Chapter 65
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: School Reopening
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Africa's Void Zone.
A level 7 open dungeon teeming with all sorts of powerful magical beasts.
The grasslands where animals once frolicked peacefully had lost their green hue.
Void matter was scattered everywhere, and the rotting corpses of animals felt downright eerie.
But now, not even monsters could survive here.
The ground was completely buried under monster corpses strewn about.
A walking catastrophe from the monsters' perspective.
Clisey Aphren.
Day 7 of the subjugation operation.
She had wiped out the entire area.
And now, another woman lay collapsed before her.
"Cough...! Cough!"
The woman, her limbs severed, sprawled out in front of Aphren.
She glared at Aphren with eyes full of loathing.
"Don't... think this is... the end... Heh heh... Heh heh heh heh!!! The king will come soon... Puahaha!!! You filthy bitch! You're dead too. See you in hell!!"
"..."
Aphren didn't respond.
The Black Mask Organization.
This was their Number 2.
According to intel from the Hunter Alliance, the Black Mask Organization had a total of ten members.
They were numbered based on their strength.
The closer to 10, the stronger they were.
The one dubbed 'Joker,' who killed Gary Oldman.
Number 3, a magician who wielded cards as her primary weapon.
The one dubbed 'Cirius,' killed by Yoon Soo-ah.
Number 1, who commanded a variety of attack patterns using crows.
Even those who hadn't reached Number 5 were incredibly powerful.
It took two S-Ranks just to barely take them down, so if they were hunters, they'd easily qualify as S-Ranks themselves.
Of course, against Aphren, their strength meant nothing.
"Bind her."
"Yes, Commander."
At Aphren's order, three combat hunters approached Number 2.
A type of barrier crafted personally by Yoon Soo-ah.
For Number 2, with her limbs severed, it was an inescapable prison.
Aphren surveyed the surroundings.
Alongside the monster corpses, their own casualties were considerable.
The thousand-strong hunter force that followed her.
After the battle with Number 2, only 300 remained alive.
Even with Aphren there, the hunter force had tasted a pyrrhic victory.
Number 2 was bound and encased in ice.
That made two Black Mask members neutralized.
Numbers 1 and 2.
Interrogating Number 2 would yield more intel on the Black Masks.
"..."
Aphren let out a weary breath.
A month since declaring war on the Black Masks.
They'd finally captured one.
Not knowing where they'd been or what they'd done in the meantime left her deeply frustrated.
The hunters' investigative network was the strongest on Earth.
As the largest population organization, their intel was boundless.
Yet even their net couldn't locate the Black Masks' base anywhere on the planet.
Unless the enemy revealed themselves first, like this time, wiping them out was practically impossible.
The situation was dire.
A B-Rank hunter approached her.
"Exterminate! Commander Aphren, sir. I have a report."
"Speak."
He held out his hand.
Wrapped in thick cloth was a single stone fragment.
"What is this?"
"...A mana stone."
"And what about it?"
Aphren picked up the mana stone.
In that instant, an indescribably dense wave of mana enveloped her.
'...This...!'
Even the great Aphren was stunned by the mana.
Immensely powerful mana coursed through this tiny pebble.
"Where was this found?"
"One of our squad members discovered it nearby, Commander... This seems to be."
"Yeah... It does."
The highest-grade mana stone discovered so far was high-grade.
A single high-grade mana stone, little more than a pebble, was worth billions easily.
But this was a new grade never seen before.
In other words, 'top-grade mana stone.'
Absorbing it just once granted an abundance of mana—a truly cheat-level item.
If the Black Mask Organization hoarded these top-grade mana stones in bulk, even their small numbers made them a massive threat to humanity.
"Search the entire area and collect any more of these mana stones. I'll assemble an investigation team."
"As ordered. Exterminate!"
A sense of unease washed over her.
It felt like some colossal war was about to crash down on humanity.
There had been massive casualties after First Gate and Second Gate.
They had to stop the Third Gate.
Unlike the others, Third Gate was sure to rock human society to its core.
Grip...
Aphren clenched her sword hilt tightly.
In a single battle, over 700 C-Rank and higher hunters had perished.
...It was a time when training top-tier hunters was more crucial than ever.
First Hunter Officer Academy auditorium.
The school felt no different upon return.
Terror attacks worldwide and dungeon expeditions.
And Aphren's recent Black Mask subjugation.
Amid the chaos, the second semester for first-years began at the academy.
"That concludes the opening ceremony. Class officers, please remain in the auditorium. Dismissed."
The emcee stepped down after the brief ceremony.
The uniform felt stiff after so long.
It looked sharp but wasn't practical.
As instructed, each class's elite and above officers stayed behind.
52 class presidents and vice presidents.
