The Trash Must Be Taken Out
Kim Yoon-ho’s appearance as he staggered out of the gate was pathetic. His face, caked in dust, was twisted into a grotesque mask of misery. "Everyone... everyone is dead." His voice was raspy, like grinding metal, and with those final words, he collapsed to the ground.
"W-what are you talking about?" Team Leader Park Hae-soo rushed over to him. Kim Yoon-ho gasped for air, barely managing to force the words out.
"It was a Stone Golem. The monster that appeared inside..."
"And you’re saying the 2nd Team was wiped out? Even Hunter Cheon Yu-shin?"
"Yes. Was the gate measurement even correct? There’s no way this gate is D-rank. We were crushed by its sheer size, speed, and power! Our weapons... they were completely useless." A deep sense of guilt washed over Kim Yoon-ho’s face.
"Yes. Surrounded by countless Stone Golems, I just... I should have met my end there with my team, but I thought I had to get word of the situation inside out somehow. I had to prepare for the imminent gate break."
That’s impossible. That Cheon Yu-shin died inside? It wasn’t even his first time clearing a D-rank. But he died inside? The guy who looked like he’d survive alone like a cockroach even if the world ended?
"Are you sure?" Park Hae-soo asked again, unable to believe it.
"I am sure. It’s all my fault." He hung his head, his shoulders slumped. Seeing him like that, Park Hae-soo rubbed his face with both hands. To Park Hae-soo, Cheon Yu-shin had been a beacon of hope. He hadn’t known him long, but he was confident that he understood the man’s potential better than anyone. He had thought the Hunter Management Department could become powerful again with Cheon Yu-shin there.
Just as Park Hae-soo was sinking into despair, frustrated and guilty over Cheon Yu-shin’s death, the gate began to vibrate violently. Such tremors meant either a gate break was occurring, or...
"D-don't tell me, a successful clear? That's impossible. He clearly said they were wiped out." Park Hae-soo stared blankly at the vibrating gate. Then, he heard Kim Yoon-ho muttering under his breath.
"F-fuck. How the hell did he survive and come out of there?"
Once the weak point is identified, the enemy is no longer a powerhouse. The boss Stone Golem was no different. Once it was revealed that the yellow light on its forehead was its weak point, the hunt became easy. The battle was one-sided. The summoned Stone Golems drew its attention, while Yu-shin’s Dark Spear repeatedly struck the yellow light on its forehead.
"Kraaaaaa!" The beast shrieked in frustration, but the Stone Golems he had revived with his summon skill were naturally unaffected. Eventually, the glowing yellow light on the Stone Golem’s forehead vanished completely, and its massive body toppled backward.
[You have hunted the King Golem.]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
Yu-shin smiled at the pleasant notification sound. Huh? Turning his head at the sudden commotion, he saw the 2nd Team attack squad standing there.
"Whoa! H-he really took it down!"
"No way. He fought a boss-class monster alone?"
"Even an E-rank boss is hard to handle solo, let alone a D-rank!"
"I'm losing my mind. I thought the gate break rumors were exaggerated, but they were real!"
"It’s a shame that person went to the 1st Team instead of the 2nd."
And among them, people were running toward him. Specifically...
"A-as expected of the Hunter! You’re amazing!"
"I believed in you! Waaaaah!"
It was Park Sang-ho and the other porters. It had been a short three-day journey, but it was enough time to get to know each other. Seeing them rejoice as if it were their own success, Cheon Yu-shin felt a slight sense of embarrassment. 'Haha, these people. It’s not like I did anything that special.'
Cheon Yu-shin raised his hand to greet their cheers. "..." But he had to lower it immediately. Whoosh! They had run right past Cheon Yu-shin to the corpse of the King Golem. They began rummaging through the golem’s body with practiced hands. And then!
"I found ittttt!" Park Sang-ho raised one hand high into the sky. In his hand was a magic stone radiating a brilliant yellow light.
"I-it’s a yellow magic stone!"
"Is that really a yellow magic stone?"
"Heh heh, I never thought I’d see a yellow magic stone in real life."
"Ha! We hit the jackpot."
