I Became a Mythical Hunter After Killing the Golden Goblin - Chapter 5

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 5. Misfortune
“Brother, is that the one? That weakling-looking gentleman is carrying that much money?”
“Yeah, that’s him. Get ready. One billion won from that bastard alone—one billion! Let’s have some fun today, blow off some steam, and make some cash!”
“Really? With that kind of money, we should be grateful. Let’s get moving!”
The men who had been tailing Shin Ju-ha made their move the moment he stepped into the Outer District.
The Outer District was the only lawless zone in this Black Market where neither the Inspection Bureau nor Black Money could see.
[F+]-rank Hunter Kang San revealed himself alongside his younger brothers, a sinister smile spreading across his face.
As the thrill of the impending battle surged through him, Kang San’s body trembled with excitement as he issued his command with that same cruel grin.
“Since it’s been a while, let’s take our time playing with him before we finish him.”
“There won’t be any complications, right?”
“Of course not. The client has already confirmed everything. Ah… with one billion won, I can finally get out for a while!”
The five of them had originally been a party operating in the Tutorial Zone.
A party led by Kang San, the oldest and leader, consisting of one [F]-rank Hunter and three [F-]-rank Hunters.
Whether by good or bad fortune, these men who had been delinquents since high school had all awakened and bonded tightly together—a case of their ugly nature showing through as they committed crimes and drifted into this Black Market’s Outer District.
“Brother, that guy’s conveniently heading into the alley. Let’s do this now.”
“Yeah. The idiot’s practically begging to die! Let’s go, everyone!”
And that foolish, ugly evil brought about its own downfall.
***
“Hey! You there with the mask! Hold up a second!”
‘They’ve arrived.’
I stopped and turned around.
Five criminals slowly approached, having blocked all three exits from the alley.
One behind, two on each side. The only thing to watch for was their coordinated surprise attack.
I took a deep breath and sharpened my senses to their peak.
“Kekeke, nice to see you. Tell me, why are you wandering so carelessly through our territory?”
“If you enter our district, you have to pay the price!”
“The price is your life.”
Vulgar, petty, and childish voices echoed from all around, but I remained unmoved.
I simply clenched my fists and anticipated the battle to come.
‘All five of them are armed with blades.’
From the strength I sensed, three were [F-]-rank, one was [F]-rank, and one was [F+]-rank—a fairly formidable party.
Even with the Infinite Stats and investing twenty points at once, this would be a difficult fight.
I had no weapon, no noble martial arts.
At best, the self-defense techniques I’d accumulated from experience hunting goblins were all I had mastered.
Yet somehow, I felt no fear.
〚A petty misfortune laden with murderous intent eyes you and laughs wickedly!〛
〚Heavenly fortune takes displeasure in the violent activity of misfortune!〛
〚Overcome the misfortune! If you overcome it, heavenly fortune shall reward you!〛
The System Message revealed that these men were my misfortune.
“So, why did our gentleman venture all the way out to this Outer District?”
“Why are you even curious about that? What business is it of yours?”
“What do you mean it’s none of our business! This is clearly our territory!”
At Kang San’s bluff, I let out a hollow laugh.
“You haven’t even escaped F-rank, and you’re claiming to own part of the Black Market?”
At least a lie should be believable enough to pretend to fall for. This is just pathetic—no excitement, no thrill, nothing.
“You bastard! What gives you the nerve to act so confident? You’re just a freshly awakened Level 0 Hunter. Even if we haven’t escaped F-rank, we’re more than capable of killing one punk like you!”
My face, which had been wearing a smirk, hardened in an instant.
“What? Surprised I saw your status window? You’re the one who’s been bluffing this whole time, you little punk! Carrying that A-rank card in your chest and thinking you’ve become some high-tier Hunter. How pathetic! Our gentleman is so shocked!”
“Hahahaha! Did you wet yourself, boss!”
How did they know?
One thing was certain—they had never checked my status window. I would have sensed it.
Then how did they know I was a Level 0 Hunter who had just awakened?
As I traced back my thoughts, a figure came to mind—one I felt like slapping my forehead over.
