F-Rank Secretly Becomes Stronger - Chapter 6

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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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6

[Are you thinking about joining a guild?]

The tournament results had brought him significant attention.

Originally, with a ranking of 200th, no guild would have shown any interest.

Jung Juhyeok had shattered the prejudice of being in the lower-middle tier and firmly imprinted himself on the guild officials in the spectator seats.

[I don’t know why you forfeited back then… but you still achieved decent results, so now is the perfect time to join a guild.]

The instructor was seriously considering his career path as if it were his own concern.

Seeing a model student who hadn’t seen results despite his efforts finally shine brought visible joy to the instructor’s face.

While grateful for the instructor’s sincere attitude toward his student’s affairs, his response wasn’t positive.

[I plan to carefully decide on a guild after graduation.]

The reason he had forfeited in the tournament was to avoid drawing attention in the first place.

If he joined a guild, he would certainly undergo medical tests, and then they might discover the tattoo carved on his body along with the artifact.

‘I can’t be found out yet.’

There are no eternal secrets in this world.

If he worked as a hunter, he would surely be discovered someday for having an artifact embedded in his body.

‘In the worst-case scenario, my body might explode like other people’s.’

A situation where he might eventually be discovered no matter what.

The goal he set for himself was largely one thing.

‘The identity of the artifact.’

To somehow find information about the cube-shaped spatial transfer artifact called the Training Room.

To do that, there would come a moment when he’d have to reveal his secret.

In preparation for that time, he had to make himself untouchable by anyone.

‘Beating the salutatorian isn’t enough.’

Being a momentary top dog at the academy was nowhere near sufficient.

At minimum, he needed to be a big shot that even global major guilds couldn’t easily touch.

To put it simply, he needed to have S-rank hunter level power.

An ambition that might seem laughable coming from someone who couldn’t even rank in the top 200 at the academy.

However, he had found hope in the Training Room and shown promise in the tournament preliminaries.

Jung Juhyeok spent three months after proudly graduating from the academy, rejecting all contact from mid-tier guild scouts while pursuing that massive goal no one knew about.

“That’ll be 5,300 won.”

And now he was scanning barcodes at a calculator.

‘The hunter license won’t come out for another month, so I should help with work.’

The hunter license that would only come out in May after graduating in February.

He wanted to rush to a gate immediately, but entering a gate without a hunter license was illegal, so he had no choice but to wait patiently.

[Training Room upgrade and mana replenishment for operation 1/100…]

‘For mana replenishment, magic stones would be the most convenient method.’

Magic stones that could be excavated from monster corpses when defeated inside gates.

While their origin remained completely unknown, it was certain they contained an unknown power called mana.

‘First, I need to get magic stones.’

Talent that couldn’t even touch the heels of prodigies.

His only way to survive in this harsh world was the Training Room.

An ordinary person would never even think of returning to that grassland.

‘Nothing is impossible before effort.’

He had conviction.

A legacy inherited from his late father and the belief that had sustained Jung Juhyeok as a human being until now.

Of course, the reason wasn’t solely based on such philosophical grounds.

“Son~ let’s have lunch.”

“Okay. Let’s go up.”

Around 2 PM when customers became scarce, mother came out from the bakery.

After temporarily closing the door with mother and hanging up a sign, they went upstairs to the humble family home where he had lived for nearly 20 years since birth.

Going inside, they spent lunch together with the gentle clinking sounds echoing warmly.

Mother, who used to tell lonely stories with laughter about how she felt lonely eating alone every day since her son entered Hunter Academy.

Seeing her rice bowl filled more than the portions she used to send in photos, it seemed she no longer felt that lonely mood.

Lunch spent chatting about everyday stories as always, as if nothing had changed.

In the midst of this, Mother asked with a somewhat cautious demeanor.

“Are you really going to continue being a Hunter?”

“I have to.”

“I heard last time that a B-rank came out of a D-rank Gate, so I’m worried something big might happen if you’re not careful…”

There was one reason why Mother wore such a worried expression.

The Gate-related news that became a hot topic yesterday evening.

Whenever even slightly dangerous stories came up, she would watch her son with a worried expression from morning.

“It’s okay. That has a lower probability than getting struck by lightning.”

“Still…”

“Don’t worry too much, there weren’t even any casualties there. They thoroughly prepare and consider all those problems before going out.”

“….”

Eyes where worry couldn’t easily be erased despite her son’s gentle persuasion.

If his grades had been good it might have been different, but seeing his ranking hovering in the lower-middle tier made her worry even more.

“Don’t you want to learn baking from Mother? It’s still not too late even now.”

“Your son doesn’t have much talent for baking.”

