Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Master Ring (2)
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Master Ring.
It was the artifact that Pentagram had set as their top priority at the moment.
Observer Isabelle had said it.
The only means to prevent the third Bloody Day in advance was the Master Ring.
However, Pentagram had very little information on the Master Ring as well.
The sole clue was that it granted power beyond the standard limits of an Awakener.
But they couldn't go around spreading rumors everywhere.
If the Homunculus or Slayer bastards found out, they would light up with fervor and hunt for the Master Ring as a means to achieve their own goals.
Limited information.
Limited personnel.
It was truly like searching for a needle in a sand dune.
And yet, someone who matched that clue quite well had appeared right before them.
Wearing a ring openly on his left hand.
Chris didn't hesitate and reached out toward Kim Gunja.
But,
Clack!
Monjiro, who was beside him, grabbed Chris's wrist.
Chris's brow furrowed.
Just as he opened his mouth to say something, the quick-witted Monjiro spoke first.
Before the boss could cause any trouble.
"Haha, it's great to see you again. That's a new ring I haven't seen before, huh?"
Kim Gunja glanced briefly at the woman whose hand had been extended toward him and nodded.
"Yes. It's an artifact I got from hunting."
"Ah, so both of them are artifacts?"
At Monjiro's question, Kim Gunja let out a slight chuckle.
Both Monjiro's urgent question and the blonde woman introduced as Jane staring at his left hand and reaching out.
Even without hearing how important the Master Ring was to Pentagram, he could fully understand.
"Unfortunately, it's not what you're thinking, Monjiro. It's just an ordinary ring with a personal story behind it."
Kim Gunja had already checked it himself, so he dispelled the suspicion before they even asked.
A faint disappointment crossed Monjiro's face.
"Ah, I see."
But Chris quietly extended his hand at Kim Gunja's words.
"Lemme see."
"...?"
As Kim Gunja looked puzzled at the sudden request, Monjiro translated Chris's words from the side.
"He says the ring looks unusual, and if it's not too much trouble, could he take a closer look? Haha..."
At Monjiro's near-creative translation, Kim Gunja readily nodded.
He knew full well what they wanted to confirm, and it wasn't a difficult request anyway.
Kim Gunja held out his left hand.
Chris examined the ring on Kim Gunja's left hand, fiddling with it.
He even lightly tapped it against the ring on his own right hand.
But just as Kim Gunja had confirmed earlier, there was no reaction from the silver ring on his ring finger.
Chris then spoke with a slightly disappointed expression.
"Nope."
And as if that expression had never been there, he quickly smiled faintly and continued.
"But it's warm. I like it."
Kim Gunja, who got his left hand back(?), looked at Monjiro with a what-do-you-mean expression.
Monjiro sighed and replied.
"Just like you said, Kim Gunja, it doesn't seem to be the Master Ring. And he says the new guy, you, seem like a good person, so he kinda likes you."
Amazed once again at Monjiro's perfect creative translation, Kim Gunja shared his first impression of Jane.
"She's a bit unique."
At Kim Gunja's words, Monjiro shot back as if asking what he meant.
"A bit? She's extremely... Gah!"
Chris lightly jabbed Monjiro's side, cutting him off.
"Let's go. Busy."
With that, Chris strode off toward the parked car.
Watching the scene, Kim Gunja felt a twinge of doubt.
Even if she seemed a bit flighty, she was world rank 87.
Gluttony Monjiro.
It was surprising that someone could treat him so one-sidedly.
And as if sensing Kim Gunja's gaze, Monjiro brushed off his side casually and opened his mouth energetically, as if it was nothing.
"Haha, so shall we head out for guerrilla hunting? The missions assigned and the level of support will depend on what you show us today, so give it your all."
That was the deal.
Carry out missions as a Pentagram guild member, but receive support needed for growth.
"Sure. Let's go."
Kim Gunja followed Monjiro to the vehicle.
The woman named Jane was blankly staring out the car window at the sea.
'Someone who can speak so casually to Monjiro...'.
She definitely wasn't an ordinary guild member, but he couldn't glean anything from the name Jane.
'I'll find out while hunting together.'
Pentagram.
The most famous guild, and the one shrouded in the most secrets.
Kim Gunja was preparing for his first hunt as one of their members.
For even faster growth.
A nursery school on the outskirts of Seoul.
