A Public Servant Hunter Who Exploits Skill Combinations – Chapter 10
Translated by: Hanzo
Chapter 10: Secret Outing (2)
I arrived beneath the dormitory bathroom window and called Jun-hyuk.
Since the bathroom window could only be opened from the inside, I absolutely needed Jun-hyuk’s help.
I couldn’t exactly break down the door.
Ring-ring.
The call connected, and a drowsy voice answered.
"Mm… Hello?"
"Jun-hyuk, I’m here. Hurry and come down."
"Ugh… You’re just now getting here? I nearly fell asleep waiting."
"Sounds like you already did. Haha. Sorry to wake you, but come down naturally to the first-floor bathroom so the security guard doesn’t get suspicious."
"Got it."
A little while later, I heard the bathroom door open, followed by Jun-hyuk’s cheerful voice.
"Hey, you didn’t come all this way at this hour empty-handed, did you?"
"I’ve got chicken and beer."
"Oh! Hand it over first!"
"…Is that more important than me?"
"Don’t you know the rule? In any deal, you check the goods first."
"Fine, catch."
I tossed the chicken and beer through the window, and Jun-hyuk’s satisfied voice followed.
"Okay, goods confirmed."
Thanks to him, I was able to return to my dorm room safely.
I didn’t forget to clean myself up in the bathroom first.
Jun-hyuk didn’t ask any questions, even when he saw my dirtied clothes.
***
Eating chicken secretly in the dorm room was pure bliss.
"But the chicken’s a bit cold."
"Yeah, I ran into someone on the way here."
"Who?"
"Friends. It’d been a while since we last met, so we had a lot to talk about."
"Friends?"
"Yeah. I’ll introduce them to you sometime if I get the chance."
Even in the middle of the night, Jun-hyuk was happily devouring the chicken.
"If you hadn’t brought chicken, I wasn’t going to open the door."
"I’ll bring some again next time I go out."
"Good. You really are a good friend."
Such a simple guy…
"Hey, did you see the video of that hunter taking down Trolls today?"
"Uh…?"
Oh no, I’d forgotten about the NewTube upload.
There were a few people around when I took down the Trolls, but I didn’t think the video would go up this quickly...
These days, hunter combat videos were a staple on NewTube.
Thankfully, I had my hood up and mask on, so I shouldn’t be too recognizable.
"What the… Is that you in the video?"
"...."
I didn’t think of this.
"No, it’s not me."
I decided to deny it for now.
"Right? It can’t be you."
Does he genuinely not know, or is he pretending not to?
"Does that really look like me?"
Jun-hyuk alternated between the video and me before shaking his head.
"Nah. There’s no way you could fight like that."
Simple guy…
But it made sense.
Among the freshmen, there wasn’t anyone who could fight like that.
Jun-hyuk might be simple-minded, but no one would suspect me.
That kind of combat skill and instinct wasn’t something you develop overnight.
***
"Today is Introduction to Weapons class. The reason you’re all gathered here in the gymnasium is for a weapons aptitude test."
There are many types of weapons.
From daggers to longswords, greatswords, twin swords, throwing stars, shurikens—
Axes, staffs, shields, maces, clubs, chains, scythes, and more.
Most of these weapons were obtained by hunting monsters.
The reason human-made weapons weren't usable was simple:
Only weapons that come through dungeon gates could be stored in an inventory window.
Carrying large weapons around wass inconvenient in modern times.
It could also intimidate regular people.
Most importantly, human-made weapons couldn’t be infused with mana.
"Each of you, step forward and try out the weapons. Choose the one that feels most suitable."
Mun Jung-ho, standing next to me, spoke up.
"What are you going to pick?"
"Me? I’ll just go with a sword."
"A sword, huh? Makes sense."
"Why?"
"It seems most suitable for fighting enemies. A greatsword is powerful but too slow, while a dagger is fast but lacks destructive power. The other weapons are too specialized."
As expected from someone destined to become an S-rank hunter.
‘But you’ll end up wielding a greatsword.’
