[(Urgent) Looking for a Hunter to Enter Level 2 or Lower Gates! Beginners are Welcome!!]
“Oh.”
Having borrowed equipment from Cheolyong, not just any equipment but a decent gear, Jeonghyun had finished putting it on when he stumbled upon a post on the HunterNet.
Since he had completed the verification in the meantime, there was no issue with him reading or commenting.
[It’s a level 2 or lower gate with zombies and skeletons. The difficulty is easy, but there’s one spot available, so I’m posting here. Tanker, healer, damage dealer – we have them all, so any profession is welcome. First come, first served. ]
It felt like the post was gesturing for Jeonghyun to apply.
Looking at the location, it wasn’t too far from the Association.
“This is the kind of place I can go to right away.”
┗ I’m a level 1 hunter, can I participate? I’m currently at the Association.
Since it was first come, first served, Jeonghyun immediately sent a message.
Among new awakened hunters like Jeonghyun, many didn’t join guilds or have fixed parties right off the bat. To join a guild, one needed achievements, but there was almost nowhere that would accept a level 1 hunter fresh out of registering. So, he had to start by applying for leftover freelancer positions like this one.
Hesitating meant risking losing the spot to someone else.
Fortunately, a response came immediately from the author.
┗ Can you come right now? We are at a cafe near the gate.
┗ Of course. I’ll head there right away.
While Jeonghyun couldn’t be sure if he was the first to respond, coming first in person likely played a role.
His first raid appointment.
Jeonghyun let out a sigh filled with mixed emotions.
“Well, I wonder if I can handle it.”
From awakening to borrowing equipment, everything had happened quickly, but he had watched plenty of videos, so the image training was enough.
However, entering the gate was a genuine hunter’s activity that risked one’s life.
Many hunters awakened but never went on raids, unable to overcome the fear at this point.
But now that Jeonghyun has tightened his grip…
“Whether I do well or not, I have to get through it somehow.”
It had been his dream for over ten years.
He couldn’t just stop because of a little fear.
The equipment had already been borrowed for a month, and going back would mean returning to that dreadful job of processing a monster’s corpse.
It was time to part ways with the stench of monster corpses.
Now, he had to become the one to reduce those monsters into corpses.
Jeonghyun left the Association and started running.
He needed to relax, check the effects of his newly acquired attribute, and, most importantly, save money for a taxi.
***
Level 2 or lower exclusive gate, ‘Gathering of Withered Souls,’ near a cafe.
“He’s coming now?”
Sunhyung, a robust figure with a sturdy build that matched his shaved head, put down his phone and asked.
In front of him, Jeonga frowned as she received the call.
“What is this because of Sangsoo?”
And smiling sweetly, the one receiving Jeonga’s irritation, was Doyoon.
“He’s getting scouted by the Jungjin Guild. We should congratulate him.”
There was a reason they gathered at the cafe earlier than the agreed-upon time of 1 o’clock. Han Sangsoo, a D-rank level 2 lightning magic mage, suddenly got scouted by one of the well-known guilds, the Jungjin Guild. He had to rush for an interview, so their party urgently needed to fill the gap.
“Hey, even if that’s the case, can he just break a promise like this? Is he the kind of person who will keep his promises from now on?”
Jeonga asked Doyoon with a sharp tone.
It wasn’t that Jeonga wasn’t annoyed with Sangsoo, but the situation had forced their hand.
Of course, seeing her annoyed wouldn’t be pleasant for Doyoon either, but this situation wasn’t entirely his fault.
Still, having seen her a couple of times, Doyoon answered with a chuckle.
“Still, it’s a life-changing moment for Sangsoo. It’s a good thing when someone we know goes into a place like that.”
“Ugh, really. Aren’t you upset at all?”
“Okay, it’s done. It’s not like we had a choice. Since the one we recruited said he’s at the Association, he’ll be here soon. Is that him?”
As Sunhyung intervened in their conversation, the cafe door opened.
And the three fell silent as they looked at the newcomer.
Clearly a hunter who had recently awakened, the way he awkwardly moved around in peculiar equipment only strengthened their conviction.
Sunhyung stood up and raised his hand.
“Are you Han Jeonghyun by any chance?”
“Ah, Mr. Lee Sunhyung?”
Sure enough.
Jeonghyun recognized them and walked towards them.
As he got closer, a sense of awkwardness started to show in the eyes of his new party members.
Jeonga gave Doyoon a meaningful look.
‘Hey, isn’t that…’
Doyoon nodded in agreement.
That person is a complete rookie.
“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Han Jeonghyun.”
Arriving at the table, Jeonghyun greeted with a slight bow.
His demeanor was quite polite, so both Doyoon and Jeonga, who were sitting, also stood up discreetly to exchange greetings.
Sunhyung awkwardly smiled.
“Ahaha. Nice to meet you. Did you happen to be at the Association?”
“Huh? Oh, I just registered today.”
“Ah… I see. Well, have a seat here for now.”
As expected, things didn’t deviate from Sunhyung’s expectations. However, it wasn’t easy to turn away someone who had made the effort to come.
Pointing to the empty seat next to Jeonga.
“This is why I said not to include newcomers!”
Ignoring Jeonga’s sharp gaze, Sunhyung continued entertaining Jeonghyun. In truth, the most evident proof of Jeonghyun becoming a hunter was the gear he carried.
“Is this an Association rental equipment?”
Above all, it emitted a stench that involuntarily wrinkled people’s noses. The equipment, sold as a set, was not only separated into parts, but its condition was on the verge of breaking.
