Chapter 1 - Unprecedented Jealousy

"This is breaking news."

"The Black Dragon Guild set out to conquer the Tower’s fortieth floor. They were confident they would finally demonstrate the abilities of a top-tier guild this time, weren’t they? Unfortunately, they’ll be returning empty-handed yet again."

"The number-one-ranked hunter!"

"The Flame Emperor has once again defeated the boss single-handedly!"

I was jealous.

That was what I thought as I stared blankly at the television.

I was jealous. So jealous I thought I might actually go insane.

"Hello, Flame Emperor!"

"Ah, yes. Hello..."

On the screen, the man furrowed his brow.

Somehow, even his furrowed brow was handsome.

"You’ve set another new record today. No one but you has set so many records, Flame Emperor. Could we ask you how you feel?"

"For starters, I’d appreciate it if you stopped calling me that goddamn name."

"Pardon?"

"Flame Emperor. Why call me by that fucking nickname when I have a perfectly good name? It’s embarrassing. Flame Emperor? Seriously, Flame Emperor? Might as well have called me the Flaming Asshole. I’m going to find the bastard who came up with that nickname and beat the shit out of him."

"Uh, um..."

Flustered, the reporter stammered. But that was all he did. He didn’t dare say anything back to the man.

That was how overwhelmingly legendary the man had become. He was the protagonist of this era.

And I was an extra who didn’t even qualify for a supporting role.

"Ah..." I muttered. "I’m so damn jealous."

How good must that feel?

Living a life where you could say whatever you wanted, even on television.

I fiddled with my smartphone and opened the hunter board on an online community. I wanted to see how people were reacting to the interview.

-Hey, the Flame Emperor’s being a flaming asshole again!

-That prick acts like an asshole every time he’s on TV.

Sure enough, the board was a sea of fire.

People were burning up as they watched the interview.

-The whole world’s watching. Can’t he watch his mouth?

└Well, it’s not like this is anything new.

└Everyone knows what he’s like. This is the broadcaster’s fault.

└For real... They’re making the interview provocative to milk it for ratings.

└Wow, the Flame Emperor’s psycho fanboys have taken over here too. Absolutely disgusting.

└I want to be like the Flame Emperor too.

People defending the Flame Emperor, and people condemning him.

The internet had split in two like the Red Sea.

-Flame Emperor, I hope you become a hunter who represents our country with character equal to your abilities. Every time your interviews get translate into foreign languages and spread around, I feel ashamed as a citizen...

└It’s “get translated,” not “get translate.” Try showing your own language some love before worrying about foreign ones. And nationality doesn’t matter in the Tower anyway.

└But it’s fine when your master swears in his own language? Pathetic, Flame Emperor.

└I just corrected a typo. Why are you insulting me? You’ve got a twisted personality.

└It’s not my personality that’s screwed up. It’s your life. Bye.

└I want to be like the Flame Emperor too.

An absolute inferno.

And this community wasn’t the only noisy one.

Anywhere that discussed hunters was in an uproar.

-The Flaming Asshole’s girlfriend revealed! Apparently he’s dating the Saintess!

└The Saintess? Seriously?

└My friend’s a hunter and says they saw the Flame Emperor and the Saintess together.

└My friend’s the Saintess and says he isn’t;

└I want to be like the Flame Emperor too.

In some places, people were even talking about who the man was dating.

Alongside the Flame Emperor, the Saintess was one of the most popular hunters. The post had helpfully included a photo called the best picture of her life. She was famous for having a personality every bit as lovely as her stunning looks.

And apparently he was dating that Saintess.

"Uuugh."

At last, I put down my smartphone and clutched my head.

For the record, every comment that said:

-I want to be like the Flame Emperor too.

Had been written by me.

I’d posted them while browsing those threads just now. I tended to leave that sort of comment on pretty much any post.

Why did I keep posting the same comment?

"I’m jealous! So jealous! I want to make it big too!"

Because I was jealous.

That was the pure, honest truth of how I felt.

Though I could only say it openly because I lived alone in this single room.

Anyone who saw my place would be shocked. Scraps of magazines and newspapers were plastered everywhere. Every one of them was an interview or article about the world’s number-one-ranked hunter, the Flame Emperor.

「Flame Emperor Clears Floor 39 Alone!」

「Floor 38 Cleared Solo! Another Legend for the Flame Emperor!」

「Hunter Yoo Suha Rises to World Number One. First Korean to Achieve the Rank.」

.

.

.

「The Number-One Throne Left Vacant by the Sword Saint’s Disappearance. Who Will Claim It Next? Foreign Experts Agree: “Korea’s Yoo Suha Is the Strongest Contender.”」

「Impregnable Floor 10 Conquered. Who Is the Mysterious Hero?」

「Day 22 of the Sword Saint’s Disappearance. Is the Hunter Industry Facing Its Worst Upheaval Yet?」

From the latest newspaper articles to ones that were already more than ten years old.

Newspaper clippings covered the walls. Some sheets were clean, while older ones had yellowed. It was history in the most literal sense. The Flame Emperor’s history. No, a history that had been recorded since before the hunter Yoo Suha even earned the nickname Flame Emperor.

