Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Hunter License and Rental Gear
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The next morning.
"Heh heh heh."
Jeong-hyeon was still chuckling to himself.
A bit more sinister and dangerous-looking this time.
Of course, the location and reason had changed slightly.
Jeong-hyeon turned around and looked up at the building he'd just exited.
It was the Korean Hunter Association headquarters, occupying a massive 30,000 pyeong site in the heart of Seoul's prime real estate.
And the reason he'd come out of there was right in his hand.
"So this is a hunter license, huh?"
The state operated a registration system for awakened hunters.
If the power meant for slaying monsters turned against civilians, it posed a graver threat to the nation than anything else.
However, registering trait ranks or levels was optional, so Jeong-hyeon had skipped it for now.
Awakening two years after his procedure was news enough; revealing an EX-rank trait might land him in a lab instead of a gate.
'It'll be tough at first, but I'll have to bear it.'
Those who hid their traits generally fell into two categories.
Either too embarrassed to certify their pathetic F-rank, or reluctant to disclose truly rare grades and traits.
Of course, the former vastly outnumbered the latter.
The Association's main goal wasn't to catalog traits anyway, so if you declined, they skipped that step, registered only the unique pattern generated during awakening, and issued the license.
These patterns, left at trait manifestation sites, helped analyze crime scenes or reconstruct gate accidents.
But Jeong-hyeon needed the hunter license right away for one reason:
"Now, let's see... HunterNet, HunterNet..."
To join the hunters' community, HunterNet.
No profession relied on information exchange more than hunting, making their communities enormous and buzzing.
These days, assembling a gate party without HunterNet was nearly impossible.
Who'd trust a party recruitment on a general forum when HunterNet required verified licenses?
That blatant suspicion was why Jeong-hyeon had rushed to the Association the day after awakening for his license.
With the license, joining was simple.
It just took a little time for photo verification upload.
'I've got things to do in the meantime.'
Jeong-hyeon sent the verification-wait message and glanced around.
The Association offered discounted gear rentals for newbies.
Well, correction: for newbies without money.
Affluent hunters splurged on high-end gear right after awakening.
Either way, even rental fees were a burden for Jeong-hyeon, making personal gear a pipe dream.
"Ah, the rental desk is to the right of the main building."
When asked where it was, the guide replied like that.
It carried a nuance of 'You sure you wanna go there?' but what could he do?
The real issue, though:
"Where exactly to the right?"
Finding the rental desk wasn't easy.
The site was vast, but mostly outdoor facilities like training grounds and testing stations.
The main building's side was just flat open land stretching to the horizon.
No one around to ask, so Jeong-hyeon just headed right blindly.
Then, behind the main building to the right, he spotted a structure he didn't want to enter but couldn't ignore.
"No way that's it?"
Up close, it looked less like a rental shop and more like a logistics warehouse—rundown and rusty.
The crude slate prefab clashed sharply with the Association's gleaming buildings.
It seemed squatting there since before construction.
But with the solid wood sign reading 'Hunter Gear Rental' next to it, Jeong-hyeon had no choice but to shove the heavy metal sliding door.
Screeeeech—
Like it hadn't seen oil in years.
At least the interior lights kept it from feeling too gloomy.
"Um... anyone here?"
Jeong-hyeon poked his head in and scanned around.
Towering warehouse shelves crammed the space, with a simple counter up front.
Behind it sat an uncle with a balding pate.
"Oh, come on in."
He spoke in an oddly archaic tone.
"Excuse me. Here to rent some gear."
"Figured as much."
What?
Most visitors came to rent, sure, but it deflated him somehow.
Anyway, as Jeong-hyeon approached the counter hesitantly, the uncle asked:
"How much cash you got?"
"Pardon?"
"Hey, everything costs money—even rentals. Gotta know your budget to recommend."
"Uh... about 100?"
"What a pitiful life..."
The uncle clicked his tongue, shaking his head, and turned away.
Jeong-hyeon should've been pissed, but he felt oddly calm.
His life was pitiful, and the uncle's expression seemed genuine pity, not scorn.
Above all, the unexpected vibe overwhelmed him.
'This isn't what I pictured...'
Trailing the uncle deeper into the warehouse, Jeong-hyeon thought.
Didn't rental shops conjure a certain image?
Bustling with fresh hunters clutching new licenses, eager consultants pitching gear, exits filled with adventurers raring to go.
