Chapter 28 – Conquering Rakios Dungeon (3)

‘There’s something about him.’

Kim In-ho thought.

At first, the rumors about Lee Hyunbin weren’t good.

An incompetent trainer without a Hunter license.

But the man he met in person was different.

The experts had said.

That with his potential, he could be chosen as this year’s best rookie.

His evaluation at the guild was good, and he himself was confident.

But the moment he faced Kim Tae-yang in the dungeon, he realized how shallow his confidence had been.

His overwhelmingly faster hunting speed. And his confident attacks.

He didn’t want to admit it, but Kim Tae-yang’s hunting ability was a cut above his own. At first, he felt a surge of anger toward Kim Tae-yang, who had instantly pulled him down a peg.

He and Kim Tae-yang had different fighting styles. Kim Tae-yang possessed a regeneration ability, so he had an aggressive, head-on style.

And Kim In-ho was an all-around type, one who calculated the optimal effect by coordinating his abilities to the fullest.

There was only one reason for the decisive difference between him and Kim Tae-yang. The difference in their trainers.

Lee Hyunbin was a Porter Awakened, yet he possessed overwhelming combat prowess.

Usually, even if you took a hit, the damage was offset by the HP system. But Lee Hyunbin’s strikes were different.

After all, he had taken down the so-called worst Villain, the Company Man, with his bare fists. And on his very first day of awakening, no less.

Not only that, he rescued and led the people who were panicking from the sudden anomaly. Thanks to him, there were no more casualties when they escaped the dungeon.

It wasn’t normal.

He hunted an Orc Champion solo on his first day of awakening, without any proper gear.

Kim In-ho found himself unconsciously following Lee Hyunbin’s deeds.

*Fwish!*

The two-handed sword, glowing with a faint blue light, elegantly traced an arc through the air.

*Thwack!*

The boss’s foreleg was severed. He ran up the leg of the ferociously screeching creature, leaped high, and brought his sword down on its neck in a single strike.

His movements were unbelievable. He was so composed, it was as if he knew all of his opponent’s attacks in advance.

The reason he had first wanted to become a Hunter.

He wanted to become a butcher of the damn monsters that poured out of the Gates. Furthermore, he didn’t want to be a Hunter who saw monsters as money, but one who eradicated them to save people.

A powerful drive that allowed him to shatter the clear limitations imposed by the system, which had labeled him a Porter.

In him, he saw the person he wanted to be.

The boss’s severed head rolled across the floor. But its body was still moving.

The mantis boss charged at Lee Hyunbin, who had let his guard down and turned his back.

‘He’s in danger!’

Kim In-ho rushed out to support Lee Hyunbin. If he timed it right, he could change the attack’s trajectory.

He poured mana into his weapon. And just as he moved to throw it like a spear.

*CRUNCH!*

Lee Hyunbin’s foot stomped on something. A long serpent shrieked in pain, its body writhing.

-The boss, Rakios, has been defeated.

The boss’s movements ceased.

***

-Ugh…

“What?”

-Ugh…

Olivier’s reaction was unenthusiastic.

I killed the boss, and items are dropping all over the place. What’s the problem?

-Um, did anything good drop?

“You’re the one who’s supposed to analyze them.”

-Um… Just look for yourself.

Aha. I get it.

I stomped again on the dead boss. That is, on Rakios, the horsehair worm that had been inside the mantis.

Its life force was already gone, but Rakios’s long body twitched like a spinal reflex, spewing out bodily fluids.

-Urp…!

Olivier’s reaction grew more intense in response.

“Take a good look. What’s wrong? You had no problem looking at the Justice Armor, but you can’t look at this? Huh? Items dropped. Analyze them for me, Olivier.”

-Blegh, I’m, I’m hanging up!

Seriously, how can a former demon from another world have such a weak stomach?

There were plenty of monsters in the Demon King’s army that looked way more disgusting than this. How did she manage to be around them?

-Th-the, the gross ones were sent to other units…

Oh, is that so.

It seems that even for a demon who leads monsters, some things are just a no-go depending on their disposition.

“Hey, alright, I get it. If it’s hard, it’s hard. I’ll stop now, so please analyze the items.”

Saying that, I stopped stomping on the Rakios corpse. When I lifted my foot, its sticky bodily fluid stretched out from my shoe in a long, unbroken strand.

-You jerk!

