The Protagonists Are Murdered By Me Chapter 1: 1-10, a 13 tzameti fanfic

Regressor, Reincarnator, Possessor, Traveler, or Predestined. I will hunt down the protagonists that exist in the countless worlds and absorb their abilities. Here lies the protagonist. The continent's hope. The hero who will save the world. The hero who currently has a hole through his chest! With the Spirit of Earth, freed the Dwarfs and gained their trust. Purified the contaminated Forest of Spirits and became the Fairies' benefactor. Resealed the Ancient Stone statues found in one of the ruins. Exterminated the giant sea serpent that emerged from the sea. Defeated the 47th Demon Lord of the underworld… "Aside from assaults and murders there were other death related incidents as well as vandalism, arson, and etc…" "S-spare me…" Psh! That was the protagonist. But now, he has died by my hands.

'100 million.'

On a desk laid a banknote.

It was my severance pay and life insurance.

100 million.

It was ridiculous.

It was better to die of cancer than to be given this amount.

"The Guild Master would like to express his regret over your retirement."

"That's it? Why didn't he put in a little more money then?"

"I'm sorry, but that's not my jurisdiction."

But I knew.

I'm only worth 100 million won to them.

A veteran hunter who had survived for 15 years fighting monsters on the front line.

But without superpowers I was at best a F-Rank hunter whose position in the guild was about the same as a disposable chopstick used a little longer.

Three years after my debut as a hunter I joined the guild and was with them for 12 years since its establishment to its current position, but now I can see that all of it was only worth 100 million.

I understand.

I worked harder than anyone else, but the world wants a person of value rather than just a hard worker.

Since I was just a chopstick without value I guess it was a proper end for a chopstick…

Even now I had never seen this woman before who came to hand over 100 million won.

It's like a servant of a servant.

Well, this is better for me.

"Then, I hope you live well for the rest of your life."

Looking at the back of the receding woman I leaned my back against the bed in the hospital room.

'Haha. Damn it.'

An incurable illness.

There's something strange in my heart that can't be seen, and doctors don't know what it is either.

I was quite calm when the doctor told me my chance of living past this year was slim.

15 years.

I'm the longest F-Rank hunter, right?

Considering that the average activity time of incompetent hunters were about one to two years, I've lived longer than expected.

As such, hunters, who did not know when they would die, had a hard time qualifying for insurance.

And if they did die the insurance money would go to their family.

But, I don't have a family.

That's why the life insurance money came to me, who's about to die.

There's no one to complain to, so 100 million is 100 million.

The families of F-Rank hunters, who either died or retired in the past, had received at least a few billion.

Should I have died a little sooner?

[Breaking news: The death of the 109th A-Rank hunter Yoo Jiwon of Korea.]

News of the death of an A-Rank hunter which was reported a few days ago is still flashing on TV.

I heard that hundreds of billions of dollars went to Yoo Jiwon's family.

If he dies, 100 million or 100 billion won would go nowhere anyways, but he couldn't help but feel bad.

I've lived for a long time.

That's what he thought.

'Fuck…'

I couldn't even shed a tear in this terrible situation.

I wouldn't have felt this way if my body was left for dead on the battlefield to a monster.

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It wasn't because of honor, but the idea that I'd rather die to a monster than this miserable death dominated my head.

I wanted to complain.

I wanted to run to the guild master right away and ask him if he was just going to throw me to the wayside like this.

However, I knew the guild master of "Lost Day" was cold-blooded, and would probably keep quiet until I died and then sort things out.

My time is limited, today and tomorrow.

But, even if there was no time limit a regular hunter alone couldn't fight against a big company.

I leaned my head on the bed and sighed.

'100 million. First time I've come across this amount of money. I'm going to buy something delicious tomorrow…'

The procedure to discharge was not difficult.

Take a lot of painkillers, press the button on the bracelet if you're sick, and if you die the sensor will react and the hospital will take care of the rest.

As the world changed due to the appearance of monsters 30 years ago it was not uncommon to discharge patients who were dying like me.

There were not enough rooms in the hospital, and no one could stop a hunter, who was on the verge of death, from quietly ending their life outside the hospital.

Thirty years later everything has changed, but the system of that time still remained.

A five-story old villa.

I live in a collapsed building built more than 50 years ago.

If there's one problem it's that there is no elevator.

'Damn it…'

Half a year ago something unknown began to constrict me and I couldn't do anything intensive.

A little rough activity would shock me and cause me to faint.

I was living with a bomb in my heart.

In other words, in a five-story villa I would have to rest dozens of times on the stairs to get to my home on the fourth floor.

'Now even spending money properly is difficult because of my physical health.'

However, I'm stuck at home, so I'm going to eat a lot of delivery food I've never tried.

Originally, my last supper would not be that luxurious.

Ring, Ring!!

I barely got home and was resting my head against the couch when my smartphone rang.

[Ryu Jinsu: Seodam]

[Ryu Jinsu: I heard you were discharged]

[Taylor Nine: What????Really?]

[Ryu Jinsu: Why didn't you call me?]

'Huh. How did he know?'

The group chat room, which has a total of seven people, is a kind of pledge that we all made 15 years ago to walk the path of hunters.

We all debuted at the same time, but now that a long time has passed, everyone is on a different path.

Some became world-class superstars, some became S-rank hunters, and others became masters of a great guild.

On the other hand, I was still just a hunter at the bottom of F-Rank as everyone surpassed me.

I didn't like this group chat very much, and was in a terrible mood.

I thought about asking for help, but it's probably impossible.

I haven't been in touch with them for a long time, but wondered if they could shake Lost Day.

Originally, I rarely chatted here, but I thought I'd say at least one word since it'll be the last time, so I pressed reply.

[Yoo Seodam: They say there's no problem]

[Taylor Nine: You should have told me that first, you punk]

[Taylor Nine: I'm free, so I'll come visit you in Korea since I haven't gone there in a long time]

[Taylor Nine: Leave the door open]

I laughed as I vaguely recalled her beautiful silvery short hair.

I told them the news of my discharge, but I've always been reluctant to reveal my heart, so very few people knew.

Still, the last consolation was that many of my old colleagues and hunters who somehow heard the news visited and contacted me again.

Soon there was a pile of flowers and gifts in the hospital room when I went back to pack my things.

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The relationships that I made over the years weren't in vain.

I should go through all of this.

Though, I'm just a supporting character, and not a tragic hero who dies with an incurable disease.

After throwing my phone away I checked the mail that came while I was away.

Most of them were monthly rentals, water bills, smartphone charges, and game settlements, but there were a few things that stood out.

'Hunter's Association Invitation? What's this?'

What the hell…To a F-Rank hunter like me?

It was a reasonable thought when I read the title of the mail.

They have invited various veteran hunters with at least 10 years of experience to discuss the Hunter industry.

It was extremely rare for hunters to survive for more than 10 years.

Honestly, if you exclude me, you could count on one hand how many there are.

'I don't have any fond memories of this place…'

I can't even go anyway.

An incompetent hunter who has survived for more than 10 years is about to die.

Leaving it folded and checking the remaining mails I saw a white envelope among the most recent ones.

It was made of a very unusual material. I wonder if I've ever touched this kind of soft paper in my life.

'Is it a new material?'

There was no sender attached.

It is just a plain letter with the words 'To: Yoo Seodam' beautifully written.

I slowly opened the envelope, and found a sheet of paper inside.

An odd sentence appeared.

[Do you want life?]

At this time.

I must have been possessed.

I thought I was going crazy.

Otherwise how could it suddenly appear.

Nodding my head to the strange sentence that suddenly appeared.

The words faded, and I saw another sentence.

[Do you want to continue living?]

The words faded again.

[If you could live a long life, would you like to live a better life than now?]

[Aren't you tired of a life without talent, ability, strength, money, or lifespan?]

'…So what am I supposed to do?'

The words faded again.

[If you could hunt with your own hands the heroes who made you enter the path of a loser and take their talent.]

[Would you do it?]

Take from someone else and make it mine.

It was a logic that might have only been used in the 'law of the jungle' era, but somehow I smiled, and nodded in a dejected way.

'Of course I would, fuck, am I in a position to compromise?'

Yes.

A translucent hologram appeared before my eyes.

[Your Remaining Life: 10 Days 21 hours 39 minutes 23 seconds]

It was none other than my remaining life.

The hologram showed that I had at least 10 days left to live.

If so, sign the contract.

The contract is for you to 'hunt protagonists.'

Really? Before giving it much doubt.

My body is dying in the first place.

He was never a superstitious person, but unconsciously he wanted to grasp on this last strand of hope.

For that reason.

There is no one who wouldn't agree here.

The contract has been signed.

Was I going crazy?

In the midst of that thought the 'remaining life' was constantly decreasing.

"…What do I need to do?"

As I asked the question out loud like a madman the translucent hologram changed, and answers came back.

Hunting, like you've been doing all this time.

But now hunt the protagonists.

If you succeed you will be given lifespan in return.

You can also absorb the talent of the protagonists you've hunted.

"Fuck. What the hell do you mean by protagonist?"

Isn't that a common word in your world?

It's the 'main characters' that appears in novels, movies, dramas, cartoons, and more.

Those who are never defeated, those who stand up no matter what in the face of danger, and those who are favored by the whole world.

"I've seen many of them in real life. You want me to kill them? Impossible."

Even if you just turn on the TV right now, there are many people like that.

They've never failed in their life.

Take my job for example, wouldn't the SS-Rank hunter at the apex be considered a protagonist?

"How am I supposed to deal with a SS-Rank hunter?"

It's not limited to your world.

Protagonists exist in many worlds and many dimensions.

"Ho."

My heart is pounding. I knew I shouldn't do this, but I was strangely excited.

"…Okay. When should I start?"

You can start right now.

"But, there's just one problem. You know I'm in a terrible condition, right?"

My body is not in a condition to do extensive activities.

A stupid body that will have a heart attack if I even run a little bit.

This problem can be solved using your lifespan.

10 days lifespan can be used to temporarily stop the heart condition for a one day.

'…Shit.'

My hands tremble. If I use 10 days, I will have 21 hours left.

Am I just going to live for another ten days? Or will I gamble for a better life?

It was not a choice.

"Yes. I-I'll do it!"

[10-day lifespan used to temporarily suppress heart condition.]

Soon after, my chest felt like something was missing.

A round blue mark was carved into the pit of his stomach.

After a while a heart-rending comfort surged within me.

Although I haven't partied in a long time I felt refreshed as if I had gone back to my youth.

"…All right. Let's get ready, but before that. Can I bring stuff with me?"

20kg is the limit you can take with you.

"20kg? So stingy."

How did a weak hunter like me work on the front line?

It was possible due to the state-of-the-art equipment.

A Leather armor coated with aether, and a coat coated with aether worn over it.

Four aether bullet pistols, eight extra bullets, and one sniper rifle behind my back.

After packing some other explosives I stopped before reaching the weight limit.

I picked up an aether blade, the main weapon of hunters, and pressed the release button.

A white metal's body popped out and became about 120cm long.

When the energy is activated a blue laser coats the edge.

Schink!!

"Huu."

I sighed looking at the blue light of the aether blade for a long time.

Hunters kill monsters using aether, an energy extracted from the heart of a monster.

And now with that energy I'm going to kill people.

'I can't believe I have to fight with this kind of equipment.'

As I always wore a military uniform with reliable equipment I could only sigh when I saw the condition of my current equipment that fell short.

Moreover, the touch of the blade is unfamiliar.

The last time I fought was already half a year ago.

Tigers don't forget how to hunt, but I'm still nervous.

'I wish I could get a Blaster Cannon…'

I can't help it.

First of all, nobody would be satisfied if they had a taste of the best equipment.

"I'm ready."

[Traveling to Erajon Empire. The world of the Level 33 protagonist, Gilitender.]

[10…9…8]

Watching the countdown I took a deep breath.

The other person is the protagonist.

A creature blessed by the world.

I can only trust that this "Client" will match me against a protagonist who I can hunt successfully with my ability.

[2…1…0]

With the message 'Travel Complete' a thunderbolt like sound hit my ear.

The next moment.

The world fell apart.

[You've become a challenger in the Erajon Tournament.]

…Waaaa!!!

Cheers came from all sides.

'Wait, what?'

Quickly taking a combat stance, I stepped back slightly and looked around.

A large space that looked like the colosseums on Earth.

Tens of thousands of spectators were looking down at me, or this place.

"Oh, my. This opponent's entrance was a bit extreme. A lightning bolt struck down. How did you do that?"

Looking straight ahead a pretty boy with dark skin was smiling at me.

He was shorter than I was, but he was so muscular that I didn't think he was weak at all.

And floating on his head…What's that? Hashtags?

#One's_World_Best_Sword

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#Protagonist #Goodriddance #2ndrebirth #Perfecttalent

I was reading it carefully while the other person looked bored.

"You don't look so strong for such a brilliant entrance. Name?"

"Huh, oh. What am I supposed to say? It's a long story."

"You finally answered. You may not know, but my name is Gilitender."

Immediately after, someone's commentary rang from somewhere.

[Ah! What a splendid entrance this challenger had made!]

[A new face! The first challenger to appear today, the name is Yoo! Seo! Dam!]

[Will he be able to beat the champion Gilitender who has achieved 30 consecutive victories!?]

[If not, will it be Gilitender's easy victory again!?]

Gilitender grinned and pointed his sword at me.

"It doesn't matter what you do. Even if you take a pill, poison or threaten my family, or persuade me with your identity. Try and beat me somehow."

Soon, he approached me with a light kick and spoke.

"If that is possible."

"…!!"

Schink!!

As soon as the aether barrier was activated 20% of the energy was torn off in an instant from the severe impact.

Aether armors could withstand a strike from a moderate monster at mid range, but this was bareful one cut!

I took out the aether blade, quickly wielded it with the blue energy coating, and stepped back three steps.

"What is that? Magic barrier? Is that a magic blade in your hand?"

Unlike before when he was laughing hard, Gilitender now looked strangely taken back.

I fixed my posture from the impact which seemed to have caused some internal injuries and spoke.

"It's an Aether Blade, you son of a bitch!"

He lowered his posture to prepare for an attack, but was puzzled as soon as he saw me running.

"This, what is this? Using a technique that would only appear in legends. That's unsightly."

"…!"

Schwua!!

The air from the frictional force of the aether blade was torn with a swing, but he was already by my side kicking me.

"Ugh!"

Only after rolling on the floor two or three times did I realize that I was not his match without a gun.

I couldn't tell at a glance because he wasn't wearing anything, but at that level, it has to be at least an A-rank level of physical enhancement.

Schink!

"Ugh!"

I thought he was definitely standing in front of my eyes, but Gilitender kept disappearing from my sight.

I've never witnessed anything like this in my life.

I was thinking how I could make use of this without knowing where he was.

I am a veteran myself.

And a veteran who has survived much worse situations by tearing down all the strong!

As I hurriedly rolled a grenade under my feet forward I tried to stab the person who turned behind me, but only to stab the air as expected.

Beep, Beep, Boom!!

"Ugh!"

As soon as the aether grenade exploded I took a pistol from my waist and fired it at him.

Each bullet was my lifeblood, but now is not the time to save.

Ping, Ping, Ping, Ping!

