NOVEL WEB Ch. 9
Chapter 9: Shin Bitnari (8)
“B-But the guild leader also likes you, Lude. And I want to work with you too…”
“Half the guilds in Korea would jump for joy if I said I would join them. It is not just the Sanctuary.”
“Even so, there are problems you cannot possibly solve alone…”
“I am the strongest, so I can solve anything alone!”
“N-No, but… still…”
Kang Ihyun lowered his eyes, unable to find more words. Nari narrowed hers. Suddenly, suspicion welled up inside her.
“No, this is suspicious. You sound like some salesman.”
“…What?! Me?!”
“Why were you in that dungeon at that time? Everyone knows this time is my shift, so no one bothers to comes”
As mentioned, Lude’s active hours were from ten at night to six in the morning. For six years, not a single day was missed.
Six years ago, the sudden appearance of the world’s rank one S-class, the King of Madness. At first, many Hunters tried to cooperate with him…
Nari remembered again. If you searched for Lude on video sites, the first thing to appear was his debut scene, the most viewed Hunter content in Korea.
* * *
「 Lude renews the world ranking for the first time in fourteen years and puts Hunters in their place.」
“Get lost. This dungeon is mine.”
Crunch. Lude’s scissors blocked the entrance. Other Hunters faltered. With murderous intent radiating, he stopped them from entering.
“Uh, you must not know since you are newly registered, but this sector’s class five gate is assigned to our guild.”
“Ha… what, you think a gate is private property?”
Lude sneered. One of the Hunters, apparently a veteran, stepped forward.
“Ahaha, you must be new to gates. Every guild has its assigned ranks and zones. It is an unspoken rule.”
“So what?”
“We are responsible for this class five gate of this area. If we fail, then other guilds step in. As a free Hunter, you should contract with guilds and join as a mercenary…”
“No, so what?”
“Pardon?”
Lude slammed his golden half-scissors into the ground and stared at them. Each Hunter was caught in his black eyes. Then he spoke.
“Unspoken rules? What nonsense. I can clear this in twenty minutes. I can also tell you guys are just weaklings, am I wrong?”
“…”
“Then does it not make more sense that I handle it? What do you think?”
The inside of the gate fell silent in an instant. The veteran Hunter tried again.
“…Understood. Then let us consider it a temporary contract with our guild. The paperwork can be…”
“Did you not hear me? Or do you have no comprehension?”
Crunch. Lude pulled out his black half-scissors and stabbed them into the ground too. The crossed blades spoke of unchanging refusal. He sighed and said again.
“Get lost! I don’t need any of you!”
His roar. A few guild members who met his eyes collapsed to the floor in fear. The atmosphere was too heavy for anyone to step forward.
He pulled the scissors free and turned into the gate. His last words echoed through the quiet entrance.
“I don’t work with the weak.”
* * *
[The Lord of Chaos gives you a thumbs up, saying that your boldness never gets old.]
‘Shut up... Thinking about it now just makes me cringe…’
Because Lude avoided cooperation and crushed everything with force, the Hunters of southern Gyeonggi developed an unspoken rule to avoid touching the gates during those hours.
Most guilds used a three-shift system… but in southern Gyeonggi the night shift had become meaningless after Lude appeared.
‘That guy has been a Hunter long enough to know my nature, right? He would never just intrude.’
Nari was certain. She glanced at Kang Ihyun. Maybe he really was here just to support Lude. But Nari had lived too hard of a life to believe it easily.
“N-No! I just… When I realized your mental domination had an addictive quality, I thought it would be fine if I stayed close to you… That is why I followed you diligently at night…”
“Nonsense. No one moves for such flimsy reasons. I just know you have another agenda!”
“N-No… it is just… I am strong too, I guess? I hoped you might accept my cooperation because of that…”
“Oh really? Be honest. Why did you come to that dungeon? Did Sanctuary send you to find my weakness?!”
“N-No! Absolutely not!”
Kang Ihyun fidgeted with his fingers, then glanced at her. His voice shrank.
“The truth is… mass… I wanted to skip mass a little…”
“…Huh?”
“B-Because at evening service the priests are so tense around me. With the schedule change, I had to attend in the evening. Usually, I go at dawn… but I felt guilty, so…”
“...Just because of that? You didn't go to save people?!”
“O-Of course that too! And I wanted to see you, Lude! But maybe… that was also part of it…?”
As Nari’s jaw dropped, Kang Ihyun continued in an awkward tone.
“Hey, don’t stare at me like that please. Do you know how hard it is to attend mass with an archangel as your constellation? I can see the priests tightening their nerves whenever they look at me!”
