Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 33

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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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33
Yang President bowed to me with half-joking, half-sincere intent as he proposed that I assume the concurrent position of Rigen President.
“Please don’t do that. I’m not a chairman. Just keep calling me as you have been.”
I grasped his shoulders and helped him up.
From that day forward, the factory workers began calling me Chairman.
Since Rigen required vast quantities of ogre hides as item materials, I rushed to the Ogre Gate whenever it opened and hunted relentlessly, causing an ogre hide shortage in the market. Other hunters came too, but none could match my hunting speed. B-rank hunters and above might catch them faster, but they had no reason to venture into D-rank Gates.
As a result, material procurement companies facing urgent deadlines sent salespeople to us. They needed immediate deliveries but lacked the materials.
“Hunter Lee Ji-seok, sir. Would you consider selling just a small portion to us? We’ll pay the highest market price.”
Previously they’d been arrogant, but now they desperately sought materials, even bringing gifts and bowing deeply.
“You turned me away before. What’s changed now?”
“Us?”
The salesman’s eyes widened as if he’d heard nothing, and he asked again.
“Go back and ask Director Park at your procurement department.”
“But I….”
“Leave.”
I sent the salesman away from the factory. Perhaps the salesman himself bore no fault, but the company’s arrogance had created this situation. You reap what you sow.
That said, a company of this size wouldn’t be significantly shaken by me and Rigen alone.
However, Rigen and Hwagok Recovery had only growth ahead. Once we expanded, we planned to purchase magic stones and byproducts from other hunters, continuously scaling up. Then companies like that wouldn’t dare look down on us.
“President, is the new staff training complete?”
“Yes, everyone’s settled in now.”
“Then please have Kim Deputy Manager and the Hwagok Recovery staff return to recovery operations. Since we’re established, we need to push the Gates harder.”
“Understood.”
I’d neglected my personal growth while focusing on materials. Now I needed to refocus on my own development.
Two months had passed since establishing and running Rigen. However, while gathering materials, I’d reached level 30, and considering the long-term income Rigen would generate, those months represented substantial gains rather than losses.
* * *
With Rigen stabilized and hunting comfortably, I spotted a villain from my past life inside a Gate and he vanished.
When I first saw him, I doubted my eyes. I hadn’t known he was active as a hunter this early.
A hunter from my past life who wielded a sword that shone like Yang Sang-heon’s Light Sword. He wore a silver full-plate armor and was an A-rank hunter with excellent skills and numerous good deeds—a model hunter. Until his crimes were exposed.
This psychopath kidnapped and imprisoned civilians, toying with them like playthings before killing them.
His crimes were revealed seven years later. During that chaotic period, the incident brought even greater despair to people. An A-rank hunter admired by all was a serial killer.
They never even caught him. Since the world had become infested with monsters anyway, he probably died when Earth collapsed years later.
The problem now was that I didn’t know whether this man, like Bae Na-young, was once normal but became a villain through some circumstance, or if he was a born psychopath like Choi Mi-ran.
“Hello there. Would you like to team up? I’m C-rank.”
I approached first to investigate. Just as with Choi Mi-ran, I might catch him red-handed at the scene, and now that I could detect lies, understanding what kind of person he was wouldn’t be difficult.
He wasn’t yet wealthy enough to afford gleaming armor like before—instead he wore light armor befitting a D-rank hunter.
“Really? We’d be grateful, but are you sure? We’re all D-rank….”
“It’s fine. I get anxious hunting alone too. We’ll split the rewards equally by headcount.”
The Ogre Gate was appropriate difficulty for a D-rank party, but they could still face unexpected threats like Twin Head appearances. With a C-rank hunter alongside them, safety was guaranteed and income wouldn’t suffer—no reason to refuse. And from his appearance, he seemed to have spent considerable time inside Gates.
“We really appreciate it!”
Throughout our conversation so far, I detected no malice or intent to deceive me.
“Shall we head out?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, I’m Lee Ji-seok. I’m a fighter. What are your names?”
“I’m Seo Kyung-hyun, a warrior.”
“Yun Hye-eun. I’m a mage.”
“An Hye-ju. Close-range dealer.”
An Hye-ju spoke without even glancing at me, her words tossed out carelessly.
“Ha… Hye-ju is just shy around strangers.”
Seo Kyung-hyun stepped in to smooth things over for An Hye-ju.
During our battles, he wielded his luminous sword with practiced skill. Setting aside personality, his technique was something I’d want to show Yang Sang-heon. The light was brighter and more powerful than Yang Sang-heon’s as well. He ranked among the stronger D-rank hunters, and it seemed he’d be promoted to C-rank soon.
“What skill is that?”
I asked Seo Kyung-hyun after we finished fighting.
“It’s called Justice Sword.”
“The Sword of Justice?”
“It’s embarrassing to have such a name. This is a secret, but this skill grows stronger when I act justly and weakens when I commit injustice.”
There was no deception in his words.
At least, it seemed he hadn’t committed any crimes so far.
“Hye-eun, Hye-ju, have some of this.”
“I’ll gather the rest, so you three take a break.”
Throughout our time in the Gate, Seo Kyung-hyun displayed exceptional combat prowess, and despite his own exhaustion, he showed kindness toward his party members and demonstrated natural leadership.
No matter how I looked at him, he seemed like nothing but a good person. With Choi Mi-ran, my senses weren’t as sharp back then, so I didn’t notice immediately, but now is different. This man doesn’t appear to be a villain no matter how I examine him. Could he be a case like Bae Na-young?