Gilitender, who lifted his iron sword and blocked all the bullets despite his bad posture, tried to close the distance again.

Wherever he was running a spark ignited on the floor.

Pashi!!

"Damn it. Is he a wizard!?"

Even an elephant would faint at once, but he only flinched for a moment and soon gave up that plan.

"Heup!"

Then, like a miracle.

[The protagonist Gilitender has gained the skill Lightning Resistance (F).]

Gaining a skill on the spot?

'Fuck! Does that make any sense?'

Skills and superpowers were things I never got in my life.

But there was no time to think about it because he came at me again.

However, now I realized how to deal with Gilitender.

The previous approach was useless, so after retrieving the aether blade I pulled out my sniper rifle.

It was regrettable that I couldn't bring an assault rifle, but I had to be satisfied with this for now.

Holding my breath and aiming at the person who was running sideways.

It was a crazy speed that easily surpassed a cheetah, but I have also hunted monsters who ran this fast.

Paang!!

"Ku-uck!"

One shot seemed to hit his abdomen, but he deflected it again with his iron sword.

'Damn, what the hell is that iron sword made of?'

He was reeling from the shock.

I didn't think he would be able to deflect it.

Damn, aether sniper rifles are good, but the flaw is that it takes a long time to reload.

No, now that I see it something was creeping up on Gilitender's iron sword.

It looks similar to my aether blade, but somehow different.

Still, I was used to seeing "qi" because it is something that anyone on Earth with superpowers can use.

There was no time to load the next shot, so I released about 15cm of energy from the rifle and swung it to my right.

And, just in time, it clashed with Gilitender's sword who was beside me.

Then we both fell back.

Ding!!

"This…"

When his sword was scratched Gilitender opened his eyes in surprise.

"What the hell is that? Mana doesn't give off that hideous energy."

"You don't need to know."

"It's strange. It's not magic. It's using some strange techniques. Where the hell did you come from?"

"I came to kill you."

You don't have to struggle.

In the meantime he was zigzagging up to me, stepping sideways.

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I should get ready to deal with it.

If I give him a chance, Gilitender will catch me.

After another hit the remaining aether was at 60%.

If I allow at least three more hits I'll really die.

With a quick dash a small mine was set up within reach of his feet.

Gilitender didn't know what it was, but he retreated without stepping on it when he sensed it was roughly dangerous.

It was enough to not step on it.

I took out another pistol and shot a few times, but that madman dodged or deflected the bullets like it was nothing.

Yeah, it can be avoided.

It was something that even the superhumans of Earth could do.

However, even A-rank superpowers cannot do the act of hitting each bullet.

Obviously, his strength is barely enough to be C-Rank, let alone A-rank.

But his control was so overwhelming.

Something that doesn't exist on Earth, a very unusual form of swordsmanship, past its limits, existed in him.

Boom boom!

Another clash.

He tried to hit my neck with the sword that quickly pulled away after I activated the aether shield to its fullest extent, but this time it was a close call.

I saw Gilitender's wry smile as he noticed that the energy was rapidly shrinking.

"Hah, well. I don't care. In the end, you will die to me. You were a pretty interesting guy."

Boom!

The energy blade was released at this moment and they separated by a step.

Gilitender, who had backed into a corner again, began to dance.

Yes, I could only explain that it was really a dance.

The tip of the sword seemed to fall, then went up again, and then cut forward as if it were poking in.

'Crazy…!'

I've never seen anything like that in my life. No hunter could do that.

That is real swordsmanship. Unknown to modern people.

[Remaining Aether: 7%]

I quickly activated the aether shield on my wrist because I thought I was really going to die if this kept up.

Clink, clink!

"Keuk!"

A round energy shield with a radius of about 30cm was broken at immediately, but it blocked one hit of the sword at least.

At the same time, I kicked him in the chest and unclipped a grenade.

Tuk!

"…What?"

It was a trick to push him away and blow him up, but he got closer as if he wouldn't be pushed aside by my fragile kick.

"Stop with the petty tricks!"

Kaboom!!

In the end we were swept away by the energy explosion.

My aether's frequency had already been set, so my equipment does not harm me.

"Ku-uck!"

Coughing in vain Gilitender was bleeding from his mouth.

He seemed to have thought of attacking my weak points, but anyone who's a little smart can do that much.

Wouldn't they have prepared this much if they were beaten once or twice?

"Damn it!"

Gilitender screamed and stepped back, and at that moment I pressed a button.

Woosh!!

Immediately after, a huge pillar of fire rose from under Gilitender's feet!

The fireball made of pure aether was more powerful than ordinary fire.𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕦𝕤𝕓.𝕔𝕠𝗆

"Son of a bitch, you can't withstand fire, can you?"

I breathed heavily, and stepped back slowly.

Not even superhumans who have an enhanced body can withstand that fireball.

It was the most expensive equipment I had.

But.

The other person is the protagonist.

I didn't know the full meaning until now.

[The protagonist Gilitender is using his indomitable will to not fall against the extreme flames.]

[The protagonist Gilitender gains the skill Fire Resistance (D)!]

As the flames cleared Gilitender walked out.

There was soot everywhere, but he didn't seem fazed by such things.

"Ho…Awesome…"

"Haha, I didn't know. I guess I can survive a fireball. Now what else do you-"

However, I was already 20 steps back.

"Resistance, let's say that's the case."

Lying down on the floor I press down on a detonator.

"But you're not immune to a M18E17 claymore mine, are you?"

"…What?"

Immediately an explosion followed.

Kaboom…!!

Everything in front of me turned to ashes.

After a brief silence.

Waaaa!!!

Cheers erupted from all sides.

[Oh, my, god! What the hell is going on! The 30 consecutive wins champion! The absolute invincible man! A new champion has been crowned by beating Gilitender! Will he be chosen by the empire?…]

Such noise was somehow good.

I was overwhelmed by the messages that popped in my head.

[You've successfully hunted a Level 33 protagonist.]

[Your Level has risen by 2.]

[Mission Completed. Returning to your original world.]

The noise around me died, and I was back in my studio apartment laying down. Nevertheless, the messages were still steadily popping up.

[330 Days of lifespan will be paid]

[Remaining Lifespan: 330 Days 15 hours 21 minutes]

[You can randomly absorb one of their talents or skills.]

[Do you wish to absorb it?]

Somehow in a blurry trance I just relied on instinct to open my mouth.

"I don't know, just do it…"

Then I heard something spinning.

Another message soon popped into my head.

[Gilitender's talent Swordsmanship (A) has been absorbed!]

"It's a miracle."

I nodded calmly at the doctor's words.

"The unidentified tumor that was straining your heart…it has disappeared as if it was never there."

Said the doctor excitedly while fixing his glasses.

"There may be hope now if we continue with the operation. Perhaps, a few more-"

"No thanks."

I already knew surgery on my heart is no use.

No, it might be useful, but what would that mean?

[Remaining Lifespan: 329 days 20 hours 37 minutes]

I already know of a better way.

"Then, good luck."

I quickly left the hospital, and breathed in the cold air.

"Shoo~. Ack!"

I tried to get some fresh air, but the air in the city was dirty.

Still, I felt good.

My heart was beating like it was free.

At first I thought it was a dream.

A dream of being summoned to a strange world and dueling a powerful gladiator called the protagonist.

However.

It wasn't a dream.

Soon after waking up, laying in my room were half broken equipment like my body.

A refreshing feeling welled up inside of me before I could even think about how much all of this would cost.

No matter how much I ran, no matter how much I exercised, my heart no longer hurts.

No, it's better to say that I'm in better shape than before.

[Your lifespan has been extended and your condition has stopped.]

[When your life ends, your condition will proceed.]

The words of the woman I call 'Client' made me calm down.

For now I can only live another year.

However, it wasn't the end.

The very fact that my abilities have risen.

I couldn't help but admire the status window which was shown like a game.

Modern science has long been quantified, but even that was not as detailed.

There was something that stood out, 'Lv. 19.'

According to the Client's explanation, level is a kind of threshold that human beings can reach.

All abilities cannot be higher than the level.

On the contrary, your level is your limit.

You can raise your level and increase the limit of your abilities by hunting protagonists.

In other words I was only Lv. 17 before hunting Gilitender, so I've increased my limit by two.

Maybe I'm stronger than when I was at my prime.

"What does level 19 mean?"

A typical adult male is Lv. 10, while an average gold medalist is between level 15 and 16 in past Olympic competitions.

'Erm.'

If that's the case, doesn't it mean my past self was the peak normal humans could reach?

I can't believe I'm F-Rank.

The existence of superpowers was really too great.

'A swordsmanship talent…'

Having lived my whole life without any good talents I now had one.

It's swordsmanship too.

Somehow my heart felt full.

However, the Client had mentioned that I did not meet the physical requirements to fully absorb Gilitender's own swordsmanship, but it didn't matter.

The fact that I have a good talent now is all that matters.

"What happened to the guy I killed?"

Permanent death. Now that world's law of causality will go back to normal.

Protagonists are the one who forces the law of causality to give them all the blessings of their world.

That's how the Client once described how worlds come to be ruined.

Check the sins Gilitender had committed.

[Murder, intimidation, blackmail, extortion, assault, and…]

"…I had a feeling, but this was no joke."

Of course not every protagonist harms their world.

But most protagonists are twisting the cause and effect, and many worlds are being destroyed in the process.

"That gave me a good excuse."

If I'm going to kill anyway, wouldn't killing the bad guys make me feel less guilty?

I wanted to receive the next 'mission' right away, but I had something else to do before then.

First, I had to get new equipment.

This battle had damaged most of my equipment, and it'll take quite a while to repair it.

In the meantime, there were only a few things to do.

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Check the newly acquired A talent and train my physical strength that has regressed due to my health the last few months.

You're F-Rank now, but once you fully develop this talent you will become stronger than you can possibly imagine.

And from C-Rank, you will be in the realm of geniuses, as you call it.

I was also told that I was a genius when it came to shooting.

Of course shooting was useful, but if you think it was enough in the hunter industry, it wasn't.

Guns didn't do much good compared to superpowers.

But swordsmanship is different.

The aether blade was a weapon that could certainly hurt monsters like superpowers could, and it was the best match for hunters with 'strong' abilities.

I was also just a normal human, so I had to use aether blades even though it was close range.

'If this swordsmanship is real…'

I found a gym with an old sign that reads 'Geumgang Gym'.

Since my third year of hunting this was the place I visited, and it was also a place where many aspiring hunters would bleed and sweat.

It was a place where many able-bodied people visited because the director developed a method to control the physique very skillfully, but few people came here now because the method had become common.

It was no wonder.

Even though the director was better at training his body than anyone else, his ability was nothing more than C-Rank.

Although it's true that it's good enough, there were many gyms run by retired strong A-Rank hunters now, so there's no need to visit here.

"Huh? Is that Seodam?"

The gym was full of sweaty muscular men and one of them, a trainer with a big body, recognized and approached me.

"You just got out of the hospital?"

"Yes."

"Are you feeling better than last time? Back then you almost…you…were in a terrible condition."

This gym trainer used to visit me at times with the director, but they remembered me almost dying, so it was a surprise to him that I was here.

"It's okay. I'm almost all better."

It's not better, but it was similar.

"What about the director?"

"There's a trainee in the director's office at the moment. Would you like to go see?"

"Trainee?"

Aspiring hunters used to be called trainees.

I'm sorry to say this, but it's interesting that there are still people who would look for director Kim.

"Then let's go."

As I knocked on the director's office I heard a familiar voice.

Entering the room I saw the bald head of director Kim and a young European girl with gorgeous blonde hair drinking instant coffee from a paper cup.

"Ah, Yoo Seodam! You're already out of the hospital? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just left yesterday. Well, leaving the hospital doesn't have to be dramatic."

It wouldn't have been dramatic if I didn't tell anyone in the first place.

"This girl…?"

"You've probably heard of it. The Costantini family in Italy, famous for their swordsmanship."

"Yes. I've heard of it."

"She's the eldest daughter. Her name…"

"Celeste Costantini."

Celeste? I was only a little surprised when I heard the familiar name.

"Are you mister Salvatore Costantini's daughter?"

"Yes. You know him?"

I do.

Although the Italian hunter, Salvatore, was famous for being S-rank at the time, I had a good impression of him because he treated me well as a F-rank.

"You know, I taught him a couple of physique techniques back in the old days. After learning from me he said he gained enlightenment. So he sent his daughter on something like a field trip this time."

Then he shrugged and let out a sigh.

"That's why she's staying here for a couple of months. To be honest, there's nothing to teach."

"What?"

"You, little girl, is a genius. You're 17 now, but already have the strength of D-Rank as well as a great physique."

'…That's crazy.'

D-Rank at the age of less than 20.

There have been occasional cases like this.

They were called geniuses.

To be honest I had no choice but to be amazed.

"Still, you're too polite. When I taught you something you would nod and learn earnestly. I even let you fight others. But honestly, you know what I mean. Maybe you already know there's nothing more to learn here. Even though you haven't said anything."

"Well…"

Certainly.

The Costantini family would have already seen A-Rank abilities and various swordsmanship masters within the family.

D-Rank trainers and C-Rank directors were fine as a trial of sorts, but it would not benefit them if they were weaker than what they had experienced at home.

Salvatore seemed to have sent Celeste to South Korea with director Kim's method in mind, but many things have changed from then to now.

She had nothing to gain here.

That's why Celeste is already showing a 'not interested' expression with everything that's going on in Korea.

"It's only been a week. Huu~. I can't just renegade on your father Costantini's request, so I guess I will have to find something for you to do. Honestly, it's very troublesome."

After hearing director Kim's words I felt very sorry for him, but what can I do?

"By any chance are you an active hunter?"

Celeste asked me in Italian and director Kim tried to translate it, but I could also speak simple conversations in Italian.

"I'm Yoo Seodam. A F-Rank who works as a hunter."

"Ah…F-Rank, Ordinary hunter…?"

"Yes."

Somehow the bluntness was like having a bucket of cold water poured on me.

She really didn't seem to be interested in anything here.

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I asked the director.

"Director. Where's my favorite (baby) sword?"

"Baby? Ah, your wooden sword?…I always thought it was strange, but why do you call the wooden sword your baby?"

"Forget the sword, why are you having such lewd thoughts."

"Strange bastard."

The director took out a wooden sword that I used to use.

I haven't used it for more than 10 years, but it feels the same as then.

I unwittingly held the handle of the wooden sword in the same position as my aether blade, and at that moment I felt goosebumps.

'Huh…Have I been holding it like this all this time?'

The feel of the wooden sword was strange.

No, it had been the same every time I held a sword.

Only now did I realize.

The way I've been fighting so far was so shitty.

Slowly, I aimed the wooden sword into the air, and the trajectory of the sword was clearly visible to my eyes.

How to swing and kill an enemy for sure.

Which part I can cut neatly, I wondered.

It was a perfect trajectory that gave me goosebumps all over.

'Crazy, what is this?'

The countless battles I've been through in my life came to mind and disappeared.

The numerous enemies who had driven me to the brink of death were no match for this sword.

A force so overwhelming and perfect.

This was an A-Rank talent, the threshold of geniuses that can pave the path towards victory.

I can see that road.

How to effectively subdue an opponent.

How to use less effort, cut in, and swing.

