The All-Time Best Talent was F-Class Purification - Chapter 73

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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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73
Chapter 73 – An Elite Talent Awakened as an F-Rank Purifier
Click.
I accepted the key and pushed open the weathered Container Warehouse door. A musty smell of mold and the acrid stench of oxidized metal wafted through the air, and on the shelves shrouded in darkness lay mountains of broken and rusted weapons discarded by Middle District Hunters.
To some, industrial waste—but to me, it was a familiar scent.
‘Yes, this smell.’
Park Jae-jung’s face suddenly came to mind. The day we first met, and those nights at the Renewal Shop when I’d scrub and purify scrap metal until dawn.
I crouched on the floor and began sifting through the heap of scrap metal.
Longswords, axes, mauls—heavy, destructive weapons dominated the pile. But my hands pushed past them without hesitation.
‘No. Too large.’
‘This one’s too dull.’
Possessing an A-Rank body didn’t change my combat style. I wasn’t a tank. Rather than swinging massive blades to cleave enemies apart, I thrived by slipping into their guard and striking their most lethal vulnerabilities. That was how I’d survived, and it remained the most efficient path to purification.
What I needed was a short blade—an extension of my hand. Something fast, sharp, and capable of channeling my mana without the slightest loss of precision.
After roughly thirty minutes of searching, I spotted a familiar silhouette in a dusty wooden crate tucked in a corner.
Whoosh.
What I withdrew was a double-edged dagger with only the hilt remaining intact; more than half the blade had snapped away. The grip was wrapped in rotted leather, and the remaining steel was so thickly coated in rust-red corrosion that its true form was barely discernible.
My fingertips sensed a faint pulse of mana thrumming within. A B+-Rank Assassin’s blade. The mana circuits were completely severed and the core shattered, but the foundation was exceptional.
It appeared to have belonged to a skilled Middle District Assassin or Hunter who’d suffered catastrophic impact, shattering the core before discarding it. Any ordinary blacksmith would have deemed it beyond restoration.
But a smile spread across my lips. The circuit design was remarkably intricate. Severed lines could be reconnected, rust could be scraped away. The essence remained unchanged.
“This one will do.”
I placed the broken dagger and the mithril alloy rod I’d brought earlier side by side on the Workbench. Behind me, Kim Seok-hun clicked his tongue.
“That’s just a handle. The blade’s completely gone—what are you going to do with that?”
“You’ll understand soon enough.”
I grasped the broken dagger’s hilt with my left hand, gauntlet-clad. Closing my eyes, I visualized the weapon’s internal structure in my mind. Severed vessels, blocked meridians, twisted framework.
“Return to your essence.”
Whooooom—
Pure white mana erupted from my hand, enveloping the dagger. The power to erase corruption, to reverse time and recall when an object had been most perfect.
Screech!
The rust-red corrosion evaporated into white smoke. The rotted leather wrapping fell away, revealing the black metal hilt hidden beneath. But the crucial work lay within. My mana forced its way into the gaps of the severed circuits, reconnecting and binding them together.
The mana circuits began to restore. Conductivity climbed—thirty percent… sixty percent… ninety-five percent.
Whine.
The dagger vibrated softly. The sound of a dead heart beating once more. Though the blade remained broken, it had been resurrected as a perfect weapon ready to accept mana.
“Well… I’ll be damned.”
Kim Seok-hun rubbed his eyes. Rusted scrap metal transformed into smooth black metal in an instant. This was my alchemy.
But this wasn’t the end. I still needed to implant a more powerful fang to replace the broken blade.
I placed the mithril/titanium alloy rod against the dagger’s severed edge. This wasn’t ordinary welding. I would temporarily deconstruct the molecular structures of both metals and merge them together.
I concentrated my A-Rank mana at the gauntlet’s tip and pressed down on the mithril rod. Under the immense pressure, the rigid mithril alloy became gelatinous, beginning to glow.
Screeeee!
Blue sparks erupted with a high-pitched whine. I shaped the liquefied mithril according to my will—longer and sharper than the original steel blade, with a streamlined form to minimize air resistance.
Sweat dripped down my jaw. This was delicate work. It wasn’t simply about joining the metals; I had to extend the existing mana circuits deep into the mithril itself. Only then would my mana flow all the way to the blade’s edge.
Whoosh.
At last, the light faded. On the workbench lay an entirely new weapon. The grip was a weighty matte black, the blade a silvery-white tinged with blue. Forty centimeters in length. A dagger of perfect proportions.
Grade A-minus. Not a perfect A-grade due to material limitations, but more than sufficient to fill the void left by White Fang.
I grasped the completed dagger. It fit my hand like it was made for me. When I channeled mana through it, a shimmering blue haze bloomed around the blade.
Swish. Swish.
