Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Iowa State Hunter (3)
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At the very moment Seo Dae-hyun entered the dungeon.
Hunter specialist reporter Sam Hamilton had gathered information on Seo Dae-hyun, the new Iowa State Hunter for the 29th state.
He'd requested an interview with the Hunter Association branch, but it was denied.
He wasn't the only one rejected—his fellow reporters faced the same.
Becoming a state hunter in America wasn't just local news; it drew attention worldwide.
Rumor had it that thousands of applications from A-Rank and higher awakeners poured in just to become one.
It was one of the most prestigious positions out there.
Not just anyone could do it.
Yet here he was, casually dropping his name like it was no big deal.
No promotions, no fanfare—just registering the Iowa State Hunter name as required by law.
That only piqued the reporters' curiosity more.
'Not Ryu Jin?'
Hamilton had obtained info that China's S-Rank Hunter Ryu Jin was set to become Iowa's official hunter.
He was about to break the story.
Then the Iowa branch officially announced Seo Dae-hyun's name.
Interview denied, but there were other ways to dig.
First, he searched the association site for the name.
Tap. Tap.
'Seo? Korean?'
He'd assumed overseas Korean, but the nationality read Korea—slightly disorienting.
All awakeners had to register with the association.
Seo Dae-hyun's name, rank, and awakening class were public.
His face photo was marked private by the association.
"D-Rank?!"
A reporter at another desk shot up from his seat.
He too was investigating Seo Dae-hyun.
"A D-Rank hunter? You sure? Not a name mix-up?"
Sure, Seo Dae-hyun was a common name, but only one awakened Seo Dae-hyun existed.
A D-Rank becoming an American state hunter was unprecedented.
Healers were support classes, sure, but a D-Rank prefix made no sense.
State hunters raided dungeons, so they hired combat types.
S-Rank healers with buffs were exceptions, of course.
"They couldn't at least snag an A-Rank? A mere D-Rank?"
The reporters were dumbfounded.
"...Could this be?"
Sam Hamilton trailed off, but everyone thought the same.
Corruption.
Past scandals with A-Rank hunters bribing for spots had rocked the nation.
It started with online posts about an S-Rank failing to land a state hunter role.
An A-Rank took it instead, sparking suspicions.
The US government and Hunter Association admitted irregularities.
This felt eerily similar.
"But he didn't seem like the type."
One reporter spoke up.
David's character was impeccable—even reporters nodded in agreement.
Paparazzi tailed him for a month and came up empty, tongues wagging.
David stuck to association-office-home loops, a true workaholic.
"You never know."
Celebs and reporters were like crocodiles and plovers—inescapably linked.
Good folks turned rotten overnight all too often.
"Maybe low applicant turnout."
Reporters shook their heads.
Iowa had fewer Dungeon Gates than most states—a safe zone.
With gates as jobs, hunters became unemployed and fled to other states.
But being Iowa's hunter meant something else.
Hunters raided for cash.
"What if you got steady high pay without stepping foot in a dungeon?"
Hunters were human too.
State hunters' salaries came from federal funds and state taxes.
S-Ranks had fame and fortune, no thrill there—but A-Ranks? Different story.
Honor, money, free time—apps should've flooded in.
Sam Hamilton dropped his secret intel.
The spot was originally Ryu Jin's.
"Ryu Jin? That Chinese prodigy?!"
Ryu Jin's A-to-S promotion buzzed even in distant America.
"For real?!"
Reporters' eyes widened, demanding proof.
Hamilton finally spilled.
"Heard it straight from the source."
Ryu Jin's side leaked it.
Months back, Ryu Jin visited Minnesota.
In hindsight, negotiating with the branch chief.
Hamilton had scored an exclusive interview there.
Other reporters present, but local Iowa guy like him got the nod.
Learning this, the others erupted in fury.
Ryu Jin had his scrapes, but he was S-Rank.
High-rank scandals got winked at—without hunters, monsters overrun, society crumbles.
Instead, some no-name D-Rank snagged it.
These reporters were Iowa natives.
A corruption scandal in their backyard? Outrage unified them.
No proof yet, but...
Anyone could see it stank.
No orders needed—they banded together, hammering out articles in unison.
Inside the dungeon.
"Rise."
Seo Dae-hyun summoned two soldiers with the activation word.
The summoned soldiers were Kim Hyun-jun and Michael.
Hyun-jun wasn't in the soldier storage space.
He was home.
Seo Dae-hyun hadn't been sure it'd work.
