The Reincarnated Hunter Sweeps Up All Fortunes - Chapter 40

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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 40
40
Im Gang let out a hollow laugh.
‘These bastards really……’
Out of hundreds of Secret Manuals, only five were genuine.
It was absurd beyond words—all he could do was laugh emptily. Still, he decided not to let it anger him too much. Five genuine ones was better than nothing, after all.
If he’d found nothing, he would’ve considered switching careers to assassination.
He turned his steps toward the real Secret Manual his Treasure Search Skill had detected.
“Tsk.”
As Im Gang took it out, Baek Do-gwang—who had been reading from one of the Secret Manuals—clicked his tongue softly. When Im Gang glanced over, Baek Do-gwang closed that manual, returned it to its place, and pulled out another to examine.
One.
Two.
By the time he retrieved a third manual, Baek Do-gwang’s brow had furrowed.
“…Tsk.”
The sound of his tongue clicking again.
“Woo Bo-mun played tricks on these.”
“…What?”
Im Gang tilted his head at those words.
“Played tricks?”
“Indeed. I noticed irregularities in the Incantations of the manuals I examined. One of them, for instance, had True Qi flowing through the Qi Sea into the Central Court—but that shouldn’t happen. It would lead directly into Demonic Possession.”
“……”
“That’s just an example. Beyond that, he altered some names subtly and twisted the pathways of True Qi flow in clever ways.”
Im Gang’s eyes blinked rapidly.
Qi Sea? Central Court?
He didn’t know what those terms meant precisely, but he grasped Baek Do-gwang’s point: corrupt a part of the Incantation and the entire Martial Art crumbles.
Im Gang had sensed something was wrong himself. There had been more than one occasion when he’d read through a manual without it registering as a skill.
Now, thanks to Baek Do-gwang, he understood the reason: Woo Bo-mun had sabotaged them.
‘So what looked like obvious tampering to him…’
Im Gang, who had relied on crude guesswork to distinguish genuine from fake manuals, suddenly saw Baek Do-gwang in a different light.
This was the kind of detail he would never have noticed through pure trial and error.
“I was sensing something off about it too, actually.”
“You were?”
“When someone leaves tampering this obvious, you’d have to be blind not to notice.”
Im Gang parried smoothly with a smirk.
Baek Do-gwang regarded him with an admiring gaze for a moment.
“Worthy of you indeed. I had to examine three manuals before I caught it, yet you perceived it faster. Impressive.”
“That’s not exactly——”
“You’ve truly distinguished yourself.”
Im Gang pressed his lips together and merely shrugged. Baek Cheon, who had been listening to the exchange beside them, opened his mouth with a dejected expression.
“…I didn’t notice.”
“You’ll need to work harder.”
“……”
As Im Gang ribbed him, Baek Cheon’s shoulders sagged. The beautiful youth’s downturned face might’ve stirred a flicker of sympathy—if Im Gang bothered to care.
“But seriously, you need to put in more effort.”
He needled him again, and Baek Cheon clicked his teeth audibly.
Baek Do-gwang burst out laughing.
It looked like close friends bantering affectionately.
As Im Gang registered the first manual and moved toward the second, a question suddenly struck him.
The Incantation for the Explosive Flame Heavenly Art—which he’d memorized while being pummeled by Pok Ryeol Ma-gun for days—had never registered as a skill either.
At the time, he’d been too busy getting beaten to think deeply about it. Even if he’d had the leisure, he would have lacked the knowledge to understand why.
‘Second-class techniques register just fine as skills, so why didn’t the Explosive Flame Heavenly Art?’
What was the fundamental difference between genuine and fake martial arts? What distinguished Third-class from Second-class, First-class, Peak, and Transcendent Peak? Questions began to pile upon one another until his head threatened to split.
But one thing was certain.
Twist even a fragment of the Incantation and the entire martial art breaks. In other words, for a technique to function properly, the Incantation must remain intact from beginning to end.
He didn’t know the difference between Third-class, Second-class, and First-class techniques. Perhaps the Incantations became more elaborate, harder to learn, and proportionally more powerful?
Perhaps they contained something like the will and flame that Pok Ryeol Ma-gun had spoken of.
‘Hmm. Could there have been a problem with the Explosive Flame Heavenly Art’s Incantation?’
Im Gang soon let out a quiet laugh.
What did he know.
He had no intention of learning Demonic Martial Arts anyway. Even if he accumulated knowledge later and gained refined understanding, he wouldn’t practice them.
What’s the point of learning Demonic Martial Arts anyway?
Maybe Pok Ryeol Ma-gun down in the afterlife would weep at how vicious it all is.
But he’s a Demon Being, so maybe he’d be pleased?
* * *
Ding!
[First-class Yun Ryong Geom Beop skill has been registered.]
‘Ah. A sword technique.’
Glancing through the parts he could make sense of, it seemed like a good fit for Baek Cheon.
Im Gang casually approached Baek Do-gwang and handed him the Secret Manual.
“This looks decent—why don’t you take a look at it?”
“…Mm? What is this?”
“I think it’d suit Baek Cheon well. The kid’s so lean and weak-looking, you know? The way I read it, this isn’t about brute force—it’s more like flowing, continuous sword strikes. Have a look, and if it seems right, have him learn it.”
At those words, Baek Do-gwang accepted the manual and studied it for a long moment.
Soon a contented smile spread across his lips.
