Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Accelerating Hunts and Ambush
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As time passed, Bae Na-young's control over her Corruption skill steadily improved. Now, no surrounding plants died at all.
Previously, a path would form on the ground, but now all she could sense with her sharpened senses was some dark energy emanating from Na-young and stretching straight toward the Walking Tree.
The Walking Tree was neutralized before it could reach her and collapsed before even touching her.
Compared to monsters of the same rank, Walking Trees were dumb and slow, which made this possible. Against monsters that relied on speed or hit-and-run tactics, it wouldn't have been this easy. Even so, it was impressive.
"My level went up!"
"Congratulations. Did your skills level up too? Did the Corruption skill reach A-Rank?"
For a skill to level up in just one day was extraordinary.
"No! All of them."
"Huh?"
What did she mean?
"My Awakener level went up, and all my skills leveled up too. Blind, Nightmare, and Corruption are all A-Rank now."
I'd thought my Regeneration skill was cheat-like, but apparently there were other monsters in the world besides me.
Seeing Na-young's growth rate brought back chilling memories of the Na-young from my previous life who had terrified countless Hunters, sending shivers down my spine.
If I hadn't met her early and built a good relationship, I'd have been taken out in an instant by the villainous Na-young in the future.
"Na-young."
"Yes?"
"Let's stay close from now on."
"Huh? Of course."
Na-young looked at me with an expression like she had no idea what I was talking about.
Naturally, our hunting speed increased. For a single one, I'd carry Na-young and rush in to smash it with a side kick. For multiples, while she handled one, I'd take care of the rest.
Her skill levels had risen, and her proficiency had improved too. My skills showed no numerical changes, but gaining resistance to Corruption alone made it a hugely rewarding day.
"The sun's about to set. Let's head back."
"Okay."
Na-young replied with a pale face. She'd followed along without complaint despite my relentless pace. She looked gentle, but she had real grit.
On the way back while carrying her, I spotted the Hwagok Collection Agency staff.
"Come on!! Hurry up! Hey! Don't carry it whole—break it down first! You think this is your first day on the job?!"
Kim Sun-ho, no, now-promoted Manager Kim of Hwagok Collection Agency, was yelling at the rookies.
"Need a hand?"
I set Na-young down and approached Manager Kim.
"Oh, no need. You've done enough—go rest."
I hadn't pulled any rank on them, but the boss and Manager Kim both seemed to treat me with a lot of respect.
"I'll help so we can all rest sooner. Hunting's done for today anyway."
"I love you, bro!"
Sang-hun came running from his work, but I dodged him smoothly.
"Na-young, ride the truck back to base camp first."
"No, I'll help too."
"You don't have to..."
"Bro... bro, if you say you'll do it, can we really relax? When the boss orders jjajangmyeon, the underlings eat it too—that's how office life works."
Sang-hun chimed in from the side. At his words, Na-young just smiled faintly and started working without a word.
"Sang-hun, not everyone's like you."
Sang-hun's face fell.
"Come on, let's finish quick and grill some meat back at base. My treat."
I said it loud enough for everyone to hear.
"You heard him?! Move it! Leave the heavy stuff to those three guys and handle the light work!"
Manager Kim, hearing about early wrap-up and meat, stopped refusing and started directing. That worked for me too.
With my strength, I could handle jobs that required equipment single-handedly, speeding things up naturally.
I slung the heavy stuff over my shoulders and loaded it onto the company truck on the nearest road. The staff handled dismantling and sorting the mana stones and byproducts.
As I moved fast, everyone else got spurred on, and the pace picked up.
"Huff... huff... Is this help... or are you grinding us into dust..."
I overheard a staffer grumbling.
"Take it easy."
I said it passing by him.
"Yes?! No, sir! Sorry!"
He startled, realizing I'd heard, apologized, and bolted back to work.
I felt like I was just adding pressure, but without my help, they'd have been working long after sunset with that workload. I'd done hauling work long enough to know. Better to push hard now and rest in the evening—easier on the body.
Plus, even though we'd cleared the nearby Walking Trees, once it got dark, the staff could be in danger despite Sang-hun being there.
Thanks to me and Na-young joining in, we finished just before sunset and returned to base.
"Good work!"
Back at base camp, I exchanged greetings with the staff. Everyone was in high spirits from wrapping up early.
"Lee Ji-seok, delivery's here!"
The vendor I'd called ahead unloaded mountains of meat, grills, food, and booze from their truck. Perfect timing.
The resort food was prepared for Hunters, so haulers and collectors had to eat separately. Not liking that, I'd ordered tons of meat and booze when calling Hwagok Collection.
"Good work, everyone. Eat and drink up, and let's do great tomorrow too."
"To Lee Ji-seok the Hunter!"
I spoke to the group, and Manager Kim shouted. Then everyone raised their glasses with cheers of agreement.
They were hyping me up too much—it was embarrassing—but whatever, as long as they were having fun.
