Chapter 31
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Trial to Cross the Barrier
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The building housing the Hunter Association was enormous—no exaggeration to say it rivaled the Blue House.
My jaw dropped as I gawked at it.
That's when a woman in a sharp suit approached.
"First time seeing it like this, right, Eun-ha?"
"I've heard a lot about you from Oppa, Vice President."
The word "Oppa" still felt weird coming out of my mouth.
But there was no helping it. Jeong Na-yoon was stunningly beautiful, as befitting Yoo Jin-seok's heroine.
She had that elegant vibe with her black hair. I figured I might as well lay some groundwork now, since I could always knock her down later and make her moan.
If I were Chairman Choi Cheol-sik, I'd have kept her under my desk.
"Really?"
"Yes. So, what did you need me for?"
She could've come to me if it was that important. Honestly, it had been a hassle to come here, but I wanted to boost my affinity with Jeong Na-yoon.
"You've probably guessed already, Eun-ha. That's why you came without asking questions."
"Yes."
"First off, the Chairman himself summoned you. Ah, here he comes."
A middle-aged man approached from afar, picking at his teeth with a toothpick.
Back when I was a company man, my section chief had been exactly that type.
Kimchi stew stench wafting off him as he dug at his teeth with a toothpick.
"Ahem. Eun-ha. Long time no see since you were a kid."
Whoa, shiny bald head.
Was his unique ability Solar Fist or something? I nearly burst out laughing watching him wipe the sweat from his gleaming scalp.
"Where did you see me?"
"When you were really young. No injuries from that fight with Kim Jae-su?"
"No, I'm fine. But Si-woo, the Divine Sword user..."
I couldn't exactly say, "He's turning into a total slut."
Honestly, even his dick seemed to be vanishing, but he was still a bit too slender for my taste.
Like a matchstick figure? With his manly muscles fading away, all I had to do was drool and watch the transformation.
"We'll compensate Choi Si-woo plenty through the Association. The reason I called you here is because we'd like you to work for the Association as a hunter."
I held back from saying, "I'm gonna be a villain." That'd just make me the second Kim Jae-su.
I had no intention of joining the Association anyway.
"I don't plan to right now."
"Then?"
"I'm thinking of reviewing contract offers from various guilds later and joining a good one."
That way, they wouldn't bother me later. Why? Because most of the top guild masters in Korea right now were Yoo Jin-seok's allies.
Some of them were even his heroines running guilds. They were rivals to each other, so guild relations were rocky, and the men kept their distance since they hated how Yoo Jin-seok's heroines had been playing love games all this time.
"Ahem. Isn't that a bit too straightforward?"
What do you want me to say?
I puffed out my chest proudly and declared it.
"Because I'm pretty, strong, and worth it? Other guilds are probably already considering contacting me."
The words of a spoiled princess.
Half acting, half sincere. That's why even women fell for me, despite us being the same sex.
In other words, I was the kind of alluring woman who could charm anyone.
"What conditions would it take?"
"Before that, as a cadet, won't there be restrictions on hunter activities anyway?"
The law stipulated that full-fledged hunter work started after Academy graduation.
Until then, solo autonomous activities were impossible; you needed a guardian.
"Hm. So you're just looking to borrow your name value for now."
"In other words, you want to pay a rental fee for using my name value."
It seemed my name value had skyrocketed.
Having taken down S-rank monster Kim Jae-su, I was probably pretty popular among hunters under the radar.
If I played this right, I could leverage it to get a lot out of them.
"Something like that. We have no intention of forcing a young cadet's future. If you want to go elsewhere after graduation, we can negotiate that."
They seemed pretty desperate.
Which meant there was something to negotiate over.
With the roles of A and B clear, I might as well take what I could get.
"I have a condition."
"Let's hear it."
"You don't have to pay me much. Just let me go beyond the barrier."
Beyond the barrier meant places like Incheon and other quarantined areas.
North Korea, flattened by the Great Cataclysm with Pyongyang reduced to rubble, was included.
Those quarantined zones were where monsters and villains mostly nested.
"Not Gyeonggi, Busan, Jeolla, or Jeju—you want to cross the barrier itself? Like Incheon?"
"Yes."
"Beyond the barrier is total lawless territory. Still want to?"
"Yes."
