Chapter 79
Chapter 79
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: King's Playground
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A few days later.
The hunters from Jeongjin Guild, who had stormed out of the room previously, stared at the paper placed in front of them with bewildered expressions.
"What's this?"
"It's the evaluation report for Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon, measured at the guild's testing facility."
They knew better than anyone that their earlier outburst—claiming they couldn't trust his skills—wasn't truly about doubting his abilities. After all, Jun-won wouldn't be crazy enough to shove some random into a gate they were entering themselves, and rumors had it that the guild master had personally given the nod.
They'd just been flexing to keep HR from taking the reins. But they hadn't expected the guild to go so far as to run an actual test and shove the results in their faces.
"Hmm. Well, this is something you could've just admitted defeat cleanly without needing a test..."
The party members exchanged glances before peering into Jeong-hyeon's evaluation report.
Then they were stunned.
- B-Rank Level 5, Top 10% Certified
The results at the bottom of the report showed an unbelievable figure.
Sure, the testing equipment was calibrated to minimize errors, but it still tended to rate people a bit higher than their official rank.
The gap between real combat and practice was just that big.
Even accounting for that, though, top 10% certification was on another level.
The Jeongjin Guild's testing facility considered top 10% the highest grade.
And since it was Jeongjin Guild's facility, the database was built around carefully selected guild members.
In other words, it was safe to say Jeong-hyeon had been officially recognized as surpassing B-Rank Level 5.
"He could've challenged a higher rank, but he said that level was plenty sufficient, and I agreed."
"This can't be right!"
Jeong Sun-il, the party's tank, slammed the desk and shouted.
Unregistered or not, given the rumors, they'd been willing to concede C-Rank at most.
The hunter originally slated to join in Jeong-hyeon's place had been C-Rank, after all.
But B-Rank Level 5?
If you're gonna lie, at least make it believable.
The other hunters reacted with similar disbelief.
"An unregistered hunter at B-Rank Level 5? Come on, Team Leader, you know that's fishy too."
"Right. We didn't even see it measured ourselves."
Jun-won smirked.
It was the rebuttal he'd expected, and he figured they knew full well how flimsy their own claim was.
"Are you doubting the guild's testing facility now?"
"Well..."
Jun-won's simple remark left the hunters speechless.
As Jeongjin members themselves, they knew exactly how rigorously the guild's facility was managed.
In terms of identity verification, it was far more reliable than the association's anonymous testing rooms open to anyone.
And Jun-won drove the nail in.
"The raid plan has already been approved by the guild master based on these results. I ask for your understanding, even if you're dissatisfied."
They grumbled discontentedly, but they couldn't deny this.
Raid approvals—especially for mission gates—weren't just a rubber stamp from the guild master.
They were finalized after advice from the raid department head and guild advisors.
In short, their own boss, the raid department head, had acknowledged the plan had no issues.
'Department head, why didn't you give us a heads-up...'
Sun-il ground his teeth.
Once it was finalized like this, shouldn't they have looped in the actual participants?
No wonder the mood had been so low lately.
Jun-won finally realized the tide had turned in this pointless power struggle and smiled brightly.
"Alright, then. See you all on raid day."
His face showed not a shred of doubt about failure.
'This raid can't fail.'
The difference between him and them?
He'd seen Jeong-hyeon pass the test with his own eyes.
***
What was the best part of the Movement Speed trait?
The Thought Acceleration effect that came with its synergy inclusion by chance?
Of course, that was phenomenal.
A cheat among cheats, instantly doubling his combat power or more.
But right now, for Jeong-hyeon, its core effect was the most valuable.
A rugged mountain with no trails.
The C-Rank Movement Speed trait let him race along the ridgeline like an off-road vehicle.
'They say anything piled up eventually finds a use.'
He hadn't been clueless about its utility, even when mockingly calling it "Useless Movement Speed."
It was just that every slot was precious, and it wasn't essential for combat, so it took up space he couldn't spare.
But in real life, Movement Speed was proving incredibly practical.
The 'King's Playground' gate he'd be entering with Jeongjin's raid team was in a remote mountain in Gyeonggi Province.
Without Movement Speed, heading out same-day would've been a pipe dream.
He'd have had to take an intercity bus the day before, get off at the nearest terminal, and start climbing at the crack of dawn.
Jun-won had offered to share the guild's transport and lodging,
'But spend a whole day with those guys?'
Jeong-hyeon would pass.
Sure, he'd endured all sorts of snubs until now.
Even recently.
But from here on, it was time to escape that crap.
By his own measure, he'd grown plenty strong, and he was registered S-Rank at the association.
Even without publicly revealing his EX-Rank, it was time to claim his due.
'Good thing faking B-Rank Level 5 worked out.'
Jun-won had said that level of recognition was sufficient.
Fair enough—excluding Jun-won, the other teammates were all B-Rank Level 4. What grounds did they have to complain?
Still, Jeong-hyeon had a backup plan in case they nitpicked or refused to believe it.