“T…That’s probably true…”
[The Lord of Chaos nods, saying it must feel like a mid-level worker presenting in front of executives.]
‘Right… at least a newbie could just barge in with boldness.’
It seemed he did have his troubles. Hearing such a small, human reason, Nari sighed. Kang Ihyun spread his hands and spoke.
“But it’s also true that I simply wanted to see you! Asking you to work with me has been my dream… Every time I entered a dungeon, you had already cleared it and left… Today I got lucky.”
Suddenly, Nari pressed her forehead as if a headache struck. She sighed and opened her mouth, ready to say she was done.
Bzzz—
But then her phone buzzed on the table. The name [Do Not Answer] flashed across the screen. Her expression twisted.
She snatched it up and replied with a big scowl.
“…I will take this call. Wait here. We will talk after.”
* * *
“...Who do you think it was?”
[The constellation, Staff of Purification, wears a worried expression.]
“I hope it was not a serious call… I am worried about Lude.”
From what he had seen, Lude was rather defensive. She avoided others and tried to solve everything herself.
She could not sell high-grade items because of that reason. Even though it required help, she insisted on living alone. He thought maybe she didn't trust others.
‘But still… Lude is a good person.’
That was his conclusion. She endured insults from others, refused to sell items, hid her identity, and yet continued clearing gates.
That was work no one would do just for money. She could have quit hunting entirely and taken a job.
“…Damn it!”
From the other room came muffled shouts. She was probably trying to speak quietly knowing Ihyun was in the living room, but he could hear them clearly. S-class Hunter hearing was sharp after all.
“I can’t give you more. I am broke too!”
“…Are you joking? You aren’t even my family anymore, dad. You abandoned your daughter to chase another woman!”
“Aren’t you embarrassed to borrow money from your daughter? How many times is it now?! I told you to stop gambling on coins!”
“…Just end the call. Let;s talk in person. Please, dad, wake up. I am begging you.”
The door burst open. Lude emerged with reddened eyes, her face streaked with tears. Kang Ihyun remembered something he had read on social media about illusionists.
Lude’s Dog @DogofLud 2h
Illusionists’ skill is inversely proportional to personality. That’s a fact.
It’s because their power comes from mental suffering. They awaken through extreme escapism. Probably something happened in Lude’s past. No other way to explain that ability…
Lude grabbed a coat from the rack. She pressed her sleeve hard to her eyes, trying to hide she had been crying.
Before Ihyun could speak, she turned and spoke with a shaky voice.
“…Something urgent came up so I am leaving first. You go home. Do not tell anyone. If even the smallest thing gets out, I will kill you first. And I will destroy the Sanctuary.”
“Lude, wait…”
He rose instinctively and reached out. As his hand touched her arm, she shook it off violently. Her tear-reddened eyes glared, but there was no malice. She looked like a cornered hedgehog bristling its quills. She panted and spoke.
“…I am Shin Bitnari.”
“…What?”
“I am Shin Bitnari. My mother is Kang Hana. My mother caused that disaster ten years ago with her trolling. My mother is the nation’s troll!”
“…”
Kang Ihyun fell silent. Words swirled in his head making him unable to answer.
Shin Bitnari. It was a name he knew. The daughter of Kang Hana, once a hero, now reviled online as the greatest troll in Korea.
At that moment, he understood why Nari acted as Lude this whole time.
She shoved her coat on and said firmly.
“And you think I would join Sanctuary? Stop with the stupid jokes. Even if I joined somewhere, I’d never join them. Never!”
“L-Lude…”
“I will live alone forever. I will not make the same mistake as my mother, running into battles I cannot win. If a gate above class two appears, I will leave the country at once. So do not ever ask me that again. Go home now. I have business so I’m leaving.”
Thud, thud. She grabbed her white eco-bag and hurried to the door. Reflexively, Kang Ihyun caught her arm.
She glared at him with rage this time. Kang Ihyun spoke calmly.
“…N-Nari.”
“…What. Say it and leave already.”
“I am sorry. I have nothing more to say. But… if you ever need help, I-I can be there. Not as Lude and Kang Ihyun, but as Shin Bitnari and Kang Ihyun.”
“Shut up. You’re annoying.”
“Here. Take this.”
He pressed a slip of paper into her hand. She looked down. It was his personal card, with his number.
Nari looked back up without knowing what to say. Kang Ihyun smiled faintly.
“...Sometimes there are things no one can handle alone in this world. Nari. If you ever feel that way, and if you need help, please. Please call me.”
“…”
“I told you. I… I came here to help you.”