Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 65

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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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65
“You’re welcome to join our A-rank Gate team. If you pass the test.”
Jung Min-gi’s lips curved upward.
“A test?”
“I’ve already seen Lee Ji-seok’s abilities firsthand and heard plenty about them, so I trust you. But if I don’t confirm it myself, I’ll hear complaints later.”
From the look in his eyes, it seemed less about verifying my strength as guild master and more about satisfying personal curiosity.
“I accept.”
In my position, I could hardly refuse. Besides, this was an excellent opportunity to gauge the gap between myself and a true S-rank hunter—not a low-tier S-rank like the Axe Wielder or Tian Fei.
“Then, let’s head down!”
Following Jung Min-gi into the Training Facility, the interior walls and ceiling were seamlessly covered with dark gray matte metal panels.
“This… isn’t this all recently developed reinforced material? A blend of modern technology and A-rank materials?”
“Exactly. It can easily withstand A-rank attacks.”
“Installing something this expensive throughout an entire training facility—truly befitting the Rose Guild.”
I’d thought we’d earned considerable wealth from Rigen, but seeing this kind of expenditure poured into a single building made that pale in comparison. The Rose Guild’s status as the strongest guild was well-deserved.
“Hunters risk their lives if they neglect training, so this is a necessary expense. Besides, we got it cheap. The salesman swore it would never break, so I tested it by throwing a steel ball at it—and it cracked on the first hit.”
Jung Min-gi laughed casually.
I recalled a car company that had tested bulletproof glass by throwing a steel ball at a window—and it shattered. A salesman’s confidence is important, but excessive confidence has consequences.
“That’s… quite an effective method.”
I’d have to try that myself next time.
“You’re not using weapons?”
“No.”
“Come in.”
Jung Min-gi, dressed in formal slacks and a white shirt, drew his sword.
“You’re not wearing armor?”
“We’re keeping it light. Why bother with armor?”
“Light, you say?”
Despite saying “light,” his gaze was razor-sharp. This hardly seemed like the same person who’d appeared so relaxed moments before.
“Then I’ll learn from you.”
I wrapped armor only around my elbows and leaned my body forward. The distance between Jung Min-gi and me was thirty meters. As my body tilted as if about to fall, I pushed off the ground with explosive force.
The instant my feet left the earth, Jung Min-gi’s sword swept horizontally. A crescent-shaped aura shot forth—the same technique that had cleaved the troll. Unlike last time, I could barely perceive it now. Evidence that I’d grown considerably.
But seeing it clearly also revealed its devastating power. He’d swung casually, yet the speed and force of the aura he unleashed reminded me once again: not all S-rank hunters are equal.
I hastily altered my trajectory to evade and pressed forward with another step.
Five razor-sharp crescent auras came slicing through the air.
The five auras blocked my path everywhere except one opening. I could either retreat completely or take the obviously available route. Jung Min-gi had deliberately left that opening—a glimpse of his cruel nature. If I charged through, I’d be walking into an attack.
I channeled aura into the armor wrapped around my arms and shattered Jung Min-gi’s auras with a sweeping strike, then advanced one final step. One more stride and I’d be in striking range.
Jung Min-gi’s eyes widened slightly.
But as if to say that was merely adequate, he calmly swung his sword. An aura several times larger and more powerful than before came hurtling toward me.
I raised both arms to guard. The armor held without breaking, but my body couldn’t withstand the impact and was sent flying backward.
“I expected you to evade Crescent Moon, but I didn’t expect you to shatter it.”
So the crescent-shaped aura had a name—Crescent Moon.
“I know you were holding back the whole time.”
“Well, yeah. I can’t go all out, can I?”
Jung Min-gi didn’t even shift from his position.
A bit of stubbornness kindled in me. I wrapped my entire body in armor.
“Oho, that’s something new.”
Then I burned my life force to amplify my physical abilities. My body grew hot and felt lighter as my stats climbed by at least twenty percent.
