The Only Enhancer - Chapter 177
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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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Episode 177
177 – Newcomer Training Camp (2)
Min-jun fell into thought as he observed the increasingly bustling Training Camp.
Leveling was certainly an urgent priority, but this was Chinese territory, wasn’t it?
If I continued hunting here, the Chinese government would certainly be pleased, but I wondered if I should relocate to a new hunting ground. It wasn’t that I disliked China—it was purely a matter of efficiency.
The Calamity-grade Level 5 monsters in this region were beginning to run dry.
Of course, if I returned in a few days, Calamity-grade Level 5 monsters would spawn again.
Without Gwen to absorb mana and convert it into mana stones, I could mimic the process, but since it wasn’t a skill, it was imperfect—Calamity-grade Level 5 monsters would eventually arise naturally.
‘Hmm, should I head toward Russia instead?’
Since international law regarding me was gradually being established, and agreements were being made that if I eliminated Calamity-grade Level 5 monsters in other countries, I would receive compensation above a certain threshold, China would certainly compensate me as well.
Now, going to Russia and hunting there wouldn’t be a problem either.
But traveling there on foot directly felt inefficient.
Was there a more efficient method? That thought began to form.
To put it bluntly, what I was doing now was already the epitome of efficiency, but I’d never been one to settle for merely that. So I was troubled. If there was a better way, I should use it.
I needed to add even more efficiency here. With half of Team 1 present, I felt I could maximize efficiency further—and then something suddenly occurred to me.
Now I could pinpoint the approximate locations of monsters without a detector, spreading my mana around like sonar to confirm their positions.
An unexpected location appeared, and I couldn’t help but smile.
‘Why didn’t I think of this sooner?’
As Min-jun smiled, the members of Team 1 who were busily preparing trembled.
Somehow this feels ominous… Is he thinking of something sinister?
As such whispers exchanged among them, they closed their eyes, wore pained expressions, and continued their hurried preparations.
Well, at least they grew stronger afterward, so they endured it with that thought. Only Hong Myung, who hadn’t yet grasped reality, continued smiling.
2.
As Min-jun was establishing his new plan, the other executives began arriving one by one.
The first to arrive was Natalia Ivanova, who had been hunting in this region.
She arrived with Lee Ji-eun and exchanged greetings, while Yu Ji-min narrowed her eyes, watching Natalia Ivanova and Lee Ji-eun with caution.
Yu Ji-min and the others had been supporting Gwen, but Lee Ji-eun had always remained neutral.
But now that she’d become Natalia Ivanova’s partner, it was unclear how things might have changed.
As Natalia Ivanova appeared and exchanged greetings with several people, Min-jun was also present.
“Ah, Natalia Ivanova, you’ve arrived?”
“…Yes, yes. Though I’m lacking, I’ll do my best.”
“Lacking?!!! You’re incredible!!!! Guild Master, Natalia Ivanova is truly amazing.”
“Ah, no, no. I’m still very much lacking. I’m learning Korean too, but it’s slow….”
“Hmm? Ah, well, that’s fine. I’ve heard reports that Natalia Ivanova is already Level 3 without even a growth buff. That’s truly remarkable.”
“…Th-thank you.”
Though her words were stiff, her face flushed slightly, and Yu Ji-min’s eyes lit up as she watched Natalia Ivanova. Seeing her reaction, Lee Ji-eun also smiled with amusement.
She’d sensed something before arriving, and now that it was confirmed, Lee Ji-eun smiled and looked at Yu Ji-min, silently mouthing something like “what do you think?”
Yu Ji-min was momentarily speechless at Lee Ji-eun’s behavior, but there was nothing she could say, so she remained silent. Well, not entirely silent.
She immediately contacted Gwen.
Telling her to hurry before the quiet cat climbed onto the stove.
Gwen, who initially didn’t understand what was being said, quickly agreed after someone explained it to her.
And how much time had passed?
Suddenly Min-jun’s phone rang, and wondering what it was, he asked Natalia for permission before answering.
-Um, um. Guild Master, may I go too? It seems like things are getting bigger, and I’d like to get some fresh air and ventilation. I think hunting might help me feel better.
“Ah, by all means, you’re welcome. Please come.”
Min-jun spoke with a bright smile.
Looking at him, anyone could see his sparkling eyes and his pleasant smile. Natalia, seeing this, became slightly dejected, but instead picked up her gun with determination, as if making a vow about something.
Seeing Natalia like that, Lee Ji-eun looked at Yu Ji-min with wide eyes, glaring at her as if asking why she had to go that far, and Yu Ji-min, with a confident expression, mouthed that Gwen was the official one anyway.
After all, Gwen was the legitimate one.
Well, truthfully it wasn’t really their place to step in on something that was the others’ business, but the other guild members seemed to find it interesting and were quietly choosing sides among themselves.
Honestly, Natalia was also an incredibly beautiful woman comparable to Gwen.
Who would ultimately claim the seat next to Min-jun? It was bound to become a hot topic among the guild members.
While they were all like that, Woo-jin and Mary, who weren’t far away either, arrived.
Well, the moment they arrived they sensed the atmosphere and fell silent as mice.
‘M-Mary, the atmosphere is s-strange.’
