Chapter 31
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Dark Fairy J's Revenge Match
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'Why are you here?'
Se-bin-i looked even more shocked than I did. Her eyes went wide, and she stammered for a moment before slipping back into her usual calm expression.
"Ji-ui, what are you doing here?"
"Huh? I... just got curious."
"Curious?"
Se-bin narrowed her eyes and stared right at me. I couldn't exactly say it was because of Choi Jae-yoon Hunter, so I threw out some vague excuse, and with every word, her face grew stiffer.
"What brings you two here?"
"Kang Se-bin Hunter and I are here on a special order from the Chairman~"
"Special order from the Chairman?"
Ji-ho unnie tilted her head. Ha Mi-jun Hunter grinned slyly as he snatched one of the complimentary cheese snacks. When I turned to Se-bin, she answered right away.
"They're probably planning to host the World Ranking Tournament domestically as early as the end of this year."
"Whoa. The World Ranking Tournament?! That's huge."
"Before they dive into full planning, they wanted to check out how the unofficial ranking event, Fight Club, actually runs..."
Her gaze locked onto me again.
I had to change the subject before Se-bin started lecturing me.
"Ease up on the glare, Kang Se-bin Hunter~ Shin Ji-ui's hunter isn't here to fight or anything."
"It's still dangerous."
Se-bin stared intently at the field as she spat out the words.
This was going to take a while to defuse.
Clatter.
I grabbed Se-bin's arm and tugged her down beside me, and she sat with a reluctant huff.
Times like this, she seems more like the little sister.
'That guy's smooth.'
'You talking about Se-bin right now?'
'Figure it out yourself.'
Ego shut up again.
Always doing whatever it wants.
Worried Se-bin might say something else, I shoved a piece of melon into her mouth first. She stared at me with wide eyes while her mouth worked away busily.
Kinda cute.
"Anyway, we'll decide on the World Ranking Tournament based on how things go here~ That's the gist."
The Ranking Tournament was already a thing in some countries—a hunter ranking system. It set their market value and got broadcast worldwide to show off a nation's top talent.
Ha Mi-jun Hunter, now seated next to Se-bin, watched the field with keen interest.
"But we don't even have domestic rankings yet. Why jump straight to the world one?"
"Min Ji-ho Hunter, you know our Chairman's temperament. Ever since 'that incident,' he's hated the idea of our own hunters fighting each other."
"Ah~"
Ji-ho unnie nodded like she got it.
'That incident' probably meant the clash between registered hunters and unregistered awakeners.
"No interest, Ji-ui-yang? You're attack-type."
"Nah, none at all."
'But I'm curious about the hunters coming for the Ranking Tournament.'
If I were someone plotting the end of the world, I'd either eliminate strong hunters who could interfere with my plans beforehand or recruit them to join me. For a traitor, a World Ranking Tournament—where all the powerhouses gather—would be the sweetest hunting ground. So I'd flip that and use it to sniff out the traitor.
"Speaking of, it's been a while, Min Ji-ho Hunter? The legend of Fight Club!"
Ha Mi-jun Hunter leaned forward and shot Ji-ho unnie a sleazy wink.
"Haha, long time no see. Sorry for the late greeting."
Unnie scratched her head with an awkward smile.
"Unnie's... a Fight Club legend?"
"Back when Fight Club first started, we had a hard time getting players to sign up. But out of nowhere, an A-rank hunter registers? And not just any—a hybrid with both attack and defense skills?"
"Ha Mi-jun Hunter..."
Ji-ho unnie glanced back and forth between me and Ha Mi-jun Hunter, fidgeting uncomfortably. Like she'd been caught with a double life...
"Every other hunter signed up just to face her once, and civilians lined up to see A-rank skills in action. And that hunter is none other than—Min Ji-ho Hunter, sitting right next to Ji-ui-yang!"
"Wow..."
Ji-ho unnie buried her face in the table and stomped her feet in embarrassment.
No wonder the staff had been hounding her.
"What was her fighter name again? Splash Zombie?"
"Aaaah! Why bring that up?!"
"No matter how many times you downed her, she'd keep coming back. Earned her the nickname—and she still hasn't lost a single Fight Club match. Impressive, right?"
Ha Mi-jun Hunter kept yapping despite Ji-ho unnie's wails. Unnie plugged her ears, giving up on confronting her past.
Thud.
"Ooooh!!"
The room lights dimmed, snuffing out the commotion, and the crowd erupted in cheers that shook the space. Right then, a man in a suit popped up in the center of the field, waving to the audience.
"Hello, everyone~! Thanks for coming to MAD DOG tonight! I'm your host for the match~"
"Ma-chine! Gun!"
"Whoa~ Honored you called my name!"
The guy in a sparkly trot-singer suit bowed deeply with goofy flair.
"Why Machine Gun?"
"He's the Fight Club specialist MC—talks so fast like a machine gun, so that's what stuck."
Unique guy.
And popular too—everyone was chanting "Machine Gun."
"Wow, so many of you showed up at MAD DOG tonight! Craving heart-pounding action, nail-biting tension, and explosive thrills?!"
"Yaaaah!!"
"Great!! Let's jump into player intros~!"
With that, Machine Gun shot upward and settled into a chair overhead. The field lights pulsed colors to the fast beat of the music, then zeroed in on one spot.
The lit floor split open left and right, and a hunter in a tiger mask rose from below. Massive build, bulging muscles, wild tangled hair—he looked like he'd just crawled out of the wilderness.
