NOVEL NEXT Chapter 40
Chapter 40: The Uninvited B-Rank
“How strong have I gotten?”
[Stats] Strength 163 (D) Agility 166 (D) Wisdom 170 (D) Stamina 167 (D) Mental Power 330 (C) Magic Power 99 (E)
Lee Si-hyun mumbled as he looked at his stat window.
For starters, he had successfully surpassed 160 in all stats except magic power.
But more importantly, he had gained two active skills that didn’t consume magic power.
The woes of being a no-skill Hunter were now behind him. This weekend featured a D-rank Gate raid, and another quest had popped up.
It was a perfect opportunity to test his skills. Of course, he had already shown his shout skill to the guild members, but he had yet to demonstrate the Restraint Technique. Since acquiring his skills, he had skipped raids for various personal reasons and hadn’t encountered a situation where they could be used effectively.
However, looking at the quest, it seemed like he had no choice but to use them now.
[The restraining rope is not only a tool for using the Restraint Technique but can also be a means to strangle your opponent. Po-ahim wants to see you convincingly strangle a strong enemy using the restraining rope.]
[Quest: Strangle the Boss Monster using the restraining rope. 0/1]
‘But this is a bit…’
Boss Monsters often had enormous bodies, and many had thick necks. Moreover, Boss Monsters are hunted collectively by party members, so how many opportunities would there be to approach and strangle them with the rope?
‘Well, if I think positively, there must be a way.’
He decided to stay optimistic.
“I guess I’ll watch some TV.”
Si-hyun turned on the TV.
He had taken a whole day off just to catch the live broadcast. The show aired at 6 PM, and he couldn’t possibly get home from work in time. Besides, watching on a smartphone felt too cramped to be enjoyable.
This time, he hadn’t mentioned it to his family or friends. It would be a hassle if they asked him how he acquired such outrageous skills.
He was curious, though. Did the shout skill actually allow him to knock out fish? If he had to guess, he was probably the first to apply such a skill to fish-catching. So, even Hunters with shout skills wouldn’t truly know if it worked.
“It’s starting.”
Si-hyun focused on the screen.
◈ ◈ ◈
“….”
He felt a cringe that he hadn’t experienced while watching the Correctional Officer documentary. Why did it seem so embarrassing to see someone shouting loudly to catch fish, even on screen…?
This was incomparable to what had been shown in the prison documentary.
Forget it, just forget it.
Still, he couldn’t help but be curious about the reactions online.
‘Let’s see.’
He opened a community site and browsed through the latest posts. There were quite a few related posts. One title caught his attention, and he clicked on it.
– Title: Totally manipulated.
– Content: I have an acquaintance who is a Hunter with a shout skill and a super loud voice, and it’s completely manipulated. He recorded it with a battery and is putting on a show. It’s impossible for the water to behave that way.
‘That guy’s friend’s nonsense.’
Si-hyun snickered as he read the comments.
– Where did the manipulated info guy go?
– About 70-80% of that program is staged. The so-called restaurants featured all pay to appear.
– Aren’t we all watching knowing that? LOL How else would the pretty girls be on screen?
– Let’s not discuss the value of the license fee for this kind of program. I’m scared it might get canceled. I want to see those scantily clad ladies.
– I acknowledge that it’s shameless manipulation.
“Ah, the trustworthiness of public documentaries is like night and day.”
It was hard to believe how absurd the scenes were without seeing them firsthand, and he figured it was understandable considering the program mostly focused on gossip.
“Well, at least my popularity might increase a bit.”
That was the goal of appearing on a broadcast anyway.
“Oh, I should send a message this time.”
Si-hyun tapped on his phone.
[I enjoyed the broadcast, PD-nim. You did great.]
– I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks to the Correctional Officer’s refreshing decision to appear, we got such great footage. Thank you once again. ^-^
[No need to mention it. ^^; I’ll reach out again next time.]
– Yes~~ Have a great evening.
“This time, I’m glad I didn’t forget.”
Si-hyun mumbled.
◈ ◈ ◈
“What? Why is a B-rank here?”
Having arrived early at the Gate as usual, Si-hyun tilted his head at Min-jun’s words. Today was the day of the joint raid with the Black Tiger Guild, in partnership due to the Face-avoidance Technician.
It was a D-rank Gate.
