A S-Class Hunter With Great Agility - Chapter 146

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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 146: Year-end Party (4)

 

“The first person I’d like to introduce is here as a guest of Blue Dragon and… Eden.”

 

Lee Cheong-ryu paused mid-sentence, then continued with a smile.

 

As he extended his hand to point at me, all eyes in the event hall turned toward me in unison.

 

‘The lighting is already overwhelming. This is a bit…!’

 

My face stiffened. This kind of focused attention was the first I’d experienced since the cleansing ritual (*a ritual to wash away bad energy and resolve the grudges of the dead. Usually many people watch, including bereaved families).

 

“Some of you might already know him. There are probably those who are already acquainted with him.”

 

At those words, there was some commotion from where Yu-kyung, Choi Yu-il, and Hong I-jo were standing.

 

But the other people shouldn’t know me, right? However, among the gazes looking at me, there was something strange mixed in.

 

Like… ah, so that’s the person— kind of look?

 

‘Why?’

 

The question was resolved not long after.

 

“It was a relatively recent news article. Those who saw it? Ah, quite a lot of you. Well, hunters should naturally be well-informed about international affairs.”

 

“….”

 

“Not long ago, there was a serial hunter murder case in Japan.”

 

At those ominous words, the party hall stirred for a moment. The hunters quietly whispered among themselves.

 

“It was unprecedented… Fortunately it didn’t spread to Korea, but it was truly terrible for that country.”

 

“They said even an S-rank Hunter died. The impact must have been huge.”

 

“Right. Fortunately, the perpetrator became disabled, so no more incidents have occurred recently. But what made him that way was probably…”

 

I could feel glances stealing looks at my expression, which had become forcibly cold to hide my tension.

 

Lee Cheong-ryu nodded and continued.

 

“The Korean Association dispatched an A-rank Hunter at the request of the Japan Hunter Management Agency, and yes. The result is, well, as you all know.”

 

Since that ‘A-rank Hunter’ was me, it wasn’t unreasonable that the hunters knew about me.

 

‘I guess all the articles came out.’

 

Lee Cheong-ryu asked me for confirmation.

 

“Is that right, Hunter Eun Hae-dam?”

 

“….”

 

The Hunters’ gazes showed no signs of being withdrawn. I felt like my ears were turning red.

 

“…That’s right.”

 

I maintained a stiff expression and answered briefly.

 

“Oh. So it’s really true. Which organization are you with? I haven’t seen you among the Knights.”

 

“I heard he’s unaffiliated. Hasn’t joined anywhere.”

 

“Really?”

 

“There are occasionally such oddballs among skilled individuals. It’s not strange.”

 

While not joining any Guild at all like me wasn’t a common case, it apparently wasn’t unheard of either.

 

“Haha. I like your straightforward answer. Since we invited you as someone who elevated our nation’s prestige, I hope you’ll have enjoyable conversations before you leave.”

 

Lee Cheong-ryu concluded my introduction like that. The spotlight that had been shining above my head also disappeared.

 

“Then shall we introduce the next person?”

 

Interest shifted to another person, wondering if there were more Hunters not affiliated with Large Guilds besides me.

 

I secretly let out a sigh of relief.

 

“Phew.”

 

Though it was a brief introduction, I seemed to have made an impression on the Hunters anyway.

 

“Still, it’s amazing. To think someone who’s just an A-rank Hunter solved that matter in one go… Could he be hiding his abilities?”

 

“The compatibility might have been right. Of course, whatever the method was, it’s not common.”

 

“Exactly… It’s fascinating.”

 

I had been too much of an outsider in the Industry until now… This wasn’t a bad development.

 

Thud.

 

Then someone approached me through the dark surroundings.

 

“Hmph. How pathetically surprised everyone is. It’s only natural. If you didn’t have that level of skill, how could you have beaten our Academy?”

 

You could tell from his way of speaking, but it was Heo Gil. The dean of Hunter Academy and Academy Guild Leader.

