Chapter 43
“Hello!”
A lively voice.
Unlike the others gathered in front of the A-rank Gate, one stood out—a lone B-rank hunter, Ahn Hyun-soo.
‘I’m finally getting to see an A-rank Gate!’
The A-rank Gate he had long dreamed of.
There was only one reason a mere two-year B-rank hunter like him—who had just begun his hunter career—managed to join this party:
[Please! Okay? I swear I won’t cause trouble, I’ll just stick next to the party members the whole time!]
It was thanks to pleading relentlessly with his grandfather, the chairman of Hanul Corporation, until he granted him the opportunity.
‘If I go into an A-rank Gate, maybe I’ll see the possibility of re-awakening?’
Two years into hunter work, yet his growth was painfully slow.
Even though he trained desperately every day, he had to admit that his growth curve barely budged.
Hyun-soo felt he needed a new kind of experience.
Not another B-rank Gate he was already used to—something stimulating.
He believed he might learn something from experiencing an A-rank Gate.
‘Let’s squeeze everything I can out of these people.’
An A-rank Gate meant no reckless behavior.
He would calmly observe how A-rank hunters cleared the Gate, take everything in through all five senses, and turn it into fuel for his growth.
Today’s A-rank Gate party was created solely for that learning opportunity.
Therefore, only the most suitable veteran elites were selected.
“Hello. I’m Jung Joo-hyuk, frontliner.”
Except for one person.
A newcomer who was even lower-ranked than him—an F-rank hunter.
‘Is that the famous F-rank irregular?’
F-rank hunter Jung Joo-hyuk.
He was arguably the hottest topic in the hunter world right now.
‘Looking at him… I honestly can’t tell if he’s that strong…’
Rumors said he had solo-cleared a B-rank Gate despite having the mana of an F-rank hunter.
Videos floating around the internet were still debated—were they high-quality fakes, or had he truly defeated a B-rank boss?
But the fact that the Hunter Association allowed him to join this party at all was as good as confirming that he had indeed taken down a B-rank boss alone.
“…”
A strange tension filled the air.
Everyone tried not to show it, but all eyes kept drifting toward Joo-hyuk.
They all probably realized what his presence here implied.
They assumed it might be him when they saw his name on the roster, but seeing him right before them naturally drew attention.
“I finished my introduction. Do I need to say anything else?”
“N-No, that’s all.”
After a short, awkward silence caused by his introduction, Joo-hyuk spoke, and only then did the leader snap out of it.
“Alright, everyone. We’ll enter in twenty minutes.”
The final prep time before entry.
Hyun-soo seized the opportunity and approached Joo-hyuk, who was checking his gear alone.
“Uh, hello?”
“Yes. What is it?”
“Haha, nothing serious… I just wanted to chat a little.”
What kind of person was he, really?
Unable to resist his curiosity, Hyun-soo moved first.
Seeing his friendly smile, Joo-hyuk glanced at his bright face for a moment before returning his eyes to his sword.
“I don’t mind chatting, but you should finish your preparations first.”
“My preparations are perfect. I’ve been getting ready for this since last week.”
“Glad to hear it.”
He replied with a small smile, then returned his attention to his gear.
Hyun-soo tried to continue the conversation, a mix of curiosity and unresolved questions pounding in his chest.
“Are you really F-rank?”
He asked it.
A question that could easily be considered rude.
Nearby party members who had been secretly eavesdropping turned their heads sharply at the bluntness.
It was a topic someone might not want brought up.
Asking it without even three seconds of hesitation was, in a way, admirable—fearless.
“…”
Joo-hyuk’s hand paused for a moment.
He slowly looked up at him.
‘He’s genuinely curious…’
His expression was innocent.
It didn’t look like he had any hidden intentions—he just genuinely wondered if he was really F-rank.
If Joo-hyuk had felt insecure about his rank, he might’ve gotten offended instantly.
Thankfully, he wasn’t someone who cared about such labels.
“Yes, I’m F-rank.”
“Really? Then how did you manage to get all the way into an A-rank Gate?”
“I’m strong enough to enter A-rank Gates.”
“Ooh, I knew it!”
His confident answer only made Hyun-soo more delighted.
With a big friendly smile, Hyun-soo began asking question after question:
How he became this strong without reawakening.
How he ended up with the title “Irregular.”
