The All-Time Best Talent was F-Class Purification - Chapter 2

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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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2
Chapter 2 – An Elite Talent Awakened as an F-Rank Purifier
As I emerged from the Dungeon’s darkness, the stale air of the Lower District clawed at my wounds, and a throbbing ache pressed down upon my entire body. Yet what I felt most vividly was the solid, smooth sensation of the Magic Stone cradled in my palm. I carefully tucked it deep into my pocket as though it might shatter, and with unsteady steps, I made my way toward the Dungeon’s exit.
As the exhilaration of battle began to fade, the brutal limitations of my F-Rank body came crashing down upon me. My ribs, where the Stoneskin Rat had struck, throbbed with a sharp, stabbing pain with each breath, and blood oozed sluggishly from the wound on my shoulder. Even reaching the Trading Post in the Middle District felt like an ordeal in this condition.
‘Stay focused. If I collapse here, it’s all over.’
I pinched my thigh hard, forcing myself to remain conscious. Nothing was finished until this Magic Stone in my pocket was converted into real money.
The moment my feet touched the connecting bridge that led to the Middle District, the acrid smoke and metallic stench that had been assaulting my lungs vanished as if washed away. The air in the Middle District, continuously purified by the purification systems, was sterile and bland, but at least I didn’t cough with every breath. The Sky Walk beneath my feet stretched out smooth as ice, and the well-dressed people above it parted around me with visible disdain, as though I were refuse.
I paused for a moment and leaned against the railing. Below, I could see the Lower District I had just escaped, shrouded in twilight, and beyond it the ruins of Ground Level. When I lifted my gaze, the towering skyscrapers of the Upper District pierced through the clouds above, their surfaces gleaming brilliantly in the artificial sunlight. That world was unreachable to me—a realm belonging only to the chosen few.
Ten years after the Day of Reckoning, the world had been divided into those who lived above and those who dwelt below. Those who wielded wealth and power had ascended to the heavens, while those like me, who possessed nothing, had been cast down into the earth.
Feeling the weight of the Magic Stone in my pocket—a weight that seemed unusually heavy—I began walking again.
The Upper District was supported, and the Sky Dome that enveloped the city was maintained, all thanks to Magic Stones. When monsters suddenly erupted from beneath the earth, humanity lost all its existing energy systems—petroleum, nuclear power, electricity—and civilization teetered on the brink of collapse. It was then that Magic Stones, a new energy source emerging from the Dungeons, had saved mankind.
But the gods were not merciful. Ninety-nine percent of the Magic Stones pouring out of the Dungeons were low-grade materials saturated with impurities. The degraded Magic Stones that we F-Rank Hunters risked our lives to retrieve were precisely that.
For an F-Rank Hunter like me, high-purity Magic Stones were nothing but a dream. All I knew was that a single C-Rank superior-grade Magic Stone was worth an office worker’s annual salary.
‘This one is D-Rank, but…’
The problem lay in the words that followed: supreme-grade and one hundred percent purity. A grade I had never seen on the Hunter Net price charts. Normally, even the finest Magic Stones contained impurities, yet this one claimed perfect purity.
‘If this really converts to money… my life will definitely change.’
Absurd hope and anxiety mingled together, setting my heart racing. Anticipation of earning a fortune and fear of being swindled struck me simultaneously.
When I arrived at the massive dome-shaped Central Hunter Exchange, the interior thrummed with the heat and noise of countless Hunters. The digital displays flickered endlessly with fluctuating prices for Magic Stones and items, while cheers and sighs intermingled at every counter.
“D-Rank inferior? This won’t even cover equipment repairs!”
“B-Rank rare dagger! Does anyone want to buy?”
I pushed through the chaos toward the appraisal counter. The counters were divided by grade: C-Rank and above, D-Rank, and a combined Low-level Counter for F-Rank and E-Rank. My destination was obvious. The line was long, and the air felt heavy. The Hunter ahead of me cursed when his pile of degraded Magic Stones was appraised at a mere thirty thousand won, then turned away in disgust.
“Next.”
The pale-faced Appraiser glanced at my worn equipment and F-Rank Hunter ID, his eyebrows furrowing with obvious irritation.
“Degraded stones go to counter three. This is the regular Magic Stone counter.”
“These aren’t degraded. Please appraise them first.”
He sighed and accepted the Magic Stone.
The Appraiser’s eyes were thick with disdain and contempt. He wrinkled his nose at the dirt stains on my hand holding the ticket number. It was a look I had grown weary of seeing. Rather than respond, I withdrew the Magic Stone from my pocket and placed it on the appraisal platform with a soft clink. The jewel rolled with a clear, crystalline sound, and his gaze snapped to it instantly.
The Appraiser’s bored expression froze in an instant. As he placed the Magic Stone into the scanner of the appraisal device, a brilliant, pure light erupted from within. It was a radiance incomparable to ordinary Magic Stones—so pristine it made my eyes water.
“This… what is this?”
The Appraiser’s voice trembled. He hastily placed the Magic Stone on the precision appraisal device. The noise of the Exchange faded into the distance, and all I could hear was the mechanical hum of the device and the pounding of my own heart.
Beep—beep—beep beep beep.
A loud alarm wailed through the Exchange. It was a sound that should never emanate from a Low-level Counter—the alert for Rare-grade or higher.
Clear text appeared on the display visible to everyone.
[D-Rank – Supreme Grade]
[Measured Purity: 100.0%]
In that instant, dozens of eyes in the Exchange fixed upon me. The Appraiser, who had been ignoring me moments before, had gone deathly pale. His mouth opened and closed soundlessly.
