Episode 73. My Hyeong (2)
“Did you wait for long?”
“No, I just got here.”
Kim Seung-hyun was warming up, and he waved at me warmly. Not a lot of time had passed since we first met, but now that he started to follow my training methods, he seemed to have gotten even more muscular.
His rate of advancement was truly extraordinary. There was no Awakener who could match Kim Seung-hyun in terms of his ability to learn and grow stronger.
“What did you want to talk about?”
Kim Seung-hyun asked as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.
“Oh, it’s about guilds.”
“Guilds?”
“Yes, I’m planning on making one, and I want to recruit you.”
“…Recruit me?”
Kim Seung-hyun pointed at himself and asked in disbelief.
After all, I was a rising star, almost confirmed to become a 1st class hunter, and he was just an ordinary 3rd class hunter. He wasn’t famous, nor did he have a sponsor.
“Yes. Although you might lack in ability now, I think everyone will recognize your true value soon. Before that, I want you to be one of mine. If you become a great Tanker in a different guild, I’ll congratulate you… But to be honest, I think I’d be a bit jealous. You aren’t mad, are you?
“Ha, hahaha. What do you mean, mad? I’d be glad to join. Thank you so much!”
Kim Seung-hyun laughed out loud.
“Then, can we write a contract? I just want to finalize it.”
* * *
The Monster Field office of the Awakeners Association.
The voices of a man and a woman and the sound of paper turning rang out in an unusually small and dark room. A mix of papers bearing the words ‘pass’, ‘fail’, and ‘deferred’ were strewn about on the table and the floor.
“Jeong Si-woo?”
“Yes, he’s the best hunter that applied for the Monster Field.”
The man looking over the papers rested his chin in his hand, narrowing his eyes with a “hmm.” Jeong Si-woo was a talented hunter who would become a 1st class hunter if he added a few more accomplishments to his record.
His analytical skills, hunting ability, and talent as an Awakener were all flawless. Just by looking at his record, he could be called a ‘perfect hunter’.
“Why is this incredible guy applying here? We don’t need any spoon-fed elites.”
“Aw, I don’t think he’s the nerd type. I heard he goes mad when he sees monsters and attacks them. That he ignores opportunities to make a lot of money to save people instead…….”
“I don’t like guys like that either. Disqualify him if he wants to be a hero. Saving one of my teammates is more important to me than saving ten strangers.”
“Oh, boss. Still….”
The man spoke sharply, and the woman tried to soothe him.
“We need more people, don’t we? The monsters are increasing in number these days. At this rate, we might need to build a wall like China.”
“…….”
“Let’s give him a chance, then make a decision. How do you know if he has potential or not? Honestly, having someone as strong as a 1st class hunter will improve things significantly. “
“That’s what people said about Han Yeon-soo. They said that if the Queen goes to the Monster Field, she’ll wipe out all the monsters.”
The woman’s face stiffened slightly when she heard the name.
“But what happened when she came? She couldn’t even control her ability to bewitch people and trembled in the middle of the chaotic scene. Was it any different from bringing along a college girl?”
“…Boss.”
Their eyes met. The two looked at each other without saying a word for a while. And surprisingly, the man averted his gaze first.
“Sigh.”
“……”
“Okay, I won’t reject him right away. But if he gets on my nerves even a little bit, I’ll kick him out on the spot.”
Tap, tap.
The man tapped on the table, and the woman relaxed a bit. It meant Jeong Si-woo had passed for now.
“So, the next hunter is…….”
Flip.
He turned over the paper. And at the same time, the man and the woman froze.
“What? A 3rd class hunter applied? Is he crazy?”
The name ‘Kim Seung-hyun’ and a man’s face were clearly printed on the piece of paper.
* * *
“I’m supposed to do this?”
“Yes, in my new guild, I’m going to have all the members I recruit go through this test.”
This was a lie, of course. But there was no way Kim Seung-hyun could know what the tryout for a yet unformed guild was. So he followed me, nodding meaningfully.
“Yes. I’m sure you could make a guild like this.”
The place we were headed for was a new training facility I had bought recently.
“Isn’t this place a bit big?”
“I’ve been making a lot of money lately.”
