WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Dionysus

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◈ Xianxia Cultivation with a Dragon Heart ◈

Chapter 38: An Unexpected Interference

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The telekinesis test ended quickly. The equipment needed to conduct it had practically been reduced to scrap metal, so it could not have lasted long.

Screeeeeech!

Han Yujin even demonstrated his strength by gathering the wreckage in one place and compressing it into several lumps of metal. There was more than one because he had grouped them separately by type, and doing so all at once also displayed his multitasking ability.

“There’s no clearer proof that you’re S-Rank than this.”

The administrative officer, who had watched the entire process, spoke with an almost awestruck expression. It was understandable, since Administrative Officer Oh Taemin’s own awakened ability was telekinetic.

When people witnessed a power of the same type as their own that did not even seem human, there were only two possible reactions. They could be awestruck like the administrative officer, or terrified.

As an elite Grade 5 civil servant of the Special Ability Management Bureau, his reaction suited him very well. It also happened to put Han Yujin in a good mood.

'I kind of like this stuff too.'

Privately acknowledging that, he proceeded to the next tests under the administrative officer’s guidance.

As before, his defensive ability through the Jade Skin Art was tested by using a machine to measure Mana density. He did not bother showing the Violet-Gold Radiance Art because the Jade Skin Art alone was enough to earn an S-Rank assessment.

Likewise, the Wind-Cloud Art alone could easily earn him an S-Rank in mobility, while the Concealment Art had already been S-Rank from the beginning.

That left the Flame Projectile Art, whose full power would be demonstrated outdoors tomorrow, and the Spirit Vision Art, which would be tested there as well.

And now there was the Healing Art, which could be tested at a hospital.

After the administrative officer called in personnel to clean up the ruined equipment, the three left the training room and headed to the hospital. On the way, they discussed how Han Yujin would operate from now on.

There would have been no reason to have such a discussion if he were still merely an A-Rank Hunter.

Whether he signed with the government or a corporation would have been Han Yujin’s own business. Once his preliminary training ended, it would have been enough for the administrative officer to suggest that he consider joining the Special Ability Management Bureau.

But he was now an S-Rank Hunter.

He was an especially unusual talent who had started as A-Rank, risen to S-Rank before even finishing his preliminary training, and possessed an awakened ability that took the form of knowledge that could be shared.

The report had probably gone all the way up the administrative officer’s chain of command.

The news had not been made public because Han Yujin had requested it, but otherwise, it would not have been strange if breaking-news reports had been plastered everywhere since this morning.

'It is a little disappointing.'

The thought briefly crossed Han Yujin’s mind during the conversation. He had chosen to conceal his S-Rank strength as a strategic decision, but that meant he could not enjoy the fame that came with it. Of course, he would not have to lie low for very long, but it still left him feeling oddly frustrated.

Just then,

“What would you think of signing a management support agreement with the Special Ability Management Bureau?”

“Pardon?”

“You can think of it as a kind of management contract.”

The administrative officer then began to explain in broad terms.

There were many reasons Hunters signed with corporations and shared their profits rather than working as freelancers.

First, there was the stable base salary. They could also receive incentives based on performance, so their income would not decrease significantly compared to freelancing.

They could also gain more opportunities through the corporation’s network, which could actually increase their earnings. That was especially true when they could take on advertisements for the company they belonged to.

They would receive full support for equipment and training, as well as medical care. Administrative support for matters such as taxes and legal assistance were also important factors that could not be overlooked.

Those reasons alone were enough to justify signing with a corporation without even considering the additional benefits.

Han Yujin had naturally intended to sign with a corporation for precisely those reasons. He had ruled out signing with the Special Ability Management Bureau because such contracts were known to involve deployment for public-security work, and he needed to accumulate Karma aggressively.

But the administrative officer’s proposal now strongly appealed to him.

He did not need support with equipment, training, or medical care at all. What he lacked was network support, administrative assistance, and legal support, and now the government agency known as the Special Ability Management Bureau was offering to provide all that without taking any money.

“Is that really allowed?”

“There’s no reason it shouldn’t be. We have much to gain from it as well.”

They would be able to maintain a close relationship with an S-Rank Hunter and assign strategic missions when necessary, so they certainly had something to gain.

Of course, that also meant Han Yujin would occasionally have to take on work he did not particularly want, but that was a responsibility he could not avoid no matter whom he signed with.

“Would that make me a civil servant?”

“No. Would you like that?”

“No, it’s not that... Um...”

It was a completely unexpected proposal, so although he liked the idea, Han Yujin hesitated for a moment. Then he suddenly remembered something and asked,

“That Hunter Choi Gangbaek, perhaps...?”

Choi Gangbaek was an elderly Hunter in their seventies whose retirement could come at any time. Still, having been active since the early days of the dimensional collision crisis, they were regarded as a living legend in Korea’s Hunter industry.

“That’s right. Their agreement with us is identical.”

“Ah.”

Incidentally, the other one was a man in his forties named Park Seryong. He belonged to the Exion Guild, the undisputed number one guild in Korea, operated by Exion, a major Korean global corporation.

“I’m definitely interested. I’ll consider it positively.”

“Excellent!”

The administrative officer seemed so delighted at having accomplished another task related to Han Yujin that he looked ready to slam his hands down on the steering wheel. He appeared to be barely holding back his genuine excitement.

A little later.

The three arrived at the hospital and completed the verification of Han Yujin’s healing ability without issue. Since he had once received a C-Rank assessment, he had thought it might stop at A-Rank, but it was judged S-Rank without difficulty.

In other words, assuming the remaining two abilities received the same result, he had earned S-Rank assessments in nearly every category.