Choi Cheol-sik and Jeong Na-yoon's faces twisted at my words, like they couldn't believe it.
They probably thought some cocky young kid was overconfident in her skills.
"Listen, I get that you're confident in your abilities. But it's still dangerous. I've seen plenty of hot-blooded youngsters get arrogant, trust their skills, and end up dead. Worst case, if something happens to you, Yoo Jin-seok will kill me."
"If I prove my strength, that do it?"
"You can handle villains. And monsters."
Who didn't know that? Still, I'd have to convince them.
They wouldn't approve without a clear goal for what I'd do beyond the barrier.
Even if I proved my skills, they wouldn't easily allow it.
"There's something I want to do beyond the barrier."
"What?"
"Explore the erosion zones. I can snag a ton of magic stones, right? Maybe find hidden gates too."
'Zones eroded by demonic energy. No one knows what's there. Legally, in Korea, they're just marked as areas to reclaim.'
Any non-urban functional areas in Korea had that setup.
Erosion zones were thus called unknown territories even by the Association.
With possible ambushes by demonic-energy-corrupted monsters, they were also havens for villains and monsters fleeing justice from the capital.
Cross the barrier without a pass, and you're branded a villain on the spot.
"Sigh. If you're that set on it, we'll test your strength first. That okay? I wanted to see it anyway."
"Yes."
"Perfect timing—Baek Cheong-gang from White Tiger Guild is here. Land one solid hit on him. We'll give you a pass beyond the barrier and gear support."
"Got it."
Just prove I'm strong, easy enough.
"Oh, so you're Jin-seok's little sister, Yoo Eun-ha."
"Whoa, she's freaking gorgeous. You're my little sis starting today."
A guy who looked a bit aged and a girl sucking on a lollipop, young enough to be his niece, eyed me with interest.
"Hi. You're pretty too, sis."
The older-looking one was Baek Cheong-gang.
Baek Cheong-gang had short-cropped hair and wore a white dobok.
His moniker: "Man of Steel." Fittingly, he was an ace tank who smashed monsters with all sorts of martial arts.
Think fighter class from a game.
Next to him, a black-haired girl about my age fiddled with her magic gear.
Seo Ji-yeon. Despite being in her twenties, she still looked young enough to pass as my friend.
Moniker: "Death Photographer."
Her ability was subtly broken.
She could form a square with her hands and, with a voice command "snap," capture anything in that frame like a photo.
Tear the photo, and the space in it vanishes.
Burn it, and the whole space goes up in flames.
Living beings? Needless to say.
Of course, it didn't work on strong monsters. Instead, she could drag them into her mental world via the photo.
That world was hers to control, letting her toy with enemies as she pleased.
And she was cute to boot.
Her speech pattern was annoying, but that was her ability activation condition.
No harm in getting friendly.
"I've only seen you in videos, but you're even better in person. Too good for Jin-seok."
Seo Ji-yeon poked at my cheek and hand.
I wanted to touch her too, but held back since she was older.
"Actually, I have a favor to ask you, Baek Cheong-gang."
"Hm?"
The Chairman got down to business.
"Test Eun-ha's strength for me."
"No way you're trying to recruit her into the Association, right?"
"Bald old fart's lost it? Better to become a villain than join the Association. They pay public servant peanuts."
Seo Ji-yeon fumed at the bald old man's shameless greed.
As the young woman glared in contempt, Choi Cheol-sik waved his hands.
"No, there's a reason. We're just borrowing her name value for now. Truth is, she wants to go beyond the barrier. If she can land even one hit on you, we'll allow it."
"The barrier? Why bother crossing?"
Seo Ji-yeon stared at me wide-eyed.
Even pro hunters didn't take crossing the barrier lightly.
For an Academy cadet like me to suggest it? Hilarious.
"Just curiosity about the unknown?"
"Ooh, I like that. I used to cross all the time back in the day. If she can take down Kim Jae-su, that's plenty, right?"
I'd already shown my powers, but Chairman Choi Cheol-sik wanted to tap every stone, even safe ones.
Why? If anything happened to me, my brother Yoo Jin-seok could raze the Association.
"Still, just in case."
"I'm fine with it. What about you, Eun-ha?"
"Sure, why not."
White Tiger Guild Master? Manageable.
Adding Seo Ji-yeon would require unleashing the Evil Dragon's authority, but this fighter Baek Cheong-gang was weak.
