Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Hunter (2)
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The teleport gate opened. As Trevor stepped forward slowly, someone came running toward him.
"H-Hello! Chief Examiner Trevor!"
The one who spoke up with a face full of tension was Derek.
"I'm Derek, the chief examiner for Branch 5...!"
"Cha Su-ho."
Ignoring Derek's words lightly, Trevor cut straight to the point.
"Where is Helper Cha Su-ho right now?"
"Ah, Helper Cha Su-ho is in the treatment room getting a massage...!"
"Take me there. Now."
At Trevor's firm command, Derek straightened up rigidly and replied.
"Understood!"
Derek took the lead. Trevor's expression as he followed Derek quickly toward the treatment room was far from ordinary.
It had been strange from the start. Not only had he survived having his heart pierced alongside Jin Seong-hyeok, but this Helper had gone from F-grade to A-grade.
Trevor had his suspicions. What if Jin Seong-hyeok had passed all his power to Su-ho before dying?
He had long sensed that Jin Seong-hyeok had lost his will to live. Once, while Trevor was testing him, Jin Seong-hyeok had asked if he could just kill him.
He'd said his daily routine of slaughtering monsters had grown tedious, that even watching monsters and people die before his eyes stirred no emotions anymore. He'd even laughed, wondering if he himself was truly a monster.
Trevor had suggested to the Association that Jin Seong-hyeok needed an extended leave, but the response was a mere week of rest.
Trevor knew well that vacations weren't what Jin Seong-hyeok craved. He yearned to become an ordinary civilian, oblivious to the hellish events at the front lines. It might have been one of his deepest wishes.
And not long after, Jin Seong-hyeok died.
Even with his monstrous regenerative abilities, the wound through his chest hadn't healed.
Of course it was suspicious. His chest should have regenerated within minutes, yet he died just like that. And when Su-ho, found with him, displayed impossible regeneration, the doubts only grew.
What if Jin Seong-hyeok had transferred his power and died?
But now, with confirmation that Su-ho not only possessed Hunter abilities but could wield Jin Seong-hyeok's techniques, there was no need for further doubt.
Trevor's eyes gleamed sharply behind his glasses.
Knock knock. Derek, who had been leading, stopped and rapped on the door.
"Treatment in progress."
At the examiner's voice from inside, Derek replied.
"Chief Examiner Trevor is here for Helper Cha Su-ho. Open the door."
No sooner had he spoken than the door swung open. A young-looking examiner greeted Derek, then spotted Trevor beside him and bowed in surprise.
"H-Hello! Chief Examiner Trevor."
"Where is Helper Cha Su-ho."
"He just finished his massage and is resting now."
Trevor poked his head into the treatment room. His gaze swept the room and halted at one spot.
A pod-shaped machine. Confirming the light was on, Trevor turned to the examiner.
"Is he in here?"
"Y-Yes! He just got in!"
Trevor raised his hand and knocked on top of the machine.
"Helper Cha Su-ho."
Whether it was soundproofed or not, there was no response from Su-ho. Trevor knocked harder and raised his voice.
Thud thud—.
"Helper Cha Su-ho!"
Then the closed hatch cracked open slightly, and Su-ho's voice came through.
"Did you call for me, by any chance?"
"Helper Cha Su-ho."
At Trevor's voice, the machine hatch flew open wide. Su-ho looked up at him with a startled expression and spoke.
"Examiner Trevor?"
"It's been a while."
"What brings you here?"
"I have something to discuss. I know it's rude, but it's urgent, so I had to knock like this."
Urgent business. Urgent enough for Chief Examiner Trevor to come all the way to Branch 5's training field.
Su-ho let out a chuckle.
"The Association must be in an uproar."
Seeing Su-ho's relaxed demeanor, Trevor paused. He'd thought Su-ho had changed since announcing he was a Hunter, but not to this extent.
Moreover, his body had changed since their last meeting. His shoulders were broader, and the muscles covering his frame suited the label "Hunter" far more than "Helper."
"So."
Su-ho rose slowly, his gaze turning to Trevor.
"What did the Association say?"
"...They're proceeding with the examination."
"You mean the Hunter exam?"
"Yes. But unlike the Helper test, it won't push you to your limits. Just a blood test and a basic energy check."
Trevor adjusted his glasses and continued.
"I'll be conducting the exam myself. Shall we start right away?"
"How long will it take?"
"About half a day."
Half a day. Nothing compared to the Helper test.
"Understood."
Su-ho picked up his clothes from where he'd set them aside. Dressed in an instant, he said to Trevor.
"Let's go."
Outside the treatment room, Derek was waiting.
"Hello, Helper Cha Su-ho!"
As Derek greeted Su-ho, Trevor spoke up.
