Chapter 42
[Training Room Upgrade and Mana Recharge for Operation: 65/100…]
“…Haa.”
The artifact into which he had dumped every last magic stone after returning from the previous A‑rank gate.
As expected, the gauge had barely filled a few percent.
‘Looks like going back and forth as easily as last time won’t be happening anymore.’
His growth rate had hit a plateau.
Of course, if he entered an A‑rank gate around five more times, he’d be able to use it again—but the increase was painfully slow compared to before.
‘Well, the difficulty increased, so I guess that’s actually a good thing?’
Ever since the artifact became contaminated by Dreamshade, the difficulty had risen drastically.
And after one trip, the artifact must have regained its senses—there were no more typos in its messages.
‘Still, it’s dangerous. I need to hurry and find that demon Garitos.’
Contaminated by Dreamshade, it was a ticking time bomb—no telling when it might cause a problem.
He had no choice but to keep using the artifact until he became stronger, but he needed to minimize the number of times he used it.
‘If the demon who made this artifact exists, he should know how to detach it from my body.’
Get strong enough, then find Garitos and remove the artifact from his body.
That was his most important goal.
‘Honestly, if I can get this thing off, I won’t even need to start a guild by myself…’
But whether the artifact could be removed was still unknown.
So he needed a second plan—preparing to create a guild.
[Even for a small elite guild, you’ll need at least 4 billion won.]
Yena had roughly estimated the cost at 4 billion.
He needed to save that amount while also pouring magic stones into the artifact.
Just a year ago, even the thought of earning that amount was absurd, but now he was a hunter who could clear A‑rank gates alone.
4 billion was something he could earn in six months with steady work.
‘No… if I have to clear gates with a four‑person party, it’ll take way longer.’
Unlike before, where he monopolized all the profits by clearing alone, he now had to split earnings evenly with the party.
Hunter regulations prohibited solo entry into gates, so his earnings would be automatically cut to one‑fourth.
‘If I add that up, filling the artifact and saving money will take even longer.’
A longer‑than‑expected timeline.
He was carrying a bomb that could explode at any time, so anxiety tugged at him—but he had to remain calm.
‘Do what I can right now.’
He opened the official Hunter app on his phone and looked for open A‑rank gates.
A‑ranks were rare, so finding one was tough. He checked it out of habit, but without a guild backing him, it was almost impossible.
‘I had it easy when I just asked Yena to find them… I didn’t think it would be this hard.’
He had always relied on Yena to locate A‑rank gates.
Hunter Park Han‑sung had told him A‑rank gates were extremely hard to find, and that he should learn to do it on his own. He had resolved not to rely on others.
But doing it alone was much harder than expected.
‘I even posted my profile, but still no calls…’
There was a bulletin board where hunters could post their info—like a job‑seeking app.
He had listed his profile there too, but only C‑rank parties contacted him. A‑rank offers were nonexistent.
‘…Should I just ask her again?’
Time was ticking.
Maybe getting help was better than wasting time pretending he could manage alone.
He hesitated, staring at Yena’s contact.
Then—
Bzzzt—
A call came from an unknown number.
“Hello?”
[Hello, is this Hunter Jung Juhyuk who posted his profile on the app?]
“Yes, that’s me.”
[We’re planning to be dispatched to the A‑rank gate that opened in Gangneung. Would you like to join us?]
An A‑rank gate.
At that moment, Juhyuk shot up from his seat and answered without a millisecond of hesitation.
“I’ll go.”
[Haha, thank you for the quick answer. I’ll send the details via message.]
“Yes, thank you.”
The call ended after that very short exchange.
Juhyuk clenched his fist.
“Nice.”
The A‑rank gate he had been waiting for had finally come.
‘Whew… thank god.’
He thought he’d waste his days unable to find one.
But now he finally had a party.
‘Gangneung is far, but it’s an A‑rank. Of course I’m going.’
He gulped down a bottle of water, relieving the dryness in his throat.
His phone beeped again.
[This is the info about the A‑rank gate from the call earlier.]
He skimmed the details. Everything seemed fine—
Until he stopped at one line.
[Total members: 5 (including Jung Juhyuk). Four A‑rank hunters, one B‑rank hunter.]
“…A B‑rank hunter?”
A B‑rank hunter in an A‑rank gate?
‘B‑rank hunters normally aren’t allowed into A‑rank gates…’
That was why he had personally taken a test at the Hunter Association to be certified for A‑rank entry.
