A Public Servant Hunter Who Exploits Skill Combinations – Chapter 9

Translated by: Hanzo

Chapter 09: Secret Outing (1)

Gyeonggi Hunter Academy was located in Taehwasan Mountain, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.

It took roughly 20 km to get to Suwon Station from there.

But that was the distance when traveling by car. In a straight line, it was about 15 km.

Even by car, it took a little over 20–30 minutes.

I decided to run there to test the condition of my mana-enhanced body.

“I’m faster than a bicycle anyway.”

As I activated my mana, I felt it circulating through my entire body.

“Alright, let’s run.”

It had been a while since I’d run, and the wind brushing against my face felt refreshing.

The sensation wasn’t bad.

One of the perks of being awakened was being able to do absurd things like this.

Strength and speed that surpass human limits.

Sometimes, this power brought me joy.

I wondered what it would feel like to reach S-class.

After running for a while, I arrived at Samseongsan Mountain.

The wind entering through my mask felt cold.

Since it was still March, the early mornings were quite chilly.

“Once I get over this mountain, I’ll reach the residential area.”

With people around, running fast could be dangerous.

Since I had snuck out, drawing attention wasn’t ideal.

On large roads, I walked quickly, and in empty alleys, I ran.

As a result, I arrived in 30 minutes.

“It should be around here somewhere…”

While I was here, I decided to look for other useful skill cards to buy.

I couldn’t come out and go through this hassle every time, could I?

“But where was it? I’m sure it was near here.”

It had been over 20 years since I last came here, so I couldn’t recall the exact location.

But there was no need to worry.

All I had to do was follow the hunters heading to the same place.

Soon enough, I noticed a man who practically screamed, “I’m a hunter,” heading suspiciously into an alley.

“Ah, it was that alley.”

The many alleys had confused me, but stepping into it brought back faint memories that began to sharpen.

Beyond the alley was a five-story commercial building next to a utility pole. The entrance to the underground was there.

However, since it was an unofficial place, you couldn’t access the underground from the usual entrances.

The building was designed to look as though it didn’t have a basement, with its entrance sealed from the outside.

I first went up to the second floor. This building had elevators starting from it.

I walked down the hallway and pressed the button in front of the elevator.

Interestingly, the elevator didn’t have a button for the basement.

But—

“If you press the buttons for the first and second floors at the same time…”

With a small vibration, the elevator began descending.

Ding!

“Basement 1.”

As the door opened, a scene unfolded that made me feel like I’d entered another world.

It resembled Yongsan Electronics Market, with numerous stores clustered together.

For these people, the moon was their sun.

Their work began as soon as the moon rose.

“What are you here for? I’ll give you a good deal.”

“Come this way. Best prices in the country!”

Ignoring the merchants, I walked further inside.

[Kyung-do’s General Store]

This was the place.

Unlike other shops, they didn’t call out to customers.

That alone indicated confidence in their prices.

Moreover, the owner, Choi Kyung-do, was someone I’d encountered several times in the future.

The guild I was once part of had dealt with Kyung-do’s store.

It was essentially tax evasion. Official skill card transactions came with exorbitant taxes, so unofficial routes like this were often used.

Who would’ve thought the few visits I’d made back then would come in handy now?

I opened the door and stepped inside.

Just like before, there was no one here.

This man sure ran his shop casually.

Various items were displayed, but none were related to hunters.

I knocked on the glass table.

Knock knock. Knock knock. Knock.

Only then did I hear a door inside open.

A younger Choi Kyung-do appeared.

“Hm? What brings someone from the Desire Guild here at this hour?”

The knock pattern was a kind of password.

I was worried it might have changed, but it hadn’t.

“It still works? In that case…”

“I could expand the scale a bit.”

“I need something urgently.”

“What do you need?”

“Fireball…”

“Excuse me?”

Judging by his expression, he was probably thinking, ‘You came here at this hour for that?’

“And… various other things…”

“Do you need any items?”

“…What do you have?”

“An A-class field gate was recently conquered. Some pretty good stuff came out of there.”

When he pressed a button, an entire wall slid upward, revealing another layer filled with weapons and skill cards.

It had been impressive the first time I saw it, and it was still impressive now.

I began scanning the items, feigning a calm demeanor.

“Ah, that ring…”

“You recognized it right away. Yes, I got married recently.”

He raised his left hand and spun it, proudly showing off his wedding ring.

What’s with him?

“No, not your wedding ring. The ‘Ring of Purification’ in the third slot behind you.”

Choi Kyung-do looked disappointed.

“Ah, I see. How do you know about the Ring of Purification? It’s quite new.”

Back in my day, everyone had one.

Some monsters could cast status ailment magic.

The Ring of Purification was a must-have for hunters to counteract such effects.

If you were hit by a status ailment at the wrong time, even weak monsters could kill you.

Now, let’s see what else I need…

“Do you have any skill cards related to shadows?”

“Shadow skills, you say?”

Standing on a chair to reach a high shelf, he pulled down a small box from a spot that was otherwise out of reach.

"Shadow Spikes? Shadow Dash? Concealment? Tell me what you need."

"All of those, plus the basic attribute set, 10 F-rank sets, and 10 D-rank sets."

"All of this?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

"Not a problem, but it's going to be expensive."

