Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Entry
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I grabbed a tray of food and sat at the table, and soon after, someone plopped down in front of me.
"Hello. I'm Awakener Im Cheol-woo."
The guy introduced himself and extended his hand toward me.
"........."
"........."
I stared blankly at his hand.
"Ahem... You're a man of few words, I see."
The guy awkwardly pulled his hand back.
I had no desire to shake hands with some random nobody.
"They say you're a C-Rank Awakener. That's impressive."
Did he not notice how uncomfortable I was?
He was a weird one.
A guy my size normally made people keep their distance.
But this oblivious idiot just sat there yapping away.
"Mind if I ask what suit that is? I fancy myself a bit of a connoisseur, but it's a model I've never seen before. Got me curious."
The suit was just something Suni had materialized, mimicking the shape on a whim.
But we weren't close enough for me to tell him that.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Beat it."
".......Ah. Y-Yes. Sure."
The guy's face drained of color as he grabbed his tray and bolted.
I had zero intention of indulging that stinky loudmouth.
Sure, I might come off as rude, but whatever.
Better that guys like him steer clear—worked in my favor.
If I were a truly nasty Awakener, his head would've been cracked open with that tray.
The fact that I didn't resort to violence made me a gentleman.
"Uncle, who was that?"
Jae-eun sat next to me with her tray and asked.
"No idea."
He'd said a name, but it was already gone from my memory.
"Wow, the food's so good."
I thought the same.
Didn't expect much from camp chow, but the quality was solid.
Must be the company's deep pockets.
"Uncle, try this. It's delicious."
She shoved a chunk of meat into my mouth.
I had some on my own tray, but I ate it anyway.
"Nom. Nom."
"Tasty, right?"
"Yeah. Pretty good."
I could feel the stares from around us, but I ignored them.
"Should I learn from the chef uncle and make it for you at home?"
"No need to go that far."
It was tasty, sure.
But not worth Jae-eun going out of her way to learn it.
"You two dating?"
The loudmouth had left, and at some point, Ko Eun-ha—my hunting party member—had taken his spot.
"Eh... Yeah, something like that."
"Hehe. Uncle, ahh~"
"Nom. Nom."
"You two are... really close..."
If we weren't close, we couldn't rub shoulders every day like this.
"I know pretty much all the Company Awakeners, but you're new to me."
"Just joined recently..."
"I see. Making you sign a secrecy oath, though? You some kind of secret weapon?"
"Eh... You could say that."
I was too lazy to think up an excuse, but she handed me one on a platter. Thanks.
"Still, glad the hunt's on. I had my eye on this limited-edition item, and if it got canceled, I wouldn't have been able to snag it."
Ko Eun-ha chattered away happily in front of me.
But since she had a pretty face, unlike that guy, it was tolerable.
"Uncle, ah~"
"Nom. Nom."
My quarters were surprisingly nice.
Probably because of my rank.
"Uncle, I thought it'd be a tent or something. This is great. Even has a shower."
We're still inside the camp with decent facilities.
"Gonna be tents starting tomorrow."
Jae-eun could've had her own spot but chose to bunk with me.
Everyone thought she was my girlfriend anyway, so it'd be fine.
Before long, Jin-ah showed up.
"What's up?"
"Operation briefing."
I recalled the guy from the tactical team mentioning it.
"Gotta go?"
"If it's your first C-Rank monster hunt, you should."
Jin-ah recommended it, and...
This was Jae-eun's first hunt too.
Probably best to attend.
I went to the so-called operation briefing with Jae-eun.
Everyone participating in the hunt was there.
The Hunters too.
They seemed more disciplined than expected.
The tactical team leader pointed at the situation board and explained the plan.
The target was a fat, four-legged lizard-like monster.
Not a rift spawn—native Gate monster.
It had tough-looking blue skin that stood out.
Hence the fancy name: Blue Drake.
From what I gathered...
Handle two F-Rank rifts on the way.
Then take down the Blue Drake.
I could always ask Suni later for details, so I half-listened.
-Knock. Knock.
"Mr. Un-ho. Time to go."
Jin-ah's alarm woke me.
Jae-eun was sprawled naked on top of me, sleeping.
I smacked her firm butt to wake her.
"Jae-eun, time for school."
