Chapter 17: Join them if you can’t run away (1)

Always invite him here? Raydel was confused before remembering how his past self always texted the protagonist asking him to come to his home.

'Han, do you want to come meet me at my house and spend the night here? I'll take you on a tour!'

'Han, won't you come over at my place today~'

'Han, come see me at my house pleaseee.'

'Han, I want you to come over so bad.'

He was so clingy toward Han!

But the protagonist never came, so the old Raydel never had his dream fulfilled. After a while he finally gave up and stopped asking Han to come over. Who would have thought that Han would actually pop up here and in the moment, he least wanted to meet him!

"Who's it?" his mother asked. She stopped washing the dish and walked to the front door before Raydel could do anything.

She blinked when she saw Han.

"Oh, what a handsome young man. He's your friend?"

Raydel said, "yes…."

"Come inside first. It's hot out there," his mother said. "Make way for your friend, Raydel. Come in now, boy. What's your name again?"

"Han," Raydel answered dryly.

What was wrong with him? Was he ashamed that Han visited? No way, there was nothing to be ashamed of. His mother probably liked that someone good-looking came over. It must have been because meeting Han inevitably meant facing the world of hunters. That was why Raydel felt as if he brought with him the dungeons and monsters when he walked inside.

"Sit over there," his mother gestured toward the sofa in the living room. "I'll bring you some water now."

The protagonist and Raydel sat on the same sofa. Raydel looked the other way because he was afraid to look Han in the eyes.

A few minutes later his mother brought two glasses of water to them and excused herself, so she could get back to washing the dishes. Raydel heard his father's voice as he walked in to find out who rang the bell. When he saw that it was Han, he greeted him so loudly and friendly that Raydel, who had not said even a word, felt he was so heartless. His father tried to call Jinny to come and say hi to Han as well, but she was probably too busy talking to her friend to hear it.

When only the two of them were left in the living room, Raydel felt anxious like he was the guest in the Han's house instead.

The protagonist broke the awkward silence first by handing Raydel a shopping bag and said, "a gift."

"Why?"

"You need to bring a gift when you visit someone," Han said. "For your family as well."

Raydel peeked inside. They're all desserts, he thought as he looked through them to see what each of them was. Then, when he realized that most of them were desserts like Tokyo Banana, he suddenly remembered that he… the old Raydel loved this kind of stuff.

He remembered what the old me liked even though he acted so cold toward him, Raydel thought.

"Thanks," Raydel said. "You brought a lot. It must have taken so long to get to my house."

"It's actually not that long, but I cleared a dungeon on the way here. That's why I arrived a little late."

He went into a dungeon like it was a convenience store…

"A lot of dungeons have been appearing lately. I'm so annoyed because the messages keep coming in," Raydel started to complain when the topic circled back to the hunter's world. He took one snack out and sniffed it. It was as if his body remembered that it used to like this snack. He swallowed hard, but could no longer hold the urge and opened one of the snacks. "Actually, we should be able to choose whether we're interested in going into a dungeon or not, and if we don't want to, we should be able to block the messages. I guess I have to file a complaint with the government to stop those messages."

"You don't want to go into a dungeon anymore?"

"Of course, I'm focusing on my exam preparation now."

"You're going to university?"

"And you won't? Well, I guess people like you don't have to." You're well off enough being a hunter, Raydel did not say the last sentence out loud. He enjoyed chewing the snacks for a while before realizing that Han was staring at his face.

Suddenly, he felt embarrassed like he was eating in such a vulgar manner. He wiped the corner of his mouth but found no crumbs. Raydel frowned. Then why is he staring at my face?

They sat in silence for a moment. Then, the protagonist asked.

"You're not angry with me?"

"Angry?"

"You blocked me."

"Oh…." Raydel immediately remembered that he blocked Han. The familiar vibes Han gave off made Raydel forget about everything and talk to him like they were still friends!

"Well, uh…." Raydel was about to refuse, but Han stood up first.

He said, "want to take me on a tour?"

"..."

Raydel eventually gave up and took Han on a tour around the town.

His hometown was a small town with a public park and a market that they could cover in under an hour. It could be said that this area was the place where the townspeople gathered together. It had a huge supermarket that had several cafes and restaurants. Raydel did not know which part of the city Han would want to see, so he brought him to the places he could think of.

