Illusion Hunter in Another World

Chapter 3Reader Mode

Chapter 3: RUN

As I turned my head toward the end of the alley, I saw an unfamiliar face.

A woman in a black suit emanating a dignified aura.

“This is Hunter Sunwoo Yeon! What’s going on?”

“Officer, well…”

So her name is ‘Hunter Sunwoo Yeon’?

I set down the bird I had been holding and observed them. Then, I noticed a familiar face.

“Uncle!”

“Ah, the little kid from earlier.”

“I’ve brought the police!”

“Police?”

The child was pointing at a person in a blue uniform—apparently an Earthling.

“Thank you for your hard work,” the man called a police officer greeted warmly.

“We received a report of a loose monster and were patrolling the area. It seems you, a Hunter, happened to be passing by.”

“Hunter?”

“It’s really fortunate that this monster was apprehended before causing any harm.”

Such a friendly extraterrestrial, warmly greeting a stranger.

However, the person beside him, Sunwoo Yeon, did not look pleased.

Did I respond too late to the alert? I immediately deployed when the report came in. Did he just happen to encounter the monster?

Hmm. I wonder what she is thinking?

Upon closer inspection, He seems to have used a proper technique to kill it.

Sunwoo Yeon appeared to be in deep thought, examining the ground and the dead bird.

The Beginner Killer lives in sandy terrains. It’s actually easier to capture outside of its gate. You can kill it without effort if you guide its charge properly. But that implies you need the reflexes to counter its speed.

Having concluded her thoughts, Sunwoo Yeon extended her hand toward me.

So, is he at least C-rank?

I vaguely understood the Earthling’s gesture and shook her hand. She greeted me politely.

“Hello. I’m Sunwoo Yeon, from the Hunter Association.”

“Ah, yes.”

“You managed to deal with the Beginner Killer without getting a scratch. I haven’t seen you around here. Are you a freelance Hunter?”

Freelance…?

My recently awakened brain couldn’t fully comprehend her question.

“So, what’s your affiliation?”

“Yes?”

“I need to report this Beginner Killer incident to the Association.”

“…..”

“Just showing your Hunter’s License would suffice.”

The atmosphere turned a bit awkward.

Hunter’s License? What is that? Like a pass of some kind? And what is this ‘Association’?

“Uh…”

I decided to dodge the question for the time being.

“I apologize. I don’t currently have my Hunter’s License.”

“Ah, I see.”

Phew. Dodged a bullet.

I scanned the area for an escape route just in case and proceeded to handle the most pressing matter.

“Wait. Hey, you.”

“Yes?”

“You didn’t forget our promise, did you?”

“Ah…”

I reached out to the child who had brought both the police and the hunter.

Then the child hesitantly offered what he had been holding: the orange-colored food I had been desperately craving.

Did he just steal food from a kid?

I hurriedly drank the orange liquid, regardless of whether Sunwoo Yeon next to me was looking disapprovingly or not. And as the sweet and refreshing liquid passed through my throat, my eyes naturally opened wide. It’s delicious.

“Wow, this is amazing!” I exclaimed, “It’s the tangerine of my life!”¹T/N: “My life’s tangerine,” is a playful and exaggerated way to express how much MC loves the food.

Initially, after reincarnating, I was quite dissatisfied with this body. I had evolved long ago to live without the need for food, so inhabiting such a primitive body was disappointing.

But now, my perspective has completely changed. The act of eating, which I had forgotten, turned out to be a truly joyful experience.

Gulp. Gulp.

I frantically drained the remaining liquid from the container.

“Excuse me,” interrupted Sunwoo Yeon, with a cold voice.

“We’re both busy, so let’s handle this quickly. Please tell me your name. Then I’ll look up the hunter information from the association.”

I felt a chill run down my spine for a moment.

Well…truth be told, I still don’t know the name of this body.

That was bad enough already. Frozen without a proper answer, Sunwoo Yeon continued to press me.

“…Have you not registered as a Hunter?”

“Uh… Maybe?”

“Did you take the Awakening Test?”

As our brief exchange concluded, Sunwoo Yeon’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“Did you use your awakening abilities on the roadside without even registering? That’s illegal!”

I wasn’t sure what she was talking about, but I knew I was screwed.

With Sunwoo Yeon declaring my actions unlawful, I noted the presence of the young child and the police officer still standing behind her.

Assessing the situation, I took immediate action.

“No. I am obviously registered. But you asked for my Hunter’s License earlier, right? I left it at home. If you can wait here, I’ll go fetch it.”

A blatant lie.