And I charged forward.
Moonlight Slash came at me in rapid succession. Because I dodged and blocked well, Moonlight Slash grew faster and stronger with each exchange.
I weaved in zigzags, shattering anything I couldn’t evade.
Finally, the distance closed enough for me to throw a hook at his ribs.
Jung Min-gi struck my right hand with his sword hilt and pushed it away. Then he caught my follow-up left punch with his palm wrapped in aura—effortlessly gentle. His restraint was unmistakable.
This man wasn’t just skilled with a blade. His technical mastery across the board was a full two tiers above mine. While S-rank and above have no official subdivisions, if I had to classify Jung Min-gi, I’d say he was SSS-rank.
Then a kick flew toward me. It was called a kick, but if it landed, it wouldn’t just strike—it would cleave.
I arched my spine backward to dodge and executed a back tumble to create distance.
“This is fun. Among my younger siblings, there aren’t many like you. Where did a newcomer like you suddenly come from?”
“Is the test over?”
“Nah, that’s not enough. Want to make it more exciting?”
Truth be told, I wanted to experience Jung Min-gi’s full power too.
“You’ve seen Moonlight Slash, so now you should see the next one. It’s called Sunflash. By the way, the character for sun in Sunflash is the sun radical, not the numeral one.”
Jung Min-gi gripped his sword with both hands and drew it up over his shoulder until the blade lay parallel to the ground.
A sinister premonition hammered my mind, and I desperately threw myself sideways.
A beam of light shot toward me like a piercing thrust. It resembled the skill the Red Suit Assassin had used in New North Korea, but this one flew with such speed it looked like pure radiance cutting through the air.
Sunflash grazed my leg, and cracks spider-webbed across my armor. If a mere graze did this, a direct hit would surely pierce through.
Wrapping myself in aura might block it, but to dodge at that speed, I’d need to keep my entire body sheathed constantly. Even with improved efficiency, maintaining it across my whole body for extended periods was impossible.
Jung Min-gi had deliberately aimed that first attack at my leg—an act of mercy. The thought of it coming at my heart or head made my spine tingle with dread.
“Oh, you dodged again? Then, let’s keep going~”
I focused on Jung Min-gi’s movements. Before I could even see the thrusting motion, another beam of light shot at me.
And I finally understood why Jung Min-gi had specifically mentioned that the sun character in Sunflash was the radical for sun, not the numeral one. True to its name—sunlight—attacks poured down relentlessly like the midday sun. I found myself rolling across the training facility, unable to close distance at all.
Once I evaded every attack, his restraint vanished entirely. He began openly targeting vital points. I couldn’t even think of closing in, just darted around the training facility in desperate evasion. But if I kept fleeing like this, the sparring lost all meaning.
Dodging and striking wasn’t my style anyway.
I circled around him in evasion, then suddenly changed direction and charged straight at Jung Min-gi.
Sunflash flew toward me as I approached. I pulled my aura-wrapped arms up to guard my head and chest.
Sunflash pierced through my arm’s armor but didn’t penetrate completely.
Jung Min-gi’s eyes widened with genuine surprise. I drove my fist forward without hesitation.
He leaped back lightly to evade and counterattacked. With me in close, he couldn’t unleash Sunflash, but his swordplay was devastating enough. I ignored the minor wounds—they were regenerating the moment they formed anyway—and pressed my assault.
Jung Min-gi kept me at his preferred distance while staying outside mine, launching attacks from that advantage.
Truly worthy of S-rank. His refined technique and ability were incomparable to Helen or the Axe Wielder.
“I’ve learned a lot. Thank you.”
“Huh? What? You’re stopping?”
“No matter what I do, I can’t seem to reach you.”
If I were to bleed or ignore major damage to my body while attacking, I might have been able to land some hits. Moreover, a prolonged battle didn’t seem unwinnable, but I had no desire to reveal all my cards. That said, Jung Min-gi hadn’t fought at full strength either.
