A Public Servant Hunter Who Exploits Skill Combinations – Chapter 24
Translated by: Hanzo
Chapter 24: The Giant Ice Beast (1)
The head of the Gyeonggi Academy, Hong Pal-gwang.
The head of the Gyeongbuk Academy, Park Chang-heon.
The head of the Gyeongnam Academy, Kim Man-seop.
The head of the Seoul Academy, Byun Chun-seop.
The head of the Chungcheong Academy, Jo Il-nam.
The five of them were close friends—a bond that went without saying.
They were first-generation hunters and held multiple first-ever titles.
Their relationship had been forged through life-and-death battles, hunting monsters together back when guilds and associations didn’t even exist.
They survived by holding out persistently in lawless zones, building a history of resilience and survival.
Now, they had plenty of money saved up, had handed over their positions to juniors, and were retired from the frontlines—leaving them with ample free time.
What began as harmless, prideful arguments over whose academy had the better students eventually morphed into a wager.
Surprisingly, the wager turned out to be a lot of fun.
At first, they wondered if it was appropriate to use students for such a thing, but then they thought, “Why not use the winnings from the wager to benefit the students?”
It became something of a tradition: the victor of the wager would use the prizes—be it items or money—to purchase things useful for the students.
Typically, they only spoke over the phone, but using the weekend as an excuse, they decided to gather in person after a long time.
Naturally, the topic of the last MT couldn’t be avoided.
“Man, our kids wrapped up their MT in just three days.”
“Did you give them the information in advance or what?”
“Are you nuts? I’m not petty enough to pull off such a cheap trick.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
Seeing the Gyeongbuk and Gyeongnam headmasters bickering, the Chungcheong headmaster clicked his tongue and remarked,
“Good grief. Whenever we gather, you two can’t help but fight and raise hell.”
At that moment, Hong Pal-gwang opened the door and entered the room.
“Kahaha! You’re all early. Talking about the MT already?”
With Hong Pal-gwang’s arrival, everyone’s attention turned to him. After all, the hottest topic these days was a certain student from his academy.
“Yeah. So, how’d that kid turn out?”
“Guess how many days it took them?”
“Four days?”
“Three days?”
“Five days?”
With each guess, Hong Pal-gwang’s grin grew wider, his lips practically reaching the heavens.
“Kehahaha!”
After laughing for a while, Hong Pal-gwang, still elated, spoke in an excited tone.
“Have you guys ever seen freshmen obliterate Ant Island in just a day and a half?”
“What’d you say? A day and a half? Are you serious?”
“Yeah, I’m serious. Have you ever known me to lie?”
“Wait, was it because of that… you know, the pet? The white snake thing? Is that why they wrapped it up so quickly?”
“No.”
“Then what the hell? How did they kill the queen ant in just a day and a half?”
“They dug into the ground.”
“What?!?”
The Gyeongbuk head asked again, as if to confirm whether he had heard correctly.
“We had safety officers planted in advance. According to their accounts, the students had already suspected that the MT wasn’t going to be an ordinary trip.”
“Seriously? How’d they even figure that out? Our kids came ready to just mess around and party.”
Thinking about his own students, he realized how stark the difference in attitude was.
“How’d they figure it out? They reasoned that an MT lasting a whole week, organized on such short notice, couldn’t possibly be ordinary.”
“Now that you mention it, that does make sense... But why didn’t any of my kids think of that?”
“Apparently, the other students also sought Tae-sung’s opinion and followed his lead.”
All of them couldn’t help but envy Hong Pal-gwang.
It seemed unlikely that their academies would produce an S-class student this year.
The old saying, ‘A promising tree is different from the sprout,’ felt particularly fitting.
Seeing their expressions, Hong Pal-gwang, still thrilled, continued to speak.
“And as soon as they arrived, they noticed that there were monsters on the island. They even lured the ants using snacks they had bought beforehand.”
“How’d they know there were ants? Could they already sense the type of monsters?”
“Footprints.”
At Hong Pal-gwang’s answer, the other heads nodded in admiration.
“Are you telling me that a rookie hunter who’s only been at this for two months already has such observational skills?”
“Not only that, they used alcohol supplied by the ability users to create fire while the ants were distracted eating snacks.”
“Wow... Fire? They even knew that ants fear fire?”
The Seoul head, feeling a bit petty, chimed in with a rebuttal.
“That’s basic knowledge. It’s taught in monsterology lessons. Everyone knows that.”
“Knowing is one thing, but it’s beginners who can’t make proper use of that knowledge. Without experience...”
Ignoring their remarks, Hong Pal-gwang pressed on.
“Then they created torches to block off the surroundings and built walls using nearby rocks and bricks.”
“So, they didn’t plan to fight the ants head-on from the start?”
“Exactly.”
“After that, they dug into the ground and killed the queen ant directly.”
A brief silence hung in the air.