Infinite Guild's new Hunter recruits were busily moving about.
They were all focused on cleaning, laundry, and playing with the kids.
It was due to Guild Master Hong Gyuhyeon's policy that all Infinite Guild new Hunters must complete a day of volunteer work.
"Wow! This big brother is super tall!"
"Look at those arms! They're as thick as my waist!"
"How many monsters have you killed, big bro?"
Diamond Han Juyeong.
To him, who saw Hunters as heroes, they were objects of admiration.
Watching the broad back of the Hunter who had saved him from hell, he had vowed.
If he ever awakened, he would become a Hunter no matter what.
He would become a hero who protected others from monsters.
But looking at the kids surrounding him, Han Juyeong couldn't help but fall into thought.
Was this something he absolutely had to go through to become a hero?
"Hmm..."
As Han Juyeong stood there with a serious expression, the kids who had approached slinked away, sensing the mood.
Hong Sua, who had come along for volunteer work with the newbies, chided him as she watched.
"Smile a little. The kids are all running away."
Han Juyeong awkwardly scratched his chin.
"...I'm just not used to this sort of thing..."
He had only trained every day.
He was utterly awkward with public activities, especially dealing with kids.
Hong Sua snickered watching him.
He looked like a simple bear scratching his head.
"Unlike you, Han Juyeong, she's a total pro over there."
Berserker Cha Gangju.
Unlike Han Juyeong, she was captivating the girls' attention with her signature chic look and charm.
"Unnie, are you really a Hunter? So cool!"
"You could be a model! You're so pretty!"
"Have you really fought monsters, unnie?"
At the kids' words, Cha Gangju grinned and responded smoothly.
"You betcha! Those monsters are just gross-looking, but to me, they're not even worth a single punch."
As Cha Gangju threw a few punches into the air, the sound of wind whistling rang out crisply.
The kids cheered with a roar of "Waaah—!"
Cha Gangju's gaze turned to Han Juyeong.
With a confident attitude of "Can't you even do this?"
Just as Han Juyeong sighed with a self-doubting expression,
A vehicle pulled up in front of the nursery.
And upon seeing the person stepping out, Han Juyeong's eyes widened.
It was him.
The hero who had saved him from hell in his childhood.
The reason Han Juyeong had joined Infinite Guild.
Mountain King, Hong Gyuhyeon.
"Hoho, there are quite a few promising ones this year too."
Hong Sua greeted the arriving Hong Gyuhyeon.
"Huh? What brings the Guild Master here?"
"Is it so strange for the Guild Master to check on the newbies' status?"
"You're always out hunting instead of managing the guild, so yeah. Like someone from Hero Guild, right? If you gave that kind of support, it'd be nice."
"Hoho..."
Since it was true he had been out and about, Hong Gyuhyeon had nothing to say.
Han Juyeong slowly approached him.
"Guild Master, nice to meet you. I'm Han Juyeong, the latest addition to Infinite Guild."
"Oh? Hoh, a fine young man. Use Infinite Guild as your stepping stone to become an excellent Hunter who saves countless lives."
Hong Gyuhyeon patted Han Juyeong's shoulder without sparing words of encouragement.
'Stepping stone...'.
At Hong Gyuhyeon's words of using the organization as a mere stepping stone rather than for the organization, Han Juyeong's shoulders trembled faintly.
His hero hadn't changed a bit since that day.
Leaving Han Juyeong behind, Hong Gyuhyeon subtly asked Hong Sua.
"So, you've been keeping an eye on this Kim Gunja guy lately?"
At the mention of Kim Gunja, Han Juyeong and Cha Gangju's gazes focused.
Hong Sua's eyes widened as she asked.
"Huh? Where'd you hear that?"
"Tsk tsk, even if I'm out and about, you think I'd miss what's happening in my own house? So, what kind of guy is he?"
The question was one, but the answers were three.
"A bold guy!"
"A man with a big heart."
"Someone with great business sense."
The responses came from Cha Gangju, Han Juyeong, and Hong Sua in that order.
Cha Gangju recalled Kim Gunja's flashy actions during the exam,
Han Juyeong spoke of the magnanimity Kim Gunja showed by approaching him first despite his hostility,
And Hong Sua gave an embarrassingly flattering praise about Kim Gunja's adept networking skills.
Having given completely different answers at the same time, they could only stare at each other blankly.
"Hoho..."
