Chapter Text
Yoo Jinho is nineteen years old.
He has great expectations.
An ambition and nothing can get in his way. Not when he has everything to lose. Stage fright whomst?
He has mastered the art of public speaking, doing a presentation for class is a cake walk. Jinho has studied his butt off for years to get here. Graduating high school early while taking business college coarses at the same time as he worked towards a degree that both his older siblings already have.
Jinho is ten years younger than his brother. Seven years younger than his sister. The bar is low on his accomplishments when its already been accomplished before him twice over. It doesn't matter that he's speed running things, not when he has a lot of catch up to do. He's very behind and the pressure is mounting for him to keep up.
Dinner once a week with his father is a constant reminder that he always falls short but that won't stop him from trying.
Jinho is wrapping up his presentation when the strangest sensation overtakes him. A warm sort of feeling that runs down his head like syrup but he brushes it off and lightly sets his hand down on the podium to emphasize his point when the podium crumbles beneath his hand.
He freezes.
Turns to his professor who jumped clear out of his chair with a look of shock.
"I think..." dread washes over him, chilling him to the core and washing away the warmth from earlier.
"That I just awakened?" he asks like a question as if his professor would know. He stares, stunned as his professor whips out his phone and dismisses the class while gesturing for Jinho to stay where he is.
"You'll have head to the hunter's association on your own. I've notified the dean and he will notify everyone else." Jinho stares at the school security that showed up to escort him off campus.
"Consider this a sabbatical, the association has an agreement with certain colleges in regards to students that awaken." He recalls reading about that in a small leaflet during orientation. Schooling would be put on hold for hunters because there is always a need for them and because sending someone that cannot regulate their mana to a civilian area is asking for the cases of eternal sleep to rise.
Especially when no one knows who will develop eternal sleep symptoms despite all the studies being made. No one has found the link between those who get eternal and those who don't.
Jinho gets taken immediately to the hunter's association. He calls his noona, Soohyun because he knows no one else will come.
Can come.
Not that they would.
Jinho looks at the armor purchased for him. It's a cold comfort.
"Well?" he looks up, noona stares at him with a questioning look. "Aren't you going to put it on?" he smiles even if his heart isn't in it.
"Yeah." he reaches out to grab hold of the sword to give it a few test swings.
Disappointment wells in his chest as he looks at his reflection with the full set of armor on. Noona claps her hands with a soft look in her eyes. She stops clapping and hugs him. The best that money can buy but it's just for show.
"It's okay. You're enough." she whispers to him like its a secret. His eyes sting.
"You're enough too." he buries his face in her shoulder and feels so much like a child despite being nineteen years old.
Awakening had been terrifying. Not because he was afraid of being a hunter. No.
It's because Soohyun, his cousin, awakened as an A-rank and was not only shunned but chained to the family name in a way that he had not thought possible for father's goal of creating a guild. A-rank is strong but it is not S.
And it makes all the difference.
Noona followed him to the hunter's assocation as moral support. She never made him feel less despite his rank being D. She smiled at him, ruffled his hair and promised him things would be fine.
Jinho can only hope that his goal to meet the quota for raids under his belt for the guild master exam will be enough to appease father. Father who had looked excited at the prospect of his rank but indifferent upon the realization that he was not an S-rank. Indifferent not disappointed.
"You need to get your feet wet." Noona pats his head a couple of times. "The lower rank the better but if it isn't possible then you just need to find a raid that hires people for the numbers." Jinho nods, he remembers the disaster of her first raid with the White Tiger Guild.
Only four people walked away, one healer even quit being a hunter immediately after.
"There's always a raid happening somehwere." she says as she messes with his phone before handing it over.
"There, two open raid teams both for C ranked gates." Jinho looks over and decides to go with the second one.
"Hwang Dongsuk is the brother of the S rank that left right?" he asks, she nods with a grimace.
"Hopefully he isn't the same as his brother. Either way, just keep your head down and get a feel for things before even thinking about fighting." she worriedly pokes him until he nods.
"It's only been a day, it'll take at least a couple of weeks to acclimate to being awakened. Until then, be very very careful." he nods seriously. He does remember how she sneezed fire a few times when she first awakened.
She spars with him for a couple of days before the raid to get him used to moving in his armor and swinging his sword. Though she only does so for those couple of days.
"I don't want you to pick up bad habits by only sparring with me." she explains as she sets her saber down to wipe the sweat from her face.
"You'll learn better in a dungeon than with me anyways." Jinho pants, hands on his knees as he tries to catch his breath.
"And this is you going easy on me?" he chuckles exhaustedly as he carefully sets his sword down. Noona winks at him, he flaps a hand in his face to cool himself off.
"A tank like you needs to know what amount of force to use to defend yourself, though, I didn't go all out since i'm a mage." And her talents lie with casting rather than fighting even if she can fight well thanks to her doing her stunts.
Jinho shows up to the raid prepared as he can for anything. He is not prepared for the eighteen year old joining the raid team. He's small. Not that small, maybe a few inches shorter than Jinho but still short. He knows the age limit for raiding is eighteen but...
He seems to have gotten off to a wrong start with the younger hunter. He's immediately ignored.
He pouts, wiping the childish expression from his face as he tries to think of a way to salvage the situation.
That's it!
"Stop worrying so much!" he claps his hand lightly, lightly, across the younger boy's back to snap him out of the dark thoughts he seems to be having after finding out there won't be a healer with them.
"You said you're an E rank?" He overhead, that despicable title that was being used to make fun of the younger hunter. "I'll protect you!" he tells him honest and full of courage. If he can protect just one person, if he can be useful to someone just once.
He nearly cringes when he sees the look on the other boy's face but doesn't take back his words. He tries not to take it personally, he doesn't think its his rank at least. If he has the title of the world's weakest hunter, it must be because he's been raiding for awhile.
They move as one, Jinho and the other boy in the center.
He tries to salvage things, maybe gossip? Everyone is interested in gossip.
Maybe not.
He's rebuffed when he asks about the huge weight the other boy is carrying. He speaks very formally, Jinho wonders if its just how he is
"I think its you who talks a bit too much..." He laughs awkwardly. Yeah, he is just making things worse for himself, he can see it. He's just gonna stay silent now.
Yep.