"Height 190 cm! Weight 95 kg! Tiger blood runs in my veins! Super-strength beast transformation hunter~ Tiger S!!"
"Yaaaah!!"
"S!! Crush 'em!!"
The intro barely ended before Tiger S let out a beastly roar, and the crowd went wild. Tiger howls mixed into the pounding music mid-track, and he cracked every joint like he was about to shift right there.
Click.
The light shifted across, splitting the floor again. Out came a petite figure...
'Choi Jae-yoon Hunter.'
Exact same build and eyes from yesterday. Black shirt, black pants, black cloth mask.
"Challenging Tiger S again is~ Height 160 cm! Weight 52 kg! Don't judge by looks~ Petite berserker with berserk skill, Dark Fairy J!"
"J! Show 'em this time!"
"Don't lose!!"
Choi Jae-yoon Hunter casually raised a hand to hype the crowd, lowering it only after a satisfying roar. A far cry from the defeated guy yesterday brushing off his clothes.
"Make your opponent combat ineffective to win! Oh, and no killing, obviously?"
"S!! Go! All my money's on you!"
"Fairy! Do it!!"
Roars filled the stands, each laced with personal stakes. Fight Club's heat was cranking up.
"Alright, players ready~"
Rumble...
"FIGHT!!"
S's spine arched upward, arms and legs swelling into inhuman thickness. Orange fur sprouted, claws popping with cracks.
"Yaaaah!!"
Monster-not-man, but the crowd loved it. S charged at Choi Jae-yoon Hunter with ragged breaths, black smoke leaking from the hunter's body.
"Tiger S charges with 'Tiger Aura'! Dark Fairy J counters instantly with stealth skill 'Dark Mist'!"
Machine Gun lived up to his name.
Nonstop rapid-fire commentary, crisp and precise.
"Min Ji-ho Hunter, mind if I ask something?"
"Go ahead. What?"
Se-bin, quietly watching beside me, leaned toward Ji-ho unnie.
"How does that MC know all the hunters' skills?"
"Ah, that? They have to submit full skill lists when registering as players."
"Lie on it, instant DQ."
Ha Mi-jun Hunter chimed in. Se-bin nodded and furiously jotted notes on her phone.
Boom!!
S's massive arm swiped through the black smoke hunting Choi Jae-yoon Hunter—and grabbed his shoulder.
"Ah~! J! Caught right away!"
"Groooar!!"
"Tiger S slams Dark Fairy J into the ground!"
Crash!
The insane force bounced Choi Jae-yoon Hunter back up. S snatched him mid-air and hurled him at the wall. No time to defend—he slammed into it and crumpled to the floor.
"That all you got?!"
"J! Don't give up! Try something!"
'He won't die to S, right?'
Strength that could've snapped bones anywhere, but thankfully, Choi Jae-yoon Hunter was holding up.
Crash!
"Aaaack!"
"J!! Hang in there!!"
"Tiger! Finish him!!"
Staggering to his feet, Choi Jae-yoon Hunter drew two small daggers and leaped airborne.
"Whoa, now Dark Fairy J charges S! Double aerial slashes followed by a storm of thrusts!"
Shriiiing!
Blade tips grated against claws with chilling friction.
"Ah~ Tiger S! Too busy defending! He's wide open!"
Choi Jae-yoon Hunter's daggers juggled around S like circus balls. S parried with claws, retreating—then tripped, his bulk swaying sideways.
"Raaah!!"
Seizing the gap, Choi Jae-yoon Hunter stabbed S's side—crimson sprayed across the field.
"Woooah!!"
"First solid hit at last~! Early dominance shifts to J!"
"Yes!"
The word slipped out before I knew it. By then, Se-bin's face had gone ghost-white. Still smiling, but her brow twitched—she looked seriously pissed somehow.
"Groooaaar!!"
S clutched his side, snarling, and lunged at Choi Jae-yoon Hunter trying to vanish into the smoke.
"Tiger Aura lasts 30 minutes! Gotta end it quick!"
Choi Jae-yoon Hunter dodged right—but tripped on S's huge foot. S grabbed him, squeezing like a stress toy between both hands.
"Ugh, aaaagh!!"
"Dark Fairy J's evasion slip-up! Back in Tiger S's clutches!"
His scream echoed through the arena, reigniting cheers for him.
"Ah~ At this rate, S ain't letting go!"
S released, and Choi Jae-yoon Hunter flopped limply to the field. One hit gained, but one mistake lost control again.
"If Dark Fairy J doesn't rise in 10 seconds, victory goes to S. Ah~ Is this revenge match over already~?"
"Get up, get up... Ending it like this would suck."
Ji-ho unnie gripped her beer glass tight, eyes glued to Choi Jae-yoon Hunter. Her muttering felt kinda scary.
But I wanted him up too. He'd vowed to prove himself—losing here too would...
Thump.
Bad thoughts spiraled.
"5! 4!"
The countdown chants swelled.
"3! 2! 1..."
As Machine Gun's count hit zero—
[Awakener 'Choi Jae-yoon's 'Don't Blame Yourself Too Much' seed has bloomed]
[Awakener 'Choi Jae-yoon' is influenced by Awakener 'Shin Ji-ui's words.]
[Unique Skill 'Command Like a Mountain' destructive power increased]
[Command Tower]
[Bloom 'Word Seeds' to turn them into allies.]
[Progress increased]
[Progress: 5%]