Chapter 34 – Just Trust Me

“So, what do you think?”

Seo Hyun-ji looked at me, her arms crossed haughtily.

“Excellent.”

“What’s gotten into you? Praising me so easily?”

Not displeased by my compliment, the corners of Seo Hyun-ji’s lips repeatedly twitched upward.

“You’ve been focusing on control, haven’t you, Ms. Seo Hyun-ji.”

Honestly, I had thought she would be useless.

I figured she was more interested in her appearance than in training. But contrary to my expectations, she trained diligently.

With Spirit Summoning, the higher one’s affinity, the lower the mana consumption. And to increase affinity, one must commune with the spirits.

Since she couldn’t exactly wander through nature like a modern-day Thoreau, it was crucial for her to summon spirits and commune with them whenever she had a moment of rest and her mana had gathered.

“Ah, right. I have something for you.”

“For me?”

For Seo Hyun-ji to train as much as possible, she needed to consistently use and recover her mana.

The best way to recover mana is through sleep, but that was a difficult condition for her with her irregular sleep schedule.

I showed her a thin, gold necklace.

Seeing it, Seo Hyun-ji looked at me, seemingly flustered.

“Uh, why are you giving this to me?”

Was she happy that a teammate was looking out for her with an item?

Seo Hyun-ji seemed unusually pleased, even blushing slightly.

I know what that feeling is like. When you’re running low on potions in a dungeon, and a usually stingy colleague lends you one, you feel incredibly grateful.

Sometimes, a simple item can be deeply moving.

“I told you I had something for you. It’s a necklace that helps with mana recovery.”

“Mana recovery?”

“There’s a matching ring, but I haven’t been able to find it yet. Still, it has a recovery option, so it should be useful for you.”

Not a chance. I smiled so she wouldn’t be disappointed, but Seo Hyun-ji’s expression was strange. It was a vague, half-smile.

“Can I try it on now?”

“Of course.”

“What are you doing? You should help.”

Why would I help? It’s not like she doesn’t have hands or feet.

I saw no need for physical contact. There’s only one time I make contact with an opponent.

When we’re sparring.

“I’m kidding.”

Seo Hyun-ji said, fastening the clasp of the necklace. Then she glanced in a mirror for a moment.

Even though it’s an item, the design itself isn’t bad, so she probably wouldn’t just toss it aside.

“Hey, what about us?”

Seeing Seo Hyun-ji receive an item, Kim Tae-yang spoke up, sounding disappointed.

Of course, I had items prepared for Kim Tae-yang and Kim In-ho as well.

“Naturally, I have something for you two.”

“Oh? Really? Our Team Leader is the best.”

Hoping to please the delighted Kim Tae-yang, I handed him his gift.

Kim Tae-yang’s joyful expression turned cold and dead.

“What is this?”

“It’s a gift.”

“This?”

Kim Tae-yang looked down at the handcuffs on his wrists, then met my eyes.

“Does this also have a mana recovery function?”

“Nope. A feature to prevent you from running away from training.”

“Hey, why?”

“Why do you think? Because you keep trying to ditch training and run off, right?”

Seo Hyun-ji trained whenever she had a spare moment, and Kim In-ho practically lived in the training room.

Kim Tae-yang, despite his slacking, had managed to keep up with the curriculum.

The training I was putting the two of them through was literally as intense as what a professional fighter would endure.

After grilling them for about a week, I could see they were holding up well, even though they had struggled at first.

Seo Hyun-ji had to leave for a photoshoot, leaving just Kim Tae-yang and Kim In-ho.

I gathered the two of them.

“It’s about time we added some other training to the mix.”

Hearing my words, the pupils of Kim Tae-yang and Kim In-ho began to tremble.

“This will be training for your abilities.”

“Our abilities?”

“Abilities are, quite literally, the talents you gain upon awakening—the very factors that define a hunter’s characteristics.”

The talents one fixedly obtains upon awakening are similar to, yet different from, skills.

Talents can grow infinitely.

“Hunter Kim Tae-yang’s ability is Regeneration Enhancement. Hunter Kim In-ho’s is Proficiency Enhancement. From now on, I’m going to forcibly open your ability sockets.”

“What?”

