Ch. 2 - Hunter's Era (1)

The entire world was working hard to uncover the truth behind the floating island that had mysteriously arrived.

It's been ten years since the first gate opened. Since then, we've witnessed numerous unbelievable things.

The civilians feel intimidated by the sight of the mysterious island that unexpectedly appeared one day.

The news reporter was interviewing people on the street.

"I'm scared, of course." After all, we never know when monsters will appear.

According to her, she was afraid. But just a few minutes ago, she was taking a selfie with the island in the background.

Investigators have issued a warning to the government. According to them, this island could be some type of weapon from another dimension. They also urged labeling the area near the island as dangerous, just in case.

"What's the identity of the mysterious island? And, what's the purpose behind this sudden appearance? "

The identity of the island was merely a territory of another world.

The reason behind the sudden appearance? There was none.

After all, the monarch of that kingdom, the great Katrin, should be right now in my room playing online video games.

'I just can't kick her out.'

It was my fault that she arrived in this world.

After being summoned to another world as a hero, I fought the demon lord. Once I beat him, I was able to bring peace to the people.

It's honestly easier said than done. I wonder how many people would've been able to achieve that if they were in my place.

The important thing here is that Katrin was the only one who could send me back to my original world.

In order to send me back, she opened the gate. That's how I returned home, accompanied by her.

'I just can't tell people that the reason why that island is over there floating is because of me.'

The owners of the buildings would definitely sue me because of the rights of light violation.

I was mumbling while walking towards my workplace.

There was a huge ad where you could see a successful hunter, whose salary was presumably in the millions.

"How nice..."

Envy was the emotion I felt the most after returning to the modern era.

A gate opened, and monsters appeared in this peaceful world.

At first, there were many casualties since no one could fight the monsters.

Soldiers were dispatched to save the civilians. But it wasn't enough with just them.

The first person that acquired superpowers became a hero instantly.

They say that popular hunters are one-man walking corporations.

Some people have gained fame, money, and status.

'What about me? After all, I had successfully saved another world. '

'I just got a good-for-nothing ruler of another world.'

More than a merit, it was a demerit.

I truly wanted to become a hunter.

It wasn't because of fame. I also didn't care about the fact that a top hunter earned more money with one ad than I'd probably make while working a regular job for my whole life.

It was because I worried too much about how other people saw me.

In the other world, I had money and fame. But here, I was merely a nobody living in a tiny apartment.

I started to miss the other world. I wish I hadn't returned here.

"Good morning."

"Ah, Coach Lee! I was just looking for you! "

As soon as I reached my workplace, a muscular man wearing a pink tank top greeted me.

This bald, pink-loving man standing in front of me was my employer.

"You're free today, right?"

I was working at this gym as a personal trainer. Of course, it wasn't your typical average gym.

"I want you to train the new members of the Hwarang Guild."

"But there are other people besides me that can do it, right?"

"The people of Hwarang Guild have asked for your services."

As a trainer, my job was to literally train the players.

Many people enter the gate or a dungeon right after awakening their powers. However, these types of reckless people usually die quickly.

That's why new hunters receive training in specialized gyms and receive guidance with regards to how to survive in a dungeon.

Most hunters hated doing these kinds of jobs. The reason was simple. You could earn a lot more money by clearing a dungeon. Nobody enjoyed doing newbie training. That's why gyms specializing in hunter training have started to emerge.

"I want to keep this week's schedule free if possible."

"Please don't say that. It's a job from the Hwarang Guild. I'm going to give you a big bonus. "

In another world, I was someone who was regarded as a hero. I had sacrificed myself to save the people from the Demon Lord. I wasn't interested in needless things like money.

"I've relaxed too much these past few weeks. So I started training again."

"Coach Lee, you like ramyeon, right? I'm going to give you an extra box of ramyeon every single day. "

Money and ramyeon.

I didn't like either of them. But Katrin adored Ramyeon.

"What about yellow radish?"

The owner grinned at my question.

"I'll give it to you, of course."

I wasn't interested in this kind of stuff. But I wasn't alone. So I couldn't refuse.

"Go to room three." Manager Jeon said, "You need to be especially harsh with him."

"He always says that."

"That's true, but he said that this newbie has a very strong aura."

"Is there any hunter that doesn't have a strong aura?"

The owner chuckled at my answer and patted my shoulders.

I entered the training room I was in charge of.

"Hi, I'm Lee HyunBin..."

Boom!

As soon as I entered the room, I heard the sound of someone being beaten up.

"Hey, old man! What are you doing? I thought that you were going to teach me something."

Cough...

On top of the ring, a blond wanna-be gangster was looking down at someone lying down on the floor.

The man tried to get up, but his legs were quivering.

"Starting a fight from day one, huh?"

Among the newbie hunters, some were eager to fight with other people.

From now on, I have to deal with someone problematic.

"Hi, I'm Lee HyunBin. I'll be in charge of today's session. "

The atmosphere was very tense, so I had to present myself again.

Finally, the blond wanna-be gangster and the person lying on the floor focused their attention on me.

