Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The Orcs Were Formidable
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The orcs were formidable.
Their glaives and axes were chipped here and there, but the strength with which they wielded them was top-notch.
Boom— Boom—
The clashes against Ha-jun's shield made his eardrums ring.
But the hunters facing those orcs were a cut above.
'Honestly, I didn't expect them to be this good.'
Ha-jun and Su-a were solid hunters who could more than pull their weight even in a Level 4 gate.
The D-rank Level 4 rating wasn't just for show.
Even for desk jobbers at the Association, they never slacked on hunting.
It was the iron rule of Association President Park Tae-hwi, an S-rank hunter and a legend in Korea's hunter world himself.
Do your duty as a hunter, no matter what.
That was why the Association topped public trust rankings year after year.
But the one who truly surprised Jeong-hyeon more than those two was Young-hoon, with his spearmanship trait.
'Who could've guessed that quiet guy would turn into this?'
Sure, his overwhelming B-rank spear skills were impressive enough.
"Kyao! Kyao!"
But who could've predicted that the shy, kind-hearted guy would flip out at the sight of blood?
Especially that beastly roar—it was so primal you couldn't tell monster from hunter.
"Heh heh, that guy's got the goods. Real goods."
Jong-woo's assessment of him, though, was straight trash.
The look Jeong-hyeon shot at Jong-woo had turned even more contemptuous after seeing his magic.
'How the hell did this guy climb to section chief with that skill level?'
Sure, support staff and section chiefs didn't need to be magic whizzes, but this was ridiculous.
"Ahem, time to show what I can do?"
Jeong-hyeon had harbored some faint hope when Jong-woo rolled his shoulders and stretched, saying that.
He was C-rank Level 3, after all.
Even if he was a parachute hire, maybe his raw talent kept everyone off his back?
The C-rank hunters Jeong-hyeon had seen so far were Jin-uk and Su-yeon.
Jin-uk had dazzled his eyes, and Su-yeon was a stellar supporter who'd left him in awe.
"Here goes! Mana Bolt!"
But Jong-woo's magic was utter garbage.
Mana Bolt was useful up to D-rank.
With a C-rank mana sensitivity trait, where spell options really opened up, no one would rely on Mana Bolt as their mainstay.
There were beefier options like Mana Strike or Mana Bash with higher damage output.
Yet Jong-woo chanted Mana Bolt with such confidence—maybe the quality would impress?
"Uryaa!"
Compared to his dramatic yell, the bolt flying out numbered barely twenty.
That D-rank Level 2 villain Hee-su had fired more than ten, so this said it all about Jong-woo's pathetic level.
And the damage? Laughable.
Jeong-hyeon hadn't expected Mana Bolts to pierce orc hide,
Pop—
"Squeee!"
But the orcs hit by Jong-woo's bolts seemed refreshed, like after a massage, and went berserk.
"N-Nice magic, Chief!"
"As expected from C-rank Level 3!"
"Haha, the frontliners might run out of work at this rate?"
Even so, watching the staffers thumbs-up the section chief out of obligation, Jeong-hyeon felt a pang of pity.
'Is this... K-office life?'
He'd always wondered why the Hunter Net was flooded with boss-bashing rants.
Now he got it—and resolved to drop some supportive comments from now on.
"Kyaoooo!"
Without Young-hoon's unexpected frenzy, he wondered if they'd even clear the hunt.
Jeong-hyeon could've chipped in with his throwing skill to make it smoother, but he couldn't.
And what frustrated him even more was one other thing.
[30%]
[27.4%]
[37.1%]
The probabilities floating over the orcs' heads.
It was the coin probability display unlocked after his trait shop hit Level 3.
'Why... why show me these probabilities if I can't farm them!'
They weren't amazingly high.
But averaging around 33%.
That meant out of three orcs, at least one should drop a coin, right?
Especially that 37% one—it looked ripe for the picking.
Then Dan Jong-woo fired off another spell.
He poked at them with that weak output, yet took proper breaks whining about fatigue.
This time too, it barely scratched the hide, if that.
"Nice one, Chief!"
"Ahem, I'll take a breather then. I'm almost tapped out, so handle it yourselves?"
Those spry orcs looked anywhere near tapped?
Yet Jong-woo huffed and puffed, his chubby cheeks jiggling.
Watching him, Jeong-hyeon finally made up his mind.
'This could work.'
If he wanted to hunt himself, who cared?
Seeing Jong-woo's skill sealed his confidence.
He could take him if push came to shove.
Of course, with Cha Ye-rin vouching for him, he wouldn't cross lines—but once decided, action was easy.
Jeong-hyeon tossed Jong-woo's bag on the ground and activated Stealth, his presence fading.
Stealth didn't make you invisible.
It disrupted senses, masking your presence and making detection hard.
Even if you were in plain sight, people overlooked you unless focusing.
And it seemed to work perfectly on Jong-woo at least.
"Huh? Where'd the kid go?"
A C-rank spotting E-rank Stealth was tough.
