Walkthrough for the Transcendental Hunter's Ruins - Chapter 60
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Episode 60
Thanks to Jeon Jae-woo, the Ruins had been conquered, but Japan’s damage was catastrophic.
Hokkaido and Kyushu took direct hits in particular, while major cities like Osaka and Kyoto suffered tremendous devastation.
It was comparable to the Great East Japan Earthquake of old—or worse.
At least Jeon Jae-woo conquered the Ruins; had he not, the damage would have been far greater.
Meanwhile, citizens who suffered massive casualties and property loss erupted in fury.
“Condemn the politicians who fled to save only themselves!”
“The cabinet must take responsibility and resign!!”
Japan descended into chaos on all fronts, yet separately from that, news of Jeon Jae-woo’s deeds spread rapidly.
[Ancient-grade Ruin ‘Abyss’ just conquered.]
[The moment the Ruin was conquered, all Monster movements froze entirely. A phenomenon never before observed.]
[Jeon Jae-woo—is he a god?]
┗Why is the news headline like this lol they’re literally asking if he’s a god.
┗If he wishes to be called a god, then we should call him one.
┗Jae-woo! Jae-woo! Jae-woo!
┗This isn’t even that surprising anymore. Look what he’s already done.
┗For real, he’d need to conquer a Myth-grade Ruin to actually shock us.
The Korean government moved swiftly once the Ruins conquest was complete.
They opened negotiations with Japan to extract compensation for the Ruins conquest.
A rough summary of the Korean-Japanese talks went roughly like this.
‘Hand over the dollars.’
‘Of course, we’ll provide them.’
‘Bring the Monster corpses listed here too. Top-grade freshness, naturally.’
‘Yes, yes. If there’s anything else you need, just say so.’
‘And from now on, sell Japanese Special Potions to the Hunter Bureau regularly at half price.’
‘Um. That’s…’
‘Lower tariffs on all products. Of course, the tariffs Korea imposed will remain.’
‘……’
Beyond that, they squeezed Japan for all it was worth.
More, even, than what Jeon Jae-woo had asked for.
Well, what of it? A nation without power must endure and survive.
One Japanese Foreign Ministry official timidly raised his hand to lodge a protest.
‘Um. Isn’t that perhaps a bit too much, no matter how you look at it…?’
The Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade shut down every complaint with this same response.
‘Right, then next time a crisis hits, we won’t arrange for Jeon Jae-woo to help.’
‘……’
The Japanese diplomats all cursed under their breath.
They couldn’t control Jeon Jae-woo either, after all.
Meanwhile, South Korea received one more piece of good news.
A newly allocated Legendary-grade Ruin had been successfully conquered without relying on Jeon Jae-woo’s power.
Not just Korea, but several Asian nations with solid foundations began conquering Legendary-grade Ruins on their own as well.
Unlike the chaotic early days of Ruins Break, they had adapted to some degree and threw their full strength into conquering the Ruins, making it possible.
For Korea, the enormous resources Jeon Jae-woo had sold them by conquering all manner of Ruins over this time proved a major asset.
Of course, since they’d depleted all their stockpiled resources, the losses were equally staggering, so it’s unclear whether it can truly be called unequivocally good news.
Even the Legendary-grade Ruins left unconquered until now showed some possibility of conquest if a nation with sufficient national strength poured all its support into it.
Many had simply been left untouched because the return on investment didn’t justify the expense.
And with this Legendary-grade Ruin conquest as the final one, Han Seong-jae, Korea’s S-rank mage Hunter, submitted his retirement.
***
After processing Han Seong-jae’s letter of resignation,
Yoo Jung-tae shook hands with Han Seong-jae and offered condolences for his years of service.
“You’ve worked so hard all this time. I didn’t say it, but I was truly grateful.”
“I should be the one thanking you, Director.”
Kim Yu-min, present at the same gathering, handed over a bouquet she’d prepared in advance.
“Thank you for all your hard work.”
“Why’d you go and prepare flowers too? Thank you.”
