Chapter 26
The wet, squelching swamp.
It was the most difficult environment he’d ever encountered in any gate so far.
Even taking just a few steps caused fatigue to build up in his legs at twice the usual rate.
“Once we push through the brush a bit further, it should appear.”
“Got it.”
Juhyuk cut through the overgrown foliage ahead with his sword and walked forward.
Carefully, so as not to get scratched by the grass and infected, he advanced until the area suddenly opened up—a wide, empty stretch with no vegetation at all.
“I’ll wait in the back. If anything happens, I’ll jump in right away, so fight comfortably.”
“Understood. I’ll be back soon.”
With the solid support of an S-rank Hunter behind him, Juhyuk stepped forward.
As he entered the open area of the swamp, a strange, eerie screech echoed through the air.
Kkeerrrkk—! Kkriyaak—!
The sharp cry pierced the ears.
At the same time, a small dot in the sky grew larger and larger before it slammed into the ground with an explosive crash.
Kkraargh—!
It was a Froc—one of the frog-like monsters they’d met before—but clearly different.
‘Froc King.’
A crown on its head.
Its hide gleamed blue rather than green.
And its body was about one and a half times larger than any Froc they had faced so far.
The party members, holding their breath, thought to themselves:
Can an F-rank really take down a B-rank boss?
This was on an entirely different level from the monsters they’d seen before.
They had seen Juhyuk tear through Frocs easily enough, but the Froc King was in another league.
That tension ran through everyone watching from behind.
Park Hanseong, the S-rank Hunter, observed with a mix of curiosity and complicated emotions.
“Think he can do it?”
“Hard to say. We’ll just have to watch.”
Even for an S-rank, this was not an easy call to make.
No one had ever heard, even as a rumor, of an F-rank taking on a B-rank boss alone.
“Support, if anything goes wrong, you move first.”
“…Huh? Oh—yes! I’ll cast protection magic if it looks dangerous.”
The supporter stammered in surprise, clearly nervous, which was understandable—she was the one who would have to move first if things went south.
No one scolded her, though. Better to be anxious than careless.
As they discussed their emergency plans, another roar split the air.
Kkyaaaak—!
With that cry, the Froc King leapt high into the air.
Juhyuk raised his sword, watching as it came crashing down from above.
The Froc King didn’t hesitate even for a moment before charging.
The reason was simple.
To any monster, an intruder with such weak mana as an F-rank was nothing more than easy prey—a piece of meat that had wandered into its territory.
The Froc King thought only that its next meal had conveniently come to it.
But that only proved its low intelligence.
If it had thought for even a second—how could someone with only F-rank mana have made it all the way into the king’s lair?
It never questioned it.
“….”
The blue hide of the Froc King flashed as it fell from above.
Its stance lacked any hint of dignity befitting a “king.”
It was full of openings.
Regular Frocs were clumsy and barely knew how to fight, but the Froc King, with its higher intelligence, did possess some basic understanding of swordsmanship.
However, in its excitement at the sight of an F-rank opponent, it threw itself recklessly forward.
Kkhyak—!
That was its fatal mistake.
“…Huh?”
“What the—?”
Everyone watching froze in disbelief.
They had expected a fierce, drawn-out battle—yet it was over in a single strike.
Juhyuk hadn’t even moved much. He simply stood there, watching as the Froc King descended.
Then, the moment it entered his range, he struck.
“Did… did you see that, Hunter Park? I couldn’t even—our eyes couldn’t follow what just happened…”
Juhyuk flicked his sword a few times, and the Froc King collapsed onto the ground with a heavy thud.
It didn’t rise again. Blood gushed like a fountain.
Everyone turned toward the S-rank Hunter for an explanation.
“…He aimed for the eyes,” Park Hanseong said quietly. “Because the Froc King’s hide couldn’t be pierced otherwise.”
He had seen it clearly—Juhyuk had read the Froc King’s sword path just before contact and evaded slightly, then—
“He thrust through the eye straight into the brain and twisted the handle just a little.”
The Froc King’s brain had been shredded; it only managed a short, strangled cry before dying instantly.
“He won. In under three minutes.”
“….”
An F-rank rookie had just defeated a B-rank boss.
In a single exchange.
No one could believe what they were seeing. They just stared blankly at the scene before them.
Then, the silence broke.
“Holy—crap!” the supporter shouted.
