Chapter 2: Let's Start With Some Theft (2)
Pop.
The Treasure Goblin teleported back home with a bright smile on his face. He began jumping around on the spot and waving his arms excitedly.
"Chwiiiik! Chwiiiik!"
He was exuberant after having picked up three treasures that were formerly used by humans, and they were all C-Class artifacts at that. Hopping from one foot to another wasn't even enough to express his happiness, so he waved his arms in the air delightedly and spun around with a bright smile on his lips.
But just as he was about to add the treasures that he had found on his most recent trip to his mountain of treasure...
"Chwi... chwak?"
The shift in his tone carried a note of puzzlement.
The Treasure Goblin tilted his head in confusion.
This was because his mountain of treasure had somehow disappeared.
"Chwiiiik?"
Could he have entered the wrong house?
As he entertained this possibility, the Treasure Goblin tilted his head to the other side and slowly blinked his eyes, the rest of his expression unchanging. He quickly spun his head to look at the other side of the room.
He was checking for a bed covered with the skin of a bear he had hunted three days ago.
And there it was.
What about the rabbit he had hunted last night?
It was still in the jar that he had placed it in.
The Treasure Goblin turned around and stared at the place where his mountain of treasure should have been.
"Chwak?!"
Letting out another strange cry of disbelief, the Treasure Goblin slowly began walking toward the place where his mountain of treasure had once been. Then, he slowly lowered his head to examine the floor.
"Chwiiik?"
He had found footprints.
"Chwiiik?"
His hideout, which should have only been covered with his own footprints, now had traces of other people.
The Treasure Goblin lifted his head once more to look at the empty space in front of him. He then knelt down and placed both hands on the floor, falling into what is known as the "OTL" pose[1].
"Chwiiiiiiiiiik!"
The Treasure Goblin let out an agonized cry.
***
"Really, my ears always start itching[2] whenever I return from the Treasure Vault," Kim Ki-Rok complained as he sat up in bed.
Picking at his ear with his pinkie, he lay down on his bed and stared at the ceiling.
"For starters, I've secured my operating funds," Kim Ki-Rok said, mentally checking off the first stage of his plans. "Then, from now on I'll—"
Guuuuurgle.
The sound of his stomach grumbling made him realize that he hadn't eaten anything since his memories had returned from the future. Kim Ki-Rok paused his train of thoughts and got out of bed.
He went to the kitchen and pulled out a pot, filling it with hot water. Then, he placed it on top of his induction stove.
Opening a packet of ramen, he took out the dried ingredients in advance and poured them into the pot of water.
"Now then, let's see," Kim Ki-Rok mumbled to himself. "Status window."
[Kim Ki-Rok]
Level: 1
Strength: 1
Vitality: 1
Magic: 1
Willpower: 1
Skills: Record (E), Time Rabbit's Luggage (S)
Kim Ki-Rok's level...
Though he had entered a Gate, he hadn't defeated any monsters and was still at Level 1.
As for his stats...
He had yet to do any training since his Awakening. Without any of the additional stats gained through training or battle, his stats remained at 1 as well.
"At least it's neat and tidy. Very efficient." Kim Ki-Rok comforted himself as he tore open the packet of soup powder, pouring it into a pot. "Check skill, Record."
[Record (E)]
Description: Allows the user to record memories
It has no other effects
"As expected of an E-Class Skill. No matter how many times I see it, it's just as neat as ever."
After spending a few moments reading the Skill description that was a bit too sparse to even be called efficient, Kim Ki-Rok read through the seventy-six virtual notes that only he could see before dismissing them with a wave of his hands.
Right now wasn't the time to reminisce about his past Attempts.
The water had begun to boil, so he quickly put the noodles in the pot.
What he needed to do now was focus on cooking his ramen.
He needed to keep the ramen boiling for two minutes, then promptly take it off the stove to ensure it was still al dente.
"Skill check, Time Rabbit's Luggage," Kim Ki-Rok absentmindedly called out.
