F-Rank Secretly Becomes Stronger - Chapter 56

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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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56

“…Should I understand that as you saying you’ll be hostile toward Bluebird?”

“Well, is there even a need to be hostile?”

He had no intention whatsoever of being hostile toward Bluebird.

There was nothing good about making many enemies just to get by in life.

“You wouldn’t gain anything from escalating this situation either.”

If they became complete enemies, there would be an investigation into the problem.

If that happened, the Scout would be in trouble just the same.

“I won’t deny that, but then how do you plan to do this properly?”

“Let’s fight in a week.”

After stating a specific date, Jung Juhyeok glanced at the bodyguard who was fuming beside them.

“Bring that bodyguard or whoever you want.”

It didn’t matter who the opponent was.

No, rather than that, if they chose that bodyguard as the opponent, it was obvious Bluebird would run away.

So this was a condition he offered while taking a step back.

Jung Juhyeok then looked at the Scout again and continued.

“If I lose, I’ll sign an exclusive 5-year contract at the average salary of a D-rank Hunter.”

“….”

It was a quite shocking proposal.

They could sign an exclusive contract with Jung Juhyeok, who was already judged to have A-rank or higher abilities, for just the average salary of a D-rank Hunter.

And not for 2 or 3 years, but for 5 years.

As a Scout, it was an absolutely irresistible condition.

Even faced with such a mouth-watering bet, he didn’t lose his composure and asked.

“What if our side loses?”

If it’s a bet, he should have something to wager as well.

What could possibly be worth a 5-year contract with D-rank salary?

Jung Juhyeok satisfied the Scout’s curiosity without much thought.

“One S-Grade Magic Stone.”

Nothing more, nothing less—one S-Grade Magic Stone.

At that, the Scout’s eyes twitched slightly.

“How about it? I think it’s a pretty well-balanced bet.”

“….”

One S-Grade Magic Stone would be worth well over a billion won.

It wasn’t something the Scout could approach casually enough to agree to directly, but.

“Fine.”

An opportunity to tie down a Hunter who could reach A-rank or higher with a D-rank salary if things went well.

He would never have accepted if it meant fighting the Bodyguard, since the chances of defeat would be high, but Jung Juhyeok had just said with his own mouth that he could bring someone else.

Was there any need to kick away such a free opportunity?

“One week from now, I’ll have the contract and venue all prepared.”

The Scout left his seat along with the Bodyguard, wearing a confident smile once again.

Having sealed the bet, they leisurely disappeared from the Blood Sausage Soup Restaurant.

Jung Juhyeok quietly watched the backs of the guys leaving before taking his seat.

“…The Blood Sausage Soup has gone completely cold.”

It comes out in a stone pot, so the heat usually doesn’t escape easily.

But after all that talking with food in front of him, now only cold Blood Sausage Soup remained.

As he stirred his spoon in the stone pot with regret, someone beside him spoke with an incredulous expression.

“Is that really the problem right now?”

That indifferent attitude almost made him mistake Jung Juhyeok for some random merchant who had just dropped by.

Hyeonsu sat down with him and asked in an incredulous voice.

“Juhyeok? Do you know who you just declared war against?”

“I know. Bluebird.”

“You really know well, then do you also know how absurd the bet you proposed is?”

“Well.”

“Ah, seriously…!”

Hyeonsu rubbed his face vigorously with both hands.

He couldn’t understand the current situation.

“What on earth were you thinking when you made that bet? The bodyguard will definitely bring someone you can’t even compete with.”

“Are there many strong people in Bluebird?”

“Are there many strong people in Bluebird? Are you asking because you don’t know?”

Now he couldn’t even manage a hollow laugh.

He was dumbfounded by what seemed like reckless behavior with no plan whatsoever.

“They have five S-rank Hunters alone. Korea has only two, but they have five.”

South Korea had only two.

Even that was considered quite a lot for this small piece of land.

Bluebird was a guild that possessed five such S-rank Hunters.

If they brought even one of them to fight against Juhyeok.

“You’ll be bound by a slave contract immediately, for five whole years.”

“….”

The air fell silent for a moment at the mention of a slave contract.

Juhyeok stopped stirring with his spoon.

“Do you think I’ll lose, hyung?”

“What?”

“You just saw how even the bodyguard couldn’t move.”

The bodyguard who couldn’t even free his caught wrist and was struggling helplessly.

Jung Juhyeok asked while recalling that scene.

“That bodyguard definitely moved like an A-rank… but I caught him.”

“That person is still just A-rank, S-rank is on a different level.”

“Wasn’t I on a different level too?”

“….”

Unlike his serious self, Jung Juhyeok answered nonchalantly.

He leisurely called a staff member and asked them to reheat the blood sausage soup.

In front of such Jung Juhyeok, he felt endless piercing gazes.

Jung Juhyeok spoke soothingly to him who was full of worry.

“Hyung, do you really think Bluebird would bring someone that strong?”

“What?”

“How amazing could the person be who’s coming just to teach one measly F-rank Irregular a lesson?”

