Chapter 11: To Catch a Hunter, Head to the Hunter Guild (3)

Under normal circumstances, fighting three at once meant I expected at least a 30-minute battle.

However, unexpectedly, the battle between me and the goblin pack ended anticlimactically with the very first blow, and the tension I had meticulously prepared for lost its target and naturally dissipated.

“…Something’s a bit weird.”

It was certainly strange that I had become this strong just by raising my Swordsmanship level to 3, but what was even stranger was the fact that all three goblins were taken down at once.

Because the attack I originally intended was aimed solely at the lead goblin, the point of impact was naturally set only for that one goblin. By rights, the blade shouldn’t have even touched the other two.

However, the result was different from what I expected: all three were split in half, dying simultaneously.

An event that shouldn’t have happened had occurred, and because of it, I felt quite flustered.

If there was any explanation that could make sense of this situation, it would probably be….

“No way…?”

To confirm the one possibility that popped into my head, I immediately examined the corpses of the fallen goblins. I needed to compare the largest one, the leader, with the two goblins who died without the blade touching them.

And seeing the differently shaped wounds on the leader goblin and the other two, it seemed my theory was correct.

“Vacuum Sword….”

It’s a swordsmanship technique where the air sliced along with the blade as it swung forward carries the killing power to a short range. In other words, it’s also called ‘sword energy’ (geomgi).

Looking at the leader, clearly cut by the blade, and the other two whose cross-sections were somewhat messy, I could roughly grasp what kind of technique I had unconsciously used.

…The problem was that this Vacuum Sword technique is something that, based on typical swordsmen, requires at least B-rank Hunter proficiency to use.

I only invested points earned from one night with Kang Hye-eun, and I’ve already learned a technique used by B-rank Hunters?

No matter how desperately I wished for awakening, this rate of growth was objectively quite strange.

It gave me the weird feeling that I was getting stronger without putting in any real effort.

…But thinking about it again carefully, saying I hadn’t put in real effort was wrong from the start. After all, the years I’d spent trying to gain awakening abilities were far from insignificant.

Three years in Hunter Training Middle School, another three years in Hunter Training High School, and then two more years after graduation.

Considering the time and effort I poured into awakening, honestly, it wouldn’t have been strange even if I possessed the skills of an A-rank Hunter right now.

Thinking of it as receiving compensation for all my unrewarded efforts at once, I didn’t feel particularly guilty.

Besides, more than 80% of the way to becoming a strong Hunter focuses on luck, not effort.

Whether you were born into a good bloodline, could focus on awakening in a favorable environment, could blossom with a great ability, or could awaken quickly and hone your skills.

The criteria separating strong Hunters from weak ones were barely more than this, which is why Hunters from the Ariel Foundation, with their superior awakening conditions, were generally stronger.

In my case, however, my abilities awakened long after others had. It was a precious power, obtained only after waiting an even longer time for even a sprout to emerge.

Even if my awakened ability, the Hunter Lust Manager, was slightly better than other Hunters’ abilities, I had no reason to feel guilty.

‘Besides, it’s not even confirmed that I can use Vacuum Sword yet.’

Looking at the cross-section of the fallen enemy, it was highly likely to be Vacuum Sword, but I hadn’t closely observed the blade at the moment of the swing, so there was a good chance it could have been another technique my subconscious used.

I was still just a novice Hunter who had barely taken down three goblins; it was too soon to be making a fuss over something like this.

I extracted the monster cores from the goblin corpses, now split in two, and put them in my pouch.

These were no small items, costing a hefty 10,000 won each, so collecting them wouldn’t be a bad way to supplement my living expenses.

More importantly, the fastest way to get promoted from novice Hunter to official Hunter was to build up achievements through frequent dealings with the Guild. That’s why I recovered and pocketed only the most valuable parts of the fallen goblins.

Except for other monsters, generally, parts other than the core of D-rank monsters were almost worthless.