Yet something bothered me. Unlike with Bae Na-young, an uncomfortable feeling refused to fade.
Sensing I needed to keep watching, I asked for his phone number after we cleared the Gate.
“I’m grateful. If we end up going together again, I’d appreciate it. Today felt like hunting while riding the bus, thanks to you.”
Seo Kyung-hyun said this with an easygoing smile.
“Sure. I look forward to it.”
“You’re not exchanging numbers with the others?”
“No, that’s fine.”
I felt no need to exchange with those women.
“Well then, let’s call it a day and contact each other when we go next time.”
I pulled out my phone, then left the spot, leaving the two women staring at me with bewildered expressions.
“Yu President, how have you been?”
After returning to my car from the Gate, I called Hyunsung Detective Agency.
“Yes, I’ve been doing well thanks to you.”
“You’re not doing anything wrong?”
“No. I’m just helping find families of people in need or tracking down loan sharks.”
“Good. You’re short on money, right? I’ll have someone for you to shake down.”
That uncomfortable feeling still wouldn’t go away.
“What’s his name?”
“His name is Seo Kyung-hyun, a D-rank hunter about 180 centimeters tall with a lean build. His phone number is….”
“Yes, I don’t think it will be difficult to find at that level.”
“Find him and investigate whether there are any dirty corners. Obviously, you can’t get caught, and don’t approach first or do anything unnecessary. Just gather information.”
“I’ve been doing this kind of work for days. Leave it to me.”
“Then I’m counting on you.”
* * *
A few weeks had passed since I entrusted him with the investigation.
“Lee Ji-seok, Hunter. I’m calling regarding the Seo Kyung-hyun investigation.”
A call came from Yu President of the Detective Agency.
“Did anything come up?”
“In all my years of background investigations, I’ve never seen someone so clean. He has a good reputation among fellow hunters, volunteers on his days off, and donates generously. Based on what I’ve found so far, he doesn’t even drink or smoke, let alone use drugs.”
“Really?”
“Last time, he brought a homeless man to his house and fed him. And since he hasn’t come out, it looks like he let him stay the night too.”
“… He hasn’t come out? He went in a few days ago?”
“He went in four days ago, and I haven’t seen him come out yet.”
“Are you watching 24 hours?”
“We’ve installed cameras all around Seo Kyung-hyun’s detached house and are monitoring it. If anyone came out, we would have known.”
“What about inside the house?”
“We’re peeking through the windows from a distance. The security is so good, and if we install cameras in a hunter’s house, the chances of getting caught are high, so we didn’t.”
“I’m coming now. Let’s meet at the office.”
“Huh? Why would you— Hello?”
I hung up and immediately headed to the Detective Agency office. That homeless man who went in but never came out was bothering me too much.
“Welcome!”
As I entered, the Detective Agency staff jumped to their feet and greeted me loudly.
“Yeah, hey.”
I waved my hand at Oh In-bang, who was bowing respectfully, telling him to sit down.
“Yu President, I need to get into that house. How can I do it without being detected?”
“There are sensors on the wall. And there are lots of cameras around the wall too. If you approach carelessly, it will call a private security company.”
“Is it enough if I just get over the wall?”
“No. If you go over the wall, there are motion-detection cameras in the yard. It will take some time to figure out which areas are safe. Right now, the only way is if you fall from the sky.”
“Then that works. I can just descend from the sky.”
“Huh? Do you know how to use flight magic?”
“Well, I can do something similar. What’s next?”
“If you can get down from the roof without being detected, our youngest, Jung Min-woo, can pick the lock and get in.”
“He’s good at picking locks?”
“My skill is transformation.”
The guy named Jung Min-woo shaped his fingers into a key.
“That’s interesting. Can’t you transform into a weapon?”
“I can, but the strength is only slightly harder than bone, so if it clashes with a real weapon, it will just shatter.”
Well, if it were a good skill, he wouldn’t be working at the Detective Agency.
“Got it. Just pick the lock well. What’s his schedule?”
“I’m volunteering at a homeless shelter tonight, so I’ll be home late. But is this really necessary?”
“Just do as I say.”
After the sun had completely set, I climbed onto the rooftop of a building near Seo Kyung-hyun’s House.
“Have you figured out where the homeless man is in the house?”
“No. He hasn’t come near the window these past few days. Do you think the homeless man might be dead?”
Yu President, who had climbed onto the rooftop with me, asked.
“Maybe. Something feels off. Min-woo, come here.”
I scooped up Jung Min-woo, who was wrapped head to toe in a suit and dressed entirely in black, cradling him in my arms.
“Brother… is this really okay?”
“I’m not holding you because I want to. Keep your mouth shut. You’ll bite your tongue.”
I lowered my stance and tensed my legs. As my thighs swelled with power and I pushed off the ground, I channeled mana through the suit to cast a levitation spell.
“Kyaaah!!”
I soared dozens of meters into the night sky.
“I jumped too hard. Hold on tight.”
“Y-yes… yes…”
Jung Min-woo gripped my neck firmly.
Reaching the apex, I began my descent. By adjusting the levitation spell, I descended at the speed of a parachute falling.
“Down.”
I landed on the roof and dropped Jung Min-woo, who had been clinging to me, onto the ground.
“Can you get in now?”
“Yes, we can enter through that door. There’s no security system.”
Of course they wouldn’t have prepared for something descending from the sky.
“Let’s go.”
Jung Min-woo deformed his fingers and inserted them into the keyhole, and the door opened quickly.
I carefully opened the door and entered, descending to the second floor. The house had nice interior design and was well-maintained, but something felt ominous.

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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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