Chapter 90
Chapter 90
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Are You an Octopus or a Pig?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 90
Chapter 90
And so, the frenzied hunt that was drying up the Kraken Boars' very seeds continued unabated.
To the monsters, Jeong-hyeon looked like a grim reaper crawled straight out of hell.
But it was the same for his fellow party members hunting alongside him.
'What the hell are we if that guy's an unregistered hunter...?'
At least in the early stages of the hunt, they could still think something like that.
He was definitely unregistered, and his hunter license clearly listed his trait as unregistered.
Still, he'd entered a level 5 gate, so he couldn't be F-Rank. They figured he was a rare case—an E-Rank who'd luckily leveled up to 5.
But what E-Rank in the world could one-shot a Kraken Boar with a single dagger throw?
On top of that, he was hunting at such a blistering pace that everyone except Jeong-hyeon could only stand around like tourists who'd come to gawk at the gate.
'There goes the dagger again...'
'Another one's about to bite the dust.'
By the latter half of the hunt, the only things etched into the party members' minds were the taste of the Kraken Boar tentacle skewers Jeong-hyeon had graciously grilled for them
and the dagger that flew by so fast it was hard to make out its shape before vanishing into a monster's body.
Meanwhile,
[You have acquired 1 coin.]
'Yes!'
Jeong-hyeon was putting on an absolute massacre, thrilled to his core.
It had been a while since he'd hit a level 5 gate, and since Kraken Boars were a new monster for him, the coins were dropping like crazy.
'At this rate, I'll bag 50 coins from today's hunt?'
It had been over two weeks since he'd started hunting solely to save up 50 coins after moving into his new place.
He'd been stuck bouncing between level 4 gates, and the public parties in them had been lackluster, so the drop rates had plummeted, leaving him frustrated.
This time, though, he was reaping a seriously satisfying haul.
And just as Jeong-hyeon was cheering internally, a new alert window popped up—one that would give his coin farming some serious wings, as if seizing the perfect moment.
[Sudden Coin Quest 'Are You an Octopus or a Pig?' has activated.
Kraken Boars are monsters with an octopus head and a wild boar's body.
So, is it an octopus? Or a pig?
Hunt them in more diverse ways to find out.
Goal: Hunt Kraken Boars with methods other than Throwing Skill: 0/10
Reward: 2 coins, Kraken Boar tentacles preserved in perfect condition.]
'Can't pass this up.'
He'd been planning to wrap up soon, but a quest like this?
In any game, accepting a quest and then bailing was unthinkable.
This was real life, not a game, but the principle held.
Plus, the system seemed to be watching his every move this time, dangling the quest right then.
A trait shop where you could equip multiple traits—it made sense to hunt monsters differently, but preserving the tentacles in top condition?
Considering all previous quest rewards had been dry-as-dust coins, this was definitely unique.
'Well, even the system can't resist temptation.'
But there was no point agonizing over it; no real answer would come.
Jeong-hyeon shrugged it off and tucked the Black dagger back into his coat.
"Uh... are you done hunting now, sir?"
One of the party members, looking half-dazed, spoke up.
Until now, Jeong-hyeon had been hurling daggers every time a Kraken Boar showed its face, full throttle.
And that dagger? Miraculously an artifact—it flew back to his hand after every throw.
So, seeing him put it away felt like the end of the hunt.
Jeong-hyeon tilted his head at the question for a moment, then grinned brightly as realization dawned.
"Oh! Sorry about that. Got too carried away and forgot to think about you guys."
"...Huh?"
Now it was the other hunters who were baffled by his response.
Strictly speaking, yeah—he'd soloed every Kraken Boar so far, which was pretty rude by normal standards.
Sure, skill levels aside, the party wasn't on equal-share distribution.
From the original party's perspective, they'd set performance-based shares as insurance against the unregistered guy's weak skills.
Who could've guessed it'd backfire so hard on them?
But that was just 'normal' circumstances.
Right now, the party members' minds were utterly blown, so loot shares weren't even on their radar.
Monsters the size of bulls dropping dead with every dagger toss—who'd care about shares?
It felt like being a kid at an amusement park, only to hear Mom say, 'Time to go home.'
You wanna stay, but part of you wants to head back too.
Jeong-hyeon had no clue about their feelings. Feeling a tad sorry, he decided to make a grand, historic concession.
"I'm not usually like this, but if you're okay with it, how about switching to equal shares this time?"
"Uh... if you're offering, we'd be grateful."
The party leader nodded dumbly at the unexpected proposal.
