The Only Enhancer - Chapter 52

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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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Chapter 52
Chapter 52 – Breaking Changgong (1)
0.
“Hmm.”
As the president of a nation’s Awakener’s Association, one could access considerable intelligence about other countries.
Ma Hyun-seok was no exception.
However, the information Ma Hyun-seok was currently investigating was straightforward.
Among those who had recently awakened, was there anyone with an unusual obsession with items?
He wasn’t limiting his search to Korea alone.
He had been searching for information about the nearby nations of China and Japan, but no such hunter had surfaced.
The same held true even for those who had awakened long ago.
The reason for his inquiry was simple.
To verify whether there existed another individual with a unique trait besides Min-jun.
Since there were no traces of information suppression, it appeared that China and Japan didn’t have anyone like that yet.
After all, if someone like Min-jun had emerged, any government would have noticed first.
Ma Hyun-seok clicked his tongue in disappointment and mused.
‘A shame. Still, this turned out to be an unexpected discovery.’
Wasn’t that how web browsing typically worked?
Stumbling upon something while looking at various things.
This time was no different.
It was information from Japan, specifically.
And it was quite a sensitive matter.
‘An underground market has opened in Japan.’
Historically, whenever an underground market opened in China or Japan, incidents involving forbidden items would occur domestically as well.
He was fortunate to have learned of it beforehand.
As the saying went, preparation prevented peril.
Based on the information he had gathered, Ma Hyun-seok compiled a list of forbidden items.
It had apparently opened four days ago.
There was a chance it had already entered the country.
‘I should send this straight to the Anti-Hunter Task Force.’
As he was thinking this, Jung Ji-hwan suddenly came to mind.
He was currently dispatched to guard Min-jun, but he was a team leader, after all.
He should send it to him.
It was possible that forbidden items obtained from the underground market could be used on Min-jun.
It might even aid in his protection.
Not long after sending the item list, a phone call came through.
-This is Jung Ji-hwan.
“I know.”
-I’ve confirmed the list you sent.
“Ha, thank you—.”
Just as I was about to say there was no need to thank me.
Jung Ji-hwan cut me off.
-It was already a list of forbidden items I knew about.
“….”
-Still, since it appeared in this black market, there’s a chance some of them might circulate domestically, so I’ll be cautious. Thank you for the information.
“…Right.”
Click.
Jung Ji-hwan ended the call with just those words.
Ma Hyun-seok sighed genuinely and thought to myself.
‘He’s so competent I can’t even complain.’
A list he already knew completely.
Why on earth did he memorize forbidden items so thoroughly in his daily life?
In any case, he was an incomprehensible fellow.
Just as I was about to move on to the next matter.
I suddenly remembered something about Min-jun.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t he say he was going on a raid tomorrow?’
Min-jun had his own strength, and with Jung Ji-hwan there, honestly there wasn’t much to worry about.
Even more so.
‘We might have more 5-star reinforced items than the Hunter Association.’
Now we might even have more 5-star reinforced items than the Hunter Association.
But that’s one thing and safety is another.
Min-jun still lacked experience.
It seemed like a good idea to assign additional security.
There happened to be an idle fellow available.
Ma Hyun-seok called that idle fellow.
-Yes, Association Director.
“Right, Eun-seong. I have something I need you to do.”
-Oh! Sounds good. What is it?
“I heard Min-jun is going on a raid tomorrow. I’d like you to handle his security along with Team Leader Jung Ji-hwan.”
-Ah… Jung Ji-hwan. *sigh*, understood.
Now I felt a bit more at ease.
It seemed Won Eun-seong was suffering because of Jung Ji-hwan, but well, there was nothing I could do about that.
Jung Ji-hwan must be quite skilled at his work.
Now I needed to handle the remaining matters.
By the way.
‘Min-jun wouldn’t ask me to reinforce my items, would he?’
That thought crossed my mind for a moment, but I dismissed it with a wave of my hand.
Reinforcing from 5-star to 6-star wasn’t an easy task.
It would be that way.
Probably.
1.
The Changgong Guild was one of Korea’s first three guilds.
Han Mu-gyeol was the same.
One of Korea’s original thirty hunters.
A figure discussed even in modern history textbooks, yet now he had become a phantom of the past—aged, consumed by greed alone.
Of course, few knew this truth.
That he would emerge to participate in a raid was extraordinarily unusual.
For nearly a decade, he hadn’t participated in raids unless mobilized by a Level 5 disaster.
