Chapter 19
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: To Get Stronger (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Yone Chayengopski. You're expelled."
When the word "expelled" rang out,
the briefing room fell silent.
The inevitable farewell had finally come.
And Yone Chayengopski was the first to go.
Drag!
Yone shoved his chair back and shot to his feet.
"Th-this is unfair!! I...!"
"No excuses."
The proctor slammed his hand on the evaluation log and glared at Yone with sharp eyes.
Under that gaze, Yone shrank back.
"Doesn't matter how strong you are. Or how much you care about humanity. Our instructors' job is to send home anyone unfit to be a hunter down the line. If you put your comrades in danger and jeopardize operations, you don't belong at the academy anymore."
Yone's fists trembled.
I deliberately turned my head away.
There wasn't a word wrong in what the proctor said.
He lacked the qualities of a hunter.
Even without this incident, he would've been expelled in his second year.
This was actually the better choice for him.
"…"
Yone left his seat and headed for the hallway.
As he grabbed the door handle, our eyes met.
I didn't look away. I stared right at him.
He bit his lip and spoke.
"…I'll make you regret this."
I snorted in response.
At least I'll be higher up than you, so no need to worry.
He opened the door and vanished.
It was the last day of May.
Ha Dong-hwan's office.
At his summons, I changed into my uniform and stood before his door.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
Ha Dong-hwan stubbed out his cigarette and headed to the sofa.
I saluted him, then took a seat on the sofa he indicated.
Ha Dong-hwan poured me some tea.
Serving tea to a cadet.
If that wasn't special treatment, what was?
"So, about this evaluation. Your scores came in stellar."
"Thank you, sir."
"Nah, I didn't do anything. You earned it."
He spoke while reviewing my evaluation log.
Total subjugations: 132.
A dungeon that would've been impossible to clear under normal circumstances.
The main goal of this evaluation was to induce "fear in the face of death."
So they'd set the difficulty impossibly high for cadets like us.
But I'd cleared it anyway.
By massacring 132 kobolds single-handedly, becoming the first in academy history to pass this test.
The instructors and school brass had no choice but to be stunned.
They were even calling me the greatest talent since Aphren.
Of course, it wasn't all praise and expectations.
"Seems the higher-ups have taken quite an interest in you."
"Thank you, sir."
"…So, what's with that bracelet? It was changing shapes freely."
Ha Dong-hwan pointed at my bracelet as he spoke.
Here it comes.
It was the instructors' job to check for unfair advantages or cheating.
He kept a straight face, but he was definitely suspicious.
I fiddled with the bracelet and opened my mouth.
"It's a switch weapon. A weapon that can transform into any form I want."
"Acquisition route?"
Ha Dong-hwan blew on his tea and asked.
"I received it."
"From who."
The question felt rehearsed.
It was like being interrogated.
He sipped his tea casually, but there was a thorn in that query.
No one would believe a regular cadet had such high-end gear.
If the acquisition was illegal, it was a major crime.
I needed a route they'd buy.
And there was only one that fit.
"Guild sponsorship."
"Guild? Which one."
"Well... I can't disclose the guild's name. You know that, sir."
Countless guilds had approached me beforehand.
From casual probes to ones even a kid would know.
The unconventional tactics I'd shown at the tournament had that much impact.
Revealing a guild as a cadet could cause big problems.
Ha Dong-hwan was an academy alum himself.
Basically, your post-graduation affiliation—military branch or nation—was top secret.
It was a personal choice.
The academy had no say in it.
"Hmm... Right? Yeah, I figured as much."
Only then did Ha Dong-hwan break into a grin.
The reason he'd bought the guild sponsorship story was simple.
The strength I'd shown so far proved it.
Promising cadets often got gear from guilds.
Luckily... I'd dodged it this time.
But he'd never dream this weapon was S-rank.
"So, what'd you call me here for...?"
"Just wanted to chat with my vice class president. As your instructor."
He patted my shoulder and returned to his desk.
Even as he said that, his superiors had probably ordered him to probe about my weapon.
With such a mysterious piece of gear...
"Then... I'll be going, sir."
"Yeah, go ahead."
I saluted and left the office.
Several cadets passed by the instructors' lounge.
Guild, huh...
After graduation, hunters had two paths.
One: Work for a national agency.
Two: Join a guild.
I wanted the latter—freedom to operate anywhere.
For that, I needed a guild that'd back me fully.
Hunter Network alone showed tons of guild emails waiting.
Thanks to my tournament performance.
The attention was good news, but I wasn't sold yet.
The black mask.
To track him down, I needed more public exposure.
And to get stronger.
The academy was for training to grow stronger.
I breathed to get stronger.
…
On the way to the dorms,
hands in pockets, I spotted a familiar face sitting alone in the park.
A woman looking lonely on the bench: Irina Delebayne.
Last time on outing, Sonic Enterprises' heiress had approached me.
Asked me to be her right-hand man, but I'd refused.
