Chapter 330
“How does South Korea manage hunters like this?”
“This is the mystery of the East!”
The overseas hunters were astonished by the policy of the Korean officials. They still hadn’t come to terms with what was happening.
If a person said, “I’m an official of the Hunter Management Department,” the general public would be very envious. Those officials had an enormous budget and a lot of authority. After all, that department had to be the most powerful one within the government of South Korea.
However, it was nothing more than a glamorous facade. In reality, the department wasn’t as powerful as it seemed.
What they usually did was coax, or rather, beg the reckless hunters to stop causing incidents!
That was precisely why it was so refreshing to see two A-grade hunters teaching the latecomers a lesson.
“Sh-should we stop it?” Kang Sangho asked as he watched the whole thing.
“...How could we stop A-grade hunters?”
“You’re right...”
“Let’s wait and see what happens.”
His subordinates agreed with him. If anything, deep inside, they were condoning this.
‘I hope they beat up some other assholes!’
***
“I’m sorry about this,” Choi Yeonseung told Kang Sangho as he finished punishing the hunters.
Kang Sangho hadn’t expected an A-grade hunter to speak to him like this, so he froze.
“N-n-no…”
“Hunter Han Seha may have gone overboard with her fists, but deep down, she’s a good hunter. Don’t get her wrong.”
“?”
“???”
The hunters lying face down behind him would’ve flinched if they could. What kind of nonsense was that…?
“So what’s next?”
“Huh? Nothing!” exclaimed Kang Sangho, surprised.
Of course, there were some other things that hunters had to take care of whenever dungeons exploded, but nobody had the courage to ask an A-grade hunter to do those things.
They weren’t crazy!
“Is there something else to do or not?”
“There is, but… it’s not your task...”
“I’ve done it before,” replied Choi Yeonseung indifferently.
So far, hunters from all over the world had come to South Korea, and the defense systems had been thoroughly reinforced. Thanks to that, people didn’t freak out and run in all directions, so they naturally had a bit of free time.
In the past, it was utter hell whenever dungeons exploded.
Back then, hunters were rather weak and there were no defense systems, so every country had a hard time protecting itself. Of course, that meant that no country received external support.
All hunters were struggling to protect their own country against enemies, so they couldn’t go overseas and offer support.
Choi Yeonseung and Hwang Gyeongryong had a low rating at that time, so even they had a lot of trouble dealing with monsters.
Standard procedure when a dungeon exploded was for each hunter to take charge of an area and eliminate the monsters before they escaped. If the monsters went underground, the hunters had to track them down.
If monsters escaped into the basement of a building or a sewer, the hunters would have to take at least two baths after chasing them through all that filth.
As such, hunter clans often refused to do something like that, but the few outstanding hunters, like Choi Yeonseung and Hwang Gyeongryong, would rush in while saying something like “We have to be the ones to kill them in order to make more money than the others!”
“Now, which areas don’t have any hunters?”
“Huh? Hunters have been dispatched everywhere. We are fully prepared.”
“...Huh? Aren’t there any places where no hunters want to go?” Choi Yeonseung asked incredulously.
“Naturally, everything has already been determined. Everyone knows what they have to do once the alarm goes off. Places where people don’t want to go to… What areas are you talking about exactly?”
“Like sewers or something like that...”
“Ah, those kinds of places… You see, there are devices installed in those places that emit a scent that monsters hate, thus preventing them from entering. You don’t have to worry about those places.”
“...”
Choi Yeonseung looked dazed. He hadn’t been aware that his hometown had become so modernized.
‘Wait… This is weird.’
Choi Yeonseung thought that not even the United States or France were so modern…
“Is it supposed to be like this?”
“What do you mean?”
“I think that not even the United States had such a smooth operation for a dungeon...”
“Well, isn’t it because South Korea is much smaller and has been heavily automated?” proposed Han Seha. Her argument was solid, and Choi Yeonseung had to admit it.
Times had changed!
‘Still, I wonder if I’m taking it too easy...’
Of course, things had gone in the right direction, but for some reason, he felt it was unfair.
Han Seha seemed to read Choi Yeonseung’s mind and whispered to him, “If you think hunter raids are too easy these days, should I go and turn off the alarm system?”
“...Wh-what…? Nevermind. Thanks for making me realize how absurd I was.”