"We're planning to conduct a Hunter test. Please guide us to an available exam room."
"A Hunter exam room? Who's the Hunter...?"
Derek froze, then glanced at Su-ho and let out a short gasp of admiration. Having momentarily forgotten Su-ho's Hunter abilities, he snapped to attention.
"I'll guide you!"
Derek hurried off. Trevor and Su-ho followed behind.
They left the treatment room and walked down a long corridor lined with exam rooms and examiners. At the sight of Trevor and Su-ho, the examiners whispered among themselves, staring at the pair. Finally, Derek stopped.
At the end of the corridor, the last room. Derek opened the door to reveal a row of chairs and machines. Beyond was a transparent glass wall offering a clear view inside, where medical beds and equipment were set up. It seemed designed to observe Hunters testing inside from outside.
"This is it."
Trevor nodded at Derek's words.
"Good. We're about to begin the Hunter examination for Helper Cha Su-ho. Let's start with the blood test."
"Right away!"
Derek moved quickly. Soon he returned with five or six examiners, his hands full of equipment.
"Helper Cha Su-ho—no, Hunter... wait."
As the examiner hesitated over the title, Su-ho spoke up.
"You can call me Helper. Or just use my name."
With Su-ho being the first to possess both Helper and Hunter abilities, titles were tricky. The examiner, glancing around, settled on his name.
"Mr. Cha Su-ho, we'll begin the Hunter aptitude test. This way, please."
One examiner led Su-ho behind the glass wall. Trevor took a seat in the row of chairs. Derek quickly sat beside him, while the other examiners stood rigidly behind.
"Please lie down comfortably on the bed."
Su-ho lay down as instructed.
"Raising the bed head."
Su-ho's upper body lifted, making it more like reclining than lying down.
The examiner opened a neat square box. White vapor billowed out, revealing syringes and vials of solution.
"What's this?"
At Su-ho's question, the examiner replied.
"Ah, it's the Hunter test drug. It maximizes your abilities so the blood test shows more details. You had it during the Helper test too, but..."
During the A-grade Helper test, it had been administered while Su-ho slept, so he hadn't seen it.
"Ah, I see."
"Injecting the drug now. Your heart might beat faster, and you could feel excited. It'll settle in a few minutes, so just relax."
"Got it."
A brief tension flickered across Su-ho's face as he exhaled shortly.
'Why so nervous?'
Jin Seong-hyeok chuckled inwardly and continued.
'Anyway, I'm curious. Wonder what the test results will show this time.'
Squeeze. Just as Jin Seong-hyeok finished speaking, a needle pierced Su-ho's arm, and he felt the drug entering his vein.
It was an unpleasant sensation. The drug traveling through his vein was so vivid it sent chills down his spine.
At the same time, as the examiner said, his heart began to race. His breathing quickened involuntarily, and his body felt strangely floaty, like an excess of adrenaline surging through him.
Unable to sit still, Su-ho twitched. To keep from bolting upright, he focused on conversing with Jin Seong-hyeok.
'Suddenly curious. What did your Hunter exam results show, hyung?'
'Me? You'll be shocked.'
Nothing would shock him anymore. Jin Seong-hyeok was an SSS-grade Hunter. It would match that.
But Su-ho doubted his ears at Jin Seong-hyeok's response.
'Everything came up.'
'...Everything? You mean...?'
'All abilities, yeah. Everything.'
If all abilities showed up...
'No way—all Hunter main abilities? Like... telekinesis, fire, water...'
'Exactly.'
Jin Seong-hyeok continued as Su-ho exhaled in disbelief.
'Every known ability, even if weak. I had them all.'
'...Hyung. So you could use every ability?'
'No. Some I couldn't use, but I had resistance to them. But if this shocks you, you're in trouble.'
'What could possibly shock me more than this.'
Su-ho's mind was already reeling from what he'd heard.
'Lots of abilities don't show on blood or aptitude tests.'
'...W-Wait.'
'Gate creation's one of those.'
Su-ho's mouth slowly fell open. Jin Seong-hyeok was even more extraordinary than he'd imagined—beyond imagination.
'Hyung... are there abilities you haven't told me about yet?'
'Isn't that obvious?'
Obvious?
'How... how strong are you, exactly?'
'That's not the point. You'll learn that as you grow stronger.'
Dismissing it casually, Jin Seong-hyeok went on.
'The real important part is something else. Cha Su-ho.'
Jin Seong-hyeok snorted.
'You've absorbed all my power. So what will yours show?'
'...Wait. Hold on. Doesn't that mean I'll come out as SSS-grade?'
'That's a given.'
SSS-grade as a given?
'Plus your A-grade Helper abilities.'
Jin Seong-hyeok laughed as he delivered his final words.
'Shouldn't it be even higher?'