“If this becomes public, you’ll be famous internationally.”

“After proving yourself in a few real battles, even a single-digit world ranking should be no problem.”

As they left the hospital, the case officer added excitedly to the administrative officer’s comment. Han Yujin suddenly grew curious and asked,

“The current number one is Ethan Cross, right?”

“Yes. As you know, that Hunter has many mysterious aspects.”

An American man in his forties, he was the world’s most famous Hunter and considered equally powerful. He had repeatedly demonstrated an inexplicable strength that seemed to kill any monster he faced with nothing more than a glance.

'The prevailing theory is that it’s a mental-type ability, but who knows?'

Previously, Ethan Cross had seemed like someone from a completely different world. But hearing that he himself could become internationally famous made Han Yujin curious.

Would that mysterious power still work if Ethan Cross faced a Dharma Soul Stage cultivator like him?

Of course, he had no actual desire to test it.

Since it was lunchtime, the three did not part immediately and instead ate together at a nearby restaurant.

During the meal, Han Yujin was able to naturally bring up the knowledge he intended to disseminate.

They also discussed the management support agreement with the Special Ability Management Bureau. When they mentioned that he would likely need to go to the Great Rift in the former North Korean region after gaining some field experience, he was actually pleased.

Any B-Rank Hunter or above affiliated with South Korea could not avoid it forever anyway, and it was clearly a place where he could accumulate more Karma.

It was an unquestionably productive time.

After the meal, he said goodbye and returned to the safe house while remaining alert to his surroundings. As he did, he was able to make his future plans more concrete.

However.

Life rarely went according to plan.

* * *

After safely returning to the safe house, Han Yujin finished organizing the material for knowledge dissemination without difficulty. It was a moment when all the work he had been fitting in here and there finally paid off.

After that, he rested deeply without using his awakened ability. While resting, he named the two magical artifacts he had newly acquired.

He decided to call the bracelet-shaped magical artifact the Five Elements Bracelet. Since it was a bracelet that assisted in casting five-element spells, no name could be more straightforward.

He similarly gave the rope-shaped magical artifact, which was mostly light gray with dark red sections, the straightforward name Spirit-Sealing Rope. It did not merely bind targets physically, but also sealed their spiritual energy.

As he carefully tested the two newly named magical artifacts without damaging his surroundings, he also tied up a certain creature that was nothing but cute and utterly useless with the Spirit-Sealing Rope, then laughed to himself. He had to use some spirit liquid wine later to placate the sulking creature, but it was not much of a loss.

Afterward, he circulated the Returning to the Origin Art to relieve his fatigue. For cultivators at the Dharma Soul Stage or above, replacing sleep with recovery through a cultivation method was perfectly natural.

'Should I play a game for the first time in a while?'

After fully recovering, he glanced at the computer in one corner of the room and suddenly had that thought.

But even after turning it on, he did not touch any games. Instead, he ordered several pet toys for Muyong, who would likely spend a great deal of time alone in the future.

Muyong had now gained Entry Stage abilities, and her intelligence had developed to some degree, so she would obviously grow bored of them quickly. But when that happened, he could simply order her plenty of other things.

“Once I listen to an artifact refining lecture at Thousand Origin City, I’ll make you a toy myself.”

Squeak! Squeak!

She did not seem to properly understand what he meant, but she looked happy regardless. That made him happy as well.

As he spent time like that, dawn soon began to approach.

Then, at that moment.

His smartphone suddenly rang with a message from the case officer.

After quickly reading the fairly long message, Han Yujin opened Korea’s largest portal site on the computer he had been using. Breaking-news articles posted only minutes ago were plainly visible on the front page.

- Korea’s New Legend, a New S-Rank Hunter Is Born!

- Is a New Era Beginning? The Third S-Rank Hunter

- Who Is Korea’s Third S-Rank Hunter?

- A Game Changer Appears to Shake Up Korea’s Stagnant Hunter Industry

- Park Seryong, Make Way! Is This New S-Rank Hunter’s Talent Unprecedented?

'...What is this?'

He was dumbfounded.

They had clearly agreed to keep it secret for the time being. Had the information leaked?

'Is this how they handle things?'

His disbelief soon turned to disappointment, and that disappointment turned into mild irritation.

It was not because of any problems this might cause. It was because they had promised to keep it secret and failed, exposing their incompetence.

Could he really push forward with knowledge dissemination while trusting people like this and signing some management support agreement? Could information about this safe house really remain secret, as the case officer had assured him?

“How did this happen?”

Han Yujin asked dryly, without adding the usual casual laughter characters he often used. Instead of a messenger reply, a call came in.

“Yes, I’m listening.”

He answered evenly, intending to at least hear the explanation. The case officer immediately began with an apology.

“I’m sorry. We agreed to keep it confidential, but there was a communication problem within the Special Ability Management Bureau. I truly have nothing to say for myself.”

“What kind of communication problem was it? Was my intention not properly conveyed to another part of the bureau?”

He had not meant to interrogate them, but once the words left his mouth, they sounded that way. Still, rather than adding something to spare the other person’s feelings, Han Yujin simply remained silent.

And fitting the image Han Yujin had formed of the case officer as a capable person, she did not make matters worse by saying anything unnecessary.

Instead, seemingly understanding what he was thinking, she apologized again and began to clearly explain the cause of the incident.

Han Yujin’s expression became strange as he listened.

'Park Seryong...? Why would he?'

Korea’s second S-Rank Hunter. A middle-aged man of the Exion Guild, regarded as the leading figure in Korea’s Hunter industry in place of Choi Gangbaek, a legend whose standing had gradually diminished with age.

He had forced Han Yujin, who had intended to lie low for a while, into the spotlight.

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