How to never lose!

"Hm? Is there a problem?"

"No. My favorite sword feels lighter. More than that, director it's been a long time since I had a match…"

I suddenly stopped talking, and looked at Celeste.

No matter how much I have gained in swordsmanship, I can't win against C-Rank.

Maybe it's hard to even test this talent.

But what if I'm against a hunter trainee with D-Rank strength?

If she comes from a family that is well versed in swordsmanship.

Maybe I can test this out.

"Miss Celeste. You look pretty bored, so would you like to spar with me?"

"Hm?"

Director Kim stopped me when he saw her looking somewhat troubled.

"You, what is it? You don't feel well, do you?"

"So I have to exercise, and this will be my warmup."

"But even so…"

I didn't tell anyone close to me that I had a heart problem.

It's ironic.

Only the Guild Master, who is not close to me, was aware that I am dying.

The director with a cautious look spoke.

"That child has the strength of D-Rank."

I understood what the director meant.

It was a similar reason Celeste was not happy with my offer.

Maybe, if we spar here.

I will surely lose.

But I was a 15-year veteran and it was not insignificant.

Celeste slowly opened her mouth and with a tone that was completely indifferent to our confrontation spoke.

"I've faced three 10-year veteran that are Ordinary hunters and swordsmen in my family."

Oh, my.

I think I know all of them.

"Obviously their swordsmanship were excellent. I learned a lot. But…"

So as if she was telling me to stop.

"The moment I awakened an E-Rank physique they were no match for me. All three of them."

Said Celeste.

That's true.

The moment you awaken an E-Rank physique you enter the realm of the superhuman beyond normal humans.

In other words, no matter how much F-Rank hunters struggle it wasn't even a fight.

She was even close to awakening to the D-Rank.

So she was telling me to stop thinking about this meaningless spar because I would not be her match.

However.

She just looks harmless to me now.

"By the way, did you know?"

"Hm?"

The hunter Salvatore Costantini, who once rocked the world with a single sword, was recently promoted to SS-Rank.

And is one of 37 such people in the world.

How much pride does such a child have in her family and father?

"I've won a one-on-one fight with your father."𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕦𝕤𝕓.𝕔𝕠𝑚

Namely, I had this idea.

"Fine. I've always wanted to see the skills of another veteran hunter."

It was enough of a provocation to make her hold a wooden sword.

He quickly changed into his sportswear and settled down in the stadium.

Other aspiring athletes who were exercising gathered with interest.

"This is Celeste's first battle since her last battle with the director, right?"

"Yep. It was great. She fought quite well against the director."

"By the way, you said her opponent was a veteran hunter?"

"It's an ordinary person with no superpowers."

"Um, I don't know if he's going to be her opponent. Ordinary hunters aren't strong, are they?"

Their chatter made director Kim gulped.

Then he looked towards Yoo Seodam holding his 11,000 won sword and felt something was different.

'This guy…suddenly provoked her. His personality has changed a little after coming back from the hospital.'

Director Kim also heard the provocations against Celeste because he is fluent in Italian.

'I defeated your father.'

And the words were true.

To a certain extent.

99 rounds, 99 loses.

When they sparred, Seodam was always defeated by Salvatore.

It was only natural.

How can ordinary people win in a fight using just a single wooden sword?

However, in their last spar they fought with 100% of their equipment and superpowers.

Yoo Seodam defeated Salvatore.

'I'm curious about the outcome of this confrontation.'

Yoo Seodam is different from other ordinary hunters.

He was a hunter who could make better use of hunting items than anyone else in the world, and at the same time was the pinnacle of Ordinary hunter.

However.

The use of tools was significant in this battle.

Anyone in this position knows it.

The reason ordinary hunters were able to survive in the hunter industry was not because they were good at fighting, but because they were good at hunting.

To put it simply, the battle between the veteran ordinary hunter and the super-skilled aspirant can be thought of as "Home Alone."

Kevin was able to defeat the adults by using various tools in the house, but if he was caught by the burglars he would easily be incapacitated.

Yoo Seodam's current situation was similar to Kevin's.

A Kevin without tools.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

As soon as the words fell everyone quieted because they could feel the sharpness of Celeste who's spirit had suddenly changed.

A battle between a hound and a beast's cub who has lived on the battlefield all his life.

"Huu…"

Yoo Seodam breathed out deeply.

I felt as if the world had slowed down.

Tat!

Yoo Seodam got into position.

Then Celeste with a blank expression brandished her sword.

Rather than trade blows with her, he will find a gap to attack.

In a way, it was too easy to read the thoughts of a veteran hunter.

However, I was confident because Celeste had beaten three ordinary hunters with swordsmanship.

Schick!

"…!"

Looking at the trajectory of the sword, which swung quite sharply, Celeste avoided with just a slight twist of her body.

The swordsmanship of superhumans was different from the swordsmanship of the old days.

They avoid inevitable attacks with superhuman reflexes and movements, and strike with unstoppable force.

She twisted her wrist slightly and aimed towards Seodam.

After dodging to the side he swung his sword from inside his hand as if he was a spinning electric fan and aimed for Celeste's head.

At the moment there was an opening as if the sword had been bent.

Celeste lowered her head in a hurry with a surprised look, but she had already entered the range of Seodam.

Seodam, who was thrusting the sword into the neck of the retreating Celeste, stopped.

The result was too overwhelming.

Celeste's eyes opened wide.

"You must be feeling better now, right?"

"…Yes!"

Celeste's eyes suddenly changed.

As if a storm was brewing, Celeste, whose spirits had changed again, rushed at Seodam wielding her sword.

There's no proper rule, but this stance was used to deal with monsters and not humans.

Obviously, Celeste was stronger and faster.

In addition, unlike Seodam, who has never learned swordsmanship professionally, she wholeheartedly trained her family's swordsmanship from an early age.

But.

Celeste's attacks didn't reach Seodam a single time.

The trajectory of all her swings were grasped at a glance like a picture in the eyes of Yoo Seodam.

The situation had already been predicted two steps before she even wielded the sword, and it was so clear that it was beyond the third step and what the consequences would be in the fourth step.

In his mind, the swordsmanship of Gilitender was dancing.

He couldn't copy it perfectly just by looking at it once.

But just knowing it, and understanding even 1% or 0.01% was fine.

The fact that he simply recognizes that World's swordsmanship, which is different from modern times, using his swordsmanship talent, showed the power of Swordsmanship (A).

Yoo Seodam is obviously weak.

No matter how hard ordinary people trained without "mana," the limit of the body was clear.

'I'm sure I'll catch him!'

However, Celeste couldn't catch Sedam.

Like a hair away, like a tease.

Her sword couldn't reach Sodam even as it grazed his sword and was an inch away.

'No way, how…'

The other person is just an ordinary human.

And she is a person of the D-Rank.

If she set her mind to it she could travel 50 meters in less than three seconds.

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Despite the obvious difference in abilities it was not possible to win.

'Clearly…there has to be…an answer!'

For Celeste, fighting was a series of multiple choice questions choosing the correct answer.

Question 1. Choose the best answer to defeat your opponent.

Number 1? Number 2? Number 3? Number 4? Number 5?

She just chooses one of those options, and wins.

That's what is known as a 'genius.'

But.

'I don't…see an answer…'

No choice was the answer.

It was as if she was presented a multiple-choice question with subjective answers.

'Don't tell me, this guy is really…'

When she thought that far she bit her lips.

In the end she decided to use her trump card.

'If it was a battle of strength I'll definitely win…!'

Celeste's swings began to contain a heavy and powerful force.

It seemed like she was trying to bait a battle of strength, but Yoo Seodam who has been hunting for 15 years, would he fall for it?

"Huh…"

The thrusting sword was pushed lightly to the side and quickly fell to the side of Celeste before Yoo Seodam aimed at her neck.

"…"

After a brief silence the aspiring athletes who were watching the battle erupted.

"C-crazy."

"What the hell?"

"Wasn't he an ordinary human?""

"No, obviously the movement is almost normal. It's similar to me, but I don't think it's E-rank…"

"…So he beat a D-rank with pure swordsmanship head on?"

"No matter how experienced he is does that make sense?"

Does it make sense?

Of course not.

Director Kim knows to some extent the abilities of Yoo Seodam.

He really had no talent for swordsmanship.

It was no exaggeration to say that he was a pyrotechnician, and not even good with an aether blade.

'What the hell happened to him while he was in the hospital?'

Celeste also looked at Yoo Seodam with a puzzled look on her face.

This all started with an exchange that she thought was just baseless provocation.

But she could feel it.

Dismissing the remark as mere provocation, this man's swordsmanship was too special.

After the battle with Celeste I went to the gym every day to train my stamina.

Like a miracle the talent Swordsmanship A that I acquired was much more surprising to me than I originally thought.

There is no one who does not know the word 'enlightenment.'

However, how many people have experienced it?

To be honest, I've rarely experienced it in my entire life.

Even that was triggered in extreme situations where I could die if I didn't kill.

However, after gaining the talent of swordsmanship it was possible to gain enlightenment whenever I did the act of simply holding a sword.

Have you ever experienced this thrilling feeling in your life?

Only those who were one with the sword could go on training without even realizing their muscles were in pain.

The pace of my swordsmanship's growth was so enormous that just swinging, stabbing, and cutting I felt a sense of accomplishment.

It wasn't just me that changed.

Celeste who used to wield a sword while showing an indifference to everything else also started to annoy me.

"What is it this time?"

"…Let's spar."

After a moment of thought, I replied.

"It's troublesome."

"Yes…"

Then, she walked to a corner with her shoulders drooped.

Somewhat feeling sorry for her, I called her back.

"Wait. I'll spar with you after I'm done."

"Yes!"

Replied Celeste with a bright smile.

Then, after ten minutes of sparring lightly, I defeated her.

"Uwu."

It's already been a month.

She, who timidly and gently asked me every day for a spar, was defeated easily.

At first I thought she wanted to spar because she couldn't accept defeat.

But on the third day I realized something.

It was a very fine difference that I could sense because I had the talent Swordsmanship A.

She was learning swordsmanship from me!

Of course I can't handle the sword properly either, but she remembered the 'sword dance' I had unfolded.

She was trying to imitate it and somehow actually made it work.

It was truly a crazy talent.

I also thought her challenge was not so bad.

It was more helpful to check my progress than to wield a sword in the air randomly.

We could test each other on a variety of skills.

Besides, Celeste wasn't just getting beaten up.

After every defeat she would exclaim 'ah!' and went to a corner to meditate, and every time there would be a tremendous spirit fluctuation.

She must have learned something.

Director Kim burst into laughter when he saw me and her sparring.

"You're teaching better than I am, aren't you? That little girl is suddenly so enthusiastic. Why don't you take care of it?"

"If you pay me, I'll try."

Teaching her.

I don't think it'll be bad.

"By the way, Seodam. Are you going to keep hunting?"

"I should."

I was with the guild 'Lost Day' for 12 years.

However, the very day I was sentenced to a short life.

I was kicked out of the guild.

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Just because they didn't want to keep a hunter who was no longer useful.

"The guild…He won't accept you again? Why? Weren't you going to be back on track once you were discharged?"

The director doesn't know the state my heart was in.

Not only that, most don't know.

It was because I didn't say.

"I haven't even told him about my discharge. If he asks, I won't accept it. What would an F-Rank hunter even do there?"

Even when I was a member of Lost Day I had no choice but to collect as many hunting requests as possible with a business card showing my 15 years' seniority.

This was a real dilemma.

If F-Rank hunters invest less money on equipment and hunt monsters they would have to settle for lower level monsters.

If I want to catch higher level monsters I have to spend a lot of money on equipment.

In the end, no matter how good a F-Rank hunter's performance was, they made little profit.

So I was half deserted from the guild, who was seen as useless to management.

I was forced to work because I didn't force myself out.

However, all I could do was use a sword, so I had to hunt to make ends meet.

That's how it was.

But from now on it will be different.

Because I became a hunter who hunts very special beings.

Sitting in the middle of the studio apartment with my back turned, I took a deep breath.

An intangible energy rose in the body.

This is 'mana.'

No, not Earth's mana, but the one from the Parallel World.

All of Earth's hunters used mana, and to get them they had to absorb aethers from hunting monsters into their bodies.

However, since even this required talent ordinary humans could not even absorb 1% of aether into their body and instead it dissipated into nature.

Geniuses on the other hand could absorb 100% of such aethers.

I was at the level of an ordinary human and there was only about 1% of aether in my body.

However, it is now possible to absorb something similar to aether, and perhaps even more mysterious 'natural energy.'

At best I wielded and swung swords, but I couldn't accumulate mana in my body.

It was foreign to me, and I didn't know the principles behind it.

Even now I couldn't collect a lot of energy.

It felt like I was piling up sand called Mana with chopsticks, and it was impossible to hold it.

I've gained a lot of stamina.

Apparently I had suffered considerable muscle atrophy during my stay in the hospital.

My level was 19, but my ability level seems to have dropped considerably.

Restoring those muscles, at the same time, combined with good abilities, will enable me to improve even if I couldn't reach my limit.

I can't hope to reach the limit in just a month.

I'd need at least a few months of exercise to be able to rebuild my muscle strength.

But this is enough.

The equipment repair and preparation was finished, and unlike before, it has been efficiently prepared to accurately weigh 20kg.

A shotgun, a rifle, and an aether blade that has been repaired.

I took a deep breath after rearranging the other ammunition.

I'm almost ready for my next mission.

"I'll like to take another mission."

Do you want to check your list of missions?

"I could choose?"

Well, hunter's got their own mission to choose from.

It's nothing strange.

[Show a list of targets with more than 15% chance of success in hunting.]

Shortly, countless texts printed out in front of me.

I gave a puzzled look.

"What is all this?"

#Dad_turned_out_to_be_the_best_gigolo

#Modern #Return #Gigolo #Teen #Harem #Slice_of_life

#I_opened_a_store_in_the_Joseon_period

#Alternativehistory #Reincarnation #Shop #Monopoly #Military

#A_princess_who_came_back_wants_to_live_peacefully

#Romance_Fantasy #Return #Indifferent #Relaxing #Obsessed_ML

#SSS-class_lucky_hunter_survives

#Fusion_Fantasy #Lucky #Growth #Teen #Dimensioning

As I looked at these like it was some sort of joke, the Client spoke.

I summarized the information according to the current norm. 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕦𝕤𝕓.𝕔𝕠𝞳

"This is the norm?"

Everyone who uses SNS is the norm.

"…That's a little harsh."

I'm the only one who doesn't use SNS, but isn't that too much?

Then when I saw something strange I opened my eyes wide.

"…What. 'Modern?' What is this?"

The level of 'Protagonist Hunter' is low, so information is not available.

"Oh, come on. You can at least tell me the plot."

Body must be directly transported, so as not to interfere with the plot.

"Ugh…Fair enough. Still a little summary would help."

Tag a text to check the level of the protagonist.

I tagged the texts as she told me to, and soon my face crumpled.

"Crazy…"

All of them were high leveled protagonists.

I think a level 33 protagonist is the most I can handle.

Even the modern stuff that looked quite interesting, the level of the protagonist was high enough to make a "psh!" noise comes out of my mouth.

After searching through the list for a long time, I found a protagonist who I could deal with.