‘That damn Fox.’
No wonder I felt something off when I went in for the consultation. Fox had used an ability to check my status window.
Back then, I didn’t have the Wuji stat, so I brushed past it uncertainly, but thinking about it now, I definitely felt something in my senses at that moment.
“Ah… truly vile and petty misfortune.”
“Kekeke! Now that you know your place, hand over that card in your chest!”
As Kang San spoke, he sent a glance toward the back. It was a signal that an inexperienced Hunter wouldn’t understand, but I grasped the situation instantly.
Shing!
With the sound of a blade being drawn, the one behind me thrust their sword forward in a flash. The sharp blade rushed toward me with precision, aimed directly at my shoulder.
“Tch!”
With my heightened senses, I already knew the attack was coming. I simply twisted my shoulder slightly to evade it.
“Wh… what?”
The blade cut through empty air instead of my shoulder. The F-rank Hunter holding it looked bewildered, uttering a stupid sound.
But that brief moment was a fatal mistake.
Seizing the opening, I immediately struck down on the wrist holding the sword. The moment the blade fell from their grip, I drove my foot into their solar plexus.
“Kugh!”
The F-rank Hunter flew backward and crashed into the wall.
“Damn! What the—”
“Oh no, Sang-rim!”
“Wh… what? A Level 0 Hunter?”
Was it because their second-strongest Hunter, aside from their leader, had fallen without even putting up a fight?
The faces of those who had been waiting so eagerly for my screams and cries of pain twisted in shock.
“Phew… now this is worth fighting. It’s too cowardly if only you lot have blades.”
I picked up the sword from the F-rank Hunter who was already unconscious on the ground.
The martial talent granted by the Wuji stat—I felt it faintly the moment I grasped the blade.
How to attack, how to evade, which sword techniques to employ.
“What you’re after is probably my card and my life. And I have plenty of questions for you too…!”
Before I could finish speaking, I kicked off the ground and rushed toward the nearest enemy.
“Let’s see this through to the end!”
My blade swept from left to right in a rapid arc, striking the opponent’s sword with tremendous force.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
As steel met steel and sparks erupted, the groan of pain came from my opponent.
He was stunned. Despite his lack of talent, trapping him in the [F-] rank for over five years, he had still unlocked two of the four basic physical stats and pushed them above 20. Yet here he was, losing a pure strength contest to a level 0 Hunter?!
“What…what is this?! What trick are you using?!”
“No trick. You just picked the wrong opponent. Did you think rank was everything?”
Of course, from my perspective, this was almost laughable. I had become a Mythic-tier Hunter with two Mythic-tier stats.
“Don’t talk shit! You’re just some punk who awakened not long ago!”
Unable to accept this reality, I retreated a step to evade the wild, indiscriminate sword strikes.
The time his rage had bought me was more than enough for his allies to press their attack. Four blades converged on me simultaneously.
Tsk!
Even with my body hardened by the Infinite stat and newfound talent for combat, I couldn’t evade all four blades coming from every direction.
Thud!
I pushed off the ground and leaped as high as I could to dodge, but—
“Not so fast!”
Kang San’s blade pursued me relentlessly, slashing across my thigh.
“Damn it!”
Crimson blood streamed down, and the sharp sting of the wound ignited my consciousness and my fury.
“Hahaha! I don’t know what unique ability you awakened, but the fact remains—you’re a greenhorn who’s never hunted properly!”
“Shut up.”
Yes, I admit it. I underestimated you all. With this newfound power, I grew arrogant and careless.
I treated you the same as the goblins that fell beneath my hand—the very goblins whose leader killed me in my past life.
I didn’t want to use this, wanting to minimize losses.
“Now I’ll fight you properly.”
I activated one ability—the highest-tier unique skill I’d identified while luring them in.
〚Unique Ability: Equivalent Exchange (等價交換) LV1 establishes the scales of equivalence (等價)!〛
A translucent scale materialized behind my back.
“Grant me the power to overwhelmingly defeat them!”