The weakest of Yoo Jin-seok's generation.
Fine against monsters. But as a pure martial artist relying solely on mana-infused physical techniques, he got outclassed by peers wielding mana differently.
Choi Cheol-sik nodded at my answer and led us to the underground training hall.
"Barrier's up, so go all out without holding back."
The training hall had a barrier preventing excessive power use.
A shame, since it limited me too.
"Pick any weapon you want. I'll fight bare-handed."
"Come at me."
Back when I was living the salaryman life over there, I'd gone to a taekwondo dojo as a kid.
Quit at yellow belt, but I could still throw the basic forms.
"Ho. Nice stance. Thought you'd use a sword?"
"Pretty girls are perfect at everything."
"Brave, but not enough. Try blocking my fist!"
Matching Baek Cheong-gang's level would suffice here, but the Association saw me as Yoo Jin-seok's sister, Yoo Eun-ha.
To get beyond the barrier, I needed to show Choi Cheol-sik overwhelming power. If the barrier blocked that, I'd just prove invulnerable to any attack.
"Hrup!"
Baek Cheong-gang wrapped his body in mana.
Clear mana swirled visibly around his fist, forming a tiger's head.
That was Baek Cheong-gang's self-developed "White Tiger Fist Technique."
His basic buff, boasting S-rank guild master-level power.
So I didn't dodge.
Didn't block.
When Baek Cheong-gang swung his mighty fist, I'd just tank it with the Evil Dragon's defense.
Back when I killed those 10 billion, did people not resist? Of course they did. Even in nun form, there were endless attempts on my life.
And they all failed miserably.
China once nuked an entire city to kill me.
When they saw the destroyed city and lamented the sacrifices, then spotted me unscathed, their faces twisted in rage.
That was fun.
So, what was this level of attack?
Kwajik!
Baek Cheong-gang's strike was blocked effortlessly.
Not with my mana or demonic energy—just the raw difference between an Evil Dragon and a hardworking fighter.
But the steel-brained man tilted his head.
"Diamond Indestructible?"
My lips curved into a grin.
Seizing the moment of his fluster, I grabbed his arm with my right hand.
"Not just Diamond Indestructible."
"Wait, what the—"
Hwaruruk!
I could control the white flames at will. They enveloped Baek Cheong-gang instantly, slowly burning away his mana.
"Hold on, my mana’s draining?"
"Ugh, you idiot. Getting done in by mana drain at your age?"
Mana drain. A skill weak hunters used against stronger foes, siphoning mana to disable abilities.
Unless mastered to the extreme, it didn't deal real damage.
That's why Seo Ji-yeon, watching from afar, roasted him with that clueless look.
Once upon a time in the massive Pyongyang bloodbath, his raw strength had matched Yoo Jin-seok's. Now look at him, felled by mere mana drain.
But as I said, I wasn't draining—I was burning.
"No, it's a bit different."
"Of course. I'm not using cheap mana drain."
"Then what is it?"
Baek Cheong-gang crumpled like he'd been drained by a succubus, so Seo Ji-yeon asked instead.
"I'm burning it outright. I incinerated the mana in Uncle Baek Cheong-gang's body."
"So you could burn the overflowing demonic energy beyond the barrier too? White Flames have that function?"
Choi Cheol-sik was impressed too. His bald head gleamed extra bright.
"Yes. Flames of purification and destruction."
"This should be fine."
"Good. We'll make the pass. I'll notify the Incheon and Seoul gates, so no worries. Just don't let Yoo Jin-seok catch you."
Approval granted at last.
"Yes."
With endorsement from Seo Ji-yeon of Yoo Jin-seok's generation, Choi Cheol-sik had no choice.
Yoo Jin-seok probably grumbled later.
Who lets his little sister into a danger zone?
"Hey, I'm not old enough to be called uncle."
"Shut up and look in a mirror. No shame?"
"You damn brat. Uh, well. How about my guild? After graduation, 300 million contract..."
Staring, Baek Cheong-gang really did look old. Twenties, but like forties.
Is that what happens if you don't learn proper martial arts?
He'd probably wear those tight pants and train in some MMA if I joined.
"Even so, a wuxia guild is a bit much."
I had a social position and face to maintain. A dragon joining that?