The Skill Maker

The Skill Maker – Chapter 006

<A Jackpot That’s Like a Jackpot, But Not, But Is – #2>

After searching, Hyun-Soo found the Hunter Net and clicked the hiring/seeking job link.

However, they made it available to members only.

‘I’ll register first and then take a look. I’m sure it’s not limited to officially registered hunters.’

If that was the case, then his plan on trying to find a job online would all go down the drain.

Thankfully, ordinary people could register.

Hyun-Soo registered and before checking the seeking job page, he decided to look around the website.

The cursor stopped at “Recruiting Guild Members.”

He clicked it, but a window popped up saying he wasn’t at the required level to view it.

“Huh? I guess you have to be at a certain level in order to see this.”

Well, I guess you do need to be an official hunter in order to be recruited to a guild and they probably made it so that you have to verify first.

Hyun-Soo hoped that he’ll be able to see that page one day.

Hiring Grey Portal Odd Jobs (Under E rank)

Hiring a carrier with physical strength skills.

Who wants to target the portal at the Cheonggyesan Mountain with us?

In the hiring/seeking job page, there were so many posts related to jobs since it was available to all members.

It ranged from odd jobs to gathering a one-time temporary team.

Hyun-Soo clicked the link regarding the portal job. Then, he quickly sent a message to the original poster.

It was a while until he received a reply.

J S Full

“…”

They didn’t even say sorry and just sent three letters, which almost made Hyun-Soo angry.

But, they were the ones hiring.

Hyun-Soo calmed himself down and sent messages to new threads.

He ended up sending a good amount.

He was sure he sent a letter as soon as it was posted, but all the replies that he received told him that it was full.

As in they didn’t need more.

At least the ones that replied were nice.

Most of them didn’t even reply.

As if they’ve hired enough people, the posts disappeared as soon as it was posted.

‘Does that mean there are people like me who are watching? How can it fill up so fast?’

F and E rank made up most of the hunters and it seemed like they were desperate for work.

Knowing he wasn’t any different from them, a bitter smile appeared on his face.

“Hyun-Soo, I’ll add an additional two hours here.”

“Cook some ramen for them.”

Since I had to take care of customers in between, there were couple of posts that I missed.

The old computer that was at home wouldn’t be much help in this competitive site, so I had to read as much as I could while working.

‘Shouldn’t I be able to get at least one? I guess they weren’t lying when they said lower ranked hunters were experiencing unemployment crisis.”

It’s not that there wasn’t work, but there were more people than jobs, so it was definitely difficult to get hired.

Luckily, Hyun-Soo received two replies.

Whenever he sent a message, he stressed the fact that he was an E rank and it seemed to have worked.

However, when they asked for detailed stats, he told them he was part of the Assistance class. After that, they didn’t reply.

“Ah….this sucks. Why is class important for carrier and odd jobs? As long as they’re able to carry and apply constantly, isn’t that all that matters?”

A lot of people were even applying to small jobs and what followed was competition in stats.

The hunters that made these hiring posts were picky and for some reason were requiring high stats for jobs that had no relevance.

“Guess first day was a bust.”

It’s been two days since he awoke as a hunter.

It’s only been a day since he was officially looking for a job.

However, Soo-Hyun felt that his future wasn’t looking so great.

‘Who cares about SS? Can’t even use it during a hunt…’

He didn’t have any ideas about making skills, he continued applying, but ended not getting hired. Things weren’t working out in his favor.

There was a moment where he thought everything would work out if he awakened as a hunter, but that was long ago.

But, Hyun-Soo continuously tried to make something out of it.

However, it was now the fourth day and he was feeling frustrated.

He was filled with frustration and was getting angry.

It showed when he coldly greeted the customers.

‘If this continues, nothing will happen. Frustration and impatience will only ruin it. But, it’s hard to hold in this frustration. This is driving me insane.’

He felt like he was going to explode if he kept it all in.

That wasn’t the best way to handle it.

Hyun-Soo thought it would be best to release all this frustration and grievance somehow.

‘Was there a batting cage somewhere near the convenience store?’

He didn’t think much before because he wasn’t interested, but there were customers that would spend time at the batting cage before visiting the convenience store.

‘I should try it before heading to my part-time job. I’m sure I’ll feel better after throwing something and releasing some energy.’

They say that overworking your body is the best when trying to clear your mind.

Hyun-Soo decided to try it.

***

“Is this your first time here?”

“Yes.”

The batting cage was smaller than what he imagined, but it was pretty clean.

It wasn’t like the shabby cages that he saw in cartoons or TV shows.

Looking around, he noticed there were young students as well as college students.

It was a pretty inexpensive activity.

Honestly, if it was expensive, he probably would’ve left.

Hyun-Soo paid the fee and walked to the pitching zone. There was a machine which measured the speed of the ball.

Placing the basket filled with balls next to him, he grabbed one.

Swoosh!

His form and stance was a mess.

The speed displayed on the screen wasn’t impressive either.

But, it was enough for Hyun-Soo to release his frustration.

If he just went into the mountains and threw rocks, there’s a chance someone might get hit and he would end up paying a settlement.