‘Y-yeah, let’s just stay quiet.’
Mary could roughly sense what was going on, but Woo-jin knew nothing about this kind of power struggle and could only find the atmosphere frightening.
In any case, the executives began gathering one by one, and soon Evan and Sergei arrived as well, so everyone who needed to be there had assembled.
Wondering if things were about to start, they all looked toward Min-jun.
Min-jun, seeing them like that, smiled broadly and spoke.
“Gwen will arrive soon, so let’s wait just a bit longer.”
At Min-jun’s words, the guild members stirred with excitement, and the Gwen faction began to grow slightly.
Natalia was a bit nervous since this was the first time she’d gathered like this, but she felt herself relaxing unintentionally in the lively atmosphere.
And then, another executive candidate, Evan, approached.
With his gentlemanly appearance and being a mage, Evan’s careful demeanor was almost that of a refined gentleman, while Natalia, on the other hand, had the perfect appearance of a sniper.
Though their clothing and appearance differed, Natalia and Evan could sense something when they looked at each other.
That they were formidable opponents for one another.
And then Hong Myeong, watching the two of them, let out a gasp and looked at Natalia.
He had gasped, recalling that he’d shared a meal with Natalia at a restaurant before.
And without realizing it, Hong Myeong approached between the two of them.
He didn’t know where such courage came from, but for Hong Myeong it was considerable courage.
As Hong Myeong approached, Evan and Natalia looked puzzled.
As far as they knew, there were only two executive candidates, so they were confused when another person appeared.
Hong Myeong spoke first as he approached.
“Ah, hello. I’m Hong Myeong, and I’ll be leveling with you all today. I, I haven’t been awakened for very long.”
“Ah! You’re the one!? I’ve heard a lot about you. Nice to meet you. I’m Ivan Romanov.”
“I’ve heard about you too. And we had a meal together before, didn’t we?”
“Huh? Ah, yes, yes. That’s right.”
“I didn’t get to greet you then. My apologies. I’m Natalia Ivanova. Nice to meet you.”
Hong Myeong’s story seemed to have spread more than expected, as everyone appeared to know about it.
After all, the incident where Min-jun had brought someone targeted by monsters to the Guild had become quite famous.
As Hong Myeong, Natalia, and Evan awkwardly laughed together, two other executives, Mary and Woo-jin, squeezed between them to exchange greetings.
“Hello, I’m Mary Weston.”
“Oh! You’re Mary! It’s great to meet you. I learned a lot from your lightning-type skills.”
“No, no. The Guild Master was the one who taught me, wasn’t he? I didn’t do anything.”
“Still, since I borrowed from your skills, I should express my gratitude.”
“W-well then, I’m grateful that you’re using my skills too.”
“Me too! Me too! I’m greeting you! Kim Woo-jin! Executive! Nice to meet you!”
“Oh! So you’re Woo-jin! Let’s get along from now on!”
“I-I’m glad to meet you too, Mary.”
As they exchanged greetings, Hong Myeong felt he had no place in this conversation and quietly slipped away, observing them from a distance.
While he was standing back and watching, he turned his head at the approach of someone—it was none other than Yu Ji-min.
When Hong Myeong smiled with a pleased expression, Yu Ji-min stared at him with sharp eyes.
Her gaze was so piercing that Hong Myeong wondered if he’d done something wrong, and he swallowed hard.
Then Yu Ji-min asked him a question.
“Which faction are you with?”
“Pardon?”
Wondering if there were factions within the Guild, Hong Myeong stared blankly, not understanding what she meant.
Yu Ji-min spoke to him with a hint of exasperation.
“The Guild Master’s girlfriend’s faction.”
She spoke quietly while glancing at Min-jun, and fortunately, Min-jun seemed focused on enhancement in the distance and didn’t hear her.
Speaking so carefully, Hong Myeong also swallowed hard in an instant, turned his head, and looked around cautiously. Then he spoke carefully to Yu Ji-min.
“Wait, there are factions? Of course it’s Gwen, isn’t it?”
“Heh, as expected, you know what’s going on.”
“Regardless of choosing factions, the two of them like each other—isn’t it obvious?”
“Hehe, you were there at that time, so you know. As expected!”
Yu Ji-min seemed pleased with Hong Myeong’s ready agreement, and as he smiled back at her, Hong Myeong felt his heart flutter slightly and let out a subtle cough to hide it.
In any case, the satisfied Yu Ji-min then looked at Natalia and spoke.
“Since apostles are beginning to bloom, don’t waver and express your own opinions among the other Guild members.”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good, then I’ll see you again later. Try introducing yourself to those people. I think you might even be considered as an executive candidate, so it’s good to build connections beforehand.”
“What? Ah, m-me?”
“It might be more of an experiment from the Guild Master’s perspective, but I think you’ll receive trait enhancement. Just try it out—they don’t really distinguish between regular members and executives.”
At Yu Ji-min’s words, Hong Myeong swallowed and nodded, but his courage had already dissipated from the earlier greeting, so he couldn’t step forward.
Seeing Hong Myeong like that, Yu Ji-min smiled slightly and spoke.
“Well, there will be another chance to meet later. Try again then.”
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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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