That meant that he brought Han to all the places the old Raydel had planned on doing.

They walked in the park in the afternoon and watched people picnicking and taking their pets out for a walk. Then, the two of them stopped by at the supermarket. His mother had asked him to buy something before they left the house. That was why Raydel had to ask Han to go to the supermarket with him. And now, Raydel ended up having Han following him everywhere as he pushed the cart around and put all the things that he needed in it. Most of the things he bought were sauces and vegetables.

Some of them were on such a high shelf that Raydel could not reach even on his tiptoes.

"Uh…."

Raydel sighed when his fingertips barely touched the shelf. As he was about to ask for help from one of the staff, he sensed that someone was standing behind him, but he had already taken a step back and crashed into the person. Raydel's head hit his strong chest.

"Uh, I'm sorry," Raydel hurriedly spoke. He turned around to look at the person and was startled to see that it was Han.

He was reaching for the thing that Raydel could not get. Raydel noticed how good-looking the protagonist was when he saw him from that angle. And he had this nice scent…

Han gave him the thing and stepped back. Raydel felt so short as he looked at Han's height jealously.

"I want to know your status. What makes you taller and stronger?"

"I'm always this tall," Han said and showed Raydel his status page on the phone.

[Body Strength +20]

Raydel was rendered speechless.

This guy probably could kill a zombie with his bare hands.

This is not fair, Raydel protested in his head. "My body strength is only two. Can I see the rest?"

The protagonist was kind enough. Raydel eagerly looked through all of his status.

[Han: No Rank]

[Body Strength +20]

[Agility +15]

[Accuracy +15]

[Sword Skill +20]

[Magic Skill +5]

[Close Combat Skill +20]

[Poison Resistance +10]

[Magic Resistance +10]

Raydel's eyes almost jumped out of its sockets. How could he be this powerful!

He sneakily opened up his status page.

[Raydel Klein: No Rank]

[Body Strength +2]

[Boss' Language Skill +1]

[Dagger Skill +2]

[Hunter Attraction Skill +10]

What were all these stupid skills? They had no use at all….

Raydel continued his grocery shopping with a gloomy heart before cursing at himself for being depressed, since he did not want to be a hunter anyway. His status was fine the way it was!

It was already evening when they finished shopping. Raydel and Han walked home with all the groceries. They walked through the park again, and once in a while, a car would run past the streets located on the two sides of the park. The atmosphere was quite serene and relaxing. Raydel had been staring at the sunset without saying a word to Han for a while now.

They arrived at a crosswalk. The traffic light was red when Han spoke.

"When will you unblock me?"

A flock of birds flew past above their heads, looking so free in contrast to Raydel who was sweating. He tried to act like nothing happened and waited till the green light came before hastenly crossing the road.

However, Han ran after him and stopped him.

"Ray."

Raydel tightened his grips on the grocery bags. He and Han were standing in the middle of the footpath. Luckily, the place was void of people, so they did not stand in anyone's way.

"You might have already forgotten, but we still have some unfinished business. You betrayed me, remember?"

He meant the dungeon in the early part of the story? "Han…."

"You ran away and left me to die alone in the dungeon. I still remember what you said. 'Han, I'm sorry, but I don't want to die.' That's what you said."

"..."

"Do you know how I should act when I see you again?"

Han suddenly stepped forward. Raydel saw him raising his tight fist up in the air like he was going to… punch him. He was frozen in shock and did not try to dodge the attack at all.

Han did not punch him but lowered his arm and dropped it to his side.

"You should have punched me," Raydel whispered.

The protagonist's face had no trace of anger.

"I should have punched you since we met at the hospital."

"And why didn't you? I betrayed you."

"I reckoned you must have reasons… for betraying me."

Raydel was shocked.

"But I betrayed you. Was there any reason other than me being a coward?" Raydel asked. "I was a bad friend and you know that."

"But you still tried to protect me. You protected others. That's why I thought I shouldn't punch you in the face when I met you because you… probably repented after what you did."

"..."

"You didn't mean to."

Raydel was the one who got angry instead. He clenched his fist on the bags tightly and yelled.

