Chapter 7: School boy

In a hospital room, Baek opened his eyes and jolted upright. He looked around to see that he was in a hospital room and inspected his body for injuries. He saw that his body was bandaged.

"Ugh... That's... right." He winced as he touched his injuries. "Ouch..."

He sighed and lay back on the hospital bed, trying to recall the moment when he was in the double dungeon.

"Unnamed... Monarch. Who are you... Why does it call you Cursed Existence?" He tried to see if the system would answer something.

But as expected, there was no answer.

It was as if Baek wasn't ready to hear the answer. He wasn't ready to face the truth himself, not when he was still so weak.

"Status." Baek called out status.

[Inheritor's Status

Name: Baek Seo

Soul: D(-) Rank

Job: Inheritor of Unnamed Monarch's Fragment

Race: Human

Mana Quality: A-rank Hunter.

Mana Points: A-rank Hunter.

Fragment Collected: 1/4]

"A-rank hunter... That's my level now... But it's not enough." Baek clenched his fist, determination in his eyes.

His path was still a long one, and if he was satisfied with just this level of power, he wouldn't survive. He needed more, more, and more POWER!

Just as he was lost in thought, two men in suits entered the room.

"Mr. Baek Seo?" An orange-haired man said.

"Uh... Yes, that's me..." Baek answered. He felt like he remembers this man somewhere else.

"I am Woo Jinchul, we are from the Hunters Association's Surveillance Team."

Baek narrowed his eyes as Woo Jinchul gave him a business card. He finally remembered this man, Woo Jinchul, the Chairman of the Korean Hunters Association. But he's not the chairman right now.

"Is there something wrong...?" Baek asked.

"Yes, we found that you collapsed after you exit a dungeon. You were covered in wounds and we have reason to believe that you entered the dungeon illegally," Woo Jinchul explained, his tone serious.

Baek stayed silent.

"But since you are a minor and an unregistered hunter, don't worry. We found that this is your first time illegally entering a dungeon, or a special red dungeon case, we won't take any legal action against you. Instead, we'll evaluate your mana, because it's not possible for a normal high schooler to survive a red dungeon and made it out alive," Woo Jinchul explained.

Baek nodded in relief, grateful that he wouldn't get in trouble for his actions.

The other man in the suit brought out a mana meter, a device used to evaluate the mana quality of a hunter. The reason for this evaluation is that they believe Baek Seo is extraordinary, the fact that he cleared Red Dungeon is something unbelievable. They wanted to confirm something.

"Sir, it's an A-rank." The other men in suits said as he read the readings.

"Impressive. A-rank mana quality at your age. We'll definitely keep an eye on you, Mr. Baek Seo," Woo Jinchul said, his voice carrying a hint of admiration.

"Can I..." Baek paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Can I register as a hunter later?"

"I see." Woo Jinchul nodded, "Hunter's work isn't something that a high schooler should do, but if you think you are ready for it, contact me. I left my number on the business card I gave you."

They stood up and began to make their way out of the room. "Then, I wish you a good evening, Mr. Baek Seo," Woo Jinchul said before leaving.

Baek only nodded in response. He glanced at the clock and realized that it was already nighttime. He let out a deep sigh and lay back on the bed, feeling utterly exhausted.

"What a tiring day..." he muttered to himself before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

* * *

In the morning, Baek felt much better. He could hardly feel his injuries as he moves.

"Seoya! Are you okay?" The voice of a woman came into the room as she hugged Seo.

"Noona... Why are you here?" Baek asked.

"It's because I am worried for you, my idiot cousin! The hospital and the Hunter Association notified me because you accidentally entered a dungeon."

Baek sighed in relief, the hunter association disclose information about his mana evaluation and his trespassing into a dungeon.

"I'm fine, nothing life-threatening."

"Nothing life-threatening? Look at you, you're covered in bandages." Lee Joohee's eyes widened as she inspected his injuries.

Baek smiled sheepishly, "I'm tougher than I look."

Lee Joohee shook her head and handed him a bag of clothes. "Anyway, I brought you some clothes. You can't stay in a hospital gown forever."

Baek laughed as he took the bag from her. "Thanks, Noona."

Ever since Baek's parents died, Lee Joohee is the only relative that cared enough to take care of Baek. Even though she is busy after becoming a hunter, she still tries to regularly visit Baek.

In Baek's memories, he couldn't have been more grateful to have a family member that care for him.

