Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Hunter (1)
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The moment the Teleport Zone opened, the examiners were stunned to see all the hunters and helpers unconscious.
They shot strange looks at Cha Su-ho, the only one who was perfectly fine. It was a fact they'd learn anyway once the Branch 5 hunters and helpers woke up, but Su-ho had no intention of volunteering the information himself.
He brushed it off by saying it seemed like his helper abilities had let him wake up early, then just watched as the hunters and helpers were carted off to the treatment room.
"What, don't you like the treatment room?"
Su-ho replied to Jin Seong-hyeok, who asked why he wasn't going with them.
"Doesn't seem like I have time for that right now."
Su-ho continued with a serious expression.
"Deadlock. Tell me how to beat it."
Jin Seong-hyeok clicked his tongue, as if he'd known that question was coming.
"You think I'd just tell you that easily?"
"There's no time."
"You have power. What's there to worry about?"
"Didn't you say earlier that my current skills aren't enough?"
"All you're using right now are Flame Chains, Energy Balls, and Electric Whips. Oh, and that thing where you copy Clark with your electricity."
Jin Seong-hyeok snorted derisively.
"I'm saying that's not enough to take on Deadlock. You need new techniques."
Su-ho's eyes sparkled at the mention of new techniques.
"You're going to teach me new techniques?!"
"You have to learn them to kill Deadlock."
"Then right now—"
"No."
Jin Seong-hyeok continued in a calm voice.
"The next technique consumes a lot of mental power. You need more training first. Training to concentrate your mind."
"Then let's start that training right—"
"Cha Su-ho."
Jin Seong-hyeok's voice grew firmer.
"How long do you plan to keep struggling through solitary training in that room? If you're a hunter, it's way more efficient to train in the hunter-exclusive testing room."
"Hunter-exclusive testing rooms are only for hunters, aren't they?"
"Aren't you a hunter?"
Su-ho froze. Soon enough, everyone would know he had not just helper abilities, but hunter abilities too.
"The Association people will come rushing in soon. You just need to prove you're a hunter in front of them."
Prove he was a hunter?
"Then you can use the hunter-exclusive testing room. You can build up your mental power and pick up new techniques faster."
The hunter-exclusive testing room was practically the ultimate training ground, especially for mental-type hunters. It didn't just maximize mental power—it boosted stats too.
Of course, even training there wouldn't raise your rank or grant immense power, but Su-ho's case was different.
He had Jin Seong-hyeok's power and could use it anytime, but he lacked the mental strength to control it. If he trained in the hunter-exclusive room to build his mind, he'd be able to freely wield all of Jin Seong-hyeok's other techniques that he couldn't use before.
"Like you said, we don't have time. So holing up in your room all day gathering your mind is less efficient than using the hunter-exclusive room. You'll be recognized as a hunter anyway."
"Got it."
"But to do that, first..."
Jin Seong-hyeok let out a short chuckle before continuing.
"When the Association guys show up, let's think about what you're gonna say."
It hadn't even been a few hours before the Branch 1 and Branch 5 hunters and helpers came to. And as if it were the most natural progression, the Branch 5 hunters and helpers reported Su-ho's existence to the examiners.
The examiners initially doubted the story and questioned the Branch 5 group's condition, but their consistent accounts prompted an immediate report to the Association.
Less than an hour after the report, the World Hunter & Helper Association convened an emergency meeting.
In an atmosphere so tense it felt suffocating, the Association President sat alongside the representatives from all seven branches, their faces grim.
Knock knock. The heavy sound of knocking echoed as the meeting room door opened. The branch representatives' and Association President's expressions hardened further upon seeing Trevor and the Center 1 Director from Branch 1 standing there.
"Sorry to call you so urgently."
The Association President broke the heavy silence.
"Have a seat."
Trevor and the Center 1 Director sat in the empty chairs at the President's gesture.
Silence fell again. Everyone itched to speak, their faces tense, but with Association President Endres keeping his lips sealed, no one dared go first.
"Mr. Cha."
As the President's mouth opened and his gaze shifted, everyone's eyes followed.
"Did you know?"
"I received the report at the same time as you, President."
The Branch 2 representative across from him exploded.
"Lies! President, Mr. Cha is clearly lying. Otherwise...!!"
"Quiet."
The President glared at Branch 2.
"I'm not asking you right now."
The Branch 2 rep flinched and bit his lip. The President then turned to Trevor and the Center 1 Director.
