Copying Runes to Become the World's Strongest - Chapter 27

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

Chapter 27
Changdong charged out, sword in hand.
Standing on a snow-covered hill, he looked out at a field of white stained red in patches.
Because the ground was high, he could see far.
Scattered pools of blood and corpses reduced to nothing but heaps of flesh.
“Wasn’t someone being chased?”
It seemed a group was hunting together as a party.
Changdong let out a sigh of relief.
-Grrr!
Just as he was about to turn away, reassured.
The cry of a monster reached him from somewhere nearby.
‘Maybe I’ll just watch for a little while.’
He hadn’t been a Hunter for long. He had been recognized for his talent and, by good luck, taken into a large guild, but he had yet to see many hunts carried out by others.
‘I wonder what it feels like to hunt in a party.’
Drawn by curiosity, Changdong headed toward the direction the sound was coming from.
And then he had no choice but to doubt his own eyes.
Because he was on the hill, the snowfield spread out clearly before him.
Against that backdrop, a single man was hunting the monsters.
‘…Alone?’
Contrary to Changdong’s expectations, the man was fighting by himself.
He lightly dodged a Mini Yeti’s attack and countered.
In the span of a very short time, three precise strikes hit vital points.
“???”
Even with his own eyes watching, Changdong could hardly make sense of it.
The attack speed was that incredible.
Thud!
The Mini Yeti collapsed in an instant.
Mini or not, the creature easily stood over two meters tall.
And he had brought down such a beast in a fight so brief it could only be called a flash.
‘Is that even possible? How can he move so lightly?’
The man who must have left countless corpses along his path.
Yet no matter how Changdong looked at him, he didn’t seem like someone who had survived so many battles.
‘He should be exhausted by now…’
The man’s movements were far from anything resembling fatigue.
Changdong could only stare at him, his mouth hanging open.
“Woooaaah!”
From somewhere, more Mini Yetis appeared and charged at the man as a pack.
He dodged a rock hurled from afar without even looking at it.
Right after, a blue arrow came from somewhere.
That arrow struck the Yeti in the eyes.
“Woooaaah!”
Arrows appeared one after another, blocking the Yetis’ sight.
They came so fast that it felt as though he had summoned a volley of arrows all at once.
Bang!
The Yetis thrashed about, blinded.
Taking advantage of the gap, the man slipped out of their encirclement with only a few steps.
What followed was a brutal massacre.
He took position behind one after another, struck their vital points with swift precision, and was gone before they could react.
The Yetis tried to respond, but the man was already standing behind a different one.
“Real talent…”
Changdong muttered under his breath.
He had awakened with outstanding traits and joined the guild after receiving its eager invitation, yet he had always believed he was overrated.
If he had truly possessed real talent, his first awakening grade would have been different.
His master had always told him not to rush, but once again his own judgment had proved right.
“So this is what real talent looks like.”
Changdong lowered his head and turned away.
.
.
.
“Huh…”
The man, having heard Changdong’s account, came straight to the scene.
Even to his eyes, watching Hyeonjun tear through the monsters was shocking.
‘Can that really be an E-Grade?’
There’s no rule saying only E-Grade Hunters can enter an E-Grade Hunting Ground.
Even allowing for that, it was astonishing.
From his agile movements to his skilled control of force and his split-second judgment.
He was just as outstanding in areas no Stat could explain.
“I understand how you feel.”
“…….”
“You know what I’m going to say, don’t you?”
“Don’t rush yourself. If you truly had no talent, the Guild wouldn’t have brought you in.”
“You remember well.”
“I’m sorry. What I saw just now was too much of a shock….”
“It’s fine. More importantly….”
The man turned his gaze back to Hyeonjun.
If he’s E-Rank, that’s a remarkable talent.
And even if he isn’t, he was the kind of talent that caught one’s interest.
“Want to come along?”
“Where to, sir?”
“That kid. I’ll go have a word with him.”
The man leapt lightly down from the hilltop.
Changdong followed after him.
“Phew~”
Meanwhile, Hyeonjun was resting on the monsters he’d hunted, using them as chairs.
“Six Mini Yetis is a bit much.”
No idea where they all sprang from, but I didn’t expect them to swarm me all at once.
“Anyway, where on earth is this?”
I’d come in intending to sweep them all out, I’ll admit.
A snowfield that was anything but small.
I’d been hunting everything in sight, and before I knew it, I’d wandered somewhere without a single signpost in view.
“Guess it’s about time to head back.”
Hyeonjun got to his feet to collect loot from the monsters he’d taken down.
That was when he sensed someone nearby.
‘A monster?’
Wary, Hyeonjun turned his head.
Two figures were walking toward him from far off.
‘A person?’
A flicker of relief ran through him, but he didn’t lower his guard for a second.
This was inside a Gate.
Here, other people could always become hell.
‘Why are they coming this way?’
Hyeonjun glared at them.
