Hunter Liberation Front 1
A moment later, Kim Seok-jung, having regained his composure, spoke up with a deeply furrowed brow.
"When I first learned your true nature, I was quite startled. I'd never heard of a Triple Class existing in this world."
That was a perfectly natural reaction. But Kim Seok-jung had overlooked one crucial fact: he lived in a world utterly different from anyone I'd met so far.
"But that was it. A Triple Class is intriguing in itself, but a combination of leatherworking, enchanting, and blacksmithing isn't all that astonishing. As chairman of Mana Machine, I come across all sorts of information, and there's far more fascinating intel on hunters than some commonplace Triple Class combo. So I didn't think of you as anything particularly special."
It was a slightly different assessment from moments ago, but I could tell this was his genuine opinion. No wonder he'd seemed so nonchalant for someone supposedly shocked.
On the other hand, I couldn't help but grow curious about the fascinating hunters he'd mentioned.
"However, your mana detection ability truly left me in awe. It's incomparable to some lucky hunter who stumbled into a quirky class. Of course, I'd heard about your leatherworking skills, but since monster hides and mana stones have entirely different mana properties, I hadn't held high hopes."
As Kim Seok-jung said, the mana in monster hides and mana stones differed fundamentally in nature. If monster mana was like wind, mana stone mana was like water. The processing methods were different too. Tanning hides was like taming a relentless typhoon, while handling mana stones felt like probing the pitch-black depths of the ocean.
From my perspective, having done both, pure difficulty-wise, leatherworking seemed a notch higher. But metallurgy allowed no room for error—even a single slip meant death. Factoring in that pressure skyrocketed its difficulty. And considering tempering, which I hadn't tried yet, it would climb even further.
But none of that mattered to me. Thanks to my Residual Mana Detection skill, metallurgy actually felt easier. Kim Seok-jung, of course, had no way of knowing that.
"Honestly, even pegging your talent at the absolute top, I figured it'd take two or three years. But now that I know your abilities exceed that, I'm scrapping the original plan entirely. So let me ask: Lee Musin told me you have no intention of leaving here—is that correct?"
I understood his intent without needing more words. He'd mentioned earlier that crafting S-rank gear or higher was tough here, so he was probably asking if I'd head to Mana Machine in America.
If Kim Seok-jung guaranteed safety, I wouldn't need to worry. Plus, I'd grown plenty strong reading dungeon books. Still, anxiety lingered.
Some people attract incidents just by existing, regardless of intent. My time in Switzerland had convinced me I was one of them. So unless absolutely necessary, I had no plans to leave this place—and right now didn't qualify as necessary.
"Yes."
"Good. Give me exactly one week. Just one week. I'll prepare everything so you can work here."
Less than an hour after Kim Seok-jung made that promise, heavy machinery rolled in. They began demolishing the forge and digging up the ground.
According to him, to handle the mana flames from SS-rank mana stones, they needed to excavate at least 30 meters underground before construction could proceed.
I wondered if a week was enough, but with his confident assurance, I trusted and waited.
More time on my hands now. What to do? Right, Mana Mine.
I'd fully grasped the Mana Fog skill through sparring with Choi Taesu. But I hadn't tested Mana Mine yet.
I'd planned to request deployment via Lee Musin upon arriving in Korea, but Hespera's sudden call made me forget completely.
So when I contacted Lee Musin to ask about the mana mine, I ended up hearing about another forgotten issue.
It was about China, whose judgment had been postponed. And now, that judgment was underway.
It wasn't as intense as when Japan became the target and Miracle's wrath was publicly declared, prompting every nation to show hostility. China was different.
Still, Russia and India—always itching for a fight with China—had become attack dogs, condemning them, with America backing them up. The situation was dire for China.
According to Alfredo, the eight nations would force a full withdrawal of Chinese personnel and massive reparations. Plus, countries holding back might follow suit once decisions solidified.
Japan, barely three months past its mention, was already in deep crisis. Its hunter industry relied more on exports than domestic sales, and with trade blocked, companies were collapsing one after another.
The government was propping them up to stem the tide, but no one knew how long that would last. Taxes on hunters had spiked temporarily under the guise of "overcoming hardship," fueling discontent and a mass exodus.
Nations short on hunter power were luring them with sweet deals. It was inevitable. Projections said the outflow would surge soon.
Time dragging wasn't bad. Judgment was certain, and it bought us breathing room—no loss for me.
Hearing about China again brought Heo Jinhyuk to mind.
Hope he's doing fine.
Heo Jinhyuk checked in every two or three days minimum. But a week ago, he'd said he'd found a lead and gone to verify—then radio silence.
He'd insisted it wasn't dangerous, but a week without word had me worried.
Damn, now I'm fretting. Shouldn't have sent him.
I worried something might've happened to him because of me, regretting the assignment.
If I'd just kept my curiosity in check, nothing would've happened. A twinge of self-reproach hit.
Wait a bit longer. He said it wasn't risky, so probably fine.
Nothing I could do now, and I trusted him, so I decided to hold out.
Pushing Heo Jinhyuk from my thoughts, I got to the point.
"I'd like to request a test from you, Director."
My mention of a "test" perked up Lee Musin's voice.
"A mine."
Caught off guard by the unexpected item, excitement turned to confusion in Lee Musin's tone.
"Yes. A mana mine. Destructive power varies by mine, and it might be stronger than expected, so please be cautious."
Regaining composure, Lee Musin asked gravely.
"Depends on the mine's level."
Silence followed as he pondered. I waited patiently until he spoke again.
"Tonight, please. And if you need more tests, just say the word."
I hadn't made any mines yet, so I'd need time.
Wondering about their power, I began crafting mines. Power scaled with mana input, so I needed varieties.
Mana Mine created. Set the amount of mana to consume.
Activating the skill brought up the prompt. I set the minimum, 10, and crafted one. It resembled an M14 ankle mine, with "10" marked on top.
On a hunch, I made a 50 one next.
"Nice."
As expected, it had "50" on top. The number indicated mana consumed—perfect for distinction. I kept going.
I ended up with six types: 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000, and 1500 mana mines. That night, Choi Taejin arrived and took them.
How powerful will they be?
Ideally, strong enough for SSS-rank dungeon raids.
Two days later, contact resumed with the silent Heo Jinhyuk.
Uncharacteristically excited, Heo Jinhyuk continued.
"Where?"
My throat tightened—finally, the group behind the Dungeon Studies Research Institute raid would be revealed.
Mid-sentence, words from the woman disguised as Choi Kyunghee at the institute flashed through my mind.
'Because I'm certain every action I take advances hunters' rights.'
It's real. But how?
A group fighting for hunters' rights had materialized, just as she said. But now, bigger questions arose. How did they operate? How did raiding the institute tie into rights protection?
I wasn't even sure they truly fought for rights.
Snapped from my thoughts by Heo Jinhyuk calling again.
"Sorry. Got lost in thought."
It happened five years ago. Uncovering the group's name was a huge win.
"Got it. That's plenty. Come back now."
"Nonsense. Confirming their affiliation, name, and nature is outstanding work."
I praised the apologetic Heo Jinhyuk for his efforts.
After hanging up, I immediately called Lee Musin and relayed Heo Jinhyuk's intel.
Lee Musin rummaged through memories, then recalled it.
"What kind of group is it?"
I was stunned he'd heard of them.
I was instantly hooked on Lee Musin's tale.
To be continued in the next chapter... The Hunter Who Awakened as an NPC