I Became a Hunter with the Heavenly Slaughter Star Trait. - Chapter 98
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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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Episode 98
Episode 98
Maeng Ju-im.
About 20 years ago.
Early days of Babel Tower’s appearance.
During those chaotic times,
he ranked within the top 10 Korean Hunters,
a Hunter who dominated Korea in his own way.
His individual abilities were impressive, but
the team 【Demons】 that Maeng Ju-im belonged to was famous for their perfect coordination.
So much so that they were stronger than even the team of Korea’s #1 ranked Hunter at the time.
Naturally, they were also top in earning achievement points during the early days of Babel Tower’s appearance.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that 【Demons】 was responsible for Korea’s Tower climbing.
Until ‘that incident’ happened.
[49th Floor Mermaid Abduction Incident]
It wasn’t an incident where mermaids were abducted.
It was an incident where someone was abducted by mermaids.
None other than ‘Maeng Ju-im’.
The mermaids of the 49th Floor
were famous for being more ferocious and dangerous than any beastmen or beasts that appeared on the 40th Floor.
At that time, Korea was continuously attempting to conquer the 49th Floor to enter the 50th Floor,
and the pressure felt by 【Demons】 was tremendous.
Because of this,
Maeng Ju-im ended up using an ability he should never have used.
Maeng Ju-im’s trait was [Charm].
Basically, it was a trait that made different races and monsters feel favorable toward him.
Thanks to this trait, Maeng Ju-im survived many crises.
Sometimes by drawing aggro,
sometimes by making enemies let their guard down.
Especially after surpassing level 30, when he gained [Confusion] as his second trait,
Maeng Ju-im’s skills were improving day by day.
Until he encountered a school of mermaids on the 49th Floor.
The 49th Floor required surviving attacks from schools of mermaids while stranded on an island.
Since mermaids had basic mental defense,
Maeng Ju-im’s Charm trait didn’t work properly on them.
The 【Demons】 team’s method was to beat down monsters that became dazed by Maeng Ju-im’s trait,
but since Maeng Ju-im’s trait wasn’t effective,
the conquest became more difficult than before.
The mermaids didn’t miss this opportunity and pressured 【Demons】.
Finally, just before his teammates were about to meet their deaths by the mermaids’ tridents,
Maeng Ju-im used a skill he had never used before,
[Temptation].
[Temptation], which seduced monsters, was nothing short of a top-tier aggro skill.
Thanks to this, his teammates escaped the mermaids’ attacks and fled the 49th Floor.
However, Maeng Ju-im couldn’t return from the Tower for two weeks,
and two weeks later,
when he miraculously returned, Maeng Ju-im announced his retirement.
He then disappeared from Hunter society.
Korea’s 10th ranked Hunter,
who even enjoyed celebrity-level popularity with his handsome looks,
lived in seclusion for quite a long time,
and now
had become a man in his 50s with a scruffy beard and a protruding belly.
He was now at a level where even his [Charm] trait couldn’t provide any correction.
-At that time, the mermaids were insane.
-Twice, no, five times more than usual!
-Hunter Maeng’s ability even affected humans…
Due to his colleagues’ testimonies,
the danger of his ability was proven,
his team was disbanded, and there were no Hunters to work with.
Most importantly, since he himself announced his retirement,
everyone, including Maeng Ju-im, thought
he would never appear in Hunter society again.
But ironically,
‘Lee Tae-pyeong’.
A rookie Hunter called a Super Rookie
called Maeng Ju-im out for the conquest of Tsushima Island’s demon realm.
The conquest of Tsushima Island,
and along with it, Maeng Ju-im’s life was about to face a new phase.
* * *
“Hunter Maeng Ju-im, nice to meet you!”
The first one to greet Maeng Ju-im was none other than me.
-Scratch scratch.
Maeng Ju-im still scratched his belly while staring at me blankly.
“Lee Tae-pyeong?”
“Yes!”
“You look better in person.”
“Oh, how could I compare to Hunter Maeng?”
I smiled brightly and offered a handshake to Maeng Ju-im.
-Grab.
Maeng Ju-im grabbed my hand with the same hand he was scratching his belly with.
“How do you know about me?”
“I used to see you often in coffee commercials when I was young.”
“Coffee… Ah, you mean Starbucks.”
“Yes. ‘If you miss smoothness, Starbucks.’ That one!”
“That was over 10 years ago, I don’t even remember.”
“That’s okay. I remember.”
I shook our joined hands enthusiastically.
Murmuring sounds came from behind.
-Maeng Ju-im?
-Who is he?
-That guy who retired over ten years ago…
-Don’t you know about the mermaid incident?
-Why someone who retired so long ago?
-I heard Hunter Lee Tae-pyeong strongly requested him…?
Everyone seemed quite bewildered.
Well, that could be the case.
Since he’s a hunter who retired long ago.
Who knows if his skills are still intact.
But I absolutely needed Maeng Ju-im.
Because….
-Thud.
At that moment, Choi Mu-ryeong stood up from his seat.
“We can do introductions later.”
-….
“For now, let’s divide into teams.”
That’s what I was hoping for.
I raised my hand high and said.
“I absolutely want to be on the same team as Hunter Maeng Ju-im.”
“….”
In an instant, Choi Mu-ryeong’s eyebrows twitched.
“Huh?”
Maeng Ju-im also reacted with bewilderment.
But for me, Maeng Ju-im was absolutely first priority, no, priority zero.
“You can’t just decide that on your own….”
“Is there anyone else who wants to go with Hunter Maeng?”
-….
-….
-….
It was quiet.
I was the only one with my hand raised.
I smiled brightly and looked at Choi Mu-ryeong.
“Is that acceptable?”
“….”
“Anyway, Hunter Park Geum-ja will be in Busan, so let’s count Hunter Park Geum-ja on our side too.”
