Chapter 126
“Let us escort you back home, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.”
The Association President Goh Gun-Hui hurriedly made that offer as Jin-Woo stood up to leave.
“If you wait for a minute, one of our agents will bring a car around. How about going home with that, instead?”
“….”
Jin-Woo had fully understood that the Hunter’s Association, and especially its boss man, Goh Gun-Hui, were feeling extremely grateful towards him.
However, that didn’t mean he wanted to be treated like royalty even in something as minor as this.
It wasn’t as if his home was too far away and he needed to borrow a car, either. If he wanted to save on time, he might as well ride on Kaisel. Or run all the way back home, which would actually be quicker, instead.
That’s why Jin-Woo declined the offer.
“Thank you, but I’ll be fine.”
However, Goh Gun-Hui shook his head and insisted on it.
“I believe that… it’ll be more convenient for you to get a ride home.”
“What do you mean by that….?”
Goh Gun-Hui approached the window and spoke to him.
“Could you please come over this way?”
Jin-Woo also walked over to the window, and that’s when he saw it.
….Outside the window.
Less than one hour ago, the front entrance of the Association used to be sparsely populated. But now, a huge crowd of people had gathered there and he couldn’t see any openings at all.
“All these people came here to see you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim. They have heard that you came for a visit in the Association.”
Jin-Woo didn’t have to ask how these people knew.
‘Well, I did fly on Kaisel to get here, so….’
In this day and age, everyone walked around with a minimum of one camera on their persons. The images of Jin-Woo riding on Kaisel, and disembarking in front of the Association, spread through the medium of SNS like wildfire. And sure enough, online reporters were also among those who heard of the news.
Just one headline was all that’s needed. The article itself wasn’t even that long, either.
‘Who is the owner of the monster that landed in the Association?’⸥
The article stated that the monster was definitely not what one would call average, and that it was jet-black like a shadow. Finally, the article went on to posit that it was most likely one of Jin-Woo’s summoned creatures, as it looked similar to what millions saw on their TV sets.
Those who heard the news and came here to confirm the truth, and those who only wished to meet Jin-Woo in person, combined to create this massive throng of people gathering right on the front lawn of the Association building.
A flood of emotions welled up inside Jin-Woo as he stared at all these people.
Goh Gun-Hui also stared at the crowd in silence for a while, before he calmly opened his mouth.
“I’m sure that you’re aware of it by now… Our countrymen had been thirsting for a victory.”
South Korea became the sole nation on Earth who lost a part of their land to monsters after a catastrophic dungeon break occurred on Jeju Island four years ago.
Many countries outwardly expressed their solidarity but inwardly, they were mocking the Korean Hunters for their uselessness. By the time the third subjugation operation ended in failure, that sentiment reached its peak.
Two years of humiliation later….
People learned of the news that the fourth subjugation attempt would be a joint operation with the Japanese. There were some sceptical voices mocking the Koreans for their inability to deal with the monsters without the aid of the Japanese. Unfortunately, that was the actual hard truth.
But then….
The mighty Japanese and their twenty-plus rank S Hunters turned tail and ran away from the raid. Yet, Jin-Woo suddenly made his appearance along with his black soldiers. It was understandable that people would go absolutely crazy about him.
Exactly like how one would quench his thirst in an oasis, the citizens witnessed Jin-Woo’s feats and threw away their sense of powerlessness. Many viewers had to pour out onto the streets, unable to contain their unbridled joy. And when they heard of Jin-Woo’s whereabouts, they ended up running over here.
“Of course, I’m sure you can also fly away using your monster.”
Goh Gun-Hui gently chuckled from the side.
“However, I believe that you should go downstairs in consideration of the crowd. Because, the people… need a hero, you see.”
Jin-Woo pushed open the glass door and exited from the Association building. All chaos suddenly died down right away.
Everyone gathered here kept their mouths closed and quietly stared at Jin-Woo.
“….”
“…..”
Many areas of Jin-Woo’s clothes still sported traces of battles he fought.
There were blotches of ant monster’s bodily liquid, and some part had been torn open at the hands of the mutated ant monster, too. However, not one person here made fun of Jin-Woo’s current appearance.
No, the citizens simply stared at him in silence while feeling a certain boiling something well up from deep within their chests.
Jin-Woo quietly stared back at them as well. Just as the heavy silence descended between him and the citizens….
“Hunter-nim, please. This way.”
Woo Jin-Cheol was now tasked with guiding Jin-Woo, and he faithfully carried out his duty.
The agents of the Monitoring Division went ahead and created a path forward while asking the crowd for their understanding; citizens moved aside without any complaints whatsoever.
However, there was a sole exception.
A grandpa walked in front of Jin-Woo when there wasn’t that much distance left to the waiting car.
“Hunter-nim….”
One of the Monitoring Division’s agents tried to stop the grandpa, but he hesitated somewhat after seeing the tear-soaked face of the old man, before he had to take a step back. Because, Jin-Woo held the agent back, that’s why.
The grandpa was finally able to stand before Jin-Woo. Thick tears streamed down his face and he called out to the young Hunter in a choked-up voice.
“Hunter-nim…. Thanks to you… My son, he can close his eyes and rest now.”
The grandpa faltered as strength left his legs. Jin-Woo quickly supported him before he fell.
The grandpa held on to Jin-Woo’s hands and arms and kept bowing his head over and over again.
“Thank you, Hunter-nim….. Truly, I…..”
“I only did what had to be done. Please, do try to stand up.”
Woo Jin-Cheol helped with assisting the grandpa, and then entrusted the still-crying old man to his subordinate. He leaned in closer and whispered to Jin-Woo.
“Hunter-nim. The crowd is getting larger. Perhaps we should get going….”
“Alright.”
Jin-Woo nodded his head. Woo Jin-Cheol opened the car’s rear door and held it there.
Jin-Woo took one last look at the crowd before climbing into the car.
It was unknown who started it first.
Someone within the crowd quickly lowered his head as soon as meeting Jin-Woo’s gaze as a sign of a thank you, but then, everyone followed suit and did the same. Greetings filled with genuine appreciation came back to him wherever his eyes swept by.
“…..Hunter-nim.”
Woo Jin-Cheol’s anxious voice woke Jin-Woo up and only then did he fully climb into the car.
Woo Jin-Cheol entered the front passenger’s seat while his subordinate settled into the driver’s. Eventually, the car drove slowly away from the Association’s grounds.
Without saying a word, Jin-Woo gazed outside the window.
The crowd kept looking at the car right up until it could no longer be seen.
He leaned back on the seat and placed his hand on his pounding chest.
Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump….
His heart was beating fast as the wonderful sense of accomplishment filled him up.
He initially felt at a loss when the Association President suggested that he should meet with the crowd. But now, he was glad that he didn’t just walk past them.
It felt like every single gaze he met were his reward for a job well done.
It was then….
“Ah!”
Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly looked behind him after Jin-Woo inadvertently cried out.
“Did something happen, Hunter-nim??”
“….No, it’s nothing important.”
Jin-Woo remembered only now that he broke the TV without an explanation, just so he could reduce the shock his mom might feel. He helplessly massaged his forehead.
‘Just how am I supposed to explain all this?’
Sure enough….
He switched his phone back on to find 13 missed calls from home.
It was pandemonium in online forums, too. But, that was to be expected.
The Jeju Island subjugation raid was the very first time Jin-Woo made his public appearance, ever since getting his rank S licence. It was the same thing as him making his public debut.
And during his first public appearance, he overwhelmed the mutated monster ant that freaked out everyone, and then, swept away thousands of ants blocking the escape route with his summoned creatures.
Like the excited fans pouring out into the streets after a match, those who witnessed the raid broadcast all logged online to voice their opinions.
└ Wow…. I’m speechless….
└ But, I thought that you can’t call out that many summoned creatures?
└ My ten-year-old tumour got cured from watching the assault of Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim’s summoned creatures.
└ By the way, mister? That tumour must’ve been a minor one since you had it for only ten years.
└ It was so cool. It was the best.
└ I lost my parents four years ago on Jeju Island. I know that Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim won’t read this, but….
The operation managed to capture the interest of all South Korean citizens. It was no wonder that various online forums were overflowing with the stories related to the raid. And Jin-Woo’s name always cropped up in those discussions.
Also, a hot debate regarding how high Jin-Woo’s skills should be rated opened up among the netizens famed for their love of comparisons.
└ With his powers, shouldn’t we say that our country now also has a Special Authority-rank in our midst?
└ Eiii. With only that? You should limit your intake of Kimchi soup per day. (TL: a Korean idiom, “drinking Kimchi soup”. Means you’re putting the cart before the horse.)
└ But, why not? He almost solo cleared a rank S dungeon, and the gap between him and other rank S Hunters is pretty vast, you know?
└ Hunter Seong Jin-Woo’s record isn’t extensive enough. If his skills are for real, then people will acknowledge him sooner or later.
└ In any case, man, he was so freaking awesome.
└ A rank E is only a bit better than a regular person, so how can someone like that become so strong?
└ Is Hunter Seong Jin-Woo a Re-Awakened?