“Gasp—the guild master himself?”
“Insane!”
“Phew, I can’t remember the last time.”
“This is truly an honor.”
“Phew, at least I’ll have a good story to tell.”
Within the Changgong Guild he had founded, those who had raided alongside him could be counted on one hand.
It was no wonder everyone was murmuring.
And they all knew.
Who else was coming besides Han Mu-gyeol today.
There were no hunters below Level 4 here, where they hunted Level 4 disasters.
In other words, everyone present had witnessed Min-jun’s transformation firsthand.
“Wow, the guild master and the youngest, fastest-promoted Level 3 hunter taking on a Level 4 disaster raid together.”
“That’s truly magnificent.”
“Your heart races, doesn’t it?”
“Either way, I can’t deny the excitement.”
It was an unusual bustle for the Changgong Guild, famous for its methodical, gear-like precision.
But how could anyone not be thrilled?
Han Mu-gyeol felt the same thrill.
At last, I could finally get my hands on that arrogant bastard.
Of course, I’d need to evade Jung Ji-hwan’s gaze, but that’s hardly a problem.
Why else would I have prepared two Level 4 disasters for today?
That was when it happened.
The Changgong Guild members’ attention converged on one point.
“He’s here!”
“Oh! Really!”
At those words, Han Mu-gyeol turned his head as well.
He couldn’t help but frown.
Jung Ji-hwan, arriving with Min-jun.
I had already anticipated those two coming together.
But another one arriving with them.
“Hmm, this is incomprehensible.”
“…That’s my line!”
Won Eun-seong, a Level 5 from the Hunter Association and a spear destroyer, arrived here while muttering about what kind of conversation was happening.
It seemed they had added one more person for security.
If it were just Jung Ji-hwan, I could deceive his perception and use my ultimate skill, but with Won Eun-seong present, it becomes considerably troublesome.
Though skilled, Jung Ji-hwan is strictly a Level 4.
Unlike a Level 5, his physical abilities are indeed inferior.
But unlike Jung Ji-hwan, Won Eun-seong is a pure Level 5.
Moreover, one ranked among the upper tiers of Level 5.
‘….’
Han Mu-gyeol furrowed his brow, but he hadn’t come unprepared for this either.
The Changgong Guild also had another Level 5 after all.
At Han Mu-gyeol’s eye signal, Cha Hae-yeon rose from her seat and looked at him with anxious eyes.
Her gaze wavered.
Surely this wasn’t right, even for Han Mu-gyeol who had always cared for her?
For a moment, Cha Hae-yeon harbored such thoughts, but faced with Han Mu-gyeol’s coercive gaze, she could only lower her head.
“Repay the debt.”
“…Yes.”
How had things come to this?
In the past, she was someone worthy of being called a hero.
But she had to comply.
While Han Mu-gyeol and Cha Hae-yeon stood thus.
Min-jun spotted them and approached cheerfully.
“Welcome. I never expected you to come in person.”
“…Hunting two Level 4 disasters in a single day is no trivial matter. It’s only natural that I participate. But….”
Han Mu-gyeol cast a sidelong glance at Jung Ji-hwan and Won Eun-seong behind him.
Jung Ji-hwan stood expressionless, indifferent to it all, while Won Eun-seong looked back as if asking what he was looking at.
Seeing the two of them, he furrowed his brow and spoke.
“Are those two security?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Hmm, then be careful not to let them participate in the raid for no reason.”
Han Mu-gyeol raised his momentum with a warning tone.
Meanwhile, Won Eun-seong dismissed it without a care, and Jung Ji-hwan remained unmoved, his expression still blank.
‘I don’t like any of this.’
Just as Han Mu-gyeol was about to turn away with a frown, he looked at Min-jun as if something was odd.
As if to say everything was fine.
But Min-jun’s appearance, as if asking what there was to say, wasn’t an act of composure.
His eyes held a genuinely innocent, confused light.
Han Mu-gyeol’s eyebrows twitched at the sight.
A mere Level 3 remained unaffected even under his pressure?
Indeed, it wasn’t without reason that he speculated based on the qualities of a Level 7.
Greed surged within him.
I am old and decrepit now.
A falling sky with no further potential for growth.
But if I obtain him?
I could soar once more.
Urgency surged through me for a moment, but I barely suppressed it.
‘There isn’t much time left anyway.’
As I turned my body, Cha Hae-yeon followed behind Han Mu-gyeol.
