Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 126

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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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126
I left Yang Sang-heon in charge of training and headed to the Research Facility near the World Tree to commission the construction of training equipment.
“Jae-in.”
“Chairman.”
Jae-in looked at me with anxious eyes.
“… Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because you came looking for me in the middle of the night. What do you want?”
“Ahem. I’m the chairman, no matter what, so that attitude is….”
“Then, I’ll stop….”
I grabbed her wrist as she reached into her pocket to pull out her resignation letter.
“We’re close, so it’s fine. We’re friends, aren’t we? Let’s clear the air while we’re at it.”
“…Fine. But what is it?”
Jae-in tucked her resignation letter back into her pocket.
“Could you make some training equipment for me?”
“Training equipment?”
I explained the bet to Jae-in.
“Those damn Americans…”
“Pardon?”
“Those American bastards are always acting like they own the foundational technology, pushing Korea around left and right. I’ve been annoyed about it for a while now.”
“Is that so?”
I had completely entrusted the technological development side to Jae-in and hadn’t paid attention to it, so I didn’t know.
“They say that because they have the foundational technology, if we don’t build a factory in the United States, they’ll impose massive taxes. So we’re grudgingly building a factory in the United States too.”
I didn’t know about that either.
“Lose to those guys in technology? Not on my watch. You said the chairman would personally oversee the training, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then, as long as it’s not instant death, we can keep them alive, right?”
“…I suppose so?”
Jae-in swept everything off the desk with a violent gesture, and objects clattered to the floor.
The entire desk was a touch screen. She opened a design program and began sketching frantically.
“Research team! Stop everything you’re doing and design the training facility!”
“Huh?! Director, if we miss the deadline, we’ll have to pay penalties!”
“I’ll pay! The chairman has plenty of money!”
“No…. Jae-in, you don’t have to go that far….”
“Chairman, are you going to lose to those American bastards?”
Jae-in stared at me with wide eyes.
“What?! This is a fight against the United States?! Let’s go!”
The researchers rushed over and watched what Jae-in was writing down.
“Then, I’m counting on you.”
In response to my words, a wild gleam appeared in the eyes of Jae-in and the researchers.
* * *
No matter how much my level or stats increased, it meant nothing if I couldn’t demonstrate my true capabilities. So while the training equipment was being prepared, I conducted practical combat training by rotating through Gates.
And since this competition would pit me against humans, I deliberately chose Lizardmen—humanoid monsters of similar stature.
“Everyone except Jung Jang-mi handles the small fry, and Jang-mi fights the Lizardman Lord one-on-one.”
“Pardon?”
“… Me alone? Isn’t a Lord B-rank?”
“You’re about to become B-rank yourself anyway. In team battles, teamwork is crucial, but if individual ability falls short, even perfect teamwork becomes meaningless. Besides, your physical abilities, skills, and mana pool are already B-rank or higher.”
“Ehehe…”
Jung Jang-mi broke into a bashful smile at the praise.
“However! Your experience using those abilities is still far from sufficient. You need to endure many harsh battles like this to truly improve. If you can’t do it, I’ll swap you out. I’ll have Peter handle someone else.”
“I’ll do it!”
“Let’s go!”
The party charged at the Lizardmen horde.
Jung Jang-mi accelerated with magic, boosting her speed and leaping cleanly over the Lizardmen in front. Then she flew directly toward the Lord.
The Lizardman Lord’s emerald eyes fixed coldly on Jung Jang-mi. As she flew toward it, the Lizardman Lord also leaped into the air.
The strongest monster Jung Jang-mi had faced until now was C-rank, and even that had been defeated in cooperation with other Hunters, so the Lord’s movements felt impossibly swift.
As Jung Jang-mi threw a punch at the incoming Lord, flames erupted from her fist.
The Lizardman Lord, now within striking distance, slashed down at the magical flames with its sword. Jang-mi’s flames collided with the mana-infused blade, scattering in all directions and creating a violent gust.
“Kyaah!”
The gust pushed the Lord back, but the recoil from her hastily cast magic sent her tumbling across the ground as well.