#I_Am_One_With_The_Sword

#Fantasy #Eccentric #Growth #Merciless

It was a protagonist related to the sword.

Wouldn't it be better to have a sword-related talent if I'm going to hunt?

Moreover, the title alone made me feel as if the main character would live and die by the sword.

Yes.

Wouldn't it be possible that the talent 'Sword Intent' which is commonly seen in martial arts would come from this "I_Am_One_With_The_Sword?"

If I'm lucky I might absorb that talent.

"Okay. I've decided on this. Send me right now."

[Traveling to the land of Kevilon. The world of the Level 40 protagonist, Holy Sword Barette]

…Wait, why is it this protagonist?

[10…9…8…]

[Travel Completed.]

After the world slowly collapsed and reconstructed.

I found myself standing in front of a huge temple.

"This.."

[You became an adventurer who came to Barette Temple.]

Suddenly, I heard loud noises around me.

Looking around, a medieval European-style city came into view.

Beautiful streets made of bricks, lively people, towering walls, and strange flying objects.

On a flying carpet people were lying down and enjoying the view, and from a crystal ball floating in the air came the sound of something.

"Crazy."

A whole new world.

Civilization on a different level.

This was my first reaction.

Turning his head with a puzzled look he saw a man riding a horseless carriage with a blue crystal.

Instinctively moving aside, the carriage passed by.

"What are you doing standing in the middle of the road?!"

"…"

The carriage quickly disappeared.

"…Is it a festival?"

Firecrackers and pollen were flying everywhere, but I don't know what the festival was for.

"Like last time, how come I can understand what people are saying?"

It's the effect from the skill Protagonist Hunter.

Linquist (B), grant you the ability to understand the language of the other worlds. And Terra Physique (S), grant your body the ability to adapt to the strange ecosystems.

"…What?"

An S-Rank skill?

With my mouth agape I couldn't help but think it was absurd.

All my life I've been hoping to get at least one E-Rank power, but now that I had a S-Rank and B-Rank skill I didn't feel much excitement.

"By the way, where is the protagonist?"

Last time the protagonist was right in front of me.

To kill the protagonist you must ride the river of fate.

"The plot of the protagonist can't be suddenly interrupted, can it?"

You became a character in the plot, and is the only existence that can break the plot.

"Oho…"

Well, I think I'll be dumbfounded if a cartoon character I was watching dies of a heart attack.

Every protagonist must have a reason to be killed.

Previously, I was lucky to be the challenger of a tournament and faced the protagonist right away, but this time I just seemed to have become an adventurer.

"Don't you have a protagonist location finder app or something?"

No.

"Useless fellow."

…

I had no choice but to find the protagonist myself.

Then someone tapped me on the shoulder.

When I turned my head a muscular man was looking at me with strange eyes.

"I'm Akilion, a Temple Guard. There were reports of a suspicious man loitering around here. So I came to check. Are you an adventurer?"

"…I guess?"

"Hmm. Looks like you're not from here judging by your outfit. But try not to wander around the temple."

"Why?"

"The 'Sacred Emperor Ceremony' is currently underway. To elect the next Emperor numerous warriors are now challenging the temple."

"Oh, wow."

It was quite an interesting plot.

"I'm an adventurer, so I don't know much about it. What's this ceremony about?"

"Huh! You're a real country bumpkin. Living in the empire and not knowing about the Sacred Emperor Ceremony!"

Then he pointed to the temple.

The high temple, which seemed to pierce the sky, was reminiscent of a football stadium.

"There's a 'Holy Sword' stuck in there. And a 'Guardian' who stands guard at the center.

"Holy Sword?"

"Yes. The Holy Sword, Barette. He who pulls it out will be crowned Emperor of the Kevilon Empire!"

Oh.

This was rather novel.

It was a very different method of electing the Emperor from what I knew.

"It doesn't matter who. A nobleman, a slave, a commoner, a merchant. A man, a woman, an old man, an infant. Anyone is fine. Just come and defeat the Guardian!"

Akilion pointed his finger at the temple.

"Including this city, the whole world will be within your grasp."

Immediately, I became a 'challenger.'

The ceremony to gain the recognition of the Guardian was an event that only took place when the current Emperor stepped down.

Apparently it attracted prominent warriors from all over the world.

He who pulls out the sword will be crowned Emperor!

One thousand years ago Holy Sword Barette suddenly appeared in this world.

It granted whoever unimaginable powers strong enough to make them Emperor, and since then its history has been passed down from generation to generation.

One of the most known abilities of Barette is its growth.

If someone wielded the sword it would transform into a suitable sword to boost the person's swordsmanship to its fullest potential.

I don't know how good it'll be, but it was enough to make my mouth water thinking about it.

"What sin did the protagonist commit?"

Excessive possession.

The protagonist has repeatedly possessed the body of former Emperors and used their body until it was tired of them.

Now that the current Emperor has aged and lost all his powers, the Holy Sword is also fairly sealed.

"Oho…A sealed Level 40?"

This was a huge handicap.

After observing for the last few days, there weren't as many challengers as I thought.

Because, the Guardian killed the challengers who failed without mercy.

"Kueuk, P-please spare…!"

Crack!

A challenger's neck broke and he flew away.

Thud, Thud!

I gulped, looking at the back of the Guardian returning to its place immediately.

"Ah, what kind of dregs was this challenger?"

"Right. If you want to kill yourself you should go somewhere else. I was wondering if there was going to be a good show."

The Guardian was nearly 5 meters tall and covered in silver armor.

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It was a kind of "golem," which is said to be virtually impossible to neutralize because the nucleus is located deep in the armor.

It may be possible to subdue it if a combination of a very good mage and an excellent warrior were formed.

However, the challenge was impossible because it had to be done alone.

Mages are weak in a head on fight, and warriors cannot damage the Guardian's armor because they couldn't use magic.

'Mage…'

Magic seems to exist in this world.

While staying here for a few days I watched the challengers sitting in the stands (amazingly, more than 100,000 seats were occupied), and most of them were very powerful.

In terms of hunter rank the average was between B and A.

Occasionally a warrior equivalent to S-Rank came, but it was rare.

To be honest they didn't have super strong abilities.

I thought the S-Ranks on Earth were stronger.

However, the ability was not important.

It was control.

The warriors, who used a similar technique to the rigid body method from Earth, knew how to push their bodies to the limit.

And they also used their weapons in a very unique way that is not seen on modern Earth.

Brandishing their swords like the blossoming of flowers, the falling of autumn leaves, and the storm of winter.

It is not just my imagination or description.

Such fantasies really appeared and disappeared.

The swordmanships of modern Earth were so rugged that everyone just floats around as if they were dancing; fluttering like butterflies, wielding swords loosely, and posturing.

And what about magic?

As if they were a 'multi-talented person' who could not exist on Earth they freely used fire, water, ice, wind, and other magic.

They had extreme control over mana to protect their body without aether shields while buffing themselves and debuffing the target.

If it was Earth it would take three to five superhumans to do what mages can do here by themselves.

"It's really crazy."

All the hunting I've seen on Earth now seems comical.

Earthlings had better abilities than the people of this world, but they only knew how to swing it senselessly, and never understood how to control it.

Magic.

I really want to learn it.

Sadly, although I could understand the language of this world I couldn't read the letters.

Also it's impossible to pick up items here and bring it back, so I can't even steal a magic book.

And when I asked around I found out it would take 20 to 30 years for someone of my intelligence to become a mage at that level.

I couldn't learn magic here because I only had a year left.

But there will be plenty of opportunities.

Let's not be impatient.

This world view and existence of magic was developed and thriving.

Someday I might be able to come back here, and if I'm lucky I might be able to learn some magic.

Knowing the merits of magic I didn't want to give up.

But for now I should focus on killing the protagonist.

I wanted to shoot the Holy Sword with a sniper rifle right here, but unfortunately there was a layer of translucent mana between the stands and the stadium and I was afraid of the aftershock.

Perhaps my poor equipment won't even penetrate it.

But, it's no problem.

One week.

The amount of time I spent watching the duel between the challengers and the Guardian.

I've completed all preparations.

Waaaa!!

Cheers came from the stands as Yoo Seodam entered the arena.

The Emperor was also sitting and staring at the arena with an expressionless face, but Yoo Seodam didn't care about them at all.

"Who's that guy?"

"I don't know. Looks like an adventurer."

"That's a peculiar outfit."

As people began to chatter the Guardian came out to meet the challenger.

Boom! Boom!

Thud.

The sound the Guardian's armor made when it moved and the sound of Seodam unloading his gun produced a symphony of metal.

It was quite a pleasant sound to Seodam who loves tools.

Swish!

The Guardian aimed its greatsword forward.

A mindless body with tremendous destructive force.

A monster with an agile body.

Facing it, Yoo Seodam took a deep breath and asked.

"Guardian, I can only pull out the Holy Sword that is stuck behind you once you're defeated?"

[Yes.]

"What happens if I try to pull out the Holy Sword without defeating you?"

[It won't budge.]

"Hm…·"

A simple exchange to ask questions is one of the few things a challenger is allowed to do.

No one has ever asked such questions, so there were jeers from the stands.

"Why would you ask such a question!"

"Where is your honor…!"

Ignoring the jeers, Seodam rushed toward the Guardian.

Chikchik!

The shotgun was loaded and at the same time the distance from the Guardian was narrowed.

Seodam fired a shot at its groin.

Kwang!!

The reaction caused a small shock which knocked Seodam backwards.

Immediately after, Seodam avoided the Guardian's greatsword swinging down, and threw a black ball from his pocket.

It quickly separated into ten spheres and clung to every part of the Guardian's body.

The spheres were magnetized and attracted each other as if to kill it by constriction, but the Guardian wasn't fazed and swung its greatsword at him.

'As expected, this level of agileness.'

Thung!!

The aether shield was gravely damaged when the Guardian's greatsword brushed past the side of Seodam.

Obviously the swing was fierce, but Seodam was familiar with the sword thanks to his Swordsmanship (A) talent.

Just by looking at the posture, form, and trajectory of an opponent's sword, he can see where it is headed.

Then, he can prepare his next move.

As he rolled aside to avoid the greatsword he raised his right hand and pressed a red button.

The spheres attached to the Guardian's body exploded simultaneously.

Boom, Boom!

'Now!'

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He tried to run past the agile Guardian, but it endured the explosion and was rushing towards Seodam first.

He did not intend to get hit by it, so he took out two aether shotguns and fired it in succession.

Boom, Boom!

Its shoulders flinched and its legs swayed, but the Guardian didn't stop.

However, the power of a golem is not infinite.

There was a limit to its energy each match.

What Seodam is doing is depleting its energy.

Using up all the bullets from the shotguns Seodam threw them to the ground without hesitation.

Then, he ran to the side pointing his pistol at the spot where he was standing before.

Sparks shot from the pistol and hit the ground.

The moment the Guardian walked over it.

Poof!!

The steel tiles melted, flipping the Guardian upside down.

"W-what…!"

"What the hell is that magic?"

"That man, he's a mage from which school?!"

"Quickly find out!"

The mages went wild.

It was a kind of magic they have never seen before.

Is it really possible to cast such a devastating spell like that without chanting?

The mages stomped their feet.

'If we could make that mage join our side!'

The landscape of the mage forces could change dramatically.

They wanted to jump into the duel right now and bring that man in, but they couldn't do that because of the barrier.

"It's like I'm watching a battle of a mage only told in legends…"

Just as Seodam was amazed by magic, the mages were also thrilled to see science.

However, whether he was aware of it or not, Seodam sprinted with all his might.

He also did not forget to lay a bean-sized marker on the floor as he ran.

Huut!

When the Guardian ran towards the west wall with one limped leg, the marker on the ground exploded after being stepped on.

Bang, Bang!

Despite its legs being damaged it didn't stop.

But in the end it was just a little faster than the average person, so Seodam quickly outran it.

Huong!

The moment before the greatsword could hit him.

Reading its trajectory he quickly rolled to the side, and fired a small blue bomb at the predicted path of the Guardian.

''Magnetic Field.'

An electromagnetic bomb that's a very powerful magnet, and once it sticks to iron becomes an enormous field of magnetism.

Pachichi!!!

When it hit the Guardian's greatsword the steel floor and the greatsword clung together.

When he threw another blue bomb into the Guardian's body its armor was crushed and its arms and legs crumpled.

Gugugu!

A possible method to deal with something made of steel!

But it was obvious that it wouldn't last long either.

It was a ridiculously short amount of time to try and defeat it.

"What a strong holding magic!"

Hearing the nonsense of the mages shouting, Seodam ran with all his might towards the Holy Sword.

"What…"

"What is he doing?"

"He's not attacking the Guardian!"

"Doesn't he know he can't pull it out unless he defeats the Guardian?"

However, the original purpose of Seodam was not to remove the Holy Sword.

From the start he had no intention of defeating the Guardian, nor was he capable of doing so.

He has only one purpose.

Hunt the protagonist.

Beep, Beep, Beep!

After installing the 'E-4 Composite' from his arms he quickly ran away and widened the distance.

The Guardian, who had already escaped from the electromagnetic field, shot towards Seodam.

Kuklunk…!

The Guardian looked at Seodam menacingly.

"During the sacred duel…what did you do?"

However, without answering, Seodam pulled out a sniper rifle.

The gun called EK-49, is a monster specialized in long-range attacks and each bullet is super expensive, but the destructive power of one of its shots was enormous.

Slowly aiming it at the Guardian, it continued to look at him because it doesn't know about guns.

Maybe it thought it could stop it.

Yeah, honestly, even if it's blocked or did hit it could withstand it.

But in the first place, Seodam was not aiming for a Guardian.

"…!"

Chikchik!

Seodam, who was aiming for the Guardian's head, quickly changed his target and fired at the Holy Sword.

Soon after, the Emperor feeling something was amiss jumped out quickly and shouted, "Stop right now!"

But it's too late.

Bang…!!

A tremendous explosion occurred.𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕦𝕤𝕓.𝕔𝕠𝑀

[You've successfully hunted a Level 40 protagonist.]

[Your Level has risen by 3.]

The Holy Sword broke, and at the same time the Emperor screamed.

"Ah, nooooo!!!"

He was none other than the Emperor who was being manipulated by the Holy Sword.

"Grab him right now and bring him to me! Now!"

When the Emperor who managed to hold on to the broken string of consciousness shouted loudly, 100,000 spectators rose from their seats at the same time and began to head for the stage.

Meanwhile, Yoo Seodam looked up leisurely and made eye contact with the Emperor.

At the same time the resentful eyes trembled, a 'roulette' appeared in his mind.

A roulette containing the talents and skills of the Holy Sword.

Soon a message appeared.

[Barette's talent White Swordsmanship(S) has been absorbed!]

Raising his middle finger at the Emperor he spoke.

"I'll use the skill well."

By the time the enraged warriors arrived at the arena, Yoo Seodam had already disappeared like a mist.

[Mission Completed. Returning to your original world.]

[400 days of lifespan will be rewarded.]

[Remaining Lifespan: 681 Days, 9 Hours, 34 Minutes.]

With a plop I was lying on the cold floor of the studio breathing heavily.

I'm terribly tired.

Although none of my equipment was completely destroyed like before, expensive ammunition, two magnetized bombs, and an E4 were used.