The two blinked at my words.

“In other words, I’m going to expand the additional sockets of your abilities to improve them. You know how people get plastic surgery to become better-looking? Think of it like that.”

“That analogy seems a bit off, but… they can be improved?”

“Dual Hunters have two abilities. But what I’m asking of you two now is a bit different. To strengthen the abilities you already have, we’re going to create auxiliary skills through training.”

It has only been a decade since the era of hunters began.

Much about the system still remains a secret.

The abilities that symbolize a hunter’s characteristics—these can be strengthened and altered by Rune Skills.

And Rune Skills can be unlocked under specific conditions.

“All you two have to do is trust me. Now, since we’ve finished with the basic training, shall we begin the real training?”

Having reached the pinnacle in another world, I know how to unlock Rune Skills. I am, perhaps, the only one who does.

***

“Mr. Baek Ju-hwan. We keep losing the bosses.”

“I apologize.”

Baek Ju-hwan of the Tushin Guild had come to the HR team leader’s office. No, he had been dragged there.

Kim Shin. A man only in his thirties, yet he held the position of HR Team Leader and was treated like an executive.

The reason he had summoned the party leader, Baek Ju-hwan, was due to his recent poor performance.

“Losing to the Myeongga Guild, I can let that slide. But you’re losing to the Hanul Guild now, too?”

“I have no excuse.”

Myeongga and Tushin were rivals. Previously, Myeongga was ranked second and Tushin third, but with aggressive talent recruitment this year, they were now on equal footing.

But Hanul was different. Despite being a guild supported by a conglomerate, they were ranked only 21st.

“And your opponent was just one person, at that.”

“The Hanul side was mob stealing…”

“Look here, Mr. Baek Ju-hwan. Do I look like a fool to you?”

At Kim Shin’s cold words, Baek Ju-hwan’s face hardened.

“I’ve already received the report. I’ve confirmed with eyewitnesses. As much as I’d like to side with my own, did you really expect me to lodge a protest with such a flimsy justification? Who were you trying to publicly humiliate?”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Kim Shin frowned as he looked at a name on the report.

Lee Hyunbin.

A name he had been hearing often lately.

He was the one Kim Shin had rejected during the interview. His resume stated he was a high school dropout who had spent over a decade as a shut-in with no social experience. On top of that, he claimed to be a Hero—there was no reason to pick him.

But a month ago, he had awakened as a very unusual Porter.

‘Not just any Porter, but one with outstanding combat abilities.’

A supporter who does their job well is at least average. But this Porter was taking down bosses on his own.

For a small or medium-sized guild, just collecting mana stones from dungeons might be profitable, but for a large guild like Tushin, that wasn’t the case.

They had to kill the boss. Only by seizing the various merits the boss provided could they get ahead of the others.

“We sent Kim In-ho away and even gave you a high-ranking B-Rank hunter. Shouldn’t you be producing results by now?”

“Yes, in the next dungeon, I will be sure to live up to the Tushin name.”

The mention of Kim In-ho left a bitter taste in Kim Shin’s mouth.

Kim In-ho had been sold off to Hanul.

***

A trade proposal had come in.

From none other than the Hanul Guild.

Representing Hanul for the trade were their Strategic Analysis Team Leader and Lee Hyunbin.

Kim Shin was surprised to see Lee Hyunbin. He wasn’t the type of person to be involved in such matters.

Lee Hyunbin wanted to trade for Kim In-ho. In return, they offered a C-ranker, Jo Han-seon.

Kim Shin scoffed. Jo Han-seon was a decent C-Rank hunter. Despite some behavioral issues, his tanking ability was solid. But Kim In-ho was a promising prospect, even if his limits were set. There was no need to give him up.

“We’ll add Cha Hyun-soo to Jo Han-seon.”

Kim Shin laughed inwardly at Lee Hyunbin’s words. The Strategic Analysis Team Leader next to him, of course, looked dumbfounded.

“H-Hey, Team Leader Lee…!”

“I have the Guildmaster’s permission.”

A trade where the two sides hadn’t properly coordinated.

Kim Shin wore a sneer.

He was certain that the supporter thought he was hot stuff now that he had become a team leader at Hanul.