"Chief Examiner Trevor, and Center 1 Director of Branch 1."
Both men stared at the President, awaiting his next words.
"When did you find out?"
The President's dull gray eyes flashed momentarily.
"That Helper Cha Su-ho has hunter abilities."
The Center 1 Director glanced at Trevor, who nodded as if to say go ahead.
"I'll speak first."
All eyes turned to the Center 1 Director with tense anticipation.
"His hunter abilities manifested very recently. But we were concerned about the chaos it might cause, so we planned to announce it once we were more certain."
"Was this your independent decision? Even so, shouldn't you have told Mr. Cha, the Branch 1 representative?"
The Center 1 Director nodded in agreement at the President's sharp question.
"You're right. But we had to be cautious. There has never been a single person with both hunter and helper abilities before."
Even a helper who could revert berserk hunters was a first—let alone someone with both sets of powers.
The President's gaze shifted to Trevor. It was time for the question everyone in the room was dying to know the answer to.
"Chief Examiner Trevor."
Trevor met the President's eyes. His calm expression suggested he already knew what was coming.
"Does Helper Cha Su-ho really have hunter abilities? I mean, can someone truly possess both hunter and helper powers?"
All eyes locked onto Trevor—specifically, his lips. Finally, he spoke.
"Yes, it's true."
Murmurs erupted from the skeptical branch representatives at Trevor's confirmation.
"No way..."
"Hunter and helper abilities both..."
The representatives fell silent at the President's hand gesture.
"So, what kind of hunter abilities does Helper Cha Su-ho have? Really..."
Trevor responded calmly to the President, who trailed off.
"First, Cha Su-ho's helper abilities are A-grade, but rated above A-grade because he can revert berserk hunters. And..."
Trevor swallowed dryly before continuing.
"I haven't tested his hunter abilities, so it's hard to judge precisely. But considering the techniques he's using belong to SSS-grade Hunter Jin Seong-hyeok."
"...Considering that?"
Trevor's eyes sharpened behind his glasses.
"I'd rate them S-grade—no, definitely SS-grade or higher."
SS-grade or higher. The representatives' faces filled with shock. Even the President stared blankly at Trevor, at a loss for words.
"Couldn't he just be imitating them?"
It wasn't the President who spoke. It was the Branch 3 representative, dressed in a pristine white kandura with arms crossed.
"How can you be sure it's Jin Seong-hyeok's techniques?"
Trevor answered the persistent Branch 3 rep.
"Flame Chains. Jin Seong-hyeok's signature technique—he used it identically. As the branch representatives and President here know, countless SS-grade hunters have tried to imitate Jin Seong-hyeok's techniques."
Despite being common knowledge, Trevor's words compelled universal agreement.
"Not a single one succeeded."
They were peerless techniques. No one could replicate Jin Seong-hyeok's moves.
And now, Cha Su-ho—an F-grade helper until moments ago—could wield them.
That was when the President's sealed lips finally parted.
"Now I understand why the Center 1 Director was so cautious."
His very existence was a threat. When Jin Seong-hyeok first appeared, his unparalleled power had everyone scheming to pull him to their side with smears and plots.
Everyone in this room had at least once tried to sway Jin Seong-hyeok in private talks.
But this time, it was someone with both helper and hunter powers. Not only wielding SSS-grade Jin Seong-hyeok's techniques, but also able to revert berserk hunters—a helper ability that negated hunters' biggest drawback.
It was enough to drive anyone mad with greed.
The President rolled his eyes. Sure enough, the branch reps' gazes gleamed like starved hyenas.
The competition wasn't limited to these branches. Once word spread, nations worldwide would ally with branches to claim Su-ho.
As long as monsters existed, hunters and helpers were more vital than any military. The more you had, the greater your standing.
In that world, Cha Su-ho was a new variable.
One potentially powerful enough to plunge it into chaos.
The President's eyes narrowed. To prevent upheaval and maintain their power, the Association couldn't sit idle. They had to secure Su-ho under their wing before other branches or nations acted.
Su-ho's subtly sharp demeanor toward him was a minor concern.
No creature was weaker to temptation than humans. Su-ho would be no different.
A sinister curve touched the President's lips.
"Chief Examiner Trevor."
Trevor's gaze turned to him.
"Test Helper Cha Su-ho's hunter stats. And the moment the rank comes out..."
A benevolent smile spread across the President's face.
"Bring him to the Association."
Trevor knew the malice lurking behind that smile all too well.