Most hunters, except for those with sensory abilities, carry swords.
Against monsters, slashing with a sword was the most effective approach.
However, relying on just one weapon wasn’t wise.
Depending on the enemy, you might need to crush, pierce, or deflect.
Of course, mana refinement was more important than the weapon itself.
Even the best weapon was meaningless if you couldn't utilize mana.
I chose a standard dagger.
Since they were giving it out for free, I had no reason to refuse.
These basic weapons couldn’t handle high-level mana.
At minimum, you need an advanced-grade weapon to use mana effectively.
Weapons were classified into Common, Advanced, Rare, and Heroic grades.
The sword I received from the headmaster, the [Rekka's Sword], was rare-grade.
Since I already had an excellent sword, I opted for a dagger.
"Now that you’ve chosen your weapons, try infusing them with mana."
As expected of the special class, we went straight to practical training.
I wasn’t particularly interested, so I simply stared out the window.
"The first person to resonate their weapon will receive a skill card—"
Before the teacher could finish, my sword began to hum.
"Here, sir."
Shortly after, Ma Tae-ho’s sword resonated.
"Jung Tae-sung, you were the quickest."
He glared at me, but I didn’t pay it any mind.
This was mine, no question about it. I wouldn’t let Ma Tae-ho take it.
Soon after, Mun Jung-ho and Seo Ye-rin’s swords also resonated.
Those guys… Impressive as always.
***
The next class was Introduction to Gateology.
The teacher, Kim Jung-jun, didn’t leave much of an impression on me for some reason.
‘Did we really have a teacher like this?’
"Who’s the class representative for this group?"
"We haven’t chosen one yet."
"Then let’s start by electing one."
Introduction de Gateology seemed to have extra time for such activities.
I recalled that we elected a class representative during this class back then, too
.
"Who wants to be class representative?"
Everyone stared blankly at the teacher.
‘Who was the representative for the special class again?’
Kim Chan-seong suddenly recommended Ma Tae-ho.
‘Oh, right. Ma Tae-ho was the representative. Of course, he was.’
Out of nowhere, Mun Jung-ho raised his hand.
‘Huh? Did he compete with Ma Tae-ho for the role?’
"I nominate Jung Tae-sung."
What the heck? Where did that come from?
"Jung Tae-sung? Is he the student who achieved outstanding scores on the recent test? It's an honor to meet the star of our school here," the teacher said.
At those words, Ma Tae-ho, who was standing at the front as a candidate, twitched his eyebrows. Since his awakening, he had likely received all the attention. The thought of it now being taken by me seemed to bother him.
"No, I don't want to be class president..." he started to say, but then,
Kim Chanseong spoke up again.
"Let's do a vote!"
***
Ma Taeho: 12 votes
Jung Taesung: 18 votes
I didn't even want the position... How did it end up like this?
When I glanced at Ma Tae-ho, his expression was thoroughly twisted. His tightly clenched fists trembled slightly, likely from how much force he was exerting. Oblivious to all this, the teacher clapped their hands cheerfully.
"Wow! Congratulations, Jung Tae-sung, you're the class president!"
Wait a minute. This isn't what I wanted.
“Fifty years old, and here I am. High school nonsense—class president? Me? Class president?”
"Now, who will be the vice president? Ma Tae-ho, would you like to do it?"
"Teacher, I recommend Seo Ye-rin as vice president," Yoo Hye-ri interjected.
"Oh, in that case, let's choose between Ma Tae-ho and Seo Ye-rin..."
"Let’s vote for it!"
"Yes, voting would be fair!"
***
Ma Taeho: 1 vote
Seo Yerin: 29 votes
Seo Ye-rin was elected as vice president.
Ma Tae-ho's face looked ready to explode. Judging by his glare at Kim Chan-seong, that one vote must have been his own. The teacher, paying no attention to the tension, spoke to Seo Ye-rin and me.
"Alright, you two will work together from now on."
"...Okay," Seo Ye-rin responded.
"Tae-sung, no reply?"
"...Yes," I muttered reluctantly.
