Copying Runes to Become the World's Strongest - Chapter 14

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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 14
Instead of heading home, Hyeonjun went straight to the Exchange.
There, he sold off every item except the Skill Rune and Kim Seokdae’s Dagger.
“I’ll keep the dagger for myself. Now, what to do with the Skill Rune.”
He hadn’t sold it yet, but he was torn over whether to use it.
That was because the Soul Circuit could only hold a set number of runes.
“F-Rank eight, E-Rank ten.”
Five runes were currently equipped.
He had only the primary Stat Runes slotted in.
He could equip five more, but once a rune was installed, there was no removing it, so he had to choose carefully.
“Do I really need a magic skill?”
Regardless of Stat values, magic skills become far more potent when used by those who have awakened magic-related Traits.
That’s because the Passive Skills gained alongside those Traits amplify the effects of magic skills.
“I don’t have any of that, though.”
Wouldn’t it be better to fill the empty slots with other skills?
Skills that strengthen physical capabilities further, or Passive Skills that raise Stats additionally.
“Thinking back on my fight with Kim Seokdae, I seem to have some talent on the physical side… or do I not?”
The battle had been easier than expected, and the details of the fight that had filled his head during it.
Could he treat those things as proof of talent?
What if it was all just down to runes superior to his opponent’s and the indirect experience from the battle videos he’d watched?
“Hard to say.”
Additional rune installation usually follows one’s Traits.
If a Trait had developed in one direction, the choice would be easy, but since neither had, it was hard to find a direction.
“Should I just do both?”
A build that uses both physical and magical methods, what people commonly call a Jack-of-All-Trades Build.
It lowers the ceiling but raises the floor.
“But I’d fall well behind Hunters at a similar level.”
If I only roamed the hunting grounds alone, that wouldn’t matter much.
But joining a dungeon Party or a Guild might become a bit difficult.
When those places recruit members, they usually pick specific positions specialized in one direction.
“Well, honestly, that doesn’t matter much.”
I had planned to stick mostly to hunting grounds in the first place, if only for safety.
Of course, I’d probably enter a dungeon now and then, but only as much as needed for Promotion.
“As far as I know, plenty of people actually operate the way I do.”
People who roam the hunting grounds and then, when it’s time for Promotion, put together a dungeon Party.
Hyeonjun meant to operate like those people.
So even if he turned into a Jack-of-All-Trades, there was no great loss.
“Good. Decided. From now on, my path is the Jack-of-All-Trades.”
The first step on that path was Magic Arrow.
Since he had no Copy attempts left today, he’d have to wait until tomorrow.
“My hands are already shaking.”
He had only ever encountered magic skills through videos.
Gathering clouds in a cloudless sky to drop dozens of bolts of lightning, or dropping a massive fireball to dry up a lake.
There had been a time when he’d been utterly intoxicated by that dazzling spectacle.
‘Magic Arrow wouldn’t be anywhere near that level, of course…’
Magic Arrow, with its low grade and nothing flashy about it.
It was the most basic of basics, but the trembling was no different.
“I hope tomorrow comes quickly.”
Hyeonjun, who had been sitting on a bench at the Exchange, got to his feet.
He left the Exchange and boarded the bus heading home.
He made plans on the way back.
‘Time to enter a dungeon.’
Having already experienced Party hunting, it was his turn to challenge the clear of an F-Rank Closed Gate, one of the conditions for becoming an E-Rank Hunter.
‘I need to find a decent Party.’
Since it was a dungeon, he couldn’t let his guard down even at F-Rank.
In fact, quite a few Hunters had vanished from the records after their last F-Rank dungeon entry.
‘Isn’t there some way to get taken in directly by a Guild?’
Closed Gates, commonly called dungeons, unlike the hunting grounds managed by the nation, are all managed by Guilds, which are private enterprises.
They’re managed by region, and since the managing party is usually a large Guild, lower-grade Gates are subcontracted out.
‘A raid led directly by a large Prime Contractor Guild rather than a Subcontractor would be much safer. I should look into it.’
Hyeonjun borrowed the bus’s Wi-Fi and logged into the Hunternet job board.
He set the filters to Closed Gate, F-Rank, and Seoul.
[ Dobongsan Hiking Trail Entrance]
-Location: Dobong-gu, Seoul
-Members: [3/6]
-In charge: Nabi (Primary), Lemon Shark (Secondary)
-Entry fee: 10%
-Requirements: 250 runes or more.
-Notes: Dealer wanted.
The Dobongsan Dungeon was the first one that caught his eye.
