A Public Servant Hunter Who Exploits Skill Combinations – Chapter 46
Translated by: Hanzo
Chapter 46: Think Long, Act Fast (3)
“What is this castle? Why is there not a single person here?”
“Maybe the ones who arrived earlier just left?”
“But we only saw two monsters at the entrance.”
“They might have already encountered the alligator monsters.”
“Then they ran away ahead of time?”
“This gate feels suspicious, boss.”
“What do you mean?”
“I just have a bad feeling about this.”
“We have strength. What’s there to hesitate about?”
“You know I have good instincts, right?”
“So, are you saying we should turn back now?”
“No, I’m just saying there’s no harm in being careful.”
“Haha, for anyone to beat us now, they’d need at least an S-rank. And you think an S-rank has nothing better to do than hang out in some backwater place like this?”
“Well, that’s true, but... Boss, you’ve already used up all your mana, haven’t you?”
“I can just chug a potion.”
“Those expensive things...”
“Stop talking nonsense and follow me.”
“Can it really be this empty?”
“What’s with this picture?”
“Could there be a secret passage? Let’s at least check up to the fourth floor.”
When they reached the fourth floor, they noticed a door.
“Just as I thought—it’s here.”
“Do we just need to go inside there?”
“This quest seems easy. All there were at the entrance were a bunch of monsters.”
“See? I told you, you were worrying for nothing.”
As they opened the door, a dazzling light burst forth. They instinctively tried to dodge it but collapsed backward, unable to see anything because of the overwhelming brightness.
The intense heat from the light burned all their hair to ashes as an added bonus.
***
The golden crescent slash from the sword obliterated the entire fourth floor, leaving no trace of the witch.
The elemental slashes ware skills rated at B-grade.
Combining all the elemental slashes created the Moonlight Slash, an A-grade skill.
Sometimes colder than ice, sometimes hotter than fire, sharper than the wind, and faster than light.
Its massive attack range could wipe out an entire floor of a building.
Of course, it consumed a tremendous amount of mana, so I had no choice but to rely on Mir’s power.
Without Mir’s help, the skill wouldn’t have worked properly, and the result would’ve been weaker than using a basic elemental skill.
Without sufficient skill level, you can’t even activate it.
Even in the future, when the formula for the Moonlight Slash combination was revealed, it sparked much discussion.
Back then, I created it but never got to use it. Now that I’ve finally used it, it feels new.
I...
I can really use Moonlight Slash...
Perhaps I can even try the next level...?
Though that would require powerful skill cards and a much higher mana refinement stage.
[Quest completed.]
After receiving the rewards and agreeing to split the items later, we prepared to leave the castle. At the door, we found four unconscious men.
What’s this? Who are these bald guys?
“Don’t tell me the skill I used opened the door and affected them too...?”
Their faces looked familiar.
There used to be a gang of four called the Three Springs Faction.
They were notorious for threatening hunters in gates, stealing items and rewards, and even committing murder.
But they weren’t bald...
“Tae-sung, who are these people?”
“They must’ve come in after us.”
“Then why are they sleeping here?”
Huh? How does this look like sleeping?
Because they were facing away from me when I used the skill, they didn’t realize I was the reason for their condition.
Though Seo Ye-rin seemed suspicious, I casually brushed it off.
“They must be tired.”
“Mister, sleeping here will give you a stiff neck...”
I stopped Jun-hyuk as he approached them.
“Don’t wake them.”
“Why not?”
“They won’t be getting up for a while.”
Their armor and various items caught my eye.
“Lucky for them, the armor saved their lives.”
<Sniff, sniff. Who are those guys?>
‘Why?’
<They smell amazing.>
‘Amazing?’
<Should I say they smell expensive?>
‘Expensive?’
Then it hit me.
The Three Springs members carried a lot of artifacts and high-end items in the past.
But that was later. Right now, it was still the early days, so they probably didn’t have much.
Still, I was not one to refuse items that fell into my lap.
Maybe I’d take a peek...
But Jun-hyuk, oblivious as ever, had to speak up.
“Shouldn’t we help them?”
Help such bad guys...?
My friends didn’t know who they were.
I made up a story about news that hadn’t come out yet. Though it would in the future.
“Didn’t you see the news? These guys rob and even kill hunters in gates to take their items. We need to get out of here before they wake up.”
“What? Then shouldn’t we kill them?”
Hye-ri’s reaction was fiery and boiling over.
What’s with her...?
“...Still, killing them when they haven’t done anything to us yet feels wrong...”
“Oh my, look at this... Isn’t this ring worth billions? A magic ring?”
“And that necklace looks like it raises stats...”
“Are you guys here to shop...?”
“Tae-sung, if they’re really bad people, can we take their stuff?”
“...Of course not. That’s wrong.”
“Right? That’d feel a little unethical.”
“If we report them to the Hunters Association, they’ll get arrested right away.”
“Then what happens to their items?”
“They’ll be confiscated by the Association.”
I heard disappointed sighs.
“Alright, let’s get out before they wake up.”
I hurriedly pushed my friends out of the gate.
Srrrkk.
Mir followed me belatedly.
‘Did you collect everything?’
<Do you even have to ask? Of course, I did.>
‘Good. Well done. I’ll give you plenty of mana stones today.’
<Somehow, this feels degrading, but mana stones... not bad.>
After dividing the items received as rewards, I handed them out to my friends.
"I’ve deposited the money you’d earn from selling the items at market value into your accounts."
Jun-hyuk checked his account and exclaimed in shock.
"Whoa?! Is it really okay to give us this much?"
"What about it?"
Hye-ri chimed in.
"Honestly, you were the one who handled everything."
It’s not like it’s such a big deal to worry about...
