OHH SHIT, I OVERSLEPT AGAIN.
Today is another day of my boring college life. During my school days, I studied hard to get into a top college and avoided any kind of fun that could hinder my studies. Thanks to that, I managed to get into the No. 1 college in my country.
But now, my life is very boring. Every day feels like a repeat of the previous one. Every morning—no, not morning—every afternoon, I wake up after missing all my morning classes, have lunch, and go to evening classes (without taking a shower, of course). Then I come back to my hostel room, read novels until late at night, sleep, and repeat…
And now, I am coming back from the last class of the day with my friends, whose gay jokes are starting to feel a little too real.
I'm thinking about the novel I was reading last night. The novel was good; I liked it very much. The hunter concept, guilds, heroines—everything was good. There was just one problem: the main character. He was too dumb. Like, literally dumb. Such a disappointment. Even I could do better than that. What a dumbass, huh?
As I am lost in my thoughts, cursing the main character, a truck suddenly hits me…
And now I'm dead. Well, there's nothing I can do about it. My life was short but pretty decent. The only regret I have is that I died a virgin. I wish I could have fucked the hottest girl on campus, but it is what it is.
Wait… how am I still thinking all this? I thought death was supposed to be a dead end.
I open my eyes.
What the—? Everything that happened was a dream? It felt pretty realistic, though. I check my surroundings. I'm lying on a bed that isn't mine. This room is different from the rooms in my hostel. It doesn't look like a hospital, either. My body feels different. My clothes are weird, too.
And then, I see myself in the mirror.
What the fuck…
I look exactly like the main character of the novel I was reading last night. Don't tell me this is that reincarnation thing that happens in fantasy novels when Truck-kun hits you.
As I am lost in my thoughts, I suddenly hear a knock on my door.
Thump. Thump.
I open the door.
"Mr. Kafka, you overslept again, didn't you?" (Kate)
A beautiful woman appears in front of me. Perfect breasts, a sexy figure. She is wearing a red-and-white uniform and glasses—hot and elegant. Totally my type.
"Ah, good morning, Kate." (Kafka)
It is Kate, the Vice Guild Master of Rising Sun.
From what I remember, my name is Kafka: A Level 8 Hunter, leader of the strongest and most famous party, Death Hunters, and Guild Master of one of the strongest and most renowned guilds, Rising Sun. I am known as one of the strongest hunters in the Imperial Capital, where our guild is based.
The Hunters Association uses a tier system to rank us: Levels 1 to 3 are Bronze, 4 to 6 are Silver, and Levels 7 to 9 are the Gold Rank—the legendary elite that most people only see in history books. Being Level 8 means I'm at the near-peak of the Gold tier.
But here is the worst part: the MC is actually the weakest character. He doesn't know anything and became who he is because of his super-strong friends. But everyone just assumes he's the strongest, and in the end, everything somehow works out. So, their belief in him grows stronger and stronger. And now, I am the most trusted, strongest, and wisest hunter in everyone's eyes.
"I went to your office, but you weren't there, so I knew you were still sleeping. Mr. Kafka, you are the Guild Master. You should be more responsible." (Kate)
I know the reality about the main character. But now that I myself am Kafka, I can't tell her I'm weak and good for nothing. Neither can I say, "Hi, I'm a college student who just got reincarnated as Kafka. Nice to meet you." So, I choose the safe way out.
"Sorry about sleeping late again. I was busy last night working on something. I promise I'll wake up early starting tomorrow." (Kafka)
Kate looks at me suspiciously and asks,
"May I ask what you were busy doing last night?" (Kate)
"Oh, that? Nothing. Just something, you know… Oh, by the way, why did you come here? Do you need something?" (Kafka)
As I try to change the topic, Kate first looks at me, then at the file she is holding, and says,
"We received a summons from the Hunters Association. Branch Manager Garry wants to see you." (Kate)
Garry is the Branch Manager of the Hunters Association. He thinks Kafka can do anything and always shoves the hardest quests onto me. He's a little intimidating, but he's a good person who trusts Kafka to get any job done.
"Why does he want to see me?" (Kafka)
"I have no idea. Maybe he has some quest he needs your help with." (Kate)
I'm a lazy guy. If someone gives me a job, I just reject or ignore it. And to my benefit, the main character was also very lazy and didn't want to do anything. Now that I think about it, there are many similarities between me and the main character. Both normal humans with no special skills. Lazy. Always pushing difficult jobs onto others.
I don't think anyone will notice any change in my behavior or doubt me. I can just act like my usual self.
"But I don't want to go. Send someone else." (Kafka)
As if my reaction is perfectly natural, she looks at the file again and says,
"He specifically asked for you. And he also mentioned that if you don't go, then he will come here himself." (Kate)
This is a problem. If I don't go, he'll come here—and he'll be angry that I ignored his summons. But the bigger problem is that I don't know which arc is going on right now. Why does Garry want to see me? Did I do something? Or do I have to do something? Could he already be angry with me?
Angry Garry vs. Unknown Garry. The choice is easy.
"Fine. I'll go to the Hunters Association." (Kafka)
"That would be wise." (Kate)
"Can you bring me breakfast?" (Kafka)
"You mean lunch. I'll have it ready in your office." (Kate)
"Thanks for that." (Kafka)
After that, Kate leaves the room. I am still in my sleeping clothes, so I change into something that matches how the original main character looks in the novel, and then go to my office.
Food is ready on the table. In the novel, Kate does all the official guild work. If I had to guess, I think she's in love with the main character. But because of her professional behavior, I'm not sure. Which works in my favor, because I also don't want to do any guild work. So, it's better that Kate handles everything.
I wish I could send Kate to see Garry, but that won't work. I have to go myself.
I quickly finish my food and leave the guild house of Rising Sun. It's a five-story building, and my office is on the fifth floor. There are no lifts, so I have to use the stairs to come down.
Now, I don't even know the address of the Hunters Association. But that's not a problem. Because of the masks the members of Death Hunters wear—with the logo of a laughing skull on them—many people haven't seen my face. So, if I ask someone for directions, they'll think I'm just a new hunter who wants to go to the Association and tell me how to get there.
So, after asking a stranger for directions, I finally arrive at the Hunters Association.