Chapter 39
Danger Zone at the Dead of Night
Kreeeaaa!
Boom!
A massive monster crashed to the ground, dissolving into white particles of light.
"Phew, 23 minutes. Kairan's Blessing was a total game-changer."
For Mountain Cleave, one use per monster sufficed.
Though its cooldown lasted 30 minutes, monsters now fell within 20 minutes.
In contrast, Kairan's Blessing lasted 10 minutes with an identical cooldown, enabling perpetual activation.
While Mountain Cleave delivered devastating burst damage paired with Force Weapons, Kairan's Blessing proved superior in overall efficiency.
"At this rate, I'll finish in 3-4 months instead of six. Time to set up a teleport at an E-rank hunting ground."
Previously, solo hunts required over 3 hours to kill 4 monsters.
Now, clearing targets in under 20 minutes allowed 6 kills within the same timeframe.
Combined with daytime party hunts, this totaled 9 daily kills.
Extending solo hunting sessions could drastically shorten the path to his second awakening.
"Speaking of which, there's tomorrow's parent-teacher meeting. Better head home and rest."
Having verified both skills' effectiveness, Junhyeok returned home satisfied.
The next morning
Junhyeok accompanied the children to school for the first time in weeks.
"Hyung! I told everyone you're the tank from TV, but they don't believe me! That's why I made them come see you today!"
As the Irregular who'd saved Seoul, Junhyeok's fame had apparently spread even among schoolchildren.
Euncheol's bragging clearly hadn't convinced his skeptical friends.
"Haha, our Euncheol must've been frustrated!"
"Yeah! You've got time later, right? No need to leave immediately?"
"How could I leave when you're this upset? Bring your friends to the snack shop later. My treat."
Euncheol bounced excitedly at the promise.
"Wow! Delicious snacks!"
Noticing this, Eunjung lowered her eyes and murmured:
"Me too..."
Likely wanting her own friends included.
"Of course we'll meet Eunjung's friends too. Bring them along – I'll treat everyone together."
"Yes!"
Eunjung's unusually spirited reply surprised Junhyeok. Seeing the typically timid girl speak up secretly delighted him.
"Haha, hearing such confidence from our Eunjung makes me happy. Now head to class – I'm visiting your teacher. See you soon."
"Okay!"
"Right..."
Junhyeok watched them scurry to their classrooms before proceeding to the staff office.
Moments later
"My! You're more handsome than on TV. Meeting a celebrity like you is an honor!"
The early-thirties teacher – Euncheol's homeroom instructor – beamed as they sat in the counseling room.
"Thank you. How's Euncheol performing academically?"
Her expression sobered. "He's energetic... sometimes excessively so. Struggles to focus in class. Occasionally fights with classmates."
"Euncheol fights?"
The image of his sweet-natured brother brawling shocked Junhyeok.
"Not just him – conflicts are common at this age. Petty arguments escalate into scuffles. You know how defiant they can be."
Junhyeok nodded. New environments and clashing personalities naturally caused friction among first-graders.
"I'll discipline him at home. What about his grades?"
"Mid-tier currently. Could improve with effort, but his attention span... sigh With thirty students, I can't focus on him exclusively without appearing biased."
"Completely understand. You have my gratitude for your hard work."
"Hard work? It's simply my duty."
"Please contact me immediately if he causes more trouble. If he's at fault, I'll reprimand him properly."
The teacher smiled. "Most incidents are minor. We only involve parents when overzealous adults complicate matters."
Elementary school scuffles rarely caused serious harm, though obsessive parents sometimes escalated situations.
"Understood. Feel free to contact me anytime."
As Junhyeok smiled, the teacher hesitantly added:
"Actually... might I make a request?"
"A request?"
"We periodically invite parents to serve as guest teachers. Would you consider..."
"Guest teaching?"
Seeing his hesitation, she quickly added:
"No pressure! Just share basic Hunter experiences – kids are fascinated by monster battles lately."
Though inexperienced in teaching, Junhyeok couldn't refuse his brother's teacher.
"...Very well. I'll try, though I doubt my stories will help much."
The teacher's smile blossomed. "Thank you! The children will be thrilled."
As Seoul's savior, Junhyeok's agreement clearly delighted her. After concluding meetings with both siblings' teachers, he headed to the snack shop during breaktime.
Clearing out the shop's stock, he hosted Euncheol and Eunjung's friends. The children's awed reactions at meeting the real-life hero visibly boosted the siblings' pride.
Goyang City
Beginner Zone Hunting Ground
"Almost done! Everyone, unleash skills!"
At Junhyeok's command, dealers bombarded the monster with abilities.
Boom! Kaboom! Bang!
With this being the day's final hunt, conserving Force proved unnecessary.
After ten more minutes:
Kuuoooooh!
Thud!
The F-rank monster Jerus collapsed, its corpse disintegrating into light.
Total hunt duration: 2h20m – 20 minutes faster than their initial attempt.
'Hmm. Party hunts take 2h20m versus 20-minute solos? The efficiency's inverted.'
While parties normally optimized hunting, Junhyeok's capabilities reversed this paradigm.
'No helping it. Being labeled an Irregular already draws enough attention.'
He recalled Park Kangho's warning to conceal his Copy Master ability until second awakening – implying dramatic post-awakening changes.
Meanwhile, Changsoo grumbled at the lack of skill cards or awakening stones among loot:
"Another dud! Why can't we get another dealer stone like last time?"
Since Sangjin's graduation from beginner zones and Junhyeok's takeover as tank, Changsoo had joined their team. Though more members typically reduced individual shares, hunting three monsters where others managed two actually increased profits. None objected to his inclusion.
"Quit whining, you lucky brat!"
"Since when am I whining, Chulmin-hyung? Just stating facts!"
The longtime acquaintances bantered freely. While not legendary like Junhyeok, Chulmin had his own storied history as the tank's former companion.
"I don't mind missing awakening stones," said ranger Seo Yejin. "Extra monsters mean more money and faster second awakening prep. Our Junhyeok's a godsend!"
Fellow ranger Kim Yongwook teased:
"Wow, Yejin! Sangjin-hyung just left and you're already calling him 'our Junhyeok'?"
"What? You dislike him tanking?"
"Who said that? Just joking! Hey, heard about the villain in Gangnam's beginner zones? Some Daegu guy... Chajinsu?"
Junhyeok's eyes sharpened at the name.
"What did you say? Chajinsu?"
"Yeah. He's been ambushing Hunters in Gangnam zones. Whole area's on high alert. Other zones are nervous too."
Memories flooded back – the traitor who'd forced Junhyeok's early use of Regression Stone by selling him out. Junhyeok's fists clenched.
'Chajinsu! I'd nearly forgotten this vermin.'
Suppressing his fury, Junhyeok calmly responded:
"We should stay vigilant."
"Right. The Association's negotiating with guilds about some anti-villain task force."
The Villain Response Team – formed through collaboration between Korea's top three guilds (Heaven, Taebaek, Genesis) – deployed B-rank+ Hunters on weekly rotations. During active weeks, members couldn't hunt.
'Formed around this time? It'll disband soon, but works temporarily.'
Initial enthusiasm had curbed villain activity, but resentment grew as guildmates missed hunting opportunities. Eventually, the team would dissolve under complaints about unfair workload distribution.
