One sunny afternoon in the sky.
“Sigh… it’s not easy, not easy at all.”
Walking along the street, Jeonghyun shook his head, repeatedly expressing how challenging it was.
“It’s not easy to be weak…”
If others heard him, they would have reasons to be mad at him. In fact, there was a reason he stopped by the association training ground few days ago.
The association provides facilities, like training grounds or measurement centers, for a small fee to support hunters. Hunters usually test their skills and polish their techniques there.
Although the experience gain is almost negligible compared to the gates, the quality of summoned monsters is quite good, and above all, it’s safer.
Jeonghyun visited to see the effect of his synergy to E-Rank this time.
The facility he rented allowed him to input his rank and level to summon virtual monsters for measuring the percentage compared to peers.
“Let’s input it as D-Rank level 2 for now.”
Jeonghyun couldn’t accurately determine his rank and level, so he compromised at his highest-ranking Attribute. Since the records were anonymous, it shouldn’t be too difficult for him to hide his real strength.
The summoned monsters were four Red Rage Goblins.
Kiyaaak!
The virtual Red Rage Goblins roared ferociously, making their virtual nature seem irrelevant.
While their red skin characterized Red Goblins, Red Rage took it further with blood-red skin that evoked images of blood. Despite losing an arm, they were classified as challenging monsters due to their fierce and relentless attacks.
However, the results…
“What’s this?”
Ten minutes into the test, there were no monsters left around Jeonghyun.
As soon as the battle began, he swiftly threw a dagger.
Jeonghyun’s D-rank dagger technique lived up to expectations, piercing the head of the leading goblin, reducing their numbers by one.
The 3-on-1 fight wasn’t easy initially, as he felt overwhelmed, but the new upgraded effect of synergy was more impactful than he expected.
“It’s completely different from when it was F-rank!”
While it still indicated the attack path, the visibility had significantly improved, and feedback was clearer, making evasion easier.
“It’s about 20% improvement?”
It wasn’t just words; considering that F-rank level 2 and E-rank 1st level were treated as equivalent, the improvement was huge.
“With the improvement mentioned at F-rank synergy, efficiency will increase further as I go up in rank.”
Jeonghyun, who prioritized synergy, was confident that his prediction was correct.
And the test results:
[Your percentile is above 1% compared to peers of the same rank and level.]
It exceeded his expectations by far.
In the test after raising to D-rank level 3, he was in the top 25%.
“Phew, there was a reason I could handle the level 3 gate.”
Jeonghyun exhaled, feeling relieved. He hadn’t expected this level of improvement.
It had been just under a month since Jeonghyun awakened.
While others struggled to raise one proficiency level, he started from F-rank and managed to reach D-rank. His growth curve, although steep, wasn’t typical for most hunters.
Living in a world where survival of the fittest was the rule, Jeonghyun now lived as if he were in a game, more than anyone else.
Hunting was an intuitive experience point for him, and these accumulated experience points gifted him overwhelming growth in the form of coins.
“And today is the much-awaited hunting day!”
As a response to the favor of saving Sangsoo, Manager Seo Jinwook from the Human Resource team 2 suggested going hunting together.
Today was the day they had planned.
“I think we’re going with the new recruits from Jungjin.”
He didn’t care much, as he hadn’t thought about joining the veteran party for hunting.
It was a party led and instructed by Manager Seo Jinwook for guild members who joined a few months ago. Still, Jungjin’s name had value, even if it was a party of rookies.
However, there was a concern.
“I heard the gate this time isn’t that great.”
Jeonghyun let out a deep sigh.
One of the reasons he decided to go hunting with the Jungjin Guild was the convenience of having a gate readily available.
This time, they are going in a gate called the “Cursed Castle.”
The party’s situation has similarities with the Atarok Goblin Stronghold.
Although there were two villains among the party members whom he went together with, the gate itself was not bad at all.
Famous guilds all thought it was a good place to hunt.
