Demon lord’s Martial arts ascension

**Chapter 17**

Five minutes later, I came face to face with a Hunter Association agent.

“Hunter, it’s nice to meet you. My name is Jeong Seong-hee.”

A well-groomed man in his 30s handed me his business card.

[Hunter Association Security Department]
[Team Leader Jeong Seong-hee]
[010-XXXX-XXXX]

As I took the card, our fingers brushed lightly.
I could feel a significant amount of mana emanating from his body.
‘He’s from the Security Department, huh? I didn’t realize he was a Hunter.’

This level of mana… A-class? Or maybe B-class? Either way, he was certainly a formidable individual.

“I’ve already heard from the other two.”
Jeong Seong-hee, who had handed me the card, pointed behind him.
It was the two Hunters who had burned one of the kobolds earlier and released Chaos Qi.
“If we go by their testimonies… it seems that Hunter Jeon Min-cheol solved the Gate Break incident by himself.”
“That’s right.”

“It’s truly astonishing. You received an E rank during your awakening test, and your awakening period isn’t even that long, yet…”
Jeong Seong-hee couldn’t hide his astonishment.
There was no hint of suspicion in his voice—just pure amazement.
The sudden Gate Break incident had been resolved with only some property damage and a few civilians injured during the evacuation.
“If it weren’t for Hunter Jeon Min-cheol’s efforts today, a disaster would have occurred. Thank you.”
He bowed politely, offering a formal gesture of gratitude.
It was a bit awkward, but I didn’t mind.

After the brief thanks, the conversation with the Association officials wasn’t long.
There were two things they needed to convey.
The first was monetary compensation.
“Since you solved the Gate Break, the Association will provide compensation.”
The amount Jeong Seong-hee mentioned was 300 million won.
They calculated the reward based on the scale of the Gate Break and the expected damage.
The second was the disposal of the monster corpses.
“This is the first time a black gate and monsters have appeared, so the Association wants to buy the corpses.”
The rights to the monsters hunters hunt belong to the hunters.
This is a long-established principle of the Hunter Association.
Since I had already absorbed all the chaotic energy from the kobold, I had no interest in the corpse.
“Wait. You should discuss that with the guild in charge.”

I passed the matter off to Ellie.
If I didn’t know or it was too bothersome, it was best to leave it to the experts.
Ellie arrived on-site after just a few minutes.
She went to a corner and started discussing with Jeong Seong-hee.
After a few minutes of intense conversation, they both returned to where I was.
Looking at their expressions, it was clear who had won and who had lost.
“Ugh… The Association has decided to buy the kobold corpses for 10 million won each.”
“After taxes, of course.”
Ellie added quickly.
10 million won each…
Wait, how much does that total?
‘It’s probably close to a billion.’
When I added the compensation and the corpse sale proceeds, it came to a total of 1.3 billion won.
That was quite nice.
I wasn’t surprised, though, since I had already received 5 billion won as a contract fee before.

“It’s all thanks to my efforts,” Ellie said, flashing a bright smile and puffing out her chest.
I acknowledged it.
She was indeed a competent partner.
“Is everything finished?”
“Yes. Once again, thank you for your outstanding efforts, Hunter Min-cheol.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Wait? The reporters are waiting to see you.”
After the great upheaval in society, people started looking for ‘heroes’ again.

The amazing feats of a Hunter who had just awakened were perfect material for an article.
‘I hate dealing with that kind of thing.’
Honor doesn’t feed you.
“That’s why we’re leaving.”
I waved my hand dismissively to show my disinterest.

**Later that night.**

I was on the rooftop, manipulating the Seongcheon Jo-gyeong-gong.
The sky was clear without a cloud in sight.
Soft starlight poured down on me.
“Hmm…”
I felt the energy of the stars entering my body with each breath.
The cosmic power that entered my lungs flowed into my spiritual world according to the intricacies of Seongcheon Jo-gyeong-gong.
In the subcontinent, this was known as the ‘Upper Dantian.’

Although my current human body was weak, the soul residing in my body was a dimension lord of Pandemonium.
The microcosm I had built in my spiritual world was as mysterious as the actual universe.
With every breath, the power of the nebula settled in, gradually expanding my spiritual world and increasing my strength.
*Whooosh—*
As the night passed, dawn broke.
The sun slowly began to rise, pulling away the night’s veil.
The energy of the stars faded, being overwhelmed by the intense Yang energy.
“Hmm…”
I sighed briefly as I stopped manipulating the Seongcheon Jo-gyeong-gong.

[Chaos Power: 86.5 -> 87.3]
[Chaos Qi: 1124.5 -> 1134.9]
[Seongcheon Jo-gyeong-gong: 56% -> 63%]

When I looked at my status window, my lips curled into a smile.
My stats had been steadily growing.
I could feel myself actually getting stronger, which made me even more pleased seeing the numbers rise.
‘Chaos Qi is increasing rapidly.’
My level was currently 6.
The 25 stat points I had gained from leveling up five times had all been invested in Chaos Power.
The help of fate also played a part.
By defeating the walking elixir, the black kobold, and absorbing its chaotic energy, I had gained a significant boost.

As a result of absorbing the energy of chaos, my chaos power increased by 10.