The Senior Manager came running at the sound of the alarm and roughly shoved the Appraiser aside.
“Appraising a D-Rank supreme-grade at the Low-level Counter? Have you lost your mind?”
The Manager quickly bowed his head toward me.
“My sincerest apologies, Hunter. It was an error on our staff’s part…”
He fixed the Appraiser at the Low-level Counter with a sharp gaze, then broke into a gentle smile and bowed respectfully to me.
I said nothing. I endured the cascade of stares in silence. Astonishment, confusion, jealousy, and greed—the emotions swirling in dozens of eyes were all different, yet one thing remained constant. They no longer saw me as a worthless F-Rank.
‘Is this… the value of a D-Rank elite?’
A single Magic Stone placed on the appraisal device had transformed my worth in an instant. The feeling was bittersweet and exhilarating. This was the beginning of the change I had always dreamed of.
“Please, come this way! We’ll conduct the transaction comfortably in the VIP Room.”
The Manager cut through the crowd to guide me, and the Hunters parted like the sea itself. Their gazes pricked at my back, but I gritted my teeth against the pain in my ribs and followed him with an air of composure.
The VIP Room was another world entirely, completely sealed off from the noise of the Trading Post. Soft carpet lay beneath my feet, and a subtle fragrance drifted through the air. It was a place I couldn’t have imagined just minutes before.
“Please, have a seat here, Hunter.”
The sofa the Manager offered was incomparably more comfortable than my worn Goshiwon bed. A staff member entered and brought warm tea. The fragrant aroma of the tea touching my lips made me realize that all of this was real.
“I apologize once again for our staff’s mistake. That such a thing could happen at the Low-level Counter is entirely due to my lack of oversight. As compensation, we will cover the full commission fee for this transaction.”
The offer was extraordinary. To waive the commission—the Trading Post’s primary source of revenue—was a clear sign of their strong desire to maintain a relationship with me.
“And we would like to purchase this Magic Stone for 15.5 million won. How does that sound?”
15.5 million won. I doubted my ears. It was far higher than I had anticipated. I regarded him silently for a moment. His face was etched with desperation to close the deal.
“That sounds good. Let’s do it.”
His face brightened at my answer. The transaction proceeded swiftly. I signed the contract and completed identity verification with my Hunter ID card. Soon my worn smartphone buzzed softly.
The screen displayed a number I could scarcely believe.
[15,500,000 won has been deposited.]
I stared blankly at that number for a long while. I counted the zeros on the screen one by one with my finger. Thousands, ten-thousands, hundred-thousands, millions… fifteen million five hundred thousand won. With this money, I could settle Mother’s overdue hospital bills, cover her treatment costs for some time, and secure my own livelihood.
I opened the Hospital app on my smartphone. The screen displayed a red warning message and an unpaid treatment balance of 3,120,000 won. That number, which had felt unbearable until yesterday, now seemed small.
Without hesitation, I pressed the payment button.
Moments later, the screen changed.
[Payment completed.]
[Outstanding balance: 0 won]
Fully paid.
Seeing those six characters, the weight that had pressed down on my shoulders for years seemed to lift away. A deep sense of relief washed over me, and my eyes grew hot, but I swallowed back the tears and nodded toward the Manager.
“Thank you for the transaction.”
“Not at all, Hunter. If you come across any more quality items in the future, please be sure to visit us.”
The Manager handed me his business card with utmost courtesy and bowed. I accepted it and rose from my seat.
“I… have one question, if I may…”
“Of course, Hunter. Please, ask anything.”
I gazed out the VIP Room window at the glittering night view of the Middle District and asked.
“I understand it’s D-Rank elite, but the price is higher than I expected. Is there a particular reason you offered more than the market rate?”
The Manager hesitated briefly before answering carefully.
“Normally, it wouldn’t be this much. However, there’s been recent news that the anti-gravity engines in the Upper District have developed problems, and they’re purchasing high-purity Magic Stones in bulk. So the current market rate is significantly higher than usual.”
Hearing his explanation, I understood. Today’s fortune came not only from my ability but also from timing and luck aligning in my favor.
‘There’s no way opportunities like this will keep coming to me.’
As my brief joy faded, cold reality reared its head once more. The remaining balance in my account was roughly 12 million won. While this would allow me to care for Mother comfortably, it was woefully insufficient to completely transform my life. I would need to repeat miracles like this.
‘How?’
I left the Trading Post and stood in the cold night air, lost in thought. I couldn’t rely solely on chance encounters with Hidden Spaces.
There was only one answer. Purify the discarded Magic Stones scattered throughout the Dungeons and sell them.
The problem was that purifying ordinary Corrupted Essence Stones yielded nothing more than F-Rank Superior grade—nowhere near the substantial earnings of D-Rank Highest grade. To match today’s haul, I’d need to accumulate hundreds, thousands of them. That meant clearing more Dungeons, and doing it faster.
With this pathetic F-Rank body of mine, it was absolutely impossible.
I stopped in my tracks on the way back to my shabby Goshiwon. I turned around. I’d earned money today—now it was time to spend it on myself.
Today’s miracle had come from my purification ability, but the cracked ribs from that creature’s assault were a stark reminder that I was still a fragile F-Rank. To keep wielding this precious gift, I needed a sturdy shield to support me before I shattered—I couldn’t rely on purification alone.
Alone, I would eventually become nothing but prey.

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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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