F-Rank Secretly Becomes Stronger - Chapter 60

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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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60

He had returned.

A new record for the Training Room, returning to reality without even lasting a day.

Looking at the clock, not even an hour had passed.

‘I thought I’d get some training done in the Training Room…’

Juhyeok had come out with nothing but a useless lump, without any training at all.

To make matters worse, he had eaten the Magic Stone, making it difficult to pretend nothing happened.

‘But… why didn’t a message appear when I ate the Magic Stone?’

Was it because he had eaten the Magic Stone inside the Training Room?

For some reason, the message that usually appeared whenever he consumed a Magic Stone didn’t show up this time.

‘Is the Magic Stone definitely inside my body?’

Perhaps the Magic Stone he had eaten in the Training Room had been absorbed as a power source for an upgrade.

The moment he tried to get up from his seat to check, holding onto a small hope.

Thud—!

As soon as he placed his foot on the ground, he felt it.

A sensation that had changed far more dramatically than what he had known.

His own body had become somehow unfamiliar.

“…What is this?”

He lightly rolled his shoulders.

The sense of alienation struck his brain even more forcefully and clearly.

It felt like wearing sandbags for a week and then taking them off, making his body feel incredibly light.

It was difficult to describe that feeling of liberation.

‘…’

Juhyeok lightly touches the mark engraved on his left forearm.

[Training Room upgrade and mana replenishment for driving 0/100…]

A message appeared.

The number showing as 0, not even 1 out of 100.

If he consumed even the cheapest magic stones after coming out of the Training Room and absorbed mana, the number would rise to 1.

But the fact that it didn’t become 1 even though he had consumed magic stones meant.

‘The magic stones weren’t properly absorbed.’

The magic stones he had consumed in the Training Room weren’t properly absorbed.

Moreover, his body felt much lighter, as if he could demonstrate higher skills than usual.

He had checked about that sensation on the internet before.

[After reawakening, my body suddenly felt lighter. Should I say it felt like being freed from ropes that had been binding my body?]

“No way.”

The thing he had so desperately wished for and dreamed of before encountering the Training Room.

Juhyeok was momentarily stunned, then immediately slapped both his cheeks hard.

“Get it together.”

There was no need to have pointless expectations.

This was still a situation that required proper confirmation.

Juhyeok first assessed the situation, then slowly picked up his cell phone and made a call.

*

“You barely contacted me all this time, so what’s going on?”

“We always saw each other at the shop.”

“Seeing each other at the shop and contacting each other are different things. Even when you sparred with Kieran, I was the one who came to find you first.”

Yena spoke with a slightly sulky tone.

It was their first meeting outside the shop in a long time, but she didn’t look very pleased.

“So now that you go to Gates alone, I’ve become useless?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what did you contact me about today? You contacted me to ask about Gates or guild-related stuff anyway, right?”

She poured out her complaints sharply.

The problem was that despite their fairly close relationship, they hadn’t exchanged much contact due to Juhyeok’s personality of not reaching out frequently.

He also hadn’t contacted her because he thought reaching out during other times would be bothersome to her, since she frequently visited the shop.

‘I didn’t know she’d feel hurt about me not contacting her.’

Well, compared to before when they exchanged many contacts regarding Gates and guild establishment issues, contact had been quite sparse lately.

He could understand why she felt hurt from her perspective.

Even today, he had contacted her because he had a favor to ask, so he had no excuse to make.

“I’ll buy you a meal next time, so cheer up.”

“…Really?”

Her mood softened slightly at the mention of buying a meal.

He continued speaking to her as she looked at him with surprised eyes.

“Yes, next time let’s have dinner together, the three of us with Mother.”

“….”

Yena fell silent.

Seeing her become quiet, he wondered what went wrong and asked back.

“What’s wrong?”

Since she got along so well with Mother every day, he thought it would be even better if the three of them ate together.

For some reason, she looked at Juhyeok with a momentarily dazed expression.

“No, it’s nothing. Going together would be nice…”

She immediately drank the cold water and said.

“I’ll be satisfied with that for now.”

“Pardon?”

“So, what brings you here today.”

She moved to the main topic, seemingly not wanting to continue the conversation on the same subject.

Juhyeok also had no intention of digging deeper unnecessarily, so he explained the reason he had come to see her today.

“I’d like to take a reawakening test.”

“Reawakening?”

Her indifferent expression changed dramatically.

Yena suddenly stood up from her seat at the shocking statement she had just heard.

“Don’t tell me… you’ve finally achieved reawakening?”

“I’m not certain yet.”

“L-let’s go check it quickly then.”

The two entered the mana measurement room to confirm the awakening.

Since Juhyeok was already familiar with all the procedures, he placed his hand on the magic stone without needing any guidance.