He can feel the gate before they arrive in front of it. A pressure, crushing and heavy, sits on his shoulders making it difficult to breathe. A dark energy, lightning crackles and swirls in front of him. A tear in the world, a portal to another world. He breaks out into a cold sweat, shaking as he stares at the gate he's supposed to walk into. Noona is right.
Nothing she said could describe how it feels to stand before the chasm.
He tries to keep a hold of his emotions, she said mana spikes with intense emotions. They'll eat him alive if he shows any weakness. He needs to—
A finger pokes between his shoulder blades, the sudden feeling of snow being dumped down his back has him tensing as he looks to his left to see the other boy lowering his hand. His eyes scan around them warily but he pays no attention to Jinho. He pointedly takes a deep breath in, one finger poking between his armor to the vulnerable flesh beneath, a slight frost layers down Jinho's hair, shoulders, back. Jinho takes it for what it is. He breathes in, slowly releases his breath as the cold mana recedes and the other boy takes a step away from him.
Two weak hunters surrounded by stronger hunters, Jinho can't afford to be weak. He can't hesistate.
Jinho is strong, he is courageous and above all.
Jinho has great expectations.
An ambition and nothing can get in his way.
He draws his sword and raises his shield as he answers Hunter Hwang Donsuk's lead. This other hunter, he really needs to get his name, may not like Jinho but he looked out for him. Jinho will return the favor.
"Let's go!"
"Ok..." Jinho will look after the other boy who didn't have to subtly snap Jinho out of his terror induced daze while making sure no other hunters saw him act weak. He may be annoyed at Jinho but he still is looking out for him when he could have left Jinho to flounder. He knows not everyone is kind to newbies, let alone a veteran like this guy. He'll have to listen hard to see if anyone calls his name.
He finds out his name, Jinwoo.
And he has to fight, he mentally apologizes to Soohyun. He raises his sword in defense of both hinself and Jinwoo who had heard the attack before it commences. How sharp are his senses? He's an E-rank right?
He pushes it to the back of his mind as he puts his back to Jinwoo and raises his sword and shield to defend them both. Jinho faces every battle head on, whether it be with a pen or a sword, he always comes out ahead.
Jinho barely even breaks a sweat, he still keeps his eyes peeled for anymore monsters but it seems the coast is finally clear. He double checks with Jinwoo, the younger hunter pivots on his heel scanning his surrounding intently before his tense shoulders relax a notch. He sheathes his sword idly listening to the small conversation happening around them, the shared comraderie, the jokes, friend ribbing friend, the monsters that attacked them were already hurt? He doesn't understand what that means really, someone else in the gate or monsters attacking monsters. He has no idea if this is normal for a dungeon.
He blinks when Jinwoo shifts closer to him, tension back in his shoulders as he doesn't whisper but talks softly as if trying not to draw attention.
"That sword and shield is expensive, right?" Jinho glances at the top of the line items purchased for him in confusion as he admits the gift from his father. The look in Jinwoo's eyes has him paying close attention, something in him screaming to pay attention when he spots the younger hunter's eyes faintly glowing.
"I'm not sure but..." he's watching Hunter Hwang Dongsuk with suspicion as he takes another step closer to Jinho, his hand is shaking.
"You should be wary." once the words leave his lips his expression smoothens out, the shaking stops and he seems alert but disinterested in talking with anyone as Hunter Hwang Dongsuk decides their next move. Its decided they will move forward, Jinho and Jinwoo are relegated to the back with one other hunter. Jinwoo doesn't try talking with him anymore, his eyes continuously scan their surroundings, Jinho follows his lead even as he converses with other hunters trying to gain insight from them.
It doesn't really help when they are more interested in bragging. He wishes they'd tell him about the type of monsters to expect at least, the monster codex is held at the Hunter's Association and every hunter only gets one look. They don't sell it, or allow people to take photographs of it so how do people keep their knowledge straight? What about additions? Noona didn't really know a thing about the monsters, the raid she had gone on involved orcs and that was the only monster she knew.
They stop to eat, Jinho didn't pack anything to eat, it seems the other hunters had, Jinwoo has his own food as well. He spots Jinho standing awkwardly and silently sighs before splitting his food with Jinho and sitting a little ways away from everyone else sitting together cheerfully chatting about this and that and what they will do when they get out. Jinho listens politely, his eyes occassionally stray towards Jinwoo, he looks lost in his own world but the thing he notices that stands out about him is the constant vigilance. He is watching, listening, ready to spring forward at the slightest provocation.
Is this the difference between someone of a lower rank compared to the higher ranks?
Once the mage casts a light spell, Jinho's heart leaps into his throat at the sight of all the webs, the cocoons.
He hears several exclamatioms, murmuring, uneasy shifting, he glances at Jinwoo, narrow eyes stare straight ahead as he shifts to the balls of his feet, hands gripping the bag straps.
"Get ready." Jinho draws his sword at Hunter Hwang Dongsuk's word, they move forward as one unit.
"Jackpot!"
"Mana crystals?!"
"How many are there?!"
"Wow, this is amazing!" Jinho exclaims as he looks at the large glowing crystals. It's magical. Hs closes his eyes, he can feel the mana resonates with the crystals and wonders how that works.
He idly listens to the conversations happening around him as he moves closer to touch one until a hand clamps down on his shoulder, a quick glance back reveals Jinwoo shaking his head. He sheepishly draws his hand back, right, Noona warned him about this. Newly awakened hunters are not allowed to touch mana crystals because they get buzzed from the new exposure especially if they are lower ranked. It's something handled delicately when the danger is over, they haven't even seen the boss yet. His curiousity will need to wait a little longer it seems.
He hears talk about the S rank that left for America, Hunter Hwang Dongsuk's brother, looks like its taboo. Good thing he didn't bring it up when he first met him.
"What a haul. Even after dividing it it's 1,000,000 won each?" Jinho blinks at the conversation as he quickly recalls the contract he read and signed before worriedly asking Jinwoo to see his contract.
"I like to check these things thoroughly." he tells him when he gets a questioning look. Jinho knows the world is not fair, he knows that these people already look down on Jinwoo for his rank after two minutes of being in their presence and just now. What the other hunter said, something fishy is going on.
He's right.
He quickly moves to the team leader to correct this wrong because if no one will stand up for Jinwoo under this ridiculous contract then Jinho will. Especially because this is the only contract that is different. Even Jinho gets a cut! And this is his first raid!