With those final words, our Elder Succubus, Madam Olivier, cut off the communication.

I’d found her weakness. I smiled with satisfaction. I felt great, like I’d gotten her back for teasing me about the Justice Armor earlier.

“That’s… amazing.”

Whoa, that startled me.

When did this guy get here?

I was so busy teasing Olivier after beating the boss that I didn’t even notice someone was nearby.

It was Kim In-ho from the Tushin Guild.

Kim In-ho had a dazed look on his face, as if he’d been watching my fight.

“Truly.”

The corners of Kim In-ho’s mouth began to twitch.

What’s up with him?

“You know I didn’t steal the boss kill, right?”

“I know. Because we failed.”

Kim In-ho answered without hesitation and approached me. Since Olivier had cut off communication, I checked the items myself.

A data USB. Two of what were commonly known as skill books, and Rakios’s Shield. One unique item and two rare skills.

While I was storing the items in my inventory, Kim In-ho spoke.

“Excuse me, I’m sorry to ask, but.”

Curious about what he was going to say, I looked at Kim In-ho. His face was hesitant, as if he was finding it difficult to speak.

“Can I also receive training like Tae-yang?”

“Training?”

I thought he might be about to spout some nonsense like, “We did some damage to the boss too, so share the loot.” This was certainly different.

“To be honest, I’ve lost my way. I feel like I’m becoming a Hunter who is neither here nor there. Yes, I want to become stronger.”

It’s natural for a Hunter to want to become stronger.

Kim In-ho. A figure currently considered one of this year’s top rookies, even surpassing Kim Tae-yang.

He’s overflowing with talent. But it seemed he himself was realizing something because of that talent.

An “all-rounder” is a nice way of saying “versatile Hunter,” but it also means you’re a jack of all trades, master of none.

An all-rounder needs to accumulate a correspondingly high level of experience.

“Wouldn’t that be difficult?”

“Is that so…”

Hearing my words, the expectant look in Kim In-ho’s eyes hardened. He then gave an awkward smile.

“The Tushin Guild must have its own training programs. Besides, coaching someone from another guild would cause problems.”

For a newly debuted Hunter to receive training from a mere trainer of another guild, rather than from his own guild’s system, would be an act that tramples on the guild’s pride. The guild wouldn’t like that.

“Unless you quit the guild and come to me, it’s impossible, I’d say.”

Saying that, I stood up.

“The guild…”

Kim In-ho muttered softly, and strength returned to his eyes.

He looked like he was about to do something rash, so I was about to say something, but a loud voice came from the entrance.

“Oh, the boss really was killed?”

“Which guild did it?”

A dozen or so people entered the boss field. The Tushin Guild members at the front of the group had grim expressions.

The Tushin party leader walked toward me. And looked down at the boss’s corpse.

“Did you get the last hit on the boss?”

“Last hit?”

This was so predictable that I couldn’t help but laugh out of absurdity.

“You’re laughing?”

“It’s my mouth, and I’m laughing with it. Is there a problem?”

As I spoke so bluntly, the people around started murmuring.

“Didn’t you just steal it? I mean, I know money is great and all, but there’s a thing called professional courtesy. You really just stole the kill?”

The well-built man from the special forces unit, who had interviewed with me, scowled viciously.

“Oh, you were in the middle of fighting it? I had no idea. I guess Tushin fights bosses by turning tail and running for the hills. Was it a tactical retreat or something? You should have said so. You were running away so frantically, I didn’t realize it was a strategy. You had me fooled, the monster fooled, even the heavens.”

The party leader’s face immediately turned red at my words. Honestly, they had tried to kill the boss and failed, but they probably couldn’t back down easily thinking I had stolen it from them, so they decided to pick a fight. But the party leader had survived thanks to me.

If he had any conscience, he’d be ashamed. Of course, he shouldn’t have picked a fight with me in the first place.

“It’s true that Hunter Lee Hyunbin killed it.”

Just then, Kim In-ho spoke up.

At the words of Kim In-ho, who wore the same Tushin Guild mark, the onlookers quieted down.

Except for one person.

“Kim In-ho, who the hell are you to butt in right now?”

“If Hunter Lee Hyunbin hadn’t helped, we would have been the ones in danger. You know that.”

With someone from their own guild saying this, their justification immediately crumbled.

The target immediately shifted to Kim In-ho.

The party leader approached Kim In-ho and whispered something to him.