Drawing it lightly through the air produced no sound at all. So sharp it felt as though the blade could cleave the very air itself.
Kim Seok-hun, standing in the warehouse, stared at the dagger with his mouth hanging open.
“That’s… the garbage from before?”
He spoke as if he couldn’t believe it.
“That’s the kind of thing only the Mid-Level Assassination Guild uses….”
I chuckled and swung the dagger at a thick steel rebar lying nearby. I didn’t even put force behind it—just a light tap.
Ching.
With a clear ring, the three-centimeter-thick rebar sliced cleanly at an angle. The cut surface was mirror-smooth.
“Excellent.”
I was satisfied. Now the unease of fighting bare-handed had vanished. My hand had teeth again. Sharp, hard teeth.
“I’ll call it… Shadow Fang.”
If White Fang was the purification of light, this blade would be the shadow that strikes at an enemy’s vital points in darkness.
I purified a leather scrap nearby to fashion a makeshift sheath and secured the dagger at my waist. The solid weight anchored me.
“So… what now?”
Kim Seok-hun asked carefully. His eyes held both anticipation and fear—wondering where I would go armed with such a weapon.
I turned my gaze outward from the warehouse. The Lower District, shrouded in darkness. And far beyond, the Anchor Tower still standing arrogantly.
“I’m in no rush, but I need to find a way inside the tower.”
“If you’re thinking of heading toward the tower, you should meet Director Park. He used to manage the tower’s pipe system.”
“Director Park, understood.”
I couldn’t leave right now. I was still hungry, and my information was woefully inadequate.
I clenched and unclenched my fist, savoring the feel of my new dagger. It was going to be a very long night.
By the time I finished crafting the weapon, it was already past three in the morning. Kim Seok-hun continued to marvel at the completed dagger, but exhaustion overwhelmed me and I waved him off.
“You should go get some sleep now.”
“Ah, and what about you, Lee Tae-hyun?”
“I’ll rest here for a bit.”
I pointed to the rusted container box perched on the second floor of Old Man Choi’s Junk Shop. A vantage point overlooking the entire 9 Block Plaza.
Creak.
As I opened the container door, the stench of dust and rat droppings assaulted me. I frowned.
“Purification.”
I swept my hand across the entire space. A wave of pure white light scoured the cramped room. The filth on the floor and mold on the walls vanished instantly, and the stale air became as fresh as a forest breeze. Even the dented metal floor smoothed itself out.
“Now I can rest.”
I left only an old military mattress in the corner (which I also purified until it was fluffy and clean) and laid out my belongings. As my body settled onto it, fatigue crashed over me like a wave.
But my eyes wouldn’t close. Through the broken window, I could see the massive pillar in the distance—the silhouette of the Anchor Tower.
‘I wonder if they made it up safely.’
Staring at the ceiling, the memory of that final moment surfaced. The Blue Tower’s transport ship lifting off. Park Jae-jung’s face, crying out in refusal to leave without me. Seo Eun-ha and Han Su-jin, unable to turn away. And Lee Ji-young, my team leader, biting her lip as she watched me until the very end.
The Lee Seung-ryong Party and my guild members should have reached the Middle District safely. But that place is hardly a safe haven. Dominion has pinned the explosion in Ground Zone 9 on us as a “suicide terror attack by the Munglade Guild,” frozen our assets, and likely issued a bounty for our heads.
Han Su-jin’s health is fragile—I hope she doesn’t have to use her substitution ability.
Lee Ji-young is sharp-witted; she’ll find somewhere to hide, no matter what.
My chest tightened with a suffocating weight. While I’m trapped here, my people are being hunted. And I’m the guild master. What kind of leader am I?
And then there’s one more person.
Mother.
My mother, who’s suffered her entire life thinking her son is just an F-Rank porter. When the contaminated gas suddenly reversed flow and the city descended into chaos, was she frightened? Every time the news mentions “the terrorist organization Munglade,” she has no idea it’s the guild her son created.
“…I hope the hospital bills haven’t been cut off.”
With my accounts frozen, the hospital payments must have stopped too. Was she evicted? Or did Dominion’s thugs go after my family? As one worry spiraled into another, my chest grew so tight I could barely breathe.
Sleep had abandoned me. Lying here would only pile on more anxiety. Better to go and verify things myself.
I pretended to organize my supplies, then slipped out silently while Kim Seok-hun slept. Covert reconnaissance doesn’t need cumbersome gear.
Whoosh.
I hurled myself into the darkness. The newly crafted Shadow Fang hung heavy at my waist, anchoring my center of gravity. My A-Rank physical abilities moved with an eerie silence. I vaulted across the rooftops of ruined buildings, approaching the Anchor Tower.
Ten minutes later, I crouched behind the railing of a half-collapsed building’s rooftop, roughly 200 meters from the tower.
