A Public Servant Hunter Who Exploits Skill Combinations – Chapter 20
Translated by: Hanzo
Chapter 20: MT (Membership Training) (1)
"Let me get this straight—you’re saying you’re an Imugi that’s been asleep for over 900 years?"
<That’s correct.>
"And because you haven’t eaten in all that time, you’ve grown weak and even shrunk in size?"
<Finally, you’re starting to understand. Humans never get it in one go, do they?>
"So what you're saying is, you’re asking me to hand over mana stones so you can regain your strength?"
<Exactly. Bring me a box of mana stones.>
No matter what the conversation is about, it always ends with a demand for mana stones.
"Hey, you worm-like little creature. Do you even know how expensive mana stones are?"
<Do you need money? If that’s the case, I can give you some.>
"Huh?"
I couldn’t help but feel a tiny flicker of hope.
<Huh? What’s this? My power has weakened so much that I can’t summon my treasure from my dimensional space.>
"Yeah, right. As if I’d believe you."
<I don’t care. Give me mana stones. I’m starving.>
"I don’t have any."
<In that case, give me one on credit. I’ll pay you back later.>
"You need money to buy mana stones, don’t you get it?"
<Did you really think I wouldn’t notice the scent of a mana stone coming from your pocket?>
"..."
By "pocket," it seemed to mean my inventory.
That’s because I had stored the mana stone I got from hunting the spider and trading with Pyo Do-yeop in my inventory.
"This?"
When I took out the magic stone and held it in my hand, the creature immediately lunged at it.
But I had anticipated this and quickly returned the magic stone to my inventory.
<How cowardly...! A human dares to toy with food?>
"So, what exactly is your power?"
<Hand over the magic stone first, and I’ll think about telling you.>
Reluctantly, I took out a mana stone I had obtained from hunting a troll.
The worm-like creature swiftly grabbed the stone.
Its tiny, stubby legs holding the stone were oddly cute.
"You can hold things with those legs?"
Crunch.
<Chewing it is definitely better than just swallowing it.>
"Hurry up and tell me what your power is."
<Humans have a saying, don’t they? ‘Don’t disturb even a dog while it’s eating.’>
"Unbelievable..."
The sound of the mana stone being crunched echoed through the quiet dorm room.
After finishing my conversation with the headmaster, I had returned to my dorm room and was now talking with this worm that had somehow become my pet.
Jun-hyuk was probably still taking his mock exams.
Considering the number of students, it made sense that it would take longer than it did for the special class.
After noisily consuming the mana stone, the worm suddenly looked strange.
Burp.
Fwoosh!
Wait a second—did flames just come out of its mouth?
"What was that just now? Was that like a breath attack?"
The worm slowly blinked and answered in a drowsy tone.
<A burp.>
"..."
<I believe humans call it a dragon’s burp.>
Forget being a pet—I might just kill it...
<Could I have just one more?>
"No."
<Hmph...>
A pet that burps after eating magic stones.
...How did this thing even become my pet?
I couldn’t help but feel incredulous after listening to the worm.
"So, you’re saying the only abilities you can use right now are that ‘Roar’ you used on the goblin earlier and... burping?"
<I can also sense the location of mana stones.>
"Are you a navigation system?"
<Navigation system? Is that a new type of mana stone?>
"Never mind..."
<I’ll have you know, I’m destined to become a dragon after just a bit more time.>
"And how long is ‘a bit more time’?"
<I can’t remember.>
"...It’s not 100 years or something, is it?"
<I know for sure it’s not far off.>
"But even if you become a dragon, if you’re this small..."
<If I eat mana stones and regain my strength, it’ll be a different story by then.>
"And what happens when you become a dragon?"
<I become incredibly powerful.>
"...Can you be more specific?"
<Because I’ve been in hibernation for so long, I’ve lost a lot of my strength. Plus, I was sealed away for most of that time...>
"Sealed? Oh, right, I broke your seal, didn’t I?"
<...>
"Why were you sealed in the first place?"
<I can’t remember.>
"...You’re completely useless."
I couldn’t shake the feeling that it only "forgot" things that were inconvenient for it.
The Roar only worked on low-level monsters.
At best, it seemed effective only on goblins.
And it couldn’t even be used frequently.
What on earth was I supposed to do with this creature?
Wait—this felt oddly familiar.
Like that elephant pet that required a ton of mana stones to grow up.
Would it have been better if this creature had that kind of ability instead?
<Human, I’m very useful. I’m great at detecting mana stones.>
"It’d be a miracle if you didn’t eat them first."
<Hmph, you’ve seen through me. You’re quite clever.>
I couldn’t believe I was putting up with this nonsense.
"Hey, spit out that mana stone."
<Didn’t humans teach you that taking back what you’ve given is the worst kind of behavior?>
"It’s not ‘the worst’; it’s just petty."
<Exactly! You’re a petty human!>
"Honestly, I’d rather be a ‘worst’ human than a petty one."
I reached out to grab the creature.
It darted around, dodging my hands.
"Oh, so you think you can dodge?"
I activated my mana on instinct, trying to catch it.
Was it because it was so small? It was way too fast.
<Your movements are too obvious...>
Infuriating.
"What do you even know?"
<From what I can see, your mana channels(mana circuits) are twisted. You can’t properly use your mana, can you? You’re going to hit a wall sooner or later.>
"Twisted mana channels? What are you talking about?"
<Tsk. A supposed mana user doesn’t even know that much...>
"You worm! What are twisted mana channels?"
