Chapter 2: The Protagonist (1)

After the cataclysm, South Korea adapted to the new era faster than any other country in the world.

The involvement of the orphans played a part in this, but let’s set that aside for now.

Ion underwent a rank assessment and obtained his Hunter license as soon as the government implemented the Hunter registration system.

As time passed, the system became more structured, making it impossible to pass off magic as an awakened ability.

Even now, messages urging him to undergo re-examination arrived almost daily.

After that, he proposed the creation of a ‘mercenary system’ to the government.

It wasn’t a concept from the original novel, but for his goals, being a freelance Hunter was more practical than joining a guild.

As the leader of a mercenary corps, Ion tackled remote, sparsely populated rural dungeons.

“Still, we’re so grateful for mercenaries like you who come to backwater places like this. Someone like Jin Seongha would never bother coming to the countryside.”

Jin Seongha, the first protagonist of <hunters and  heroes>.

For now, some people grumbled about him, but soon enough, Jin Seongha would become a hero beloved by the entire world.

“Hunter Jin Seongha is busy tackling high-risk A-rank or higher dungeons. And honestly, it’s because Hunters like him don’t come to rural areas that mercenaries like us can make a living.”

“That’s one way to look at it. By the way, you look and act so young—how old are you?”

“Age doesn’t matter. A Hunter just needs to be good at killing monsters.”

“You’re so young yet already thriving as a mercenary. That’s impressive. You’re not a minor, are you? I heard there aren’t many underage Hunters.”

“No, I’m past that. I turned twenty a while ago. Anyway, it’s been ten days since the gate appeared, right? You must’ve been really worried.”

“Nothing gets past you. The Association sent some ‘Gate Hunters’ or whatever, but once they confirmed it was D-rank, they washed their hands of it. No plans to clear it. We’re all on edge, wondering when it’ll overflow. Every rustle at night makes us jump, thinking it’s a monster or an overflow. The whole village hasn’t slept properly.”

Changing the subject to the other person’s concerns is the best way to redirect a conversation.

The village chief immediately began venting his frustrations.

Ion listened halfheartedly while continuing to walk.

The gate had appeared at an abandoned school.

The playground, once filled with children’s laughter, was now overrun with weeds.

The crumbling exterior walls, unable to withstand the passage of time, were completely overtaken by vines.

“These damn vines are so creepy.”

“The ivy’s grown quite beautifully.”

Both spoke at the same time.

“…”

“…”

The atmosphere grew awkward, and the chief forced a laugh.

“Well, guess I’ll head back now. Just being near this place gives me the creeps.”

“Yes, please wait at the village hall.”

“Got it. Be careful.”

“Wait, watch out, a snake…!”

What? A snake?

The chief yelped and rolled to the side.

But no matter how he looked, there was no snake in sight.

All he saw was the young mercenary leader crouched on the ground, gently stroking something.

“Hey, where’s this snake you’re talking about?”

“You almost stepped on a wild strawberry flower.”

“…”

“They’re small, cute yellow flowers that bloom around this time. Be careful not to step on them.”

Under Ion’s sharp glare, the chief mumbled, “Uh, right, sorry…” and apologized awkwardly.

The chief left, and Ion was finally alone.

As if consoling the startled wild strawberry flower, he gently stroked it before standing up.

After some light stretching, he rummaged through the large bag on his back and pulled something out.

“Sanse, sorry for keeping you cooped up.”

It was a pot with a Sansevieria plant.

Teacher had called Ion’s ability ‘magic, for now.’

In the setting of <hunters and  heroes>, magic requires mana.

Wizards in Idea draw mana from the atmosphere, but Earth’s air contains nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide—everything but mana.

Moreover, Ion’s ability wasn’t exactly magic but something magic-like, so it didn’t rely solely on mana.

There was also life force, the vitality humans are born with.

For some reason, Ion had known how to wield this life force from the start.

To use his so-called ‘magic,’ he needed both mana and life force.

But Earth’s atmosphere lacked mana, and life force wasn’t something that could be recharged from an external source.

Fortunately, living green plants generated small amounts of mana.

If Ion ran out of mana in a place without plants and used only his life force, he’d collapse, coughing up blood.

Or worse, if he went into a frenzy…

To avoid such risks, Ion always carried plants with him.

“I kinda wish I’d awakened. Then you wouldn’t have to be stuck in a bag.”

Ion didn’t particularly care about not awakening, but he envied the inventory system.

How nice would it be to store potted plants like Sanse, Are (Areca palm), Gwanyin (Lucky Bamboo), and Sis (Phalaenopsis) in an inventory?

With that thought, he moved forward.

The gate was on the third floor.

People didn’t know it yet, but this world operated on a level system.

It was Level 1 now, Level 2 next year, Level 3 the year after.

The level increased by one each year, reaching Level 10 around the novel’s conclusion.

A Level 1 dungeon was a piece of cake for Ion.

He stepped straight into the shimmering white oval gate.

For an awakened person, an entry message would appear the moment they stepped in.

[You have entered a dungeon.]

A simple sentence marking the moment raiders left Earth and entered the demon world.

Earthlings didn’t yet know that beyond the gate lay the demon world.

The abandoned school, wrapped in ivy, vanished, replaced by a place where the sky and ground were pitch black, making it hard to distinguish between them.

Screeech! Kiiik! Roaaar!

Monsters detected an intruder and began to threaten him.

Their true name was ‘demonic beasts’—creatures consumed by madness, devoid of reason.

Ion carefully placed Sanse in a corner.

“Sorry for always bringing you to dangerous places. I’ll finish this quickly, so don’t be too scared.”

“…”

Ion stroked the silent leaves and extended his hand diagonally.

Whoosh.

A dagger wreathed in flames materialized.

