His forehead felt as if a rock was placed on top and his head hurt. His mind was fuzzy as if he taken an excessive amount of anesthetic. His body didn’t feel like his own body.

‘Didn’t I feel like this not too long ago…?’

From across his consciousness, he felt a weird sensation of deja vu. Then his inner self and his sensory system communicated with each other.  He felt some kind of a block starting to recede. At the same time, the memories that seemed to have been held back started to pour out to the front.

“Ooh, ooh…..”

He had woken up in an unidentified room and he met strangers there. Then he moved to a weird tower, and he had fought against scary monsters. No, instead of fighting, he observed from the back…. However, it didn’t matter. At the end, a skeleton monster that might show up in a SF movie appeared. It was as big as a house, and its punch crippled him.

‘Still my end was good. I was a good person.’

After his wife and children ran away, he had worried that no one would mourn for him if he died. If they did set up a table(TLN:Korean funeral involves preparing a table with food/alcohol/incense and a picture of the deceased where people can give respect to the dead) for him, his customers and the people coming out of courtesy would probably show up. He tried to downplay it, but he couldn’t help but have an empty space inside his heart. His fortune was like that, but a college student in the flower of her youth had cried a few tears for him. It was more extravagant than walking the road to the afterlife wearing a pearl necklace.

‘It was a dream… Wait, was it a nightmare? Was it a pig’s dream? Or a dog’s dream?’ (TLN: when one dreams a weird/irrational dream that doesn’t make sense, the most common phrase used is dog’s dream or Gae-ggoom)

He was thinking about such nonsense, when he felt someone shake his body from his side. The person carefully grabbed his shoulder, and shook him. It seemed like the person was trying to wake him up, but the person wasn’t aggressive, but cautious. Noguduk thought that if he opened his eyes then the gentle touch would disappear. Therefore, he ignored everything and he shut his eyes tighter.

‘Do they pick nurses on how well they massage?’

The owner of the hand, who was trying to wake him up, shook him for awhile. As the person directly involved didn’t move an inch, the hand fell away from his body as if the person had become tired. He couldn’t hide his regret when the trace of the other person grew distant. Then he heard a sharp intake of breath, and he heard an ear-piercing voice.

“U—n-cle–! How long are you going to sleep! Please wake up!”

“Ooh-huuuuuuk!”

The sharp voice passed by after mercilessly raking across his tender eardrums. After he suffered the unexpected attack, Noguduk raised his upper body, while he let out a big yell. His head was ringing, and it felt like a grandfather clock was ringing inside his skull.

“Wa! You woke up. Are you hurting anywhere?”

What kind of crazy hospital was this! Bring the director of the hospital! He was about to yell this, but he was struck dumb when he saw the face of the person who was chattering next to him. He had no choice, but to shut his mouth.

“You, you….?”

He stuttered, because he couldn’t believe who he was seeing. But then again, the face he wanted to bury inside his memory, as a good memory he dreamed up, was right in front of his eyes, and she was smiling. The meaning of this was clear.

“It…it wasn’t a dream?”

“What are you saying? Are you half awake? It’s me Soyool. Shin. So. Yool. Even though we weren’t properly introduced, have you already forgotten about me?”

“No… Any ways, why are you so noisy, girl? Don’t you know I just woke up? Also, why did you do that to me? What kind of person wakes someone like that?”

“Gosh!(TLN: Uh-muh, uhmuh! => It’s something you say when you are suprised) Who are you calling a girl! How can you speak that way to a comrade, who experienced life and death with you?”

“Shit. Life and death my ass! I’m the one who died….”

Noguduk’s words trailed off. Shin-soyool grinned as if she was provoking him to speak more.

“Who died?”

“Uh, uh….. What happened to my body? It’s unscathed!”

“They told us our body will heal if we pass the draft. …except if one is dead.”

Shin-soyoon sullenly explained as she thought about Park-junghwan. Noguduk was able to survive, while in a coma, because he had tenaciously hung on to his life. If he had crossed the river of Styx before the draft had ended, then he wouldn’t have been able to have this unexpected reunion. While the two were having a friendly conversation, the door suddenly opened. Then a man, who was cold like a stone, showed up. It was Lee-junghwan. He spoke with a stiff voice.

“The Scouter is here, so the two of you should come out.”