The attack squad watching from behind also widened their eyes. A yellow magic stone. It was a rare magic stone, with only a few discovered in the world so far. Beyond its basic function as a high-efficiency power source, a hunter could absorb the mana contained within a yellow magic stone. That’s why it was worth whatever price you named. Major corporations and hunters alike were starving for them.
Yu-shin could also feel the mana surging within the yellow magic stone. But his impression was brief. 'Pretty decent.'
It might be incredible to others, but to Yu-shin, mana was a useless existence. The source of his power was not mana, but Magi.
That was when: "I-I-I found it tooooo!"
What now? Lee Jeong-gu held his hand up high. 'A book?' A book with a navy-blue cover was in Lee Jeong-gu’s hand.
"Whoa! It’s a skill book!"
"C-crazy!"
"Is that really a skill book?"
"Why is a skill book coming out of here?"
A skill book? Is that so good? Yu-shin didn’t know, but a skill book held a different value than a magic stone. While the use of magic stones was more general, skill books were exclusively for hunters. There were many ways for a hunter to become stronger. Magic stones improved a hunter’s physical abilities and mana. A skill book granted an additional usable skill. Both were ultimately important, but a new usable skill was a precious asset that could provide a significant advantage in battle. Unfortunately, skill books didn’t appear very often.
Yu-shin realized through the surrounding reactions that the yellow magic stone and the skill book were quite decent rewards. In fact, he didn’t need the skill book. He still had plenty of skills he hadn’t unsealed yet. 'Well, of course, the more skills you can use, the better.'
Park Sang-ho and Lee Jeong-gu ran toward Yu-shin. As soon as they stood in front of him, they carefully handed over the yellow magic stone and the skill book they had just acquired.
"Congratulations, Hunter!!"
Everyone held their breath, staring at the yellow-glittering magic stone and the skill book. They had contributed zero percent to taking down the boss monster. Thus, they couldn’t dare claim them. They just watched with eyes full of envy. There wasn’t a single person here who didn’t know that both were worth whatever price you named.
Yu-shin checked the skill book in his hand.
◈ You can store up to 10 items in your inventory.
◈ Items of the same type are considered a single item.
A simple description. But... 'Oh, this is pretty good?' He was getting a lot of magic stones anyway. He couldn’t carry a backpack every time. It didn’t look cool. But through the Inventory skill, he could prevent that from now on.
Cheon Yu-shin learned the skill with a satisfied expression.
"I-it’s over."
"I thought I was going to die when that captain bastard ran off alone."
"What kind of captain is he! He was the first one to run away to save his own skin."
"That’s right. I’m going to file a personnel complaint and move to the 1st Team."
"I’m going to the 1st Team where Hunter Cheon Yu-shin is too!"
"Let’s all go!!!"
Everyone ran toward the gate. They didn’t want to stay in this wretched place for even a second longer. Watching them unite, Yu-shin chuckled.
"Let’s head out now." Yu-shin said to Park Sang-ho and Lee Jeong-gu in front of him. Park Sang-ho and Lee Jeong-gu smiled back at him.
"Yes, yes! Thank you for your hard work. This was truly a clear that will remain in my memory for a lifetime!"
Yu-shin nodded and crossed through the exit gate. And then, Yu-shin could see it.
"Hey, you bastard! Do you still call yourself a captain! Huh! Are you a captain?!"
"You’re an attack team leader, and instead of saving your members, you were the first to run away, you coward!"
The 2nd Team attack squad members were pointing fingers and hurling insults at someone. The target was none other than Kim Yoon-ho. Kim Yoon-ho’s complexion was stiff, and Park Hae-soo was watching them from a distance.
"You bastards! Who do you think you’re pointing fingers at right now! Do you want to quit being hunters?! Do you want me to bury you in the hunter world entirely?!" Kim Yoon-ho shouted, veins popping in his neck.
When the opponent came on strong, the members just opened and closed their mouths like fish.
"R-right now...!" As a member tried to speak, Kim Yoon-ho pointed a finger at him.
"I remember everything! Park Seong-tae! You pointed your finger at me just now! Did you get some kind of backing? Or can you make a living even if you quit being a hunter now? Where do you get off committing insubordination!"
"N-no, that’s not it..."
"If you don’t want to be buried, shut your mouth and stay quiet!"
