Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Supernova
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Kim Chang-sik was the first to find Kang Woojin.
Thud!
Returning after slaying the boss, Kim Chang-sik wordlessly stomped the ground hard and brushed past Kang Woojin like a gust of wind.
Leaving the fragile-looking Woojin behind him, Kim Chang-sik took out the remaining few monsters in his place.
"Kieeeek!"
It was an instant kill, pure and simple.
Boom!
A massive roar and tremor rippled out like an aftershock.
Having dealt with the insect-type monster confronting Kang Woojin, Kim Chang-sik sheathed the kukris gripped in both hands.
Clack!
His hands trembled faintly without him even realizing it.
"Hm?"
Looking down at his fist, Kim Chang-sik inwardly clicked his tongue at the unexpected sensation.
'This level... it's at least B-rank, right?'
Reassessing the monster's threat level, he turned to Kang Woojin with a genuinely astonished expression.
'Meaning he took on hundreds of these things all by himself?'
It was only natural to be shocked.
The true face and feats of Kang Woojin, whom he'd only seen as somewhat cute(?), were impossible for anyone to replicate easily.
'I knew he wasn't ordinary, but...'
It was right then, as Kim Chang-sik was reevaluating Kang Woojin.
"Woojin, Woojin-ah!"
"Nerd! You alive?!"
Cynthia and Yoo Harin arrived at the scene.
They froze on the spot.
The devastated forest.
Purple blood staining the underbrush.
Monster corpses scattered everywhere.
'D-did Woojin really do all this by himself...?'
'No way!'
The mind-boggling sight left them utterly stunned.
"......"
"......"
Unable to snap out of their shock, the two women stood with mouths slightly agape, dazedly scanning left and right.
'Is future sight capable of something like this? Or is Woojin just that special...?'
'How with a non-combat ability?!'
But that shock didn't last long.
Rumble! Boom!
A precariously leaning dead tree finally uprooted and crashed down, revealing yet another pile of monster corpses.
Among them were even some Owl Bears.
Humanoid ones called Lizardmen.
Wingless dragon lizards named Vandrakes lay cold and lifeless.
The monsters varied in size from small to medium, and even near-large.
"Incredible..."
"This is insane, right...?"
They couldn't help but be amazed.
No, it went beyond admiration into awe.
Tatata!
Following the two women came An Ji-ho and the rest of the Lunar Guild members, joining the four.
"Wh-what is this?"
"No way?!"
They reacted just like the previous three, their responses textbook.
"......It's not over yet."
Suddenly, Kang Woojin murmured in a hoarse, dying voice, snapping the frozen group back to reality.
"Ah...!"
Yoo Harin let out a gasp and, using her animalistic senses, locked onto new targets.
Nearby lingered several monsters that Jung Il-hoon had summoned.
"Form up! Let's wipe out the rest while we're at it!"
An Ji-ho bellowed, rallying the hunters for another round of combat.
As everyone swiftly handled the remaining monsters and fulfilled their roles, Cynthia began treating Kang Woojin's wounds without being asked.
Woooong!
Her mana sublimated into a pale light, seeping into his entire body.
"Sorry... Woojin-ah......"
Tears welled up in Cynthia's eyes as she healed him.
"Why are you sorry, Sia?"
Out of the fight, Kang Woojin replied flatly with a bit more color returning to his face.
"We came too late......"
"That's what I thought."
"And my mana is low... All I can do right now is close the wounds......"
"Can't be helped. It's impressive you even have mana left after the boss fight."
His body covered in wounds, Kang Woojin acted nonchalant, like a veteran hunter who'd seen it all.
"This place, these wounds... they must've hurt a lot, right...?"
"Nah. Adrenaline kicks in during fights, so it's fine. It stings a bit now, but I can handle it."
Kang Woojin comforted Cynthia, who looked ready to cry, adding more words.
"This reminds me of the old days. You used to patch me up back then too. Putting on ointment, wrapping bandages."
He even brought up an anecdote from the original story that he himself hadn't experienced, soothing her troubled heart.
"Yeah... You got hurt a lot back then too......"
Forcing a smile, Cynthia focused on the healing.
And right at that moment.
Step.
Yoo Harin, who had stepped away briefly, approached the pair.
Now in full beastman transformation, she retained a human form but with parts of her body covered in fur, sharp claws, and visible ears and tail.
With wolf-like features, she surprisingly looked quite cute.
Thud!
She tossed a Giant Spider the size of a person at them, defying her appearance.
"......?"
Kang Woojin and Cynthia blinked in confusion at her sudden action.
In contrast to their questioning expressions, Yoo Harin spoke.
"Sorry for interrupting the mood."
"You don't look sorry at all."
"Yeah. Not sorry one bit."
"Anyway, why'd you bring that thing?"
"For you to eat, Woo-chin."
"Huh? Eat what?"
"Giant Spider inner cores are good for blood production. Read it in a book. It'll fix your anemia too."
Kang Woojin grimaced, and Yoo Harin smirked.
"I don't really like weird foods."
"Think of it as medicine. And I hate bugs, normally. But I caught this specially for you, Woo-chin. You have to eat it."
Facing the monster corpse, Kang Woojin looked uneasy.
"You look like you could wrestle a bear like that, but it's surprising you hate bugs, Harin-ah."
Her smile deepened, and she swung her silvery hand.
Flash!
With one swipe, she extracted the Giant Spider's inner core.
"Ah, that's it for me."
Her mana depleted, Yoo Harin's silvery glow faded as she reverted to normal.
"......"
"What? Why stare like that?"
