Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 202

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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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202
The young Adamant King’s gaze, which had been wandering since entering the mine tunnel, finally fixed on one spot.
Following that gaze, I recognized a familiar face.
Metalim and Ridi, who had hidden on the surface before being discovered and burying me in the earth, were mining ore alongside other Metalim workers.
Gone was their previous pristine appearance—their bodies were now mottled with stains and cracks running across them in places.
Feeling my gaze, Ridi turned around and dropped to her knees.
“I apologize for my rudeness last time. Please, I beg your forgiveness….”
“Going forward, I will be more careful in selecting who ascends to the surface.”
Before I could say anything, Elchai stepped between us.
The Adamant King’s expression grew pained as he watched Ridi kneeling.
“Shall we leave this suffocating place now?”
Elchai hurried toward the exit of the mine tunnel. He seemed far more uncomfortable being there than we were.
“What is this place?”
On the path leading to the surface, a massive structure made of earth came into view. It stood out distinctly since everything else was constructed from metal or minerals.
“This place holds great significance for Metalim. I’m afraid it’s not somewhere I can show to outsiders.”
“Director Elchai, we cannot permit unknown facilities to be constructed beneath our territory without our knowledge.”
“…. Only the two of you may enter.”
Pressured by Director Baek Young-shin’s firm stance, Elchai relented and permitted us to enter. Only the Director and I stepped inside.
Within, molten metal glowed a deep red, pooling like a lake, surrounded by intricate magical formations.
“What is this place?”
“The Sanctuary of Metallanet. It is said to be where Metalim were born, and it grants them strength as well.”
“And these magical formations?”
“They prevent any unauthorized beings from entering Metallanet. Surely you don’t intend to control our own defensive measures?”
“Of course not.”
After viewing the Sanctuary, we headed toward the Cultivation Farm.
“The ore mined from the tunnels earlier is cultivated and grown here.”
Metallanet’s metallic plants were seeded into raw ore to increase yield.
The plants rooted in the raw stones differed from those on the surface. They bore no leaves and grew not upward but outward in all directions at random, yet their form was random and geometric simultaneously.
Fruits sprouted randomly from the branches—perfectly spherical or cubic raw stones that gleamed beautifully, captivating everyone’s attention.
“They proliferate when given metal powder of isotopic elements. Only the Metallanet Royal Family knows the precise method.”
“This is…. revolutionary….”
Jae-in leaned forward to observe the plants closely.
“It’s a transformation that far surpasses chemistry! Creating different metals from the same elements!”
I forcibly dragged the excited Jae-in away, unwilling to leave, and we ascended to the surface.
“We thank you for your hospitality. As discussed, we will now issue temporary residence permits to any who wish to work on the surface.”
At Director Baek Young-shin’s warning not to ascend without his permission, Elchai smiled faintly.
“Thank you. I hope we can conduct friendly and fair dealings.”
At Elchai’s implication not to try to cheat us, Director Baek Young-shin shook his hand. Both men smiled pleasantly, but behind their expressions lay a transaction heavy with unspoken considerations.
* * *
Earth had suffered tremendous decline from the first Gate Catastrophe, but now it was gradually reclaiming its former way of life day by day.
The World Tree Academy strengthened the Hunter tier, and item crafting techniques and magic improved significantly through our agreement with Tellus, dramatically raising Hunter survival rates. Thanks to this, the notoriously high Hunter life insurance premiums had even decreased.
Once lunar moonstone supplies began flowing to Earth, the mana stone market landscape shifted. Mana stone prices initially dropped, but as Gates connecting various regions across Earth began consuming them, demand surged and prices climbed again.
Ark Residents also crossed through the Gate connecting the Moon and Earth, clearing Gates and harvesting resources.
For various reasons, the burden of Gate conquest diminished, and now any nation could live without fear of Gate breaks.
Korea didn’t merely recover to its pre-Gate crisis state—its economy had advanced even further.
Metallanet’s metal purchases accelerated this development once more.
For humans to mine metals requires lengthy exploration expeditions, and countless problems plague the process: safety concerns, environmental damage, and more.
But Metalim faced none of these constraints, allowing them to acquire resources at bargain prices.
Our trade with Metallanet yielded far more than minerals alone.
Through our agreement with Metallanet, numerous Metalim ascended to the surface and worked as temporary laborers.
Metalim possessed tremendous strength and excelled in harsh environments. Their ability to shape metal freely without heat or force made them invaluable across construction sites, research facilities, factories, and countless other operations.
And they seemed to genuinely enjoy working on the surface.
“Hee-chul! I wish they’d relocate permanently near the World Tree!”
“Jae-in, you really think so?”
“Chairman, of course! Our existing projects have accelerated by twenty percent!”
“Twenty percent isn’t much.”
You’re greedy. For our scale, that’s enormous.
“Director, could I receive today’s wages?”
While Jae-in and I chatted, a Metalim worker approached as their shift ended. Since the items we provided them were precious, Jae-in managed distribution personally.
“Ah, one moment. Here you go.”
Jae-in handed over a box, and the Metalim workers immediately opened it.
“Ooh!”
