A Public Servant Hunter Who Exploits Skill Combinations – Chapter 12
Translated by: Hanzo
Chapter 12: The Tempter (2)
“Pyo Do-yeop, you bastard! How on earth do you handle things!?”
The Cloud Guild Leader, Choi Tae-sik.
He was a figure who reached the pinnacle of South Korea through magic.
A formal notice had just arrived at his guild.
Seeing it, Choi Tae-sik was furious to the core.
[The Cloud Guild will have its rights to all dungeon gates revoked for the next three months.]
“Do you even understand how long three months is!?”
“I-I’m sorry…”
“If it’s something related to the Academy, you should have handled it by the book! Why did you act on your own and make such a mess of things!?”
“...”
“Do you have any idea how much this will cost us? If we can’t access dungeons for three months… Ha. This is driving me crazy.”
At least no one was killed, which was a relief.
If anyone involved had died, it wouldn’t just be three months—it’d likely be three years or more.
They might have even lost their sponsorship rights with the Academy.
“And on top of that… was it really the class with the top-ranked recruit we’re targeting?”
“...”
“If you can’t bring that kid in, you’re dead meat.”
“…Understood.”
“Get out.”
“Yes, sir.”
His mind was preoccupied with how to lure that young man in.
***
“So, let me get this straight… The student stumbled as soon as he exited the gate, and a giant spider appeared right after?”
“Yes.”
“…And yet, the startled student managed to pull out a sword in that brief moment and stabbed the spider right in the belly, which just happened to be its weak spot? And while the spider was immobilized, you and the teacher attacked its eyes?”
“That’s correct.”
Pyo Do-yeop couldn’t comprehend what his guildmate was saying.
“What do you think the odds are of such a series of coincidences happening?”
“Uh? It seemed pretty natural to me...”
“Isn’t that the kid’s first time seeing a monster?”
“Well, he might have seen one before.”
“I mean, wasn’t it his first time hunting? He awakened only three weeks ago, and he took down a giant spider…”
“The ones who actually took it down were the teacher and I.”
That was true.
They had killed the spider, but if the student hadn’t stabbed its belly, the spider would have gone on a rampage.
“Did you bring back the corpse?”
“Yes. Even though it was a transforming gate, it was within our guild’s jurisdiction, so we claimed it.”
“Any items dropped?”
“No.”
“What about the mana stone?”
“Here…”
“It’s pretty big…”
While examining the spider’s corpse, Pyo Do-yeop discovered that its belly had been completely melted.
“The student stabbed the belly with a sword, right? What kind of sword would do this to its belly?”
The inside was burned and disfigured beyond recognition.
Just looking at it made his face twist in discomfort.
“What, did he shoot a million volts into it?”
“Excuse me?”
Lost in thought while observing the melted remains, he was perplexed.
To his knowledge, no such weapon existed.
“A sword that burns... Is it a special item? Why would the student have it? Or did he cast Fireball at its belly? Back when I was at the Academy, I think I only knew Fireball around that time… Are kids these days learning faster?”
Even so, it was impressive.
“Did you see him swing his sword?”
“There wasn’t much time to notice… As soon as the giant spider appeared at the gate entrance, it let out a shriek.”
“Hmm, did he use magic as well?”
But that didn’t make sense either.
Using magic while swinging a sword?
Even with both physical and sensory enhancements, it wouldn’t be easy.
It wasn’t impossible, but…
“Could Fireball even cause this level of destruction?”
After much speculation, he arrived at a single conclusion.
“The kid must be a lightning-type sensory mage.”
There weren’t many strong hunters who manipulate electricity.
Lightning-related skill cards were extremely rare.
Even if someone can manipulate electricity, the power only multiplies with a skill card.
“Lightning… It has been 20 years since a person with a mana score of over 1,000 who manipulated lightning last appeared… How fascinating.”
He was determined to recruit him into the guild.
Pyo Do-yeop picked up a treasured skill card.
“This should be enough to lure him in, right?”
Even though the boy was young, he figured the value of the card would be evident.
“Wait, maybe this isn’t enough…”
With a small sigh, Pyo Do-yeop pulled out a few more skill cards and tucked them into his pocket.
***
Teacher Kim Jung-jun called me.
'Is it because of yesterday? I deliberately gave them the spider’s corpse to avoid bringing it to school, worrying they might analyze it…'
I was already drawing too much attention. If it got out that I handled the giant spider, the spotlight would be unbearable.
That would be a hassle.
And there stood Pyo Do-yeop.
Huh? What’s he doing here?
“Jung Tae-sung.”
“Yes.”
“I apologize.”
He suddenly bowed his head to me.
“Huh?”
“I heard what happened. They said you stumbled, and a monster appeared above you.”
What’s the point of apologizing now? Compensation should be in cash.
With a reluctant expression, I replied.
“Oh, uh, it’s fine.”
“We were supposed to guard the entrance, but I underestimated the situation. Something terrible could’ve happened because of me, and you stopped it.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say I stopped it…”
“Fortunately, it wasn’t a different kind of monster. Since it happened to have a weak spot in its belly, it was defeated without a major incident.”
If it had been another monster I knew, I would’ve taken care of it easily too.
Pyo Do-yeop took something out of his pocket.
“Take this.”
“This is…?”
“This is the mana stone from the monster you defeated.”