"You forgave me this easily? What if I didn't feel bad for what I did at all? What if I helped others for my own benefit?"

At that moment, Han smiled in a way that made his face look so cold.

"Then, it's probably bad… but you're my first and only friend."

"..."

Old memories came flashing back. Raydel began to recall the moment the old him met Han for the first time. Han always stood alone in the classroom and had no friends. Nobody greeted him or invited him to do anything. His face was always calm and distant…. He only started practicing how to smile after Raydel said 'hi' to him and tried to become his friend.

Han had no other friends. He had always been living alone.

"You're my first and only friend," Han mumbled. "I don't want to lose you ever again."

The last sentence was spoken so softly.

Raydel could only imagine how happy the old him would be that Han kidded himself in front of him just to continue being his friend. But Han's action at the moment concerned him. Right now, Raydel considered Han his junior and himself a twenty-four-year-old brother who had been through a lot when talking about friendship.

This kid…

Whatever. He was not the old Raydel anyway.

He let out a big sigh, giving up when he saw Han acting all slouchy.

"For betraying you and leaving you behind alone in the dungeon… I'm truly sorry," Raydel spoke his heart out. "I have no excuse. What I did was wicked and will forever haunt me," he said. "My apology may not be enough, but I want you to know that I don't want to be who I was anymore. I don't want to be someone who hurts others for my own benefit. I… I want to be a better person for myself and everyone."

Han spoke after he finished.

"You talked like a grown up. Completely different from the nineteen-year-old boy I knew."

"..."

Raydel could not put his finger on it, but Han's words worried him. He opened his mouth and closed it. Han changed the topic before he could say anything.

"Then unblock me. Shouldn't I be the one who's so angry that I blocked you?"

Right. Why did he block Han as if he was the one getting backstabbed?

"I'm sorry," Raydel mumbled. "Fine, I'll unblock you."

"Do it in front of me now."

Raydel could do nothing but unblock him.

When Han saw that he was finally unblocked, his face lit up and his mood clearly got better.

"As an apology, you must not block me and always pick up my calls. Also, we need to get back to doing friend activities together like we did before."

"Huh? Activities?"

"You don't remember how we had always been side by side in the past? Eating, going into a dungeon, or whatever. We always did them together."

Or in other words… it did not matter how the story progressed; he would always need to follow the protagonist as the 'protagonist's friend.'

But you'll only face strong opponents after this! Raydel thought hopelessly. He could feel something creeping up on his spine. As he was pulling his hair desperately racking his brain trying to think of what to do, Han handed him an artifact.

It was a sparkling silver unique artifact, an artifact one level higher than ordinary artifacts that everyone had. It transformed into a black dagger when Raydel took it. The tip of the blade had this bluish shine that he had never seen. It radiated a weird aura that made Raydel feel like its offensive power must be so strong.

"I got this from the last dungeon I cleared," Han said. "Take it."

Raydel widened his eyes.

"Take it," Han repeated.

"Uh… thanks…? Why give it to me? It looks like a good weapon. Why don't you keep it for yourself or sell it?"

"I want you to have it," Han said. "If you take it, it means that we are forever friends."

Why didn't you tell me before I took it!? Raydel complained in his mind because he already took it!

Since he could not run away anymore, he decided to explore the dagger. It had just the right weight, not too light or heavy that it could not be used in real combat. At the same time, Han pulled out his sword, a katana with a powerful aura. Then, he placed it beside Raydel's dagger like he was performing some kind of ritual.

"We're equal now," Han said.

Raydel looked at the other person's face without saying anything.

And now, I guess I'm back to being the protagonist's friend? he thought as he stored his weapon. It turned back to its artifact form. Raydel put it in his pocket and asked what he was wondering for a while.

"You must know a lot when it comes to hunters. Can I ask you about summoning hunters? How do they normally talk to bosses?"

"Try to get into a fight. You'll get to talk to them then."

That means I have to go into a dungeon!

Raydel almost fainted when he came to the conclusion. He actually almost fainted several times today. Han walked him home. They arrived there a few minutes later. Raydel took all the grocery bags and honestly said to Han.

"You came without telling me in advance. You probably can't spend the night here."