Like every person in the service industry does, I smiled while speaking. Because first impressions matter, right?

"Hey, you damn brat, it isn't over yet!"

"If you're mad, I'll wait for you outside later on."

The man who had been beaten up flounced out of the room.

Thankfully, he had enough strength to walk away unsupported.

"Among the new hunters, there are a lot of people that are eager to fight with others and show the world how strong they are. But please, refrain from fighting during the training hours. "

"Hey, old man, you're going to coach me?"

The blond guy gazed at me from head to toe.

Old man?

Well, I was indeed thirty years old. But I didn't look like it. I was sure that I appeared to be younger. If most people had to guess my age, they would probably say that I was in my early twenties.

Katrin also noticed that I looked younger than my actual age. Although she only told me that when I bought something for her.

"What are you going to teach me?"

The blond guy laughed at me.

'Let's see... What should I teach you? Maybe some manners?'

"Lee HyunBin? I've never heard of a hunter with that name. "

'Oh, I'm not a former hunter. I'm just a normal coach. '

"Huh?"

He appeared enraged. It was understandable. After all, what could someone who wasn't either a hunter or a player teach him? It's not like I didn't understand him, but still.

"There's more to hunting than fighting if you want to thrive as a hunter. You need to learn about the patterns in which monsters appear. Not only that, but you also need to learn tactical formations. In certain gates, your surroundings change drastically. So you definitely need to know basic survival skills. "

"All raids are the same. You just need to know how to fight and beat your opponents up, right? Only the weak cry and find excuses. "

It seems like he wasn't listening at all.

He probably was one of those people that wouldn't hear what others had to say, especially if he considered them to be someone weaker than him.

"Since today is your first day, let's find out more about your stamina."

"Stamina? How about sparring? There are other newbie hunters here beside me, right? Wouldn't that be better? "

"Sparring does help a lot. But for someone new, it's more important to learn how to survive. "

The blond wanna-be gangster seemed disappointed by my words. He was eager to fight with other people. He also seemed to be bothered by the fact that he was being trained by a normal person who wasn't even a hunter.

'Well, I guess that's normal for people of his age. '

I had a lot of experience, so I understood how he felt.

'That's why I'm going to show you what hell is like from now on.'

Ah, this was all because I was worried about his well-being.

Of course, with a personality like that, he's probably going to get into trouble with another hunter as soon as he enters a dungeon.

During expeditions, hunters tend to have a lot of adrenaline. That's why a minor insult can end up in a battle between two people.

"You're still a newbie. You probably don't even know what your rank is, right? Before starting the appropriate training, we need to figure out how strong you are. What's the matter? Are you scared of being placed in a lower rank than the other people that are training here? "

"What?"

The blond guy was starting to get mad. I just smiled back at him.

"Oh, but please don't worry. We're not going to force you into doing something you don't want."

"Huh? It seems like you don't know who I am. Let's do the test. I'm going to get the best score out of all the people that are here. "

I couldn't believe that he had fallen for such a childish provocation. I guess he's still a kid.

He has fallen from my trap. So things are going to get interesting from now on.

"Let's start with push-ups.''

"How many?"

"Let's begin lightly. To begin with, 200 seems okay."

"What?"

"Ah... Is that too much for you?"

I acted as if I was sorry for asking a weak person to do more than he could.

After noticing my expression, he seemed eager to prove me wrong. So he started doing push-ups.

Uf... Uf...

The blondie was soaked in sweat. Even if he had awakened, that didn't mean that his body had suddenly become as tough as steel.

There were occasional exceptions to the rule, but most awakened people's physiques aren't that different from an average person's.

That's why they needed to train a lot if they wanted to fight monsters.

Most people thought that modern weapons didn't work against monsters. But that wasn't true at all.

Bullets worked against monsters. The problem is that monsters have magic stones within their bodies.

The closer they are to the dungeon, the stronger the magic stone's regenerative ability gets.

That's why to hunt these monsters, you needed bullets with magic stones inside. That's also the reason why these types of bullets are getting more expensive.

Even in online games, one has to make a profit while hunting. Only dumb folks spend 200 dollars to earn a hundred back. That's also why you need to be careful and not overspend on stuff like potions.

'His base physical conditions seem good. '

I looked at the blondie, who was breathing heavily after finishing the push-ups.

He was smiling while staring at me.

"Your arms are very well trained."

"Of course. I used to train a lot, even before awakening. "

"Well, it seems that at least you're not going to drop the weapon in the middle of a battle because of its weight. Then, let's continue with 200 sit-ups. "

"What?"

He just stared at me blankly.

I smiled at him and nicely explained, "What are you going to do if you lose consciousness after being hit in the stomach by a monster? That's why we need to train your abs. "

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"

"What are you going to do if you suddenly want to go to the bathroom right in the thick of a battle? This is why survival training is highly important."

"Survival training? What are you doing? Hey! Why are you writing the lowest ranking in front of the door?!"

I looked at him pitifully.

"Sit-ups. Do you want to keep it a secret? "

"Don't mess with me!"

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