“Not at all. We really should have a meal together on your retirement day.”
“Don’t bother. What’s so grand about my retiring that we need to share a meal?”
Han Seong-jae was retiring from the Hunter Bureau effective today.
By conquering this Legendary-grade Ruin together, his allotted number of Ruins conquests had been completely exhausted.
Unless he obtained an additional Conquest Token and used it, he could no longer enter any Ruins.
In essence, it meant Han Seong-jae would have no more reason to venture into the Ruins.
Obtaining additional Conquest Tokens was never easy, and besides, Korea would simply hand over any new Conquest Tokens directly to Jeon Jae-woo the moment they were acquired anyway.
Still, Han Seong-jae had not publicly declared his retirement as a Hunter.
Even without entering the Ruins, Dungeons remained overrun with Monsters.
In truth, if not for the Ruins Break phenomenon, the Monsters dwelling in Dungeons would pose the most serious threat to humanity’s survival.
Monster hunting aside, Hunters remained a cornerstone of national power, so he could continue operating as one.
Alternatively, like Yoo Jung-tae, he could remain with the Hunter Bureau until reaching the position of Director, or he could enter the Presidential Security Service and pursue a career in public office.
Of course, even after exhausting all his Conquest Tokens, he could stay on at the Hunter Bureau—and frankly, from the Bureau’s perspective, keeping an S-rank Hunter around was always preferable.
But if a Hunter disliked remaining as a civil servant or simply lacked the ability, he could join a Hunter Company instead, or operate independently.
Those with keen interest in politics sometimes ran for office themselves, leveraging their high public profiles as Hunters.
“So, are you quitting the Hunter profession altogether?”
“…I’d like to think about it a bit more.”
Even with all his Conquest Tokens exhausted, an S-rank Hunter ceasing activity entirely would be a significant loss for the Republic of Korea.
News of Han Seong-jae’s retirement made a brief appearance on the broadcasts.
It was quickly buried beneath reports of Jeon Jae-woo’s successful conquest of an Ancient-grade Ruin in Japan.
“Acting like you’d die for the Hunter Bureau, and in the end you’re just slipping away alone.”
“Director, wouldn’t it be better to invest your efforts in restraining Hunter Jeon Jae-woo instead of criticizing me?”
Yoo Jung-tae offered the quip with a faint smile.
“Still, I’m grateful that you seemed relieved of your burden while we worked together at the Bureau.”
“Yes…”
For all appearances, Han Seong-jae was a man of decidedly combative temperament among Hunters.
As a child, he had lost his parents to a Monster attack and become an orphan.
Driven by a single conviction to avenge them, he had become a Hunter, trained relentlessly, and hunted Monsters tirelessly.
His talent was exceptional as well—by his mid-thirties, he had already reached S-rank, an impressive feat.
Yet the more he hunted, the more that hatred and rage toward Monsters, which had once seemed immovable, gradually softened.
More accurately, it wasn’t so much that his anger diminished as that something else—something more important than vengeance—had taken its place.
When he reached an age for marriage and had children of his own, precious little ones nestled in his arms.
Whenever he threw himself into combat with Monsters, a thought would strike him unbidden.
As a father, he was meant to protect his beloved children—but could he justify wounding himself through personal vendetta?
Of course, taking the lead to strike down Monsters was, in the broader sense, also a way to protect his children.
Some might call it selfish, but he found that staying within arm’s reach, protecting them close at hand, felt far more meaningful.
After the recent venture into the Ruins had brought him to the brink of death, that conviction only hardened further.
Without the medicine made from the Elixir that Hunter Jeon Jae-woo had given him, he would truly have died.
“With children who depend on me, I can’t throw caution to the wind the way I used to.”
“I understand. Completely.”
“And thinking about it now, I never properly thanked Hunter Jeon Jae-woo either. I’m truly ashamed for receiving such a gift of life without proper gratitude.”
Kim Yu-min shook her head, adding her own thought.
“Don’t worry about it. Hunter Jeon Jae-woo actually dislikes people seeking him out. The Director already conveyed our thanks on our behalf.”
