F-Rank Secretly Becomes Stronger - Chapter 49

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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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49

49

“Hi? Are you done with training today too?”

“Yeah.”

One week now.

It’s been a week since this ridiculous charade began.

She shows no signs of trying to harm anyone around her, nor any indication of trying to get something from Juhyeok.

What purpose could she have for coming here pretending to be a classmate so poorly?

No particular possibilities come to mind that he could deduce right now.

‘A guild wouldn’t do such nonsense just to scout me.’

Or could she be someone from an Illegal Hunter Organization like Hyeonho Candy or something, sent for scouting purposes?

But then there would be no need to go through the trouble of pretending to be a classmate.

‘She probably noticed too, roughly speaking.’

She who probably roughly noticed that her lies had been exposed.

Actually, Jia herself didn’t seem to be the type who was skillfully good at lying.

After talking for a week, he almost doubted whether this person was really trying to deceive him.

Juhyeok deliberately pretended not to know and let it slide each time.

The reason was curiosity.

This person’s purpose for making contact with him.

If he directly pointed out that being classmates was a lie, she might immediately disappear without a trace.

To completely uproot that source, Juhyeok deliberately pretended not to know as much as possible until he could find clues.

‘Mother is happy too since she buys up all the leftover bread.’

She’s someone who has no intention of harming people around her, and thanks to that, Mother is also happy with no leftover bread.

With his current abilities approaching S-rank, he was confident he could annihilate any illegal organization that approached him.

Juhyeok looked at the pile of bread on her table and asked.

“Don’t you get sick of eating like that every day?”

“I told you, didn’t I? That I really love bread.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Seeing her devour at least ten or so pieces of shop bread in one sitting for an entire week, it wouldn’t be easy unless she really loved bread.

“Your mother’s bread, especially the croissants, are delicious.”

“Those do sell the best.”

She who takes a big bite of bread and chews it thoroughly.

When Juhyeok sat down, she gulped it down with milk and said.

“What about you? Isn’t it hard training every day without even a day off?”

“I’ve gotten used to it now.”

When he first learned swordsmanship, training was naturally difficult.

Especially for several days after increasing his training volume, his whole body would lose strength to an extent that saying he was tired wasn’t enough.

But that’s all a story of the past now.

After visiting the Training Room, no matter how much fatigue accumulates in his body, he doesn’t really feel that it’s difficult.

Immersion makes him forget the passing time, and each day passes like that.

Seeing himself grow fills him with ecstasy.

This repeating daily life is so enjoyable that he absolutely doesn’t want to give it up.

“The very fact that I’m doing what I want to do while gradually improving makes me happy.”

Holding a sword, becoming stronger, and earning money with it.

The daily life he had longed for since his Academy days.

Juhyeok was grateful for this reality itself, and had no intention of giving it up for anything.

“…I see.”

Jia tears at the bread again with her mouth while holding it in her hand.

“I heard your grades weren’t very good at the Academy, so it’s fortunate things worked out well.”

She said while waving the bread that had split in half.

“But don’t you ever think about it?”

The atmosphere suddenly changes.

She asked with a voice somehow filled with laughter.

“The people who wouldn’t even glance at you when you were nothing are now praising you as a promising talent and whatnot.”

Mockery.

The laughter she showed was mockery.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit hypocritical how those bastards who used to sneer and mock you are now bowing and scraping just because you got a little stronger?”

Juhyeok’s dark period, as it could be called, during his Academy days.

Back then, no matter how hard he tried, his surroundings were filled half with pitying looks and half with ridicule.

Thinking about it, her words weren’t wrong.

If someone else had been in Juhyeok’s position, they might have become sick of this hypocritical world and acted out in twisted ways instead.

Juhyeok wasn’t completely unable to understand how people could become twisted like that.

“I don’t think so.”

From the beginning, Juhyeok wasn’t that kind of person.

A life lived looking only at his own path ahead, not caring about the gazes of others.

Of course, sometimes when he saw people criticizing him, there were occasionally difficult times.

Still, there were quite a few people who supported him as well.

Saying that if he worked hard, he would shine someday, that they were cheering for the path he was taking.

In the world, there were also people who cheered for his seemingly futile efforts.

“What’s the point of thinking negative thoughts? Life is too short to only hear good things.”

“….”

Her expression hardens.

As expected, she can’t easily hide her true feelings.

Regardless, Juhyeok continued speaking.

“Effort never betrays you.”

Words his late father had told him until his ears were worn out.

Those words he carries in his heart every day.

“I’ve proven about half of those words now.”

Though still insufficient, there’s plenty of time.

To become the strongest, today too he had gotten one step closer through effort.

“I plan to keep moving forward to prove it even more.”

Still not enough.