“…Truly you are my teacher. Caring even for my younger brother.”
“You’re too kind.”
Im Gang shrugged and moved toward the other manuals.
He didn’t need to read them carefully—a quick glance was enough.
First-class Yun Ryong Geom Beop.
First-class Chu Ryu Jang.
Second-class Eung Pung Su.
First-class Cheong Byeok Il Geom.
First-class Yeong Heo Bo.
Five martial arts total, all registered as skills.
Of those, Cheong Byeok Il Geom and Yeong Heo Bo were Orthodox techniques—strictly speaking, from small-to-mid-sized sects, but Orthodox nonetheless.
‘It’s becoming more and more of a hodgepodge.’
Im Gang’s skill inventory now contained everything except Demonic Martial Arts.
He suddenly craved hodgepodge noodles.
‘Must be because I skipped lunch.’
He held out hope that Woo Bo-mun would at least provide a meal.
* * *
Exactly one Double Hour later, the door to the manual storehouse opened.
O So-wi entered.
“Well? Have you found anything of value?”
The bastard asks like a bastard would.
He wore a smile on his face, but underneath it his true thoughts were plain as day.
He was thinking they’d come up empty, making sure to adjust the important parts in his mind.
‘In the end, Evil Sect trash is just Evil Sect trash.’
Im Gang let out a silent snort.
Since the manuals couldn’t be taken out, there was a brief inspection on the way out.
Once they left Woo Bo-mun, the hour had already grown late afternoon.
That’s right.
They’d kicked him out without even offering a meal once the task was done.
“How about we grab some food before we part ways?”
Hungry, Im Gang posed the question to his two companions. After a moment’s thought, both replied.
“Sounds good.”
“I’m in.”
“On a day like this, nothing beats noodles loaded with meat.”
Im Gang was heading toward a noodle cart as if it were obvious.
Baek Do-gwang grabbed him and dragged him toward an inn instead.
“…Teacher, let me treat you today. Think of it as thanks for introducing us to so many fine techniques.”
“Oh, free food—I like it.”
Since it was repayment for sharing all the martial arts he’d gleaned from Woo Bo-mun, Im Gang was happy to accept.
They went to a suitable inn and ordered. Once the meal arrived, they had a light drink. After that, as they were chatting about this and that, Baek Do-gwang set down his cup and spoke.
“Teacher, we’re planning to leave Hangzhou soon.”
“…Huh?”
“We’ll be moving out tonight.”
Im Gang stopped with the cup halfway to his lips.
It wasn’t incomprehensible, but it seemed a bit hasty.
Honestly, whatever Evil Sect sects did among themselves didn’t really concern a wanderer like him.
How hard could it be to just rest up for a while? — but most wanderers lived hand-to-mouth, earning their bread one day and eating it the next, their entire existence reduced to a single rotation of the sun.
Though he wasn’t one of them.
He had one hundred silver from those Woo Bo-mun bastards!
“Do you have any intention of coming along with us?”
“…Me?”
Im Gang considered it for a moment.
Going with them didn’t seem like a bad idea, actually.
But…….
“I’ll pass.”
He’d owned his house in Hangzhou for less than a month. It would be a shame to abandon the reputation he’d built here. Besides, he had no desire to leave his homeland.
Though his memories from childhood were hazy at best.
“It’ll be dangerous. Very dangerous.”
“I know. …Actually, to be honest, I don’t know much. I’ve never seen chaos on this scale before. It’s my first time — how would I know what to expect?”
Im Gang drained his cup and shrugged before speaking.
“If I happen to die, just avenge me.”
Baek Do-gwang laughed despite himself, shaking his head in disbelief. But he promised nonetheless — he would have his revenge.
That was enough for Im Gang.
After the meal ended and he parted ways with the Baek brothers, he made his way home.
He fell into a deep sleep, shaking off the accumulated weariness of travel.
And the next morning.
He woke to find the world had changed. That phrase kept echoing in his head.
Why, you ask?
“You damned bastard!”
“You started this, didn’t you?!”
Slash!
He’d stepped out of his house to grab a bite when some lunatic started swinging a blade at him without warning.
“Hey! Just because I bumped your shoulder, you’re drawing steel?!”
“Bumped? Looked intentional to me.”
“Fine. Then I’ll make it intentional.”
Crack!
The man wasn’t holding back — he was throwing punches hard enough to cave in a face.
“Hey! You trying to get yourself killed?!”
“Yeah. I want to die! But I’m taking you with me first!”
Fights were erupting in every direction.
‘……???’
Im Gang stopped in his tracks and looked around.
Where am I?
Did I slip into another world?
From inside an alley, he saw three wanderers staggering out, their faces smeared with blood.
The limp arms and legs left behind in their wake were particularly striking.
‘What in the…?’
Hangzhou’s security was abysmal, true, but blade-work and bloodshed typically stayed confined to the slums, back alleys, and forgotten corners — dank places where such things belonged.
Though his house was close to the poor district, it wasn’t in the heart of it — violence and murder weren’t supposed to happen here.
This was, after all, an official residential district well within the jurisdiction of the city guard.
Yet less than a day after returning from his task, a murder unfolded right outside.
“…Damn.”
Im Gang let out a long, bitter sigh.
‘Maybe I should’ve just gone with Baek after all…….’
Regret crashed over him in a wave.
And from every direction, he could hear the sound of his property value plummeting.

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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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