WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Arsène

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ How an A-Rank Hunter Lives ◈

Chapter 24: B-Rank Hunter Naito-san - [1]

──────

“Ah, hello, everyone! As announced beforehand, we're going hunting today. Ah, it isn't because a Gate opened! If there were a Gate-related emergency, we couldn't be broadcasting this leisurely, right? This time, we're not defending. We're going on the offensive! Working with Incheon City's Hunters...”

Watching the bastard ramble on, I had a thought.

For Japanese trash, he spoke Korean well.

His accent was a little unusual, but otherwise it was decent standard Incheon Korean. He spoke that standard Incheon Korean straight into the camera.

He seemed to be filming a video for YouTube. Disgusting non-awakened trash.

That was Naito. His real name was supposedly Matsumoto Masashi, but apparently people called him that because his streamer nickname was “Mr. Knight.”

Either way, I didn't like him.

An internet broadcast during a life-or-death hunt? Was this a joke? I had to resist the urge to smash his camera.

And look at what that piece of trash was wearing.

“What the hell is that outfit? Some cheap cosplay costume?”

Seong Munyeong answered my question.

“It’s probably a hoodie they sell online. Other than the hood looking like a medieval knight's helmet and those weird shoulder decorations meant to resemble pauldrons, it’s just normal clothing. He wears it because he's got that medieval knight concept, I guess.”

Seong Munyeong said it without much thought, but anger rose inside me.

I glanced at Baek Dambi, who was dressed as usual. That woman got called a crazy bitch who thought she was a celebrity just because she wore crop tops, so why was this non-awakened trash allowed to wear an outfit that looked like he was fooling around?

Either way, I didn't like him.

Every single thing about him.

As I stood there sulking, Naito came over. Pointless streamer lines poured from his mouth.

“Now, everyone? This is the star of this project. Hunter Kim Geuk! He's a Body Enhancement user and a teleporter! Wow, you can tell just by looking at him that his abilities are brilliant, right?

“There are plenty of people with superior awakened abilities who are only so-so in actual skill! But as you may know if you've seen his videos before, he's absolutely not one of them! Muscles trained to the highest level, worthy of a former UFC fighter, an indomitable fighting spirit, and such spectacular use of Spatial Teleportation that you'd think he'd coordinated it in advance to film a movie...”

Even while being praised, I glared at him.

I poured every bit of my displeasure with this disgusting situation, where non-awakened trash was evaluating an awakened person, into my gaze.

Naito seemed to notice my glare and looked flustered. He gave me an unnaturally bright smile before speaking.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kim! Wow. I've seen you a few times on Huntweb, but this is our first time meeting in person! Um, did I perhaps make some kind of mistake...?”

He asked that last question quietly.

He wanted to know why I was making it so obvious that I disliked him the moment we met.

I couldn't exactly say I didn't want to treat him like a person because he wasn't awakened or from Incheon. If I wanted to make it clear that I disliked him, what excuse could I use?

I dredged up a memory and opened my mouth.

“This isn't a live broadcast, right?”

“Yes, that's right. It's prerecorded, but...”

“Then I've got a personal question. Was your Huntweb username GoodHunter?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes.”

“A year ago, did you leave a comment on a post about Baek Dambi saying someone should've beaten that bitch to fix her attitude?”

I vaguely remembered seeing a comment like that, so I asked. It seemed I was right.

Naito's eyes widened, and he answered hesitantly.

“I don't remember exactly, but I didn't mean someone should hit her because she wouldn't listen...”

“And I think you posted something saying ex-convicts would enter the hunter industry and muddy the waters, so people should watch out. That was aimed at bastards like me, wasn't it?”

Naito couldn't answer that one immediately either. As he stood there silently, apparently trying to think of an apology, I snapped at him.

“Fuck off, you piece of shit.”

Naito lowered his head as if intimidated. “I'm sorry. I'll explain myself later...” he muttered, then backed away.

Seong Munyeong, who had been listening beside me, asked, “That guy posted stuff like that on Huntweb?”

“Yeah.”

“How do you remember all that?”

“I've got a good memory. Thanks to it, I was first or second in my class without going to cram school until I graduated middle school.”

“I don't know whether that's true or bullshit, but seeing you remember every little grudge with that amazing memory and growl at people is fucking scary...”

After taking a hit, Seong Munyeong grumbled as he backed off. Then, unexpectedly, Baek Dambi came over to speak to me.

“You don't like that Japanese guy? It looked like you cursed at him and chased him away earlier.”

“Yeah, I dislike that bastard quite a lot... Do you like Naito? Are you a fan of his broadcast?”

“No. I don't know what happened, but I wanted to say you did well. I hate that person too.”

This young lady had a good eye for people.

Feeling a sense of kinship, I unconsciously held out my palm. It was a signal for a high five, but I was surprised after doing it without thinking.

Smack.

Baek Dambi slapped her palm against mine.

I couldn't see her expression because of her sunglasses, but I saw her flinch as if she were surprised by what she'd just done too.

“Hm?”

Feeling as though I'd gained something, I gave her a broad grin. Baek Dambi quietly returned to her place.

Hunters continued gathering. Naito only watched me cautiously from a distance now and didn't come over to act friendly, which left me more or less satisfied.

Park Mihyeong, who had come to check on the preparations, seemed dissatisfied, though.