I'll have to run around a lot to make up for all this money.

What could only be described as bitter.

The more I think about getting only 100 million won in severance pay the more pissed I got.

Forcing my stiff body to sit up I spoke.

"Status Window."

The increased abilities made me dazed.

Besides, I even got a S-Rank skill!

Perhaps because it was a sword and had no ability or talent all I could absorb were skills.

But I saw a very trashy skill called 'Sword Transformation (A).'

Which would literally turn me into a sword.

It was also impossible to revert back to human form.

If I had the additional skill called 'Forced Possession (SS),' then I wouldn't mind living as a sword.

I wonder what I would do if I had absorbed it, but fortunately I succeeded in absorbing the highest S-Rank skill the Holy Sword had.

It was also a skill I needed the most right now.

Swordsmanship.

No matter how good an A-Rank talent is, it is more comfortable to go on a reliable path than to carve out a path myself.

And Swordsmanship (A) is like providing a clearly paved road for a sports car.

[White Swordsmanship (S), a sword skill that can be said to be every sword skill in the world. It has no form, but also many forms. It has no style, but also many styles. It is a blank canvas and you're the painter. That is White Swordsmanship.]

"…"

What are you talking about?

So I read it over and over again 30 times, and then I realized.

"Oh. I can use my dick as a sword?"

…

There is no clearly defined form for White Swordsmanship.

It was a skill that would improve my form from time to time to fit the swing of my sword.

This is the skill that enabled whoever held the Holy Sword Barette to become the best swordsman.

I did not receive any vision that was passed down for hundreds of years.

Nor was it a skill that destroyed enemies in one swing.

Just a sword skill that changed into the most suitable form for me.

That is White Swordsmanship.

When I closed my eyes and focused, a picture was drawn in my head.

The way I wielded my sword.

In my imagination I was wielding an aether blade that was 1m 20cm tall, 2.5cm wide, and weighs 1.4kg.

Much shorter and lighter than what I'm using now.

I swung it as if I was flying, and the body actually floated in the air.

Hup!

I got off the floor, picked up the aether blade, and took a big breath.

Suddenly my lungs sucked in 'Mana.'

'This is…a Mana breathing method?'

So far I have been forced to scrape together Mana.

However, as soon as I learned White Swordsmanship I quickly understood how Mana flows through my body.

My hands were shaking.

Having acquired the talent Swordsmanship (A) I thought I could handle all the swords in the world.

But it was delusional.

Genius talent was just a wild instinct.

Just as a tiger instinctively knows how to effectively bite off its enemy and tear it apart.

But, now there is a clear path.

"…"

I wanted to test this sword right away.

Looking at the clock it was 1PM.

The only place I could test this was at Geumgang Gym.

Suddenly, I thought of the golden sandbag training at the gym, so I immediately left.

I just had a big battle and my whole body was stiff, but I wasn't in the mood to rest.

Whenever I went out I always took an aether dispenser, but unfortunately most of my equipment was broken so I couldn't.

Rich hunters wore suits that can be activated at a press of a button, but I didn't have the money, so I used an old-fashioned aether coat.

Suits were easy to remove, easy to clean, had great defense, and could regulate the body's temperature.

On the other hand, coats were cumbersome, inconvenient to store, had simple defense, and there were huge disadvantages of using it in the summer due to the heat.

I'd like to buy a suit someday.

I had no choice but to leave my coat at home.

All I took with me was an aether pistol that was easy to carry and an aether blade that could be held in a carrier, then I went to the subway in sweatpants.

I bought a motorcycle for transportation, but didn't use it unless it was really urgent.

By the time I got to Konkuk University Station the surrounding area became noisy.

The vibration from my cell phone was making a lot of noises.

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[A D-Rank gate has opened within a 30-meter radius of Konkuk University Station. Citizens please evacuate.]

Times have changed, and now people were no longer afraid of monsters.

With more accurate forecasts than even weather forecasts, people were good at evacuating in advance, and even when low-level 'anomalies' occurred spectators would flock to check out the scene.

In fact, no one took the evacuation notice seriously.

Korea was one of the 12 countries with the lowest hunting failure rate in the world.

"Damn it. I'm going to be late for my appointment."

"So unlucky."

There were people complaining.

"Ooh. Can we see the hunters?"

"Let's take a picture!"

Some people were excited.

I could see the subway platform was shut down as I approached.

It seems that there is a gate in the subway area.

I wouldn't mind coming forward if that was the case, but I didn't because it seemed like there were already others to take care of it.

Even if I didn't, the gates and dungeons were scattered.

Hunters would take care of the monsters in a flash anyway.

When the police and public officials stepped in to slowly put the citizens behind a line I decided to follow and wait patiently.

But it was strange.

According to protocols if a gate occurs underground it would have to be transferred above ground using a gate transfer device, but there was no sign of that.

Already there's not much time left.

Eventually I sneaked up to a man who seemed to be in charge and spoke.

"You're not transferring the gate above ground?"

"Huh? Haha. You must have heard that somewhere, but that's not necessary for D-Rank gates."

"Why?"

"The reason to transfer underground gates to above ground is if there were 'medium size species,' but there's no such monster in a D-Rank gate."

"…What are you saying? Why not?"

As I began to argue with him he slowly became annoyed and sighed.

"You're just an ordinary citizen, what do you know."

I took my ID out of my wallet.

F-Rank Hunter, #15.

The person in charge had a sullen look after seeing my rank, but his eyes opened wide when he saw the number next to it.

The #15 means a veteran hunter with 15 years of experience.

"This is not the first time I've seen something like this happen. Just tell your boss what I just said. Don't take the blame for someone else's mistake."

"Ah, yes. For the time being…"

Then, someone suddenly shouted.

"I thought I heard a familiar voice. Aren't you Yoo Seodam?"

Turning my head, a man wearing the armband of the Lost Day guild was approaching.

I recognize his face.𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕦𝕤𝕓.𝕔𝕠𝑀

Kim Jitae.

From my memory he had the ability of D-Rank.

"I heard you retired, but you're still here. Do you want to use an expensive gate transfer device because you're a little scared?"

"What are you talking about? The citizens' safety is a hunter's top priority. If it's a medium…"

"Senior."

Kim Jitae shrugged, smiled, and pointed behind him.

"Five D-Rank hunters. And the team leader is a C-Rank superhuman hunter. You may be scared, but this is enough. It's overkill."

Looking back, five hunters stood with the Lost Day armband.

'There were people like that?'

It was such a huge guild that I can't remember all the faces.

Also, one of them felt kind of strange.

It was hazy, and weirdly I felt my appetite growing.

Have I been drinking?

I said what I wanted to say and felt it was pointless to continue.

"Fine, suit yourself."

"Yes, we can take care of ourselves."

In fact, Kim Jitae was right.

As a F-Rank hunter I had to be prepared for every situation, but it was different for superhumans.

They're allowed to make minor mistakes.

Because they were capable of overcoming them.

But my point wasn't whether they could deal with it or not.

Among the D-Rank monsters there were many medium-sized monsters and if those came out, the subway would be in a terrible mess.

So I thought it would be safer to transfer it above ground.

But the chances are so low that everyone else ignored it.

Wiing!!

As the gate began to open, hunters, including Kim Jitae, quickly disappeared into the subway.

Soon I heard the sound of gunshots.

Seeing that there was no problem on the ground I knew it wasn't a medium-sized monster and was worried for nothing.

But.

Something is off.

If the hunt is successful only the sound of an explosion should be heard, but a wild beast's cry came from inside the subway.

"What the hell is happening down there…?"

Then.

Someone shouted over the speaker.

"Damn it! An unknown monster has appeared! Citizens, please evacuate immediately!"

"W-what?"

Ba-boom…!!

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The rail between the intersection started to crack, then it slowly collapsed.

I still heard screams in the subway, but this time it was humans.

"What is happening all of a sudden?"

To be honest I was flustered too.

Sometimes strong monsters would appear in weak dungeons.

There are always such variables.

But I've never seen this phenomenon before.

'A C-Rank hunter, five D-Rank hunters, and more than ten soldiers yet they're still struggling?'

When that thought came to mind, something smashed the ground and ran up.

Red skin all over, gross muscle mass that seems deformed, and a massive size that is likely over 5 meters tall.

It was unmistakably a monster, but it looked very human.

"Crazy…! What the hell is that!"

"H-hunter! What the hell is that?"

The field leader panicked and asked me, but honestly, I don't know either.

I've hunted on the front line for decades, but I've never seen such a human-like monster.

No.

Wait a second.

I've seen a similar case like this a long time ago.

But it was so different from what I remembered that I wasn't sure.

"Damn it. Call for backup right now!"

After shouting for backup I took out my aether blade and jumped into the scene.

My equipment was lacking.

Only one portable aether pistol and one aether blade.

There is no proper protection, so an ordinary hunter like me who doesn't have a strengthened body will die if hit once by that thing.

That monster is probably at least B-Rank.

If I had enough equipment I could break through its defense with a pistol and a blade.

Every monster has a layer of protection made of aether or qi-like properties.

And it was also the only thing that could penetrate the flesh of the monsters.

However, ordinary hunters needed to break that protective layer first.

So aether guns were invented.

The average rifle can break a monster's protective layer and cause huge damage at the same time, but with a small pistol it'll just strip the protective layer.

Also, the area that had been stripped of the protection must be precisely cut off with a sword.

That's how ordinary hunters without superpowers dealt with monsters.

Should I try it?

In fact it was extremely difficult.

So I've never tried it in my life.

But now.

'I can do it.'

Looking at the sword in my hand I was full of confidence.

"Ugh! Damn it…"

Kim Jitae crawled out of the subway.

His strength ability was good in many ways, but his disadvantage was that he could hardly use his strength against an enemy who had a stronger power than him.

I hurried up to Kim Jitae and slapped him on the cheek.

Because I needed answers now.

"Hey. Wake up!"

"S-senior. Damn it, let's retreat! That's not something we can deal with!"

"What the hell are you talking about? We're the only hunters on the scene, what would happen if we left?"

"They're going to die anyway! It would be better to retreat and wait for support…"

"No, you've seen all these idiots."

Kim Jitae.

Did he say it was his second year as a professional hunter?

The hunters from the city are rather hopeless.

Their ability to cope with emergency situations was lacking as they only hunted when they were in their best condition with the best equipment and was certain of victory.

Moreover, Kim Jitae seems to be very skilled when it comes to close combat, especially for his ability.

"Hey. Shut up and tell me. What is that monster?"

"T-that's…"

"Was it mana poisoning?"

Kim Ji-tae shook his head to my question.

There seems to be a situation where he couldn't answer, but that's none of my business.

'In the end, it's another human hunt.'

I don't know why a person suddenly appeared here with mana poisoning.

This is because they have to absorb an excess amount of mana where it overloaded their body for it to happen.

But it doesn't matter.

First of all, there's a hunt in front of me, so I will hunt.

That's what a hunter does.

Kim Jitae seemed useless, so I loaded my pistol with the intention of dealing with it alone, but he grabbed my ankle.

"Well, what are you going to do with such equipment?"

"Bastard, let go of me."

After swinging my foot roughly and stomping him in the face, I spoke.

"Do I look like a beginner like you?"

"Y-yes?"

C-Rank.

It was strong enough to be a threat.

Kim Jitae, who is still inexperienced, came out to hunt with a C-Rank superhuman, and acted if he was invincible.

But monsters above B-Rank, which are higher than him, would be beyond his reach.

But not to me.

It is what I'm used to dealing with when I hunt.

Most monsters have an aether coating, but not all were like that.

It's the same with superhumans who have awakened a 'strong physique.'

The most common and simplest way to utilize aether. Strengthen Body.

They also have a thin aether coating on their skin, which absorbs aether into their body and converts it into energy they can use.

In the first place, human superpowers resembled that of a monster to the point where many say that superpowers are powers of monsters.

That's to say, that thing in front of me is human, but I have to think of it as a monster.

Mana poisoning.

It's a phenomenon that sometimes occurs to people with superpowers.

Superhumans who can't control their abilities.

There are at least two to three conditions before a person's mana is overloaded.

Once they go into the state of mana poisoning they will lose their rational, and it's impossible to subdue them completely because of their enormous power.

In fact, it has to be shot dead.

Click!

I looked down at the five grenades in my hands taken from Kim Jitae.

Most superhumans believe in their own ability, so they don't often pack a lot of equipment.

Dududu!

I threw one grenade after the other, then casually fired my pistol.

Bang!!

"Kuh…!"

The grenades which exploded just below its ankle tore the aether protection from its lower body.

Not missing the chance, I quickly rushed in with my aether blade.

Boom!!

"…Hup!"

However, the monster who has recovered from the impact tore up the air by slamming its fist.

It felt like a cannon was being fired right at me with its deafening sound!

However, I saw it coming and was able to cut into its heel with my aether blade before sliding to the side.

"Grrawr!!"

I must not miss a single chance.

No, me, the weak ordinary F-Rank hunter, was not allowed to make a mistake.

As soon as I entered its range I quickly rolled to the side and as I rolled, the bulky leg of the monster stomped down.

Crack…!

The floor split into cobwebs and created a crater of more than five meters.

I took advantage of the shockwave to shoot its face with my pistol before falling far away.

Then, it instinctively raised its arms to cover its face, even though it had already been shot.

That's the difference between a monster and a human.

It failed to abandon its human instincts.

'Now!'

Bang, Bang, Bang!

Aftering shooting the monster three times in a row with my pistol, the monster swung its arm and smashed the floor as if it would not allow it.

Boom…

But.

"…!"

Its movement was too clear to me.

Have I ever experienced this before?

I always had to anticipate and avoid the enemy attacks, and all I could do was be careful and passive.

Compared to other hunters who were my junior, in the past I had to move my whole body here and there just to catch the monster off guard with a few hits using my poor equipment.

But now I can see it clearly.

'This…was this how other hunters felt?'

Self-confidence in my own ability, and not the lack of!

Boom, Boom, Boom!

The punches of the huge monster were raining down on me to the point where I couldn't even see the monster above me.

No, to be exact, most of the attacks were deflected.

It would have been impossible before.

To attempt the crazy act of deflecting the punches by absorbing its momentum.

However, I was able to do it.

The fists were deflected to the side with my aether blade.

Or its fist would just graze the edge of my body and miss me by an inch.

It was impossible to stop it all completely, so I would shoot its fists with my pistol to twist its trajectory.

Although the aether pistol is a wet tissue when it comes to removing a monster's protective coating, it is clear that it also contained a tremendous amount of destructive power.

I was using it defensively.

At the right timing if I shoot the right part the impact will surely shake its movements.

And.

It soon became an opportunity for me.

"Kuh!!"

When I cut its throat the monster stepped back in surprise.

But even as it stepped back I was already running towards it, and by the time it stabilized, a bomb was already rolling on the floor.

Ba-boom!!

When it lost its balance, shining at the tip of my hand was a blade coated in aether.

What kind of movements were humans capable of?

What swordsmanship did we use?

Didn't we just use hard, fast, powerful force to swirl our sword in ignorance?

All those swordsmanship, really, is full of inefficient and useless movements.

However, all the swordsmanship I had seen in this world was unraveled in my mind.

