Chapter 4: Heart broken into million pieces

Author: Mouse_Kun

A few days later...

As Jaemin sat at his desk, glancing over the few supplies he had gathered, a sudden knock at the door echoed through his small apartment.

Knock! Knock!

The sound pulled him from his thoughts. Rising cautiously, he approached the door, his senses heightened.

Slowly, he pulled the door open. Standing there was a soldier dressed in formal military attire.

"Are you Jaemin Park?" the soldier asked in a stern voice.

"Yes," Jaemin replied, keeping his guard up.

After confirming that Jaemin was the right person, the soldier handed him an envelope and walked away, sighing.

Jaemin stood there, dumbfounded. Why was that guy sighing at him? he wondered. Did he really look that bad? Whatever the case, Jaemin couldn’t be bothered to find out.

He quickly opened the envelope. As he looked through its contents, excitement surged through him.

"My application to go to the battlefield has been accepted!" Jaemin shouted.

Previously, it would have been difficult to get approved for the battlefield. However, with each passing year, the monsters emerging from the spatial rifts were increasing in number and strength. The shortage of hunters meant applications were more likely to be accepted. The military was desperate for volunteers, as every moment on the battlefield came with the threat of annihilation.

With the confirmation letter in hand, Jaemin packed his gear and made his way toward the military base.

A few hours later...

Jaemin stood before the towering gate leading to the military base. The area was bustling with activity, though most of the people gathered were officers, not volunteers. It was understandable; few would risk their lives on the battlefield when they could safely get stronger in a guild.

After a few moments, an officer approached and called the volunteers forward.

"Volunteers, thank you for coming to our aid. Whether you’re here out of genuine concern or for other reasons doesn’t matter. As long as you can contribute, that’s what’s important," the stern, elderly man said, his voice carrying the weight of experience. He then handed each of them basic monster-hunting tools and first aid kits.

"I hope all of you return safely," the man added before slowly walking away.

After receiving the tools, the volunteers began to form groups, choosing areas to hunt. As Jaemin was looking around, a woman approached him with a smile.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"Hey, are you also looking for a team?" she asked.

Jaemin, a self-proclaimed sigma and a lifelong weeb, felt his heart race at her proximity. It had been years since he had been this close to a beautiful woman. Her captivating scent was almost impossible to resist. But Jaemin wasn’t about to fall for her charms. He had seen way too many sigma reels in his spare time, and his brain was slightly rotted from it.

I’ve come here to level up and prepare for the imminent threat. I can't be distracted now, he thought, trying to regain his composure.

Seeing Jaemin lost in thought, the woman let out an awkward chuckle before waving a hand in front of his face.

"Hey, are you there?" she asked again.

Jaemin snapped out of his daze as her voice reached his ears.

"Oh! Yeah..." he mumbled, embarrassed.

Maybe teaming up isn’t such a bad idea. I can level up faster with help, he reasoned to himself.

"Oh, so maybe we can team up if you're okay with it," she offered, her smile never fading.

"Sure," Jaemin agreed immediately, trying to play it cool.

"As a team, we should probably introduce ourselves, right? I’m Jaemin. What’s your name?" he asked.

"Oh, I’m Minjae," she replied.

Jaemin furrowed his brow. "Minjae? Isn’t that a bit of a weird name for a girl?"

Minjae laughed softly before locking eyes with him. "Actually, I’m a boy."

Jaemin froze. "Wait, you’re a bo- BOY?!"

His exclamation echoed across the field. Jaemin felt like his world had just shattered. He had even started planning how to rizz up the "girl" in front of him. For a moment, he believed he had unlocked the secret charm of a harem protagonist, only to be met with... a femboy. His heart broke into a million pieces right there.

"Why? Why does this always happen to me? Jaemin wailed internally. Even a jade beauty can turn out to be a boy. How can I trust anyone anymore?" Jaemin thought.

"Actually, I just remembered... I have a team waiting for me," Jaemin blurted out before bolting away, leaving Minjae standing there, thoroughly confused.

Jaemin ran until he reached the battlefield, catching his breath.

"No more fooling around. It’s time to lock in," he muttered to himself.

Soon, Jaemin found himself deep within the battlefield. After walking for a few minutes, a massive monkey-like creature, standing at around 12 feet tall, appeared before him. Its yellow eyes gleamed with malice as it locked onto Jaemin.

Without warning, the beast lunged at him.

Jaemin swiftly drew the dagger he had received from the military base and met the creature head-on.

Stab! Stab!

The repeated sound of his dagger piercing flesh filled the air. Jaemin didn’t stop until the monster collapsed at his feet, blood pooling around its limp body.

"Ding! You gained 1,000 experience for defeating a non-ranked monkey monster."

"As expected, even an F-rank hunter is far stronger than non-ranked monsters. Even though these creatures are stronger than regular humans, they're no match for me," Jaemin scoffed, flicking the blood off his dagger.

"There’s something weird going on with me. Why didn’t I hesitate to kill the monster at all? It’s strange. Is it because of the system? Does it have some kind of feature that removes hesitation? Too mysterious indeed," Jaemin thought.

If it had been the old Jaemin, before he received the system, he would surely have faltered and made mistakes. It was normal for a newbie hunter to lose their cool, so it felt strange for Jaemin to remain so calm throughout the battle.

Deciding to focus on the task at hand instead of wasting time, Jaemin used his dagger to cut open the monster's forehead and retrieve the crystal from it.

After retrieving the crystal, Jaemin quickly absorbed it.

"Ding! You have gained 1,000 experience for absorbing a non-ranked crystal."

Jaemin continued defeating every monster in his path, retrieving and absorbing their crystals along the way. His level increased to 9.

After walking for about an hour, Jaemin finally stood in front of the desolate ruins of a destroyed city.

"Finally found it," Jaemin muttered.

The main reason Jaemin had come to the battlefield wasn’t just for the crystals, but for the broken city in front of him.