“What’s your rank again?”
“…B-rank.”
Their first encounter was in front of the gate.
It happened due to a sudden rift incident in the Yeouido area.
As the gate closed, amidst the hustle of quickly moving the injured, Gyeon Jirok turned to look at Baek Dohyun.
Tch. Spitting out saliva mixed with dust, he nervously scratches his head.
“You’re quite good with a sword, but it’s still lacking. Do you know why?”
“…”
“Your mentality is rotten. That’s why your sword is a mess too.”
“…”
“Do you know who dies first when entering the tower?”
“…”
“It’s a bastard like you. Not the lower-rank ones, but those like you who blindly believe in ranks. Those mediocre guys die first.”
He was angry, but there was no room for excuses.
If it weren’t for Gyeon Jirok, Baek Dohyun would have died several times right here.
Fortunately, he got the chance to re-enter and upgraded from F-rank to B-rank within a month, forming a covenant with a constellation.
Although his rank dramatically improved, Baek Dohyun, the person himself, remained stagnant in his skills.
“Tsk.”
Baek Dohyun’s face darkened.
Gyeon Jirok withdrew his spear. Drops of blood sprayed from the blood-soaked spear fell to the ground as Baek Dohyun’s ankle shook.
“You should know that life is precious to understand the value of others’ lives.”
“…”
“Hey.”
“…”
“Which guild do you belong to?”
“…Invibe.”
“Ha, but those scumbags abandoned their own family and ran away, right? Even the freshly graduated newbie from Hwaseong?”
It’s an understandable sentiment. Those bastards.
Gyeon Jirok muttered in a disdainful tone, saying, “This is the end of the world, and we can’t even put them in prison.”
Baek Dohyeon just shook his head bitterly.
“…Strictly speaking, I’m not a newbie. I re-entered.”
“What rank were you before?”
His previous rank was his long-standing complex. Very old and deeply ingrained inferiority.
“……Rank.”
“What?”
“F-rank.”
Gyeon Jirok stares intently at Baek Dohyun, who clenches his fists tightly. A weightless silence hangs between them.
In front of the crack that closed after the raid ended, two young men from completely different lives stood.
In this brief conversation of about five minutes, it’s unclear what impression the young high-ranker received from the hunter far below his own rank. Whether it was pity, sympathy, or something else entirely…
Regardless, the crucial fact is that Gyeon Jirok made a decision at that moment.
Baek Dohyun, picking up his broken equipment and fallen sword, getting up. He was about to leave the spot, but behind his staggering figure, a husky voice resonated.
“Baek Dohyun, right?”
“……”
“Your teeth are missing, you’re miserable. I’ll get you a new sword.”
“…?”
Hmm. Is there anything decent in the guild warehouse?
Well, we’ll see. Luckily, there are plenty of swordsmen around.
“If you have anyone to meet, do it now. It’s going to be difficult in the future.”
Whether it’s Invibe or Dawn…
They’re all scum that I despise. It’s better to just brush them off.
Whish!
Gyeon Jirok’s cheerful touch makes the spear disappear into thin air. Until then, Baek Dohyun still couldn’t grasp the situation. Gyeon Jirok raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t get it?”
“…What?”
“Yeah. From today, you belong to Babylon.”
“…!”
“There’s nothing to like, second-hand newbie.”
At the forefront of Babel.
To survive under the most dazzling yet dangerous name, he’ll need to reforge his mentality from now on.
✧
Back to the present.
Inside the meeting room of the guild, Babylon.
Gyeon Jirok sits crookedly on a chair in front, embodying a rebellious spirit that dominated this era.
It’s a face he longed and missed for, he remains unchanged.
This is Baek Dohyun first meeting with him again after he regressed. He savored the warm emotions alone.
To Baek Dohyun, Babylon was more than just a guild. To him, they were not just comrades but also family and a home, encompassing his entire life as ‘Baek Dohyun’.
Among them, Guild Master Gyeon Jirok held special significance.
