S-Classes That I Raised to Devour - Chapter 24

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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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Chapter 24. Testing the Test (2)
Strictly speaking, the Myeonggyeong-jisoo I learned is not the genuine version, but a modified one. However, it’s not an illegal modification.
A modified version of the genuine article, created by Daehan-jeil-geom himself specifically for me,
or rather, specifically for Cheon I-hwa, who was my wife at the time. He worried I’d be so weak that I’d die outright.
The effectiveness is less than half that of the original, but in exchange it was easier to learn. I remember him saying it was because I looked like an idiot.
When Daehan-jeil-geom taught me the Myeonggyeong-jisoo, he also gave me a stern warning.
‘Modified or not, it is the Myeonggyeong-jisoo in truth. Learn it, keep it, and die with that secret.’
In my past life, I honored that promise. I never told anyone and took it to my grave.
‘So in this life, I’ll use it a bit, Master.’
After receiving tacit consent, I took Gyeoul-i’s hand.
“This might be hard to understand, but can you focus on the inside of your body?”
Shimbeop literally means “the method of governing the mind,” but in practice it refers to the technique of circulating and accumulating the Qi within one’s body.
To properly master Naegong, one must memorize all 372 Pressure Points, but Gyeoul-i didn’t need to go that far.
“Do you feel a warm lump at the tips of your fingers? That’s Naegong. Since Naegong flows through the Meridians just like blood, can you try to feel that flow? Closing your eyes will help.”
I circulated the inner power of Myeonggyeong-jisoo once from the lower abdomen to the crown of the head.
At the important Meridian points, I paused briefly to give her markers.
“Did you feel the inner power make one complete circuit through your body? That’s called Sojucheon. Since you won’t understand it in just one go, I’ll show you two or three more times.”
“I’ve learned it.”
“Your head may have understood, but actually following along is harder than you think, isn’t it? Try it yourself. If necessary, I’ll guide you again.”
If learning Shimbeop were this simple, anyone would have mastered martial arts.
If someone told you to feel the blood vessels inside your own body, could you?
For an ordinary person, even a lifetime of effort wouldn’t make this possible.
‘It took me a full year to learn this,’ I thought to myself.
Still, since I’m the one teaching, six months should be enough.
“I’ve done it.”
……
“Did I make a mistake……?”
“Oh, no. You did well. Yes, could you try once more?”
“Yes.”
Gyeoul-i executed the Sojucheon perfectly. There was absolutely nothing to fault.
…Do I perhaps lack talent for martial arts?
“You did well. It’s perfect, really? Though I’d say it’s better if your breathing is more relaxed. Right now it’s irregular.”
“Yes…….”
“Honestly, I thought it would take much longer… but at this rate, you could do it alone right now without any issues.”
“…Oh.”
There’s a look of disappointment on her face. Likely because she felt she was being left alone.
“I can’t always stay by your side, but if you call me, I’ll come running. Don’t worry.”
“What about the room getting cold?”
“I noticed the temperature doesn’t drop drastically. Normally, you just need to not stay in one space all the time, and when you sleep, turn up the boiler. Class dismissed!”
For now, these simple measures would suffice.
‘Of course, if she levels up, things will be different, but that’s not something to worry about now.’
If I worry, so does Gyeoul-i. So I casually called Yeoul-i and Min-ji back in.
“Send minor questions or casual chat by text, and call for urgent matters. I’ll pick up right away unless I’m in a Dungeon.”
While also explaining that electronic devices become useless inside Dungeons, I stood up from my seat.
“You’ve all worked hard today. Dismissed!”
Thanks to Gyeoul-i mastering Myeonggyeong-jisoo in one go, I had time to spare.
I thought I might as well do tomorrow’s plans now.
‘It’ll be dawn soon anyway, timing’s perfect.’
I had just changed into formal wear in my room upstairs and was about to leave when—
“Where are you going? It’s your first day—aren’t we going to hang out together?”
Min-ji was standing at the entrance, blocking the doorway. I’m not sure when she came up.
