Chapter 75
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Joining Up
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“Gah! You crazy bastard, shut up!”
-The guy who tried to kill you. You gonna let that slide, you pushover? Kill him. Burn holes all over his body with a red-hot dart.
“Get lost! Whisper sweet nothings like that to your girlfriend!”
I pulled a dagger from my pocket and slammed it down into my left hand.
Splurt!
Blood sprayed out like a fountain. The pain intensified that much more, but fortunately, the whispers from my left hand stopped.
If anything, it was a relief. Better to endure the agony of torn flesh than listen to that bastard's nonsense.
‘Shit... This fucking hurts.’
No, scratch that. The pain was way worse than I thought. It even sparked murderous intent for a second.
‘Should I have just closed my eyes and killed that perverted middle-aged creep?’
As I glared at him murderously, the Hongcheon branch manager flinched and scurried over, bowing his head ninety degrees.
“I-It was a mistake! A total accident. Not on purpose at all.”
“Oh? A mistake?”
“Y-Yes. A mistake...”
“What if I accidentally stabbed you during a fight?”
The branch manager's eyes rolled upward. Probably imagining what that would be like. He soon came to a conclusion and bowed even deeper in panic.
“A mistake! An overwhelmingly huge mistake! I'm sorry!”
“I'll let it slide. Everyone makes mistakes. But if this keeps up, I might slip up too. As you can see, my left hand's in this state...”
“Eek!”
The Hongcheon branch manager glanced at the gaping hole in my left hand and bowed his head frantically.
“I-I'll quietly follow from behind.”
Fortunately, I got the answer I wanted.
* * *
‘Damn it, did I mess up applying for porter duty? Should've just looked for a sentry spot. What was I thinking, chasing money?’
Lee Jin-hyuk sighed quietly enough that the hunter ahead wouldn't hear. Unfortunately, he'd ended up in a place with only one hunter.
‘If that guy dies, I'm done for too.’
The going theory was that taking down a 3-star monster required at least two 3-star hunters. Meaning that guy alone couldn't beat a Minos.
“Moooo!”
“Fall back!”
Right on cue, a Minos appeared. Lee Jin-hyuk debated turning back to where he'd come from.
‘If I wait there long enough, maybe the gate reopens?’
Crossing back then would get him to Earth again.
‘But what happens to this guy if I do?’
Lee Jin-hyuk watched the hunter block the Minos's path, gripping his trident.
He knew it was impossible alone, yet the hunter stepped forward to fight.
‘He's insane. Not scared at all?’
Suddenly, their first meeting flashed in his mind.
“Yeah. Just graduated the academy, huh? How old? Twenty-three? Young buck! Great! I'll make sure you get out safe! Stick with me, no worries.”
It was less a conversation and more a declaration. But it was also exactly what Lee Jin-hyuk wanted to hear most.
‘Yeah. He said he'd get me out safe. If I bail now, what happens if that uncle gets hurt with no way to recover?’
Lee Jin-hyuk decided to stay. He'd bet his life on trusting the guy once.
‘Snake eyes, and I'm dead.’
Luckily, his trust paid off big.
Splat!
The Minos's blood filled the passage. Its shockwave only burst harmless water droplets, and every charge slowed as its feet sank into the water.
The hunter toyed with it like a seasoned bullfighter. In the end, the Minos thrashed with accumulating wounds and finally succumbed to blood loss.
“We won! He really did it. Without a single scratch! Wahaha!”
Lee Jin-hyuk jumped for joy without realizing it. For the first time, survival felt real.
‘This guy's a master. An absolute pro. Hooray! I'm alive!’
The grinning bald middle-aged man, Park Byung-soo, rubbed his neck and slumped against the wall.
“Whew. Getting old, huh? Not as easy as it used to be. Let's rest a bit. Need to recharge mana.”
“Sure. I'll disassemble it in the meantime.”
Park Byung-soo watched Lee Jin-hyuk work, then casually asked,
“By the way, you held up pretty well back there without falling. Even if I weakened the shockwave, it was still pretty intense.”
“Oh, I heard 'a man's lower body is key,' so I trained my legs hardcore. Plus, as you can see, I'm a tank, so I invested heavily in vitality.”
“Nice! Whoever taught you did a good job. But you're still rough around the edges. Any closer, and you'd have toppled.”
“R-Really? Haha. Guess my level's too low...”
“Nah, levels can be overcome with grit. What matters is how well you know your own body.”
Park Byung-soo put on his kindest possible smile.
“How about I teach you a bit?”
Learning from a master like Park Byung-soo was like reaching for the stars. You'd bow in gratitude just for the offer.
“Eek!”
But for some reason, Lee Jin-hyuk recoiled in horror, crossing his arms in an X over his chest.