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The swordsmanship of the protagonist, which has been studied and developed for over a thousand years, is not the swordsmanship of modern people like me who is only 30 years old.

[Skill White Swordsmanship (S) – Activated.]

[First form, Apathetic Introspection]

Like a blossoming flower.

And the raging blizzard.

A mysterious swordsmanship that seems to have unfolded at my fingertips.

I know the limits of my body.

The talent Swordsmanship A made me very efficient with the sword, and the White Swordsmanship made it possible for me to grow even faster.

While moving as if I was dancing, I went forward as rough as a waterfall, and dived as hard as a typhoon.

"Grrawr!"

As the monster rampaged again, I threw a grenade.

To be honest, it was hard for me to close the distance.

"…Kuh!"

Boom!

The monster knew the bomb in my hand was dangerous because it had some intelligence, so it tried to flimsily avoid it.

But this is the method I was good at before I gained the talent of swordsmanship.

The grenade, which bounced into the air like a basketball, flew toward the rampaging monster as if it had a mind of its own and exploded on its head.

Knowing that I can't miss this chance, I quickly stepped back one more time despite my current position.

Then, there was only one more choice for me.

I took out the last grenade and pulled the pin.

I have to throw it.

Click!

The grenade which slipped from my hand slowly fell to the ground.

"…!!"

No matter how irrational they are, all monsters and beasts have the ability to adapt.

It noticed my mistake, and quickly rushed at me.

It thought it could withstand the explosion and crush me at the same time.

But…

It was intentional.

I recovered from my awkwardness in a flash, and looked at the bomb on the ground as if I was looking at a golf ball.

The monster was completely defenseless, so I used the side of my aether blade to swing the grenade into its mouth.

Next, I shot my pistol under its chin like an uppercut.

"Kuh!"

With its mouth shut, I gathered mana into my arms and stabbed my aether blade into its chin.

Then.

…Ba-ba-boom!!

Inside the body of the monster an explosion sounded, then it slowly fell to the ground.

Boom…!

"Huu…"

Wiping the sweat off my face I burst into a laughter as I looked at the fallen monster.

Boom…!

Kim Jitae's lips trembled as he watched a monster capable of crushing him fall to the ground.

"Oh, my god…"

In his view was the back of Yoo Seodam standing tall.

He couldn't believe it.

Basically, a person with no equipment can "easily" deal with a monster of the same rank.

Though, it was almost impossible to predict victory.𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕦𝕤𝕓.𝕔𝕠𝑚

With aether suits and full equipment, at least three people had to rush in to subdue monsters of the same rank.

In other words, Kim Jitae thought, "No matter how expensive the equipment is, I can't defeat the monster of C-Rank alone."

This was common sense to most hunters.

However, very occasionally.

There were beings beyond common sense.

Located at the heart of the Pacific Ocean, there was a mysterious gate called 'Hell Gate' that leads to another world.

Some hunters would hunt inside and even less would come back alive.

Veterans who used to travel around that place, where common sense and concepts did not work at all, not only hunted monsters with the same rank as them but were also able to hunt even higher monsters by themselves.

But…

Still, isn't this too much?

The formidable monster, with the sheer strength of at least A-rank, defeated by a F-Rank hunter who only had a cheap pistol and an aether blade?

Kim Jitae himself had been defeated in a battle of strength against it in a matter of seconds.

A single blow will kill you.

However, Yoo Seodam attacked it without even wearing simple protective gear, and eventually defeated it by fighting.

"Emergency support units have arrived!"

[Buzz! Group 7. Report to me. How's the situation?]

"That…"

Suddenly, Kim Jitae turned his head to check the voice coming from behind.

Three A-Rank hunters dressed in a grayish-brown suit were sweating.

A-Rank soldiers from the Capital Defense Headquarters specializing in hunting monsters.

Group 7 of the Emergency Assistance Force for Disaster in Seoul.

They, who had just arrived in helicopters, were puzzled to see that the situation was already over.

"What the hell…happened here?"

When asked by Yang Sunyoung, the A-Rank hunter and leader of Group 7 of the support unit, Yoo Seo-dam who arrived earlier answered on behalf of Kim Jitae.

"I'm a hunter who was just passing by when all of a sudden bullshit happens, so I had to take care of it."

She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Yoo Seodam's report.

A monster between B-Rank and A-Rank was wreaking havoc in the middle of Konkuk University Station and the response team was only five D-Rank and one C-Rank.

Not only annihilation, but also the damage around was thought to be enormous, so they rushed to the scene, but fortunately it seemed to have been handled by a veteran hunter who was passing by.

"Oh, I'm so glad there was a professional hunter here. I'm going to have to report your achievements to the higher-ups, can you show me your ID?"

"Of course."

Seodam also intended to show her his ID because he wasn't going to work for free.

Then, the three A-Rank hunters breathed heavily.

"F-Rank…I-is that right?"

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"Yes."

"…Did you handle that monster alone?"

It can't be.

He was the only one still standing, but there has to be other hunters.

No wonder Yang Sunyoung thought as such.

Wasn't he only wearing a black hoodie and sweatpants with a pistol and an aether blade?

No matter how strong A-Rank superhumans are, they can't deal with A-Rank monsters with such equipment alone.

But.

"Yes. This worthless fellow was stuck here, and I dealt with it alone. If you're going to pay, then give me everything."

"Ho…"

He admitted the fact.

She looked at Yoo Seodam's ID again.

'F-Rank…#15?!'

Jesus.

It wasn't the usual F-Rank.

Veteran hunters, who have survived for as many as 15 years through hard work in a harsh battlefield, is rare.

Even superhumans with superpowers were often seriously injured or mutilated in battle, or otherwise retired in mental exhaustion.

But a F-Rank hunter is in his 15th year.

'No matter how ordinary you are, can you do this if you fought on the battlefield for 15 years?'

No way.

She recorded the information of Yoo Seodam while deep in thought.

It was because they needed to contact each other again when they later celebrated his merits.

"Hunter Kim Jitae, then can we distribute the aether crystal to hunter Yoo Seodam at a 100% rate?"

"Ah, that's…"

When Kim Ji-tae became flustered, Yoo Seo-dam spoke.

"That, there is no aether crystal."

"What…?"

It is no exaggeration to say that aether crystals, which were extracted from the monsters' heart, accounted for 50% of a hunter's revenue.

Since all monsters had an aether crystal it was natural that Sonyoung did not immediately understand Seodam's words.

"It's not a monster, but a 'mutated human.'"

"What?! That's ridiculous…"

A society in which superpowers have become universal.

Now even young children are talented, and if they want they can get an education at the Academy of Superpowers.

As the level of education on superpowers has increased, the proportion of those who experience mana poisoning has naturally fallen, so nowadays there are some hunters who have never even heard of the words 'mana poisoning.'

"If you don't believe me…Hey. Kim Jitae."

"Yes!"

"Go down the subway and bring all five of your assholes."

"T-that…"

When Kim Jitae began to sweat without being able to speak, Sunyoung also felt something was strange.

All five of them, there has to be at least one.

If one of the hunter's blood is analyzed and mana poison was detected.

Then what Seodam said is true.

'But why would he want to hide this fact?'

Obviously, it is embarrassing for a person to be mana poisoned to come from the guild, but Seodam and Sunyoung could not understand why Kim Ji-tae was this embarrassed.

As I kept trying to question him, white-clad researchers and men in suits came up and blocked me from the front.

"The bodies will be examined by us and then returned to their families, so don't worry and take a rest."

"Ah. What. Okay."

Seodam nodded his head and checked the pattern on their shoulders.

Then he frowned.

'Kinetic Pharmaceutical Company?'

It's a familiar name.

From what I remembered, it was a company that was clearly gone, but I didn't expect to see them here all of a sudden.

I watched them hurrying to clean up the body of the hunters, then I asked Kim Jitae.

"Hey, are they in charge of the cleanup for Lost Day?"

When I asked Kim Jitae, he was sweating and nodded.

"Ah, yes. In addition to the health of the hunters, they take care of the bodies of the monsters after a hunt."

In the meantime, Kim Jitae asked if he's going to be disciplined by the military or not.

"Strange. As soon as I left the guild, they joined hands with them."

Seodam has a bad impression of the Kinetic Pharmaceutical Company.

As soon as I was kicked out of the guild, the fact that Lost Day absorbed Kinetic Pharmaceutical Company as if it had been waiting for me to be kicked out of the guild gave me a nasty smell.

But there was nothing I could find out right now, so I kept it in the back of my mind.

I don't think there's anything I could do about it as a F-Rank right now anyways.

Looking at Yang Sunyoung who was looking at me with sparkling eyes I asked.

"By the way. Can I leave now?"

"Y-yes? Of course. Now that we have your information, we'll proceed with the pay settlement process."

"Okay. Have a good day."

"Thank you for your hard work!"

Shoo!

When Seodam nodded, Yang Sunyoung saluted in admiration.

Kim Ji-tae gulped.

It was because he finally realized that a F-Rank hunter, who used to be ignored, was worthy of such a salute from an A-Rank hunter.

Seodam, who had a happy look on his face, soon approached the hesitant Kim Jitae, and slapped him hard on the back.

Pa!

"Ugh!"

"From now on don't drag it out and make it harder, okay?"

"Yes? Yes."

"Then I'm going."

With Kim Ji-tae whose behavior has changed suddenly on the spot, Yoo Seo-dam left.

…Back to the subway where the accident just happened.

"Shit. The subway is all smashed up."

Looking at the scene he eventually went back up and grabbed a taxi.

Kim Jitae was puzzled and asked.

"Is it common for F-Ranks to hunt B-Rank monsters alone?"

Yang Sunyoung shook her head at him.

"Though, that's not entirely correct…if you're equipped with expensive equipment it's a different story…."

But he was naked without a piece of equipment.

"It would be tough not only in our country, but also abroad."

And the next day, as Yang Sonyoung predicted, a video had blown up on SNS.

All aspiring hunters must go through a "debut" process to become a professional hunter.

It was also a venue for opportunities in many ways because although you could still resolve anomalies as a F-Rank by having professional hunters help you and obtain a professional license, it was an opportunity to gain ranks rapidly, or join a good guild if you did well in your debut.

The debuts were usually done in pairs or as many as four people at a time, and most of them went by quietly, but some aspiring hunters were different.

There were people who drew attention even before they became professional hunters.

Celeste for example was one of the most notable prospects.

At the age of 17 with D-Rank strength as well as being the eldest daughter of the SS-Rank hunter Salvatore Costantini, and even the fact that she was a great beauty played a part.

With those blue eyes that always seem to stare blankly at the world, and the gorgeous golden hair that was braided back.

Everyone of all ages and genders who saw her once were mesmerized.

In case of delivering a good prospect the helpers were also well received, so professional hunters who wanted to attach themselves to Celeste's debut were constantly coming to Geumgang Gym.

It was also because Celeste Costantini officially announced in an interview with the Hunter Association, "I won't return home. I'll make my debut in Korea."

Some came from Italy, and some were active-duty A-Rank hunters from famous guilds who came to see her, so director Kim had to deal with them.

In the end Celeste rejected all their requests.

With a gentle impression Celeste said, "I won't go with a hunter who I have nothing to learn from."

It was an indifferent remark.

Hunters who want to show that they are not timid must go through the process of "debut" to become professional hunters.

"Well, her father is a SS-Rank hunter, so she deserves it."

"Then she should go with her dad. What's she doing in Korea?"

"Apparently her father told her to find a senior hunter on her own. I heard it was meant to widen her view."

There were many aspiring hunters at Geumgang Gymnasium, and thanks to Celeste, it became a good opportunity to network with professional hunters.

Furthermore, some aspiring hunters even caught the eyes of professional hunters who gave up on Celeste and were heading back.

"Huh. Celeste, even the media."

Director Kim pointed to the TV and said to Celeste who was sitting idly in the corner of the office with her smartphone.

[Celeste likes Korea's hunting culture more than Italy's!]

[The eldest daughter of the Costantini family remarks to hunter Lee Jongsoo, "There's nothing to learn."]

[Why did she fall in love with Korea?]

…And so on.

Most were useless news.

As the eldest daughter of one of the 37 SS-Rank hunters in the world the media seems to be very excited about her debut.

At director Kim's words she looked at the TV, but then turned her head back to her smartphone.

"Is that all?"

"You don't seem to be interested in what's going on in the media?"

"Ever since I was a kid the media have always been talking about me like that. It's the same this time."

Yeah.

She's a child of a star.

She's probably used to this.

Suddenly, director Kim felt very awkward seeing the daughter of such a huge figure sitting in the office of his humble gym.

'It's all thanks to Yoo Seodam."'

In the first place, director Kim taught Salvatore body control with the help of Yoo Seodam.

In the past, Yoo Seodam made numerous hunting trips around the world, and made acquaintance with numerous hunters, Salvator being one of them.

At that time when Yoo Seodam met Salvator who was suffering from a stagnant in his progress, he introduced him to the director, a hunter from Korea, who was famous for his strong body control.

However, Celeste was not interested in Geumgang Gym, so she thought she would just take some time off and relax, but now even after three months she still didn't think of going back.

No, she even said that she would make her debut in Korea.

'And that little kid… She has been watching the video of Yoo Seodam.'

A few days ago a video was uploaded to UTV, a global video hosting site.

It was a video of a F-Rank hunter killing a rampaging B-Rank monster decisively, however it was nothing special if you consider the countless hunters who uploaded videos daily.

30 years after the Great War against monsters.

Hunting was a kind of heroic job that only superhumans with strong powers could do.

Ordinary hunters were considered as just normal humans.

But now, an ordinary person suddenly appeared and defeated a B-Rank monster without superpowers.

The video caused a huge sensation and has garnered more than 30 million views in just a few days.

In addition, what shocked viewers was how hunters could be seen wearing shiny suits while the main character in the video was dressed casually in a hoodie and sweatpants.

'Aren't you dressed so comfortably as if you were out for a walk?'

[Si130: He's an ordinary person who hunts as a hobby. (Like: 11237 / Dislike: 973)]

[4Paune: Superhuman who lost control ㄷㄷ. (Like: 6,712 / Dislike: 736)]

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[Millo: Wow at 5:32 did the rebound from the pistol block the punch? (Like: 7,691 / Dislike: 379)]

Normal people who are not hunters knew.

How weak the pistols used by hunters are against monsters with super strength.

It was just for show and it was rarely used in real life, but it was utilized like a shield by an ordinary hunter and not a superhuman.

The battle was almost like art.

To be honest, it was a perfect and elaborate battle style that made even her think it was beautiful.

Some comments even suggested that the hunt was all planned.

How could an ordinary hunter even lure a strong monster in advance to hunt?

Of course such comments were buried.

Even now the number of views continued to rise partially thanks to Celeste who was constantly watching it.

Has she ever seen a sword like this in her life?

Although Celeste invited countless swordsmen from the Costantini family and learned the Great Impact Sword, Seodam's swordsmanship was more unusual and beautiful than any other swordsmanship she had seen.

Now, she could even recall what happened in the video at every minute and second.

Thud.

Celeste stood up after putting down her smartphone.

Now that she has seen enough of the video it was time to put it into action.

To imitate the sword of Seodam.

She sparred with him a lot over the past few weeks, but so far, Seodam has never used such a sword technique against her.

In other words, she thought that Seodam has been treating her lightly.