He rescued Baek Dohyun, who was immersed in a sense of defeat and inferiority. Bringing him to Babylon even against the opposition of other guild members.
Even calling him a benefactor who made Baek Dohyun fulfill his role as a hunter is not an exaggeration.
“Hmm. Do you believe in past lives?”
“…What?”
“Why are you looking at me like you’re seeing an ex-lover from a hundred years ago? It’s our first meeting, but it feels like there’s a connection between us.”
‘It feels like seeing a ghost.’
“Sorry. It’s just fascinating to see someone I admired up close.”
“…Have you seen enough?”
Still not exactly friendly, but the atmosphere is much softer than the discomfort from earlier.
Baek Dohyun appreciates Gyeon Jirok’s straightforwardness.
He disliked being treated as a celebrity just because of Bambi’s fame, but he doesn’t mind being admired as a hunter or a role model. Perhaps, having been on the battlefield from a young age, he’s a bit weak to the so-called ‘big brother’ treatment.
“I feel like your name is familiar. Do you happen to have a younger sister? Something like Baek Dohee…”
Gyeon Jirok says, squinting and clouding his words with subtle suspicion.
Facing his subtly suspicious expression, Baek Dohyun calmly replied, “My family relations are recorded in official documents.”
“Ah.”
With an expression that says, ‘I didn’t check that,’ Gyeon Jirok picks up the document on the table.
One by one, flipping through them rapidly, Gyeon Jirok fixates his gaze on the documents.
“No family, huh?”
“I never had siblings, and my parents passed away in an accident. I’m alone.”
“Then, just say you don’t have any. Why make people uncomfortable?”
Well, he deliberately does that.
Baek Dohyun looked at Gyeon Jirok, who glanced at the documents with a slightly uneasy expression. It’s a habit that comes out when he feels embarrassed or sorry.
Early on, Baek Dohyun remembered Bambi being particularly soft to orphans due to the fact that he lost his father at an early age and that his father himself was also an orphan.
“Ah, this doesn’t suit me.”
“….”
“Do you know Sa Sejong? Our vice guild master.”
“Yes. He’s a famous figure.”
“He almost threatened me when you were coming in. So, do well because you’re a super rookie that shouldn’t be missed. Handle it well, persuade him, and put a leash on him bla bla bla.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. But I can’t do that. I’m not good at that kind of thing.”
He may have the talent to turn good words into bad ones. This guy didn’t have the skill to say things nicely.
That was Gyeon Jirok.
“But you can’t just go out like this because Sa sejong, that guy is the real deal here. As you can see, this guild operates by small group of elite hunters. It gets tiring if people don’t listen to the boss. So…”
“….”
“Let’s make it clear with each other.”
Gyeon Jirok tilted the back of the chair.
He spoke with the air of a young ruler, as if he had never bowed down to others.
“Bring up the conditions you want. Whatever it is, I’ll fulfill it up to 99.9%.
It was a phrase like a habit of his. 0.1% is the realm of fate. The remaining 99.9% is the realm of people.
「There’s no such thing as impossible, Hyung. If you say we will die, we’ll definitely die 99.9%. The only thing that can’t be changed with human power is just 0.1%.」
Acknowledging that he’s not a god and cannot be perfect, but believing that he can go up to the last 0.1%, a person who persists and believes until the end. A tenacious and diligent genius.
With two pairs of eyes exchanging glances under the spotlight, Baek Dohyun spoke first.
“There are no specific conditions I want.”
“Hmm?”
“Just align with the industry standards. I’ll sign the contract right away. However.”
“…”
“I requested a private meeting with the guild master… because before joining here, there’s something I must say.”
Instead of cynical boredom, Gyeon Jirok eyes show growing interest.
Following Gyeon Jirok’s mood, the scent of greenery that was gently filling the room also became more concentrated. He is still in a relaxed state, but what if he says this?
The regressor tried throwing a spark into the quiet forest.
“I know the future.”