“What’s the deal with the ‘Cursed Castle’?”
The difficulty itself was a level 3 gate, equivalent to the ‘Rock Spider Cave.’
It was nicknamed the “The terror of the Cursed Castle” on HunterNet, with its danger surpassing that of the “Rock Spider” among lower-ranked hunters.
The ancient castle where storms raged all night long.
Moreover, unlike the Gathering of Withered Souls gate, there was no adequate lighting, making hunting difficult without proper measures.
Unlike the straight-line corridor, there were multiple intersections and rooms in the castle, fitting its name, which posed a great challenge.
Of course, those things didn’t bother Jeonghyun.
His senses far surpassed those of his peers, so he wouldn’t easily fall victim to surprise attacks in the darkness.
However, the main monster in the ‘Cursed Castle’ was ghouls.
A superior undead species that couldn’t be compared to skeletons or zombies.
It was rated slightly higher than the notorious Rock Spider among lower-level hunters.
Of course, the atmosphere inside the gate played a role, but it was by no means a place to be taken lightly.
As Jeonghyun walked, thinking that he was fated to go to an ordinary gate, he caught sight of the meeting place on the edge of his vision.
“Hasn’t anyone arrived yet?”
However, in front of the makeshift association branch office, where Jeonghyun might have been the first to arrive, it was deserted.
It could be because the appointed time had not yet passed, he thought.
Just then, a car with the mark of the Jungjin Guild pulled into the parking lot.
“Somebody from the Jungjin Guild?”
Among the three people who got out of the car, the hunter who looked the oldest greeted Jeonghyun first.
Jeonghyun could easily guess his identity, not only because he knew his name but also because of the voice he had heard before.
“Oh, Hunter Jeonghyun. You came early. I’m sorry for being late.”
The man greeted Jeonghyun with a bright smile, followed by the other two hunters who walked behind him, probably the ones going into the gate with Jeonghyun.
“Hello, I’m Han Jeonghyun.”
“······Yes, well. Hello.”
Despite being the first to smile and greet, the responses that came back were indifferent.
It wasn’t just because of awkwardness; Jeonghyun could easily guess that it was more than that.
The current situation was familiar and kind of cliché.
Jeonghyun sighed inwardly.
“Why does Jungjin only recruit people like this?”
It was understandable to get a little arrogant after joining such a giant guild.
But apart from that, shouldn’t there be some expectation when introducing someone recommended by their superior?
Jeonghyun turned to Jinwook again and asked.
“But one person hasn’t arrived yet?”
“Oh, that person said they would come separately. They should be here soon.”
As Jinwook’s words finished, a luxurious motor appeared with a loud exhaust sound.
‘Somehow it feels ominous.’
Unconsciously, Jeonghyun, who missed Sunhyung’s good-natured smile, thought that.
“Are you the unregistered one over there?”
It was an unexpected first greeting. However, there was a mocking tone.
‘Should I just register as an EX rank without hesitation?’
There was a momentary impulse, but he suppressed it.
He didn’t register his attributes just because he wanted to be treated well by such a lowly guy.
Anyway, Jeonghyun endured it with a faint smile.
“Yes, I’m an unregistered hunter. My name is Han Jeonghyun.”
Jeonghyun, who smiled brightly and was greeted, entered the office behind Jinwook, following the three new hunters.
“What do you think? Are you looking forward to it?”
Jinwook’s question.
Jeonghyun nodded briefly after guessing Jinwook’s thoughts for a moment.
“Yes. It’s my first time hunting with a guild like Jungjin. It’s an honor.”
“Oh, what are you talking about?”
Jinwook clapped his hands at Jeonghyun’s respectful words.
At least Jinwook was genuinely a good person.
‘Well, what’s wrong with being unlucky? If I just take a comfortable bus party, it’s a jackpot.’
Jeonghyun, who was already accustomed to such real losers, entered the office with a faint smile.