“Chet! Jeez, big brother Junghwan. Uncle just woke up. Why don’t you give him some time to rest?”

“Who’s your big brother?(TLN:oppa ) Also, he’s been resting until now. So hurry up and come out.”

Before anyone could argue, Lee-junghwan closed the door and left. Even though Lee-junghwan couldn’t see her, Shin-soyool stuck out her tongue towards his direction. As if she had no choice, Shin-soyool tugged on Noguduk’s sleeve.

“I guess we have to go out. I’ll give you a detailed explanation after we leave.”

“This sound familiar.”

“Yes?”

“Nothing. Let’s go.”

There was a gray haired man staring at a screen, while he frowned. He had an expression of discomfort, and he let out a sigh. It seemed his work wasn’t proceeding as he intended, so he felt uncomfortable.

“At this rate…”

He was talking to himself at a level where only he could hear it. No one heard what he said. Even if someone did hear him, they would have no idea what he was talking about.

The middle-aged man took his eyes off the screen, and he dusted off his lower body. Earth of the solar system was recently found to be the best place to Farm. He had laboriously picked the best talents, and they were waiting for him to speak. Somehow he felt pleased, and he felt the bad feeling from before disperse a little bit.

‘Especially, that guy.’

His eyes rested on one man. He was the best talent he had found. Since becoming a scout, this man had the potential to become the ‘greatest’ in history. Any scout would drool after reading the specific information written inside his journal. He almost couldn’t stop his hands and feet from shaking from shock.

[Journal Number : K903-32440]
[Name : Kim Jung In]
[Tribe&Race : Human]
[Class : – ]
[Talent : Lv6 Swordsmanship(C), Lv5 Holy(UC), Lv4 Magic(UC), Lv4 Luck(R), Lv3 Fire(R), Lv3 Light(R)]
[Characteristics : Reliably Stalwart, Battle Instinct, Seeker of Truth]

It was entirely geared towards battle. He had brutal abilities specialized for fighting. Level 6 was the highest Talent allowed for a human. The fact that he had reached that level meant there weren’t any humans who could match his talent in Swordsmanship. Moreover, his Attributes were perfect. The one thing he worried about was how far he could develop those Talents. Basically, what was the quality of the bowl(TLN: vessel), which contained these talents? However, this worry was dispelled by his accomplishments in this draft.

If he stays on a straight line and he develops his Talent then what would be the extent of his abilities?

‘He might be a Ten…, no he might exceed that. It is unfortunate that I can’t look further into his journal.’

The Scouter hadn’t picked these talents through his senses. If one considered the necessary materials and human resources needed to travel to a different dimension, it was inefficient to recklessly scout without having some kind of evidence backing up your claim. This was why before the Scouters hands out the Journal numbers, they use their special ability to measure one’s potential. The Scouters did this before they were Empowered and sent to Square. After one arrives at Square, Scouters can’t freely look at other’s Journal. One couldn’t steal other’s Journal information within Square. It was obviously forbidden.

Any ways, the middle aged man called Durian wasn’t stupid enough to let go of such a large fish. If the prospect he found was a high ranking Pick then the Scouter who found the pick would receive a very large sum of money from the Club. Kim-jungin was a non-standard existence. He was literally a bomb. Even if one gave the standard upper-limit price of a prospect, it wouldn’t be nearly enough to attain him. He had a lvl 6 Talent on top of other Talents. Even his attributes were perfect, and his growth potential couldn’t even be guessed. He was a mega prospect, and if he was excluded from the draft, the price would be up to the seller in the Trade Market.

This was the chance to turn his life around. Durian was going to use every method available, so Kim-jungin doesn’t get designated in the Draft. He was going to make an exculsive contract with him as an Agent.

He was filled with anticipation, but it turned out it was a misfire. The middle-aged man frowned while looking at the two people coming in from the hall entrance. To be specific, he was looking at the bald man with a body as big as a mountain.

Noguduk entered the wide hall and he didn’t realize someone was glaring at him. He looked at the welcoming faces, and he waved his hand in good spirits.

“Whoa! Everyone is alive? What happened?”

“It is thanks to Mr Noguduk.”

Yoon-hweeji faced him and she gave a refreshing smile. Then she lowered her head. Ahn-haemi and Che-nayun also had a smile spread across their faces as if they were thankful. They spoke to him as if they’ve looked at him in a new light.

