A Public Servant Hunter Who Exploits Skill Combinations – Chapter 47
Translated by: Hanzo
Chapter 47: Think Long, Act Fast (4)
The day before the guild training.
Friends were chatting in the group chat, seemingly worried.
----
-What guild is everyone assigned to?
-I’m with this guild; does anyone know what it’s like there?
-I know someone there; should I introduce you?
-Tae-sung, aren’t you worried?
Jung Tae-sung: Huh? Worried about what?
-About going to the guild training...
-Well, he’s already at a pro-level. What’s there to worry about?
-He’ll probably dominate even after joining the guild.
-Agreed.
Jung Tae-sung: Dominate? I’ll just do my best.
----
Guild training was meant to prepare you for real-world experience.
But did I really need practical training... especially at a D-rank gate?
That said, slacking off wasn’t an option since the guild’s evaluation was reflected in our grades.
Good grades were essential for early graduation.
***
“Of all the places...”
A notification came from the Gyeonggi Hunter Academy:
----
Jung Taes-ung, you have been assigned to the Magma Guild.
Please arrive at the Magma Guild headquarters by 10:00 AM.
- Address: Seoul
- Contact: 02-777-7777
- Coordinator: 010-5555-5555
Coincidentally, the guild I was assigned to was the Magma Guild, run by Ma Jung-seok.
Well, I guess it was slightly better to be around someone I knew than a total stranger?
***
On the way home after passing the license test and receiving my license, I felt a wave of nostalgia while looking at the card.
'Wow, the picture turned out amazing, even if I say so myself.'
<Does this even look like you?>
“It’s me, alright.”
Mir glanced at the license in my hand.
<Your eyes look bigger, your nose sharper, your eyebrows darker, and your skin brighter.>
'A little editing like this is standard. Even a mana stone is considered magical with just 0.1% mana.'
<...>
Mir shook his head disapprovingly.
Anyway...
'So basically, if you eat mana stones, you ‘grow,’ but to become a true dragon, you need the real Dragon Pearl?'
<Exactly.>
'Then just growing isn’t enough...'
<I’d just remain just a strong Imugi.>
'Hang in there.'
<Will you help me find the fragments of the Dragon Pearl, then?>
'It’s not that I won’t, but... Can I even find them?'
<*Pout*.>
'Where did you even learn something like that?'
<Because of the Dragon Pearl fragments, I can’t sleep. Do you know how boring it is when you’re asleep?>
'Wait, how did you unlock my fingerprint scanner?'
<Something as trivial as your fingerprint is no match for me.>
'That’s an invasion of privacy!'
<Then make me my own account. I want a phone too.>
'Seriously?'
<I know you’re making a lot of money. I saw you on the news.>
'I spent most of it on the mana stones you ate.'
<You’ve got more unreported items, don’t you?>
'You’re practically robbing me blind.'
<So you’ll buy me one?>
Sigh.
Guess I’ll go shopping for the first time in a while. Maybe even get a car.
***
“Honey? Aren’t you eating breakfast?”
Ma Jung-seok’s expression wasn’t good from the morning.
The report he received yesterday about Jung Tae-sung coming to his guild for training had been haunting him.
Since that incident, even hearing Jung Tae-sung’s name was enough to keep him awake at night, bordering on neurosis.
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”
“If it’s nothing, stop playing with your food and eat properly. You’ve been acting so strange lately.”
Even Ma Tae-ho, unused to this atmosphere, lost his appetite.
To make matters worse, an article had recently surfaced about Jung Tae-sung capturing a group of rogue hunters.
Unlike himself—who couldn’t even enter gates without his strict father—Jung Tae-sung roamed freely between gates.
“It’s definitely because he has more practical experience than I do that he’s growing faster.”
Realizing he couldn’t remain under his father’s shadow forever, Ma Tae-ho left the house as soon as breakfast was over.
His destination: a gate.
***
---- Recruiting Mercenaries
Our guild members are at other gates, so we’re short on people. Recruiting one mercenary.
Rank D or higher. Healers preferred, but damage dealers are fine too. ----
While browsing the mercenary site, Ma Tae-ho saw that a gate had opened nearby and sent an application.
----
-I’m still an academy student; is that okay?-
What rank are you?
-Close to rank C.
-So, rank D, then?
-My gear makes me rank C.
-Perfect, you’re welcome to join.
Ma Tae-ho headed straight to the location.
Three friendly-looking hunters were waiting at the entrance.
“Hello, I’m Ma Tae-ho.”
“Are you really rank C?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Can you show us your weapon?”
Ma Tae-ho took out his sword and infused it with mana.
The hunters’ eyes gleamed at the sight of it, though Ma Tae-ho didn’t notice.
“Looks like this guy’s rich.”
“Heh heh, we’re going to make some money today.”
Unaware of anything, Ma Tae-ho followed them into the gate.
***
“A cave-type dungeon, huh?”
“Pretty knowledgeable for an academy student. You’re a freshman?”
“Yes. By the way, why are you speaking informally?”
“Because we’re older than you?”
“Even so, isn’t it rude to use informal speech to someone you just met?”
“Didn’t mean to offend you. Sure, we’ll be polite.”
Since they were still near the entrance, they humored him to prevent him from leaving, leading him deeper into the gate.
“By the way, why aren’t there any monsters here...?”
“Oh, we cleared out the earlier ones.”
Sensing something was off, Ma Tae-ho asked:
“Uh... What kind of monsters required hiring a mercenary...?”
