Chapter 20
Chapter 20
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Upgrade (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
All schedules for the Hunter Exam had come to an end.
As always with events that captured the public's attention, related articles were pouring out nonstop across the mass media.
The center of the buzz was undoubtedly Kim Gunja and Sin Yeji, who had put on dazzling performances. Once it came out that both were graduates of Park Chunduk Academy, Park Chunduk was letting out shrieks of pure joy.
Ring ring!
"Yes, this is Park Chunduk Academy! Ah, the registration fees vary depending on the number..."
Ring ring!
"Yes, this is Park Chunduk Academy! You're asking if Sin Yeji attended here? Yes, yes, that's correct. Ah, for an interview, please leave your contact info and we'll get back to you..."
Ring ring!
"Yes, this is Park Chunduk Academy! Are you properly recycling your one-time-use Hunters...? Get outta here!"
Park Chunduk sighed as he watched his staff wrestling with the nonstop ringing phones.
It would be great if they were all just registration inquiries, but with interviews, prank calls, and all sorts of other nonsense flooding in, he felt sorry for his exhausted employees.
Still, his face was beaming ear to ear.
"Topics like this are truly scary in their power."
"How about it? This is solid marketing, right?"
Kim Gunja grinned and replied to Park Chunduk's words.
"It's overflowing to the point of being a problem. Guess I need to hire a dedicated phone handler for a while. Hey."
"You owe it all to having a great little bro."
"I aced the exam because I have a great big bro."
"Huh? Say that again, and I'll get jealous."
"What, you wanna back out now after all the ads are already out?"
The two shared light banter and laughs before getting down to business.
"So, have you decided on a guild?"
"...I'm thinking about it a bit."
"Why? You wanted to go to Pentagram from the start, didn't you? That Han Jihan guy. Or was it Monjiro? His real name?"
"Yeah."
When Kim Gunja arrived at the pier, the first to greet him wasn't Park Chunduk or a reporter—it was Han Jihan.
— Mr. Kim Gunja! I've been waiting forever! I'm really sorry, but could we talk for a moment?
He didn't know the full story, but the guy didn't seem like bad news, and he looked pretty desperate, so Kim Gunja had agreed readily.
Once they got in his car, the shocking words came out: not to be surprised when he reverted to his true form.
— I'm Monjiro Kogusri of Pentagram. In the Hunter world, I'm known as Gluttony's Monjiro.
And the changed face was unmistakably Japanese.
Monjiro conveyed that Pentagram was recruiting talent worldwide and wanted to invite Kim Gunja to join.
Baek Jincheon would have been furious if he knew, but even he wasn't a god—there was no way to block such discreet contacts.
Kim Gunja fiddled with the business card he'd received from Monjiro and spoke up.
"There's something nagging at me, so I wanted to think it over."
Back home, he'd looked up this Monjiro guy.
Gluttony's Monjiro.
Affiliated with Pentagram, Hunter ranking 87th.
His ability-based unique trait, Gluttony, allowed him to summon a familiar that devoured anything, stealing the target's appearance or abilities in the process—or so it was said.
In other words, for him to participate in the exam wearing someone else's face, Han Jihan's,
'He ate a person.'
He didn't know the full details, but the act of consumption itself was fact, so he was holding off for now.
He figured it wouldn't hurt to gather more precise info on Pentagram before deciding.
"He said he'd be staying in Korea for a week, so there's plenty of time."
"Yeah. Being cautious isn't a bad thing, but don't drag it out too long. You're not going to Hero Guild anyway, right?"
"Well..."
"'Well' what? Don't tell me you're actually..."
Park Chunduk made an incredulous face, and Kim Gunja chuckled in response.
"I'm weighing my options. Growing stronger by draining resources from the heart of enemy territory isn't a bad strategy."
Park Chunduk's jaw dropped at Kim Gunja's words.
It was a method he hadn't even considered.
But as Kim Gunja said, leveraging the top domestic guild's power to grow big would be killing two birds with one stone—a damn good idea.
'Takes some serious guts to even think of nesting with your enemy like that...'
Sure, he had his naive side, but when it counted, the kid delivered.
"Honestly, grabbing both if possible would be ideal... but that's probably too greedy, so I'll mull it over slowly."
Both? What?
Park Chunduk was floored by Kim Gunja's words, which were two steps ahead of his own expectations.
"You crazy... Nah. You'll figure it out on your own."
Shaking his head, Park Chunduk suddenly chuckled at some thought.
"But looking at the situation, it's kinda funny."
"What's that?"
"Think about it. A D-rank pulls off insane scores at the Hunter Exam. It's weird that only two guilds reached out, but even weirder that they're the world's top two. Too coincidental for coincidence."
Come to think of it, yeah.
"Strange coincidence."
"Mm. The two guilds contacting you could be chance, but no one else? Not sure that's coincidence."
He meant Hero Guild must have pulled strings.
Kim Gunja shrugged nonchalantly.
"Well, nothing we can do about that right now. Better focus on what we can control."
"True that."
Park Chunduk smacked his lips, and Kim Gunja stood up.
"Anyway, we'll think more on the guild stuff later. Mind if I use the mana training room?"
"Finally doing it?"
He was talking about upgrading the Customizing Room.
"Yeah."
"Let's go. I'll get it ready."
"Huh? No need. You're busy anyway..."
"What are you saying? You were just a late-bloomer freeloader till now, but you're our star now."