He won’t stop just because he barely reached S-rank.

SS-rank, of which there are only three in the world.

Following that, SSS-rank which has now died and disappeared.

Beyond that, EX-rank which became legendary.

“There are still many mountains to climb.”

A journey too overwhelming to walk with the body of a dullard, not a genius.

Juhyeok looked at her across from him with honest eyes and answered.

“I’m not idle enough to complain about the world.”

“Hmm… I see.”

The shop fell quiet at the ambition he revealed.

“I also have a goal I want to achieve like you.”

“What is it.”

When he asked, bread was casually torn apart.

She answered in a dry voice.

“The downfall of the Korean Hunter Association.”

“….”

The air froze at her shocking declaration.

Juhyeok, who had already roughly guessed her identity, spoke with a completely unconcerned expression.

“So you’re Hyeonho Candy.”

“That’s right, I’m on the same team as the person you met.”

She put the torn bread in her mouth, chewed lightly, swallowed, and said.

“Thanks for pretending not to know until now?”

“Don’t mention it.”

Though there were times when it was genuinely embarrassing.

Thanks to pretending not to know, Juhyeok had been able to see his mother’s happy face for the past few days, which was helpful for him too.

‘It’s sad to think she’ll become gloomy again when there’s leftover bread.’

For now, Juhyeok set aside thoughts about his mother and looked at Jia in front of him.

He got straight to the point and asked directly.

“So, did you spend a week approaching me just to tell me to join your company again?”

“No, I don’t think that’s it.”

She shook her head.

Actually, he naturally expected her to come out with all sorts of sweet talk for recruitment again.

But she surprisingly gave up on recruitment readily.

Then Jia explained the reason for giving up.

“You’re not the type of guy who fits with us.”

A person living with hatred toward the world, and someone who buried all that and focused only on their own achievements.

Since the direction of their purposes was different, it was obvious they wouldn’t last long together before splitting apart.

“Honestly, I liked you, but trying to persuade you would just be a waste of time.”

“I’m really glad you understand.”

A scout that ended without the need for tiresome talk.

If they had been persistent, Juhyeok would have needed to establish strong countermeasures, but fortunately that wasn’t necessary.

“I’m just thinking of making one proposal.”

“Since we’ve built some affection over the week, I’ll at least listen.”

“Don’t ever interfere with our future actions.”

Hyeonho Candy’s goal.

Destroying the Korean Hunter Association.

Jia intuited that Juhyeok would be a major obstacle in achieving that goal.

So she slightly changed her approach to trying to win him over.

“Anyway, you’re the type of guy who could succeed even if you went abroad, so even if the Korean Hunter Association collapses, it won’t be a big blow to you.”

“….”

“Rather, going overseas might be more helpful for achieving your goals.”

Goals that could be mutually compromised.

He wanted to become the strongest, and that could be achieved even outside Korea.

“So let’s not clash with each other. We already have two S-ranks to deal with, and I don’t want to face another troublesome guy.”

“So you want me to just sit back and watch the Hunter Association collapse?”

No matter what, asking a Korean hunter to just sit and watch their own country’s Hunter Association collapse.

When Juhyeok raised one corner of his mouth at the absurd request, she said.

“Would your mind change a bit if you heard our pathetic sob story?”

“I’m not very good at empathy… so listening probably wouldn’t help.”

The two fell quiet for a moment.

Juhyeok made eye contact with her, then looked out the window and said quietly.

“Honestly, whatever happens to the Hunter Association isn’t my concern.”

He didn’t have any particular attachment to the association itself, and if anything, it was an organization that annoyingly interfered with achieving his goals.

“But I’m still someone who knows right from wrong, so it would be difficult to just sit back and watch.”

Still, he wasn’t stupid enough to blindly condemn what they were doing.

Since he was a special case, they were going through all the necessary procedures, and they were also providing various assistance to accommodate him as much as possible.

From that standpoint, even if he was told to just stand by and watch the association collapse, he couldn’t easily nod his head.

No, aside from that, Juhyeok was fundamentally a person with proper ethics who couldn’t just shrug off a terrorist threat.

“Right and wrong…”

Jia reflected on what Juhyeok had said.

“So you think preventing the Hunter Association from collapsing is the right thing to do?”

“For now, yes.”

“I see, is that so.”

Jia stood up from her seat.

The bread that had been piled on the table was long gone, though he didn’t know when she had finished it all.

“Then I’ll have to change that thinking.”

She smiled brightly as she walked toward the door.

As we get up from our seats together, the door opens and the jingling bell sound rings out.

“It was delicious.”

“Come again.”

“I’d like that if I could.”

The door closes.

She waves her hand as she passes by beyond the transparent glass.

A faint smile that wouldn’t fade was noticeable.

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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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