handful.
‘Sigh. When will Jung-yeon get here.’
There’s nothing quite like handing over to the next shift during the rush and escaping the Convenience Store—it’s absolutely exhilarating.
Ding—
The High School Boys’ raucous laughter suddenly cut off.
As I lifted my head at the sudden wrongness and sharp tension in the air, a group of High School Boys was pushing through the Convenience Store door.
They spotted the High School Boys the moment they entered and froze.
“…Huh? Who are these guys.”
“These bastards were gathered here.”
The High School Boys shot up from their seats with visibly tense expressions.
They scrambled away.
Only then did I realize these High School Boys were from Hwang Beom-young’s Gang, and my expression darkened immediately.
Those problem student Hunters who had beaten up the High School Boys.
‘Damn it.’
The male High School Boys inside the Convenience Store caught the vibe and slipped out entirely.
As the High School Boys rushed out, the other customers sensed the atmosphere, either hurrying to the Checkout Counter or leaving the Shop altogether.
I rapidly processed the remaining transactions, glancing at the clock.
‘This is bad.’
There was still quite a bit of time before the shift change.
If those bastards caused trouble inside the Shop, it would be my responsibility.
A chill ran down my spine.
“Damn it. If it weren’t for these bastards, it wouldn’t have come to this.”
“You like this? You like this, huh.”
One of the five of them glanced at me.
He nudged his friends and jerked his chin in my direction.
All five turned their gaze from the Three High School Boys and stared directly at me.
“….”
Ominous eyes.
As if certain that I was the real reason behind the punishment they’d received at School, the minor Hunters fixed me with a cold stare.
They sauntered closer.
The last customer finished their purchase and hurried out of the Convenience Store.
I murmured softly.
“Coin Market.”
Naturally, the Coin Market system’s favorites list that appeared before me was exactly as it had been from when I fought Hwang Beom-young.
Physical Shield 2 Seconds (30C)
Fatigue Wipe (50C)
Low-Tier Skill Defense 2 Seconds (60C)
Short-Range Spatial Displacement (100C)
Low-Grade Skill Reflection 1 Use (200C)
Current Balance: 2,810 Coins.
No matter what unfolds, I should be able to protect myself.
‘I nearly got myself fired, that’s all.’
I would have preferred a peaceful resolution, but the expressions and atmosphere of the five bastards eyeing me were anything but peaceful.
The ones who had reached the Sales Counter sneered openly.
“Shit, now that I see your face properly, you look absolutely disgusting. You’re basically a glasses-covered acne pig, aren’t you?”
“Which Guild are you affiliated with?”
“Hey, we should ask if you’re even a Hunter first. When you fought Hwang Beom-young, you couldn’t use a single skill.”
“A Hunter? More like an otaku.”
They weren’t wrong.
I wasn’t a Hunter—I was a ten-year fanatic obsessed with Virtual Reality combat games.
But I could use skills.
As I stared silently without answering, observing the situation, they seemed to sense some kind of pressure, and their expressions stiffened slightly.
Height: 178 centimeters, weight around 120 kilograms, maybe a bit less.
The High School Boys, having awakened as Hunters early on, had decent physicality and body balance, but none of them possessed the height and build to overwhelm me.
Without someone like Hwang Beom-young, they couldn’t beat me through presence alone.
Gulp.
I could almost hear someone swallowing their saliva from here.
Worried my newly purchased glasses might shatter in an unexpected situation, I raised my hand to remove them.
“S-Shit!”
One of them flinched at my gesture and suddenly accelerated, casting an attack skill.
I moved my hand toward the Coin Market.
The control I’d developed using items while gaming hadn’t gone anywhere.
Low-Grade Skill Defense 2 Seconds (60C)
I had memorized all the confirmation windows that appeared during purchase and use in the Coin Market, so the gap was nearly nonexistent.
Boom!
As the blue shield created from the item blocked the attack skill, their eyes went wide.
‘They’ll back off around here.’
Looking at their faces, I felt my tension ease slightly.
It was a naive thought.
“…That shield is insanely strong?”
At one of their mutters, my hand, which had been withdrawing from the Market window, stopped.
Now that I thought about it, I had no idea about the Hunter ranks or skills possessed by the five bastards standing before me.
The one at the front looked at me with a vicious grin.
His expression said I was finished.
“This is going to be fun.”
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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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