Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: The Trap Springs
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"Eh, not bad, I guess."
It was Jeong-hyeon's curt assessment.
Chae-jun, who had just been swinging his sword with all his might, might feel a bit hard done by, but what could be done? It was the truth.
'The deputy manager said he was all talk, but is he really?'
Expectations for a C-Rank Level 4 might have been set too high.
In any case, under the premise of having seen him in action, he was the highest rank and level among the people Jeong-hyeon had met.
Yet the actual impression was utterly disappointing.
Not bad, per se.
His movements were clean and efficient, without any wasted motion, and despite the sword not being the ideal weapon against slimes, the destructive power was considerable.
But that was it.
"Still, it's like... there's no spark of genius or anything."
Part of it was to egg Chae-jun on, but it hadn't really lit a fire in Jeong-hyeon.
Chae-jun, however, was a pro.
A pro villain.
Honestly, outside of combat, Jeong-hyeon couldn't help but be impressed by Chae-jun's performance.
*Whish-*
No matter how sloppily he threw the dagger.
*Swish-*
No matter how clumsily he swung the mace,
"Ooh, boss! Nice shot!"
*'Nice shot' my ass.'
Chae-jun showered him with praise as if he were partying with the strongest hunter around.
Even though it was the kind of performance that would have a three-year-old shaking their head in disbelief.
Naturally, Jeong-hyeon was in full troll mode, to the point where he felt self-loathing, never mind what others thought.
*'It's fun and all, but do I really have to go this far to fool him...?'*
It was part of the plan.
The core of the strategy was to make Chae-jun underestimate the strategy team's skills and reveal his true colors as quickly as possible.
To that end, Jeong-hyeon had diligently studied the famous MyTV series "Ordinary F-Ranks."
His throwing skill lacked clean lines, and his blunt attacks showed zero grasp of impact.
His movements were twisted like some kind of comic dance.
At a glance, it was believable enough to make one doubt if he even had traits—Jeong-hyeon's acting was that perfect.
On the flip side, having to perform such an act filled him with self-loathing.
*'Can't I just take him out first?'*
From watching Chae-jun fight, he didn't seem like much anyway.
But Ye-rin had earnestly warned him that arresting hunters came with all sorts of restrictions, so he had to hold back.
- You have to provoke hostility first to make the arrest?
- Yes. Current laws leave us no choice. And it's cleanest inside a gate.
- What kind of bullshit law is that...?
- If it weren't for that, I'd have beaten him to death outside myself.
- Fair enough...
In a world where hunters were treated as precious national assets—and where fights could easily harm civilians—capturing villains was ridiculously complicated.
Outside gates, emergency suppression of hunters was limited to cases where the villain was caught red-handed harming civilians.
Even then, recordings, documentation, evidence collection were mandatory, and combat was severely restricted to minimize civilian damage.
The responsible party even had to attend congressional hearings, so higher-ups often nixed operations altogether.
Inside gates, however—the hunters' domain—things were somewhat better.
If the opponent initiated hostility first, self-defense was unlimited.
But even then, you couldn't strike preemptively just because they were a villain.
It was due to all the outrageous disputes before the rule was made.
With no way to know if hunters colluded on crimes inside gates, arrests came with tons of safeguards.
After the post-gate system stabilized, it faced criticism as excessive regulation, but the laws hadn't changed.
Some said the association deliberately kept them to curb its influence over hunters.
Anyway, bad laws were still laws, so Jeong-hyeon's operation had to follow these rules in broad strokes.
He was playing the rich but trash-skilled hunter to provoke Chae-jun into drawing his blade first.
"Wow, boss. Truly a nice shot!"
Even when he absurdly pierced only the slime's body without effect, he clapped and cheered.
"As expected of the boss! That mace on your back isn't just for show!"
Even when he swung the mace in a pathetic stance, he cackled like he might collapse from laughter.
"Cut the damn flattery, you prick. I'm gonna hurl."
"Aw, I only speak the truth. Boss!"
Jeong-hyeon was acting like a total asshole, which should have made Chae-jun itch to kill him, yet here he was, buttering him up.
For a moment, even Jeong-hyeon wondered,
"Am I really okay?"
And of course, the only one nodding enthusiastically was Chae-jun.
Seeing Jun-hyeon and Kang-jun's faces souring behind him snapped him back to reality.
*'Why are all villains so nice at first? Do they have some academy for it?'*
Being villains themselves, he naturally compared him to the masked duo from before.
They'd groveled just as much at first, offering the newbie the world.
Why bother if they were going to kill you anyway?
From Jeong-hyeon's perspective, it was baffling.
They must have their reasons.
*'Tch, he's trying so hard. Least I can do is pretend to bite a little. Ah, perfect.'*
He was earning a living, after all. Catch him fair and square, but play along enough to give him some villainous satisfaction.
And conveniently, an idea struck to end this boring op in one go.
