Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Soaring (2)
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Hero Guild's top floor.
The elevator doors slid open.
A corridor lined with luxurious carpet came into view, along with desks and a team of secretaries.
As he stepped out, the waiting secretaries rose from their seats.
"Congratulations on reaching S-rank."
The team leader stepped forward with a respectful bow on behalf of the group.
The secretaries bowed in unison.
He had visited here numerous times before, but this was a first.
The moment he became S-rank, the treatment had changed.
Even within the Hero Guild itself.
"Thank you."
Kim Gunja replied calmly, bowing his head in return.
"Guild Master. Hunter Kim Gunja has arrived."
The team leader reported via intercom, and permission to enter was granted.
One of the secretaries opened the door.
Inside, five figures sat around a long table.
Baek Jincheon, the headquarters chief, Creation Dragon Jo Changhwi, and a man and woman he didn't recognize.
"Make your introductions."
At Baek Jincheon's words, the burly man stood first and introduced himself.
"Third Team Leader. Black Rock Jin Boseong."
"I'm Kim Gunja."
He clasped the thick hand Jin Boseong extended.
World ranking 62.
True to his moniker of Black Rock, he was a hunter who smashed every monster with his two fists.
Rumors said he possessed dragon strength, and indeed, a formidable power emanated from beyond that sturdy grip.
"Fifth Team Leader. Red Flower Jo Yugyeong. Nice to meet you."
"Pleased to meet you."
A sweet fragrance wafted subtly from her.
World ranking 91.
Like a red flower, she was beautiful but bore deadly thorns.
The number of monsters that had met their end on those thorns proved it.
Once the introductions were done, the headquarters chief nodded toward an empty seat.
As Kim Gunja sat, he scanned the group once more.
If we include Creation Dragon Jo Changhwi at 89 and Baek Jincheon... that's four people in the world top 100 gathered here.
And that spoke volumes about the Hero Guild's strength.
Kim Gunja recalled a scene from a broadcast he'd glimpsed in the past.
— Hunter Kang Inhyeok, en route to America, has had his ranking updated yesterday.
— Yes! He's at 98 now! That makes exactly ten Korean hunters in the top 100! Ah, it makes me so proud!
Ten hunters of Korean nationality in the world top 100.
And seven of them belonged to the Hero Guild.
Baek Jincheon, Kang Inhyeok, and the five team leaders.
He had been summoned to a meeting with four of them.
The waters he swam in had changed.
It wasn't wrong to put it that way.
And it meant he was that much closer to his goal.
"Perfect timing. We were just discussing the contract with you, Mr. Kim Gunja."
There was only one contract.
The duel with Kang Inhyeok.
"We were talking about the venue for that duel..."
"Proceed as per the initial draft. No changes."
Before the chief could finish, Baek Jincheon stated firmly.
Caught off guard, the chief asked cautiously in a surprised tone.
"As per the initial draft... you mean using the entire artificial island...?"
Baek Jincheon kept his gaze fixed on Kim Gunja, ignoring the question.
A faint smile played on Baek Jincheon's lips as he asked Kim Gunja.
"Grandly. That's what you wanted, right?"
"Yes."
"Then that's how we'll do it. You've exceeded expectations."
Not content with shortening ten years to one, he'd reached S-rank in less than half a year.
He more than deserved such treatment.
"Well, I'll be. I've never seen the Guild Master this accommodating. It's refreshing."
"Right? And showing such keen interest in someone. Makes me a little jealous of you, Mr. Kim Gunja."
Red Flower Jo Yugyeong flashed a seductive smile at Kim Gunja in response to Black Rock Jin Boseong's words.
An artificial island roughly the size of Yeouido.
It was a national facility used exclusively for license exams, never before reserved by a single guild for private use.
To use it for one person alone?
The two, who knew Baek Jincheon's efficiency-obsessed nature, grasped the implication immediately.
— Kim Gunja is worth it.
That was Baek Jincheon's evaluation.