They chatted for a while longer before Lee Joohee had to leave. Baek watched her go, feeling grateful for her visit.

"I should be able to get out of the hospital tomorrow." He said as he moved his arm.

As the day passed, Baek's wounds continued to heal and his strength gradually returned. The next day, he was released from the hospital and went home.

* * *

In the morning, Baek went to school as usual. His bags were given to Lee Johee by someone when Baek didn't return to class until school time was over. His tattered uniform had been sewn back together by Lee Joohee, making it look like new.

As he arrived at his class, he took his seat and put his bag under the table. He sighed as if he hadn't gone through a life-and-death situation.

Baek turned his head to his side and saw Jinah standing beside him.

"Um... Seo?" she looked at him with concern.

"Uh, hey?" Baek responded.

"Oh, um... You were sick these past three days so I was worried," Jinah said.

Baek looked at Jinah with a confused expression on his face, wondering why she thought he was sick. He then remembered that he had been absent from school for three days due to his hospitalization. He thought that Lee Johee said that he was sick rather than injured in the hospital.

"Ah, right. I was feeling sick so I decided to go home early but I'm feeling much better now," Baek explained with a faint smile.

Jinah nodded, looking relieved. "That's good to hear. I was really worried about you."

Baek felt a twinge of guilt for lying and worrying Jinah, but he was also grateful for her concern. "Thanks, Jinah. It means a lot to me."

They talked for a bit until the teacher came in. Baek took a few glances at Jinah, and realized that she was the only one who asked about him. He wondered if his memories were incomplete, he tried to remember if his relationship with Jinah is this good but to no avail, he couldn't remember.

* * *

As he leaves the class, he found Tae waiting outside.

"Yo, Seo. Where were you these past three days? I haven't seen your gloomy presence," Tae asked with a smirk.

"Shut up, I was sick," Baek replied as he walked to the cafeteria with Tae.

"Hmm, unusual for you to be sick. You are quite the persistent guy, after all," Tae commented, falling into step beside Baek.

As they walked to the cafeteria, Baek couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed at Tae's teasing. "I ain't invincible, you know," Baek grumbled.

Tae just laughed it off. "Yeah, yeah. I'm just glad you're back, man. I was getting bored without you."

"Thanks," Baek replied with an expressionless face.

Tae grinned. "No problem. So, you want to grab some food? I hear they're serving bulgogi today."

(HKnote: Korean beef food. Doesn't really know how it tastes since I ain't Korean but I hate 50% of Korean dishes. Don't judge me over food)

Baek nodded, feeling his stomach rumble at the mention of a beef dish. "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

As he sat on the cafeteria seat and eat his own food peacefully with Tae. He was finally back to his normal routine after the unexpected misadventure.

Just as he was about to stand up, he knocked the food trays from someone's hand. The person, a tall and muscular student, confronted Baek with a scowl on his face.

"Hey, watch where you're going, idiot," the student growled.

Baek bristled at the insult. "It was an accident, okay?"

But the student wasn't having it. He shoved Baek back, causing him to stumble. Baek wanted to charge and just punched him right away but Tae quickly stepped in between them, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Come on, man, it was just a mistake. Let's not make this into a big deal," Tae said, trying to reason with the angry student.

The student glared at them both for a moment before finally huffing and storming away.

He looked around, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He didn't want to cause any more trouble than he already had. He sometimes had forgotten that he is a regular student.

"Dude, you okay? You look like you wanted to punch that guy badly." Tae asked with a concerned look on his face.

Baek sighed again and shook his head. "It's nothing, Tae. Just some stupid guy trying to start a fight."

Tae nodded understandingly. "Yeah, some people just never learn. But hey, at least you didn't let him get to you. That takes some serious self-control."

"Thanks, man. I just don't want to be involved with childish problems and worry my Noona."

And if he just lost his emotion like that, his punch can easily kill a normal human. He had to be careful, especially now that his strength had increased.

"Smart move," Tae said with a grin. "But hey, if you ever do need backup, just let me know. I got your back, bro."

Baek chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Want to get that new orange drink?" Tae asked.

"Sure, why not." Baek replied as he straightened his uniform.

[The Unnamed Monarch awaits your arrival in the Nevaland]

- To Be Continued.

(HKnote: This chapter is a bit boring but hey, I tried not to rush my fanfic. I planned to end my own fanfic at either 80 chapters or 90 chapters, maybe September or October is when it'll end. Who knows)