"No one's ever praised me like this. Wanna work under me? Better than those rock-headed idiots by a hundredfold."
"Oh, it'd be an honor!"
Chae-jun bowed deeply at Jeong-hyeon's offhand offer.
Jeong-hyeon's smile grew even more sinister.
Of course, he was impressed by the flattery skills, but Chae-jun was seething inside.
He was the worst piece of trash he'd ever dealt with.
Without the slime in front of him to beat, things would've exploded already.
*'Just you wait... I'll make you die slow and painful.'*
He could end it right now if he wanted.
But Chae-jun bided his time.
Strike perfectly, when he was most off-guard.
Watching the rich bastards' faces twist in despair was half the fun.
Jeong-hyeon was strutting now, but once stabbed, he'd realize he was human like the rest.
That he bled and felt pain.
*'I'll make you pay dearly for the lesson.'*
Thus, inside the Pompo Slime Gate—rumored as a playground—an odd standoff played out, both sides pretending to call it quits.
***
"Kids, let's take a break. I'm beat."
Break time.
Jeong-hyeon was playing exhausted F-Rank trash, while Jun-hyeon the healer and Kang-jun the tank meant Chae-jun had soloed nearly all the slimes, sweating buckets as he slumped in a clearing.
Jeong-hyeon plopped down opposite him.
Naturally, Jun-hyeon and Kang-jun—his bodyguards—tried to stay close,
"Hey, you two. Go grab some water or something."
"...Pardon?"
"Didn't you hear me? I kinda like this guy. Wanna talk business, so beat it. No sense of timing. Tch."
Chae-jun's eyes widened at Jeong-hyeon's tongue-clicking words.
Was he serious? Not just joking about hiring him?
Jeong-hyeon even shot him a sly smile from across the way.
*'What a novel lunatic.'*
He'd carried plenty of spoiled rich brats before.
Most were thrilled right up to the end.
But none had suddenly offered him a job under them.
Who'd hire a Dark Hunter Net member with unverified ID?
"Hey, you going or not? Pissing me off now."
"Uh... you can't be alone."
"Why? Scared that shithead'll mess with me?"
Now Jeong-hyeon was outright dismissing Chae-jun.
At this point, it was impossible to tell if it was peak acting or genuine contempt.
Even Jun-hyeon and Kang-jun, briefed at the cafe pre-gate, struggled to read it.
He seemed normal on the surface, but maybe a psycho underneath?
The way he'd eyed the gear had felt off from the start.
Jeong-hyeon smirked at them and pointed at Chae-jun.
"Hey, know what's scarier than rank? Money. Hunters hunt for cash in the end. What could he do to me?"
Since this wasn't scripted, Jun-hyeon and Kang-jun exchanged glances.
"I'm fine, so you two go ahead. Boss seems uncomfortable."
Chae-jun smiled as he said it.
Jeong-hyeon urged them casually.
"Yeah, yeah, even the shithead says so. Don't worry, go wash up. Phew, you stink of sweat."
"...We'll be back."
They finally left.
They kept eyeing Chae-jun suspiciously until out of sight, but once gone, they hurried off.
Probably thinking to make it quick.
Chae-jun had no intention of wasting the moment.
He'd held back his rage with smiles for this.
Before the guards returned, he'd chop off every finger and toe.
Unaware of the vow, Jeong-hyeon stretched leisurely.
"Phew, much better. Ah, hunting hard knots up the muscles. So stiff."
He even brazenly turned his back.
Normally, one might sense something fishy about things going too smoothly.
But after seeing Jeong-hyeon's trash-below-F-Rank skills, and with pent-up fury clouding his judgment, Chae-jun was beyond reason.
If he planned to kill anyway, why kick away the gift-wrapped chance?
Oblivious to his thoughts, Jeong-hyeon stretched and asked,
"Hey, what's your price? Salary-wise?"
"Salary? Well... I'm a bit pricey."
He played along casually, eyes greedily scanning Jeong-hyeon.
The pricey gear, the fat wallet inside.
"Yeah, right. How much— you fuck!"
*'Even at that trash speed, he won't react to my ambush.'*
Grabbing his nearby sword, Chae-jun lunged like lightning.
A clean ambush worthy of C-Rank Level 4.
Jeong-hyeon's eyes widened mid-stretch at the sudden move, but it was too late.
He could already see the future: himself a second from now, clutching his left side, blood pouring, wailing.
Not a fatal wound, but agony no pampered rich boy could endure.
*'You fuck... know your place before flapping your mouth.'*
However,
*Clang-*
The reality unfolded utterly differently from Chae-jun's vision.
Unbeknownst to him, the sword aiming for Jeong-hyeon's side rang out shortly and was flung away.
And Jeong-hyeon, who should be rolling on the ground bleeding,
"What the hell are you doing, you fuck?"
Was glaring at him with a chilling smile.