A‑rank gates were not places where B‑rank abilities sufficed.
Sensing something off, Juhyuk called the number.
“Hello?”
[Yes, Hunter Juhyuk. Do you have any questions?]
“Yes, um… I noticed there’s a B‑rank hunter in the party. Didn’t the Association say anything?”
Could it be another rare irregular like him?
That shouldn’t be something he’d stumble upon so easily.
Still, he asked politely.
The response was a slightly embarrassed chuckle.
[Haha… you were curious about that, right?]
The man chuckled as if he expected this question.
Then calmly explained.
[The B‑rank hunter is the grandson of Hanul Corporation’s chairman. Apparently he’s desperate to enter an A‑rank gate somehow.]
“…Hanul Corporation?”
He knew that name.
Not quite a major conglomerate, but definitely a well‑known mid‑sized corporation.
The fact that the chairman’s grandson was Awakened was surprising, but irrelevant.
[Yes. So he’ll basically be sandwiched between the four A‑rank hunters.]
“…So we move like a guard detail.”
[Well, he’s B‑rank, so he should at least be able to protect himself.]
“I see.”
Dragging a B‑rank into an A‑rank gate.
After hearing that, Juhyuk immediately made his decision.
“Then I won’t go.”
He wasn’t going.
If the B‑rank kid acted up and got hurt, some of the responsibility would definitely fall on him.
‘Just thinking about it is annoying.’
Why choose trouble when he could wait for another offer—or just ask Yena again?
[W‑wait!]]
The man’s voice became urgent at Juhyuk’s firm refusal.
As if expecting this outcome, he quickly added a new condition.
[If the gate is cleared without issues, the chairman said he’d reward you separately—about three big bills.]
“Three big bills…?”
[Yes. 300 million won.]
300 million.
The usual expected earnings from an A‑rank gate were about 1 billion.
Split four ways, that was 250 million each.
He needed to earn 2.5 billion every 10 weeks to slowly save up 4 billion AND upgrade the artifact.
Getting an extra 300 million on top of the regular payout…
Juhyuk hesitated.
But only briefly.
“You have the contract ready, right?”
[Yes. Everyone else has already signed.]
Too large an amount to refuse.
‘Just take care of the B‑rank kid.’
Four A‑rank hunters were more than enough, and Juhyuk could clear A‑rank gates alone.
One extra B‑rank wouldn’t cause real trouble.
“All right. Prepare my contract, too.”
And so, Juhyuk joined the operation to escort a B‑rank young master.
“Hey, is this really gonna work?”
“For f***’s sake, how many times do I have to tell you?”
A dark alley.
Around ten masked people gathered, whispering noisily.
“One success and it’s over! One big haul and we flee to China—done!”
“But there are four A‑ranks…”
Someone sounded anxious.
A scrawny man beside him clicked his tongue and answered.
“A‑rank or not, an arrow to the forehead kills anyone. And one of them is F‑rank. How easy do you want it?”
According to the leaked info: three A‑ranks and one irregular F‑rank.
He was famous enough to appear on the news, but no matter how good he was, he couldn’t be that strong. At best, he was around their level.
“I heard he was as strong as an A‑rank…”
“You actually believe that?”
Irregular or not, F‑rank was F‑rank.
Mana capacity determined everything.
The news probably exaggerated a promising newcomer.
A B‑rank thug could easily deal with someone like that.
“Once they kill the boss and let their guard down, we rush in, beat them all to death, and kidnap the grandson. Easy.”
They had acquired a transparent artifact through the black market.
With it, they could sneak into the A‑rank gate past the soldiers and track the target.
When the hunters defeated the boss and relaxed—
That was when they would strike.
“Steal the A‑ranks’ magic stones and extort 5 billion from the kidnapping? Our lives are set!”
If successful, it was a complete life reset.
No more robberies in fear of getting caught.
“So if you want to chicken out, leave now. Plenty of people would take your spot.”
“I—I didn’t say I’d back out…”
“Then shut up and follow orders.”
“…Fine.”
A chance to escape the hellish life of an illegal hunter organization.
He wasn’t going to let that slip away.
“If anyone’s scared, leave now.”
Silence.
It was an unspoken agreement.
“If not, then disperse.”
The scrawny leader stepped out, then added:
“Meet at the exact time and place. That’s it.”
With that, everyone disappeared, leaving the scrawny man alone in the alley.