└ Lots of people don’t seem to know that Seong Jin-Woo is a Re-Awakened. He applied to have his private information protected right away, so…..
Of course, there were some people among many who felt mighty uncomfortable about Jin-Woo, as well.
└ But, hold up…. If Seong Jin-Woo participated in the raid from the get-go, Min Byung-Gu wouldn’t have died, right?
└ He wanted to be left out in the beginning, so why did he show up in the middle?
└ Looks like guys above mine haven’t seen the article put up by the Association explaining themselves yet.
└ What article? Links please.
The contents of the article went like this.
Even though he was ranked S, Jin-Woo lacked experience in entering high-ranked dungeons. Therefore, the Association chose to keep him in reserve nearby in case of an emergency, instead of making him join the raid team from the beginning. Once the situation became dire, they decided to insert him right away.
It was a hastily-cooked up story, but it proved to be enough to convince the masses.
‘This is the best I can do for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo.’
Goh Gun-Hui’s quick response was able to stop the sharp arrows of criticism from pointing at Jin-Woo, while also managing to keep the latter’s private affairs out of public limelight.
Thanks to that, some people denounced the inability of the Association to properly gauge the capabilities of their own Hunters, but no one pointed the fingers of blame in Jin-Woo’s direction.The debut release occurred at N-ov3l-B(j)n.
No, Jin-Woo’s acclaim only rose even further in the eyes of the public.
The situation was at its worst point, with the Japanese team tasked with buying time having withdrawn from the island and the Korean team facing certain annihilation. Yet, he didn’t complain once and jumped into the ant tunnel all alone.
└ I wouldn’t have been able to go in there, even if someone pushed me from the back, ‘cuz I’d get scared sh*tless. Other rank S Hunters were getting massacred in there, so why should I?
└ Agreed.
└ What did he think about when he entered there?
└ Shouldn’t Seong Jin-Woo be the true role model of all the Hunters out there?
└ Shouldn’t those idiots slagging off Seong Jin-Woo for not participating beg for his forgiveness right about now?
└ LOLOLOL That’s why you shouldn’t yap on like that when you don’t know anything.
Jin-Woo was fast becoming the most famous Hunter in South Korea, much to his fluster. Even though he had requested for the protection of his private information early on, his fame continued to soar higher.
Two days later.
Military personnel and Hunters landed on Jeju Island to recover the remains of Hunter Min Byung-Gu.
They were from the Yeongnam District’s Guild, the ‘Knight Order’. Although they were one of the five large Guilds representing South Korea, they lacked a rank S Hunter in their midst and therefore, couldn’t participate in the raid.
They sensed their reputation diminishing from this event, and volunteered for this mission. Thanks to that, the matters had progressed rather swiftly.
Hunters had to take the lead after seeing the specially-trained soldiers hesitating somewhat.
“Oii, stop it and come on, already.”
“I’m telling you, there isn’t a single detectable magical energy on this island. Argh, you guys are far too distrusting.”
Hunters walking forward far up ahead waved at the soldiers. The hesitant soldiers cautiously followed from behind, but they still kept their guards up.
From the Hunters’ perspective, that sure was one frustrating sight to see, but there was no helping it. Regular people couldn’t sense magical energy, nor were they able to fight against the monsters. So they could only be overly cautious like that.
“Tsk, tsk.”
The Guild Master of the Knight Order tutted unhappily, and placed his hands on his waist while scanning his surroundings.
‘Huh….’
His jaw dropped all on its own.
The closer they got to the vicinity of the ant tunnel, the greater the number of dead ants strewn about on the ground.
Nay, they resembled small mountains now, instead.
The Vice Guild Master, a close friend and a fellow Hunter who he fought alongside for a long time, helplessly shook his head.
“Hyung-nim…. Can you believe this? You telling me that a lone Hunter did all of this?”
“…..”
The Knight Order Guild also took part back during the third subjugation operation along with countless other Hunters. That’s why they knew better than anyone here how scary these creatures could be.
“To think that those ants ended up in this sorry state….”
“Wow…. That kid, Seong Jin-Woo or whatever his name was, he’s no ordinary man, that’s for sure.”
The Vice Guild Master continued to look around at his surroundings and spoke while sounding a bit fed up.
“How did he even manage to wipe out every single ant on this huge island??”
“I wonder about that myself.”
The elite members of the Knight Order, pretty well versed in all things monster-related, could only gawk in astonishment at the piles upon piles of dead monsters.
Eventually, though, their astonished steps brought them to the entrance of the ant tunnel.
“Hyung-nim, I can see it.”
“Yup, me too.”
Hunters came to a stop in front of the ant tunnel so they could enter it together with the soldiers. The latter group was still a bit of distance away. Since there wasn’t much to do during the wait, the Guild Master lit up a cigarette. The Vice Guild Master also lit one up for himself.
But then….
The Guild Master furrowed his brows after seeing that lit cigarette powerlessly fall from the Vice’s lips.
“Oii. What’s the matter?”
“H-hyung-nim!!”
The Vice Guild Master urgently slapped the Master’s shoulder as he pointed to the front. The latter finally realised that something was off and quickly turned his head to the front.
“Heok!!”
A distinct shadow of a man appeared in the entrance of the tunnel.
The wide-eyed Guild Master flinched in surprise, before opening his mouth up to speak.
“Y-you, who… are you?”
Chapter 127: Chapter 127
The Master of the Knight Order Guild, Park Jong-Su, had to doubt his own eyes. Because, there was a good-looking foreign man leisurely strolling out of the ant tunnel’s entrance at that very moment.
But, that was just impossible.
‘The ants being completely wiped out should still be a top secret, so how could this be??’
Everything found rolling around on the ground was literally the top-grade magic crystals. So, the Association decided to keep the annihilation of the ants a secret in order to prevent those enterprising souls from taking their chances here, at least until they could come up with a suitable solution to this problem.
So, only a few select people knew that there were no monsters left on this island.
‘It’s only to the extent of the Association entrusting the mission to us, the military, and then….’
And then, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo.
However, Park Jong-Su could confidently bet his entire life savings that the man standing in front of the ant tunnel was definitely not Seong Jin-Woo.
How could anyone forget that man’s face? Not only was he the most talked-about Hunter in South Korea, but he also occupied the top spot on the Knight Order’s must-scout list.
Park Jong-Su asked again.
“I asked you who you are! Why are you coming out from there?”
It was unknown whether the foreigner didn’t understand a single word coming out of his mouth or wasn’t planning to answer in the first place. No, that man just stood there, smiling brightly.
The Knight Order’s Vice Master, Jeong Yun-Tae, got right next to Park Jong-Soo, his suspicious eyes firmly locked on the foreigner.
“Hyung-nim. Is that guy even a human?”
“I…. I’m not sure, myself.”
They couldn’t sense any magic energy emission from the mysterious man, so he couldn’t have been a Hunter nor a monster…. But, for some reason, he was also emitting this strange aura.
Jeong Yun-Tae always had been the ‘act first, talk later’ type of a guy. But even he had to take a step back and cautiously observe his surroundings after sensing the ominous aura.
Unfortunately, soldiers didn’t possess the Hunter-like sensory perception. They belatedly discovered the foreigner’s presence and hurriedly raised their firearms.
Park Jong-Su quickly dissuaded them, fearing that they might end up inadvertently killing someone.
“Oii, oii! Don’t shoot! He’s not a monster!”
“Is he a human, then?”
“Well, that is…. Maybe?”
Park Jong-Su could only nod his head with a somewhat unconvinced expression.
‘You can only be a human being if you’re not a monster.’
Park Jong-Su’s limited scope of knowledge meant that he could only arrive at this faulty conclusion.
The military commander briefly nodded his head.
“Understood. From here onwards, we’ll handle the affairs of that person.”
“Pardon me? I thought you guys came here to take Hunter Min Byung-Gu’s remains back home?”
“Our orders were to secure the remains of Hunter Min Byung-Gu, as well as to control the situation on the island itself.”
Park Jong-Su stepped back, having understood the gist of it.
If they weren’t dealing with monsters or other Hunters then the Knight Order didn’t have to get involved here. Besides, they wouldn’t get mired in unnecessary headaches this way, too.
The commander shouted at the mystery man.
“You are currently inside a restricted area. Please follow my orders to the letter or you’ll be fired upon.”
“…”
The mystery man continued to smile, not a single hint of nervousness visible on his face.
Gulp.
Soldiers swallowed their saliva while thinking to themselves, “Are we really going to open fire at him?”
This was an expected response from these soldiers who had never pulled the trigger on another human being before.
Hunters were also carrying tense expressions now. They began thinking that there was something strange going on with this situation when that mysterious man continued to smile like that.
It was then – the man slid his hands inside the trouser pockets.
‘That man…. Is he really a human being?’
Could anyone stay so nonchalant when these many guns were pointing at them?
Park Jong-Su’s expression gradually hardened. Meanwhile, the nervousness of the soldiers reached their peak when they could no longer see the mysterious man’s hands.
“Hold your fire!! Hold your fire! Not yet!”