Choi Yeonseung came to his senses. On second thoughts, wasn’t it great that there were more hunters and that they had become overall stronger?
“Then you really don’t have anything to do?”
“I guess so. In all honesty, I think the higher-ups would berate us if we sent a top-rated hunter to do things like that. It’s best that you just wait on the sidelines in case of an emergency.”
There were many dungeons at the moment, but most of them contained monsters below B-grade, and as such, they weren’t that dangerous. There were other hunters that could deal with them.
As it stood, it was best for the A-grade hunters to stand by and only intervene if there was a problem, like monsters that were A-grade or higher, or…
“Hunters fighting each other,” said Han Seha excitedly, as if she was already looking forward to kicking some ass.
The idea of catching and beating up belligerent hunters along with Choi Yeonseung seemed extremely fun!
[The ‘Hound of Instinct and Liberation’ praises your desire!]
-Yes, yes. I know it as well.
***
The hunters of the Demon clan were following the Iron-Blooded Ice Emperor, Lee Changsik, into the dungeon area.
Normally, hunters who specialized in clan battles didn’t like doing raids. No matter how many safety precautions they took, one mistake could cost them their lives.
However, they weren’t that anxious on this occasion.
After all, the legend himself, Lee Changsik, was leading them.
“!”
“Hello!”
The hunters they encountered along the way recognized Lee Changsik and bowed in surprise. They hadn’t expected to see a retired hunter here.
“...That’s what I’m saying, you know. Monster raids aren’t much different from training.”
“Ye-yeah… You’re right…”
Go Junwon, one of the hunters of the Demon clan, showed off in front of Wi Seongu. As a hunter who had used to live pridefully, there was nothing more painful than seeing all the other hunters leave the clan.
All of Go Junwon’s supporters had left the clan. Instead, the only ones left were foreigners he had never seen before, some cheeky brats, and hunters with whom he didn’t get along.
As such, the only person that Go Junwon could show off to was Wi Seongu, who had just graduated from high school.
It didn’t work on the other hunters.
-Hey, Dab, this is a brilliant move I used in clan battles in the past...
-I see. By the way, why is it so flashy?
-......
“You’ve cast a movement spell on you, right? If a monster comes out, you basically have to distance yourself and immediately remember its weaknesses. This is where your training comes in.”
“Hey, didn’t you say that I should stay on top of the monsters because I’m a tanker…?” Wi Seongu wondered.
“...Tactics change depending on circumstances.”
“Ah… I see…”
There was a hint of doubt in Wi Seongu’s eyes; he seemed to be thinking, ‘Does this guy know anything?’
Wi Seongu’s skeptical look made Go Junwon nervous. He had to impress Wi Seongu with something!
“I found monsters.”
“Oh? I’ll go get ‘em!”
“...Aren’t you going to at least listen as to what kind of monsters they are?” Lee Changsik asked Go Junwon with an incredulous expression.
Go Junwon stepped back, visibly embarrassed.
“They’re blue orcs. They’re E-grade monsters, so this should be a walk in the park…”
Lee Changsik could kill those monsters without any effort, which meant that these hunters should be able to deal with them. In fact, during the clan battles, they had faced monsters that were many times stronger than this.
“But in actual fights, there are many variables. Don’t let your guard down and don’t underestimate them.”
Lee Changsik recalled the conversation he had with Choi Yeonseung.
-I think my power as a constellation is stronger than I thought.
-...Y-yeah. I think it’s amazing.
-Apparently, the hunters around me are influenced by me and have become stronger. So please take the hunters with you and watch them fight. It doesn’t hurt for them to become stronger through actual combat and gain more experience.
-You’re right.
Lee Changsik and Choi Yeonseung shared the same opinion. No matter how good the hunters were at clan battles, it was meaningless if they didn’t actually get stronger. They needed to participate in actual fights in order to get stronger.
‘Nathan Dab and Zhang Wei are doing good.’ Lee Changsik thought highly of them.
Nathan was currently known as a rising star in the United States, but he was also kind of crazy as he had crossed the ocean to learn martial arts from Choi Yeonseung. Aside from that, he was a good, sincere young man.
As for Zhang Wei, he was highly regarded in China. People said that Chinese hunters went through the most brutal training methods, so it wasn’t surprising that he was up there with Nathan.
