Chapter 4

Chapter 4. First Request (1)

“Well, normally I’d verify your skills first... but let’s put that off for a bit.”

“I don’t mind doing it right now.”

“How many diligent hunters do you think are up and about this early in the morning?”

Well now.

Looks like everyone’s lacking the Korean DNA that makes you wake up in the morning whether you like it or not.

“Besides, there’s no suitable opponent to match you against right now. Everyone’s busy with requests.”

Saetani was seriously short-staffed around this point in the early game.

That’s perfect for me.

“I must’ve made quite an impression on you?”

“Hahahah, you certainly did.”

His hearty laughter echoed through the shop.

“I don’t know what trick you used, but...”

Ma Cheol-sik, who had been laughing boisterously, adjusted his glasses and his eyes gleamed.

“In all my decades, not a single person has seen through my identity at a glance. Most people think Maria is the manager here, as well as the local administrator.”

When I found out about this around the middle of my third playthrough.

It really felt like I’d been blindsided.

‘If you take requests through Maria, it counts as going through an extra intermediary, so another 5% gets taken as commission.’

A base 6% plus another 5%, for a total of 11%!

Even in the upper districts, where you could enjoy every luxury imaginable, commissions maxed out at 10%.

‘It wasn’t even real money I was losing, but thinking about how much I’d lost until then still pissed me off.’

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this was what started my habit of doubting everything.

“An unidentified super rookie with that kind of intelligence network. Don’t you think it would be more dangerous to simply leave someone like that alone?”

“I thought you said it wasn’t a leash?”

“Hah! Isn’t that a matter of perspective?”

This is why trolls...

They’re unbelievably devious.

But.

‘You’re still a long way from being able to fleece me.’

I smirked and took the pen Maria handed me.

“Well, if I decide this place is trustworthy, I’ll be a little more honest too. I’m very interested in the ‘tunnels’ you’ve hidden throughout the city.”

“Hmm!?”

The moment I casually let one more piece of information slip, Ma Cheol-sik’s expression stiffened.

This must be an even bigger secret than his name, right?

Including the nuclear warhead.

And all sorts of rare weapons he handled back in his days as an arms dealer...

Because “tunnels” was the code word referring to the locations of his secret storage facilities where he had hidden them.

It was also why I had specifically come to Saetani out of all the hunter management offices available.

“...Hahahah. I like you. That determination never to take a loss is quite troll-like.”

“I’m not too fond of that description.”

―Scratch, scratch.

There was practically nothing to fill in other than my name, so the paperwork was finished quickly.

While Maria disappeared behind the counter with the documents.

Ma Cheol-sik held out his hand.

“Then I look forward to working with you, Super Rookie.”

I took his hand and added.

“That’s embarrassing, so just call me by my name.”

“I’ll do that.”

The moment Lee Gang-sik received the phone containing his hunter registration card, as if his business there was finished.

―Clunk.

He strode straight out of the shop.

“Are you sure we don’t need to eliminate him?”

Once the two of them were alone, Maria asked Ma Cheol-sik politely.

“Mm, it’s fine.”

“But that man knows information about you...”

Ma Cheol-sik answered Maria, who looked unable to understand, in a serious voice.

“Yes. I don’t know exactly how much he knows... but it seems he possesses rather dangerous information.”

“Then surely―”

“No. If he intended to be hostile toward us, he would have sided with the people targeting this district long ago. Or reported me to the Imperial Family.”

If he had, Ma Cheol-sik would already be under an extermination order from the central authorities by now.

He might even have had his throat crushed by the silent tigers.

“He knew he’d obviously be suspected, yet he showed his hand first. That means he’s that confident.”

A newcomer capable of overwhelming someone who had spent decades as a local administrator through information alone.

Was such a thing even possible?

Ma Cheol-sik continued speaking while tapping the wooden table with his fingers.

“Still, it’s also true that his identity remains uncertain, so we can’t let our guard down.”

Then he stacked a couple of glasses on the table.

“So for now, we’ll use verification as an excuse and observe him for a while.”

He filled one of them with vodka and continued.

