Ch.5757. SSS+ Hunter License

“Ah. I’m sorry. I should have used just one skill. Did you not use a defense skill?”

I approached Team Leader Kim Jin-hyeop in surprise and asked.

No, when I hit him the first time, it felt like he was holding up well, so I confidently unleashed the remaining four strikes. But with the additional hits, nine more attacks landed, instantly shattering his shield, and the shock sent Team Leader Kim flying.

“Uh…”

Team Leader Kim seemed to be assessing the situation for a moment.

He stared blankly at the broken shield fragments and muttered.

“It broke…”

“Yes… it seems so.”

“Huh…”

“It wasn’t a good one, was it? It broke too easily. Maybe because it’s just for practice.”

“…”

Though the shield looked quite impressive, I didn’t think it was a particularly good item.

Why would someone bring their main dungeon weapon just for a simple test?

He gave me a wooden sword, so I figured he just brought some practice equipment used in training arenas.

That’s why it must have broken from just one of my attacks.

“Um… it was an A-grade shield.”

“…What?”

“It’s fine.”

Team Leader Kim stood up, dusted off the shield fragments from his body, and apologized to me.

“I apologize. Let me say sorry first.”

“…Why are you apologizing…”

“Actually, I thought there was a high possibility you were lying. It’s a case I’ve never seen before, so I thought it might be an ability to forge status windows. I don’t know if such an ability exists, but…”

Hunters’ abilities are truly diverse.

Besides the well-known ones, there are so many bizarre abilities that make you think, “What? That kind of ability exists?” It’s reasonable to be skeptical.

“Ah. I see.”

“Please don’t worry too much about the shield. It happened during testing, and it was my carelessness. I’m not sure if I could have blocked it even at full power.”

Team Leader Kim apologized and acknowledged it.

“SSS+ grade… what good fortune for Korea.”

He said he would make me a hunter license.

We continued our conversation in Team Leader Kim’s office.

“It’s a rude question, but did you really awaken through the Farming World?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. I just awakened and this status window appeared, so I don’t know how to explain it properly since I don’t understand it myself. I’m just making something up.”

“Ah…”

Insisting that I’m SSS+ grade without explaining anything isn’t a good choice.

Anyway, to issue a hunter license, I need to disclose information to the Hunter Association, and regarding how and why I awakened, I can mix truth and lies, and they’ll make their own judgment.

I don’t exactly know why I awakened either.

And there was a reason I needed to talk about the Farming World, even if it seemed like TMI.

“Then, have you been entering deals without reporting them?”

The Hunter Association can be considered the tax office of the hunter world.

They freely grant tax exemptions to hunters and encourage registration and activity in Korea, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care at all.

In fact, they check more strictly on tax evasion or financial issues outside of hunter activities.

I especially sold millions of won worth of hunter resources through my dad right after awakening, without even registering as a hunter.

While it might not be immediately caught, it’s definitely suspicious enough to raise concerns.

“Well… as you’ve seen, there’s a map in my farming window, right? That’s actually my main ability. I have my own dungeon. I call it a farm, and it has quite a lot of resources. I bring them from there.”

“…”

“I’m telling you this because the Hunter Association’s internal regulations prohibit leaking a hunter’s personal information. You seem to hold a high position as a team leader, so I’m trusting you with this.”

“Perhaps…”

“If you’re asking if you can visit, the answer is no. I think I’ve already told you quite a lot.”

What I’m saying is the minimum necessary for me to comfortably operate in reality.

Of course, I have no intention of taking him to my farm and revealing everything about me.

I’m only sharing this much because I believe the Hunter Association isn’t the incompetent organization I imagined, but if I find out otherwise, I have many options.

Without even needing to think about it, if I just reveal that I’m an SSS+ grade hunter, I’ll receive offers from all over the world. The fact that countries sensitive about taxes give tax freedom to hunters shows how much they value immigration of high-grade hunters.

“I apologize for being presumptuous. Your hunter license will be provided as soon as it’s ready. And…”

Team Leader Kim cautiously began.