"Leader Hwang Dongsuk, this is Jinwoo's contract." he holds up the flimsy but life binding paper as he stands before the older man. Jinho stands tall, meets his gaze head on and speaks clearly as the son of a business man who knows exactly what he's talking about.
He knows when someone is giving him the run around too. And there's a diversionary tactic too.
"Dungeon boss..." He gazes up at the gigantic spider sleeps high above them, he doesn't know if it is because it is sleeping or his inexperience in honing his mana to sense but he missed it completely. Will it overwhelm him to try and sense it now?
"You should know all too well, but once the boss is defeated the gate closes." That's right, Noona drilled that into his head in the case that he loses anything. In the case that anyone dies, some times they are not able to retrieve the bodies.
What are they talking about? Special equipment? He glances over at Jinwoo, the younger hunter glares straight at the sleeping dungeon boss. Everyone starts to shuffle off as he and Jinwoo are left behind.
"Are you telling us to stay here in the boss room by ourselves?" He manages to keep his fear and panic in check but his nerves nearly get the best of him when he realizes that he really is getting left behind by the stronger more experienced hunters. Is this some type of hazing?
"But..." how would he provoke a sleeping spider? And how long would it stay asleep? They are quite aways deep into the tunnels from where the gate is, hours away. But they can run fast, right?
"You said this was your first raid?" Jinho is aware of Jinwoo shifting behind him as he nods, Hunter Hwang Dongsuk glances behind him. "And its Sung Jinwoo's first time in a C rank dungeon as well." he feels a little uneasy.
"Trust my words." he says with a wide sincere grin.
"Okay?" his brows furrow as he tries decide between complying since it doesn't look like what he says matter or try to fight it. Some platitudes are uttered as if Jinho wouldn't recognize someone trying to pull the wool over of his eyes. He watches them all leave, something in his gut warns him to keep his eye on the leader.
Two minutes don't even pass before he feels mana flaring, then a concussive sound, the rooms shakes as an explosion flares to life before his eyes. Rock crumbles sealing the entrance. Panic floods his body as he turns to the only veteran hunter left.
"What do we do?" he can't control his mana in this state. "The entrance...!" he runs forward trying to move the rocks trapping them but they won't budge. His chest is tight, his hands are shaking as he slams his fist against the rocks. Tears well in his eyes as he shakily exhales.
"These sons of bitches tried to kill us!!" he shuts his eyes as he starts getting nauseous when he realizes what is going on. "They're trying to kill us both for mana crystals!!" Noona, are first raids all doomed to be traumatic? He is not going to die here. He refuses to die here!
Jinho forcefully brings his panic under control, blinks back his tears as he breathes. He is better than this fear.
He glances back at Jinwoo, he's calm, not panicked at all. Instead, he's frowning, he dumps his bag and comes to stand beside Jinho as he pats the rocks before stopping. He glances behind them, high in the air...
His body receives a shock, not just because of the sound, a mix of clicking and screeching but the mana that presses down on him so suddenly his limbs instantly lock in terror. He shakes off the terror within seconds though when he realizes it isn't just him. Jinwoo...
He forces his shaking limbs to move as he draws his sword and raises his shield, moving to stand in front of the weaker hunter.
"G-Get behind me!" his hand won't stop shaking but his sword is raised. "I-I'll think of something..." he stutters, grip tightening on his shield when he sees the multiple sets of glowing red eyes locked maliciously onto them both. He's a D rank Tank, the boss is a C rank. Can he even protect Jinwoo let alone himself?
He moves another step forward, Jinho is a tank. He is meant to take damage, a protecter, a shield. He can do this.
"Jinho," Jinwoo strides past him. "Stay here." he sounds calm, no sign of fear or panic, wait.
Where did that dagger come from? What is going on?
He's crazy, an E rank taking on the boss of a C rank dungeon? What does be mean he's going to kill that gargantuan eight legged freak!??!?! Did he snap under the stress of being left for dead? He tries to reason with him, all fear is gone replaced with dread and anxiety that he's going to watch someone die. He relegates escaping to Jinho, confidence in his body language as he walks forward, Jinho can't just let him do this. He—
This time the screeching clicking noise doesn't make him freeze but it still unnerves him to feel his bones humming, his gut churning at the malevelont mana pressing down on him as if it is trying to crush him with its presence alone. He rushes forward and lift his shield to protect them both when he noticesJinwoo doesn't falter like Jinho. He seems unaffected when he should be more affected.
Then before his very eyes, he moves faster than his senses can track. He lands several blows against the boss, it takes Jinwoo as the bigger threat as was intended when it turns to face Jinwoo leaving Jinho alone to continue trying to find a way to escape.
His speed, his strength, the way he moves, this can't be an E rank. He breaks out into a cold sweat, Dad and Noona's words are brought to the forefront of his thoughts. His heart pounds violently in his chest, a chill runs down his spine as he clenches his hand tightly around the hilt of his sword.
"But his submitted rank in the guild was definitely E rank..." He doesn't like to think the worst of people, Jinwoo had looked out for him. Not just once or twice but multiple times. Jinwoo...
There is no way around it though, not when he can see that he is actually stronger than the C rank boss, but for all his experience in raiding it doesn't seem that he has much experience fighting monsters?
"Could it be..." Noona's serious voice as she tells him what to look out for. "A false ranker?!" he shifts when the wind from one of the stronger blows begins to push him back. False rankers, everything he knows about them runs through his mind. Noona's words practically screaming as she warns him.
False rankers are usually psychopaths who kill as their hobby.
Jinho sinks to his knees as he fails to track any of Jinwoo's movements, only see the aftermath in the way the boss' large body rocks back, swaying as it chitters and clicks angrily.
He calls out for his father tearfully, then Noona. He's scared. Is this what it means to be a hunter? Where is the so called honor, is it all just propoganda? The so called glory of conquering a gate, what is it all for?
Jinwoo's been fighting nonstop for nearly eight minutes, Jinho stopped despairing as he desperately knocked along the wall for some weak point and almost got himself buried under a rockslide forcing him to slow down and really listen. Attention split between the wall and Jinwoo's fight.
