A Hunter on Borrowed Time Keeps Surviving - Chapter 43

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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 43.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Baek Ga-hyun organized the file, pushed back her chair, and stood.
But something felt oddly quiet around her.
She glanced between Kim Si-ul and Kang Ho-chul, then tilted her head.
“Aren’t you two leaving?”
An awkward cough erupted from both sides of the room.
“I, uh… I have some things to discuss separately with Kim Si-ul. Go on ahead.”
Kang Ho-chul fumbled through the excuse so clumsily it was almost laughable for a Special Hunter.
It probably had something to do with Baek Ga-hyun’s reputation for the Mind-Reading Technique.
She examined him with suspicious eyes for a moment, then turned away.
“All right then.”
Fortunately, she left without asking further questions.
Only Kim Si-ul and Kang Ho-chul remained in the investigation office.
Now the space that had been thick with formality seemed to shed a layer.
Kang Ho-chul leaned back in his chair and tapped the desk lightly with his fingers.
“Have you received notification about the exam?”
“Yes. I got it a few days ago.”
He’d checked the message contents multiple times.
It was an announcement that the third-quarter Special Hunter Exam would be held at nine o’clock Monday morning of the following week.
For Si-ul, it had been only a week since he submitted his application.
“The Special Hunter Exam is held quarterly. You were fortunate to catch the last deadline for registration.”
Kang Ho-chul said this with a smile, but Si-ul countered that his luck seemed like the opposite.
“There’s barely any time to prepare.”
“There’s not much you can prepare for anyway. The exam content isn’t announced in advance, and the format changes every time.”
Kang Ho-chul added that regardless of whether one prepared early or late, candidates were selected based on their genuine ability.
“For reference, high-risk raids or combat could begin immediately on the exam day itself.”
“From the start?”
“Yes. Any number of unforeseen tasks could be thrown at you. It’s wise to mentally prepare yourself.”
“That does sound brutal….”
Kang Ho-chul raised a finger and emphasized this as a particularly important precaution.
“The Special Hunter Exam operates on an Absolute Evaluation system. Rather than worrying about your competitors, focus on showcasing your own abilities to their fullest.”
“…Does that mean if a candidate doesn’t meet the standard, everyone who took the exam could fail?”
Kang Ho-chul nodded firmly.
It was indeed the case.
Although the Special Hunter Exam is offered four times a year, not a single candidate had passed in the last three years.
Upon hearing this harsh reality, Si-ul’s expression darkened.
“Aren’t all applicants Grade A awakeners or higher who’ve received a Special Hunter’s recommendation? And yet not a single person has passed the standard in three years?”
It seemed less like setting a high bar and more like locking the gate to passing altogether.
Not “only qualified people will pass,” but “if I’m not satisfied, I won’t hire anyone”—that was the attitude.
“This organization is crazier than I thought.”
Kang Ho-chul gave a faint laugh but didn’t deny it.
He thought so too—it was an organization more insane than imagination.
“Still, I believe you can pass.”
Despite the grim stories he’d just shared, Kang Ho-chul seemed to be predicting a positive outcome.
His tone was almost certain, not merely encouraging or supportive.
Si-ul only wondered what had given Kang Ho-chul such confidence in him.
But there was no need to ask every detail.
What mattered right now was passing the exam.
“I’ll do my best to prepare.”
Si-ul added one more thing.
“But if I pass the exam, then you’d better give me a real answer. Why can Special Hunters attempt SSS-Grade Dungeons the fastest?”
All Si-ul knew was that conclusion.
He’d been told the detailed reasons and circumstances were a secret he couldn’t learn until becoming a Special Hunter.
He did have some information from Kim Dong-jin, but whether that truth held up would only be verifiable once he became a Special Hunter.
“I promise.”
Kang Ho-chul waved a hand, telling him not to worry.
Upon hearing the confirmation, Si-ul stood from his seat.
“Where are you headed?”
“The High-end Equipment Shop.”
Si-ul answered without hesitation, as if he were already preparing to dash off the moment the inquiry wrapped up.
“You said the exam is tough. Then the prep has to be just as tough, right?”
* * *
The High-end Equipment Shop smelled different every time he walked in.
Where the Special Hunter Headquarters building exhaled the cold scent of paperwork, this place breathed wealth—the perfume of money itself.
The moment Si-ul stepped through the entrance, he made straight for the S-Grade Equipment section.
He meant to equip himself well in preparation for the exam.
“Where would the swords and spears be?”
“Just past the left corner, sir.”
Si-ul examined the weapons first.
He needed a powerful blade for when his Hidden Roulette’s Hidden Bullets ran dry.
Something like Heo Min-ho’s Lake’s Famous Sword—a weapon whose raw power was already formidable, but which also carried some special ability. That would be perfect.
‘Hmm, nothing at that level here.’
It was a shame, but the S-Grade section still delivered more than he’d expected.
‘Swords that amplify raw strength, shields that carry entire barriers, armor with warp functions… money really does buy everything.’
The sweetness of capital felt sharper here in the S-Grade corner than anywhere else.
But the prices were equally vicious, demanding careful deliberation before any purchase.
“Everything’s a bit off somehow…”
Si-ul murmured to himself, standing before the display case.
Nothing grabbed him decisively enough to make his wallet yield.
Then, from nearby, a soft unfamiliar voice cut in.
“Finding nothing that appeals to you, I take it?”