“….”
“We don’t really need another person either.”
“What…?”
“How about me and Hunter Maeng as a 2-person team, and the rest of you as a 5-person team?”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Choi Mu-ryeong shook his head with a firm voice.
He thought for a moment, then,
“I’ll join the same team as Hunter Lee Tae-pyeong. And Hunter Ban Hae-yeong, Hunter Han Si-on, Hunter Seo In-ha, and Hunter Sim I-yeong will form one team of four.”
“Oh my.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Hmm…. Do you have mental defense?”
Choi Mu-ryeong looked at me as if asking why I would ask such a thing.
“I do.”
“…Well, then that’s okay.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
‘To endure against Maeng Ju-im….’
It would be troublesome without mental defense.
Whether it’s a skill or an item.
In my case, I have the [Quiet Eira Forest Earring] that I received from Narin before, so I’m fine.
Since it’s an elf-made item, the effect is certain.
Choi Mu-ryeong looked at Maeng Ju-im and said in a cold voice.
“I know you were an excellent hunter.”
“….”
“But if your skills have gotten even slightly rusty.”
“….”
“It would be better for you to give up on going to Tsushima Island.”
Maeng Ju-im let out a hollow laugh.
“I wonder about that.”
Maeng Ju-im narrowed his eyes and looked at Choi Mu-ryeong.
“My skills are still so good that it’s problematic.”
“….”
Choi Mu-ryeong turned his head away with a swift motion.
This young punk has no manners.
No matter what, considering the age difference….
“Hey.”
That’s when it happened.
Maeng Ju-im gestured to me.
“Want to have a little chat?”
“Of course.”
I quickly followed Maeng Ju-im out.
The terrace at the end of the hallway.
As soon as Maeng Ju-im came out to the terrace, he immediately lit a cigarette,
-Puff. Puff. Puff.
And started smoking heavily.
He finished one in an instant,
And immediately lit up the next one.
“Lee Tae-pyeong, was it?”
“Yes.”
“I know well that you’re famous these days.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re doing really well.”
“Not at all.”
“There’s one thing I’m curious about.”
-Inhale.
He took a deep drag of smoke,
-Exhale.
Maeng Ju-im exhaled like he was sighing.
“Why me.”
“….”
“Kid, if you know my name well enough.”
“….”
“You must also know well what I’ve done.”
“….”
The cigarette tip glowed red as it burned.
There was no sadness or anguish in Maeng Ju-im’s voice.
Rather, I could feel fatigue.
“You saved your comrades from the mermaid swarm.”
-Ha!
Maeng Ju-im burst into laughter.
“Hey, man.”
“Yes.”
“Can you really call that saving them?”
“….”
“I drew aggro and died alone.”
“But you’re alive, aren’t you?”
“No.”
“….”
“I died in the Tower that day.”
Maeng Ju-im’s eyes were completely empty as he said this.
“Why do you think I, who’ve been hiding for over ten years, came out at your call?”
“Well. Maybe you missed the Hunter life?”
“Not a chance.”
“Then?”
“Because I want to die now.”
Now that’s an unexpected statement.
I scratched the back of my head.
“Do you know what my nickname is?”
“Isn’t it Toad?”
“It’s Succubus, you bastard. Succubus.”
Puff puff puff. His smoking speed increases.
“No matter how I try to live, damn it….”
“….”
“What kind of nickname is that for a grown man?”
“Well, since a succubus is a female demon, it is quite a unique nickname.”
“Ha, this bastard is really something else.”
“I get that a lot.”
“You don’t know. How I’ve lived since that day.”
Of course I don’t know.
How would Lee Tae-pyeong, who’s devouring the Tower with his [Thousand-Year Vitality] trait,
know how an old man with the [Charm] trait survived in South Korea?
“Right. I wouldn’t know.”
At my answer, Maeng Ju-im looks at me again with an incredulous expression.
“…What the hell?”
“But you see, Hunter Maeng.”
“….”
“If Hunter Maeng had ordinary traits like [Steel Fist] or [Diamond Body], I wouldn’t have called you here.”
-Thud.
The cigarette falls from Maeng Ju-im’s mouth.
-Swoosh.
I picked up that cigarette and threw it in the ashtray.
“Hunter Maeng’s trait, [Charm].”
“….”
“I don’t think there’s any aggro in South Korea, no, in the entire world that can beat that.”
“What?”
“Honestly, the 49th Floor incident too.”
“….”
“Wasn’t it a success rather than a failure?”
“Huh, what…?”
“Everyone survived because [Temptation] worked on them.”
“….”
Maeng Ju-im’s expression becomes strangely contorted.
A look that seems to understand, yet doesn’t quite.
“If it weren’t for that, how would Hunter Maeng’s colleagues have survived the Tower?”
“That’s….”
“If you think about it, you neutralized the mermaid swarm with just [Temptation] and got a clear judgment, so you could return.”
“Well, that….”
“Hunter Maeng Ju-im is the only Hunter who survived after being in the Tower for two weeks.”
“….”
“That’s why you’re needed.”
“….”
“Hunter Maeng Ju-im.”
I took out a new cigarette from the pack Maeng Ju-im had dropped and handed it to him.
-Chomp.
Maeng Ju-im habitually puts the cigarette in his mouth.
“So, you don’t like the nickname Succubus?”
“…Y-yeah.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Huh…?”
“After the Tsushima Island conquest is over.”
“….”
“I’ll make you a new nickname.”
Maeng Ju-im looks at me with a bewildered expression.
He seems to be thinking, what the hell does this bastard want to do with me?
Hehehe.
Whatever.
I smiled brightly and lit Maeng Ju-im’s cigarette for him.
“How about ‘Kappa Slayer’?”
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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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