He senses a change in the air, the screeching sounds off, he turns around just as Jinwoo lands in a crouch beside him. The boss spews neon green acid? Can he use some of that to get them out? What can he use to scoop it up? Wait, no, he shakes his head as he quickly scans Jinwoo for any injuries. He seems a little tired but unhurt, just how strong is he? C rank at least to be able to fight with this dungeons boss.
Jinho flinches back, hands rising to shield his face when a stray rock flies and nearly hits his face. He glances at Jinwoo only to see feet imprints burrowed into the ground, in miliseconds, Jinwoo had closed the gap between him and the boss. So much faster than earlier.
"He closed that distance in an instant!" He breaks out into a cold sweat again, Jinwoo is fighting to protect them both. He can't give into fear just yet, Jinwoo has not made any moves against Jinho, he'll have to continue trusting him. Jinho is choosing to continue trusting him. He turns around, Jinwoo is trusting him to find them a way out while he fights, he can't just stop and watch him fight.
Even when Jinho can see his stamina is slowly running out. His speed, the one Jinho couldn't track, is slowly able to see after images. It isn't his eyes growing used to the pace of the fight but Jinwoo's pace slowing down. He worries even as he goes back to patting the wall when he realizes he might have found a weak point.
The ground shakes as something crashes violently, he whirls around, Jinwoo is in a crater. Jinho lifts his shield and for a moment prepares to run forward when Jinwoo vanishes from not just his sight but his senses. Jinho's struck by indecision, he grits his teeth and turns away as he uses his shield to strike the wall, rock crumbles bit by bit as the fight resumes again. He can hear Jinwoo fighting, he can hear the sound of Jinwoo slashing and stabbing over amd over again while the boss chitters, clacking its mandible. He stubbornly strikes the wall with his shield to get them out.
'Once the boss is beaten you have a couple hours at most to get out. Run, forget everyone, everything else and just get yourself out.' Noona clenches her hands tightly around his as she looks him in the eyes impressing upon him the seriousness of their conversation.
Jinho is only human, despite telling himself to trust Jinwoo who fought to protect them both, his heart races as his father's and Noona's warning echo in his mind. False rankers, Jinho backs away from the wall to grab the bags Jinwoo had been carrying. Its better to play it safe and stay on his good side, that and he knows he annoyed Jinwoo a few times already.
First, show respect, he calls him sir.
Second, be useful, he carries the bags and offers him water because he really should hydrate after fighting for so long.
Third, don't give him a reason to be upset, so he decides to start mining the mana crystals since it was going to be both of their jobs at the end and this way he knows that Jinwoo will get paid properly if he can manage to steal some of the mana crystals. But how does he go about collecting them without touching them?
An explosion from his left catches his off guard, it's where he had weakened the wall enough for them to escape after breaking down the rocks. He raises his hands and shields his face as he's pelted by debris. He looks behind him, Jinwoo is on edge, staring at the smoke with narrowed eyes. His gaze flicks to Jinho and with a tilt of his head, Jinho leaves the pick ax and mana crystals to move closer to Jinwoo. His heart calms, trusting Jinwoo is right, his nerves are shot but his heart is steady now that he acknowledges this over the chaos of his mind.
He listens to the other hunters talk, it doesn't sound good. Not good at all. Do they think Jinwoo and Jinho can't hear them?
Do they think Jinho is stupid? He's new to being a hunter, this may be his first raid, but Jinho knows that these hunters are up to no good.
"Yoo Jinho!" he steels himself when Hunter Hwang Dongsuk called out to him, glancing at Jinwoo who is on guard. He takes his queue from him.
He talks about Jinho's father, their family business, he knows these kind of people. He's a golden goose to them.
"S-so what?" he asks, he clenches his hands into fists, the pressure grounding him as he breathes in and out.
"I want to talk about something with your father." Jinho shifts in place but doesn't look at Jinwoo this time. He needs to keep the attention on him, if they focus on him they will leave Jinwoo alone.
"We'll give you a chance if you..." he doesn't like where this is going, he still doesn't look at Jinwoo. If Jinho can make Hunter Hwang Dongsuk think that Jinho is agreeable then they can all walk out of this.
"Kill Sung Jinwoo." he can sense the blood lust, the malevolence in the air.
"What?!?" he blurts out shifting back a step closer to Jinwoo. Can he protect them? Jinwoo just finished fighting a C rank boss, he's bound to be exhausted.
"Kill Sung Jinwoo and join our group. That's the only way you'll live." Jinho sways back, the words hitting him hard as he stares into the eyes of all the other hunters. The bloodlust skyrockets, their mana pressing down on him. Jinho knows now, even if Jinwoo is a false ranker, he is right to trust him. These other hunters, they have blood on their hands. Who knows how many people they've killed under these circumstances and gotten away scot free.
"Otherwise you'll both die by our hands." Jinho has to buy time, he needs to think. Jinwoo can't possible take them all on and they outrank Jinho himself aside from a handful. "Why hesistate?" his stomach cramps, he feels like he's about to throw up.
"Nobody will know what happened inside the dungeon anyways." he says like its some sort of consolation. As if Jinho won't know.
How many of his group started out in Jinho's shoes? How many said no and died? He taunts Jinho about being scared of Jinwoo, Jinwoo who didn't have to look out for Jinho. Who didn't need to protect him and still did.
He turns to Jinwoo, if they offer Jinho a way out they should just let Jinwoo go then. He can agree to them meeting with his father. Jinwoo could be his—
Jinwoo looks tired. Not physically.
He looks.
Resigned.
As if he's been in this position before, as if—
World's weakest hunter.
"It's okay." he murmurs softly, his eyes are empty. He doesn't have any trust in Jinho. No faith that he'd be protected. Like Jinho didn't owe him anything when he owes him so much. Where were all these hunters when Jinho panicked! When he didn't pack food? When they left him here to die?!
"It's a given that i'll be betrayed because i'm weak." Jinwoo's voice, it's not just resignation, this is rehearsed. How many times? Even if he is weak, Jinwoo is a veteran hunter, he was able to fight the boss. He was able to sense when their enemy would attack when they first arrived!
But that's just the way these things go isn't it?
It would be so easy wouldn't it?
But Jinho has never taken the easy road and he won't be starting now. He lifts his sword once more at Hunter Hwang Dongsuk's word.
This time he raises his sword against the other hunter.
"What's this?" Why does he seem surprised? Why is Jinho so calm? His heart is not racing but steady.