Well, considering the Guild Master, who values skill above all, is willing to discard Kang Inhyeok to recruit him...
His growth rate and speed are unprecedented, that's for sure.
Baek Jincheon addressed the two team leaders' envy simply.
"Climb into single digits within a year. Then you'll get the same treatment."
The two wore exasperated expressions.
Single digits?
Absurd.
Top 100 rankers were already at their growth limits, struggling to advance even one spot.
Baek Jincheon viewed Kim Gunja's achievement as that extraordinary.
The chief chuckled inwardly at the two, now lumped together.
It felt good to have company after always being the sole target.
"Then we'll proceed that way. What about the date?"
"Ask him."
All eyes turned to Kim Gunja at Baek Jincheon's response.
The date...
He hadn't anticipated this exact scenario.
But he'd given it thought on the elevator ride up.
Rushing wasn't everything.
Time for the next Customizing Room upgrade and adaptation, plus the ideal date for such a grand stage.
Considering it all, Kim Gunja spoke the optimal choice.
"December 24th. Christmas Eve."
The chief looked baffled, and the two team leaders were no different.
The last date they expected.
Christmas Eve.
A global festival that guaranteed buzz no matter what.
An event on that day, using an entire artificial island? All eyes would be on it.
He's really going all out...
The chief couldn't think otherwise.
"Interesting."
Baek Jincheon kept chuckling.
Where had this entertaining guy come from?
From ideas to actions.
Everything piqued his interest.
Baek Jincheon's gaze shifted to the chief.
Meaning: proceed that way.
"Yes, we'll schedule the event for then."
Less than two months away.
Given the scale, preparations would be extensive.
They'd need to align Kang Inhyeok's return schedule from Team 1.
With the broad strokes set, details wrapped up quickly.
As the meeting ended and the two team leaders exited, Kim Gunja moved to follow.
"Oh, and Mr. Kim Gunja."
He paused at the chief's call.
"Once the duel is settled, we'll form a team for you. It'd be good to think ahead about which hunters you want as members."
"Yes, understood."
Kim Gunja replied affirmatively, but inwardly, he had no such plans.
After that day, the Hero Guild wouldn't be in a position for proper hunts.
He intended to ensure that.
With his own hands.
#
A month flew by.
Vrooom, crackle-crackle!
The lightning from the Dragon-Slaying Spear, swung with full force, finally faded.
No more was possible.
Clang!
Kim Gunja dropped the spear and collapsed flat on the floor.
"Urgh..."
A groan escaped him.
The duel with Kang Inhyeok was now less than a month away.
Thus, he pushed himself to the limit every single day.
He squeezed so hard he wondered if he'd die in his sleep.
His eyes drifted shut.
Sin Yeji sneaked up to the drowsy Kim Gunja and poked his cheek with her finger.
His eyes snapped open.
"...What are you doing?"
"Just... It's been a while, so I got excited. Checking if you're still alive?"
Yeji beamed.
True, it had been a while.
For the past fortnight, he'd been following Team 4 on overseas S-rank gates.
Poke-poke-poke.
But...
"...Stop it. I'll scold you."
"Hey now."
"...Hey now?"
Kim Gunja turned with narrowed eyes.
The bold Yeji flinched briefly and mumbled.
"W-Weird. Who was the owner of this place again?"
"...So that's your angle?"
The spot where Kim Gunja lay was an underground training room equipped with cutting-edge facilities.
The one Yeji had poured her entire fortune into building.
It was spacious and comfortable, but the real perk was total privacy—no prying eyes.
Yeji already knew all his secrets anyway.
"Hehe."
Poke-poke-poke.
"...Do what you want. I don't have the strength to stop you."
And for letting him use such a top-tier training room freely, a little cheek-poking was fine.
Yeji, still prodding his surrendered cheek, asked.
"Today, right?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah."
She meant the Customizing Room upgrade.
Kim Gunja opened his status window.
