I Possess Too Many Characteristics

Chapter 24

After the three spiders all fell silent on the cold stone floor.

The Hunters, who should have been happier than ever, were also silent.

They were all staring blankly at Jeonghyeon.

What is an F-rank?

The lowest rank among a total of seven ranks.

A common rank, said to account for about 20% of Hunters.

Han Jeonghyeon, a Hunter presumed to be F-rank, killed a Rock Spider with just a single dagger?

How on earth could this be explained?

Jeonghyeon, whose aim was to inflict a moderate wound at best when he threw the dagger, was quite perplexed.

Who would have thought that the hard forehead shell would be pierced so easily?

“S, should we start dismantling it then……?”

Jeonghyeon tried to smooth things over naturally, but,

“Stop right there.”

He couldn’t help but stop at Jeongah’s sharp words.

“Yes, Mr. Jeonghyeon. This is a bit strange.”

Even Sunhyeong called Jeonghyeon with a suspicious look.

To be honest, even though Jeonghyeon had often shown behavior that wasn’t befitting of an F-rank, they had let it slide.

It was half meant as a compliment, and it wasn’t to the point where it was completely incomprehensible.

And recently, the gazes directed at unregistered Hunters like Jeonghyeon had become even more piercing.

Ironically, it was because of Jeonghyeon.

Sangsu shouted fiercely.

“Who are you? Are you a Villain?”

The Jucheol and Heesu incident, where Jeonghyeon had killed them, caused quite a stir and was reported in the media almost every day.

Because of that, the atmosphere of being reluctant to include strangers in parties became a bit stronger, especially in the case of unregistered Hunters.

In fact, Jucheol and Heesu had committed crimes by even changing their Hunter IDs and faces, so it wasn’t something that could be prevented to that extent, but what could they do about the social atmosphere?

It was no wonder that Sangsu was showing such a sharp reaction.

“I don’t know yet. Don’t speak carelessly.”

“What do you mean, don’t speak carelessly? Didn’t you hear? They change their faces. Those Villain bastards.”

“Still, for now.”

However, the others who had actually benefited from hunting with Jeonghyeon didn’t jump to conclusions.

Doyun stopped Sangsu, who looked like he was about to prepare a spell.

Sunhyeong nodded and stepped forward instead.

“I’m not suspicious either, but this needs a reasonable explanation. I’ve understood so far, but no matter how much your proficiency level has increased……”

‘Ha, is it finally coming to this?’

Jeonghyeon sighed deeply.

He had thought that he would be suspected since his combat power now was as different as heaven and earth compared to when he first awakened.

However, he didn’t expect to be caught so absurdly.

At first, he tried to get away with the excuse that he had practiced hard, but now that the Rock Spider had collapsed in one shot, that was impossible.

‘If it’s like this, I have no choice but to go with Plan B.’

It was a stroke of luck that he had come up with a plausible storyline, just in case.

“I was going to keep it a secret, but actually……”

As Jeonghyeon trailed off, everyone’s attention focused on him.

He had to drop a shocking truth here.

“I’m the unregistered Hunter who survived the ‘Mask’ incident.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

People’s eyes widened.

What was revealed to the public in the incident known as the ‘Mask’ incident was that an unregistered Hunter and an E-rank Healer had barely survived.

Of course, if he just said this, it would be impactful, but it might lack credibility.

Sangsu immediately raised his voice.

“You expect us to believe that? There are so many unregistered Hunters in the world, you can just make up an excuse.”

“Sangsu.”

Doyun stopped Sangsu once again.

Even so, the rest seemed a bit dubious.

A Hunter who suddenly became stronger in a time when things were already unsettling because of Villains.

And he’s a victim of a famous incident from the news?

But Jeonghyeon’s Plan B wasn’t over yet.

“I managed to kill the mage among them. I was originally Level 2, but because of that, I went up to Level 3.”

If it’s hard to believe, all you have to do is give it a good story.

And it wasn’t a lie, just a bit downplayed, wasn’t it?

It was time to deliver the finishing blow.

“I know it’s hard to believe. Here, this is the business card I received when I survived that Gate.”

A piece of paper emerged from Jeonghyeon’s pocket.

It was Cha Yerin’s business card.

━Investigation Division 3 Head Cha Yerin

It was a surprisingly well-known fact that Investigation Division 3 was the division that investigated Villain crimes inside Gates.

And no Villain would be brazen enough to forge the business card of someone like a division head of the Association.

“Oh, I know this person. She’s often on the news, right? Cha Yerin. She was A-rank!”

It seemed Jeongah recognized Cha Yerin’s name.

Only then did Sunhyeong and Doyun’s eyes seem to soften a bit.

“Oh my god, you really went through that? I heard that you were an unregistered Hunter, but I never imagined it would be you, Mr. Jeonghyeon……”

Once he gave them a general direction, it was up to each of them to fill in the gaps.

