A Public Servant Hunter Who Exploits Skill Combinations – Chapter 36
Translated by: Hanzo
Chapter 36: Late (1)
I searched for the tallest building around me.
In Pohang, it was difficult to find a tall building apart from the apartments.
“...”
If impure mana was released, it was enough to dissolve clothes.
Then I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere indoors.
I thought about renting a motel, but I felt like strange rumors might spread, so I headed to a place with no people.
I didn’t want to cause any trouble.
After passing through the industrial complex and walking for a while, I found an abandoned factory.
‘If it’s here... No one will come, right?’
<Oh, come on, it’s just a body. What’s the big deal?>
‘Oh, come on, you don’t even wear clothes, so what would you know?’
Even as I took off my clothes one by one, I wondered if this was the right thing to do.
I glared suspiciously at Snake, but it didn’t budge.
Damn. I wish it would just tell me it’s a joke right now.
Finally, stripped down to my bare self, I bit my lower lip.
Fine, let’s do this.
I sat cross-legged on the spot, not a single thread of clothing on me.
The cold cement floor sent chills directly to my buttocks.
Is this really safe to trust?
Is this some kind of hidden camera?
Just in case, I looked around, but there was no camera.
I didn’t feel any mana around either.
‘Okay, start.’
<Is it time to start now?>
‘Yes. For real.’
<Really starting.>
In an instant, Snake shrank to an invisible size and disappeared from my sight.
Did it start? Did it teleport?
No, did it enter?
‘Hello? Did you enter?’
<Remember, you must not make any sound.>
The moment those words ended, I felt the pain.
Ugh...
What should I call this pain?
It felt like my internal organs were being scraped with sandpaper.
When was the last time I felt pain?
Was it when I got my arm cut off trying to help the rookie?
No.
I didn’t even feel the pain back then.
Everything just felt futile. It was the moment when everything I had built up turned to bubbles.
When my parents passed away?
I was sad, but it wasn’t this kind of pain.
Ugh!
The pain was so indescribable that it made me curse involuntarily.
That damn worm...
That damn snake, damn serpent, damn dragon, damn bastard, you damn creature.
I’ll kill it when it comes out.
Seriously, this is just...
Grit...
My molars naturally clenched.
Would this be what it feels like to separate bone from flesh?
Or peeling skin and sprinkling salt on the flesh?
I think burning at the stake (dying by immolation generally) is supposed to be the most painful experience for humans, right?
Is that serpent dancing or trying to heal my twist mana pathways?
I should have just left it twisted...
Maybe that’s why people say you should live according to your destiny.
I feel like I’m about to suffocate.
I kept praying for this hellish time to end just a little faster.
No.
Let’s just end it here...
Let’s just die!
Wouldn’t that be more comfortable?
Come to think of it, why go through hardships twice in life?
I thought regression was a blessing, but it’s hell!
It’s more comfortable just to die.
Was this regression meant to make me suffer again?
I was not in my right mind.
Who am I? Where am I?
The pain that started from my lower abdomen crawled up slowly, tearing through my kidneys, liver, stomach, heart, and more.
It would’ve been better to undergo a colonoscopy a hundred times without anesthesia.
Ah, I should’ve gone to the hospital to get some anesthetics.
I should’ve at least gotten some painkillers.
All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind.
Suddenly, I missed my mom.
Dad... it’s okay if you hang up on me.
Jun-hyuk... you can have the last piece of chicken...
I thought I should’ve treated people better and felt sorry for Ma Tae-ho too.
Then, at some point, it crawled up along my chest line, passed my shoulders, and came down to my elbows.
I cautiously opened the eyes I had tightly closed and saw something wriggling inside my arm, like bugs crawling.
Was the pain subsiding now, or was I just getting used to it...?
It felt like my mind was finally returning.
Where exactly is it going?
Does it think my body is its own private room?
Snake’s position quickly moved down to my legs.
Grr...
I almost screamed.
Something welled up inside and spilled through my lips.
I must really be getting used to the pain now.
It hurt much less than before.
As the pain lessened, my mind became clearer.
The fresh morning air around me.
The sunlight streaming through the cracks in the broken windows.
And... the snake moving inside my body.
Its movements were getting faster and faster.
Let’s see...
This is...
Could it be... my mana pathways?
It was a little different from the places I had circulated my mana before to refine it.
I composed myself and began to focus on Snake’s movements.
There must be a reason why it’s moving like this.
At that moment, the intense pain returned, forcing me to close my eyes.
A musty smell stung my nose.
I felt something flowing from my ears.
I couldn’t open my eyes to see what it was, but judging by the stench, was this the impure mana it mentioned?
Could mana flow in a liquid form like this?
Even if it wasn’t mana, it was clearly something impure.
I felt a hot energy flowing through my body, but I paid no attention and kept focusing on Snake’s movements.
As I followed its movements, my body gradually felt more comfortable.
It felt even more refreshed than before.
As I tracked it circling my entire body, I felt a new type of mana filling me, different from my old mana.
‘This... is pure mana...!’
I circulated the mana along the pathways I felt in my body and fell into a state of bliss.
Who knew activating mana could bring such peace of mind...
It felt like I could sense everything around me.
The smell from the old building walls, the breath of the earth, even the sunlight touching the leaves.
And... the breathing of Snake.
"Huh?"
I opened my eyes slightly and saw that the snake was now floating in front of me.
<You're awake now?>
"What?" I asked.
<What do you mean? It's all over. You held on well.>
"When did it end?"