"There's a monster at the end of the cave, and with just three of us, we’re short-handed. We need one more person. It shouldn't be too difficult."
"What kind of monster is it?"
"A Wasp Monster."
"A Wasp monster..."
"Yeah, it looks like a horse but flies like a wasp and stings."
"The Wasp monster I’ve heard about, as its name implies, looks more like a giant wasp..."
"Huh? Didn't I just say it looks like a wasp?"
"You said it looks like a horse just now..."
"Must have misspoken. Haha."
The group found it unsettling that Ma Tae-ho seemed to know more than expected.
Still, what’s the worst that could happen?
Once we go a bit deeper, he'll be too distracted by the monster to realize what's going on.
At this point, Ma Tae-ho also felt something was off.
Still, having come this far, it was hard to just turn back. He decided to go a little further.
He could definitely sense the presence of multiple monsters deeper inside not just one.
Why did they say that there was only one monster left?
When they encountered a monster, everyone drew their weapons.
But to his shock, the weapons were pointed not at the monster but at Ma Tae-ho.
"What... what is this?"
"How naïve. For a sharp-looking guy, your instincts are sure dull."
"You may be good, but you're surrounded: monsters behind you, us in front. How long do you think you can last?"
Ma Tae-ho bit his lower lip hard.
It had happened—the scenario he'd feared yet ignored. He cursed his own complacency.
"So, you're saying... you want to fight me now?"
"Hand over everything you've got, and maybe we'll let you live."
Ma Tae-ho thought this might be a chance—a chance to capture hunters committing illegal acts, like Jung Tae-sung did.
But he was still too inexperienced.
Handling both the monster behind him and the hunters in front was too much.
Even though Ma Tae-ho was skilled, he was still just a rookie.
***
"Don’t you have any black ones?"
"Sorry, the only vehicle we have for immediate delivery is red."
Ugh, I didn’t want a red car.
I needed a car by tomorrow to get to the Magma Guild.
Sure, I could use the subway, but that's just too inconvenient.
"Our system checks nationwide inventory, so it’ll be the same no matter where you go."
"Fine, just give me the contract."
"How would you like to pay?"
"Cash."
"If you use a card, you'll get a bigger discount, sir."
"I don't need the discount. Budgeting monthly payments is too much of a hassle."
"I see."
I got straight to the point.
"What kind of extras can you throw in?"
"These days, extras aren't usually included..."
"But you’ll figure something out, right?"
He nodded vigorously.
"We'll include tinting and a dashcam as standard. Anything else you'd like?"
"Make sure they're top-quality, not cheap stuff. I'll pay extra if necessary."
"Understood. We'll get the best. We can also throw in car cleaning supplies..."
"I’ll be using automatic car washes, so no need for cleaning supplies."
I wasn't the type to cherish my car enough to wash it by hand.
"Please make it as quick as possible. I need the car by tomorrow."
"Sure. We’ll deliver it to you in four hours."
"Thank you."
Having financial freedom seemed to naturally grant me a sense of ease in dealing with people.
I recalled how, in the past, I'd been so frugal and nitpicky over every little purchase.
But what matters is the present.
I wasn't going to live like that anymore.
I chose a practical domestic car. After all, a car accident wouldn’t hurt me badly enough to matter.
And in Korea, a sports car doesn’t really get you anywhere faster. It only draws unnecessary attention.
Though, thinking about it now, if I was going to get a red car, I might as well have gone for a sports car.
Oh well, I’ll consider upgrading later.
For now, it’s just a vehicle for commuting.
While waiting for the car, I decided to grab some coffee at a nearby café.
Sitting by the window, I noticed a gate forming in the distance.
‘Looks like a dungeon gate. Judging by the size, it’s probably D-rank.’
Since it was in a city area, someone must have claimed it.
But given how no one had entered yet, it was likely due to its low rank.
Then I saw a familiar face.
‘Wait, is that Ma Tae-ho? What’s he doing here...?’
And the people he was with...
Red hair...
***
Back in my second year of high school, during my previous life.
At the time, I was in Class 10, chatting with friends during a break.
Someone burst into the classroom, shouting.
"Did you guys hear?"
"Hear what?"
"Two students from Class 9 haven’t shown up for a week."
"Why?"
"Apparently, there’s been a rash of posts recruiting mercenaries. They’d lure rookies—F-rank or D-rank—into gates, then kill them and steal their items."
The shocking news stunned the entire class.
"No way... so those students are dead?"
"The father of one of the victims tracked the culprits down. Turns out they were killed in a gate."
"Oh no..."
"They even said Ji-hoon went along to help his friend."
"That's so tragic."
"It’s said Ji-hoon’s parents recognized his beloved sword being used by the culprits and beat them half to death."
"Those guys deserved to die."
"They actually did die—while being transported to prison, under mysterious circumstances."
"Who killed them?"
"No idea."
"Well, at least justice was served."
"People like that should suffer instead of getting off easy."
"Why?"
"They killed over 30 hunters. Death is too quick for them."
***
Red hair...
Red hair...
I had a hunch and opened the mercenary website.
I searched for posts near my location and found one.
‘No way...’
Leaving my unfinished coffee, I ran toward the gate.
Though I hesitated for a moment, I acted quickly.
Pulling up my hood, putting on a mask, and using my Stealth skill, I slipped into the gate unnoticed.
Comments
Post a Comment