Hunter Liberation Front 2
Sierra Leone was a small country in northwest Africa, devastated by civil war over diamonds. When dungeons appeared in that already chaotic state, the nation descended into complete anarchy. Eventually, three warlords divided the land and established their own kingdoms. Time passed, and then the incident in question occurred.
The emergence of hunters changed the nature of the war. There was no longer any need to import military supplies using diamonds. The number of hunters alone would determine victory. But hunters weren't something you could acquire just because you wanted them, so they resorted to an extreme measure: human experiments to forcibly create hunters.
Sierra Leone's situation was dire, but most African nations were in poor shape, making it easy to kidnap personnel. The targets included civilians and even hunters. The shocking truth was that major powers knew about these experiments and turned a blind eye—or in some cases, even sponsored them.
Then the incident exploded: an experimental subject, a hunter, escaped and exposed the truth to the world. The revelation shocked and enraged everyone. But somehow, the story vanished from all media—news, newspapers, the internet. It was as if the world had conspired to bury the truth.
Soon after, a group calling itself the Hunter Liberation Front appeared. They roamed Sierra Leone, destroying human experiment labs and rescuing victims. In the process, they discovered that such experiments weren't limited to Sierra Leone but were happening across Africa. Yet this truth never reached the world. It was replaced with a sanitized version laced with convenient lies, and the Hunter Liberation Front vanished from sight.
Afterward, the World Hunter Association implemented strict sanctions.
"Is there really no connection?"
"I can't say 100%, but the odds are high. It's hard to believe a group that operated for six months 17 years ago and then went underground is still active today."
"What about the possibility that human experiments are still happening somewhere?"
I asked about the chance that the group might not have continued but that its former members could be active again.
Lee Musin pondered seriously for a moment before speaking.
"I can't guarantee 100%, but the probability is close to zero. Everyone knows now that hunters are beyond human control."
His answer left a lingering unease, but I didn't press further.
"Their exact identity remains unknown, but learning the group's name is a major breakthrough. Knowing their name and purpose will help track them down. What should we do? Share this intel with the World Hunter Association too?"
"Yes, please share it."
There was no need for me to hoard information while pulling Heo Jinhyuk out. From now on, the World Hunter Association could handle them in my stead. Still, their existence nagged at me like a bone in my throat.
Protecting hunters' rights—what does that even mean? Wait, that signature on the last day. But what does a dungeon book have to do with it? And from the start, can taking other hunters' lives under the guise of protecting their rights ever be justified?
The Hunter Liberation Front held many unsolved riddles, but with nothing I could do about it now, I decided to bury my curiosity for the time being.
* * *
Time passed, and the week Kim Seok-jung mentioned arrived. True to his bold declaration, construction on the new forge was complete.
As he said, it extended 30 meters underground, but due to time constraints, there was no elevator—just ladders to descend.
Descending below, I was struck by the massive furnace and anvil incomparable to before, along with hammers of various sizes and mysterious equipment.
As I stood there dazed, taking in the forge, Kim Seok-jung spoke up.
"From today, we'll dive into proper metallurgy. Before firing up the furnace in earnest, let me explain this equipment. This is the device I told you about for detecting mana inside mana stones."
I'd imagined something like a camera and monitor for sensing mana stones' power. Shining a light on the stone to project its internal mana changes on a screen.
Reality was different. On the floor was a magic circle over 2 meters in diameter, with four square pillars, each about 50cm thick, surrounding it. The pillars bore unfamiliar magic patterns—ones so intricate I couldn't help but admire the enchanter who engraved them. I sent silent condolences to that poor soul.
Thin wires were threaded through the four pillars, bound tens of strands thick on three sides (excluding what seemed the entrance). Kim Seok-jung called it equipment, but to me, it looked like a bizarre structure linking the pillars with wires. As I stared dubiously, he spoke again.
"Looks crude, right? But its effect is impressive. The floor stone and pillars are all made from SS-rank ore, and the patterns are overlapping magic circles."
"Overlapping magic circles?"
No explanation needed—the name said it all. Which made it even harder to believe.
"Yes, overlapping just as the name implies. That's why I can stay calm knowing your identity. I can't go into details, so skip that. Let's test how it works. Try mana transformation on an A-rank mana stone. As slowly as possible."
