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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Through the bushes, the Orc Warrior approached, radiating a ferocious killing intent.
Most hunters on their first hunt would lose their strength in their legs just from facing this killing intent, but a smile was blooming on Lee Seong-joon’s lips instead.
‘So this is a boss monster.’
The F-rank goblins had been disappointingly easy and boring.
They couldn’t even follow his movements, and they were knocked out with a single punch strengthened by his internal energy.
He had wanted a battle to test his current physical condition, but they were not even good enough for a warm-up.
It had been an unsatisfactory hunt, but just in time, a decent monster had appeared.
‘This should be interesting.’
With a grin on his lips, Lee Seong-joon calmly and quietly drew up his internal energy.
He felt his muscles tighten and his bones harden.
It was the moment when he surpassed the limits of his current body with the power of his internal energy.
“Kuaaaaa!!”
Thump-! Thump-!
The Orc Warrior let out a fierce roar and charged at Lee Seong-joon.
In the blink of an eye, the Orc Warrior closed the distance and swung its thick fist, which was as big as a human head.
‘Fast.’
Despite its massive size, it was moving faster than the puny goblins.
However, it wasn’t fast enough to be unavoidable.
‘Ghost Shadow Step.’
As he took a step, Lee Seong-joon’s form began to blur.
Although it had an agile body, it was ultimately just a beast without intelligence.
It was impossible for it to properly track Lee Seong-joon’s ghost-like footwork, which made him seem to dissipate like a mirage.
As a result, the Orc Warrior’s fist grazed Lee Seong-joon’s cheek and struck the empty air.
Whoosh-!
The sound of the wind being cut and the ensuing gust of wind showed just how much brute force was behind the Orc Warrior’s punch.
‘It would be difficult to engage in a battle of strength.’
He was lacking in both speed and power, the most important elements of a fight.
However, Lee Seong-joon possessed an ability that could instantly bridge this gap.
‘Martial arts.’
With cold eyes, Lee Seong-joon slowly extended his arm, watching the Orc Warrior’s fist as it rushed towards him once again.
In the martial world, there was a saying, “Start after, arrive first.”
It did not simply refer to a martial technique that was faster.
To be precise, it meant to fully understand the opponent’s movements and to disrupt their flow.
‘And thus, arrive first.’
Sensing the flow of the air around the Orc Warrior’s outstretched fist, Lee Seong-joon executed the Blood Grasping Capture.
He grabbed the Orc Warrior’s bulky muscles as if he would tear them, and twisted his body to execute a throw.
Originally, it would have been impossible.
Lee Seong-joon’s current internal energy was not abundant.
At best, it was only at the level of a second-rate martial artist.
On the other hand, the Orc Warrior was equipped with bulky muscles and iron armor.
However, this was not difficult for Lee Seong-joon, who had mastered countless martial arts and had extensive combat experience.
‘…Let’s borrow a little.’
He applied the principle of reversal, using the opponent’s force against them, to his outstretched Blood Grasping Capture.
His body remembered the necessary angle and timing.
Swish-!
The moment he raised his shoulder and twisted his waist, the Orc Warrior’s brute force naturally became Lee Seong-joon’s own, as smoothly as flowing water.
Thud-!
The Orc Warrior’s eyes were filled with confusion and pain as it was suddenly thrown to the ground.
“Kuaaaak-!”
Lee Seong-joon did not miss the opportunity presented by the screaming Orc Warrior.
He found a small opening in its wildly flailing movements, made a fist, and struck the creature’s unarmored head.
‘Blood Shattering Fist.’
It was the most basic fist technique learned upon entering the Blood Cult, but its power was not to be underestimated.
As a martial art that focused solely on destructive power, it could be said to be the strongest fist technique among third-rate martial arts.
Moreover, the one executing the Blood Shattering Fist now was the one called a god of pestilence.
‘Stone Strike.’
Just before hitting the Orc Warrior’s head, the internal energy contained in the Blood Shattering Fist’s principle hardened his fist like a rock.
Crunch-!
With the sound of a watermelon bursting, the Orc Warrior’s head turned into a pulp.
No living creature could survive with its head smashed.
It was an instant kill. The Orc Warrior met a futile end without even being able to scream properly from a single blow.
Ding-!
> You have defeated the E+ rank boss monster, Orc Warrior.
> You have defeated the boss monster alone.
> Additional experience points are awarded.
> Experience points increase significantly!
> Congratulations! You have reached level 10 by satisfying the required experience points.
> You have reached the level required for job advancement. Please check the special notes section.
Despite his victory over the boss monster, the Orc Warrior, Lee Seong-joon’s reaction was extremely brief.
“Easy.”
It wasn’t just this battle.
Compared to when he first entered the Blood Cult and learned martial arts, everything was too easy.
His well-honed senses, sharpened by countless battles, naturally guided his body.
The memories engraved in his soul were trying to lead his clumsy body.
A strong conviction came over him.
‘I can become stronger.’
It wasn’t just about the present.
It was about the past, the time when he was called a god of pestilence, a realm he would soon reach again.
He could surpass that and reach an even higher realm.
The experience and knowledge he had accumulated as a god of pestilence, combined with his youth and the ability of the system, had opened a new path.
‘Good.’
It wasn’t just about the path of a martial artist.
He was also convinced that his life with his family would change.
Lee Seong-joon’s gaze turned to the Orc Warrior’s corpse, where a glittering stone was floating above it.