<About 30 minutes ago?>
"What time is it now?"
I checked the time and saw it was past 8 o'clock.
"Ah, damn! You should've woken me up earlier!"
"Let's go quickly!"
<Really?>
"Yes!"
<Are you going like that?>
I realized I was still naked.
"..."
I quickly put on my clothes and asked, "What do I need to do?"
<I'll borrow your body for a while.>
"How?"
<Just stay still. I'll take care of the rest.>
The snake flew behind me and stuck to my spine.
<Alright then, here we go.>
***
"It's already 8 o'clock, so why hasn't Jung Tae-sung arrived?"
Hong Pal-gwang, who was monitoring the situation from the command room, was anxiously fidgeting, tapping his foot nervously.
He had placed a massive bet with the other school headmasters this time.
The Seoul headmaster had provoked him, and he couldn't just stand by.
It was a whopping 50 billion won bet.
Of course, this money was meant to purchase items or skill cards needed for the students who came in first place.
Hong Pal-gwang, wanting to give his cherished Tae-sung and other students a 50 billion won gift, gladly accepted the bet.
He didn't think they would lose, as he had that much faith in his students.
But he never expected that Jung Tae-sung wouldn't show up for the test.
"Is this what it means to be stabbed in the back by the axe you trust!?"
The test, held simultaneously across all academies, wasn't one where someone could take it later.
"If he doesn't show up like this... the prize will go to someone undeserving."
After the vacation started, they would go for guild training.
Hong Pal-gwang thought about Jung Tae-sung, whose parents were ordinary people and whose family wasn't wealthy, so he wouldn't have the money to buy expensive items.
He wanted to support him in every way possible under the guise of the bet.
Coincidentally, the association had set the final exam monster to be water-attribute, making it perfect for Jung Tae-sung.
Worried that other kids might be disadvantaged, he shared the winnings with Ma Tae-ho, Mun Jung-ho, and Seo Ye-rin.
He even bought skill cards and basic items out of his own pocket and distributed them during pop quizzes and simple practice sessions.
Hong Pal-gwang, who had always hoped that his students would grow up to be excellent hunters, felt everything was ruined this time.
Without Jung Tae-sung, they would lose the bet, and the huge prize money would go to another headmaster.
The more time passed, the more anxious he became.
He vacillated between giving up and holding onto hope.
Then, he sensed someone below.
"Huh? I definitely didn't feel any mana there before , though..."
Hong Palg-wang leaned out to see who it was.
Someone had appeared suddenly, with a pure white snake draped across their back.
"Jung Tae-sung!!"
***
8:17 AM.
"I'm a bit late, aren't I?"
"Tae-sung!"
"Where were you until now?"
Instead of anger, the voice was full of relief.
Jung Tae-sung felt guilty.
"The others have already entered the cave?"
"Yes, it seems so."
"Let's go quickly."
"We haven't found the path yet."
"Then we'll make one."
After some thought, Jung Tae-sung reached into the air, and a sword was summoned.
Taking it out of the inventory at the right moment made it look like a summoning.
As he activated his mana, Jung Tae-sung’s sword started to glow blue.
Vroom!
The sword resonated loudly.
Jung Tae-sung swung it directly at the wall ahead.
Boom!
The wall crumbled, revealing a path.
"He broke the wall..."
"Going back would take too long. Let's just break through."
The team members were surprised, but Jung Tae-sung continued to break down the next wall without concern.
Bang!
Jung Tae-sung, guided by Mana Perception, knew the location of the cave.
Following the path would only waste time.
"I didn't know this method was possible..."
"As long as we get there, it's fine."
Jung Tae-sung aimed for decent scores, not the lowest.
Especially since he was late, he felt sorry for his friends.
After breaking through five walls, the cave appeared.
Other teams were already fighting numerous monsters inside the spacious cave.
Despite Team A’s entrance, the others didn’t even glance their way.
Everyone was too busy hunting monsters.
"Where did they bring all these monsters from?"
Though it seemed strange, Jung Tae-sung focused on the test, which was more important.
From the situation, the other teams seemed to have already captured more than half of the monsters.
"Even if we catch them all... we’ll still be at the bottom?"
In the center of the cave was a small lake, from which monsters kept emerging.
There were crayfish monsters, long-legged crab monsters, and sword shrimp monsters—all crustaceans.
Together with his team, Jung Tae-sung began to shatter the hard shells and hunt the monsters.
"Crayfish monsters are slow, so just watch out for their pincers and aim for their tails."
"What about sword shrimp?"
A student, unable to remember from the Monsterology course, asked Tae-sung.
"Sword shrimps have legs that are all blades, right? But they can only attack forward. Attack from behind."
"And long-legged crabs...?"
"They have long legs, so they’re fast, and their pincers are sharp. Leave them to me."
Team tests are naturally test where the group should cooperate.
Scores depend on how well they work together, how much they assist each other, and how many get hurt.
Points were already deducted for being late.
Sparks flew from Jung Tae-sung’s sword as he sliced through the crab’s legs.
Though hunting was going smoothly, concern was evident on his face.
"If we keep catching them like this... it’ll be tough."
Other teams weren’t idly standing by because Jung Tae-sung’s team joined late.
To win, they needed to catch more and faster, but there weren’t enough monsters.
Still, giving up now wasn’t an option, so they rushed into battle.
As a sword shrimp’s sudden attack came from the side, Jung Tae-sung dodged, and his gaze turned to the ceiling of the cave.
"Huh? What’s that?"
A smile finally spread across his face.
....
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