Kim In-ho was a prospect. A good talent, yes, but it’s difficult for an all-rounder to become truly successful.

They could end up being a jack of all trades, master of none. It was usually more helpful to grow with a clear specialty, be it a tanker or a dealer.

“Wouldn’t Hanul be taking too much of a loss in that case? It’s not like you’re overflowing with talent.”

“That’s why we want to transfuse some young, promising blood.”

Lee Hyunbin said, subtly glancing around. Kim Shin could see his intentions clearly.

‘Stupid fool.’

With Jo Han-seon and Cha Hyun-soo, they could form a party capable of hunting in most places.

A person who could consistently clear dungeons was more profitable than a seemingly promising talent who would soon hit his limit.

‘The rumors must be true.’

They said Lee Hyunbin, by some magic, had caught the eye of the Hanul Guildmaster and had been parachuted in as the Team 3 Leader.

Naturally, the prideful hunters didn’t acknowledge an incompetent team leader, and conflict arose.

He had heard that Lee Hyunbin was trying to get rid of team members who wouldn’t listen to him and gather rookies he could easily control.

“Very well. Kim In-ho. Let’s make the trade.”

“Really?”

Lee Hyunbin beamed upon hearing Kim Shin’s words. Seeing that, Kim Shin continued with a smile playing on his lips.

“Normally, trading a talented kid like Kim In-ho would be out of the question. But consider this my apology for not recognizing a talent like you, Team Leader Lee. We’ll need to cooperate as guilds in the future, after all.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

What a sucker.

Kim Shin chuckled, murmuring only to himself.

“Uh, but it seems like we’re the ones losing out here…”

“Of course… we are. Team Leader. Haven’t you seen the dungeon clear rate analysis for Jo Han-seon and Cha Hyun-soo?”

The Hanul Strategic Team Leader’s face was flushed. He looked ready to grab someone by the collar as soon as they left the office.

Lee Hyunbin thought for a moment, then scratched the back of his head and asked Kim Shin.

“Could you possibly throw in a little more money? As a premium?”

“Now you’re making things difficult.”

“Please. I’m still new, so I think I need something more to persuade my side. Trading two veterans for one rookie…”

Of course not, you idiot.

Kim Shin asked with a reluctant smile.

“How much do you need?”

“Could you give us about another billion won?”

Kim Shin pretended to think it over. Then, he sent the stiff and unyielding Kim In-ho out of the guild, along with one billion won.

***

“Damn it.”

At the time, he thought he had really screwed over the Hanul Guild. He had even gloated about how high school dropouts are inevitably stupid. But not long after, a major incident occurred.

The Winners Incident broke out.

A rumor that had been treated like an urban legend until then. That rumor erupted into a full-blown incident.

It was revealed that Hanul’s Kim Gi-moon, Winners, and a mercenary guild had colluded in human trafficking. And some of those involved in the case were at Tushin.

Jo Han-seon and Cha Hyun-soo, the very ones who had recently joined through the trade.

Now, the two of them were in prison.

“Mr. Baek Ju-hwan. This intermediate dungeon clear. Whatever it takes, take that boss’s head. If you fail again, both you and I could have our own heads on the line.”

“Yes, the new guy we recruited is exceptionally strong, so it won’t be difficult.”

Even though Baek Ju-hwan spoke with confidence, Kim Shin felt a persistent, uncharacteristic sense of anxiety.

Baek Ju-hwan led his party, which included a newly joined B-ranker, to the Uiwang Railroad Museum Dungeon.

It was a recently formed intermediate dungeon. Parties from various guilds were there to attempt to conquer its boss.

“This is Mr. Kim Chi-guk, the high-ranking B-Rank hunter who just joined our team.”

“Kim Chi-guk.”

A man with unkempt long hair and sharp eyes gave a careless nod.

“The dungeon boss this time. It’s ours, no question. I don’t see any parties from Shinhwa or Myeongga Guild, so it should be easy…”

“Oh, the Hanul Guild is here too.”

At Go Han-sol’s words, party leader Baek Ju-hwan immediately turned his head.

His brow furrowed deeply.

There was that detestable Porter, Lee Hyunbin. But today, he wasn’t alone.