A thick vein popped up on the commander’s neck as he shouted at his soldiers.
But, then….
“Commander, look!”
The commander quickly turned his head towards the mysterious man as soon as he heard that urgent call. That man was slowly opening his mouth.
“…??”
He couldn’t understand the language being spoken here.
It wasn’t that he had never heard of it, but more like it didn’t even originate from Earth, to begin with, judging from the way that man sounded and how he enunciated the words.
“What?”
“What is he saying?”
While the soldiers were at a loss from this situation they had never encountered before, Park Jong-Su’s lips were busy flapping open all on their own.
“M-monster language??”
One could sometimes meet intelligent monsters in higher-ranked dungeons. What that man said sounded almost like the language spoken by those creatures.
“Which means, is that….”
Before the commander could finish his sentence with “….is that a monster?” the mystery man pulled his hands out from the pockets.
Blam-!
An ear-splitting boom reverberated throughout the land.
When that mysterious man behaved in a suspicious manner, one of the well-trained special forces soldiers ended up reflexively squeezing the trigger.
‘Heok!’
The commander’s stunned eyes quickly locked on to the man.
The bullet, failing to dig into the man’s smooth forehead, fell to the ground with a light thud. The smile on his face was already gone.
“It, it’s a monster!”
“It’s not a human!”
Their cries lasted only for a brief moment because, as soon as that man’s eyes changed colour to red, everyone here felt an incredible pressure tightly squeezing down on their hearts.
“Ah, ah-!!”
“Argh….”
But, then…
Snap!
Like puppets with their strings cut, the soldiers and Hunters all collapsed to the ground along with the sound of a crisp finger snap. That mysterious man wasn’t responsible for this event.
He looked behind him and testily spoke up.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
There was a short-statured middle-aged man standing behind him now.
“There’s no need to make a commotion here. I just put them all to sleep.”
The middle-aged man also wasn’t speaking in the language of humans.
“….Indeed.”
The mysterious man sounded rueful, but still agreed with his new guest nonetheless. The middle-aged man shifted his gaze towards the interior of the ant tunnel and asked.
“Did you confirm it?”
The mysterious man nodded his head.
“It’s definitely ‘his’ power.”
“How strange.”
The middle-aged man’s gaze now shifted over to the collapsed Hunters.
“Why is ‘he’ helping out these humans?”
“Who knows what ‘he’ is thinking? If you’re curious, why don’t you go ask ‘him’ personally?”
“….I’ll decline.”
The middle-aged man shook his head before continuing on.
“We commence with the hunt as planned. Nothing has changed.”
“Got it.”
The middle-aged man lightly twirled his hand in the air. A black Gate small enough to let a person through opened up there.
“Oh, by the way.”
The middle-aged man stopped briefly and looked behind him when the mysterious man called out to him.
“I think one of them is here.”
“You mean, here in South Korea?”
“Since we’re here, how about we take care of that guy, first?”
The middle-aged man closed his eyes slightly. Soon, the information the mysterious man was talking about flowed into his head. However, the middle-aged man didn’t look wholly convinced.
“If it’s around here…. Let’s leave it to his hands.”
“You don’t want to get involved, is that it?”
“It’s fine to think of it that way. It doesn’t matter.”
The middle-aged man and his trailing voice soon disappeared along with the Gate itself.
After confirming that the black Gate was closed for good, the mysterious man muttered to himself.
“What a coward….”
He took a look at all the unmoving humans lying on the ground. They were only knocked out for a little while and should regain their consciousness soon enough.
“Hmph.”
The man snorted derisively and extended his hand towards the humans. However…
‘……’
He quietly withdrew it his hand.
“Well, there’s no need to raise a commotion.”
He also entered a small Gate and disappeared from the spot, as well.
Late at night.
Jin-Woo was sitting on his bedroom floor, busy taking a closer look at his shortsword. Currently, he was holding the ‘Demon King’s Shortsword’, a weapon that proved its worth several times over during the battle against the mutated ant monster.The origin of this chapter’s debut can be traced to N0v3l-B1n.
[Item: Demon King’s Shortsword]
Rarity: S
Type: Shortsword
Attack: +220
A shortsword taken from the Demon King, Baran. Using two ‘Demon King’s Shortswords’ will activate a set effect.
Set effect ‘Two Becomes One’: Extra attack power equal to the current Strength Stat will be added to each shortsword.
His eyes almost bulged out when he first saw that attack power, as well as its additional attribute. In fact, he now forgot how many times he re-read that information.
His reaction was justified, though. The ‘Baruka’s Dagger’, a rarity A item, only boasted the attack power of 110, after all. He searched through the Store just in case, but not many of the rarity S daggers being sold there exceeded 200 in their attack power.
‘Not only that….’
He really liked the fact that, when wielding both Demon King’s Shortswords at once, his Strength Stat would be converted and added to the weapons’ existing attack power.
His current Strength Stat had far exceeded the 200 mark, and was fast closing in on 250. And now, such a high Stat value would be added to the weapon’s attack power as well?
If he omitted the last digit and added up the numbers, then he’d still get to a frightening four times the attack power of what ‘Baruka’s Dagger’ possessed.
‘This is why it felt so good when I swung them around back then.’
Other Hunters would froth in their mouths like madmen and pounce on these shortswords, if they were able to see the item’s information like he could.
What about the longsword’s specs, then?
[Item: Demon King’s Longsword]
Rarity: S
Type: Longsword
Attack: +350
A longsword containing the power of the Demon King, Baran. Swinging the sword will activate the effect, ‘Tempest of White Flames’.
Effect ‘Tempest of White Flames’: Summons a persistent thunderstorm within the designated area.
A longsword had to be wielded with both of his hands, while he could hold one shortsword each in his individual hands. This meant that, quite obviously, the former would boast better attack damage than the latter.
However, the additional effect the longsword had been blessed with was not ‘obvious’ at all.
‘I can perform an AOE attack just by swinging this thing?’
It was a weapon that would no doubt prove its worth during a fight against multiple opponents.
He still felt chills run down his spine whenever he thought back to how Baran’s magic attacks rendered his Shadow Soldiers into a bunch of helpless sitting ducks.
Of course, the sword’s effect wasn’t as good as Baran’s magic, but it was still an excellent trump card to hold onto, nonetheless.
‘If it weren’t for my dagger skills, I might even consider using this longsword, instead….’
Jin-Woo was about to take a swing with the sword, only to stop himself in time.
‘……’
The hours were getting late; but then, you’d still wake up from your sleep in sheer fright when a lightning strikes in the room next to yours, now wouldn’t you?
He didn’t want to shock his mother any more than he had already. So, he cautiously put the sword down.
‘Well, what a relief it was, at least.’
Indeed, it was a relief that his mother didn’t object to his decision.
That day, Jin-Woo explained everything that happened to him to his mother, minus the stuff about the System, of course.
He told her that, he coincidentally went through a Re-Awakening and became a rank S Hunter, and that he’d like to continue working as one in the future, too.
Mom was worried about him but eventually, decided to support her son all the way.
- Mom wants to see you do what you want with your life, my son.
The sole condition his mom put forward was that he was forbidden from pushing himself too far.
‘But, well, if I’m in a situation where I have to push myself to that extent, then….’
Jin-Woo shook his head since his imagination was about to take him to a pretty dark and horrifying place.
It was then, he abruptly remembered something else his mom told him.
- Was that why ‘he’ showed up? Because ‘he’ knew something like this would happen?
- Who’s ‘he’?
- While I was asleep in the hospital, I heard your father’s voice.
- What did he say?
- Well, he said…..
Mom added that she had never heard of someone else’s voice before and after that day, as well.
‘I guess Mom still hasn’t gotten over Dad yet.’
Even then, his mother didn’t try to stop her only son from being a Hunter. It was proof that she trusted him. Jin-Woo didn’t plan on betraying that trust any time soon.
Survival.
That had always been his priority, his end goal.
He only got to this place precisely because he didn’t give up and struggled right till the end during one of the most dangerous moments in his life.
‘….Alright.’
Now that his biggest worry, his mom saying no, had been addressed, there was nothing stopping him from entering dungeons now. He’d establish his own Guild, monopolise high-ranked dungeons and quickly raise his levels even higher.
Jin-Woo’s heart began beating faster and faster.
‘Well, now I have a different reason to raise my levels, don’t I?’
Shururuk….
Igrit revealed himself after Jin-Woo called him out.
This guy had been with him for the longest time out of all his soldiers.
‘Not only that….’
He was also the lone Knight-grade soldier the System gifted him with.
In other words, one could say that Igrit was the closest to the System out of all his soldiers currently.
“I’m sure you’ll be able to talk once your grade goes up, right?”
Jin-Woo had so many things he wanted to ask Igrit. Of course, he couldn’t hear any answers from his trusty knight yet.
“…”
Igrit replied with silence, as usual.
If silence could be seen as words, then wouldn’t this guy qualify to be the most talkative soldier in the whole world?
Jin-Woo smirked to himself and scratched the side of his head. He then carefully picked up the Demon King’s weapons to store them back in his Inventory.