When Si-ul turned, a middle-aged woman in an elegant deep navy uniform stood before him.
Her hair swept back with precision, her posture economical and poised, her smile the assured comfort of professional service.
Si-ul recognized her at once.
‘A VIP specialist?’
The golden nameplate pinned to her left chest read [VIP Room Specialist Lee Hyun-suk].
‘Why is she talking to me?’
Si-ul felt a twinge of confusion.
VIP specialists never mixed with ordinary customers.
It was shop protocol—designed to reinforce the sense that these employees existed only for the elite clientele.
The policy had sparked controversy, but ultimately VIP clients accepted the segregation as a mark of privilege and felt satisfied.
“Is there something particular you’re looking for?”
“No. Just browsing.”
She continued smoothly, as if reading his expression.
“Though it’s called the S-Grade corner, merchandise moves so quickly here that honestly, there’s often less to see than in the A-Grade section. Have you considered touring our VIP Room?”
Si-ul’s eyes widened slightly.
“Isn’t that a place I’m not allowed in?”
His current Shop Rank was Gold.
Only Platinum and Diamond tiers could enter the VIP Room.
By his current standing, he was short by tens of millions at minimum.
But the specialist shook her head as if it were no obstacle at all.
“Our shop frequently offers VIP Room trials to regular customers, regardless of their tier. Please, enjoy it without any concern.”
At the end of her sentence, she laid down a very subtle smile.
The kind of laugh that leaks from concealed intention.
In truth, her approach had nothing to do with kindness.
‘Nearly fooled by the first meeting. So this is that monster prodigy everyone’s talking about.’
The rumor of the monster prodigy that had circulated through the industry recently had reached her ears as well.
With her extensive VIP connections, procuring a photograph of the prodigy had been as easy as flipping a hand.
Kim Si-ul. By shop standards, still just an upper-middle tier customer.
But she was the type who looked not at the current rankings, but at how swiftly he might vault beyond them in the future.
The keen instinct to recognize the big spender before he became one.
That was her gift, honed through years of VIP specialist work.
“When I saw your expression as you looked over the displayed equipment—frankly unsatisfied—it pained me as a professional. If you’re amenable, I’d very much like to guide you to the VIP Room. What do you say?”
Si-ul started to demur.
He hadn’t thought he’d let anything show so obviously.
But the specialist stepped closer still and added a final word.
“We’ve just received an S+-Grade Equipment piece that no one else has laid eyes on yet.”
Twitch—Si-ul’s ears perked up.
An S+-Grade Equipment piece, just arrived, seen by no one else.
That single sentence caught Kim Si-ul’s attention properly.
Kim Si-ul’s gaze slid to the side before returning to the employee.
“Then… would it be alright to take just a quick look?”
* * *
The VIP Room was located where ordinary customers couldn’t even find its position.
Deep within the shop, past the staff-only corridor, at the end of a hallway that stretched far beyond.
The employee held a key card up to the terminal beside the pristine white door.
A soft recognition chime sounded, and the heavy door slid open to the side.
The moment Kim Si-ul stepped inside, he had no choice but to stop in his tracks.
The atmosphere was entirely different.
The lighting was far more subdued and sophisticated.
Light fell only where it was needed, restrained and deliberate, while the rest of the space lay submerged in shadow.
The floor was covered in thick carpet that seemed to swallow footsteps themselves.
Outside noise was thoroughly blocked by soundproofing walls.
If the main showroom resembled a well-organized luxury department store, this place was closer to an exclusive auction house or private art gallery open only to the select few.
‘Amazing….’
Every single item was S+-Grade Equipment.
On the way in, the employee had explained that there were separate VIP Rooms for Platinum-tier VIPs and Diamond-tier VIPs.
Given the grade structure, this appeared to be a VIP Room where Platinum-tier customers could enter.
“Please feel free to look around.”
As the employee invited him with a bright smile, Kim Si-ul let his gaze drift deeper into the room.
In the distance, a black cloth was draped over a glass display case.
All the other cases were open, yet oddly, only that one was covered.
“As expected, you have excellent instincts. That equipment that just arrived is inside that display case.”
The employee spoke in hushed tones, heightening Kim Si-ul’s anticipation even further.
“Would you like to see it right away?”
“…Yes.”
Wary that another VIP customer might enter the room, Kim Si-ul didn’t want to miss this moment when he alone was present.
“This way, please.”
Kim Si-ul followed the employee’s guidance and approached the display case.
The closer he got, the more he felt an extraordinary presence.
The VIP Room had many other S+-Grade Equipment pieces with powerful Magical Power, but this particular case stood apart even among them.
‘If I’d brought Zero, there’d be an uproar…’
He could easily picture how the Beast would have barked excitedly.
Even Kim Si-ul felt his anticipation tingling through his body.
“It’s an honor to give you the first viewing, sir.”
The employee took out white gloves, put them on, then grasped the black cloth and carefully pulled it away.
In that instant, Kim Si-ul’s pupils trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
‘This… this is…!’
A Limited-Time Hunter Who Keeps Surviving
Author |
Kutsumattsu
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
Editor-in-Chief |
Editorial Department
Published by |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books
Address |
7th Floor, Gwangseong Building, 28 Bongeun-sa-ro 114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260731071
Blog |
blog.naver.com/dreambookss
Twitter (X) |
@dreambookss
Submissions |
[email protected]
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission from Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books.

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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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