I Possess Too Many Characteristics

Chapter 9

Inside a grassland-type Gate with pleasant weather and a gentle breeze.

A party of eight Hunters was taking a break after a hunt when two of them stealthily exchanged glances and stood up.

“We’ll go scouting for a bit.”

“Oh, sure! We’d really appreciate that!”

Scouting is crucial in grassland-type Gates where parties must roam freely without set paths.

Wandering around blindly without scouting could lead to encounters with large groups of monsters beyond their capabilities or returning empty-handed like picnickers when the Gate usage time expires.

For optimal efficiency, scouting during rest periods to locate the next group of monsters was the best approach.

However, readily volunteering for scouting after a tiring battle wasn’t easy.

Therefore, it was customary to scout while returning after the rest. The remaining members were grateful that these two had volunteered from the beginning.

The two left, and the remaining members chatted amongst themselves.

The main topic was, of course, the two who had departed.

“Don’t you think Yeongjun-ssi and Juyeong-ssi are really kind? Honestly, most people like them are already in guilds or fixed parties.”

“Right. They seem to have been E-rank Level 2 for quite a while now.”

“They seem much better than a Level 1 D-rank like me.”

They were currently in”Kobold’s Hill,”a Gate for Hunters below Level 2.

Yeongjun and Juyeong, both Level 2 Hunters, had recruited the rest of the party, mainly composed of Level 1 beginners, through Hunternet.

In such cases, experienced high-level Hunters usually took the larger share of the loot regardless of rank. However, Juyeong and Yeongjun not only offered equal distribution and volunteered for scouting but also demonstrated exceptional abilities for E-rank Hunters.

It felt as if Hunters a rank higher than them were carrying them （like a bus driver carries passengers）.

“They must be at the end of Level 2. I knew level was important, but I didn’t know it made such a difference. But they must be tired, yet they keep going scouting.”

“Those two, I think they’re a couple. They came together. Maybe they’re trying to sneak in some dates since the scenery is nice?”

“Oh, come on, as much as I love love, I couldn’t do that. What if you’re suddenly attacked by a Kobold while kissing?”

The others burst into laughter at the man’s joke.

The scenery was indeed beautiful.

If a place like this existed on Earth, it would probably be overflowing with tourists.

Except for the fact that one could encounter Kobolds, the main monsters of this Gate, at any moment, it wouldn’t be a bad place for a date.

The problem was that the drawback was too significant.

After spending a while indulging in their own imaginations about the love lives of the absent duo,

a scream came from beyond the hill that Juyeong and Yeongjun had crossed for scouting.

“Argh, run!”

Soon, the two came running back, pale with fear.

And behind them,

“Kyaaack!”

A horde of Kobolds, too numerous to count at a glance, was rushing towards them.

“What, what’s going on?!”

Startled from their relaxed break, the Hunters grabbed their weapons and began preparing for battle, but

“Kyaaaack!”

it was already too late to stop the Kobolds, who had gone berserk at the sight of humans, from charging.

An unexpected attack before they had even recovered from the fatigue of the previous battle.

Each of them possessed traits of sufficient rank to handle Kobolds individually, but they had a fatal weakness.

“If there are this many…… Argh!”

“Help me, help me!”

They were too inexperienced, having only recently Awakened.

If they had been seasoned Hunters, they would have immediately formed a defensive formation and avoided being overwhelmed.

Even if they struggled, Kobolds were considered to be on a similar level as Goblins.

But what could be expected from these people who were pushing each other aside and running away, trying to delay their deaths, let alone forming a formation?

The reason why guilds and parties prioritize level isn’t solely due to the growth of traits through leveling up.

It’s also about the experience and adaptability that comes with reaching that level.

Therefore, those who were Level 1 or had just reached Level 2 didn’t even know where Juyeong and Yeongjun, who seemed to have been running away from the monsters until their deaths, were.

And right before a Kobold’s hand axe was about to fall on the last man, the one who had joked about kissing earlier,

“Kagh━”

the Kobold’s head flew off.

“Now, let’s clean this up.”

A voice filled with mockery rang out.

From that moment on, the Kobolds that had swarmed them were annihilated in an instant.

And those who were slaughtering the Kobolds were none other than Yeongjun and Juyeong.

Yeongjun wielded an axe as large as his body with ease, cutting through the Kobolds, while Juyeong relentlessly fired magic spells from a distance.

Their skills were clearly far superior to what they had shown during the previous hunt.

