WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: BlueMangoAde
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 867: F-Rank Hunter Jeon Myeong-hoon (6)
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Midnight.
Jeon Myeong-hoon sits on a rock in the cold autumn wind, holding Lee Ra-hye down as he waits.
After a while.
Whoooosh!
Three figures in black descend from the sky.
Two men and a woman in black suits.
At a glance, they almost look like civil servants.
The moment Lee Ra-hye sees them, tears well in her eyes as she mumbles something.
"You people are that... guild?"
"Yes, Mr. Jeon Myeong-hoon. We are the Geuseundae Guild, a guild that takes in Hunter criminals and wanted fugitives to build a new society. My name is Moon Seong-sik..."
"Is that so? Hand over the spear."
At Jeon Myeong-hoon's words, the large man who appears to be their leader hands over a small box from his side.
When he opens it, a tiny object resembling a keychain appears inside. The man throws it to Jeon Myeong-hoon, and it gradually grows as it flies through the air.
By the time Jeon Myeong-hoon catches it, it has become a normal-sized spear.
"It's a Hunter spear with a shrinking skill. It may not look like much, but it's a mana spear used by high-ranking B+ Hunters. You'll see when you test it later, but it has various magic skills applied to it."
"Hm, I see. So if I pour mana into it, it shrinks like it did just now? Hmmm...!"
Jeon Myeong-hoon pours mana into the spear.
He is an F-Rank Hunter.
He has extremely little mana, but it is not nonexistent.
And after consuming Jeon Myeong-hoon's literally mouse-tail-sized amount of mana, the spear hums as it tries to shrink by a mouse-tail's length before stopping.
"...Hm..."
Jeon Myeong-hoon's face sours slightly as he looks at the spear, which has barely changed size despite him squeezing out nearly all the mana in his body. However, he does not show it.
"Fine. I'll put it to good use. Take this woman with you. Give her a potion first."
When Jeon Myeong-hoon releases Lee Ra-hye and pushes her toward them, she hurriedly runs to the woman and clings to her.
Jeon Myeong-hoon watches as she drinks a potion and regenerates her face and teeth, becoming interested in the potion's regenerative power.
Then the man who seems to have come as the Geuseundae Guild's representative introduces himself again.
"Ahem, my introduction was late. My name is Moon Seong-sik, vice guild master of the Geuseundae Guild. I'm currently B+. What happened to Miss Ra-hye is unfortunate, but Hunters can trade blows like this sometimes."
Lee Ra-hye seems about to object, but when she sees Jeon Myeong-hoon, terror fills her face and she hides behind the newly arrived woman.
"Anyway, we understand your abilities now, Mr. Jeon Myeong-hoon. On paper, you're F-Rank. Your wanted notice says E+, but that information must be completely wrong. Even accounting for the power you borrow from a Constellation, you're B-. That's the lowest possible estimate. You may be my equal, or perhaps even stronger than me."
"......"
"Join our guild. We can provide anything for you. Money, alcohol, women, happiness-inducing drugs, good weapons, hunting grounds perfect for growth, a new identity. We can even give you the A-Rank potion you showed interest in, free of charge. What do you say? Will you join our guild?"
Jeon Myeong-hoon watches him briefly before speaking.
"What's the price?"
"Of course, you'll need to do a little work for us. But nothing particularly difficult..."
"Exactly what work do I have to do? At least tell me what kind."
"Um, for example, defeating the head of a group oppressing society, or destroying a symbol of this tedious old regime to announce the beginning of a new era..."
"So you mean assassinations and terrorism?"
"Put crudely, that would be..."
"I'll gratefully use the spear. Then I'll be on my way."
Moon Seong-sik looks at him, then shrugs.
Step, step, step!
In an instant, the man and woman who came with Moon Seong-sik join him in surrounding Jeon Myeong-hoon from three directions.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Jeon Myeong-hoon. We didn't come here lightly either. If you won't come willingly, we have no choice but to use a little force."
"Hm... You give me a new weapon, then say you're going to capture me?"
"Hahaha, don't bluff, Mr. Jeon Myeong-hoon. We don't know which Constellation sponsors you. But..."
Vwoooom!
Flash! Flash! Flash!
Light flashes from the wrists of Moon Seong-sik and his companions, blanketing the area around Jeon Myeong-hoon.
"An anti-Constellation skill. Within this field, your link to a Constellation is weakened by ninety-nine percent. Most of your fighting strength can be neutralized this easily."
"Is that all you have to say?"
Clack!
