A S-Class Hunter With Great Agility - Chapter 117

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 117: Japan (2)

 

‘Work is work, so I need to do it properly.’

 

…Even while thinking this, Sato had many minor complaints.

 

— The Hunter dispatched from Korea is A-rank? Not S-rank?

 

This was Japan, where an unprecedented incident of selectively killing high-ranking Hunters had occurred. At a time when dispatching an S-rank Hunter would barely be enough, they sent an unknown Hunter who had never properly made a name for himself internationally.

 

‘What on earth is the Korean Association thinking?’

 

Sato was quite disappointed with the attitude shown by the neighboring country.

 

‘The dispatch support fee wasn’t that much, but it would have been nice if they had been a little more generous.’

 

“Hmm… Yes, you’re all done.”

 

He sighed and wrote the number 14 on the documents.

 

Even the staff member who came with him was at this level… If it were his own country, they wouldn’t have assigned a mere E-rank to accompany them.

 

Click.

 

The Korean A-rank Hunter opened the door of the measurement device. Sato didn’t pay him any particular attention.

 

‘It’s as obvious as fire, after all.’

 

Unknown Hunters are unknown because they’re weak. In an era where everyone wants to make a name for themselves, being unknown means you’re a Hunter who’s too weak to even get a chance to build your reputation.

 

There would be no surprises.

 

Sato thought this while focusing on finishing the work assigned to him.

 

However.

 

Crack, crash!

 

What was that sound?

 

Sato hurriedly raised his head.

 

“What the…”

 

Whoooooosh!

 

It was a golden wave. Golden magic wavelengths were swirling right before his eyes.

 

“…!”

 

He instinctively raised his arms to block it. It was unavoidable. Mana was breaking through glass and overflowing as if it would devour space itself.

 

“Huk…! Kuk, kup.”

 

The pressure crushing his body made it hard to breathe. As if he had fallen into a flood, his whole body felt heavy and he couldn’t get enough air.

 

‘What, is there some kind of malfunction?’

 

This was impossible. It didn’t make sense. This wasn’t a machine that couldn’t handle the mana of a mere A-rank Hunter.

 

“Wait, please! Please stop!”

 

Sato shouted with all his might. Then, not long after….

 

Whiiiii—….

 

The golden wave subsided.

 

“….”

 

He instinctively knew. It was fortunate that it was mana for measurement purposes, but if even a hint of killing intent had been mixed in, he would surely have….

 

Died.

 

In an instant, at that.

 

Gulp.

 

Sato barely managed to swallow his saliva. And he realized that he had unknowingly collapsed to the ground.

 

‘Is, is it over.’

 

Barely pulling himself together, Sato checked the scene where the mana had receded.

 

“Uh….”

 

What remained was devastating.

 

Shattered to pieces.

 

The 100 million yen machine was literally shattered to pieces.

 

* * *

 

I withdrew my mana. I could hear urgent voices, but I also thought something was definitely wrong…

 

“Oh no.”

 

Clatter.

 

Shattered magic stone fragments fell from my fingertips.

 

“Um, this…”

 

“Th-this can’t be happening…!”

 

I looked at Sato through the completely shattered glass. He had been sprawled on the floor but came rushing over frantically.

 

“Th-this is impossible.”

 

Tremble.

 

Sato’s hand holding the glass fragments was shaking.

 

“Made stitch by stitch by Japan’s craftsmen… The machine that was perfectly fine even when an S-rank Hunter came to test it…”

 

I scratched the back of my head. Well, my current mana amount is about three times that of an S-rank Hunter.

 

‘I suppose it’s natural in a way.’

 

I should have controlled it properly. When I placed my hand on the magic stone embedded in the machine, how should I put it… it felt like my magic power was being disrupted.

 

‘Control was impossible.’

 

It seemed like the magic stone had a function that prevented suppressing magic power.

 

“Th-the magic stone too…”

 

…Well, even that was broken now.

 

Sato broke out in cold sweat as he looked at the parts of what used to be a machine with no intact corners left.

 

“…How much does this cost? Our country’s Association is a bit short on money, so I’ll compensate you to the best of my ability.”

 

I approached him and said this. However, I had to change my words immediately.

 

“…100 million yen.”

 

“Oh…”

 

Roughly 1 billion won in Korean currency. It was an amount I couldn’t readily pay.