Kim Gunja
⚡ Abilities:[Physical Lv 7+] [Magic Lv 7++]
💫 Unique Traits:[Customizing Room Lv 3], [Customizing Lv 1]
✨ Sync Rate:[Ma Ilcheon's Right Arm Lv 8], [Stain's Left Leg Lv 7], [Abel's Left Arm Lv 6]
⚔ Special:[Heaven-Shattering Sword 8 Stars], [Heaven-Shattering Divine Art 8 Stars], [Shadow Brew 7 Stars], [Shadow Body 7 Stars], [Stain's Food Dagger Arts 5 Stars], [Holy Lightning 5 Stars], [Thunder Dragon Star Spear 5 Stars]
The results of the past month.
Abel's Left Arm had risen from level 3 to 6, Heaven-Shattering Sword and Heaven-Shattering Divine Art from 7 to 8 stars, Holy Lightning and Thunder Dragon Star Spear from 3 to 5 stars.
Whether due to Yeouibo's power or their low starting proficiency, he wasn't sure.
Hunting and training in tandem had been incredibly efficient.
And yesterday, points hit 70,000.
S-rank gates were indeed superior.
Byproducts were several times more valuable than A-rank.
Thanks to that, Kim Gunja, who once maxed at 2-3k points in a fortnight, had amassed over 10k in a month.
Nothing major happened, except when Chris visited—except he took off the master ring just in case, but the visit was oddly pointless.
— I needed a recharge.
He fiddled with the hand that had worn the Majesty Ring for a while, said that cryptic line, and left.
Recharge? Like it's a battery...
He hadn't told anyone about his father, the Pentagram creator.
There must have been a reason he hid his existence.
Sorting his thoughts, Kim Gunja groaned as he sat up.
"Huh? Where you going?"
"To the bath... "
He trailed off midway.
No need anymore.
Anywhere else, maybe.
But this place? Only Yeji came here.
"Man... habits are scary."
"Pfft, not a great one anyway."
"True. The aesthetics too."
"Still, kinda miss it a bit. You looked just like a manga protagonist."
Kim Gunja chuckled at Yeji's innocent words, and she grinned brightly.
"Be right back."
With that, he activated his unique trait, and his figure vanished completely.
#
"You've arrived, Master."
"Yeah."
Kim Gunja nodded at Austin's greeting.
Then he stared at her for a moment.
The woman in her unchanging black tuxedo and red shirt.
Honestly, over the past seven months, he'd seen Austin more than anyone else.
Excluding that one week of penalty to prevent Ma Ilcheon's dissipation, he'd visited the Customizing Room daily without fail.
Austin always welcomed him.
Every day.
Always the same.
Today, for some reason, Kim Gunja felt grateful toward her.
Noticing his gaze, perhaps.
Austin smiled faintly and asked.
"Is there something you need?"
"Hm? No. Just... seeing you every day makes you feel like family now. Haha."
He hadn't meant it deeply.
Just expressing his honest feeling.
But.
"......"
He'd never seen it before.
Austin's steady smile falter, if only briefly.
But as if it never happened.
She quickly composed herself and bowed more formally.
"Thank you, Master. To think of me that way... it's an honor."
"Ah, yeah."
An awkward silence fell.
Did I say something wrong?
Austin's demeanor felt slightly off.
But she was Austin, after all.
No big deal, he figured, and got to business.
"Prepare the upgrade."
"Yes, as you command."
Austin replied with a small smile, back to normal.
Must've been his imagination.
Rumble-rumble-rumble—
The room shook.
"Yes."
Qualification evaluation followed his response.
And then.
Easy and Normal were gone now, leaving only these options.
Kim Gunja tilted his head.
If it's like this... next upgrade will be Hell only?
The thought crossed his mind.
If so, then after that...?
Perhaps the Customizing Room's true purpose wasn't so complicated.
...Nah. Useless speculation.
Just a hypothesis.
Time to focus on the present.
Without hesitation, Kim Gunja reached out.
Toward Hell difficulty.