Jinho had great expectations, he realizes that he's been naive.
"You're going to take his side and fight us?" He sounds perplexed that his 'offer' was declined. Jinwoo seems surprised, stunned that someone would side with him when they are singling out the weak link. Jinho is the weak link in his own family but Noona, the strongest of them all, she proudly stands at Jinho's side. Jinho is going to become someone he can be proud of, he is not going to take the easy way out.
Defending Jinwoo against this type of bigotry, against this type of crime is something he will not back down from!
He hears them talk amongst each other as if Jinho and Jinwoo can't hear them. Disgust fills him when he sees how much they think they've got this victory in their hands. Jinho is a tank.
He has endured all his life, and now he can endure even more. He will just have to be the shield for Jinwoo until he can fight again.
"You two," the party leader starts, blood lust chokes him for a moment but he doesn't falter, instead he tightens his grip on his sword and shield as he moves in front of Hunter Sung Jinwoo.
"Have you ever killed a human?" he sneers as he stalks forward, the hunters behind him leer at him as they walk in a liesurely pace. Sweat runs down his forehead, anticipation thrumming in his veins as he thinks about Noona's effortless backhand that flipped Jinho like a pancake. He lowers his center of gravity prepared for the first strike when the mage behind Hwang Dongsuk lifts his hand and a brilliant light shoots out of his palm, it curves as it shoots past him directly hitting Hunter Sung Jinwoo.
"No!" he drops his guard as he whirls around to check on the other hunter's health. He can't, his lip quivers, how heartless!
"Yoo Jinho!" he ignores the unspoken order to look at Hwang Dongsuk. "Don't worry about the dead and come over here." Hwang Dongsuk beckons him like some disobedient dog, as if he's already won and Jinho has no choice but to obey him. Like Jinho will see this show of power and cower.
He grits his teeth as he raises his head to look at the monster masquerading as a human. His eyes water as he glares angrily at the monster chuckling as if murder is something amusing.
"You murderers..." he won't let them get away with this. Won't let them bury the truth with a neat story, with evidence that disappears. 'Once the boss is beaten you have a couple hours at most to get out. Run, forget everyone, everything else and just get yourself out.' Noona clenches her hands tightly around his as she looks him in the eyes impressing upon him the seriousness of their conversation. Hunter Sung Jinwoo deserves better, he will get him justice.
He's startled out of his mindset by the sound of rocks skittering across the floor. He feels relief crash on him when he sees Hunter Sung Jinwoo rise to his feet, blood covers his face. His heart skips a beat.
"Huh, that guy is alive?" So Jinho isn't seeing things then. He's alive, not okay but alive. Together they can take them o—
System? What is Jinwoo muttering about? Is he concussed? His attention shifts back to the other hunters as he moves so he is guarding Hunter Sung Jinwoo. They jeer at the mage for not killing him, so carefree and lighthearted about something unforgiveable. How cruel. Jinho finds himself being pushed back lightly, the look in Hunter Sung Jinwoo's eyes is different.
His eyes are cold.
His mana colder as he walks past Jinho, shoulders hunched as if carrying some heavy weight.
"You played around with a person's life, so are you ready to face the consequences?" His voice is apathetic, almost like he's asking a rhetorical question. Jinho shudders, the icy chill of the mana that once grounded him is sharp and biting as Hunter Sung Jinwoo stalks forward.
"If you guys are hunters, I'm saying you should be ready to become hunted." Jinho swallows thickly. It's kill or be killed, self defense. Jinho will be better protected against any charges than Hunter Sung Jinwoo would. He scans the other hunters, he calculates the risk of any of them escaping and picks out two that would try to run if given the chance. He needs to make sure no one takes any cheap shots, that no one runs away. He needs a story that is believeable. It needs to be airtight.
But most or all.
There can be no evidence to refute him.
Jinho won't look away.
Jinho must witness everything, Jinho will bear the burden of this secret to protect someone that the world has failed.
"Sir, I'll take care of him." one of the hunters grins smugly as he saunters to Hunter Sung Jinwoo, Jinho isn't surprised by the dagger that appears from nowwhere. He watches grimly as the other hunter slings his arm across Hunter Sung Jinwoo's shoulders like they are buddies. He keeps an eye on the other hunters through his peripherals as he swallows past the lump in his throat.
"It looks like you don't understand the situation very well." he smirks, Jinho flinches as seconds later blood sprays across Hunter Sung Jinwoo's face and the other hunter drops to the ground dead from the dagger he didn't see.
"One." Jinho briefly closes his eyes, Hunter Sung Jinwoo was failed badly.
He opens his eyes at the start of screaming, the panic sets in as the other hunters realize they are not at the top of the food chain as they had previously imagined. Seeing someone die is different from killing someone with your own two hands. Both actions carry their own weight.
Hunter Sung Jinwoo will bear the weight of taking several lives.
Yoo Jinho will bear the weight of a witness, an accomplice, as the one that did the deed in the eyes of the Hunter's Association.
Two can keep a secret if they rest of them are dead.
Jinho steps aside, he keeps his sword at the ready, his shield held aloft in case he needs to step in. The mage attacks again and just like before, his eyes can no longer track Hunter Sung Jinwoo when he vanishes and reappears right in front of the mage.
Jinho lays witness to carnage.
Screaming.
Panic.
Fear.
Despair.
Everything they were made to feel is instead inflicted on them ten fold by Hunter Sung Jinwoo cutting through their ranks with ease. Bodies hit the floor, some hunters paralyzed cry out in fear before choking on their own blood. Gurgling as they draw their final breaths, drowning in their own essence.
"I think he's stronger," Jinho memorizes every face, every death blow, every word shouted in fear, anger, panic, despair. Every shout of pain. "Than when he fought the dungeon boss." he blinks at the hunter screaming, another foaming at the mouth. He feels sort of detached from the events taking place around him as he continues to catalog the injuries being inflicted and the moment another hunter dies. Five, six, seven.
Seven dead.
Hunter Sung Jinwoo flicks his dagger, the blood slides off. Jinho's eyes move to the last member of their party.
Hwang Dongsuk is terrified. He shouts at Hunter Sung Jinwoo, Jinho pities him. Hwang Dongsuk, a C rank tank, he stands no chance. He feels his mana condense as he empowers himself, sword and shield raised as he throws himself forward with a rage filled shout. Hunter Sung Jinwoo stands tall, unmoving, not a flicker of doubt in his stance as he raises his left hand.
