TL : Swan
PR : Hayath
# Episode 002
Ten years ago, when the “Great Cataclysm” occurred and the status of hunters began to rise significantly, the biggest issue was not the invasion of monsters or wars between nations.
It was the bodies of the hunters who died in the dungeons.
For the families of those who died for their country and the world, they naturally hoped to at least recover their bodies intact. Anyone would wish for that. The hunters who died in the dungeons were someone’s fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, and so on.
But reality was harsh.
“When a hunter dies in the dungeon, the “Mana” inside their body transforms into a highly toxic poison. If you touch the body without proper safety measures, it can lead to death due to poisoning.”
In reality, there were numerous cases where a hunter who touched the body of someone, who had died an hour ago, would succumb to poisoning and die within ten minutes.
As a result of the additional fatalities, thousands of more deaths occurred, and among the hunters, rumours spread like ghost stories.
“The dead hunters will hunt you.”
The hunters had no choice but to hunt while pretending not to notice the bodies of their fallen comrades. Otherwise, they would die themselves.
Some tried to create makeshift coffins to carry their comrades’ bodies, but it was never an easy task. In a dungeon where even a single body was difficult to protect, the smell of death from a corpse was as alluring as honey.
Some people attempted to find the bodies after defeating the bosses, but the dungeons were places where conventional items like compasses didn’t work. It was natural that they couldn’t figure out who had died, when they were wandering around during battles.
So, the recovery of bodies gradually became an important issue.
The management agency organized teams called “Dead Trace” or “Tracers” to search for the lonely souls who died and return them to their families.
Tracers were special search teams that roamed hundreds of dungeons, to send back the numerous hunters who died alone to Earth.
If hunters were frontline warriors, the Tracers were the search teams that sent them back to their families. They had to overcome unpredictable dangers, making them much stronger than ordinary hunters.
This was the origin of the Tracers.
Yohan was the first person in this world to be given the name “Tracer.”
“Damn money.”
Now, I’m just someone who’s chasing after money, that’s all. *Sigh*…
He gulped down a shot of soju and took a spoonful of pickled radish. No matter how many times he thought about it, Albino’s disappearance was frustrating and regrettable.
“Was the lease agreement just a dream on a midsummer night?”
Opportunities are more despairing when missed than not coming at all. He tried to swallow the regret with soju, but the problem was the amount.
To soothe the regret of losing 100 million won, he would need more than just one bottle of soju.
“Damn, I shouldn’t have caught that Albinor. Those college kids, they really ate a lot.”
As one hole collapsed, another one was brought to light.
Yohan’s anger focused on the cause of him going out for a hunt, on the drinking party from yesterday.
“My precious money. Seriously. Pretending to be nice is meaningless.”
The college students’ bar tab was 200,000 won. When he checked the price of the drinks they had, tears almost welled up due to the unfairness.
He got scolded, and rightfully so, but the problem was that he spent that money himself.
Not to mention, at that time, his own bar tab hadn’t even reached 30,000 won. He had spent nearly ten times that amount.
“But I’m still not dead.”
But it had already happened.
To survive as a one-hit wonder singer like himself, he had to show everyone that he wasn’t dead every time an opportunity arose. Even in trivial situations.
Of course, he didn’t have much hope that the college kids would spread word of his talent.
But if these things kept happening, at least once, maybe twice if he was lucky, some people might mention him to others.
Yohan was just a human who desperately wished for even such small opportunities.
He finished the pickled radish and went to the cupboard to take out a pack of instant noodles. While boiling the noodles, he recalled the image of himself when he was in better days.
The dignified figure from that day. That was today’s side dish for his noodles.
“So what if it’s instant noodles? It’s the best meal in the world.”
He added the seasoning and noodles to the boiling water. On top, he sliced spring onions and minced garlic, and the soup made by boiling onions was deeper than any other soup in the world.
If he added an egg on top, what could be a simpler hangover cure than this?
Boil, boil…
He placed an old newspaper on the table as a makeshift dining mat and started eating the “Ramyeon”. One spoonful of the spicy noodles tantalized his taste buds.
*Slurp*
The soup spilled into the air. It fell.
The soup landed on the newspaper he used as a dining mat…
The newspaper was exactly six years old, and there was a headline sticking out of the corner. It read:
“”
Under the headline, there was a photo. It was a picture of Yohan receiving a certificate with a bright expression on his face.
He gazed at the headline for a moment, feeling sentimental, before refocusing on his ramyeon. His attitude was somewhat neurotic.
“There’s no hope for an F-Rank.”
Yohan wasn’t a fool. Expecting anything from his past glory was foolish and futile.
Yearning for past glory with such ‘meagre’ talent was nothing more than indulgence and rebellion.
“Ugh, seriously. You idiot, Yohan.”
But, why did he engage in such idiotic behaviour?
He had already done the foolish act of clinging to past glory.
No matter how much he repeated and promised himself, his heart couldn’t escape from past glory.
He repeated the same mistakes.
It seemed as if humans were born creatures to repeat the same mistakes, over and over again.
He wanted to rise again.
He wanted to soar brilliantly.
“Enough!”
He grabbed four Cheongyang chilli peppers. Without hesitation, he chewed and swallowed one chilli pepper in one bite.
“Spicy, haah… Spicy, haah.”
The dizzying spiciness drove away his distractions. After causing pain in his mouth and stomach, the distractions somewhat disappeared.
