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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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In front of an F-rank gate located on the outskirts of Gangseo-gu, Seoul.
“Looking for one more hunter! Any rank is welcome!”
“Looking for two hunters to join a party with an E-rank hunter.”
In the noisy atmosphere, at least thirty hunters were looking for party members around the entrance.
‘There are this many people?’
During the week, he hadn’t just focused on physical training.
He had also researched general knowledge about the life of a hunter.
And he had definitely read online that for low-rank gates like E or F, parties were usually small, consisting of 2-3 people, so the entrance wouldn’t be very crowded.
However, his surprise was short-lived.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’
He had expected some discrepancy between what he read online and reality.
Moreover, since Lee Seong-joon had planned to hunt solo from the beginning, the number of hunters gathered at the entrance was irrelevant.
Just as Lee Seong-joon was calmly walking towards the gate entrance.
“Are you planning to hunt alone?”
Seeing Lee Seong-joon silently nodding his head, Kim Seong-hoon let out a short sigh and continued.
“It could be dangerous. I heard that the appearance of the gate’s boss monster is imminent.”
Boss monster. As the name suggested, it was the leader of the monsters.
Naturally, a powerful being exceeding the gate’s rank usually appeared as the boss monster.
However, Lee Seong-joon’s expression remained unchanged.
“If it’s an F-rank gate, wouldn’t the boss monster be at most an E+ rank?”
Although he had been exhausted from the battle with the hunters from the Association, Lee Seong-joon had hunted a juvenile troll, which was classified as a D-rank monster.
Of course, Kim Seong-hoon was also aware of this fact, so he wouldn’t be worried if it were just a simple E+ rank monster.
“Rank is not everything… Boss monsters are different from ordinary monsters.”
Even monsters of the same rank could use unique abilities or be equipped with special armaments, making them difficult and tricky to deal with.
He was saying that it could have power comparable to the troll he had faced before, even one in perfect condition.
But there was no need to be intimidated and back down.
He hadn’t just been playing around for a week.
He had been constantly striving and training.
He had become incomparably stronger than when he first arrived on Earth.
“Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine.”
Seeing Lee Seong-joon’s nonchalant attitude, Kim Seong-hoon reluctantly nodded.
“If that’s what Returnee Lee Seong-joon wants, then there’s nothing I can do.”
His eyes were already filled with conviction.
No matter what he said, he couldn’t be persuaded.
Further advice would be useless meddling.
Moreover, he had promised not to interfere and was accompanying him.
Now, all that was left was to silently observe.
‘This could be a good thing.’
No one was foolish enough to risk their own life.
If he were to rescue Returnee Lee Seong-joon from a crisis after encountering the boss monster, he could make a good impression on him right away.
Later, when Returnee Lee Seong-joon became a high-ranking hunter, it would be much easier to ask for a favor or make a proposal.
‘Even if he doesn’t have the abilities I expect, he’s still a promising talent…’
According to the data accumulated over the years, all individuals who were considered promising talents had grown to at least B-rank.
A B-rank hunter was definitely capable of pulling their own weight, so creating goodwill with him would definitely not be a loss.
‘Dealing with a boss monster that’s at most E+ rank shouldn’t be that difficult.’
Just like the hunter world, the Association’s headquarters also operated based on meritocracy.
Therefore, those who worked and were active at the headquarters located in the metropolitan area were hunters with at least an E-rank and some practical experience.
In fact, Kim Seong-hoon himself was a C-rank hunter, and if he went all out, he could easily defeat an E+ rank boss monster.
Compared to that, the potential benefits were enormous.
‘Is this the low-risk, high-return I’ve heard about?’
A smile naturally appeared on Kim Seong-hoon’s lips as he looked at Lee Seong-joon, who was walking beside him.
Meanwhile, Lee Seong-joon, who had already arrived at the gate’s entrance, presented the returnee registration certificate he had just received.
“Confirmed. You may enter.”
After receiving the registration certificate back from the Association employee guarding the entrance, Lee Seong-joon stepped into the gate without hesitation.
Whoosh-!
The moment he passed through the gate, he felt a ringing in his ears and his vision distorted.
‘It’s a strange sensation, just like I read online.’
Immediately after, his vision cleared, and a lush green forest with trees stretching straight up to the sky came into Lee Seong-joon’s view.
“Well then, shall we go?”
After lightly stretching his body on the spot and checking his condition, Lee Seong-joon immediately started walking.
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Kim Seong-hoon felt as if he were dreaming.
It was only natural, as Returnee Lee Seong-joon was engaging in a battle that could only be described as overwhelming, even though it was his first hunt.
Whoosh-, Crunch-!
Every time his hands and feet moved, F-rank monsters, goblins, met their demise.
As the number of goblin corpses quickly piled up, Kim Seong-hoon, who was watching Lee Seong-joon’s continuous battle as if possessed, couldn’t close his mouth.
‘This is the movement of an F-rank? No way.’
He was showing movements that would not be strange even if he were assessed as E-rank or higher right now.
‘He’s fast.’
Of course, speed alone was not enough.
However, Returnee Lee Seong-joon’s movements had a special ability that more than made up for the lack of speed.
He was clearly moving as if he were sliding on the ground, but suddenly his form became blurry and disappeared from sight.
It felt like being possessed by a ghost.
Among the promising talents that he had observed while working at the Association’s headquarters, there had never been anyone who showed such strange movements as Returnee Lee Seong-joon.