The way Jeonghyeon had acted so far was enough to convince those who had hunted with him before.

“I don’t think I can tell you the details. It was so horrible……”

Silence fell over the group for a moment at Jeonghyeon’s subdued voice.

Eventually, Sunhyeong bowed his head.

“I’m sorry for doubting you. I never imagined it would be like that……”

“Hyung, you’re going to believe that? Just by looking at a business card?”

It seemed Sangsu still wasn’t easily convinced.

But this time, Sunhyeong didn’t let Sangsu’s words slide.

“Sangsu, you need to be less rude. Do you not know what happens if you get reported on Hunternet for falsely accusing someone of being a Villain?”

False accusation of being a Villain.

Since the inside of a Gate is a place where society’s eyes can’t reach, anything that can happen because of human greed can happen.

Villain crimes are also a part of that, but what’s equally problematic is accusing an innocent person of being a Villain.

If it’s revealed that someone has falsely accused another, even if they don’t face legal punishment, their personal information will be revealed by the Hunternet administrators, and they won’t be able to join any party.

What if Jeonghyeon went out and reported Sangsu for false accusation?

It would severely damage the image of everyone who had been hunting with him.

“I’m fine. It was a situation where you could have reasonably doubted me.”

But Jeonghyeon had no intention of going that far.

As he said, even from his own perspective, wasn’t it a strange situation?

It was true that Sangsu had been rude, but that was mild compared to what it could have been.

It was fortunate that he didn’t just shoot lightning magic right away.

Of course, there should be some payback from their side as well.

Sunhyeong was a good match for Jeonghyeon in that regard.

“Sangsu, apologize to Mr. Jeonghyeon right now. And use honorifics.”

“……I’m sorry.”

After much deliberation, Sangsu apologized with a barely perceptible bow.

That was enough.

He didn’t want to make a big deal out of this, and they might have to hunt together a few more times in the future.

“Mr. Jeonghyeon, so you’re Level 3?”

As the atmosphere calmed down somewhat, Jeongah approached Jeonghyeon and asked cautiously.

Jeonghyeon answered with a smile.

“Yes, I’m sorry for lying. It wasn’t something I could talk about outside.”

“No, I understand. By the way, you weren’t a fellow level-up Hunter after all.”

“But Ms. Jeongah, you’ll reach higher levels someday. Actually, it’s also because the knife is good. I didn’t know it would pierce so well.”

“No wonder, the color is pretty too. How much is it?”

“700.”

“Huh?”

Jeongah laughed a little, along with the light joke.

They were different from the people he had seen before.

They could have been wary of him until the end of the hunt,

and they could have said they wouldn’t hunt with him again.

If that had happened, Jeonghyeon wouldn’t have had anything to say.

But they were trying not to break their relationship with him.

Compared to what Jeonghyeon had experienced so far, that alone was encouraging.

‘There were people like this outside of my life.’

Jeonghyeon felt a new emotion and spoke more cheerfully than usual.

“Shall we start dismantling again then?”

And while they were temporarily patching up their conflict, in the small holes scattered along the walls of the main cave they were passing through,

five pairs of unusually bright red eyes were watching them.

Even Jeonghyeon didn’t notice its presence.

◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈

“Kick━”

“Yes!”

『You have acquired 1 Coin.』

The somewhat awkward atmosphere of the party had become natural again, and the notification that they had acquired a Coin popped up once in a while.

Jeonghyeon had already acquired 3 Coins since entering the cave.

Now, Jeonghyeon no longer hesitated to use Throwing Technique.

Every time a dagger disappeared with a piercing sound, a spider would fall.

Of course, he wasn’t aiming for an instant kill like the first time.

He would just hit the third leg appropriately, or occasionally aim for the head.

Even with just that, the number of spiders the party had to deal with immediately decreased to two or at most three.

If Jeonghyeon used all of his abilities, four wouldn’t be a problem, but he also had to control the level of his senses.

‘It’s a bit frustrating, but…… well, he’s not bad.’

What he realized was that Sangsu was a more capable mage than he thought.

Perhaps because he was more motivated due to Jeonghyeon, he didn’t let his guard down and poured in appropriate firepower at the right times.

As a result, Sangsu’s magic was dealing most of the damage to the spiders encountering the party.

He could really feel that Sangsu was a mage on a similar level to Heesu.

The fact that he was a rare lightning-type was an even bigger plus.

“It’s tough, but we’re making good money.”

Sunhyeong said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

The party members nodded in agreement.

Jeonghyeon was humming and focusing on dismantling.

Then Sangsu, pretending to talk to Sunhyeong, said in a voice loud enough for Jeonghyeon to hear, while glaring at him.

“Hyung, do you really trust that guy?”

It was to the point where one might wonder if he lacked common sense, regardless of whether he truly trusted him or not.