Kim Seung-hyun exclaimed briefly. The building we arrived at was huge. One could believe it was dozens of times larger than a typical training facility.
This was a training facility I bought and made for Kim Seung-hyun alone. To properly awaken his exceptional characteristic and develop his strength correctly. He was a hunter who was worth the time and investment.
And I had loads of money.
The land, buildings, and stocks I purchased based on information about the future filled my bank account to the brim with money.
“Let’s go in.”
Creaaak.
The door opened along with a metallic sound, and we could see the vast interior.
“Wow… I’d believe you if you told me it was a dungeon.”
“Hahaha.”
As he said, this place’s temporary name was ‘Artificial Dungeon’, made exclusively for Kim Seung-hyun.
“Let’s go in, Hyeong.”
I pushed Kim Seung-hyun. He was busy looking around in a daze.
There were tall trees rising and the scent of soil everywhere. The facility that looked like someone moved an entire dungeon here was a whole new world to him.
“Oh, you guys are here. Hello.”
Inside, Sung Hyun-woo was waiting for us with a smile.
“Oh, hello.”
“Yes, hello.”
Kim Seung-hyun greeted Sung Hyun-woo awkwardly. Although I tried my best to hide him, Sung Hyun-woo was one of my teammates. Kim Seung-hyun probably knew who he was.
“Si-woo, that’s him, right? The amazing kid you always bring along with you.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
People had many opinions about him. They guessed that he was an extremely talented rookie or a familiar I summoned. Or that he was powerful but was assuming the form of a child.
Since nobody knew for sure, people were more interested.
“Your test is simple. We’ll see whether you can sacrifice yourself to protect your fellow hunters as a Tanker under any circumstances. And how you are capable of responding to a dangerous situation.”
“Oh.”
“I and Hyun-woo here will join you for the test.”
“But do I really need to protect you two? I think I’ll probably need your help instead.”
“I don’t think so.”
Kim Seung-hyun looked like he was at a loss. I watched him as I slightly lifted my shirt. And Kim Seung-hyun’s face hardened.
“People don’t know, but my only weakness is durability. It’s worse than a 3rd class Tanker hunter’s, and if I don’t activate my mana, I’m no different from a civilian.”
Under my shirt, my body was a mess. There were scars and bruises all over my stomach, chest, and sides. Kim Seung-hyun swallowed deeply at the appalling sight. It seemed like I would collapse with the slightest touch.
Of course, most of them were fake. Using magic and some makeup, I created a ‘damaged body’. After all, with Zhang Wei nearby, even the most horrible scars were bound to be healed.
And honestly, Kim Seung-hyun was right. No matter how weak my durability was, I was still sturdier than most Tankers. This was a sort of lie designed to deceive Seung-hyun Hyeong.
“He’s no different.”
I lifted Sung Hyun-woo’s arm and beckoned to Kim Seung-hyun. Following me, he touched Sung Hyun-woo slightly. Hyun-woo’s arms were soft and not at all muscular. He was just like other boys his age.
“Without a Tanker to cover him, he’s just an ordinary kid.”
“…….”
“Our team is doing a great job. But the important thing is, we don’t have a Tanker. We’re hanging by a thread and could collapse any day.”
Of course, Zhang Wei made up for most of it. And Sung Hyun-woo could create a barrier sturdier than three 1st class tankers put together if he was really angry.…..
But since we had decided to deceive Kim Seung-hyun, there was no need to tell him that.
“So even though this is a test, you should think it’s real. I trust you, but if you let your guard down, one of us could get hurt.”
“Oh, then isn’t that too dangerous…….”
“I trust you. And we have Mr. Zhang Wei.”
Kim Seung-hyun bit his lower lip at my words. It was his habit that came out when he felt pressured.
“It’s not like we don’t have minimum safety guards here. So just relax and show me your best.”
“…Okay.”
Kim Seung-hyun nodded. He seemed to have accepted it because he thought he couldn’t refuse after coming all the way here. And because he doubted that things could go very wrong during a test.
Sorry.
But I’m going to make it go wrong.
[How on earth did you lead heroes in the past with that personality?]
“…….”