“I’ve rested plenty. Let’s hang out later.”
“Are you going to the Dungeon? Let me come too.”
“Once the training retreat ends, we’ll be going together so often it’ll get boring. So let me have this one.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
“What could you possibly do about it?”
“I can block you from leaving.”
Using her dedicated weapon, the Giant Hammer, to block the entrance, there was genuinely no way through.
But to my eyes, it was just endearing.
“Min-ji. Let go of that fixed belief that you can only exit through a door.”
Creak.
I opened the window and jumped out. From a height of ten meters.
Thud!
Hearing the sound alone, it seemed like my kneecaps should shatter, but I was fine.
I absorbed the impact with Mana rather than bone and muscle. The applications of Mana are truly boundless.
I could see Min-ji leaning out the window, along with the Yeoul siblings.
‘If it weren’t for the company, I would’ve played with them,’ I thought.
Even though I’d received help from my parents, I still had much to do.
In any case, once Hunter Management is established, it will draw public attention.
Some of that attention will be favorable, but inevitably there will be hostile eyes as well.
And most of them will form groups to pressure us.
Then I’ll have to make it clear. That Hunter Management is not alone.
‘Making business partners is something only I can do.’
This was the one thing I couldn’t ask my parents to handle—something only I could accomplish.
* * *
Ranked 886th, the Guild of Experimental Name Length.
Even a small guild with only four members had its own headquarters.
Four people sat around a table with no head position. Among them, a mage wielding a Lightning Staff spoke first.
“We’ve decided on the Temple of Light on Yeongjong Island for our next raid. If anyone objects, raise your hand.”
A man with a slicked-back hairstyle gave an OK sign with his hand—
A woman sitting in a coffin instead of a chair raised her middle finger—
A muscular man in a squat position held up a 100kg Dumbbell.
“One vote for, two votes against. Im Su-jeong, why did you object?”
“Because there’s no fun in shooting it.”
“I can’t accept that reason. Give me a more solid argument.”
“The matchup’s bad, that’s why. All that sparkling makes it hard to aim properly, and since those things have no substance, there’s barely any damage output. And using specialized ammunition for them would be wasteful. Do you need more reasons?”
“That’s what I expected. But without your reconnaissance abilities, exploring the Temple of Light would be a heavy burden for us. Even if you don’t join in hunting regular Monsters, I’d appreciate it if you’d participate in reconnaissance.”
“If that’s the condition, I understand.”
Next came the muscular man’s turn.
“The Temple of Light is classified as S-rank exploration difficulty in the first place, and do we really have a reason to reclaim Yeongjong Island?”
“Yeongjong Island has Incheon International Airport. Plus, it’s the primary gathering point for Monsters landing from the West Sea. Reclaiming Yeongjong Island would greatly increase the safety of inland territories.”
“Turning Yeongjong Island into a coastal defense line is the government’s job, not ours. If they have no such intention, we’d just be wasting our time.”
“The government is incompetent, not stupid.”
“It’s too risky to proceed based on assumptions. Honestly, hunting the Stone Dragon isolating Sejong City would be better.”
“Rather, the Stone Dragon is…….”
Just before the two could begin their argument in earnest, the slicked-back man raised his hand and spoke.
“By the way, I meant to ask before—aren’t we recruiting new members? It’s been two years since that incident.”
“Why would an A-rank Hunter want to join a ragtag guild like this?”
At Im Su-jeong’s jab, the slicked-back man looked confused.
“Then what are we?”
“We’re idiots, so we absolutely won’t find new recruits. I’ll bet my middle fingers on it.”
Im Su-jeong threw up double middle fingers and then left the headquarters.
The slicked-back man muttered “Is that so?” and left as well.
The two remaining sat as if they hadn’t heard anything and continued their debate.
“Hunting the Stone Dragon inevitably means clashing with official Hunters. I’m not keen on asking them for cooperation, and I’m even less keen on giving it.”
“Well, want it or not, let’s just do it. Why do we always have to bleed for raids while they sit back?”
Bang.
Just as their voices were about to escalate, the headquarters door opened and both turned their heads.
