IGSFC 02

~Chapter 2~

Safe Zone

[Hand Taste – Active]
[Description: Improves the flavor of the lowest-grade ingredients obtained from the Field.]
[Skill proficiency increases with use.]

For a moment, Lee Seojin was thrilled.

What could be better than this for someone whose profession was cooking?

But his joy quickly turned into despair.

He suddenly remembered that awakened skills can’t be used in the real world.

“…Damn it.”

Seojin stood stunned.

To awaken a skill like Hand Taste? What was he supposed to do with that?

To make a living as a Hunter, you needed a combat-related skill that could take on monsters.

Which meant Hand Taste was practically worthless.

“This isn’t even enough to qualify as a porter.”

Even porters who accompany combat Hunters are expected to have skills to escape danger on their own. And even they suffer high casualty rates, with nearly 30-40% of new recruits dying each week.

What Hunter would let someone with Hand Taste join their party?

Unless there was a Hunter out there dying for a tasty meal in the Field, it was hopeless.

Just as despair was threatening to swallow him whole, a new message appeared, rubbing salt in the wound.

[You may now freely travel between Earth and the parallel world, ‘The Field.’]

“Are you kidding me?”

Like some tiger’s den was calling him in to get eaten alive.

How could he go to the Field with a useless skill like Hand Taste?

But as if reading his thoughts, another message followed:

[There are areas in the Field where non-dangerous monsters reside.]
[Since this is your first Field experience, we recommend starting with one of those safe zones.]

Seojin knew that much.

So-called safe zones—areas in the Field with no dangerous monsters.

You could only access them from specific locations, but there were over twenty such zones scattered throughout Korea.

Coincidentally, one was not far from Seojin’s neighborhood.

For some unknown reason, dangerous monsters could never cross into these zones.

So as long as he went there, he’d be safe.

But… what would he even do there?

He pulled out his smartphone and searched for info on the safe zone.

“Only thing you’ll find there is a pig-nosed lizard?”

These creatures, while technically monsters, were completely non-aggressive. At the sight of a human, they bolted.

Their bodies were weak too—if you caught one, it’d die easily.

But their carcasses were utterly worthless. The government wouldn’t buy them back, and they couldn’t be used for anything.

“…Forget it.”

Seojin resumed walking.

Being a Hunter clearly wasn’t going to work out. Time to focus on his day job again.

His limp, more pronounced than usual, made his walk to the restaurant feel even more pitiful.

“Thank you all for your hard work.”

These were the words of Gong Seokho, one of Korea’s rare S-rank Hunters, after completing a major dungeon raid in the Field.

He often teamed up with Delicate during high-level dungeon runs.

Standing over two meters tall, Seokho’s physical presence was massive. Just facing him was like standing in front of a mountain.

His awakened skill was Unbreakable Wall.

Just as the name implied, no monster could easily get past him once he stood in their path.

He never faltered, even against elite monsters, and never let enemies slip through.

His impenetrable presence earned him the nickname Wailing Wall, since monsters that failed to pass him would wail in frustration and agony.

Today was no different—his whole body was soaked in monster blood by the end of the battle.

Splash—

A Hunter with water-based powers hosed him down, sighing deeply.

“Seokho-hyung, I feel worst for you. The moment we enter the Field, all human rights are gone.”

Field Hunters had to give up basic necessities—no real food, clothing, or sanitation. Civilization’s comforts disappeared.

Half a year since the Field appeared, the only thing they could bring back were crude clothes and disgusting monster meat.

Weapons and gear were crafted by other Hunters who had awakened forging-related skills.

And though all nations were trying, they had yet to recreate things like soap or toothpaste using Field materials.

That’s why longer Field missions were pure suffering.

No one felt this more than Delicate, one of Korea’s top Hunters. As soon as today’s mission ended, she vanished from the party.

“Good job, Deli!”

Seokho greeted her, but she completely ignored him and disappeared.

Some Hunters grumbled.

“Ugh, she’s so full of herself.”

“Seokho-oppa’s too nice. I wouldn’t even bother speaking to her.”

But Seokho just shrugged.

“Let it go. Without Deli, this dungeon would’ve been way harder. We should be grateful.”

His words were spot on, and no one spoke against Delicate after that.