The living Kobolds disappeared as quickly as the Hunters had died.

“Kweeiii……”

When the last Kobold finally breathed its last,

Yeongjun and Juyeong approached the surviving man, grinning.

Especially Yeongjun, covered in Kobold blood and steaming with rage, looked like a demon.

“Why…… why……?”

The friendly and kind duo from before were nowhere to be found.

Unable to comprehend the current situation, the man repeated the same question.

“Why? Well, that’s━”

Yeongjun smirked as if asking why he would ask such an obvious question.

He picked up the axe from beside the Kobold that had initially tried to kill the man.

Juyeong was beside him, laughing as if it were the most amusing thing in the world.

“Because it’s fun.”

Those were the last words the man heard.

Yeongjun mercilessly smashed the man’s head with the axe, just as the Kobold had intended to do.

“Look, he peed himself. Ugh, disgusting.”

Juyeong, nudging the man’s corpse with the tip of her shoe, pinched her nose with her thumb and index finger.

“It’s not like it’s the first time we’ve seen this.”

Yeongjun replied nonchalantly.

“More importantly, I think we’re getting famous. It’s time to move on.”

“Huh, already?”

Juyeong asked, raising an eyebrow.

Yeongjun nodded.

“Yeah, they’re posting everything suspicious on Hunter Wiki. Those bastards with nothing better to do.”

“Ugh…… that’s annoying. But we can do it one more time, right?”

Juyeong grumbled, kicking the ground aimlessly.

The soil, soaked with thick, flowing blood, was churned up stickily.

Yeongjun grinned and replied.

“Of course. Let’s make one last hit and get out of here.”

Then, the two smeared each other with blood, dirt, and dust.

They didn’t forget to inflict minor wounds on themselves.

Finally, they swapped their Hunter IDs with those of the dead Hunters whose faces were unrecognizable.

“Now you’re Park Garyeong.”

“And you?”

“Seo Hanseok.”

“Perfect.”

“We’re both D-rank this time. No need to hold back.”

After confirming the basic information, Juyeong used magic to alter her facial features to match the photo on the Hunter ID that Yeongjun handed her.

Yeongjun marveled at Juyeong’s flawlessly transformed face.

“It’s amazing every time I see it. How do you do it?”

“Not everyone can do this, you know.”

They exchanged frivolous jokes and headed for the exit.

“Hey, are you okay? What about the others? Medical team over here!”

However, when they emerged from the Gate, they looked exactly like survivors who had suffered an unfortunate accident inside.

◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈

“Whew, is this enough?”

Jeonghyeon closed the Hunter Wiki window after finishing reading about traits from F-rank to D-rank.

Of course, the Wiki only contained basic information that couldn’t be considered secrets, so there might not be any rare traits listed.

But the chances of those appearing in the shop were slim anyway.

Since trait names were quite intuitive, he figured he could make judgments on the spot.

“Ugh, my head is pounding after studying like that for the first time in ages.”

Jeonghyeon stretched, leaning back in his chair.

To be honest, the only work he had done since graduating from school was manual labor at the processing plant.

He wasn’t used to planning and thinking about his future like this.

But his traits were too complex to just live life carelessly.

“Trait Shop.”

Still leaning back, Jeonghyeon called up the shop window.

The shop appeared with two empty slots, just as he had left it.

He would have loved to collect every trait that appeared, but it was impossible, even setting aside the issue of coins for now.

No, to be precise, it was impossible at the moment.

‘I can’t advertise myself as having an EX-rank trait when only F-rank traits are appearing.’

Maybe if he could fill it with only A-rank and S-rank traits later on.

Then, no one would dare to treat him carelessly.

Even the Association or famous guilds wouldn’t.

However, Jeonghyeon currently only possessed one E-rank trait and two F-rank traits.

It might be a decent ability among low-rank, low-level Hunters, but he would be easily defeated by a skilled C-rank Hunter.

And although high-rankers were rare, they weren’t few in number.

Therefore, Jeonghyeon needed to conceal his true abilities to some extent.

If he got excited and started swinging his sword and using magic, he’d be ripe for kidnapping or an untimely death.

Jeonghyeon focused on one section of the Trait Shop.

『Equippable Traits / Storable Traits: 0 / 7』

If he had to pinpoint the factor hindering his growth right now, it was this.

‘I can’t ignore this either.’

He didn’t know yet if each trait slot would expand with level-ups.