[Time Rabbit's Luggage (S)]
Effect: Transfers user's memories to their past self
Conditions: Triggers upon any death except for those caused by suicide or natural aging
A Skill that allowed its user to return to the past unless they'd reached their lifespan or took their own life. This was the power of Time Rabbit's Luggage.
Kim Ki-Rok had been forced to repeat his life seventy-six times now.
Had he ever considered stopping this repetitive cycle by taking his own life?
Indeed he had.
However, he had only thought about it.
Kim Ki-Rok opened the fridge door.
He took out a pack of kimchi, as well as a bottle of water.
He began to count down, "Three, two, one."
[The Time Rabbit asks, "Did you rob the poor Treasure Goblin this time as well?"]
A Hologram had suddenly appeared right in front of his eyes with some kind of message written on it.
Unbothered, Kim Ki-Rok simply replied, "Why ask something so obvious?"
As soon as his second Skill, which had only ever shown up as a question mark in his first life, was unsealed, the being known as the Time Rabbit had started to speak to him.
This had made him quite flustered during his 2nd Attempt at life, but the Kim Ki-Rok standing here at this moment in time, living through his 77th Attempt, reacted to the surprise message with the liveliness of a dead fish[3].
Kim Ki-Rok excused his actions. "I need money if I want to get things moving properly."
Turning off the induction stove, he picked up the pot and headed over to the table.
Sluuuurp. Sluuuuurp.
[The Time Rabbit asks, "So what are you planning to do this time?"]
"Like always, I need to swallow up all of the chance encounters," Kim Ki-Rok replied.
[The Time Rabbit mutters, "I don't understand why my ability went to someone like this, who doesn't even have as much talent as a single salmon roe."]
"Yet even so, you probably wouldn't be able to find anyone as persistent as me," Kim Ki-Rok argued back.
[The Time Rabbit looks at Kim Ki-Rok with a convinced expression and says, "That's true."]
Kim Ki-Rok had unconsciously stopped moving his chopsticks, but now burst into laughter as his chopsticks flashed back into action.
[The Time Rabbit asks, "So really, what are you planning to do this time?"]
"I'm going to see things through to the end," Kim Ki-Rok said determinedly.
[The Time Rabbit tilts his head in confusion as he says, "The end?"]
"That's right. I'm going to reach the end. This Attempt will be my last Attempt," Kim Ki-Rok vowed.
[The Time Rabbit asks, "So you don't plan on returning to the past, even if you make a mistake?"]
Kim Ki-Rok's chopsticks paused in the air once more.
He had subconsciously sensed that the danger was slowly beginning to affect him due to his endless regressions.
He especially felt like his mental health might be seriously deteriorating.
That was why he had decided to end things with this Attempt, no matter what.
Fortunately, during his previous Attempt, he had managed to discover a potential solution.
"Hrumph," Kim Ki-Rok grunted in deep thought. While all that might still be the case, considering what it would mean for this to be his last Attempt, he said, "I'm not sure what I would do in that case, so allow me to correct myself. Starting from now, I'm heading toward the end."
[The Time Rabbit asks, "So what kind of life do you intend to live?"]
"It will be a mix of my lives from Attempts 30 to 40, and from Attempts 52 to 76," Kim Ki-Rok stated confidently.
[The Time Rabbit asks, "What does that even mean?"]
***
Kim Ki-Rok looked up from the map on his smartphone and checked which station the train had arrived at this time. Then, he slowly scanned his surroundings.
He still had to pass through two more stations to arrive at his final destination. As he looked around for somewhere to sit, he found no empty seats, just as expected.
It was 8 a.m.
And this wasn't just any 8 a.m. train, this was the Commuter Train on Seoul Subway Line 2[4].
Rather than decreasing, the number of passengers riding the train was actually increasing as time went by.
Kim Ki-Rok had to hold his smartphone over his head in order to use it. Letting out a deep sigh, he thought to himself, Should I have taken a taxi? Still, I should at least count my blessings.
Thank goodness it was still April, the middle of spring.
If this had been June or July...
Kim Ki-Rok felt terrible just imagining what a packed train in the summer would feel like. He vigorously shook his head from side to side, then got off the train as soon as he arrived at his destination.
With a rapid stride, he quickly left the subway station and headed to a Gate that had recently formed near the Konkuk University Station.
He didn't try to enter the Gate and instead found somewhere nearby to wait.
Despite it being early in the morning, Hunters had already gathered near the Gate, seeking party mates to clear it with in hopes of increasing their stats or earning some money.
After scanning the Hunters from his seat on a nearby bench, Kim Ki-Rok turned his attention back to his smartphone.
He felt that it was these sorts of Hunters, rather than those currently at the top, who were fighting to protect their country and its ordinary citizens. They truly held the potential that he was looking to develop in order to destroy the S-Class Gates.
"After all, it's easy for a sudden increase of power to cause a shift in personality," Kim Ki-Rok muttered regretfully.
He would support them, but only until they've reached certain levels.
There had been quite a few Hunters who had changed from "good" to "evil" due to his excessive support, so any help that he gave them needed to be within reason. He also needed to keep an eye out for any changes in their personality.
Kim Ki-Rok spent a whole ten minutes thinking about the future. Noticing a group of five Hunters heading through the park entrance, he perked up in his seat.
The five men and women appeared to be either friends or long-time coworkers. They were chatting with each other while heading toward the entrance to the Gate.
These were The Five Siblings of Mapogu[5].
Although they were referred to as "five siblings," they weren't actually blood-related. In a previous Attempt, an A-Class Gate had appeared and its protective shield had been destroyed in less than thirty days, allowing monsters to escape. At that time, five men and women had protected the civilians who were caught on the battlefield and lured the monsters away from them, stalling until support from the Hunters Association could arrive.
As Hunters, they could have escaped on their own, but they had instead chosen to remain on the battlefield.
Unfortunately, the incident had ended with two of them dying due to their low stats, but The Five Siblings of Mapogu—or rather, The Three Siblings of Mapogu following this incident—continued to protect the civilians from the threat of the Gates and their many monsters.
Even when the S-Class Gates appeared, they still hadn't changed their behavior.
The five men and women readied their weapons as they entered the Gate, still chatting away. Less than three minutes later, Kim Ki-Rok got up and headed toward the Gate. At some point, he had pulled the hood of his tracksuit down over his face.
***
These five men and women, born and raised in Mapogu, had all Awakened and became Hunters, although there was a slight time difference between their Awakenings.
Not only did the history between them span all the way back from elementary school to high school, but their Awakening times had also been similar. They had continued their childhood friendships even after becoming adults.
They might not be related by blood, but they were practically no different than actual siblings.
All five of them were currently squatting on the ground as they looked at an old wooden chest.
"Why would something like this be here?"
"That's the question, isn't it?"
"In any case, isn't this a good thing for us?"
It was very rare, but chests containing artifacts, gold, and even armaments or weapons that were clearly of higher class despite needing some repair were occasionally found within Gates.
The problem was that such chests usually appeared in Gates leading to places like ruined cities, where traces of civilization had been left behind, not Gates like this that were swarming with monsters.
"That's right, but it seems a bit too lucky."
"For now, let's just open it up."
Some of them tilted their heads in confusion while others were excited. A young man who was equipped with a bow cautiously raised his hand as he reminded his friends.
"But couldn't it also be that thing?"
"What thing?"
"What was it again? Uhhh. That monster that looks like a chest."
A monster that looked like a chest?
As the two women and one of the other men continued to tilt their heads in thought, the young man who was armed with a sword and a shield spoke up while staring at the chest.
"A Mimic."
"Ah, that's right. It was a Mimic. A chest-like monster, the Mimic."
"I also thought that it might be a Mimic, so I infused some of my mana into it to check it, but it's not a Mimic."
"So this is a real chest?"
"Uh-huh."
"In a Gate like this? One that isn't even a dungeon-type Gate, but a field-type Gate, a forest full of monsters?"
The other four stared blankly at the box as the suspicious young man continued to mutter doubtfully. The woman who had first suggested that they open it, reached out toward the chest.
Click.
"Hey!"
"We should just check what's inside instead of worrying about it. We already know it's not trapped."
After discovering the chest, the very first thing that they had done was examine it using mana. After that, they had searched the surrounding area to eliminate the possibility of it being a trap.
But the chest was just an ordinary chest.
They had even used Appraisal, one of the support systems for the Awakened, to verify the situation.
There also weren't any monsters nearby.
There had been a possibility that monsters might be hiding underground, so they had searched the ground using mana and hadn't found anything there either.
Creeeeak.
The four men and women's gazes moved from their friend, who had reached out to open the chest, to the chest itself.
"Hm?"
There were six accessories revealed within.
"What's this? Appraisal."
The young man armed with a sword and shield casually reached out and picked up a silver bracelet before using Appraisal on it.
"Hey, it's an artifact. An artifact enchanted with a spell, at that."
"Oh? And this ring is enchanted with additional stats."
"Tch. I thought it might have contained some kind of awesome treasure."
Artifacts enchanted with additional stats were definitely useful, but they weren't something that could be used for a long time.
"But still, where do you think this is?"
The young man with a sword and shield pointed out as he shook the bracelet for emphasis, only for the long-haired woman to nod in agreement.
"That's right. And this equipment has just the stats that we need."
"We can also sell them later."
"That's true, isn't it? We can sell them later and save up to buy some new weapons."
"But what could this be?"
The short-haired woman who had opened the box picked up an old book, shook off the dust, and turned to her friends. The man wearing glasses and holding a bow reached out to take the book, then checked its contents.
"Oh?"
"What is it?"
"This is..."
"Oh, is that...?"
"Isn't that a mana-breathing technique?"
"Huh?"
"Th-this is something that only the mid-Classes can get their hands on. To be more precise, this is at least a C-Class mana-breathing technique."
"What?"
***
Right after The Five Siblings of Mapogu had become heroes after saving those civilians from a monster invasion, a rumor had started to circulate on the internet.
If they had been able to learn a mana-breathing technique, wouldn't there have been a different outcome for them?
The Hunters Association had gone on to secure this technique, releasing it to the public the following year on January 1, 2041.
The incident that the siblings had faced would take place three months from now, on July 13, 2040.
The three survivors of The Five Siblings of Mapogu did not retire from being Hunters despite the profound sorrow of losing two comrades who were as close as family.
Then, on January 1, 2041, perhaps out of spite due to having lost their friends to the monsters, they quickly mastered the mana-breathing technique and became B-Class Hunters.
Kim Ki-Rok shrugged. "Well, even if they were full of spite, it would have been hopeless if they hadn't had the talent necessary to do so."
[The Time Rabbit says with a smile, "Come to think of it, it took you a year to perfectly master the mana-breathing technique."]
Kim Ki-Rok growled, "Hey, isn't bringing up that fact a bit—"
[The Time Rabbit continues with a bright smile, "Ah, to be more exact, if we include all of your previous lives, it took you a few decades."]
"Oh, fuck off!" Kim Ki-Rok yelled.
[The Time Rabbit asks, "Did I piss you off?"]
Holograms with the text, "pissed off, pissed off," began floating around his head.
He stopped in his tracks and quickly looked around. After making sure that there was no one in his immediate vicinity, he raised his middle finger toward the Holograms.
1. OTL or ORZ pose is often used to depict someone who is feeling frustrated, defeated, or exhausted. Looked from the side, the person appears to form the letters O, T, and L. It originated in Japan and is often seen in anime and manga. Feel free to google "OTL pose" to see the image. ☜
2. In Korea, it's a superstition that if your ears itch, it means that someone is talking about you behind your back. ☜
3. The Korean idiom used to describe this term is rather interesting, as it depicts him as a moldy object just sitting there rotting away. ☜
4. Apparently this subway line holds the record for the most domestic railway users at any given time. ☜
5. In South Korea, a "gu" is an administrative unit or district ☜
Openbookworm & wonsuk's ThoughtsOBW: It seems like I might have an affinity for potty-mouthed characters.
Momo: Embrace your calling OBW. Don't complain. Hehe.
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