Jinho blinks and his hand is on Hwang Dongsuk's face.
"Leader Hwang Dongsuk, you're strong." he hears him say, seconds later he's shoving him backwards, embedding him into the floor with his full strength showing the C rank just how outclassed he is. The silence is abrupt.
Hwang Dongsuk's mana falls to resting levels, Hunter Sung Jinwoo's frigid mana spreads out no longer coiled tightly at his center. Jinho doesn't relax just yet.
"I'm always leveling up ceaselessly." He wonders what that means exactly. A cough draws his gaze to the former leader of their party. He coughs a few more times before shakily rising up, fear plain to see on his face as he begs to be spared. He pleads for mercy. He attempts to bribe them.
Jinho has no empathy for this monster who only shows fear in the face of overwhelming power when he showed no remorse before.
"Three times," Hunter Sung Jinwoo's mana rises, blanketing the cave with his indifference. "Are you asking for forgiveness from someone you tried to kill three times?" his voice is soft, cold, but the look in his eyes. Jinho doesn't look away.
Judgement will be passed.
"S-Stop it!" he cries out fearfully, Jinho grins bitterly. What a hypocrit.
"You, do you think you'll get away with this?!?"
"Didn't you say that..." Jinho begins recalling that malicious smirk.
"Nobody knows what happens inside a dungeon?" Hunter Sung Jinwoo finishes recalling Hwang Dongsuk's words. He senses the rage filled mana spike before Hwang Dongsuk speaks. He screams about his connection like any school yard bully that's all talk when they realize they have no actual power.
Judgement is passed.
Hwang Dongsuk is found guilty.
His head tumbles to the ground.
Eight.
Jinho drops his sword and shield shatter the silence with a cacophonous clatter of metal. Jinho's stomach lurches unpleasantly, he turns away from the gruesome sight, sinking to his knees and hurls.
He spits the taste in his mouth makes him cringe as he looks up. A cold gaze stares down at him. Jinho meet the gaze head on. He nearly topples over when the ground shakes, an ominous rumble draws his attention to the ceiling. He looks down to see Hunter Sung Jinwoo holding out his hand to Jinho.
"The boss was defeated, the dungeon is closing." he says calmly, blood covers him head to toe. Jinho blinks at the blood covered hand held out to him.
"Let's leave quickly." Jinho accepts the hand, blood wets his glove as he is pulled to his feet with ease. He bends down and picks up his sword before raising his foot and smashing it down on his shield once, twice, three times. He picks up the shield then mechanically makes his way to the body of Hwang Dongsuk, he shuts his eyes as he slowly breathes in then out. He kneels down and then lays his sword down in the blood, sets his palm in the pool of blood and before his nerves or the nausea can get the best of him quickly brushes his shoulder, his arm, his hip in quick messy strokes. A flick of his fingers and blood splatters across his face. Pristine armor is now dyed red.
The ground rumbles again, he grabs his sword as he rises to his feet. Hunter Sung Jinwoo stares at him silently, not a word is said between them. Hunter Sung Jinwoo grabs all the crystals that Jinho had managed to mine in record time before they sprint for the exit.
He crosses the threshold of the gate. Jinho stares at the location where the gate used to be. He closes his eyes and almost wants to cry.
Breathe in, breathe out.
He pulls out his phone he sees Noona's text and hesitates for a moment, steady. Focus, focus. And calls the Hunter's Association.
Jinho feels sick.
His hands are shaking but a quick deep breath in has his nerves relaxing as he lets out a slow breath. Focus. Focus.
Focus.
Panic later. Right now he needs to focus.
"Hunter's association. Hello Hunter Yoo, the gate was closed successfully?" Jinho didn't even catch the name of the man that answered his call.
He meets Hunter Sung Jinwoo's eyes, he doesn't have his jacket anymore, Jinho had stripped him of it and tossed it on the floor. Again they had shared a look but no words were spoken as they left it behind.
A member of the Hunter's association shows up to get their statements. Jinho makes sure there is no reason for the hunter to look any longer at the younger hunter than his name and rank before keeping the attention on him while they wait for his driver.
"I see..." The best truth is the one without lies, in this case the half truths mixed with lies work for him.
"It's very clear cut self defense. Investigstion is more formality then anything. Please keep your schedule open in the case a formal interview is requested." the monitor division member bows to them both.
"Good job hunter-nims. You do a great service to Korea." Jinho doesn't think he ever caught this man's name.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
Jinho makes sure Hunter Sung Jinwoo is compensated for the raid, he even makes sure that he gets Jinho's share for all the trouble that occured.
He looks at his clothes, he has the driver buy him a new set of clothes and looks away for him to change peacefully as he uses wipes to clean his armor. His eyes catch the scuff marks on his shield. He closes his eyes.
In.
Out.
Jinho's panicking.
He tries to slow his breathing, inoutinout. It's still too fast. Inoutinoutinoutinoutinoutinoutinout.
He removes his gauntlets, his hands are shaking.
Inoutinout, still too fast, too fast.
He removes his chest plate, it clatters to the ground somewhere behind him as he keeps walking.
Inoutinout, he can't slow his breathing down!
His heart beats wildly in his chest, sweat runs down the sides of his face.
He removes his long sleeve leaving him in only a tank top as he starts running.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Not slow enough!
Inhale.
"Noona!!!" he screams for the one person he can count on. He still can't slow his breathing down, he feels like he's suffocating, a weight on his chest as he grips his shirt tightly with both hands.
He looks up, she's at the end of the hall, he runs.
Her expression, he hates that he put this look on her face. This fear and worry, the regret and the sorrow. He slides to a stop inches away when she holds out her hands, taking a deep breath in, the touch of her mana, the first thing she did when he was confirmed as awakened. The first mana signature he memorized, the slow up and down that mimics breathing.
He matches her mana, her breathing. He takes a deep breath in and slowly lets it out, his breathing slows, his mana stops spiking.
For a moment they stare at each other before everything he's been pushing off hits him with all the force of a truck. He starts sobbing, hand coming up to cover his mouth as arms quickly move up and around him, his head drops to Noona's shoulder as she wraps her arm around his upper back, her hand resting on the back of his head. He sobs and stops trying to hold himself back. His shaking hands come up to wrap around her shoulder and back, bunching up her shirt as he clings to her.