Jung Juhyeok knew how they viewed him.

Since he easily subdued a bodyguard who seemed to be A-rank, somewhere between A-rank and S-rank.

They would surely judge that he hadn’t reached S-rank level yet.

Would Bluebird really use all their power to crush such an F-rank Irregular?

“Well… they might consider up to S-rank, but at most they’d bring the weakest among them.”

“…That does make sense in its own way.”

“Of course it’s a good opportunity for Bluebird. A 5-year contract for a Hunter at A-rank level or above at just a D-rank Hunter’s salary.”

Such an incredible harvest that it was tempting enough to make one drool without realizing it.

“But even Bluebird would find that hard to believe easily.”

That’s why it was even more suspicious.

Especially a statement made by some rookie who didn’t even have a guild yet.

In terms of credibility, it could be considered very low.

“To put it bluntly, if we brought an S-rank and I back down saying we never made such an agreement, Bluebird would just waste their manpower for nothing.”

After going through the trouble of sending the strongest person among S-ranks, if Juhyeok backed down, Bluebird would end up wasting their time for nothing.

That’s why it was natural for Bluebird to consider stability and send less expensive manpower even if they were sending an S-rank.

“What if they bring someone stronger than you?”

“Then I’ll just back out.”

“Back out?”

“Yes, we haven’t even written up a contract yet.”

They hadn’t written down the contents of the bet as a separate contract to leave it on paper.

While verbal contracts are still contracts, if he just played dumb and denied it, Bluebird would be the ones in trouble.

“Bluebird knows this too, right? That there’s a possibility I might back down if they bring someone too unreasonable.”

“….”

“When they bring a reasonable opponent, I’ll fight then.”

The blood sausage soup arrived again while they were talking.

He blew on the hot blood sausage soup and ate it with satisfaction.

“Ah, hot.”

Maybe it was because Auntie boiled it really well, worried it might get cold again.

Feeling his palate burn, he put kkakdugi in his mouth and chewed it to cool down.

Hyeonsu, who had been quietly watching him, spoke softly.

“It sounds like you can beat a decent S-rank.”

Should he call it arrogant, or should he describe it as bold?

Hyeonsu was weighing things on this ambiguous baseline that didn’t lean either way.

Regardless, Juhyeok focused on his blood sausage soup and answered lightly.

“Yes, I’ll win.”

*

“Ah… I’m tired.”

Two Gates entered in just one month.

Usually S-rank Gates don’t generate this frequently, but lately the frequency of Gate recurrences has increased and new Gates are appearing in various places, making it feel like even having two bodies wouldn’t be enough.

“I need to hurry home and rest.”

A middle-aged man taking off his equipment piece by piece and throwing it into the car.

Getting into the driver’s seat, he takes off his trademark sunglasses and tosses them aside.

“My home sweet home~”

His body excited at the thought of hurrying back to rest.

While starting the engine, imagining cracking open a cold canned beer and lying comfortably on the sofa, his cell phone rang.

“What now…”

The man’s face filled with an annoyed expression, considering whether to ignore it for a moment.

However, knowing that not answering this phone call would only make things more troublesome, he reluctantly picked up.

[Kieran, do you have some time available?]

“Are you asking if someone who just came back from a Gate has time?”

[It’s kind of urgent.]

The manager summarized and explained the purpose of the phone call.

For an annoying phone call, Kieran listened to the story with quite a bit of interest.

“There’s a kid like that? Pretty interesting.”

[The Guild Master told me to contact all the S-ranks, so I’m calling… but it’ll probably be difficult, right?]

“You call that a request?”

After being overworked by entering Gates twice in one month, now they want him to go to a foreign country to deal with some kid?

Even if they offered him a few extra bucks, he had absolutely no intention of going.

“But did you say the location was Korea?”

[That’s right, Korea – the one down south, not up north.]

“Hmm…”

Kieran fell into thought for a moment.

He thought of his daughter who had been constantly watching idol videos on her cell phone at home lately.

‘My daughter has been obsessed with Korean idols lately… I wonder if she’d be happy if I took her along?’

The distance between him and his daughter that had gradually grown as she aged.

The daughter who used to cling to him every day saying Father was the best when she was young now lived only staring at her cell phone.

‘It’s been quite a while since we went on a family trip, so it wouldn’t be bad, right?’

Korea was perfect as a travel destination to promote family bonding, with decent security and plenty of tourist attractions.

Kieran spoke to his manager without needing to think any further.

“I’ll take that sparring match.”

[Really?]

“Yeah, but while I’m there, I can enjoy a vacation too, right?”

[Of course! Just go handle that business and get some good rest!]

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind then.”

The phone call ended abruptly.

He was excited about going on a family trip after a long time, but also became somewhat interested in the story about the Rookie Hunter he had just heard.

“An F-rank Irregular, huh. I’m curious how amazing this guy is.”

Just how big were his ambitions to make such an absurd bet?

The anticipation of meeting an interesting guy after a long time.

World Hunter Ranking 131st, Kieran Green, was pleased to have an entertaining case come his way after so long.

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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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