“Can I really take this?”
I looked at my teacher.
The teacher slowly nodded.
“You made the biggest contribution to defeating the spider.”
“Haha…”
To a hunter, mana stones meant money.
This one was large, so it would fetch a decent amount.
I never refuse gifts—that’s my principle.
“Thank you.”
In today’s world, mana stones were indispensable.
The most notable example? Batteries.
Modern phone batteries were made from mana stones. Once installed, they didn’t need charging for an entire year.
Mana stones have permeated daily life as a new energy source.
But he couldn’t have come all this way just to give me this.
“This isn’t all, is it?”
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
“You’re quick-witted.”
From his other pocket, Pyo Do-yeop pulled something else.
At first glance, it was a skill card.
It was likely an apology gift from the Cloud Guild.
“This is something our guild prepared.”
Without even opening the pouch containing the skill, I asked, “Why are you giving me this?”
“As a gesture to win your favor.”
“Mine?”
“Yes.”
“In what way?”
“You’re on your way to becoming one of the greatest Hunters, aren’t you?”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“We plan to provide you with full support.”
Wow, “we,” huh? Subtly trying to get me involved.
I opened the pouch containing the skill cards just a little.
At a glance, they were high-grade skill cards.
Oh... These would be great for combining into even higher-grade cards later.
And... Lightning Bolt? That rare skill?
“What happens if I accept this?”
“It just means we want to build a good relationship. Nothing more. We feel bad about what happened, and you can think of the skills as a reminder that the Cloud Guild has your back.”
He sure talks a lot. It’s clear this isn’t just about goodwill.
“So I can just accept it...?”
“Yes.”
Then he handed me his business card.
“And... If anyone bothers you, just contact me.”
All I did was try to help the teacher, and now the Cloud Guild is offering to back me.
But there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
This is their way of saying, “Join our guild.”
In the end, this isn’t a gift—it’s a bribe.
Trying to rope me in so hastily, huh?
I’d heard the Cloud Guild was good at recruiting, but this is something else. It was almost too easy to fall for.
If I weren’t in my second life, I might have accepted it without hesitation.
Hmm... Maybe it would be better for this to go public? That way, other guilds might leave me alone.
It wasn’t because I wanted the skill cards in front of me.
Still, it feels a bit early.
There’s time before anything official, and I can use this time to build more connections.
“Well, thank you for the gifts, but I’ll need to think about the guild offer.”
“...Uh, what?”
Pyo Do-yeop stammered, looking like he’d been caught off guard.
“So... You mean you don’t need the guild’s support?”
It seemed he hadn’t expected me to just take the cards without agreeing to join.
“I need time to think. But I’ll put these to good use. Thank you.”
Understanding my intent, the teacher stepped in to usher him out.
“That’s enough for today. We have work to do.”
Pyo Do-yeop, looking a little flustered, gathered himself and spoke.
“Well... Thank you for your time... I’m deeply sorry about what happened... I’ll... be in touch.”
His sentences trailed off, and his regret was obvious as he left.
Once he was gone, the teacher asked me quietly, “Jung Tae-sung...”
“Yes?”
“Do you not like the Cloud Guild?”
“It’s not that I dislike them...”
“You made the right decision. More guilds will approach you soon.”
That’s not it—I’m just not interested in guilds at all.
“And by the way... Did you know the monster’s belly was its weak spot?”
“...What?”
“...Never mind. Take a good rest this weekend, and I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Thank you.”
***
On the way back to the dorms.
From afar, I could see most of the lights were off.
The week had ended, so most students had either gone out or returned home.
Maybe it was because the dorm was so quiet, but I had a sudden thought.
Am I changing the future too much?
Because of me, someone might not have made it into the special class.
Because of me, someone might not have killed the Trolls.
Because of me, someone who should have died is still alive.
Could these changes come back to haunt me?
No.
Could anything be worse than my past life?
I’m doing well.
I’m just creating better memories.
Yes.
Everything will be fine.
Things will improve.
The connections I’m building now will surely help me someday.
I opened the dorm door, swinging the plastic bag in my hand.
“Jun-hyuk, want a drink?”
Jun-hyuk, who had been concentrating on sensing mana, frowned.
“At this hour? Of course, I’m in.”
Time passed as we shared drinks.
“Aren’t you going home tomorrow?”
“Yeah, what about you?”
“I’m staying to focus on activating my mana.”
“Why? Having trouble?”
“Next time, I’ll definitely make it to Class 9.”
I could sense his determination.
“Good luck.”
“Thanks. Wait, where are you going?”
When I stood up, he asked.
“I need to log my weekend leave.”
“Oh, right. You get demerits if you don’t.”
“Exactly. Such a hassle...”
Weekdays didn’t allow much freedom, but weekends were relatively relaxed.
Of course, any misconduct lead to expulsion, so we had to be careful.
***
[Jung Tae-sung. January 12–13. Leave. Reason: Home.]
Long after Jung Tae-sung ascended the stairs and left, someone emerged from the shadows.
Looking around cautiously, the figure rummaged through the leave log.
Having confirmed something, he pulled out his phone and sent a message.
----
- Angel. Leaving tomorrow. Going home.
- OK.
- When’s my payment?
- Send your account details.
- Understood. Thank you.
- After confirming his account, he smiled in satisfaction and disappeared into the darkness.
......
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