The All-Time Best Talent was F-Class Purification - Chapter 20

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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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20
Chapter 20 – An Elite Talent Awakened as an F-Rank Purifier
Park Jae-jung’s message arrived while I was sipping coffee at a convenience store near my goshiwon.
[Park Jae-jung: Everything’s ready. I’ll send you the coordinates. Try not to be shocked.]
The address he sent was a newly constructed officetel complex in the Middle District, renowned for its excellent security. I immediately hailed a taxi.
The destination was the Golden Tower. True to its name, it was a luxurious 40-story officetel adorned in gold. The security personnel at the entrance were former Hunter Association operatives, and the entire building was protected by a mana-blocking system, guaranteeing perfect privacy and safety.
Park Jae-jung, who had been waiting in the lobby, greeted me. He had already changed into impeccable formal attire, exuding the refined atmosphere of a seasoned businessman—quite different from when he wore combat gear.
“Director.”
“That was fast. You’ve already signed the contract?”
“The property was exceptional. There was no reason to hesitate. Let’s go. It’s on the 35th floor.”
We took the high-speed elevator to the 35th floor. As Park Jae-jung opened the door lock, a spacious foyer revealed itself.
“Wow.”
The living room was as vast as a sports field. One entire wall was floor-to-ceiling glass, offering a panoramic view of the Middle District’s nightscape, while the floor was finished in premium marble. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms. And most importantly…
“Let me show you this room.”
The largest room Park Jae-jung led me to. Upon opening the door, an empty space completely lined with thick soundproofing and mana-blocking materials appeared.
“It’s a workshop. Whether you use purification or repair equipment, no one outside will sense anything. The ventilation is excellent too, so you won’t have to worry about chemical odors.”
It was perfect. Five layers of soundproofing and mana-blocking. Whatever I did, the world would never know. It was the flawless workshop I had never even dared to dream of.
“Deposit of 500 million won, monthly rent of 10 million won. It’s expensive, but reasonable considering the security and facilities. Management fees are separate.”
“I’ll take it. Right now.”
I had no reason to hesitate. A decision made possible by my capital of 2.7 billion won.
We sat facing each other on the living room sofa with the nightscape view. Park Jae-jung retrieved a bottle of champagne and two glasses from the table.
“Let’s have a toast to celebrate moving in.”
With a cheerful pop, the cork flew away. Golden liquid filled the glasses. We clinked them together. Ching—.
“To the future.”
“To the future.”
After taking a sip of champagne, Park Jae-jung opened his mouth with a serious expression.
“We’ve secured the place and have the capital. Now there’s only one thing left.”
“Yes. We need to stock it. So full there’s nowhere to step.”
Park Jae-jung pulled out a tablet PC from his pocket and placed it on the table. The screen was densely filled with a list of second-hand equipment dealers, pawnshops, and auction houses throughout the Seoul Metropolitan Area that he had investigated in advance.
“The preparations are complete. Just from my information network, I already have over 100 damaged luxury items on the list.”
He smiled with confidence.
“We’ll need to do some shopping starting tomorrow. Are you ready to spend money?”
I answered with a smile.
The next morning, we headed to the Second-hand Equipment Wholesale Market located on the outskirts of the Middle District. Unlike the glamorous shopping districts of the city center, this place was a massive junkyard complex where damaged equipment discarded by Hunters or recovered from dungeons was piled like mountains.
The smell of rust, the stench of oil, and the relentless noise of crushers. This was both a graveyard where Hunters’ dreams crumbled and a place where recyclers lingered.
“Director, this way.”
Park Jae-jung, impeccably dressed in formal attire, led the way. A tablet PC was in his hand, its screen densely packed with a purchase list he had organized overnight. Instead of an old truck, he had arranged a large rental cargo truck.
We entered the section of Kim, the owner of the largest wholesale dealer—the Hardware Shop. Kim, the proprietor, was smoking among mountains of scrap metal when he recognized Park Jae-jung and narrowed his eyes.
“Well, well, who do we have here? Isn’t it Jae-jung? It’s been a while. Did your shield break again?”
“No. I came to purchase some items today.”
Park Jae-jung handled Kim with practiced ease.
“Show me everything here that was B-Rank or higher.”
Kim let out a derisive snort.
“B-Rank? Where would something that valuable be here? I melted them all down and sold them as recycled metal. All that’s left are defective inventory pieces with circuits so badly burned they can’t even be recycled.”
“That’s exactly what I want.”
Kim’s expression shifted to confusion. Why would anyone want garbage that couldn’t be recycled? But Park Jae-jung paid no mind and pointed toward a corner of the warehouse.