Jeon Myeong-hoon grips his spear, pointing it at Moon Seong-sik as he assumes a stance.
Moon Seong-sik snickers.
"I didn't mention this, but that mana spear is merely a standard-issue spear. It has no magic skills applied beyond shrinking. We intended to exchange it for something else if you came quietly, but it seems..."
Snicker.
At Moon Seong-sik's words, Jeon Myeong-hoon bares his teeth in a smile.
"That's enough, you bastard."
Click.
Suddenly, Moon Seong-sik hears a phantom sound, as though something is clicking into place. At the same time, he feels an ominous sensation, as though he has stepped into a monster's mouth.
"Attack!"
Moon Seong-sik and his subordinates unleash attack skills at Jeon Myeong-hoon all at once.
Moon Seong-sik does not stop there and draws upon the power of his Constellation.
Moon Seong-sik's Constellation is [Geuseundae].
It is a Constellation said to dwell in another dimension.
Whenever someone nearby feels fear, it absorbs that fear and converts it into mana for Moon Seong-sik.
Then Moon Seong-sik suddenly feels limitless mana surge within his body.
But he screams.
"U-Uaaaaaah!"
Because he knows all too well where this mana comes from.
He is feeling boundless fear toward Jeon Myeong-hoon, who stands before him.
Boom!
The next moment.
Even after being struck by a Mana Blaster filled with Moon Seong-sik's mana, Jeon Myeong-hoon shatters the skill with a single spear, then smashes Moon Seong-sik's head with its shaft.
Craaaash!
Blood sprays like a fountain from Moon Seong-sik's eyes, nose, mouth, and ears as he staggers, nearly losing consciousness.
The next moment, Jeon Myeong-hoon's powerful grip seizes Moon Seong-sik by the hair, and his knee slams into Moon Seong-sik's face.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
After taking Jeon Myeong-hoon's knees for some time, Moon Seong-sik finally loses consciousness.
Jeon Myeong-hoon readjusts his grip on the spear and smiles.
"A real spear really does have a different feel to it. I don't know how to thank you."
It is not a fake spear made from some pipe.
It is a Hunter-only spear made from quality steel.
"Grrraaargh...!"
Moon Seong-sik's male subordinate summons a firestorm and launches it at Jeon Myeong-hoon, while the female subordinate summons an ice storm and launches one at him as well.
Watching the two opposing storms, Jeon Myeong-hoon raises his spear.
Skill, Dragon Twister Thrust!
Rumbleeeee!
The mana around Jeon Myeong-hoon begins rotating around him.
At the same time, the opposing mana seems to be sucked into Jeon Myeong-hoon's spear.
Then, in an instant, it bursts from the tip of his spear in a dazzling flash.
Jeon Myeong-hoon's thrust pours down upon the two of them.
Craaaash!
From within the cloud of dust, Jeon Myeong-hoon approaches Lee Ra-hye, who trembles in fear.
Tears stream from Lee Ra-hye's eyes as she falls facedown before Jeon Myeong-hoon.
"P-Please spare me. Please spare me! I was wrong. Please don't kill me. Sob, waaah..."
"Get up. I don't really like murder."
"Waaah..."
With tears in her eyes, she looks at Moon Seong-sik, whose face Jeon Myeong-hoon has smashed before knocking him out, then at Moon Seong-sik's subordinates, who were flung far away by Jeon Myeong-hoon and now lie collapsed.
Anyone would say he has killed them, yet he says he does not like murder.
'He really was mentally ill. Damn it! I said we shouldn't recruit crazies who escaped psychiatric wards!'
As she wonders how to survive against this terrifying madman and tries to look as pitiful as possible...
"Hey, hey, focus. Don't think strange thoughts. Put mana into this spear."
"Y-Yes?"
"Don't ask again. Do you want more teeth pulled?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Lee Ra-hye pours mana into Jeon Myeong-hoon's spear.
His spear returns to the form of a tiny keychain.
Jeon Myeong-hoon accepts the spear, now transformed into a keychain, and tells her,
"Put in more mana. Make it so I can enlarge it when I want without using my own mana."
"Y-Yes... But it will only work once. I'm really sorry. It's not that I can't do it. It's because of this spear's mana-capacity limit."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, so hurry up."
Vwoooom!
Jeon Myeong-hoon takes the keychain spear charged with Lee Ra-hye's mana and says,
"Give me money."
"Excuse me?"
"I said give me money."
"Y-Yes! Uh, how much do you need? I'll give you everything I have. Please spare me..."