Hong Pal-gwang took a swig of the liquor in his glass.
“How’d they do all that without even scouting the area first?”
“They predicted it.”
“Predicted it? Is that even possible?”
“They must’ve sensed the queen ant’s mana somehow.”
The mention of sensing mana shocked everyone.
“Isn’t that kid supposed to specialize in physical reinforcement?”
“From what I can tell, he seems to specialize in the lightning attribute. Plus, during the mock exam, he didn’t get lost in the goblin maze.”
Having already watched the footage, they were well aware.
Initially, they thought the goblin maze had been easy, but the fact that the student seemed to grasp the entirety of the ant colony’s layout was far beyond their expectations.
Hunters who used lightning attributes were rare and often peculiar.
The Gyeongnam head couldn’t help but let out a sigh of amazement.
“Wow, so he’s the first one in 20 years to break the 1,000 limit in mana levels, specializes in lightning, and even has a special ability to sense mana?”
“With the lightning attribute, he’d also be strong against water-type monsters. And if he’s good at tracking mana, he’d have a huge advantage in maze dungeons too.”
“But why would someone like that aim to become a public servant hunter?”
“He probably wants to contribute his strength to the country.”
As the MT topic seemed to wind down, the Seoul head changed the subject.
“Oh, by the way, have you guys heard the rumors?”
“What rumors?”
“About the Flame Swordsman.”
“Oh, the hunter who surrounds their sword with flames?”
“Yeah, their video was all the buzz for a while.”
“The guilds went crazy putting out bounties for them.”
“Is that really so impressive? I don’t quite get it.”
“Can you ignite a sword with fire?”
“Who cares about that? Just smash everything and move on. Why does it matter?”
This group, friends since childhood, tended to revert to childish arguments whenever they gathered.
It was their unique characteristic.
Though they were in their 50s, they felt like they’d gone back in time, and they enjoyed that feeling so much that they maintained these gatherings.
“Good grief, this guy can’t read the flow of the times.”
“Kids like Jung Tae-sung are going to pop up everywhere from now on.”
“You think that many will be born?”
“Think about it. Remember the hunters who became hunters 10 years after us?”
Come to think of it, that did seem to make sense.
“What we knew wasn’t everything, right?”
“Exactly...”
“The kids born in the future will know far more than we ever did. Our era is over. Those kids have so much to learn from just watching; they don’t need to be taught, and they’ll still excel.”
“That’s true. My nephew’s only 10, and he doesn’t seem to be unfamiliar with any monster.”
“Well, these days, it’s so easy to access that kind of information. You just have to look at your phone, and there are countless hunting videos, monster reviews, and all that. Even non-hunters know this stuff inside out.”
“True enough.”
“They don’t have mana, but their heads are full of knowledge about monsters and gates. Back in our day, there was nothing like that. We learned everything through trial and error, getting beaten up and injured, even dying. And now, academies give systematic education, so these kids will only grow more and more.”
“In this harsh world, that’s a good thing.”
“Which is why Jung Tae-sung’s growth is even more exciting to watch.”
At that moment, Hong Pal-gwang’s phone rang.
“Huh? Why is Jung Tae-sung texting me at this hour…?”
“Do you guys even exchange texts this late at night?”
“…He says he wants to go to the beach.”
“What’s this, are you two dating? Kehahaha.”
“Good grief.”
Hong Pal-gwang replied to Jung Tae-sung’s message.
[Sorry, I’m out in the countryside right now, so it might take me a while to get there…]
[That’s fine. Take care.]
***
“What’s this? What sudden whim made you call me to go to the beach with you on a weekend evening?”
“You have a car.”
Yoo Chae-ah grumbled, pretending to be annoyed.
“So, in the end, you don’t need me—you just need my car!”
“You said we’re friends, didn’t you? Friends help each other with this kind of thing.”
“Geez, only when you need me, huh? What kind of friend is that?”
“You’re gonna regret saying that, noona.”
“Ha, that smug look of yours… That confidence that says you know everything… It’s so strange, honestly.”
She gritted her teeth, turning the steering wheel roughly as she shifted gears.
“So, you’re saying the pet is going to shed its skin?”
“Yeah, but it says it needs water to cool off because it’s too hot.”
“Huh? Do snake-type pets even have something like that? Can’t you just put it in a bathtub or something?”
“I suggested the sink, and it glared at me.”
“What? It glared at you?”
“No, I mean… When I mentioned the sink, it just looked at me like it was cursing me out. So I thought, might as well—it’s been a while since I’ve seen the ocean, you know?”
“Excuses. Just admit you wanted to go on a date with me.”
“…Noona. That thing where you think every guy likes you? That’s a sickness.”
“What? You little…!”
I quickly changed the subject.
“So, where are we going?”
“Jebudo.”
“Huh? That far? Couldn’t we just go somewhere closer?”
“If it’s far, we just have to get there faster.”
The speed of her sport car continued to climb.
