Chapter 483: The Virgin Master and the Perverted Disciple (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 483: The Virgin Master and the Perverted Disciple (1)
A sudden disaster fell upon Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
As a result, the eyes of the entire world were fixed upon it.
The moment Cerberus fell was broadcast live to the world via Nertube.
-“Do you see this, everyone! The boss monster of an EX-rank dungeon is falling!”
-“My god, what are we seeing right now?”
-“Hunter Kim Do-jin wasn’t a mage, he was a magic swordsman!”
The death of an EX-rank dungeon boss, a monster that had been judged impossible to handle at present.
For those watching, the suffocating anxiety that had risen to their chins was replaced by thunderous cheers.
Experts, once skilled Hunters who now made occasional television appearances, came out in droves to have their say.
-“What do you think was the most crucial factor in defeating Cerberus?”
-“Well… in my personal opinion, the tanker’s stability was a huge part of it.”
-“She was an excellent tanker.”
-“Her skills were on par with the current number one ranked tanker. Where on earth has someone this skilled been hiding?”
Interest in Angela, who had been working in the shadows as a member of the Guardians and was unknown to the public, exploded.
-“As expected, Athena truly lives up to her reputation.”
-“Her abilities as a Hunter are outstanding, but she’s also a natural-born leader.”
-“At this point, it makes you wonder if she’s a goddess who has descended to the human realm, haha!”
The praise continued for Athena, a hero and one of the world’s most renowned Hunters.
-“Hunter Han Ju-hee’s support was also fantastic.”
-“Without her Flame Shield, the party wouldn’t have been able to move like that.”
-“It was another moment that highlighted the versatility of a mage.”
The Flame Shield that had helped block Cerberus’s heat.
Some of the credit also went to Han Ju-hee, who had aided the party’s movements with various support spells.
And finally, one last person.
-“Hunter Kim Do-jin… I don’t even know how to describe this young man.”
-“Everything about him is perfect! His swordsmanship, his magic!”
-“It’s hard to succeed at two difficult things at once, no matter how talented you are, but he’s doing it.”
-“On top of that, his growth rate is several times faster than others.”
-“I can’t wait to see what he’s like when he reaches his mid-to-late twenties. I wonder just how high he will have climbed…”
Kim Do-jin, who had performed a sword dance with a giant, magic-forged blade coated in Aura of Strength.
The interest in him soared to the point of piercing the heavens.
It was because of the title: Magic Swordsman.
It was a class that had long remained a romantic ideal, as no one had managed to master both magic and swordsmanship—two profound arts that required a lifetime of dedication to master. Now that an S-ranker of that class had appeared, how could it not become a hot topic?
However, there were also many who expressed concern over his versatility.
-“He has a great talent. But I believe it would be better for him to choose a single path, even now.”
-“Is there a reason for that?”
-“All talents require more study and training as one reaches higher levels of mastery. This is especially true for swordsmanship and magic.”
-“Ah! So you’re saying that while it might be fine for now, he could end up being mediocre at both later on?”
-“Exactly.”
His current rate of growth couldn’t last forever.
Therefore, it would be better for him to choose one path while he was still young and pursue it with single-minded dedication.
-“In that case, where do you think Hunter Kim Do-jin’s talent leans more towards?”
-“Swordsmanship, of course.”
-“It’s obviously magic!”
-“Uh, well.”
They argued amongst themselves, each trying to pull him deeper into their respective fields.
It was a classic case of counting their chickens before they hatched.
After the wave of praise for the team that defeated Cerberus subsided, more serious topics began to surface one by one.
-“The appearance of Cerberus was a truly bizarre phenomenon.”
-“A dungeon break occurred without any warning signs. On top of that, the boss monster from a dungeon in Greece appeared in the middle of South Korea.”
A dungeon break that unfolded without any warning.
Worse, the boss monster appeared not in the region where its dungeon was located, but in a distant foreign country.
What did this mean?
-“I think it’s possible that this was the work of a person.”
-“By a person… are you saying someone intentionally created the rift?”
It sounded like an absurd rumor.
