WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Oblivious
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◈ Surviving as a B-Rank Hunter ◈
Chapter 23
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* * *
[A-rank Hunter African Rebels vs. Arctech Android]
A Black man appeared in the low-quality video. It was midday in a city, and gunfire and explosions were already ringing out all around him. He held a huge rectangular shield that could cover a person from head to toe.
The moment he appeared, all the surrounding firepower focused on him, as though his appearance alone had startled them. Hundreds of bullets targeted him.
But he held his shield out in front of him and stood firm. The bullets could not pierce it, ricocheting away in showers of bright sparks.
As he withstood the barrage like a wall, the other rebels nearby burst into cheers. As if answering them, the man began to march forward.
With him leading the way, the other rebels tried to advance as well.
But the next moment, an explosion erupted with a Boom!, hurling the man with the shield backward.
The rebels' cheering mood went cold, as though they had been doused in ice water. The camera, which had followed the man flying away in confusion, caught something far ahead. The source of the shell that had caused the explosion.
A tank that walked on two legs stood there.
It was three meters tall, with solid armor plating without a gap, a long cannon barrel on its upper right side, and a small missile pod on its upper left. Its right arm held a 20mm autocannon, while the claw on its left arm moved almost like a human hand with a Clack.
Most of all, Arctech's double-eagle logo gleamed splendidly on its armor.
Small drones swarmed around the robot as though it were a battleship with escort ships. Behind it, soldiers in regular army uniforms were flooding out with the robot at their head.
The rebels' mood froze even further.
[Aaahhh!]
A long cry suddenly rang out. The camera, which had been filming the robot, hurriedly turned around.
The man who had been thrown back was standing tall again. In his hands were a half-crumpled shield and a heavy machine gun.
He aimed the machine gun's barrel at Arctech's robot.
Rat-a-tat-tat! Gunfire and long yellow streaks stretched like rubber bands and struck the robot. Sparks flew from its armor.
But without any reaction, the robot mechanically aimed the cannon barrel on its right shoulder. Then, with a Thump!, a shell flew out.
This time, the man with the shield did not take the shell head-on. He twisted his angle slightly, so he was not thrown as far as before.
Still, he rolled across the ground.
The problem was that his shield was now useless. It had not been pierced, but it had half-melted and warped beyond use.
The man rose again with the momentum of his roll and threw the shield away. Then he gripped the machine gun with both hands, firing at the robot as he charged.
He shouted.
[-----! ---- ----!]
It was not a language as widely known as English. Yet whatever that brief cry meant, the spirit of the cowering rebels swelled like a wildfire.
They began charging with cries similar to the man's. The regular army soldiers who had been coming out behind the Arctech robot recoiled and retreated again in surprise.
But the charge lasted only a moment.
Dozens of small missiles burst from the robot's left shoulder like a fountain, burning the entire road the rebels had been charging down amid a roaring Kwarrrr!
Dark fire and thick smoke filled the street.
The person holding the camera was caught in the blast as well. They were thrown away, and the camera rolled wildly before falling to the ground. Its owner's hand could be seen in the corner of the screen.
Beyond the fixed view from the ground, the man who had survived the explosion and the Arctech robot could be seen in the distance.
The man closed in tightly on the robot, apparently not giving it an angle to fire its guns or cannon. He now held a hand axe.
Moving with astonishing agility, he leaped up in a flash and tried to bring the axe down on the robot, like an African hunter hunting a beast.
But before he could strike, the robot's claw arm moved at an angle impossible for a human and seized the man's head with a Clack.
Before he could react, a spike shot out from inside the claw with a Pshhk! and pierced his head.
The man went limp.
That was the end of both the fight and the video.
Dungeon History Research Society: Video material from the civil war in Central Africa two days ago. The person who died at the end was rebel leader Joseph Yandoka. Classified as an A-rank hunter under South Korean standards.
Arctech's equipment is the KIBA-7, a combat android primarily exported to Central African countries in civil war. The firepower displayed in this footage appears to have been a form of demonstration and propaganda. At the time, the regular army could not afford the android's consumables.
Anonymous1: So they repost stuff like this too. But it'll probably get taken down fast since people die in it.
Anonymous Newbie: What did the rebels shout? They suddenly went nuts, rushed in, and got themselves all killed.
⤷EyeOfHorus: Odin, we dedicate this war to you.
⤷⤷Anonymous2: Fucking insane lololol Why is Odin in Africa? lolololol
⤷⤷⤷Anonymous3: Wouldn't it be stranger if Asatru hadn't spread there too? They say Odin watches over anyone anywhere when they first enter a dungeon.
Anonymous4: Damn, even an A-rank hunter can't beat one android. Aren't A-ranks supposed to be fucking strong?
⤷Anonymous5: They are strong. Modern firepower is just insane. And that thing costs 2.8 million dollars. Of course it's stronger than one person.
⤷⤷Anonymous4: If they can't overcome even that, why call them strong? Are you stupid?
⤷⤷⤷Anonymous5: Elephants are nearly extinct because they can't survive a single bullet either. Think of an A-rank as an elephant compressed into a human-sized body. Putting up that much of a fight counts as impressive. Also, where did you learn to immediately call someone stupid when they're answering your question, you fucking asshole?
⤷⤷⤷Anonymous4: Yeah, your mom~
EyeOfHorus: This is out of nowhere, but there are some Asatru followers in Korea too, right? Genuine believers and rubber-band believers alike, be careful. I heard their main headquarters is sending missionaries all over the world. Something about punishment and all that. It's only a rumor, but apparently they can really use magic too.
⤷ReasonAndScienceWin: This bastard is a conspiracy-spouting old fuck no matter when. Ignore them.
* * *
Dohyeon packed his things.