"Aww... Daddy, five more minutes..."
She woke to the alarm too, from the looks of it.
We got ready and headed out together. Everyone—Hunters and Supporters alike—was suited up and fully geared.
We were the last ones.
Company-issued gear? Top-shelf stuff. Solid firepower.
(Isn't that the greatsword on his back? Why use that? Isn't he C-Rank?)
(Big guy makes that brute of a blade look proportional.)
I had Manz's legendary oversized greatsword Excalibur strapped to my back, which apparently drew eyes.
More cleaver than sword, but whatever the makers called it was fine by me.
Still, my rank kept the mockery at bay.
Truly, ability commands respect no matter what.
"Everyone's here. Ready to move out?"
The tactical team leader reported to me.
For the record, I was the captain.
Highest-rank Awakener gets the title.
Purely ceremonial, though.
Pants captain.
All orders came from the tactical team leader anyway.
The real boss.
Even as a Non-Awakened, he counted as a Supporter technically.
Didn't matter to me who led, but some asshole Awakeners probably necessitated the setup.
I nodded.
"Move out!"
At his command, we each slung a pack and entered the jungle.
Smooth sailing.
Supporters harvested visible fruits and herbs as we went.
They were clearly better treated and specialized now.
Or maybe just because they were from an organized Company.
We bashed occasional F-Rank monsters popping out.
Even had monster detectors.
No real danger.
Jae-eun handled her first hunt without flinching, dispatching monsters effortlessly.
As I sensed from our first meeting, she wasn't the type to fear monsters.
'That's why I suggested it.'
Her axe work was top-notch, as I'd seen before coming here.
Monster kills don't need fancy techniques.
Awakener physical prowess helped, sure.
But her moves were crisp regardless.
Like she'd swung an axe chopping wood before.
'Lived in the sticks splitting logs, maybe.'
Everyone was a pro Hunter, so I never even drew my blade.
Absurd that it stayed sheathed against F-Ranks.
We followed the Supporters at a leisurely pace.
Four or five hours in, no incidents, we reached the first objective.
"F-Rank rift."
The tactical team leader reported.
Obviously, C-Rank Hunters skipped F-Rank rift clears.
No plans to task us with anything but the C-Rank.
He gave orders to Jae-eun, Jin-ah, and the Hunters.
They charged the rift with her in the lead.
I'd guessed from the roadside ambushes, but...
Thick-bodied snake monsters swarmed the rift.
The vanguard massacred the dark-red beast snakes, advancing steadily.
Jin-ah swung a two-handed claymore-like greatsword.
Not sure if it was my style, but greatswords had presence.
Jae-eun twirled her axe with gusto too.
No fear amid the savage monsters—suited her, maybe.
F-Rank and Non-Awakened Hunters mopped up the stragglers behind.
The monster-Hunter clashes looked straight out of an action flick.
-Crack!
Jae-eun's axe shattered the rift, wiping the surrounding F-Ranks in seconds.
Supporters rushed in, dismantling the dead snake corpses.
Snagging mana stones, hides—the profitable bits.
"World's improved a lot..."
"Huh? What, Uncle?"
Jae-eun, arm linked with mine, asked.
"Back in my day, dawdling like that got you curses or kicks."
Even hustling drew ire daily.
The Supporters sped up a tad after my words? Or hallucination.
"You've been through a lot, Uncle."
Jae-eun patted my butt.
Worst chapters of my life: army and porter days.
They say time turns it to nostalgia...
Bullshit. Better off without those memories.
Lost in latte memories, I felt Jin-ah's gaze.
"Ahem..."
Bit my tongue to avoid boomer vibes.
Supporters finished harvesting, cleaned the site spotless, and whipped up camp in no time.
Organized and efficient.
We ate lunch.
Decent for field rations.
Stay here tonight, C-Rank hunt tomorrow.
After eating, Jae-eun and Jin-ah headed to another nearby rift.
About 2-3 km away.
F-Rank, so no sweat for them.
Still, out of sight nagged at me.
Launched a drone.
A few others filmed them too.
They cleared it in a flash—made my drone pointless.
Once Jae-eun and Jin-ah's team sealed it,
Supporters grabbed the byproducts from the corpses and returned to camp with them.