Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 30

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

30
The branches of the Walking Trees burrowed into my body, draining my blood. Dozens of them coiled around me entirely, and I felt as though I were buried in a wooden swamp.
My regeneration wasn’t working well, likely due to the blood loss.
My consciousness was slipping away.
[Skill Acquired: Toxic Blood (A)]
[Regeneration skill level increased from D to C]
[Sturdy Body skill level increased from D to C]
The successive notifications from my status window jolted my eyes open.
Regeneration C-rank allowed me to drain the life force of my surroundings and channel it into my own healing. I stretched my arm and drove my fingers into the trunk of a Walking Tree.
I felt the creature’s life force being pulled through my fingertips. In response, the Walking Tree withered like a mummy.
My blood, transformed by the Toxic Blood skill, dissolved the branches that had burrowed into my body. More than merely acidic, it was a deadly poison—the intoxicated Walking Trees collapsed like rotting wood.
Lost in a frenzy, I struck down every Walking Tree within reach.
[Level increased]
After annihilating dozens of Walking Trees, my level rose. It hadn’t increased during this entire subjugation until now—but it rose precisely when I needed it most.
I absorbed the life force from the few remaining Walking Trees, then turned my body toward the direction Bae Na-young had been dragged. My heightened senses made the creature’s footprints starkly visible.
With the life force stolen from the Walking Trees, my body’s wounds regenerated steadily, and my running speed accelerated accordingly.
I sprinted up the mountain, my teeth grinding so hard they threatened to shatter.
I tried to make a call while running, but my phone was destroyed—whether from the Walking Trees’ strikes or gunfire, I couldn’t tell.
“Damn it….”
The curse escaped unbidden. Recovering from the head injury and tracking had consumed too much time. The hunter moved quickly—I had no idea how far ahead he’d gotten.
I pushed my leg muscles to their limit, driving forward with explosive force.
After about ten minutes of running, I spotted him ahead—carrying Bae Na-young on his shoulder as he fled.
I followed silently, muffling my footsteps.
He didn’t seem intent on harming her immediately, but I couldn’t attack recklessly while she was in his grasp. I maintained distance and pursued relentlessly.
A black sedan came into view, parked at a roadside lot. He hurled Bae Na-young into the back seat and hid a rifle beneath the trunk.
I held my breath, waiting. The moment the trunk slammed shut, I burst forward.
“What?!”
He recoiled in shock, but I pressed the advantage and threw a punch.
Despite his surprise, he evaded my fist with ease. For someone to dodge my attack when my Agility stat exceeded 50 meant he was at least B-rank—possibly even A-rank.
I threw punch after punch without pause, but infuriatingly, he was faster than me.
He retreated while drawing a pistol from his waist and fired at me. The agility required to shoot in rapid succession while backing away was simply beyond my capacity to match.
Since my Sturdy Body level had also increased, even mana-infused bullets could only pierce the skin.
“You’re supposed to be C-rank? This is insane!”
Seeing his bullets fail to penetrate my body, he screamed in frustration and rage.
“Who sent you?”
“Just back off, you bastard!”
Since he was aiming for my head, I dodged by watching the gun barrel while pursuing relentlessly.
But his speed was infuriatingly fast, and I kept sustaining minor wounds across my body. If I collapsed again, he’d pump bullets into my skull without hesitation. Then he’d disappear with Bae Na-young.
Now it was a race: would my regeneration capacity reach its limit first, or would his mana run out?
I dodged another volley and closed in, but a fired bullet curved mid-air, streaking toward my temple.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl. A triumphant smile spread across his face—he thought he had me. If that bullet lodged in my temple, my brain would be rattled, and I wouldn’t be able to dodge the next shot.
[Agility increased by 2.]
My agility surged at the critical moment. I twisted my head away from the incoming round, my reflexes suddenly sharpened.
But I moved too late. The bullet grazed my temple.
My brain reeled from the impact, and I dropped to one knee. It wasn’t as devastating as the rifle round from before, but the blow threw off my balance.