Jung Ji-hwan watched them with sharp eyes fixed on Han Mu-gyeol’s necklace.
But in that instant, Han Mu-gyeol sensed it and quickly concealed it.
A suspicious movement.
“That old man aged so pathetically! Really. Huh? Why are you like that?”
“I was thinking I envied how at ease you seem.”
“…Why are you picking a fight?”
As those two bickered again.
There was another who watched Han Mu-gyeol’s necklace with amusement.
[Lantern Reaper’s Flame]+5
-If there is no buff-type skill, the ultimate ability ‘Lantern’s Stigma’ can be used.
‘What an eerie necklace.’
I had already recognized it and even seen its effects.
And Min-jun thought as he observed it.
‘Could he have brought something like that by chance?’
There was no way.
Even without experience, I could tell at this level.
Rather, I couldn’t help but know.
After all, the Saint had done the same, and didn’t Jung Ji-hwan and Won Eun-seong explain about the Changgong Guild—or more precisely, about Han Mu-gyeol—when they came here?
I had wondered if perhaps, and he really was hiding something like that.
Goosebumps rose across my entire body.
Well, but it’s fine.
‘Skill extraction? The essence of enhancement? I’m not sure what he’d prefer.’
2.
Crack-crack-crack.
Massive wooden vines lashing out ferociously.
Each single vine, as thick as a person, was not easy to evade.
But the tanks wreathed in blazing flames stepped forward and blocked them one by one.
Especially the performance of Cha Hae-yeon, the Level 5 tank, was dazzling.
Wrapped in crimson flames, she moved as if leaping and flying in all directions, blocking the colossal wooden vines—a sight that seemed to overlap with the mythical female warrior, the Valkyrie.
It was an impossible sight to witness in a Disaster Level 4 raid.
But everyone knew that with such a buff, it was entirely reasonable.
‘The healing was already incredible, so I expected the buffs to be amazing too, but to this extent.’
‘Truly extraordinary.’
‘I was anxious about consecutive raids, but this changes things entirely.’
Each member marveled as they launched into the raid.
Though the tree spirits haunting the Mountain Range were among the most troublesome of Disaster Level 4 threats, the difficulty felt reduced by more than half compared to usual.
And Han Mu-gyeol, observing from the sidelines, couldn’t help but be impressed as well.
It was merely Level 3, after all.
‘It seems even superior to a Level 5 buff.’
That item was undoubtedly the Crimson Gauntlet that had dropped during the Gangneung disaster raid.
The utility of the skill attached to that gauntlet was remarkable.
Just how refined must the mana quality be to achieve such an effect?
And what of the quantity?
Enough mana to heal all the Level 4 hunters and still have reserves remaining.
There wasn’t a single aspect he didn’t covet.
But opportunities rarely presented themselves.
I had been watching intently for my chance.
‘This is proving difficult.’
I had attempted to acquire it amid the chaos of the raid, but Jung Ji-hwan’s security was ironclad.
When I first arrived here, it wasn’t nearly this tight, but suddenly his vigilance has intensified.
Could he have discovered something?
No, that’s impossible.
As long as the item is equipped, confirming its options is impossible without prior information about it.
Even if such information existed, I concealed it before Jung Ji-hwan could see.
Mere Level 4 though he is, Jung Ji-hwan might find my movements suspicious, but he couldn’t have seen the necklace.
No matter how capable Jung Ji-hwan is, that borders on impossible.
However, Won Eun-seong’s vigilance didn’t seem to have increased noticeably.
‘Perhaps it’s just my imagination.’
It’s reasonable to assume Jung Ji-hwan simply raised his guard once the raid began.
Had he noticed something, wouldn’t he have informed Won Eun-seong?
If so, there would have been some sign, but I detected none.
‘Sanryong is causing me unnecessary trouble.’
The false lead was thorough enough, but with no way around it, Han Mu-gyeol decided it was time to move forward with the plan.
Currently, Cha Hae-yeon is the only Level 5 participating in this raid.
Jung Ji-hwan and Won Eun-seong were observing the raid near Min-jun in the rear.
‘Jung Ji-hwan won’t lower his guard even in the latter stages.’
Then now is the opportune moment.
Though vigilance is high now, early in the raid, acting now could catch them off guard.
Han Mu-gyeol made his decision and signaled to Cha Hae-yeon ahead of him.
The signal to execute now.
“….”