It was nearly May, and the weather was absolutely perfect.
Yeah. This kind of leisure—this is what living is all about.
Fighting monsters every day? What’s so good about that?
Just a little more patience until graduation, and my sweet, laid-back life will begin—a peaceful series of days with no surprises.
Wait… Jebudo in April?
Why does that sound familiar?
Is it just my imagination?
***
When we arrived at the beach, many people were enjoying the night breeze and the view of the ocean under the spring air.
“It’s nice coming out here after so long. Just earlier today, I was slicing up monsters, and the stench of blood was everywhere. Who knew the smell of the sea could be so refreshing?”
“Right? See? Thanks to me, you get to feel this good. Isn’t that great?”
“Can you not talk?”
“Hold on a second.”
I walked down to the beach.
<Is this the place…?>
‘Why do you look even weaker as you’re getting ready to shed your skin?’
<It’s too cramped…>
‘Ah…’
I quickly placed the uncomfortable worm down by the shore.
It slowly crawled its way into the water.
‘How long will it take?’
<A little while.>
‘Do I just need to wait?’
<Yes.>
“It seems like we just need to wait for it to finish shedding its skin now.”
“Is that so? Then, what do we do while we wait?”
“What do you mean, what do we do? Over there!”
I gestured toward a seafood restaurant.
Because, of course, if you’re at the beach, you have to eat sashimi…
Smack!
Her palm hit my back hard.
“Do I look that easy to you? And for the record, I only go to hotels.”
“Huh? What are you even talking about? Why are hotels suddenly coming up?”
When I turned my head, I realized that behind the seafood restaurant I pointed at, there was a motel.
“…Excuse me, what on earth are you thinking?”
“Seriously, men. All they see is a pretty woman, and they just—”
“…I’m talking about eating sashimi. Don’t you see the seafood restaurant over there?”
“……”
***
“One assorted sashimi platter, please.”
“Would you like alcohol with that?”
“Are you driving?”
“I’ll just call a chauffeur.”
“But noona, your car’s a two-seater. Are you planning to sit in the trunk?”
Her eyes narrowed at my words.
“…Why would I sit in the trunk in my own car?”
“I’m not planning to sit in the trunk.”
“Ugh, whatever! I’m drinking! Ahjumma, one bottle of soju, please!”
Ka-gak, gul-gul-gul-gul-gul.
The sound of soju being poured into a glass was strangely satisfying.
“Ah! This soju tastes amazing. It’s even better because I’m drinking by the sea.”
“…”
“Want a glass?”
So does that mean I have to drive? I can drive, but I don’t have a license yet…
While I was debating, the food arrived.
Just as I picked up my chopsticks to grab a piece of fresh sashimi—
Ziiiiing!
Yoo Chae-ah and I locked eyes simultaneously.
“A gate!”
And not just any gate. Tremendous mana waves.
This sensation… an S-rank gate?
***
And suddenly, an old memory resurfaced in my mind.
The weekend after the MT trip.
Jun-hyuk had gone home, leaving Jung Tae-sung alone in the dorm.
Tae-sung, who was playing a game on his phone, paused when his phone kept vibrating with notifications.
Jun-hyuk: Hey, Jung Tae-sung! Did you see the news?
Jun-hyuk: An S-rank monster just appeared in Jebudo!! It’s total chaos right now.
Jun-hyuk: [Photo]
Jun-hyuk: [Photo]
Jun-hyuk: [Photo]
The photos Jun-hyuk sent showed a massive monster made entirely of ice wreaking havoc in a city.
Jung Tae-sung immediately opened the internet.
The latest videos, uploaded by regular people in real-time, were already circulating.
“Am I really going to have to fight things like that…?”
He felt chills running down his body as goosebumps spread over his skin.
If it looked this terrifying on a screen, how much scarier would it be in real life?
When he turned on the TV, even though it wasn’t time for the news, an anchor was reporting on the situation.
----
Breaking News.
An S-rank field gate has reportedly spawned a massive monster.
The location: Jebudo’s coast.
The once peaceful Jebudo in April has now been completely covered in icy frost.
The monster, with its ice attribute, is freezing everything in its vicinity, and fire attribute hunters are being urgently recruited.
If any hunters near the area see this broadcast, we urge you to head to Jebudo immediately.
Over 12 deaths have been confirmed so far, with 7 reported injuries.
The number of missing persons is currently unknown, and further casualties are expected.
----
“An S-rank monster appearing from a field gate… and it’s a giant monster on top of that… Is something like that even killable…?”
***
The Giant Ice Beast.
Later, it would be named as such.
This monster claimed hundreds of lives in a single day and caused property damage amounting to billions of won.
It was a tragedy where many hunters lost their lives to the gigantic beast.
And now.
That monster had appeared right before my eyes.
‘Wow, didn’t they say if you kill that thing, you get the Ice Field skill card?’
....
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