A Hunter on Borrowed Time Keeps Surviving - Chapter 33

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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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Chapter 33.
The moment King Balrog vanished, the savage mana that had flooded the Boss Chamber dissipated like a lie.
The war was over.
Yet in one corner of the chamber, a small commotion remained unsettled.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
A Balrog was being relentlessly pummeled by something invisible.
Each time a faint silhouette shimmered and twisted, the creature’s body flailed side to side, and the terror-stricken Balrog finally flapped its wings in panic and fled down into the Volcanic Crater.
Only then did Zero’s Invisibility fade.
“Woof!”
Zero puffed out his chest and barked proudly.
He raised his tail with a snap, striking a proud pose—a clear warning against any further insolence.
From the moment the war began, Zero had been attacking Balrogs just like that, aiding the Supernova Team and Siul.
No one had simply noticed.
“Woof?”
Zero poked his head out from above the boulder that had been shielding his body.
He belatedly sensed the change in the chamber’s atmosphere.
There were no more enemies in sight, and the Supernova Team had all lowered their weapons.
Siul stood in the middle of the battlefield, gazing up at empty air.
It looked like he was checking the Quest completion notification.
【Consecutive Quest Success Count: 9】
‘That’s the ninth time.’
The corners of Siul’s mouth lifted.
‘One more clear and I get the tenth streak bonus reward.’
The fifth and seventh streak rewards had been so overwhelmingly good that anticipation swelled naturally within him.
Even if the tenth reward fell short of expectations, it wouldn’t matter.
Based on the pattern so far, Level-Up Points always appeared as an option.
‘If I choose that, I’ll re-awaken to S-rank in one shot.’
His heart raced at the mere thought of it.
He was so eager to tackle the next Quest that his legs felt restless.
Then footsteps approached from behind.
He turned to see Heo Min-ho.
Heo Min-ho had finished first aid with a Healing Potion, and the wound on his side had mostly closed.
Siul spoke first to Heo Min-ho, who stood waiting in silence.
“Fortunately it’s not a serious wound. And…”
Siul held out Horu’s Legendary Sword to Heo Min-ho.
“Thank you for lending it. I apologize for using it without permission. I was in a hurry—I couldn’t afford to miss the moment King Balrog was off balance.”
Heo Min-ho accepted Horu’s Legendary Sword without a word.
As he gazed down at the blue-tinged blade, the image surfaced in his mind: Siul sweeping water around himself as he cleaved through King Balrog.
“Your Mana Bullet Control is top-tier Hunter level, but I didn’t know you could wield a sword that well too.”
Heo Min-ho spoke with a tone of amazed disbelief.
“Ah, well…”
Siul’s eyes darted around.
In truth, the sword had always been Siul’s primary weapon.
Guns—he’d only fired rifles in the military, and the revolver was his first time with Hidden Roulette.
But there was no way to explain that, no reason to offer, so he chose silence.
By then the other party members came running up, gasping for breath.
“Siul! Wow, what was that Mana Bullet trajectory just now? It was absolutely insane!”
“You curved the Mana Bullet angle mid-flight with Mana Bullet Control, right? Can a person even do that?”
“I thought you were a veteran Hunter who’d handled guns for over a decade…”
Siul could only laugh awkwardly at the barrage of praise from his teammates.
“Just, well, I got lucky.”
He kept repeating that line—now dedicated solely to deflecting questions.
“Give me some space.”
A quiet voice cut through while Siul was still surrounded by his team.
Heo Min-ho parted the crowd and stepped forward to face Siul.
“This Raid will go down as our best performance since we formed as a team. It’s all thanks to you.”
True to Heo Min-ho’s words, this Dungeon clear had ended in less than half the expected time.
They’d achieved a perfect clear of an S-rank Dungeon without a single S-rank Hunter.
What’s more, all the party members were rookies who’d debuted this year.
With such a historic record set, the industry would stir once more.
‘Looks like a hassle.’
Siul frowned, pressing his temples as though a headache had already begun to set in.
It was the opposite reaction from the Supernova Team, who were practically giddy with excitement.