“Ugh…”
While she lay on the ground in pain, the Lizardman Lord thrust its sword down at her.
She rolled forward across the stone floor, pushed herself up, and drove herself into the Lord’s embrace. Then she unleashed flames at its ribs and retreated.
Boom!
The strike landed on an armored section, so Jang-mi’s flames only enraged the Lizardman Lord without dealing significant damage.
The Lizardman Lord slashed its sword at Jung Jang-mi as she backed away.
Simultaneously, Jung Jang-mi gathered all her strength and poured a torrent of flames from her right fist directly at the Lizardman’s face.
Thud!
“Ugh…”
As her shoulder pierced through, the Lizardman Lord flew backward. Its face burned in agony, but the battle wasn’t finished yet.
Unable to see from the burned eyes, the Lizardman Lord flailed its sword wildly. Jung Jang-mi dodged the blade and closed in again.
She threw another punch at the unarmored face and unleashed a Fireball at close range.
The Lizardman Lord fell backward first, and the exhausted Jung Jang-mi also collapsed onto her back. Blood streamed from her shoulder.
“That’s one down. If we do this about a hundred more times, you’ll really get the hang of it.”
I tossed a ball of vitality to her, healing her wounds.
“Ugh… ma…”
Jung Jang-mi lost consciousness.
* * *
As soon as we exited one Gate, we immediately moved to the next. I handled the physical recovery while Bae Na-young cast Mind Cleansing on all five main members to manage their mental fatigue.
“Na-young, you should commercialize this! Any Hunter would pay any price for it! I’ve never felt so refreshed in my life.”
Jung Jang-mi received the cleansing first and looked like she was about to float away.
Separate from the friendly match, Adriana also underwent special training. The Hunter from Mexico needed to develop further, after all.
“Bae Na-young, you’re not going to do anything weird, are you?”
As Bae Na-young reached to place her hand on Adriana’s head, Adriana grew anxious and subtly stepped back.
“Weird? You mean teaching basic decency—not touching another woman’s man? Or is it about dressing like a bar girl?”
“Ji-seok!! Bae Na-young is bullying me!”
“Bae Na-young’s just joking. Right, Bae Na-young?”
…
“Bae Na-young?”
“See! I told you she’s crazy?!”
“I won’t, I won’t. It was a joke.”
I wouldn’t actually do it, but for a moment there, I’d shown a contemplative expression.
“All done!”
When Jae-in called me over, I found myself standing before a massive cylindrical structure.
The horizontal cylinder was enormous—fifty meters long and twenty meters in diameter.
“You… built this in just a week?”
“I modified something we’d already constructed for another project.”
Clearly, an astronomical sum of money had been poured into this. In a world where Awakeners and Hunters with various abilities existed, shortening construction time was simple if you had the funds.
“But what exactly is this?”
“It’s the Extreme Situation Generator!”
“That doesn’t really explain anything.”
“It’s faster to see it firsthand. Put on this earpiece and go inside.”
I put on the earpiece Jae-in handed me and entered through the door at the end of the cylindrical structure.
Inside the cylinder, jagged rocks and sharp metal protrusions covered the floor, walls, and ceiling densely.
“Have a pleasant time.”
Jae-in’s eyes gleamed as she shut the door.
“What the—”
The cylinder I was standing in began to rotate.
“Huh?”
I started walking slowly through the rotating cylinder like a hamster wheel, but the speed increased. Not only the cylinder I stood in, but all the connected cylinders rotated in different directions and speeds.
As the rapidly rotating cylinders brought obstacles toward me without pause, I had to keep moving. There was nowhere safe to stand, and jumping to an adjacent cylinder to avoid an obstacle meant losing my balance due to the different speed and direction.
“Interesting.”
[How is it?]
“It’s fun. But isn’t it a bit easy?”
[That’s only stage one. Moving to stage two.]
As Jae-in finished speaking, a round boulder fell from above the cylinder. As I dodged the boulder, a rain of arrows poured from the ceiling, followed by flames engulfing me.