‘Inventory….?’
But then, Jin-Woo’s eyes caught a flash of light being reflected off an object.
‘….What was that?’
Jin-Woo’s eyes opened wider.
An item was gleaming brightly inside his Inventory.
Chapter 128
The mystery item was a black key.
The key he found inside the ‘Cursed’ Random Box was shining brightly as if to remind him of where it had been hiding all along.
Jin-Woo stared somewhat dazedly at that arresting sight before he cautiously put the weapons in his arms down on the floor again. He then reached into the Inventory and tightly grasped the black key.
‘…….’
And, when he opened his hand again….
[Item: Key to the Karutenon Temple]
Rarity: ??
Type: Key
‘You have met the required condition.’
A key allowing you entry into the Karutenon Temple. It can be used at the designated Gate.
The location of the designated Gate will be revealed after the predetermined time has been reached.
Remaining time: 417:06:52
The item information he couldn’t see before was now filling up his view.
‘….Karutenon Temple?’
Jin-Woo began tilting his head in confusion.
What was going on here? He was pretty certain that he had never heard of that name before. So how come it sounded so familiar to him?
‘No, hold on. I…. have heard of it before.’
He carefully combed through the maze of his memories until he finally recalled what he was searching for, and his brows shot up in response.
‘The dual dungeon!!’
More specifically, that name was etched on a stone tablet held by a statue, found in the ancient temple located right at the end of the dual dungeon.
The memories of that fateful day were coming back to him one by one.
‘Right, definitely….’
The voice of Song Chi-Yeol ahjussi, as he read the first line of that stone tablet, suddenly rang so vividly around in his ears.
[“The laws of the Karutenon Temple.”]
Indeed, that stone tablet’s texts indicated that the name of the temple filled with those terrifying statues was none other than ‘Karutenon’.
It couldn’t have been a simple coincidence that the name carved into that stone tablet, and the name of the temple in the key’s information, was exactly the same.
Which could mean…..
‘I can go back inside that place with this key?!’
Jin-Woo’s eyes grew wider in stunned silence.
The memories of that day, indistinct and hard to recall as if they were enveloped in a veil of fog, suddenly returned to him in their full, gory detail.
‘Could it be….?’
No, this was no longer in the category of ‘Could it be’ anymore. The System was definitely summoning him – summoning him back to the place where it all began.
The key that emitted the bright light all on its own, perhaps fearing the distinct possibility of him never bothering to read its information; and then, there was the name of the location where this key was supposed to be used, written so clearly that he’d never miss it.
No matter how he tried to slice it, there was little doubt that the System was summoning him there.
Oddly enough, Jin-Woo was getting curious about something else as well. Why was this happening now, of all times?
‘Is it somehow related to the quests I received from the Demon’s Castle?’
This black key, and the ‘Cursed’ Random Box it came from, was the ‘unknown reward’ he chose to receive at the end of the ‘Collect the Souls of Demons! (1)’ quest.
Hoping that maybe there was a connection here, he quickly checked the ‘unknown reward’ he got from the ‘Collect the Souls of Demons! (2)’ quest.
‘Title.’
Along with the familiar “Tti-ring!” of the mechanical beep, the information regarding his new Title, the one he got as the reward, rose up to his view.
[Title: Demon Hunter]
‘You have not satisfied its conditions.’
He hoped that something might have changed, but well, too bad; it was the exact same story as the first time he received that Title.
‘Okay, so that one wasn’t it.’
Next up, he began reading the item descriptions of the Demon Sovereign’s Accessory set, which he got to complete after killing the Demon King, Baran.
[Item: Demon Sovereign’s Ring]
Rarity: S
Type: Accessory
Perception +20. Intelligence +20.
When worn together with ‘Demon Sovereign’s Earrings’ and ‘Demon Sovereign’s Necklace’, set bonuses will be unlocked.
Set bonus effect 1. All Stats +5
Set bonus effect 2. All Stats +10
He took a closer look at the information provided, wondering if another, hidden, set effect had been unlocked, but that wasn’t it, either.
‘In that case….’
There was only one other possibility remaining now, and Jin-Woo shifted his gaze towards the information appearing above his Title column, towards the final suspect.
[Name: Seong Jin-Woo]
[Level: 100]
[Class: Shadow Sovereign]
[Title:…..]
Out of all of those, his gaze stopped moving at his level.
There it was, his level ‘100’, the one he just barely got to reach after massacring every single ant monster, as well as every egg and larva found on the island of Jeju.
‘The condition this key’s been talking about has to be this.’
That was the most plausible explanation he could come up with.
Because he could take out, or put back, any item inside Inventory with nothing but his thoughts, he’d never really paid much attention to what was inside his storage. Unless he got a new toy he needed to put away, of course.
That was most likely why he only got to discover the changes to this key a couple of days after he reached level 100.
Heck, if it wasn’t for him suddenly coming down with an urge to spring clean his Inventory after he took out those weapons from there earlier, he wouldn’t even have discovered the key’s presence, at least not for a long while.
Good thing that he discovered it before it was far too late.
‘417 hours… that’s about 17 days from now. I still have over two weeks left.’
The System hadn’t lied to him once until now. So, the Gate in question would definitely open up in the location as noted in the item’s information.
‘I gotta start preparing myself….’
Just as those thoughts raced past in his head, Jin-Woo gasped out in surprise.N0v3l–B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.
‘Hold on… was I really planning to walk in there again?’
“Ha, haha…”
A wry chuckle leaked out of his mouth without him realising it.
Sure, they were lower ranked Hunters working for the Association, but still, over half of the raid team got killed in there. Not to forget, he himself nearly died several times, too.
‘I even lost my leg towards the end, didn’t I?’
What a horrifying memory that was. He used to break out in an uncontrollable shiver just from recalling the emptiness below his knee he saw back then.
But now, fighting spirit began burning powerfully in his eyes, instead.
‘I’m different now.’
He felt utterly confident of his chances now.
Heck, he even felt a certain expectation bubbling up inside him, wondering if he’d be able to turn those stone statues, or even the god statue itself, into his Shadow Soldiers.
There was also something else to consider – he might be hit with an unknown penalty if he decided to ignore the System’s summons.
Didn’t he already realise the fact that, depending on the choices he makes, the System would either become his ally or an enemy? Didn’t he learn his lesson back when he ignored the first Daily Quest or when he was issued an emergency quest?
When his thoughts reached up to that point, his hand holding the key was suddenly became soaked in his sweat.
Gulp….
He was so tense that his dry saliva scratched his throat as it slid down. Jin-Woo slowly shook his head and closed his eyes.
‘….No, let’s not get too worked up over this.’
He needed to calm down.
His pounding heart gradually slowed down as he worked hard to find stability in his emotions. After his chaotic breathing had regained their normalcy, he ever so slightly reopened his eyes.
“Alright.”
‘If the System has business with me, then it could very well be another opportunity for me.’
Didn’t the ‘Cursed’ Random Box’s description say that it would give him what he needed the most?
‘Still, it’d be prudent to make some preparations in advance.’
Jin-Woo began thinking about the preparations he’d have to make, just in case. That led him to remember something else he’d been delaying for a little while now.
And that would be the establishment of his own Guild.
Having a Guild would certainly make it simpler to enter various Gates, and it’d also make his, and his soldiers’ levelling-up process, that much easier, too.
He had left the very-motivated Yu Jin-Ho in charge of the initial process of founding a Guild, at least for the time being.
‘I wonder, how far along is he now?’
Jin-Woo decided to give Yu Jin-Ho a call, but after checking the time, he sheepishly put the phone down. It was two in the morning.
‘It’s already this late….’
Since he had stuff to do on the following day, he figured that it’d be simpler to just go and pay a visit to Yu Jin-Ho at the same time.
‘Yeah, I’ll stop by the office tomorrow.’
Yu Jin-Ho’s glares became a level sharper.
Like the eyes of a hawk locking onto a prey, his glare scanning the computer monitor was filled to the brim with unbridled sharpness. And then, proverbial flames erupted out of his eyes next.
‘I shall never forgive those trying to obstruct the path of hyung-nim!!’
Yu Jin-Ho quickly screen-captured the offending online forum post in question, as well as the comments appearing below it, and then, proceeded to write up a formal letter of complaint with lightning speed. He moved so expertly and quickly that he must’ve had more than enough experience doing this thing.
And, in the blink of an eye, his work was done.
“Whew.”
His hand departing from the computer’s keyboard lightly wiped away a single bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.
He had done it again. Today, he was indeed successful in rooting out an insidious group trying to slander his hyung-nim.
Hyung-nim was the face of their fledgeling Guild, not to mention its guiding light.
The b*stards that tried to speak ill of hyung-nim, or even spread false rumours about him, were unforgivable sinners that deserved to be put to death. Of course, he also needed to be even more proactive in taking them down when he thought about the future of the Guild.
After all, wasn’t this the Guild where he’d become its Vice Master?
That’s why his personal feelings had nothing to do with what he was doing right now. It was all a part of official business he had to perform for the sake of their Guild.