Yoo Jung-tae nodded and gave Han Seong-jae’s shoulder a light pat.
“Now that you’ve retired, take some proper rest for a while, and think through your next steps at your own pace.”
“Yes, Director. Thank you for everything. Yu-min, take care of yourself too.”
“Why do you say it like you’ll never see us again?”
Despite their considerable age gaps, Yoo Jung-tae, Kim Yu-min, and Han Seong-jae had been comrades for years as S-rank Hunters, entrusting each other with their lives, so their farewells came without formality.
After the goodbyes were exchanged and Han Seong-jae had left the Director’s office,
“Sigh…”
Yoo Jung-tae released a long, heavy sigh that seemed to deflate him entirely.
“Director, are you alright?”
“…Does it look like I am to you?”
“No…”
“Then don’t ask pointless questions. It hurts.”
Unlike the calm, composed manner in which he had just sent off his subordinate, Yoo Jung-tae now exhaled sighs in rapid succession.
An S-rank Hunter—not just anyone—was leaving the organization he led. How could he not sigh?
Even with all Conquest Tokens exhausted, the Hunter Bureau’s goal was to retain talented personnel whenever possible.
“Still, don’t worry too much, Director. Even without myself or the old man, Korea’s pool of talented Hunters is quite deep.”
Once a Hunter had exhausted their Conquest Tokens, they could not be deployed to Ruins, no matter how physically sound they remained.
For this reason, governments worldwide were actively investing in and cultivating new top-tier Hunters.
“It’s easy to create Hunters who are merely strong.”
Compared to the era when the old-guard Hunters had been active, the number of Hunters globally—not just in Korea—had grown visibly and dramatically.
While the Hunter Bureau’s main headquarters had only Yoo Jung-tae, Kim Yu-min, and Han Seong-jae, there were far more active and retired S-rank Hunters scattered across the country and still in operation.
Besides, a Legendary-grade Ruin wasn’t something that could be conquered by just the two of them—Kim Yu-min and Han Seong-jae alone.
The increase in the number of high-ranking Hunters is entirely due to the existence of the Ruins.
Because the abundant, high-quality resources emerging from the Ruins have made it possible to develop Hunters far more rapidly than before.
As a result, the number of A-rank and S-rank Hunters has grown dramatically compared to the old days.
That said, the market value of Hunters hasn’t declined.
If anything, we’re more short-handed than ever before.
To reliably conquer Legendary-grade Ruins—not the common or rare grades—we need far more high-ranking Hunters than we currently have.
If the fighting force from the earliest days of the Hunter era had been maintained, wouldn’t the world have been destroyed already when the Ruins Break began?
“The problem is, they lack the seasoning that established Hunters have, so it’s difficult to deploy them as active combat strength right now.”
“Still, these new Hunters have a lot of talented people among them. Director, you saw that one’s profile, didn’t you?”
“…Yes. Even by my standards, they’re exceptional.”
Kim Yu-min’s words smoothed some of the creases from Yoo Jung-tae’s brow.
The timing had worked out well for the Korean Hunter Bureau.
A new S-rank prospect appeared just as Han Seong-jae was retiring.
And what a prospect—someone whose talent would make even seasoned S-rank Hunters sit up in shock.
Moving forward, the Hunter Bureau would invest heavily in this rookie S-rank, cultivating him into the talent that would carry Korea’s future.
Of course, not quite on the level of Jeon Jae-woo, who soloed Ancient-grade Ruins.
How the Transcendent Hunter Conquers Ruins
Author
: Ohtum
Production Date
: June 16, 2026
Publisher
: Acesmedia
Editor
: Acesmedia Editorial Team
Address
: 10F Urban Bench Building, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Email
: [email protected]
※ This work is published by Acesmedia in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder.
No content may be used in any form or by any means without the permission of the publisher and author.
This e-book is protected by copyright law, and unauthorized reproduction or copying may result in legal liability.
UCI
: G720:N+A129-20260615033
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————