* * *
"You... drove without a license? Didn't we get it suspended?"
Im Seong-jun's forehead bulged with veins as he received the report. The photos Tak Dong-yeon brought showed Lee Ji-seok grilling meat with Bae Na-young or chatting intimately.
"Well... seems he has connections at the Management Bureau. He's the Subjugation Section Chief and took responsibility for it himself. The guy's so stubborn, our pressure didn't faze him, and he wouldn't take bribes, so we couldn't touch him."
Tak Dong-yeon bowed his head.
"Doesn't modding your ear like that count as assault?"
Ji-seok had roughed him up, and though potions healed the wounds, the lost parts didn't regenerate—his ear was missing a chunk like a bean.
"If I step out publicly, the contract could come up, so the risks outweigh the gains."
"Why didn't you handle it yourself, you idiot?!"
Im Seong-jun grabbed a book from the desk and hurled it.
"Sorry."
Tak Dong-yeon straightened after taking the hit to the head.
"What about that punk's parents?"
"One of the agencies we hired scared Lee Ji-seok's mom. But she quit the next day and moved to his place. His house has tight security now—no way to approach again."
"So he's holed up there with Na-young for a week?"
"Yes..."
"Fuck... I can't stand that. That... guy we contacted before? Reach out again."
"Who do you mean?"
"You know, the one who handles this shit."
"You're serious?"
"You think I'm joking with you? Have him kill that bastard and bring me Na-young."
"You should give up on Bae Na-young by now..."
"You fucking prick! Shut up! Already! Pay him and he'll do it! Want me to have you killed too?!"
Im Seong-jun lost it, throwing stuff that knocked Tak Dong-yeon over. Still fuming, he approached and stomped on him.
"Gah... huff... I'll do it! Or I'll kill you first!"
* * *
As Na-young and I synced up better, our hunting speed accelerated. Unlike the last solo subjugation, Hwagok Collection handled recovery, so we roamed the mountain freely, hunting Walking Trees.
Naturally, our score dominated first place. Later, I felt bad monopolizing, so I targeted spots other Hunters struggled to reach. Rough terrain didn't faze me.
The Hwagok staff had it tougher as a result, but with hearty evening meals every day, no major complaints surfaced.
I spotted Walking Trees ahead and set Na-young down.
"Na-young, from now on, use Corruption as an area effect instead of targeting singles. I need the training too."
"Okay."
Na-young nodded and cast Corruption. Before, it just wilted trees and grass, but now the surrounding grass blackened and died instantly. It looked like undead-infested death ground.
"Wait... hold on. The area damage is too much. Did the power spike with the level up?"
"Seems like it. What now?"
"Hmm... It's not essential, so no need to dry out the whole forest. Go back to targeting one Walking Tree at a time."
"Okay."
We poured attacks on it and shattered the Walking Tree easily. The cursed ones crumbled like dry wood.
But this reduced the point of teaming with Na-young much. Just giving her a ride? Before, I'd accommodated her gains while building my curse resistance for mutual benefit. This felt like a loss.
"Tomorrow, Sang-hun joins us too. Might as well level you both up plenty."
Better to level them so I could take them anywhere.
"Thanks."
We spent the afternoon hunting Walking Trees like that.
"Hm?"
Carrying Na-young across the mountain, I saw a ton of Walking Trees ahead. Easily dozens.
"A herd? Catching them all might level us up. This time... use wide-area Corruption. Some environmental damage, but gains outweigh it."
"Yes!"
I set her down, and the Walking Trees spotted us, closing in.
But Na-young's Corruption spread, hitting them—they slowed visibly, writhing in pain.
Then a chilling killing intent hit me, and I spun around.
BAM!
A massive impact to my head sent me tumbling backward.
My body wouldn't move.
A bullet? To crack my skull and deliver this shock, it wasn't a standard modern gun or round. Definitely a mana bullet from a Hunter. Some Hunters could infuse mana into bullets—I just hadn't expected one today.
Even on alert in combat, I hadn't sensed the killing intent until the shot. This Hunter was high-ranked for sure.
"Ji-seok!"
Na-young rushed to me in shock.
Thud!
The next bullet struck her chest.
For a split second, I thought she was dead—my eyes bulged—but it was a tranquilizer round.
The Walking Tree horde approached our downed forms.
I still couldn't recover enough to move. Head shots were dangerous like this.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
A man in a black hood covering his head sprayed an assault rifle at the Walking Trees while approaching Na-young.
That bullet power, the speed descending the hill—not your average Hunter.
"You damn things, know how much I've run around this mountain because of you?!"
Bam-bam-bam!
The gunman reached Na-young, fired a few more into me—bullets pierced my skin and lodged in. I'd barely started recovering; blood gushed again, soaking the ground.
Ignoring the Walking Trees beyond suppressive fire, he hoisted Na-young over his shoulder and left.
Still immobile, the Walking Trees surrounded me, stabbing branches into my body. When my skin held, they dug into the gunman's wounds.