The All-Time Best Talent was F-Class Purification - Chapter 28

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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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28
Chapter 28 – An Elite Talent Awakened as an F-Rank Purifier
Golden Tower 35th Floor. I sat on the sofa, scrolling through the flood of news reports. Park Jae-jung had left early this morning to finalize the factory acquisition.
Ding.
A message arrived on my personal terminal. The sender’s number wasn’t saved, but I instinctively knew who it was.
[Congratulations, Guild Master Lee Tae-hyun. Your business expansion is quite impressive.]
It was Lee Ji-young.
[The Steel Fang Guild situation was rather noisy. The Association’s investigation team had quite the cleanup job. Fortunately, it was a legitimate acquisition.]
She knew. She knew about my clash with Ma Seok-gi and everything that lay beneath it. Either the Association had tacitly approved from behind the scenes, or she had used her influence to bury it.
[Thank you, Partner. I owe it all to you.]
I sent a brief reply.
[Don’t just thank me with words—send me something. I heard you acquired a mine as well? I’m looking forward to your next shipment. ^^]
The emoticon at the end of her message felt chilling. She was watching us while simultaneously enjoying our growth. To her, we were fascinating toys and golden geese that would elevate her achievements.
‘Partner, huh…’
I set down my phone. Lee Ji-young and the Hunter Association. For now, we were allies, but someday they might become mountains I’d have to climb over. If we grew too large, they would inevitably try to control us.
But this wasn’t the time to worry. I stood up and headed toward the workshop. A notification chimed—the truck Park Jae-jung had sent had arrived. This time, it wasn’t scrap metal. Fresh raw stones, freshly mined from the quarry.
As I opened the workshop door, the panoramic view of the Middle District spread before me through the window. Just yesterday, that cityscape had felt like an insurmountable wall, but now, today, I felt as though I’d scaled that very wall.
‘Mun Glade.’
A clearing in the moonlit forest. Now that light was beginning to shine beyond the forest, illuminating this entire city. I smiled as I pulled on my gloves.
“Well then, let’s get to work.”
The acquisition of Steel Fang proceeded faster than expected. The power of the promissory note Ma Seok-gi had left behind was formidable. The Hunter Association, in an unprecedented move, stamped their approval swiftly, and within just one week, we had completely transferred ownership of the factory district in Mid-Layer District North and the Third Maseok Mine located in the Capital Region Outskirts.
Golden Tower 35th Floor, Mun Glade’s office. I stood by the window, looking down at the asset status report displayed on my tablet PC.
[Guild Assets (including real estate/facilities): Approximately 45 billion won]
[Available Cash: 8 billion won]
[Full-time Staff: 2 people]
By the numbers alone, our scale rivaled that of mid-tier guilds. But my gaze didn’t linger on the figures—it settled on the risk analysis section below.
[Declining mining output trend]
[Risk of existing processing workforce defection]
[Anticipated revenue decline due to raw material quality degradation]
“As expected, nothing comes easy.”
I let out a bitter laugh and set the report on the table. Park Jae-jung nodded from the sofa across from me, sipping his coffee.
“I wondered why Ma Seok-gi handed it over so readily. Turns out that mine was just an empty shell.”
He shook his head and continued.
“Over the past five years, they’ve been mining recklessly, and the upper veins are completely exhausted. They need to dig deeper, but the deep sections have such high contamination levels that ordinary miners can’t even approach them. And if we send in machinery, the corrupted mana destroys it in no time…”
That was the reason Ma Seok-gi had fallen into financial hardship. Resources were dwindling while his business had expanded—disaster was inevitable. He’d essentially handed us a rotting rope and saved his own neck.
“The workers are another problem. The miners and technicians who belonged to Steel Fang don’t trust us as their new owners. They’re showing signs of striking. The factory could shut down any moment.”
Park Jae-jung’s expression was filled with concern. Behind the sweetness of acquisition lay the harsh, unforgiving realities of management.
But I, on the other hand, felt my eyes light up.
“High contamination levels preventing access, you say…”
I stood, threw on my jacket, and looked at Park Jae-jung.