However, for now, it was one of the reasons why he couldn’t just buy any trait that caught his eye.

━R r r

Jeonghyeon’s phone rang briefly.

“Huh?”

Jeonghyeon looked over and saw a message from Sunhyeong.

━I confirmed the money you sent! My income has increased significantly thanks to you. Can we hunt together again if our schedules align next time?

He didn’t know their usual daily income, but it had probably doubled.

Jeonghyeon chuckled and sent a casual reply.

They weren’t bad people, so hunting with them again wouldn’t be a bad idea if their schedules really matched, but

‘I might be stuck hunting zombies and skeletons again by then.’

Jeonghyeon had absolutely no desire to spend his time in corridors cracking skeleton skulls with them.

Just thinking back to his battles with zombies and skeletons now that he had obtained the E-rank trait 「Minor Physical Enhancement」 made him sigh.

At the time, he thought he had shown optimal movements, but there were too many unnecessary actions.

Of course, there was nothing he could do about it back then since he didn’t have the ability to eliminate them.

‘The difference between ranks is too significant.’

The more he reflected, the more keenly he felt the limitations of his rank and level, rather than his own limitations.

A large gap in trait power depending on rank and level, and only three traits can be equipped?

Then, the goal Jeonghyeon should aim for with the coins he would earn in the future was clear.

He looked at the list of traits stored in the inventory, not currently in use.

『「Weak Battle Sense」（F, Lv.1）』

The same trait he was currently using.

The level was a matter of experience, so there was nothing he could do about it. He had no choice but to collect traits of the same type as much as possible to increase their rank.

The E-rank trait corresponding to the”Weak”series Battle Sense was the”Decent”series, a common prefix for E-rank traits.

「Decent Battle Sense」

Of course, he might be able to increase the rank of other traits in the refreshed shop list, but the big picture remained the same.

His top priority should be increasing the rank of the traits he currently possessed.

And he knew exactly what he had to do to achieve that.

“I need to go to a Gate.”

He could only obtain coins by hunting in Gates.

And he couldn’t ignore the income, which was incomparable to his days as a processing plant worker.

Jeonghyeon opened an internet window again and logged into Hunternet.

Then, he started searching for suitable parties in the recruitment board.

“I’ll avoid skeletons and zombies for now……”

Of course, the most common postings were for Gates with low-level undead monsters, which had relatively low competition, but Jeonghyeon decided to postpone those for now.

This was because the probability of coin drops decreased when hunting the same type of monster repeatedly.

Of course, the decrease wouldn’t be significant after just one or two hunts, but he had to maximize his profits, didn’t he?

If possible, he wanted monsters that were as weak as low-level undead but also provided valuable experience.

“Like Goblins, for example.”

However, Goblin Gates were quite popular, so finding one wouldn’t be easy.

As he was scrolling through the postings,

“Huh?”

Jeonghyeon’s eyes caught one of the posts that he had been casually scrolling past.

━Seoul area, recruiting for a Gate with Goblins, Level 2 or lower. Rank and level irrelevant.

It was practically a tailor-made post for Jeonghyeon.

He quickly read through the post, thinking he should contact them immediately if there were still slots available.

━We need to fill some essential slots for a guild request for Goblin byproducts. Two Level 1, late-stage D-rank Hunters will help you hunt safely. No unfair distribution either. We’re recruiting with a spirit of talent donation, so we’ll prioritize two low-rank newbies. ^^

“Wow, crazy. Are these people really angels?”

The conditions were so attractive that Jeonghyeon couldn’t help but shake his head in disbelief.

Goblin hunting with two D-rank Hunters?

It was more than enough, it was extravagant.

And they were offering equal distribution while volunteering to carry the party?

It was truly a first-come, first-served opportunity.

Jeonghyeon quickly sent a text message to the phone number listed in the post.

━Hello, I saw your recruitment post on Hunternet. Is it really rank and level irrelevant?

The reply came quickly.

━Yes ^^ Could you send a picture of your Hunter ID?

━Photo

━Photo

Then, the poster sent two pictures of their Hunter IDs first.

They were indeed Level 1 D-rank, and there were no signs of forgery.

‘What would be the point of forging it anyway?’

He felt a slight unease because the conditions were too good to be true, but he didn’t think anything would happen on Hunternet, where identities were revealed.

Besides,

‘What if I hesitate and someone else takes the spot?’

Even in the Hunter society, it was a competitive world where one could lose their place in an instant.