There was no shortage of topics, and Joo-hyuk answered each one without hesitation.
“That’s amazing! The Hunter Association even contacted you directly?”
His positive energy overflowed.
Maybe because he was born into wealth, he had a natural ease about him.
Hyun-soo used his natural friendliness to close the distance.
“You two, that’s enough chatting. Let’s get moving.”
“Yes, sir!”
During those twenty minutes, Hyun-soo had already become close enough to joke around with Joo-hyuk.
‘I was worried he’d be a spoiled rich brat, but maybe that was just prejudice.’
He listened well, responded well.
It was also clear he wasn’t the type to rush ahead and cause problems inside the Gate.
The five entered the Gate.
Two frontliners, one mid-line, one rear support.
B-rank Hyun-soo stood between the mid-line and frontliners—the safest position.
And as expected, the moment they entered—
“Four to five monsters fifty meters ahead.”
“Confirmed.”
The rear supporter announced the enemy presence, signaling the start of battle formation.
Everyone should’ve been focused on the monsters, but curiosity won out.
Their gazes naturally drifted toward the F-rank hunter.
Toward Jung Joo-hyuk.
As if wondering, Is he really that amazing?
Joo-hyuk sensed the attention but ignored it.
‘They’ll understand soon enough.’
When they encountered the monsters—
It took only two minutes.
“…Wow.”
The doubt and anticipation in their gazes turned into awe.
They were A-rank monsters—five of them.
An F-rank hunter charged in without hesitation, cutting down two with smooth, lightning-fast movements.
Another frontliner finished off one more.
“I’ve got these.”
Before the mid-line archer could fire, Joo-hyuk severed the ankles of the remaining two, crippling them instantly.
One quadrupedal monster collapsed as its ankles were sliced clean.
Joo-hyuk looked at the archer, who was staring blankly.
“Finish it.”
“…Ah—yes!”
Snapping out of it, the archer pierced the monster’s neck.
Everyone there understood.
Joo-hyuk could’ve handled all of them alone.
But because of the unspoken rule that loot gets split evenly, he deliberately held back to share the kills.
He wasn’t someone who barely qualified for an A-rank Gate.
“Insane…”
Hyun-soo muttered without meaning to.
No one scolded him.
Anyone who witnessed that scene would think the same.
‘This is insane…’
People had whispered that he one-shot a B-rank boss, but no one expected this.
Seeing it with their own eyes erased all doubt.
The party members discarded their remaining skepticism and accepted him as a real teammate.
The Gate raid progressed smoothly.
The B-rank “rich kid” didn’t cause trouble—he simply stared in awe behind Joo-hyuk.
And the F-rank irregular demonstrated strength beyond imagination.
If things continued like this, the raid would be problem-free.
But—
“Argh!”
A problem occurred.
“Are you alright?”
“Gh… sorry, I let my guard down…”
The rear supporter had been injured.
An arrow was lodged deep in his thigh, making it difficult to remove.
“We should assume it might be poisoned. Drink an antidote first.”
“Haa… yes.”
He took the antidote and tried to steady his breathing.
‘Good thing we’re almost at the boss.’
They had already come most of the way.
The terrain wasn’t a forest or maze either—navigation was easy.
“Hyun-soo, please support Kang-in.”
“Yes, understood.”
He was perfect for it, having barely spent any stamina.
Then the rest would finish the raid.
Everyone agreed—it was the best choice.
They were about to resume—
“….”
Joo-hyuk’s eyes lingered on the supporter’s injured thigh.
‘How did he get hit there?’
All the monsters he had scanned were in front.
There had been ranged monsters in the back earlier, but he had killed those first.
‘There were exactly three. No other presences at all.’
He had even severed their necks.
They couldn’t fire anymore.
‘A skill? Or did I miss something?’
Troubled, Joo-hyuk ran through every possibility in his mind.
Then he reached the only logical conclusion.
‘There’s no way I missed a monster’s presence.’
He trusted his own senses.
There was no chance he overlooked an A-rank monster.
The chance that he had killed one sloppily was even lower.
‘Then where did that arrow come from?’
He continued walking with the party, analyzing.
An arrow from an impossible direction.
A presence he failed to sense.
The range limits of the monsters in this Gate.
Putting all the information together, the most likely conclusion was—
“…A person.”
A third party had interfered.