"I took more for myself, anyway."
"Huh? How much was there for you to give this much?"
"Figure it out yourselves. It was a fun for me, so it’s fine. You’re just getting your fair share. Not more, not less—just what you contributed."
"I can’t believe this. I don’t know what kind of good fortune this is, thanks to you."
"Well, don’t forget me when you all do well later."
"Excuse me?"
Ye-rin will become an S-rank.
Hye-ri will become a successful Hunter.
Jun-hyuk is my closest friend.
There was no downside to treating them well.
"Thanks for bringing us along to the gate today."
"Me too, thanks."
"Me too…"
"Don’t mention it. What are friends for?"
But... was it too much to take 70% for myself?
***
The next day, we were urgently summoned to the academy.
"You guys...! What on earth were you doing during the break?"
"Uh, what?"
The others looked startled.
"They said you captured the rogue hunter Heo Chun-sam and his gang?"
"Uh, what?"
Everyone turned to exchange puzzled looks, silently asking what this was all about.
"I don’t know how you pulled this off, but well done. The Association even sent an official notice."
I reported it.
I told them rogue hunters were lying unconscious in the gate and gave the exact coordinates since it was an invisible gate.
"The Association sent a reward to you guys."
If you capture rogue hunters, you get a reward—that was what I was aiming for.
We received one of the items the gang possessed.
Seeing how happy everyone looked made me feel proud.
Hong Pal-gwang, even more thrilled than us, spoke with excitement.
"Come now, tell me how it all happened. I’d love to hear about your exploits."
I subtly hinted at my ability to track gates.
It’d make things easier for me moving forward.
He didn’t seem particularly surprised, as if he already knew.
The headmaster treated us to dinner, and I thoroughly enjoyed the lively atmosphere of eating and chatting with my friends.
"Yeah. Let’s keep making good memories like this."
‘Mir?’
<Ugh...>
For some reason, Mir wasn’t saying much.
‘What’s the problem now?’
<Don’t talk to me for a while. I feel like I’m on the verge of remembering something.>
Among the items obtained from capturing the witch, there was one called [Fragment of ???].
Because of it, Mir seemed to be stuck in thought, barely eating or responding.
This is annoying, but...
I still have things to do.
Before the guild training session starts, I planned to get my license.
After an hour-long safety education session, I filled out the application and completed a physical examination, finally qualifying to take the written test.
The test results came out instantly.
The world’s gotten so convenient.
In a little while, self-driving cars would be everywhere.
But until then, I couldn’t just go around without a license.
Using public transport like buses and trains every time would be inconvenient.
If I was going to be hunting gates, it’d be better to have my own car.
It had been 30 years since I last got a license, and the testing procedures felt strange, but I quickly signed up for the practical exam.
Gripping the steering wheel again after so long brought back memories.
It had been about ten years since I last drove.
When I was in my 40s, self-driving cars dominated the roads.
After that, there was no reason to drive.
I mostly stayed home, drinking and experimenting with card combinations.
"Here’s your learner’s permit. That’ll be 3,500 won."
"Thank you."
"By the way… are you the aspiring hunter, Jung Tae-sung?"
"Yes."
"Oh, I saw you on TV. You’re even better looking in person."
She must be into hunters, recognizing me like that.
"Aw, don’t say that."
"Why not?"
"People might think I don’t look good on camera."
The clerk laughed.
"Haha! You’re funny."
I was serious, though...
After getting my learner’s permit, I signed up for the road test, but since there were no available slots, I had to schedule it for the next day.
"Ugh, I have to come back tomorrow."
Even if I knew how to do something, it was not always fun.
Repeating what I already knew was tedious.
On my way home, Mir finally spoke up.
<I remember now!!>
'So, this is a Dragon Pearl (Yeouiju)?'
<Yes.>
'Does this mean you’re becoming a dragon now?'
<No… there’s a problem.>
'A problem?'
<This isn’t the Dragon Pearl I remember.>
"What? Then what is it?"
<A fragment of a Dragon Pearl…>
'What’s with fragments?'
<It’s so frustrating. I worked hard to gather them all, but now it seems they’ve scattered again.>
"They scattered?"
<I just remembered. Before I lost my memories, I gathered seven fragments to create the true Dragon Pearl.>
"The true Dragon Pearl?"
<Yes. With it, I can become a true dragon.>
"And if you become a dragon, what happens?"
<With my breath, I could reshape the world.>
"That sounds terrifying. This won’t be easy, huh?"
<I have no idea what kind of beings we’ll have to face to get the fragments back.>
"Since we got this one from a witch… doesn’t it make sense that other witches or demons might have them?"
<You have a point.>
Witches and demons would mean A~S rank enemies. How do I plan to deal with them?
Maybe if they’re sealed in quest dungeons like last time…
"'Count me out.'
<If I become a dragon, I might be able to expand your mana pathways even more.>
'…And what would that do?'
<Right now, your level is around A-rank. With more training, you could approach the human-defined S rank.>
"I could… become S rank?"
<Exactly. Your mana pathways are in peak condition. The mana you’ve accumulated is pure and refined. Plus, you’re already practicing mana techniques used by dragons.>
'And why does that matter?'
<Because if you get the Dragon Pearl, you can become even stronger.>
'Interesting…'
<And when I become a dragon, I can really expand your mana pathways even further.>
'And what happens then?'
"Surpassing S-rank…?"
If that happens, I might even unlock the next stage of the Moonlight Slash…
In my past life, the next stage of Moonlight Slash was known, but no one could use it.
They thought it was due to mismatched attributes, but maybe it was just insufficient mana.
If I can wield it…
Maybe I could become the strongest hunter ever.
....
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