“Alright, let’s break up. I need a shower now.”

Monster blood, once dried, was hell to wash off—even with tons of detergent, stains lingered.

More than anything, though, Seokho craved something else.

“Man… I just want ramen with an egg when I get home.”

What he missed most was real food.

“Haaah…”

Delicate moved far from her teammates into a remote safe zone.

After checking to make sure she was alone, she removed her gear, mask, and red wig, storing everything in her inventory.

What was revealed was completely different from her foul-mouthed Hunter persona: a gentle-looking young woman with black bobbed hair and kind eyes.

This was the real her—Irael.

She looked barely twenty, though she was actually twenty-five.

Delicate, the infamous Hunter who cursed like a sailor and charged monsters like a demon, was merely a role she played.

No one could’ve guessed Irael and Delicate were the same person.

“…I’m exhausted.”

She lowered her head.

To protect her private life, she always assumed a different identity when entering the Field.

But it came at a cost—mentally and physically exhausting her.

Living in the Field was already tough on her gentle personality.

Delicate was simply the mask she wore to survive hell.

She looked around once more.

Nearby, pig-nosed lizards snorted warily, communicating with each other.

“Don’t worry. I’m leaving soon.”

Even though they didn’t understand her words, the lizards quieted.

Her voice was so soft and soothing it could calm even the most anxious of hearts.

With one last deep breath, Irael exited the Field.

Just as the lizards began to relax…

Fwoosh—!

Someone appeared in the exact spot she had vacated.

It was—Lee Seojin.

Just a little earlier.

Having finished his restaurant shift, Seojin wandered the streets.

As always, he’d been harassed endlessly by his senior, Yutaean. The boss, Josaengman, usually didn’t care but happily joined in when Yutaean started complaining.

The only decent person there was Jang Youngshim, the hall lady.

What kept Seojin going was the fact that he could still be in a kitchen—even if just as a helper.

Eventually, he made his way home, exhausted.

His current apartment was in a remote area, far from public transport.

After the lease scam, he could only afford something cheap and shabby.

As he got closer to home, the streetlights, cars, and people all gradually disappeared.

About ten minutes from home, he entered a quiet alley that felt like a different world from the city.

Ding—

Suddenly, his phone buzzed.

It was the Field Safe Zone App—an app he’d installed just in case.

[You are now in a region where you can access a Field Safe Zone.]

The app had appeared on app stores a few days after the Field began to invade Earth. No one knew who made it. The app store claimed they never approved it, and they couldn’t even block it.

But since it worked flawlessly, every Hunter used it.

“…Safe zone, huh.”

Seojin glanced at his outfit and shoes.

Last night, on his way home from work, he’d bought some cheap monster-material clothes and shoes, just in case he awakened.

Regular Earth-made clothes disappear in the Field, leaving you naked.

So he’d spent 100,000 won on gear—leaving him with less than 270,000.

It was early April. He’d need to stretch that for the rest of the month.

All things considered, Seojin felt bitter.

Even if your skill was trash, most awakenings still allowed you to at least work as a porter.

The chance of awakening something completely useless was said to be as low as awakening an S-rank skill.

And yet here he was—the lucky winner.

“…If it’s a safe zone…”

Since he’d already spent the money, why not at least check it out?

Better to try than waste it all.

Entering the Field was simple: just will it.

“Phew…”

Seojin steadied himself for the first-time travel and focused.

Fwoosh—!

Suddenly, someone appeared right in front of him.

A lovely, sweet-smelling fragrance—like clean soap—tickled his nose.

A woman?

Bathed in moonlight, her face looked pure and beautiful.

She stared at him, startled.

Seojin opened his mouth to say something, but—

Fwoosh—!

The Field registered his intent and pulled him in.

A little later.

In his hand was an egg laid by a pig-nosed lizard—a Field creature.

The smell and taste were so revolting that no one bothered collecting them.

But then—

[Would you like to use the skill ‘Hand Taste’ on the lowest-grade ingredient: Pig-nosed Lizard Egg?]

“Yes.”

The moment Seojin activated the skill, a radiant light emerged from his hand.

The light seeped into the egg, and a new message popped up.

[The ‘Pig-nosed Lizard Egg’ has become delicious.]