F-Rank Secretly Becomes Stronger - Chapter 27

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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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27

“Hah….”

Jung Juhyeok sitting quietly in front of his desk.

When he lightly pressed the power button on his cell phone, a small vibration rang out.

“Is it okay now?”

Home, where he arrived after somehow calming Mother down.

When the next day came, his cell phone was covered with dozens of calls and text messages.

‘Where did they get my number to keep calling me?’

A situation he hadn’t noticed because he had it on silent.

Since contacts kept coming, it was difficult to use his cell phone normally, but now that a few days had passed, he turned it back on thinking it might be a bit better.

‘How is there a call as soon as I turn it on….’

Another call from an unknown number less than 5 minutes after turning the power back on.

Without even looking, it was obviously reporters or self-proclaimed creators.

“I should just change my number today.”

He turned off his cell phone again.

Since normal activity seemed impossible, he was thinking of stopping by a phone store later when.

Knock knock―.

The sound of knocking came through the door.

‘No way… it can’t be?’

Did a reporter find out his home address and come looking?

That thought crossed his mind for a moment, but no matter how he thought about it, he hadn’t become famous enough to have his daily life disrupted to that extent, so he quickly dismissed the thought.

“Coming~”

He leisurely got up from bed.

When he walked to the entrance and opened the door, there stood a man and woman in their twenties wearing suits.

The man among them saw his face and said.

“You’re Jung Juhyeok, right?”

“Yes, that’s right… where are you from?”

The other party who came looking knowing his name.

Thinking they were at least not a cult, he quietly watched when the man took out his wallet, showed his ID card, and said.

“We’re from the Hunter Association Management Department. We tried to contact you, Jung Juhyeok, but your cell phone was turned off, so we came directly.”

“….”

“Was there perhaps a reason you couldn’t receive contact?”

The Association Staff who came out with an aggressive attitude as soon as they met.

It seemed they thought he had deliberately avoided contact.

‘Did they come because of that video.’

He wasn’t very surprised since he thought it was something he would face someday.

Perhaps because of such a calm reaction, he could feel a strange hostility in their eyes.

“I had it turned off because I was getting a lot of contact from reporters and Hunter YouTubers.”

“I see….”

A reasonable excuse.

They were probably thinking that.

He would have thought the same thing, so he didn’t resent that look in their eyes.

‘Since an F-rank caught a B-rank alone in one hit, they probably see a high chance of him being shady.’

At minimum, a hoax.

If unlucky, a Hunter who secretly disguised himself as F-rank by sending manipulated information to the Hunter Association.

‘In the past, there were even kidnappings targeting E-rank Hunters by someone who disguised himself as an E-rank Hunter and entered low-rank Gates.’

Incidents and accidents caused by humans, not monsters.

Some might wonder why anyone would bother changing to a lower rank, but human crimes sometimes take unexpected routes.

“If it’s alright with you, could you come to the Association with us right now.”

That’s probably why the two people in front of him now had tense expressions.

“That’s fine.”

Backing down here would only make him look more suspicious.

I can’t let the artifact engraved on my arm be discovered, but even if I go, I won’t have to undergo a body search.

‘At most, they’ll just do the reawakening test and be done with it.’

Anyway, once the F-rank mana level is confirmed in the reawakening test, all suspicions will disappear.

Juhyeok quietly followed the two out of the house, got into a heavily tinted vehicle, and soon arrived at the Association.

“Juhyeok, you came too?”

“…Why are you here, Yena?”

The person he encountered upon arriving at the Association was Yena.

When he made an expression wondering why she was at the Association, she said.

“You had your reawakening test at our guild, right? They asked if there were any problems with it.”

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, the reawakening test was conducted at Mir Guild.

She was probably called here because there was a possibility she might have taken money to manipulate the information.

“Even though I keep telling them no, they just won’t believe me.”

“It’s difficult for us to believe easily given our position.”

A staff member objected to Yena’s voice, which sounded playfully aggrieved.

The man who brought me quietly squinted his eyes and continued.

“What F-rank in the world could kill a B-rank like that, not even a D-rank.”

“That’s true. It doesn’t make sense.”

Nodding heads.

She must have been forcibly brought to the Association, but she wasn’t intimidated at all.

Rather, she seemed to find this situation very interesting.

She looked like someone whose mouth had been itching to tell this story.

“But it’s not entirely impossible, is it?”

She pointed at Juhyeok from the table where she sat.

“Someone who’s powerful not through mana level, but through pure physical ability alone.”

Yena argued.

He’s only F-rank in mana level, but in other aspects, he’s capable enough to easily take down a B-rank.

It was a very simple story.

“Sometimes ordinary people show superior abilities compared to F-rank Hunters.”

“The problem is it doesn’t feel like ordinary person versus F-rank.”

She was right.

Very occasionally, humans with insane strength that surpasses F-rank Hunters do appear.

Even though F-rank Hunters are strong on average, there are definitely support-type ones with weak combat power among them.

And among unawakened ordinary people, there are humans much more skilled in combat than average, like world boxing champions.

