Chapter 2: Hunter counselor

“I’ll admit it.”

It didn’t take long to accept the fact that I had no talent.

I was an ordinary citizen.

But when I opened my eyes, I had crossed over to a world filled with Hunters who stopped all sorts of rampaging monsters.

The phenomenon of crossing over from another dimension without knowing why.

They called it ‘Crossing’.

And those individuals were called ‘Strangers’ in this world.

As a Stranger, my first given ability was… a Counselor.

[The desired answer of the target is visible.]

It was just words.

My magic power was ordinary, my stamina was ordinary.

All I had was… running.

No, let me correct that, my instantaneous performance was still decent.

The problem was, that was all.

One use would drain my mana, and I would become a burden who needed protection from my comrades until the battle ended.

It was an utterly insufficient ability for a Hunter who had to protect the world and humanity.

“Sunwoo, how about a Hunter Counselor?”

“You’re a Stranger, and you’ve even been an active Hunter, so you can get the certification quickly.”

“They say all Hunters these days have at least one mental illness, right?”

“It’s a lifelong career, truly a lifelong career.”

So, it’s a counselor.

“I can even introduce you to clients.”

It sounded ridiculous, but that was the reality.

Strangers were often quite strong or possessed special abilities.

From the guilds’ perspective, they had a high chance of becoming valuable assets.

To secure even one more of them, the scouting competition was fierce.

And now, this man sitting in front of me, Wi Jaewan.

He was also the one who recruited me in that way.

Of course, now… even if it’s still my first ability, it should be considered a failure.

[Wi Jaewan]

[Main Stance]

[Wants you to quit being a hero.]

[True Intention (眞意)]

[Let’s stop, Sunwoo. You’ve done a lot. It’s awkward to keep supporting you.]

[Suitable Reply] [Satisfaction Rate 95%]

[“Yes, Hyung-nim, I’ll give up and look for another path.”]

I accepted.

I was sick of this too.

Being a burden was tiring now.

More than anything, there was no reason to endure any longer.

“Yes, Hyung-nim, I’ll give up and look for another path.”

“Alright… you’ve worked hard.”

[Target is satisfied.]

Wi Jaewan patted my shoulder and smiled, as if relieved.

From that moment, the third act of my life quietly began.

After deciding to retire, everything went smoothly.

A Stranger.

An active Hunter.

And even a recommendation letter from the guild.

For me, possessing all three of these conditions, obtaining the certification for the newly created profession ‘Hunter Counselor’ was merely a matter of time.

The interview was also not difficult.

Because my ability was a counselor.

To be honest, it could be seen as a perfect talent suited for the profession of a counselor.

Well… I don’t know if the patients will actually be cured, though.

It didn’t take long for me to become the first Hunter Counselor in Korea, or to be precise, in this world’s Korea.

[Korea’s First Hunter Counselor Born! Will they become the hope for Hunters suffering from mental illness?]

Hope, my foot.

I finished preparing to greet my first patient while reading the article.

“Please come in.”

A small, quiet office.

Today is the first consultation day.

I sincerely hope that the first patient is… a somewhat gentle and reasonable hero.

The reason the profession of Hunter Mental Counselor was created in the first place was also.

Because regular counselors… couldn’t handle the unpredictable behavior of Hunters with mental illnesses.

– Bang!

The door burst open as if it would shatter.

Literally, the door slammed into the wall.

“?”

And beyond that door, a woman appeared.

A woman wearing a black robe darker than shadows.

Her jet-black hair flowed down to her waist, and the gaze revealed between the strands could hardly be considered human.

No matter how I looked at her, it seemed she was a Stranger Hunter from ‘Jungwon’.

Behind her, a large man was holding onto her.

But even that giant seemed to have great difficulty suppressing her momentum.

“It is you.”

“That foolish one who claims to gaze into my abyss (深淵).”

[Jahwayeon] [Chunma]

[Main Stance]

[Considers you insignificant, and will split you in half the moment you open your mouth.]

[Suitable Reply] [Satisfaction Rate 100%]

[(Keep your mouth shut.)]

“…”

I kept my mouth shut.

An ability to talk was useless right now.

‘It seems.’

‘I’m properly screwed right now.’

****

It was certainly a name I had heard before.

Chunma (天魔).

It was not uncommon for Strangers from Jungwon to cross over to this world and form factions.

I had heard that a huge faction calling themselves the Changcheon Alliance had been established.

It wasn’t precise, but it definitely existed.

However, the opposing Murim faction was far too small compared to the Changcheon Alliance.

They had gathered, but it felt more like a gang.

But then, one day.

Everything changed.

