F-Rank Secretly Becomes Stronger - Chapter 1

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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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1

[Final Test Ranking Check]

“Hah…”

A sigh escaped before pressing the button.

Lying on a bench on the empty rooftop, having a staring contest with his phone, he carefully pressed it.

“Please, please…”

Eyes squeezed shut, desperately hoping for even a slightly favorable result.

Only after his racing heart had somewhat calmed down did he finally open his eyes.

[Jung Juhyeok is ranked 207th out of 301 students.]

“….”

Upon seeing the result, his heart turned cold.

Not wanting to look any longer, he quickly turned off his phone and set it down irritably.

“Couldn’t even break into the top 200 until the very end.”

It had been five years since he awakened while training at the dojo as usual.

From registering as an awakened individual to entering Hunter Academy, he had been overflowing with dreams and hope.

Since he had awakened, all that remained was effort.

He believed that surely he would achieve good grades at the academy and eventually join a famous Hunter Guild, painting a bright future ahead.

‘I really thought everything would work out with just effort.’

The life of an S-rank Hunter he had envisioned countless times.

It would be a lie to say he didn’t want recognition from others, but that wasn’t all there was to it.

[Before effort, impossibility becomes meaningless. You understand, son?]

When he closed his eyes, his father’s face from childhood appeared hazily.

The man he could now only see in photographs had always shared this philosophy with his son without a shadow of doubt.

His father’s words weren’t wrong.

Juhyeok remembered the dojo master’s expression when he first entered the kendo dojo.

The troubled look in his eyes when faced with someone who had no talent whatsoever.

Until now, in any field he set foot in, the expressions of those around him were always the same.

However, Juhyeok never let such reactions discourage him.

No matter how far behind he fell, his father believed in him and pushed him forward.

He always laughed heartily and infused Juhyeok with positive energy.

Thanks to this, no matter how difficult and exhausting it became, Juhyeok worked twice as hard as others and steadily built up his skills.

Whether it was studying or sports.

In any field, Juhyeok achieved results through effort that would make others gasp in amazement.

‘But this time, it’s really not easy.’

Juhyeok had always overcome walls through effort.

Even after entering the academy, he devoted himself solely to training as always, eating only meals, but the fruits of his labor weren’t easily ripening.

“Would working harder from now on make a difference?”

He was already a third-year academy student who had finished his final semester test and was approaching graduation.

There wasn’t a single meaningful test left, and even if there were, no Hunter Guild would call for him with his current abilities.

At best, he’d enter a small-medium guild as an intern and be worked like a pack mule.

Even if he entered there, would it be enough to not give up and keep trying?

‘I don’t know.’

Was it really true that impossibility becomes meaningless before effort?

Getting miserably beaten by guys who only slept during class.

Being ruthlessly trampled by rookies who had awakened less than six months ago.

Each time this happened, doubt gradually grew in a corner of his heart.

“…Let’s just grab a sword.”

When useless thoughts multiplied, he needed to tire out his body.

That way, negative thoughts would disappear and he could sleep comfortably, which was much better than just lying there wallowing in self-pity.

Juhyeok tried to get up from his spot to head to the training ground.

Just then, a sudden strong wind blows my hair back.

‘What’s with this sudden wind?’

My face scrunches up at the unexpected gust.

The moment I brush off some dust that had stuck to me.

Bang!

A loud crash echoes from somewhere on the Rooftop.

“Wh-what was that?”

Startled, I turn around to see one of the storage buildings on the Rooftop.

The door that was always locked wide open, creaking weakly in the wind.

‘Did someone forget to lock it?’

Maybe the strong wind forced open a door that wasn’t properly locked.

For three years straight, sneaking up to the Rooftop after dinner had been my daily routine, but this was the first time I’d ever seen that Storage Room door open.

Creak, creak.

The metal door moves at a strangely rhythmic pace.

It almost feels like someone beckoning me to come closer.

Creak, creak.

Curiosity stirs within me.

My dark eyes follow the door’s movement as I walk toward the Storage Room, not even bothering to fix my disheveled hair.

‘Maybe there’s some Sparring Equipment inside?’

Driven by the curiosity tickling my mind, I secure the door in place.

The Storage Room door stops swaying and remains wide open.

Normally, I should have closed the door since I didn’t know what might be inside.

But I was curious about what was in the Storage Room I’d only watched from afar for three years.

At most, there would probably be Wooden Swords or maybe some Sparring Equipment used by the academy.

Without much thought, I stepped into the dark Storage Room.

“The light… here it is.”

As soon as I entered, I spotted a light switch barely visible in the sunset glow.

Click—the bright light illuminates the dark Storage Room.

A quick look around reveals exactly what I expected: several Wooden Swords scattered about carelessly, and Sparring Protective Gear on the opposite side.

Nothing particularly eye-catching.

‘But why go through the trouble of building a Storage Room all the way up on the Rooftop?’

The academy grounds are vast with countless buildings.

There should be plenty of unused space, so why stack Sparring Equipment in a Storage Room that’s difficult to access?

With this small question in mind, I continue examining the cramped Storage Room.

‘What’s this?’

