Chapter 280: Tamra and Gurkha (3)
Han-Yeol took care of the scout sent by the Tamra raid party and returned to his Gurkha raid party.
"Han-Yeol-nim!" one of the Gurkhas approached him and said.
"Yes, Sahas?" Han-Yeol responded.
"Hah!" Sahas let out a shout and saluted.
"Hmm? What...?" Han-Yeol suddenly exclaimed just as he was about to ask.
He was still using Demon Eyes right now, so he noticed there was something different about Sahas.
"Don't tell me... You?" Han-Yeol inquired.
"Hah! Yes, sir!" Sahas confirmed.
"Wow... That's awesome." Han-Yeol couldn't help but stare dumbfounded at Sahas.
Sahas was the captain of one of the groups of Gurkhas in the raid party. His name's pronunciation was somewhere between Sahas and Sahath, but Han-Yeol decided to call him Sahas. He was the leader of the Gurkha raid party, and he was now the first to awaken among them.
"You've already awakened?" Han-Yeol asked in surprise.
“Hah!”
“…”
This was a record when compared to the time it took for Porters to awaken. The average time required to awaken, as per international standards published by the International Hunters’ Association, was two years. People determined whether a person awakened quickly or late based on this standard.
There were even discussions that if a Porter didn't awaken after four years, they had a one hundred percent chance of never awakening. Of course, the internet community didn't miss the opportunity to joke about this by referring to the period of working as a Porter as 'Porter University.' If a person awakened within four years, they would 'graduate,' but if they didn't manage to do so, they were considered a failure.
However, what was happening in front of Han-Yeol right now was simply unbelievable. What truly shocked Han-Yeol was the mana he was seeing with Demon Eyes.
[I will activate Analytic Eyes.]
‘Hmm? That’s possible too?’
Karvis made her appearance.
Ding!
[Sahas Gurkha]
[Rating: S Rank]
[Ability: Weapon Master]
[Affinity: Loyal]
[Skills: Weapon Mastery, Weapon Consume, Weapon Upgrade]
[Description: A Weapon Master possesses the unique ability to wield any weapon proficiently. They can enhance a weapon's performance during battle and grow stronger depending on the type of weapon they use. Weapon Consume enables the Weapon Master to absorb the enemy's mana when striking them with a weapon. Weapon Upgrade empowers the Weapon Master to enhance their current weapon by infusing it with their own mana.]
Sahas' information appeared in front of Han-Yeol's eyes. He was completely stunned by what he was seeing.
‘Is this okay…?’
He wondered if this could be considered an invasion of privacy. However, Han-Yeol couldn't resist reading everything about Sahas because he was not the type to ignore something right in front of him.
The ability Sahas had awakened was quite remarkable. In Han-Yeol's eyes, he appeared to be a skilled damage dealer, although other people might have a different perspective. Sahas' skills seemed more like support skills, and a Porter leading a regular life might not fully harness their potential.
‘But Sahas underwent extensive training to become a walking weapon. After all, he is a Gurkha,’ Han-Yeol thought.
The Gurkhas were formidable warriors known for defeating the powerful British with their Kukri knives alone. If they received modern military training, they would become human weapons.
But what if they awakened as Hunters? That would create true monsters.
Sahas had awakened with three skills, a significant addition to his already impressive military skills as a soldier. Han-Yeol suddenly noticed something in Sahas' details: "Loyalty." That single word left Han-Yeol in awe.
‘Wow... As expected of the Nepalese people, they are incredibly loyal. Gurkhas, in particular, are known for their unwavering loyalty. While it might be challenging to earn their loyalty initially, once they swear allegiance to you, they are ready to sacrifice their lives for you.’
It was possible to discern a Nepalese person's profession based on their surname, a tradition dating back a long time. Their surnames were actually their tribe's names, and each tribe specialized in specific professions, making their tribal name synonymous with that occupation.
Han-Yeol smiled brightly and patted Sahas on his shoulder. “Congratulations, Sahas.”
Chwak!
“Hah!”
It was truly something to congratulate him for, as he not only awakened as a Hunter but also as an S Rank Hunter.
"How does it feel?" Han-Yeol asked.
Sahas looked down at his hands in response to Han-Yeol's question, then closed and opened his hands three times. "My heart feels warm, and I can feel strength coursing through my body. It feels like I can fly."
"Haha! That's exactly the feeling you should be experiencing. That's the power of the ability you've gained today."
"Power...?"
Many thoughts raced through Sahas' mind.
Meanwhile, the raid party's spirits soared thanks to Sahas' awakening. Their morale was rejuvenated, and all the fear and uncertainty they had been feeling until now vanished. They found hope that they, too, could awaken, just like Sahas.
‘Hope is a powerful source of adrenaline, after all,’ Han-Yeol thought with a smirk.
“L-Let’s keep going!”
“Hah!”
***
Surprisingly, three of the Gurkhas, including Sahas, were able to awaken on this excursion. This was quite a high number, considering that three comprised ten percent of the total thirty raid party members present.
It was a given that Han-Yeol imposed a gag order on his raid party members. Now, he was back in his mansion's living room, staring at the ceiling and thinking, 'Hmm... Is this because of my ability as well?'
He wasn't just speculating without any evidence.
'I think Tayarana and Mujahid managed to become Master Rank Hunters thanks to being influenced by my Enhanced ability, but I don't recall using it on the Gurkhas...?'