Unfortunately, Yu Jin-Ho was reminded of the sad truth that the Guild he’d be the Vice Master of still didn’t have an official name yet. This was a serious problem requiring a speedy resolution.
Hyung-nim hadn’t said a word about this problem until now, so Yu Jin-Ho decided that it was his duty as the Guild’s Vice Master to come up with a suitable name.
‘Hmm….’
How about putting the ‘Seong’ of Seong Jin-Woo and ‘Yu’ of Yu Jin-Ho together to name the Guild ‘Seong-yu’?
He quickly shook his head, though.
‘It’s got a nice meaning, but uh, it sounds a bit…’
If he were to consider how it sounded, then it was indeed better to flip the two words around to make ‘Yu-Seong’, but then again, he’d never be able to accept the fact that his own surname would come before his hyung-nim’s.
‘I must discuss this with hyung-nim when he stops by.’
It had been two whole days since they moved into this office.
Hyung-nim had become the centre of the world’s attention after his heroic feats during the Jeju Island raid got broadcast live, while Yu Jin-Ho found himself manning this big office all alone a lot more than he’d like to.
‘No, hang on a minute. What if I just take the last part of our names and name the Guild Woo-Ho?’
It was then.
“Hey, what are you so deeply worried about?”
“Heok?!”
Yu Jin-Ho jumped up like a scalded cat. He quickly got up from the chair and looked behind him, only to discover Jin-Woo standing there.
“H-hyung-nim?!”
Jin-Woo shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as if he couldn’t understand why anyone would be that surprised. Meanwhile, Yu Jin-Ho was busy patting his pounding chest down.
‘Seriously, if he doesn’t want you to know that he’s here, you wouldn’t even realise it….’
He wasn’t even paying attention to anything particular just now, too. It sure felt like hyung-nim’s penchant for suddenly appearing and then disappearing seemed to have gotten worse with every passing day.
Embarrassed by his own over-the-top reaction, Yu Jin-Ho sheepishly scratched the back of his head and asked Jin-Woo.
“When did you arrive here, hyung-nim?”
“Just now.”
After making a simple reply, Jin-Woo leaned in and took a look at the computer monitor that captured Yu Jin-Ho’s attention until then, but before he got a proper look, the latter quickly covered up the screen with his entire body.
“Hyung-nim, you don’t have to worry about b*stards like them. I’ll take very good care of them, so you can rest easy, hyung-nim.”
Jin-Woo looked at that determined face of Yu Jin-Ho and an expression of dumbfoundedness formed on his.
“….So, it was you.”
Jin-Woo heard that there was someone out there that pounced on any negative comments or false articles about him online like a wild beast and, while relying on the threat of legal action, demanded them to be taken down immediately.
But to think, that person was someone so close by!
Yu Jin-Ho’s complexion reddened from embarrassment now that his secret activity had been inadvertently exposed to the open.
“Eiii, hyung-nim… I’m supposed to do things like this for you, you know.”
Yu Jin-Ho’s eyes sparkled like an expectant kid waiting for a praise, and Jin-Woo could only chuckle at that sight.
“Right. Thanks.”
Mistakenly thinking that the smile on Jin-Woo’s face was one of satisfaction, Yu Jin-Ho secretly made up his mind to become even more hands-on, all for the sake of his hyung-nim.
But then….
“…Uh? Hyung-nim, are you going somewhere today?”
Yu Jin-Ho asked Jin-Woo after finally discovering a different set of duds on the latter’s body.
Jin-Woo was nonplussed in his answer.
“I have some business to attend to today.”
“Aha….”
Yu Jin-Ho was feeling really amazed at that moment. He had only seen Jin-Woo wear clothes that were easy to move around in, so seeing his hyung-nim kitted out in a black business suit from head to toe like this, he was struck by a sense of unfamiliarity and amazement at the same time.
Too bad, Jin-Woo didn’t have enough free time to explain himself. He took another quick look at his watch.
‘I’m running way too tight….’
Jin-Woo lifted his head away from the watch and asked Yu Jin-Ho.
“Are there any other documents that I must bring with me when getting the Guild Master licence?”
“Not at all! When you get to the Association, you’ll be asked to take a simple test. Your licence will be issued right away afterwards, hyung-nim.”
“Okay.”
So, his hyung-nim was headed off to the Association?
‘But, isn’t his attire a bit too much, considering he’s only going to the Association….?’
Yu Jin-Ho incorrectly guessed Jin-Woo’s destination and began tilting his head, but soon enough, he accepted it as a fact.
‘Well, hyung-nim’s a celebrity now, so I guess he’ll have to watch what he wears in public.’
There were good sides to being famous, but on the flip side, there was also a tiresome aspect to it, as well.
Yu Jin-Ho thought about the stress and the burden carried around by folks surrounding him from all sides – the famous folks that every Korean citizen would immediately recognise with their names alone – and briefly sympathised with their plight.
Not really caring either way, Jin-Woo pointed to the car keys placed on a desk a bit of distance away from him.
“I’m going to borrow the van for a while.”
“Use it as much as you want, hyung-nim.”
Yu Jin-Ho reached out to pick the keys up. However, he was taken greatly by surprise as the keys slipped out of his reach and flew into Jin-Woo’s hands.
“H-hyung-nim, what was….?”
Jin-Woo cut him off abruptly.
“It’s a skill.”
“…”
Yu Jin-Ho was rendered speechless yet again.
Even if hyung-nim declared that he could fly around using another one of his skills, Yu Jin-Ho was confident of not finding that strange at all.
‘Is there anything hyung-nim can’t do??’
Hyung-nim was like an onion that had so many layers still left to peel. The more you knew about him, the more he’d surprise you.
‘Wait, now isn’t the time for this.’
Yu Jin-Ho abruptly woke up from his daydream, remembering that he still a few things to ask hyung-nim. Since he was in the office, now was the perfect opportunity to do exactly that
Jin-Woo stopped walking away after sensing that Yu Jin-Ho had something else to say from the way the kid was looking at him.
“Yeah?”
“Hyung-nim, it’s only been a day since we started advertising on the online job marketplace. But we’ve been swarmed by the applicants wanting to become our fellow founding members, so I went ahead and compiled a list for you to take a look.”
“Oh, that. Let’s talk about it after I come back.”
He was running short on time, to begin with.
Yu Jin-Ho felt his own urgency kick in, having seen how badly Jin-Woo wanted to be on his way.
“Ah, hyung-nim! Have you decided on the name of the Guild?”
Indeed, this was the most pressing issue of them all.
Because, you’d need a name of the Guild if you wanted to place job postings on the bulletin boards, or even when conducting other official businesses, now wouldn’t it?
‘Does he have something in mind for the name of the Guild?’
Yu Jin-Ho’s heart was pounding in anticipation for Jin-Woo’s answer. He was fully prepared to suggest the names he had thought up if hyung-nim was unable to come up with one.
‘Seong-Yu, Jin-Jin, Woo-Ho…. I hope he finds one of them to his liking.’
Jin-Woo pondered for a bit while Yu Jin-Ho continued to gaze at him with eyes glinting with the light of expectation. A smirk found its way to Jin-Woo’s lips and he finally made his reply.
“How about, Solo Play Guild?” (TL: In the raw, it’s “Sol-Ple.” which is “Solo Play” but shortened.)
“Eh?”
Yu Jin-Ho blinked his eyes several times.
Was he supposed to start laughing here? But, didn’t Jin-Woo’s expression look like he wasn’t joking at all?
Jin-Woo didn’t expect to see a reaction anyway, so he quickly turned towards the door to leave.
“See you later.”
Yu Jin-Ho fell into a train of thought while watching Jin-Woo make his exit from the office.
‘….So, there WAS something hyung-nim couldn’t do, after all.’
As expected, his hyung-nim was a human being, just like everyone else.
Although he was afraid that the ‘Solo Play’ would get stuck as the Guild’s name, Yu Jin-Ho also felt just a tiny bit more reassured after being reminded of Jin-Woo being a human like him.
The location of Hunter Min Byung-Gu’s funeral ceremony.
Originally, the plan was to hold a small private ceremony with only the close relatives invited to attend the event. However, there were far too many people who wished to pay their respects and so, the funeral had to be changed to a public one.
Countless people showed up to the funeral parlour to pay their respects and remember Hunter Min Byung-Gu’s valiant sacrifice. Jin-Woo was among them.
‘Uh, uh? Isn’t that….?’
‘Heok! Isn’t he Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?’
‘It’s really him!’
The funeral goers soon discovered Jin-Woo’s presence and began whispering to each other as their excitement heated up.
Chapter 129
Jin-Woo didn’t particularly mind the gazes of other people, unless he was talking about some special circumstances. As long as no one bothered him, it didn’t matter to him if he got famous, either.
That’s why he didn’t really care when the mourners discovered his presence and started whispering among themselves.
However….
‘At the very least, you all should know that now isn’t the time nor the place.’
Jin-Woo furrowed his brows unhappily.
Wasn’t this the place to remember and honour the valiant sacrifice of Hunter Min Byung-Gu?