Cha Hae-yeon neither nodded nor spoke, but answered with her eyes alone.
Though her gaze wavered slightly, Han Mu-gyeol paid it no mind.
He had believed that Cha Hae-yeon would never betray him, having received his favor.
Now that he had drawn in even those he had helped and revealed his ugly desires, he could not stop.
No matter how much Cha Hae-yeon tried to dissuade him.
He couldn’t even remember how it had come to this.
It was only because of that bitter, agonizing message—that he could not rise any higher.
He had to do it this way.
Create the world’s greatest guild and become the world’s greatest himself.
Even Richard Franklin of the Saint Guild, despite not being an Awakener, was praised by many as a powerful figure.
Han Mu-gyeol understood well that there were differences in method.
But ultimately, if he succeeded, that was all that mattered.
He would become that way too.
‘Without fail!’
Desire blazed in Han Mu-gyeol’s eyes.
An indescribable hunger.
When that desire reached its peak, opportunity arrived.
Craaaaaaack!
The tree spirit’s ability from the Mountain Range.
As it enlarged, the earth where it was rooted split apart, and the already thick and lengthy vine grew far more massive.
Everyone tensed, knowing that non-tanks struck directly would face certain death.
Yet no one was genuinely worried.
The duration of the enlargement was not that long.
They just had to endure for a moment.
Besides, wasn’t Cha Hae-yeon, the Guardian of Changgong and a Level 5 tank, here?
Still, some noticed something odd in Cha Hae-yeon’s expression.
Her face seemed normal, but her eyes were different.
They looked more tormented and pained than ever before.
And then, as the creature’s vine extended toward Cha Hae-yeon, she raised her shield and deflected the attack.
Claaaaaang!
The massive vine glanced off Cha Hae-yeon’s seemingly fragile shield and bounced upward.
Simultaneously, it fell in a parabolic arc.
The problem was its trajectory.
“Ah, rear! Rear guard!”
“Block, block it!”
The vine Cha Hae-yeon had deflected was heading straight toward the rear.
Directly toward Min-jun.
Taking that hit meant at least a fatal wound.
Possibly instant death.
Several tanks rushed forward desperately to block the vine, but unlike Cha Hae-yeon, they were outmatched.
They couldn’t block it at all, couldn’t stop it even slightly, and were sent flying.
The power of the creature using enlargement transcended imagination.
In that moment, Won Eun-seong stepped forward.
“Hngh!”
He drew in a sharp breath and gripped the spear tightly.
Crack!
As if the spear itself were shattering, cracks spread across its entire length.
Through those fissures, a fierce light erupted, and Won Eun-seong contained that radiance before pulling the spear back.
Then, twisting his waist with tremendous tension and releasing it, he whipped his shoulders and arms like a lash as he hurled the spear.
Zzzzzzzzzt!
The cracks accelerated through the air, and the light pouring from the fissures spreading across the spear wrapped around the shaft as it extended, firing toward the tendril.
Won Eun-seong’s ultimate skill.
Spear Destruction Technique.
Burst———!!!
As the tendril burst like a balloon, the light emanating from the spear suddenly illuminated the entire surroundings.
Flash————!
In that moment when everyone lost their vision to the blinding light.
A hideous smile bloomed.
‘Finally, it’s within my grasp!!!’
With that cry, he seized the flame of the Lantern Reaper hanging around his neck.
To activate the ultimate skill, the Lantern’s Mark.
Jung Ji-hwan noticed and tried to stop Han Mu-gyeol, but it was already too late.
The light created by the spear’s explosion had opened a fleeting gap—and that was all he needed.
Han Mu-gyeol activated his ultimate skill in that instant.
‘Come now, think of me as your father!!!’
This was the Mark.
But why?
Nothing happened.
There was no effect of the skill activating, no sensation of mana being consumed.
As if the ultimate skill had simply vanished.
“…W-what is this?”
“…?”
Han Mu-gyeol wasn’t the only one confused by the situation.
Jung Ji-hwan, realizing he had been too slow, was drowning in regret—but seeing Han Mu-gyeol standing motionless, he was bewildered.
And there was only one person laughing in that place.
‘Interference and skill extraction are absolutely broken.’
Min-jun, who had just tested the skill, was grinning.
Of course, he’d left the skill in place.
Evidence had to be preserved.
And sure enough, Jung Ji-hwan quickly regained his senses and shouted.
“Han Mu-gyeol, I’m arresting you for possession of a prohibited item.”

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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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