Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Cleric's Secret
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In truth, aura was a skill that even those with talent for handling mana had to devote nearly their entire lives to awaken.
That was why so few humans could wield it.
Lucia had been able to learn aura because, as a half-elf, she had several times the lifespan of a human.
Kang Jin-hyuk, on the other hand, was an ordinary human.
Even with talent, it would take until his hair turned white before he could wield aura freely.
No matter how strong his desire to learn, a human body couldn't defy time.
Even so, Lucia had made the offer with her own ulterior motive.
'I said I'd teach you how to use it. I never said I'd make you able to use it.'
Of course, she intended to teach the method itself with full sincerity.
Whether he could bloom that talent or not was entirely up to him.
"Groooar."
As Lucia thought that, the boss monster she'd thought was caught began to move.
It was a sudden ambush targeting an unexpected moment, but Kang Jin-hyuk's reaction was faster than the statue's attack.
"Holy Shield!"
Thanks to the baseball bat's reaction, Kang Jin-hyuk was able to respond a step ahead.
The defense skill he'd leveled up by defeating the mid-boss held firm, perfectly blocking the statue's attack.
The statue, shattered beyond endurance from the recoil, collapsed as it was.
Kang Jin-hyuk charged at the sight, slamming his bat into the exposed core of the statue.
There was a sound like something cracking, but the core didn't shatter completely.
Kang Jin-hyuk, having anticipated this, swung his bat without hesitation.
With two or three more strikes before the statue could resist, the once-sturdy core shattered into pieces.
"Grraaah...."
Leaving behind a groan like a death rattle, the statue stopped moving entirely.
[You have leveled up.]
Thanks to the massive experience from the boss monster, Kang Jin-hyuk's vision filled with repeating messages.
Not long after becoming a C-rank Hunter, his level had already reached 85.
At this rate, earning B-rank Hunter qualifications by the end of the month wasn't a pipe dream.
Wondering if any items had dropped, Kang Jin-hyuk rummaged through the boss's remains.
Unfortunately, nothing had.
"That skill just now... You're a cleric?"
At Lucia's sudden question, Kang Jin-hyuk looked puzzled.
"Yeah? You didn't know?"
"I figured you were a warrior since you picked up that bat. Who'd guess a guy smashing golems is a cleric?"
Lucia had a point.
This was the first time Kang Jin-hyuk had used a cleric-like skill in front of her, so it was understandable to mistake him.
"A cleric, huh... That's unexpected."
"That surprising?"
"Not surprising so much as different from what I imagined."
Kang Jin-hyuk didn't understand Lucia's words.
"What's different? Is there something bad about being a cleric?"
"Quite the opposite."
"What?"
"If you're a cleric, you can wield aura easily just by learning the knack."
Kang Jin-hyuk was confused.
How could this job with no combat skills help more with using aura?
Seeing Kang Jin-hyuk's blank expression, Lucia realized he knew nothing.
"You've never even heard of 'Holy Aura'?"
"Of course not."
"...No need to say it like it's a brag."
Letting out a quiet sigh, Lucia continued her explanation.
"That shield you just used? That's a type of aura too."
"That's aura?"
"To be precise, they're different, but the method of use and effects are the same."
The only difference was that aura was made from mana gathered within the body,
while clerics used divine power to create theirs.
"So I can use it right away?"
"Not right away, but... if you're good, you could mimic it within a week."
As a cleric, he wouldn't need to build up aura—he just needed to learn the trick.
Of course, it wasn't that easy, but Lucia was confident she could solve that with her own abilities.
But just because she could didn't mean she would unconditionally.
Someone once said it:
Don't do what you're good at for free.
Lucia had learned that lesson through her long years as an adventurer.
"Anyway, you remember there's a condition in exchange for teaching you?"
"Condition? Oh...!"
Kang Jin-hyuk recalled what Lucia had said.
Who'd have thought one chocolate bar would open the door to learning such a valuable skill.
Life really was unpredictable.
* * *
Seo Sang-ho was leaving the Hunter Association headquarters with a sour expression.
Even someone known for his good temper couldn't help but feel offended by the one-sided notice.
His secretary, following behind, carefully gauged Seo Sang-ho's mood.
"Shall I summon the guild executives right away?"
"We have to."
Seo Sang-ho nodded, then let out a deep sigh as if the ground might cave in.
"Does it make sense they'd tell us to handle this with just our guild?"
"The timing couldn't be worse."
Monster appearances were usually random phenomena, but there was one exception.
That was the anomalous waves spotted about once a month.
Within a week of an anomalous wave sighting, a powerful monster would appear.
Each time, the government and Association had headaches.
It just so happened right when the other major guilds had taken requests and left overseas, the phenomenon hit Seoul.
Currently, the only forces in the country that could handle it were S-rank Hunter Seo Sang-ho and his guild members.
"We'll need to ask other guilds for cooperation."
"I think so too. But will the other guilds actually help...?"
Thanks to Ahn Do-yoon's rampage, public opinion on Titan was at an all-time low.
Seo Sang-ho was well aware of the secretary's concerns.
"We should've stopped that guy before he caused so much trouble."
Because he'd been wary of the executives' reactions, things had escalated beyond what he'd expected.
Who'd have thought the snowball Ahn Do-yoon started would grow this big.
The fault lay with him, but as guild master, Seo Sang-ho had to take responsibility.
"Hoo... If I could, I'd kick him out right now, honestly."
If possible, he'd unload every curse and boot him out.
But right now, every person counted.
"It's not a good time to lose an A-rank Hunter."
"I know."
He knew it in his head, but emotionally, it was hard to accept.
To soothe Seo Sang-ho's feelings, the secretary spoke comfortingly.
"He's not the best person, but his skills are solid, aren't they?"