"Charge it to the guild's account. Settle it along with the 30-day reconciliation. These are for distributing as prizes to the new recruits."

"Oh, is there some event going on?"

"Yes, but you don’t need the details."

Each transaction was billed when needed and settled on a 30-day cycle. What I’m buying barely amounts to 5% of the final reconciliation total, so it’ll be unnoticeable.

In the past, when I came with guild members, the manager told me to pick something I liked because everything would be bundled and calculated together, making it impossible to single anything out. Even if it did get noticed, they couldn’t report it since it’s an illegal activity. They’d have to confront it directly if they really wanted to.

But this place has no CCTV plus I barely had any distinguishable features, so identifying someone from a vague description would be nearly impossible.

After confirming the reconciliation terms, Choi Kyung-do handed over the skill cards and the ring without further suspicion.

‘I’d love to buy more, but exceeding this amount could be risky. I’ll have to siphon things bit by bit to avoid detection.’

Although I initially came here to buy a Fireball, gaining access to the Desire Guild's shadow trade ledger was an unexpected jackpot.

How long have they been using this system?

With a satisfied smile, I stored the skill cards in my inventory and slid the ring onto my finger. It was simple enough in design that no one would notice it unless they were familiar with it.

After wrapping up, I exited the store. I bought chicken and beer for Jun-hyuk and returned to the residential area.

As I walked, I felt the mana in my body stir. A prickling sensation swept through my entire body.

‘This feeling...’

I turned my head and saw a crack forming in the air.

‘A field gate...?’

***

At a hotel in Gyeonggi Province.

A mysterious woman sat, brimming with frustration.

"How do I even get close to this Jung Tae-sung or whatever his name is?"

She had rented a hotel near the academy, thinking he might come out over the weekend, essentially staking out in advance.

Not many would conduct surveillance in such luxury.

"Of all places, why somewhere so boring? Should I just hit a nightclub or something..."

As she sipped wine by the window, she felt something unusual.

‘A gate...?’

She hesitated briefly but then dashed out immediately. The distance wasn’t too far, and she thought she could make it in time if she ran.

‘I hope it’s a field gate. Dungeon gates aren’t in our guild’s jurisdiction.’

As she drew closer to the gate, her suspicions solidified.

‘It’s a field gate. Perfect, I was getting bored. A gate’s better than a nightclub anyway.’

She was a Hunter through and through.

She sprinted toward the distant gate at full speed.

Upon arrival, she saw a Troll emerging from the crack.

"Only one?"

No. Eight Trolls were already sprawled on the ground.

"Someone already took out this many?"

Monsters from field gates belong to whoever kills them first.

As she prepared to draw her sword to claim at least one, a figure leaped over the troll in front of her.

"!?"

The man drove a blazing sword directly into the Troll’s crown.

Crunch!

The Troll couldn’t withstand the force and collapsed to the ground.

‘What... What kind of sword is that?’

The massive Troll’s fall made the ground tremble.

Thud!

As Yoo Chae-ah approached, she saw the man rummaging through the troll's corpse.

"Hey, you there?"

"Ah!"

The man flinched as if caught in the act and immediately bolted.

"Wait a minute!"

"Another one’s coming. Please handle it. You can take the loot too."

"What?"

Roooaaar!

A Troll’s roar echoed from behind her.

"What the hell? You’re just leaving me to clean up?"

Grumbling, she drew her sword.

"Ugh."

After dispatching the monster as quickly as possible, she looked toward the direction the man had fled, but he was already gone without a trace.

"Ugh, seriously. Making me do cleanup duty and running off like that."

Other Hunters arrived only to find everything already dealt with, their disappointment evident.

Yoo Chae-ah called her guild office to arrange for the monster corpses to be collected.

"Getting the loot is great and all, but who was that guy...? I’ve never seen those techniques before, or that sword..."

Even factoring in the time it took for eight Trolls to spawn, taking them all down suggested someone at her level—or possibly higher.

‘Forget Jung Tae-sung or whatever. Recruiting someone like him would be better.’

She pulled out her phone and opened NewTube, where Hunters' combat footage was often uploaded in real-time.

Some citizens filmed her, but she was accustomed to it and paid no attention.

For ordinary people, watching Hunters fight in the field was a thrilling spectacle.

Hunters were as popular as celebrities, and their combat footage often went viral.

And sure enough, today’s video of his exploits had made it to NewTube.

-Whoa, what’s with those moves?

-He’s like a spring!

-I’ve never seen anyone move like this recently.

-One-shot, one-kill. Impressive.

-Who’s this guy? He seems handsome.

└Not identified yet.

-Which guild does he belong to?

└Unknown.

-What do you know then?

└That you’re an idiot.

-Wanna fight?

└But why is no one talking about his flaming sword?

-Whoa, now that you mention it... Does anyone use a weapon like that?

-I’ve seen Hunters throw flames, but this is different.

-Is that an S-rank skill?

-If so, does that mean he’s S-rank?

-Skills alone don’t define rank. It depends on mana refinement levels.

-At least A-rank, I’d say.

-Who are you to judge?

-Wait, is that Yoo Chae-ah in the last scene?

-OMG, it is her! She’s gorgeous.

As Yoo Chae-ah scrolled through the comments, she was left speechless.

‘My god... That’s how he hunts?’ 

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