"No, just give me whatever cash you have. I need to get to Mokpo quickly."
"Eh? Y-Yes! I'll give it to you!"
After successfully extorting four hundred thousand won in cash from Lee Ra-hye, Jeon Myeong-hoon heads for Mokpo Port to reach Jeju Island.
* * *
Mokpo Port.
Jeon Myeong-hoon faces a new predicament.
"I can't go to Jeju Island?"
"Yes, all ships bound for Jeju Island have been cancelled. An SSS+-threat Gate opened there, right? Other than ships prepared to take only S-Rank Hunters and above, no ships can go."
"Hmm..."
This is troublesome.
'Should I try using a martial art technique like Water Skimming, like Young-hoon hyeong-nim? No. I don't have mana now, so I can't use something like that. Then...'
Jeon Myeong-hoon heads to Mokpo Beach.
Mokpo Beach.
A massive Gate has opened before it.
"Well, if I've come to a world of Hunters, I should enter a Gate at least once."
According to Charcoal, the fastest way to increase an Awakened person's mana is to enter a Gate and hunt monsters inside.
Until now, Jeon Myeong-hoon has created skills through techniques that use no mana or turn external mana against itself, but even that is gradually reaching its limit.
'I should increase the mana I have as much as possible.'
Jeon Myeong-hoon enlarges his spear and approaches the Gate. The Gate attendant sees him and speaks.
"Hello, are you a Hunter? Please show me your Hunter license. Since this is an A-minus Gate, you must enter with other Hunters in a team... Huh? F-Rank?"
After guiding Jeon Myeong-hoon with a friendly smile, the Gate attendant sees his Hunter license and stiffens.
"F-Rank Hunters can absolutely not enter this Gate. You should look for another Gate... Uh, wait, you! What are you doing? You can't!"
The Gate attendant uses a binding skill on Jeon Myeong-hoon, who calmly walks toward the Gate without paying them any attention.
Jeon Myeong-hoon uses Mana Cutting with his hand to sever the skill.
Then, still ignoring the attendant, he throws himself into the Gate.
* * *
"An A-minus Gate..."
Jeon Myeong-hoon recalls the ranking system.
A-minus means an A-minus Hunter can enter and have their survival guaranteed.
It absolutely does not mean an A-minus Hunter can enter and clear it.
A Gate dangerous enough to warrant that classification, and at the same time one with great rewards.
Jeon Myeong-hoon enters the dungeon within the Gate. Feeling dense mana brush against his skin, he hums to himself.
"Mana is overflowing. I like it. Then..."
Raising the standard-issue spear, Jeon Myeong-hoon uses the skill that draws upon external mana.
Dragon Twister Thrust.
"Let's take down the boss first!"
Rumbleeeee!
Whirlwinds of mana surge around him and gather at the tip of Jeon Myeong-hoon's spear.
He drives the spear into the ground.
The dungeon is dark, with only ghostly flames lit around him to reveal its outlines.
The ground instantly explodes and is pierced by Jeon Myeong-hoon's thrust.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Jeon Myeong-hoon breaks through the floor in an instant, descending to the lowest level of the dungeon within the Gate.
He arrives in the boss room where the dungeon boss resides.
Rumbleeeee!
At the center of the boss room.
A massive, two-headed being opens four eyes and rises from its throne.
Ding!
[Dungeon Boss: You have encountered the 'Twin-Head Ogre Magic Swordsman.']
[Constellations are watching you.]
[If you slay a Dungeon Boss as an F-Rank Hunter, countless Constellations will praise you...]
Bzzzt.
Jeon Myeong-hoon dismisses the system windows bothering him and asks Charcoal,
"Hey. What happens if I kill a Dungeon Boss?"
[Yes, Your Highness. Since the source of mana maintaining the Gate disappears, the Gate will be cleared. Constellations will begin offering sponsorship, and your mana will increase in accordance with your aptitude. You can also obtain the Dungeon Boss's item and several random skills.]
"Several skills... I hope I get one that raises my mana."
Rooooar!
The Twin-Head Ogre roars.
Seeing dark red mana erupt from the ogre's entire body, Jeon Myeong-hoon exclaims in admiration.
"Oh? Hey, what's that?"
[People of this world call the process of condensing mana and refining it for combat 'Aura.' It is a kind of...]
"I know, I know. It's Gang Qi, right? That monster is using protective Gang Qi..."
Craaaash!
One of the Twin-Head Ogre's heads chants a spell. A magic circle glows from its left hand, and a fireball flies toward Jeon Myeong-hoon.