“Park Jae-jung. Clear your schedule for today.”
“What? Where are we going?”
“We need to inspect our property. We should verify whether it’s truly as worthless as they claim, shouldn’t we?”
In the Outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, within the Old Quarry District, a massive cave entrance yawned open in the barren stone mountains. This was the Third Maseok Mine we had acquired. Upon arrival, the stench of decay mingled with dust. Rusted mining equipment stood idle, and workers in hard hats clustered in small groups, doing nothing but smoking. It was the desolate landscape of a company in its death throes.
“Who are you? This is a restricted area.”
A middle-aged man who appeared to be the Work Foreman blocked our path. His face was smudged with soot, and his eyes burned with suspicion. Park Jae-jung stepped forward and handed over his business card.
“I’m Park Jae-jung, Vice Guild Master of Moonglade. This is Guild Master Lee Tae-hyun.”
The Foreman’s eyes darted between the card and us, then he snorted derisively.
“Ah, those Renewal folk. I’ve heard the rumors—you drove out the thugs and took over. But this isn’t a place for necktie-wearing suits. There’s nothing to see here, so turn back. There’s nothing left to mine anyway.”
His attitude was cynical, tinged with the resignation that while the ownership had changed, their lives would remain unchanged.
“Whether there’s nothing to mine or nothing worth mining—I’d like to verify that myself.”
I stepped forward and spoke.
“What?”
“Show us the way. To the deepest section.”
The Foreman’s face hardened at my words.
“Listen, boss. That’s no place for people to go. The contamination levels exceed safe standards by tenfold. Even in protective gear, you can’t last thirty minutes. Gentlemen like yourselves would go in there and not even leave bones to bury.”
“Don’t worry. We’re Hunters.”
Rather than show my F-Rank—or rather, D-Rank—Hunter license, I released a subtle surge of core energy from my body. As the weighty aura of high-D-Rank spread outward, the Foreman flinched and stumbled backward. He tossed us two hard hats.
“Do as you please. I’m not responsible if you die.”
Under the Foreman’s guidance, we descended into the mine shaft. The deeper we went, the heavier the air became, and a sharp, metallic stench assaulted our nostrils. The lights embedded in the walls flickered precariously as we passed.
“This is as far as I go.”
At the 300-Meter Underground Depth, the Foreman stopped before a massive barrier. Beyond it stretched absolute darkness.
“This is the Deep Section. It’s been sealed off for three years. They say there are raw stones scattered inside, but it’s all pie in the sky. Monsters occasionally emerge from there too.”
“Thank you for your trouble. We’ll proceed from here on our own.”
“You’re really going in? Well… I see.”
“Yes.”
The Foreman shook his head and withdrew. I locked eyes with Park Jae-jung. He was already tense, summoning a Gaseous Shield and gripping it firmly.
“Let’s go.”
As we pushed through the barrier, a suffocating wave of contaminated energy engulfed us. My skin prickled from the exposure. For an ordinary person, this concentration would have caused them to cough blood and collapse instantly. But for my body, now grown to D-Rank, and for Park Jae-jung, a seasoned C-Rank veteran, it was bearable.
We advanced deeper, flashlights cutting through the darkness. And when we reached the end of the passage, we witnessed it.
“This is…”
Park Jae-jung’s face twisted in dismay. The end of the mine shaft was entirely covered by a massive black crystal. It was no ordinary stone—it was raw Mana Stone. But its color was not the brilliant blue of pristine ore; instead, it was a sickly, murky black.
[Contaminated Mana Stone Vein]
[Grade: Unmeasurable]
[Description: A cluster of Mana Stone whose essence has been corrupted by prolonged exposure to high-concentration contaminated energy. Even if mined and processed, its efficiency is extremely low and may cause adverse effects to users.]
The vein was alive, but it was sick. In this state, it was nothing but a massive industrial waste deposit, utterly worthless.
“What a waste…”
Park Jae-jung reached out to touch the black wall with regret, but his fingertips stung so sharply he jerked his hand back in alarm.