“What’s your rank again?”
“…B-rank.”
Their first encounter was in front of the gate.
It happened due to a sudden rift incident in the Yeouido area.
As the gate closed, amidst the hustle of quickly moving the injured, Gyeon Jirok turned to look at Baek Dohyun.
Tch. Spitting out saliva mixed with dust, he nervously scratches his head.
“You’re quite good with a sword, but it’s still lacking. Do you know why?”
“…”
“Your mentality is rotten. That’s why your sword is a mess too.”
“…”
“Do you know who dies first when entering the tower?”
“…”
“It’s a bastard like you. Not the lower-rank ones, but those like you who blindly believe in ranks. Those mediocre guys die first.”
He was angry, but there was no room for excuses.
If it weren’t for Gyeon Jirok, Baek Dohyun would have died several times right here.
Fortunately, he got the chance to re-enter and upgraded from F-rank to B-rank within a month, forming a covenant with a constellation.
Although his rank dramatically improved, Baek Dohyun, the person himself, remained stagnant in his skills.
“Tsk.”
Baek Dohyun’s face darkened.
Gyeon Jirok withdrew his spear. Drops of blood sprayed from the blood-soaked spear fell to the ground as Baek Dohyun’s ankle shook.
“You should know that life is precious to understand the value of others’ lives.”
“…”
“Hey.”
“…”
“Which guild do you belong to?”
“…Invibe.”
“Ha, but those scumbags abandoned their own family and ran away, right? Even the freshly graduated newbie from Hwaseong?”
It’s an understandable sentiment. Those bastards.
Gyeon Jirok muttered in a disdainful tone, saying, “This is the end of the world, and we can’t even put them in prison.”
Baek Dohyeon just shook his head bitterly.
“…Strictly speaking, I’m not a newbie. I re-entered.”
“What rank were you before?”
His previous rank was his long-standing complex. Very old and deeply ingrained inferiority.
“……Rank.”
“What?”
“F-rank.”
Gyeon Jirok stares intently at Baek Dohyun, who clenches his fists tightly. A weightless silence hangs between them.
In front of the crack that closed after the raid ended, two young men from completely different lives stood.
In this brief conversation of about five minutes, it’s unclear what impression the young high-ranker received from the hunter far below his own rank. Whether it was pity, sympathy, or something else entirely…
Regardless, the crucial fact is that Gyeon Jirok made a decision at that moment.
Baek Dohyun, picking up his broken equipment and fallen sword, getting up. He was about to leave the spot, but behind his staggering figure, a husky voice resonated.
“Baek Dohyun, right?”
“……”
“Your teeth are missing, you’re miserable. I’ll get you a new sword.”
“…?”
Hmm. Is there anything decent in the guild warehouse?
Well, we’ll see. Luckily, there are plenty of swordsmen around.
“If you have anyone to meet, do it now. It’s going to be difficult in the future.”
Whether it’s Invibe or Dawn…
They’re all scum that I despise. It’s better to just brush them off.
Whish!
Gyeon Jirok’s cheerful touch makes the spear disappear into thin air. Until then, Baek Dohyun still couldn’t grasp the situation. Gyeon Jirok raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t get it?”
“…What?”
“Yeah. From today, you belong to Babylon.”
“…!”
“There’s nothing to like, second-hand newbie.”
At the forefront of Babel.
To survive under the most dazzling yet dangerous name, he’ll need to reforge his mentality from now on.
✧
Back to the present.
Inside the meeting room of the guild, Babylon.
Gyeon Jirok sits crookedly on a chair in front, embodying a rebellious spirit that dominated this era.
It’s a face he longed and missed for, he remains unchanged.
This is Baek Dohyun first meeting with him again after he regressed. He savored the warm emotions alone.
To Baek Dohyun, Babylon was more than just a guild. To him, they were not just comrades but also family and a home, encompassing his entire life as ‘Baek Dohyun’.
Among them, Guild Master Gyeon Jirok held special significance.
