Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 88

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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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88
I blocked Jax’s sword and gunfire, weaving between attacks and pressing forward, but at critical moments he deployed a swift backstep skill, slipping through my grasp like water through fingers.
As all his attacks were repelled and I closed the distance relentlessly, anxiety flickered across his face.
“Giant’s Blade!”
A colossal sword-shaped aura erupted around Jax’s machete. True to its name, it was sized for a giant to wield. Given his mana reserves, this shouldn’t have been possible—yet with the right skill, such feats became reality.
I raised my arm to guard my face as the Giant’s Blade crashed against my left side. My body shifted back slightly, nothing more.
“You… blocked that?”
Compared to hunters like Jung Min-gi who condensed their aura further, that approach posed little threat to me. An attack of that magnitude couldn’t pierce my armor and aura.
I steadied my stance and charged forward.
Unable to block every assault, Jax burst open a small pouch, and white powder scattered everywhere.
Toxins of his caliber held no effect on my body, but Jax couldn’t have known that. My concern lay not with myself but with the bystanders behind me. If the powder dispersed widely, it would be fatal to those already clinging to life.
I spread my aura broadly in all directions like the Axe Wielder had done, incinerating the airborne poison dust. Jax’s expression turned blank with disbelief.
“Guns, swords, poison—you dabble in everything instead of mastering one thing. That’s why you’re weak.”
“What… weak? Me?”
Veins bulged across Jax’s forehead.
“Try blocking this!”
The Giant’s Blade swept horizontally. I raised my arm and crouched slightly to intercept it. A direct hit wouldn’t cause pain, but the impact would push me back.
I deflected incoming bullets while closing distance. Jax kept glancing toward Ye-seul and Hyung-bin—he was considering taking hostages.
I positioned myself between him and the two of them, blocking his line of attack.
Jax couldn’t risk striking them; doing so would create an opening he couldn’t afford.
He clicked his tongue and fled toward his fallen subordinate on the ground.
I thought it was a ploy to tangle my footwork, but instead he kicked his subordinate like cargo and hurled him at me.
“What the—”
Bullets fired through the body as it flew toward me.
This wouldn’t blind me, and since he wasn’t my ally, I felt no obligation to save him. I deflected the bullets and batted the corpse aside.
“Stop!”
When the distance between us narrowed to roughly two meters, Jax pressed a gun against the neck of the child he’d been trying to get out. I’d been watching Hyung-bin and Ye-seul, but I hadn’t accounted for the numerous factory workers.
“So this is what a Cartel boss amounts to—pathetic.”
“Stay right there. Don’t move.”
Jax grabbed the child’s collar and slowly retreated backward.
“Jax! Stop this!”
“Shut up! Taho, you traitorous bastard! Selling out Mexico will cost you dearly—”
As Jax shouted at Taho, his attention wavered for an instant. That’s when I lunged.
He reflexively pulled the trigger. My fist connected with his face in the same moment.
His face caved inward as he collapsed. Simultaneously, I caught the child. Blood gushed from the wound in his neck; I pressed my hand against it and channeled my life force to seal the damage.
“Insane!”
Taho rushed over.
“…If he weren’t a Healer… wait, can a Healer even do that?”
The child’s neck, which had been pierced clean through, began to knit together. Flesh filled the void, leaving only a faint scar.
“Phew…”
The child who had received an abundance of vitality looked far healthier than before being shot.
“So you charged in trusting the Healer.”
I nodded.
“So what are you going to do now?”
“About what?”
“The A-rank Gate and above.”
“Why are you asking me? That’s your country’s business.”
“You’re the one who killed Jax.”
“We have a saying in our country—save a drowning man and he asks for your bundle back.”
He gritted his teeth in frustration. He knew full well he had neither the right nor the power to force anything on me.
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it until your Mexican Hunter squad solidifies. In exchange, I’m taking the byproducts and I have no intention of paying taxes.”
It’s a six-hour distance by supersonic private jet. I just need to come by periodically and clear it.
“Fine. Jax was taking everything anyway up until now.”
“Really?”
I slapped the unconscious Jax subordinate awake.
“Huh… what?”
“Hey, where did Jax hide the money?”
“You! You! When Boss Jax comes, you won’t die easy!”
“Him?”
I pointed at Jax, whose face was crushed.
“Uh… Boss?”
“You want to follow your boss? Or do you want to talk?”
“I’ll talk. The boss never trusted others, so I heard he keeps all his wealth at home.”
Jax’s subordinate changed his attitude instantly. Here, it was natural to follow the strong.
“Taho, can I borrow your car?”
“Sure… go ahead.”
I loaded the still-dazed Ye-seul and Hyung-bin into Taho’s car.
“Is there an antidote to the drug Jax used?”
“Not really. It doesn’t look like they absorbed much, and since both are Hunters, it’ll leave their bodies in a few days of rest.”
Reassured by Taho’s words, I went to Jax’s house. There were men guarding the entrance, so I tossed them aside lightly and smashed through the front gate.
“This damn bastard hoarded an obscene amount.”
While the citizens below were dying, the house was stacked endlessly with dollars, gold, magic stones, and luxury goods.
“Taho.”
“What?”
“Let’s do a business venture together.”
I grinned widely at Taho.
“What?”
Taho’s face showed he sensed something ominous.
“Can you absorb Jax’s subordinates?”
“Most of them are weaker than me, so there’s nothing I can’t do.”
“If you run into any difficulties, tell me. I’ll help you out.”
Back in Korea, the law and society’s judgment prevented me from freely dealing with villains, but Mexico—a lawless frontier—allowed me to act without restraint, and I relished that freedom.
“So, what’s next? Are you planning to take control of this region?”