“What? What's wrong?”
“Sorry, but I like girls.”
“What the... Hey! I'm not into that!”
“But you just went on about my body this and that, eyeing me up and down! And that look in your eyes! How do you explain that sleazy gaze?”
“Sleazy? You little punk!”
* * *
“Bend your knees more! Straighten your back! Whoa? Form's breaking. Do it right!”
Park Byung-soo, eyes wild, switched to full trainer mode and started drilling Lee Jin-hyuk.
No time for separate sessions, so training happened during breaks after Minos hunts.
“But is this okay? I'm here as a porter. If we don't collect spoils...”
“So what? Honestly, what do spoils mean to you anyway? You're not keeping them.”
“But if I don't, I don't get paid.”
“Focus on training. What you're learning now is worth way more than pocket change.”
“Urk! How long do I have to do this?”
“A bit further, the passage widens. That's where we link up with the other teams.”
“Oh!”
Lee Jin-hyuk's face lit up. Park Byung-soo lightly smacked his back.
“Don't get too happy. No more training after that. Sigh. Fine. When I fight the next Minos, come within ten meters.”
“Huh? Why all of a sudden?”
“Why do you think? Progress is too slow. But don't worry. I have a method.”
“A m-method?”
“People learn fastest in extreme situations.”
“I can learn slowly, though.”
“Shut up and follow. I'll make you a master. Wait, with your level, that's tough. But I'll at least get you out of scrub territory.”
Like that, they alternated hunting and training for two full days. Finally, they reached the junction where paths merged.
They'd moved fast, so maybe no one would be there yet.
But people had arrived first.
Thud!
A monstrous spear user who pierced a Minos's head in one strike.
‘No way! That's the Lizardman Hunter? Holy shit, he's that good?’
Boom!
Another Minos shook the ground with a shockwave. The vibrations reached even Park Byung-soo at a distance.
But the Lizardman Hunter didn't budge. He rooted his lower body firmly and thrust his spear.
Thud!
Another Minos head pierced clean through.
‘Huh? That's Thousand Roots Stance? Who the hell is that guy?’
Park Byung-soo recognized the technique instantly.
‘That guy's... the Lizardman Hunter?’
The unique gear made him unmistakable. First time seeing him fight up close, but the form looked familiar.
‘That spear grip... looks just like In-hyeok's.’
Plus, the shockwave resistance was definitely ‘Thousand Roots Stance.’
‘Sure, most pros know Thousand Roots Stance, but the exact same posture and build?’
Park Byung-soo shook his head after a moment's thought. His academy-fresh disciple turning out to be a 4-star hunter? That was light novel territory.
‘Anyway, what's with Kim the branch manager acting all quiet?’
Hongcheon's Kim Branch Manager had a disease where he couldn't stop showing off. Especially around young women—he'd drop all pretense and flex.
Even now, he was sneaking peeks at the young female porter while pretending not to look. For him to stay this meek...
‘Heh, he's scared shitless.’
Totally overwhelmed by the Lizardman Hunter. Too much to even think of mouthing off.
“Jin-hyuk. Watch that guy closely. Tensing your legs like that to hold firm—that's ‘Thousand Roots Stance.’ The technique you're learning.”
“Huh? A pro like him uses what I'm learning?”
“Yeah. So focus. No more separate practice time, so burn it in.”
“Yes.”
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“What are you looking at?”
“Uh, well...”
Lee Jin-hyuk was glued to the young female porter. Love at first sight felt like this.
‘Kid's got high standards... Anyway, watch that guy's moves in fights. Got it?”
“Y-Yeah, yeah.”
“Jeez.”
Park Byung-soo gave Lee Jin-hyuk one last reminder and turned to the Lizardman Hunter. He was approaching the porter for a potion, maybe injured.
‘I should watch too. Guys with the same weapon, build, and stance are rare. Useful for teaching In-hyeok later.’
Of course, assuming he survived this expedition. Which he fully intended to.
‘Gotta, to stop the Wave.’
* * *
‘Ugh. Of all places, running into those two here.’
I watched my master and Jin-hyuk hyung with trepidation. Tension made my steps awkward.
Truth be told, I'd worried about Jin-hyuk hyung's survival. Traveling together meant I could protect him.
But facing two people who knew me at once sparked fears of my identity slipping.
‘I-It'll be fine. Helmet covers my face completely, and I haven't said a word.’
My main weapons were throwing and meteor thrusts anyway. I'd only started using the spear in the labyrinth, so it wouldn't match my old self.
Sure, I'd picked up some spear basics from my master during stance training, but only fundamentals like thrusting—no real tells.
‘Yeah. Stay cautious, and I won't get caught.’