Everything that fell rolled around, becoming additional obstacles.
“Oh wow. It feels like I’m at an amusement park.”
I evaded lightly while appreciating the various traps.
[Since you’re the chairman, this seems easy, but the Hunters at the Academy won’t find it so simple. And we’re not done. Moving to stage three now!]
The door I’d entered through opened, and Hong Long stepped inside.
“Hong Long at Stage 3?”
“I was asked to do it.”
Hong Long approached slowly, but the traps didn’t rain down on him. Of course, he still had to avoid obstacles, but as if this wasn’t his first time, he drew near with light, practiced steps.
“Since I’m doing this anyway, might as well do it properly?”
I took my stance and engaged Hong Long directly.
I could have overpowered Hong Long through sheer strength or speed, but since I wanted to learn his Tai Chi, I matched his pace and fought him.
Hong Long seemed to be enjoying it as well—this was good practice for him.
* * *
“So, what do you think?!”
“It’s well-made. But… wouldn’t this be too dangerous for the kids?”
“The boss will have to heal them regularly!”
Jae-in looked at me as if I’d said something obvious.
“I’ve packed the magic stones densely into the interior walls on the assumption that you’ll periodically infuse them with life force. Exposure to the stones’ mana will accelerate their growth.”
“If that’s the case, couldn’t they just grind up the magic stones and eat them?”
“Dropping poison one drop at a time is different from pouring an entire bucket. They’d die instantly—there wouldn’t even be time for life force to revive them. The chairman is here, which is why I embedded magic stones at this level. With only the World Tree’s life force, exposure at this concentration could kill even a Hunter.”
“Ah, you really know your stuff?”
“I’ve run animal tests near the World Tree before. Most died instantly, and some transformed into monsters and became ferocious. The right amount is medicine; too much, and it’s deadly poison—even for Hunters.”
“Hmm….”
* * *
“Kyaaah! Mom!”
Jung Jang-mi screamed as she fled from Hong Long chasing behind her.
Chang-hee moved and managed to snipe Hong Long well, but—
Hong Long caught the incoming bullet on the back of his hand, smoothly flipped his wrist, and sent it right back at Chang-hee.
Boom!
Hit by his own shot, Chang-hee lost consciousness and writhed, rolling across the rotating cylinder’s floor.
“Eek!”
Jang-mi, who’d been fleeing, spun around and breathed flames at Hong Long, who’d closed in right behind her.
Hong Long lowered his stance until his body nearly touched the ground, then struck Jung Jang-mi’s ribs with his elbow.
While Jang-mi happily took the beating, I handled the remaining three.
As I rushed toward Ye-seul, who was using a heel skill toward Jang-mi, Jin-woo sent his summoned bear at me.
“They look so similar—how didn’t he notice?”
Hyung-bin still doesn’t know he was the model. I kicked the summoned bear and burst it.
I aimed a side kick at the fleeing Ye-seul, but Hyung-bin blocked my path.
“Ugh!”
His wrist holding the shield fractured from the force of my kick.
Behind me, Ye-seul hurriedly healed her teammates and cast shields. Moving without pause and overusing skills, she looked dizzy.
Even in a Gate, after clearing one group of monsters, you can move and rest a little.

However, Jae-in’s Extreme Situation Generator offered no respite, continuously subjecting everyone to extreme conditions without pause—making it excellent training.
Like striking steel, I struck Hyung-bin repeatedly, hoping everyone would grow stronger.
* * *
The training’s effectiveness was remarkable. In mere hours, the five had grown far more than they would have from dozens of Gate runs. Of course, they would need to build experience against actual monsters separately later.
“Good work. You’ll start first thing tomorrow morning, so get plenty of rest.”
The five sprawled across the floor didn’t budge at my words, remaining motionless where they lay.
“Rest there if you want. Next group.”
Though only five would participate in this competition, we needed substitutes, and since the primary goal was training Hunters anyway, I had everyone train regardless.
The second group, who had watched the first five’s training from outside on monitors, entered through the door with expressions like cattle being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

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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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