<Surely you’re not expecting me to tell you for free? A basic principle of trade is that you offer something in exchange.>
I took out every mana stone I had saved up.
Then the worm shook its head in disapproval.
<Insufficient effort.>
"..."
***
As soon as the mock exam ended, the day of the MT (Membership Training) arrived.
"Why does this MT last for a whole week?"
"It's not just any MT, you know."
"Huh? If it's not just any MT, then what kind of MT is it?"
They called it an MT, but the reality was very different.
Though I never went to college, from what I heard, typical MTs involve drinking and vomiting.
However, at the Hunter Academy, the MT was more like a session of fighting and training.
"It's a very fun MT."
"But Tae-sung, what group are you in?"
"Me? What group?"
I didn’t care much, so I hadn’t even checked which group I was in. I handed Jun-hyuk the group assignment sheet I’d received earlier.
"We’re in the same group."
"Oh? Really? Then help me pack my stuff too."
"Huh? Should we pack booze too?"
This guy really thought we were going on a fun trip.
"Yeah. Pack as much as you want."
"Awesome! Gonna drink till I drop!"
"And pack this as well."
I pulled out a large bag from under the bed.
"What's this?"
"You’ll find out when we get there."
"Is it something tasty?"
"It’s better than that."
The worm chimed in.
<If it’s that good, is it mana stones?>
Couldn't it sense mana stones?
‘Yeah. This time, I’ll show you what “effort” really means. So answer my questions properly, got it?’
<Show me what you’ve prepared first.>
For a creature that’s lived 900 years, it sure was arrogant.
***
"It’s been a while since we’ve had an MT. I’m so excited!"
The cheerful smile on Instructor Choi Jung-gang’s face was baffling.
He’s probably just thrilled to throw us into chaos.
The academy had split the entire student body into Groups A and B.
We boarded a plane headed for an unnamed, deserted island.
Of course, the students didn’t know anything about the real purpose of this trip.
"MT stands for Membership Training. It’s about fostering teamwork, so have fun, bond with each other, and enjoy yourselves!"
The students cheered loudly at Instructor Choi’s words.
Play? My foot...
I turned to Jun-hyuk, who was seated next to me.
"Jun-hyuk."
"Yeah?"
"Take a good look at that instructor’s face."
"Why?"
"In 30 minutes, you’ll realize that smile belongs to the man throwing us into the depths of hell."
"What? Hell?"
"You’ll see. Did you pack what I gave you?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Good."
The moment Jun-hyuk got off the plane, he started cursing.
"Why the hell is an MT on a deserted island?"
"Fun, isn’t it?"
"Like hell it is!"
Grumbling voices echoed all around.
Why was the landing spot in the middle of the ocean? Why did they have to take a boat to reach the island?
Everyone looked puzzled, but I, knowing the truth, found it all amusing.
It reminded me of a classmate from my school days who rewatched the same movie over and over. Back then, I didn’t understand the appeal. Now I did.
"Attention, trainees!"
Instructor Choi’s voice rang out through a megaphone, ensuring all 215 students could hear.
"This place is your survival testing ground. You have no idea what dangers await or what crises you might face. You must complete the mission on this island to return to the academy."
One student near the front looked startled and asked, "Excuse me? What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said. Did you really think the Hunter Academy would send you here just to drink and party?"
"..."
The students ranged from those who had just begun sensing mana to those adept at controlling it. There were also advanced students like me and Seo Ye-rin, who could spread mana throughout their bodies to activate much-needed abilities.
Group A had a well-distributed mix, and so did Group B, led by figures like Ma Taeho and Mun Jung-ho.
By now, they would’ve reached a similar island.
Last time, someone named Ha Seung-woo had taken my place. Judging by his absence here, he must’ve been assigned to Group B this time as well.
"Good luck to all of you."
We could only watch in disbelief as Instructor Choi’s boat left the island.
While the others stood stunned, I calmly opened my bag and started taking things out.
<Are we finally setting the table?>
‘Yeah.’
<But why are they staring at us?>
When I looked up, everyone was watching me.
"...What? Why me?"
"What are we supposed to do now?"
"Why are you asking me...?"
"Because you’re the strongest among us."
"Me?"
"Yeah."
Whether I liked it or not, I was now in charge.
Seo Ye-rin, standing off to one side, narrowed her eyes at me.
"Do you have any idea what the mission is?"
"Do you?"
"Not really..."
"Well, something’s bound to show up, don’t you think?"
"Show up?"
My comment caused a few students to look nervous.
"But don’t worry. If we work together, we’ll handle it just fine."
Speaking louder, I addressed everyone.
"You all wanted to know what to do, so I’ll make some suggestions. Don’t take it the wrong way. If anyone has any objections, speak up now."
No one did.
Apparently, my past efforts at subtly taking charge had paid off.
I hadn’t planned for this, but if I wanted to show the worm what “effort” meant, I had no choice.
"Physical enhancement-type awakeneres on the left, sensory-type awakeners on the right."
I divided them into groups of four based on their abilities.
"Sensory groups, start making torches. Physical enhancement groups, gather rocks from nearby."
Everyone followed my instructions without complaint.
This was the difference between forcing orders and earning cooperation.
In the past, Ha Seung-woo had been overly bossy, leading to rebellion and poor teamwork.
This time, I had waited for the right moment to naturally take the lead.
Now it was time to reap the rewards.
"Alright, listen closely to what I’m about to say."
....
I just made a Patreon account, feel free to support me and get access to 5 or 10 chapters in advance: patreon.com/Hanzo123
Comments
Post a Comment