“This bastard’s tougher than expected… Let’s finish this.”
He advanced toward me, pistol raised.
Though the distance was still considerable, I threw a punch at the approaching figure.
“Where are you swinging at?”
Blood sprayed from my fist, splattering across his clothes.
“What?! What?! Ahhhhh!”
My blood began dissolving his garments and eating through his skin. Had he worn thick armor, this amount of poison might have failed to penetrate.
The toxin ravaged his body—his breathing grew ragged, his vision blurred. A lower-ranked Hunter would have died instantly, but his vitality was high enough to keep him alive, at least for now.
I shook my head clear and got to my feet. He fired again, but his aim and force were both pathetic.
I dodged the shots, closed in, blocked the gun barrel with my palm, and drove my heel into his abdomen.
His stomach caved inward, and he collapsed.
“Phew…”
I’d lost count of how many times I’d faced death on what was supposed to be a routine subjugation mission.
I went to his car and checked on Bae Na-young. Her breathing was steady and her complexion looked good—no immediate danger.
I retrieved a recovery potion and an antidote from Bae Na-young’s pouch and poured them into her mouth.
She didn’t regain consciousness immediately, but at least I could breathe easier.
I took the antidote to the gunman who’d just collapsed and forced it down his throat. He couldn’t die here—not yet. I still had questions for him.
After slapping his face several times, he groaned and stirred awake.
“Who sent you?”
“What do you mean, who sent me?”
I grabbed his right index finger.
“Last chance.”
He stared at his finger—his livelihood—as if weighing his options.
“Let me help you decide.”
I squeezed with all my strength, and the sound of bone cracking echoed.
“Ahhhhhhh!!!”
“For now, potions and elixirs can fix it. But if the finger disappears entirely, it’s over. You understand that, right?”
“Shinwoo!! Shinwoo sent me!”
“Should’ve said so from the start.”
I released his finger.
“Proof?”
“I recorded a video when the job came in… insurance, you know…”
I checked the video on his phone, and there he was—Tak Dong-yeon. Finally, I had him.
I restrained the gunman and drove back to Baek Young-shin.
“Ah… An assassination attempt?”
Baek Young-shin, who had been at the Base Camp, stared at me, Bae Na-young, and the Assassin with wide eyes.
“He’s the same guy who blocked us from entering that Gate last time. We have evidence, and he’ll testify.”
“This is bigger than I thought. It’s beyond what the Awakened Management Bureau can handle alone. I’ll report this up the chain, so please wait a moment.”
The Awakener Security Office, the superior department of the Awakened Management Bureau, was the government agency with the most influence in the current era.
While a major corporation like Shinwoo could suppress economic crimes through bribery, audits from the Security Office in cases involving Awakeners couldn’t be stopped.
Because high-ranking Hunters or capable Awakeners like Jae-in leaving the country due to poor treatment was a direct threat to national security, the Security Office was an independent agency with formidable power.
While waiting for Baek Young-shin to process the matter, the moment I transferred the data from my broken phone to the new one provided by the Awakener Management Bureau, a call came in.
“Hunter Lee Ji-seok, this is Yu Hyung-bin from Hyunsung Detective Agency. I just received urgent information. Tak Dong-yeon hired an Assassin and sent him after you.”
He spoke rapidly.
“He’s already come.”
“What?! Are you alright?”
“You’re genuinely worried, right?”
“Of… of course.”
“I’m fine. I caught him and turned him over to the Awakener Management Bureau. Next time, get the information to me faster.”
“I’m… I’m sorry.”
After that, everything proceeded at lightning speed.
The Assassin proved Tak Dong-yeon’s involvement, and Tak Dong-yeon testified endlessly as if he harbored a deep grudge against Lim Sung-jun.
In fact, Tak Dong-yeon had even installed cameras in Lim Sung-jun’s office and recorded conversations—he was fully prepared to betray him.
When footage of Lim Sung-jun assaulting Tak Dong-yeon was released, Lim Sung-jun lost his composure once again.