He rescued Baek Dohyun, who was immersed in a sense of defeat and inferiority. Bringing him to Babylon even against the opposition of other guild members.
Even calling him a benefactor who made Baek Dohyun fulfill his role as a hunter is not an exaggeration.
“Hmm. Do you believe in past lives?”
“…What?”
“Why are you looking at me like you’re seeing an ex-lover from a hundred years ago? It’s our first meeting, but it feels like there’s a connection between us.”
‘It feels like seeing a ghost.’
“Sorry. It’s just fascinating to see someone I admired up close.”
“…Have you seen enough?”
Still not exactly friendly, but the atmosphere is much softer than the discomfort from earlier.
Baek Dohyun appreciates Gyeon Jirok’s straightforwardness.
He disliked being treated as a celebrity just because of Bambi’s fame, but he doesn’t mind being admired as a hunter or a role model. Perhaps, having been on the battlefield from a young age, he’s a bit weak to the so-called ‘big brother’ treatment.
“I feel like your name is familiar. Do you happen to have a younger sister? Something like Baek Dohee…”
Gyeon Jirok says, squinting and clouding his words with subtle suspicion.
Facing his subtly suspicious expression, Baek Dohyun calmly replied, “My family relations are recorded in official documents.”
“Ah.”
With an expression that says, ‘I didn’t check that,’ Gyeon Jirok picks up the document on the table.
One by one, flipping through them rapidly, Gyeon Jirok fixates his gaze on the documents.
“No family, huh?”
“I never had siblings, and my parents passed away in an accident. I’m alone.”
“Then, just say you don’t have any. Why make people uncomfortable?”
Well, he deliberately does that.
Baek Dohyun looked at Gyeon Jirok, who glanced at the documents with a slightly uneasy expression. It’s a habit that comes out when he feels embarrassed or sorry.
Early on, Baek Dohyun remembered Bambi being particularly soft to orphans due to the fact that he lost his father at an early age and that his father himself was also an orphan.
“Ah, this doesn’t suit me.”
“….”
“Do you know Sa Sejong? Our vice guild master.”
“Yes. He’s a famous figure.”
“He almost threatened me when you were coming in. So, do well because you’re a super rookie that shouldn’t be missed. Handle it well, persuade him, and put a leash on him bla bla bla.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. But I can’t do that. I’m not good at that kind of thing.”
He may have the talent to turn good words into bad ones. This guy didn’t have the skill to say things nicely.
That was Gyeon Jirok.
“But you can’t just go out like this because Sa sejong, that guy is the real deal here. As you can see, this guild operates by small group of elite hunters. It gets tiring if people don’t listen to the boss. So…”
“….”
“Let’s make it clear with each other.”
Gyeon Jirok tilted the back of the chair.
He spoke with the air of a young ruler, as if he had never bowed down to others.
“Bring up the conditions you want. Whatever it is, I’ll fulfill it up to 99.9%.
It was a phrase like a habit of his. 0.1% is the realm of fate. The remaining 99.9% is the realm of people.
「There’s no such thing as impossible, Hyung. If you say we will die, we’ll definitely die 99.9%. The only thing that can’t be changed with human power is just 0.1%.」
Acknowledging that he’s not a god and cannot be perfect, but believing that he can go up to the last 0.1%, a person who persists and believes until the end. A tenacious and diligent genius.
With two pairs of eyes exchanging glances under the spotlight, Baek Dohyun spoke first.
“There are no specific conditions I want.”
“Hmm?”
“Just align with the industry standards. I’ll sign the contract right away. However.”
“…”
“I requested a private meeting with the guild master… because before joining here, there’s something I must say.”
Instead of cynical boredom, Gyeon Jirok eyes show growing interest.
Following Gyeon Jirok’s mood, the scent of greenery that was gently filling the room also became more concentrated. He is still in a relaxed state, but what if he says this?
The regressor tried throwing a spark into the quiet forest.
“I know the future.”