-Rustle, rustle.

“Hm?”

Just as I finished extracting the monster cores from the fallen corpses, tossed them aside carelessly, and was about to move, I heard rustling sounds from beyond the bushes again. It didn’t take long to figure out the source of the noise.

‘Kkieek!’

‘Kereureuk! Kiek!’

‘Keeeeek!’

As soon as I heard the goblins’ cries coming from all directions, I immediately drew my sword and readjusted my stance.

‘Looks like about ten of them….’

Compared to the first opponents, this was more than triple the number, but I didn’t feel like I was going to lose against them at all.

For Hunter Sung Taekyung… no, Hunter Kim Sungchul, it was a pretty decent debut stage.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“42…43…44….”

By the time I finished the battle against the relentless waves of goblins, their bodies, slashed and pierced, formed a fence around me. In the center, I was counting the monster cores I’d obtained from dispatching them.

“48…49…50.”

Exactly fifty.

First, I caught three goblins and recovered their cores. While recovering those cores, another goblin pack appeared.

Then, I dealt with that pack, recovered their cores. While recovering those magic stones, yet another goblin pack appeared.

Repeating this cycle several times resulted in 50 cores from D-rank monsters, the goblins.

“Quite a haul for my first debut match.”

Even after accounting for the entrance fee and material sales commission, I’d be pocketing over 400,000 won. Making this much profit in half a day was a significant gain.

Moreover, what I gained wasn’t just pocket money; it also included a measure of my current strength.

Vacuum Sword. Iaido Slash. Double Cut.

These were all offensive techniques I confirmed I possessed while cutting and stabbing my way through 50 goblins.

Not only that, but I also realized I’d acquired Bayonet Guard, a technique that surrounds the greatsword with a thin layer of Ki to defend against attacks. …The name ‘Bayonet Guard’ felt a bit off for something that wasn’t a bayonet, but it wasn’t a technique I invented, so whatever.

Anyway, through that hunting process, I could vaguely deduce that my current skill level was somewhere between C-rank and B-rank Hunter.

One might say, ‘So what if I’m barely around B-rank when Kang Hye-eun, who’s my age, is already A-rank?’ But considering there isn’t a single B-rank male Hunter out there, this is undeniably an absurd level.

Furthermore, I’m already certain that my growth won’t stop here.

『Swordsmanship lv. 3 : 0/300』

I briefly opened the Hunter Lust Manager app, checked the skill list, and became even more convinced.

If my Swordsmanship is already at this level at just level 3, just how much stronger will I become when I reach level 4, level 5, and beyond?

Does this ability even have a limit?

More importantly, the skills that could be trained through the Hunter Lust Manager system weren’t limited to just Swordsmanship. At the very least, Fire Magic and Recovery were two skills I would definitely be able to utilize more.

Naturally, the possibility of other skills unlocking, besides these three, was also limitless.

Forget being the world’s only male awakened Hunter or the strongest male Hunter; frankly, becoming the strongest Hunter in the world might not even be a dream.

…Of course, for that to happen, my ‘thing’ would need to work a little harder.

I stopped collecting Goblin Cores after reaching 50. The pouch I brought for monster material recovery was almost full.

I placed my feet on the white platform that led back to the Hunters’ Autonomous Union and pressed the Guild Return button.

It was time to execute the second objective of my visit to the Hunter Guild today.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

After returning to the Hunter Guild via the warp gate from the dungeon, I immediately headed to the eleventh counter and presented all the Goblin Cores I had collected.

The purchasing agent, who was processing the 50 cores without much thought, took one look at my face after receiving the novice Hunter ID I handed over.

“Your name is Kim Sungchul-ssi, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And you registered as a novice Hunter today?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“…You’re not, by any chance, female?”

“I am definitively male.”

A male novice Hunter who joined today showed up on his very first day trying to sell 50 Goblin Cores.