Naturally, it was a huge shock to Kim Seong-hoon.
‘What is this? Was he hiding his return and living in seclusion?’
Very occasionally, there were returnees with bad intentions who hid their return and secretly accumulated power.
However, according to the report he had checked earlier, Returnee Lee Seong-joon had clearly appeared along with the reaction of the mana detector.
There was no chance that he had been hiding his return and living in seclusion.
‘He’s showing this kind of movement with the stats of an F-rank…?’
It wasn’t just his movements that were exceptional.
‘…Even his destructive power is outstanding.’
The punches that Returnee Lee Seong-joon casually threw had the destructive power of a sledgehammer.
In fact, the moment Returnee Lee Seong-joon’s fist connected, the goblin’s neck bone was instantly broken.
Moreover, he showed no hesitation in killing his opponents.
The monsters, which were supposed to be the objects of fear for humanity, were actually intimidated by Returnee Lee Seong-joon’s brutal methods.
It was no exaggeration to say that the outcome was already decided, but Returnee Lee Seong-joon showed no openings and continued to hunt the goblins.
‘He’s aggressive yet cool-headed.’
He possessed outstanding hunting abilities and the decisive judgment to support them.
‘He’s insane! Returnee Lee Seong-joon is unprecedented!’
What confirmed this thought for Kim Seong-hoon was Lee Seong-joon’s handling of the last remaining goblin.
Dodging the pouring attacks with ghost-like movements, Lee Seong-joon’s fingers grazed the goblin’s head.
He thought that was all, but the goblin, which had been standing still, collapsed with its head exploding like a watermelon.
Further observation was meaningless.
‘At least A-rank, maybe… he has the potential to reach SSS-rank.’
The current Earth was an era where the strength of hunters directly translated to national power, an era of the survival of the fittest.
For Kim Seong-hoon, an employee of the Association’s headquarters who was already troubled by the friction with China and Japan, the existence of Returnee Lee Seong-joon was like a treasure.
Thump! Thump!
A smile bloomed on his lips, and the sound of his heart, pounding with excitement, echoed in his ears.
Just as Kim Seong-hoon was suppressing his overflowing joy, he heard the sound of rustling leaves and a ferocious roar.
“Kraaaa-!”
It was a mighty roar that couldn’t have come from a goblin, and Kim Seong-hoon immediately furrowed his brows and turned his head.
‘This is?’
Where his gaze landed, a green-skinned, pig-nosed monster, an orc, emerged from the bushes.
However, unlike ordinary orcs, this orc was clad in silver armor from head to toe.
Naturally, Kim Seong-hoon’s eyes narrowed.
‘A boss monster.’
He had thought they might encounter one, but he hadn’t expected to actually meet it.
“It’s dangerous!”
Contrary to his urgent shout, a smile was forming on Kim Seong-hoon’s lips.
It was only natural, as there could be no greater fortune than to become the savior of Returnee Lee Seong-joon, a hunter with the potential to reach at least A-rank, and possibly even SSS-rank.
“I’ll take care of it, so please step back.”
Just as Kim Seong-hoon was about to step forward to make a strong impression and show off his skills, Lee Seong-joon’s words stopped him in his tracks.
“That’s my prey.”
Seeing Lee Seong-joon claiming ownership, Kim Seong-hoon frantically shook his head.
“It’s an armed Orc Warrior, it’s too dangerous!”
Returnee Lee Seong-joon possessed strength that was definitely not that of an F-rank.
However, the opponent was an E+ rank monster, an Orc Warrior.
Moreover, it was designated as a boss monster and was equipped with armor.
In contrast, Returnee Lee Seong-joon was unarmed, wearing only a light training suit.
Although his destructive power was quite impressive, it was unlikely that he could penetrate the Orc Warrior’s thick, tough hide and iron armor without any proper equipment.
The outcome of the fight was obvious even without seeing it.
“If you’re worried about the spoils or the bounty after the hunt, I’ll make sure that Returnee Lee Seong-joon receives them all. So please, let me handle the hunt.”
It was not a bad offer.
It was an offer that allowed him to take credit without lifting a finger, but there was something that could not be transferred.
‘Experience points.’
He had experienced firsthand the incredible abilities of the system.
Just by leveling up and gaining bonus points, he could become stronger.
Moreover, boss monsters yielded several times more experience points than regular monsters.
For Lee Seong-joon, who needed to become stronger as quickly as possible to earn a lot of money, the vast amount of experience points was too tempting to pass up.
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t interfere?”
At Lee Seong-joon’s firm tone, Kim Seong-hoon couldn’t easily open his mouth.
“…”
He felt a pang of regret for the words he had spoken earlier.
However, he couldn’t just dwell on past regrets.
He needed to think of the best possible future, a way to build a good relationship without Returnee Lee Seong-joon getting injured.
After much thought in a short amount of time, Kim Seong-hoon carefully spoke.
“Then, if you happen to find yourself in danger, may I intervene? Of course, I’ll make sure that all the spoils from the hunt go to Returnee Lee Seong-joon.”
“I won’t stop you from doing that.”
Lee Seong-joon readily nodded in agreement to Kim Seong-hoon’s proposal.
He was confident after hunting the goblins earlier.
In his current condition, he could easily overwhelm a troll like the one he had faced before.
In other words, there was no way he would be in danger against the Orc Warrior in front of him.
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