Copying Runes to Become the World's Strongest - Chapter 41

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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 41
Unlimited.
It’s not a difficult word.
Still, it took Hyeonjun a while to fully accept what Choi Jaeil had said.
It was that hard to believe.
“Unlimited means there’s no cap, right?”
“That’s right.”
“S-so you’re saying I’ll pay zero fees for the rest of my life?”
“Yes.”
Even as he heard it, he couldn’t quite believe his ears.
Hyeonjun confirmed it several more times, calming his pounding heart.
Once he cooled down a little, a string of doubts surfaced.
“Is this really allowed?”
“I’m the Director. What could possibly stop me?”
“What if it changes later?”
“Ha-ha, we’ll draw up a contract so it stays in effect even if the Director changes down the line.”
“And there are no additional conditions, correct?”
“None at all. You only need to avoid joining a large guild, Hunter.”
The last doubt that came to mind was the most basic one of all.
“Is there really a reason you’d go this far?”
“It’s because we recognize your talent, Hunter.”
“Is that all?”
Choi Jaeil hesitated for a moment before answering.
“If I had to name one more reason, it’s that the fees generated from a single Hunter’s independent activities aren’t all that large to begin with.”
No matter how hard a Hunter works on their own, there’s a ceiling to what they can earn individually.
From the Exchange’s point of view, the fees from that are little more than a drop in the bucket.
“That makes sense.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“What would happen if I took advantage of this?”
For instance, selling at the Exchange as though I’d hunted what belonged to other people.
Or joining a guild and disguising the guild’s entire haul as my own personal loot.
If the fee were set lower than the Exchange’s, plenty of people would want to hand their goods over to him.
“I’m well aware there’s plenty of room for abuse, but I’ll leave it to your conscience, Hunter.”
Hyeonjun felt a little sheepish for no good reason.
He’d been thinking about how to exploit it, and now they were entrusting it entirely to his conscience.
“…Don’t worry, I won’t do anything like that.”
“Ha-ha, understood.”
Just then, Nam Jaewoon returned, carrying the contract.
Hyeonjun examined the contract carefully.
There was only one condition he had to keep.
Not to join a guild that is legally classified as a large guild.
The term would last until the Exchange’s fee benefits came to an end.
‘There’s no forced clause.’
In the end, whether to continue the contract was up to him.
If he ever wanted to join a large guild, he could simply terminate the contract.
Of course, he had no particular intention of joining a large guild, so it seemed unlikely the contract would ever be terminated under normal circumstances.
‘And the other benefits are satisfying too.’
The assortment of perks offered to Hunters under the Management Bureau.
Like being able to freely use this facility where he’d trained both yesterday and today.
Being able to purchase various items at a discounted price.
Beyond that, there were numerous other benefits that would come in handy when using Management Bureau facilities.
‘Turning these down would be the height of stupidity.’
Hyeonjun picked up the pen to sign, then hesitated.
‘They’re offering me all this just for giving up a large guild?’
As Choi Jaeil had said, perhaps offering a single Hunter this much wasn’t such a big deal after all.
But for an independent Hunter to enjoy this level of special treatment was something that rarely ever happened.
‘So they must rate me that highly.’
And one more thing.
They really do see the large guild as suspicious.
It was likely not something they’d let slide lightly.
“What if their actions cause a national crisis?”
Would I be able to evacuate my family in time, before it’s too late?
Hyeonjun thought for a moment before asking Choi Jaeil.
“May I ask what about the major guilds strikes you as suspicious?”
“I’m afraid I can’t answer that.”
“If a crisis does come to South Korea in the future… would I be able to know about it in time?”
“That’s… well.”
For a while, the only sound was Choi Jaeil’s fingers drumming against the desk.
Before long, his mouth opened.
“How much do you believe what I’ve told you, Hunter?”
“About sixty percent.”
“That’s quite high.”
“A hero who’s been taking down villains all this time isn’t likely to talk nonsense, is he?”
“How touching.”
Choi Jaeil smiled gently and said,
“Grow as strong as you can. Then the day will come when you understand.”
“…Understood.”
“There’s no need to worry too much. The chance of this turning into a visible crisis anytime soon is very low.”
“I hope nothing happens.”
Hyeonjun signed the contract and rose from his seat.
Nam Jaewoon checked the contract and handed Hyeonjun a copy.
“Take this with you.”
“Thank you. What’s the schedule for the rest of the orientation?”
“The orientation closing ceremony is scheduled for 19:00. Wait in your quarters and an announcement will come through.”
Hyeonjun gave a quick bow and left the meeting room.
Only the two of them remained.
Nam Jaewoon turned to Choi Jaeil.
“I think we revealed too much. That was information we aren’t even sure of yet.”
“It’s true they’re suspicious. We didn’t name any particular guild, so it’s fine, isn’t it?”