‘A mana stone.’
The reason why there was no energy shortage even though many territories had been lost to monsters after the Great Upheaval.
The most valuable currency on Earth, comparable to nothing else, and a high-efficiency alternative resource was right before his eyes.
Lee Seong-joon immediately reached out and grabbed the mana stone.
‘This is about…’
Judging by its size, about the length of his index finger, he could estimate that it was an E-rank mana stone.
One shouldn’t underestimate it because of its small size and low rank.
There was a reason why skilled hunters earned hundreds of millions of won in annual salary.
The E-rank mana stone he had just obtained was known to be worth 3 million won each.
A deep smile naturally began to spread across Lee Seong-joon’s lips.
‘At this rate, I can make a lot of money quickly.’
It had been a day since he started his activities as a hunter, or to be precise, just a few hours, and he had already earned millions of won.
‘Not a bad harvest.’
A high-value mana stone worth millions of won and four level-ups.
Moreover, because of the recent battle with the boss monster, he would definitely have made an impression on Kim Seong-hoon, who worked at the Association’s headquarters.
It was no exaggeration to say that he had achieved all the goals of this hunt.
‘That’s enough for today.’
He wanted to make more money as soon as possible for a happy life with his family, but he couldn’t let the cart get ahead of the horse.
It was almost time for dinner with his family.
He wasn’t earning money to be happy, he was earning money to live a happy life.
He had no intention of making the foolish mistake of losing precious time with his family in order to make more money.
“Let’s get out of here.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Kim Seong-hoon, who had been dazed after watching the battle with the Orc Warrior, hurriedly came to his senses and followed Lee Seong-joon’s back as he headed towards the gate’s exit.
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Association Headquarters, Returnee Management Team Leader, Jo Kang-hyun.
As Jo Kang-hyun sat at his desk, constantly flipping through documents, he frowned and stretched, making a loud noise.
Crack-!
“Oh, I’m dying.”
It wasn’t just a habitual remark.
The Returnee Management Team, which was considered a core department, and Jo Kang-hyun, who had seized the position of team leader there in his late 30s, might seem to enjoy great power and prestige, but the reality was quite the opposite.
In fact, since taking on the position of team leader, he had been unable to sleep for more than four hours a day.
He was constantly receiving calls from all directions because he was in charge of managing and monitoring the returnees who couldn’t adapt to modern society and constantly caused trouble, both big and small.
If it weren’t for the fact that he was an Awakener and an A-rank hunter, it wouldn’t be strange if he had collapsed long ago from the sheer amount of work.
However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom.
Perhaps because his efforts were recognized, the news reached the ears of the vice-chairman, and he received a generous bonus along with a special vacation of two whole days.
“Ah, it’s been so long since I’ve had a holiday.”
Jo Kang-hyun couldn’t hide his smile as he looked at the calendar on his desk, where September 20th and 21st were circled in red.
Of course, he didn’t have any special plans.
There was only one thing Jo Kang-hyun wanted.
From tonight until tomorrow afternoon, he wanted to sleep like the dead without receiving or making any work-related calls.
‘But just in case, should I at least get a morning report?’
For a moment, Jo Kang-hyun quickly shook his head at the thought that had popped into his head without him realizing it.
He was thoroughly managing and monitoring the returnees who could be considered unstable elements.
And if there was a really urgent matter, they would come to his house to report it.
‘How did I get this special vacation, and I’m thinking about work.’
Kim Seong-hoon, a C-rank Awakener, who was called an ace within the management team.
As well as his excellent combat abilities, he was also recognized for his outstanding work performance, making him a promising candidate for the next team leader.
Most matters would be handled by Kim Seong-hoon.
‘Unless there’s a huge task like a returnee with the potential to reach SSS-rank suddenly appearing, it should be fine for two days.’
While he was organizing his thoughts about the two-day vacation, the clock hand was already pointing towards 6 p.m., the time when civil servants got off work.
Just as Jo Kang-hyun was packing up his things and getting ready to leave his seat after confirming that there were no problems in the quiet office.
Knock, knock-!
The unwelcome sound of knocking made Jo Kang-hyun frown.
‘Of all times, at quitting time…’
He sighed in disappointment, but it was a task he had to accept.
Greed for small things could lead to great loss. He could lose his vacation if he tried to avoid working overtime now.
“What is it?”
“I have something urgent to report.”
For a moment, Jo Kang-hyun’s face darkened.
The only person in the Returnee Management Team with such a deep, resonant voice was Kim Seong-hoon.
As mentioned earlier, he was an excellent employee who handled most matters himself, given his outstanding work performance.
“Could it be… are those guys from the Returnee Alliance making unreasonable demands again?”
“It’s not related to the Returnee Alliance.”
Jo Kang-hyun’s eyes narrowed.
‘If it’s not about the Returnee Alliance, then…?’
Many tasks came to mind, but there was nothing that required Kim Seong-hoon to come and report in person.
In the end, Jo Kang-hyun couldn’t find an answer.
“Then what did you come here for?”
“There’s something I need to report regarding a promising individual.”
“A promising individual? Who?”
Just as Jo Kang-hyun’s head was tilting in confusion due to the continuing questions, Kim Seong-hoon quickly continued.
“I have discovered a returnee with the potential to reach SSS-rank.”
At Kim Seong-hoon’s report from beyond the door, Jo Kang-hyun’s eyes widened like the full moon.
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