As Kim Gunja chuckled at Park Chunduk's words and they stepped out of the director's office,
Kim Gunja's eyes widened slightly at the sight of Sin Yeji sweating through strength training.
Sin Yeji doing strength training?
— It's not like I'll ever need to fight enemies up close anyway. Better spend that time on mana training.
That's what she'd said.
But that day's defeat seemed to have lit a fire in her—in a good way.
Though he'd figured she'd rest a few days.
She was tougher inside than he thought.
"Oh yeah, where's Yeji headed?"
"Dunno? Seems like she's still deciding too..."
Recalling what Sin Yeji had said, Park Chunduk trailed off while giving Kim Gunja a knowing look.
"...Why are you staring like that?"
"Tch, never mind. No wonder you're not a loner."
"...Hitting me with that out of nowhere is cheating, right?"
As the two bickered playfully on their way to the mana training room,
A few aspiring Hunters training nearby glanced over, then belted out cheers in turns as they passed.
"Infinite Guild: Of Hunters, by Hunters, for Hunters!"
"Infinite Guild: Prioritizing Ability Over Rank—No Discrimination!"
"Let's goooo! To Infinite Guild!"
Kim Gunja asked Park Chunduk about their passionate display.
"Infinite Guild must have great Hunter welfare? Heard good things last time too."
"They're second place, so can't be bad. But 'last time'?"
"Oh, someone said their food's amazing."
Park Chunduk nodded.
"Food quality is key, yeah. We're all just eating to survive, after all."
Unbeknownst to himself, Kim Gunja was slowly falling under Hong Sua's marketing.
Mana Training Room.
In the space enriched with pure mana from C-rank mana stones, Kim Gunja circulated his Heaven-Shattering Divine Art to steady his mind.
Crimson energy from his dantian began flowing through his body via Dual Stream.
After twelve full great heavenly cycles, red and blue energies flickered in Kim Gunja's eyes.
Suuuuh.
As he regulated his breathing, his mind cleared.
Mana had increased too, but the Heaven-Shattering Divine Art sharpened his focus, making it perfect for organizing thoughts before big tasks.
In that state, Kim Gunja reviewed the changes from the Hunter Exam.
The biggest change was his Sync Rate.
It had jumped from Lv 5 to Lv 7 in a single day.
'At Lv 6, physical changes appeared, and at Lv 7, the previously locked Archrival ability unlocked.'
It didn't show up separately like [Orc Hunting Knowledge], [Goblin Alchemy Knowledge], or [Mineral Analysis], but thanks to the Archrival effect unlocking memories, info on one man was crystal clear in Kim Gunja's mind.
'The only opponent Ma Ilcheon ever acknowledged as his archrival—and the warrior who ultimately drove him to death.'
In Ma Ilcheon's world, he was revered with awe as:
The Heavenly Demon.
To overcome the extreme yang energy invading his body after defeat by the Heavenly Demon, Ma Ilcheon sought and consumed the inner core of a Sun Gold Carp from a volcano, but it couldn't stave off his death.
The fire resistance in his right arm had emerged as the Sun Gold Carp's power manifested with rising Sync Rate.
'And that's not all I gained.'
It was vivid.
Ma Ilcheon's final battle with the Heavenly Demon, unleashing Heaven-Shattering Sword from the first form to the ninth, culminating in the ultimate technique.
The swordplay Ma Ilcheon displayed against the greatest—and worst—foe of his life was awe-inspiring in itself.
'To the point where I doubt if the crude version I showed at the Hunter Exam was truly Heaven-Shattering Sword...'
The road was long, but no need for despair.
The full clash of those two absolutes remained etched in his mind.
It would serve as his guiding star and beacon in sword training.
Kim Gunja's lips curved upward.
Beyond the Hunter Exam, it had been a day of tremendous gains.
With his thoughts sorted, Kim Gunja activated his unique trait, Customizing Room.
For the upgrade.
The same old notification.
And,
"Welcome, Master."
The same old her.
Austin, in her tuxedo and red shirt, greeted him elegantly, and a smile tugged at Kim Gunja's lips.
"Been well?"
They saw each other daily, but it felt oddly like ages this time, so he asked.
"Yes. You look in good spirits."
"Can't deny that. Completed the quest, after all."
Honestly, success was a relief—thinking of the penalty still gave him chills.
"Congratulations on completing the special quest, belatedly."
"Thanks."
Kim Gunja took a shallow breath after replying.
Recalling Austin's explanation of the Customizing Room upgrade made him a bit tense.
There were three requirements:
'Points, qualifications, and a test.'
Points were secured from the special quest, leaving qualifications and the test.
He was confident in qualifications, but "test" always tensed people up.
Steadying himself, Kim Gunja looked at Austin.
"Austin."
"Yes."
"I'm upgrading the Customizing Room."
"I'll prepare."
Austin snapped her fingers, and
Rumble—
the entire Customizing Room shook lightly.
As the whole space seemed to shift, alarms rang.
"Yes."
The moment Kim Gunja answered, the Customizing Room began evaluating his 'qualifications'.
The instant he saw the four windows that popped up,
"...Huh?"
He couldn't help letting out a sound. He was that shocked.
'Special Perk Selection Ticket?'
Think of what Ma Ilcheon's right arm—the perk he'd gotten—had enabled.
Without it, he wouldn't have achieved even a fraction of what he had now.
'And now I can pick another perk like that?'
The irresistible temptation drew his hand slowly forward.
Toward the hidden difficulty: Hell.