Si-hyun had realized through previous raids that B-rank Hunters didn’t appear at D-rank Gates, so it was only natural for him to be puzzled.
“Do you know the White Dragon Guild?”
“I’ve heard of it.”
During his time in the raid, Si-hyun had naturally built up some knowledge of the industry.
The White Dragon Guild was founded years ago by a well-known A-rank Hunter named Kim Cheol-jung, a figure of great reputation and connections. Since he had directly established a guild with such credentials, his ability to recruit Hunters was beyond expectations.
Particularly effective was his pulling of Hunters from other guilds he had connections with. As experienced Hunters took their seats first, a trustworthy atmosphere surrounded this new guild despite it being fresh.
Once that notion set in, it became easier to attract investments from capitalists. Thanks to that, the White Dragon Guild had continued to grow rapidly and had now become one of the major guilds that could be counted on fingers in Korea.
“There’s a tradition in the White Dragon Guild that all new recruits have to go through.”
“What’s that?”
“Before officially participating in mid-level Gate raids, they must go through a lower-level Gate like E or D. I’ve heard it applies even to A-rank Hunters.”
“Really? Is it like some kind of onboarding training?”
Min-jun answered Si-hyun’s question.
“It’s about getting firsthand experience of what a Gate is and boosting their confidence.”
“So today, a B-rank Hunter from the White Dragon Guild is coming here?”
“Yup.”
“But today, we initially planned for the Black Tiger Guild, just me, you, and Eun-hye to raid together. Is it alright if the roster suddenly increases?”
“It doesn’t matter. Just think of it as getting some free experience.”
“If the profits are split, some might get displeased.”
“Ah, it’s just a service, a service. No profits are taken. The aim is to build experience and confidence for the newbies, while also managing the outside image. Who would refuse a free ride?”
While this might not matter for a C-rank, for Hunters of B-rank or higher, low-level Gates were indeed as Min-jun described—a free ride. It’s not everyday that they could casually tackle a Gate without affecting profit, so it was something Hunters welcomed.
“I get what you mean.”
Si-hyun nodded.
After some time, Eun-hye arrived, waving her hand in greeting.
“Bro, you guys came early.”
“Our guild members are always quick.”
Min-jun replied.
Neither the Black Tiger guild members nor the White Dragon newcomers had yet arrived.
After a bit more time, a van carrying the Black Tiger guild members pulled up. They had grown closer after overcoming critical dangers together, so these joint raids were becoming more frequent.
“Wow, the main character really shows up late, huh?”
Min-jun whistled.
As they exchanged greetings with the Black Tiger Guild Leader and members, a blue Porsche approached. Everyone’s gaze turned toward the Porsche.
Soon, the door opened, revealing a boy with slicked-back hair that looked very young and a well-dressed man in his mid-30s getting out.
“Are you from the White Dragon Guild?”
“That’s correct.”
“Nice to meet you. I am Black Tiger Guild Leader Jeong Tae-seong. I look forward to working with you today.”
“Is there really a need for a full introduction since we likely won’t see each other again? I won’t be coming back to a low-level Gate like this.”
The slick-haired boy smirked, bypassing the handshake offered by Guild Leader Tae-seong. The sheer rudeness flushed Tae-seong’s face red.
However, he quickly collected himself, being the seasoned Hunter he was.
“That kid…”
“Enough. Just hold it in, big bro.”
The Black Tiger guild members shot unkind glances, but seeing their leader Tae-seong enduring it, they forced their anger down.
“What a little punk. Just because he’s upper-class, he’s puffing up already.”
Min-jun grumbled under his breath, barely loud enough to hear.
“He’s probably just immature.”
Eun-hye said, but Si-hyun shook his head.
“No, a guy like that will always be like that.”
He had seen too many people who never changed during his harsh experiences inside prisons. Seeing the same types of criminals repeatedly showing up for similar offenses had made him realize that.
“I’m sorry. He’s still young, so he’s not very good at socializing. I’m Nayoung-cheol from the White Dragon Guild here to support today. This is Kim Jin-soo.”
Fortunately, Nayoung-cheol from the White Dragon Guild apologized to Tae-seong, helping ease the atmosphere a bit.
Tae-seong appeared to not care too much about it either.
“Are both of you B-rank Hunters?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Although just for today, let’s do our best together.”
“Please take care of us as well.”
The slick-haired boy, Kim Jin-soo, seemed to make a point of muttering just loud enough for Tae-seong to hear.
