Ten years ago , when the "Great Cataclysm" occurred and the Hunters' status began to rise significantly , the biggest issue was not the Monstars' invasion or the war between nations.
These were the bodies of the Hunters who died in Donjin. For the families of those who died for their country and the world , they naturally expect to at least receive their bodies intact. Anyone would want that. The Hunters who died in Donjin were someone's father , mother , sister , brother, etc. But the reality was harsh.
"When a hunter dies in the dungeon , the "manna" inside his body turns into a highly toxic poison. If you touch the corpse without proper safety measures , the poison can result in death."
In fact , there have been many cases where a hunter touched the body of a person who had died an hour ago, and died from the effects of the poison within ten minutes.
As a result of the excess deaths , thousands more died and rumors spread among the hunters like ghost stories.
"The dead hunters will hunt you down."
Hunters of They had no choice but to hunt while pretending not to notice the bodies of their dead comrades. Otherwise , they would die themselves.
Some tried to make makeshift coffins to carry the bodies of their comrades , but this was never an easy task. In a dungeon where it was difficult to preserve even a single body , the smell of death from the corpses was as alluring as honey.
Some people attempted to find the bodies after defeating the bosses , but donjins were places where traditional items like compasses didn't work. It was natural that while they were wandering around during battles , they couldn't figure out who had died.
Therefore , recovery of the bodies gradually became an important issue.
The management agency formed teams called "Dead Trace" or "Tracers" to search for lonely people who had died and return them to their families.
Tracers were special search teams that roamed hundreds of donjin in order to return to Earth the countless Hunters who died alone .
If the Hunters were the frontline warriors , the Tracers were the search party that returned them to their families. They had to overcome unexpected dangers , making them far stronger than normal Hunters.
This was the origin of Tracers.
Johan was the first person in the world to be named "Tracer."
" Damn the money."
Now , I'm just a money chaser , that's all.
Aah...
He gulped down a swig of beer and ate a spoonful of pickled radish. No matter how many times he thought about it , the albino's disappearance was disappointing and regrettable.
" Was the lease agreement just a dream that occurred one summer night ?"
Missing an opportunity is more disappointing than not having one. He tried to swallow his regret with beer , but the problem was the amount of beer.
He would need more than a bottle of beer to soothe the regret of losing Rs 10 lakh.
As soon as one hole collapsed , another one appeared.
Johan's anger centered on his having gone hunting and the drinking party yesterday.
" My precious money. Seriously. . It is useless to pretend to be good. "
The bar bill of the college students was Rs 20,000 . When he checked the price of the drinks they had taken , tears came to his eyes because of the injustice.
He was scolded , and rightly so , but the problem was that he spent the money himself.
And it cannot be said that his own bar bill at that time did not even reach Rs 3,000 . He had spent almost ten times more than that.
" But I'm not dead yet. "
But this had already happened.
In order to survive as a one hit wonder singer like himself , he had to show everyone he wasn't dead every time he got the chance, even in the smallest of situations.
Of course , he didn't expect much that college kids would talk about his talent. But if these things kept happening , at least once , maybe twice if he was lucky , some people might mention it to others.
Johan was a man who looked forward to such small opportunities.
He finished the pickled radish and went to the cupboard to take out a packet of instant noodles. While boiling the noodles , he remembered the image of his good days.
The dignified image of that day. This was the side dish for his noodles today.
" So what if it's instant noodles ? It's the best food in the world. "
She added the seasonings and noodles to the boiling water. On top , she added spring onions and finely chopped garlic , and the soup made from boiling the onions was thicker than any other soup in the world.
If he adds an egg on top , what could be a simpler cure for a hangover ?
Boiling over..
He placed an old newspaper on the table as a dining mat and started eating "ramyeon noodles". A spoonful of spicy noodles excited his taste buds.
-- sup--
The soup spilled into the air. It fell. The soup spilled on the newspaper she used as a dining mat …
The newspaper was exactly six years old , and had a headline stuck to the corner. It read:
"---"
Below the headline was a photo. It was a picture of Johan receiving a certificate with a bright expression on his face.
He stared at the headline for a moment , became emotional , then focused on his ramyeon noodles. His attitude was somewhat deranged.
" There's no hope of an F- rank. "
Johann was no fool. It was foolish and futile to expect anything from his past glory. To yearn for the glories of the past with such ' meager ' talent was nothing more than indulgence and rebellion.
" Uh , seriously. You are a fool , Johan. " But , why did he behave so foolishly ? He had already committed the foolish act of clinging to past glory. No matter how much he repeated and promised himself , his heart could not escape the past glory. He repeated the same mistakes. It seemed as if humans were creatures born to repeat the same mistake over and over again.
He wanted to rise again. He wanted to fly majestically.
" That's it! " He grabbed four chillies. Without hesitation , he chewed and swallowed one chilli in one go.
" Spicy , hah … spicy , hah. "
The dizzying pungent taste distracted his attention. After causing pain in his mouth and stomach , the distraction disappeared somewhat.
-- Sup --
After gulping down the soup to the last drop , he cleaned up the newspaper. He couldn't bring himself to throw away the newspaper , which had ramyeon broth spilled on it. He put it back on the shelf.
On the other side of the room , away from the past , were stacks of newspapers and magazines that appeared to be from the same year. As if someone believed that the past would come back again.
,
" I pray for the souls of the dead. "
He recited the ritual phrase like a habit and checked his roadmap.
He would only recite these words when he entered the dungeon for a mission , not to hunt monsters.
"How far should I go this time ? "
Will Yohan be able to complete his mission or will he face monsters ? Read "Coffin Hunter" to find out.