"Soon, we’ll be visiting a dungeon gate directly."
At this, Seo Ye-rin asked, "Do you mean we’re entering the gate?"
"Of course."
"Are there monsters in there?"
"Who knows? Here's a question: what should you do if you encounter a monster?"
The teacher’s gaze seemed to rest on me, so I answered absentmindedly.
"Attack first."
"Uh, well... that's correct, but as students, it's better to run away for now."
***
-Break Time
As Mun Jung-ho and I stood at the vending machine getting drinks, nearby conversations reached my ears.
"Did you see the video yesterday?"
"What video?"
"The one about the Flame Hunter."
Cough.
"Oh, the one where they took down eight Trolls at once?"
My ears perked up naturally as I tuned in to their conversation.
Jung-ho also caught the comment and turned to me.
"You saw it too?"
"Uh... yeah, I did..." I lied. I hadn’t actually watched it.
"My dad was talking about it this morning. Apparently, the guilds are going crazy trying to find that hunter."
"Why?"
"To recruit them, obviously."
"Is taking down eight Trolls such a big deal?"
"That's not the point. The hunter's sword was on fire. That’s not something just anyone can do, right?"
It seemed the Flame Slash skill I used had drawn attention.
Trolls had strong regenerative abilities, so they needed to be burned to prevent regeneration. Using a skill combination, I’d created the skill Flame Slash to deal with them all at once.
It wasn’t just the slash skill. My real strategy was binding them with a shadow skill card I’d recently purchased and attacking them simultaneously.
In short, it was skill-based luck—a flashy trick.
The situation seemed to have been exaggerated quite a bit...
***
"Tomorrow’s the weekend. Any plans?"
"I’ll probably visit home. Need to grab some clothes."
"Clothes? Why?"
I couldn’t exactly say they got ruined from fighting monsters.
"I didn’t bring enough when I came."
"Oh, got it. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll lend you some."
"Sure."
Jung-ho was generous and considerate, befitting his wealthy background.
Though Ma Tae-ho was destined to become an S-rank hunter, I preferred Jung-ho because of his character.
Jung-ho remained kind-hearted even in the future, whereas Tae-ho always gave off an unlikable vibe.
His guild and mine had clashed in the past, leaving a bad taste.
The school broadcast interrupted my thoughts:
[First-year students in the Special Class, please gather in the parking lot.]
‘Huh?’
When I arrived, Mr. Kim Jung-jun was waiting.
"Oh, teacher."
"Ah, everyone, we’ll be doing an additional class today."
"An additional class?"
"Yes, there’s a D-rank dungeon gate nearby that’s about to close. We’ll go for a field trip before it disappears."
Though it had been planned for next week, he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity while the gate was open. A D-rank gate was low-risk anyway.
The special class students and I boarded the bus, which soon departed.
In the future, teleportation powered by mana stones would replace such travel, but that development was still years away.
***
For most students, it was their first time entering a dungeon gate, and their faces showed a mix of excitement and nervousness. I, on the other hand, was indifferent.
‘There probably won’t even be monsters in there.’
When we arrived, yellow tape cordoned off the area, signaling danger. Dungeon gates must be cleared within a week, or monsters would spill out.
As we waited at the gate’s entrance, a familiar figure emerged.
It was Pyo Do-yeop of the Cloud Guild.
"Ah, this area is ours until the end of the month, and it’s just a D-rank..."
"Exactly. Business is terrible this month," he muttered to his colleague.
Noticing us, Pyo Do-yeop greeted Mr. Kim Jung-jun.
"Oh, Mr. Kim, long time no see. Are these the new students?"
"Yes, hello, Hunter Pyo Do-yeop."
"We’ll count on you again this year."
"We’re the ones grateful for your support."
The Cloud Guild sponsored the academy, fostering a close relationship. Graduates often joined their ranks.
But something felt off.
‘What’s this nagging feeling? Wasn’t there some incident with the Cloud Guild around this time?’
The memory was on the tip of my tongue, teasing but elusive.
......
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