78 elite cadets gathered in one place.
It was fair to say over 50% of the first-year academy's total strength was assembled here.
The combat power gap between elites and regulars was clear-cut.
Then, the principal took the stage.
As he appeared, the remaining cadets snapped to parade rest.
The principal spoke in a stern tone.
"This year feels particularly turbulent. You class officers must maintain decorum within your classes as well."
The officers stood rigidly at attention, listening intently.
"I've gathered you separately to explain the new training system and ranking system. ...Prepare the display."
"Yes, Principal."
A hologram appeared on the wall behind the podium.
It was a chart summarizing the current class rankings.
At the top were the ten strongest in the cohort.
The academy called them the [Top 10] and managed them specially.
Maintain Top 10 status until graduation, and those ten automatically qualified as A-Rank hunters.
Moreover, the top 3 among them—positions 3 and above—earned special examiner status.
Pass the exam, and even as A-Ranks, they'd hold provisional S-Rank hunter status.
Provisional S-Ranks could ascend to any vacant S-Rank spot, like now.
The cadets in the auditorium eyed the Top 10 list.
Top 10
Hong Ga-yeon (B)
William Mountbatten Jr. (K)
Yoon Seo-hyun (V)
Lee Jung-tae (A)
Aizawa Shinji (T)
Harry Mason (W)
Roy Armstrong (K)
Chen Chen (P)
Anjanip Akol (Q)
Kang Tae-hyun (C)
A class's ranking could shift based on whether it had a Top 10 member.
The prestige of Top 10 within the academy was sky-high.
Bzzz-.
The screen flipped, and new spots appeared below the Top 10.
The empty ten seats: 11th to 20th place.
The silent auditorium erupted in murmurs.
Steadfast Top 10 had suddenly become Top 20.
"The recent terror attacks in urban areas and monster threats. The world is far from safe."
The principal declared loudly.
"To this end! Hunter HQ has announced a policy expanding Top 10 to Top 20 to elite-ize our cadets. This will strengthen our hunter forces toward total elite-ization, a monumental achievement."
Expanding Top 10 to Top 20 wouldn't magically strengthen the weak.
It was just for show.
If the academy's cadets—humanity's front-line fighters—elite-ized, public support would follow.
A foolish notion.
Gaining real combat experience as cadets was far more vital.
Just adding Top 10 seats wouldn't solve anything.
"Interest and emphasis on 'human-vs-human combat' has also surged. As you know, terror attacks continue worldwide. And above all, the Black Masks."
Black Masks.
The organization had rocked the hunter world.
And it started right here.
As First Hunter Officer Academy, they couldn't help but take it personally.
"We'll confront not just monsters, but humanity's hostile forces with unyielding resolve. That is the core and root of us hunters!"
Different from the principal I'd seen before.
Back then, he was just a stammering, slow-speaking old man.
Now, he exuded general-like dignity more than anyone.
"We elites, including Top Twenty, must strive to eradicate evil completely. The academy will support you fully for that. Remember, you are the eternal heroes guarding citizens and Earth."
Had he said that to the whole student body, it might've earned more trust.
But these words were only for the 130 here.
Suddenly, Gwanghwamun flashed in my mind.
The courage to charge despite knowing their weakness.
The military police's resolve, unafraid of death.
Their deaths were never in vain.
Weak hunters weren't disposable talents.
Everyone had roles, from S to F-Rank.
Yet this principal dismissed that, favoring only C-Rank elites and above.
'...'
It rubbed me the wrong way.
As someone who'd lived 22 years as an F-Rank hunter, these words grated.
The current hunter system definitely had issues.
"...Now, regarding the second-semester schedule."
An instructor climbed the podium and handed the principal a paper.
He scanned it slowly before speaking.
"This semester's schedule differs from last year. Last year focused on dungeons and survival. This year."
He removed his glasses.
"Terror prevention and human-vs-human combat."
...
The murmurs died down quickly.
To prepare for global terror threats, terror countermeasures and PvP courses were added for first-year second semester.
"Thus, do your utmost for humanity. Dismissed."
"Unit—attention!"
Snap, snap!
As the principal's address ended, cadets shifted to attention.
Uniform precision.
"Salute the principal."
"Exterminate!"
"Exterminate!"
The principal returned the salute and stepped down.
The opening ceremony was over.
Second semester for first-years officially began.
Some cadets seemed thrown by the changes, but most took it in stride.
These kids had trained 'elite'-style through any drill.
I tucked my peaked cap under my arm.
Excited for what lay ahead.
What events awaited me.
How much stronger I'd get.
...My goal for this semester was set.
Ranking 1st.
Surpassing Hong Ga-yeon and claiming the top.
Seizing the summit.
"This'll be fun."
I smirked.
(To be continued)