Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Hall of Ambush
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Chapter 32
Swish-
Jeong-hyeon had already drawn a dagger the moment he let out the warning screech. He hurled it straight at the ghoul lunging toward him.
A pale purple dagger piercing cleanly through its brow.
For a humanoid monster, the weak point was obvious.
The ghoul stumbled forward a few more steps on inertia before its posture gradually crumbled. By the time it reached Jeong-hyeon's feet, it was limp enough to slide across the ground.
A D-rank Throwing Technique bolstered by all sorts of indirect buffs was far beyond what a ghoul could endure.
One remained, charging at Woojun.
Woojun still looked undecided whether to nock an arrow or draw a dagger.
*Pathetic.*
Whether to shoot an arrow or draw a dagger, Jeong-hyeon—as no archer—couldn’t know the right answer. But one thing was certain.
Anything was far better than doing nothing.
Jeong-hyeon launched himself forward.
It was something he hadn’t confirmed yet, but it seemed Attack Path Prediction had gained one more function.
*Does it show attacks on other people too?*
Of course, it was a bit blurrier than back at F-rank, but the ghoul’s attack path toward Woojun was clearly visible.
Sharp claws aimed at his neck.
The response was obvious.
Crack-
Aiming for a surprise attack, the ghoul’s arm had shot out straight. Jeong-hyeon smashed it down with his mace.
The arm snapped at once and dangled loosely.
“Kekeke- Kekeke-”
Undeterred, the ghoul thrust out its other arm.
At least in not panicking during sudden situations, the ghoul far outdid Sangjun, Seung-hyeok, or Woojun.
Jeong-hyeon knew that full well, but the outcome of failure was the same.
Jeong-hyeon swung his mace once more, batting the ghoul’s arm outward.
Even so, the ghoul’s ferocity—baring its teeth in an instant as it charged—was terrifying.
Relentlessly targeting only Woojun without altering its goal midway was enough to make anyone shudder.
In the end, Jeong-hyeon accelerated once more. He slammed bodily into the ghoul from the side, channeling his full momentum and body weight.
The ghoul’s power-packed body was as hard as could be, but the orc leather armor absorbed most of the impact. The rest was tolerable enough.
There was no time to hesitate over an impact like this.
To counter a surprise attack, responses had to flow as smoothly as water.
Bounced back from the body-on-body clash with Jeong-hyeon, the ghoul slammed into the wall again. It still hadn’t regained its footing.
With its one-strike kill missing the mark, this was the payback it deserved.
Jeong-hyeon promptly jammed his mace into the ghoul’s gut.
One strike might not suffice,
Thud- Thud- Thud- Thud-
So he kept going until not even a finger twitched.
“Huu……”
All this had taken just two breaths.
One breath to hurl the dagger.
One breath to dispatch the ghoul charging at Woojun.
Naturally, Sangjun and Seung-hyeok were only now rushing over. But the situation was already resolved.
For people who’d been chitchatting idly, it was respectable speed—but nothing more.
Life and death offer no excuses.
“……”
Two ghouls sprawled as corpses in the blink of an eye, with Jeong-hyeon standing between them.
The ones who’d ignored him until now—now too daunted even to chatter among themselves—couldn’t utter a word.
“Now, now. Always watch for ambushes inside gates, right? Everyone okay?”
After a moment of silence, Jin-uk clapped twice and asked.
Who was there to be okay or not? Jeong-hyeon was the only one who’d made contact with the ghouls.
Jeong-hyeon gave Jin-uk a newfound look.
He didn’t know how many among them had caught on, but he’d seen it crystal clear.
The moment Jeong-hyeon issued his warning screech, Jin-uk readjusting his grip on his mace.
Had no one else reacted at all, Jin-uk alone could’ve handily cleared the two ghouls.
*He sensed it around the same time as me, or just after.*
No matter how higher ranks gained broader indirect ability boosts regardless of traits, this was beyond explanation.
Jeong-hyeon’s eyes sharpened.
*This guy’s the real deal.*
Intuition told him a monster lurked behind that inscrutable, smiling face.
At the very least, the gap between Jin-uk and him now felt wider than when he’d clashed with Jucheol or Hee-su back then. He was certain of it.
Rank might be a bully, but this was overkill.
To think he matched up to someone like Jeong-hyeon, with four traits stacked.
Of course, experience accounted for no small share of that gap.
But Jeong-hyeon soon averted his gaze and replied.
“I’m fine.”
Jin-uk wasn’t his enemy anyway.
He didn’t seem inclined to join combats directly under normal circumstances, but just having someone like that watching his back was reassuring.
For now, that was the comfortable mindset.
But someday, a wall to surpass.
He couldn’t go on feeling this outclassed by a mere C-rank hunter.
***
There are such people.
People who, armed with paltry luck, grow arrogant as if their own caliber has elevated.
Awakening is mere luck.
And misfortune too.
If being shoved into the gates’ deathtraps for that alone isn’t misfortune, then what is?
It might now be hailed as a ticket to life reversal, but the time I spent as a hunter was mostly strife.
D-rank, level 3?
Even A-rank level 7 demands vigilance in gates.
Those oblivious to that are nothing but reserve corpses.
I turn reserve corpses into hunters.
And Jeongjin Guild is where such hunters band together to hold out.
Yet sometimes, fully forged hunters appear.
Take the man before my eyes.
Unregistered, level 3.
I’d pegged him for definite F-rank until seeing him in action.
But he was a cut above.