But it couldn’t be dismissed entirely.
-“Countless Traits have been discovered so far. It wouldn’t be strange if, among them, there was an ability to freely open or close rifts.”
An immense number of Traits had been discovered.
Some gained great strength, while others learned to handle the mysteries of nature.
Some could manipulate human psychology at will, and others could create something entirely new that had never existed in the world.
These diverse Traits had become deeply integrated not only into combat but into our daily lives.
Therefore, the possibility of an ability that could interfere with the rifts, a threat to all of humanity, could not be ruled out.
And then, someone else spoke up.
-“When an incomprehensible event occurs, we have a tendency to identify the culprit as another human.”
-“Why is that?”
-“Because it allows us to feel a sense of security within the confines of our own knowledge. But that is a very narrow-minded way of thinking. With that attitude, knowledge stops advancing, and we can no longer move forward.”
With a passionate expression, he declared his theory.
-“I believe the rifts themselves are evolving.”
-“The rifts… are evolving?”
-“Yes. Just as we have been constantly growing since the beginning of Hunter society, so have the rifts.”
The rifts that threatened humanity were growing.
-“Perhaps the rifts are the Earth’s judgment upon humanity. That’s what I think.”
Once started, the conspiracy theories began to spread without end.
【Environmental Group States, “The Rifts are Earth’s Judgment. We Must Stop Reckless Environmental Destruction Now.”】
【The Rise of Doomsday Cults? Prophecy Emerges: “In 44 Days, All Dungeons in the World Will Enter a Break State.”】
While some seized the opportunity to push their own narratives, others began to question the World Hunter Association’s dungeon ranking criteria, something no one had dared to do before.
【EX-Rank Boss, Said to be Unbeatable, is Defeated. What are the World Hunter Association’s Ranking Criteria?】
【Voices Grow Louder for a Renewed Challenge on EX-Rank Dungeons.】
【World Hunter Association Clarifies, “Rankings Are Not Determined Solely by the Boss’s Strength.”】
The stories poured in.
Some cried out about the planet’s impending crisis, while others condemned the incompetence of those in charge.
And from that, chaos was born.
The man found it all truly amusing.
”How can humans be so stupid and foolish….”
Even when faced with an unknown threat to their very survival, they still tried to secure their own interests and blame one another.
He found it absolutely delightful.
The more the world was engulfed in chaos, the more smoothly he and his organization could operate.
”But this is surprising. To think they’d stop Cerberus with this little damage….”
It was meant to be his trump card, but it had been countered more easily than he’d expected.
He thought it would at least be able to destroy a large part of Seoul.
But it couldn’t be helped.
Cerberus had been in an environment that was extremely advantageous to it.
But the faces opposing it were far too brilliant.
”Merlin, Athena, Angela…, Kim Do-jin.”
They were all familiar faces.
The head of the Merlin family, a being like the second coming of the goddess of wisdom and war.
And the Apostle of Patience.
”Truly amazing. To gather all of them in such a short time.”
It was a shame, but he had still gained enough from his efforts.
Merlin, Athena, Angela.
All of them were individuals connected to Saintess Sophia.
Gathering them all in one place meant that Kim Do-jin also had some kind of relationship with the Saintess.
”I wondered why he was interfering with every little thing….”
Which meant.
”He was one of the Guardians.”
That explained his actions.
At the same time, another unpleasant thought crossed his mind.
The beautiful, red-haired woman who had not lost her luster among those brilliant faces.
”Is it betrayal, or simple assistance?”
He couldn’t be sure.
But he couldn’t rule out the possibility entirely.
”It’s about time she made a choice.”
Soon, she would have to choose.
Whether to join hands with them completely and remain an ally, or to turn her back and become an enemy.
But that was a matter for a little later.
There was something that needed to be done right now.
”First, I must amplify this chaos.”
He would aggravate the chaos to make their suspicion, discord, and anxiety grow even larger.
”Where should I poke this time…?”
The man tapped here and there on a holographic map floating in the air, a look of amusement on his face.
In his other hand, a small rift repeatedly shattered and reformed.
