F-Rank Secretly Becomes Stronger - Chapter 12

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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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12

“Be as careful as possible going down.”

“Ugh, I got it~”

A university hospital located in Seoul.

Today, he had come to get a more detailed diagnosis of Mother’s knee condition.

He had struggled to somehow drag out Mother who insisted she was fine, and the story he heard at the university hospital he finally brought her to was simple.

[You need to go into surgery as soon as possible, so we’ll help you with the admission procedures today.]

A knee so overworked that surgery needed to be done as urgently as possible.

The doctor didn’t show any sign of deliberation and immediately recommended surgery.

“You heard what the doctor said, so be careful now, and I’ll bring you everything you need, so just lie still.”

“…I’m really fine though.”

“The doctor said you’re not fine.”

Mother still being stubborn even after seeing directly through the hospital examination that her condition wasn’t good.

She complained about what would happen to the shop and how frustrating it would be to stay only in the hospital if admitted, but knowing that the real reason for her reluctance was money, he spoke to Mother again.

“You saw your son earn money. There won’t be any problems just because Mother doesn’t open the shop for a while.”

The income that came in after entering his first Gate was around 1 million won.

Since they were F-rank Magic Stones, it wasn’t a huge amount of money, but thinking about continuing to earn money by entering E-rank Gates in the future, surgery costs wouldn’t be a problem.

“So Mother, don’t worry your son and just rest comfortably.”

“….”

Despite his firm answer, she still had a dubious expression.

Mother tried to force a smile, but worry was seeping through underneath.

“Son, it’s really safe, right?”

Are Gates safe?

If someone else had heard Mother’s question, they would naturally say it wasn’t safe.

Moreover, if Juhyeok had encountered a Mutant Orc from his very first Gate, they wouldn’t be able to utter the word “safe” even as an empty gesture.

“I came back last time without a single scratch. The people I went with were all veterans, so there wasn’t much for me to do.”

However, Juhyeok answered with a smile without the slightest hesitation.

A pure white lie.

There was no point in telling Mother the truth when it would only increase her worries.

In this situation, could Juhyeok say that Gates were places where losing one’s life at any moment wouldn’t be strange?

“Last time I just looked around the Gate and came out.”

Changing out of dirt-stained clothes, washing away the blood-reeking hands at the sauna to hide them.

Telling her about what monsters her son had killed and his first encounter with a Mutant Orc would probably be a very distant matter.

“Really…? Well, that’s a relief then…”

Suspicious glances that didn’t easily disappear even after days of insisting it was safe.

Knowing that her son wasn’t unfilial enough to say he was voluntarily jumping into dangerous places made it even harder to believe.

As the mother and son sat in the lobby exchanging worried arguments like this.

“That’s right, Mother. You don’t need to worry too much.”

Yena, who appeared from who knows where, suddenly showed up in front of the two.

“Rookie Hunters are always made to form parties with Veteran Hunters.”

“…Who are you?”

The woman in a business suit who suddenly joined the conversation.

As Mother looked back and forth between her and Juhyeok in confusion, Yena pulled out a business card from her jacket.

“Hello. I’m An Yena from the Mir Guild Scout Team. I was the leader of the party that included Juhyeok at the last Gate.”

“Oh, hello.”

How on earth did that person manage to appear here with such perfect timing?

Actually, considering that last time too she had arrived first and was waiting at the Gate he was going to, it wasn’t that surprising.

He wanted to say something about this continued stalking, but doing so in front of Mother would only increase her anxiety, so he quietly watched the situation.

“I understand that you have many concerns, Mother. Still, until he builds up sufficient experience, he’ll always form parties with veteran party members, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

“Oh my, is that so…”

“Yes, of course. Hunters always prioritize safety above all else, you know?”

A warm smile directed toward Mother.

Looking at the business card and her professional appearance, Mother seemed to be able to put her mind at ease somewhat, as her expression improved a little.

“Juhyeok has the qualities of an excellent Hunter, so he’ll be able to continue his Hunter activities without any major problems in the future~”

“Hah… I’m so grateful that you say that.”

The tension finally easing at the veteran Hunter’s words.

For some reason, memories of parent-teacher conferences from middle school came to mind.

“If you happen to party with Juhyeok again in the future, please take good care of him.”

“As a senior Hunter, that’s only natural.”

Two hands clasping together with a bright smile.

When she had appeared out of nowhere, his brow had furrowed slightly, but seeing how she never once revealed her dark intentions made his heart soften—

“Of course, if he joins the Guild, an even safer Hunter life would be guaranteed, so please discuss that part with your son as well.”

“….”

‘I knew it.’

Just as he was about to lower his guard a bit, the Scout immediately began pushing forward to recruit Mother.

If he left that person alone, Mother would end up hearing Guild talk all day until her ears fell off, so he had to stop it as quickly as possible.

“Mother.”

“If you join the Guild… Hm?”

“I’m going to go talk with her privately for a moment.”

The business card she was already staring intently at, fixated on the word “Guild.”

It seemed too late already, but he had to separate her from Mother now.

“Alright, I’ll be here, so go have your conversation.”

“Call me if anything happens.”

Jung Juhyeok getting up from his seat.

The way she smiled in front of him, pretending nothing was wrong, was truly fake.

“Let’s go talk together.”

“Haha, shall we?”

She didn’t mind his slightly annoyed expression.

As they turned to leave, she bowed her head politely to Mother again.

“Well then, I’ll be going, Mother~”

After exchanging greetings like that, they left the lobby.

Since he couldn’t leave the hospital in case Mother needed to move somewhere and he had to find her quickly, they went together to the cafe located inside the hospital.