Jeon Myeong-hoon cuts the spell apart and grins.
"An ogre that can use magic too... This is something."
No matter how terribly little energy he can use, and no matter that his entire rank has been sealed, he is still a martial artist who has attained Treading Heaven Beyond the Path.
Click.
As long as he has a weapon in hand, he is a man who can become as strong as he wishes.
"I should squeeze every last bit out of my body for the first time in a while."
As Dragon Twister Thrust activates, the mana emitted by the Twin-Head Ogre surges around Jeon Myeong-hoon, forming a dragon twister.
* * *
Shin Ah-young, an A-Rank Hunter of the Hunter Management Bureau, receives a report from Mokpo Port and deploys.
Apparently, some F-Rank Hunter ignored an attendant's warning, dispelled the attendant's skill, and charged into an A-minus dungeon.
'The attendant is probably a D-Rank Hunter, yet he shook off that attendant's skill... He's at the level of a C-Rank Hunter.'
The problem is that the person who shook off the attendant's skill and entered the Gate turns out to be Jeon Myeong-hoon, an F-Rank Hunter who recently escaped a psychiatric hospital.
He is even wanted, and because she had met him before, Shin Ah-young remembers him in a corner of her mind.
'The person who siphoned off Mr. Cheol-su's fortune on the day I met Mr. Cheol-su...'
Kim Cheol-su has grown to SS-minus over the past few weeks. Jeon Myeong-hoon had once triggered Kim Cheol-su's automatic skill, Once-in-a-Millennium Opportunity, in his place and luckily killed a Cyclops.
'I thought he was an irritating person and meant to ignore him. Then I pitied him when I heard he was locked up in a psychiatric ward... He's dangerous. He's a capable madman.'
There are occasionally people like that.
Madmen afflicted with mana contamination who, perhaps due to its effects, suddenly grow stronger.
Shin Ah-young is currently near Mokpo Port, controlling vessels bound for Jeju Island and gathering S-Rank Hunters with Kim Cheol-su. She decides to subdue him herself.
In a way, he is a pitiful person.
He likely developed mana contamination after she arrived a step too late and he ended up killing the Cyclops, unable to withstand its mana.
It is her own way of taking responsibility for him.
Tap!
She arrives before the Gate at Mokpo Beach.
"Is this the scene of the incident?"
"Yes! This is the Hunter license that person left behind."
Shin Ah-young accepts Jeon Myeong-hoon's F-Rank Hunter license and frowns.
'He isn't an F-Rank Hunter. Between escaping the Hunter psychiatric ward and shaking off the attendant's skill... C-Rank. If he's this strong, people from an underground guild like the Geuseundae Guild may target him.'
Frowning, she takes her treasured demon spear, Grevolg, from her inventory.
"I'll enter and rescue the wanted fugitive first. I'll leave a return stone here, so first..."
Then it happens.
Rumbleeeee!
"What...?"
The Gate suddenly begins shaking violently.
The rift of light in the air seems to tremble before suddenly pouring out light.
Several people are flung from within that mass of light.
They are the others who entered the Gate earlier.
The attendant startles.
"W-What in the world...?"
"Calm down. Someone killed the boss and cleared the Gate."
Whoooosh!
'Luckily, I didn't need to go rescue him. But is he alive?'
Shin Ah-young scans the people who entered the Gate and were thrown back out, then finds a familiar face.
A man holding a battered spear. His clothes have become rags, and his whole body is covered in burns and bruises.
F-Rank Hunter Jeon Myeong-hoon.
'As expected, that Gate must have been too much for a C-Rank Hunter.'
Shin Ah-young takes out her official identification and approaches Jeon Myeong-hoon.
"I'm Shin Ah-young of the Hunter Management Bureau. Mr. Jeon Myeong-hoon, you're under arrest. First, come with me..."
"Hahahahahaha!"
Jeon Myeong-hoon bursts into laughter.
"Good! My mana definitely increased after killing the Dungeon Boss. Is this what it means to be an Awakened? How convenient!"
Listening to Jeon Myeong-hoon's uproarious laughter, Shin Ah-young's eye twitches.
Her Appraisal Skill requires the other party's consent, so she cannot see detailed information. However, judging by the mana she can sense, the mana in Jeon Myeong-hoon's body has clearly increased.
'It's increased to around E-Rank. Well, if an F-Rank survived in an A-minus Gate, it would have been an incredible chance to grow. But...'
She clicks her tongue inwardly.
