My Brother’s Changed ------------------------------------------------------------------------
As I approached the vagrant, who was gaping in disbelief, the female mage looked up at me with eyes full of terror. I met her gaze with a detached expression, lowering my head slightly. She had the classic feline features of a beauty, with slightly upturned eyes. Watching her tremble, I was suddenly gripped by a strange sense of déjà vu.
In my first run, I mostly operated in the shadows. Not many knew of me, but those who did called me the “Vagrant Hunter.”
Later on, the line between regular users and vagrants blurred, but originally, vagrants were synonymous with murder, robbery, and rape. As their activities intensified, users formed a secret clan to fight back—an assembly of users dedicated to hunting vagrants. This clan was known for its ruthless approach, allowing any atrocity against vagrants, whether it be slavery, human experimentation, murder, or rape. The clan’s actions were so heinous that even some informed users began to avoid those involved.
I had briefly been part of that clan, and memories of my actions during that time resurfaced. I let the blood-stained sword hang by my side, its weight a reminder of the vagrants I had dealt with. Despite her fear, the mage had a certain skill and sense that piqued my curiosity.
『 Player Status 』
Name: Lee Bomi (Year 0)
『 Abilities 』
[Strength 36] [Endurance 28] [Agility 42] [Stamina 34] [Magic 62] [Luck 40]
As expected, she was a user for less than a year, with even less time as a vagrant. Her stats were decent for a mage, though not exceptional compared to the likes of Hyun, Sol, and Yujeong. If we had met under different circumstances, I might have considered recruiting her. But as it stood, Lee Bomi was part of the vagrants who had tried to kill us.
“Ahhh…”
Sensing my cold intent, Bomi let out a weak scream. As her bindings began to loosen, I pressed down on her wriggling fingers and slowly raised my sword. A drop of blood fell from the blade, landing on her cheek, and she finally realized death was imminent.
“Please, spare me!”
Ignoring her plea, I turned to the others, who were watching silently.
“See? You can do it if you try. This battle was decent. You’ve clearly fought users before, which showed in your performance. Of course, these vagrants were careless, but still, not bad.”
“I’ll do whatever you say! Please, we’re both from Korea, right? I didn’t want this either. Please, please…!”
The others looked conflicted, pleased by my praise but uneasy at the sight of the desperate woman beneath my foot. I continued to ignore Bomi’s cries and spoke to them.
“Still, you can’t just rely on familiar tactics. With more experience, you’ll learn to handle unexpected situations. And remember, when dealing with vagrants, show no mercy. They’re troublesome if left alive… Oh, hold on. She’s getting noisy.”
“I’ll give you everything! If you want, I’ll even become your slave—”
Annoyed by her incessant babbling, I casually drove my sword into her neck. Bomi let out a final scream, blood gushing from her mouth as she died.
“Ah…”
“Gasp…!”
I pulled the sword from her neck and flicked off the blood, hearing the others’ shocked reactions. I realized I had slipped back into the habits of my first run as a vagrant hunter. It was a thoughtless kill, reminiscent of my past, and I wondered if it clashed with the image I had shown them so far.
I glanced at the others, who swallowed hard as they looked at the lifeless body.
Night had fallen. The sun, which had been peeking through the trees, was now completely gone, and darkness enveloped the surroundings. Judging by the distance we had covered, we were still only halfway. It wasn’t a journey that could be completed in a day or two, so I decided not to rush.
The kids were growing with each battle. They weren’t perfect, but they no longer made the same mistakes as in the beginning. We had fought six battles in the Black Forest today, and if not for the last one, we might have gotten through the day relatively unscathed.
“Cure!”
“Ugh…”
I watched as Sol, drenched in sweat, cast healing spells over Hyun, who lay groaning on the forest floor. His body was covered in bite marks from the pack of sixteen Black Forest wolves that had attacked. Eight of them had targeted Hyun, leaving him with no choice but to hold his ground to protect Sol. Though wolves weren’t usually difficult opponents, the Black Forest’s buff made them more aggressive and agile. Despite being bitten, Hyun had fought bravely, taking down most of the wolves before collapsing, covered in blood.
I quickly retrieved a healing potion, applying half to his wounds and pouring the rest down his throat. Sol, too, was crying as she cast her spells, but injuries like these were common in the Hall Plain. With the potion and a priest on hand, Hyun’s life wasn’t in danger.
Once the healing was complete, Hyun groaned and sat up, prompting a sigh of relief from Yujeong, who had been watching with concern.
“Phew… Idiot. I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Make up your mind. Is that a compliment or an insult?”
“It’s concern.”
“Hyung, did the sun set in the east today?”
Yujeong realized Hyun was teasing her and narrowed her eyes at him. Watching them bicker as soon as he was up, I shook my head.
“How are you feeling?”
“I think I’m okay. My joints ache, and I’m a bit weak, but I can still move.”
“Then we’ll have to camp here for the night. It’s getting dark. You did well today. You held up.”
“It was nothing. Without your support, I would’ve fallen much sooner.”
Even amidst the chaos, he had noticed my assistance. The wolves posed no real threat to me, but I had allowed Hyun to struggle for a reason.
Sustaining and recovering from injuries during battle can increase endurance stats. It might also help unlock the latent ability
With the day ending and six battles behind us, I decided it was enough. As soon as I mentioned camping, Yujeong sprang into action, preparing the site. I took the bag from Sol, rummaging through it to find a mana stone.
Yujeong, who had been clearing leaves and brush, looked at the mana stone in my hand and tilted her head.
“Oppa, we’re sleeping in the forest tonight?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Isn’t it dangerous? Monsters could attack at night. I’m not sure just keeping watch is enough.”
