Chapter 217

Bean sprout soup might not look like much, but it contains more ingredients than you’d think.

In that sense, The Black Wyvern’s Nest was like bean sprout soup.

This vast A-Rank Gate was home to more than just Wyverns. All kinds of monsters lived here, like the ingredients that went into bean sprout soup.

—Kweeeek!

At the faint sound of a pig squealing in the distance, I muttered, “…Does bean sprout soup have pork in it?”

Won Myunghoon, who was walking beside me, turned his head.

“Hm? Why are you suddenly talking about pork?”

“It’s nothing. I thought there might be a monster nearby.”

“A monster?”

Won Myunghoon stopped and listened for a moment.

“I don’t hear anything.”

“Uh, well…”

How was I supposed to explain this? As I pondered what to say, Won Myunghoon smiled.

“Haha, you must be tense. Don’t get scared just because this is an A-Rank Gate. Relax.”

“I definitely heard something…”

“You must have imagined it. If there’d been a sound like that, I would’ve noticed it first.”

Faced with his confident tone and smile, I kept my mouth shut.

Won Myunghoon was a famous star, but his reputation as a Hunter was considerable too.

Being a ranker meant placing among the top one hundred out of the tens of thousands of Hunters in Korea.

Compared to him, I was still just a rookie who had only recently begun to stand out.

On the surface, anyway.

There probably wasn’t anyone else in the entire world with as many secrets as I had.

But people saw only what was in front of them and heard only what they wanted to hear.

I swallowed the words that had risen to my throat and nodded.

“I guess I imagined it.”

“That happens. It’s good to stay alert, but don’t worry too much. We’re using detection magic as we go, anyway.”

“…”

I stared at Won Myunghoon as he gave my shoulder a knowing pat.

Watching him had left me with a complicated feeling for a while now. How should I put it?

Was this really all there was to him?

A few hours earlier, while watching Won Myunghoon fight the Green Wyvern, I had realized two things.

First, Wyverns weren’t as strong as I’d expected. And second—

Neither is Myunghoon hyung¹.

He was strong. There was no doubt about that. He could wield Aura, and he had once been skilled enough to become a ranker.

By Murim standards, you could reasonably call him a Peak master.

But that was as far as it went. No—if what Won Myunghoon had shown was the full extent of his ability, he was actually inferior to a Peak master from the Murim.

He doesn’t know how to use his strength properly.

Was it because the environments were different?

Unlike the modern world, the Murim was a brutal place where people had to survive with nothing but a weapon in their hands.

In a world where the sword was closer than the law, martial arts had inevitably been developed to the extreme.

Modern Hunters, on the other hand, focus on raids. And they have magic.

Martial artists constantly honed themselves within the vast discipline of martial arts, while Hunters divided up their roles and pursued maximum efficiency within them.

Neither approach was inherently right or wrong, but one thing was certain.

When it comes to individual combat ability, Hunters are no match for martial artists.

If what he had shown so far was everything he could do, Won Myunghoon was no exception.

The fact that he could wield Aura made no difference.

I really have grown stronger.

It had only been a few months.

Yet I had grown enough to judge an A-Rank Hunter who had been my idol for years.

I’m happy about it, but it’s bittersweet too.

I was still gazing at Won Myunghoon with mixed feelings when—

—Kweeeek!

—Chweek!

The second set of cries was louder and clearer than the first.

Won Myunghoon finally noticed them too. He turned his head and began searching for their source.

“Where the hell did that come from…?”

I pulled the spear from my back and answered, “Five o’clock. About thirty jang² away—or rather, a hundred meters³.”

“Huh?”

“There are quite a few of them. You should start preparing for the raid.”

“G-Get ready?”

“Yes. Sounds like forty or fifty.”

“What are you—”

Won Myunghoon couldn’t finish.

We had spotted a group of more than forty Orcs approaching through the dense undergrowth.

“Forty-seven. Should I take care of them?”

“…”

“Hyung¹?”

At my call, Won Myunghoon jolted as if waking from sleep.

“Uh, huh?”

“Should I take care of them?”

“…By yourself?”

“Yes. I haven’t warmed up yet.”

“R-right. Do whatever you want.”

“If any of them try to run, please deal with them.”

I finished speaking, swung the spear shaft around a few times, and walked toward them.

It was an ordinary iron spear of the sort you could find anywhere, without a single magical enchantment.

If I use enchanted Equipment for no reason, I’ll have trouble adapting in the Murim.

Magic was astonishingly convenient and useful.

It might help me right away, but in the long run, relying on it would do more harm than good.

I needed to improve my fundamental skills instead of depending on Equipment if I wanted to handle any crisis that came my way.

If I take down all of them, maybe I’ll level up once.