He sobs into her neck as she holds him while his world falls apart.
Jinho doesn't say much to him.
He makes sure Jinwoo receives all the compensation, he tells the monitor division member Jinho killed everyone in self defense. He holds out both their contracts as part if his proof. His sword and shield as evidence. He never once falters in telling his lies.
Nor does he look to Jinwoo while telling them.
He takes Jinwoo home, making sure his driver buys Jinwoo new clothes and gives him wipes to clean himself before silently seeing him to his apartment.
He killed eight people today.
Jinwoo comes home to Youngil scrubbing the couch while Jinah watches him hugging a pillow. Jinwoo thinks four things instantly.
1. Jinah was attacked. But evidence points to her not being injured.
2. Jinah was hurt when she was doing something stupid with Youngil. But no, she has an awkward look on her face.
3. Youngil was hurt doing something stupid but also no. He has even more of an awkward look on his face.
4.
4…
4…
3.
2.
1.
His face flushes crimson when Jinah ducks to cover her face with the pillow and Youngil lays face down on the floor giving up on life and his continued existence.
Jinwoo's face burns hotly as he panics, hard and runs face first into the door to get an adult. And adultier adult.
He needs someone else!
He gets up, nearly runs into the door again but manages to open it and go out into the—
Wait! He can't have this conversation out in the hall with the nosy neighbors.
But he doubts Jinah would want to have this conversation with him. Even though he went to health classes and asked the teachers and the school nurse and even at the hospital but that still doesn't prepare him for now!
He stands outside with his phone in hand panicking more than actually doing anything when he hears footsteps. He turns, relief crashes down on him when he spots Juhee. She looks surprised to see him, then she smiles, eyes dancing with mirth as she hurries closer.
“Youngil texted me earlier.” He internally thanks Youngil and plans to make his favorite for dinner later.
Things are sorted out, Jinah is laying down after Jinwoo fed her fried chicken as a treat.
Youngil sits next to him on the roof of their apartment complex. Their go to place to hang out in solitude when leaving Jinah alone is impossible.
"Good?" he asks knocking his shoulder into Jinwoo's. How can he tell him?
How can he tell Jinah?
He thinks of Yoo Jinho, this was his first raid. What an introduction.
He eyes the night sky, his vision grows watery, he blinks a few times to clear his vision before looking down. He inhales, chokes on a sob and leans into the shoulder pressed against him.
"Don't make me tell you." Not now, maybe not ever. This is...
He's trying to hold it in, he really is.
But...
Eight.
He took the lives of eight people.
Their blood is on his hands. He never thought he'd have blood on his hands.
A head rests against his shoulder, silent but very much a comfort on its own. He exhales shakily, eyes watering against his will.
"It's okay." A hand comes up to rest against the back of his head, so much like how Dad used to comfort Jinwoo. A silent, steady presence, grounding and warm.
Tears run down his cheeks, hands come up to cover his mouth. His hands are dirty.
He's dirty. He doesn't want to be dirty...
Youngil—
"We're in this together, it's okay." It's not okay, it'll never be okay again.
"There were ten of us," he chokes out. "Only two of us got out." he's shaking, it isn't his first time dealing with lizards. It isn't the first being left for dead or nearly killed by other hunters. He gasps for breath, chest tight and aching with the weight of his sins.
"I killed them." he whispers painfully, he's so cold and so very tired. Youngil shifts, he braces himself for his friend to react negatively. Only, why did he think that?
Youngil promised, best friends for life, no take backs.
Youngil is sitting knee to knee with Jinwoo, his palms on Jinwoo's cheeks forcing him to look him in the eyes.
"It's only murder if they can prove it." he instantly proclaims as he forces Jinwoo to meet his eyes when he tries to look away. His palms squish Jinwoo's cheeks as he glares. "I dare you to insult my best friend again." he hisses, eyes narrowing.
"You protected yourself, you have always protected yourself as best you could and this changes nothing!" Jinwoo's shoulders droop with relief as fresh tears slip down his cheeks. Youngil rests his forehead against Jinwoo's for a moment before he sits up and wraps him up in a tight hug. A hand rubbing his back.
"No matter what anyone else says, defending your life is most important. You promised her to always come back." he whispers, Jinwoo clings to his best friend. The tears just keep falling.
"It still hurts." He hears humming, its a song Ma used to hum when Jinwoo and Jinah were sick. He closes his eyes.
They stay like this until the tears have run their coarse, Youngil's eyes are slightly red but Jinwoo doesn't comment on it. They go back to sitting side by side, shoulder to shoulder and stare up at the night sky. A breeze ruffles his hair.
He needs to tell Youngil his new stats. He can't bring himself to check the status window, not tonight.
*underage drinking
Youngil doesn't judge him, he's relieved. The only thing he ever judges Jinwoo about is how skinny he is and the lamp he knows haunts Youngil's dreams. It's the main reason he keeps the ugly thing.
That and he lowkey thinks it might be cursed with how often it finds itself back in his apartment after someone tries to get rid of it.
"You know what some hunters say after a bad raid?" Jinwoo glances over at Youngil, he has a plastic bag next to him that he took from Jinwoo's room before they left Jinah to sleep.
"What do they say?" he asks hoarsely, he clears his throat a few times but it doesn't really help. He hears the hiss of a can and wonders when Youngil bought soda.
He accepts the drink passed over to him and raises it to his lips.
"Alcohol tastes better than tears." Jinwoo spews the liquid in his mouth when the taste and smell hit him. He chokes, coughing as Youngil laughs at him while patting his back.
"Your neighbor gave me a gift for yelling at the land lord for her." he splutters seconds later after taking a sip himself. He frowns.
"Man, what do adults do to themselves? This is disgusting!" he laughs, a hand coming to wrap around his stomach as he leans into Jinwoo with the force of his laughs. Jinwoo sighs, he doesn't see the appeal.
"They must really like it to drink so much." he lifts the can to eye level and sighs when Youngil takes another cautious sip. Jinwoo shrugs and takes another sip when a screen pops up in front of his eyes.
He hears Youngil gagging, he smacks him a few times trying to get his attention.
"I see something—" he jumps as he reads what the screen says. A buff? Wait, the special ability from defeating Rasaka?
