Everyone makes mistakes.
Minor ones, like nicking your finger while chopping vegetables or spilling coffee on your white shirt and staining it.
Or major ones, like screwing up monster aggro control and putting your entire party in jeopardy.
Anyway, everyone makes mistakes. As long as you're born into this world, if you're human, you're bound to mess up.
At least once, an irredeemable mistake.
'Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone.'
That's what I wanted to shout.
"You fucking retard, can't even tank properly?"
C-Rank Hunter Choi Da-eun stormed toward me. She tossed aside her main weapon, the Thorn Whip, and rolled up her sleeves with a vigorous motion.
Stones weren't flying my way—it was fists. Fists from a C-Rank female hunter, no less.
I wanted to dodge, but I couldn't. My legs had been shattered in the earlier brawl with the orcs. The pain was insane, driving me mad.
If a doctor had seen my condition, what would they have said?
Probably something like,
'You're amazing for staying conscious, as expected of F-Rank Hunter Park Sun-woo.'
And showered me with praise.
It was that bad.
"Fuck, fuck. You fucking fuck!"
But she didn't give a damn about my condition. She was hell-bent on punishing me for a mistake anyone could make.
Crack!
My vision flashed white. She looked dead set on killing me. Every time she swung her arm, my field of view spun hot and wild.
In slow motion, my lips probably flapped comically. What a ridiculous sight I must have made. I felt my body collapsing.
"Die, die! Just die already, you piece of shit!"
Thud, thud!
"Guhk, heuk…!"
Her sharp high-heel stabbed into my side. If I guarded my head, my back was exposed; if I protected my groin, my face got smashed.
"Fuck, you worthless bastard! How am I supposed to pass my evaluation now, you fuck? It's just an E-Rank dungeon, and you couldn't handle it, making me lose out to the others?"
"P-Please… spare me… Spare…"
"Spare you? Did you just beg for your life? You need more beating. Then you won't run from those orc bastards next time. I'll train you properly."
"Aaaak, agh!"
No one came to my aid. They were all just watching. I got it—they were F- and E-Rank hunters like me—but still…
'Isn't this a bit much?'
Honestly, I probably wouldn't have helped either.
'Ah, maybe it's getting a little better?'
Was it the adrenaline? The pain was starting to fade. But then frothy foam and black blood gushed from my mouth. Only then did Choi Da-eun stop kicking.
"You roach bastard, won't even die after all that. Tough life you've got."
"…Spare… me…"
"Kyak, ptoo! Supporter, keep this fucker breathing. Just enough to walk."
I really thought I was done for. If I passed out now, I might not wake up, so I clung desperately to consciousness. Soon, a warm light enveloped my body.
"…Heal!"
The party supporter cast Heal on me. They also fed me a lowest-grade recovery potion. It wasn't free, of course—it'd come out of my pay.
My broken body began to mend bit by bit. The wounds from Choi Da-eun were bad, but the legs smashed by the orc were worse. I directed all the heal's mana there.
I could walk somewhat now. Low-level heals and cheap potions might not be much, but they beat nothing. For an F-Rank hunter like me, anything was a godsend.
"…We're pulling back."
Choi Da-eun glanced at my state and gave the order to the party. We were abandoning the dungeon clear and withdrawing. Failure meant our standing in the Milky Way Guild would shrink even more.
I limped after the party. The F- and E-Rank hunters slouched along with drooping shoulders. The mood was grim.
This dungeon hunt was a total loss. We got nothing out of it. Even the expensive shield I'd bought got snapped in half. I was already worried about the next hunt in two days.
"Just die. Turn into fertilizer. Then we can get a new team member."
"...."
Just before exiting the gate and disbanding, Choi Da-eun glared at me and spat those words. It wasn't a warning—it was a curse.
Her hatred for me was beyond imagination. Even finding a giant cockroach at home wouldn't spark that much loathing.
I turned away without a proper retort.
Ever since we were assigned to the same team, Choi Da-eun and I clashed constantly. Usually, she'd vent her emotions, and I'd take the hits.
Choi Da-eun was a C-Rank hunter; I was F-Rank. She was the team leader; I was just a member. She was the boss; I was the underling. She was an official Milky Way Guild member; I was just a trainee.
"Haa…."
There was no arguing any of that. Our influence in the Milky Way Guild was worlds apart. F-Rank Hunter Park Sun-woo had to eat shit when told to.
'Did my stats go up at least?'
Limping home, I pulled up my info.
⚔ STATUS ⚔📛 Name: Park Sun-woo ⭐ Level: 7 💼 Class: None⚡ Strength: 3 | 💨 Agility: 3 💪 Stamina: 3 | ✨ Magic Power: 1 🛡️ Skills: Tough Skin Lv.3
"Ugh."
My status screen crushed my soul every time I looked at it. I'd dumped my level-up points into Strength, Agility, and Stamina—two each. Everything else hadn't budged a single rat turd.
Some people shot up just from killing monsters, so why didn't mine rise no matter how much I got beaten half to death? It was so fucking unfair. I wanted to get strong like everyone else.
Sighing over my pathetic level, I arrived home before I knew it. A one-room officetel with a 2-million-won deposit and 650,000-won monthly rent. That was my place.
"…A package?"
There was a delivery box addressed to me. Sender's address and name were blank; receiver's was mine. What the hell was this?
I tore it open the second I got inside.
"A smartphone?"
A rooted one, with only the Taming App installed.