A Public Servant Hunter Who Exploits Skill Combinations – Chapter 8
Translated by: Hanzo
Chapter 8: Connections (2)
The second session was about the types and usage of skill cards, taught by Ms. Yoo Seung-hee.
Ms. Yoo Seung-hee was the kind of teacher who always took good care of the students.
That was why she was quite popular.
It was said that her remarkable beauty has earned her quite a few admirers among male hunters.
Though she claimed she rejected all of them because her standards were high.
“Everyone, you’ve all received your skill cards, right?”
Yes—
“As you might already know, skill cards are used to learn techniques that we employ when hunting monsters. Skill cards only drop occasionally when a monster is defeated. Everyone, please take out the skill cards you’ve received.”
However, no one took out a skill card.
“Oh my, as expected from the special class. I assume you’ve all already mastered your skills?”
‘I haven’t mastered mine yet…’
I was about to take my card out but decided to hold back since it didn’t seem like the right atmosphere.
Good thing I didn’t, or I would’ve been embarrassed.
“Basic skill cards are useful at first, but as you progress, you’ll rarely use them.”
That’s true.
Learning basic skills was often unnecessary as they hardly got used.
That was why I hadn’t learned them yet.
It was more beneficial to use them for skill combinations.
The teacher continued.
“Still, you must learn them to get accustomed to mana, so make sure to master and use them.”
Once you learn a skill using a skill card, the card disappears, and you can use that skill.
However, if you used the skill without mana, it was essentially an empty shell.
That was why activating mana was the most important step.
“There are five types of skill cards.”
The projector connected to her laptop lit up, grabbing everyone’s attention.
There were:
----
==> Ungraded (Gray)
==> Normal Grade (White)
==> Advanced Grade (Yellow)
==> Rare Grade (Blue)
==> Legendary Grade (Gold)
----
The screen displayed a palm-sized card with its grade indicated by its color.
For now, there were only five types.
Later, when combinations were revealed, red and black cards would appear.
Those were the true legendary-grade cards.
What people currently considered “legendary” would later be reclassified as “heroic” grade.
I grew bored of the lecture and started experimenting with the skill cards in my inventory.
By combining Horizontal Slash and Vertical Slash, I created Cross Slash. Then, by mixing Cross Slash with Rotation Angle, I made Rotational Slash.
Naturally, Rotational Slash dealt more damage than Horizontal Slash. Its attack range also being wider.
I’d spent 20 years mastering skill card combinations to restore my lost arm.
When a combination didn’t work, I had to repeatedly add, remove, and rearrange cards countless times.
So, I’ve memorized lower-grade card combinations by heart.
When I combined Rotational Slash with Vertical Slash again—
[Combination Successful!]
[Acquired Circular Slash!]
And by stacking two Vertical Slashes—
[Acquired Double Slash!]
‘This is fun. It’s been a while.’
Lower-grade cards could be found in gates, but as the rank increased, they became harder to obtain.
Thus, combining cards was faster.
Some skill cards could only be acquired through combinations, making their usefulness and power vary greatly depending on how they were combined.
I lost track of time, creating new skill cards from my collection.
“Tae-sung.”
While deeply focused on my inventory, Mun Jung-ho nudged my arm.
“Huh?”
“The teacher’s been calling you for a while…”
“…Oh, yes, ma’am. Did you call me?”
“What’s making you grin so much?”
I must have been smiling without realizing it while combining skills.
“Oh, I just have a naturally smiley face…”
“…Let’s see how well you do next class.”
I wasn’t sure what she wanted me to excel at.
“…Yes, ma’am.”
Had I been too absorbed?
Feeling awkward, I nodded enthusiastically, pretending to focus on her words.
“This concludes today’s lesson. The skill cards I mentioned earlier are on the table. Take one each as you leave.”
Oh? Is this because it’s the special class? They’re handing out skill cards this early?
We didn’t get anything like this back in Class 10.
I immediately checked the skill card.
[Fireball]
A basic skill that shoots a ball-sized flame.
Without high mana refinement, it was barely good for lighting a cigarette and wouldn’t work on monsters.
Besides, I specialized in physical enhancement, so Fireball wasn’t particularly useful for me.
‘In that case… if I mix it with Vertical and Horizontal Slash.’
[Acquired Flame Slash!]
‘Perfect.’
Flame Slash added fire damage to sword strikes, making it ideal against plant-type monsters.
More importantly, attribute-based Slash skills didn’t drop from monsters.
They could only be obtained through combinations.
The next formula I needed for…
“Tae-sung.”
Mun Jung-ho called me again.
What now…
“They said there’s a Fireball test next class. Can you use it?”
“…Huh?”
In Class 10, we didn’t practice Fireball until much later.
The special class does move fast…
But what do I do now?
I already used my Fireball card for a combination.
Just in case, I asked the others.
“Does anyone have an extra Fireball card?”
“…”
“No one, huh.”
Damn it. I’d better start paying attention in class.
At this point…
I guess I have no choice.
I’ll need to step out for a bit.
***
That night.
I was clinging to the wall like a black cat on a dark street, dressed in a pitch-black hoodie and mask, glancing cautiously around.
This was the so-called "dormitory escape operation."
The academy dormitory forbade leaving after midnight, with guards stationed at the entrance.
And why is that?
It was because spirited rookie hunters and even current students often sneaked out to test the skills they’d learned by hunting monsters.
Initially, the rules were lenient, but an incident occurred where a rookie, eager to try out a newly learned skill, wandered in search of a gate. Failing to find one, they encountered some thugs and ended up setting them ablaze.