“I brought a mana stone for camping, so we should be fine.”
Seeing them talk to me so casually, I was relieved they didn’t seem too disturbed by what I had done to Bomi. Or maybe they were just pretending. If they had started complaining about how scary it was to kill someone, it would’ve been annoying. But thanks to their thorough education on vagrants at the user academy, there wasn’t the same unease as during the rite of passage.
Yujeong’s expression changed at the mention of the mana stone. She looked between her weapon, Hyun, Sol’s weapon, the backpack, and the empty potion bottles before speaking, her face a mix of confusion.
“Oppa.”
“What now? If it’s not urgent, help with the camp first.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s not urgent, but… where did you get all this stuff?”
“What stuff?”
When I asked with a nonchalant expression, Yujeong continued, pointing at each item with her finger.
“Weapons, inn fees, backpacks, magic stones, potions, and so on. Even if you combine the money we gave you with your weekly pay, it wouldn’t be more than 10 gold. I heard magic stones alone are incredibly expensive…”
“The magic stones used for camping aren’t that pricey. They have an aura that repels monsters. Plus, they’re not of the best quality, so we still need to keep watch.”
“Still, I can’t believe you got all this for just 10 gold. Did you come into some money?”
As soon as Yujeong finished speaking, both Ahn Hyun and Ahn Sol nodded in agreement. I wanted to brush it off, but their curious faces made it clear they wouldn’t let it go without an answer. Holding four magic stones, I pretended to survey the ground for a campsite and replied in a casual tone.
“The User Academy.”
“The Academy? Did they give you money for being a top trainee or something?”
“No, it came with a clan offer.”
“What? But you turned them all down. They still gave it to you?”
“Hyung, did you just take the money and run?”
As Yujeong and Hyun took turns questioning me, I sighed again. Seeing me sigh, they flinched, probably still uneasy from when I got angry earlier. Just a sigh, and Yujeong looked like she regretted asking, while Ahn Hyun scratched his head, worried he might have misspoken.
I cleared my throat and continued.
“They just gave it as a token of goodwill, saying I could come back if I changed my mind later. It was a simple gift, so I didn’t see a reason to refuse.”
“Oh, I see…”
Oh, I see, indeed. It was a quick excuse, but not entirely unreasonable, so they seemed to accept it. Lying never sat well with me, but I couldn’t exactly share my past, so I just kept a straight face.
“I figured it was better to accept it than to stand on ceremony. But it’s not like I’m rolling in money. They didn’t give that much. If this expedition doesn’t pay off, we might not even afford food, let alone an inn.”
“Ugh, I don’t like the sound of that. So that’s why you told us to check the belongings of those vagrants earlier. I wasn’t too keen on that.”
Creatures like the Black Scorpions or wolves aren’t worth much. Some monsters are valuable, while others aren’t. The reason vagrants are so common is that killing another user can be far more lucrative than hunting monsters. Conversely, capturing vagrants can be quite profitable for users.
Honestly, if the kids weren’t around, I would have stripped those vagrants down to their underwear. But with some funds already secured and the kids watching, I only took what was visible. Having struggled so much in my first life, I guess I still can’t shake off some old habits.
“Stop dreaming. Gold coins don’t just pop out of the ground. Anyway, let’s call it a day and prepare for a long march tomorrow. Set up camp and get some rest.”
I stopped Ahn Hyun from jumping up and reached for my backpack. It felt a bit heavier than before, thanks to the loot from the vagrants.
As I pulled out my sleeping bag, I watched Yujeong and Sol prepare dinner. They both looked exhausted, but at least they didn’t seem too shaken. There were still many areas to improve and watch over, but for now, I felt a bit relieved.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Ro Yujin.
Haha, they say a writer speaks through their work, but I seem to have forgotten that important fact. I’ve been so focused on responding to comments that I might have neglected my main duty. I didn’t intend to start a debate. I’ll address any questions readers have through the story’s progression. Thank you to everyone who offered valuable advice.
『 Reader Replies 』
Saramin: Congratulations on being first! You’ve been claiming the top spot more frequently these days. :)
hohokaya1: Thank you. :)
Toranoanal: Haha, I wanted to cater to all readers’ tastes, but lately, I’ve realized that’s impossible. I kind of regret skipping the User Academy part in just two chapters. Maybe I should have fleshed it out more, even if it meant some criticism.
Aintje: Goodbye, Ibo-mi. ㅜ.ㅠ
DragonYinYang: Haha, I didn’t intend to start a debate. I’ll try to resolve any questions through the story’s progression. Thank you for the advice. :)
vkfkd54: Oh, thank you. I’ll work harder to meet your expectations. :)
ThisAndThatPaein: I’m glad you understood the content. I was quite worried while writing it. ㅜ.ㅠ
Shira: Thank you!
BaekInTimothy: I’m glad you found it entertaining… and couldn’t take your eyes off it… Thank you. ㅜ.ㅠ
IHaveToChangeToSurvive: Yes, I agree. It would be strange if they were too skilled in their first life-threatening battle. :)
PS. Some people seem to misunderstand, so let me clarify. The content in the author’s note doesn’t count towards the word limit (K). I checked with Joara, and they said it’s fine to include as much as I want in the author’s note, as long as it’s not in the main content. So please stop sending messages about the author’s note. ㅜ.ㅠ
I read all comments repeatedly. Please don’t feel too disappointed if you’re not mentioned in the replies. If you have any pressing questions, feel free to message me, and I’ll respond! (Please leave lots of comments! And recommendations… ☞☜)
I’ll take my leave for today.
I hope you always read my work with a relaxed mind.
Pre-selections, recommendations, comments, critiques, and questions are always welcome.