Before anyone could stop her, she had her phone in her hand—no one even saw when she’d grabbed it.
She jumped up, filming Juhyuk in excitement.
“Did you all see that? That guy’s an F-rank Hunter and he just soloed a B-rank boss! I swear on my channel, this is NOT staged!”
“….”
She babbled excitedly into the air.
Even without hearing her words, everyone could guess what she was doing.
After rambling for a while, she suddenly realized everyone’s eyes were on her.
“Ah.”
A strangled sound escaped her lips as she realized her mistake.
She gave a nervous laugh and tried to explain herself.
“I—I didn’t mean to, I just…”
“Ha.”
Someone glanced at her phone screen.
The live chat was exploding.
[Breaking News! F-RANK HUNTER SOLO-KILLS B-RANK FROC KING — Is It Fake?]
[That same Hunter once carried an entire D-rank Gate solo!]
[Reawakening test showed NO stat changes — Hunter Association corruption suspected!]
“Congrats—you’re famous now,” someone muttered.
“….”
Juhyuk checked his phone the moment he stepped out of the gate.
The livestream had already spread across every community and even made it onto the news portals—it was the hottest topic in the country.
But to Juhyuk, who desperately wanted to keep his artifact a secret, this was a nightmare.
He had expected rumors to spread eventually after clearing so many gates—but not this fast.
“I told you not to film,” he said coldly.
“I-I know, but…”
Tears welled in her eyes as she stammered.
“How could I not film when an F-rank rookie soloed a B-rank boss?”
She tried to justify herself, but no one defended her.
They all knew Juhyuk disliked attention—and how troublesome this would become for him.
The rest of the party looked at her with cold eyes.
“Apologize to Hunter Juhyuk,” one of them said.
“….”
With her head bowed and hands clasped, she finally murmured, “I’m sorry. I’ll delete the video right away…”
“….”
Even hearing that didn’t make him feel any better.
He wanted to crush the phone underfoot right then and there—but there was no point.
The damage was already done.
He thought for a moment, then said quietly,
“It’s fine. Don’t bother deleting it.”
“…Huh? Really?”
“It’s already spread everywhere. Deleting it won’t change anything.”
Even if she deleted the original, the video would already be re-uploaded across multiple platforms.
Now that it was public—and even on the Hunter News—it was too late to stop it.
In that case, he might as well make the best of it.
Think positive. It was hard for an F-rank to get into B-rank gates before, but now that this video is out, people will at least recognize my ability.
This time, he’d only gotten in thanks to a favor from a master craftsman.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been allowed in a B-rank raid.
But with this video circulating, his strength was now proven.
At least finding future parties wouldn’t be difficult.
Of course, the headaches that’ll come with it are unavoidable.
Even trying to see the bright side, the thought of the chaos to come gave him a headache.
“Hunter Juhyuk, will you be alright?” Park Hanseong asked carefully.
“I’ll manage. It was bound to happen sooner or later.”
As he pulled out his phone to plan his next move, Park Hanseong said,
“With that video out, you’ll be getting a lot of scout offers.”
“Probably.”
“Then I’ll make mine before anyone else.”
He pulled a sleek, embossed business card from his pocket and held it out.
“What do you think about joining the Haetae Guild?”
“….”
“I won’t bother explaining who we are—you’d have to be living under a rock not to know.”
The Haetae Guild.
As he said, not only every Korean but even foreign Hunters had heard of it—one of the world’s most influential guilds.
“I’ll personally guarantee you’ll be well treated.”
It was a scene Juhyuk could never have imagined back when he was in the academy.
Being scouted by Haetae Guild was almost flattering.
But he couldn’t accept.
As tempting as it is, I can’t risk exposing the artifact.
He sighed inwardly.
“I appreciate it, but I’m not planning to—”
And then—
“Jeong Juhyuk!”
A familiar, furious voice cut through the air.
It was a voice that absolutely should not be heard here.
Juhyuk turned toward it instinctively.
“Have you lost your mind?!”
There she was—his mother, standing there with a brace on her leg, glaring furiously at him.
“…Ah.”
He had completely forgotten.
The real reason this B-rank gate raid was supposed to stay secret.
I’m screwed.
Her appearance sent chills down his spine—far worse than the Froc King’s roar.
And so, Juhyuk was dragged away, cursing the supporter—the root cause of all this mess.
