Chapter 113
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: The Councilors - [4]
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All eyes locked onto its massive frame as the dragon slowly beat its wings and descended.
I gazed at that colossal dragon—Hunter Association President Choi Yong.
No one would ever guess from his name or HuntWeb handle alone, but astonishingly, Choi Yong was an Awakener capable of transforming into a dragon.
A transformation ability. Not especially rare overall, but pretty uncommon among Awakener Hunters.
Transformation users typically shift into beast forms, which makes wielding weapons a hassle—a serious handicap for Hunter work. Direct brawls with monsters are insanely risky whether you're in human shape or beast form. It's just asking for death to grapple with Deathclaws and their razor blades that slice through anything.
And yet, if a transformation user thrives as an A-rank Hunter, there's only one secret to it. Sheer power strong enough to survive and keep going.
One of the Awakeners let out a gasp of awe.
"Whoa...!"
Choi Yong had been the picture-perfect dragon just seconds ago, but the moment he touched down, his form shifted in a flash.
His wings—absurdly oversized for his body—shrank first, while his torso ballooned to a full eight meters. His hind legs stretched longer and thicker, letting him stand upright on two feet.
His front paws morphed into human hands, perfect for gripping and firing the Hunter Rifle slung across his back. Bigger and heavier than the one I normally carried.
Unable to speak in that form, Choi Yong let out a roar instead. It sent the Special Task Force members shrinking back.
"F-fuck..."
A few Task Force grunts stumbled backward, drawing snickers from the Awakeners clustered around me.
The Task Force members hurled curses our way in response, but that was all. They didn't dare rush us.
Meanwhile, I eyed the bipedal dragon cradling a gatling gun right beside me and thought:
Talk about solid backup. If he weren't slumming it in overlooked Gyeongsang Province, he'd be a household name among Hunters.
Reliable, sure—but what the hell was he doing here?
"Why'd you even come?"
I murmured the question, and Jeong Jin-yeong jumped in with the answer.
"To help you out, Kim Geuk!"
"I mean, do you even know what I'm trying to do here?"
"Kinda? Aren't you pissed about that HuntWeb post too?"
HuntWeb post? What was that about?
I fired up my smartphone and logged into HuntWeb. A message from Han Hee was waiting at the top.
Kim Geuk hyung? Special Task Force is mobilizing 'cause you're kicking up a storm.
Not online right now? We're gonna stand by at the National Assembly, FYI.
She must've sent the early warning like I'd asked last time. Not important right now, though—I hunted down the post she'd mentioned.
I'm the Hunter Association President, but our Association got shafted again this time.
You know how half the capital's A-rank Hunters bit it during the Behemoth mess, right? Seoul's desperate to fill those spots.
Just stationing Awakener Hunters in districts was enough to keep Gates from popping up much. But now Gates are spiking in the districts where those Hunters died. Civilian casualties are through the roof too.
I get it's an emergency, so they're scrambling for bodies—fine. But there's a line, isn't there?
Everyone knows Seoul tried debuting fresh newbies without proper training—just teaching 'em to fire a Hunter Rifle and tossing 'em into the field.
You think I stopped that? Nope.
I dug around, and turns out Seoul sent civil servants to ink contracts with every single newbie debutante. Contracts locking 'em into field duty starting Feb/March this year. No training, straight to the front lines? Makes zero sense.
I called 'em out—'How dare you bypass the Association and contract Hunters on your own?' And the civil servant? Yells back that Gates keep opening in Seoul, people dying left and right, saving lives comes first!
Even worse, the contracts those newbies signed are half-scam levels of shady (...)
I skimmed it quick. Basically a rant about the Association being ignored, rallying everyone to speak up. Oh, and protecting newbie Hunters from rushed field deployments and shady contracts.
They think I'm raging over this and about to flip out? That's why the backup?
I felt the need to clear up the misunderstanding, so I gave a quick rundown of my actual beef. Jeong Jin-yeong didn't even flinch.
"Does it matter? It's all for us Awakeners either way."
"So you'll keep backing me up?"
"Obviously! We can hash out this mess on the side too."
We had time for chit-chat like that. Our side was comfy.
Even when it was just me earlier, the Task Force had looked scared to tangle.
Look—Seok Jang-sil had absorbed the surrounding concrete into a towering rock giant, planted on my left. With a bipedal dragon on my right packing heat, we looked downright terrifying.
The Task Force? Pathetic at a glance. Long knives, sure, but nothing else. No standout or famous Awakeners in sight.
Comparing their half-assed crew to our heavy hitters, I smirked inwardly.
This is why the Hunter system rocks.
It guarantees wealth and fame to powerhouse Awakeners. Keeps 'em loyal without handing over real power. But from the state's view? These human weapons are too potent to leave as mere civilians—who should be under state control.
Hence scenes like this.