Hong Gyuhyeon let out a hollow laugh at the unexpected responses.
They were so different it made one doubt if they were talking about the same person, but each was filled with genuine favor.
"Well... Kim Gunja, huh."
He was curious.
Just what kind of man could earn favor from people with such different personalities.
"From the way you talk, you all seem to like the guy quite a bit."
At Hong Gyuhyeon's words, the three exchanged glances again and smiled in affirmation.
"Charisma, huh..."
Powerful Hunters were plentiful if you looked.
But those who could serve as a central pillar were rare.
It wasn't something achievable just by being strong.
Curiosity began to well up in the clear pupils of Hong Gyuhyeon, whose eyes were lined with wrinkles.
Curiosity about the man named Kim Gunja.
A cave near Sokcho.
Three people sat on rocks, waiting for the gate to spawn.
For guerrilla hunting.
Guerrilla hunting referred to clearing gates quickly before the association could even detect their generation.
Unless spotted by the naked eye, gates were only detectable after a day, and this method exploited that.
Normally, it relied on luck to find gates before the day passed, but Pentagram was different.
They had Observer Isabelle, who could predict all gate spawns in advance.
It was also why Pentagram could operate on a global scale.
"About 10 minutes until gate generation."
"Got it."
Kim Gunja nodded at Monjiro's words, while Chris stared blankly into space, looking uninterested.
Then, as if struck by a thought, Monjiro looked at Kim Gunja and spoke.
"Come to think of it, you seem like a really mysterious person, Kim Gunja."
At Monjiro's words, Kim Gunja tilted his head.
"First time I've heard that. I'm just an ordinary guy."
"Ordinary? Haha, you really think so?"
"Of course."
"Doesn't seem that way to me?"
"Is that so?"
"Really. How should I put it... You seem like someone who doesn't know how to get angry? Ah, sorry if that offends you."
"It's fine."
Monjiro smiled faintly at Kim Gunja's response and attitude.
Pointing at Kim Gunja with his palm as if to say "See?"
"Like right now. When Jane reached out recklessly. During the hunting exam when Geum Jinung dismissed you. You handled it all so calmly. No hint of hostility or displeasure."
At Monjiro's words, Kim Gunja just smiled.
"You do have emotions... So are you forcing yourself to hold back? Or is it a ingrained habit? Ah, no need to answer if it's uncomfortable. I'm just curious about you, Kim Gunja. We're family now, after all."
Family.
At Monjiro's word, Kim Gunja slowly parted his lips.
"Don't make enemies."
"Pardon?"
"That's what my grandfather told me before he passed. He said as long as I kept that one thing, living in the world wouldn't be too hard."
"Ah, so that's why..."
"Yes. Responding to enmity with enmity only multiplies enemies. If a moment's patience can prevent making one, isn't that the right thing?"
"Ho... Wise words."
As Monjiro nodded in agreement, Chris looked at him as if wondering what they were talking about.
Monjiro translated what Kim Gunja had said.
Chris's expression turned cold.
"That won't stop enemies from appearing."
Kim Gunja nodded in agreement at Chris's words.
Of course.
No matter how hard you try, enemies appear unexpectedly.
Like how Kang Inhyeok became an enemy to him and his friends.
'That's why...'.
In Kim Gunja's mind, his grandfather's soft whisper in his ear flashed by.
— Don't make enemies. However, if you inevitably end up making one...
Kim Gunja murmured the rest softly.
"Uproot them completely. So they never even cross paths with you again."
That was the purpose of his patience.
Kang Inhyeok's empty title of hero.
Kang Inhyeok's backing of Hero Guild.
Kang Inhyeok's abilities as a Hunter.
Kim Gunja intended to leave none of it.
On the day of vengeance.
He would ensure Kang Inhyeok had no one, no backing, no name left.
So he could never dare even meet his eyes again.
True revenge was like that.
That was why Kim Gunja endured everything based on "Don't make enemies."
His goal was singular.
To give Kang Inhyeok a day like a nightmare.
Vroooom—
A blue wave rippled through the air.
"Gate's spawned."
Monjiro said.
"Let's go."
Chris placed his hand on the gate first, followed by Monjiro.
Their gazes turned to Kim Gunja.
Kim Gunja, who had deeply buried the raging volcano within, calmly smiled and placed his hand atop theirs.
The gentleman's revenge was only just beginning.