* * *
The incident was finally resolved.
Once Cerberus died, the Gate of Hell vanished, leaving behind only the undead it had already spewed out.
No one knew where it had gone.
The Hellgate Dungeon in Greece had also disappeared along with Cerberus’s death.
Because of this, Athena decided to leave Korea without delay.
”I plan to track the Gate of Hell. It might be hiding somewhere in my country.”
”That’s a shame. I wanted to repay you for your help.”
He wasn’t just being polite; he was genuinely disappointed.
Now that he had a new objective, he had wanted to talk with her and build some kind of connection.
She smiled gently and replied.
”We’ll be seeing each other soon enough.”
”…Pardon?”
What did she mean by that?
”You haven’t heard yet? The members of the Guardians gather for an Exchange Meeting every quarter. We share information and build friendships.”
”Ah… there’s something like that?”
He was flustered.
Saintess, oh Saintess. Are you leaving me out of the loop…?
”This quarter’s Exchange Meeting isn’t far off, so let’s see each other again then. I’d like to talk with you about various things, Hunter Kim Do-jin. For instance….”
A faint smile played on her lips.
”About that swordsmanship you displayed when you cut down Cerberus.”
“……”
He had fought her once before, back when he was Son Si-woo.
It wasn’t a real battle, of course, just a few short exchanges in a friendly match.
To think she still remembered the swordsmanship he had shown then.
She must have an incredibly sharp eye.
”I’ll be looking forward to it.”
”Ah, yes.”
And with that, she left.
”Richard? If you would.”
”Tsk… these young’uns treating an old man so poorly.”
She departed with the great British mage, who sounded just like a Korean geezer.
Even though he knew he would see her again at the Exchange Meeting, he couldn’t help but feel it was a shame.
A private meeting was always better for building a discreet connection than a large gathering.
But he couldn’t just stand there feeling disappointed.
There was still one more target to conquer.
”Angela, when are you heading back?”
”Me? I don’t have any plans for a while. I’m staying here.”
”Oh, really?”
Angela was staying in Korea.
Partly to check on the construction of the guild hideout, which was being funded by the Guardians.
”And I have to make weapons out of Cerberus’s hide and teeth, hehe!”
“……”
That was probably the main reason.
He casually spoke to the grinning woman.
”That’s great. We should have an after-party sometime.”
Her grin vanished, and her eyes turned to him.
”An after-party?”
”We never got to celebrate after taking down the Church of Light, right? We can do that and have a meal together.”
”Hmm… an after-party.”
She licked her lips lightly and asked with a strange smile.
”Just a meal?”
The nuance was clear: Is that all it’s going to be?
He got the feeling.
She wasn’t entirely uninterested in him, either.
In that case, this was how he should respond.
”Well… it would be nice to have a few drinks to liven things up, right?”
”Yeah, you’re right. A happy occasion wouldn’t be complete without alcohol.”
Their intentions were more or less aligned.
Thanks to that, the rest of the conversation flowed smoothly.
”I’ll pick a day and contact you soon.”
”Okay. I’m free for a while, so whenever is most convenient for you… no, whenever you have the most free time. Okay?”
”Got it.”
He parted ways with her as well and headed home.
He hadn’t slept properly for days because of the cleanup after the Cerberus fight.
”First, I’ll rest for a few days….”
I’ll laze around and rest, then think about what to do next.
As he entered his house, he found a visitor waiting.
”Shin Yu-jeong…?”
She was sitting in the middle of his room.
With a very serious expression on her face.
”What are you doing here….”
He was about to ask when she, having spotted him entering, lunged at him like a beast, grabbed his shoulders tightly, and shouted.
”C-Can you introduce me to that person?!”
That person?
”…Who are you talking about?”
”You know! The woman who was with you during the Cerberus fight! The one with the shield and mace!”
”Ah… you mean Angela?”
”Yes, her!”
”Why Angela all of a sudden?”
As if she had been waiting for the question, she answered.
”She’s my ideal type!”
“……?”
Yu-jeong.
You’re not… surely not, right?