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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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As mentioned before, each Gate held a different world, but they were generally classified into two types: those frequently visited by Hunters, like the F-rank Gate visited earlier, and those showing no trace of human presence, like the current Gate.
Naturally, there were reasons why Hunters avoided certain dungeons.
There were several possibilities, but the primary one was, without a doubt, safety.
Since it was a job where one could lose their life in an instant, if the Gate’s internal environment was unfavorable or the inhabiting monsters were difficult to hunt, it would inevitably be avoided.
That’s why this E-rank Gate showed no signs of human activity.
The environment wasn’t favorable at all; the dense trees blocked sunlight, hindering visibility, and the swampy terrain significantly restricted movement.
Moreover, the appearing monsters were the worst.
‘Super Monkeys.’
As the name suggested, they were monkey-type monsters, about 2 meters long, larger than an adult male.
Their relatively long arms and legs gave them excellent jumping ability, allowing them to freely traverse the surrounding terrain.
Fortunately, their large bodies made them somewhat slow.
However, this was a swamp, a place where mobility was advantageous.
Furthermore, there were plenty of trees for them to jump between.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was a stage set for Super Monkeys.
‘Except for accessibility, it’s truly the worst hunting ground.’
Lee Seong-jun finished organizing the information about Super Monkeys he’d read in the taxi and the situation inside the Gate.
Choi Gyu-jin, who had entered the Gate a step behind, spoke.
“Fortunately, there don’t seem to be any Monkeys near the entrance…”
“Shh.”
Lee Seong-jun cut him off.
At the same time, Lee Seong-jun’s eyes narrowed.
He sensed multiple presences not far away.
“Get down.”
Choi Gyu-jin didn’t even have time to question him.
His body moved reflexively due to the pressure and authority emanating from Lee Seong-jun.
And this movement proved to be the greatest stroke of luck in Choi Gyu-jin’s life.
Whoosh!
Although he hadn’t seen it directly, the strong gust of wind told him that a blunt object had just grazed his head.
‘If I had reacted just a little slower…’
Choi Gyu-jin felt a chill run down his spine.
At the same time, a question arose.
‘…How did he know?’
Although he had been careless, it was a sharp surprise attack that even he, an E-rank, hadn’t sensed.
Yet, Lee Seong-jun not only detected the attack but also perfectly predicted its trajectory.
‘This is an F-rank?’
It was unbelievable.
‘He definitely has some hidden power.’
It didn’t take long for Choi Gyu-jin to become convinced of his thought.
“It could be dangerous, so please stay here.”
As Lee Seong-jun finished speaking and stepped forward, another blunt object flew through the air.
Fast and threatening, but the limitations of a thrown weapon were clearly evident.
‘Too straightforward.’
Lee Seong-jun dodged the flying object with a simple twist of his waist and ran forward.
Perhaps sensing that its attack wouldn’t land, the Super Monkey that had thrown the projectile at Lee Seong-jun hurriedly jumped, trying to escape the battlefield.
It was a good judgment.
Considering the swampy ground, it could have easily shaken off even a decent E-rank Hunter.
However, this time, it had chosen the wrong opponent.
‘Grass-top Flight.’
A light footwork technique that allowed one to walk even on weak, thin blades of grass unfolded through Lee Seong-jun’s feet.
Originally, this wasn’t a technique a second-rate martial artist could perform.
It required at least a first-rate martial artist.
But Lee Seong-jun could perform it thanks to his experience and knowledge accumulated as a Demon God, along with the help of the Ghost Shadow Step movement technique.
Of course, it wasn’t a perfect execution, but merely an imitation.
However, that was enough.
Lee Seong-jun lightly stepped on the branches scattered on the swampy ground and jumped up, quickly closing the distance with the Super Monkey.
The beast’s distinctive musky scent naturally reached his nose.
“Screeech-!”
The Super Monkey standing before him shrieked, emitting a strong killing intent.
And then, just as it swung the wooden club it held to knock Lee Seong-jun off the tree,
‘Ghost Shadow Step.’
Lee Seong-jun’s figure blurred before his eyes and reached close proximity to the Super Monkey.
‘Blood Strengthening Fist, Iron Strike.’
A martial art that could only be learned after becoming a second-rate martial artist and officially recognized as a member of the Blood Cult, it used internal blood energy to strengthen specific body parts.
Indeed, the human body could evolve to the point of crushing and breaking even thick iron.
Of course, this evolution could only be achieved through constant training.
However, Iron Strike, a principle of the Blood Strengthening Fist, allowed one to temporarily throw a powerful punch capable of shattering even thick iron.
Bang!
The Super Monkey’s waist bent at a right angle.
“Kyaaack-!”
Letting out a scream of pain, the Super Monkey contorted its face and, in a last-ditch effort, threw another punch.
But it was a futile struggle.
Lee Seong-jun, using Ghost Shadow Step again, was already behind the groaning Super Monkey.