“Nayoung-cheol, you sure have a knack for unnecessary chatter. Why bother worrying about people living down below? They’re destined to only breathe the air down there for their lives.”
Though he had only spoken a few sentences, anyone present could tell by the tone of Jin-soo’s words that he was arrogant.
“…That brat is such a disrespectful little punk.”
One of the Black Tiger guild members muttered quietly, frowning.
He was a B-rank Hunter from a large guild, not someone they could treat carelessly. Having a sense of that was the reason why that young brat was acting so high and mighty.
“I just have a bad feeling about being a B-rank from now on.”
Si-hyun mumbled.
The worst kind of murderer, the Face-avoidance Technician, is also a B-rank.
And that disrespectful young brat was a B-rank too.
He hadn’t even encountered many B-ranks yet and already felt this way.
“Let’s just get through today. Being in the same guild with someone like him would be dreadful.”
Min-jun shook his head as if he couldn’t stand the thought of it.
“Shall we head inside?”
Nayoung-cheol, the supporter from the White Dragon Guild said.
◈ ◈ ◈
Higher-ranked Hunters usually didn’t bother taking D-rank Gates seriously. They could effortlessly slay monsters even while slacking off.
Kim Jin-soo, with a laid-back expression, casually dispatched monsters with light, easy movements as if swatting flies. Once in a while, he would glance at the party behind him with an arrogant gaze.
“I’m different from you guys. For me, this Gate is so boring it makes me yawn.”
His demeanor appeared to convey such arrogance. Regardless of how cocky Jin-soo was, Si-hyun and the Black Tiger guild members only needed to catch the occasional monster that flowed back or act as pack mules.
“Let’s go at this slow pace.”
Nayoung-cheol said, looking as relaxed as someone out for a stroll.
“Do as you wish. We’ll adjust to your pace.”
Black Tiger Guild Leader Tae-seong responded.
When the gap in skill is this vast, it’s only right to match the level of the senior Hunters.
“Big bro Nayoung-cheol, why even bother with the weaklings? Just ignore them and let’s go.”
Jin-soo said, bringing the mood back down to tension.
“Wow, isn’t that a bit too harsh of a comment?”
One Black Tiger guild member finally lost his patience and burst out.
“What are you going to do if it’s too harsh?”
Jin-soo glared coldly.
“….”
The Black Tiger guild member who had exploded didn’t say anything more, biting his lips. He understood the harsh reality of their situation. Few places exist in the world where skill determines everything. The rankings effectively stratified the hierarchy.
Everyone knew that, so they decided to endure the unpleasantness for the day. After all, people with nasty personalities exist everywhere. This time, they just happened to be a B-rank Hunter. Sometimes, the appropriate response to someone like him is to avoid confrontation rather than engage.
“This is why people say dealing with the lower class is annoying.”
Jin-soo muttered as if he meant for them to hear.
“I’m so sorry. He’s just a kid, so please excuse him.”
Nayoung-cheol said apologetically, appearing awkward. He was a new B-rank Hunter but he had a bit of a problem with his personality. His demeanor showed he was down on those weaker than him but incredibly polite to those stronger, which was evident from how he treated A-rank Hunters with respect. But when he considered someone beneath him, his true personality emerged like a ghost.
“Well, it’s just for today. I’d appreciate your understanding once again.”
Nayoung-cheol apologized once more.
◈ ◈ ◈
Si-hyun and Eun-hye had slightly uneasy expressions from the moment they entered the Gate. It wasn’t because of the arrogant newbie from the White Dragon Guild. Unpleasant memories were surfacing.
Coincidentally, this Gate resembled that time. It was a tower, and it even had ten floors.
“Why do you guys look so weird since earlier?”
Min-jun asked.
Since they had kept what happened that time a secret, Min-jun was unaware.
“…It’s nothing. I just dislike climbing stairs.”
“Yeah, Min-jun oppa. Me too.”
Si-hyun made vague excuses, and Eun-hye followed with the same reason.
The expressions of the Black Tiger guild members when entering the Gate were also quite grim. Naturally so, as two of their members had been lost back then.
Remembering such painful experiences naturally spoiled their mood. Plus, having the B-rank rookie prod at their nerves didn’t help.
“Let’s hurry up and move.”
Nayoung-cheol said, leading the way up to the second floor.