Just a day ago, my chaos power was only 49.
Now, it was almost double!
The number of chaos techniques I could use also doubled.
I clenched my fist tightly.
The chaos energy flowed through my blood vessels.
The powerful energy created by the clash of the light and dark nebulaes surged through my veins.

‘The growth rate of the Seongcheonzhogyeong’s (Divine Heaven Sect’s) ascension is slowing down bit by bit.’
At first, my chaos energy increased rapidly, but the growth rate was beginning to slow.
In martial arts, as you reach higher levels, it gets harder to improve.
The Seongcheonzhogyeong is one of the most difficult techniques in the demonic sect’s vast collection of arcane arts, and no one had been able to learn it.
Thanks to my past life, where I reached the 10th level, my proficiency was increasing relatively quickly.

As the speed of growth slowed, I realized I would need to enhance my chaos power through bonus stats.
‘There were some regrets.’
Battling against the horde.
Monsters that live in groups are difficult to handle.
In my past life, I used overwhelming strength to crush them, but that approach didn’t fit my current body.
The human body is weak.
I tried to avoid as much as possible while still pressuring them.

I couldn’t fully control my chaos energy with my underdeveloped body.
‘I really want to receive the equipment I ordered soon.’
I stretched and loosened my stiff muscles.
After finishing a light stretch, I walked back to my room and found a familiar person waiting for me.
It was my friend, Ki-tae.
“What’s up so early in the morning?”

“Dude… sigh…”
Ki-tae had a complicated expression and suddenly sighed deeply.
“Your mom called me. She wanted me to check if you were alive or dead.”
“You could’ve just called her. Why ask you?”
“Because you didn’t answer your phone.”
Ah.
Wait?
‘Right, I changed my phone!’
Hearing Ki-tae’s words, I remembered that I had switched phones after a flood of calls from various guilds, throwing my old phone into a corner and using the one provided by the Galactic Alliance.
My parents didn’t know my new contact information.
Ki-tae muttered in a low voice.
“She suddenly took a leave of absence and stopped answering her phone.”
Memories from my past life.
And the awakening as a Hunter.
My values from the past and present mixed together, and I had been too focused on adapting to the new environment to pay attention to those around me.
“Sorry, I’ve been out of it lately.”
“Kid, I’m not mad at you, but now that you’re a famous person, you need to make sure you’re seen if you want to get signatures.”
“Famous person?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. This is you.”
Ki-tae handed me his phone.
“The newly emerging hero, who is his true identity?”

An eye-catching headline.
Below it was a large picture of a Hunter holding a black weapon.
That’s… me, isn’t it?
My mouth dropped open.
I had avoided interviews because I thought they’d be a hassle, but when did they take this picture?
“Your mom was really worried. You should call her back.”
“Wait. Did my mom see this?”
“Yeah. She saw the article and was worried, so she told me to go check on you.”
Oh no.

I hadn’t even told my parents that I had become a Hunter yet.
It looks like… I’m in trouble.
Ki-tae told me he’d buy me drinks later and sent me off.
I immediately dialed the phone.
Ring… ring…
The time it took for the phone to ring felt so long.

– Hello?
A familiar voice.
It was my mother’s voice right away.
“Mom, it’s Mincheol. Sorry I didn’t contact you.”

“Son. Don’t you have something to say to me?”
I was momentarily at a loss for words.
A lot had happened in such a short time.
How should I say it? I couldn’t easily sort out my thoughts in my head.
“… I’ve become a Hunter.”
“I saw the article. You looked so cool. I knew it was my son from the picture.”
“I should have told you sooner, I’m sorry.”
There was a brief silence.
What should I say?
‘It’s my fault.’
It wasn’t that I didn’t answer the phone because it was an excuse.
In my past life, as I focused on becoming stronger, I had neglected my family.
“Isn’t it dangerous for you to be a Hunter?”
I felt a lump in my throat.
Before feeling her disappointment, I could feel her concern for my safety.
My chest tightened, and I couldn’t speak for a while, as if something was stuck in my throat.
After a moment of calming down, I managed to speak.
“Mom, it’s not dangerous at all. Don’t worry.”
“Just don’t do anything too dangerous. I’m proud of you, but I’m also worried. Am I being silly?”
Silly?
Her voice was filled with genuine emotion.
“I won’t do anything reckless.”
“Good. By the way, I was just about to make some stew, but I forgot the water. I need to check on that.”
“Dad’s probably about to leave for work.”
“Take care of yourself. It’s good to be a Hunter, but your health comes first.”
“I understand. I’ll come home as soon as I get used to being a Hunter.”
“I saw the article, but seeing you save people, it was so cool. I’m proud of you. I love you.”
With that, the call ended.
It was a phone call I didn’t expect.
Her last words lingered in my mind.
‘I’m a completely different person from my past life now.’
The demons didn’t have such feelings of family.

Even between parents and children, we felt more of a kinship as fellow beings than a blood bond.
But the current me, Jeon Mincheol, was different.
I felt my parents’ love, I was moved, and I was deeply touched by it. I was ‘human.’
I reaffirmed my own identity.
‘Becoming stronger is important, but I must also protect the people I care about.’
In my past life, becoming stronger was an absolute necessity.
But in this life, it feels like I have a reason to become stronger.