It was a weapon-summoning magic Ion had used since childhood.

Teacher had named the blade ‘Flame Sword.’

Ion charged at the monster lunging from behind.

Slash!

With a horizontal swing, the monster was sliced in half.

Spinning half a turn, he cut off the forelegs of the creatures attacking from the side and rear.

Ducking low, he dodged a poisonous breath attack and swung his sword at a low angle, incinerating the monsters’ lower bodies.

What followed was a one-sided slaughter.

‘Teacher’s training was brutal.’

Since he was five, Ion had lived with weights strapped to his limbs.

If he didn’t swing his sword accurately, he’d be whipped on the calves.

Some children’s calves were perpetually bruised from the beatings.

From morning to night, they ate, swung swords, and collapsed.

If they fainted, they were doused with cold water and made to swing again.

Ion was one of the six who survived that training.

Compared to Teacher’s whippings, the monsters’ sharp claws, venomous fangs, and spiked fur were nothing.

Time passed.

Having annihilated all the monsters, Ion poked at their corpses with the tip of his sword.

To revive the Demon King, he first needed to enter the demon world, where the Demon King was likely sealed.

To enter the demon world, he had to collect specific items from dungeons.

This was why Ion worked alone as a mercenary.

There were no desired items this time, but he did find some valuable byproducts.

After collecting enough, Ion returned to his precious plant.

“Sanse…”

“…”

Ion buried his nose in the Sansevieria’s long leaves and inhaled deeply.

Replenishing his depleted mana, he stood before the gate stone.

Gate stones were crystalline gems, varying in size and color.

The one before him was about a meter tall.

A typical D-rank dungeon size.

As a B-rank Hunter, Ion could clear it alone without raising suspicion, though he’d need to report the clear time as half a day to avoid scrutiny.

Destroying the gate stone would create an exit gate in its place.

Ion raised his sword high, ready to shatter the gate stone.

Pruu!

“…?”

Ion furrowed his brow.

Pruuruuru…

“…”

Scanning the area near the gate stone, Ion spotted a light green creature among the monster corpses.

A trembling, light green… something.

It looked like a slime or tadpole, covered in soft green fur.

The fist-sized, round monster let out a faint pruuruuru cry.

“It looks familiar…”

Pruu…!

When Ion reached out, the monster flinched and floated upward.

As it tried to flee, Ion grabbed its long tail.

Pruu, piiirrr! Pii!

The monster scattered chicken-dropping-like tears.

Ion brought it closer and examined it carefully.

“This… could it be?”

‘The novel always has a mascot. This one’s no exception. Its name is Ppru. A timid, teary-eyed little demonic beast.’

‘Does it have some secret ability?’

‘No abilities, just cute.’

‘…’

‘It sits on Jin Seongha’s head or shoulder, acting adorable, and everyone around falls for it. The novel only says, “A monster found by chance while raiding a dungeon,” so I don’t know where it comes from. Anyway, you’d probably like it if you saw it.’

This was the monster Jin Seongha cherished.

The mascot of <hunters and  heroes>…!

Pii. Ppruuru.

“Be quiet.”

Ppruururung…

“Shut it, you’re too loud.”

Piiir…

Ion tightly gripped the mascot, which was dropping bead-like tears.

It squirmed, eyes squeezed shut.

Animals are always noisy and annoying.

Compared to plants, which quietly stay by his side, animals were just loud and bothersome.

Ion considered crushing the annoying creature but stopped himself.

This wasn’t some insignificant thing like him—it was the novel’s precious mascot.

Piii…

“Stop crying already. I’m only here to hand you over to someone who’ll take good care of you.”

Ion was standing in front of Jin Seongha’s house.

Jin Seongha, who kept two dogs and two cats, lived in a spacious suburban house near Seoul.

He usually let the dogs roam free, but since he was out raiding a dungeon, they were likely inside.

Lucky for Ion.

The problem now was… how to hand it over.

He couldn’t just say it belonged to Jin Seongha.

He couldn’t hand over a monster as a gift either.

A stranger offering a monster would only raise suspicion.

Not giving it to Jin Seongha was never an option.

It belonged to him.

‘Always remember: the most important things in this world are the protagonists. You must do anything for them. Your existence is solely for the protagonists. Understood?’

An insignificant being like me shouldn’t hold onto something meant for the protagonist.

“Should I just toss it inside?”

Ppruu…

Ion used magic to float slightly and peeked over the wall.

His round eyes widened.

The 100-square-meter garden was filled with various trees and plants.

Though it seemed neglected due to Jin Seongha’s busy schedule… persimmon trees, arborvitae, yew, peonies…

“I thought he only liked animals, but this is impressive.”

Seeing so many plants softened Ion’s heart.

Morning glories grew along the fence, their stems sturdy and vibrant.

Though their petals were closed in the evening moonlight, he could imagine how beautiful they’d be in full bloom.

Ppruu…

“Oh.”

First, he had to deal with the annoying monster.

Ion lightly hopped over the wall and tied the monster’s long tail to a persimmon tree branch.

The monster thrashed, scattering tears.

Ppruuru, pii, pii…!

Ignoring its pitiful cries, Ion hopped back over the wall.

Time to leave…

But he couldn’t bring himself to move.

Staring at the fence he’d just crossed, Ion buried his nose in the morning glory stems.

He couldn’t help it.

How could he walk away from the pale green stems and leaves, glowing beautifully in the moonlight, or the closed flower buds?

Inhaling and exhaling the mana emitted by the morning glories, his green eyes grew hazy.

He forgot why he was here, or even where he was, lost in a trance of mana absorption.

“Hey, you.”

“…!”

“What are you doing in front of my house?”

A voice from behind startled Ion.

Unless he misheard, that voice belonged to…

The homeowner, Jin Seongha.