“That still leaves three of them.”
“Ahem. Well, there’s that.”
Nam Jaewoon gathered the documents and slid them back inside the folder.
“Do you really think Hunter Ko Hyeonjun is worth that much of an investment?”
“Do you think otherwise? Then why did we bring him here?”
“…I have nothing to say to that.”
Choi Jaeil grinned.
“Consider it planting a seed, in case of contingencies.”
“Understood.”
Until yesterday, neither of them had held that kind of expectation.
But after seeing what he did at the Ruins, they had completely changed their minds.
He might well be the arrival of a genius who would make his name known to the world.
***
Hyeonjun returned to his quarters.
He lay down on the plush bed and went over the events from a moment ago.
“Unbelievable.”
While he’d been there, it hadn’t felt real, but as time passed, the reality slowly came back to him.
‘What exactly did I just get?’
The chance to join a major guild was gone, but that didn’t matter anymore.
He had received a reward that was truly enormous.
‘It means I won’t have to pay the Exchange fees for the rest of my life.’
No matter how high a Hunter’s rank climbed, the chains of those fees never let go.
He had slipped free of that bond, the one no Hunter could ever cut loose from.
And he was only an E-Rank Hunter.
That was worth far more than the several billion won he’d have received in exchange for agreeing not to join a major guild.
‘This is seriously unreal.’
It was something so unrealistic, it was hard even to dream of.
Now it was getting a little frightening.
‘Just how highly are they rating me?’
They must have judged me worth that much to give me such a reward.
Did they decide I could even become an S-Grade?
‘As long as the Copy Skill exists, it isn’t impossible, but…’
They don’t know the Copy Skill exists.
They must have reached that judgment purely from watching the fight.
“Interesting. If I were them, I’d have just thought he fought well and left it at that.”
Still, it nagged at me that Choi Jaeil seemed to regard a large guild as a threat to the nation.
“If they’re going this far, I can’t even begin to guess what happened between the Management Bureau and the guild.”
They said that once I got stronger, the day would come when I’d learn about the danger signals…
Why?
It sounded as though they wanted to bring me onto their side someday.
“Are we already in the same boat?”
Hyeonjun thought it over for a moment, then shook his head.
“Let’s not dwell on it too much.”
What was the point of worrying about something that might never happen, or might happen at some unknown time?
There was only one thing to focus on right now.
Raise the Soul Circuit to D-Grade, promote the skill, and find out how to cure Mom’s illness first.
“I’m at 21 Mana now, so there’s really not much left.”
Today, I absorbed a Mana Rune through Copy and reached 21 Mana.
That leaves 79 more.
If I target the Zero Fee benefit and sell the loot I’ve been stockpiling, I should be able to fill a good chunk of that.
‘Including Copy, maybe about three days.’
D-Grade was right within reach.
I felt half excitement, half worry.
Finding the cure would be good, but if the cure turned out to be too difficult, that would be its own problem.
‘Something like a rare item that trades at a steep price.’
The scariest scenario was needing an item that couldn’t be bought even with money.
An expensive item would only delay the treatment; as long as I saved up, I could get it eventually.
But I had no idea how to obtain a rare item that money couldn’t buy.
‘Given the nature of a rare disease, there’s a good chance it requires some unusual ingredient.’
Hyeonjun prepared himself mentally.
No matter how rare the item needed, he wouldn’t give in.
Even if he needed dozens of those items.
‘If it’s something needed for Mom’s treatment… I’ll get it by any means necessary.’
Just as Hyeonjun was hardening his resolve.
An announcement came over the speaker.
-The Orientation closing ceremony will be held starting at 19:00. Participants, please be present on time…
***
At that very moment.
In the conference room of the Seongsam Aegis Headquarters, a meeting of the HR team in charge of talent recruitment was in full swing.
“Next up are the results of the first E-Rank Hunter Orientation.”
Seongsam had received the rankings from the Management Bureau in advance.
Some of the prospects they were proud of had landed near the very bottom.
Still, two of them had held their own, finishing second and third.
“As expected, Sohee and Changdong are at the top.”
A reaction that suggested they had already anticipated it.
“You must be proud, right?”
Kang Daewoong, who had been asked, nodded with a complicated expression.
“They did well, but it’s a shame he didn’t beat Sohee.”
“Speaking of which, where did Madam Yoon go?”
“Is it news that that woman isn’t here? It’s not like this is the first time.”
“That’s true, but… maybe she skipped this because she missed out on first place?”
Everyone’s gaze returned to the screen.
The name ranked first: Ko Hyeonjun.
As if they’d agreed on it, silence settled over the room for a while.
“Ko Hyeonjun…”
Kang Daewoong muttered.
A young man who had shoved aside the guild’s prized prospects to take the top spot.