Nabi Guild, the prime contractor, had handed the job off to Lemon Shark Guild as a subcontract.
‘Skip anything like this for now.’
Of course, a subcontractor should be reliable enough, right?
In the end, it’s the ones at the top who take the blame when something goes wrong. And given how this industry works, a single incident can push a guild to the brink of shutting its doors.
‘Still, I’d rather go with someone stable. Though if there’s no other choice, I’ll make do.’
Hyeonjun kept scrolling.
Since Nabi Guild was in charge of the Seoul area, Lemon Shark had taken over nearly every F-Rank gate there.
‘Let me widen the search.’
When he expanded the scope to the Capital Area, the list refreshed with new entries.
It now included everything from Incheon to the Gyeonggi Area.
He flipped through several more pages, but the situation was much the same.
Most of the F-Rank gates were being run by subcontracted guilds.
“Hmm…”
Just as he was debating whether to settle for a gate run by a subcontracted guild after all, he kept his eyes on the screen.
Something unusual caught Hyeonjun’s eye.
[ Michuhol Guild, a First-Tier Guild, is recruiting new F-Rank members.]
-Location: 263 Central-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon Metropolitan City
-Members: [-]
-In charge: Michuhol (Primary)
-Entry fee: Free
-Requirements: F-Rank Hunters only. 350 F-Rank runes or more.
-Notes: Michuhol is looking for talented Hunters. We will assemble a party from those who apply for entrance and send them into an F-Rank dungeon to measure their clear times. Those with top records may be admitted into the guild.
Please include your exact rune count in your application message. Only F-Rank Hunters are being recruited, and any fraud will be met with strict legal action.
“So this is how they’re finding Hunters now.”
Michuhol Guild was in charge of all of Incheon Metropolitan City.
A privately founded guild launched in Incheon, it ranks among the few large guilds in the country.
Unlike the other guilds that ride on the backs of giant corporations, it grew from the ground up, and that’s what sets it apart.
That’s why it has always posted weaker results than the other major guilds.
“Shouldn’t they be bringing in higher-quality Hunters instead of doing something like this?”
Hyeonjun knew a fair amount about the guild ecosystem.
For quite some time, Michuhol Guild had poured money into aggressive investments, determined to get ahead of its rival guilds.
The result was a perennial last place.
After years of coming up empty, rumors were now going around that it hardly deserved the title of a major guild.
And now it was recruiting F-Grade Hunters?
It was a choice he couldn’t quite make sense of.
“The downsides seem bigger than the upsides.”
What kind of plan was this, anyway?
Had they given up on the straightforward approach and changed direction?
‘Hmm… Now that I think about it, this might actually be the better option for Michuhol.’
Talent that a major guild would want typically starts out at a high rank.
A prime example is S-Grade Hunter Hong Myeongho of Seongsam Aegis.
Having awakened the trait “Swordsaint,” his Soul Circuit was A-Rank from the very beginning.
‘Bringing in someone like that is nearly impossible for Michuhol Guild.’
No matter how much money Michuhol threw around, it could never compete with the large corporations that were willing to pour cash on them without limit.
But what if they looked for talent in the areas those giants weren’t watching?
‘Low rank doesn’t mean there’s no talent.’
There are those who possess excellent traits yet start out at a low rank.
And there are those with ordinary traits who nonetheless have a natural gift for combat.
‘That’s who Michuhol is after.’
Chances are, the latter is what Michuhol is aiming for.
The first kind stands out just from their traits, but the second kind can only be recognized once you see them fight.
‘Should I sign up for this?’
Whatever their reason for holding the test is, I don’t care.
For Hyeonjun, it was simply a chance to clear an F-Rank Dungeon safely and meet the requirements for promotion.
‘Michuhol is verifying identities and putting together the parties themselves. No one would dare pull anything shady under their watch.’
Besides, a test held under the guild’s name was unlikely to let in only F-Rank Hunters.
If something went wrong, Michuhol Guild wouldn’t come out of it looking good either.
‘This looks safe enough to join. And I meet the requirements. Perfect.’
His Circuit was E-Grade, but his Hunter Rank was still F.
There was nothing about that to be concerned about.
“Alright. Let’s go with this one.”
Hyeonjun submitted the application without a second thought.
***
The Michuhol Guild headquarters, located in Incheon Metropolitan City.
In an office on the top floor, a man lay sprawled out.
“Haaam.”
Long hair, sharp features, and loose, billowing clothes.
The way he yawned with his mouth wide open made him the very picture of an idle good-for-nothing.