*Slurp*
After gulping down the soup to the last drop, he cleared the newspaper.
He couldn’t bring himself to throw away the newspaper, that the ramyeon broth had splashed on. He put it back on the shelf.
On the other side of his room, which turned away from the past, there were piles of newspapers and magazines that seemed to be from a similar year.
Like someone who believed that the past would come back again.
“I pray for the souls of the deceased.”
He recited the ritual phrase like a habit and checked his roadmap.
He only recited these words when entering a dungeon for a mission, not for monster hunting.
“How far should I go this time?”
No one knew where the body was. They only vaguely remembered a general area, as human memories were unreliable.
“Decomposition seems quite advanced. It might be difficult to find.”
The forest was filled with chilly air.
The forest was littered with the bones of monsters, leaving only bones that had decayed. The bodies of the monsters had been mostly eaten by maggots.
“A mixture of various blood. The battle must have been quite intense.”
Judging by the size of the fragmented bones, they belonged to “Kobolds”. They were the notorious ones in the F-Rank who were hunted by most hunters.
“They only have minor injuries left in their bones. It seems they weren’t skilled. It’s actually fortunate.”
If they had been skilled enough to survive with a strong vitality, it would have been nearly impossible to find them. From the viewpoint of a scout, this situation was actually good.
He examined the blood stains on the floor, which were barely noticeable.
The traces of dark red blood on gravel and weeds formed straight lines.
He followed the direction where the bones and footprints on the ground had been scattered, leading to the direction of the injuries, on the trees and grass.
He had a rough idea of where they had gone. There were only a few places in this vicinity, where monsters could avoid being spotted.
After determining the direction, he quickly ran. There was a possibility that surviving monsters were still present, so he couldn’t delay.
He searched for hiding places. From holes made by tree roots, to large rocks five meters in size, and even on the branches of chestnut trees.
He didn’t find any traces, but as he narrowed down the area, the presumed destination became clear.
“It must be there.”
It was a crevice formed by large rocks, collapsing due to a landslide.
The firmly bound rocks formed a crevice that was one of the preferred hiding spots for those who came to this dungeon.
He minimized his presence and approached the crevice. He couldn’t sense any clear signs or movement from inside or outside.
*Thump*
He heard a cricket chirping from the ground. Yohan inhaled lightly, and the dying embers of the fire flickered in the distance. He quickly moved towards the end of the faint glow.
He removed a mask from his pocket and put it on to protect himself from the faint poison.
He revived the dying embers to illuminate the inside. At the far end was a body lying down.
If Yohan wasn’t experienced in being a Tracer, he might have vomited at the sight of the grotesquely decaying body.
The body was in a state where the face and body were exposed, and decomposed to the point making it impossible to identify. The only things that were recognizable were the clothes, weapon, and awakening badge.
On the awakening badge, there was the sad expression of a man named “Yidupal”.
“Pleased to meet you. Are you “Yidupal”, by any chance?”
He bowed his head.
Yohan covered his face with a clean white cloth, and put on gloves before putting the belongings, that seemed to belong to the client, into his bag.
“Appraisal.”
[Ballpoint Pen] Grade: None
Appraisal Value: 100 won
-It’s a ballpoint pen with plenty of ink. It seems like it can be used a few more times.
[Lottery Ticket]
Grade: None
Appraisal Value: 5,000 won
– A lottery ticket that won fifth prize. You can exchange it for cash at a convenience store.
[Last Will]
Grade: None
Appraisal Value: 0 won
-A will that was written a month ago. There is nothing special in it.
[Management Fee Invoice]
Grade: None
Appraisal Value: -50,000 won
– An overdue management fee invoice. It’s been three months.
“Why did you bring the invoice?”
They were really just a bunch of useless items.
He claimed that he was behind on his rent, but he was truly close to being penniless.
He had searched every possible place, but he couldn’t find anything of value. Even the weapon he had was barely worth anything.
“He was ripped off.”
It was always like this. Expecting more than necessary from F-Rank dungeon requests was mentally unhealthy.
If they had anything of value, they wouldn’t have come to an F-Rank dungeon.
He organized the condition and information of the “artifacts” on sticky notes and attached them.
After putting all the artifacts into one bag, he took out a small handkerchief. It was a plain black handkerchief with no pattern.
*Flap-*
The area of the thrown handkerchief expanded in an instant.
The handkerchief, which swallowed the body in one bite, neatly organized itself, leaving behind a tidy tail.
Yohan grabbed the end of the handkerchief and headed towards the portal.
“This handkerchief must be more valuable. It’s a premium brand too.”
The flexible handkerchief had the added function of blocking poison and was sold at a considerable price.
Maybe he could barely break even.
After making sure he didn’t miss anything in the vicinity, he left the dungeon without looking back.
No, he tried to leave.
Until he heard a certain voice.
“[The Artifacts have been appraised over 100,000 times.]”
A second voice resonated in his ear.
It was a voice he could never forget.
“[The ‘Appraiser’ profession has evolved. A ‘new skill’ has been added.]”
The voice he heard when he first awakened.
He couldn’t determine the gender, but for some reason, it was a comforting voice.
“What’s evolving?”
The voice he thought he would never hear again rang in his ear.
“[The “God of the Dead” has taken a liking to your character towards the dead. He personally bestows a new “Profession” upon you.]”