“I’m not sure whether he knew it or not, but one of the corporations had a pawn attached to the Shreki Family he destroyed.”

“A corporation... You don’t mean the Werewolves are moving again?”

“Yes. And with that pawn’s whereabouts currently unknown as well, it would be a poor move for us to act first.”

Then he downed the vodka in one go and grinned.

“Let’s see. Whether he’s truly a new star destined to shine brilliantly, or just a candle that flashes once before going out.”

______________

“―Something like that. The two of them are probably putting their heads together and thinking hard right about now.”

I’d like to tell them it’s pointless.

“Phew... A hunter, huh.”

To think I’d really become one of those hunters I’d only ever seen through a screen.

―Click.

What I pulled from my pocket as I muttered was the hunter phone Ma Cheol-sik had given me.

It was much older than the models normally issued...

But it was a model that could be used without a personal link or data socket.

‘It feels like someone mixed a flip phone and a smartphone half and half?’

I slipped the phone back into the inside pocket of my coat and stretched as I left the underground passage.

“It’s fine. I can do this.”

Thankfully, Saetani is exactly as I remember it.

Then the related elements are probably still the same too.

After returning to the cheap motel I’d been staying at, filling my stomach a little with the scrap metal I’d collected.

And getting a proper night’s sleep for the first time in a while, the next day.

―Ding.

With a simple notification sound, a short message I had been expecting arrived on the phone.

<​Gang-sik, work.>

_____________

“Th-thank you, mister.”

A tiny voice, barely audible.

Who are you calling mister?

―Creak.

Leaving behind another ten thousand won’s worth of meddling today, I opened Saetani’s stiff door.

Unlike yesterday, I saw a few unfamiliar faces.

‘Two, no, three.’

Judging by the fact that there wasn’t even a glass of water in front of them, let alone snacks, they weren’t customers but my senior colleagues.

“Wel... come. Please... sit wherever you like.”

And there was Ma Cheol-sik in his bartender outfit, putting on his usual clumsy act.

Are there no other hunters here?

I came a little later today so I could at least take a look at the faces of my new coworkers(?).

He said they were busy with requests, but do they not come to the shop much either?

‘Maria’s probably in the back.’

I sat down at the bar and took out my phone to show him, and Ma Cheol-sik nodded.

―Clink.

Almost at the same moment his eyes briefly gleamed, the door behind the counter opened.

“You’re here.”

Maria stepped out, wearing the same expensive dark crimson suit as yesterday.

Along with the scent of her refined perfume, Maria spoke.

“You’re a little later than I expected. I thought you’d come running the moment you got the message.”

“I’m not that obsessed with work.”

If possible, doing everything I can to slack off while getting paid... no, maintaining the optimal work-life balance.

That’s an instinct deeply rooted in modern people.

“Hmm, I’ll have to update my information on you a little.”

With a professional smile, Maria picked up my phone and took the lead.

“Follow me. We’ll finish discussing the job inside.”

“Sure.”

The moment I stood up, I felt a strange gaze.

It was coming from the trio who had arrived before me.

I looked back at them, gave a light nod in greeting, then followed Maria inside.

―Click.

Maria shut the door after I entered.

Her professional smile had long since disappeared.

“Take it.”

With an indifferent expression, she handed me a stack of documents.

“Is this the request?”

“Yes.”

“You’re pretty considerate, preparing paperwork too.”

Maria answered curtly.

“You don’t even have a link, let alone a data socket, so we can’t share information through a chip.”

“Sorry about that.”

“Why haven’t you installed even a basic implant? It’s not like you’re one of those yangban bastards.”

“Yangban bastards?”

“The Family people. Those insufferable traditionalists who go on about how the body is inherited from one’s parents and claim that attaching machines to themselves weakens their mana.”

“Ah, those guys.”

Along with the megacorporations centered around science, technology, and defense, they were the group of mana awakeners that divided this city between them.

【Families】

They were far fewer in number, but the fact that every single member was a mage was a weapon in itself.

Whenever words like Taoist, immortal, or scholar came up in this game, nine times out of ten they referred to those people.