Of course, it’s an extremely rare case.

In this situation, it was nothing more than word play.

The Association Staff thought Yena was talking nonsense and showed an openly suspicious expression.

“If you’re going to confess, now is your last chance. Please answer clearly before the reawakening test.”

“….”

The glaring Association Staff.

The gaze that already branded him as a criminal and looked at him wasn’t very pleasant.

‘I understand, but it’s kind of annoying.’

A staff member who threw the presumption of innocence to the dogs.

The Female Staff behind had her hand on her sword hilt, supposedly to prevent any unexpected incidents.

Juhyeok frowned at this and answered.

“What if there’s no problem when you test me?”

“Excuse me?”

“Exactly what I said.”

A cold gaze.

Juhyeok pointed at the Female Staff behind and said.

“You wasted people’s time and even put your hand on your sword to create intimidation… It’s hard to just let this slide.”

The Female Employee flinched.

Juhyeok turned his head toward Yena and asked.

“You think so too, right, Yena?”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

Her expression momentarily dazed, as if she hadn’t expected things to go this far.

But as soon as their eyes met, she quickly regained her composure and supported Juhyeok’s opinion.

“If there’s no problem with the reawakening results, how will you take responsibility?”

“Ha.”

The staff member let out a deep sigh.

After muttering something quietly, he answered Juhyeok sarcastically without backing down.

“I’ll take full responsibility for that, so follow me.”

“I heard you clearly.”

With those words, they left the office.

To receive the reawakening test, they went to the testing room and proceeded exactly the same way as they had done at Mir Guild.

“…This can’t be right.”

As expected, the results showed no problems whatsoever.

*

“This is the fourth time now, how about you start accepting it?”

“….”

The mana measurement test that had already been conducted four times.

He kept making me take tests consecutively, claiming there were errors, and it seemed like he’d keep testing until dawn, so I stopped him.

The staff member also seemed ready to face the unbelievable reality, speaking quietly.

“Really… your mana level is F-rank?”

“Yes, I’ve never had a reawakening before.”

“Then is that video manipulated? The expert said it absolutely wasn’t manipulated….”

Could the video expert’s words have been wrong?

To the staff member who was thinking that, I spoke calmly.

“It’s not manipulated. There was an S-rank Hunter there from the beginning.”

“…Yes, I heard when I asked earlier. That you caught it directly by yourself.”

Since it was already verified by an S-rank Hunter, he didn’t doubt it at all and had arrested me.

He must have thought I was at least an A-rank or higher Hunter.

Seeing data that barely exceeded F-rank average levels made his head spin.

“How on earth did you catch it?”

“Since Froking leather is tough, I stabbed deep into the eyeball where there’s no leather and pierced the brain.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

The staff member wasn’t satisfied even with the perfect briefing.

He asked with a bewildered expression.

“How does an F-rank catch a Froking? And in one shot at that.”

“….”

Yena had asked that same question just moments ago.

I don’t like bragging about myself, but it seemed like I needed to be clear, so I answered straightforwardly without any flowery words.

“Because I’m strong.”

I am strong.

Effort that can’t be measured by the number called F-rank.

Experience of rolling around like crazy in the Training Room, not relying on innate mana levels.

I became strong because I endured all of that and used it as a foundation for growth.

It was a simple and clear answer, but also the most frustrating response in this situation.

Still, that was all I could say.

“Anyway, we’re all done now, right?”

Juhyeok tried to leave, feeling like he wouldn’t be able to train properly if he got held up any longer.

He had already told Sui the time via computer, and if he got delayed any more, he’d be late for their appointment.

“You said you’d take full responsibility, so contact me later to let me know how you’ll handle it.”

“….”

Opening the door, leaving behind the silent Association staff member.

Then the staff member grabbed Juhyeok.

“Wait.”

His footsteps stopped at the staff member’s voice.

When he turned around, the man raised his index finger and spoke.

“Please conduct just one more test.”

“We’ve already done it four times, what the…”

“It’s not a mana measurement test.”

The mana measurement tests were already completely finished.

There were no problems with the device, and no errors occurred during the examination.

Evidence that he really was an F-rank Hunter.

Even so, he couldn’t just let this slide quietly.

“As the Hunter Management Team, I need to see Jung Juhyeok fight with my own two eyes.”

“….”

“I’ll take full responsibility. Still, this is all procedurally necessary, so I ask for your cooperation.”

An attitude that had become respectful, unlike before.

Yet still maintaining professional consciousness without missing his duties.

‘…There’s nothing good about making enemies with the Association for no reason.’

When he’s asking so politely like that, it would be strange not to comply.

Jung Juhyeok quickly checked the time and then answered him.

“Please finish within an hour.”

“Thank you.”

A test proposal he accepted thinking of it as just warming up, since he had to train anyway.

‘Should I ask for magic stones as compensation.’

While everyone else was absorbed in the test, Jung Juhyeok’s eyes were drawn to the magic stones embedded inside the mana measuring device.

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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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