The All-Time Best Talent was F-Class Purification - Chapter 33

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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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33
Chapter 33 – An Elite Talent Awakened as an F-Rank Purifier
Three hundred meters underground, a peculiar procession stretched through the darkness.
Crunch—crack.
The sound of rough bedrock crumbling echoed through the narrow mine shaft, yet it was no longer a destructive noise that threatened us.
Thousands of tons of stone that had blocked our path were being split and shoved aside. Work that would have taken heavy machinery a week was completed by the monsters in ten minutes. Each time the Queen twitched her antennae, the obsidian golems became faithful bulldozers.
“I feel like I’m dreaming.”
Park Jae-jung was letting out hollow laughter. His gaze remained fixed on the backs of the crystal golems clearing rocks ahead.
The monsters moved with perfect order. When a massive obsidian golem lifted an enormous boulder, the scorpions following behind swept away the smaller debris with their tails. There was no hesitation in their movements, no hostility toward us—only absolute obedience to the will of the small creature perched on my shoulder, the Crystal Queen.
I stroked the Queen’s smooth carapace. She seemed pleased, her tail swaying as her transparent wings trembled. The fact that this tiny gesture commanded that vast legion suddenly felt surreal.
“Get used to it. You’ll be seeing this sight often from now on.”
I replied matter-of-factly and continued walking. But I wasn’t entirely at ease either. I felt a gaze from beside me—Lee Ji-young’s eyes were boring relentlessly into my profile.
She remained silent. Her eyes behind her glasses were coldly composed, but her grip on the notebook showed tension, veins standing out on her knuckles. It was clear she was wrestling between the common sense of an A-Rank Appraiser and the miracle unfolding before her eyes.
After walking a bit further, a cool breeze seeped through the humid, heavy underground air. It carried the scent of the surface.
“Light.”
Park Jae-jung was right. Faint but unmistakable sunlight poured through the hole the monsters had carved.
“Stop.”
I gave the command quietly. The Queen, reading my will, moved her antennae, and the monster army ahead halted in unison, melting into the darkness like shadows. There was no need to show these grotesque escorts to the people on the surface.
“From here on, we go out alone.”
I brushed the dust from my clothes and turned to face Lee Ji-young. Now it was time to settle accounts.
“Team Leader.”
“Speak.”
“Once we get outside, we’ll need to explain how we survived and what condition this mine is in.”
She adjusted her glasses and looked up at me. The light reflecting off the lenses made her expression unreadable.
“The report will read like this.”
She opened her mouth in a flat, emotionless tone.
“Deep Mine Shaft collapse incident occurred. Situation resolved through swift action by field commander. Mine currently entering stabilization phase. Your abilities and the Queen’s existence will be omitted. The Association database will classify it as a simple accident.”
She paused for a moment, then the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
“How’s that? A model answer?”
I burst into quiet laughter. She was indeed wise.
“Perfect. You’re truly the team leader.”
“Hmph, shameless.”
She scoffed, but there was no hostility in her tone. She had already made her choice—that joining hands with me and sharing this enormous secret would benefit her far more than reporting me to the Association’s laboratories.
“Let’s go. People will be waiting.”
We squeezed through the cracks of the collapsed mine shaft and emerged outside.
“We, we made it out. Survivors!”
“Director. Vice-Guild Master.”
The surface was chaos. Around the collapsed entrance, rescue workers, Hunters, and staff were pacing anxiously. The moment we appeared, covered in dirt, people rushed toward us with cheers.
“Thank heavens you’re alive. Communications went down and you were buried—we thought you were all dead.”
The Work Foreman grabbed my hand with tears in his eyes. I reassured him and surveyed the surroundings. Lee Ji-young’s subordinates from the Association Investigation Team were rushing toward her with bewildered expressions.
“Team Leader. Are you alright? Any injuries…”
“Quiet. I’m fine, so stop making a fuss.”
Lee Ji-young coldly dismissed her subordinates and straightened her clothing. Then she pulled a radio from her pocket and transmitted the situation to the Association Headquarters.
