On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons

Chapter 22: My Secret Tuition Class with the Electrifying Girl

A recluse, also known as a Hermit.

In the dictionary, it would mean a Hunter who lived in seclusion. But in recent years, the meaning went through a slight change. Despite clearly posing significant risks, the profession of a Hunter could lead to wealth, honor, and even authority. And yet, instead of making use of their potential to build a career in that field, Hermits chose to lead an ordinary life. Rather than pursuing worldly gains, they chose to make an honest living while maintaining their current lifestyle.

In New York, a homeless man who charged into an SS-rank dungeon to save his lover. Later, he would become a widely known Hermit nicknamed Homeless. Meanwhile, in South Korea, an S-rank monster emerged from a gate in elementary school. A certain middle-aged man would save his daughter, earning him the nickname Cleaner.

Of course, most Hermits still lacked the abilities to become Hunters. However, the impact those two made was so significant that some people still fantasize about them to this day. Just like this teenage girl in front of me. ...I wasn’t even a Hermit to begin with.

“Wow, so you’re a writer! No wonder you withdraw from worldly matters and live in such a shabby place!” the electrifying girl, Thunder Emperor, nodded profusely.

You got it wrong.

I’d have quit being a writer if I passed the requirements to become a Hunter. Also, what did you mean by shabby? Yes, my home sweet home might be shabby, but that was just unnecessary!

“Um, Thunder Emperor?”

“Please call me by my name, Mi-Ri! Starting from today, you're my mentor!”

“I don’t recall agreeing to be your mentor. So, Ms. Sung Mi-Ri, until when are you staying here?”

“Until you agree to become my mentor, of course!”

Ugh, my eyes!

Those naive eyes! They were as clear as the sky and so free of doubt! I couldn’t stop feeling uncomfortable as she prostrated herself before me. Leaving aside the fact that she was the famous Thunder Emperor, she looked so out of place in my room! Even more so considering there was a gaping hole in the half-burnt wall behind her! The wind and fine dust blowing through it didn’t make it better!

Ah, my head is throbbing.

She was my benefactor. She had saved my life not once, not twice, but thrice. Not just during the attack of the Spiky Rhinoceros, but also when my apartment was burning down, or when the shady Hunters kidnapped me.

“No, you’re sorely mistaken. I'm really just an ordinary person. In fact, I’m Rank G.”

Yet, her smile didn’t waver. She showed me her pinky, which had the Druid’s Ring on. I heard she was able to rise to an A-rank Hunter because of that ring.

“I’m glad that ring serves a purpose, but I only happened to stumble across it somewhere.”

Though I actually got my hands on it because of God-Maker.

“I totally get what you mean, Mister! You just don’t want to burden me, right? Still, I can’t just accept this treasure for free!”

Sung Mi-Ri politely offered me something with both hands.

Eh? Why a bank book?

“What's this?”

“This is my entire savings. Of course, I’m absolutely aware that it means nothing compared to the rare treasure. That’s why, I'll work hard to repay you in full.”

Out of curiosity, I took a peek in the bank book.

Let's see... How many zeros are there? One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand.. million?

Gasp!

“God! Cough cough!

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“Kyaa! Are you alright, Mister?”

I coughed dryly, my hands visibly shaking. It was my first time seeing a bank book with the amount in the millions. And she wants to give it to me? For real?

Wondering if it was a prank, I looked at her. Innocenty, she looked back at me, like a duckling following her mother.

“The password is 1129, my birthday. There's also a debit card in it.” She said shyly, her face slowly reddening.

Briefly, all kinds of thoughts crossed my mind. With this money, I’d be able to ditch this hell hole of a moldy room, move into an officetel, and get myself a Mercedes Benz.

It was only basic manners to close an eye and accept it, right? She was the one who offered it!

“...I can't accept this.”

I cried internally as I returned the bank book to her. Regardless of how bad of a situation I was in, she was still my benefactor. I wasn't so rotten as to swindle her out of her hard-earned money. This was the issue of conscience, both as a person and a writer.

Sung Mi-Ri was crestfallen and her shoulders dropped.

“I knew it, it’s far from enough...”

“No, it's far too much!”

“Too much?” Her eyes widened in surprise.

“If you insist, then just give me two—no, one million will do.”

I felt ashamed of myself for failing to stay cool until the end.

Either way, not only was I on the verge of having my contract terminated with the publishing company, I also failed to meet my deadline with them. I needed some cash for my living expenses.

“But just 1 million won for this treasure... Ah, of course. If you really needed money, you would’ve worked as a Hunter! I’m sorry for not considering your feelings as a Hermit...”

Ms. Thunder Emperor, I think you still got it wrong.

Sung Mi-Ri clenched her fists and jumped onto her feet. Soon, she began taking off her coat.

Sssk—

“It might not be enough, but I'll just repay you with my body!”

Wait, what? What did she just say?

***

Thankfully, nothing special happened. But...

Swish swish swish!

In the perspective of a genre novel, the sight of a high school girl working hard was refreshing. In short, Thunder Emperor was now mending the hole in the wall. She said she'd take responsibility since she was the one who caused it.

“Where did you learn to do this?”

“I did some part-time work when I was younger to train my stamina!”

Wait, but you’re still young, how much “younger” were you then?

She expertly mixed the cement with a shovel, looking like a veteran who had been in the industry for over two decades.

“This is just right.”

Thunder Emperor spread the cement mix on the wall, filling up the hole.

“Ah, the bricks are a bit too large.” She frowned, looking at the bricks that did not fit the wall.