“On behalf of the team, I’d like to make you a proposal.”
Heo Min-ho opened with a tone heavy with significance.
The party members turned to look at him with expressions of surprise.
Already, everyone in the room—Siul included—sensed what the proposal would be.
“If you’re willing, how would you feel about forming a team with us?”
It was exactly as expected. Heo Min-ho didn’t want his connection with Siul to end here.
A complete reversal from the competitive spirit he’d harbored before.
Ever since witnessing Siul’s remarkable skill firsthand, jealousy had transformed into admiration.
The stronger his envy had been, the more powerful the conversion of his emotions became.
‘This person is the finest hunter among newcomers. No—he might even become the best hunter in the country down the line.’
The reason Heo Min-ho had signed an exclusive contract with the Daeho Guild was because it housed the greatest hunters in a large organization.
He believed that by observing them up close, he too would achieve significant growth.
For the same reason, he’d assembled the Supernova Team alongside elite newcomers.
And for the same reason, he was now extending his hand to Siul.
“I want to learn so much from working alongside you. Of course, I’m confident we won’t fall short either. I believe we could be genuinely beneficial partners for each other—what do you think?”
Adding to this proposal, Heo Min-ho elaborated that he’d already mapped out a future in which the Supernova Team would expand into a guild, creating an organization of their own.
Though Heo Min-ho had made the proposal unilaterally, the other party members chimed in to say they agreed.
“Really, think about it! We’re actually quite capable.”
“That’s right. It’d be strange for us to say it ourselves, but these days everyone in the industry wants to recruit the hunters on our team.”
“If you joined too, the synergy would be incredible!”
There was no offer more tempting to a rookie Hunter.
Walking the brightest, most assured path alongside elites.
But Siul gave his answer swiftly and with finality.
“Thank you for the offer, but I have no intention of joining any team in the foreseeable future.”
Heo Min-ho and the party members looked taken aback, exchanging glances with one another.
They’d thought a refusal was possible—just unlikely—but they hadn’t expected him to cut them off so abruptly.
It wasn’t wounded pride so much as sheer curiosity about his reasons.
“Why? You could take some time to think about it and give us an answer later….”
“Haven’t any of you heard the rumors about me?”
When Siul turned the question back on them, the Supernova Team flinched in unison.
“So you have heard them.”
“Despite your achievements being so remarkable, there’s been no press coverage….”
“I understand. That’s precisely why I’m refusing.”
Siul smiled as his gaze swept across the faces of the Supernova Team.
“I can’t go into detail, but my situation is different from yours—I cannot be exposed to media.”
Siul, whose legend was whispered only behind closed doors.
The Supernova Team was their exact opposite.
The heroes of tomorrow.
Young blood championed by the Daeho Guild.
The top seven in a survey of rookie Hunters with promising futures ahead.
The Supernova Team had their name in the media under various other titles as well.
Even the team name “Supernova” had been bestowed upon them by the public—a badge of honor rather than their own invention.
“Our paths diverge too greatly. So I’ll cheer for you all from elsewhere.”
Though he disclosed no specific details, the sincerity in Siul’s words came through as he explained his own circumstances.
Heo Min-ho and his party members pressed no further.
“It’s a shame, but there’s nothing to be done.”
Heo Min-ho extended his hand, offering Siul a handshake.
“We’ll cheer for you from afar as well.”
Siul smiled and clasped Heo Min-ho’s hand in return.
Unlike their first meeting, warmth and gentleness now radiated from Heo Min-ho’s grip.
“Even if you won’t be with us long-term, you’ll take on work as a mercenary for us, won’t you?”
“Of course. Anytime.”
Siul assumed the words were mere pleasantries spoken in parting.
But the moment Heo Min-ho released his hand, he withdrew a Tablet from his inventory and began checking his schedule.
“There’s an S-rank Gate we can enter in exactly four days. We’re planning to take it on—would you be interested in joining us?”
At the sudden Raid proposal, not only Siul but the team members as well stiffened.
“Right, that’s coming up, isn’t it?”