Before me stood the Anchor Tower in overwhelming majesty. Fifty meters in diameter. Six hundred meters tall. Its smooth alloy exterior reflected moonlight, gleaming with a cold silver sheen.
But that wasn’t the problem.
Whirr—whirr—
From the tower’s lower section, surveillance cameras and automated turrets were densely packed every five meters up from ground level, spraying red lasers in a mesh pattern. This wasn’t mere vigilance. This was maximum-level defensive posture—wartime conditions.
[Warning: High-sensitivity motion detection sensor active]
[Warning: Core energy wavelength detection field deployed]
To my eyes, their surveillance net appeared as a crimson dome. The intent was clear: not even an ant would get through.
I considered testing it.
I picked up a pebble from the ground and flicked it with my finger toward the tower, sending it into the sensor field.
Ping—
The moment the pebble touched the red line.
Shrieeeek!
A sharp alarm blared, and three nearby turrets rotated simultaneously.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
Silenced machine cannons erupted with fire. The pebble turned to dust in mid-air before it could hit the ground. Response time: 0.01 seconds. Fast enough to overwhelm an A-Rank Hunter’s reflexes.
But the real problem wasn’t the firepower.
Whoooom—
A single pebble triggered the tower’s entire lighting system, and the drone hangar in the upper levels began opening. One detection triggered a massive mobilization system.
This couldn’t be breached by force alone.
Even if I purified those rounds away, it wouldn’t matter. The sensors would already have detected an intruder and signaled the main base. Dominion’s regular forces would pour down from the Middle District, and I don’t have the strength to face them.
I examined the tower’s lower section. There had to be a maintenance hatch somewhere.
There.
On the tower’s back side, hidden in a corner behind garbage heaps—a rectangular panel with a subtly different mana flow. An external inspection hatch.
Opening it would give me access to the tower’s internal pipe system, but the hatch was covered in red sensors. The moment I forced it open, alarms would blare throughout the entire tower.
“Damn it.”
I cursed under my breath. I have enough destructive power. But I have no way to neutralize this electronic surveillance network. My purification ability restores matter to its essence—it doesn’t hack complex security codes or fool sensors.
I’ve reached a conclusion. I can’t do this alone. I need a technician who understands the design of this mechanical monstrosity and can bypass its security systems. Surely someone among the Lower District residents has participated in Tower construction or maintenance.
I turned back. Pushing forward recklessly here would only expose my position without saving Park Jae-jung and his colleagues.
On the way back, my steps felt heavy. If I can’t break through with force, I must find a way around through knowledge. Kim Seok-hun’s casual remark echoed in my mind.
‘There’s someone who used to manage the pipe systems….’
If he was a facility director, he would surely know not only the Tower’s pipe schematics but also the blind spots where sensors couldn’t reach.
When I arrived at 9 Block Plaza, dawn was breaking. Kim Seok-hun, his face disheveled from the night, was warming himself by the fire when he spotted me and approached. It seemed he’d stood watch all night without sleeping.
“Huh? Where did you go?”
“Couldn’t sleep, so I took a walk.”
I answered briefly and sat beside the campfire. Watching the crackling flames, I steadied my breathing before asking Kim Seok-hun.
“Kim Seok-hun. That pipe technician you mentioned yesterday.”
“Huh? Oh, Director Park?”
“Where is he now? I’d like to meet him.”
At my question, Kim Seok-hun scratched the back of his head with an uncomfortable expression.
“Well… he’s around, but he’s not in good condition. Actually, he’s in really bad shape. He took a direct hit during the gas incident a few days ago.”
“Gas?”
“His place is in such a remote, low-lying area that when the alarm sounded, he couldn’t escape in time and inhaled all of that toxic stuff. After that, he’s become somewhat… mentally unstable and violent, so no one can approach him.”
My eyes sharpened. Gas poisoning. In other words, Core Energy Erosion. If that’s the case, this becomes manageable. If he’s a patient rather than simply a madman, I can cure him.
“Will you guide me there?”
I stood up.
“I think I can help.”
Kim Seok-hun looked puzzled, but soon nodded and led the way.
“Well… if you insist. Just be careful, though. He’s extremely sensitive, probably from the pain.”
We headed toward the deepest part of the Shantytown, to a damp and isolated corner near the drainage ditch. A shabby makeshift shack with walls built from garbage and scrap metal came into view. The acrid smell of gas still lingered faintly in the air.
Clang!
As we approached, the sound of a metal pipe clattering to the ground came from inside.
“Don’t come near! Get away! Don’t touch my body!”
A sharp scream. But it was a voice drenched in fear and pain. Kim Seok-hun flinched and stopped.
“He’s been like this for days without sleeping. Like he’s seeing ghosts or something….”
I stopped Kim Seok-hun and slowly moved forward. Through the gap of the open door, a woman huddled in the corner, trembling.

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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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