"No fur flying off. That's weird."
"It's made of mana, duh."
"Cool. And your clothes didn't rip this time. Spandex?"
"You have a filthy mind, Woo-chin. Wondering about that in this situation?"
"Kinda curious."
Nodding, Kang Woojin asked more.
"What if your fur got plucked and the transformation ended?"
"Stop calling it fur. Sounds weird."
"Anyway, does it just vanish? Or go back into your body?"
"Dunno. Never thought about it."
"If it vanishes, you could use it for invisible ink or codes. No evidence. If it returns, you'd need special fur care."
"......"
Yoo Harin unwittingly got drawn into Kang Woojin's explanation, looking serious.
"Makes some sense..."
Then she narrowed her eyes and changed tack.
"Hey, damn it! You're just stalling 'cause you don't wanna eat it, right?!"
"Haha, busted."
Kang Woojin sheepishly scratched his head.
His advice, leveraging his abilities fully, wasn't wrong—but not for right now.
"Eat it quick! Sia, grab Woo-chin's arm!"
"Okay. Sorry, Woojin-ah. It's for your own good."
"Guys, don't do this......"
After that little skit, the vast forest fell completely silent.
The bossless monsters, greatly weakened, had all been exterminated.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The dozen or so who finished the raid all exited the gate.
Everyone survived, but they collapsed to the ground as if they'd aged ten years.
Thud! Thud!
Their sighs and groans echoed through a remote mountain in Gyeonggi Province.
"Hoo..."
I wasn't much different.
"You okay? How's our Woojin boy☆ feeling~?"
Kim Chang-sik approached me, back to his usual self.
With Jung Il-hoon slung over his shoulder like a gag.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
"Stomach's upset."
Replying to him, I smirked and added,
"Anyway, take good care of that guy."
"Hehe, no worries. I'll show our Il-hoon boy☆ just how scary I get when angry~."
"Secure a proper confession first."
"Of course. That's my specialty. But for Il-hoon boy☆ to pull something like this... guess I was too soft~."
Seeing Chang-sik hyung's chilling expression, I felt a tiny bit sorry for Jung Il-hoon.
Just a tiny bit.
For him, death might be preferable?
'Karma, in the end.'
Shrugging, I told Kim Chang-sik again.
"Do whatever you want after the confession."
"Got it. Then I'll fit our Il-hoon boy☆ with a pretty prosthetic leg~."
"And a proper leash."
"Woojin boy☆ gets it, huh? Our tastes match pretty well~?"
"Yeah, come to think of it. Except the gender difference."
After the short joke(?), Kim Chang-sik turned serious.
"You know that, Woojin boy~☆?"
"What?"
"I owe you big time this round."
"Really?"
"Of course. I was part of the raid team. Losing everyone but me wouldn't end with just dishonor."
"I see."
"In other words, Woojin boy☆ has a huge debt from a current S-rank hunter. And you're the MVP of this raid, so be proud~."
Still carrying Jung Il-hoon, he patted my shoulder with his free hand.
"Rough road ahead, but rest up at home today~."
"Ahead?"
"Can't live like a stray anymore. Plenty saw your feats in this gate~."
I could no longer hide myself.
Even if we tried gagging mouths, word would leak.
Plus, Lunar Guild hadn't just cleared an A-rank gate—they'd wiped all internals.
Reporting to the Bureau would make fully hiding my identity impossible.
"Definitely a hassle."
"Fame's price. Media will buzz about Korea's supernova~."
"No way to dodge the fuss?"
"Dodge? Why bother?"
"Hate the spotlight. I'm shy by nature."
"Our Woojin boy☆ is so humble~?"
"More like middle school syndrome lingers. Mysterious vibe."
Kim Chang-sik hummed, eyeing me with interest.
"Mysterious, huh? Want a tip? You like hero movies, Woojin boy☆~?"
His advice made my eyes widen.
'Yeah, if I do that...'
A practical solution—I inwardly cheered.
No need for stray life anymore.
Kim Chang-sik's idea: don the hero mantle.
"I know some folks at the Bureau. I'll put in a good word~."
With that, he waved goodbye, cautioning me to stay safe.
Step.
With the world's most despairing Jung Il-hoon in tow.
"Hey, Woojin-ah."
Cynthia jumped in right away.
"Why hide your identity so hard?"
Yoo Harin chimed in beside her.
"I'm curious too. You're not just future sight, right? You're S-rank material. Why downplay yourself?"
She was right.
As she said, I could get S-rank judgment.
As S-rank, I'd get perks galore.
Bureau control or not, they couldn't manhandle an S-rank. Ignoring minor rules? No biggie.
Powerful hunters boosted national power hugely.
True freedom? Easy.
In short, no need to hide—from others' view.
"We know you're not that humble. Spill. No mysterious crap. Real reason you don't want fame?"
Yoo Harin pressed, eyes narrowing.
Cynthia silently agreed.
"First, I wasn't sure I'd pass S-rank."
Gazing at An Ji-ho busy with cleanup, I explained calmly.
"Opposite of Ji-ho hyung. Even if ability's S-rank, no feats or mana? No dice."
Of course, now it was different.
Successfully raiding A-rank with Lunar Guild? S-rank easy.
Mana grown since awakening.
"So I kept it secret till now. Like I said, didn't want Bureau curbing my freedom."
Cynthia nodded at my calm explanation.
"Got it. Then the second? If there's a first, there's more, right?"
Sharp as ever, she questioned why hide even now, when S-rank was feasible.
I grinned meaningfully, trailing off.
"The second is......"