“Hello?”
A man they’d never seen before suddenly walked in.
Though drunk people occasionally wandered in by mistake, a person who seemed fully aware was a first.
“You look like you know what kind of place this is?”
The muscular man strode over and looked down at him menacingly.
The mysterious visitor, Chae Mu-jin, bowed respectfully at the waist.
“I’m Chae Mu-jin. This place is the Guild of Experimental…….”
“Don’t embarrass yourself—just state your business.”
“I saw the recruitment notice posted on Hunternet. You specialize in Boss Raids, correct?”
“Huh?”
The muscular man turned around. The mage nodded and murmured.
“I wrote up a guild introduction because they said you have to, but I never thought anyone would actually see it.”
“New members are always welcome. But looking at you, you don’t seem qualified. Have you leveled past 100?”
“Not even past 10.”
“I’m the lowest level here at 307.”
“Do you agree that higher level always means stronger?”
Chae Mu-jin posed the question not to the muscular man, but to the mage.
The mage, Choe Beon-gae, didn’t answer. Instead, he fired a Mana Bullet.
The public believes Mana is “blue,” but that’s a misconception.
In reality, Mana is transparent, and the blue color they know is merely propaganda.
So when manipulating and firing Mana directly like this, not only ordinary people but even other Hunters cannot detect the Mana attack.
That is, for ordinary Hunters.
Right now, Choe Beon-gae was testing Chae Mu-jin. Testing whether he had the qualifications to speak with them.
“If it’s a test, you could make it more rigorous.”
But Chae Mu-jin proved himself beyond imagination.
He tilted his head with perfect timing, as if he could see the trajectory of the Mana Bullet itself.
Choe Beon-gae’s eyes widened. He had fired the bullet slowly out of consideration for Chae Mu-jin.
“What you just did—you went beyond merely sensing Mana; you moved as if you could actually see it.”
“I served in the Anti-Magic Special Task Force. That’s why my Mana Sensitivity is relatively high.”
“A reasonable explanation. Which makes it even more suspicious.”
Contrary to his words, Choe Beon-gae gestured to the muscular man to step aside.
The muscular man sensed that Chae Mu-jin was no ordinary person, so he moved out of the way.
Chae Mu-jin had no business with Choe Beon-gae himself, so he stopped in front of the whiteboard behind him.
The whiteboard was covered with traces of debate over whether to raid the Temple of Light or the Stone Dragon.
Since it wasn’t written for anyone else to see, readability was completely shot, but Chae Mu-jin grasped the situation well enough.
“Let’s go with the Temple of Light.”
Not a question, but a definitive statement—and both Choe Beon-gae and the muscular man were at a loss for words.
“Why would you decide that?”
“Because it’s perfect for a test.”
“What did you say your name was? Chae, what?”
“Chae Mu-jin.”
“Chae Mu-jin—you’re a crazy one, aren’t you? Do you even know anything about the Temple of Light?”
“I’ll look up the public information on Hunternet, and for what I don’t know, I’ll find out through direct experience. That’s what being a Hunter means.”
“This guy’s completely insane.”
The muscular man scratched his head repeatedly. He’d normally throw out a madman like that, but no matter how he looked at Chae Mu-jin, the man seemed perfectly sane.
To speak madness with the eyes of a sane person was, in itself, profoundly mad.
Choe Beon-gae found himself equally conflicted.
This Chae Mu-jin who appeared so suddenly was suspicious beyond measure. Yet they were in need of new members anyway.
And quite remarkably, despite his low level, Chae Mu-jin possessed something extraordinary.
“…Fine. For your admission test, go to the Temple of Light.”
“Ah, I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
“Do you need time to prepare?”
“No, that’s not it. I mean, admission. I have no intention of joining.”
The muscular man stared at Chae Mu-jin with a look that said, ‘What the hell is this guy?’
“Would you consider a Partnership with Hunter Management instead?”
……
Choe Beon-gae revised his assessment of Chae Mu-jin. From an extraordinary new recruit to a suspicious businessman.

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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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