I tried to sound as natural as possible, but who knows how convincing I was to these Earth natives.

And so, after beating around the bush and I left the scene at a brisk pace.

Luckily, they didn’t chase after me.

Note to self: Let’s never take this road again!

Considering my predicament, I could only hope they hadn’t employed any tracking magic on me.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

A few minutes later.

I returned to a room I recognized—the very room where I had awakened.

“Alright, let’s see.”

The first thing I did upon returning was tidying up.

In doing so, I was able to learn this body’s identity.

“Ah, found it!”

Within minutes, I discovered something valuable—a Resident Registration Card.

[Resident Registration Card]

[Kim Ki Ryeo (金技勵)]

Kim Ki Ryeo.

So, this is my new identity.

After committing the name to memory, I continued my search, only to confirm there was no Hunter’s License to be found.

“So, this body never registered as a Hunter, huh?”

I had scoured every nook and cranny of this small room, leaving just one space unchecked.

“Hmm.”

I stepped into the bathroom, where a square mirror revealed the face of my new body for the first time.

“This is… strange.”

Studying my reflection, I calmly took in the details.

Kim Ki Ryeo, the name of my new identity, had apricot-toned skin and deep black eyes. Unlike other black-haired people I’d seen before, this body boasted an odd blend of golden hair tinged with black at the roots.

“Quite the unique look.”

My eyes drifted to my outfit, which was similar to what Sunwoo Yeon had worn: a white shirt paired with a black jacket.

“Anyway.”

That’s enough admiring my new body for now.

The only thing left to do was to search the bathroom for anything hidden or useful.

And to my surprise, I found something unexpected.

“Huh?”

Opening a small shelf, I discovered a box of cigarettes, still in their plastic wrap.

Seeing it brought back a memory.

“Right, this body lived with cigarettes in its mouth!”

As this revelation hit me, I understood why my magical abilities had failed to perform.

“Cigarettes! Damn, that’s why my magic wasn’t working!”

“This bastard was so stupid!”

Defeated, I sank to the floor.

For most people, smoking might be a minor vice. But for a mage, it’s a death sentence. Magic is fueled by two types of mana: external and internal. Clearly, my new body’s smoking habit had severely impacted its internal mana.

So what is internal and external mana?

External mana is the mana dispersed throughout Earth, while internal mana is what circulates inside a living being.

Mages typically use a small amount of their internal mana and combine it with the external mana around them to construct complex magical structures.

And the key to blending these types of mana?

…The respiratory system. More specifically, the lungs.

“Damn it!”

It all made sense now. The lungs are the critical organ for a mage.

Kim Ki Ryeo was a smoker. The moment I found those cigarettes, I knew why my magic had been ineffective.

The lungs in this body are shot, useless for mana exchange!

“What’s the point of having mana if you’re just going to ruin your lungs?”

That’s something you’d never see in Alpha Uri.

There, everyone can wield magic, unless they have congenital disabilities. So naturally, lungs are highly valued.

The idea of willingly damaging your lungs by smoking? That’s an absurdity unique to Earthlings.

“Crazy Bastards!”

My despair was short-lived, though.

I took a deep breath and stood up.

“Let’s calm down.”

What’s done is done.

I should’ve been more careful when selecting a body, instead of getting distracted by its mana levels.

Even if I can’t use magic anymore…

“There’s got to be a way to fix this body.”

I can’t abandon my life on Earth now. I’m committed to making it work here.

Happily.

No matter what.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

About 10 minutes after wrapping up my bathroom investigation, I got both good and bad news.

First, the bad.

“Ugh.”

As soon as I confirmed who I was, hunger struck me like a freight train.

I still have a mountain of research left to do on Earth.

The only thing I’ve had to eat was some ice cream I swiped from the kid this morning.

I was starving.

Now for the good news.

I remembered where humans get their nutrients.

“It was right under my nose!”

Just down the alley to the right of the building, there’s a sign that reads: [Soonhee’s Pork Soup].

Getting food there was a breeze.

After walking into the shop, the owner asked, “One pork soup?” and after my affirmative reply, a feast was laid out before me.

Finally, I’m free from the hunger that’s been tormenting me.

“Ah, this hits the spot. Tasty, too!”

The food on Earth is a bit too hot for my liking, but it’s delicious nonetheless.

Uh…

I take it back.

Let’s cancel the ‘one good news, one bad news’ setup.

Now there are two pieces of bad news.

It’s good that I found a way to get nutrients, but I remembered too late that I needed to pay for it.

So, long story short.

I’m now at the police station.

The shop owner reported me for dining and dashing, and now I’ve been arrested.