He'd imagined that vibrant hustle.
"Here's the 1-million-won set."
Reality: a PP box tossed by a middle-aged uncle.
Jeong-hyeon unpacked and inspected the gear.
No surprise that 1-million-won rentals were junk.
Even ignoring the used condition, the materials were trash.
"Skeleton bone helmet, goblin leather armor... this is orc hide?"
He lifted the gloves with thumb and forefinger.
As expected, the gear was bottom-tier—not worth scrutinizing.
Armors mismatched, pieced from random materials.
Gear processing normally stripped monster byproduct stench, but these reeked like they'd been through endless hunts since.
Most would wrinkle their noses in disgust, but to Jeong-hyeon, it was familiar.
The uncle stared at him, eyes wide like a rabbit.
"You know a bit about gear?"
"Yeah, well... worked at a byproduct shop. Anyway, this stuff's unusable."
Jeong-hyeon set the gloves down on the counter.
All materials he'd handled at the shop, so he knew their state at a glance.
Leathers untreated, cracked and stiff.
Helmet's sturdy skeleton bone cracked from abuse.
Betting your life on this? One tiny poison needle, and you'd be toast.
Even for a taxpayer-funded rental, was this legal?
A newbie might shrug it off as cheap junk, but knowing materials, Jeong-hyeon saw it as reckless endangerment.
"Hahaha! Finally, a decent hunter drops by."
The uncle roared with laughter, inexplicably.
"These days, only clueless fools rent. Not many even then. Anyway, hustle a few days in a 2-level gate, earn enough for low-end gear—no real risk. Sorry about that."
He straightened up, eyeing Jeong-hyeon squarely, then introduced himself.
"Name's Cheol-yong. Park Cheol-yong. You?"
"Han Jeong-hyeon."
Trust already eroded, his tone wasn't polite.
But Cheol-yong continued nonchalantly.
"Good. Proper hunter deserves proper gear. Hold on."
He repacked the gear hastily and vanished.
Soon back with a new box on the counter.
'Oh. This looks decent.'
Less stench, for starters—much milder.
Quick hands confirmed average used condition.
Signs of meticulous maintenance after each return.
"Frankly, this dead-end job gets boring. But the stuff inside? I handled it myself."
"Yeah... looks like it."
Jeong-hyeon replied, eyes still on the gear, distrust not fully gone.
Seemed truthful—no obvious flaws.
Cheol-yong nodded satisfied, pulling something from under the counter.
"And for you, I'll throw in a weapon."
Newbie weapons were usually shortswords.
Cheap, versatile for slashing or stabbing.
Thud.
But Cheol-yong's was different even in sound.
"Isn't this a mace?"
Standard mace shape, but with a 5cm spike on top.
Jeong-hyeon tilted his head.
Maces suited hybrid melee-healer builds.
Not bad, but not widespread.
This odd variant especially.
Yet Cheol-yong said gravely:
"Mark my words—no better starter weapon. Lacks a sword's flair, but these days? Hidden gem."
He seemed convinced, so Jeong-hyeon pondered.
Probably fine, if unconventional.
Newbie monsters were weaklings.
Bludgeons crushed skeleton and zombie weak points; goblin skulls would shatter under it.
Plus that front spike.
"This spike's for..."
"Gutting goblin solar plexuses? Nothing better."
As if reading his mind, Cheol-yong's words made them exchange nods meaningfully.
"Alright. I'll take this set."
"Excellent! Haw haw haw."
Satisfied with the deal, Cheol-yong laughed heartily again.
As Jeong-hyeon pulled out his card:
"One month, 1.2 million won."
"Huh?"
"1.2."
He'd said 1 million budget.
Cheol-yong brazenly upped it, irking Jeong-hyeon genuinely.
After all that 'decent hunter' and 'gem' talk, he'd hoped for a discount...
"Told you—rentals cost money. With the mace added, that's a steal."
Jeong-hyeon belatedly recalled why newbies shunned maces.
They cost more than shortswords.
"Just a bit more off...?"
"Hey, planning to gate-dive with a shortsword?"
In the end, Jeong-hyeon gritted his teeth, draining living expenses for 1.2 million.
Little add-ons turned economy cars into luxury sedans.
Having grasped the mace's efficiency, he couldn't revert to a shortsword.