CHF | Chapter 1

Screech, screech, screech.

A baby tricycle rolled into the dark dungeon.

A large, ugly teddy bear the size of a child appeared, pedaling with great force. It was the ‘Unmade Bear’ series, which was popular among children these days.

The bear toy, with sparkling eyes and drooping eyebrows, turned its head with a creaking sound.

Immediately after, a distorted mechanical sound flowed out from inside the doll.

– C-rank Hunter Jang Euyeong (장영웅). It seems you’re in need of help.

Damn it. I can’t be dreaming just because I’m about to die. Jang Euyeong lay on the floor of the dungeon, rolling his eyes and staring at the teddy bear.

He knew all too well what that thing was.

It had already been 10 years since the Awakened ones appeared along with the system.

The number of Awakeners continued to increase, and in a time when concept-addicts who were driven mad by their obsession were running rampant.

They appeared as spectators among the spectators.

While there were harmful trolls who wanted to take advantage of their supernatural powers, there were also those who were revered as somewhat beneficial concept-addicts due to their neat manifestation. He was one of them.

The name given to him by hunters was ‘Jabsaw’ (짭쏘).

[T/N: Jabsaw (짭쏘) can also mean Fakesaw.]

The nickname was given to him because he appeared in the same way as the serial killer ‘Jigsaw’ in the movie [Saw], sending dolls as his proxy.

Jabsaw was a peddler who would send that ugly teddy bear into dungeons and sell the items he made through direct transactions.

Although his concept was bizarre for which he was looked down upon, he was also praised among hunters due to his affordable prices and the high quality products that matched his crazy ways.

When there was no answer from the other party, Jabsaw tilted his head.

– Is he dead already?

“Are you mocking me? Huh?!”

Jang Euyeong just lay there and muttered in an angry tone.

It was true that Jang Euyeong was in need of help.

It was a mistake on his part to think that he would be able to handle a D-rank dungeon all alone.

He easily dealt with the boss monster, but the problem was the poison.

The poison that the boss mob shot in its last desperate attempt penetrated his wound, and as a result, he ended up immobilized and lying down, unable to move even after clearing the dungeon.

While he was lying there paralyzed and waiting for someone from the guild to find him, Jabsaw appeared.

Regardless of the circumstances, the teddy bear, who had confirmed that the other person was alive, made a familiar sales pitch.

– C-rank Hunter Jang Euyeong. Will you choose death? Or will you buy the ultimate item, the one and only elixir that can restore vitality to your weary life?

As soon as the words were finished, the teddy bear’s soft hand opened the zipper on its belly. Then, it rummaged through the white cotton and pulled out two bottles of syrup that seemed like something children would eat.

– An immediate antidote.

“……!”

An immediate antidote could only be made by hunters of B-rank or higher.

Just as the rumors said, his skills were proportional to his crazy methods. How was that even possible?

For a hunter—especially one who was at death’s door because of poison—it was truly a crazy performance!

Jang Euyeong couldn’t help but open his wallet.

“How much……!”

When he asked with his teeth clenched, Jabsaw answered as if he had been waiting.

– Ptui ptui bitter flavor is 1,189,900 won, and sweet strawberry syrup flavor is 1,999,900 won. It’s a special discount price for first-time buyers.

[T/N: “에퉤퉤” (etwe-twe) is an onomatopoeic expression in Korean that mimics the sound of spitting, similar to “ptui ptui” in English. It’s often used to express disgust or bitterness, especially when tasting something unpleasant. In the context, it emphasizes how bitter the flavor is.]

Jang Euyeong’s face distorted at the enormous price difference.

“What’s the difference!”

The half-made bear tilted its head as if it couldn’t understand why he was asking.

The sharp eyebrows that sloped downwards only made Jang Euyeong more frustrated.

– Ptui ptui bitter flavor is bitter, and sweet strawberry syrup flavor tastes sweet.

Jang Euyeong briefly thought about how miserable his life was.

No, it was not that bad. Even though he was angry at the price, it was still cheaper than other things.

If he were to get help from the guild right now, it was clear that the price of that potion would easily surpass than now.