It wasn't what they'd hoped for, but damn, what a generous surprise.
He even felt like repenting for distrusting Jeong-hyeon over a single share and pushing for performance-based.
'From now on, even if an unregistered joins, we'll do equal shares.'
It was a dangerously romantic notion.
Jeong-hyeon watched the pleased party leader with a satisfied smile, then pulled the mace from his back.
"Alright, shall we get back to hunting?"
"Hunting?"
It wasn't over?
The hunters stared at Jeong-hyeon in confusion.
Anyone could see his main weapon was Throwing Skill; the mace was just for show or self-defense.
Putting away the dagger to hunt with a mace? No way.
'Maybe he's feeling guilty for soloing and wants to give us a share?'
It was the only logical explanation.
But moments later, when two fresh Kraken Boars appeared...
The party members felt awe turn to outright terror.
Strictly speaking, yeah—the mace was a secondary weapon, as they'd thought.
*If* you could call a weapon that let you solo two Kraken Boars with perfect aggro control, no help needed, a 'secondary.'
It lacked the raw power of his throws, but relentlessly smashing just the head until they dropped? Unbelievable, even watching it happen.
'Hell, in that situation, his movement *is* the weapon, not the mace.'
His mace skill wasn't flashy like a Blunt Mastery hunter's, nor overwhelming like a strength-enhanced one.
Just steady, normal swings—but always hitting the same spot, a weak point even other races would feel. No Kraken Boar could withstand that.
Dodging their attacks wasn't easy.
Not just charging like a beast—they wielded eight tentacles aggressively from the head.
Dodge the charge, and you'd still get grabbed or whipped. Tricky bastards.
Yet here was Jeong-hyeon, flanked by two, weaving flawlessly through sixteen tentacles.
No matter how tricky or deadly—no hit means no damage.
The best defense is evasion, proven right there.
So the party watched Act 1: Throwing Skill, followed by Act 2: Evasion Mastery—like a flawless show.
Who'd imagine just spectating so leisurely in a level 5 gate?
The hunt—which felt both endless and instantaneous—finally ended.
Another alert appeared before Jeong-hyeon.
[Sudden Coin Quest 'Are You an Octopus or a Pig?' cleared.
Rewards granted.]
Unlike throwing, this required constant movement per fight, so he was sweating buckets.
Wiping his brow, Jeong-hyeon sat before the fresh kills with a satisfied grin.
Luckily, they were solitary; never more than a few at once, making it manageable.
Two was coverable solo, but three-plus would've needed party help—and delayed the clear.
"Oh, now *this* is prime stuff."
He sliced a tentacle with his utility knife and whistled.
The quest promised perfect preservation—who knew how?—but the system didn't lie.
Unlike previous limp, dried-out cuts, this gleamed fresh, glossy.
And firm, springy—no wilting like before.
'Should I hunt more before leaving?'
He'd already bagged 30 since entering—plenty for a day.
But with this quality difference...
Checking his bag's older tentacles...
'Whoa, it works?'
Incredibly, the system had restored *all* of them to perfect condition.
No explanation but the system's power.
He sliced them all, filling his huge backpack to bursting—still a few left over.
Feeling great, Jeong-hyeon decided to share the joy with the party.
Good things double when shared, right?
(Totally not because dangling creepy tentacles outside the gate would suck.)
"Got some left over—want more?"
His beaming smile as he turned to them.
Hunting Kraken Boars like toys wasn't enough—he grilled and fed them the tentacles.
Still unreal, but they nodded instinctively.
Waste not, want not for health's sake.
Might as well go all-in.
"Eat up— we've hunted plenty. Chow down and let's head out."
Igniting a fire in seconds, he grilled while staying upbeat.
Post-Valen Taurro barbecue, he now packed firestarters alongside his knife, just in case.
The party? Floored.
Only *one* person here had hunted 'plenty.'
***
"Great job, everyone!"
This was the aftermath of that unheard-of hunt.
Jeong-hyeon grinned ear-to-ear; the others wondered if they'd dreamed it or cleared a gate.
Couldn't agree with his 'great job' either.
'Job? If spectating counts...'
Not mad, though—they mumbled replies.
Back when they first awakened, they'd ridden buses too.
Experience matters.
But at level 5 gate caliber? They were aces who got VIP treatment everywhere.
Buses? Unthinkable.
Jeong-hyeon waved goodbye and vanished.
The party, still dreamy-eyed, muttered:
"Once the spot's open, unregistered only?"
"Not a bad idea..."
Seemed a few more had fallen for the romance of unregistered hunters.