Chapter 32
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Bald is the Strongest? (2)
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“Well, shit.”
In a high-rise building located in Gangnam, Seoul.
On the top floor of the building, enclosed by glass on all four sides, a man muttered while kneading his thick forearm.
He had a short buzz cut and a bearish, pudgy face.
Beneath his tight-fitting t-shirt, muscles rippled like armor.
“Looks like we’re the only ones getting left out again.”
The man irritably tapped the high-end wooden desk a few times.
By his standards, it was a light tap, but the tabletop vibrated noisily.
[Ma Dongpal, Representative of the Aegis Guild]
Because of this, the nameplate on the desk jumped once before settling.
“Hoo.”
Ma Dongpal let out a deep sigh.
His eyes fell on the documents lying on his desk.
Kim Hanul.
The documents contained the personal information of the hunter who had become a super rookie in just two weeks.
It was information he had worked hard to obtain, but Ma Dongpal’s expression was grim.
*I’m too far behind.*
He had just admitted that fact to himself.
The Aegis Guild had fallen behind in the race for Kim Hanul.
For reasons unknown, Pungbaek had already made a move before Kim Hanul even became an issue-maker.
And what about the Sanarae Guild?
*That sly fox wouldn't just sit back and do nothing.*
She must have helped him process the Blood Flow Stones he brought from the Garden of Deeps.
After all, the artisan contracted with Sanarae was considered a cut above those working with Aegis, let alone Pungbaek.
There was no way she would let an opportunity like this slip by.
“We need to do something, too.”
Ma Dongpal crossed his massive arms and sank into thought.
His gaze shifted to the headlines on his work monitor.
[Super Rookie Takes Over the Garden of Deeps, Where Will He Go Next?]
[Hunter Kim Hanul's Guild Choice Narrowed Down to Pungbaek and Sanarae...]
[Sanarae Guild Master and Hunter Kim Hanul in a Secret Meeting at Café Artorium?]
“...Shit. Our name isn't even mentioned.”
Aegis’s reputation among hunters had been declining lately anyway.
There was Pungbaek, which boasted the second-ranked hunter, Choi Kangwoo, and the most high-ranking hunters in Korea.
Then there was Sanarae, with its beautiful and capable guild master, where one could receive high-end items upon joining.
Aegis, on the other hand…
“Ahem, it’s not like we’re lacking in any department.”
It was a so-called hexagon guild.
It didn't fall short in any aspect.
In other words, it didn't excel in any particular area either.
“…”
The bear-like, fourth-ranked hunter grew glum.
If there was one thing they could boast about, it was their ‘information power.’
They often used that information to secure good dungeons and gates ahead of others.
Thanks to that, the Aegis Guild was included among the top three guilds despite its lack of name value.
However, Ma Dongpal didn't particularly want to brag about their ‘information power.’
The reason was…
“Boss!”
That ‘information power’ originated from a single hunter.
“…”
Ma Dongpal looked up at the intruder who had burst through the door of the guild’s executive office.
She was a woman with a shimmering, golden bob and deep blue eyes that left a strong impression.
Her full name was Anastasia Alexandrovna Vertinskaya.
A pure-blooded Russian, she was a hunter on long-term loan from a major Russian guild with which they had a partnership.
In other words, she wasn’t a full-fledged member of Aegis.
A harsh word escaped the bear’s mouth.
“Do you need me to smack some sense into you? You think this is your living room? Barging in and flinging the door open like that, huh?”
Perhaps because she was a foreigner by birth, she tended to be discourteous.
Ma Dongpal was surprisingly sensitive about such things.
“And what’s with the ‘Boooss’? Haven’t I told you to use my proper title in the guild? Just let a rumor like this spread to other guilds or the public. It’ll be the death of us both.”
“Boooss… Why are you so over the top today? So sensitive, just like a man going through menopause.”
“Me-menopause?”
It had been eight years since she came to Korea on loan.
Having spent her teenage years here, her Korean was fluent.
“Calm down. Keep that up and you’ll go лысый, Boss. I’d like that, but you wouldn’t, would you?”
“…”
She mixed Russian into her cheerful voice.
I think the pronunciation was ‘lisy’.
Hearing that, Ma Dongpal calmed himself down.
лысый means bald.
“...So, why are you here today? Did you detect a good gate or something?”
Anastasia, usually called Asha, shook her head.
“Nah. There are signs of a gate forming in Gimpo, but it’s nothing special.”
Asha answered, twirling a lock of her blonde hair.
Her skill.
[Eyes That See Other Dimensions Lv.1]
The mana that leaks from the cracks in a dimension before a gate or a new dungeon is formed.
Fissure detection, the ability to pinpoint the source of that mana, was a surprisingly common skill.
However, her detection skill was a different story.
[Before a gate or dungeon is generated, you can identify the monsters residing within the corresponding fissure.]
Not only could she pinpoint the location where a gate or dungeon would form.
She could also grasp information about the monsters residing within.
This was why Aegis held the undisputed number one spot in fissure detection and operations.
Of course, the fact that she’d been here for eight years was the result of Asha’s own desire to stay in Korea.
Anyway.
“Then what is it?”