The atmosphere turned silent in an instant. That was when:
"Excuse me, Attack Team Leader?"
"What bastard is it this time...!" Kim Yoon-ho turned his gaze toward the voice with an annoyed expression. There, he saw...
"H-Hunter Cheon Yu-shin!" Park Hae-soo looked at the front of the gate with surprised eyes. Cheon Yu-shin was waving his hand with a bright smile.
"Just a moment. I need to have a word with that man first."
Cheon Yu-shin walked straight toward Kim Yoon-ho, receiving everyone’s gaze.
"Y-you... were you alive?"
"Yes, I’m still alive for now." Cheon Yu-shin stopped in front of him. "You haven’t forgotten, have you?"
"W-what are you talking about?"
"Oh, why are you like this? We had a bet between us, remember?"
Kim Yoon-ho remembered what he had forgotten. To grant the wish of the one who won the bet. A realistic wish that could be granted. Kim Yoon-ho thought. A luxury car? Or a high-grade item? He had some money he’d acquired knowingly or unknowingly over the years anyway. He could grant most things that the young punk in front of him wanted. And if it was too excessive? He could just claim it wasn’t realistic.
Kim Yoon-ho lifted his chin with a confident expression. "Yeah, what do you want?"
Cheon Yu-shin grinned with a mischievous expression. "Get out. From the Hunter Management Department. We don’t need trash like you. If we want to keep the water clean, we have to get rid of bastards like you."
"W-what did you say?" Kim Yoon-ho asked back with a dumbfounded expression.
"I said get out. You bastard. I told you we don’t need trash like you? Don’t dirty the water, and get the hell out of the Hunter Management Department. You smell."
Kim Yoon-ho’s face turned bright red. "Y-you punk! Do you know who I..."
"I know who you are. You abandoned your colleagues to save your own skin, so you should cut off your middle leg. You bastard. It’s embarrassing to be the same man as you."
As Kim Yoon-ho gripped his shield, veins began to stand out clearly on his forearms. Cheon Yu-shin’s face turned cold.
"You’d better think carefully. You idiot. The moment you move that shield, you die. I’ll bet my middle leg on it."
"This...!"
A cold smile hung on his lips. "That’s why someone like you has to leave the Hunter Management Department. If it were me, I wouldn’t have held back. You’ve just proven it once again. That you are trash."
Resentment surged, but just as Cheon Yu-shin said, Kim Yoon-ho didn’t move his shield. The fact that the gate had been cleared meant that he had eventually dealt with all those Stone Golems and even caught the boss monster. In other words, it was clear that he was a far superior expert than himself. If he swung his shield at someone like that? He would end up a bloody mess in the emergency room. He might even end up half-crippled.
Patting Kim Yoon-ho’s shoulder, who was frozen like a stone, he turned around. He walked toward Park Hae-soo, who was watching with surprised eyes.
"Mr. Cheon Yu-shin."
"Let’s return. I’ve been inside the gate for three days, so I want to wash up. Oh! And can that guy be processed for resignation?"
"Of course. A hunter who abandons his colleagues and runs away is not fit for the position of Attack Team Leader." Park Hae-soo’s eyes turned cold. 'I’ll have to dig into his background, too. I need to check what kind of things he’s done using his position as Attack Team Leader.'
Seeing the attack squad members unable to move, he could infer how severe his tyranny usually was. 'Correct what is wrong, and if there’s compensation to be had, take it all!'
The Hunter Management Department was not just stagnant; it was rotting. To release that stagnant water to the outside...
'I have to cut what needs to be cut.'
If it had been before, he wouldn’t have thought that way. The Hunter Management Department was already short on hunters. So, he wouldn’t have even dared to think about firing a hunter. But now it was different. Because of that man right there, Cheon Yu-shin. As soon as he entered, waves were already crashing and surging.
The beginning was the successful D-rank gate clear! Following that was the expulsion of the 2nd Team Attack Team Leader. It was an unprecedented, unconventional move within the Hunter Management Department.
That was when:
"Hello. I am Choi Su-won, the leader of Hunter Attack Team 2."
As a man dressed in a sharp suit suddenly appeared, Park Hae-soo’s face began to stiffen.