Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: The Second Eyesore
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Dan Jong-woo had lived without envy or fear of anything.
Naturally, even his life had its share of thorns in the side.
"Oh, the newbie?"
"Yes."
Looking back, he hadn't liked her from the first impression.
A beautiful face and a delicate build.
That was when Cha Ye-rin had just turned twenty.
"Ye-rin, want to join us for drinks?"
"No."
"Ye-rin, want to grab coffee?"
"No."
She'd sharply cut down any invitation to do something together.
On top of that, her eyes always held a baseline of contempt whenever she looked at him, even though she boasted an A-Rank trait.
"Manager, when can I get that data I asked for before?"
"What? I'll give it when it's ready! Why, does it look that pathetic to an A-Ranker?"
"? I never said anything like that."
Of course, it was really just his inferiority complex and stubbornness that had built up inside him.
"Dad! What's up with Cha Ye-rin?"
"Huh? Hunter Cha? Why?"
"I hate looking at her, so kick her out of the Association right now!"
"You little shit, just because I spoil you... What nonsense is this? Get out of my face!"
Even his father, who would normally grant any request, wouldn't utter a word about Cha Ye-rin for some reason.
'Fuck, what's so great about being A-Rank.'
In the end, his resentment toward Cha Ye-rin only grew.
Honestly, there were plenty of other A-Rankers in the Association besides her.
But they all crawled before Jong-woo.
They feared that crossing the son of an Association executive would make their hunter life awkward.
However, when Ye-rin kept openly speaking her mind in front of Jong-woo without any repercussions, a strange tension arose between him and the other A-Rankers.
To Jong-woo, she seemed like the root cause of all these changes that made him feel increasingly ignored.
"Ugh, Manager Dan Jong-woo. Did something bad happen today?"
The place where Jong-woo now sat was a high-end bar in Gangnam.
His glass was filled with premium liquor that cost millions of won per bottle.
"Something bad? Of course there is! Of course there is, I tell you!"
And today, Jong-woo had encountered the second thorn in his life.
Introduced by his first thorn, Cha Ye-rin, no less.
She'd unusually asked him to take a hunter along on a hunt, and though he didn't like it, he agreed in exchange for a favor owed.
Plus, an unregistered hunter? He felt a sense of accomplishment, like she'd finally hit rock bottom.
The guy looked handsome too, which only fueled his irritation, so he'd done his best to belittle him.
But what the hell was this situation now?
Jong-woo downed a shot of liquor that suited the term "straight whiskey."
"Ugh, you must be really stressed. Why don't you spill the story?"
"Ugh, I live thanks to Team Leader Yang."
"Come on, Manager. Not me!"
The people around him tried their best not to upset Jong-woo.
Yes, this was his life.
Jong-woo often drank with contacts from major guilds.
It was entertainment for him, networking for them—a purely business relationship.
But there was a hidden secret that only he didn't know.
'This trash is making a fuss, so it looks like a decent kid joined the Association.'
To Association staff, Jong-woo was little more than a mark.
Behind his back, his nickname was "A-Rank Detector."
The most famous case was Cha Ye-rin.
When he'd thrown a fit about some trash joining the Association, who'd have thought that trash was Cha Ye-rin?
Of course, she'd stubbornly stayed despite offers from countless guilds, but other hunters weren't like that.
Recruit the people Dan Jong-woo hates!
It was already a famous proverb in guild HR departments.
If a promising talent had joined this time, they planned to milk the source properly.
But oddly, Jong-woo—who'd normally spill everything—was holding back this time.
"Ahem, what's the point of talking about it? It's not a feel-good story."
Of course, he had plenty he wanted to say.
But how could he admit that he'd fallen for Jeong-hyeon's scheme and personally skinned an orc?
How could he confess that a mere unregistered had made a C-Rank like him cower and drive him home?
Even so, the guild HR team's veteran skills shone through.
"Aw, who dared upset our team leader like this? Here, down another shot!"
Get him drunk first.
No one holds out against liquor; once he's properly wasted, even stories he wants to keep secret come pouring out.
And their prediction was spot on.
"So, hic! Know what that fucker said to me? That damn shaman needs his dog dick skinned, I swear! I was so fucking floored!"
'Holy shit, what a lunatic.'
They hadn't expected the story Jong-woo was hiding to be this explosive.
Not only had he apologized to the guy, but he'd skinned an orc for him?
And given him a ride?
They already knew Jong-woo was trash, so it wasn't that surprising.
But Jeong-hyeon's feats were impressive even through the drunken haze.
The guild reps urgently exchanged glances.
'Don't touch him.'
'Huh? Who are you telling?'
United in getting Jong-woo smashed, now it was war among themselves.
Their instincts as sales reps from rival guilds ignited.
