F-Rank Secretly Becomes Stronger - Chapter 29

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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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29

“This time you got dragged all the way to the Association?”

“It just ended up that way.”

“Hah.”

Mother had learned the whole story.

The reason was the Association staff who had barged in on Yena while she was visiting the hospital.

Because they had taken her away while mentioning my name, Mother had found out everything that had happened to me, and as a result, she was currently quite angry.

“What did the Association say?”

“They said there’s no problem. It ended well.”

My skill had been definitively verified through sparring.

I had passed the doping test, and hadn’t shown a single suspicious sign during the one-on-one sparring, so the Association staff had no choice but to acknowledge it.

[First of all, Hunter Juhyeok’s mana level is far below the standard threshold, so it’s difficult to raise his rank.]

I had hoped my rank might be raised, but the answer was firm.

If they made an exception and raised my rank despite the established standards, it might cause controversy in future rank assessments.

However, the Association staff immediately presented a new alternative.

[Do you know what an Irregular is?]

Irregular.

It was a name I had rarely heard even when attending the Academy, but I had heard it once or twice.

[There have been quite a few people like Hunter Juhyeok who show abilities much stronger than their mana levels would suggest.]

Hunters who, through experience-forged skills, could perform adequately in Gates higher than their own rank.

The system created by the International Association for such people was precisely the Irregular designation.

A special category that had never existed in South Korea until now.

No, now there was one.

Juhyeok answered nonchalantly to his mother, whose expression was dark.

“From now on, I can easily enter higher-rank Gates. The Association has acknowledged me.”

“How wonderful for you, really.”

An expression full of dissatisfaction.

She began pouring out her complaints to her son who was casually talking about Association matters.

“If you got dragged to the Association, it must not have been an ordinary matter, so why didn’t you tell your mother anything?”

“I didn’t know either. I had turned off my phone completely, so who would have known they’d come to the house without any contact?”

“Oh my~ How proud.”

Naturally, she couldn’t be pleased when her child kept bringing dangerous situations upon himself.

Fortunately, she wasn’t as angry as when they had met after he came out of the Gate, but since he went around alone causing all sorts of incidents without considering safe measures, there was never a day for peace of mind.

“Won’t join a Guild, enters B-rank Gates… You only choose to do exactly what you shouldn’t do.”

“….”

As they talked, emotions seemed to gradually rise.

Perhaps her dissatisfaction had been great since the last incident, as her voice remained the same but the hurt feelings inside were clearly felt.

Seeing this, Yena, who had been quietly maintaining silence between the two, cautiously interjected.

“Mother, please don’t feel too hurt. Juhyeok worked so hard thinking of you.”

“I know. It’s not that I don’t understand that, but….”

Even knowing her son had become stronger, worrying was a parent’s heart.

She wanted to continue with a long lecture, but since Yena had stepped forward to say such things, she couldn’t bring herself to continue nagging at length.

“I already said everything I had to say when I was angry last time, so I won’t say more, but still, reduce the dangerous acts and don’t give your mother another illness from stress.”

“I understand.”

“Go on quickly. If you don’t want to get hurt, you’ll need to train hard too.”

“That’s right.”

A situation that had barely ended well after soothing her.

‘At least I didn’t have to listen to nagging all day like last time.’

When the video had become a hot topic, I had really listened to nagging until my ears nearly burst before barely being released.

This Association matter seemed to be an extension of the previous incident, so she didn’t seem to be very angry.

Juhyeok stood up from his seat and continued speaking.

“This time, like before, I’ll need to stop by somewhere and won’t be able to come for a few days.”

“Again?”

Since the Training Room upgrade was complete, I needed to go back in and focus on training.

I probably wouldn’t be able to visit the hospital for at least a week.

Since it wasn’t the first time, I thought she would naturally accept it, but perhaps the resentment wasn’t completely resolved, as dissatisfaction appeared in Mother’s eyes once again.

“What happened this time… no, never mind.”

However, that didn’t last very long either.

Mother made an exasperated expression, then just let out a deep sigh and spoke while looking him in the face.

“You’re just going to brush it off anyway, so why bother asking.”

“You know your son’s heart well.”

A pattern that’s become familiar now.

Mom didn’t press further and quietly saw her son off.

“Be careful and come back safe.”

Having said that, he turned his head toward Yena.

“Hehe, understood~ Then I’ll come again tomorrow!”

“Hehe, got it~ I’ll come again tomorrow!”

“Okay. See you tomorrow.”

Now the two of them speak casually about tomorrow, having grown accustomed to each other’s faces that they see every day.

Sometimes it even seems like he’s happier to see her, a complete stranger, than his own son.

“Alright, hurry and go in.”

They left the hospital room together.

When they got on the elevator together, she was the first to speak.

“That’s a relief. She wasn’t as worried as last time.”

