Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Association's Visit
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"Jeonghyeon Hunter! What on earth have you been doing?!"
"What do you mean, what have I been doing?"
The moment the door opened, Nam-shik immediately demanded to know what kind of stunt he had pulled.
Of course, Jeonghyeon had a pretty good idea.
He had joined a public level 5 party and hunted to his heart's content, and the story had even made it onto HunterNet. The association probably wasn't thrilled about it.
But first, he had to play dumb.
Admitting fault outright wouldn't make things any better.
"We've been in a frenzy deleting all the posts on HunterNet... Sigh. We thought some bizarre new hunter had shown up and got scared half to death."
Fortunately—or perhaps not—the association didn't seem intent on grilling him.
They probably couldn't just ignore the absurd stories popping up everywhere, so they must have investigated and concluded that the protagonist of those urban legends was Jeonghyeon.
"Ah... Well, I do need to hunt, don't I? And I can't exactly hold back on using my abilities."
"That's true, but..."
"Besides, I never claimed to be S-Rank, and nobody on HunterNet took it seriously anyway, so I figured it was fine."
"Sigh..."
As Jeonghyeon explained point by point, the association staffer seemed at a loss for words, offering no real rebuttal.
Whether he was truly stumped or just couldn't say more, Jeonghyeon didn't dwell on it.
The staffer let out a deep sigh, as if calming his excitement, then resumed the conversation.
"First off, we sympathize with your situation, Jeonghyeon Hunter. We provide high-level gates separately for fully grown S-Rank hunters, but until then, it's tough. That said, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Um... Could you tell us what type of traits you have? Do you really possess a magic enchantment artifact?"
From his demeanor, he seemed quite tense.
Jeonghyeon hadn't yet disclosed his exact abilities to the association.
In that context, stories about throwing skills and magic enchantments were circulating, so they were likely trying to get a read on him now.
But this wasn't a conversation to have standing dumbly at the front door.
Even though the area was sparsely populated and association personnel were watching, you never knew.
Jeonghyeon stepped aside to let Nam-shik in as he spoke.
"Why don't you come in first and we can talk?"
"Ah, sorry. I got ahead of myself..."
Only then did Nam-shik realize where he was talking, his face flushing red as he meekly entered.
'Definitely a lot better than when I lived in that old one-room.'
Jeonghyeon nodded inwardly in satisfaction as he gestured to the sofa in the living room.
He suddenly recalled how embarrassing it had been when the Sea Guild's PR team visited before—he hadn't even had a proper seat for them.
Compared to that, he now had a decent sofa, and it was separated from his personal space. Not bad at all.
Jeonghyeon poured two glasses of juice from the fridge and handed one over. Nam-shik wet his throat a bit.
Now somewhat calmed, his tone felt more composed afterward.
"I apologize for not introducing myself properly despite the sudden visit. That was rude. As I mentioned, I'm Choi Nam-shik from the association's operations and affiliation management team. I handle affairs for S-Rank hunters."
"Ah, so you came about the HunterNet posts?"
"Yes. Since there's no info on you, Jeonghyeon, this incident gave us a chance to ask a few things."
Jeonghyeon nodded.
Even after declaring S-Rank status, the procedures had been surprisingly minimal.
At the very least, they should verify his skills, right?
'Though no one with guts would try faking it, but what if some random B-Rank pulled a scam?'
Honestly, based on Jeonghyeon's experiences, it sounded plausible.
Of course, the association had ample reason to skip other procedures: even without direct verification, their discreet observations had confirmed he was S-Rank level.
In truth, S-Ranks often got irritated if asked to prove themselves with tests or whatever.
Choi Nam-shik had felt this firsthand from meeting several S-Ranks.
They were hypersensitive to even trivial matters, forcing apologies for things that weren't real offenses.
By comparison, Jeonghyeon was a gentleman among gentlemen.
Showing up unannounced at his private home and banging on the door was already a huge faux pas.
Fortunately, Jeonghyeon showed no sign of making an issue of it.
"First... You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but is the artifact mentioned in the posts real?"
"No. That's one of my traits."
"Whoa..."
Nam-shik let out an exclamation.
S-Ranks were beings who defied imagination anyway, so it was possible, but a trait that could even do magic enchantment?
"Then, could you tell us more precisely what traits you have...? I heard it's growth-related."
"That might be tricky. Personal circumstances."
"Ah, of course."
When Jeonghyeon drew a firm line at the probing question, Nam-shik cleanly backed off with a nod.
Pushing further would only backfire.
Besides, figuring out his traits wasn't the main reason for visiting his home.
"It's fine if you don't share your traits, but personally, please avoid actions that draw this much attention. It causes confusion."
"Hmm... So, to what extent is okay?"
Nam-shik couldn't immediately answer Jeonghyeon's innocent question.
To what extent?
He could only give a general, principled response.
"We'd greatly appreciate it if you could avoid drawing attention as much as possible. Especially with magic enchantment. Showing traits casually to uncertified individuals could lead to info leaks."
"Got it. Can't be helped. I'll be careful."
"Thank you."
Nam-shik beamed as Jeonghyeon readily nodded.
The conversation seemed to be wrapping up smoothly.
If Jeonghyeon went rogue again after this promise, that would be a problem for later.
