Chapter 91 – Promotion Match (6)
[* You have cleared ‘Goal: Defeat the powerful enemy that stands in your way.’ Satisfy the promotion conditions and be promoted to D-class Hunter.]
Class D: ‘Ada Bomber’ Jeong Su-hyeon
Stat
Strength: 26
Agility: 24
Intelligence: 21
Luck: 36
A phrase like that popped up in front of me as I sat down. Ichie, too, was staring into the void and making a curious expression. I looked at the status window and at the Hunter who had fallen on the floor.
Until a while ago, I felt guilty and my head was dizzy, but from the moment I saw the phrase that I was promoted to D-class, my heart suddenly calmed down. I felt like I could think rationally about any problem now.
[I have calmed down your feelings. I’ll have to calm down and leave now.]
In my head, the voice of the Almighty came. I spoke to her in her small voice.
“Thank you.”
Being cool, I was able to rationalize myself. We didn’t even try to kill this hunter on purpose, this bastard came in first and tried to kill us. Me and Ichie were fighting against this vicious hunter who wanted to kill us. It was an ‘accident’ that this hunter died in the process.
I nodded and said.
“It makes sense. It was self-defense.”
“What?”
Saying that, Ichie began to push the soil on the floor with his foot. As I tilted my head as I watched the dirt slowly cover the corpse, Ichie spoke again.
“No one is dead here.”
She said that as Ichie shook her head. I could roughly understand her intentions. This hunter belonged to the diamond club, and the fact that this bastard was doing this shit here meant there was a good chance he had sorted out all the nasty problems.
“Here, it’s just the two of us. No one else came.”
It was far better to pretend nothing had happened and run away than to go out and make a fuss about killing the diamond hunter. I told Ichie.
“Ichie is smart about this.”
At that, Ichie looked at me startled and shook her head around, she said.
“Her uncle taught me. I don’t know much about this.”
“All right.”
It didn’t match the circumstances, but she laughed when he heard her excuse. When I smiled faintly, Ichi seemed relieved. Now the apex predators inside this gate are us. Miscellaneous monsters, including Jungle Cat, recognized the owner and started running away.
The traces of massive destruction and the bodies in suits strewn on the floor were evidence of that. I went through the corpse one last time, then turned around and headed out of the gate. Ichie was scratching at her safety gear as she stepped forward.
“It makes sense. What’s wrong?”
“There is dirt inside.”
“Actually, me too.”
Tightly tucked shoes, near the back nails of tight clothes, between the waist and buttocks. And thighs. Elbow. Grains of dirt were rolling around in every inconvenient place I could think of. We couldn’t walk so moderately. It was because there was a risk of getting attacked by taking off your equipment incorrectly inside the gate. We ran forward, twisting our bodies over and over again as if we were dancing.
I said to Ichie as I walked out to the gate.
“Even if you kill a hunter, you get a promotion.”
“Useful… Information?”
“… Let’s just pretend we don’t know. If you asked me how I knew, I wouldn’t be able to explain it.”
It was knowledge that no one else could brag about. Since the Diamond Club’s D-class hunters were superior to us, the status window seemed to judge that we had defeated the ‘strong enemy’. Thinking like that gave me an unpleasant aftertaste.
I hurled myself over the gate, trying to get rid of my trembling feelings.
“Huh?”
“Eh.”
When we stepped over the gate, the outside was covered in blood with the corpses of D-class monsters.
*****
“Everybody back off!”
The cries of monsters could be heard from all directions. Kim Joo-sung gritted his teeth and gave strength to his body. Thanks to the promotion to Class D, his body was overflowing with strength. He trampled the hooligan running towards him, then he looked around.
Students in panic were screaming. Kim Joo-seong drove the students and researchers who had collapsed into a safe zone by using his muscles that had been inflated several times. As I forcibly pushed myself into the building, the students who barely got up ran into the building like a rat hiding in a rat hole.
The vehicle that was supposed to be used for evacuation was destroyed in half due to a sudden attack by Strong Boar a while ago. As Kim Joo-sung squeezed a jungle cat with his bare hands, he thought about what he would say in the next interview.