“No, that’s your job, Taho.”
“What makes you trust me?”
“I can read it from your face.”
And watching how Taho’s subordinates treated him, I could tell. Unlike Jax, who ruled through fear, Taho commanded trust.
“Understood. And?”
“Destroy every drug-related operation in this region and dispose of all the narcotics. I’ll provide whatever funds you need. And if you squander the money or drugs reappear in this area….”
I channeled aura into my fist and showed him.
“You’ll end up like Jax, huh? Damn, you speak of difficult tasks as if they’re nothing.”
“Isn’t that why you’ve endured this long? Bearing the stigma of being a Cartel?”
“I appreciate your understanding.”
“Once that’s done, we move to real business. I’m going to establish an item factory using the funds here and byproducts from the Gates I’ve cleared. You’ll need to handle recruitment and protection for the factory workers. Of course, I’ll compensate you accordingly.”
Mexico lacks a proper item production hub.
“Here? You’d go that far?”
“Why not? I have byproducts from my own hunts, and if I can source materials and labor cheaply here, it benefits me.”
Most countries avoid investing in Mexico because Cartels control it. If a Cartel suddenly decided to seize the factory, it would become a headache.
Yet stationing an S-rank Hunter to guard a single factory wasn’t feasible either. Their market value was prohibitively expensive.
But I needed to clear many A-rank Gates for leveling anyway, and I’d built a rapport with Taho, the Eastern Cartel boss. Besides, I’d earned the startup capital right here, so I had nothing to lose.
With a production factory in Mexico, I could sell not just to Mexico but to various South American countries, the United States, and Canada.
“I’ll gratefully accept your consideration. And Mexico will never forget this kindness.”
Taho raised his right hand in salute. Behind him, his subordinates followed suit.
I could have extracted the money earned here back to Korea without anyone stopping me, but the fact that I was reinvesting it in Mexico moved Taho deeply.
“Your gratitude is premature.”
I muttered under my breath. The Gate with the Legion Commander hadn’t even opened yet. Compared to a Legion Commander, Jax was small fry. The factory was good, the money was good, but if I couldn’t stop what was coming, none of it would matter.
“Hmm, what did you say?”
“Nothing. Anyway, are there any Gates approaching a Breakout soon?”
“Not imminent, but there are several that will be approaching soon.”
“Arrange for me to enter the A and B-rank Gates. I’ll clear them all in advance.”
While Taho handled the aftermath, I returned to the Dormitory with his subordinates.
On the drive back, I called Jae-in in Korea.
“Mexico? A factory?”
“Yes. Coordinate with Yang President to research the South American market and draft a detailed business plan. And prepare the factory specifications and designs accordingly.”
“C-Chairman, you’re discussing something this massive so casually….”
“I trust you. I’m hanging up.”
I ignored Jae-in’s protest and ended the call.
* * *
“Oppa! Noona!”
“Hyung-nim!”
The group rushed out to greet us. Hyung-bin and Ye-seul continued pouring their life force into me from the car, and I regained consciousness.
“Everyone’s fine, so don’t worry.”
I explained everything that had happened to all of them.
“Hyung, are we really okay staying here? What if the remnants of that group attack?”
“It’s fine. Taho’s subordinates are keeping watch around us, and there’s no one among Jax’s remaining forces stronger than you.”
“Hmm… well, if that’s the case.”
Sang-heon puffed up a little with pride. Truth be told, a B-rank Hunter could afford to be a bit cocky. Besides, with Ye-seul as our Healer, we could handle even A-rank monsters without much trouble if needed.
“Then, rest here while you look after those two.”
“Where are you going, hyung?”
“Because of my rampage, I can’t let the A-rank Gate Break happen. I need to go handle some things.”
“Oppa, I’m coming with you.”
“You haven’t even rested while I’ve been gone. Aren’t you tired?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Alright, let’s go together.”
Having Bae Na-young come along would be more helpful since she could use wide-area attacks.
There were still several days until the Break. If I cleared the Gates that looked dangerous beforehand, maybe the Legion Commander wouldn’t emerge.
We entered the Gate, and Bae Na-young cast Corruption in a wide area, clearing the monsters in one blow. I handled the few that escaped and the stronger ones.
“Heh… we struggled so hard to clear a place like this, and you do it so easily…”
Taho, who had come to support the A-rank Gate, watched us hunt with his mind blown away.
“What’s next?”
“There isn’t one.”
“Really?”
“There are no Gates we can enter until they reset. The rest are C-rank or lower Gates, and we’re already keeping watch over those.”
“Hmm…”
“We can rest now, oppa.”
Bae Na-young linked her arm through mine.
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
This can’t be this easy. Am I thinking about something wrong? What am I missing?
* * *
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Ah, yes, thanks to Hunter Lee Ji-seok’s concern. Thank you for saving us.”
Hyung-bin, sitting on the bed, bowed his head respectfully.
Hyung-bin had now fully recovered, and Ye-seul recovered even faster since Hyung-bin had protected her and she’d barely inhaled any of the drug.
“Your sister-in-law stuck by your side and nursed you with such devotion, so you recovered quickly.”
“Huh… sister-in-law?”
At Si-hwan’s words, Ye-seul’s speech faltered.
“Then, should I call you noona instead?”
Ye-seul’s expression didn’t change, but her face turned red.
“Get out of here, you brat.”
Hyung-bin’s fist came down on the back of Si-hwan’s head.
“Ugh… why do you have to do this to me….”
For a few days after the kidnapping incident, I remained on edge, but now that my body had recovered and the tension had dissipated, I returned to enjoying my vacation.
“Señor!”
However, Pablo burst in urgently, and my vacation came to an abrupt end after only half a day.

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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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