“Yo! Uncle! Thank you for the last moment! Well, even if it was a gamble!”

At first, he thought it was a simple well-wishing remark. However, once Kim-gyushik joined in to talk about something he didn’t know anything about, he had no choice but to be confused.

“Thanks to me? What are you talking about?”

“Ah, that’s right. I totally forgot to tell you. So this was what happened….”

Shin-soyool lightly hit her head, and she told the whole story. She explained what happened up until the Draft had ended, while Noguduk was comatose.

At first, Shin-soyool wanted to follow the direction Noguduk left, and she wanted to pour the remaining lamp oil to make a sea of fire. At the very least, she would be able to avenge Noguduk, and she would be able to burn at least one large skeleton. Shin-soyool asked for the oil, but Ha-taegyong, who had the lamp, refused to give it to her. Inside the dark hall, the lamp was the only source of illumination. Shin-soyool was overrun with emotion, so she argued with him. They were about to meet their end, so she argued what use was the lamp.

At that moment, the haggard Yoon-hweeji was observing the verbal battle, and she came up with a plan. It was to pour the oil on top of the giant skeleton’s head and burn it. It was different from what Shin-soyool had planned, but it was a worthwhile gamble. Ha-taegyon and Shin-soyool, who was arguing with each other, thought briefly about it before agreeing with the plan. Ha-taegyong took his cloth off and he wrapped it around the lamp. Then he handed it to Kim-gyushik. Kim-gyushik, who had heard the plan, threw the lamp with all his might to Kim-jungin. Kim-jungin caught it, and he spread the oil soaked cloth all over the head. Then he sparked a flint. A small flame smaller than a pea dropped to the head, and the bastard’s head was swept up in flame. The head started to burn, and the skeleton basically became a large torch. The large skeleton ran around, while it made monstrous noises. Soon, it crumbled to the floor like a sand castle. Even the normal skeletons that was rushing towards them crumbled and about half of them collapsed.

“It was as uncle said. The bastards couldn’t do anything against fire. We were using our strongest weapon as a lantern…. We couldn’t see what was right in front of us.”

“R, really? What about the other one?”

“That bastard was easy. Ah, I stand corrected. If big brother Jung-in and big sister Hweeji wasn’t there then it would have be very arduous. I already knew big brother Jung-in was incredible, but big sister Hweeji was also an absolute monster. Even after she used her magic three times, she was able to use big brother Taegyong’s wand twice. Big brother Gyushik distracted it from beneath the bastard. Big brother Jung-in used that opportunity to torch its head.” (TLN: oppa = big brother, unni = big sister, ex. Jung-in oppa or Hweeji unni)

“Distract it? That wasn’t all I did.  My right arm was crushed.”

“Jeez. It’s nothing compared to what happened to uncle. Unlike how you look, Big brother Gyushik is a big crybaby.”

“And I’m a monster?”

“Big sister is a monster. A very pretty monster.”

Yoon-hweeji laughed bitterly at Shin-soyool’s cute innocent act then she looked towards Noguduk again.

“It is as Shin-soyool said. The draft has ended and we are alive. So how did you know about it?”

She asked it nonchalantly, but she couldn’t hide the hint of curiosity in the tone of her voice. Noguduk didn’t really have anything to say, so he stalled for a moment.

“What, what do you mean?”

“The fact that they were weak against fire.”

‘Why are you asking me that? Isn’t this common knowledge for people who played video game in one’s youth? It’s obvious that the zombies or skeletons are easily flammable. How could you guys not know this?’

…he wanted to answer truthfully. However, the two women gazed at him with their round, bright eyes and it was too burdensome. At that moment, an unexpected rope was cast down from across the hall.

“It is basically the egg of Columbus. If we look back, the hints were very clear.”

It was Ha-tageyong, who had been sitting without talking. He seemed to slowly enjoy the gazes directed at him. He pushed his glasses up with his fingers as he kept his composure.

“What do you mean? There were hints?”

“Look at the magic that was stored inside the wand. If we look at that than we have the answer. Ice, Wind, Earth, Magic etc. There were wands of various properties we could choose in the preparation room. However, fire was excluded. There weren’t any charged wands that could directly create it. At the time, we were too excited about learning about magic that we overlooked this fact. If we look back at it, it was too unnatural. It was obvious.”