Nevertheless, Jeonghyun still responded politely, “Oh, I just got this from there.”
“Ah… I see. Well, you have to sit down here for now.”
Jeonga’s large travel suitcase next to her caught Jeonghyun’s attention. She lightly tapped it and explained, “After this raid, you should get one of these. Hunter equipment from the Rental Center usually smells bad.”
Looking around, after hearing Jeonga’s words, Jeonghyun noticed several others carrying suitcases, not just Sunhyung and Doyoon.
Jeonghyun, feeling awkward, smiled and replied, “Ah, yes. Due to some circumstances…”
In fact, using Association rental equipment wasn’t that uncommon. Surprisingly, even among low-rank hunters, there were quite a few who consistently rented gear.
However, even those individuals didn’t walk around fully equipped like that.
“You are really a newbie, using that equipment in broad daylight!”
It was only then that Jeonghyun realized how odd his attire was. Come to think of it, he had never seen anyone wearing hunter equipment in the streets. Perhaps he had become immune to the smell of monsters, or…
“I should probably get one. No wonder…”
Jeonghyun’s embarrassed expression made them recall when they themselves awakened. They were as awkward as Jeonghyun.
Doyoon brought up the topic again.
“I am Kim Doyoon, responsible for healing. You carry a mace, are you planning to be a combat healer?”
“Oh, no. It’s just a recommendation from the rental center uncle.”
“Does that uncle give anything other than short swords?”
Cheolyong seemed to be quite famous among hunters. Perhaps because it was a place that everyone had to pass through at least once.
As the explanation became lengthy when trying to elaborate on the situation, Jeonghyun waved off the topic with a casual smile.
“Anyway, we need to check. Can we see your hunter ID? We’ll show you ours too.”
Sunhyung glanced at the clock. It was almost the reserved time at 1 o’clock.
People started taking out their hunter IDs from their wallets as Sunhyung spoke.
– Lee Sunhyung, “Shield Fighter” (E), Lv.2
– Yoon Jeonga, “Ten-Mile Eyes” (E), Lv.1
– Kim Doyoon, “Healing to Stop Bleeding” (E), Lv.2
Tanker Sunhyung, Archer Jeonga, Healer Doyoon – a well-balanced team as said in the post.
Considering their rank and levels were similar, they seemed to have awakened around the same time.
However, a party with high-rank mixed in would likely break up soon. Because sooner or later, the high-rank hunter, who played a central role in the party, would have to leave.
In any case, it seemed that Jeonghyun’s party would have no trouble dealing with zombies or skeletons.
As for Jeonghyun’s hunter ID:
– Han Jeonghyun, Unregistered Attribute
It was almost like a simple identification without any additional information.
In such cases, it was either a big hit or a complete failure.
“It… doesn’t mention the specialization. What’s your attribute?”
“Agility.”
And among the F-rank attributes related to agility, two immediately came to mind.
‘Probably either a Meager Combat Sense or Reasonable Agile Body Movement.’
It was a well-known and somewhat unremarkable ability.
Of course, Jeonghyun have both of these, and because of that, he gained a synergy effect.
Sunhyung and Doyoon exchanged glances.
They already have the idea that the hunter that would come to them was a complete loser, but they needed an additional person in order to fill the void.
Of course, it didn’t mean they considered him a complete loser. If he were, they would have immediately kicked out Jeonghyun.
“Okay. Since the three of us can handle it easily, let’s give it a try together. The one missing from today’s party was a D-rank wizard, and adding one more frontline will fit well anyway.”
Since the attribute of Jeongyun wasn’t similar to theirs, he was smoothly accepted to join the party.
The power gap was considerable with the departure of D-rank Sangsoo, who had been in charge of biggest damage dealer at the party, and the entrance of Jeonghyun.
Considering the switch from Sangsoo, who was the main damage dealer of the party, to Jeonghyun, there was a significant difference in power.
Given this, Jeonghyun raised his voice in gratitude, well aware that he was somewhat fortunate to be able to become part of their party.
“Thank you! I’ll do my best.”
He honestly thought it was a fifty-fifty situation.
Even as an unregistered hunter, he was sure that they would have doubts in him. Moreover, he was aware that parties willing to accept a newly registered hunter were not that common.
“However-”
But that deal wasn’t finished yet.
“Let’s distribute the loot from this raid based on what each of us defeats. I believe Jeonghyun understand this.”
Sunghyun’s gaze seemed a bit apologetic, but there was no intention of further concessions.
For Jeonghyun, who had been tense for a moment, this was a reasonable condition.
Having equal distributions was like a ‘jackpot’ or ‘bonus,’ to newbie like Jeonghyun.
And the most common method of sharing was that the higher ranking would monopolize the loot and the rest divide it to themselves.
The method of taking what one earned might seem ruthless at first glance, but it was generous enough.
Of course, this was just for typical case.
For Jeonghyun it was different.
‘They might think the same way, but I also have a trump card, you know.’
In fact, in this situation, who was hiding more cards? The party led by Jeonghyun trying to adjust the distribution method just because the other side was a rookie?
Absolutely not.
Later, the three of them might exclaim, ‘This is a scam!’
However, Jeonghyun’s inner thoughts, went unnoticed as Jeonghyun was calm.
“Now, let’s share information about the gate. As you can tell from the name, zombies and skeletons are the main types that come out…”
Moreover, ‘Gathering of Withered Souls’ was a gate involving zombies and skeletons, creatures that could be considered Jeonghyun’s long-time friends.
Listening to Sunhyung’s briefing, Jeonghyun inwardly smiled with a sense of relief.