Ah.

'I want to be as successful as the Flame Emperor too...'

I wanted to become so successful that other people would envy me. I wanted to succeed and teach a lesson to everyone who had ever looked down on me or failed to respect me.

Then, after teaching them that lesson, I even wanted to magnanimously forgive them with a “Be good from now on,” earning myself a reputation as a generous man...

That’s right. I was jealous of the hero on television.

"Flame Emperor."

"Wow. Didn’t I tell you to call me by my name instead? I thought being a trash reporter only rotted your brain. Does it rot your ears too?"

"S-sorry. Finally, could you say a few words to our viewers?"

"Hah. What words?"

"Many aspiring hunters look to you as they work toward their dreams. You awakened as soon as you entered the Tower in your early twenties! Defeated a boss monster in less than a month! The hunter who has truly written a legend, the Flame Emperor, Yoo Suha! Please sum up the secret of your success in a single phrase and offer these aspiring hunters some advice!"

The Flame Emperor let out a disbelieving laugh.

"If someone’s going to succeed just because I say a few words, they’ll succeed no matter what they do. What difference does it make whether I give them advice or not?"

"Still, please say something!"

"God, these fucking TV people... Fine. A few words, then."

The Flame Emperor vigorously scratched the back of his head. His hair, including his bangs, was swept back and tied with an elastic band. Was that called a ponytail? His long black hair swayed slightly, hanging down like a horse’s tail.

"Those who are going to make it will make it anyway."

The Flame Emperor glared straight into the camera.

"But even if you succeed someday, don’t fuck with me. You’ll die."

"Pardon?"

"That’s it. I’ve got nothing else to say, so don’t follow me."

And that really was it. The Flame Emperor left the camera behind and walked off alone. Flustered, the reporter shouted, “Flame Emperor! Flame Emperor! What did you mean by that?” But he was completely ignored.

I silently watched the Flame Emperor’s retreating back.

"Haa..."

I was bitter.

The reporter was the one who’d been dismissed, but for some reason, it felt as though he’d dismissed me.

I was genuinely bitter.

"If only I had one decent skill..."

In reality, I was a bottom-rung F-rank hunter.

Giving an interview that set the internet ablaze in real time.

Having people take an interest in even the little details of my private life.

Above all, succeeding through my own abilities... and becoming filthy rich.

That sort of successful life was far beyond my reach.

"I want to succeed... I want an S-rank skill too... Ugh, it’s not even necessarily about money. I just want to succeed. How great would it be if the Flame Emperor’s skills were mine...?"

Anyone who saw me now would probably think I was insane.

I was muttering to myself, laying my desires completely bare.

Again, I was only doing this because I was alone in my single room. Muttering like this where no one could hear me was my own way of relieving stress.

It was a pathetic sight, but so what?

Better than making a scene outside and bothering other people for no reason.

No one was listening anyway.

"... Huh?"

But it seemed I was wrong.

As though someone had heard me, a golden light flashed and spread before my eyes.

"N-no way?"

A scene I had only ever seen in videos. A sight I had pressed play to watch hundreds, thousands of times. Something I watched every morning when I woke up, stoking the flames of my jealousy.

It was the light that appeared when a hunter awakened a skill.

"Gold!"

And golden light only appeared for skills ranked S or higher!

My heart pounded like crazy.

Soon, the golden light gathered in one spot, taking the shape of a card.

[Jealousy so hideous it is virtually without precedent!]

[Appalled by your vile jealousy, the Tower tosses you a skill.]

Huh?

That skill-awakening announcement sounded a little different from what I’d heard about...

Normally, when someone awakened a skill, they supposedly heard grand declarations like “The Tower is moved by your resolve,” “The Tower rewards your steadfast training,” or “The Tower applauds your achievements.”

But it was appalled by my vile jealousy and tossing me a skill?

Didn’t that sound like it was throwing a beggar some scraps, saying, “Here, take this”?

'N-no. I got an S-rank skill. Who cares how it talks?'

For some reason, I felt uneasy, but I ignored it.

I had waited so long for this moment. There was no need to entertain pointless, ominous thoughts.

[Generating skill card.]

With one final brilliant burst of light, a golden card formed.

I grasped it with trembling hands.

+

[I Want to Be Like You]

Rank: S+

Effect: Activates automatically when an enemy kills you. Copies one of the skills belonging to the enemy who killed you and makes it your own. You cannot copy from the same opponent more than once. The skill to be copied is selected at random.

※However, you die!

+

"Oh! Oooh, oh... oh... huh?"

As time passed, my voice naturally took on an odd tone.

I blinked.

"Huh?"

For a moment, I thought I’d misread something.

Once again, I slowly read the sentence at the very bottom of the card.

※However, you die!

It really did say that.

That using this S-rank skill would kill me.

"..."

I stared blankly at the card.

A breeze came through the window, rustling the newspaper clippings plastered across the walls. Only after a long while did a scream ring out in my single room.

"Fuck, what the hell is this?! How am I supposed to use this skill?!"

That day, I obtained an unprecedented skill.

An unprecedentedly shitty skill.