Ma Dongpal asked with a sullen expression.
Asha had made herself comfortable on the guest sofa and was unwrapping a piece of candy.
Her blue eyes moved with a look of puzzlement.
“What?”
“You should be in the observation room staring at your phone like usual, so why did you barge in here first thing in the morning, you punk?”
“Ah, I came to ask for a favor.”
“A favor?”
Ma Dongpal’s eyes widened.
Asha had never once asked for a favor.
Although she was on the impolite side, she never caused trouble for anyone other than Ma Dongpal.
Even when a single request could have easily solved her problems, she always handled things herself.
To put it simply, she was fiercely independent, or in other words, she had a strong sense of pride.
“Why are you staring at me with that dumb look, Boss?”
Thus, Ma Dongpal was utterly astonished.
“A favor, all of a sudden? What kind of nonsense is this?”
“Hey! After all I’ve done for you, I can ask for a favor, can’t I?”
“Well, you’re right about that… Fine. What is it?”
“You know that expedition scheduled for this Saturday. The gate I pinpointed a month ago.”
Ma Dongpal nodded.
Although they had claimed it first, several other guilds had jumped in, and it was a gate they had secured only after a fierce competition.
And according to Asha’s analysis.
This gate was well worth the effort.
“You’re going too, right, Boss?”
“I have to. It’s an A-rank monster, after all.”
“I’ll go too.”
“Sure.”
Ma Dongpal scratched his sideburns.
That wasn’t something that warranted being called a favor.
Though she specialized in non-combat roles, she was still a bona fide A-rank hunter.
She was a valuable asset on an expedition.
If she wanted to come along, he’d be more than grateful.
“And a friend of mine is coming too. So, add them to the expedition team.”
“Someone who was left off the list? That’s strange. I made the roster to include everyone B-rank and above, excluding non-combat personnel. Aren’t they B-rank?”
“They said they were B-rank or higher. I haven't met them yet, so I'm not sure.”
“You haven’t met them?”
It was around this point that Ma Dongpal felt something creeping up on him.
It was a sense of unease.
“Yeah, they’re not from our guild.”
“...The hell?”
And finally, Ma Dongpal understood why Asha had used the word ‘favor.’
“Wait, you want to bring someone who’s not even in our guild?”
“You said to bring along any good people we know since we’re short on members this time, right?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t mean bring someone whose rank you don’t even know. Which guild are they from?”
“I don’t know. They never told me.”
“Their name?”
“Umm… I don’t know their name either.”
“This girl has lost her mind. You want to bring some unknown bum on such an important expedition?”
This wasn’t just a hunt for some small fry; it was an A-rank gate expedition they had been preparing for for a long time.
They were a bit short on veteran manpower since quite a few rookies were included this time.
But bringing in a troublemaking outsider was out of the question.
“It’s fine, we can register them on the roster right before the expedition.”
“That’s not the problem here.”
“If any accident happens because of them, I’ll take full responsibility.”
Ma Dongpal let out a hollow laugh.
“You’ll take responsibility for some guy whose guild, rank, and even name you don’t know? Is that some kind of Russian joke?”
“I’m not kidding. I’ll really take responsibility. They’re a good person.”
“How do you know if they’re good or not?”
Asha replied with a bright smile.
“Because we’ve known each other for five years.”
With those final words, Asha swiftly departed from the executive office.
The bear, left alone…
…sat there blankly for a moment before he couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.
*What if the hunter Asha is bringing is Kim Hanul…?*
If, by some miracle, that were to happen, he was confident he could roll up his sleeves and make a good impression.
When it came to real combat, wasn’t it Ma Dongpal, and Ma Dongpal was real combat?
He was confident he could properly show why Aegis was called ‘the last shield that protects Korea.’
With these bulging arms and this mighty chest of his!
However, Ma Dongpal, who had been fantasizing with his mouth agape, soon let his shoulders slump in futility.
“Jeez, stop writing fiction. How much more pathetic can you get, Ma Dongpal?”
In the first place, if such a preposterous miracle were to just happen, it would be fiction, not reality.
Ma Dongpal shook his head, chastising himself for the brief moment of bliss.
* * *
The day of my appointment with ‘Bald is the Strongest’ had arrived.
“This should be enough, right, Sage?”
*Purrng.*
Sage looked at the items spread out on my desk and bobbed its body up and down.
It was some simple food and emergency supplies.
I packed them into the dimensional pouch at my waist.
After checking the beaded bracelet, I turned my gaze to my smartphone screen.
[I'm all set. The meeting place hasn't changed, right?]
A moment later, a message popped up on the screen.
[Bald is the Strongest: Yep, no change. But what prep? I told you to just show up lol]
This was the private messaging system linked to the streaming service.
‘Bald is the Strongest’ and I hadn't exchanged numbers, so we still communicated this way.
[I couldn't possibly do that. I'm grateful enough that you're letting me join. I should at least prepare what I can.]
[Bald is the Strongest: T_T Why so diligent... I was just planning on carrying you]
That's because I had no intention of being carried.
I wasn’t interested in the byproducts from monsters anyway.
But to get what I wanted, I needed to be the one to end the creature’s life.
