Chapter 3: Hello, This is Yu Il-Shin
Twenty years ago, when humans encountered inexplicable events, they would seek out psychiatric hospitals or shamans. In the present day, the places they consulted had changed.
At the Supernatural Phenomenon Center desk, a pretty receptionist wearing a badge that said "Kim Yoo-Jung" called out my name.
"Number 369, Mr. Yu Il-Shin."
… I had desperately hoped that they would simply call out my first name.
"Il-Shin" by itself was quite common, but with the addition of the surname "Yu," it became a very holy name that sounded like a prayer.[1]
"Pfffft."
"Yu Il-Shin? Wow, what a bold name."
Hearing the whispers of those around me, I blushed slightly and walked briskly toward the receptionist.
Smiling, she said, "Congratulations, Mr. Yu Il-Shin. The test results indicate that you have a supernatural aptitude."
I nervously gulped. “Really? What's my rank, then?"
This moment could change my life for the better.
I didn't even dare to hope for anything above Rank A. D or even E would suffice for me to quit my struggling writer's life and start anew!
The staff member smiled as she dashed my expectations. "Rank G."
Those with supernatural abilities were ranked on a ten-level scale like a pyramid, from SSS to G. The SSS-rank was so rare that it was statistically insignificant; even on a global scale, only a handful of individuals were at that level. Three of them weren't even human.
Anyway, that was not the important part.
"Rank G?"
Rank G was assigned to those who possessed supernatural abilities with almost no impact on everyday life.
"According to the test results, you have a G-rank Material Creation ability, Mr. Yu Il-Shin."
The staff member handed me the test results and recited what seemed to be the standard procedure.
"Would you like to register for a Hunter license? If you register, you will be able to participate in future hunting activities suited to your rank."
"Do I need to pay for it?" I asked.
"Yes, the registration fee is 280,000 won."
That basically meant not to bother. There were hardly any gates or dungeons that a Rank G could enter, so it would just be a waste of money.
I sighed as I looked at my result sheet.
Name: Yu Il-Shin (M)
Age: 23
Ability: Material Creation
Rank: G
Analysis: A precision analysis was conducted on the coin produced by the Material Creation ability. Although seven types of test equipment were used, no remarkable findings were detected.
The produced coin’s precision analysis results:
Capper: 95%, Carbon: 2%, Ammonia: 0.4%, Lime: 0.15%, Phosphorus: 0.8%, Potassium Nitrate and Fluorine: 0.75%, Iron: 0.24%, Silicon: …
Curious about one aspect of the results, I asked, "What's this '95% capper' about?"
"Capper?" The staff member squinted slightly as she looked over the results. She then broke into a smile.
"Ah, that’s a printing error. There's no element called 'capper.’ It's copper, sir."
The emphasis on the word "capper"[2] made me feel as if the staff was deliberately mocking me.
***
「S-rank Hunter Baek Yoo-Hyun has successfully cleared the cataclysmic Dark Dragon Dungeon! Humanity has taken another step toward salvation…!」
Beep!
「Seductive and deadly allure. The one thing S-rank Hunter Sung Mi-Na never forgets before entering a dungeon! The only choice to protect your skin! Amondra Perfect Essence…」
Beep!
「Infinite Challenge! Don't be surprised, ladies and gentlemen! Today’s guest is a double-S Hunter! Please welcome world star Jack Black!」
Beep!
I turned off the TV. News, commercials, variety shows—they were all about hunters.
Twenty years ago, when gates and dungeons opened and unleashed monsters that should’ve only existed in imagination, humanity faced an existential crisis.
Like the protagonists of popular novels at the time, Hunters—those who had awakened extraordinary abilities—emerged as saviors, their heroic deeds quickly restoring balance to the world. Moreover, we quickly learned that the opening of gates and dungeons wasn't all doom and gloom for humanity. New non-polluting energy and materials were discovered from monster by-products, allowing human civilization to advance to a higher level.
Nowadays, it was no exaggeration to say that society's entire infrastructure relied on monsters and the Hunters who hunted them. Just as children used to dream of becoming celebrities or YouTubers, they now undoubtedly dreamed of becoming a Hunter. There were even prep schools for it.
I had always thought that Hunters belonged to a completely different world than I did, so finding out that I had awakened my ability made my stomach lurch. Creating cap—no, copper, was a completely trivial ability.
I fiddled with the skull coin in my hand. How much would this coin even weigh? Around twenty grams, maybe? With the market price of copper at about $6,900 per ton….