S-Ranks' very existence was classified, so their abilities couldn't be publicly exposed.
Even if HunterNet ran on real-name verification, it was infiltrated by foreign spies and international villain groups.
They had to prevent any leaks, especially since Jeonghyeon was already under quiet scrutiny.
"So, what I'm saying is... We could keep issuing special approvals, but that would inconvenience you too. How about joining the association and—"
"I'll pass."
Nam-shik subtly probed for recruitment.
Jeonghyeon shut it down more decisively than when asked about his traits.
S-Rank or not, becoming a national civil servant? No thanks.
"Haha, yeah, figured as much."
Nam-shik chuckled awkwardly.
The association always tried to recruit S-Ranks.
They had a few already and got emergency mobilization consents whenever one was discovered, but it wasn't reassuring enough.
In crises, more powerful forces were always better for the nation.
Without separate contracts, there was no way to stop them from defecting abroad.
The issue was that, as a public institution, they couldn't invest in individual hunters like private guilds could.
Even non-S-Ranks who joined the association usually did so out of patriotism or other motives, not for recruitment terms or treatment.
Thus, guild-affiliated S-Ranks outnumbered association ones, and independents outnumbered both combined.
'S-Ranks are mostly eccentric types anyway.'
Nam-shik couldn't hide his regret.
Watching him, a bolt of inspiration struck Jeonghyeon.
"Then, what if it's not personal, but an authorized guild? That should be fine, right?"
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
Nam-shik tilted his head at the question.
Authorized guild?
"Does that mean you're considering joining another guild?"
"No. I have no plans to join anywhere now or in the future. I just mean hunting with other guilds."
"Ah, that. No problem. We have agreements with all domestic guilds."
Now understanding, Nam-shik smiled and nodded.
S-Ranks were hunters too and needed to grow.
To that end, the association had pacts with domestic guilds.
They stipulated that certain designated hunters' info couldn't be leaked externally at will.
Those "certain hunters" were obviously S-Ranks.
The exception was Sea Guild's Shin Sea—she was the founder and guild master, so unavoidable.
Barring such limited necessary disclosures, guilds couldn't publicize affiliated or connected S-Ranks.
Nam-shik added a few caveats.
"But avoid very small guilds or especially foreign ones. Small ones might sell info and vanish anytime; foreign ones have no agreements at all."
"That goes without saying."
The pacts aimed to prevent S-Rank leaks abroad—making them with foreign guilds would defeat the purpose.
Pacts required sharing at least minimal S-Rank info with guilds.
"And when hunting with guilds, please contact us, even if it's annoying. After the fact is fine. Ideally within a week."
"I'll try."
It made sense, so Jeonghyeon nodded.
"Call 131 anytime; it'll give weather info, but ask for Ulsan Rock weather, and it'll connect you to S-Rank management."
"Ooh!"
Jeonghyeon was genuinely impressed—this was unexpected intel.
He'd half-thought S-Rank registration was just a title with no perks, but this?
It was straight out of a spy flick.
Of course, he'd have to dig back to before his parents died for memories of such movies, but just the faint nostalgia was enjoyable enough.
Oblivious to Jeonghyeon's feelings, Nam-shik grinned playfully before standing.
"Then, I'll ask for your cooperation and be off. Thanks."
"No problem. Take care."
Jeonghyeon had gained something from the talk too, so he saw him off happily.
'Or rather, if things go to plan, this is huge.'
Even Nam-shik, who unwittingly gave the hint, might not realize what Jeonghyeon meant by asking about guilds.
Anyway, both sides accomplished what they came for—a satisfying exchange.
Even as he left, Nam-shik seemed reluctant, calling back to Jeonghyeon.
"If you ever change your mind, the association welcomes you. In fact, we'd love it!"
"Sure... No plans, but I'll think about it."
Jeonghyeon replied nonchalantly, despite his bright expression.
Ye-rin had nagged him to join when they first met—guess they really were short-staffed.
"Or you could hunt with association execs anytime! Since you know Chief Cha Ye-rin, it'd be fun with her!"
"Really, no thanks."
At Ye-rin's mention, Jeonghyeon immediately sobered and waved it off.
It wasn't like there was a hunter shortage—he had zero intention of hunting with her.
Unless absolutely desperate.
After that noisy farewell, Jeonghyeon returned inside and sank onto the sofa.
"He did say guilds are fine, right?"
There were conditions, sure, but Jeonghyeon had no plans to entangle with tiny or foreign guilds anyway.
He wanted to avoid messy involvements.
But for his current scheme, he needed to get stronger.
Half-assed solo play?
That wouldn't cut it.
He planned to stack game-changer level power first, then launch properly—and sooner than expected.
[Current Coins Held: 32]
"Heh heh heh..."
After the Red Goblin Gate, five hunts had netted 32 coins.
Jeonghyeon grinned darkly at the substantial sum.
Unlike other hunters, he had no growth limits.
That was the biggest gap between him and them.
As long as he poured in coins, his traits guaranteed strength gains.
"Trait Shop level 5... Once I hit that, it's go time."
At this rate, level 5—costing 200 coins—wasn't far.
And by then, everything would flip.
All that remained was mad coin farming.