 

“…We’re screwed. What should we do?”

 

| Tsk, I knew this would happen. |

 

When I whispered, the Mountain Lord clicked his tongue.

 

Even when I looked at Jung Su-jin with an awkward smile, she could only shake her head helplessly.

 

‘I caused trouble on the first day of our trip.’

 

I pressed my forehead.

 

“…Let’s cancel. Please bill the Korean Government…”

 

Please.

 

* * *

 

The Mountain Lord and I arrived at our accommodation.

 

The accommodation with warm lighting boasted comfort. It seemed to be what they call a Japanese ryokan.

 

‘Are those magazines? Newspapers?’

 

In front of the TV, various daily newspapers and weekly magazines were stacked. They seemed good for relieving boredom.

 

‘There are snacks too. Not bad.’

 

I looked around the interior and lifted what was probably called a kotatsu before sitting down.

 

| You must not take your suddenly increased power lightly. Since you’re not well-adapted to it yet, it’s truly a double-edged sword. |

 

The Mountain Lord, who had slumped down on the tatami, advised me. I nodded.

 

“Yes. It certainly seems that way. Even if I handle my power as usual, it’ll come out with double the output… One wrong move and it could really become dangerous.”

 

Sato Hiroki was a C-rank Awakened. That’s why he barely endured the wave of mana without killing intent, but…

 

‘If Jung Su-jin had been standing just a little closer, it would have been a disaster.’

 

If the E-rank Awakened who was standing far away had come within range, she might have received a major shock contrary to my intentions.

 

‘Let’s use it moderately.’

 

Unless it was absolutely necessary, I felt I should approach combat with the intention of producing weaker output than usual.

 

Excessive attacks would inevitably come back to me as well.

 

Slurp.

 

I took a sip of the green tea provided by the accommodation and waited for the decision.

 

What decision, you ask…

 

Ring ring.

 

“…Hello?”

 

[Yes, Hunter. I just finished talking with Sato.]

 

About whether I would be saddled with a 1 billion won debt or not…

 

Jung Su-jin had remained at the Hunter Management Office for a while to resolve this issue.

 

“How did it go?”

 

I answered the phone and asked in a tense voice.

 

[I don’t think you need to worry.]

 

“!”

 

[They said they won’t charge you separately. It seems like it was a device malfunction, so they told me to tell you not to worry too much about it.]

 

Jung Su-jin also replied in a relieved tone.

 

[Remeasurement is difficult during your stay period, but instead they’re asking if it’s okay to receive brief information about you from Korea… What should we do?]

 

“As long as I don’t have to pay 1 billion won, please tell them anything is fine.”

 

[Haha. Yes, understood.]

 

What a relief. It seemed the Japanese side had concluded that the incomprehensible amount of mana was a device malfunction.

 

| Hmm, you’re lucky. |

 

“The Goddess of Fate said my New Year luck would be good.”

 

— Mm, the energy is good. Your New Year luck might be filled with fortune!

 

I recalled Gam-eun-jang-agi’s words. Was the good energy of the New Year already coming?

 

[Pardon?]

 

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

 

When Jung Su-jin asked back, I changed the subject.

 

“So there’s nothing else scheduled for today, right?”

 

[Yes. There’s no special schedule, so you can rest comfortably. You can go wherever you’d like.]

 

“Understood. You must be tired too, Jung Su-jin. Get some good rest.”

 

As the call was about to end, Jung Su-jin added something.

 

[Oh, there’s one thing I’d like to ask of you.]

 

“What is it?”

 

[Please be a little careful while you’re out. Japan, especially Tokyo, has a high dungeon occurrence rate due to the Ring of Fire.]

 

“Ah… I see. I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

‘The more unstable the terrain, the more frequently dungeons seem to occur.’

 

It was something I needed to take to heart.

 

[Then I’ll see you tomorrow.]

 

“Yes.”

 

Finally, the call ended. I slumped my body, feeling somehow relieved of tension.

 

“That’s a relief. We almost had real trouble.”

 

| It’s too early to feel relieved. You must keep my words in mind. |

 

“I said I understand.”

 

Who knew machines would be that fragile…

 

The Mountain Lord twitched his ears as if displeased. I took this opportunity to bring up something that might interest him.