'It's not publicly recorded anyway, so I could've just ripped it up.'
He'd planned to straight-up take the A-Rank Level 5 test if needed.
He'd had plenty of leeway during the B-Rank Level 5, so it should've been doable.
Lost in thought as he ran, he sensed a powerful aura in the distance.
The effect of his newly equipped Mana Sensitivity trait.
It wasn't noticeable in daily life, but within detection range, he could feel gates.
Higher-level ones hit harder, and this was his first mission gate, but its aura was ominous.
Jeong-hyeon slowed, staring toward the gate.
"Crazy..."
Just sensing its energy sent chills of terror through his body.
He'd passed a Level 5 gate on the way here on purpose to compare, but this was worlds apart.
Did all mission gates have this vibe, or was 'King's Playground' special?
Had the 'Dragon's Grave' he'd cleared before felt like this to someone with Mana Sensitivity?
Jeong-hyeon resumed running.
No matter how you sliced it, this gate had already swallowed a five-man party whole.
Plus, he'd barely noticed at first due to the gate's presence, but Jeongjin's crew had arrived.
"Sorry I'm a bit late."
"Huh?"
Jeong-hyeon had come from the opposite side of the entrance path, down the mountain.
He raised his voice in greeting, startling the waiting hunters who turned.
Jun-won approached with a warm smile, of course.
"We just got here too. You came over the mountain?"
"Yeah. Hope everyone's doing well?"
Nodding to confirm Jun-won's guess, Jeong-hyeon greeted the others.
They gave perfunctory nods in return—nothing more could be expected.
Their rejection of him had been emotional from the start.
Reluctant acceptance didn't mean liking him.
Fine by Jeong-hyeon, as long as they did their jobs.
"We've talked it over a few times, but given the prior wipeout and the name 'King's Playground,' we're judging it as likely a game-type gate."
Jeong-hyeon nodded.
Game-type gates meant playing and winning a game inside the gate.
Not that it was all fun and games.
Unlike defense types where you just survived waves no matter the casualties, game-types demanded fulfilling the gate's conditions—or the whole party wiped. Far riskier, hence the emphasis on the prior total party kill.
"Probably either protect the king to the end or meet the king's demands. One or the other."
Jun-won widened his eyes briefly at Jeong-hyeon's guess before agreeing.
"You know your stuff. But even so, it's a bit off."
"Off how?"
Not Jun-won, but the healer Park Ji-woon answered Jeong-hyeon's question.
He replied without looking at him, curt as ever.
"Those dead guys were idiots, sure, but not total pushovers."
"Ah."
Jeong-hyeon nodded.
Mission gates weren't like normal ones—you couldn't freely enter or exit.
Once in, it was wipe or clear, no leaving till resolved.
So intel came from piecing together external guesses.
'King's Playground' seemed straightforward to speculate on.
Yet a Jeongjin raid team had wiped?
Some unexpected wrinkle, clearly.
"Going into a gate like that with an unproven teammate is the real stupidity."
Sun-il grumbled, loud enough for all five to hear.
Not even trying to hide it.
Jun-won gave a wry smile but didn't intervene.
Jeong-hyeon just stared him down, no reaction.
Maybe that fueled his anger.
Sun-il stomped over, laying down the law.
"Listen up. We're going in together, so we're all risking our lives fighting alongside you. But if you drag us down, don't expect any mercy."
By then, we'd all be dead anyway, asshole.
Harsh tone and words, but Jeong-hyeon caught a different resolve in Sun-il's eyes.
Fear.
Yeah, fear.
Raids needed conviction, but 'King's Playground' had already wiped one party.
Hunter deaths weren't rare, but frontline hunters felt it differently.
Like running blindfolded in a room full of blades.
Unknowing where death might strike, yet forced to charge.
But you couldn't show fear.
With only your comrades' hands as certainty, adding an unknown like him amped it up.
Jeong-hyeon smiled faintly.
"Thanks for saying that."
"Tch, if you can't even talk the talk..."
"But I've never been a burden anywhere."
Sun-il froze mid-turn at Jeong-hyeon's sly reply.
Ga-yoon and Ji-woon listening in, even Jun-won—same reaction.
"We'll all make it out alive. I'll make sure of it."
The gate's skin-prickling aura was no joke.
Yet Jeong-hyeon didn't feel their fear.
Not when he lacked confidence—that led to inferiority and collapse.
He had rock-solid certainty he wouldn't break.
The others, not grasping what he meant, wouldn't dream of it.
Jun-won snapped the odd mood Jeong-hyeon had created.
"Right, Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon is spot on. We'll all get out alive."
'What makes him different?'
Even Jun-won, who'd seen tons of people in HR, couldn't pinpoint Jeong-hyeon's vibe just now.
But one thing was clear: Jeong-hyeon had more than just hunter strength—something extra.
And he'd calmed the tense atmosphere with one sentence.
As raid leader, his call was simple.
"Shall we head in?"