“Situation concluded. Boss entity confirmed and subdued. No additional collapse risk. Effective immediately, suspending rescue operations and transitioning to scene containment.”
Her report brought instant order to the chaotic scene. The authority wielded by the Chief Appraiser’s single word was formidable.
While the situation settled, Park Jae-jung and I sat behind the ambulance, catching our breath. A nurse approached to disinfect my wounds, but I politely declined. My body was already maintaining peak condition through purification.
“How’s your body feeling?”
When I asked, Park Jae-jung clenched and unclenched his fist. The muscles in his forearms rippled like serpents.
“Overflowing. Before, it felt like a clogged pipe, but now it’s like a dam has burst. So this is what B-Rank feels like.”
He still seemed unable to believe his own growth. The C-Rank ceiling that had strangled him for over a decade—breaking through it and ascending felt like being reborn.
“Congratulations. Now you’ve finally become a master worthy of that shield.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Representative. In the underground at that moment… if it weren’t for you, I would have—”
“Stop. Save the sentimental talk for the company dinner later.”
I cut him off and stood. Lee Ji-young was approaching us from a distance, alone, having separated from her subordinates.
“We still have things to discuss, don’t we?”
She spoke with her arms crossed.
“Get in. We’ll move in my car. Too many ears here.”
Inside Lee Ji-young’s personal sedan—a sleek black luxury vehicle—silence reigned. A soundproof partition rose between the driver’s seat and the back, and only soft classical music played within.
She gripped the steering wheel, watching me through the rearview mirror.
“I’ll be direct. Lee Tae-hyun.”
“Yes.”
“Your ability—you called it purification? That’s a lie.”
Park Jae-jung flinched, but I asked calmly.
“Why do you think that?”
“Purification simply removes contamination. But what you did…”
She paused briefly, struggling to find the right words.
“You altered the structure of matter, twisted the nature of mana, and even rewrote the very instincts of monsters. This isn’t purification—it’s closer to recreation or domination.”
Her eyes sharpened.
“I’ve searched the Association’s entire database. There isn’t a single Hunter in the world with an ability like this. You’re… among the highest tier of irregulars.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It’s not a compliment. It’s a warning.”
She stopped the car at a red light and turned to face me.
“What do you think happens if your ability becomes known to the world? A hero? Far from it. You’ll become Specimen Number One. Governments of every nation, Large Guilds, even criminal organizations—they’ll all be desperate to kidnap you.”
“So, you’re going to report me?”
“No.”
A smile played at her lips. Her red-lipsticked mouth looked both alluring and dangerous.
“Why would I do someone else a favor? I’m the one who found you—a lottery ticket.”
She handed a document envelope to the back seat.
“It’s a contract. Not official—a secret agreement between just the two of us.”
I opened the envelope and skimmed through the contents.
[Mutual Non-Aggression and Information Monopoly Agreement].
The terms were straightforward.
She would keep my secrets—the true nature of my abilities, the truth about the mine—and serve as my shield within the Association. In exchange, I would grant her first purchase rights on all top-tier items produced by Moonglade, and joint investigation rights on any undiscovered dungeons we might find in the future.
A perfectly balanced give and take.
“Not a bad arrangement,” I said.
I closed the document.
“But there’s something missing.”
“What’s that?”
“You. The team leader herself.”
“I’m sorry?”
“A simple transaction of goods isn’t enough. I need those eyes of yours. Like today.”
I met her gaze directly.
“Become Moonglade’s technical advisor. Of course, informally, without interfering with your Association duties.”
Her expression shifted to one of surprise. Recruiting the Association’s chief Appraiser as a consultant to a single guild? It was a mad proposal. Yet simultaneously, it was one that appealed to her curiosity. By staying at my side, she would witness phenomena unlike anything seen anywhere else in the world, every single day.
Silence stretched between us. The traffic light changed, and the car began moving again.
“Can you handle my salary?”
She spoke casually, her eyes fixed ahead.
“A blank check, if necessary.”
A smile flickered in her eyes through the rearview mirror. With that exchange, we transcended the simple relationship of watcher and watched, becoming conspirators bound by shared secrets.