A psyche solid enough to shrug off heaps of mockery with leisure was a massive asset.
There’s strength in a person that defies mere rank and level metrics.
Yet even human strength has limits.
Sad as it may sound, that’s reality.
“I’m fine.”
“Then let’s push a bit farther. I trust no one will slack off now.”
An F-rank level 3 dropping two charging ghouls in two breaths?
Impossible.
My frontline experience—now shifted to HR, observing people—spoke volumes.
At the least, he vastly outstripped the reserve corpses who leaned on effortless scraps of power and snickered conceitedly.
I’d need to observe more.
A ghoul lurking in the darkness burst forth.
“Four this time!”
Always first to sense the presence: Han Jeong-hyeon.
Even a hair ahead of me, a C-rank.
No matter the agility specialization, it’d take D-rank at least. So then,
Swish-
How to explain that Throwing Technique shredding the ghoul’s skull for instant death without fail?
As if he had multiple traits.
……Absurd notion.
***
Having revealed his prowess once anyway, there was no need to hold back now.
That said, he had no intention of going all out in bus-riding hunt.
Jeong-hyeon resolved to hurl one or two daggers at the start of each fight, thinning the ghoul ranks.
Not a tough task anyway.
[You have acquired 1 coin.]
Coin notices so satisfying just to see.
*Coins taste great, handiwork feels great!*
Perhaps the synergy boost had finally let his body fully harness the D-rank Throwing Technique.
*No one else has multiple traits, so nowhere to ask anyway.*
Such hypotheses were for Jeong-hyeon alone to unravel.
Did a single trait fail to unleash its full potential?
If so, multiple traits offered advantages beyond synergy—simple addition wouldn’t suffice.
“Hyaap!”
“Arrows incoming!”
Jeong-hyeon glanced proudly at the other hunters amid his musings.
Having taken a harsh lesson once, they were all diligent now.
With abilities inherently top-notch, dropping three ghouls was child’s play.
The ghouls’ reckless charges usually sped them to their graves.
One skirmish wrapped in a flash. Sangjun shot a sidelong glare at sweatless Jeong-hyeon.
“Something you need?”
“……No.”
Sangjun fell silent before that beaming grin, refocusing on his task.
He had mountains to say.
Why do nothing,
Just leech a ride,
Unregistered nobody.
But what could he do?
Jeong-hyeon’s sly dagger tosses had pushed his contribution near parity with the rest.
By results alone, no one could gripe he hadn’t pulled his weight.
And crucially,
*He told me to bus-ride—can’t complain now.*
Whatever he said, it’d just boomerang on Sangjun.
Dismiss as unregistered? Then he was unregistered-tier too—spit in his own face. They’d bragged about carrying, so demanding effort lacked face.
In the end, Jeong-hyeon was loathsome to the death, yet zero room for complaint!
Pure profit for Jeong-hyeon, no downside.
Plus, his contributions defied pure numbers.
“Jeong-hyeon Hunter, any criteria for dagger throws?”
Jin-uk sidled up with the question.
Jeong-hyeon flinched his shoulders, offering an awkward smile.
“Haha, no real criteria. Just toss whatever’s handy. Hitting lights-out today.”
Dodging Jin-uk’s eyes wasn’t easy.
Jeong-hyeon targeted mid-pack ghouls, avoiding front or rear.
Creating breathing room in their assaults.
Frontliners Sangjun and Seung-hyeok likely hadn’t clocked it, but they’d feel the subtle ease.
Somehow, the pressure lighter.
*Not that it lasts long.*
Too trivial to voice outright.
Jeong-hyeon brushed it off vaguely, but Jin-uk’s nod suggested he’d intuited the unspoken.
*High-rankers are scary indeed……*
Truly, this man was Lucky Cha Ye-rin.
Jeong-hyeon concluded inwardly.
After regrouping somewhat, they resumed walking.
Jin-uk spoke loud enough for all.
“Alright, we’ve done plenty. One more fight, then head back.”
“……Yes.”
Sangjun nodded, the other two voicing reluctant assent.
Hardly a satisfying hunt for them.
Owing a debt to the man they’d scorned—how could it feel otherwise?
Self-esteem curdles to inferiority complex quicker than expected.
A vast hall loomed before them.
“What’s this?”
They’d seen plenty of rooms, but never a hall this size. Sangjun grumbled as he stepped in.
Torchlight finally unveiled the layout.
A towering ceiling, with five corridors branching off the hall.
*No wonder the bad vibes.*
By Jeong-hyeon’s experience, special locales bred special patterns.
The others sensed it too, eyes warier than usual.
And as they reached the hall’s center,
“Kekeke- Kekeke-”
“……? Uwaaak!”
“What?”
Boom-
The source of Jeong-hyeon’s unease revealed itself.
The upper reaches, which even he’d overlooked.
Silent and stock-still, detection lagged.
The instant Seung-hyeok passed beneath the decrepit chandelier, a ghoul dropped on him like a stone.
Luckily, he’d raised his shield just in time—no damage.
But the unforeseen assault bred panic.
“Uwaaak! Get it off me, get it off!”
“Hold still, Seung-hyeok!”
Caught off guard, Sangjun and Seung-hyeok’s coordination faltered.
A single ghoul’s ripple effect proved lethal.
Even Jeong-hyeon had hesitated on a dagger toss, missing the presence entirely.
“Kekeke- Kekeke- Kekeke-”
“They’re coming!”
From the five lightless corridors,
Ten ghouls charged out in unison.