What's she doing there?
Rich girl or not, no one was around her.
I approached.
"What're you doing?"
"Huh? Wh-what? What do you want?"
Her eyes widened in panic.
Irina was fiddling with something.
Up close, it was rations.
Nutritious, sure, but tasted like crap—not popular with cadets.
I knew it well.
In my past life, during academy days with no cash, I'd lived on these.
"Wh-what? You need something from me?"
"Nah... Not really..."
Rich girl munching rations? I could guess her situation.
Even loaded, the academy ran on points.
No corruption or extra points for cash here.
If it did, it'd have collapsed long ago.
Irina was low-rank—couldn't afford cafeteria meals.
"…"
I tried to hold it in, but a smile crept up.
Old memories bubbling up.
"…! Why are you laughing? You think I'm pathetic too?"
"Huh? No. No, that's not it."
As apology, I transferred points to her.
-Kang Tae-hyun has sent 1000P to Irina Delebayne.
1000P was enough for a regular cadet to eat for three months.
I had points to burn anyway.
"What the—? I'm not some beggar!?"
Typical. This girl never knew how to say thanks.
"Payment for last time's meal. Hit up C-Class if you run low again."
I owed her from before, so this squared it.
Irina stared at me blankly.
She'd definitely be useful.
Undeniable fact: one of the richest out there.
Just the C-Class exclusive gym.
Over 200 pyeong in space.
Weight training gear, mana training equipment.
Autonomous combat arena and even dummy targets.
All for C-Class only.
Whirr—
As I entered the gym, all eyes turned to me.
No surprise...
My classmate got expelled yesterday.
And I was the cause, so they'd all hate me.
I strode to the lockers and stashed my bag.
Shoved 20KG dumbbells in for basic training.
"Tae-hyun, you're here?"
Yoon Ah-young, mid-workout, approached first.
She hemmed and hawed, hesitant.
Looked like she had something to say, so I waited.
Obviously about how the class hated me now.
"Um... the vibe lately's been kinda weird."
Yup.
Familiar feeling.
"...Yeah? They hate me?"
"No! No, opposite actually. Like... um... er... admiration?"
"Admiration?"
"Ah... ahaha. Yeah, admiration or whatever. Anyway."
"...What?"
She scratched the back of her head.
No clue what Ah-young was on about.
Slam.
Closed the locker and headed to the machines.
Routine was simple.
20KG dumbbells in bag, 30 minutes running first.
Then strength, mana training.
Basic daily regimen, barring dungeon raids or major drills.
After: sword, spear, bow, shield—raising proficiency in order.
Finally, rock-breaking.
Practice to meet Yoon Ji-yeon again.
I hopped on the treadmill.
Suddenly, classmates rushed the machines on either side.
Even fought over spots next to me.
"...What're you guys doing?"
"Tae-hyun! Hey! Study group open? Join ours if—"
"No way! We called dibs first."
"What're you talking about? Tae-hyun! Our strength training group."
…Oh. This.
After seeing my eval, cadets wanted me as their "master," recruiting hard.
Explained the gym crowd bigger than usual.
Ah, annoying.
Should've just trained at home.
Came for the switch to basics, now this.
No way to train properly.
"You lot! Cut it out."
Then Mitsuda showed up, arms crossed, reining them in.
Oh, Mitsuda, helping out??
The moment I thought that, he yelled,
"Big bro's studying with me!"
Same breed.
Ended up just running and heading back to my room.
London. A rainy night street.
Drip. Drip.
Blood dripped from the sword.
"Guh... ugh...!"
The slashed hunter writhed in agony.
His throat gushed blood.
"ID tag. Check it."
"...Yes."
The clown-masked man pulled the tag from the hunter's neck.
Blood-soaked, unreadable.
The clown rinsed it in rainwater and checked again.
"...Kang. Matches."
"Proof?"
"None."
The clown pulled hunter ID tags from his pocket.
Clatter!
A massive pile.
All shared one trait.
Surname: Kang.
"That old hag didn't lie to us??? Damn it. Third month already."
"No way. She's the 'King's' approved prophet."
"Hah! Prophet, my ass. You'd think she'd reincarnated or something."
Then the "dead" hunter shuddered back to life.
"...Who... are you... Why... do this..."
"Hm? Hey, Joker. Why isn't he deader?"
"Sorry, Kirius."
"Argh, freaking pain. Pisses me off."
Kirius approached with his dagger.
"Don't hate us too much. We're not that bad once you get to know us."
Stab!
Kirius's blade pierced the hunter's throat.
The hunter finally stopped breathing.
"Ugh. Shit. Laundry again. Let's grab whiskey. Joker. Next stop?"
"...1st Hunter Officer Academy."
"What? Academy? Oh, been a while. Who's the target?"
"...Kang Tae-hyun. First-year cadet."
"First-year? How the hell do we even get in there."
The two left the corpse behind and slipped into the alley.
(To be continued next time)