Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Too Successful for My Own Good
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Lucia noticed that Kang Jin-hyuk's expression had hardened.
With the delivered food right in front of him, that stiff look on his face clearly signaled something unusual.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"Whether you'd call it a problem or not."
Becoming a celebrity wasn't a bad thing by any means.
But Kang Jin-hyuk thought the timing couldn't be worse.
The community was already hyping him up as a talent surpassing S-rank Hunters, but he was nowhere near that level.
Taking on excessive expectations with an unprepared body would only pile on the pressure.
Not knowing the full story, Lucia grew frustrated watching him clutch his head in silence.
"Don't just groan to yourself—tell me what's going on."
"Well, it's like..."
Kang Jin-hyuk took a deep breath and slowly opened his mouth, spilling out his lamentable feelings.
"I'm doing way too well."
"...Are you insane?"
"No, I'm serious. This is really troubling."
"Yeah, well, I'm starting to feel troubled by your nonsense too."
Lucia felt like the disgust bubbling up from her chest would only subside if she smacked the back of his head good and hard.
Kang Jin-hyuk backed away, waving his hands as she seemed ready to act on the thought.
"Calm down and hear me out!"
"What other bullshit are you about to spout?"
"Remember that monster you sniped before? I claimed I took it down, and now things have blown up!"
"So?"
"Huh?"
Kang Jin-hyuk had expected instant retribution since he'd stolen her achievement as his own.
He'd braced himself to confess because the situation had escalated, but Lucia's reaction was surprisingly nonchalant.
"Karma for what you did. Deal with it yourself."
Lucia had never cared about credit for slaying the new-type monster in the first place.
Since it wasn't even her world, she couldn't care less who got famous.
"You're absolutely right..."
Even faced with her cold response, Kang Jin-hyuk couldn't argue.
It was self-inflicted, just as she said.
He'd claimed her feat as his own without thinking ahead, lured by the allure of the new-type monster's materials.
Of course, the benefits he'd gained were substantial.
But the public attention that came with it was far heavier than he could bear.
'The top S-rank candidate, my ass.'
His current level was 199. Even reaching 200 would barely qualify him as a B-rank Hunter.
He wasn't even close to A-rank, let alone S-rank.
No matter how well he'd mastered aura usage, he could only dominate close-range fighters.
He had bad matchups against mages or Hunters who relied on ranged skills.
If he'd transferred to a Warrior class, maybe.
But Kang Jin-hyuk's class was Cleric.
He had no skills to close distances rapidly or counter ranged attacks.
If some A-rank or higher mage popped up to test him as the rumors suggested, he'd be in deep trouble.
And this wasn't idle worry.
'This scene is full of territorial bullshit.'
Especially among Hunters who'd built some fame—their cliquishness was intense.
Just look at An Do-yoon.
He'd come to help but still looked down on and dismissed him.
"Damn it, I stepped in shit going after one monster corpse."
Kang Jin-hyuk scratched his head furiously and clicked his tongue.
He wondered if his greed for the new-type monster's body had been excessive.
Moreover, he had no idea what could even be made from its materials.
It was a choice where the risks far outweighed the potential gains.
He could hand the Leviathan corpse to the Titan and admit it wasn't his doing—honestly, that might resolve the current mess.
But Kang Jin-hyuk had no intention of doing so.
People have pride. No need to grovel just because things got dicey.
'I brought Lucia out of the dungeon in the first place. Without me, this wouldn't have been possible.'
Lucia may have landed the kill on the Leviathan, but he'd made it happen— that was his contribution.
Since she'd forfeited her claim, Kang Jin-hyuk had every right to assert ownership.
With that mindset, any guilt evaporated.
Rather than sitting around agonizing, he needed to plan his next moves.
'First, I need more power.'
His current skills and level were woefully inadequate against Hunter cliques.
Raising his level was priority one.
With a clear path ahead, Kang Jin-hyuk devoured the neglected delivery food like a vacuum.
"Eat slower. What are you, a pig?"
"No time for that now."
"No time? Is someone chasing you or what?"