"It's okay. I'll go back to the capital city today."

"Are you going to go into some dungeons on the way there?"

Han nodded, so Raydel told him to wait a little.

He brought all the bags into his home and took a bottle of water and a bag of snacks to the front door.

"In case you get hungry in some dungeons," Raydel said and handed Han the bag where he placed the snacks and the water bottle. "You never bring anything with you when you go into dungeons. Here, take these."

The protagonist silently took the bag. He looked down and suddenly acted in a way that Raydel couldn't tell what he was thinking. Raydel scratched his cheeks not knowing how to say goodbye except smiling awkwardly. He could never get used to this kind of situation. He had to get back to being Han's friend and always hanging out with him? Oh my.

"Well… see you. Text me if you want anything."

Then, Raydel closed the door softly. His heart beated so fast as he exhaled through his mouth. "A protagonist's friend?" he talked to himself before walking upstairs absent-mindedly.

At the same time, Han looked at the door and the window on the second floor that had light shining through. Then, he looked down at the bottle of water and the snack in the bag and smiled softly at himself. He looked up at the dark horizon as he walked through the darkness that had taken over the area. To get back to the capital city, he needed to ride the night bus to the underground station. But before that, Han went into a nearby dungeon first.

There was a dungeon in this town that had appeared more than twenty-four hours ago which meant that it had already mutated. Several monsters were wandering outside the dungeon. Han killed them all before going to Raydel's house, so the place was empty. He had a few hours left before the monster started respawning again.

The door to the dungeon was completely dark, being located in front of an abandoned building. There were people scattering around the area. They were probably hunters from the town, discussing whether to enter the dungeon or not.

The only way to clear a mutated dungeon was for high-ranking hunters to 'exorcise' it. Killing the monsters and bosses inside did nothing. The dungeon would just wait for the monsters to respawn until someone exorcized it, something low-ranking hunters had no ability to learn. Han had contacted the government to send some high ranks, but it seemed no one had arrived yet.

Instead, Han got a message on his phone.

[We suggested that you clear the dungeon, as you are the only one who meets all the requirements. This is a 'special arena' for you. If you can take on the dungeon for three hours until the high-ranking hunters arrive, we will offer you a special reward.]

Han had never received a message like this before, especially about the 'special arena.' This sounded so tempting that Han felt like it was trying to lure him in to provoke someone, as if he was being watched.

That was why Han asked himself what would happen if he did not accept the offer.

What would the person behind this do next?

"So, I have to go into dungeons."

Raydel said as he looked at the coin that Han had given him back and forth.

The coin reflected the light with its edge. He threw it up in the air and precisely caught it. A flow of warm energy flooded through his hand. He put it on the table and was about to take a shower, but Jinny knocked on his door first.

"Brother, can I ask you something?" she whispered.

Raydel let her in and closed the door. She opened her hand.

"Do you still have that dagger from the hospital dungeon?"

"I do, why?"

"Can I have it?"

Raydel frowned.

"Brother, I… I want to try being a hunter."

"Jinny…"

"I know it's dangerous. But I can never make enough money to go after my dream if I continue with my studies and become an office worker. I don't want you to feel like you have to keep being a hunter to earn money for me. I don't want it. I want to help you. Dad and mom are too old to be hunters. Only we can do this."

"So, our family is so poor we have to clear dungeons for money now?"

"You know that when I go to university, I have to move out. I want to study in a good university, but all of them are in that expensive capital city. I'd rather start making some money now because it'd be the same in the future anyway."

"Jinny…"

"I know that you're worried, but I swear that I'll only go into the dungeons that I can handle."

"..." Raydel was silent.

He collapsed onto his bed and let out a long sigh.

First, Han prohibited Raydel from blocking him and told him to be his friend again. Then, he also had to solve the conflict between the bosses. And now, Jinny said that she would become a hunter to help him with the family expenses. All of these meant one thing; Raydel had to keep being a hunter. He started to think that he might have to be a hunter for the rest of his life.

There was no escape.

If so, there was only one option he could choose.

"Well, then… let's go find some dungeons."

"Huh?"

"If you want to be a hunter, I'll teach you."

If he can't run from it, let's just freaking face it.