[I decided it was too late to run away. Because the instructors will come soon. I thought I could buy some time.]
Her fingertips were stained with blood. Kim Joo-seong faced Strong Bore, who nodded her proud face and snorted her at him. The monster, showing off its strong legs, charged at itself, shaking its head like a hammer. Kim Joo-sung let out her spirits and slammed her fist into her strong bore’s face.
“Uryaaa!”
Along with a roaring spirit, Strong Boar’s brow furrowed. With his whole head smashed, Strong Boar fell back to the floor, spewing out froths of blood. Behind him, Jungle Cat swung his claws at his side. The skin on her claws peeled off slightly, but his feeble claws couldn’t pierce the muscle.
As Kim Joo-seong swung his arm wide, the five Jungle Cats shattered. Subsequently, the Shadowmen holding weapons were screaming and brandishing clubs at Kim Joo-seong. Kim Joo-seong pierced Shadowman’s head with his fist. Black flesh soared into the air.
Dark constellations embroidered the night sky. It was as if a cannon or fanfare was going off announcing his triumph. Kim Joo-sung grinned involuntarily.
He was a hero He was now, no matter what anyone said, a hero. Through the window of the building, he could see students cheering for him while watching him. He could feel his own bulky back muscles and tight arm muscles. He also remembered his grandmother’s face.
Kim Joo-seong recalled the shack he lived in before awakening. The grayish-brown slate roof carried gray dust winds into the house when the wind blew hard. When it rained, he wet the floor with the soup. On days when it rained in winter, icicles froze in the corners of the house, and I had to live with a cold.
She used to deliver newspapers because she wanted to escape that life. She had grown up to avoid being looked down upon as poor, and was envious of successful people on TV. And, now Kim Joo-sung was taking her first step on the road to her heroism.
Maybe it will appear in the newspaper. A lot of reporters will put on a flashlight and offer an interview. Journalists will surely ask these questions.
[Kim Joo-seong. Wasn’t it scary that the monsters were flocking like that? It must have been a difficult amount for a newcomer who had just become a D-class hunter to handle?]
Several more D-class monsters were approaching. Kim Joo-sung was not afraid. It was because his body had a powerful buff that the C-rank Hunter had put on him. Picked up one monster and threw it towards another monster. The tangled monsters exploded like meatball dough.
Jooseong Kim imagined the content of the interview again, wiping the sweat from his forehead. At that time, he must be wearing a nice suit. And the city might give it a commendation. My grandmother will be sitting in the front row of the audience.
Her grandmother would say she did a good job raising her, wiping her tears with her handkerchief.
The corpses of monsters were piling up. Every time I stepped on the floor, there was a squeaking sound. The smell of blood was spreading. Cheers could be heard inside the building. Everyone was cheering them on. Thanks to the shadow of the waving hand, the light reflected in the window repeatedly faded and became clearer. Like a camera flash.
Kim Joo-seong imagined countless flashes. He will straighten his suit, then lift his head and say:
[It’s a Hunter. I thought I had to protect people.]
Kim Joo-sung laughed. With each swing of his fist, monsters tumbled out. There was a mixture of shouts and screams. His body was covered with scars one by one, but none of them hurt. Kim Joo-seong looked around and shouted.
“Guys! I will protect you! Don’t worry!”
He became a hero and he was so proud of himself.
A voice rang from the walkie-talkie.
[Now that the B-class hunters are coming, I will withdraw.]
I felt the power draining out of my voice. There were few monsters left now. The remaining monsters were also cowering in fear. Kim Joo-seong did not back down even as his body staggered.
A blue beam shot sharply over his shoulder. The monsters that showed their backs to Kim Joo-sung as if they were trying to run away turned to dust and disappeared. The blue flash snaked like a snake and returned to the back of Kim Joo-seong.
Teachers and instructors, including ‘Summer Coffee’ Lee Jung-ah, were running.
Kim Joo-seong gave them a smile, posing as cool as possible, then collapsed onto a pile of corpses.