However, it was a new skill that Seodam has yet to master, but Celeste, who didn't know that, misunderstood him.

She asked to spar with him so she could learn the skill, but she can't believe that she's not even good enough for him to show it to her.

Has she ever experienced this in her life?

The answer is no.

This was the first wall in front of Celeste.

So she had a hunch.

That if she can break through this wall her achievements will be even greater.

Celeste swung her wooden sword, recalling the sword of Seodam in the video.

She imagined Seodam's sword as if it was a painting.

Like a flower, or the falling waterfall, or the pouring rain.

#139.

It was the number tag that Yoo Seo-dam received.

[Ding! Hunter #129, please come to window 4.]

In Seoul there is a 130-story skyscraper built using aether and is Korea's Hunter Association branch.

Hunters visit this place for various reasons, but the reason why Seodam came here today was for 'Guild Registration.'

Hunters can't be active by themselves.𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕦𝕤𝕓.𝕔𝕠𝒎

He had to belong to a guild, but none of the guilds wanted to take him in who is basically a relic.

That's why Seodam desperately tried to stay in Lost Day.

However, he could not give up the reward money, so he took advantage of Korea's sloppy hunter laws.

It's that there's no hunting requirements even if you just roughly register as a one-person guild.

It's similar to a kind of personal business registration.

He had no intention of creating a one-man guild for "solo hunting" because it was almost impossible as a F-Rank hunter.

However, he was recently contacted by the Capital Defense Headquarters and rushed here because they had a problem paying the reward due to him not belonging to any guild.

If a B-Rank is defeated, I'll get about 5 million won in free money.

How could I miss that?

"So, you want me to be your senior hunter?"

Hmhm.

[Ding! Hunter #131, please come to window 9.]

Seodam looked into Celeste's eyes who was next to him staring at him.

Her indifferent eyes are clearer today than ever before, and I was unable to tell what's on her mind.

"You said you were debuting soon?"

Autumn was the most active time for new hunters to debut.

The graduation at Hunter Academy was also around this time of year, so they made their debut all at once.

Even so, if you're an aspiring hunter like Celeste, many people would have asked her here and there, but Seodam couldn't understand why she chose him.

I was lost in my thoughts when Celeste hesitated and asked.

"By the way…What are you waiting for?"

"What am I waiting for? I'm #139. I have to wait my turn."

She didn't seem to understand even though I told her.

Hasn't she ever been to a bank?

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When Seodam thought so, Celeste gave a rather wild answer.

"When I went with my father the staff took me to the VIP room."

"…"

Well.

Since this would be his first time making a guild in his 15 years of hunting, Seodam felt a bit nervous making a one-man guild.

"I'm a nobody, so I have to wait my turn."

Then she nodded as if she knew, and silently waited.

I can feel the eyes of passersby looking this way.

They were looking at Celeste who stood out wherever she went.

[Ding! Hunter #135, please come to window 7.]

[Ding! #136…]

[Ding! #137…]

[Ding! Hunter #139, please come to window 3.]

After waiting for a long time it was finally my turn, and as I was about to stand up with my number tag, someone blocked me in front.

The people around me started to buzz.

"Is that the guy from Lost Day?"

"Yes. S-Rank Jang Hyunsuk."

"What brings him here?"

A handsome face and slightly taller than Seodam.

The emblem of Lost Day stuck on his shoulder.

The S-Rank superhuman Jang Hyunsuk stood in front of Seodam, smiled, and spoke.

"Long time no see, hunter Yoo Seodam."

"Uh. I'm kind of busy right now."

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Jang Hyunsuk stood firmly in the way, looking alternately between me and Celeste, then spoke.

"Hunter Yoo Seodam. You must be the senior hunter leading Miss Celeste Costantini's debut."

He wasn't finished.

Even before Seodam could reply, Jang Hyun-suk continued.

"However, Miss Celeste needs a better environment. Honestly, don't you know? Rather than having a F-Rrank Hunter as her senior it'll be better to have an S-Rank like myself."

"Hey."

When Jang Hyunsuk made eye contact with Yoo Seodam, he took a half-step back without realizing it.

It was his instinct.

Jang Hyunsuk was flustered as if he had become a herbivore standing in front of a beast.

'I'm scared of a F-Rank?'

Seodam glanced at the stiffened Jang Hyunsuk, then passed by him.

"We can take care of ourselves. Don't keep bothering me."

Then Celeste also stood up following Seodam, but Jang Hyunsuk, who just came to his senses, hurriedly blocked her.

Stiff Italian came out of an expensive translator that could translate foreign languages.

"It's not your business anyway. I'll ask her myself."

Jang Hyunsuk opened his mouth with a confident look.

"Miss Celeste, with me…"

"No."

He was shut down again.

He broke out in a cold sweat with a strange puzzled look on his face.

"…What? Don't be like this, think again."

"I have nothing to learn from you."

Celeste cupped her index finger and thumb.

"Not even this much."

Meanwhile, Seodam arrived at window 3 and sat down.

Then, Celeste, who followed him, sat next to him.

"Huh? Didn't you talk to him?"

Hmhm.

When Celeste shook her head, Sedam gave an "oh really?" look.

Jang Hyunsuk was still standing there staring at the back of his head.

'I think he can twist my neck if I use my powers right now.'

The F-Rank will do that.

Somehow Jang Hyunsuk didn't think he would win.

He was also a veteran who had fought on the battlefield for years, so he was instinctively able to see the level of his opponent, and the instinct is now warning him.

Don't come at this opponent.

In the end, Jang Hyunsuk turned away after looking at their backs for a long time.

"…We'll see when the time comes for her debut."

Whatever work I could find I did my best.

I would do it earnestly even if the work was playing with a stray cat and I was paid conservatively.

"You're giving me three 2nd-Grade battle equipment?"

"Yes."

This was her debut as a hunter, and as her senior partner I was given three 2nd-Grade battle equipment as remuneration.

"Hm."

Celeste had done plenty of research on Yoo Seodam so she knew.

The fact that he shows great interest in an aether dispenser.

So she gave it to Yoo Seodam as a gift as though it was a coincidence.

It is no wonder that the efficiency of Yoo Seodam has increased.

One weekend morning.

Gathering at the Geumgang Gym, Seodam and Celeste sat side by side on an exercise machine that no one was using and looked at a touchpad.

I know this is quite ill-mannered, but there are no people on the weekends anyway.

Although there is no set date for their debut, the aspiring hunters seem to be quite busy preparing for their debut.

Celeste wanted to meet and talk calmly at a cafe, not at the gym, but it was quite a hassle for Seodam.

Her debut as a hunter will be in the C-Rank dungeon, 'Snow Peak of Paulownia.'

"You know there are no countermeasures, right? What tricks are you going to use in this C-Rank dungeon?"

He slowly became quite comfortable with Celeste, and spoke his mind, but she didn't seem to care much.

Rather, she seemed to want to be comfortable with Seodam.

"It's not uncommon for aspiring hunters to do this."

"No, I know that."

Normal prospects targeted D-Rank or low E-Rank dungeons and gates.

But very occasionally super-elite prospects targeted C-Rank dungeons, which was the case with Celeste.

However, that is only possible if the senior hunter is at least A-Rank.

"You know that the debut will be judged by your actions because I don't count as a member, right?"

In other words, if Yoo Seodam and Celeste went into the dungeon together it would be judged as Celeste's solo hunting.

It won't be a big problem in itself, but there were a lot of restrictions on 'solo hunting.'

It's also formally forbidden for people to enter dungeons alone.

In particular, you're not allowed to enter a dungeon alone, and you're only allowed to enter a dungeon that is one or two levels higher than you if you were granted special permission.

F-Rank hunters are not allowed to enter a F-Rank dungeon alone.

However, exceptions must exist everywhere.

1. A-Rank hunters with three years of experience.

2. Hunters who have survived an expedition inside the Hell Gate located at the heart of the Pacific Ocean.

3. Veterans with more than 10 years of experience.

If any of the above cases were applicable a solo entry was possible for entering a dungeon of the same rank.

"Fortunately this dungeon is a big one, so you'll be attacking it with other aspiring hunters. A total of six more teams are coming, so we'll have to wait. You're lucky."

"…."

But.

Celeste was a meticulous person, and naturally knew about the restrictions on solo entry.

On the official website of the International Hunter Federation you could search for any hunter you wanted and access their public personal information, which she had done in advance.

[F-Rank Hunter Yoo Seodam]

[Hunter is permitted to enter SSS-Rank Dungeons.]

In other words, Seodam is entitled to enter even the most horrible and difficult dungeons in existence alone.

That means he is an owner of the 'Free Dungeon Pass,' which very few people in the world possess.

Come to think of it, it was a little strange.

Yoo Seodam is a F-Rank, how does he have a Free Dungeon Pass?

She was very curious, but didn't bother to ask because she didn't think Seodam had any intention of explaining it.

"The monsters that appear inside…Spring Wolves, Hook Spiders, etc…"

It has been more than a decade since the invention of the exploration drone which can be sent inside the dungeon in advance to identify the initial entry and gather information.

"Maybe your debut will be broadcast live on UTV and other sites, you know that don't you?"

A total of seven senior hunters and seven prospects were participating in this C-Rank dungeon 'Snow Peak of Paulownia.'

Most of whom belonged to large guilds and were quite well-known on the internet before their debut.

Seodam said that in the case that their notable debut is broadcasted live on various platforms and she should prepare herself to be judged live.

"With other debuts, one or two senior hunters would record about ten applicants. So they have virtually no chance to raise their value. Honestly, it's annoying to check every single one of those videos, right?"

However, a super rookie's debut like Celeste's was on a whole different level.

It'll be shown in front of so many netizens through the live broadcast.

"This is all about raising your value."

Anyone with the ability to fight the same rank has a value of tens of millions of dollars, while normal people can barely make ends meet.

The first stage to set such a value is during one's debut.

After the Great War it was the most important stage as a hunter in an era where everything has stabilized.

"In order for you to stand out you have to show something different from other prospects."

Seodam, as if he is recounting his own experience, began to lecture her on how to receive high reviews during her debut.

Like a lazy instructor who points out the questions a week before a college entrance exam.

However, Celeste was listening to every single one of Seodam's words.

"…Have you led many trainees in the past?"

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"It was in a foreign country. Well, have you heard of Michael Ronira? Him, Ha Jisung, and Toseph…"

"Y-yes?!"

When the famous names came out of Seodam's mouth, Celeste opened her eyes wide in shock.

Because they were all famous active S-Rank hunters.

"They needed a porter back then, so I took them around, but somehow it changed into a debut."

When other hunters taught them how to hunt, Seodam taught them how to survive.

Having been talented from the start, they learned how to survive tenaciously, and became famous in their own right.

Of course they are now stronger and better than Seodam.

I am no match against them.

He laughed as he recalled those who had been with him for some reason but are now far away.

"You can fight a decent D-rank monster by yourself. But first, let's look at the Spring Wolf…It has a very simple attack pattern. As it pounces precisely towards you and tries to bite your arms from the side, you can't fight back by sidestepping because it's a pounce. You should step back instead."

"Step back when it pounces toward me?"

"Right. Spring Wolf is unique because once it reaches you, there's a delay until it can pounce again…"

On top of that, Seodam even demonstrated the pattern of the monsters found inside with his own wooden sword.

Furthermore, even monsters that the drone could not find were taught their characteristics and the unique ways to fight them.

For the first time in Celeste's life she has learned how many different ways there are to fight.

As an elite among elites, the "essence" taught by Seodam was firmly stuck in her mind.

However, Seodam's methods were different.

In other words, it was "unique."

"So what do you do when it's defenseless on the ground? You kick it in the crotch."

"Ah, good to know…."

The average hunter doesn't need to know such trivial things.

But in order to survive as a F-Rank hunter, these things must be known.

The essence of a veteran Hunter who has lived so desperately and somehow managed to survive without a single superpower.

Before, Celeste thought there was only one thing to learn from Yoo Seodam.

However, that was a misconception.

The sword of Yoo Seodam was only a small fraction of his talent.

His true strength lies in his countless life experience as a hunter.

As her teacher, Celeste was a very good student.

She listens to me, doesn't complain, and if I taught her one thing she sees ten things.

Well, in fact, I'm not a strong enough hunter to be a teacher, but I felt proud to see the little child I taught grow up well.

Surprisingly, am I meant to be a teacher?

"Are you nervous?"

6 p.m.

By the time most people left work, me and Celeste had just arrived at our job.

I laughed as Celeste quietly nodded.

"Your first time is supposed to be like that."

The site of the dungeon was near a national park called Uijeongbu, where black cars, cameras and spectators were already crowding the area.

Once again I feel that these days people are too carefree.

If we fail to subdue the dungeon, the surrounding area will open to the 'other world.'

Weren't they scared?𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕦𝕤𝕓.𝕔𝕠𝗆

When the seven senior hunters and seven prospects gathered at the scene, a reporter who was broadcasting live on UTV approached.

Originally, I didn't care about this process, but this time I took the initiative because I wanted everyone to see Celeste's debut.

"Haha. Finally, the stars of today are all here. Let's hear some words from the aspiring hunters shall we?"

As expected, this reporter won't be following us inside the dungeon.

In the first place, he would probably die to a hunter inside if he kept pestering them.

"Wow, miss Celeste is just as pretty as I've heard. Do you have a SNS account? I want to follow you!"

I thought he was trying to promote the SNS of the prospects.

Many people would be curious, especially if it's Celeste's SNS.

The reporter's skill was revealed.

"No."

"Oh, not for me. I'm sorry!"

I can't be sure, but there are probably many 'LOL' in the reporter's broadcast chatroom by now.

Celeste, with a slightly embarrassed look, spoke.

"No, it's… I don't have a SNS account…"

"Hm? Are you sure? Don't all teenagers and people in their twenties have SNS, no?"

I don't have one either.

Unknowingly, he who was standing next to her was struck by 'splash damage.'

The reporter kept his attention on Celeste for a long time and conducted an interview.

It seems that the viewers liked it because it had the most outstanding visuals among the people who gathered here.

Soon after Celeste was visibly exhausted, the reporter turned his attention to another prospect, and in the meantime I looked around.

Lost Day, Blue Waterdrop, Red Sunflower, and etc…All the scary guys were gathered.

Then, I suddenly saw a familiar pattern and my face crumpled.

Kinetic Pharmaceutical Company.

Perhaps that terrible company which has connection with Lost Day is here on their own accord.

I heard that it was a subsidiary of Lost Day, so why did it come all the way here?

Then, when the interviewer went to the Lost Day's prospect I turned my head to look.

"Hunter Lee Yeonjun. You're probably the second most popular person here. Do you know that?"

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"Haha, I know."

"Yes, it was originally reported that you were completely ordinary with a 0% aether absorption rate, but I heard you recently succeeded in awakening to C-Rank. What's your secret?"

What?

As the reporter interviewed him, I narrowed my eyes and examined Lee Yeonjun's body.

This is because I couldn't believe that an ordinary person with a 0% aether absorption rate had awakened to C-Rank.

Huh, unnatural muscles and breathing.

And madness hidden in the calm eyes.

What the hell is he?

"There's no secret. Through Lost Day's very special training method I've worked hard enough, and have come to awaken my superpower."

