I Possess Too Many Characteristics

Chapter 3

The next morning.

“Ehehehe.”

Jeonghyeon was still laughing.

A little more sinisterly, a little more dangerously.

Of course, the place and reason had changed a bit.

Jeonghyeon turned around and looked up at the building he had just exited.

It was the building of the Korea Hunter Association, which occupied a vast 30,000-pyeong site in the heart of Seoul.

And the reason Jeonghyeon came out of there was right in his hand.

“So this is the Hunter Registration Card?”

The country operates a registration system for Hunter Awakened.

This was because if the power that should be used to catch monsters was directed towards ordinary people, there would be no greater threat to the country.

However, registering the grade or level of a trait was a personal choice, so Jeonghyeon hadn’t registered it yet.

Awakening two years after the procedure was enough news, but if he revealed that he was EX-rank, he might be dragged to a lab instead of a Gate.

‘It’ll be a bit tough at first, but I have to endure it.’

There were generally two types of people who hid their traits.

Those who were ashamed to even authenticate their measly F-rank and put in the effort to level up.

Or those who had truly rare grades and traits and were reluctant to disclose information.

Of course, it was an understatement to say that the former case was overwhelmingly more common.

The Association’s main purpose wasn’t to know the Hunter’s trait, so if they said they didn’t want to register it, they would skip the authentication process, register only the trait pattern that appeared during the Awakening process, and issue the card.

This is because a unique pattern is always left where a Hunter manifests their trait, and it is used to analyze crime scenes or reconstruct situations when accidents occur in Gates.

But the reason Jeonghyeon needed a Hunter Registration Card right away was none other than,

“Let’s see…… Hunternet, Hunternet……”

To join Hunternet, the Hunter community.

In fact, since it was a profession that required more information exchange than any other, the Hunter community was correspondingly huge and active.

It had come to a point where it was difficult to recruit a party to enter a Gate without going through Hunternet.

Recruiting a party in a general community while ignoring Hunternet, which obviously requires authentication?

Wouldn’t it be suspicious and shady to anyone?

That was why Jeonghyeon visited the Association to get a Hunter Card right after he Awakened.

If you have a Hunter Card, joining isn’t that difficult.

It just takes a little time to verify the Hunter Card uploaded as a photo.

‘I have things to do in the meantime.’

Jeonghyeon turned off the message asking him to wait for authentication and looked around.

The Association also rents equipment at a low price for those who have just become Hunters.

Ah, let me rephrase that, for Hunters who have just become Hunters but have no money.

Hunters with money would splurge on high-end equipment as soon as they Awakened.

Anyway, even the rental fee was a burden for Jeonghyeon, so personal equipment was just a pie in the sky.

“Ah, the rental office is on the right side of the main building.”

When asked where the rental office was, the receptionist replied like this.

It did have a nuance of ‘Are you really going there?’, but what could he do?

But the bigger problem was,

“Where on the right is it?”

It wasn’t easy to find the rental office.

The site was very large, but most of it was outdoor facilities like training grounds and simple measurement stations.

The same was true for the area next to the main building where Jeonghyeon came out, it was just a flatland where you could see the horizon.

But there was no one to ask around, so Jeonghyeon just walked to the right.

And he found a building on the right back of the main building that he didn’t want to enter, but couldn’t ignore.

“Is that it?”

As he got closer, it was an old building that seemed more like a warehouse than a rental office.

The crude slate temporary building with rust here and there was in stark contrast to the magnificent Hunter Association buildings.

It was as if it had been squatting there since before the construction of the Association.

But Jeonghyeon had no choice but to push open the heavy iron sliding door with a displeased look.

This was because the words ‘Hunter Equipment Rental Office’ were written on a wooden sign next to it.

Creeeeeeak━

A sound as if it had never been oiled.

Still, there were several lights inside, so it wasn’t as gloomy as he thought.

“……Hello?”

Jeonghyeon looked around as he poked his head in.

As expected, warehouse shelves that seemed to reach the ceiling filled the interior, and there was a makeshift counter in front.

And behind it was a middle-aged man with a receding hairline.

“Oh, welcome.”

The man spoke in a very old-fashioned way.

“Um. I’m here to rent some equipment.”

“I figured.”

What?

Of course, most of the people who came to the rental office would be there to rent, but it was an answer that somehow made him feel deflated.

Anyway, the man asked Jeonghyeon, who was hesitantly approaching the counter.

“How much money do you have?”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh my. Renting costs money too. Money. I need to know your budget to make recommendations.”

‘Uh…… about 100?’

“Poor soul……”

Hearing Jeonghyeon’s budget, the man clicked his tongue and turned around.

It was a situation where he could have gotten angry, but Jeonghyeon was somehow calm.

It was because he was indeed a poor soul, and the man’s expression seemed to be one of genuine pity rather than contempt or mockery.

Of course, the biggest reason was that he was overwhelmed by this unimaginable atmosphere.

‘This wasn’t what I had in mind……’

Jeonghyeon thought as he followed the man who disappeared into the warehouse.

When you think of an Association equipment rental office, there’s an image that comes to mind, isn’t there?

Bustling with beginner Hunters who have just obtained their cards with the dream of becoming a Hunter,

Counselors giving enthusiastic explanations to recommend the right equipment for each person,

And Hunters with the same desire for adventure exiting through the door.

He had imagined such a lively and competitive scene, but.

“Here’s the 1 million won set.”

The reality was just a PP box thrown by a middle-aged man.

Jeonghyeon took out the equipment from the box and examined it.

