HLCWB C1

Chapter 1

A crack appeared in the sky.

We called it a “Gate,” and from within it poured out monsters beyond anything we could have imagined.

People trembled in fear. Guns, tanks—none of the science humanity had built over hundreds of years worked against those creatures. Cities collapsed, and countless lives were lost.

And in the midst of that chaos, some people suddenly gained extraordinary powers. They came to be known as “Awakened” or “Hunters,” the only beings capable of defeating the monsters that threatened humanity.

At first, everyone naturally dreamed of awakening. I did too—I wanted to become a Hunter at least once. But most people failed miserably.

However, I, Jung Haneul (26, unemployed), got lucky and awakened!

The problem is… my ability is a bit…

“One red bean and one custard, please!”

“Yes! Just a moment~!”

…that it requires endless labor.

“I’ll take one red bean and two custards.”

“The custard ones will take a little longer!”

And the worst part is… it’s necessary.

If you’re wondering why I’m suddenly talking about fish-shaped buns while discussing awakening…

This story goes back about three months.

“…This is the last of it.”

I muttered quietly as I looked around the empty shop.

Today was the day I closed down my parents’ beloved store, which had stood here for over thirty years.

“So it really ends like this… just like that.”

I bit my lip as I ran my hand over the worn wooden table, scratched and dented from years of use.

It had been five years since my parents passed away. I’d struggled alone, trying to keep at least the shop they left behind alive, but…

‘You’re telling me to leave just like that? That’s ridiculous!’

‘It’s already decided. Vacate the place as soon as possible!’

One day, the landlady suddenly showed up and called me aside. She said her daughter wanted to open a shop here, so I had to leave.

“…Just when the regulars in the neighborhood were finally starting to recognize me.”

I had just begun to feel like I was getting close to recreating my mom’s cooking.

Why was the world doing this to me? Losing my entire family in a Gate incident wasn’t enough—it had to take away the only thing I had left. It felt unbearably unfair.

I buried my face in my knees and sobbed. I just wanted to give up. Just give up on everything…

And then—

“Do you… need my help, meow?”

A childlike voice suddenly rang out.

At this hour? A child came here? And the shop was closed. The moment I realized how strange that was, chills ran down the back of my neck.

“W-Who’s there?”

“If I grant your wish, will you help me, meow?”

No matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t find the source of the voice.

A ghost? No way. But still…

—Flash!

Lightning split the dry sky, casting a long shadow on the ground.

Following that shadow, I slowly raised my head…

“…A cat?”

There stood a chubby calico cat, at least twice the size of a normal one.

“Don’t you want to reclaim this shop, meow?”

“…Our shop?”

“If you help me, I’ll grant your wish, meow. I can make this shop yours again.”

A wish… I slowly looked around the store. The familiar scenery I had seen since childhood filled my eyes.

“…Can you really grant my wish?”

“Of course, meow. As long as it doesn’t defy causality, anything is possible!”

The cat spoke confidently.

Right. This shop had been run by my parents since before I was even born. If I could get it back…

“…What do I need to do?”

“Hmph, now you’re talking, meow. But first—this might sting a bit!”

The cat jumped off a chair and smacked my forehead with its paw.

“Argh!”

Clutching my forehead in shock, my vision suddenly began to spin.

‘Ugh! M-My head feels like it’s splitting…’

I grabbed onto the table to keep from collapsing, squeezing my eyes shut against the dizziness.

“Now open your eyes and look, meow! Hurry!”

Pressed by its command, I slowly opened my eyes.

And what I saw was—

Congratulations, Jung Haneul!

You have been chosen by @%@asj@*$@!

Check Rank ⇒
Check Skills ⇒
Go to My Shop ⇒

A blue window I had never seen before—yet felt strangely familiar.

“I-I-I awakened?”

My rank! What’s my rank?

I hurriedly selected “Check Rank.”

And despaired.

“F-rank…?”

I had awakened, but as the weakest tier—no different from an ordinary person!

And then—

“…Wait. This is weird.”

I stared at the translucent blue window floating in front of me.

“Chosen by @%@asj@*$@”? Why was the text garbled like that?

As I glared at it suspiciously, the cat beside me spoke in an indifferent tone.

“You were chosen by me, meow. How could you be the same as other humans?”

“You’re the one who awakened me?”

“Exactly. You said you wanted to help me, didn’t you?”

When did I ever say that? I just asked what I had to do!

I shot the cat an incredulous look.

“You said I needed power! And you awaken me as an F-rank?!”

“You don’t need grand power, meow. What you must do is deliver ‘blessings’ to humans.”

“Blessings? Like… a baptism or something?”

The cat looked at me like I was pathetic before explaining.

In short, a “blessing” referred to its own power, and I would need to create a medium to contain that blessing and deliver it to people.

“So what’s the medium?”

“Food, meow.”

“Food? The kind you eat?”

“What else would it be, meow?”

I mean, sure, but… it’s weird.

Who delivers blessings through food? Do people just eat it and receive them?

As I grumbled, something suddenly occurred to me—and I shut my mouth.

“…Wait. I don’t even have a shop anymore. Where am I supposed to make food?”

“Hmph. Do you think I didn’t prepare for that, meow?”

“You prepared a place? Where?”

The cat told me to check the status window.

The status window? This?

I looked at the suspicious glowing text at the bottom.

“…Go to My Shop?”

The moment I read it aloud, my vision flickered—and the ground beneath me gave way.

“Aaaaaaah!!!”

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a completely unfamiliar street. No people in sight, just a few dim streetlights.

Barely regaining my senses, I looked around frantically. Aside from a large building across the street, there was nothing.

“There’s nothing here. How am I supposed to run a business?”

Location was everything in business, followed by the item itself.

Near a station—or at least near schools or offices—that’s how you survive. But here? There was absolutely nothing.

And that building over there…

“Isn’t that the Hunter Management Bureau? You want me to make food here? Absolutely not.”

I crossed my arms in an X, shaking my head firmly.

There was a serious issue with Awakened individuals—Hunters. As a side effect of awakening, they lost much of their sense of taste. The higher their rank, the worse it got.

Giving food to people who couldn’t even taste it? That made no sense at all.

“Let’s go somewhere else. I know a perfect spot—guaranteed success.”

“Another place? It has to be here, meow!”

“If we do business here, we’re doomed! You said I need to deliver blessings!”

The cat stubbornly insisted this was the optimal location.

“…Fine. Don’t blame me when this fails.”

Blessings or not… it would realize its mistake once no customers showed up.

Giving up on arguing, I looked around again.

Come to think of it, I had come here by saying “Go to My Shop,” but I didn’t see anything that looked like a shop.

“…Where’s the shop?”

“Look over there, meow.”

The cat stretched out its paw, pointing across the street.

Only then did I notice something wrapped tightly in a tarp.

“This is the shop?”

As I approached cautiously, I saw what looked like a rundown street stall, ready to collapse at the slightest touch.

The rough green tarp had faded, and the wooden boards were half-rotten.

“…We don’t call this a shop. We call it trash.”

“Trash?! That’s too harsh, meow!”

What was harsh wasn’t my words—it was the condition of the stall.

…Would this even pass a health inspection?