"Hmm..." Han-Yeol continued pondering, but not for long.
'Well, it's not a bad thing anyway, so there's no need for me to try and understand everything.'
If it were something negative, he might have delved deeper, but the outcome was more of a jackpot, so he decided to put the matter to rest.
'But that doesn't mean I'm going to start running a charity.'
This was something he had to keep a secret. It would be quite troublesome if word got out that he could help people awaken as Hunters, and he would inevitably have people asking to hunt with him.
Of course, there was no reason for him to help them.
He might have turned it into a business if he were a materialistic hoarder, but his primary focus was currently Earth's safety as it entered the second dimension. After all, Earth's safety equated to the safety of Han-Yeol and his loved ones.
.
'Ah, we will be connected to the Bastro Dimension once Earth enters the second dimension, right?'
It was highly likely that it would happen. The Bastro Dimension had recently become a second dimension, so it was bound to be located close to Earth. However, the Bastro Dimension was undoubtedly going to be more powerful than Earth since it ascended to the second dimension earlier.
'I miss that place...' Han-Yeol couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion from within.
He no longer felt sad about leaving the Bastro Dimension, but he was bound to long for the place where he spent twenty years of his life.
***
Four days had passed since the hunt. However, the three Gurkhas who had awakened did not register themselves with the Hunters' Association. Why? This was more of a legal loophole because these three individuals were not Korean. International law stated that they should register with Nepal's Hunters' Association.
Still, Nepal might have Hunters, but it did not have an official Hunters' Association due to financial, manpower, and administrative constraints.
Following that, Han-Yeol no longer joined the Gurkha raid party at the hunting ground, as one S Rank Hunter and two A Rank Hunters were more than sufficient to handle the Volaxes.
On the other hand, the Tamra raid party showed no signs of making any moves even after receiving the warning from Han-Yeol.
‘Are they pretending not to take any action, or are they genuinely inactive at the moment?’
Han-Yeol had already made plans to dismantle Kim Tae-San and the Tamra raid party at some point in the future. In preparation for that, he had deployed numerous 'eyes' throughout the country to monitor their movements.
These 'eyes' weren't particularly extraordinary; they were essentially regular individuals he paid to provide real-time information. However, he made sure to include a few Gurkhas who specialized in reconnaissance among them.
Han-Yeol had the Tamra raid party's headquarters under his surveillance. Kim Tae-San's house and the Tamra raid party's headquarters were situated in Central Seoul, unlike Han-Yeol's mansion located on the outskirts. This made it relatively easy for people to casually pass by them.
On the other hand, it was exceedingly unusual for someone to wander around Han-Yeol's mansion, given the lack of foot traffic in its vicinity.
Beep!
Han-Yeol’s phone rang as a message came in.
‘Is it finally here?’
He unlocked his phone and checked the content of the message.
[Tamra raid party. Thirty people. Mobilized five minutes ago.]
‘They’re already on the move?’
Han-Yeol had been anticipating their next move, but he didn't expect them to act so swiftly, let alone impatiently.
‘I guess Kim Tae-San is really pissed off.’
It was understandable why Kim Tae-San was so furious, given that he had ruled as a king for a considerable period, and his patience was undoubtedly thin. After all, he could obtain anything he desired without having to wait, and he had the freedom to do anything within the country.
The extent of his privilege was evident in how he had effortlessly taken control of Jeju Island from the government.
‘But he’s dumber than I thought,’ Han-Yeol thought with a smirk before getting up.
"Omo, master~ Are you leaving already? I thought we'd have to wait at least a week."
"Ah, the fish seemed even more gullible than I expected. It took the bait as soon as I cast it."
"Hoho~ We Arachnids are masters of luring in creatures~"
"Do you want to join me?"
"No, I'm in the middle of a different hunt right now."
"Is that so?"
"Hoho~" Tia flashed a mischievous smile.
‘Hmm? What’s she plotting?’ Han-Yeol wondered.
He was curious about this other hunt, but he had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment, so he decided not to dwell on it.
"Kyu?"
On the other hand, Mavros was already perched on Han-Yeol's shoulder, showing a preference to stay with him no matter the situation.
"Hoho~ Shall we go hunting once more?" Tia said with a smile before she disappeared somewhere after Han-Yeol left the mansion.
***
Ratatata!
The sound of gunfire resonated from the lowest-ranking hunting ground, inhabited by the Volaxes. This was due to the Gurkha raid party, which had been hunting here relentlessly for the past three days.
While the Volaxes had significantly diminished in number as they were finite, these types of insect hunting grounds usually prioritized quantity over quality, so there were plenty of monsters for the Gurkhas to hunt.
It was relatively easy for the Gurkhas to hunt the Volaxes, as the creatures relied on numbers rather than individual strength. It would have been impossible for the raid party to hunt in a different hunting ground, even though it was classified as a lowest-ranking hunting ground.
"Get into our new formation!"
"Hah!"
The Gurkha raid party wished they had tactical weapons to make hunting easier, but Yoo-Bi didn't have the time to develop such weapons. Nevertheless, this didn't mean the Gurkhas were going to give up on increasing their hunting speed. They developed various tactics and formations that proved highly effective against the Volaxes, significantly boosting their hunting speed.
‘Hmm?’
It was then that Sahas raised his hand and commanded, “All forces, ceasefire!”
“Ceasefire!”
Seuk…!
“Kieeeeek!”
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