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Hunter Kim Bongpal
Kim Bongpal was ignorant because he didn’t get a proper education, but that didn’t mean he was stupid. He endured for nearly 20 years in the world of Hunters, where 60 out of 100 people died at the hands of monsters, and the other 30 died at the hands of humans. If he had been an idiot, he would have died at the hands of another Hunter already.
And a billion dollars was a lot of money he could play and eat for the rest of his life. However, Kim Bongpal’s lifetime was different from that of others, and he was aware of this fact.
“Hey.”
“Oh! Captain.”
“I’m not the captain. Didn’t you hear that I retired? I told you to call me hyung, you bastard.”
“Haha. Once a captain, forever a captain.”
So, Kim Bongpal went to see a C-class Hunter, Kang Jun. Kang Jun was a promising 5th-year Hunter in the Hunter team to which he belonged. But that wasn’t why Kim Bongpal went to see Kang Jun.
“Hey. Well. You said you studied before, right?”
“Studied? Haha. I was just in middle school.”
“But it’s important that you did it, man. I did nothing but beat people in middle school. Damn. They used to make fun of me for being an orphan.”
Kim Bongpal came to Kang Jun because he was the most educated person he knew. Although the Outbreak started in middle school, he didn’t receive further education. Still, Kim Bongpal had heard that Kang Jun took first place in his class when he was in school.
“Anyway. You know, I’m retiring this time.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“I won’t be killing monsters anymore, so how will I make money now? Right?”
“Have you any money saved up? Oh! Longevity!”
“Yeah. Damn. I don’t know when I’ll die, but I don’t think I’ll die in a few decades.”
And there was another reason. Kang Jun was one of the few people who knew about Kim Bongpal’s special ability, Longevity. Because of that, there weren’t many people for him to call acquaintances. There were a few before, but most of them became prey to monsters or disappeared from the Hunter community. He didn’t receive news from those who somehow survived and succeeded in retirement.
Kim Bongpal, known as the Butcher in those communities, didn’t possess the type of character that retired people would look for.
In any case, they had fought together enough for Kang Jun to know the identity of Kim Bongpal’s special ability. At the same time, his brain worked to some extent – to borrow Kim Bongpal’s expression meant he was the only one who met the conditions he was looking for.
“Hmm. Then the captain wants to play and eat for the rest of his life. This is what you mean, right?”
“Right. You got it right since you’re smart.”
“And what you’ve saved
hmm, the buildings in the city?”
“That too. I also have something else.”
“Something else? What is it? How much do you
?”
“Don’t ask for the details. Just be aware there are some things I’ve been hiding. Even if I sold all the buildings I own, the price is slightly more than that.”
To be precise, it wasn’t a little bit but about $980 million. Still, Kang Jun interpreted it to mean that Kim Bongpal had secretly kept about 30 million won. Of course, Kang Jun’s jaw dropped even with that amount.
“Well. Let’s pretend I didn’t hear it then. Let’s see. So, Captain, have you heard of the Rule of 72?”
“What is that? Stabbing in 72 directions? Fuck. There’s nothing I can’t do, but it seems a bit difficult
.”
Kang Jun laughed. He was well aware that Kim Bongpal’s previous words weren’t serious. Clumsy when it came to showing gratitude, his captain often replaced his thanks with this kind of joke.
“Haha. The Rule of 72. There is such a thing as compound interest in this world, you know? It means adding interest on interest
.”
That was how Kang Jun’s brief economic education began. Of course, for Kim Bongpal, it started to seem better to find a five-star monster’s head.
“So, you say that if you put compound interest in a bank, you can play and eat for the rest of your life?”
Kim Bongpal used to forget all the complicated things, but the effect of education wasn’t bad anyway. Money begets money, and compounding was the optimal means for Kim Bongpal, who had many times more time than others.
“Hahaha! I did well in coming to you, Jun!”
Kim Bongpal, greatly delighted, slapped Kang Jun’s back after learning the magic of welfare.
It looked weird, given Kim Bongpal still looked young, and Kang Jun was an older man with a dark beard, but he was unaware of how it looked to others. And that was also the reason why Kang Jun called Kim Bongpal captain instead of hyung.
“Then, you don’t want to be a Hunter anymore?”
Kang Jun asked Kim Bongpal. In terms of number alone, he could have cut down the most monsters in the world, but Kim Bongpal’s ability to cut off people’s heads was better.
Kim Bongpal answered with a grin.
“I told you. This is a fucking bad life.”
“
”
“A few days ago, I was lying at home and picking my nose, and the fucking monster stench wouldn’t go away. Fuck. So, I was wondering where it was coming from, but it turns out it was coming from me.”
Kim Bongpal’s complaints continued for a while. He’d only been slicing monsters all his life, so he couldn’t fall asleep without securing his own safety first, and the first thing he looked for when he woke up was a knife.
“So, you should quit this fucking line of work quickly. Damn. You have a child too.”
He even advised Kang Jun to quit being a Hunter. It was their usual conversation.
“
I feel sorry for Hayeon. But, this life. I can’t quit.”
“Tsk.”
Kim Bongpal clicked his tongue upon seeing Kang Jun start to bristle. He knew why Kang Jun had started this career. Shortly after he was married, a monster killed his wife, and he was awakened by the shock of her death. After 20 years in the Hunter community, there was no way he hadn’t seen these kinds of people before. Those who had experienced the death of their lover, family, or friends at the hands of the monsters.
Among them, those who gained strength through awakening usually started their Hunter life in pursuit of revenge to eliminate all the damn monsters. Of course, most of their stories didn’t end well. After becoming food for monsters or succumbing to fear, they would end their life as Hunter or entirely.
Thinking about it like that, Kang Jun’s case worked out very well. He had the talent to help him get revenge, and he had a teacher who saw that talent come to fruition.
“Anyway. Have a good day, Captain.”
“Yeah. Well, it’s up to you dying or not. Contact me later if you die; I’ll pay the consultation fee and treat you yukgaejang.”
“Haha. If I am dead, how can I contact you? And if it is a consultation fee, you should give it to me now.”
“I don’t know. Bastard. I have no money.”
Kim Bongpal turned around.
“Are you going?”
“Yeah! Nothing more to see here. I’ll be going!”
Kim Bongpal, walking back, raised his hand and said goodbye to Kang Jun. Kang Jun realized that he wouldn’t see the captain for quite some time after today. It was a short meeting for those who fought side-by-side on the battlefield for years, but neither cared about it, and maybe that was why they were close.
One needed someone who would take care of sorting things out after killing a monster, and the other needed someone who could teach him how to fight better than anyone else. It was just that their purposes overlapped for a while out of necessity. Of course, in the process, it was clear that an indescribable bond had accumulated between the two.
When the time came when Kim Bongpal was no longer visible, Kang Jun bowed in the direction he had gone. If Kim Bongpal had seen this scene, he would complain, saying it was cringe-worthy. Knowing that it was only now that Kang Jun bowed his head.
There was one more reason why he called Kim Bongpal captain until the end.
“Thank you, Captain.”
Kang Jun knew well that without Kim Bongpal, he would have died. Even if he were lucky enough to survive, he would still be a Hunter who couldn’t care for himself. To borrow Kim Bongpal’s expression, they were bastards who had never tasted the smell of a monster’s mouth.
Therefore, Kang Jun prayed for Kim Bongpal’s future to flow as he wanted. May he live a life of playing and eating as he wished.
Of course.
“Hey, did you come alone? What do you think? I have one good drink in my room. That’s thirty thousand dollars a bottle.”
There was a big difference between Kang Jun’s play-and-eat standards and Kim Bongpal’s play-and-eat standards.