That night. Moonglade Headquarters. The Renewal Shop’s sales suspension notice came down, replaced by a new announcement.
[Sales Resumption and New Lineup Announcement]
[Mine Safety Inspection Complete. We look forward to serving you with even more powerful raw materials.]
And beneath it, a small line was added.
[Special Thanks to: Chief Appraiser Lee Ji-young of the Hunter Association (Official Moonglade Advisory Member)]
That single line had tremendous impact. The rumors circulating about us—accusations of fraud, whispers of a shoddy guild—evaporated instantly. A guild officially endorsed by a heavyweight of the Association itself. Moonglade’s standing skyrocketed overnight.
I gazed out the window and raised my wine glass. Park Jae-jung had been reborn as a B-rank Hunter, the mine had become my personal dungeon, and Lee Ji-young—once the Association’s sharpest blade—was now another weapon in my hand.
Tap, tap, tap.
A stack of documents fell rhythmically onto the elegant desk. But the sound was less cheerful than it was heavy, like the weary sigh of someone exhausted.
“Is this all of them?”
Park Jae-jung, sitting across from me, wiped his face and nodded grimly.
“Yes. Every application we received this week.”
I picked up the resume at the top of the pile.
[Name: Kim Chul-soo / Rank: D / Specialty: Fleeing / Experience: Convenience store part-time work for 3 years, Line 1 Dungeon porter for 2 months]
I flipped to the next page.
[Name: Park Min-soo / Rank: E / Specialty: None / Reason for Application: Heard you pay well]
A sigh escaped me. Among over a hundred resumes, there wasn’t a single genuinely capable Hunter worth a second glance. Most were freshly awakened novices, problem cases expelled from other guilds, or ordinary people who simply held Hunter licenses.
“Despite all the money we’ve spent, we can’t find decent talent.”
“It’s unavoidable.”
Park Jae-jung smiled bitterly.
“In the industry, Moonglade’s image is that of a wealthy item workshop, not a strong guild. Skilled B-rank Hunters and above care about their careers. They won’t join a new guild led by a D-rank guild master just to take orders.”
That was the painful reality. With a capital of ten billion won and monthly revenue of thirty billion won, by the numbers alone, we had already ascended to the ranks of the Large Guilds. But from the perspective of military might, we remained a precarious organization dependent on a single B-rank tank—Park Jae-jung.
What if a massive force like Dominion decided right now to send S-rank and A-rank Hunters to make a show of force? We would be crushed while sitting atop our mountain of money. We couldn’t protect the Mine. We couldn’t protect ourselves.
“Should we hire more mercenaries?”
“No. Mercenaries are migratory birds that follow the money. When crisis strikes, they’ll be the first to flee. What we need are comrades we can trust with our backs.”
I swept the stack of documents aside. My head throbbed.
Then the office door opened, and a familiar fragrance drifted in. It was Lee Ji-young. She entered without knocking and collapsed onto the sofa, crossing her legs.
“Why do you all look like that? Did you just come back from a funeral?”
She glanced at the pile of resumes on the table, then snorted.
“Ah, a labor shortage? Of course. Who’d want to crawl in below D-rank? Prideful Hunters, all of them.”
“If you came to console us, just leave.”
When I replied curtly, she chuckled and pulled a file from her bag.
“Not consolation—a tip. You’re shopping in the wrong place.”
“The wrong place?”
“You go to department stores looking for luxury goods, so they’re expensive and hard to find. What’s your specialty? Isn’t it rummaging through trash cans to find treasure?”
Her words made my eyes light up.
“What do you mean?”
“The decent A-rank and B-rank Hunters have already been scouted by the Large Guilds. What you should be targeting are the ones they’ve discarded.”
She slid the file toward me.
“People with injuries, trauma, damaged mana circuits, or caught up in political struggles—talented individuals who’ve fallen into the abyss. The Lower District Slums and Illegal Gambling Arenas are full of such broken toys. You could fix them, couldn’t you?”
I opened the file. Inside was a list of backstreet figures of interest that couldn’t be found in the Association database.
I looked at Park Jae-jung. His eyes were already gleaming with vitality.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes. Let’s take a drive.”

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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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