“The quantity is enormous, yet it’s all useless stone. Even if we ran the factory equipment around the clock, it would take ten years to purify this.”
“No.”
I approached the dark stone wall slowly.
“I don’t think we’ll need any equipment.”
I removed my gloves. My bare hands were exposed to the cold air. This massive ore vein—it was no mere lump of rock. It was a colossal mass of energy flowing through the earth’s veins.
The principle was the same. Erase the contamination, restore the essence. The only difference was the scale.
“Park Jae-jung. Please step back a bit. There might be an impact.”
Park Jae-jung seemed to grasp my intention.
“W-wait, boss. You’re not going to purify the entire ore vein, are you?”
“We need to test it. Our future depends on it.”
I took a deep breath. I drew up the core energy from deep within my dantian. Since advancing to D-Rank, my total energy reserves had grown dozens of times greater than they were in my F-Rank days. But even that might not be enough to handle this colossal wall.
‘Focus. Don’t read the surface—read the flow.’
I placed both hands against the black stone wall. A cold, sticky taint seeped up my arms and constricted my heart. I suppressed the revulsion and unleashed my pure white energy like opening a dam.
“Purify.”
Uuuuung—
At first, nothing changed.
Five seconds, ten seconds…
“Boss!”
Park Jae-jung’s voice reached me. Blood was flowing from my nose. A backlash of contaminated energy.
‘Not yet. Just a little more…’
I clenched my teeth and poured more energy forth. I wrung every ounce of power from my D-Rank core. Then it happened.
Uuuuuuung—!
It was far more than mere light. The entire mine shaft trembled violently as if struck by an earthquake. From my palms, a blinding shockwave rippled across the black stone wall.
Screeeech! Craaaaaash!
The black shells clinging to the stone wall shrieked and burned away. Like filth being scraped clean, the contaminated energy transformed into white vapor and dispersed into the air.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
My core energy drained away frantically. The sensation of burning veins. My vision blurred. But I couldn’t stop. If I pulled away now, everything would be for nothing.
‘Just a little more… just a little more!’
I didn’t stop. Beneath the retreating blackness, the true colors began to emerge.
The murky black faded away, and beneath it, the brilliant emerald and deep sapphire hues that had been holding their breath began to illuminate the darkness. It was as if tens of thousands of stars had opened their eyes simultaneously in the gloom.
“…This can’t be real.”
Park Jae-jung’s voice reached me.
When the trembling ceased and the light faded, the hideous black wall before my eyes was gone.
The entire wall surface was now filled with a magnificent forest of massive mana stones gleaming like premium jewels. Each one possessed the purity of C-Rank, or even B-Rank—the finest raw crystals.
[You have successfully purified a massive contaminated ore vein!]
[Due to large-scale purification experience, the proficiency of your unique trait Purification has dramatically increased.]
I staggered and leaned against the wall. I felt like I might collapse from exhaustion, but I couldn’t suppress the laughter that burst forth as I gazed at the spectacle before me.
“Did you see it, Park Jae-jung?”
I turned to him, my face drenched in sweat. Park Jae-jung stood transfixed, his eyes fixed on the wall ablaze with blue light.
This wasn’t merely a success. We no longer needed to hunt for materials. We had obtained a perfect production facility—one capable of independently producing everything from raw materials to finished products.
We emerged from the mine shaft. The Work Foreman waiting at the entrance let out a scoff as he saw us.
“See? I told you there was nothing to see. You just wasted your clothes.”
I approached him and tossed a fist-sized piece of raw ore from my pocket—still warm from being freshly extracted—into his hands. The Squad Leader caught it absently, then froze as he beheld the luminous azure radiance emanating from his palm.
“This… this… this is… C-Rank… no, B-Rank…?”
He had spent his entire life mining stone. There was no way he could fail to recognize the absurd value of what he held.
“Squad Leader.”
I tapped his rigid shoulder.
“Call all the staff together and prepare to restart the factory.”
I smiled at the Squad Leader as I spoke.
“Start by oiling the machinery. From tomorrow onward, we’re running twenty-four hours nonstop. Of course, I’ll make sure the overtime pay is generous.”

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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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