Through Tak Dong-yeon’s testimony, far more corruption came to light than what he had done to me and Bae Na-young.
The Detective Agency unexpectedly gathered substantial information and helped significantly in apprehending the criminals. The Detective Agency proved more useful than I’d anticipated.
Lim Sung-jun was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, incitement to murder, bribery, tax evasion, and assault; the Assassin received twenty years; and Tak Dong-yeon, recognized for his active cooperation with the authorities, received ten years.
If he were a monster, I would have simply killed him, but I couldn’t just execute the heir of a major corporation, so it took far longer than expected. But now, it’s truly over.
* * *
“I’m really grateful. I don’t know how many times you’ve helped me, Ji-seok. With the Hellhound, saving my mother, and now this case.”
When everything was finished, Bae Na-young sat beside me and spoke.
“It just happened that way.”
“I’ll work harder and repay you. Since we’re on the subject, should I curse you?”
I understood her intention was to help, but her wording was strange.
“That’s not necessary right now. Just rest for a while. I’m going to the Workshop since Jae-in called me. I’ll be back shortly.”
“Can I come too? I’ve never been there before.”
“Sure.”
The Workshop where Jae-in worked kept accumulating more and more inventory. Despite being recently established, it already seemed to need expansion.
“Jae-in, where are you?”
“Over here.”
Jae-in emerged from a pile of items, dark circles visible beneath her eyes. She bowed to Bae Na-young, who returned the greeting.
“Boss, the items are all done.”
Jae-in handed me a box.
“No… I told you to take your time. Why are you pushing yourself so hard?”
The Fairy Suit I wore in combat was more practical for me than ordinary armor or clothing, so I had no major complaints.
“I kept reaching for it, and whenever I lay down, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
“I’m grateful, but please take it easy.”
“Yes. Try it on.”
Jae-in brushed off my suggestion to rest.
“But what about the color?”
When I opened the box Jae-in gave me, it contained the translucent, iridescent rainbow hue of the Queen’s wings.
“Isn’t this too flashy?”
“Just try it on first.”
“How… how do I put this on?”
It wasn’t really clothing—just a beautiful piece of fabric scattered in the box. I lifted it while asking.
“Huh?!”
In that instant, the fabric slipped inside my shirt and began wrapping around my body.
“Ooh…”
When I removed my shirt, a sleek new suit clung tightly to me. It was remarkably thin and didn’t impede movement—the fit felt perfect.
“But the color is still a bit…”
“Infuse it with mana while imagining the color you want.”
“Hmm… black…”
Since I rarely used mana in daily life, it took some effort, but as I focused my mind, the beautiful iridescent glow transformed into a matte black.
“It changed!”
Bae Na-young, who’d been watching, was even more amazed than I was.
“It can even cover your hair. It shifts to a similar color, so if you hide anywhere, you’ll be practically invisible.”
This wasn’t even part of what I’d requested—she’d added it anyway. It seemed like it might be useful later.
“What about the levitation magic?”
“I incorporated wind magic. The activation method is the same—infuse mana while imagining it, and you’ll float.”
As I infused mana, the fabric fluttered around my body in long waves, and I felt myself becoming lighter. My body bounced as if I were walking in a place with very low gravity.
“It works. This will need some practice.”
“The damage resistance is 95%. 100% was just too difficult. But it has self-repair functionality, so over time it’ll automatically fix itself using your mana. The item rank is only B-grade, though. The specifications are quite unique.”
“The rank doesn’t matter. You did great work in such a short time.”
Since it had no defensive properties on its own, it would be classified as an accessory. Among accessories, there were many with better specs, which is why it received a B-grade rating.
“Actually… it cost a lot of money. The Hwagok Recovery Service owner provided the materials for now, but you’ll need to do some work later to pay it back.”
It seemed they’d thrown money at it to speed up production.
“Money can be earned again. Thanks for your hard work.”
My body itched to test out the item right away.

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