〚The caster’s request is placed on the left scale!〛
〚Left: Infinite Stat +25 temporarily〛
〚The price to be placed on the right scale is determined to balance the scales.〛
〚Right: 250,000 Purple Coins〛
“I accept the exchange.”
By paying the equivalent value in coins, I obtain the power I desire. Such is the strength of Equivalent Exchange—a Primordial-tier unique ability!
“What the hell is this?!”
〚Skill: Acceleration [Common] LV3 activates!〛
〚Skill: Power Strike [Common] LV7 activates!〛
〚Unique Ability: Merchant’s Eye [Advanced] LV5 activates!〛
Indeed, with experience and the rank of [F+] Hunter, Kang San was quick to notice what I was abandoning, and he launched himself at me with all the strength he could muster.
“Die!!”
But it was too late.
〚The Scale of Equivalence has achieved balance!〛
〚Equivalent Exchange commencing!〛
Exactly 250,000 of the purple coins in my inventory that I could use vanished.
〚Mythic Stat: Wuji Stat temporarily increases by 25!〛
〚Wuji (Mythic) F-(21/99) →(46/99)〛
〚Remaining time 10:00〛
As a surge of power coursed through my entire body, I extended my hand and struck the flat of the blade that was hurtling toward me, grinding it downward.
Crash!
With a sound far too discordant to be called a mere collision between sword and fist, Kang San’s blade tore from his grip and flew through the air before embedding itself into the ground.
“What…what is this?”
It was absurd. He had activated his unique ability to increase strength stats, a skill that enhanced attack power, and even a skill that boosted agility—yet he had been defeated!
‘A mere level 0 subject not only saw through my attack but disarmed me entirely?’
“A…monster!”
Kang San could only speak those words. This was a monster from a different world than his own. Not a worm crawling through the depths and living in darkness like them, but a genius who would ascend brilliantly and become a star in that distant sky.
In that moment, he understood. A fear and pressure as if standing before a high-rank Hunter washed over him, and one truth crystallized in his mind.
No matter what he did, he could never defeat Shin Ju-ha before him!
“Sleep now!”
And with that fist from Shin Ju-ha descending upon him, Kang San’s consciousness shattered.
***
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Gack! Ugh! Squawk!
With just three more punches, I knocked out the remaining small-time thugs, then exhaled a weary sigh as I surveyed them.
Worthless criminals, nothing but bottom-feeders crawling through the gutters of society.
‘Not that I don’t understand, though.’
Excluding those rare few called prodigies, most [F-] to [F] grade Hunters never graduate from the Tutorial Zone—they simply hunt monsters within the Tutorial Fields to earn money.
But the income they can generate is pitiful compared to what a true Hunter should earn.
Since the vast majority of Hunters bear the letter F in their rank, even with countless Tutorial Fields spread across vast territories, there simply aren’t enough monsters to sustain them all.
Meanwhile, E-grade Hunters explore the Abyss and clear dungeons that open in reality, earning thousands per month.
But before my regression, when I was an [F-] grade Hunter—even as a veteran—I earned barely 500 to 700 per month.
Of course, that amount still exceeded the average salary of ordinary office workers.
Yet when your life is on the line, expenses are substantial, and Hunters prone to excess spending find such income woefully insufficient.
When death could come tomorrow, shouldn’t one splurge on better equipment and potions, and live luxuriously even if just for a single day?
‘I myself half-committed crimes because of those loan shark bastards.’
But wrong is still wrong.
I lowered my sword with another sigh, opened my inventory, and retrieved the finest potion I could access, then poured it over the blade’s edge where blood streamed and bone showed through.
Sizzzzle!
“Hah!”
Accompanied by intense burning, the wound regenerated instantly as smoke rose from the blade.
“Now… what should I do?”
Ultimately, the reason these thugs came after me was because of that Fox bastard.
Naturally, an employee of Black Money attempting to kill a customer was something that shouldn’t happen, even in a shadow banking operation.
It seemed this wasn’t the first or second time such an incident had occurred.
‘I need to gather concrete evidence.’
My eyes gleamed as I rose to my feet, approached the unconscious Kang San, and without hesitation, delivered a sharp slap across his face to wake him.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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