A Hunter on Borrowed Time Keeps Surviving - Chapter 30

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 30.
Real-time HOT Posts
A-rank Dungeon Boss cleared in 19 minutes—for real?
(Comments)
└ That’s a new record, so why isn’t there an article?? Is the Hunter Association hiding something?
└ The Monster Newcomer strikes again…. Who the hell is this person?
└ Seriously, who is this guy? Records are everywhere but there’s zero info. lol
The Hunter community forum buzzed with talk of the Monster Newcomer.
Beyond the alarming pace at which his activities had escalated in recent weeks, he’d now set the national record.
It was hardly surprising that an entire page of the board had become wallpapered with posts about him.
Screenshots and verification posts multiplied, and speculation about the Monster Newcomer ran rampant.
Yet nowhere on any news portal could a single article about him be found.
If anything, that absence only poured fuel on the fire of curiosity.
Real-time HOT Posts
Found lead on Monster Newcomer. Rumor has it he’s the Hunter Association Chairman’s illegitimate son.
(Comments)
└ So that’s why the articles got blocked? Crazy.
└ Now I see why they were babying him so much.
└ It was all planned from the start….
The wild speculation only intensified.
The man himself had only just seen all this community chatter.
“Are these people insane?!”
Si Ul erupted as he sat at his desk in his studio apartment, staring at his laptop screen.
“Where the hell are they getting this nonsense…!”
His expression twisted further as he dragged his finger across the trackpad, scrolling down through the comments.
The government had managed to block press coverage, but reporters kept hounding him, so he’d logged on just to take a look—
and found that the Hunter community was discussing his background far more seriously than he’d anticipated.
Though his name had never been mentioned, they kept dragging him back into the conversation with the titles “Monster Newcomer” and “19 minutes.”
“This is killing me…. I told you I didn’t want to get famous….”
But what was really giving Si Ul a headache was a piece of mail he’d received a few days earlier.
〈Official Hunter Association Notice〉
Re-awakening Registration Advisory
Si Ul glanced at the letter he’d tossed to one side of the desk and let out a long sigh.
“Setting a new record, of all things….”
He scratched his head in frustration.
“I didn’t expect the Hidden Roulette to be a one-hit instant-kill weapon, either.”
The moment the words left his lips, the scene played back in his mind.
A teal-colored projectile that had ricocheted fiercely through the air.
The Wyvern Goblin that had died instantly from a single shot.
‘It really was a ridiculously broken weapon, now that I think about it….’
Si Ul sat in a daze for a moment, then collected himself.
The record didn’t matter right now, and neither did the wild rumors circulating in the community.
‘If I’m going to keep progressing with the quest, I’ll need to tackle S-rank Dungeons from here on out.’
Immediate survival came first.
Si Ul closed the community forum and logged into the Hunter Mercenary Recruitment website.
‘Hmm. There aren’t any S-rank Dungeons listed among the parties recruiting mercenaries.’
That made sense, really.
The number of S-rank Gates in the country could be counted on one hand.
Most were managed by large Guilds or national-level projects.
Which meant no job postings ever appeared on the public Hunter Mercenary Recruitment website.
‘I’m sure if I dig deeper, there’d be openings. With my track record, getting invited to a Raid wouldn’t be that difficult.’
Looking purely at his credentials, Si Ul wouldn’t have seemed out of place receiving invitations.
But there was another problem entirely.
‘A solo Raid would be impossible.’
No agency would hand over something as rare as an S-rank Dungeon to a single person.
Even if he brazenly impersonated a special-class Hunter, the outcome would be the same.
‘I need to find a way.’
Si Ul leaned back in his chair and fell into thought.
‘Or maybe I should just bite the bullet and file the Re-awakening Report?’
An impulsive idea flashed through his mind.
An A-rank Awakener could establish a guild.
The method was to start a company, bid on an S-rank Gate at auction, and enter it alone.
Theoretically, it was possible.
However, this approach carried a critical flaw.
‘If I file for Re-awakening now, it’ll become awkward when I rise to S-rank later.’