[Consume the magic stone to absorb mana.]

‘As expected, it appeared again.’

The message telling him to consume the magic stone.

Seeing the message that hadn’t appeared in the Training Room made him feel suspicious once again.

While he was lost in thought like that, the test eventually ended, and Yena, who was extremely excited, announced the results in an enthusiastic voice.

“D-rank!”

“D-rank?”

“Yes! Finally, it’s no longer the insignificant mana of F-rank!”

She showed him the test results as she said this.

Indeed, the content written inside showed that average D-rank mana amount had been measured.

“Then, am I now…”

“You’re not an F-rank Hunter but a D-rank Hunter. Though honestly, even that’s too low a number for your current skill level… But still, your physical abilities must have improved by more than double compared to before!”

Physical abilities improved by more than double.

The abilities already enhanced from eating the Dream Herb were multiplied by mana, making him much stronger.

While he was momentarily stunned by this unexpected fortune, Yena hurriedly left her seat, saying they needed to register with the Association right away.

Juhyeok followed her while falling into deep contemplation.

‘Did my mana amount increase because of the magic stone I ate back then?’

The countless magic stones that had been digested by the artifact until now.

The magic stone he ate due to the contract with the demon in the Training Room wasn’t digested, and because of that, it increased his mana amount.

‘It wasn’t digested? Is that the right way to put it?’

The magic stone wasn’t just remaining inside his body.

The magic stone had definitely improved his physical abilities, and this was an effect that wouldn’t have appeared if the magic stone hadn’t been absorbed by him.

It was easier to think that the magic stone had now become part of himself.

‘But why?’

The magic stone I ate inside the Training Room was supposed to explode if I didn’t keep the contract, so why did it become part of my power?

I can’t understand it at all.

There were so many incomprehensible things that it was difficult to make any judgment.

The only thing he could know for now was that the magic stone the demon gave him in the Training Room had helped his mana.

Finding out anything beyond that was impossible for the moment.

What he needed to find that out was…

‘Garisto.’

The very person who created the artifact full of mysteries.

Even if only to prevent an explosion from happening inside his body, Garisto’s cooperation was absolutely necessary.

‘But will that guy really come out cooperatively?’

A part he had neglected while only thinking about approaching Garisto.

Even if Garisto did meet with him, would he really help him extract the Artifact?

The Garisto he had seen was more like a mad scientist type who would rejoice that the Artifact had found a suitable Master.

To persuade someone like him, he needed some new card to bring along.

And there was only one person… no, demon who might know such a thing.

‘I need to visit Mephisto first.’

But right now, he had no way to contact Mephisto separately.

He had parted ways with her, leaving only the message that she would open a Gate to travel on the day of the Garisto Mansion inspection.

‘Should I go to where the Gate opens and just wait around?’

She had seemed quite bored with nothing to do.

He thought she might appear if he always waited at the place where Gates opened, but he quickly shook his head, thinking such reckless behavior might just waste time.

‘If she doesn’t show up for no reason, I’ll just be wasting time. I need some sure way to contact her.’

Should he enter a Gate with a Hell background?

If he entered there, the possibility of Mephisto noticing that he had entered a Gate would increase… but that wasn’t a completely reliable method either.

‘In the end, do I have no choice but to hope Mephisto comes looking for me?’

Stress building up from uncertain methods.

While he was pondering for a long time whether there might be another way to contact her.

A remark Mephisto had made in passing came to mind.

[Right, I remember, I made a Contract with that Little Kid that day, and he’s already grown so much I can barely recognize him.]

“Ah.”

There was one.

A means to contact Mephisto.

Unlike himself who had rejected the contract, there was one person nearby who had maintained a long-standing relationship of collusion for over 10 years.

‘Maybe not nearby.’

The wallet he pulled out from his pocket.

Jung Juhyeok selected one business card from among the many inside and made a phone call.

After the ringtone sounded several times, the other party soon answered the phone.

[Yes~ I’ve answered the phone.]

“It’s Jung Juhyeok.”

[….]

The other party fell silent as soon as he revealed his name.

The guy answered after a short while, maintaining an excited voice.

[I never dreamed you would contact me first.]

“Something came up that warranted it.”

If it hadn’t been for such an urgent matter, he wouldn’t have made contact.

Now wasn’t the time to be picky about cold rice or hot rice.

[Just asking in case, but this isn’t a positive response about the scout, is it?]

“Of course not.”

[I thought so.]

Laughter could be heard along with his answer, as if he had expected it.

He laughed for a moment, then asked again shortly after.

[Then what matter brought you to personally contact me like this?]

“It’s nothing major.”

Jung Juhyeok paused for a moment.

After a brief silence flowed like that, he brought up the main point.

“Give me Seong Jia’s contact numbers.”

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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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