I ignored the Traveler and looked at Kim Seung-hyun rummaging through his personal equipment.
And in the meantime, I put the receiver that I brought in advance into my ear.
“Are you ready?”
-Yeah, but do we have to do this? He’s going to be traumatized.
“No, he won’t. And this is the way to awaken him for certain.”
-…… You’re such a bad guy. Well, since you said you’re going to take him to the Monster Field, I’ll try my best. I can’t go because I’m not on good terms with them. So, I guess it’ll be better to have the person you’re taking grow stronger.
I could hear Han Yeon-soo’s voice from the receiver, and Sung Hyun-woo, who was wearing the same receiver, grinned. It looked like I didn’t need to explain. He had read my memory and realized what the plan was.
“So this is a prank camera, and we shouldn’t get caught, right?”
“You got it right.”
* * *
“Whew!”
Kim Seung-hyun, wearing all his personal equipment, breathed out as he swung his arms around.
Even if it was a test, the fact that we could get hurt because of his mistake seemed to burden him.
Sung Hyun-woo and I wore only simple shock absorption suits, and the three of us were walking in the artificial dungeon.
This is what I explained to Kim Seung-hyun about the test.
If he could keep us safe until we reached the destination about 20 minutes away from the starting point, it was a pass.
If either of us suffered near-death injuries or if our shock absorptions suits were destroyed entirely, it was a fail.
I also told him that many kinds of monsters would appear inside the artificial dungeon and that there would be no directions, tricky routes, or traps, so all he had to do was go straight ahead.
It sounded simple.
“Kiyayak-!”
Goblins jumped out of the bushes. As soon as they appeared, Kim Seung-hyun lifted his shield, and the moment he blocked the attack, he kicked them with his foot.
“Krrrr… krgh.”
Sung Hyun-woo easily got rid of the incapacitated goblins. Looking relieved, Kim Seung-hyun exhaled and started to walk again. Goblins were an easy enemy to him.
“I hope it stays this hard… Ugh.”
Kim Seung-hyun muttered to himself, shaking his head from side to side. Yeah, I bet you hope so. But how could you awaken your ability with this?
I murmured quietly so that Kim Seung-hyun, who was ahead of me, couldn’t hear.
“Han Yeon-soo.”
-Yes.
The answer came right away over the receiver.
“Release one for now.”
I calmly gave the order.
-If he cries, it’s not my fault.
A slightly worried reply came back.
And along with it.
Boom-!
“…Huh?”
The ground began to shake.
“What’s going on, Si-woo? Did you put something in here? No, is it an earthquake? Is there something wrong with the artificial dungeon? Is it bad construction?”
“It’s not bad construction, and it’s not an earthquake.”
“… Can’t you tell me it’s one of the two?”
Kim Seung-hyun’s face crumpled up. The vibrating ground meant that a giant monster was about to appear. Something hidden by the huge trees slowly began to appear.
“I can’t give up now, can I?”
“You can’t.”
Kim Seung-hyun spoke helplessly, and I replied with a smile.
Han Yeon-soo said she was worried he would cry, yet she sent a monster like that. She really didn’t have a conscience. I had told her to send a light one at first, but she nicely picked out a monster that could cause even experienced hunters to sink to the ground.
“Tryouts for the top three guilds probably won’t be this hard.”
Kim Seung-hyun spoke with a sigh and slowly raised his shield. But the shield looked too small compared to the monster in front of him.
A massive body that touched the ceiling of this vast artificial dungeon. And a terrifying outer appearance that made you feel numb and suffocated just by looking at it.
Among the giant monsters, it was a mega-giant one and was considered one of the worst looking monsters among Han Yeon-soo’s troops.
A mountain giant was slowly walking toward us.
“Ajusshi, you’re so evil.”
“Hush, he might hear you.”
Feeling the ground shake, Sung Hyun-woo and I were casually talking.
“Hahahaha.”
Only Kim Seung-hyun was laughing as if he had lost his mind.
“I should’ve just said I wouldn’t join the guild.”
I could accurately read Kim Seung-hyun’s lips.
I’m sorry, Hyeong. But this is just the beginning.
“In five minutes, release three more.”
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