Even for a mage, the rank gap mattered.
'Tsk, pathetic.'
All because he'd neglected personal training.
A C-rank griping about cooldowns on Mana Bolt? Doomed from the start.
Ranks only mattered with effort behind them.
That guy feeling inferior to Cha Ye-rin?
Even a passing goblin would laugh.
Jeong-hyeon slipped past Jong-woo and moved out.
He looped around the battlefield to the orcs' rear.
Passing close by tensed him up, but they were too focused on the chaos to notice.
For low-level monsters, he could've snuck right up and stabbed or bashed—but these were a stretch.
He positioned himself behind the orcs and drew his dagger.
'Target's obviously the 37% one!'
He'd scouted the probabilities already—no need to choose.
The 37% orc was gleefully hammering Ha-jun's shield with its axe.
Jeong-hyeon took a breath and hurled the dagger.
Swoosh—
Boosted by Stealth, the already sneaky throw was dead silent.
It pierced the orc's nape effortlessly.
"Squee—"
No crit calc needed for a brain shot.
The orc's roar deflated, and its massive body crumpled.
[You acquired 1 coin.]
"Yes!"
He beat 37% odds and scored the coin.
Without probabilities, drops were whatever—but here, the thrill was real.
"Huh?"
Meanwhile, Ha-jun matching it was baffled.
The balanced fight tipped instantly from his end.
Ha-jun switched to support Young-hoon, and soon a spear tip burst through an orc's thick neck.
With three hunters piling on, the last orc didn't last.
Recalling the initial stalemate, the first fight ended anticlimactically.
A normal party would've praised Jeong-hyeon's contribution.
But the mood was off.
Everyone saw the dagger in one orc's nape.
Dan Jong-woo's glare locked on Jeong-hyeon.
"Why're you there?"
"W-Well, things happened..."
"Why the fuck are you there, you little shit!"
Ignored once, now furious.
Maybe mad at the unregistered punk stealing glory.
'Probably both.'
Even as Jong-woo raged, Jeong-hyeon stared back calmly.
He'd gotten the coin, and objectively contributed more.
"I fucking cleared them with magic, and some unregistered twerp snipes the kills?"
Just riling him up was satisfying enough.
Jeong-hyeon grinned apologetically.
"Sorry, sir. I bought a new dagger, hand got itchy..."
"You smirking, shithead? Try that again. Don't wanna hunt in Korea anymore?"
Threats flowed like water.
He'd done this before, clearly.
Ha-jun and the others eyed Jeong-hyeon like he'd stirred trouble.
No support from them now.
'Wasn't planning to anyway.'
Confirmed Stealth and Throwing Skill worked on these orcs.
Mission accomplished.
Jeong-hyeon picked up Jong-woo's bag, dusted it off, and flashed a cheeky smile.
"Really, for real! I'll just hold the bag and do nothing."
"Hah, this shithead's total trash... Figures he's Cha Ye-rin's pick. Step outside later."
Jong-woo spewed unspeakable abuse after.
The others cringed, tongues clicking—but Jeong-hyeon kept smiling.
He truly planned to do nothing from now.
Not just in fights.
He'd act like a pure civilian porter.
Jeong-hyeon's gaze fixed on Jong-woo's furious back ahead.
'If this party wipes, it's all on you, Dan Jong-woo.'
In gates, rank and level meant equality.
Survival scaled with effort.
Posh outside didn't save arrogant fools.
He'd lucked out so far.
But a tiny trigger would expose him.
Normally, Jeong-hyeon would've minimized risks.
But a civilian porter? What power did he have?
Just save his own skin.
***
Hunts dragged on after.
No crises, but glacially slow compared to Jeong-hyeon's past runs.
With their ace mage that lame, what'd you expect.
Plus, skipping recon 'cause lazy.
Jeong-hyeon spotted orc approaches but bit his tongue—pure recklessness.
Peak safety negligence.
"Kiyot!"
Only Young-hoon's berserk fury shone.
'Damn, why's his probability 39%...'
As orcs fell one by one at snail pace, Jeong-hyeon swallowed tears eyeing the odds.
Like the fox calling grapes sour, he told himself those orcs wouldn't drop anyway.
After more fights and breaks,
'Hm?'
Something pinged Jeong-hyeon's senses.
He grinned, realizing what.
This could work.
He plotted in seconds and cozied up to Jong-woo.
"Chief, I've never seen anyone handle mana like you."
The group nearly choked on the blatant lie.
But Jong-woo beamed, roaring with laughter.
"Hahaha! You know talent when you see it. Behave, and you're gold."
Jeong-hyeon nodded furiously, then slipped in slyly.
"So, here's the thing. Next orcs show, strike first and win! Show us?"
"Strike first and win! Love it. Alright! Five more minutes rest, then go! Spot an orc nose, I blast first—everyone fall back."
Predictable as clockwork.
'Let's see if it goes your way.'
Jeong-hyeon's eyes gleamed.