No matter what Lucia said, Kang Jin-hyuk didn't slow his hands or mouth.
He finished eating in record time and jumped to his feet.
His movements screamed that every minute and second counted as he turned to her.
"Let's hit the dungeon."
"Right now?"
"Right now."
Kang Jin-hyuk strode quickly to the attic and opened the door.
Lucia was baffled watching the guy who'd been mumbling to himself suddenly burn with motivation.
"Is someone chasing you? Why the sudden decision?"
"I've been wasting time sleeping for three days."
Considering the situations looming ahead, his current level wouldn't even let him sleep.
Anxious, Kang Jin-hyuk finished gearing up swiftly and entered the attic.
"What're you waiting for? Coming or not?"
"I'll go if I want, so mind your own business."
With a scoff of disdain, Lucia grabbed her gear from the attic.
Then she entered the dungeon ahead of him.
* * *
The moment Kang Jin-hyuk entered the dungeon, he headed straight for the dwarf's workshop, as expected.
When he pulled the Leviathan corpse from his inventory, the dwarf let out a low whistle.
"A Leviathan, huh. Been a while."
"You've seen this monster before?"
"Of course. Rare, but they float around in the skies now and then."
The dwarf began examining the Leviathan corpse that filled the space in front of the workshop.
Thanks to the inventory, its condition was still fairly fresh.
"But how'd it end up with just the head? Where's the body?"
"I blew it away."
Hearing Lucia's answer, the dwarf shook his head.
"Wasting materials like that, tsk tsk. This is why you elves are no good."
"Oh? What's that, shorty?"
The dwarf and Lucia seemed to know each other, but their relationship was anything but amicable.
"Don't stink up my place—get lost."
"Hand over the arrows you promised to make, and I'll go."
With an unwelcome grimace, the dwarf pointed to a corner of the workshop.
There lay a quiver of arrows tossed aside like trash.
"Grab 'em yourself."
"...You took my rations as payment—could you show a little effort?"
"Be grateful I even made them."
"You should be the grateful one. Thanking me for daily bread in exchange for your pathetic craft."
Lucia glared at the dwarf with venomous eyes.
He shot back with equally fierce ones, refusing to back down.
The air crackled like they might draw weapons any second.
Unable to watch longer, Kang Jin-hyuk changed the subject.
"Can you make something from that corpse?"
"Hmm, hold on."
The dwarf picked up his hammer and stood before the Leviathan's head.
He smashed the crown with all his might.
The blow was so forceful that the skull shattered with a clear *crack!* echoing through.
After splitting the head, he rummaged inside with gloved hands.
"Luckily, this is still intact."
From the gruesome search, he pulled out a small orb.
"What's that?"
"The organ that lets it shoot lightning."
"Organ? That orb?"
"Yeah."
A monster with a mineral for an organ was surprising enough.
But the fact that this finger-sized orb produced such powerful lightning was even more astonishing.
At the same time, Kang Jin-hyuk harbored a hope.
"Could I use that orb's power somehow?"
"You mean shoot lightning?"
"Yes."
The lightning had been the most annoying part when Hunters—and he—faced the Leviathan.
If he could wield that one-shot people-killing power, it'd be a huge asset.
"Enchant it, and yeah."
Kang Jin-hyuk's eyes lit up at the dwarf's reply.
"R-Really?!"
"Don't get excited—hand over the bat."
Without hesitation, Kang Jin-hyuk pulled the baseball bat from his inventory and passed it over.
"How long for the enchant?"
"This one's tricky—about half a day."
Half a day. Just half a day, and he'd gain that precious enchant effect.
Durability at S-rank alone was worth billions; adding more made him grin involuntarily.
"What'll the fee be? Anything you want."
"Fee? Forget it."
Strengthening orichalcum himself gave the dwarf a profound sense of accomplishment.
For a born artisan like him, that was payment enough.
"No, I can't accept it for free..."
"I said forget it. Trying to profit off orichalcum brings bad karma."
Common on Earth, maybe, but in the dwarf's world, it was the metal of the gods.