Questions burned in my throat, but I swallowed them. When he brushed past overlapping circles, his tone was firm: don't ask. It only made me more curious—information about hunters so astonishing he could treat my secret nonchalantly. But with no immediate answers, I proceeded with the test to check the device's performance.
I slowly infused mana into the A-rank mana stone. Soon, the mana began to surge. Normally, transformation would follow, but hoping for a reaction, I added a bit more.
Less than a second after sensing the change, the rods around the circle trembled, and the wires linking the pillars buzzed loudly. Hearing the shrill beep, I triggered mana transformation simultaneously and looked at Kim Seok-jung in surprise.
"Master. That really startled me."
It was genuine. I could time it perfectly with my skill, but how did this pillar detect the internal change?
"It stores the mana stone's pattern in the pillars and activates detection magic when it changes. Performance test done—now, onto real metallurgy. Start with an S-rank mana stone."
He handed me an S-rank stone. I gripped it over the circle and began infusing mana.
As I'd felt in leatherworking, A-rank and S-rank were worlds apart. If A-rank was a dark abyss devouring all, S-rank was that abyss hit by a seafloor typhoon.
Any average hunter would abandon the task the moment they sensed it, but not me. I slowly pushed mana in, reading the typhoon's flow.
Just as I traced the pattern, the flow shifted. I activated mana transformation, and blue flames rose. One or two seconds later, the wires trembled.
"Your mana detection is astounding."
Kim Seok-jung marveled at how I'd succeeded before the pillar even reacted.
"Now for SS-rank, but caution: it might repel your mana. That backlash could hurt, so use the absolute minimum."
I took the SS-rank stone he offered with his warning.
"Whoa!"
The moment I sensed its mana, awe escaped me. I'd felt a massive mana storm in SS-rank monster hide before—dizzying just to perceive. This stone was no less.
The intensified typhoon now came with earthquakes, making the flow erratic. Even with Residual Mana Detection, reading the SS-rank pattern took time.
Once I grasped it, I infused mana and successfully ignited SS-rank mana transformation. Again, the pillar reacted 2-3 seconds later.
"Incredible. SS-rank flames so easily."
Kim Seok-jung, who'd watched tensely with sweat beading on his brow, continued in shock and admiration.
"I expected great things, but not this perfect. In the worst case, I was prepared to bury the forge. You pulled it off flawlessly. You're truly remarkable."
"B-bury it?"
"Digging 30m down was to contain damage to the surface—and just kill us if needed. The forge is lined with SS-rank ore mana defense circles, ready to collapse the earth above and entomb it."
A chill ran down my spine. This wasn't a forge—it was a massive underground tomb.
"Now that flames are lit, time for coolant. It's harder than transformation. Glacier meltwater already holds mana, making stone detection trickier."
With his stern warning, I began coolant production using his prepared materials. First, I loaded heaps of ice into a massive incinerator-like machine, three or four times the furnace size.
"Now melt the ice—with another SS-rank flame."
I ignited again, and as ice melted to steam, it rose to the top, where a cooling spell turned it to water, funneled into a huge vat beside us. I kept adding ice until full.
"Put a mana stone in this water and heat it. When it surges like transformation, stop mana supply and hold steady."
This was far tougher than before. The water's mana intertwined slyly with the stone's, obscuring distinction. Especially since the water mimicked the stone's surge pattern, sowing confusion.
I doubted any hunter without Residual Mana Detection-level skill could succeed. Thanks to it, I finished, but then a forgotten fact hit me.
How much money did this cost?
Three SS-rank stones, forge construction, materials... I might be detached from money, but this was beyond that.
So I asked Kim Seok-jung.
"Master, this seems expensive. You okay?"
Smiling at my concern, he replied.
"Know who the richest person alive is? Not exactly, but I'm pretty sure I'm in the top five. Casually calculated last year—over 300 trillion."
Three... hundred trillion? I barely stifled a curse.
Then came his bombshell.
"Ah, but I know someone who isn't number one now but could be if they wanted."
"Who?"
"That lunatic giving away thousands of potions monthly for free—worth billions each. I'd love to see his face."
I choked, suddenly the lunatic, and speechless, dove into proper metallurgy.
To be continued in the next chapter... The Hunter Who Awakened as an NPC