Civil servant Awakeners in the military, police, or Task Force? Way outclassed by freelance Hunter Awakeners. Me, Choi Yong—we free agents outstrip their leashed muscle by miles.
The standoff said it all.
Obvious gap in caliber. Outside Han Hee, no Task Force hack looked destined for Hunter stardom.
Only reason we stayed cautious? Those force-field blades ignoring weight classes. But if it came to blows, no way we'd lose.
So we chilled easy; they sweated tense.
Camera flashes popped.
"Don't shoot! No photos!"
Some obvious foreign reporter shoving a camera our way—National Assembly guards were scrambling to snatch it. For non-Awakeners, handling their lane instead of meddling in our fight? Respectable, at least.
One non-Awakener scum overstepping big-time: Assemblyman Eom Geun-oh.
"Stand down! Everyone, disperse!"
Eom Geun-oh yelled at the Task Force. Sounded like orders to disband and pull back.
Didn't want to escalate? Fair—Hunters vs. Task Force at the National Assembly could look like civil war. Maybe that's what he wanted to avoid.
The Task Force seemed to obey, starting to peel off... but not without taunts.
"Hey, Kim Geuk? Thank the Assemblyman."
I shot back at the grunt.
"Why? 'Cause you can't take me here?"
"You know it."
I grinned.
"Aw, too bad. Grab your knife."
"Huh?"
"Knife up. Teleporting in three. Count 'em. Three..."
The grunt finally clocked his fuckup. Never expected an instant clapback.
"You..."
Eyes bulging, he fumbled a force field onto his blade. As he braced, I counted.
One.
I thrust out my right hand, clenched my splayed fingers, and teleported.
When the teleport finished, my fist gripped the Task Force grunt's throat. His knife hand was pinned in my left.
My specialty: finish the move the instant I teleport.
"Guhk, guhk!"
I hoisted him by the neck. His body dangled in the air.
He flailed his legs, kicking my chest wildly. I ignored it—his feet just thumped my force field.
Less than two seconds later, his struggles stopped. I dropped the limp body to the ground.
Glanced around: dead silence. No time to react. Too fast for them.
"Anyone else bummed they can't take me?"
No answer. Some Task Force punk nudged Han Hee's side, but she blew him off.
"Nobody?"
I shrugged and teleported back to the Awakeners.
"Kim Geuk! Kim Geuk!"
Cheers erupted amid us as the Task Force hoisted their downed buddy and retreated.
"Kim Geuk! Kim Geuk—!"
Eom Geun-oh pushed through toward us, hollering.
"You all go home too! It's over—clear out!"
Barking at a gatling dragon and rock giant? Ballsy look. But his voice drowned in our cheers. Still, he kept yelling—kinda pitiful.
Then Choi Yong reverted, shedding the majestic dragon for a scrawny, ordinary guy who sidled up beside me.
Choi Yong hollered at me.
"Kim Geuk! Finally meeting you in the flesh!"
He grabbed my wrists with both hands. I flashed a grin.
"Why'd you come-yang? To pat-pat the baby shroom-yang?"
Jeong Jin-yeong's crew gawked at my cutesy baby talk, but veteran HuntWeb user Choi Yong just beamed, too pumped to care.
"Pretty much! I'm from Gyeongsang usually, right? Missed the bus protest. That bugged me—so when I saw you going ham, I raced over!"
"How'd a Gyeongsang guy time it perfect?"
"Ah, I just signed a Hunter contract with Seoul! Figured I'd made bank, quit Hunter gigs for full-time Association President. But with Seoul begging 'don't quit, shit's bad,' I kept hunting. Makes President duties tough, but for stuff like this... gotta step up!"
Chatting more, Choi Yong showed zero new-boss posturing. Just pure respect.
Worlds apart from the old Association President—that non-Awakener scum obsessed with nicknaming monsters, lording over top Hunters like some bureaucrat.
Choi Yong got it—who was hot shit. Subtly propping me up as the top dog here.
I turned to Jeong Jin-yeong's Awakeners.
"What about you all? Here to back me too?"
They nodded eagerly. One woman jumped in.
"We're debuting as Hunters soon! And a chance to meet admired senior Kim Geuk? Instant yes...!"
"No 'senior' stuff. I've only been Hunting a year—can't call everyone junior then. Hate that."
"...Got it, Kim Geuk oppa! Anyway, chance to help oppa? Here we are. Good call?"
She fished for praise, leaving me flustered. The others? Newbies too, buzzing with fanboy vibes.
"Been a Kim Geuk bro fan forever!"
"Autograph!"
I knew I was Korea's hottest Hunter lately. While I was off in Sowol, I'd become the symbol for Awakener Hunters?
Just like that, I was swarmed by new faces shouting they were fans, admired me, even survived Behemoth thanks to my teleports.
Frankly? Proud... but overwhelming. Big time.