Over a padded jacket with chains covering his vital areas, he put on a large, tough coat. He packed his recurve crossbow and several pieces of dungeon equipment in his bag. He also brought the long sword that had turned black after taking in a gear.
As he reached for the front door, he heard his neighbors arguing again today. This time, there was even the sound of something breaking, as though they had thrown a plate.
With that noise as background, he opened the door. As he headed toward the elevator, he saw a child crouched in the corner of the apartment hallway, fiddling with a smartphone.
“...”
“...?”
Dohyeon stopped and looked at the child, who looked back at him. She was a girl with short hair, about twelve years old. Dohyeon and the girl met each other's eyes, and neither said anything for a moment.
Then shouting rose from next door again, and the girl's gaze turned toward that apartment's front door. The eyes that had been looking at Dohyeon in puzzlement darkened, and she soon returned her attention to her smartphone.
Was she the neighbors' child?
They had not moved in long ago, so he had not known they had a child. After counting the dates, he realized it was the weekend. That was probably why she was not at school.
Dohyeon hesitated for a moment before continuing on. It was best not to concern himself with someone else's family affairs. If he got involved for no reason, there were too many ways it could work against him.
Even if he were merely reported for assault, Dohyeon could be arrested first. Ironically, that was even more likely because he was an active hunter with a confirmed residence.
Society advanced on the Vanaskelium hunters brought back from dungeons, but at the same time, it regarded those hunters as bears or beasts it could only half control.
Of course, those who were talented and attractive received people's cheers and gained popularity. But Dohyeon was not that kind of hunter.
Dohyeon walked past the neighboring apartment's door and the child. The girl merely tapped away at something on her smartphone.
Then Dohyeon's military boots returned.
The girl noticed the shoes first and looked up.
“...?”
Dohyeon held out a candy to her. The girl accepted it without thinking, wearing a blank expression.
She looked up at him as if asking what it was. But Dohyeon said nothing and turned away again.
As he entered the elevator, mirrors on both sides reflected Dohyeon's face dozens of times. Unlike the countless versions of him, there was only one Valkyrie.
[Wasn't that your last candy?]
It was. The candy he had received from the Yang siblings, or more precisely, Yang Gihyeon, two days ago. There had not been many to begin with.
“I don't like candy.”
[For someone who says that, didn't you suck on each one for a long time instead of biting through them?]
Dohyeon closed his mouth and did not answer. The old elevator slowly descended.
[Hmm. How about finding something as a return gift? Bring something children would like. Wouldn't those admirable little ones be happy?]
Why would I prepare a return gift? For just a few candies. And what reason would I have to see them again?
[Then did you intend never to see those children again? They would be disappointed if they knew.]
Likewise, whether they were disappointed or not did not matter to him.
It was not as though he absolutely needed Observer a113, Yang Haneul. There were other Observers on the black market, and there were plenty of ways to enter dungeons without Observer data.
Besides, it was impossible to know how long it would take Yang Haneul, who had escaped with nothing after losing all their equipment, to regain the same information assets as before.
The old elevator doors opened with a Rrrr. Dohyeon strode out of the apartment building.
After loading his things into the car and leaving the parking lot, he was greeted by the gloomy sky and the faint reflections of flying cars passing through it. Dohyeon continued driving, taking in the scenery with indifferent eyes.
Lee Seongbaek's company had connected him with the dungeon he was visiting today. Like the Flower Hill dungeon from some time ago, it was not one about to open. It had already opened.
This dungeon pattern was Kowloon Walled City. Its official name was long and difficult, but that was what hunters called it. It was also the place where Dohyeon had undergone a strange experience not long ago.
“...”
[Vargband]
When he touched the index finger of his left hand, Yggdrasil's message appeared. It was strange, as always. Of course, stranger still was the Valkyrie visible in the back seat through the rearview mirror.
He was still considering whether she was a symptom of mental illness or one of Yggdrasil's tricks, but he now knew that the tall female warrior was useful for dungeon exploration.
[Thank you for thinking so, warrior. Continue that positive thinking and consider going to see the Yang siblings again. How happy they would be to see you.]
Dohyeon neatly ignored her nonsense and slowly turned the steering wheel. He arrived in a quiet suburb, a desolate-looking place where gas stations, dry rice fields, and country houses stood scattered here and there.
The dungeon had opened at a suburban gas station.
After Dohyeon parked off to one side and got out, a man in a fluorescent safety vest holding a traffic baton approached him.
“We're not open. A dungeon opened here, so...”
The man stopped after seeing Dohyeon's clothing and the bag he took out. Scratching his head, he spoke again.
“Are you a hunter? Who referred you?”
“SB Management.”
“Ah, President Lee Seongbaek? We were informed in advance. The entrance is this way.”
“Wait a moment.”
Dohyeon connected his sword, bag, crossbow, and other items to their anti-theft tethers. As he looked around, he noticed several other parked cars besides his. He had plenty of competition today. He probably would not get much.
The man in the safety vest then led Dohyeon to the corner of the gas station. Dohyeon's brow creased slightly. The dungeon entrance had opened in the restroom.
There was also someone who had arrived before him inside.
“Oh? A fellow professional?”
The man, who seemed about to enter the dungeon, was straightening his collar. He was middle-aged, with heavy stubble across his face.
He wore gaiters around his sleeves and calves, carried a securely strapped-on bag, and had a crossbow dangling from an anti-theft tether like Dohyeon's.
Most distinctive of all were his sunglasses.
“Nice to meet you. I'm Jo Gyeongtaek. Shake?”
He held out his hand. Dohyeon took it silently with a blank expression, while Jo Gyeongtaek grinned.
“Now that we've shaken hands, we don't shoot each other if we meet in there, right?”
Who knew. Whether they shot each other or not depended on what happened inside.
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