From the moment a single Stranger crossed over.

Astonishing martial power, overwhelming legitimacy.

The Demonic Cult, under her, gathered once more.

That person was none other than Chunma (天魔) Jahwayeon, standing before me.

“Why do you not utter a single word?”

I did not meet her gaze.

It felt like I had to.

Instead, I kept my gaze fixed somewhere below her neck.

An attitude of not avoiding confrontation, yet not overstepping.

An ambiguous tightrope walk: not provoking, yet not subservient.

“So even a ‘Disciple of the Heart’ (心子) from another land is no different.”

The killing intent carried at the end of her words slowly began to subside.

The air, which had felt as if my neck would be severed any moment ago, was gradually cooling down.

Now was the time.

[Suitable Reply] [Satisfaction Rate 80%]

“How dare I, a mere nobody, discuss the profound abyss that the Exalted One has faced?”

“There are truths in the heavens that must be kept hidden, and secrets on earth that dare not be spoken.”

As my words continued, a strange light appeared in her eyes.

“Surely, one must possess qualifications to hear of that darkness…”

“I dare to say, the one standing behind you does not seem to be such a person.”

A clear order for expulsion.

It meant, ‘the minion behind you, leave.’

At that moment, Chunma curled up the corners of her mouth.

I almost unconsciously touched my head, wondering if it had actually been split in half.

Fortunately, seeing that it was still attached, my reply didn’t seem to be completely wrong.

“Then, do you claim to have the qualification to gaze into that abyss?”

No separate options appeared.

After gaining the ability for a long time and having conversations, I could handle this much on my own.

It was a kind of know-how I had acquired.

“That is not so.”

Only then did I slowly raise my head and continue speaking.

“However… isn’t it said, ‘Poison to the Dang Clan (唐家), information to the Haomun (霞伍門)’?”

“To handle the abyss, one must at least have walked its boundaries.”

“Though I dare not reach the Exalted One’s abyss… I can approach its very threshold, can I not?”

“Poison to the Dang Clan, information to the Haomun…?”

“Hahaha!”

“To hear the names of those unsightly wretches again in this place!”

She burst into a snorting laugh.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Despicable tricks like poison are only fitting for the cowards of the Dang Clan, and as for information, the filthy and sordid Haomun, who poke into others’ affairs, would know it well!”

‘…?’

I was momentarily flustered, but I hid my expression.

Fortunately, she liked it more than expected.

I had heard that phrase somewhere, perhaps read it in a wuxia novel.

I had meant it in the sense of ‘medicine from the pharmacist, treatment from the doctor’.

Anyway, it was a relief that the reaction was good.

“Good.”

She slowly, yet with an imposing motion, pulled a chair and sat down.

The hem of her black robe swept the floor, and she gripped the armrests as if sitting on a throne.

She slowly rested one hand on her chin, then tapped the armrest with the fingertips of her other hand.

Then she turned her head to the guardian standing quietly behind her.

“Geumgang (金强). Withdraw.”

It was a brief command, but even I could feel the undeniable weight behind it.

“This one has made me recall the emotion of interest, so it is only right to treat him accordingly.”

“How long has it been since I felt such an emotion.”

The man called Geumgang bowed his head without a word.

Without an ounce of hesitation, he turned around, quietly closed the open door, and left.

Silence began to fill the office.

The real consultation was about to begin.

[Jahwayeon] [Chunma]

[Main Stance]

[Considers you insignificant, but has found something more interesting than expected. She is experiencing the emotion of interest itself for the first time in a long while. There is a possibility she will immediately turn hostile if she deems you uninteresting.]

Without me even realizing when it changed, her Main Stance had transformed.

It’s better than before.

At least it means there’s a chance I can get through this if I play it well.

From now on, it’s a truly ‘interest-driven conversation’.

“Do whatever you wish.”

She made a light gesture with her hand.

“Ah, and stop with titles like ‘Exalted One’.”

“When was I ever an Exalted One?”

“Call me Chunma.”

“Yes, Chunma-nim.”

From now on, it was Counselor Yoo Sunwoo’s time.

[Suitable Reply] [Satisfaction Rate 70%]

“Then… Chunma-nim, are there any worries you’ve harbored recently, or thoughts that repeatedly come to mind?”

“Hmm.”

She cast her gaze downwards diagonally, then let out a light snort.

“Nonsense.”

“This one is an invincible being, with not a single flaw in heart (心), spirit (氣), or body (體).”

“There’s no way I would have worries.”

‘Hmm, I see.’

‘As expected, I suppose.’

‘Then why did she come here?’

From the very first question, I instinctively knew it wouldn’t be easy.