“What would you like to drink?”

“Since you even introduced us to the hospital, I’ll buy.”

Standing in front of the kiosk, he pulled out his card.

Then Yena firmly pushed his card away.

“Ehehe, as the senior, it’s right for me to buy.”

“If I let you buy, it doesn’t feel like receiving from a senior.”

“Aren’t you thinking of me as too calculating a person?”

“Let’s say I’m the calculating person.”

Ignoring her refusing gesture, he inserted his card.

Even Yena couldn’t argue further against his firm attitude and meekly accepted it.

The coffee came out quickly before long, and he sat down with her at an empty table.

The iced Americano placed in front of Jung Juhyeok.

Yena looked at him and wrinkled her nose slightly.

“Ugh, how can you drink something so bitter.”

“Why did you come?”

He had no intention of getting caught up in her pace.

When he asked with a serious expression, she clicked her tongue slightly.

“Tch, I just came because I was worried when I heard you were going to the hospital.”

“So you appeared at exactly the right timing as soon as I finished my examination?”

“How could I not care when someone I saved at the Gate asked me to look into a hospital.”

Along with those words, Yena glanced around cautiously.

After making eye contact and then looking away, she carefully opened her mouth.

“So… I ended up hearing some slightly sensitive information, are you angry by any chance?”

“…Hah.”

What should he really do about this person.

If she had blatantly played dumb, he could have disliked her with peace of mind, but when she came out with such a humble attitude at crucial moments, harsh words were hard to come by.

‘Thanks to her, Mother seemed a bit more comfortable too.’

If it hadn’t been for Yena, surely even after being hospitalized, Mother wouldn’t have been able to rest easily.

Thanks to Mir Guild, his identity wasn’t exposed due to the Mutant Orc incident, so there were many benefits he had gained.

It was an awkward position to just get angry over having some personal information exposed.

Juhyeok let out a deep sigh and gave a small warning.

“If you do that again in the future, I’ll block your number.”

“Hehe, got it.”

Her face quickly brightened after just one word of warning.

She sucked on her strawberry smoothie through the straw and quietly turned her head toward the cafe interior.

Rolling her eyes around, she began to let silence fall.

She looked at me and looked away several times before speaking again.

“Your mother’s surgery costs are quite substantial.”

“I can earn enough by clearing Gates.”

“Even excluding the surgery costs, there are many expenses when staying in the hospital.”

Yena lowered her voice while glancing around at the surroundings.

“The D-rank Magic Stone you received this time might be enough to cover it, but with living expenses and everything else, you’ll probably be far short.”

“….”

She was right.

Hunters had to rest for at least a week after entering a Gate, so he couldn’t visit Gates every day.

‘Besides, there aren’t enough Gates to clear every day anyway.’

Higher-rank Gates are popular because they yield higher-rank Magic Stones.

F-rank Gates are more numerous and have shorter regeneration cycles compared to those Gates, so the supply is abundant… but even so, if you keep clearing them daily, they’d definitely dry up within half a year.

“So, you’ll help me if I join the guild?”

“Are you thinking of joining?”

Her brown eyes sparkled for a moment.

The answer I had to give was obvious.

“No.”

“…I figured as much.”

Yena sighed while looking at Juhyeok, who didn’t leave any room for negotiation.

She looked at him with a slightly resentful expression, then sucked on her strawberry smoothie once more before speaking.

“A new D-rank Gate has opened recently. Our Mir Guild is planning to send several people, and if you’re okay with it, I’ll add your name to the list.”

“D-rank?”

Being able to enter a D-rank Gate.

That was certainly something I’d be grateful for, but there was one concern.

“Would they accept an F-rank Hunter there?”

“Well, they probably wouldn’t normally accept one.”

If an F-rank Hunter entered a D-rank Gate, not even an E-rank Gate, they’d definitely just be dead weight.

Under normal circumstances, it would absolutely not be allowed.

“But for you, Juhyeok, we can make an exception.”

However, Juhyeok wasn’t an ordinary person.

Most guilds had heard rumors about a Mutant Orc appearing in an F-rank Gate and knew that Juhyeok was the one who defeated it alone.

Thanks to Mir Guild’s good handling, his personal information didn’t appear on the news, but Juhyeok was already gradually making his presence known in the Hunter industry.

“I understand you want to keep things as quiet as possible, but… you’re already too well-known, aren’t you? Since it’s come to this, why don’t you just try normal activities?”

“….”

“Of course! If you joined our guild, all those problems would be solved too?”

“I’m not joining.”

“Hmm, what a shame.”

The straw stirring the smoothie.

She spoke playfully, then suddenly adopted a rather serious tone.

“By the way, this isn’t a scheme. It’s genuine gratitude for saving our guild members.”

An attitude that showed sincerity, unlike the light-hearted demeanor she’d shown so far.

Though even that might be an act to win favor.

She was an adult and a working professional, so she’d be skilled at acting out emotions.

“The debt for saving me, Jaehwan, and Suhwa isn’t light enough to be settled with just a few favors.”

“….”

“So, will you go?”

A question thrown with a bright smile.

‘F-rank Magic Stones were nowhere near enough anyway.’

Hospital bills, living expenses, and even Magic Stones for growth.

Considering everything, F-rank Gates were nowhere near sufficient.

Whether she had genuinely grateful feelings or was hiding some dark ulterior motives… this was worth receiving.

‘I wanted to avoid drawing attention as much as possible.’

Still, as long as he didn’t join a Guild, the risk of his Artifacts being discovered would be low.

Now that things had come to this, there was no turning back.

“When is the raid date?”

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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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