She still got foul-mouthed whenever anything related to them came up, just like in the game.

“Anyway.”

Maria muttered with a displeased expression before continuing.

“Even those people have personal links, so why don’t you...”

“How about you wait until we know each other a little better before fishing for sensitive information?”

“Tch.”

I grinned as I answered, and Maria clicked her tongue after having her intentions exposed.

“Then I’ll brief you now, so listen carefully. This request is...”

As she lightly skimmed the stack of documents in her hand and began briefing me, I glanced at Maria.

‘She’s wary of me.’

A very good sign.

I deliberately acted in a way that would force them to be suspicious for exactly that reason.

In the game, the moment you uncovered Ma Cheol-sik’s identity.

The average request tier around Jamsil, which was a newbie zone, jumped by as much as two levels.

‘This is a kind of hidden piece too.’

As the tier rose, both the difficulty and rewards increased severalfold.

But since I was practically incapable of dying in most fights, it was essentially no risk, high return for me.

And there was one hidden trait that could only be obtained through this process.

My next objective was to secure that.

“So... are you listening?”

“Of course. Goods that were being delivered for another request got caught up in a conflict between small gangs and went missing. You want me to find them.”

I knew this well because this was always the first request after raising the request tier.

“...I thought you weren’t listening.”

Maria looked surprised, then continued.

“Ahem. As it says there, we’ve concluded that one of the two gangs, the Gold Claw or Silver Fang, took it.”

“And Silver Fang is the more likely one?”

“That’s right.”

“What are the people who lost the goods doing right now?”

At my question, Maria sighed lightly.

“They’re obviously trying to clean up their own mistake too. But...”

“It’s too much for them, right? They must not have much experience. Just barely into their first year? E-rank at best.”

“...That’s right.”

“They’d be below Saetani’s standards. Did they come over from another district?”

“How do you even know that...”

When I started rattling off details that weren’t written in the documents, she looked bewildered.

‘Wait, were those three the ones who lost the goods?’

Then they’re giving a job judged too difficult for a three-man team of first-year E-rank hunters to a solo rookie like me.

“Looks like you think pretty highly of me.”

“...I clearly advised against it, but the manager said we should entrust it to you.”

“Verification?”

“Yesterday you said you wouldn’t mind doing it right away.”

When I lightly tested her, she shrugged.

Looks like they weren’t particularly trying to hide it from me either.

“Right, I don’t mind.”

I placed the documents on the table. I had done this request dozens of times already, so I knew the contents by heart.

“The item I need to find is the steel case in the attached photo. The contents are parts for the latest model of cyberware. The deadline is seven days, and the location is Lakehill in northern Jamsil.”

When I recited the details one after another, Maria added.

“You’re more meticulous than you look.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, more than I look?”

“Most hunters don’t properly read the materials during briefings.”

“People like that usually end up dead before long.”

“That... I agree with.”

For the briefest moment, Maria’s expressionless face, which had remained wary of me throughout the briefing, cracked.

“I’ve checked the details. So what’s the pay?”

“Two and a half million if you recover it safely. Another five hundred thousand if you take over the delivery as well.”

“Commission included?”

“Since this is also part of your evaluation, there won’t be one this time.”

“Not bad. I’ll take it. I’ll handle the delivery too.”

“Understood. Sign there.”

I immediately signed the field displayed on the phone.

―Clunk.

By the time I came back outside, the trio was gone.

“Then I wish you a safe hunt.”

Seeing me off with a professional smile, even if it was only empty politeness.

I walked out through Saetani’s door.

I Became an Immortal Who Chews on Steel

Author |

Mwiu

Publisher |

Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.

Managing Editor |

Editorial Department

Published by |

Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. - Dream Books

Address |

Rooms 806-810, Kolon Science Valley I, 187-10 Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul

ISBN |

G720:N+A063-20261006118

Blog |

blog.naver.com/dreambookss

Twitter (X) |

@dreambookss

Submissions |

fansycnc@samyangcnc.com

No part of this book may be used in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. - Dream Books.