There was no precedent worldwide of anyone filing for Re-awakening twice.
If such a thing happened, not just the Hunter Association but the media would certainly investigate the cause.
And if information about the Quest were exposed in the process….
‘Lifespan Reduction. Damn it.’
The penalty imposed for information leaks.
That much, at least, had to be avoided at all costs.
Therefore, for Si Ul, there was ultimately only one best route.
To file for Re-awakening not now, but when he became S-rank.
“Either way I choose, I’m trapped.”
Si Ul groaned and clutched his head.
Multiple strands of choices tangled and twisted through his mind.
How to move forward from here—no answer came easily.
* * *
Screech! Crash!
The sound of combat rang harshly through the A-rank Dungeon.
Si Ul swung his Longsword and severed the necks of both trolls that had been blocking his path simultaneously.
Behind him, the stone wall Do Yi Hyeon created blocked the enemies’ movement, and the remaining trolls were quickly dealt with by Si Ul’s hand.
“All clear?”
“Yes! I’ve confirmed it!”
“Good. Then let’s keep pushing forward.”
The two advanced through the Dungeon with ease.
Just weeks ago, this A-rank Dungeon had been taut with tension.
Now it felt like a simple warm-up course.
It was proof of how remarkably quickly both of them were developing.
‘Zero threw such a tantrum about not being brought along.’
Unfortunately, there was no place for Zero to play.
Si Ul pierced through the front, Do Yi Hyeon guarded the rear, filling every gap.
Two people were enough for the roles needed.
‘Is it because they’ve been running duo Raids? Their coordination is even better than Min Hyeong Sik’s team.’
They meshed so well that conversation between them had actually dwindled to nearly nothing.
Do Yi Hyeon broke that silence by sheathing his sword.
“Oh, right. Si Ul.”
“Yes?”
“A few days ago, Heo Min Ho—the hunter who accompanied us before—got in touch with me.”
Si Ul tilted his head.
“Heo Min Ho?”
“Yes. He saw my name on your nineteen-minute Raid roster and contacted me out of surprise.”
Si Ul listened without comment.
With his Longsword resting on his shoulder, he scanned for the next enemy’s presence while his attention remained fixed on Do Yi Hyeon’s words.
“He asked me to tell you that he’d really like to meet you.”
“He wants to meet me?”
Do Yi Hyeon nodded.
“Since you’re so strong, I imagine he’s curious about another powerful hunter like himself. Heo Min Ho is an A-rank Awakener, and he was the most talked-about promising newcomer this year.”
Si Ul’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“Past tense?”
Do Yi Hyeon laughed and tapped Si Ul’s arm with his elbow.
“Because you’ve taken that title now, haven’t you? You knew that already—you’re just fishing for compliments.”
“That’s not it…”
Without meaning to, he’d become the sort of person who prompts others to praise him.
Si Ul felt awkward and cleared his throat uselessly.
“So, what do you think? If you’re willing, he was wondering if you’d like to run a Raid together sometime.”
“Sure. That’s fine.”
Si Ul answered in a hollow tone.
He’d meant to brush it off casually.
But when he heard what Do Yi Hyeon said next, his reaction had to change.
“Min Ho the Hunter—I heard he’s already tackling S-rank Dungeons? I guess the elite really are cut from different cloth.”
Si Ul stopped walking and turned around.
“S-rank… Dungeons?”
“Since Min Ho the Hunter is an exclusive contractor for the Daeho Guild, he doesn’t have trouble securing Dungeons. I heard recently he’s been given permission to lead his own party on S-rank Dungeon Raids.”
Do Yi Hyeon spoke without particular emphasis, but Si Ul’s eyes had shifted noticeably.
The leisurely pace he’d maintained a moment ago came to a complete halt.
Something in his mind began calculating rapidly.
“How do I reach him?”
* * *
The morning air at Seoul Forest was crisp.
With its verdant trees and vitality, the grounds drew many residents out for their jogs.
Seven Hunters moved briskly through the throng.
Heo Min Ho, the team’s leader, surveyed the Gate’s location from the front while his party members trailed behind.
“Whoa! Aren’t those the Choshinseong?”
A couple out jogging recognized them and came to a standstill.
“Yeah, that’s them exactly as they look on TV.”
“Oh my gosh! Should we go ask for a photo?”
Heo Min Ho’s team was famous enough that even civilians could recognize them on sight.
Three red flower-shaped badges alone.
