FRSBS 06

Chapter 6

[Don’t you want to join a guild?]

Because of the tournament results, Jeong Juhyeok had suddenly become the center of attention.

Ordinarily, a student who ranked around 200th would never receive a single scouting offer from any guild.

But Juhyeok had shattered the prejudice against lower-ranked students.
He had left a deep impression on the guild representatives who’d been watching from the audience seats.

[I still don’t know why you forfeited, but… you made quite an impression. This is the perfect time to join a guild.]

It was his instructor who said that—serious, thoughtful, as if worrying about his own future.

The model student who had never once seen the results of his effort was finally being recognized, and the instructor’s joy was plain on his face.

Juhyeok appreciated his teacher’s sincerity, but his answer was not the one the man hoped for.

[I plan to decide on a guild carefully after graduation.]

The reason he had forfeited in the tournament, after all, was precisely to avoid drawing attention.

If he joined a guild, he would have to undergo a medical exam—and that would expose both the strange tattoo and the artifact embedded in his body.

“It’s still too early to be discovered.”

There’s no such thing as an eternal secret in this world.

If he ever started working as a hunter, the truth—that an artifact had fused with his body—would surely come out one day.

“Worst case, my body might explode like the others who couldn’t handle it.”

It was only a matter of time before discovery came.
But in the meantime, he had one clear goal.

“The artifact’s true nature.”

He had to uncover the secret of the cube-shaped artifact—the “Training Room”—and its strange dimensional transfer ability.

To do that, he knew there would come a time when he’d have to reveal his secret.

And when that time came, he needed to be strong enough that no one could dare to touch him.

“Beating the vice top isn’t enough.”

Being some temporary “back-alley boss” of the academy wasn’t even close.

He needed to become the kind of powerhouse that even the biggest global guilds wouldn’t easily provoke.

In simple terms—he needed power on the level of an S-rank hunter.

Coming from someone who hadn’t even ranked in the academy’s top 200, that dream might sound laughable.

But in the Training Room, he had found hope.
And in the tournament, he had glimpsed possibility.

Chasing that enormous goal known only to himself, Juhyeok rejected every offer from mid-tier guild scouts, graduated proudly, and spent the next three months in silence.

“Five thousand three hundred won, please.”

Now, he was scanning items at a register.

“My hunter license won’t come out for another month, so I might as well help out.”

He had graduated in February, and hunter licenses were issued in May.

He wanted nothing more than to dive straight into a gate—but entering without a license was illegal. All he could do was wait.

[Training Room upgrade and operation requires mana recharge 1/100…]

“The easiest way to recharge mana is with mana stones.”

Mana stones—crystals excavated from monsters’ bodies inside gates.

No one knew exactly where they came from, but it was certain that they contained an unknown energy known as “mana.”

“First, I need to get some mana stones.”

He didn’t have even a fraction of the talent of a prodigy.

For him, the Training Room was the only path to survive in this brutal world.

An ordinary person would never dream of stepping back into that place—but…

“There’s no such thing as impossible before effort.”

That was his belief.

It was the one thing his late father had left him—the faith that had carried him this far.

Of course, his reason for persistence wasn’t purely philosophical.

“Son~ lunch’s ready.”
“Okay. Coming.”

Around two in the afternoon, when customers had thinned, his mother stepped out from the bakery kitchen.

Together they flipped the sign to “Closed” and went upstairs—to the same small home where he’d lived for nearly twenty years since birth.

Inside, the comforting sound of dishes clinking filled the air as they shared lunch.

His mother smiled as she talked, saying she used to eat alone every day while he was at the academy, pretending to make light of the loneliness.

Now that his bowl was finally full again, she seemed happier—less lonely than before.

They chatted casually, as always, about unremarkable everyday things.

Then, after a while, his mother asked in a cautious tone:

“Are you really going to keep doing this hunter thing?”
“I have to.”
“I heard on the news that some D-rank gate had a B-rank appear. Isn’t that dangerous…?”

The worry on her face had a clear reason.

Just last night, there’d been another incident on the news.

Whenever danger was mentioned, she’d watch her son the next morning with a worried expression.

“It’s fine. The odds of something like that happening are lower than getting struck by lightning.”
“Still…”
“Don’t worry so much. There weren’t even any casualties this time. They prepare for every risk before entering.”