“…This is a standard offer. It’s a privilege of the Hunter Association, and you certainly have the right to refuse. Would you be interested in joining the Hunter Association?”

“Oh… I heard the recruitment standards are extremely high.”

I had thought about this.

If you search online, you can find information about this, though it’s not common.

They say that when high-grade hunters go to register, they’re offered good conditions along with an invitation to join the Hunter Association.

Of course, most comments had similar reactions:

– I’m B+ grade but never received such an offer?

– I’m A grade, why wasn’t I offered?

– I’m an A- hunter. This is a lie.

Anyway, since there are hunters affiliated with the Hunter Association, I figured it wasn’t a lie.

What I’m curious about is:

“The contract staff is separate. You can discuss the contract terms with them.”

“Can I hear about it then?”

“Of course. I’ll guide you when your hunter license is ready.”

“Okay.”

After the business talk was over, Kim Jin-hyeop brought up a personal topic.

“But you’re really amazing. It’s the first time I’ve felt such overwhelming power. And you’re still only level 10…”

“Ah, right. Was that shield really A- grade?”

“Yes. I wasn’t defending at full power, but I definitely used a defense skill. I didn’t expect it to break in one hit. Haha…”

“Oh my…”

“Really, it’s fine, so please don’t worry about it. I was the one who suggested it.”

I wasn’t particularly concerned about it.

I had warned him.

I didn’t know my own strength, so I told him to use his full power.

If he had used his full power, would he have prevented the shield from breaking?

I couldn’t be sure, but I quickly changed the subject in case he asked for compensation.

“Is the treatment good? Isn’t it usually better to join a guild than a government agency like this? Do you have a strong sense of duty?”

Considering my personality, joining a national organization like the Hunter Association isn’t really a good choice.

I also roughly know what hunters in the Association do.

They’re basically hunter civil servants.

The conditions must be good, of course.

My thinking is: why would a high-grade hunter join the Hunter Association if they don’t pay well for all the various tasks they have to do?

Kim Jin-hyeop spoke confidently about this point.

“The rumor that the Hunter Association offers poor contracts is absolutely false. From my experience in this field, I can assure you that the Hunter Association offers much more freedom of activity and better contract money and welfare benefits than many top guilds.”

“Is that so?”

In the hunter market, hunters are the resource.

The better the hunter, the better resources they can mine and the more stable the supply.

So guilds or the Hunter Association want to recruit good hunters at good prices.

The problem is that demand is enormous while the supply of good hunters is minimal, so “good price” for “good merchandise” can’t exist. Instead, “good merchandise” requires “high price” for the “good merchandise” to even consider the offer.

“I can’t tell you the exact contract amount, but just to give you an idea, I personally received over 10 billion won just as a signing bonus.”

“Wow…”

Well, I’d have to hear more details, but just based on the amount, it certainly sounds good.

“The hunter license is ready, Team Leader.”

“Ah, it’s here.”

The hunter license looks similar to an ID card.

Name, photo, and grade.

“If you inject mana into this part, like this.”

Kim Jin-hyeop took out his own hunter license and injected mana, causing it to expand into a form similar to a status window.

“Ohhh.”

“It’s the latest technology. To inject mana, just ‘will’ it like you would open your status window. If that’s difficult, you can set a command word.”

“Oh, it works.”

Injecting mana was easy.

My hunter license unfolds before my eyes:

[Name: Kim Su-hyeon]

[Hunter Grade: SSS+]

[Ability: Close Combat Weapons]

Simple, but the part that said [International Hunter Association] was what certified this hunter license.

“Can’t this be forged?”

“Of course it can. It’s important to report to the Hunter Association immediately in case of theft or loss.”

“Thank you.”

“Then I’ll guide you to the contract staff.”

“Okay.”

The conversation with the staff wasn’t as interesting as the one with Kim Jin-hyeop.

Just hunter registration and a simple recruitment offer.

I listened with some interest and left the Hunter Association.