Of course, the equipment he could rent within 1 million won couldn’t be good.

Aside from the fact that it was used, the material of the equipment itself would be poor.

“Skeleton Bone Helmet, Goblin Leather Armor…… Is this Orc Leather?”

Jeonghyeon asked, picking up the gloves with only his thumb and index finger.

As expected, the condition of the equipment was so poor that it was embarrassing to even question it.

The armor wasn’t even a set, it was pieced together with different materials.

Moreover, it was basic to remove the stench of monster byproducts, which are the raw materials for equipment.

It probably had been removed when it was first made, but it seemed like the smell had seeped back in after so many hunts.

It was a stench that would make most people wrinkle their noses, but it was a familiar smell to Jeonghyeon.

The man stared at Jeonghyeon with wide eyes.

“You. Do you know a little about equipment?”

“Yes, well…… I worked at a byproduct processing plant for a while. Anyway, I can’t use this stuff.”

Jeonghyeon said, putting the gloves back on the counter.

They were all made of materials he had handled at the plant.

So he knew their condition like the back of his hand.

The leather had never been treated, so it was cracked and stiff all over.

And the helmet, whoever had used it so roughly, had cracks all over the sturdy Skeleton Bone.

If he entered a Gate risking his life with this equipment, he would surely be on the verge of death without being able to block even a small poisoned needle.

Even if it was a rental office run by the government, was it okay to give out such equipment?

If someone who didn’t know had received it, they would have thought it was just a case of”you get what you pay for”, but to Jeonghyeon, who knew a bit about the materials, it was nothing more than a dangerous complacency that risked lives.

“Ehahahaha! It’s been a while since a decent Hunter has visited.”

But the man laughed heartily as if something was funny.

“These days, only clueless newbies come to rent, you see. Even then, there aren’t many. Anyway, you can still get cheap equipment after working hard for a few days in a 2-level Gate, so it’s not that dangerous. I apologize for this.”

The man, who had been staring at Jeonghyeon for a moment, introduced himself.

“My name is Cheolyong. Park Cheolyong. What about you?”

“Han Jeonghyeon.”

Jeonghyeon’s words couldn’t have been polite, as even the non-existent trust level had plummeted.

But Cheolyong continued as if it didn’t matter.

“Good. Now that a proper Hunter has come, I should give you proper equipment. Wait a moment.”

Then Cheolyong suddenly disappeared, putting the equipment back in the box.

Cheolyong reappeared shortly after and placed a new box on the counter.

‘Oh. This one looks pretty decent.’

First of all, he couldn’t say there was no stench, but it was much less.

After examining the equipment with slightly faster hands, the condition was also at a normal used level.

It showed traces of being meticulously cared for every time it was returned.

“Honestly, it’s impossible not to get bored working in a dead-end job like this. But the stuff in there, I took care of them myself.”

“Yes…… It seems so.”

Jeonghyeon replied, his gaze still fixed on the equipment as he hadn’t completely let go of his distrust.

It certainly seemed that his words weren’t lies, as there was nothing to fault.

Cheolyong nodded his head with satisfaction and took something out from under the counter.

“And if it’s you, I’ll be generous with the weapon.”

A typical weapon used by beginner Hunters would be a shortsword.

Because it’s not expensive and it’s versatile enough to be swung or thrust.

Thud.

But the weapon Cheolyong brought out had a different sound from the start.

“Isn’t this a mace?”

It was shaped like a typical mace, with a 5cm sharp spike attached to the top.

Jeonghyeon tilted his head.

Maces are weapons used by Hunters who are both healers and melee fighters.

It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t widely used.

This kind of unique mace was even more so.

But Cheolyong said with a serious expression.

“I guarantee you, there’s nothing better for beginner Hunters. It’s not as cool as a sword, though. In modern terms, it’s a hidden gem.”

His expression seemed to indicate that he had thought about it, so Jeonghyeon tried to guess his intention.

It didn’t seem like a bad match.

The monsters that beginner Hunters catch are correspondingly weak.

Skeletons and zombies were definitely weak to blunt weapons, and hitting a goblin’s head with that kind of blunt weapon would be more than enough.

And that sharp spike in the front.

“Is this spike perhaps……”

“There’s nothing like it for piercing a goblin’s solar plexus.”

As if he knew what Jeonghyeon was going to say, the two exchanged glances and nodded meaningfully at Cheolyong’s words.

“Alright. I’ll rent this.”

“Very good! Hahaha.”

Cheolyong laughed heartily again, perhaps because it was a satisfying deal after a long time.

And as Jeonghyeon took out his card from his wallet, he casually said.

“One month, 1.2 million won.”

“What?”

“1.2 million.”

He had clearly said his budget was 1 million won.

Jeonghyeon was genuinely annoyed by Cheolyong’s shamelessness in asking for more.

He had even expected a discount because of the”proper Hunter”and”hidden gem”talk……

“Didn’t I tell you? Renting costs money too. That’s a pretty good discount considering I added the mace.”

Jeonghyeon suddenly remembered the biggest reason why newbies didn’t use maces.

Maces were more expensive than shortswords.

“If you could just lower the price a little……”

“Oh my, are you planning to enter a Gate with a shortsword, now?”

In the end, Jeonghyeon reluctantly paid 1.2 million won, even dipping into his living expenses.

It’s just like how a small car eventually becomes a fully loaded luxury foreign sedan if you keep adding things to it little by little.

Jeonghyeon, who had already imagined the mace’s efficiency, couldn’t go back to a shortsword.