"True. Even if he got beaten by a cleric."
Hearing that, the secretary suddenly remembered something.
"Speaking of which, did the negotiations with the hunter who beat Ahn Do-yoon succeed?"
"Not yet."
"You're dragging your feet quite a bit for someone you were so keen on."
"I'm being cautious."
Seo Sang-ho's target, Kang Jin-hyuk, had a very negative view of Titan.
Pushing him aggressively would just backfire.
"Should we investigate to find some good terms to offer?"
"No need. Even if we did, he's not the type where that'd matter."
Kang Jin-hyuk had been a D-rank Hunter for a long time before suddenly standing out.
There'd been no signs before that.
Seo Sang-ho actually liked that mysterious side of Kang Jin-hyuk even more.
It felt like discovering a gem no one else had noticed.
"Anyway, I'll handle it, so keep the executives' eyes off me."
Unlike Seo Sang-ho, who was aggressively pursuing Kang Jin-hyuk's recruitment, Titan's executives saw him as a thorn in their side.
With no telling when or where they'd scheme, extra vigilance was needed.
"We've already assigned enough people to monitor the executives' movements."
"Good. What do they look like?"
"They're scheming how to score one more big haul without getting caught by you."
"Hahaha, same old them."
Seo Sang-ho laughed as if he'd expected it.
The executives were the ones who'd grown Titan into a major guild while Seo Sang-ho ignored operations.
They wouldn't go quiet just because one Ahn Do-yoon got the boot.
"If they try retaliating against Kang Jin-hyuk, let me know. Otherwise, leave them be."
"You seem to value that hunter a lot. Why? He's just a C-rank cleric at best, isn't he?"
"Well... I can't say specifically. Just a hunch."
It was an answer that would baffle outsiders.
But the secretary didn't mock or find it odd.
Having served as his secretary for no short time, she'd seen firsthand how sharp Seo Sang-ho's instincts were.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say his gut and judgment had let him hold the guild master seat against the executives' schemes.
"Still, right now we need to focus on the Association's request over that hunter."
"I know without you saying."
Putting out the fire on his foot came first, naturally.
That is, if he hadn't spotted Kang Jin-hyuk emerging from a nearby bakery.
Seo Sang-ho might have shelved his interest in him for the time being.
But now that he saw him right there, he couldn't just pass by.
"Can't let this chance slip."
With a meaningful smile, Seo Sang-ho said to his secretary,
"I've got business to attend to, so go ahead and relay the Association's request to the executives."
"Understood."
Once the secretary left, Seo Sang-ho approached Kang Jin-hyuk.
Seeing him walk straight up, Kang Jin-hyuk looked fairly surprised.
"What brings you here?"
"That's what I want to ask. What's a guy like you buying so much at this hour? From a bakery, no less."
Seo Sang-ho's gaze went to the large bag Kang Jin-hyuk was carrying.
Far too much for one person's nighttime snack.
"I don't even know what I'm doing myself."
Kang Jin-hyuk gave a wry smile, as if it wasn't something he wanted to do.
Seo Sang-ho's curiosity was piqued, but he had something more pressing.
"Have you given any thought to my proposal in the meantime?"
"If you mean joining the guild, I told you I have no plans to affiliate anywhere for the time being."
Kang Jin-hyuk's answer was firm, leaving no room for reconsideration.
It was grateful that an S-rank Hunter was recruiting him personally, but he had zero desire to join Titan.
Not just Titan—any major guild.
Kang Jin-hyuk had no interest in teaming up with hunters who hogged monsters without a thought for others.
"I thought my offer was generous... I just don't get why you're refusing."
He couldn't very well say "I just don't like you" to an S-rank Hunter's face, so Kang Jin-hyuk came up with another excuse.
"That crazy murderer hasn't been caught yet. I don't want to get brained from behind at night."
"...Is that really the reason?"
Kang Jin-hyuk nodded with a straight face.
"Already 12 victims this month, right? No one would join a guild in these dangerous times."
Seo Sang-ho couldn't argue with that.
With hunters dying every three days, neither the Association nor guilds had come up with any decent countermeasures.
'He'll slip up eventually going after A-ranks and get caught.'
They were essentially letting the murderer roam free with such baseless fantasies.
Even if he left no traces making pursuit impossible, not even trying was too irresponsible.
After a short sigh, Seo Sang-ho spoke.
"How about coming as a mercenary, then?"
"A mercenary?"
"Yes. I'll make it worth your while."
If it was just hunting together without joining the guild, there wasn't much reason to refuse.
A guild like Titan wouldn't fail hunts, and the monsters they'd face were likely high-value ones.
But there was something fishy.
"Titan has plenty of talent. Do you really need me as a mercenary?"
Kang Jin-hyuk's public specs were merely those of a C-rank Hunter.
The only standout was being a cleric.
It was hard to see him as valuable enough for Titan's guild master to hire personally as a mercenary.
"Haha, you're too modest for someone who took down an A-rank."
"It was a heat-of-the-moment thing that worked out better than expected."
"You swung that bat pretty confidently for 'heat of the moment.'"
"I was pissed, so I put some extra oomph into it."
Seo Sang-ho couldn't shake the feeling Kang Jin-hyuk was hiding something.
But with him acting like that, he couldn't pry deeper.
Suppressing his curiosity, Seo Sang-ho decided to step back.
"Even if it was luck, a cleric with combat ability is incredibly rare. Please contact me when you have time."
Truth be told, the situation wasn't so dire that they desperately needed another cleric.
Seo Sang-ho had invited him hoping he'd get used to working with the guild.
"...I'll think about it."
At Kang Jin-hyuk's somewhat positive response—different from before—Seo Sang-ho felt satisfied inwardly.