“Will we ever get to use these?”
“Dream on. You’ll get in serious trouble.”
The workers’ eyes gleamed as they examined the contents. Inside lay mana stones alongside polishing compounds and shine enhancers for metal. Yet the workers’ attention fixed entirely on the polishes and enhancers rather than the expensive mana stones.
“Would you like an extra one?”
Jae-in offered.
“What?! Really?”
“You’ve worked hard. Consider it a bonus.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
The Metalim practically leaped with joy, departing with Jae-in’s gift.
“Is that really worth so much to them?”
“Different values, I suppose. Humans love jewels and luxury brands, don’t they? It’s similar.”
“That makes sense.”
“Cheap polishing compounds mean if they work hard, I can give them one daily.”
Jae-in and I gazed briefly at the expanding research facility construction site. With each new facility’s developments in items and magic, our combat strength continuously improved.
Beyond that, Jae-in pursued research I knew nothing of. Without meeting Jae-in, perhaps none of this would have happened.
“Chairman, if we keep gathering allies and building strength like this, won’t the Manager eventually abandon Earth?”
“Perhaps. The current situation isn’t bad. But having faced the Manager directly, I can’t call it sufficient.”
No matter how many ants gather, when a volcano erupts and lava engulfs their colony, it ends. Similarly, the Manager’s overwhelming power means Earth could be destroyed at any moment, should they choose.
The difference in time flow and the fact that the Manager’s gaze hadn’t reached this place—that was our fortune. In the meantime, we had to find a way to survive.
Just as Jae-in was doing her part to stay strong, I could only do what I was capable of. Without letting my guard down, I trained alongside Marbas, Amy, Jung Min-gi, and Hong Long.
We weren’t taking breaks to eat and fight. We simply fought each other to the death simultaneously.
The tension of not knowing where four opponents might strike from sharpened everyone’s senses even further.
“Krahaha! You humans are quite impressive!”
Initially, Marbas relied solely on his overwhelming strength, charging forward without any particular technique. But after taking Amy’s electricity to the face several times and experiencing his own attacks being turned back against him by Hong Long’s tai chi, he changed his approach.
Once he began stealing and using techniques from Jung Min-gi and Hong Long bit by bit, he was already formidable—but he grew more difficult to face with each passing day.
In contrast to Marbas, who had begun employing technique, I built up my resistance to demonic energy by directly receiving his magic-laden attacks head-on.
“Ji-seok, aren’t you going to settle things~?”
After one round of sparring ended, Amy asked.
“Huh? Settle what?”
“The match from the exchange tournament two years ago~ We should have a proper rematch now~?”
The finals of the first exchange tournament had been ruined by a United States hunter who had overdosed on mana, and Amy and I had fought then. My victory had become known worldwide, and Amy had been holding onto that.
“You confident?”
If Amy had possessed a weapon back then, the outcome might have been different. But I had grown several levels since then.
“You won’t know until you try~”
“Fine. This time, let’s include S-rank hunters too.”
“Sounds good~ Get ready~”
Through Director Baek Young-shin, I submitted an official request to the Hunter Association.
“An exchange tournament, sir? We’ve actually been receiving many requests for one. I simply hadn’t brought it up since you’ve been so busy.”
“Ah, perfect timing. This time, let’s have participants not just from Earth, but from Telus, the Moon, and Metallanet as well.”
“Yes, sir. However, if we don’t place restrictions on rank, a national competition will be difficult to manage.”
The power balance between nations had become far too skewed right now.
“I have an idea.”
After hearing my proposal, Director Baek Young-shin and the other association officials all agreed, and Director Baek Young-shin announced that the exchange tournament would be held.
“This exchange tournament will not be a national competition like last time, but rather will be conducted with mixed races. Each team can have only one representative from each race.”
In other words, three humans couldn’t form a team together. They had to be mixed—one human, one elf, one dwarf, and so on.
“The purpose of this exchange tournament is not competition, but rather to foster harmony and coordination with one another in preparation for enemies that may come in the future.”
Director Baek Young-shin explained the tournament’s purpose to everyone, but the representatives from each nation and race who heard it had different thoughts.
They saw the exchange tournament as an opportunity to showcase their nation’s and race’s power.
However, the exchange tournament faced the crisis of ending before it even began.
Rumors spread that Amy and I would be participating, and the number of participants didn’t exceed twenty.
“This won’t be fun at all… Should I not participate?”
“If Ji-seok doesn’t compete, who am I supposed to fight~?”
“You’ve been with Marbas so long, you’ve become quite aggressive.”
“Have I~? Hehehehe.”
While we were in a meeting discussing how to proceed with the tournament.
“Brother!”
Hee-chul burst into the conference room.
“Bae Na-young!”
Without waiting to hear the rest of Hee-chul’s urgent words, I bolted from the room.
The child I was carrying had accelerated its growth by absorbing Bae Na-young’s life force, but even accounting for that, there was still time before the due date.
“Bae Na-young!”
What had happened to the child? Or had something befallen Bae Na-young? Consumed by worry, I burst through the door of the World Tree House as if to shatter it and rushed inside.

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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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