1 Prologue: I Became the Protagonist’s Friend

Did I die and get transmigrated into a novel…?

That was his first thought.

He remembered that everything went dark and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in someone's body and in an unfamiliar place. In the midst of confusion, he laid there for a moment, struggling to breathe. Some memories of the body's original owner gradually flowed in.

The memory came with their name and the previous scenes. It seemed like this was the memory of a character named 'Raydel' in the novel 'Ways to Become the No.1 Hunter'…

Shit.

Wasn't this the novel I read before I died!?

Now, his and Raydel's memories started to intertwine and become one. Firstly, he knew that he was reading the novel while tensely waiting for the next part because he didn't know what would happen to 'Han,' the novel's protagonist. The thirty-story Tower of Babel had just popped up from the ground in the middle of the capital city. Han was about to face off with the last boss, but suddenly his vision… darkened.

When he regained his consciousness, he was already in Raydel's body, one of the side characters in the novel.

And the one that died early in the book on top of that!

In the beginning of 'Ways to Become the No.1 Hunter,' Raydel was a friend of Han, and he had an insignificant role. His only appearance was at the start of the story before he died right away. The information about the character included only that… he was more handsome and stronger than Han in the beginning. He was also a sneaky bastard.

To say it in detail, Raydel studied at the same high school as Han. At first, he befriended Han, the typical nice guy who had no friends, and had Han believe that Raydel was his only friend. In reality, Raydel just wanted to make himself look good by being a friend to the weak and lonely boy. Han found out the truth before they graduated from high school, so he started to act cold toward Raydel and pushed him away.

Afraid of losing an underling, Raydel begged for Han's forgiveness throughout the summer vacation. He texted Han and visited his house, even though Raydel would have never done it for anybody else. In Asphodel, the country that had new dungeons[1] appearing out of nowhere every day, even a high-school student can become a hunter[2]. That was why Raydel followed Han to all the dungeons to get him back to his side.

Then, in the chapter called 'Dungeon Rank B,' Raydel died!

The dungeon in the first chapter had an abnormal flow of energy, so the monster and boss in it were far stronger than the monsters normally found in a B-rank dungeon. Raydel and Han went into the dungeon alone. When both of them were stuck in the boss room where they had to sacrifice someone to clear it, Raydel lost his mind. He wanted to sacrifice Han to survive and escaped the dungeon. But… the first exit was a trap.

So, he died miserably…

That was where Raydel's role ended. The incident left a deep wound inside Han's heart. His first and only friend betrayed him. After that, he became cold and indifferent to the world. He refused to join any guilds or hunters, only focusing on becoming a solo player that leveled up quietly before showing up again with strength that surpassed everyone.

And I got transmigrated into the novel?

The man thought to himself.

He frowned while his head hurt from the realization. After he understood what was happening, he thought of his next move. The fact that he was still alive meant that the current story must be before the second or third chapter in the novel. Raydel, the protagonist's friend, still hadn't died. He might have only a few days before he followed Han into the abnormal B-rank dungeon according to the story. His next thought was will I be able to escape my death?

He did not know if he would truly die if he carried out Raydel's role written in the story. He did not even have the courage to test it. If he had already died one time before getting transmigrated into the novel, then he didn't want to die again, because the author wrote the death of Raydel in a very gruesome way. Simply imagining the letters describing the scene gave him goosebumps.

So, trying to avoid the death flag would be a better choice. Even though the character Raydel was evil, the soul of the man that settled in the body now was not the kind of person who would stab his friends in the back. He intended to make Raydel a good person. He would never betray Han and never follow Han into some dangerous dungeon again. And certainly, he would never get involved with the hunter's world anymore.

As a side character, he would live a peaceful life!

After making up his mind, he began to think of how to avoid his death flag. The headache made it impossible for him to open his eyes, so he touched the cloth he laid under. This light… is it morning? He thought that he might be under his blanket in his own bedroom. The air was so cold that he trembled. His hands felt around, searching for the air conditioner remote control.

But he only found a cold sheet of metal. He eventually forced his eyes open and saw the cloth that covered him and a bright light, so he pulled the cloth off and sat up.

Wait a minute. Why was he naked?

He looked down at himself before looking around the white room.

"..."

Silence.

This was a morgue!

[1] A special place in games, designed specifically for a quest. It normally has monsters and items hidden inside.

[2] The term used to call people whose job is to clear dungeons for items