“…”

Even his reassurance couldn’t fully erase the anxiety in her eyes.

If his grades had been excellent, maybe she could’ve relaxed—but knowing he was only a mid-tier student made it worse.

“Why don’t you just learn baking from me? It’s not too late.”
“I don’t have much talent for baking.”
“You didn’t make the top 200. Doesn’t look like you have much talent for hunting either.”
“…You know, sometimes you really hurt your son’s feelings without even trying.”

Just when she looked like she was worrying, she’d jab him right in the weak spot.

He grimaced slightly, and she smiled.

“You’ll be fine. Even if you don’t have talent, you’ll win with hard work. Isn’t that what you do?”
“…”
“Your dad was the same. No knack for anything, but he’d work day and night until he made it.”

Her eyes softened with a wistful smile.

The way the sunlight reflected on her face made her look just a little lonely.

Then she brushed off the mood with a chuckle.

“So, even if you’re bad at baking, you can still learn. I’ll train you Spartan-style—you’ll be a pro in no time.”

She started retelling one of her old stories—how his father used to get scolded all day while learning from her.

It was a story he’d already heard twenty times, but she told it like it had happened yesterday.

“Still, I want to be a hunter, not a baker.”

And as always, the conversation ended there—with his unshakable answer.

Every few days she’d bring it up again, and every time his reply stayed the same.

“My son’s awakened now. Time for you to live comfortably, Mom.”
“Haah… you really did inherit your father’s stubbornness.”

He didn’t want to worry her.

She’d lost her husband young and had raised her only child alone. Of course she’d be afraid of losing him too.

But he had his own reasons he couldn’t walk away from.

“Mom, what did the doctor say about your knee?”
“Well… he said I should go to a big hospital for tests. But you know how expensive that is.”

Money.

His mother’s body had been worn down after years of running the bakery alone.

The knee pain that had started two years ago was getting worse.

The local clinic had already told her she should get checked at a large hospital in the capital—meaning the bills would be huge.

“You still need to get tested, though.”
“It’s not so bad that I can’t manage. Don’t worry.”

She told him not to worry, even as she worried for him.

That was exactly why he couldn’t give up being a hunter.

The bakery’s income wasn’t nearly enough to cover those hospital costs.

She worked nearly every day, taking only two days off a month, and still, their living situation barely improved.

But hunters… hunters were different.

“Even an F-rank earns about twenty million won a month, right?”

The lowest-ranked, rookie hunters—F-rank—earned a minimum of 20 million won per month.

Just one gate run could bring in twice what the bakery earned in a month.

If he could make money through gates and then grow stronger through the Training Room, his rank would rise quickly.

“The first month’s earnings should go toward Mom’s hospital bills, not upgrades.”

He didn’t know exactly how much it would cost, but he needed to be ready.

If her condition was bad enough to require a big hospital, she probably wouldn’t be able to work at the bakery for a while either.

He’d have to cover all living expenses through hunting.

“Just wait one month. When my license comes out, I’ll go into a gate and earn enough for your treatment.”

“…”

At the mention of “gate,” a quiet silence filled the room.

His mother took an apple from the fridge, washed it under running water, and after a moment, her voice came from behind him.

“Even if I tell you not to go, you won’t listen, right?”
“Right.”
“Ugh, what a proud answer!”

She gave him a glare over her shoulder, then sighed.

But even that sigh was restrained—she didn’t want to make him feel guilty.

“Then promise me one thing.”

She set the peeled apple down on the table, her tone serious now.

“If you ever think your life’s in danger, run. Forget the money. I just need you to come home.”

“…”

Of course she would say that.

What parent could calmly watch their child walk into a gate swarming with monsters?

Hearing her words made him feel guilty all over again.

“Still… I can’t stop now.”

He’d already picked up the sword.

He’d poured blood and sweat into his training and awakened because of it.

He’d entered the academy, found that mysterious artifact, and had it engrave itself into his body.

Now, if he didn’t uncover its truth, it might kill him.

“I was destined to make her worry from the moment I picked up a sword.”

He couldn’t bring himself to tell her everything.

Lying was a sin—but how could he speak the truth and still look her in the eye?

So, Juhyeok simply smiled with quiet confidence.

“Trust your son.”