It wasn’t impossible, but from an objective standpoint, the probability was slim. …Assuming, of course, that I wasn’t an awakened Hunter.

“Did you perhaps bring someone else’s achievements on their behalf?”

“No, I hunted them all myself.”

“A male Hunter?”

“…Are you making a sexist remark right now?”

“Ah, no! I apologize for making you uncomfortable!”

In this world, when someone starts asking bothersome questions, this is always the most effective response.

After that, the material purchase process proceeded quickly without further delay. I received 450,000 won, the price minus a 10% commission, and my ID card, now updated with accumulated achievements proving my success.

‘That covers the performance and skill test, then.’

Instead of leaving the Guild and heading home immediately, I sat down in the lobby and began observing the faces of the female Hunters entering and exiting.

More precisely, the numbers displayed in the hearts next to their faces.

’20, 15, 25, 10, 35….’

Checking the estimated points accumulated by the female Hunters milling around the Guild, I couldn’t find anyone who had amassed points comparable to Kang Hye-eun.

The highest number I could reasonably call ‘high’ was around 35. Most female Hunters hovered between 10 and 20.

There was one female Hunter with the highest score of 40 points, but her appearance was so unappealing that I considered the goblins preferable. So, I just pretended not to see her.

I definitely realized that high points weren’t everything.

If I got distracted solely by the amount of points offered and grabbed just any woman, I’d be in trouble when it came time for sex and my ‘thing’ wouldn’t stand at attention. Besides, I had no particular desire to get intimate with someone I couldn’t feel any emotional connection with.

Finding a female Hunter with both a decent appearance and a considerable point offering was proving unexpectedly tricky.

Perhaps the only silver lining was that being a Hunter is a physically demanding job, so most female Hunters had pretty decent figures.

Even so, not all female Hunters met the ‘stand-up-able’ appearance standard. Excluding those who were genuinely, physiologically impossible, the candidate pool narrowed down to about 60% of the total.

Of course, having a decent face also meant a higher likelihood of having a boyfriend, and those female Hunters mostly showed low estimated point values, around 5 to 15.

I didn’t particularly want to interfere with someone else’s love life, so I felt a bit awkward about getting involved in those cases.

Kang Hye-eun really was a blessing in disguise. That many points, no boyfriend until now, and she was even a virgin.

Just as I was contemplating compromising with reality and approaching a woman with mediocre looks and points, the entrance to the Hunters’ Autonomous Union Guild opened, and a female Hunter appeared.

-Jiiing.

“……”

Judging by the wide-brimmed hat and the long cloak reaching down to her shoes, she was likely a Hunter who had awakened magic-related abilities.

I couldn’t confirm her face due to the hat, but even from a distance, I could tell she had a rather curvaceous figure beneath the cloak.

Of course, the most crucial factor wasn’t her figure under the cloak, but the estimated point value displayed next to her face.

’50 points…?’

Muttering the number inside the heart, I immediately got up from my seat, where I’d been lingering for quite some time. It was the moment I realized this was definitely a winner.

Even if her face was slightly disappointing, with that figure and 50 points, I figured I could probably get it up. If she was truly unbearable, I could just have her hide her face with that wide-brimmed hat.

I couldn’t just sit around in the Guild lobby all day, so I set my goal for the day: charge in and see what happens, sink or swim.

As soon as she entered the Guild, she headed straight for the sixth counter without delay and uttered a short sentence to the guide.

“Tomb of the Ancient Tree, Sector A.”

After paying the Union maintenance fee, I watched the Mage entrust herself to the mobile platform and immediately followed her to the sixth counter.

“I’d like to apply for entry into Tomb of the Ancient Tree, Sector A.”

Similarly, after paying the Union maintenance fee and receiving instructions from the guide, I stepped onto the same platform the Mage had used and waited for the teleportation magic to move me.

This was a decent catch I’d found after a long time, so I had to secure it properly.