The party members acknowledged Ha-taegyong’s words, and they yelled out praises. Of course, the evidence were mainly deduced by Ha-tageyong, and it was something Noguduk never thought of. However, since the extra information had already been said, he was in a funny position where he just went along with it.

‘I guess him being a show off comes in handy sometimes. Thank you, you ass.’

Noguduk laughed inwardly, and he tried to naturally give the final word on the topic. However, the middle aged man, who had been watching the actions of the group, knocked on the table.

“Ok, gentlemen. Let’s end the small talk?”

“He is Durian. He is the one, who had scouted us. So listen closely.”

Shin-soyool softly whispered in his ear.

“First, let me congratulate all of you on passing the Draft successfully. You are now worthy to be a member of the Hunters, and you will serve to bring peace to Square. Hmmm… I can see there are people who have questions, so I’ll speak briefly about the Draft. The capture of the Bone Tower need not be done as you have done. There are numerous ways to capture it. Of course, the test is geared toward evaluating your abilities. It is as Ha-taegyong said. For example, there were wands with specific attributes, three prepared lamps, skeleton buried in the wall, the Bone golems with their source of magic on top of their head. They were all mechanisms to test your split second decision making, reasoning power, and your use of resources. There is also a system in place to measure your contributions. This is all combined to come up with a grade for you all. Let us look at it.”

“Ughh. You are going to post the grades, that is too much….”

Shin-soyool complained in a small voice, but Durian didn’t hesitate to swipe his hand. This caused the screen located in the front to show the members; name and ranking.
[411st Draft, 31st Group Ranking]
[1. Kim-jungin]
[2. Yoon-hweeji]
[3. Kim-gyushik]
[4. Ha-taegyong]
[5. Lee-junghwan]
[6. Shin-soyool]
[7. Noguduk]
[8. Che-nayun]
[9. Ahn-haemi]
[10. Hwang-gijong]

“This makes no sense? Why am I in 8th place? Ha, the uncle is in 7th place? Isn’t there a problem with this assessment?”

Che-nayun stood up and she started screaming with a red face. The others didn’t speak, but the response were tepid regarding the released rankings. No matter what anyone says, one couldn’t dispute her talent in magic. She was able to take out several dozen skeletons. At the end, she went down easily so one could understand her lowered ranking, but she couldn’t accept being in a lower ranking than the uncle. She couldn’t understand the assessment. Even the beneficiary, Noguduk, was showing clear signs of bewilderment.

However, Durian held a firm attitude like a blade of  knife.

“I will hear no objections.”

“But….!”

“No ifs, ands, or buts about it. The system’s assessment is absolute and not even the top clubs can object to it. This includes the active hunters. In the first place, the journal in your body can be used this way. It records every one of your actions, and it converts your level of contribution.”

“It can’t be…!”

“Should I tell you my opinion? You were able to blow away several dozen small fries. You only excelled in that one scene. That was it. You failed in controlling your power, and you became exhausted. Thus you were a burden to your team mates. In my assessment, two spells would have been sufficient to get the job done.”

“You didn’t show an overwhelming performance like Kim-jungin, and neither were you able to continuously fight like Kim-gyushik, Lee-junghwan and Shin-soyool. Your judgement can’t even be compared to Ha-taegyong. You are complaining, because you are ranked lower than Noguduk? In the final battle, he was able to save Shin-soyool, and he was able to come up with a plan that turned the tide of the battle. The system decided his level of contribution was higher than you. If the system says it, then it is so.”

At his severe criticism, Che-nayun sunk completely. She still had an aggrieved face, but Durian wasn’t a nice professor who would change the already released grades.

“We’ve talked about too much nonsense. Let us get back to the main topic. I’m sure all of you had various thoughts, while going through the draft. Some might have gained confidence, and some became discouraged. The life of a hunter is greatly influenced by talent. Originally, talent is something you are born with so it is impossible to artificially manipulate it. If all of you stayed on earth, then you would have lived using your inborn talent. Square isn’t too different from that… You have an opportunity. Within the condition of an empowered human passing the draft, one has a single opportunity to edit the journal.”

“This is your opportunity to choose a Race or exchange a Talent.”