 

“Anyway, they said I can freely walk around today. There’s actually a place I wanted to visit.”

 

| I’m tired though. |

 

“You’re going to ride on my head anyway and not walk, so what’s the problem?”

 

At that, the Mountain Lord lowered his ears as if caught off guard.

 

| …Where is it? Let me hear it. |

 

I chuckled and opened my mouth.

 

“Well, the place is…”

 

* * *

 

“Should we go over there? They’re selling apple candy.”

 

“Did you watch the drama that aired yesterday? I want to eat the fried food that appeared in it.”

 

“Hmm, isn’t it this way? Sorry, sorry.”

 

A bustling street.

 

The scene with various food shops lined up on both sides was crowded with people.

 

“That’s what I told you. The croquette shop is over there.”

 

“Wahaha. Look, a pretty cute figure came out.”

 

Tourists with smiles on their faces looked around as they walked.

 

Between the Japanese signs, translated words in English, Chinese, Korean, and other languages were frequently visible.

 

It was a famous market in Tokyo.

 

| There are quite a lot of people. |

 

“It’s a renowned place. I keep hearing Korean too?”

 

I glanced up at the Mountain Lord in spirit form and said.

 

The voices of Korean tourists, not going through the translator attached to my ear, could often be heard.

 

‘Thanks to that, it feels less awkward.’

 

| So why did you come here? |

 

“The sweet bean jelly they sell here is supposed to be really delicious.”

 

I unfolded the paper map I received at the market entrance.

 

…Everyone else is looking at phone maps though. Well, this is more convenient for me.

 

“Hmm. Ah, it’s over there.”

 

I checked the location of the handmade sweet bean jelly shop and pointed in a specific direction.

 

| Are you certain? |

 

“…Probably?”

 

…Right, it was too complex an era to rely on analog methods. But what choice did I have.

 

I boldly took a step forward.

 

* * *

 

Finally found it.

 

After much trouble, I discovered the 200-year-old traditional yokan shop… It was a traditional shop with a somewhat shabby appearance.

 

| Didn’t I tell you it was on the left? |

 

“Ah, well. That was a different shop.”

 

| They’re all written in the same characters, what… |

 

“Not all yokan are the same.”

 

Still, it was true that thanks to the Mountain Lord, I found the right path at the end, so I held back my grumbling.

 

“Thank you.”

 

After finishing my order, which had been difficult in terms of language due to the one-way translator, I was finally able to get my hands on the yokan.

 

‘One box as a gift for Jung Su-jin… and mine too. Perfect.’

 

I unwrapped one piece of yokan and put it in my mouth.

 

Chew.

 

“Wow, this is delicious. Would you like to try some?”

 

Unlike the ones sold in stores, this slightly firm yokan had a rich red bean flavor. It was worth all the trouble.

 

I handed a piece of yokan to the Mountain Lord above my head.

 

I didn’t know, but he could actually consume it. Well, is there anything impossible for a god?

 

The Mountain Lord swallowed the piece of yokan in one bite.

 

| Hmm, quite good. Though I… prefer honey rice cake more to my taste. |

 

The Mountain Lord smacked his lips and gave his assessment. He seemed to like it.

 

‘Rice cake, huh. Really like a tiger.’

 

A folk tale came to mind and I chuckled.

 

“It would be nice if Korea had many old artisan shops like this too.”

 

| …It’s a regrettable fact. |

 

“Indeed.”

 

I briefly reflected on the past history and swallowed a sigh.

 

It couldn’t have happened. It would have been broken and scattered before then.

 

I cleared my thoughts and gave an awkward smile to the staff member who was startled by the food disappearing in the air.

 

…Haha.

 

“P-please come again next time.”

 

The staff member quickly regained composure and greeted me.

 

“Where shall we go now?”

 

| I think there was something interesting to see on the other side. |

 

“Oh, you want to see that? Then let’s go there.”

 

Ding.

 

I opened the door of the yokan shop and came out. There was still quite a bit of time left, enough to look around…

 

“Huh?”

 

Blink.

 

I made eye contact with a strange creature.

 

Grrrr…

 

Green skin, short stature, a wooden club in one hand.

 

‘A goblin?’

 

“Why is this thing here…”

 

Just as I was muttering that, the goblin raised its club high.

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