“That’s a relief. You’re not worrying as much as you did last time.”

“It’s a blessing in disguise.”

When the video spread, he even got up from his sickbed and came looking for her despite his injured knee, ignoring Yena who tried to stop him.

“Yes~ I was planning to do that even without you asking.”

An answer given without a moment’s hesitation.

Though it felt natural now, he tried not to take it for granted the more it happened.

‘I should prepare some kind of gift next time.’

She said she was repaying a debt to someone who saved her, but considering the hospital visits that had continued for several months now, he felt that debt had been more than repaid.

She was more of a source of strength to Mother, who would otherwise be lying alone on a hospital bed in loneliness, than even her own son.

His conscience wouldn’t allow him to just let this continue without giving her anything in return.

While he was briefly pondering what kind of gift would be good, Yena spoke.

“You’re going to enter a Gate right after training, right?”

“Then I’ll look into B-rank Gates in advance.”

After saying that, she playfully bumped his shoulder.

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, and her dimples bloomed like sunflowers.

“You don’t have any connections to find Gates since you’re not affiliated with a Guild anyway.”

“….”

A direct hit to his weak spot.

He had already received so much help and was trying not to receive more.

‘It’s true, so I can’t argue with it.’

No matter how famous he was, the reality was that he had nowhere to find Gate requests with trust.

If he wandered around, he could certainly find Gate parties, but Gates were places with as many human problems as monsters.

In such circumstances, finding trustworthy Gate party members was never easy.

If he was a Hunter with a famous face, there would be even more people trying to take advantage of him.

‘I can trust and rely on this person.’

If someone asked who was the most trustworthy person in his Hunter work, this was the name he would mention without hesitation.

Jung Juhyeok looked at Yena and answered lightly.

“Thank you.”

Juhyeok looked at Yena and answered lightly.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

It seemed I would need to prepare quite a valuable gift after leaving the training room.

[Consume mana stones to absorb magical power.]

The taste of Maseok is exceptional.

The texture of glass felt when placed in the mouth.

His entire body sends out signals that this is absolutely something that should not be eaten.

[Mana Replenishment for Training Room upgrade and operation 58/100….]

Still, he forces it down with great effort.

Even when its large size makes him retch, he somehow manages to swallow it down.

[Mana Replenishment for Training Room upgrade and operation 82/100….]

The numbers rising in the message.

[Would you like to enter right now?]

Soon, the content he had been waiting for so eagerly greets him.

“Let’s go.”

Saying that, Juhyeok closes his eyes and lies down.

Feeling the sensation of the world twisting, not long after, a new breeze blows.

Through his slightly opened eyes, he sees the interior of a subway.

His surprise at the familiar modern background is brief as the wooden sword placed at his feet catches his eye.

‘Where is it?’

Looking around, he doesn’t see any doll.

No matter how much he searches before picking up the sword, the doll is nowhere to be seen.

Could it be like a zombie movie where the moment he picks up the sword, they come rushing from beyond the cars?

Or perhaps some other mechanism is hidden.

He tries to think ahead to prepare, but staying still like this won’t give him any answers.

‘Should I pick it up for now?’

This is a space where death doesn’t exist anyway.

With the thought of just confronting it head-on, he picks up the sword and a message appears.

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

“Huh?”

Invisible Doll.

The moment that message appears, a very faint scratching sound comes from behind.

Screech….

There’s no way Juhyeok wouldn’t recognize this sound.

The sound he always hears to the point of being sick of it whenever he enters the Training Room.

When he turns around with that sound, there’s no one there.

He only hears a faint sound of air being cut—

“Ugh!”

His forehead is struck hard.

He couldn’t see anything, but the intense impact makes his head spin.

Only then does Juhyeok grasp the situation and quickly raises his sword.

‘An Invisible Doll? A completely invisible one?’

He’s seen Swordsman and Archer Dolls, but an Invisible Doll.

He had naturally expected the next one to be a different profession like a Mage Doll, but this was an absurd appearance that overturned all such expectations.

‘What should I do?’

A situation filled only with worry.

And for good reason—Juhyeok had neither a Mana Detection Skill nor a Sensory Enhancement Buff Skill.

The only skills he possessed as a Hunter were physical abilities and senses that surpassed ordinary people.

In other words, he had to defeat the Invisible Doll a million times with essentially nothing.

“Hah….”

A sigh naturally escapes from his predicament.

Anyone else placed in this situation would obviously show the same reaction.

However, what came after was different.

Juhyeok wasn’t the type to waste time complaining about his situation.

Rather, quickly finding a solution in that time was a more productive action.

Above all, since there were many monsters that used invisibility, this was actually better training to prepare for such monsters.

“Let’s do this.”

Juhyeok shifted his thinking in a positive direction and quickly got into position.

He closed his eyes and relied on his Sensing, swinging his sword like a madman.

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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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