'His mental illness... is severe, just as the reports said. A C-Rank Hunter claims he defeated a Dungeon Boss.'
"Let's go. The Hunter psychiatric ward will treat you."
At her words, Jeon Myeong-hoon abruptly stops his uproarious laughter.
"Hoo... Come to think of it, I remember you. Did I see you on the first day?"
"Yes, you remember. Follow me, Mr. Jeon Myeong-hoon. You need the care of the state. You need treatment."
"The state is truly warm. If I were really ill, I'd be very grateful. But I'm not mentally ill."
Slide.
Jeon Myeong-hoon takes out a bracelet.
It resembles a rosary or prayer beads, but every bead is made of blue mana crystal.
'What's that?'
"It's a reward item I got from killing the Dungeon Boss. And I also got one random skill. Ice Ball!"
Whoosh!
When Jeon Myeong-hoon extends his hand, cold air gathers in his palm, and a ball of ice shoots forth.
Thud.
Shin Ah-young does not even dodge. She simply takes the hit.
It is no more than a snowball.
"My mana is so pathetic that nothing proper comes out. But this item I got from killing the Dungeon Boss can store mana indefinitely. If I store mana in it and use that mana, my chronic lack of mana will be solved to some extent."
Shin Ah-young stares at Jeon Myeong-hoon expressionlessly.
'Poor man.'
His delusions seem severe.
As expected, he is an unfortunate person who needs treatment.
"If you resist, I intend to subdue you by force."
Clack.
Shin Ah-young raises Grevolg, her treasured demon spear, and points it at Jeon Myeong-hoon.
Jeon Myeong-hoon smiles at the sight.
"You have a fine spear. Then let's do this. I'll store mana in my newly acquired item and use my newly acquired skill with that stored mana to cross the sea. I'll go to Jeju Island, to the place called an SSS+-Rank Gate."
"What will you do there?"
"I'll clear the Gate and find out what I need to find out from these creatures called ants."
"I see. I'm not a doctor, so I can't speak kindly to you, Mr. Jeon Myeong-hoon. That... isn't your role."
"Then whose role is it?"
"The role of S-Rank Hunters. The true heroes of this age, who receive the attention of Constellations. Your role isn't to tear your crotch trying to keep up with them. It's to receive treatment."
"So I'm an ordinary person?"
"You could put it that way."
Jeon Myeong-hoon chuckles.
"If you succeed in subduing me, I'll give up that plan. But if you fail, that demon spear becomes mine."
"......"
"You look at me and think I'm ordinary... no, perhaps mentally ill? You're right. I'm ordinary. An ordinary person with good luck. I have some mental illness too. I was lucky enough to have a few special experiences, and lucky enough to see the ending of a world."
He looks up at the sky.
It is late evening, after the Gate has been cleared.
Stars glitter throughout the sky.
As he looks at those stars, he thinks of his friend, the person he admires most.
"I was lucky enough to have a good friend too."
"......"
"Perhaps I'm standing here because I was lucky. If I'd been even a little less fortunate, I would've been buried somewhere in the Audience Chamber and turned into a lump of ancient force long ago. No, no, if that friend hadn't been there, what Audience Chamber? I would've been caught by the Mad Lord and remade into General Jeon, or caught by Jang Ik and split in half to die."
"...?"
Ignoring Shin Ah-young's look as though asking what he is talking about, Jeon Myeong-hoon grips his spear.
"It was luck that brought me this far. I was far too lucky. So from here onward, I'll have some fun not as a lucky man, but as the ordinary Jeon Myeong-hoon."
"I don't understand what you're saying at all, but give up."
"I won't give up."
Looking at Jeon Myeong-hoon's stance, Shin Ah-young suddenly feels a strange sense of dissonance.
She clicks her tongue at his words and attacks him with her demon spear.
Craaaash!
In that instant, Shin Ah-young's eyes widen.
"The person who was my greatest fortune..."
Jeon Myeong-hoon's movements perfectly mirror Shin Ah-young's as he knocks aside her spear.
"Never gave up either!"
Starlight fills Jeon Myeong-hoon's eyes.
His friend was an ordinary person.
An ordinary person who never gave up.
That spirit which never gave up may have been the greatest fortune of Jeon Myeong-hoon's life.
Faced with movements like a mirror image, measured as though with a ruler, the light in Shin Ah-young's eyes changes.
"That's why the ordinary Jeon Myeong-hoon can't give up either!"
A-Rank and F-Rank.
Their spears begin clashing as they reflect one another.
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