 

“I saw the Knight too, but I wasn’t surprised at all. I already knew long ago that you were that kind of talent.”

 

Heo Gil pushed his orange sunglasses up over his faded hair.

 

‘Sunglasses indoors? He really cares a lot about fashion.’

 

Whether he knew my thoughts or not, Heo Gil asked nonchalantly.

 

“What brings you here? I didn’t expect to see you in a place like this.”

 

“I was invited.”

 

“By Lee Cheong-ryu?”

 

I nodded ambiguously.

 

“Yes. And also by my friend.”

 

“Hmm. Eden, you mean?”

 

He briefly looked over my clothes. After particularly checking the red hanbok, he stroked his chin.

 

“I thought you were Red Dog because of the red color. Looks like those two beat me to it.”

 

“The color of the clothes doesn’t have much meaning. If anything, it’s just one of the five traditional colors.”

 

“…You use old-fashioned words.”

 

Heo Gil made an expression as if he found my choice of words nostalgic.

 

“Your clothes are always elegant too. It feels like I haven’t seen hanbok in ages. Though everyone used to wear them quite often back in the day.”

 

Well, Heo Gil would be from the generation that clearly remembers the world before Gates appeared.

 

What would the world from 20 years ago that he reminisces about look like? I felt a bit envious that he knew that era.

 

“That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

 

“Well. It’s just stating facts. Of course, it’s quite stylish too, so you’d better take it as a compliment.”

 

‘Why is this guy saying nice things to me?’

 

From the first time we met, he only looked down on me, and later he had the expression of someone who never wanted to see me again.

 

‘What’s gotten into him.’

 

When I sent him a suspicious look, Heo Gil cleared his throat.

 

“Do you know what’s going on at the Academy?”

 

“Only what gets reported occasionally. I don’t know the details.”

 

“I think you need to start paying attention. Your weight class is getting quite big too. There will come a day when it’s too much for you to protect yourself alone.”

 

“How harsh.”

 

“Harsh words? Let’s call it an adult’s advice.”

 

‘Are all the adults dead…’

 

Heo Gil put his hands in his dress pants pockets and continued speaking.

 

“The Academy has completely recovered the stock prices that fell back then. The damage caused by you wasn’t insignificant, but I’ve restored everything to its original state.”

 

“I see. But it seems the problem wasn’t just the stock prices.”

 

“…You’re right.”

 

Looking at Heo Gil keeps reminding me of my school days. What happened at the Academy was an incident that was enough to touch my reverse scale.

 

Besides Jung Yeo-jun, how many more children were hurt like that? Thinking about it, I couldn’t bring myself to speak kindly.

 

“Hmm, where should I start explaining.”

 

Heo Gil muttered. He had a bitter look in his eyes.

 

‘But this is strange. He looks different from before.’

 

My intuition was telling me that.

 

The Heo Gil before my eyes might be somewhat different from that arrogant principal.

 

“Hunter Academy has re-examined its entire educational curriculum. And it has undergone a transformation in its educational system. We’ve pulled out all the rotten roots that were problematic, and I’ve ordered a complete cleanup of all the corruption and injustices that had been hidden.”

 

“…Really?”

 

“Of course. However, I can’t say it’s been perfectly resolved yet. You know this too, don’t you? That there’s no such thing as perfect integrity in this world.”

 

“….”

 

“But… yes. What’s certain is that I’ve regained my original intentions thanks to you.”

 

Heo Gil who said that let out a hollow laugh. It was the face of someone who never thought he’d say such things with his own mouth.

 

“The story has gotten long-winded. It was also easier because Teacher Han helped… I wasn’t trying to make excuses to you.”

 

I relaxed my expression a little. Admitting wrongdoing is difficult, but what’s even more difficult is making an effort not to repeat those mistakes.

 

“Ahem. But you know what? Isn’t it quite remarkable?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Everyone worries about whether I’ll be able to keep up with the flow of the times going forward, but the Academy still has resilient recovery power with me at the center…”

 

“Ah, yes.”