That's why he believed the process demanded pure focus—no stray thoughts.
It deserved that respect as divine metal.
"If you wanna help, chase that elf out. She might distract me."
The dwarf flashed a smug grin at Lucia and retreated into the workshop.
"..."
Kang Jin-hyuk watched veins bulge one by one on her forehead in real time.
As she nocked an arrow, he startled.
"N-No! Hold back!"
"Hold back? Why should I?"
Lucia looked ready to obliterate the workshop right then.
"He's got a foul mouth, but a good heart!"
"Bullshit."
What would it take to calm her now?
Physically restraining her was out of the question.
After brief thought, Kang Jin-hyuk found the answer.
* * *
Kang Jin-hyuk, who'd bought desserts in bulk before, checked out with another basket overflowing, leaving the bakery owner beaming.
"For some event?"
"Nah, to feed a demon-possessed kid."
The shop assumed it was for a daycare or something.
No way anyone could devour that much alone, they figured.
Kang Jin-hyuk finished paying and hefted the bulging bag to its limit.
Who knew desserts could weigh this much...
At this point, it felt less like human food and more like livestock feed.
"If you're gonna gorge like that, why not buy sugar from the mart and chug it?"
Who knew what sugar overdose he was planning.
Was sugar water running through his veins instead of blood?
"If I hadn't given her that chocolate bar..."
One bar, and Lucia was hooked on sweets.
Exaggerating a bit, her sugar obsession rivaled a drug addict's.
Thanks to it, he'd learned aura control and they'd felled the Leviathan, but lugging dessert mountains looked ridiculous in hindsight.
Kang Jin-hyuk gripped the bursting bags in both hands and headed home.
Deep down, he itched to rush to the dungeon and grind levels.
But his situation wouldn't allow it easily.
Entering an alley, Kang Jin-hyuk faced a major dilemma.
"Looks like trouble..."
Since mastering aura, his senses had sharpened to extremes.
Not as good as the bat's presence detection, but enough.
He could sense someone stealthily approaching without looking back.
'No chance it's a stealth monster?'
Could be like the lizardmen that camouflaged by changing skin color.
In movies or comics, protagonists sense invisible foes and strike first.
But Kang Jin-hyuk lacked that skill yet.
He only sensed the presence through his senses.
No clue who or where.
The bat's detection would've pinpointed it, but now? No dice.
He needed them in arm's reach to react.
'What a mess right after leaving home.'
A fleeting presence, he could've ignored for other Hunters.
But this one had tailed him from the bakery through the alley.
No doubt the target was him, whatever the goal.
'Why me?'
His mind filled with questions.
Monsters stalking specific people? Unheard of.
'Maybe the Leviathan corpse?'
Monsters drawn to others' corpses happened rarely but did occur.
He'd experienced it firsthand during that first backroom deal.
'New-type monster corpse might attract more attention.'
Or maybe the sweets in his hands.
Either way, one of his items had lured it, so he stopped.
He had no plans to surrender the corpse or pricey desserts.
The hidden foe paused when Kang Jin-hyuk set the bags down in the alley.
Seeing him scan around, it realized it'd been made.
'Tch.'
Cursing inwardly, the foe crept silently toward his left flank.
'Even if he knows the position, he can't block this.'
A blink-and-miss stab—guaranteed hit, it believed.
But once in range, Kang Jin-hyuk locked onto the exact spot.
Knowing the position meant no chance of falling for it.
Passive skill infused his body with holy power, boosting reaction speed several times beyond normal.
"Huh?!"
Kang Jin-hyuk dodged the thrusting sword from the side, then recoiled in shock at the foe's identity.
The one he'd assumed was a monster wore a black mask hiding the face, but the overall build was unmistakably human.
He couldn't fathom why a person—not a monster—would target his life in broad daylight.
'No way this guy's that murderer?'
He instantly dismissed the thought.
'No, a psycho like that wouldn't touch a guildless nobody like me.'
Then who the hell was this?
Unable to gauge the assailant's identity, his doubts only deepened.