"With my luck, I can forget winning the lottery. I should just stick to what I was doing."
I turned on my laptop. Foolishly, I had wasted a day getting all sorts of tests done at the center. I didn’t earn much from writing manuscripts, but I had to make ends meet somehow. Hence, I started working with all my might.
Five hours later, I was still staring hard at the laptop.
I’ve still got nothing but a blank page… and that stupid, blinking cursor!
"Fuck."
I pulled at my hair. It was already 3 a.m., yet all I had done was enter a cycle of writing a few words and deleting them right after. The stress was making my head hurt, and my stomach twist like laundry being wrung out. I could feel my lifespan shortening in real-time.
"I should just go to sleep."
From experience, on days like this, no amount of staring at the screen would get me anywhere with my writing. It was better to sleep and try again with a clear head. I’d leave the manuscript to tomorrow’s me. Well, it was already early morning, so it was more like leaving it to my later-today’s self.
Unfortunately, although I had laid down, I couldn’t seem to fall asleep. Insomnia was like a passive trait among writers. I tossed and turned in bed for about an hour before my eyelids finally started feeling heavy.
Ding! Ding!
Just then, my phone on the nightstand rang twice.
Who could it be at this hour?
Annoyed, I checked my phone. I had just received a notification from God-Maker. Worse, it was just another incomprehensible message.
[No. 2x xx xx Godx xxx xxx xxxxx.]
A game notification at four in the morning? Anger boiling, I long-pressed on the message to turn off the notification. However, instead of going to Settings, the game launched, and an image of a crudely pixelated ant in an empty cave appeared on the screen.
[No. 2x xx xx Godx xxx xxx xxxxx.]
[No. 2x xx xx Godx xxx xxx xxxxx.]
Notification sounds rang incessantly as I was spammed with messages.
I sighed.
While others could fly around and throw fire or electricity like superheroes, I had spam notifications as my ability.
Suppressing my frustration and irritation, I began to talk to the ant on the screen. "Ant, what are you trying to say?"
[No. 2x xx xx Godx xxx xxx xxxxx.]
[No. 2x xx xx Godx xxx xxx xxxxx.]
However, all I received was the same message. My irritation intensified.
Was I crazy for asking a crude, digital ant for answers? It was not like this game had any other menu to solve this situation.
Might as well mute it and go back to sleep.
I raised my finger.
[No. 2 has been crushed!]
[You have been rewarded with 1 Gcoin.]
[The kill has increased Nameless God's Karma by 1.]
[Congratulations. You are now a step closer to becoming a great malevolent god in pursuit of tyranny and power.]
Another cap coin had popped out of the screen.
Clang!
Finally, the notifications stopped, and I found some peace. I felt no guilt. After all, it was just a crude game produced by my material creation ability. However, when I tried to sleep again...
Ding!
[No. 3x Nameless Godx xxx xxx xxxxx.]
Another pixelated ant appeared.
"Fuck!"
I immediately crushed it. Another message about advancing as a malevolent god appeared, and a cap coin popped out of my phone.
Ding!
[No. 4x xx xx Godx xxx xxx xxxxx.]
[No. 5x xx xx Godx xxx xxx xxxxx.]
[No. 6x…]
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The ants were now swarming in droves. I tried to turn off my phone, but it was no use. This wasn't just a phone anymore, it was a manifestation of my ability.
"These stupid fucking ants! Let's see who wins this!"
Frustrated with my lack of literary progress and nearly useless awakened ability, my stress shot through the roof. I gritted my teeth and tapped on the pixelated ants with my index finger.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
"Hmm…."
This is oddly addictive.
I could see why people got hooked on popping bubble wrap.
***
Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the window.
"Ugh… When did I fall asleep?"
I had been so focused on crushing ants that I must have unknowingly dozed off.
Something was off, though. The coins that I had sprung from killing the ants had disappeared. I should have earned hundreds, but instead, all I had were three large coins the size of a baby's palm. Unlike the others that were marked with a "1," these were engraved with "100."
"One hundred?"
At that moment, I noticed a message on my phone.
[Congratulations, Nameless God. You have met the conditions to unlock the God's Shop.]
[Unlock Condition: Possess 100 or more Dark/White Gcoins.]
[Would you like to unlock the God's Shop? (Yes/No)]
1. Yu Il-Shin in Korean can be interpreted as "One and only God." ☜
2. In English slang, “cap” means lie or something false. ☜
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