"Youngil, I don't think I can get drunk..."
He flinches as a sensation sweeps through his body, he hadn't even realized that the small sips were already affecting him. He feels a sudden clarity, he's somehow both wide awake and wired. Even the exhaustion from crying is gone.
This is the reward from that instant dungeon?
"That's not fair." Youngil whines leaning over Jinwoo completely as he flaps his hand through the screen but simply passes through it.
"What sort of cheat code—" he sighs loudly, in Jinwoo's face, staring him dead in the eyes.
"Your reward from the instant dungeon, look at it."
He dutifully recites the rewards, first with the blessing.
"So the yearly cold that takes you out every winter is no longer a thing?" he absently takes a sip of the beer in his hand as he sits up and drags his notebook towards him. Jinwoo stares, he must have been too out of it to not notice the things Youngil brought to the roof with him.
Jinwoo frowns thoughtfully as he rereads the effects. Youngil is reclining against Jinwoo, notepad propped on his thighs as he scribbles away. Jinwoo glances at the screen again when he sees how eerily similar they are.
Maybe he should play games so he can get a handle on the system.
"You read it, i wrote it down. SLEEP!" Youngil shouts the last word painfully loud in his ear, he rubs his ears with a disgruntled groan but nods.
"I will come for you," he stabs Jinwoo's forehead with his index finger as he leans back so his head rest on Jinwoo's chest. "If you don't sleep a minimum of eight hours." He squints at Jinwoo, Jinwoo takes the can from his other hand, it's already almost empty? But Youngil steals the one Jinwoo set down earlier when he realized he is not going to be able to get drunk. He sighs but doesn't take that one away.
"Does it taste any better?" Youngil hums thoughtfully.
"Not really, more like acid but my tongue is numb so the bad taste isn't as strong." he shrugs as he sits up a little so that his head is no longer resting on Jinwoo's chest and sips more beer.
"This sucks." both sigh at the same time. Jinwoo is robbed of a rite of passage. Youngil is robbed of a rite of passage.
"Well if you can't get drunk then i'll have to get drunk enough for the both of us!" he shouts with a clenched fist shaking at Jinwoo's reward window.
"You really don't." he mumbles gently lowering the fist.
Status effects. That means no mlre getting paralyzed or put to sleep. That means no more confusion or fear induced stupor.
Poison...
"Does that mean I can eat poison?" he mumbles as he takes the can he took away from Youngil and swallows a mouthful, he takes a second gulp and holds it in his mouth as the same two notifcations pop up. Harmful substance and cure poison. He jumps, coughing as he chokes while trying to both cough up and swallow the beer in his mouth when it also gets purified so that its just water in the same sweeping sensation as earlier.
He coughs a few more times with Youngil absently patting his head.
"There there eager grasshopper." Jinwoo squints tearfully at him as he continues coughing. "Youngil is here." he knocks back another can. When did he open another one. He makes to swipe it away but a finger gently pokes the tip of his nose.
"Boop. Acess denied." he singsongs as he turns away to scribble something illegible.
"I'm gonna test this." Jinwoo scrolls through his inventory until he finds what he is looking for.
A brown pouch lands in his hand, it's pretty light. He frowns for a moment at the pouch as doubt enters his mind.
He opens it and opens his mouth before his nerves get the best of him. He cautiously swishes it in his mouth, it's tangy and pretty bitter. He swallows just as Youngil screams.
Loudly.
In his ear.
Hands clench tightly around his shoulder and violently begin to shake him back and forth. Jinwoo just goes with the path of least resistance as he stares at the screens lighting up before his eyes. A third screen pops up, the venom's effect is fading.
"Interesting." He is forced to look away by hands slapping his cheeks, squishing them together as he is forced to face Youngil...
Who is tilting his head back...
"DUMBASS!!!!!" He screeches violently headbutting Jinwoo, he hisses painfully rubbing his forehead while Youngil collapses on his lap cradling his head. A hand reaches up and smacks him repeatedly until his eyes gets accidentally jabbed.
"Why?!?!" he cries as he holds one hand to his eye while his other hand catches both of Youngil's to stop him smacking Jinwoo anymore.
"Why?!?! Why!?! Qdjfkalg!!!!!!" Youngil is practically foaming at the mouth, oh wait, that's just beer.
"ASK STUPID QUESTIONS GET STUPID ANSWERS!!!!" He screams and then smacks Jinwoo again just to get his point across. Jinwoo sighs, he really should have expected that. His ears are ringing.
Youngil sighs, exasperation written plainly across his face as he somehow already has a new can? Fourth?
"Maybe we should slow down." he murmurs, a hand accidentally smacks him across the face.
"As the oldest in the family," Jinwoo blinks dumbly at that comment. "I say no." Jinwoo's heart feels warm, a smile involuntarily crawling onto his face. He's overwhelmed by the rush of affection in his chest that he wraps his arms around Youngil and hides his face in his shoulder. Youngil absently pats him on the head.
"Learn from your elders Jinwoo." Jinwoo snickers, Youngil barely counts as older. Jinwoo listens to Youngil's nonsensical rambling feeling lighter than he had days. You can always count on Youngil.
"Just you wait! I'm gonna make you a guild!" Jinwoo hums sleepily at Youngil's words. Youngil is spread out across the floor, his head on Jinwoo's lap as he gesticulates. He smacks the both of them on accident a few times, Jinwoo nods along to all his crazy ideas.
"Imma fight this stupid system." Jinwoo slings Youngil's arm over his shoulder, their trash and things all gathered as he walks them down the stairs when Youngil tried to fly.
"It's past our bedtime." Youngil's rosy cheeks flush a brighter red.
"What? That's not fair! We have the same curfew!" he protests, Jinwoo chuckles.
"That's why I said our bedtime." He's placated easily. Stumbling a little when they turn the corner to the apartment.
"Good, minimum eight hours." he nods before tripping nearly taking Jinwoo with him.
Youngil smacks his lips together.
"The sun..." he groans from where he is buried. "The sun..." he whines, Jinah fixes the curtains so the sun is hidden away.
"It burns..." he mutters weakly shrinking like he is physically pained by the sun. Jinah worriedly glances over at him.
"First oppa gets cursed and now Youngil turns into a vampire after I turn into a werewolf." Jinwoo snorts.