"Oh, that's great. Lee Yeonjun has been the hope of the general public since the previous hunter Yoo Seodam."

"You flatter me. I'm not anyone's hope. I just want to let people know that anyone can be like me if they try."

I wondered why my name was mentioned.

Also the heat of the video that had been circulating the other day seemed to have not cooled down yet.

I was so embarrassed that I wanted to ask UTV to remove it, but I had already given up because I thought it would be meaningless.

It will be quiet in a few months anyway…

"You are too humble. It would be disappointing to end the interview with a prospect last, right?"

It's not.

Contrary to what I thought, 'Yes!!' came from all sides.

"I'd like to hear a word from our S-Rank superhuman, hunter Jang Hyunsuk!"

Then, cheers erupted from all sides.

Kyaah!

I think I'm going to faint!

Have my baby!

A bunch of freaks.

S-Rank superhuman, Jang Hyunsuk.

The fan base seemed to be quite big, perhaps because of the strong image of Lost Day.

Well, any guild would use S-Rank superhumans as their mascot.

"In any case, today isn't about me. All the hunters here are great people, and they're fighting for you."

I think hunters are more of a celebrity than a hunter these days.

From what I could recall, he used to stutter, but now he's a very composed man.

Jang Hyunsuk glanced at me throughout the interview, but I don't know why.

Soon, the short interview was done.

It's about time.

It was time to go into the dungeon.

"Well, good luck, hunters."

As expected, three cameramen who awakened as E-Rank superhumans followed us as the main reporters left.

It's a video that high-ranking people are going to watch, so it seemed like they were going to film with proper cameras.

In addition, each had a HTC (Hunting Cam) on their chest, which could film from the person's point of view, and even seven autopilot-controlled drones were flying in the sky.

Senior hunters had a relaxed face while prospects had a nervous face.

One by one, they started to enter the black gate.

The moment Lee Yeonjun entered the dungeon.

All of a sudden.

Countless messages appeared in my mind.

[Emergency!]

[A strong cliché has occurred nearby. A protagonist's 'Prologue' has begun.]

[However, there is already another protagonist nearby.]

[If a protagonist meets another protagonist, the clichés will collide and may break the protagonist's blessing which could lead both to the 'Epilogue' immediately.]

"What? Wait a moment."

It's so sudden that I don't understand.

What do you mean epilogue? No way…

[Once the protagonist is forced to complete their story, their world will end.]

Shit.

The C-Rank dungeon in front of me is not the problem.

They will be fine whether I'm with them or not.

But the world that exists in the dungeon will collapse.

Emergency mission for hunter Yoo Seodam!

On completion of an emergency mission, you can absorb more than one skill or talent from the protagonist.

Generating hashtags of the protagonist.

#Drug_Strengthened_S-Rank_Hunter

#Fusion_Fantasy #Drug #Bitter #Comedy #Rapid_Growth

Will you accept the mission?

I opened my eyes wide at the sight of the hashtags.

A list of hashtags that are so obvious that I understood the plot.

I glanced at the dungeon gate where Lee Yeonjun disappeared into and was suddenly certain.

I instinctively accepted the mission.

"…I accept the mission."

[Traveling to Snow Peak of Paulownia. The world of the protagonist, Lee Yeonjun]

[10…9…8…]

What is the definition of 'protagonist?'

It varies from person to person, but I'm referring to the selfish people who grew up eating the blessings of the whole world by themselves.

Furthermore, as the 21st century has changed, there hasn't been any 'crisis' for the protagonists to deal with.

They're outdated characters.

In the past they'd die, their girlfriends would die, their families would die, their friends would die, or their colleagues would die.

What about these days?

There's absolutely no such thing.

Nowadays the protagonists just know everything, never put their acquaintances in danger, and overwhelm everything with more power than a villain has.

However, the two protagonists I've hunted so far were very weak for a protagonist.

One was the 'tutorial' and the other was because I was lucky enough to hunt it when it was sealed.

Then.

What about a protagonist who just started their prologue?

[2…1…0]

[Travel Completed.]

[You are a hunter who came to attack Snow Peak of Paulownia.]

[The protagonist, Lee Yeonjun, is Level 63.]

'Crazy…'

Shortly after entering the dungeon I had a sour expression, and Celeste who noticed it tilted her head.

"Let's listen to the briefing first."

Let's think about it.

The level of the first protagonist I hunted was 33.

Not to mention his strength, his movements and controls were enough to impress me when I first saw it.

His sword dance was at least above A-Rank, and what if he actually used his full ability?

He was at least D-Rank and his mana output is comparable to a C-Rank.

But he also complemented his speed with 'technique,' increased his strength with 'talent,' and controlled the rhythm of the duel with 'judgement.'

All of those things showed a level comparable to Earth's A-Rank superhumans who simply wielded D-Grade powers.

What about Lee Yeonjun?

Will Lee Yeonjun who was born and raised on Earth have technique, talent, and judgement?

Though classified as C-Rank, does he have perfect body control even though he has only recently awakened?

The other day I overpowered a B-Rank monster.

However, it was only B-rank in brute strength.

Its movements were simple, and I didn't even have to be careful because it didn't have any abilities.

In other words, it was just a mob.

This means that it's different from a C-Rank protagonist.

But let's say I can kill him somehow.

There was just one other problem.

How am I going to kill him?

Even now, three cameramen are following behind and seven drones are flying in the air.

Each of them is going to be showing the faces of the prospects, so how can I sneak a murder?

Besides, Lee Yeonjun is together with Jang Hyunsuk who is a S-Rank superhuman.

Frankly speaking, if I deal with them now using these equipment I'm 100% certain I'll lose.

This is driving me crazy.

The briefing ended while I was agonizing over it.

"Then, let's get going."

As soon as Jang Hyunsuk spoke, the parties began to enter the first part of the dungeon.

14 people, senior hunters and aspiring hunters.

It was none other than Jang Hyunsuk who led the group.

He is a S-Rank hunter, had a long range ability, and is the most recognizable hunter.

Thirty years ago when monsters first appeared, hunters who did meritorious deeds gained fame.

Because they were the hope of humanity.

But now handsome hunters with good abilities gained fame.

Although all they actually do is appear on TV, people still praised them as heroes.𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕦𝕤𝕓.𝕔𝕠𝞳

That's the way it is.

The C-Rank Dungeon Snow Peak of Paulownia is currently being broadcast live all over the world, and it is drawing attention from other countries as well because two newcomers who have been quite controversial have gathered.

The eldest daughter of the Costantini family who awakened as a D-Rank superhuman at the age of 17.

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And Lee Yeonjun, who lived his entire life as an ordinary person, had awakened as a C-Rank superhuman through hard work and diligence.

Viewers aged 19 and older were able to watch the live broadcast by clicking on any tab among the cameras from 1 to 7.

It was also no surprise that Lee Yeonjun and Celeste had the highest ratings.

The reason was simple.

Lee Yeonjun is the first ordinary person with a 0% aether absorption rate to awaken as a superhuman.

And Celeste who caught the attention of the world with her gorgeous appearance to the point where she had become a celebrity.

To be honest, among the seven trainees, Celeste's ability was the most mediocre.

She was only noticed because she awakened at an early age, but there were plenty of other D-Rank superhumans who awakened before the age of 20.

One hunted monsters with the superpower to pass through matter, another could run at super speed, and there was even one who had a rare psychic power.

While all five superhumans had splendid abilities, Lee Yeonjun and Celeste had normal strengthening abilities.

'Hmmm. As expected. We got a lot of people on Cam 1.'

Jang Hyunsuk smiled contentedly as he looked at the rising numbers on a thin pad attached to his wrist.

If there's one thing the public doesn't know, it's that there are actually separate channels between a regular channel and an 'official hunter' channel.

Despite it being the trainees' debut, the number of related channels not revealed to the public were tallied separately, with the largest number gathered in the channels of Lee Yeonjun and Jang Hyunsuk.

The reason is simple.

An ordinary person had solved the problem of awakening superpowers through 'effort' with the help of his guild.

So there were famous hunters, guild masters, politicians, and advertisers among the viewers who were curious and wanted to unravel the secrets.

While the number of viewers in the public channels were evenly distributed, it seemed natural for officials to flock to Lee Yeonjun's private cam.

But…

[What's wrong with Jang Hyunsuk?]

[Why does it seem like he's the most excited one when it's the trainee's debut?]

[Ah. ㅈㄴ so lame.]

[What? ㅠㅠ my oppa is so cool ㅠ.]

Jang Hyunsuk was always popular, but he rarely received such attention when he was solo hunting.

In fact, Jang Hyunsuk had little experience even though he's high rank, and was just as excited as the trainees were.

He also often flaunted his status as a senior hunter by playing the role of assisting trainees.

His ability 'flash whip,' a terrifying superpower where he freely wielded red aether on both hands to cut down enemies at once.

Although it was the most eye catching power among the D through A Ranks here, the officials did not come to see him.

They were already S-Rank themselves or people who come in contact with S-Ranks every day.

They were not interested in Jang Hyunsuk's ability or rank.

Their interest lies in Lee Yeonjun.

Due to Jang Hyunsuk excessive behavior, officials naturally began to look at the other hunters.

There was another hunter who stood out.

It was Celeste.

Celeste had the lowest viewers among the seven prospects because officials were confident she would be working with Salvatore Costantini in the future anyways.

Besides, what's the need to analyze her, a normal strengthening superhuman?

Everyone knew she was a talented hunter, but that's it.

There were many hunters as great or better than her.

So, what they noticed was not Celeste's superpowers, but her innate 'talent.'

[Oh my god. Did you see that?]

Someone posted a message in the private channel chat window.

[I can't believe she's dealing with the Spring Wolf that way.]

Spring Wolf.

Its attack, which scratches four times by quickly pouncing forward was difficult to respond to with the human reaction, so it was normal to avoid it by sidestepping.

Other aspiring hunters have also been trained by their senior partners in advance, so they have memorized the monsters' attack patterns.

But even knowing the Spring Wolf's weakness, it was difficult putting it to use.

And contrary to what was taught by other seniors, Celeste was backstepping instead of avoiding it sideways.

Backstepping against a monster that pounces?

Normally, it would be suicide.

To their surprise, however, Celeste calculated the Spring Wolf's exact attack range and immediately wielded her sword to cut its neck without stepping sideways to avoid its attacks.

It was also surprising that her D-Rank strengthening overpowered the D-Rank Spring Wolf alone, and the whole process was so smooth that it was admirable enough.

But they were only a little surprised.

Her talent is great, and if she had studied thoroughly in advance, it was only the natural outcome.

However, the way she dealt with the monsters that appeared afterwards was enough to surprise many hunters.

[Hoo. So that's how you can deal with that? It's unusual.]

[Hmm…Well, that's how it is done, but it's not as easy as it looks. How confident in yourself do you have to be to pull that off?]

Unlike the Lee Yeonjun and Jang Hyunsuk duo who were both being watched, Celeste was the only one being watched of the two.

In fact, Yoo Seodam has been using his aether blade without coating it with aether, and the pistol in his left hand would sometimes fire warning shots.

The support from Yoo Seodam would sometimes catch the eyes of normal viewers who were watching Celeste at the time.

[What? What is he? His shooting skills are no joke.]

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[All hunters have to be able to do that to become a hunter.]

[ㄹㅇㅋㅋ]

[The person above, have you ever fired a gun?]

[No, you idiots. Don't you see? His shots are perfectly timed.]

As the viewer pointed out, Seodam timed his shots.

No matter how weak a pistol is, a small-sized monster would be pushed back.

Like before it could hit Celeste, or when two or three started to gather, or when she was in a bind.

But if it wasn't really a dangerous moment, his pistol was still.

There were times when Celeste would somehow manage to respond to the enemy in an improbable way even though it seemed like he would have to fire his pistol.

As if he knew that Celeste would successfully block it, Yoo Seodam would remain still.

Viewers began to take notice of Seodam when they viewed Celeste's channel.

This place is a C-Rank dungeon at best.

Under normal circumstances it was a low level dungeon that nobody cared about.

But, what if there was a hunter who fought the monsters by taking advantage of its minor traits that are not even registered in the monster database?

It was natural to be interested.

At first it was a very small interest.

Interest in just seeing something unusual.

[What's wrong with the Hook Spider all of a sudden?]

[Oh my. Isn't that the blood of the Water Driftor? It's disrupting the spider's sense of smell.

It's fine even if you don't have the full knowledge of every D-Rank monster.

If you're a S-Rank superhuman you can defeat it with just a lift of your finger.

[No? Wasn't the 36th step of the Spring Wolf a random jump?]

[How does he know the timing to shoot?]

[He's pointing his gun as if he knew in advance.]

However, what if you had the knowledge of every monster in the dungeon and not just one two?

What if the person was a 15-year veteran hunter?

How the hell did the hunter who has been fighting on the battlefield for 15 years without a single superpower stick around the battlefield powerless?

In order to confront the powerful forces, what method did the hunter, who had no superpowers, use?

Also, It wasn't just him.

Among the 17 people gathered here, Yoo Seodam's physical abilities were the lowest.

Because even the three cameramen who were following the parties were stronger E-Ranks.

However, the viewers were speechless.

The fact that Yoo Seodam is more efficient than any other superhumans.

Very rarely he would pump aether into his aether blade and quickly swung it, or when completely blocked the enemy's movement with a low-grade pistol that wouldn't even be used by a veteran hunter.

Moves that were so simple with no splendor.

But in its unglamorous monotone lies its beauty.

[That guy, it's Yoo Seodam.]

[I've heard of him.]

[Is he the hunter who has managed to survived this far as a F-Rank?]

[Huh, so that's the movement of a F-Rank?]

Although the public may have only recently seen Yoo Seodam through a viral video, very few people knew about Yoo Seodam the hunter.

However, they didn't feel it was worth paying attention to F-Ranks, but the video helped them change their minds a little bit.

If you're the only hunter who has survived for 15 years as a F-Rank with no superpowers at all.

[Oh, I remember now. He's the hunter who spent three years exploring Hell Gate.]

If you're a hunter who achieved something that even S-Rank hunters didn't dare to do.

Viewers slowly began to switch.

Normal viewers were still focused on Lee Yeonjun, but hunter officials were beginning to look at Celeste.

"What is this?"

Looking at the number of viewers reflected on his wrist, Yoo Seodam tilted his head.

Although he led some trainees in the past, this system was quite unfamiliar to him because at the time he did not broadcast live like this.

Slowly, the number of 'interests' who were watching Celeste began to increase from dozens to hundreds, but Seodam paid little attention to it.

Rather, he was paying attention to Lee Yeonjun.

All of a sudden, Lee Yeonjun violently unleashed his power and jumped into the pack of monsters.

He was acting too recklessly as a trainee.

'What's wrong with him? Is he crazy?'

As soon as I thought so.

[The protagonist Lee Yeonjun has gained the skill Take Notice (A).]

[A new hashtag '#Broadcast' will be added to the protagonist Lee Yeonjun.]

[The hashtags summary of the protagonist Lee Yeonjun has been modified.]

#Drug_Strengthened_S-Rank_Hunter_Broadcast

#Fusion_Fantasy #Drugged #Bitter #Comedy #Rapid_Growth #Broadcast

'…Hey, what the hell is this?'