With that happy thought, I kicked off the ground. The wind split around me, whipping through my hair.

Whoooosh!

Whoosh! Slice! Thud-thud-thud!

The spearhead sliced cleanly through an Orc’s throat.

Before its knees even touched the ground, the head of the Orc beside it exploded.

Then another. Two more. Three after that…

Every time a silver streak carved through the air, blood and death followed.

He tore through their ranks unhindered.

“…Wow.”

Team Leader 1 let out an involuntary gasp, then hurriedly closed his mouth. Won Myunghoon was glaring at him with murder in his eyes.

“Uh, Guild Master. I didn’t mean—”

“You bastard. Is this really the time to stand around enjoying the show?”

“I’m sorry. It just slipped out…”

Team Leader 1 cautiously studied Won Myunghoon’s expression before continuing.

“No, but he really is good, isn’t he?”

“…What do you mean, good?”

“Just look at how he moves. He’s no ordinary A-Rank rookie.”

“…”

“He doesn’t seem to be wearing a single piece of magical Equipment, either. You have to give him credit just for having the guts to charge fifty Orcs alone. If someone told me to do that… honestly, I wouldn’t be confident.”

Won Myunghoon licked his lips, his face tight with irritation.

He couldn’t deny anything Team Leader 1 had said. Every last word of it was true.

The longer he watched Jin Taekyung, the more bewildered he became.

What the hell is that guy?

Orcs might be treated like punching bags in fantasy novels, but they were by no means easy monsters.

There were many different species of Orcs and dozens of confirmed tribes. Judging by the crude armor these ones wore, they were B-Rank Orc Warriors.

And yet Jin Taekyung was overwhelming them.

He’s taking on fifty Orc Warriors alone? A brat who only just awakened as an A-Rank?

Won Myunghoon had already investigated him thoroughly.

Jin Taekyung had been a bottom-tier Hunter branded as defective, someone who had started as an F-Rank and was certain to die as an F-Rank.

How could a man who had spent his time fighting goblins in tiny F-Rank Gates do this?

“Guild Master. Guild Master?”

Won Myunghoon snapped out of his thoughts and answered dryly.

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear me? I’ve been asking whether you noticed anything suspicious. You’ve been beside him this whole time.”

“Suspicious?”

“Yes. It’s strange. That Jin Taekyung bastard definitely has something going on.”

“…”

After a brief silence, Won Myunghoon gave Team Leader 1 a quick account of what had just happened.

“He knew the Orcs were coming?”

“Keep your voice down. We’re not the only ones here.”

Team Leader 1 glanced behind him. After checking the Peace Guild members watching the battle with peaceful expressions, as if they had come out for a picnic, he whispered in a voice barely louder than an ant.

“My God. How did that bastard know? Do you have any idea?”

“It must have been detection magic. It had to be detection magic.”

“What if it wasn’t detection magic?”

“What?”

Team Leader 1 swallowed hard.

“Guild Master, what if—and this really is just a one-in-a-million possibility…”

“Shut your mouth. I’m not listening to that bullshit.”

“W-we can’t rule it out.”

A dangerous light flashed in Won Myunghoon’s eyes.

“Fuck… Are you saying that bastard Jin Taekyung is stronger than me? Is that what you’re trying to say?”

Overwhelmed by his murderous aura, Team Leader 1 hastily lowered his head.

But Won Myunghoon’s low growl continued to bore into his ears.

“You think I learned Aura by playing Go-Stop⁴? I took in a bastard who had nothing and raised him, and now you think I’m a joke? Does the title of ranker look like a fucking joke to you?”

“N-no, sir.”

At least get your facts straight. When we first met, you and I were about the same. And you only became a ranker because of the fame you built in the entertainment industry and all that lobbying.

Team Leader 1 swallowed the words threatening to spill out.

They had been together for well over ten years. Too much had happened between them to turn back now.

Sensing his resentment, Won Myunghoon glared at him like a venomous snake.

“Our Jonghun’s all grown up.”

Calling him by name rather than title meant something very different.

Several Star Guild members sensed the tension and moved around the two men with practiced ease, blocking them from outsiders’ view.

“Hey, Kim Jonghun.”

Tap, tap.

Won Myunghoon lightly patted Team Leader 1’s cheek and muttered in a voice drier than sand, “Get a grip. If you make a mistake here, we’re all fucked.”

“…Yes, sir.”

“Send a few agile guys to find the boss monster. If that doesn’t work, drag over a few Wyverns that look strong enough.”

“Understood.”

The moment Team Leader 1 answered with a cowed expression, cheers erupted from somewhere.

A middle-aged man with a bandit’s beard was jumping up and down like a live fish.

“Taekyung! You bastard! You magnificent bastard!”