“Iron Strike.”
The Blood Strengthening Fist unfolded once more from his outstretched fist.
Crack!
With the sound of its spine breaking, the Super Monkey’s eyes rolled back, revealing the whites.
“Squeak-!”
Then, as white foam erupted from the Super Monkey’s mouth, its massive 2-meter body collapsed like a rag doll and fell to the ground.
Lee Seong-jun, looking at it with indifferent eyes, immediately turned his gaze to Choi Gyu-jin and spoke.
“Let’s move.”
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The hunt continued unimpeded after that.
It was a completely different picture from what Choi Gyu-jin had initially imagined.
‘…I was the one who didn’t understand my place.’
Choi Gyu-jin muttered self-deprecatingly.
It was literally overwhelming.
Even though he should have been exhausted from the continuous battles, Lee Seong-jun was hunting even more easily than at the beginning.
‘How is this even possible?’
Choi Gyu-jin was confused.
He had been dispatched hastily, and he wasn’t a particularly recognized talent within the association.
Therefore, even though he was witnessing Lee Seong-jun’s battle with his own eyes, he couldn’t quite comprehend it.
Still, if he were to understand what he saw, he could define it with a single phrase.
‘Something… I don’t know exactly, but it feels incredibly efficient.’
It wasn’t flashy like the brilliant ability users.
There were many returnees who hunted monsters by wielding tremendously powerful forces or special abilities, almost slaughtering them.
But he had never seen anyone hunt this way.
“…Amazing.”
Lee Seong-jun was demonstrating a high level of combat that was difficult to grasp even now.
But the most surprising thing was that Lee Seong-jun was just taking his first steps.
‘It’s only been a week, hasn’t it? Oh, wait! What if Returnee Lee Seong-jun dies here or suffers an unrecoverable, fatal injury…?’
Surely, the blame would fall on him.
Choi Gyu-jin frowned.
‘This isn’t good.’
He hadn’t become an association Hunter, essentially a civil servant, for nothing.
Choi Gyu-jin’s life motto was to live a long and uneventful life.
But now, due to the involvement of this Returnee Lee Seong-jun, his life motto could be shaken.
Naturally, Choi Gyu-jin’s mind began to work busily.
‘Can Returnee Lee Seong-jun defeat the D-rank boss monster?’
According to the Gate report, the boss monster here was a Super Gorilla.
Its other general abilities were listed as equivalent to other D-rank monsters, but as a boss, it definitely had special aspects.
‘Its pure defense is D+ rank just from the toughness of its hide, muscles, and bones…’
In the worst-case scenario with armed equipment, its defense could rise to C-rank.
It didn’t seem like Lee Seong-jun, who showed efficient movements but lacked powerful destructive force, had a way to inflict a fatal blow to secure victory.
‘Ugh… should I stop the test now?’
He wanted to do that.
But there were too many things bothering him here as well.
The returnee’s pride, which must have been high in another world, and the fact that it would be considered an act exceeding his authority by his superiors.
The life of a civil servant was becoming arduous.
Living a long and uneventful life was his goal, but he didn’t want to live a painful one.
‘How can I get through this smoothly without getting burned…’
As his worries deepened and Choi Gyu-jin’s brow furrowed,
“ROAR-!”
Choi Gyu-jin’s eyes widened at the loud roar, which couldn’t possibly have come from a Super Monkey.
‘Th, this sound is…!’
He turned his head to see the giant figure, the monster with bulging muscles, the Super Gorilla, come into view.
However, it wasn’t a typical Super Gorilla.
From head to toe, it was clad in full plate armor.
‘…Damn it. With that, its defense is definitely C-rank!’
It was the worst-case scenario.
It had become a level where not only could he not inflict a fatal blow to secure victory, but his attacks might not even land at all.
In this truly worst-case scenario, Choi Gyu-jin’s face paled.
“It’s dangerous! You have to run…!”
As Choi Gyu-jin shouted, Lee Seong-jun’s figure was already passing by his side.
“It’s my prey.”
Of course, it wasn’t because he was blinded by greed.
He confidently asserted ownership because his assumptions and hypotheses had turned into certainties while hunting the Super Monkeys earlier.
‘I can hunt a D-rank boss monster alone.’
Full of confidence, Lee Seong-jun’s steps held no hesitation.
‘Strengthen.’
Ding!
『Using Strength Enhancement on user ‘Lee Seong-jun’. Strength stat increased by 5 for 10 minutes.』
『Agility…』
『Stamina…』
As the green holographic message window appeared, he felt strength surging through his body.
‘Excellent.’
Just looking at the numbers, he could say he had become about 30% stronger.
However, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Lee Seong-jun’s actual combat power had more than doubled.
The reason was simple.
Lee Seong-jun had the experience and skills to efficiently utilize this strengthened body.
It meant he could utilize his increased stats better than anyone else, and that he could sufficiently hunt the Super Gorilla before him.
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