“Hiiiya!” grabbing the brick with both hands, she effortlessly broke it into halves, as if it was just a cereal bar. “Hehe, now the size is perfect.”

Do bricks break that easily?

She even used her abilities to quickly dry out the cement. In the end, it took less than a full minute for her to mend the hole in the wall. But that wasn’t the end of it.

“Phew. Let me put up the wallpaper for you, too.” She offered.

Then, with skilled hands, she began applying wallpaper over the remaining traces of the fire.

“Mister, please help me hold onto this for a while.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Please apply some glue there.”

“Okay.”

In ten minutes, the once-gloomy walls of my studio were covered in flower-patterned wallpapers. Had the world not turned out like this, she’d have emerged at the top of the construction industry.

After all that was said and done, I could no longer recognize my own room. Thunder Emperor grinned in satisfaction as she looked around.

“Now, this looks more like a person’s house.”

Certainly, it was in a terrible state before. The pigsty transformed into a pristine room, soothing my heart. Although, I was slightly uncomfortable with the floral-patterned walls.

Rumble! Rumble!

What was that sound? Was it about to rain outside? And yet, the sky outside was clear as day.

“Huh? The weather’s great outside.”

The sky outside was clear as day. I turned around to see Thunder Emperor clutching her stomach, her face turning beet red.

Ah, so it was from her.

It was well past lunchtime, after all. Not to mention, she also did labor for me. No wonder her stomach was complaining.

“You’ve worked hard. What would you like to eat?”

“Black bean noodles!” She yelled as if she had been waiting for that question.

Wow, a modest choice for someone with millions in savings.

I picked up my phone, about to call the usual Chinese restaurant I frequented.

Beep, beep beep beep!

Just then, the bracelet on the Thunder Emperor’s wrist beeped.

“That’s an emergency call. I’m sorry, I have to leave now.” She said sullenly, looking like a pitiful hungry child, or heck, a beagle.

I knew that a Hunter was busy, but were they not even allowed time to eat?

“I'll see you again, Mister.” Thunder Emperor put her black helmet back on

“Ah, wait a minute.”

I didn't want to let her leave empty-handed. Moreover, since it was an emergency call, she’d probably be busy for the next few hours as well.

However, I couldn't find anything for her to eat in my apartment, except for one thing.

I opened the God’s Shop.

[You have purchased the Blessing of the Growth God from the God's Shop.]

Immediately, a bottle of golden liquid fell from my phone into my hands. The fact that it tasted like Bacchus-F aside, it was still useful to remove fatigue.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Wow! How did you do that? That’s just like Hunter Kang-Woo!”

“I'm not sure who that is. But please have this. This should help you for a bit.”

“Thank you, Mister! I will cherish it!”

“Down it all at once, it isn’t much anyway.”

“Okay! I’ll see you again, Mister!”

Flash!

With the reverberation of lightning, Thunder Emperor vanished in the blink of an eye. I heard that she could travel 200 km/h, but she seemed to be much faster than that now. Indeed befitting of her name as Thunder Emperor.

“Should I get myself some food?”

I put on my slippers and dragged my feet out. Since I was going out, I might as well take a walk.

Not even in my wildest imagination did I think the Bacchus-F I gave to her would bring about a butterfly effect.

***

Importance of a Happy Family. That was the name of the Chinese restaurant I frequented. Its affordability, great taste and huge portions kept me as a regular.

“Here’s your food.”

A piping hot plate of fried rice arrived at my table, accompanied by sweet black bean sauce and broth from the spicy seafood noodles for mixing. It was the perfect dish for someone who wanted variations. Moreover, it also satisfied the Koreans’ typical love for rice when eating noodles alone felt lacking.

I poured the black bean sauce over the oily fried rice and stirred them well.

“Hmm, hmm, hmm.”

Mixing it here, mixing it there.

As a cherry on top, I pressed on the soft-boiled egg, popping the golden yellow yolk so that it flowed out.

Shall I dig in?

All of a sudden, I felt ravenous. Come to think of it, it was my first meal of the day. Before I knew it, I was inhaling the food. If only Thunder Emperor was here. She was probably busy at the moment...

Just then, the TV in the dining hall switched channels, showing breaking news on the screen.

— Breaking news. 40 minutes ago, a gate had formed at the National Assembly building, from which an S-rank monster known as Drake emerged.

The Drake was a reptile-type monster that was a hybrid of dragon and crocodile. Its towering height of 20 meters, along with its ten-ton weight, made it a high-ranking monster.

Did a gate just appear at the National Assembly Building? Just great. Destroy everything there while you’re at it.

I cheered inwardly as I took another huge bite of my fried rice.

—Fortunately, thanks to the dispatched Hunters, the Drake was quickly subjugated. Surprisingly, one of the biggest contributors was the widely known B-rank Hunter, Thunder Emperor! The B-rank Hunter was the first to arrive. She fought Drake one-on-one, buying time for citizens to escape from the area, and even dealt a fatal blow.

At the mention of the familiar name, I stopped munching.

—We’ll be having a live interview with the Thunder Emperor. Ms. Thunder Emperor, how are you feeling right now? Some say that you should be ranked S instead. Is it true that you’re the Hunter Association’s secret weapon?

The reporter directed his microphone to the Hunter in a black helmet.

—Um, is this a live broadcast?

—Yes, that’s right. But Ms. Thunder Emperor, you sound quite young. Excuse me, but how old are you?

Instead of answering the reporter, Thunder Emperor faced the camera and waved her hand, yelling,

—Hi, Mister! Are you watching right now? I did it! It’s all thanks to the potion you gave me! You’re the best, Mister!

Pft!

I spat out the fried rice in my mouth.