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[System Mood: MISSION COMPLETE. TIME TO UNPLUG. INITIATING VACATION PROTOCOL.]
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For once, there were no enemies.No System warnings.No twisted dungeons, mutated rabbits, or cursed bosses.
Just peace. A rare, dangerous kind of peace.
Jin Hwan slouched against his couch, hoodie still half-zipped, eyes fluttering with exhaustion. For the first time in weeks, the golden interface wasn't flickering warnings or ringing alarms.
Instead, a single, blinking message hovered in front of his face:
❖ [Would you like to initiate: VACATION MODE?]
Jin Hwan blinked at it, dazed. Then laughed softly.
"Hell yes."
❖ Departure – From Chaos to Calm
He didn't tell his party.Didn't update the HunterNet forums.Didn't even send Ryu Hae-Rin a text (because she'd insist on tagging along).
He needed silence.Solitude.Space to remember what being human felt like.
So, he booked the ticket.South Korea → Tokyo, Japan.One-way. No plan.
Within hours, Jin Hwan found himself staring out the plane window, watching clouds drift past like cotton ghosts. It was strangely calming. Peaceful.
He looked at his reflection in the glass—white hair, red eyes, rabbit ears tucked under a black beanie.
"I look like a damn anime character."He snorted. No one heard him.It was nice.
❖ Tokyo – Neon Calm and Quiet Spirits
The city swallowed him whole in a soft, humming way.Shibuya Crossing, where a thousand people crossed without crashing.Vending machines, everywhere—offering hot soup, batteries, and ice cream.
He tugged his hoodie down and let the crowd carry him.
No one recognized him here.No whispers of "Golden Ghost."Just another tourist among the millions.
He bought melon bread from a street cart.Drank a random green soda that tasted like grapes and regret.Found a bench in a peaceful corner park and just breathed.
❖ Quiet Nights, Hot Springs, and System Sass
Jin Hwan's lodging?A traditional ryokan with creaking wood floors, a koi pond, and a private onsen.
He stripped down and sank into the steaming water under a moonlit sky.
"Ahhhhh…"The sound escaped him like a soul leaving the body."This… is what heaven must feel like."
❖ [System Notification: Passive Recovery Activated]
– +30% Mana Regeneration
– +20% Health Recovery
– Mental State: Peaceful Rabbit
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[System Mood: YOU TOOK A BATH. MY GOD. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.]
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"Shut up…" he muttered, smiling.
He stayed there until the water cooled and his fingers wrinkled.
For once, the world didn't need saving.He didn't need to fight.He was allowed to just exist.
❖ Street Wandering and Strange Omens
He explored by foot.Senso-ji Temple, where tourists mingled with locals lighting incense.He drew a paper fortune—"Radiant Hero, Destined for Turmoil."
"Yeah, sounds about right."
In a random alley, he spotted a hidden shrine, barely lit, its offering box overflowing with dust-covered coins.
He didn't know why, but he tossed a yen in and whispered:
"Please. Let me have one normal week."
The shrine didn't answer.But the System did.
❖ [System Notification – Hidden Energy Signature Detected]
"...Nope," he said out loud."Not now."
❖ Sumida River and Silence
That evening, he sat by the Sumida River, watching reflections dance across the water.
His phone buzzed—53 unread messages.
Bae Sang-Il: "Where u at bro? We got invited to a Hunter variety show lol."Ryu Hae-Rin: "You disappeared. Again."Joo-Yeon: "I swear if you're dead, I'm stealing your rabbit ears."
He muted them all.
"I'm not Jin Hwan the hunter today," he murmured."I'm just… Jin."
❖ Of Course, It Doesn't Last
As he brushed his teeth that night with a bamboo brush, the golden screen returned. Bright. Persistent.
❖ [New Side Quest Detected – Shrine of Echoes]
Location: 32 km northeast of Tokyo
Time Limit: 48 Hours
Danger Level: Unknown
Recommended Action: Investigate quietly
❖ [Reward: Not Telling you, What you Gonna Do]
Jin Hwan groaned.
"You said vacation, you liar."
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[System Mood: I GAVE YOU RAMEN, STEAM, AND NIGHT VIBES. DON'T PUSH IT.]
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"Ugh…"
But still—he was already pulling on his jacket.
Something about that name—Shrine of Echoes—felt familiar.And dangerous.And important.
He slipped out the door, the city glowing softly behind him, the road ahead dark and unmarked.
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[System Mood: VACATION ARC? PSYCH. MYSTERY ARC ACTIVATED. STAY VIGILANT, FLUFFY WARRIOR.]
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