 

Right. People don’t change easily. He’s still as pompous as ever.

 

I turned my head away from Heo Gil with a quick motion.

 

“Well. I’m saying I hope you’ll keep various possibilities in mind regarding guild membership in the future…”

 

Heo Gil adjusted his sunglasses and finished his story.

 

Flash.

 

Before I knew it, the party hall lighting had brightened again. Lee Cheong-ryu’s customer introductions seemed to have ended as well.

 

“Next is the guild ranking announcement, I believe. Hmm, would you like to come with me?”

 

Heo Gil made the suggestion to me. He pointed somewhere with his fingertip.

 

‘The Guild Leaders?’

 

There, Hong I-jo with his proud red wings was gathered together with Choi Yu-kyung, Lee Cheong-ryu, and Yeon Na-yeon.

 

“The next item is the guild ranking announcement. How about it? Going together to watch. We could even see how the Academy manages to rise in the rankings despite this situation.”

 

“I don’t particularly want to see that, but I was curious about the rankings themselves. Let’s go, I guess.”

 

I accepted the proposal without much thought.

 

Baek Kyul seemed too busy to come, and aside from the Guild Leaders, there wasn’t really anyone I knew. It would be better than wandering around the party hall alone.

 

‘I also need to tell them about what happened in Japan.’

 

But today, curiosity and fascination about experiencing this event for the first time took precedence over any sense of duty about work.

 

“Let’s go, quickly.”

 

“Yes, yes.”

 

It was a liveliness I couldn’t have even imagined last year.

 

* * *

 

“What? Why are you two coming together?”

 

“…I was wondering where the Dean was. So you were there?”

 

Sister Yu-kyung and Lee Cheong-ryu, who spotted me and Heo Gil, spoke up simultaneously.

 

“That thing they’re about to announce. I thought it might be nice to watch it together. The more people, the better, don’t you think?”

 

Heo Gil pointed to the electronic display board that occupied one wall of the party hall.

 

The electronic display board showed a guild ranking table still filled with question marks.

 

“What’s the point of watching? Eden will be first place again this year anyway.”

 

“…That’s, not certain.”

 

Hong I-jo, who had been silent, spoke up. Ah, he had mentioned before that Red Dog and Eden used to compete for the first place.

 

‘Being first place is tough too.’

 

The competitors rising from below looked incredibly formidable.

 

“Of course you wouldn’t know. Guild Leader Choi Yu-kyung, while confidence is good to have in abundance, too much of anything can be harmful.”

 

“Just like a dean to be so preachy.”

 

Yu-kyung shut her ears to Heo Gil’s nagging. Then she asked me in a friendly tone.

 

“That uncle said something useless again, didn’t he?”

 

“Yes. A little.”

 

“I knew it.”

 

Naturally, an S-rank Hunter’s hearing was excellent, so Heo Gil heard our entire conversation. He clenched his fist briefly, but couldn’t request a sparring match at a public event venue.

 

Yu-kyung snorted and patted my shoulder.

 

“I’m going to win anyway, so don’t worry.”

 

While we were having this casual conversation.

 

Whirrrr.

 

Mechanical sounds began coming from the electronic display board. The numbers that had been shown as question marks started to change.

 

“…It’s starting soon.”

 

“Hmm. It happens every year, but it’s not exactly an exciting feeling.”

 

“Hey, Blue Dragon. You calculated this properly, right?”

 

“Haha. Of course. Trust me.”

 

“Everyone’s so noisy…”

 

The guild leaders who were the pillars of Korea, and the S-rank Hunters, all raised their heads to look at the electronic display board in unison.

 

‘It doesn’t really concern me much. But I am curious.’

 

I turned my gaze. Not to the electronic display board, but to the five Hunters.

 

‘Spiritual Sight.’

 

Should I check their fates after a long time? To see who looks likely to reach the summit.

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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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