Something catches my eye—a large Cube that stands out from the other items.

It’s big enough that even a grown adult couldn’t hold it in one hand.

Unlike typical cubes with multiple colors, this one is completely white.

‘Why is something like this here?’

Intrigued by the unfamiliar object, my hand reaches out instinctively.

As I grasp the Cube with both hands, a white window suddenly pops up before my eyes.

[Scanning user…]

“…Huh?”

The surreal message leaves me momentarily stunned.

As I stare blankly at the message, it blinks and soon another message appears.

[Scan complete.]

[Transferring target to Training Room.]

“What?”

The message spouts incomprehensible words.

Sensing something strange, my mind automatically starts calculating what kind of situation this is.

No. Actually, there was no need to roll it around.

A message appeared before my eyes upon contact with the unfamiliar object.

I had never experienced it directly, but it was a case I’d often seen in classes or on the internet.

‘An Artifact?’

If I kept my hand on it like this, there was no telling what might happen.

I tried to quickly pull my hand away on survival instinct, but in the moment I hesitated, my fate was already decided.

The hand I tried to pull away was already being sucked into the Cube like a black hole.

“W-wait!”

Even my death cry couldn’t stop it.

The Cube mercilessly absorbed Juhyeok’s body and completely swallowed him in just a few seconds.

*

[Looking good.]

When I entered the academy, the instructor who saw me for the first time said this.

[Everyone should follow Jung Juhyeok’s example and train hard.]

Actions that served as an example to other students.

If they just did like me, they would become excellent hunters.

He praised me endlessly with a voice full of conviction.

[No matter how hard you try, do you think you can even reach my toes?]

Before long, I faced a wall.

Actually, it wasn’t the first or second time this had happened, so I wasn’t particularly moved.

‘I thought if I just worked hard, it would be fine.’

Just as father said, if I just tried a little harder.

If I somehow swung my sword desperately, it would get better.

I never doubted that someday I could catch up to them.

[Secret…? I don’t know anything like that.]

That belief began to crack when I asked for advice from an incredibly lazy archer.

The pure voice that came back in response to my question, wondering if there might be some other secret.

The sincere answer that there was no such secret, not to hide something, made me look back.

‘Is it really possible?’

Still, it was okay.

Seeing myself change even slightly while sweating was comforting.

I could just erase those thoughts and grow slowly.

[You and I are different from birth.]

If only I hadn’t been miserably defeated by someone who belittled my efforts.

I might have continued to have that mindset.

[Wouldn’t it be strange if someone like me, with A-rank hunter parents, had the same bloodline as someone from an ordinary family?]

The abilities contained in our blood were fundamentally different.

He was born for the sword, and I was born without purpose.

‘Still, if I continue working hard like this, I’ll become an excellent hunter.’

A hunter who serves as a model for others.

A hunter who always shows an attitude of constant improvement with excellent character.

‘But what would that hunter’s name be?’

Who would remember a hunter who’s merely diligent?

Who would remember an ordinary but decent hunter?

‘I didn’t dream of becoming just a passably decent hunter.’

A life of moderately developing abilities, joining a moderate Small-Medium Company, and continuing life as a moderate D-rank hunter.

A person who would continue life as a porter and only barely manage to do one person’s work after several years.

If an S-rank Gate opened, someone who would disappear among other hunters in a large-scale raid without even being remembered…

‘I didn’t swing my sword every day to become such an ordinarily excellent hunter.’

What artist in the world would want to paint without a name?

What writer in the world would want to write without a name?

Even people who enjoy it as a hobby want someone’s attention.

‘I want to be the best.’

How much more so for me, who picked up a sword while dreaming?

I didn’t want to remain an ordinary swordsman named effort, and that desire was sky-high.

If I could become the strongest…

“Any hell would do.”

A word of desire from my heart burst out as my eyes opened.

Grassland.

I saw a vast grassland as if drawn on a canvas.

“…Artifact.”

Putting aside the thoughts that had been tearing at my heart just moments ago, I recall how I ended up here.

‘I got caught up in an Artifact and came to my senses in an unknown place.’

Of all things, to touch an Artifact.

I question myself about such bold behavior that I wouldn’t normally do.

‘Could this be inside a Gate?’

I hastily assess my surroundings at the thought that there might be monsters.

The endlessly spread grassland showed nothing except the dirt and weeds beneath it.

Except for one thing.

‘…What is that?’

Except for a doll standing idly at a distance of about 50 meters.

A doll holding what clearly looked like a Real Sword in its right hand.

The doll, faceless with only joints implemented, creating a somewhat terrifying atmosphere, sat with its head drooping down, and as if noticing my gaze, slowly raised its head.

‘Dangerous.’

I need to run away immediately.

Just as I was backing away, instinctively knowing I had to get as far away as possible from that monster, regardless of where this place was.

The doll picked up a new sword from the ground and threw it to me in an arc.

“….”

A Real Sword that fell in front of my feet.

While I couldn’t easily approach it, wondering if it was some kind of trap, a new message appeared before me just like before I was dragged here.

[Defeat Swordsman Doll 1,000,000 times 0/1,000,000]

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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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