“Perfect! If we include Siul, we’ll set a record for two consecutive S-rank Dungeon perfect clears!”
The party members erupted in enthusiasm, throwing their full support behind the plan.
Siul alone looked bewildered, lost in the shuffle.
“Four days from now? You’re moving to the next Raid that quickly?”
Typically, even B-rank and lower Dungeons are scheduled with roughly a week’s interval between expeditions.
It’s a recommended waiting period set by the Hunters Association to account for physical injuries and accumulated mental fatigue.
Of course, it’s merely a recommendation and not strictly binding, but for a team like Supernova to challenge consecutive S-rank Dungeons on a four-day cycle was extraordinarily rare.
“This Dungeon wasn’t originally assigned to us. Since today’s Raid succeeded and we have no serious injuries, we thought we’d seize the opportunity and take this one on as well. It’s a Gate just before Division anyway, so someone has to step forward regardless.”
With that explanation, Heo Min-ho wrote the Supernova Team’s name into the schedule.
It was their formal claim to handle that Dungeon.
“Can you really proceed with an S-rank Dungeon in such a manner?”
Siul made no attempt to hide his skepticism.
And with good reason—S-rank Dungeons were projects that demanded extraordinary care and caution.
They were a tier where Hunters regularly returned as corpses after attempting to clear them.
A place that shouldn’t be opened and closed simply because a name appeared on a schedule.
‘No matter how urgent things are, this feels wrong. The system seems broken.’
He believed that at minimum, the process should mirror today’s Dungeon—beginning with a preliminary manual memorization test, followed by various inspections before proceeding.
Elite Hunters with promising futures shouldn’t be sent into Dungeons without guaranteed safety.
“There’s no need to worry. The reason we can approve the Raid so readily is precisely because the Dungeon’s danger level has been significantly reduced.”
Heo Min-ho provided detailed context to dispel the misunderstanding.
“This Dungeon has actually already been cleared once by Director Jang Jin-young.”
Director of the Daeho Guild and its signature Hunter, Jang Jin-young.
His story held particular interest for Siul, who had a connection to him.
“A Hunter of Jang Jin-young’s caliber failed to clear the Dungeon?”
“The record shows failure, but I’d say it was more accurately a Raid suspension.”
Heo Min-ho opened the Dungeon’s record file on his Tablet and showed it to Siul to help clarify.
The record included photographs taken upon exiting the Dungeon, and Siul tilted his head upon viewing them.
“This is supposedly a failed clear? Not a success?”
The scene showed swaths of defeated minions scattered throughout.
Not a single Mana Stone fragment remained, suggesting they’d claimed every available resource before departing.
“As you can see, the Dungeon is essentially cleared. The only thing left unresolved is that the boss wasn’t defeated—it remains partially intact.”
Siul let out an exclamation of understanding.
“A balance-imbalanced Dungeon, then? The boss was simply too strong compared to the minions?”
It happened often enough.
There existed Dungeons where the boss and Boss Chamber variables were disproportionately difficult compared to the minions, making them nearly impossible to clear.
The Giant Golem incident Siul had encountered previously was a prime example of this phenomenon.
However, Heo Min-ho denied that this Dungeon’s balance was flawed.
“The boss was fully subdued by Director Jang Jin-young. He simply didn’t kill it. That’s why any team belonging to the Daeho Guild that qualifies for S-rank Dungeon Raids can attempt it. The Dungeon has already lost most of its threat.”
With the circumstances explained, Siul now clearly understood why this particular S-rank Dungeon carried a lower danger rating.
Yet a question remained.
“Then why didn’t Jang Jin-young just finish it himself? Why leave a defeated boss behind? It makes no sense.”
The Supernova Team members all wore expressions of equal confusion.
Nevertheless, an explanation had to be given, so Heo Min-ho read aloud the reason for the Raid suspension as recorded in the file.
It was written in Jang Jin-young’s own hand.
“Director Jang Jin-young states that… the boss in this Dungeon has such an irritating personality that he didn’t want to kill it……”
A Terminal Hunter Keeps Surviving
Author |
Kutsumatsu
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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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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