They would do well even if they suddenly got thrown into a fight.
In comparison...
‘Go Junwon is the one I’m most anxious about.’
The others were extremely nervous about the upcoming fights, but Go Junwon seemed overconfident, as if he wanted to prove everyone what he was capable of.
As a hunter, he was decently talented, but his mentality was problematic…
To be frank, out of everyone, Lee Changsik was the most surprised that Go Junwon hadn’t left the clan. Based on his personality, he had expected him to leave right away…
‘Is he in debt?’
“Then please look after me.”
Nathan bumped fists with Wi Seongu. Both of them were martial artists, and they were both tankers. They had the most dangerous positions and the most amount of responsibility!
Wi Seongu froze for a second, but he nodded along with Nathan's encouragement.
Seeing this, Go Junwon became anxious.
“Excuse me, Iron-Blooded Ice Emperor.”
“There’s no need to call me by my title.”
“But that would be disrespectful... In any case, Iron-Blooded Ice Emperor, Seongu over there looks inexperienced. Why don’t you let me take his place?”
“He’ll do well on his own.”
‘Tsk, he really is heartless…’ Go Junwon looked at Lee Changsik and inwardly cursed at him.
There was a reason why so many people gossiped that Lee Changsik was cold-blooded and that he shed no tears.
Nathan didn’t know it, but if Wi Seongu found himself in danger, Go Junwon would go and save him. Go Junwon took his short sword in his hand and prepared magic.
However...
Thump!
“?!”
“Whoa. You’re pretty good,” said Zhang Wei. He was impressed.
Nathan and Wi Seongu blocked the attacks from the blue orcs that broke through the trees and rocks around them.
“Waah! Waaah! Huaaahh!”
“Why is he shouting like that? Is he more efficient if he yells like that?”
Nathan was puzzled by Wi Seongu’s screaming as he swung his fists. It was a good way to knock back the monsters, but it was also strange.
Lee Changsik watched from behind and thought, ‘They are growing faster than I thought.’
Of course, Choi Yeonseung had personally observed their martial arts and taught them what to do, but even so, people didn’t usually improve in martial arts that fast.
Magic was one thing, but one couldn’t just skip levels in martial arts. But despite that, these two were unexpectedly good at blocking the monsters. This wasn’t the result of talent, but of something else…
It was thanks to the blessing of the constellation!
‘Won’t they get stronger with Yeonseung next to them?’
It was an irreverent idea to dare to think of using a constellation as a cheerleader, but Lee Changsik couldn’t help entertaining the thought.
A constellation’s power, whether they were aware of it or not, influenced their surroundings. Thus, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the more Choi Yeonseung became aware of his power, the stronger it became.
-Yes, Yeonseung, I’m checking this place. No... Wait...
Wi Seongu threw himself back and rolled backwards, dodging the orcs’ attacks!
The form wasn’t perfect, but Wi Seongu had nonetheless used the correct dodging method in this case.
Nathan recognized the technique and admired it.
‘A perfect roll!’
However, Go Junwon wasn’t familiar with martial arts, so he thought that something went wrong.
“Pff, I knew it would get to this! Here I come!”
Go Junwon cast shielding magic and ran forward. Even though close combat wasn’t his strong suit, he still managed to knock back a few monsters.
Bang!
“Get back!”
“Huh? Why are you here?”
“?!”
Go Junwon was shocked. Wi Seongu, whom he thought had fallen, was punching the orcs again from the side.
“What?”
“Look ahead! In front of you!”
Bang!
The shield cracked and shattered.
Go Junwon usually wouldn’t get hit like this, which meant he had made a mistake in his calculations.
-Shield of Alden! Shield of Alden!
Go Junwon hurriedly shielded himself again. The orcs seemed to think that Go Junwon was a particularly easy target and continued to swing their axes at him.
“Iron-Blooded Ice Emperor! Please help me! Help me!”
However, instead of helping him, Lee Changsik admired how skilled he was at shielding himself against the attacks. Perhaps it was thanks to his survival instincts.
“Hah. You’re pretty good at that, aren’t you? Keep trying.”
“...No, help me!” Help me!”
-What’s going on?
-It’s not a big deal. In any case, I’ll be doing raids around here. Call me if you need me.
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