Jin-Woo didn’t want this solemn occasion to fall into some noisy chaos because of him, so he briefly unleashed a portion of his magic energy – no, not even that, but an amount so tiny that it didn’t even qualify to be called a portion.
‘…..!!’
The desired effect took place right away. The air suddenly became incomparably heavier and oppressive silence descended to the place. Even the breathing of the mourners became incredibly cautious.
“….”
“….”
All those people noisily yapping to each other promptly shut their mouths up at once.
‘Alright.’
Jin-Woo succeeded in creating an acceptable atmosphere with nothing but a quiet display of power before he started walking forward again. He didn’t get to walk for long, though, as a middle-aged lady, who was too young to be called a granny but too old to be called an auntie, stood before him.
She was none other than Hunter Min Byung-Gu’s mother.
People began gasping softly as they looked on at the mother and Jin-Woo standing in an apparent face-off like that.
‘Uh, uh?’
‘Wait, she isn’t going to scold him and chase him away, right?’
Fortunately, the outcome people were worried about didn’t come to pass. The why of it was simple enough.
“You’ve arrived. Thank you for coming.”
“Thank you for inviting me, ma’am.”
It was actually Hunter Min-Byung-Gu’s mother who pleaded with him to come by here today.
“There was something I’d like to speak to you in person and that’s why I had to make that call. I hope I wasn’t troubling you.”
“No, not at all, ma’am.”
“Hunter-nim, I heard you got rid of all the monsters in that place so that my son could come home.”
Min Byung-Gu’s mother stopped there and gazed up at Jin-Woo, perhaps wanting to confirm the story she was told straight from the man himself.
‘……’
Jin-Woo had various personal reasons for hunting down the ants of Jeju Island. However, it was also true that a part of him didn’t want to see Hunter Min Byung-Gu rot away forgotten somewhere in the darkness of that ant tunnel. So, Jin-Woo quietly nodded his head.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You helped my son so he won’t sleep in that dark, damp place. I….”
Min Byung-Gu’s mother finally began shedding the tears she’d been holding and continued on.
“I was to able to meet my son for the last time with your help. Thank you very much, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.”
There were no words that could console a parent grieving for her lost child. Jin-Woo could only remain silent with an agonised look on his face. In the meantime, the relatives of Min Byung-Gu’s mother came over and carefully escorted her away deeper into the funeral venue.
Even then, even as she was getting further away from him, she never stopped bowing to him to express her gratitude.
‘……’
For a moment there, the face of Min Byung-Gu’s mother overlapped with that of his own mom’s from ten years ago in Jin-Woo’s eyes, back when she heard the news of his father going missing inside the Gate.
A thick lump formed in his throat.
‘But….’
Just like how his father sacrificed his life to save a countless number of his colleagues, Hunter Min Byung-Gu’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain.
Without his dedicated effort to heal his comrades, it’d have been really difficult for the Korean Hunters to walk out of the ant tunnel alive. Not only that, he used his powers to save the life of one more Hunter even in death.
Min Byung-Gu’s shadow actually felt relieved after it confirmed the colour of life gradually seep back into Hunter Cha Hae-In’s complexion. From that alone, Jin-Woo could sense how much the Healer cared for his comrades.
Coincidentally, Jin-Woo spotted Cha Hae-In in the distance as he quietly approached the black-and-white portrait of the deceased to lay down the flowers. But when their gazes met, she suddenly flinched and fell into a panicked state.
‘Did they come together?’
The members of the Korean team around her sent him a silent greeting with a slight nod of their heads, but Cha Hae-In looked as if she had no clue which expression she was supposed to make right now.
‘Huh, so that woman can make a face like that, too?’
He couldn’t recall any other times when she didn’t carry that expressionless face of hers. Indeed, one should get to know somebody for a longer time before passing judgement, that’s for sure.
Jin-Woo shifted his gaze away and stood before the portrait.
Hunter Min Byung-Gu within the black photo frame was smiling brightly without a care in the world. Jin-Woo placed the flower in front of the portrait and closed his eyes for a brief moment.
‘I hope you find yourself in a better place.’
Finishing up with the prayer for the departed, he turned around to see a familiar figure approach him from the distance.
“Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.”
The low, bassy voice naturally belonged to the Association President, Goh Gun-Hui.
“Sir.”
“I was actually planning to give you a call later, but it’s good that we have run into each other here.”
“You wanted to see me?”
It was pretty obvious why the Association would look for a Hunter. Thinking that he might find himself with an opportunity to raise his level, Jin-Woo gazed at Goh Gun-Hui with anticipation, but regretfully, the Association President gently laughed and shook his head.
“It’s not what you’re thinking about, Hunter-nim.”
“….Oh. I see.”
How deflating, that.
Jin-Woo could only ruefully smack his lips.
“In any case, I’d like to speak to you for a moment or two. Will that be fine with you?”
Jin-Woo was planning to stop by the Association after leaving here to resolve his Guild Master licence problem anyway, so he said yes immediately.
“I have business in the Association, so why don’t we go and speak there?”
“You have business in the Association….? May I inquire what that is?”
“Oh, actually, I need a Guild Master licence, you see.”
“Pardon?”
A question mark floated up above Goh Gun-Hui’s head.
“Why do you need the Guild Master licence when you already possess a rank S licence?”
“Wait, does that mean a rank S can establish a Guild without a licence?”
“Of course.”
Goh Gun-Hui formed a good-natured smile and continued on.
“If you wish to form your own Guild, all you have to do is to give the Association a call. We’ll take care of the rest.”
“…..”
The rank ‘S’ was a realm he never expected to step into half a year ago. So, it wasn’t surprising to see Jin-Woo greatly underestimate all the cool benefits this rank came with.
He was inwardly flustered after learning of something he didn’t know until now, but…
‘But, this is actually for the better, isn’t it. Let’s find out more about all the benefits a rank S Hunter enjoys while I’m at it.’
Also, seeing that he could directly get in touch with the Association President Goh Gun-Hui, he might be able to establish his Guild right away as long as he met the minimum requirements.
Was this the reason why the old saying went on about finding the right backer if you wanted to succeed in life?
Most people would never get to meet the President of the Hunter’s Association in their lifetime, yet such a man had already become a dependable backer for Jin-Woo.
Goh Gun-Hui continued on.
“What I’d like to speak to you about won’t take long, so we don’t have to change the venue.”
Jin-Woo nodded his head, leading Goh Gun-Hui to quickly ask him a question.
“By any chance, have you cast some kind of a barrier spell over Jeju Island?”
“What do you mean?”
Where was this barrier magic thingy coming from, all of a sudden?
Did something happen in Jeju Island after he killed every ant there and left for home?
Goh Gun-Hui calmly explained what had happened.
“During the operation to retrieve Hunter Min-Byung-Gu’s remains, there was an incident of the military personnel and the accompanying Hunters losing their consciousness in the same location. Hmm, rather than losing consciousness, it’d be more appropriate to say that they had all fallen asleep, instead.”
Everyone within the same location… all fell asleep? Jin-Woo could only tilt his head slightly.
‘Sounds like an AOE abnormal status magic, doesn’t it?’
….It sounded similar to the thunder magic of the Demon King Baran that inflicted ‘Stun’ effect to all the Shadow Soldiers caught within the attack range.
However, the problem lay with the fact that the folks present during that incident weren’t your average Hunters.
“I thought the elite members of the Knight Order were asked to go to Jeju Island?”
Jin-Woo’s question elicited a nod from Goh Gun-Hui.
“They were either Hunters in the top of the rank A pile, or rank Bs who are very close to rank A in terms of their abilities.”
To be able to put not just one, but several dozens of such people to sleep all at once – a regular rank S Mage wouldn’t even dare to try performing a spell of that magnitude.
“That’s why I had to ask you about it, just in case. I was hoping that maybe you cast a barrier there but forgot to tell us about it.”
Here was the solid proof that both Hunter’s Association and its boss, Goh Gun-Hui, rated Jin-Woo’s abilities incredibly high.
Unfortunately for them, Jin-Woo’s speciality didn’t lay in casting debuff or abnormal status magic. And, perhaps more importantly, there was just no way that he’d forget about activating such a magic spell in the first place.
Jin-Woo promptly shook his head.
“I’m sorry. I haven’t done that.”
“I see…. I guess so.”
Traces of worry slowly entered Goh Gun-Hui’s expression. The most optimistic explanation he could think of turned out to be wide off the mark in the end.
“What did the Hunters say, sir?”
“That is….”
Goh Gun-Hui formed a troubled face of a man finding it hard to explain something, before continuing on his explanations with some difficulty.
“Not only the soldiers, but even the Hunters can’t remember anything that happened before they lost their consciousness.”
His voice sounded even more dispirited next.
“Actually, we can’t even figure out whether they were victims of a magic spell or not in the first place.”
“…”
If it were just the soldiers, who were simply regular people, it’d be possible to knock them out with something like the sleeping gas, but even the rank A Hunters and their exceptional physical abilities fell victim as well. So, it couldn’t have been a conventional weapon of some kind.