But, it was okay to throw the balls however he wanted.

Hyun-Soo gritted his teeth and grabbed the ball tightly.

‘What is it that odd jobs require good skills?’

After the first ball, he threw the second one.

‘If I had that kind of knowledge, I would apply to be a hunter, not an odd job.’

Most of the balls that he threw would fly in an arc and would end up on the floor, but Hyun-Soo didn’t care and continued throwing.

Suddenly, a question popped in his head, causing his hand to stop.

‘How much longer do I have to live like this…?’

He was curious about it before.

A difficult road with no end.

He’ll only end up hitting the floor if he rested or stopped.

‘If my life remains the same even after becoming a hunter, then does mean, my family, Hyun-Ah and me have to continue living like this?’

He knew that if he didn’t increase his level to C rank, it’ll be difficult for him to get hired.

But he didn’t know that he wouldn’t even be given a chance.

‘My future seems dark. How am I supposed to keep living? Being a hunter isn’t the end of it.’

Everything would remain the same.

Nothing would change even after awakening.

What’s the point? No one is willing to hire me.

Even this place had a gap between the powerful and the weak.

Those with skills are able to enter through the narrow employment door, those with connections can easily enter through while the rich are given both connections and chances.

And they also create the employment doors.

Being excited for a moment was a dumb move.

Thinking that he’ll be able to end his family’s poverty gave him hope, but it was ripped to shreds.

But, doing the same jobs he did before would’ve give him much of a future.

‘Who would hire someone that was old and had no experience whatsoever?’

He thought by awakening as a hunter, his future was set.

‘It’s painful…’

His life kept rolling downhill.

There was never a time where things worked out for the better for him.

He was able to keep his chin up because they were somewhat maintaining a living, but that reality was cold towards Hyun-Soo and his family.

It was very cold.

His frustration was contained in the ball that he threw.

From the ball that he threw, a faint light started appearing.

However, being filled with frustration and not knowing about the future, he was so close to losing control that Hyun-Soo didn’t realize this.

‘I want my family to stop suffering. I want to stop earning a living through petty change. I want to stop hearing negative comments. I also want my body to stop feeling tired.’

Those were all of Soo-Hyun’s pain.

He was tired of those pain.

In the end, he came up with a conclusion.

‘I want to live a great life.’

In that moment, he heard a sound that he’s been waiting so long to hear.

-Ring!

***

“Oh, there he is.”

“Kim Soo-Hyun?”

“Oh, hello.”

The people that were sitting near the entrance of the fast food restaurant waved their hand at Soo-Hyun.

Hyun-Soo approached them and greeted.

“Nice to meet you. Including Kim Soo-Hyun, there’s now a total of five people. There are five carriers today, so please take care of us.”

“Please take of me as well.”

It was a skill he made at the batting cage couple of days ago.

Thanks to that skill, Hyun-Soo was able to participate in the hunt for the first time. Not writing that he was an Assistance class helped him.

It was an odd job, but being able to do a hunter job for the first time encouraged him.

The people that greeted him did instant hunts. It was a temporary group where they gathered anyone and created the offensive team as well as carriers of the party.

It was odd that just the carriers met, so when Hyun-Soo asked, the man that greeted him first displayed a bitter smile.

“It’s always like that. Is this your first time?”

“…Yes.”

The others had a similar expression as this guy.

“Then, you’ll naturally learn soon.”

“Got it.”

They seemed annoyed to answer, so Hyun-Soo didn’t ask any further.

“Anyways, seeing how it’s your first time, you must be ranked pretty high if you were able to get accepted here. Or, you have a nice class…?”

“…..?”

Assistance class were always rejected since they didn’t have any offensive skills.

However, thanks to the skills he acquired at the batting cage, he was able to send a message and get hired.

The guy kept on observing Hyun-Soo as if he had something amazing up his sleeve.

“Not at all. Well, I am an E rank, but I’m part of an ordinary attack group.”

The skill he acquired was an offensive skill.

Technically, he was still part of the Assistance class, but now that he had an offensive skill, he decided to cover it up by saying he was part of the offensive group.

‘It wasn’t wrong. I have an offensive skill, so I’m part of the offensive group, right?”

He did feel a bit bad, but when it came to making money, conscience didn’t matter.

If he succeeded this hunt, he would take home 50,000 won. (Approximately $500)

When comparing to how much a hunter made, it was a very small portion, but to Soo-Hyun, it was a large amount.

If he continued doing these odd jobs or got hired as a carrier, he’ll be able to make just as much as someone working for a major company.

“Oh…You’re an E rank. I’m jealous. I’m still a F rank, but I still have a long way to go until I’m an E rank. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be one. Oh, my name is Jo Young-Jin.”

Noticing the gloomy atmosphere, he quickly changed the subject by introducing himself.

Then, he extended his hand for a handshake and Hyun-Soo grabbed and shook it.

Starting with him, the others started stating their names.

Jo Young-Jin, Kim Yoon-Soo, Heo Jin-Ho, Park Jung-Hwan.

He wasn’t sure how many times he’ll call their names, but Hyun-Soo memorized their names.

“It’s almost time. Let’s get going.”

End.