“Looking at how you couldn’t even make the top 200, you don’t particularly have talent for Hunter work either.”

“…Mother sometimes hurts her son’s feelings so casually.”

Even while seeming to worry, she would poke at quite sensitive points.

When he made a slightly hurt expression at her cutting remark, Mother said.

“Even if my son has no talent, he overcomes everything with effort, so it doesn’t matter.”

“….”

“Your father was exactly the same. He had no knack for it, but he stuck with it day and night and somehow made it work.”

A longing gaze reflected along with a warm smile.

Looking at her face that seemed somehow sad as it reflected against the scenery outside the window, Mother suddenly shook off the seriousness that had crept into her voice.

“So even if you have no talent for baking, you just need to work hard at it. Mother will teach you Sparta-style, so you’ll improve quickly, right?”

She began telling past stories, saying your father also got scolded by her all day long.

She vividly recounted stories she had heard over twenty times since childhood as if they had happened yesterday.

“Still, your son wants to be a Hunter more than a baker.”

Well, in the end, the conclusion always ended with firm resolve as usual.

About three times a week when eating meals like this, she would always bring up the topic of learning baking and try to persuade him, but the answer was always the same.

“Since my son became an Awakened, Mother should live comfortably too.”

“Really, taking after his father with such stubbornness…”

Actually, he didn’t want to make Mother worry.

Having lost her husband at an early age and only having her child to rely on, it would naturally be worrying if he said he wanted to be a Hunter.

However, he also had reasons he couldn’t back down.

“Mother. What did the hospital say about your knees?”

“Well… the doctor said it would be good to go to a Major Hospital and get examined once… but that costs quite a bit of money.”

Money.

The body of the mother who had raised her child alone while relying only on her son had no part that didn’t hurt.

Among them, the chronic knee pain she suffered from had been gradually worsening since two years ago.

She had gone to the Local Hospital, but even there they recommended going to a Major Hospital in the Metropolitan Area, so it was obvious it would cost a fortune.

“Still, you need to get examined.”

“It’s not unbearable yet, so don’t worry.”

She who told her son she was worried, yet told him not to worry about her own pain.

This was the reason he couldn’t easily give up Hunter work.

Hospital bills that couldn’t be covered by a neighborhood bakery’s income.

Even working with only two days off per month, their living situation wasn’t improving.

On the other hand, what about Hunters?

‘…F-rank Hunter monthly income was at least twenty million, right?’

The money a rookie F-rank Hunter earned was at least 20 million won in net profit.

Just entering a Gate once a month earned double what working at the bakery all month long did.

Probably if he traveled around Gates earning money and then became stronger in the Training Room, his Hunter rank would also rise.

‘I should use the first month’s earnings for Mother’s hospital bills instead of upgrades.’

I can’t know exactly how much it will cost, but I need to prepare money in case of an emergency.

If her knee condition is serious enough to require going to a major hospital, it will be difficult to operate the bakery for a while.

Living expenses will all have to be covered by hunter work.

“Just wait one month. My Hunter License will come out soon, so if I go to Gates and earn money, the hospital bills will be covered quickly.”

“….”

A silence that began to flow at the mention of Gates.

Mother quietly took out an apple from the refrigerator and washed it.

In the brief quiet moment, only the sound of water passed by, and soon she picked up a fruit knife, and a voice flowed from Mother’s back.

“Even if I tell you not to go, you won’t listen, will you?”

“That’s right.”

“Ugh! What a pride you are!”

At the answer without a moment’s hesitation, she turned around once to glare at her son.

Even when about to let out a deep sigh, she seemed cautious that showing such signs in front of her son would become a burden, so she just clicked her tongue lightly.

“Let’s make just one promise with Mom.”

Mother holding the fully peeled apple and placing it on the table.

While doing so, she gazes at her son with quite serious eyes.

“If you think your life is in danger, you must run away. Money or whatever, Mom only needs her son.”

“….”

Of course she would have to worry.

When her son is jumping into Gates crawling with monsters, what parent would comfortably send them off saying to go earn money.

Seeing Mother like this makes me feel sorry for going to Gates for no reason.

‘But I can’t stop now.’

I’ve already grabbed the sword.

I worked hard with blood and sweat, and because of that, I even faced Awakening.

Not stopping there, I entered the Academy and picked up a mysterious Artifact.

Thanks to that, an Artifact was engraved on my body along with a strange tattoo, and I’m in a situation where I must reveal its identity so my body doesn’t explode and kill me someday.

‘From the moment I grabbed the sword, I was destined to make Mom worry.’

Even telling her not to worry pricks my conscience.

They say lying is a sin, but how could I speak honestly in front of such a mother.

Juhyeok just smiled trustworthily.

“Trust your son.”

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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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