‘Could it have been a trap left behind by the ants?’
Jin-Woo was really tempted to summon out Beru right now and ask him about it, but….
‘…..’
If he did that, this funeral venue might morph into a blood-splattered battlefield in no time at all. The thing was, Jin-Woo could see a few dozen high-ranked Hunters around here just from a quick headcount.
Of course, he wasn’t worried about Beru at all. Nope, he was only concerned about the Hunters rashly trying to pick a fight with the former ant monster.
It was then.
A young man who must’ve been an Association employee approached them in hurried steps and whispered something to Goh Gun-Hui’s ear. The Association President formed a rueful expression as he spoke to Jin-Woo.
“A guest has arrived sooner than expected, and unfortunately, I must be on my way now. Thank you for your time.”
“You too, sir.”
After sharing brief goodbyes, Goh Gun-Hui hurriedly left the venue and disappeared from the view along with that unnamed employee.
Now that he no longer had any reason to go to the Association, Jin-Woo figured that he might as well go home, instead. He too left the venue and began walking towards the location of the parked van.
But, then….
‘What’s this?’
He seemed to have picked up a somewhat puzzling ‘tail’ since from a short while ago. Jin-Woo tilted his head in confusion.
‘Aren’t you supposed to do your best not to get discovered when tailing someone?’
Not only that, any ol’ regular folks wouldn’t even dare to dream about tailing a rank S Hunter, too.
Step, step….
Since he couldn’t hear the roll of a camera, the person following him didn’t seem to be a reporter. Heck, this person wasn’t even trying to mask his presence, either.
Getting curious about how long the tail would follow him, as well as what would this person do after catching up to him, Jin-Woo chose to keep walking over to the van without saying a word.
And sure enough, the tail diligently followed after him.
‘Huh. Well, I’ll be….’
Jin-Woo was getting more and more dumbfounded here. He even realised for the first time that he didn’t want to deal seriously with someone who was this unprofessional at what he was supposed to do.
However….
Just as Jin-Woo was about to grab the door handle of his van, he heard a voice calling out to him from behind.
“Are you Mister Seong Jin-Woo?”
Jin-Woo smirked slightly and turned around while thinking to himself, ‘Well, you’ve finally revealed your true colours, haven’t you.’
“Yes, I am.”
But then, Jin-Woo was momentarily taken aback after confirming the face of his opponent.
‘He’s a foreigner?’
That man’s Korean was so perfect that Jin-Woo didn’t expect him to be a Westerner at all. Meanwhile, the young Westerner, sporting a business suit so slick that it bordered on being a fashion statement, formed a smile as bright as his golden hair colour.
“This is who I am.”
The man pulled out a business card and presented it to Jin-Woo. His name, the organisation he worked for, as well as his contact numbers, were all printed in large, legible letters on the card.
[Senior Agent Adam White, Hunter Bureau, the United States of America]
‘Hunter Bureau??’
What did an elite agent from the most powerful organisation in the US want from him now?N0v3l–B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.
‘No. There’s only one reason why the Hunter Bureau would want to speak to a Hunter.’
Jin-Woo tore his eyes away from the card and looked straight at the agent, prompting the American to introduce himself with a sunny smile.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim. Please call me Adam from now on.”
Chapter 130
Jin-Woo locked his gaze on the young American man named Adam White, who turned out to be an agent of the Hunter Bureau.
‘…….’
Judging from the glint in that man’s eyes, he obviously had no ill intentions towards Jin-Woo whatsoever.
The Americans spending an exorbitant sum of money to bring in top Hunters from all over the globe was already a well-known fact. So, Jin-Woo figured that the guy would start extolling the virtues of coming to America soon after making his introduction.
However, what Adam White said next went wildly against his expectations.
“There is a piece of information we’d like to share with you, Hunter-nim.”
“Information, is it….?”
“Yes. And you won’t ever hear about this information from any other existing country or organisation in the world. Except ours, of course.”
Jin-Woo tilted his head slightly. What would be their reason for revealing such highly-classified information to a foreign Hunter like him, a complete stranger?
“Why are you willing to share such information with me?”
Jin-Woo’s probing question only managed to elicit another round of a refreshing smile from Adam White.
“We certainly will get something in return by revealing this information to an exclusive group of a specially chosen few.”
“Specially chosen few”, he said.
Which meant that the Americans considered Jin-Woo to be eligible to enter that category now. Sure enough, that roused his curiosity rather greatly.
“Okay, let’s hear it.”
“That is as far as I’m permitted to tell you, Hunter-nim. As for the rest, you’ll have to hear it from our deputy director.”
The deputy director of the mighty Hunter Bureau? A man who possessed more political clout than a minister of some government actually was in South Korea, right now?
‘Sounds like it can’t be some run-of-the-mill info, then.’
Adam White must’ve thought that he was successful in stoking the flames of Jin-Woo’s curiosity, because he finally delved into the main topic at hand.
“We have a car ready nearby. How about accompanying me to meet up with the deputy director?”
Unfortunately for him, though – it was Jin-Woo who had the final say in the matter.
‘Information, is it….’
It could only be one of two things. Either it was info that would benefit him in some way after learning of it, or a tip of someone coming after his life. Funnily enough, he didn’t feel all that compelled to get to the bottom of this matter at the moment.
For the time being, he wanted to focus on the preparations for the ‘black key’, even if this info proved to be beneficial to him. If it was the latter and someone indeed wanted to take him out, then he was pretty confident of emerging victorious from that, too.
Also, most importantly….
‘It’s not like I can fully trust the information these guys will furnish me with, in the first place….’
This whole thing about sharing information could be just a ruse, too.
He wasn’t even sure of the opponent’s hands being useful to him, or for that matter, if the opponent held any useful hands at all. So, was there a reason for him to be lead around by the nose here?
He quickly arrived at his decision.
“I’ll sleep on it, and give you a call later.”
“…!!”
Adam felt like someone had just punched him in the back of his head as this unexpected turn of the conversation left him reeling in shock.
‘What? The deputy director of the Hunter Bureau came all this way to share information, yet he’s ignoring that and wants to go on his way??’
Jin-Woo didn’t look like he was bluffing here, because he was already opening the driver’s door of the van. Cold perspiration immediately coated Adam White’s forehead.
If Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was allowed to slip through his fingers now, then who knew when he’d get another chance like this? No, there was even a distinct possibility that this could be the very last time.
It was unknown whether the Korean intended for this reaction or not, but without a doubt, the ones ruing the missed opportunity would be them, not him.
“Well, have a nice day.”
Just as Jin-Woo was about to climb into the van, the restless Adam White urgently cried out.
“P-please, hold on!”
Jin-Woo shifted his disinterested gaze over to Adam White. Hoping to rouse Jin-Woo’s curiosity further, even if it was only by a fraction, Adam White hurriedly continued on.
“Upgrader….”
“An Upgrader?”
Adam formed an expression of a defeated man and explained the meaning behind the word he just spat out.
“Did you know that there is an Awakened who can enhance the abilities of other Awakened?”
‘Yup, you should’ve started with that from the beginning.’
Right away, Jin-Woo realised that the stuff being shared by Agent Adam White, no, the deputy director of the Hunter Bureau, was actually of far greater importance than mere ‘information’.
‘An Awakened who can enhance other Awakened, is it…?’
Finally, Jin-Woo felt compelled enough now. He pulled the half-entered leg out of the van and closed the door. Adam could sigh a sigh of relief after seeing that.
“Whew…”
When he raised his head, though, Jin-Woo was already standing a couple of inches away from him.
“Jesus H. Christ?!”
The startled Adam White took a step back in fright, but Jin-Woo didn’t care about that and simply asked the man.
“Where am I supposed to go?”
Screech-
The black saloon carrying the two men came to a stop in front of a famous luxury hotel.
“We’re here.”
Jin-Woo noted that the name of the hotel was the same as the one from the memo Yu Jin-Ho handed over to him not too long ago.
‘Wait, that English-speaking foreigner Yu Jin-Ho was talking about, could it have been one of these guys?’
Jin-Woo followed after Adam White and climbed up to the suite where the deputy director was waiting for him.
The deputy director of the Hunter Bureau, Michael Connor, failed to disguise his excitement at the sight of a certain Oriental man standing behind his subordinate.
‘Very good!’
One of the more difficult aspects of negotiation was bringing the other party to the negotiating table. One could even declare that half the battle was won already by doing so.
The deputy director smiled brightly and extended his hand to Jin-Woo for a cordial handshake.
“My name is Michael Connor. I’m the deputy director of the Hunter Bureau.”
His self-introduction was translated into fluent Korean with the speed of lightning by Adam White. Jin-Woo took the deputy director’s hand and lightly shook it.
“I’m Hunter Seong Jin-Woo.”
Now that their brief introductions were over, they settled down on the opposing sides of a table. Adam remained standing next to his deputy director.
“Before we start, have anyone claiming to be from foreign Hunter-related organisations tried to make contact with you before us?”
The deputy director directly fired the opening salvo.
“No one, so far.”
