Chapter 2 – Part 1 Hunter – Separation (2)

“Poem, priest? What the hell…”
“The monthly fee means that the player has bestowed grace! The person who receives the blessing of billing is at most one out of 100 hunters. Is a worthy person!”
“Oh, yes, thank you?”
“For reference, the monthly payment means that 500 Rune Stones are immediately paid upon payment, and you can receive 100 Rune Stones every day for 30 days. It is the most efficient system among general payments. If you are a player who is thinking of charging even a little bit, please purchase the monthly payment right now. !”

The priest is excitedly explaining, but I don’t know what he’s talking about. Are you talking to us in the first place?
Anyway, I’m a lot more excited than when I pulled out the SSR equipment, so it must be that much of a big deal.

“100 pieces every day for 30 days… Then, after a month, you’re saying you can draw 11 pieces of equipment?”
“Of course. Charged hunters can grow many times faster than non-charged hunters who live the same life! You’ve met a good player!”

Is it 1 in 11 draws? Is it that great? Anyway, if you’re unlucky, like me, out of 10 R grades, you might get one SR grade that you can’t use.

“Huh. I also got a pop-up. I heard that the monthly payment of 9,900 won was paid.”
“Ah. Me too.”

Two people talking as if they just remembered. It’s Kun and Jin.

“Really!?”

With a little frightening momentum, the priest turned his head toward the two.

“Uh, and the goddess Lena’s contract. 11,000 won.”

At Ray’s words, the priest began to explain with his eyes twinkling.

“It’s Lenas’ contract! Lenas’ contract is a contract that adds EXP +10%, gold acquisition +20%, and item acquisition +20% for 30 days by receiving the grace of Renas, the goddess of luck. Until! What a wonderful player you are! Alas, thank you, Player.”

The priest suddenly gets down on his knees and starts praying to someone.

“I was paid for something called an equipment enhancement package. 33,000 won.”

It was Kun who said that this time.

“Equipment Enhancement Package! It is a package that provides 10 Enhancement Stones, a rare material used to enhance equipment, and 1 million gold as a bonus! Considering the value of Enhancement Stones, it is very cheap. !”
“1 million gold!?”

I don’t know what the Ganghwaseok is, but what surprised us was the 1 million gold part that was given as a bonus.

The families of the four members are all ordinary farmers with nothing special. For us like that, 1 million gold is such a large amount that we wonder if we can touch it even if we just collect it in the countryside for the rest of our lives.
However, on the first day of registering as a Hunter, 1 million gold fell from the sky, so I had no choice but to be surprised.

“Whoops. You all may be surprised by the 1 million gold right after becoming a hunter, but as you grow into a hunter, 1 million gold is not even money. Gold is like a grain of sand… Disappearing…Fufu…”

The priest was looking into the distance with eyes wet with remorse. Is there something secret? Although I don’t really want to know.

“Still, it’s amazing. This is Player-sama’s grace? Can we just say that?”
“What is a player in the first place?”

The priest answered Ray and Kun’s question.

“Players are each of you’s patrons and guardians. Players are watching over you and always cheering you on. Also, on rare occasions, you can download billing benefits from players. Adventurers who receive billing benefits are a few more You can grow twice as strong and fast. Hunters with outstanding performance have a higher chance of receiving the player’s billing benefits, so you must not neglect your efforts in the future! Do you understand?”

We had no choice but to inadvertently nod our heads at the priest’s passionate speech.

“By the way, it’s amazing. There is probably one out of 100 hunters who receive billing benefits, but I can’t believe that 3 people received billing benefits from the first day. Hehe, thanks to that, I got a bonus too…”
“3 people…?”

The three eyes turned to me.

Yes. 3 people.
I was not included among the hunters who benefited from that billing.

There are 3 people right next to me who received the billing benefit that only 1 out of 100 people receive.
But I wasn’t included in it.

The three people who had been given grace or something were looking at me with slightly difficult faces or mocking faces.

“I guess I didn’t like the player very much.”

The priest smiled and replied to me for helping myself.

“Don’t worry too much if you don’t receive grace from the first day. Players are always watching over you. If you work hard, the day will come when you will be rewarded. Of course, that’s only if you have a future as a hunter. “

Prospects as a Hunter…Or so.
Obviously, I didn’t get a job or the lowest job, and I didn’t get any good equipment.

It is only natural that the other three, who had good jobs and equipment, and received billing benefits, would grow several times faster than I did. Even if I organize a party, I’ll just be a burden for a while.

Ha ha…How did this happen? Can we conclude this with just one word: bad luck? Or does it really mean that I have no talent as a hunter?

“Hey you guys. Is it okay for a second?”

While we were in deep trouble, a pair of hunters, male and female, spoke to us.

“Oh, yes, what is it?”

Kuhn stepped forward and answered.

“We are hunters belonging to a clan called ‘LADS’.”
“Like the name of the Clan, ‘LADS’, we are recruiting promising young people. I just came to scout you after seeing you undergoing a ceremony.”
“Scout?”

We were taken aback by the unexpected story.

I already knew that there was such a thing as a ‘clan’. However, he vaguely thought that it would be necessary only after his skills were recognized to some extent as a Hunter. It was completely unexpected to talk to him as soon as he became a Hunter.