“Those Flame Gauntlet remains shoved in that corner, and the half-melted Mithril Boots next to them. Those were originally A-Rank, weren’t they? Now they’re not even worth scrap metal prices.”
Park Jae-jung’s eye was precise. He selected only the problematic inventory pieces that Kim had abandoned in the corner—items that appeared completely ruined on the surface, yet possessed undeniable material value.
“Ha, seriously? Are you running a junk shop or something? Fine, take them. They’re just taking up space anyway.”
Kim quoted a rock-bottom price as if he were simply disposing of trash, but Park Jae-jung negotiated it down even further.
“We’re paying cash, so please reduce it more.”
“This guy is really something… Fine, take it all. Take everything!”
The transaction concluded in moments, and we began loading the scrap metal onto the truck. The remains of a B-Rank gauntlet, a C-Rank magic staff that had exploded from mana backflow, Mithril armor that had cracked from exhausted durability. To anyone else, it was garbage collection, but to my eyes, it was like picking up diamonds covered in dirt.
We visited five wholesale markets in total. Park Jae-jung’s information network and negotiation skills were unparalleled. He knew precisely the hidden value of items that merchants discarded, and I confirmed the latent potential within each piece, nodding in agreement.
By the time the truck bed was full, the sun was setting. We had spent only around 200 million won, yet once these items underwent renewal, their value would reach at minimum 5 billion—no, perhaps 10 billion won.
“This should be sufficient for quite some time.”
Park Jae-jung, seated in the driver’s seat, smiled and wiped the sweat from his brow. I too felt my chest swell as I gazed at the truck bed overflowing in the rearview mirror. This was the weapon we would wield against the world.
Golden Tower, 35th Floor. Our new base. The workshop, equipped with complete soundproofing and mana-blocking facilities, had transformed into a massive junk shop in less than a day. Hundreds of damaged pieces of equipment we had purchased lay scattered across the floor, sorted by category.
I wrapped an apron around my waist and pulled on gloves. Park Jae-jung handed me a cool glass of water from beside me.
“Representative. Please don’t overexert yourself. Perhaps we should just organize today and rest…”
“No. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”
We looked at each other and laughed. The workshop lights would not go dark all night.
I placed the first piece of scrap metal on the workbench. It appeared to be nothing more than a rusted hunk of iron, but my fingertips still felt the pulse of mana breathing within it. Park Jae-jung closed the door. In this hour when the world slept, our true time was just beginning.
At that same moment, in the Investigation Team 3 office at Hunter Association Headquarters, darkness had already fallen outside the windows, yet the office blazed bright as midday under the glow of monitors. A single woman, buried beneath mountains of documents and data, drained a cold cup of coffee while glaring at the screen.
Lee Ji-young, the youngest chief appraiser at the Hunter Association.
On her desk lay an analysis report on a 100% pure C-Rank control core that had been auctioned off at Central Auction.
“Team Lead. I found it.”
A subordinate staff member rushed into the office.
“I traced the money flow. The Auction House laundered it through multiple shell companies, but ultimately it all converged to one location.”
The staff member unfolded a map on her desk. A red circle was drawn around Golden Tower, a newly constructed office-tel complex in the Middle District.
“It’s here. The account holder who received a massive deposit of 3 billion won recently contracted the penthouse on the 35th Floor of this building.”
“Who’s the account holder?”
“Park Jae-jung. A C-Rank tanker. The peculiar thing is… until recently, he was an ordinary veteran living on the border of the Lower District, but suddenly became fabulously wealthy. And…”
The staff member hesitated briefly before continuing.
“There’s a partner moving with him. Lee Tae-hyun. An F-Rank Hunter.”
“F-Rank?”
Lee Ji-young’s brow furrowed. A C-Rank tanker and an F-Rank Hunter. And a mysteriously pure item. Puzzle pieces that simply didn’t fit together.
Yet her instincts warned her that hidden within this discord lay the truth she had been seeking.
“Park Jae-jung, and Lee Tae-hyun…”
She gazed down at the profile photographs of the two men.
“Are they just lucky, or is there something more to this?”
She rose from her seat and draped her coat over her shoulders.
“Assemble a team. We move immediately.”
“Yes? Right now? We don’t even have a warrant yet…”
“We’ll request the warrant later. Right now, we strike first and secure the scene. Before these bastards can cover their tracks and flee, I need to grab them by the throat.”
The Association’s black sedans surged toward the Middle District.
We immediately divided our tasks. I focused on restoration work, while Park Jae-jung took on the responsibility of re-measuring the grades of restored equipment, classifying them, and entering the data into our database. Time slipped away unnoticed.
[Purification] The rusted blade regained its razor-sharp gleam.