Bang.
At the sound of the door swinging open, the man jolted upright.
Once he recognized the face that walked in, he let out a sigh of relief.
“What brings you here?”
“Baek Jehyeok? What are you doing here?”
“Just hanging around.”
“Tch, you good-for-nothing.”
“You barely lay eyes on me and already you’re—”
“Enough. Take a look at this.”
A man in a neatly tailored suit approached Baek Jehyeok and held out a smartphone.
On the screen was a text message that had just arrived from someone.
“That’s Uncle, isn’t it?”
“Read the message.”
It was a long message.
Baek Jehyeok’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper as he read.
“What on earth is this idiot up to now?”
“Don’t you keep an eye on your little brother?”
“I knew he’d suddenly gone crazy about becoming a Hunter, but how did he nearly end up getting Rune Killer? People still do that these days? That’s more shocking than anything. Dad doesn’t know yet, does he?”
“If Dad knew, do you think you’d be lounging around here right now?”
“Ah.”
Their father, who put his youngest son above everything else.
Not only was there quite a gap in age, but compared to the other children, he had been born with nothing and monopolized all of that affection.
So whenever anything involving his younger son came up, he tended to go wild.
“Uh, when is he coming back again?”
“Still a few more days.”
“Phew… This didn’t make it into the news or anything, did it?”
“Do you think the press cares about Jejung?”
“Yeah, true. Thank goodness.”
The man smacked Baek Jehyeok on the head.
“What’s there to be thankful for? It’s obvious Uncle is going to tell Dad.”
“Ow, why are you hitting me?”
“Want more?”
When the man raised his fist, Baek Jehyeok flinched and threw up both arms to shield his face.
“No, wait. That’s unfair. It’s not even my fault.”
“How is it not your fault? If you hadn’t gone running your mouth about that damn Romance or whatever it is, would Jejung still be an F-Rank?”
“Wasn’t that already settled? You said you bought a Rune.”
“It wasn’t enough to get him to E-Rank, that’s the problem.”
The man let out a heavy sigh.
Baek Jehyeok studied his expression for a moment before cautiously asking.
“So what do you want me to do?”
“Beats me. Jejung apparently signed up for the Entrance Test this time too.”
“Entrance Test? Why would he need to take a test? He could just ask you to find him a spot.”
Thwack!
“Ah! Not again!”
“They say joining through family connections takes all the romance out of it.”
“No, that brat… romance isn’t something you pick and choose like a menu item…”
Forcing his own idea of romance on everyone else.
Baek Jehyeok thought the man had a point, yet he still found his younger brother irritating for no good reason.
“Jehyeok. Jejung is your responsibility.”
“Come on, Hyung. If I do this, Father will actually kill me.”
“Then just drop dead.”
“Hyung!”
“If it bugs you, why don’t you join in too?”
“Why would I join? That’s ridiculous.”
“Not as a tester. As a proctor. We’re short on people as it is. More applicants came in than we expected.”
It was the first Entrance Test for F-Grade candidates ever held by a major guild.
The project had started with a suggestion another brother raised during a meeting: that talent isn’t determined by Trait and Rank alone.
It was such an experimental challenge that no one could predict how many would take part, and that uncertainty was exactly what had left them short-handed now.
“How many teams are we talking about?”
“Six to a team, and it’s over a hundred teams.”
“What? Wasn’t the requirement 350 Runes?”
“It just means there are plenty of F-Rank Hunters who’ve reached that much.”
Baek Jehyeok shook his head and clicked his tongue.
“In that case, I suppose I’ll have to lend a hand.”
“Don’t get cocky.”
“You scold me even when I offer to help. Anyway, Hyung, be honest. Do you think this has any chance of working?”
At Jehyeok’s question, the man pressed his lips into a tight line.
Searching for Rough Gems in F-Rank, something no one had attempted anywhere in the world.
Why hadn’t anyone tried it?
There had to be a reason.
The man didn’t think this was the kind of decision that would shape the future of the guild, either.
“Honestly, I think it’s pointless.”
Baek Jehyeok was skeptical.
If it had been E-Rank, maybe. But this was F-Rank.
Even if they had 350 Runes or more, it was still F-Rank.
The level was far too low to judge the potential of a promising talent who would lead the guild into the future.
“I think so too, but if you want to survive, you have to try anything.”
“I suppose…”
“Who knows. Someone with talent that transcends rank might turn up.”
Baek Jehyeok and the man.
For this moment, at least, they were of the same mind.
Let there be such a person.

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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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