Once that anticipated answer was given, the deputy director formed a smile of pure satisfaction.
‘But, of course. There shouldn’t be anyone else on Earth quicker than the United States of America.’
Only the striker a step ahead of everyone else could score the winning goal, indeed.
The deputy director didn’t plan on wasting this golden chance that no one else had the luxury to enjoy yet – especially when his target was someone his superior officer ordered to reel over to their side, no matter the cost or the method.
He didn’t even try to beat around the bush and went straight to the topic at hand.N0v3l–B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.
“Allow me to be frank with you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.
With a solemn, determined face, the deputy director pushed a rather sizeable mountain of files towards Jin-Woo and continued on.
“We, at the United States of America, want you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.”
“These are….?”
“These are all the documents needed to emigrate to America. Now normally, you’d need at least one or two years for these papers to be processed. However, it’ll be a different story for you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.”
The deputy director then raised his index finger.
“Just a single second.”
He declared in a very confident voice.
“If you agree to immigrate, then you’ll become an American citizen in one second. And not as a simple, regular citizen, either – no, you become eligible to receive the equal treatment as the nation’s existing top-ranked Hunters.”
“…”
Everything so far had been what Jin-Woo expected to hear from this man. However, what he wanted to find out about was the information related to this Awakened called ‘Upgrader’. He shifted his gaze over to Adam, causing the American agent to flinch slightly and avert his eyes away.
Jin-Woo looked back at the deputy director.
“But, I only came here because Adam said something about some ‘information’.”
The deputy director let out a burst of genial laughter when he heard that.
“That isn’t entirely unrelated to what I was talking about.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Hunter-nim. If you give us your word that you’ll become the next American Hunter, then we will definitely enhance your abilities to an even higher realm.”
The so-called ‘Upgrader’. It seemed that this Awakened could really do what that moniker implied.
Still, Jin-Woo was not entirely convinced, even if the deputy director said roughly the same thing as Agent Adam White.
‘Could there really be an Awakened possessing such a power?’
That’s why he decided to make d*mn sure.
“To enhance one’s abilities – can such a thing be for real?”
Jin-Woo’s apparent interest caused the deputy director to become even more excited.
“Actually…. she’s here with us, right now.”
Jin-Woo already knew that there was someone else within the hotel’s suite. From a while ago, he had picked up on the minute amount of magic power leaking out from the gap of the closed door just over there.
Because the magic energy emitted didn’t seem all that powerful, he was inwardly thinking that person was too weak to be a bodyguard of someone as important as the Hunter Bureau’s deputy director. And now, his suspicion proved to be correct.
The deputy director quickly issued an order.
“Please bring Madam Selner here.”
Click.
Almost immediately, the door was opened and two agents escorted a middle-aged African-American woman out from the room beyond. Jin-Woo’s eyes narrowed slightly after picking up on a strange vibe coming off of her.
‘……’
Somehow, she gave off a different aura from other, regular Awakened.
The African-American lady stood next to the table, and the agent quickly pulled out a chair for her. She then elegantly settled down on the end of the cushion.
She immediately recognised who Jin-Woo was and floated a smile of genuine interest.
“So, you are that man from the video….”
She was already familiar with all the important information on Jin-Woo and needed no introduction, so the deputy director’s job became a bit easier.
“This is Madam Norma Selner. She is the lone Awakened, the only one of her type in the entire world, who can enhance the abilities of other Awakened to even greater heights.”
At the end of the introduction, Madam Selner did a simple nod of her head as a greeting to Jin-Woo. He reciprocated the greeting with the nod, as well.
“Madam Selner. Please, if you will, briefly explain what you can do to Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.”
She formed a teasing smile while staring at the still-unconvinced Jin-Woo’s face.
“Everyone has the same look as you, in the beginning, Hunter-nim. However….”
She then leaned in closer to Jin-Woo and whispered softly to him.
“Once they have a taste, they have no choice but to beg me for more.”
“Madam, please….”
The deputy director furrowed his brows a little, prompting her to laugh out and wave her hand about.
“I know, I know. Don’t worry, Director Connor. I know that he’s a very important man.”
Still with an alluring smile, Madam Selner began with her explanation.
“Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim. As you may know already, all Awakened face a limit they can’t breach. No one can overcome it.”
That was why the ranks of the Awakened would never change, unless one was lucky enough to go through a Re-Awakening process. This was common knowledge that all living Hunters out there knew all too well.
“But, Madam. You can….?”
Even before Jin-Woo could finish his question, Madam Selner formed an expression of a little kid picking up the final piece of strawberry on top of a cake that she’d been saving up for the very last.
“You’re correct.”
Jin-Woo’s eyes grew progressively wider.
“I can increase that limit even higher in three separate stages. I don’t know whether to call it a forced Re-Awakening, or simply waking up the latent potential sleeping within the subject already, but yes, I can do it.”
What an incredible ability that was!
The things she said just now were explosive enough to shake the very cores of every top-ranked Hunters found throughout the world. Jin-Woo’s gaze shifted over to the deputy director.
He nodded his head to reaffirm what she said.
“What she said are all true. It’s just that, once she uses her powers once, she needs to take a lengthy break to recover her energy. So, only around three to four lucky Awakened get to enjoy this benefit in a single year.”
“….How effective is it?”
“It depends on individuals, but once one goes through all three stages, they say that they grew stronger by a minimum of 20 percent, and as much as 30 percent, over their original powers.”
Twenty to thirty percent!
With the average of his Stat values nearing the 250 mark, if Jin-Woo got that mystery enhancement, that average value would shoot past the 300 mark, instead,
Without a doubt, that would be an enormous leap up.
….As long as these guys weren’t lying to him, of course.
‘Is she casting a buff that raises one’s powers? Or, is it more like raising the fixed level cap?’
Regardless of what it was, the ability she possessed would be like a precious treasure for all the Hunters out there. Which also meant that there should be no shortages of people aiming for her, too.
“If the knowledge of such an ability is made public, then….”
The deputy director nodded his head.
“That is why Madam Selner is with us.”
She too worried about the exact same thing as Jin-Woo had thought of, and after lengthy deliberation, she joined the Hunter Bureau who’d guarantee her safety while also letting her use her powers as often as she wanted to.
“We ensure her absolute safety and reward her accordingly, while she enhances the abilities of those Hunters we deem worthy of joining us. We have been maintaining this symbiotic relationship for a long time now.”
And so, that’s where the deputy director bookended the explanation. Now, the time for the fireworks to begin.
“Madam Selner’s ability, that is precisely the gift we wish to give to you, Hunter-nim.”
“A gift, is it….”
Indeed, could there be a gift even more valuable than this one?
“If you become a Hunter of the United States of America, you will be the first in line to receive this benefit. Also, we will make sure that you get the best possible terms when negotiating with any Guilds you wish to join.”
From the perspective of an ordinary Hunter, these were simply too good of conditions to say no to.
Only now could Jin-Woo understand why Hwang Dong-Soo didn’t even hesitate once and emigrated to the States when everyone was criticising him for it. The enormous sum of money the Americans reportedly paid him was most likely a cover-up story to hide the real reason.
Regular Hunters would lose their collective sh*t if they ever heard of such a tale. So, if you told a top Hunter that his or her abilities could be enhanced even further? Who in their right minds would say no to that?
However….
“Can you prove that she really possesses such a power?”
Everything they said so far were just words, and there had been no proof to back them up yet.
It was her turn to butt in next.
“No need to rush. Today, I’m only here to undo the first button, you know.”
Jin-Woo finally realised what she meant earlier.
‘One taste, and people beg her for more, was it?’
Just as she had alluded to, every Hunter seeing her powers with their own eyes chose to head to America right away, one hundred times out of one hundred. Her sky-high confidence was based off on that.
The deputy director quietly asked a question to Jin-Woo.
“It is as she says. So, will you let us unlock your ‘first stage’?”
“Without anything in return?”
“Think of it as a ‘service’ from us, Hunter-nim.”
Madam Selner lightly grasped Jin-Woo’s wrist. When he turned to look at her, she formed a gentle smile and gestured to him to get closer.
“Please, look into my eyes. Look deeply into them. That will be your first step.”
Was she telling the truth?
To confirm if this Madam Selner really did possess the power the Hunter Bureau was swearing by, Jin-Woo decided to follow her instructions for the time being.
The deputy director leaned against the back of the chair and crossed his arms.
‘It’s done! He’s ours now!’
The game was already over.
Hunter Seong Jin-Woo had been constantly maintaining that cold, indifferent expression until now, but that was only because he hadn’t yet experienced what this lady’s power had to offer.
Once the first lifting of the natural limit was completed, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would call them on his own volition sooner rather than later. No, if he had an impulsive personality, then he might sign the immigration documents right here, right now.
The deputy director’s curiosity shifted on to something else now.
‘Just how high will his limit be, I wonder?’
The deputy director uncrossed his arms and rubbed his chin, his eyes of anticipation firmly locked on Jin-Woo. But, it was then.
“Heok!!”
Madam Selner sucked in her breath, as her eyes began to quake quite violently.
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