But it did!
Kim Hyun-jun could be conscripted as his soldier too.
"Q! E! W?!"
Hyun-jun appeared in a gaming crouch.
Probably mid-PC game.
"Huh?... Bro?"
Seo Dae-hyun planned to let them handle the raid.
He'd hang back and watch.
Experience from their kills went to him.
Stronger soldiers meant he grew stronger too.
One platoon leader unlock condition cleared.
Promote those two to at least lieutenant.
Felt like a character-raising game.
'Sergeant after corporal, then what?'
Wondered if next was warrant officer or straight to lieutenant.
"Mr. Seo Dae-hyun, isn't the soldier count a bit low?"
David voiced concern at just two summons.
D-Rank dungeon or not, clearing with two seemed tough.
"Just watch."
He said confidently.
"...Bro. Weapons... please."
Hyun-jun borrowed a dagger from May.
May asked,
"What about him?"
Michael's consciousness was off.
Without an appointment, he followed basic orders only.
That's when monsters appeared.
Thud... Thud...
Slow, heavy footsteps.
Shattered rocks fused into humanoid forms.
The dungeon's monsters were golems.
Seo Dae-hyun eyed the golem thoughtfully.
'Can I conscript it?'
As a necromancer, he sensed death instinctively.
But golems? Nothing.
No life in them.
They ran on mana stone energy in their rock bodies.
Two golems.
Kim Hyun-jun and Michael stepped up, one each.
Michael was unarmed.
Didn't need one.
'Take down the golem.'
His body was the weapon.
The golem swung a massive fist at Kim Hyun-jun.
One hit would pulverize bone.
Hyun-jun sidestepped, dodging.
Its slow speed was the trade-off for power.
"Whoa... nice!"
Dodged, then counterattacked instantly.
Surprise Slash
- Attack Speed +25%
- Bonus Damage +10%
Slash!
Sliced the chest—likely mana stone core.
Like yanking a robot's battery.
His battlefield experience against low-tier beasts shone here.
Magical beast phobia kept him from guilds before, but after dying once? Fear gone.
Weaker than his past life rank, but squad leader + combat soldier buffs compensated.
Kim Hyun-jun wiped under his nose and shrugged.
"How was that...?"
Boom! Bang!
But eyes locked on Michael's fight, not his skill.
Michael obeyed orders faithfully.
Enemy. Kill.
No consciousness for doubt, he charged without hesitation.
Corpse Explosion (E...D)
- Explode body parts to attack enemies.
- Explode on death.
Corpse Explosion upgraded from E to D-Rank.
Seemed tied to summon's rank.
Hyun-jun had awareness and beast-slaying experience pre-death; Michael was opposite.
Unarmed Michael's win condition? Self-destruction.
Like a hydrogen blast.
No gore—just black fluid, brutal in its misery.
Bang!!!
Two blasts shattered the golem's core.
"Whoa... totally... broken."
Kim Hyun-jun returned the dagger to May.
Michael downed his golem the same way.
David watched the soldiers fight and went speechless.
Gulp.
He swallowed dryly, holding his breath.
Thought he'd seen it all climbing to branch chief.
This combat? First time.
More intense than videos...
Words failed.
Bang! Bang! Boom boom bang!
Kim Hyun-jun and Michael defied death.
Not one or two golems—six clustered, they mothballed in.
Desperate to live, embrace death; seek life, court it!
The two soldiers exploded and regenerated countless times, but Seo Dae-hyun showed no fatigue.
"Mr. Seo Dae-hyun, you're not tired?"
"Why would I be? I'm not fighting."
David had packed A-Rank potions just in case, but no need now.
"Doesn't maintaining those soldiers cost mana?"
Seo Dae-hyun's mana didn't move them.
Explosions were passive skills; necromancer 'authority' powered the troops.
David realized he'd worried needlessly.
'Hold on?'
Those weren't his only soldiers.
David swallowed again.
"...So, no mana cost for all soldiers?!"
"Yes."
Seo Dae-hyun nodded calmly.
Listeners gaped, stunned speechless.
Bang!
A massive blast shattered the silence.
Meanwhile, Kim Hyun-jun and Michael wiped the golems, clearing the dungeon.
Seo Dae-hyun touched a rock shard byproduct and murmured,
"Rise."
......
He clicked his tongue in regret.
Still hit the original goal.
Only Hyun-jun qualified, sadly.
Michael stayed corporal.
They exited through the gate.