Thanks to my sparring with Jung Min-gi, I’d gained a clearer sense of where I needed to reach. Even though I’d witnessed powerful hunters in my past life, there was a stark difference between merely observing them with the eyes of a B-rank hunter back then and actually experiencing their strength with my body now as an A-rank.
“Right, no need to overdo it. You’ve passed the test. You can come along when our people head into an A-rank Gate.”
“Thank you.”
“But you’re really not going to join the Guild?”
This man was truly relentless to the very end.
“Guild Master, your coffee….”
Lee Dong-bin entered the Training Facility carrying an iced coffee. Now that I thought about it, he’d been sent on a coffee run and hadn’t even said anything before coming over here.
“Ah, Dong-bin, thanks. Oh, and you’re heading to an A-rank Gate in a few days, right? This friend here will be coming along with you all.”
“Huh? But Lee Ji-seok isn’t part of our Guild?”
“It’s fine. I vouch for his abilities.”
Lee Dong-bin’s expression soured slightly, but he didn’t voice any particular complaint to Jung Min-gi about it.
“But… how did things end up like this?”
Lee Dong-bin pointed at the wall.
When Jung Min-gi and I turned to look, the wall was riddled with holes and cracks.
“Ouch….”
Jung Min-gi pressed his forehead. I hadn’t broken anything, though.
* * *
A party consisting of five A-rank hunters including myself and Yang Sang-heon, along with six B and C-rank hunters, stood before the Gate.
“I’m Lee Ji-seok. Thank you for accommodating my sudden request.”
As someone who’d rolled in unexpectedly, I greeted Shim Hee-ho first, the party leader. He was one of the younger siblings Jung Min-gi had mentioned several times and a founding member of the Rose Guild from its early days.
Shim Hee-ho was around two meters tall with a solid build. He reminded me of Yu President. Though our actual strength was worlds apart.
“Hello! I’m Yang Sang-heon! I’m C-rank! I use a sword! Nice to meet you!”
Yang Sang-heon introduced himself loudly. He’d come to provide support for me. Support wasn’t strictly necessary, but when the Guild tried to assign someone else due to internal regulations, I declined and brought Yang Sang-heon instead, whom I was comfortable with. Despite being C-rank, he’d been trained by me enough to hold his own anywhere. And running an A-rank Gate would be valuable experience for him too.
“Haha, welcome. Sang-heon, your enthusiasm is admirable!”
Shim Hee-ho patted Yang Sang-heon’s shoulder repeatedly, and though his face contorted in pain, he maintained his posture and forced a smile.
Yang Sang-heon was excessively nervous. He’d been like this since we arrived, and when I asked why, he said it was his dream to join the Rose Guild. In fact, it wasn’t just Yang Sang-heon—all hunters in Korea dreamed of joining the Rose Guild. As befitted the strongest Guild, their treatment was unparalleled.
“Now, I’m sure you already know from the information shared beforehand, but let me introduce our A-rank hunters. This is Jung Ji-eun, our A-rank Healer. She also serves a buffing role—a true talent of our Guild.”
Shim Hee-ho introduced the party members.
“Hello.”
Jung Ji-eun greeted us with a reluctant, somewhat sharp tone. She had a petite frame, just over 150 centimeters tall, but possessed a remarkably voluptuous figure. She appeared to be in her early-to-mid twenties, though it was difficult to gauge the age of female hunters—they all looked younger than they were.
“And this is Yoon Dong-ha. Flame magic is his specialty.”
Yoon Dong-ha bowed in greeting. He was the hunter who’d arrived by helicopter during the New North Korea Gate Break incident and unleashed torrents of flame. He had narrow eyes and a ponytail, appearing to be in his thirties. He seemed indifferent to my presence.
“And our youngest, Lee Dong-bin. He recently became A-rank, so today marks his first time participating in a main hunter position.”
“T-Team Leader, why mention something like that?”
Lee Dong-bin spoke while glancing nervously at me.

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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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