Apart from leader Heo Min Ho, there were two more A-rank Awakeners, and the remaining four were B-rank.
Their average team rank was exceptionally high, and they shared one striking commonality.
All seven had debuted this year as rookie Hunters.
Exclusive contractors for the Daeho Guild, they were hailed as the strongest among their cohort.
Which is why their collective name had become “Choshinseong” in popular parlance.
True to its meaning, they were a rookie collective whose future accomplishments were eagerly anticipated.
“So the Monster Rookie is coming today as a Mercenary?”
They crossed Seoul Forest at an easy pace, exchanging idle talk.
One of the A-rank party members spoke with crossed arms.
“Let’s see what he’s made of. I want to know what all the fuss is about.”
Another party member let out a snort from beside him.
“Probably nothing special. Guy looks like a Re-awakener trying to play it tough without filing the paperwork, acting stronger than he is.”
“Right? The media hasn’t touched him, so there’s probably something shady backing him.”
Speculation piled upon speculation.
Then Heo Min Ho, who had been leading the way, came to an abrupt stop.
“And you two are so exceptional you got dropped from the Newcomer Award shortlist?”
A short but weighty rebuke.
The murmuring among his party members ceased at once.
They exchanged uncertain glances, words stuck in their throats.
In fact, since Si Ul had begun making a name for himself, everyone on the team except Heo Min Ho had been eliminated from the Newcomer Award candidate list.
“Spend less time envying others and more time honing your skills.”
Heo Min Ho delivered the admonishment coldly.
His party members fell silent, looking chastened.
On the surface, it was the picture of a sturdy leader keeping his team in line.
But Heo Min Ho’s true feelings were different.
He was more acutely aware of Si Ul than anyone else.
‘The fact that he accepted my proposal so readily—that means he’s conscious of me too.’
Though he maintained a calm facade, competitive fire churned beneath the surface.
‘I’ll show you.’
Heo Min Ho’s gaze sharpened.
‘That your record was just luck. And who the real strongest rookie actually is.’
Heo Min Ho’s pace quickened.
He wanted to meet Si Ul as soon as possible.
Before long, they arrived at a restricted access zone deep within Seoul Forest.
A massive Gate hung suspended, warping the air around it.
And already waiting before it was someone who had arrived first.
Si Ul, wearing only light defensive gear, was checking the time on his Wristwatch.
“That’s the one?”
“Definitely… the mana he’s giving off is high-class level, at least.”
“Why hasn’t he filed his Re-awakening paperwork?”
The party members, sensing Si Ul’s distinctly elevated mana, raised their guard.
Heo Min Ho stared at Si Ul with equally startled eyes.
‘…He’s strong.’
The pressure emanating from him was palpable even from a distance.
‘At minimum, A-rank.’
Heo Min Ho grasped Si Ul’s true rank at once.
Just then, Si Ul spotted Heo Min Ho’s team first and approached them.
“You’re Heo Min Ho, the Hunter, aren’t you?”
Heo Min Ho quickly smoothed his expression into a smile.
“Yes. You must be Si Ul, the Hunter. It’s an honor to meet you.”
His tone was bright and courteous, like a mask slipping into place.
Heo Min Ho stepped forward with an easy smile and offered his hand in greeting on behalf of the team.
“I’m looking forward to learning from you today. Thank you for taking the time.”
Si Ul returned the casual pleasantry and clasped his hand in return.
“……?”
Si Ul’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
The pressure transmitted through their joined hands was extraordinarily forceful.
It far exceeded the typical strength of a polite greeting—a deliberate display of grip strength.
Si Ul’s eyes flickered between Heo Min Ho’s hand and his face.
‘What’s he playing at?’
The Doomed Hunter Continues to Survive
Author | Kutsummatsu

Publisher | Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.

Editorial Director | Editorial Department

Published by | Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.—DreamBooks

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UCI | G720:N+A063-20260731071

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Twitter (X) | @dreambookss

Submissions | [email protected]

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.—DreamBooks.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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