[Purification] Mana swirled once more through the magic staff whose circuits had burned out.
[Purification] The dented armor found its original form and hardened.
With each touch of my hands, the scrap metal reclaimed value beyond its former glory. Park Jae-jung stood beside me, gasping in admiration with each piece, his stylus never ceasing its frantic dance across the tablet screen.
“B-rank Flame Gauntlets, restoration complete. Estimated sale price: 120 million. C-rank Wind Boots, restoration complete. Mana efficiency increased by 15%. This one should go to auction.”
As finished pieces accumulated in the corner of the workshop, the value of our assets multiplied exponentially.
Past 2 a.m., a sharp electronic chime pierced through the heated air of our work, echoing from the living room.
Ding-dong—ding-dong—
The doorbell. Park Jae-jung’s and my hands froze simultaneously. We exchanged glances. No one should be visiting at this hour. Not a food delivery. Not a package. This was the Penthouse of Golden Tower, where security was absolute. Unauthorized outsiders were blocked at the lobby itself.
“Who is it?”
Park Jae-jung whispered, rising to his feet. His eyes shifted from those of a craftsman to those of a Hunter. He grabbed the freshly repaired Gigas Shield in one hand and quietly moved toward the living room. I followed, fastening a Purification Dagger to my waist.
The wall pad screen in the living room flickered to life. Park Jae-jung touched the display, and the view from the entrance camera revealed what lay beyond.
Three men in black suits stood there. Earpieces were plugged into their ears, and their bulging waistlines made it clear they were armed. These were no ordinary visitors.
And behind them stood a woman. Sharp-featured, dressed in a beige trench coat. She stared directly into the camera lens—cold, intelligent eyes that seemed to pierce through the screen and see right through us.
Park Jae-jung’s brow furrowed.
“The Hunter Association.”
Small badges gleamed on the chests of the suited men. A golden eagle emblem. The Korea Hunter Association. Specifically, the symbol of the department handling special investigations.
“Why would an Association investigation team be here at this hour…”
Park Jae-jung’s bewilderment was evident. But I had a suspicion. The C-rank Control Core we’d put up for auction at the Exchange VIP Auction House yesterday. An abnormally pure item—100% purity. A winning bid of 3 billion. And despite the Auction House’s promise of absolute confidentiality, trackers had found our doorstep in just one day.
“They’ve caught the scent of money.”
I spoke calmly.
“They’re probably here to investigate the source of the Control Core. Either the Auction House leaked information, or they traced the money flow themselves…”
“What should we do? Pretend we’re not home?”
“No. They’ve already breached the Ground Level security to get here—they know we’re inside. There’s no point in avoiding this.”
I paused to think. The workshop was filled with hundreds of pieces of scrap metal and dozens of freshly restored equipment scattered about. And most critically, a portable Dungeon Core sat on the desk. There were far too many things we couldn’t let them see.
“Park Jae-jung. Buy me three minutes.”
“Understood.”
Park Jae-jung nodded, grasping my intent.
“Who is this? At this hour of the night.”
His voice was gruff and irritated—the performance of a homeowner jolted awake from sleep. Through the speaker came a woman’s composed voice.
“This is the Hunter Association Appraisal Investigation Team. Is this the residence of Hunter Park Jae-jung?”
“It is. What’s this about? Do you have a warrant?”
“An urgent matter requiring fact verification has brought us here. Please open the door. If you fail to cooperate, we will treat this as obstruction of duty and investigation non-compliance, and proceed with forced entry procedures.”
There was not a shred of hesitation in the woman’s voice. It was not a threat—it was a statement of fact.
“I’ll get dressed and come out, so wait for me.”
He ended the call and turned to face me.
“I’ll take as long as I can, so please hurry.”
I bolted into the Workshop. First, I secured the portable Dungeon Core and placed it inside the hidden safe installed beneath the Workshop floor. Then I selected the most conspicuous high-value restored equipment and concealed those as well.
I left the remaining scrap metal and the moderately restored C-rank equipment untouched. It was necessary to maintain the facade of a repair workshop. If everything appeared too pristine, it would only invite suspicion.
I brushed the metal dust from my apron and removed my work goggles. Then I studied my reflection in the mirror and relaxed my expression. Not a man worth 2.7 billion won—but a weary technician from a struggling workshop who had labored through the night. That was my persona now.
“I’m ready.”
As I stepped into the Living Room, Park Jae-jung stood before the Entrance, taking deep breaths. He nodded at me, then disengaged the door lock.
Click.
The door swung open. The Entrance sensor light illuminated, revealing the silhouettes of uninvited guests standing in the darkness beyond.

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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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