Honestly, I’d assumed he would give up first place in the final test.
But he didn’t.
He held on to first place until the very end.
‘I heard those two joined forces, so I expected a comeback…’
What kind of feats had he pulled off, I wonder.
Just as he was about to order the playback of the footage the Management Bureau had sent over—
Creak.
The conference room door swung open, and someone walked in.
“Hello~”
A breezy, sweet voice.
The staff’s eyes went wide at the unexpected visitor.
A few of them actually rose from their seats without thinking.
“C-Cha Yewon, the Hunter?”
“H-how did you end up here…?”
The rising talent often said to be the closest to reaching S-Grade.
From her exceptional skill to her striking looks, she had been the hottest name in the Hunter industry lately.
She was also the finest result Seongsam Aegis had produced since launching its promising-talent program.
“Everyone’s so welcoming. I brought some drinks, so please enjoy them while you talk.”
Cha Yewon set a tray of takeout cups down on the table.
But the staff still stared at her, completely dumbstruck.
“What brings you here…?”
“I invited her.”
Kang Daewoong calmly gestured to the empty chair beside him.
Cha Yewon smiled brightly and took the seat.
“What did you call me over for?”
Cha Yewon had been a Hunter whom Kang Daewoong trained before Kim Changdong.
Once she’d found her footing, she started working independently, but until then, they had shared every single day.
That’s why, even after all this time, they’d kept that bond strong.
“There’s something I’d like you to take a look at.”
Kang Daewoong glanced at a staff member and pointed at the monitor.
“The final test footage. Has it come in?”
“Yes. Everything’s in, including the individual Hunter recordings.”
“Just play Hyeonjun’s.”
She had checked the Orientation rankings, but she hadn’t yet seen the footage from the final test.
What kind of performance had Hyeonjun put on in the final test to hold onto first place all the way through?
“I called you here to watch this together.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Live-combat test footage from the E-Rank Orientation.”
E-Rank Orientation?
Cha Yewon tilted her head, then clapped her hands as if something had come back to her.
“That’s the one, right? The one where Changdong and Sohee are taking part. I think you mentioned the Management Bureau just started it.”
“That’s right.”
“So you called me here to show me their footage?”
“No. There’s one guy who isn’t ordinary. He looks impressive to me, and I’m curious how he looks through your eyes.”
“If you’re saying that, there must be something to him. But do you really think my eye is that different from yours?”
“You’re an active Hunter, and I’ve been a washed-up old man on the sidelines for a long time. I’m saying this because I don’t trust my own eye anymore.”
Cha Yewon pressed her lips together.
Seeing the mentor who once guided her show such a weak side left a faint bitterness in her chest.
“The footage is ready.”
“Let’s take a look.”
Soon, the video appeared on the screen.
It was footage capturing nothing but Hyeonjun’s movements inside the Ruins.
It was raw, unedited footage, but they watched it through to the end without skipping a single second.
The video ended with Hyeonjun collapsing.
The screen went black.
Silence settled over the conference room.
Not just the staff, but even Kang Daewoong and Cha Yewon were left speechless.
“Sir. What rank is this, exactly?”
“E-Rank…”
Kang Daewoong lost his words.
He had thought he’d already seen everything Hyeonjun could do in the live test against the robots.
But this time, the boy had shown something beyond that.
Several steps above his performance against the robots.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that in just one day, he had become a completely different person.
“What’s that guy’s Trait?”
Cha Yewon figured he had to have some kind of cheat-level Trait. There was no other way he could fight like that.
Otherwise, there was no way anyone could fight the way he just did.
“Bird Hunter.”
“…Huh?”
“Didn’t he say his Stats go up when he catches birds…?”
Kang Daewoong himself had found Hyeonjun’s Trait so hard to believe that he’d looked into it thoroughly.
That was why he could recite the detailed information right away.
“That Trait has nothing to do with combat, though.”
“Exactly.”
“Hah.”
Cha Yewon was dumbfounded.
It meant he was fighting like that with nothing but pure Stats and natural instinct, with no help from his Trait at all.
‘Is that even possible?’
If she hadn’t watched the footage, she never would have believed it.
“Well? What do you think?”
“What do I think? We have to bring him into our guild, no question. I hate to say it to Changdong or Sohee, but he’s clearly ahead of them.”
“Even without a Trait?”
“Does a Trait really matter? Just give him a decent Skill Rune from the guild and he’ll keep climbing higher and higher.”
“So that’s how it is…”
Kang Daewoong rose from his seat.
“Where are you going?”
“To go get that guy. You’re coming too. We’ll beat the others to him that way.”
“…So the guilds have to compete to recruit him.”
Cha Yewon checked her watch.
She had another appointment coming up.
But if she didn’t follow, it felt like the genius from the footage would be snatched away by another guild.
That was one thing she could not let happen.

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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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