Following this, citizens demanded stronger regulations for hunters, and thus leaving the dormitory became prohibited.
Since verbal warnings didn’t suffice, guards were stationed to enforce the rules.
Strict management like this was imposed because we were not ordinary individuals but awakened ones.
When an awakened person caused trouble, it was on a different scale entirely.
So sneaking out was the only way.
“Jun-hyuk, when I call you later, make sure to open the window, okay?”
“…Where are you even planning to go?”
“I have somewhere urgent to be.”
I managed to pry open the first-floor bathroom window and jumped out, using the wall as a foothold, successfully escaping through the window.
From the window, Jun-hyuk called out, “Bring back an ice cream bar!”
Though there was someone stationed at the front entrance of the dormitory, the front door wasn’t the only way out.
Having attended this place for two years, I knew every nook and cranny.
Though my memory was a bit hazy now.
‘Was it this way?’
About 30 minutes from here, there was a skill card shop.
For something like a Fireball card, it should be easy to find.
I moved cautiously, keeping an eye on my surroundings.
Since the guards were hunters too, if I get caught underestimating them, all my efforts would be for nothing.
I concealed my presence as much as possible, blending into the shadows.
***
Inside the Impact Guild Office
The office of the fifth-ranked guild, Impact.
“How are we preparing for recruiting this year’s prospects?”
The leader of the Impact Guild, Yoo Sang-wan, asked.
Though an S-rank hunter, Yoo Sang-wan was on the lower end of the S-rank spectrum.
Even within the same rank, there was a clear disparity in skill.
As a result, the guild’s ranking was low, and it significantly impacted their revenue generation.
Actually, the issue wasn’t that their earnings were low—it was that he wanted to construct a new guild building, but funds were insufficient.
“We’re scouting for promising unregistered hunters.”
“That’s all?”
“We’ve posted promotional materials for the guild in daily papers, monthly magazines, newspapers, internet communities, and even social media.”
“Which guild doesn’t do that? If you’re just copying what everyone else does, even what could work won’t.”
Judging by the nagging, something must have put him in a particularly bad mood.
The reason? Recent news he had come across.
“Do you know that Crown Guild recently started constructing a 50-story building in Cheongdam-dong?”
The guild members, seated at the table, attentively listened to his words.
“What’s going on? What’s worse about us compared to them?”
One of the less tactful members answered, “We lack strong hunters.”
“…You little—”
It wasn’t a question that required an answer.
Yoo Sang-wan had once been close friends with Crown Guild’s leader, Gwak Mu-gil.
However, a misunderstanding had caused their relationship to sour, and now they were rivals who couldn’t stand losing to each other.
Before guilds were first established in Korea, they had planned to form one together. But disagreements over who would lead the guild drove them apart.
Since then, they founded separate guilds and became bitter enemies, unwilling to lose to the other.
“The Crown Guild is ranked below us.”
Although it was only by one rank.
The two guilds were in constant competition, neck and neck.
If asked which guild people preferred, it came down to personal taste.
The Crown Guild focused on physical reinforcement, while the Impact Guild prioritized sensory enhancement.
In simple terms, it was a battle of swords versus magic.
“If they have a 50-story building, shouldn’t ours be 100 stories?”
“Dad, that’s ridiculous.”
It was his only daughter, Yoo Chae-ah, who spoke up.
Currently an A-rank hunter, she was a graduate of the academy’s Class 1.
Though her raw skill would place her at B-rank, she was elevated to A-rank thanks to her father’s support and high-end equipment.
“Watch your mouth, girl!”
She tried to suppress her frustration to preserve her father’s dignity but muttered under her breath.
“We always waste time on pointless meetings like this…”
In truth, most of the guild’s executives were family members.
Back then, guilds often began with family or close friends, as trust was paramount in a profession where lives were constantly at risk.
“Chae-ah.”
“Uncle, you’re supposed to be the voice of reason. Your job as an advisor is to speak up when something is wrong.”
“Oh my, don’t you criticize your uncle now.”
Before things escalated further, Yoo Sang-wan intervened.
“Quiet!”
Once the room settled, Yoo Sang-wan turned to look out the window and spoke.
“What’s the situation with this year’s academy freshmen?”
“I have a friend who works at the academy, so I obtained mana measurement data in advance.”
The name at the top of the report distributed to the guild executives was Jung Tae-sung.
“What’s this? 1,004? Is this for real?”
“I was shocked when I saw it too. Additionally, he’s unaffiliated with any guild, and his parents are ordinary people.”
The guild members were all stunned as they reviewed the report again.
The room buzzed with excitement.
“A mana value of 500 already gives someone a high chance of becoming S-rank, but 1,004? And he’s unaffiliated?”
“How much could he grow?”
“If we recruit him, we might even take first place among the guilds!”
Yoo Sang-wan turned back, his expression serious.
“Who’s going to bring this kid in?”
His younger brother, Yoo Ha-wan, responded realistically.
“Well, most of the top three guilds sponsor the academy, so they’ve probably already approached him. Plus, we’d risk bad publicity for poaching talent early…”
Yoo Sang-wan understood this better than anyone but wasn’t asking for excuses.
“So are you saying it’s impossible or not?”
“…We’ll do our best.”
Yoo Sang-wan’s eyes glinted sharply.
“I can’t live losing to that Crown Guild. Put everything into recruiting this kid. And Yoo Chae-ah.”
Startled by her name being called, Yoo Chae-ah responded cautiously.
“…Why me?”
“You’re going to bring him in.”
“…Why me?”
“Wouldn’t it be better for someone his age to approach him than a bunch of old guys?”
......
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