The battle was finally over.

It had taken only about fifteen minutes to wipe out nearly fifty B-Rank Orc Warriors.

Amid the dozens of corpses strewn across the ground, a handsome young man with bold features grinned.

“Ah, now I’m finally warmed up. Myunghoon hyung¹, I did well, right?”

“…!”

Won Myunghoon hurriedly turned away to hide the hideous scowl that had twisted his face.

Goddammit…!

Every time he looked at Jin Taekyung, his head burned and his stomach churned.

The bastard had only attracted the media’s attention through sheer luck. He had been handed such a golden opportunity, yet he neither knew how to use his fame nor had any intention of doing so.

To Won Myunghoon, it was all an act—and the source of his disgust.

You’re going to spend your whole life running Gates until you drop dead, yet you don’t even know your place and still have the nerve to reject my offer?

If Jin Taekyung had wanted to become a star Hunter under another major entertainment agency, Won Myunghoon wouldn’t have been this angry.

But Taekyung had rejected him without the slightest hesitation. He had chosen the Peace Guild, little more than a mom-and-pop operation.

Fucking idiot.

He would regret it.

Won Myunghoon muttered those words inwardly and signaled Team Leader 1 with his eyes.

“Great job! Great job, you bastard!”

Thump! Thump!

Im Kkeokjeong snorted excitedly as he pounded me on the shoulder.

“Wow! Fifty Orc Warriors! You really are the greatest Hunter!”

“Calm down.”

“Your movement, your spearmanship, your soul… Just what I’d expect from an A-Rank Hunter. You turned this Gate upside down!”

“…”

Why was “soul” in there? And what exactly had I turned upside down?

Unlike me, who was dumbfounded, Im Kkeokjeong showed no sign of calming down.

“I knew you’d become someone like this. Ahem.”

“…You aren’t crying, are you?”

Unable to continue, Im Kkeokjeong’s lips trembled, and he turned his head away.

“Who’s crying? I just… I was remembering the old days.”

“Uncle.”

“Do you remember that time two years ago when we were ambushed in an E-Rank Gate?”

“When…? Oh, right.”

“Yeah. That bastard of a Team Leader was the first to run, and I thought we were all going to die. But you stayed at the rear until the very end and protected the wounded.”

“Was Uncle one of them?”

Im Kkeokjeong nodded, his face full of emotion.

As far as I remembered, I had saved about seven people that day. It wasn’t until now that I learned Im Kkeokjeong had been one of them.

Was that why he recommended me to Team Leader Choi?

“You still remember that?”

“I might forget a wrong done to me, but I’ll never forget a debt for as long as I live.”

“Forget it. It’s all in the past.”

“Anyway, I’m glad to see you doing so well, Taekyung. No matter how hard I try, I’ll never be more than a D-Rank Hunter… but just remember that I’ll always be rooting for you.”

I knew.

It wasn’t just Im Kkeokjeong. The other Guild members had always cared about me too.

I guess I’m lucky when it comes to people.

I looked warmly at the Guild members.

First was Team Leader Choi, our main source of funding.

“Mr. Jin Taekyung.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“You truly are remarkable.”

“It was nothing.”

“Your discerning eye is remarkable.”

“…?”

“That look in your eyes just now must mean you recognized this Frozen Eye around my neck.”

Team Leader Choi smiled proudly and pulled off the necklace.

When did he even put that on? I’d never seen it before today.

“Russia’s foremost jewelry maker, Vladimir Stalin, designed it…”

“…”

Fuck. Give me back my touching moment.

I was sighing at his maddening consistency when—

“Hm?”

Team Leader Choi suddenly froze and pointed at Im Kkeokjeong’s neck.

“Is that perhaps Yeti’s Necklace?”

Startled by his greedy stare, Im Kkeokjeong nodded.

“Huh? Uh, yeah.”

“That’s an item that rarely even appears on secondhand markets… Where did you get it?”

“T-this?”

He looked ready to rip off the necklace along with Im Kkeokjeong’s neck.

Sensing a threat to his life, the middle-aged man hurriedly took it off and handed it to me.

“It’s not mine. Taekyung lent it to me.”

“Mr. Jin Taekyung did?”

I nodded.

“I lent it to him. I borrowed it from Myunghoon hyung¹, though.”

“I see. If you don’t mind, may I examine it for a moment?”

“Well, I don’t see any harm in looking.”

Just as I was about to hand him Yeti’s Necklace, curiosity struck me.

Is this thing really that expensive?

Come to think of it, I haven’t even had it appraised yet.

It wasn’t particularly useful to me, but there was no harm in finding out exactly what it did.

Without giving it much thought, I muttered inwardly.

Item Appraisal.

Ding.