“Yeah. We’re literally recruiting clan members. We want to invite you guys to our clan.”
“When you join a clan, there are benefits such as information sharing among clan members, status increase benefits depending on the clan level, and purchase of special items, so joining a clan is essential to function properly as a hunter.”
“How about it? Would you like to join our clan too? Everyone is young and promising, so I think we’ll agree.”

Surely this was a good story. There is no separate subscription fee, but in fact there are only benefits.
I wonder if it’s a trap for such a sweet story, but if you have problems after joining, you can just leave.

We looked at each other and exchanged views with glances. The sooner you join a clan, the better. Ray, Jin, and Kun all seemed to agree. I nodded as a representative.

“Okay. I’ll have all four of us join the clan.”

However, the man who heard me answered with an ambiguous smile.

“Oh, sorry, but we’re only scouting these three.”

The male hunter pointed to the three of them, Ray, Jin, and Kun.
Only 3 people except me.

“…You mean I can’t join?”
“Yeah. Are you sorry?”

The woman apologizes with exaggerated gestures, as if in a play.
Is it.
I was excluded here too.
On the topic that I proudly said that I would join as a representative.
Haha. How far have I become unsightly today?

“All four of us are friends who grew up in the same village. Can’t the four of us join together?”

It was Ray who sent the rescue boat there. He was honestly grateful because it was difficult for me, the person in charge, to say anything more.

“Um~. Our clan basically doesn’t recruit freebies. This is the guild’s own policy, so even us, the lowest ranks, can’t help it.”
“If we make an exception, the other members will be dissatisfied.”
“Still, if all four of us want to join the same clan somehow, we have no choice but to give up. But think carefully. Every clan wants talented clan members, not incompetent ones. Even if we find another clan, the four of you will be together. Will be difficult.”

Incompetent clanmates…
Why did I have to be labeled incompetent immediately after becoming a Hunter?

“But… That doesn’t mean you can fall…”

Interrupting Ray’s hesitation, Kun took a step forward.

“I will join the clan.”
“Kun?!”
“This is a definite opportunity, Ray. Considering the merits of joining a clan without Yuzu and the demerits of not joining a clan with Yuzu, isn’t it a natural choice?”
“That…”

At Kun’s confident declaration, Ray murmured in dismay.

“You might think that Yuzu is disappointed. But is it true? With the support of the clan, we can surely grow quickly. We have no choice but to suffer loss in our abilities, right? It’s a problem we don’t need to worry about. The wind of success is blowing towards us right now!”

Despite Kun’s exaggerated tone, I didn’t say anything and just lowered my head.
If I were on the opposite side, I wouldn’t abandon anyone. Because I think that the bond between the four of us, the existence of a reliable colleague, will be of greater strength to us in the end than immediate gains. I believe that if we overcome this hurdle, our solidarity will become stronger and it will become a foundation for us to overcome even greater hardships in the future.

But was it just me who thought so?

“Yes. I’ll join too.”
“Even Gin?!”
“We don’t have the time to take care of Yuzu, a rookie. I’m sorry Yuzu. But please don’t blame us.

Jin, who was like her little sister to me.
I thought I’d been cold lately… But I can’t believe I heard this from Jin.
I had no choice but to stand still.

“Think about Ray too. Just because we take care of Yuzu unconditionally doesn’t help Yuzu. Yuzu doesn’t want to hold us back either. Right, Yuzu?”

Kun is trying to get cruel consent from me.
But I couldn’t answer anything.

“Then you two are joining our clan. What about the girl over there?”
“I…”

Ray looked at them alternately with me, contemplating.
Why? Why are you worried?
Ray, why don’t you tell me harshly that it’s wrong to abandon a friend?
Isn’t our bond, which has been together since birth, more important than a clan we don’t know what it is?

Kun and Jin are still young too. Vanity and resonance take precedence. So he is missing something more precious as a person before Hunter.

But Ray is different. Ray will value our relationship more than immediate success.
My faith was shattered by Ray’s next words.

“Okay. I’ll sign up as well.”

Ray’s answer came after a long thought.

I’ll sign up.

When I heard those words, it felt like something inside me was about to fall out.

I can’t believe it. Rei, to think that even Rei would make such a decision.

But her words must come out of her own mouth. I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears.

Sad. Sadness just rises.

I clenched my teeth to keep that feeling from spilling out into tears.

“I’m sorry, Yuzu. But now…”
“No. I don’t need it.”
“Yuz…?”

I interrupted Ray, who was trying to explain something. Hearing excuses will only make you more miserable.

“Okay. You guys’ thoughts. The oaths and promises were fake. Friends are abandoned when they’re no longer needed. I was just a fool who really thought of such a cheap friendship.”

I saw three people in turn.
Jin pouting, Kun laughing, and Ray not knowing what to do.
All three of them were invaluable friends, colleagues, and family to me.

But now they were seen as nothing more than hideous liars.

“No Yuzu, I mean…”

I shook Ray’s hand that was trying to grab my arm.

“Live well. Traitor.”

I sarcastically threw out those words and escaped from the temple as if running away.
No matter how pathetically I was, I didn’t want to show myself shedding tears in front of the guys who betrayed me.