“Give me your account number!”

– Payments can only be made through OnionPay.

OnionPay is a currency used in OnionMarket, which is a secondhand marketplace that allows for anonymous transactions.

Due to its tax-free nature, it often operated like an underground black market, with tax evasion and crimes being committed frequently.

“If I report you for committing tax evasion-”

– I’ll leave if you don’t need it.

The tricycle spun around.

“Ah, I’ll take it!! Bitter! Give me the bitter one!”

– Okay.

Jabsaw held out the contract. He opened the pen cap with his mouth, spat it out, then bit the back end of the pen and scribbled his signature.

Jabsaw took the contract and stuffed it in his stomach.

– Oh, by the way, if you leave a 5-star photo review on OnionMarket, I’ll send you a free Earth Candy that boosts your strength stat by 1 for 5 minutes as a free service. Then, I wish you good luck.

With those words, the baby tricycle headed back outside the dungeon.

Screech, screech, creak, creak.

* * *

HunterNet Anonymous Forum

[Title: The Latest News on ‘Jabsaw’ and Those Who Got Consumed by This Concept.jpg]

<Photo of a syrup bottle placed on a palm>

Working hard in business.

Bought the “Ptui Ptui Bitter Flavor” flavor.

[Comments]

– “Ptui Ptui Bitter Flavor” lmaoㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

– What even is “Ptui Ptui Bitter Flavor”?

? Extremely bitter.

Extremely bitter, they say lolㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

What rank do you think Jabsaw is?

At least B-rank in the production field.

Damn, B-rank? That’s insane.

– Even if he’s in B-rank, excluding the taste, the damn thing is still f*cking awesome. But the seller seems unregistered?

– I don’t know, but based on the effect, his potion has the ability to turn your situation 350 degrees.

– What’s that

an immediate antidote

How much does it cost?

– I got a 5% discount, so around 1.1 million won

You got that only for 1 million won? I want to meet God Saw and drink the potion too.

– Yeah~ you can’t meet them~

After that, even if I die, no problem~~~

Buy the strawberry flavor. The other one tastes so f*cking bitter.

– What is the Awakened Specialized Investigation Team doing? Why aren’t they cracking down on illegal transactions?

– The king’s saint officials are busy drowning in alcohol with tax money, do you think they have the time for that?

– Why do I feel like Jabsaw is a woman?

Jabsaw is a woman, Jabsaw is a woman, Jabsaw is a woman, Jabsaw is a woman, Jabsaw is a woman hahaha

What would you do if he truly turns out to be a woman?

The identity of Jabsaw must be a hairy old man.

Judging by his weird methods, I guess he’s a 30-something single man who has been wasting his 20-something self on the internet.

– Honestly, I’m really curious. What kind of person is he?

***

[Review]

– Hunter Eunjae’s Mom: Our guild members really like it~~~^^ Thumbs up! Giving 5 stars~~~

A finger pressed ‘Like’ on a review left on OnionMarket, and immediately after, a pop-up window appeared, saying that OnionPay points were earned.

[You have earned 50 OP points!]

Quite a bit of points have been accumulated. It was at that moment when Han Gru, checking the Onion Pay balance, smiled happily.

“Our Gru, didn’t the teacher say you shouldn’t look at your phone during class?”

The homeroom teacher of the infant class looked down at the child.

“You did….”

Gru put the kids phone in her small character bag. The Earth Candy that she was supposed to send as a review service could be sent later.

“Okay, everyone, look here. Let’s sing again~ All together~”

The children began to sing the nursery rhyme in a chorus.

Gru also sat up straight and sang along with the others.

The Lively Tomato was Gru’s favorite song.

“I want to be~ ketchup when I grow~ I want to dance, because I’m Lively Tomato~”

Even though everyone was curious about the identity of Jabsaw, the reason they couldn’t find her.

Jabsaw, the king of the production world of hunters.

She was a preschooler.

Han Gru, who has just turned 4 years old this year and attends the infant class of New Spring Kindergarten, is an S-rank production skill Awakener.