“Did something happen? I told you two to stay together, so why are you standing so far apart?”

“Something happened a long time ago.”

“I don't know the details, but try to get along if you can. Okay? We didn't bring him here for nothing. He brings enormous publicity. We paid a lot of money to bring him here specifically to let people know what Incheon City is doing.”

Was that why his price was so ridiculously high? Because he was more famous than most awakened people and generated better publicity?

It was absurd, but I decided to endure it for now. I understood that publicity was important.

Soon after, the Incheon Recovery Project began.

* * *

I focused while riding in an official vehicle. After killing three powerful Monsters, I spread out my mental net, which had become several times wider than before.

Objects within a radius of over one kilometer began appearing in my mind. I looked only at the ones that were moving.

That was a car, that was apparently a homeless person, and that was...

“I found them.”

I reported the location of the Monster I'd just detected, and the information was passed on to every Hunter gathered here.

The Hunters headed toward the place I had identified.

Naito, meanwhile, kept talking into the camera even while riding his silver motorcycle.

“Look over there. You see how trash is piled up like a hill in that alley? Viewers from Seoul may not see things like that often, but those of you living in provincial cities probably have. When an area is designated dangerous and garbage trucks stop coming regularly, while not all the residents have left yet, trash piles up like this.

“This isn't only a problem in Korea. Japan has lots of places like this too. In Korea, nearly all of Seoul is still properly maintained, but even Tokyo has many places where slums have formed like this...”

Hearing him made me hate him even more. Wasn't he subtly praising Korea by comparing it to Japan? That kind of sneaky Korea boosterism was even more disgusting. It was probably the secret behind his popularity.

“Look. Do you see that square hole in the outer wall of that villa? It was cut incredibly neatly, like someone had used a ruler. A Deathclaw cut through the wall with its force-field blades and made a hole for its body to fit through.

“That’s why it doesn't matter how sturdy your house is. Villas and country homes in Korea are unbelievably cheap. When Monsters attack, low-rise buildings always get targeted before apartments, where they have to struggle to climb up to the higher floors.

“Look around here. It's all villas and homes three stories or lower, right? You could say places like this have almost completely lost their value as normal residential areas in Korea. Apartment prices have also risen sharply in Japan, but...”

Just as he said, there wasn't the slightest sign of people around here.

There was no reason for anyone to buy villas in a neighborhood everyone had abandoned. Even nearly new villas had long since lost all property value and become nothing but troublesome piles of concrete.

When a neighborhood becomes abandoned like this, the damage spreads to nearby residential areas too. Monsters settle in deserted villages and buildings, then attack the homes around them as well.

So just exterminating the Monsters nearby would definitely raise the price of every building in this area.

The hunter team stopped. Everyone took up positions around the building I had pointed out.

“Everyone, get in position!”

My hunter team and I had been assigned to the very rear. Only Baek Dambi had joined the encirclement, while the rest of us acted as a reserve force in case something happened.

Since I planned to hunt as many Monsters as possible, I wasn't happy about it.

“Ah, fuck. Wouldn't it be faster if I went inside and shot them all dead? Why did they bring so many other Hunters...”

“You said you get tired if you use Spatial Teleportation beyond your line of sight. So if we're going to keep the operation going for a long time, this seems right. Also, awakened people shouldn't get hurt by recklessly stepping up, so we need to conserve them. That's probably the more important reason.”

Someone soon threw something into the building.

A moment later, smoke began drifting out through the gaps in the windows. I didn't know whether it was tear gas or mustard gas, but it was a chemical weapon meant to force the Monsters inside to come out because they couldn't endure it. It was a method they could use because they were certain the Monsters were in there.

“They're coming out! Everyone, fire!”

The Monsters finally appeared.

Just as I had detected, they were Deathclaws.

Four of them.

Normally, in a situation like this, Hunters would expect the enemies to jump out through windows or doors, then concentrate their fire on those exits. That wasn't the case with these bastards.

The Deathclaws popped out through the walls on the first and second floors. They were always like that. With their precious force-field blades, they could cut through concrete walls in an instant before jumping out from anywhere. Since there was no telling where they would emerge, it took five hunter teams to surround this tiny villa.

The Deathclaws that had appeared from different positions leaped at the Hunters forming the encirclement.

Even under everyone's concentrated fire, one Deathclaw's claws finally reached a Hunter.

That woman at the very front of the encirclement...

“Dambi!”

As Seong Munyeong cried out in shock, the Deathclaw's hooked claws slashed across her neck. The Deathclaw landed, then collapsed under the gunfire that followed.

What about Baek Dambi?

Instead of blood pouring from her half-severed neck, ice powder scattered into the air.

That was all.

She didn't say a word.

Baek Dambi calmly poured bottled water over the cut in her neck. Like an elemental restoring its body, the water froze and filled the damaged area, and her neck was restored in an instant.

Seong Munyeong stared wide-eyed, looking dumbfounded. I was surprised too, but acted like I wasn't as I spoke to him.

“Why are you so shocked? You told us all that weeb shit last time about how her ice ability had developed so much that she'd become an Ice Elemental ages ago. Unless she's destroyed badly enough that her human form falls apart, she won't die.”

“No, it's still shocking seeing it in person... Anyway, no wonder she stands at the very front...”

My heart was pounding too.

Fuck.

I realized one thing all over again.

This was seriously dangerous.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried