Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Chapter 63: Hunter
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Kim Jin-ah came by.
She seemed to have come to give a rough outline of the monster hunting schedule.
"The hunt is in four days."
I listened to Jin-ah along with Jae-eun.
Normally, she wouldn't be able to join a C-rank hunt right away.
To participate in higher-rank hunts when your level was lower, you needed achievements.
The convention was to at least hunt a D-rank monster once and rack up some accomplishments.
But I just slotted her into my party.
Since I was the only C-rank on this hunt, it was only natural that I had that much pull.
"I heard you're the only C-rank awakener... Is this how hunts usually go?"
Monster difficulty ramps up significantly starting from C-rank.
And the higher the rank, the exponentially harder they are to take down.
It's not for nothing that subjugating C-rank rifts requires four or five heroes of the same rank per monster.
"Heroes want the TV exposure, and they're overstaffed a bit to prepare for emergencies."
Heroes' incomes vary wildly.
Think of them like celebrities.
The allure of the word "hero" draws plenty of awakeners who want in.
Of course, the famous and popular ones make way more than regular hunters.
On the flip side, if you're not popular, it doesn't pay all that well.
That said, you won't starve.
You can always pick up side gigs hunting gates.
This group, though, seemed to run a tight ship on hunts.
I didn't know much about how specialist companies or guilds handled hunts.
Even back in my supporter days, the highest I'd tagged along for was D-rank.
I'd never done a C-rank monster hunt.
I'd be fine solo, but Jin-ah had no way of knowing that.
"These days, unless it's a new monster type, they usually hunt with two or even one person."
One or two C-rank awakeners for a C-rank monster.
Hunting tech must have advanced a lot.
"But if it's just one, they bring five D-rank mana-manifestation awakeners along."
"Is that enough?"
"Yes. It's not a tricky monster, so it'll be fine."
Jin-ah sounded like the expert, so I wasn't about to second-guess her when I knew nothing.
No reason for her to lie to me, either.
And even if she did, I wouldn't be in any real danger.
"What's my job?"
"Luring the monsters and tanking."
"Keep their attention good?"
"Yes."
From what I gathered, it was like a game party: one tank and five DPS dealing damage.
"Jin-ah, what about me?"
Jae-eun, sitting beside me, spoke up.
If you couldn't manifest mana, you couldn't deal much damage to C-rank or higher monsters.
"F-rank dimensional rift clears and escort duty."
"Dimensional rifts?"
"Yes. There are about two F-rank rifts on the way there. We'll handle them with me, you, three F-rank body enhancers, and some non-awakened hunters."
Jin-ah was coming along too, it seemed.
"How long's the schedule?"
"Count on four nights and five days, including the return trip."
Jin-ah answered our questions for a while, then stood up.
"Want to grab a meal together?"
Jin-ah glanced at Jae-eun and politely declined.
"I'll head back to the company."
She ran into Yu-na, who was stumbling out of my room in a daze, wearing nothing but an oversized T-shirt.
"Oh? Uh, h-hello..."
Yu-na startled at the sight of Jin-ah and greeted her politely.
"H-hello..."
Jin-ah returned the greeting to Yu-na, but her eyes on me weren't exactly friendly.
She was probably thinking, What kind of guy is this?
".........Well then, I'll be going."
"Ahem... Yeah. Thanks for your hard work."
"Who was that?"
Once Jin-ah was gone, Yu-na asked curiously.
"My manager from the company."
"Oh, okay..."
"Aww, so cute. Look at those cheeks!"
Jae-eun hugged Yu-na and pinched her cheeks, cooing over her.
Yu-na looked embarrassed but, true to form, said nothing and just let Jae-eun cling to her.
They must have bonded deeply through body talk.
Jae-eun didn't look much older, but she was playing the big sister role.
Come to think of it, I didn't even know Jae-eun's age.
I handed her a card.
"Buy whatever Yu-na needs with that."
"Uncle, are you finally shacking up with your girlfriend?"
"G-girlfriend...? L-living together...?"
Yu-na's face flushed bright red at Jae-eun's words.
Yu-na was in a tricky spot right now.
Her adoptive parents had raised her, only for their son to assault her.
So she left that house.
I felt bad for her, but it had been lucky for me.
"Yeah... something like that. Oh, and get yourself a weapon too, Jae-eun."
"Weapon? For the hunt? Got it."
I had a spare combat suit from before, so I'd give her that.
I didn't need a regular suit anymore now that I had Suni.
Body-enhancement hunters usually preferred swords.
The main reason? They looked cool.
That alone probably accounted for at least 50 percent.
But the weapon Jae-eun brought back was unusual.
A massive single-bladed axe made for body-enhancement awakeners.
An axe, huh.
Not a popular choice.
Still, I watched her swing it before the hunt, and she handled it better than expected.
She had talent.
For this trip, Jae-eun would only face F-rank monsters anyway.
I figured it was plenty for F-rankers.
Time flew by as I spent my days exploring Jae-eun and Yu-na's bodies at home.
Before I knew it, the day of the hunt arrived.
Jin-ah showed up early in the morning.
She took Jae-eun and me to the camp where I'd done my first rift hunt.
About twenty or thirty people had gathered at the pioneer camp.
Hunters and supporters, by the look of them.
A sturdy guy in his forties approached.
"Hanna, is this him?"
"Yes. C-rank body-enhancement hunter Park Un-ho."
Hanna introduced me.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jeon Gyu-hyuk, tactical team leader. Haha, having someone like you is a real relief."
Jeon Gyu-hyuk greeted me with a pleased grin.
My big frame must have made me look reliable.
He wasn't an awakener.
But he held the impressive title of tactical team leader.
"Everyone, listen up. This is hunter Park Un-ho, replacing Mr. Pervert Soo."
Jeon Gyu-hyuk introduced me to the assembled hunters and supporters.
(Whoa, check out the height. Way better looking than that Pervert Soo creep.)
(Hope he's got a better personality than Tae-soo.)
-Murmurs.
My senses picked up their whispers about me.
They seemed like the company's regular hunting team, and I was the fill-in.
"Park Un-ho, these are your party members for the hunt."
Five D-rank hunters approached me.
Four guys and one woman, all awakeners, naturally.
"I'm Lee Do-hoon. Looking forward to working with you."
"Park Un-ho."
My blunt, informal reply to a stranger made Lee Do-hoon's face stiffen a bit.
But rank was king, so he graciously offered his hand like a big shot.
I just stared at it blankly, and he awkwardly pulled it back.
The other guys gave curt greetings after seeing that.
"Hi. I'm Go Eun-ha. Nice to meet you."
The last one, a beauty of a hunter, flashed a sweet smile and extended her hand.
"Park Un-ho."
I took Go Eun-ha's soft hand and shook it.
The male hunters' faces twisted like they'd eaten shit.
Not my problem.
The thirty or so people boarded a rugged bus-like vehicle.
Jae-eun sat with me.
Jin-ah sat across the aisle.
She was an awakener too, but did managers usually tag along to hunts?
"Uncle, feels like a picnic, right?"
Jae-eun, beside me, gazed wonderingly at the endless jungle blurring past the roadside.
"Yeah..."
It had been a while since I'd been to a gate, and the otherworldly scenery gave me an outing vibe.
"Can I sleep? You wore me out too much last night."
Yeah, I'd woken her up way too early.
Jae-eun laid her head on my thigh.
I gently stroked her hair.
She smiled contentedly at my touch.
Soon, Jae-eun was asleep.
The scenery was novel at first, but it got repetitive fast.
I closed my eyes, slowly stroking her hair, and dozed off too.
"........."
How much time passed?
A wet, pleasurable sensation in my lap woke me up.
-Slurp. Smooch. Slurp.
Jae-eun had her face buried in my crotch, quietly bobbing her head.
(......What are you doing?)
Jae-eun, with my cock in her mouth, flashed a mischievous grin with her eyes.
I glanced around.
Only the engine hum; everyone else must be asleep.
-Smack. Smack.
She sucked quietly, her tongue working fancy tricks even then.
"Mm..."
I savored the delightful texture of her tongue, lightly gripping her head and guiding it up and down.
-Slurp. Schlop. Schlop.
Pleasure raced up my spine.
I pressed her head down firmly and unloaded into her mouth enveloping my shaft.
-Spurt. Spurt. Gulp. Gulp.
-Gulp. Gulp. Smack. Smooch.
She swallowed the huge load and cleaned up neatly after.
"Hoo..."
As I enjoyed the smooth service of her tongue on my cock,
Jin-ah had her eyes narrowed, watching us.
".......?!"
"........."
Her silent judgment embarrassed me a little.
But what was done was done.
I turned my head away and pretended to sleep.
Jae-eun caught on too, tucking my dick away and feigning sleep with her head on my thigh.
"........."
The bus drove nonstop for half a day, even under Jin-ah's glare.
We arrived at a temporary camp as the sky turned a faint red.
It felt a bit underdeveloped compared to the last one, with some containers visible—like development had just started.
"Eat up, then ops briefing. Assemble by 19:00."
Jeon Gyu-hyuk, the tactical team leader, announced to those disembarking.
"We'll rest here tonight and head out tomorrow morning."
Jin-ah came over and said.
It was too late to set out now anyway.
"I'm hungry. Let's eat."
I wondered what the camp food would be like.
Jae-eun hooked her arm in mine at my words.
"I might still be good?"
She winked at me and rubbed her belly.
Feeling Jin-ah's piercing stare on the back of my head, I headed to the mess hall with Jae-eun.