We’ll talk about this back at the guild. You just disgraced Tushin’s honor.

After muttering that, the Tushin Guild members glanced at me and turned to leave. The man who had interviewed with me hawked up some phlegm, spat it on the floor, and backed away.

Kim In-ho bowed to me and followed his guild members. It was obvious what was happening. The atmosphere suggested they were trying to pin the blame for their failure on Kim In-ho.

I had gained plenty of experience, and thanks to successfully conquering the boss, I had monopolized the items.

I could just leave the dungeon like this, and it would be over.

“Hey.”

“….?”

The Tushin party leader and his members turned around.

“Aren’t you going to apologize?”

“What?”

At my words, the face of the man from the special forces unit crumpled like a piece of paper. The atmosphere was like, *I was trying to let it go, but are you crazy?*

“You should be ashamed. You didn’t even know the characteristics of the boss you were trying to conquer, just blindly swinging your swords until you were nearly wiped out. I saved you, and now you’re trying to paint me as the thug?”

I said it bluntly to the Tushin members. Starting a fight and then just walking away? You can start a fight whenever you want, but you need my permission to leave.

“The boss wasn’t the mantis in the first place; it was the parasite inside it. You should have guessed that when the boss charged without feeling any pain.”

“You’re acting all high and mighty after killing a mere mid-level boss.”

“That’s not something the guys who got their asses kicked by that mid-level boss should be saying.”

“Why, you son of a bitch!”

Just as I expected, the special forces guy took the bait and charged, his quick strides turning into a run.

Before his comrades could stop him.

I lightly sidestepped while simultaneously grabbing his arm and neck.

*Thwack!*

I drove a knee straight into his face.

As he clutched his face in pain, I landed an elbow blow on his neck and then tripped him.

The special forces guy, who had tumbled helplessly to the floor, let out a groan.

Kim In-ho’s eyes widened at the sudden brawl. Not only him, but the other Hunters nearby also stopped to watch the fight.

I know how you all feel.

There’s nothing more entertaining than watching a fire or a fight.

Currently, the Tushin Guild is ranked 2nd.

It’s a guild with overwhelming strength, with many skilled Hunters and a roster of 141 members.

The Tushin party leader walked over to me. People were focused on us.

Whatever the reason, I had just beaten up a Tushin member. A fight was unavoidable.

“Get up, Kim Chang-yeol.”

The Tushin party leader, who had walked right up to me, spoke in a low voice.

Kim Chang-yeol. The man from the special forces unit, that is. He rubbed his bruised nose and got to his feet.

*SLAP! SLAP!*

The party leader slapped the special forces guy’s cheek twice.

The special forces guy bit his lip in humiliation, and the party leader turned his gaze to me, his lips parting heavily.

“Accusing you without being certain was a mistake. But creating problems between guilds like this… It’s not good for either of us, is it?”

“If you didn’t want to create problems between guilds, you should have stopped your guild member before he charged at me.”

Hearing my words, the party leader’s face soured as if he’d bitten into something foul.

“I will send an official letter of protest regarding this matter.”

“Do whatever you want.”

At the Tushin Guild raid leader’s words, the surrounding Hunters began to whisper.

“What, they failed and then shamelessly picked a fight?”

“I heard Tushin was doing well these days. Guess not.”

The raid leader’s cold gaze shot toward the unrelated people. But he had nothing to say.

*We failed the raid and retreated, but he sneakily killed the boss alone, so we confronted him and got beaten up.*

I wonder what kind of manager would appreciate a report like that.

The Tushin raid leader left without looking back, while the special forces guy looked at me, licked the inside of his mouth, and spat out bloody saliva.

*Bow.*

Kim In-ho bowed toward me and turned away.

Once the fight was over, the people who had been watching with interest also left the dungeon.

Now I feel a little better.

I’d been in a bad mood because of the Tushin guys I interviewed with before entering the dungeon.

There was the fact that I helped because it looked like Kim In-ho, who was at least friendly to me, was about to get screwed over, but just showing the power of a failed interviewee to that special forces guy who had blatantly ignored me was satisfying enough.

Above all.

‘If I play my cards right, I might be able to get Kim In-ho.’

I have a feeling.

That Kim In-ho, who has been steadily climbing the ladder with good results, is wavering within Tushin.

Kim Tae-yang and Kim In-ho. I covet them. I want them on my team.