"So, Manager, what exactly did this Jeong-hyeon guy do to make you feel so disrespected?"
"Hic! What? Do? There's no 'do'! He wasn't even Association staff! If he was, I wouldn't have let him off!"
'Jackpot!'
Lately, with no good leads, they'd considered cutting back on Jong-woo, but that would've been a mistake.
Fortunately, there were only about four guilds here.
Big players none could ignore, but better than the info leaking publicly.
Clearing a Level 4 gate? Impressive feats that justified the hype.
Guts to stand up to Dan Jong-woo.
Endorsed by Cha Ye-rin? Solid backing.
Such a hunter, still a freelancer?
First come, first served—pure goldmine.
Strike before his value skyrockets.
No direct contact or personal info from Jong-woo, but they were pros.
Everyone here had connections in the Association.
In the dim room, the eyes of top guild HR reps gleamed.
***
"Ugh, so tiring."
Meanwhile, Jeong-hyeon had come home, showered thoroughly, and lay on his bed.
The orc blood's stench clung despite scrubbing, thanks to its potency; cleanup took forever.
Hunter deodorizers helped somewhat, but the sticky feeling lingered.
Still, Jeong-hyeon's face stayed bright throughout.
[Current Coins: 10]
He'd earned 10 coins from this hunt.
Without Dan Jong-woo, maybe five more.
Regrettable, but the satisfaction of making that young master skin the orc himself made it bearable.
Too old for "young master" now?
"Trait Shop."
As always, the shop list appeared at his call.
[Shop List (Refresh Cost: 2 Coins)
「Cool Breeze Magic」(E, Lv.1) 2C
-
「Decent Mana Sensitivity」(E, Lv.1) 2C
「Wall Climbing Over Thorn Fence」(E) 2C
「Fairly Quick Movement Speed」(D) 3C
Current Coins: 10]
One slot empty since expanding equippable slots last time; otherwise, the usual mediocre lineup.
"With hated magic types and movement speed, it's mediocre alright."
Non-popular traits or ones he avoided had higher odds.
Wall climbing? Obscure as hell.
"Tch... Refresh."
Best to ditch expectations.
The new list was equally unremarkable.
Two F-Ranks, rest E-Ranks.
"Huh?"
But one F-Rank caught his eye, understandably so.
[「Somewhat Agile Movement」(F, Lv.1) 1C]
The movement trait he'd maxed at F-Rank Level 2 and stashed.
Perfect to upgrade to E-Rank.
Petty bliss for 1 coin.
[「Somewhat Agile Movement」upgrades to 「Fairly Agile Movement」.]
Swap with the old one immediately.
The weekly replacement cycle had just ended.
No immediate change felt, but Level 1 proficiency difference was notable.
He'd sense it next fight.
But this small luck snowballed.
"Refresh... Huh?"
[「Fairly Agile Movement」(E, Lv.1) 2C]
"Such perfect timing?"
The freshly upgraded movement trait appeared again.
With a 'D' marking upgradability in the corner.
'Is this expectation control?'
Equivalent to spending 7 coins on a 3-coin D-Rank, but upgradability trumped cost.
Especially his main movement trait; past investments felt worthwhile.
Better than high-ranks rotting in storage.
[「Fairly Agile Movement」upgrades to 「Markedly Agile Movement」.]
Dazed luck.
Level shifts within rank are hard to feel directly.
This was home, not a gate demanding full-body alertness.
But rank-ups were different.
Jeong-hyeon slowly sensed the renewal.
Not abrupt like adaptation pain, but he could tell his body changing subtly as traits ranked up.
His fatigued body lightened.
Simply flexing fingers felt more precise from brain to muscle.
Movement traits enhanced overall reaction and motion by tapping unnoticed muscles.
Classic effect, faithfully delivered.
Now he had two D-Ranks.
"Nice, feeling it! All in!"
Jeong-hyeon shouted cheerfully.
Warehouse stock depleted across two slots—Korean gamer bliss.
Why spare the remaining 3 coins?
[List refreshed.]
The system honored his will.
The new list featured a C-Rank.
A C-Rank in glorious splendor he'd never owned!
D-Rank frames bronze? C-Rank感動 copper.
Screaming "real deal starts here."
"Ooooh!"
Jeong-hyeon exclaimed.
Could he finally stand with Jin-uk or Su-yeon?
Join high-rank tiers proudly!
Shop level 3, first coin burn, already?
[「Excellent Movement Speed」(C, Lv.1) 4C]
"Fuck..."
If only not movement speed.
Worse, only 1 coin left.
Couldn't buy the C-Rank outright.
"Aren't you supposed to discount movement speed to 1 coin, humanely?"
Ridiculous thoughts only.
Jeong-hyeon's trait shop path remained arduous.