When the two drew close enough for their faces to be somewhat visible,
his brows knotted, each at a different angle.
‘Kang Daewoong?’
There were only three major guilds in the country.
Kang Daewoong was an A-Grade Hunter with Seongsam Aegis, one of those three.
He’d been hunting since the Great Upheaval, a legend in this industry.
‘Is it really him? Or just someone who looks alike?’
But how many men his age are that muscular and look like that?
If there were, that would be the harder thing to believe.
[Discernment target located.]
The message appeared as the distance narrowed.
Hyeonjun activated his skill.
[Information]
-Name: Kang Daewoong
-Age: 62
-Trait: [Warning! Skill rank too low to discern.]
-Circuit Rank: [Warning! Skill rank too low to discern.]
-Stats: [Warning! Skill rank too low to discern.]
[Skill] [ Unable to discern due to the skill’s low rank!]
‘W-wait, it really is Kang Daewoong.’
Hyeonjun steadied his startled heart.
‘But there’s nothing I can read.’
Well, there’s no helping it.
Still, it was now certain that this man was Kang Daewoong, and he was satisfied with that much.
‘Why would he be here?’
Kang Daewoong, whose activities had dwindled with his advancing years.
He had even announced his retirement in press interviews, so why was he here?
Thud.
Soon, the two men came to a halt in front of Hyeonjun.
Kang Daewoong readily extended his hand.
“I’m Kang Daewoong. And you are?”
“I’m Go Hyeonjun. Feel free to speak casually, Hunter.”
Kang Daewoong smiled gently and nodded.
“I watched you fight. Impressive.”
“It was nothing special. Thank you.”
“What’s your rank?”
“I’m E-Grade.”
“Hah.”
Kang Daewoong let out a snort of a laugh.
“That’s absurd. If you can cause this much of a commotion, shouldn’t you be at least D-Grade to make sense?”
“Haha, is that so?”
“I didn’t come here on any other business. I just came to say hello, since your fight was so impressive.”
As he said this, Kang Daewoong shifted his body slightly to the side.
Changdong flinched and bowed his head to Hyeonjun.
“Hello. I’m Kim Changdong.”
“Hello.”
Hyeonjun greeted him back and stared at him openly.
An Information Window was being displayed in his field of vision.
[Information]
-Name: Kim Changdong
-Age: 18
-Trait:
-Circuit Rank: E
-Level: 9
-Stats
Strength: 73
Agility: 71
Stamina: 82
Mana: 78
Willpower: 85
[Skills]
-Trait Skill: None
-General Skills: , , ,
“He’s a promising young man from our guild. His rank is low, but he has the aptitude to climb much higher.”
Hyeonjun nodded.
‘Sure enough.’
Kim Changdong’s trait was Level Up.
Its description was, quite literally, Level Up.
[Level Up]
-Gaining experience by defeating enemies or through training raises your level. Stats rise with each level gained, and upon reaching a certain level, you may undergo a Job Change into a specific class.
‘Maybe he has no Trait Skill because he hasn’t undergone his Job Change yet.’
At a glance, it was outrageous.
Even with such a low rank, it was no wonder a large guild had taken him in.
“We didn’t come for anything in particular. We just came to say hello. I thought someone of your ability might be seen in higher places.”
“I’m not that good, really.”
“Ha! Modest, too. You two are alike.”
Kang Daewoong said this, then pulled something from his pocket and flicked it toward Hyeonjun.
Hyeonjun caught it.
It was a stone with complex rune script carved into its surface.
“This is a skill this kid already has, so it’s no use to me. You take it and put it to good use.”
“A Skill Rune?”
“We met like this, so consider it a gift.”
Hyeonjun bowed his head.
“I’ll put it to good use.”
“If it’s a skill you already have, sell it or something.”
“I only have one skill, so I doubt I’ll ever need to sell it.”
“⋯⋯Pfft-hehe. Good, good.”
Kang Daewoong walked right past Hyeonjun.
Kim Changdong also gave Hyeonjun a small nod and followed behind Kang Daewoong.
“Did you hear that, Changdong?”
“Sir?”
“He says he only has one skill. It’s not a magic-type Trait, so that Magic Arrow we saw earlier must be his own doing.”
“Ah⋯⋯ so he managed all that without any other skills to help him⋯⋯.”
Changdong was at a loss for words.
To be that skilled without the backing of a Passive Skill.
For a while, the only sound was the crunch of snow underfoot.
Kang Daewoong finally broke the silence that had stretched on for some time.
“You’re not far behind him, so don’t lose heart.”
“⋯⋯I want to get better.”
“You’ve only been a Hunter for a month. That Go Hyeonjun over there has probably been at it for years, at the very least. So just keep doing what you’re doing.”
“Understood.”
Changdong clenched his fist.
“Oh, now that I think about it, the Guild signed you up for the E-Rank Hunter Orientation the Management Bureau is running this time.”
“Orientation?”
“It’s a new project the Management Bureau is starting. I suppose a large guild joining up brings some publicity, so they asked us to send a few people.”
“Who else is going?”
“Who do you think?”
Changdong swallowed, his face tense.
“Sohee, I suppose.”
“Her, and a few others. They say they’re sending everyone who matches the rank.”
Kang Daewoong placed a hand on Changdong’s shoulder.
“You can handle it, right?”
Changdong nodded, his face set with resolve.
“I won’t lose. Not a chance.”

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