“You, after apologizing like that……”

Sunhyeong’s eyes widened.

Wasn’t that conversation over?

Jeonghyeon had not only participated faithfully in the battle but had also quickly finished dismantling without complaint.

At this point, it couldn’t be explained without personal feelings being involved.

But Jeonghyeon, who would have normally ignored it, reacted this time.

“W, what!”

Jeonghyeon, who was tearing off a spider leg, turned his head and glared at Sangsu.

Sangsu, startled by the fierce gaze, stammered and stepped back.

He had provoked him half out of habit, but he didn’t expect him to actually react.

He didn’t know the exact trait or level, but Jeonghyeon’s Throwing Technique felt threatening even to Sangsu, who was just watching.

“Wait.”

But Jeonghyeon didn’t stop.

Rather, as if he was certain of something, he jumped up from his spot and reached for his waist where his daggers were.

“Please calm down, Mr. Jeonghyeon!”

Sunhyeong, just in case, quickly raised his shield and blocked Sangsu.

But Jeonghyeon, unfazed, pulled out a dagger and threw it as if shooting it.

“Ugh!”

“Eek!”

Sangsu fell on his butt in an unsightly manner, and Jeongah screamed.

But in the end, Jeonghyeon’s dagger passed over Sangsu’s head and disappeared into the darkness.

“Kiri━”

The familiar scream of a dying monster.

It was the sound the spiders always made when Jeonghyeon’s dagger pierced them.

From the beginning, he hadn’t been paying attention to Sangsu.

If he had wanted to kill him, he would have done it from the start.

Sunhyeong’s shield?

For that to be effective, he would have had to cover Sangsu much faster and much more calmly.

He couldn’t miss with his back completely exposed, could he?

However, Jeonghyeon had only sensed the spider approaching from behind.

He immediately threw the dagger and hit the closest one, but,

“It’s not just one.”

“Y, yes?”

At Jeonghyeon’s quiet words, the expressions of the others became bewildered.

He suddenly threw a dagger without a word, killed a spider, and now he’s saying it’s not just one?

But Jeonghyeon’s senses were fully engaged.

He could sense the spiders gathering from the path they had passed, moment by moment.

Usually, monsters don’t appear from the path you’ve already cleared.

In the case of the Rock Spider Cave, the holes in the walls were used as passages for the spiders, but that was for ambushes, not for attacking from behind.

‘Then?’

Jeonghyeon recalled the conversation they had before entering the Gate.

The Boss that hadn’t appeared even though the cycle had passed.

He didn’t know what kind of monster it was, but considering the number of spiders gathering behind them, it couldn’t be explained without it being the Boss’s doing.

‘Should we break through the back? Or should we go forward anyway?’

The moment Jeonghyeon asked himself the question, he made a decision.

“Run forward for now! If you don’t want to die!”

Then he pulled Sangsu up and pushed the others.

“Why, why are you doing this?”

“You can’t hear this sou…… No, even if you can’t hear it, just run!”

They still had time.

Surprised by Jeonghyeon’s urgent voice, Sunhyeong, Jeongah, and Doyun hesitated for a moment and then started running.

And in Sangsu’s case,

“You should at least explain before we run……! I’m going, I’m going!”

He resisted for a bit, but when Jeonghyeon pulled out another dagger and glared at him, he started running without another word.

Jeonghyeon briefly ran in the opposite direction, retrieved a dagger stuck in a spider, and then turned around.

Considering the speed of the others who had run ahead, he could easily catch up.

Besides, if his prediction was correct, every single dagger would be precious from now on.

Jeonghyeon quickly caught up with the party and gave instructions.

There was no time to worry about the awkward atmosphere.

“Tanker in the front, archer support, healer and mage in the middle! I’ll cover from the rear!”

The others clumsily took their positions according to Jeonghyeon’s words.

He didn’t know if there would be a way out if they went forward.

But it was better than the rear, where even with Jeonghyeon’s senses, he couldn’t tell how many spiders were swarming.

Jeonghyeon stared at the small holes that pockmarked the cave like a honeycomb.

‘I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’ll play along for now.’

The Boss must be the one orchestrating the terrifying movements of the spiders.

And it would definitely be watching them from somewhere.

The spiders were faster than he expected.

Whoosh━

Jeonghyeon didn’t hesitate and threw a dagger, killing the closest spider.

There was no time to retrieve the dagger now.

He had to conserve them somehow.

Fortunately, the spiders weren’t attacking much from the front.

Even those were sufficiently covered by Sangsu’s firepower.

It was clearly a lure, no matter who looked at it.

Jeonghyeon threw another dagger.

Already two.

The party members, who had sensed something was wrong a little late, were now acting on their own without Jeonghyeon having to say anything.

They skillfully dealt with the spiders in front of them, like a party that had been coordinating for a long time.

For now, all they could hope for was that the remaining path in the cave wasn’t too long.