[Should I head out now?]
[Bald is the Strongest: Yep, come to the coordinates I sent hehe. If you're in Seoul too, you'll probably get here around the same time as us? I'll come get you!]
[Okay, I'll see you there then.]
I slipped my smartphone into my pocket and threw open the door of my studio apartment.
“Let’s go, Sage.”
This was my first proper gate expedition since my awakening.
* * *
The coordinates ‘Bald is the Strongest’ had given me.
There were no troublesome incidents on the way to the deep forest of Mt. Seorak.
Meaning, no reporters had recognized my face and followed me.
*It must be thanks to the Management Bureau, right?*
I had mentioned it to the Alliance Management Bureau.
That I didn’t want the media prying too deeply into my private life.
But for all that, the reporters who used to follow me from my doorstep asking, ‘Aren’t you by any chance Hunter Kim Hanul?’ had completely vanished.
It was as if they had been exterminated.
A few days ago, while walking through Mullae-dong, Sanarae did say something.
- The reporters are going to be quite a nuisance from now on. Should I lend a hand? I can make things a little easier for you.
It was a half-joking offer, so I’d just replied that I would be grateful.
…No, it couldn’t be.
In any case, perhaps thanks to that…
“Ooh?!”
‘Bald is the Strongest,’ who was waiting at the meeting spot, didn’t seem to recognize me.
“You look more normal than I expected?”
However, she was surprised for a completely different reason.
“Hello.”
I also greeted her calmly, but inwardly, I was extremely surprised.
A delicate face reminiscent of a noble lady.
Her golden hair, the color of a wheat field, was cut in a bob that stopped squarely at her shoulders.
On top of that, she had light blue eyes that seemed to hold an oasis.
There was no doubt.
*Anastasia?*
The woman before me was the de facto second-in-command of the Aegis Guild.
The 20th-ranked hunter, unrivaled in all matters of dungeon analysis.
She was the Russian hunter, Anastasia.
“You’re Bald is the Strongest, right?”
And she was the true identity of ‘Bald is the Strongest,’ with whom I had been interacting all this time.
“Ooh.”
‘Bald is the Strongest’…
No, the hunter known as Asha in the media, stared at me with a curious expression.
“You look very different from what I imagined. You’re really ‘What Kind of Crappy Game Is This,’ right?”
“Yes. I'm the CrappyGame-bro who dumped all his donation money into MonMonMak.”
As I confessed my unfortunate dark history, the slight wariness in Asha’s eyes dissipated.
“It really is you. But what’s this, you’re actually pretty handsome? I was expecting some otaku with dark circles down to his chin, shuffling around like a zombie.”
What did she mean, she was expecting an otaku?
Her added comment was a little bothersome, but I didn’t challenge it.
“I’m the one who’s surprised. I never imagined the person using… that kind of nickname would be you, Asha.”
“Hey, what’s wrong with a nickname like that! When I play RPGs, I always set my character’s hair to bald. If a game doesn’t have a bald option in character customization, I don’t even consider it a game.”
She likes baldness that much?
So that’s why there are so many skinhead uncles in Russia.
I get it.
As I nodded in understanding of Russia’s national preference, Asha spoke.
“Well… this isn’t so bad either.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing. Are you going to keep using formal speech? You’re older than me.”
Asha had lived in Korea since she awakened her abilities at fourteen.
Eight years had passed since then, making her only twenty-two.
There was quite an age gap between us.
Still, it felt too soon to just drop the formalities.
“I’ll speak more casually once we get more comfortable with each other.”
Asha grimaced, as if to say, *Why are you so shy?*
But she didn't insist on me using informal speech.
“Alright, let’s go then. Let’s save the fan meeting for later. My boss has been menopausal lately, so he’ll throw a fit if we’re late.”
Asha started to lead the way with a smile.
Following behind her, I thought.
*So that’s how she was able to specify which monsters would emerge from the gate beforehand.*
It was certainly possible for Anastasia, who was known as the Eyes of Libra.
After about an hour of climbing the mountain…
“Hey, you brat! Get your ass over here, now!”
A booming voice echoed from afar.
It was a deep voice I had heard once before.
“Acting like you’re royalty, huh? What, wanna race a turtle? The gate will probably tear open and spit out monsters before you lot get here!”
A man with a buzz cut and a frame over two meters tall stood there.
Behind him were about thirty hunters.
Further behind them, in the middle of a large clearing that looked to have been prepared in advance, a dimensional fissure shimmered.
“Come on, we finished preparations ages ago. I even confirmed the gate generation time for you. You’re overreacting, old man.”
“Overreacting or not, I’m not happy about bringing an outside hunter on such an important expedition in the first…”
The man, who had been ranting as he approached Asha, turned his gaze toward me.
“...happy.”
In that instant.
“...I’m absolutely delighted. Asha, you truly are the pride of our guild. Indeed, the blood of Korea, not Russia, flows in your veins.”
“?”
He placed both hands on Asha’s shoulders and nodded approvingly.
And then.
“A very warm welcome, Hunter Kim Hanul.”
The hulking bear, Ma Dongpal, extended a hand, his face slightly flushed.