Chapter 43
After setting up the teleportation magic circle and checking the map, Junhyuk spotted a lone monster separated from the others.
"That one'll do."
Exiting the OO Outlet, Junhyuk charged toward the wandering monster.
It's a Belmon, just as I thought.
Belmon was an E-rank mainstay monster, equivalent to F-rank's Zeruth. As the most commonly distributed E-rank, it was a balanced-type monster without specialized traits.
"Shall we begin? Kairan's Blessing. Swift Movement."
With his stats boosted by Kairan's Blessing, Junhyuk immediately activated Swift Movement and dashed toward Belmon.
Whoosh!
In an instant, he closed the distance.
Grooowl?
Belmon's gaze locked onto Junhyuk.
Stun Charge!
Thwack!
Flash Step!
Simultaneously executing Stun Charge, Junhyuk used Flash Step to reposition behind Belmon.
Mountain Cleaver!
Since the first post-Flash Step attack guaranteed a critical hit, Junhyuk unleashed his strongest skill.
Crash!
The critical Mountain Cleaver took a massive chunk out of the monster's shield bar. Followed immediately by another critical strike:
Critical Attack!
Bam!
Announcing the hunt's commencement with consecutive criticals, Junhyuk switched his force weapon from dagger to longsword and engaged fully.
Crash! Bam!
The stunned Belmon recovered and began its furious counterattack.
GROOOOWL!
Bam! Crash! Kaboom!
A relentless barrage of blows—but to Junhyuk with heightened senses, they posed little threat. With minimal movements, he dodged while maintaining constant pressure. Not conserving force energy, he spammed skills to rapidly deplete Belmon's shield.
After thirty minutes, the shield broke completely.
Now! Stun Charge!
Thwack!
Flash Step!
Swoosh—
Mountain Cleaver!
Crash!
Executing this combo, Junhyuk placed his hand on the dazed Belmon's leg:
"Copy!"
-[Copy skill: Low-Rank Soldier of Vargas Tribe?]
"Yes!"
-Copy complete.
Though copied, he couldn't equip it yet—twenty-four hours hadn't passed since equipping the lowest-rank version.
Others are already moving. Need to finish fast and bail.
As E-ranks lacked tribal recognition, distant monsters were converging toward the noisy battle. Like his first F-rank hunt, speed was key—kill Belmon and escape before reinforcements arrived.
Twenty more minutes concluded the hunt. Total time: ~50 minutes (~45 excluding interruptions).
"Whew... shook them just in time."
After quickly looting materials, Junhyuk retreated as two monsters arrived with more approaching on radar. Using Swift Movement, Flash Step, and Blink, he barely escaped to OO Outlet's rooftop—an E-rank basecamp.
"Need second awakening soon. With just invisibility and stealth, I could've left comfortably."
His skill deck prioritized offense over utility moves for faster hunting. Second awakening would expand capacity for more diverse builds.
"How much better is this than lowest-rank?"
Checking the copied skill:
[Passive] Low-Rank Soldier of Vargas Tribe
-Atk +50%
-Def +50%
-Low-Rank Tribal Recognition
(Must register in skill deck)
Only notable change was Atk/Def increasing from 10% to 50%. Tribal recognition now worked on E/F-ranks but remained otherwise unchanged.
"Not bad at all."
A significant upgrade from the F-rank version. The 50% attack boost particularly pleased him—enabling faster hunts.
"With this equipped, I could down E-ranks in under 40 minutes. Definitely better than F-ranks."
The single rank difference was substantial—explaining why second-awakened hunters skipped F-ranks entirely. While third awakening required special conditions beyond hunting, even basic rewards were incomparably better than F-rank loot. Experience gains followed suit—hunting E-ranks accelerated second awakening faster than farming F-ranks in beginner zones.
"Well, got time to kill—might hunt some F-ranks before heading back."
Unable to equip the new passive immediately, Junhyuk decided to farm beginner zones temporarily.
An apartment in Hapjeong-dong
The Han River view through the windows satisfied Junhyuk as he toured with the realtor.
"Nice."
The agent eagerly explained: "Built post-Cataclysm with new construction methods. You mentioned younger siblings? Soundproofing is absolute—you could play drums here without disturbing neighbors."
The noise isolation impressed him further.
"Oh really?"
"That's just the start. Floors 11+ (2,250+ sq ft) have built-in crystal power generators—just supply crystals and you'll never lose power during outages."
Crystal-to-energy conversion technology emerged three years post-Cataclysm. Early generators were massive installations powering entire areas under national utility management. Only recently had compact versions become available in high-end new constructions like this one.
"A crystal generator... impressive."
"Many other premium features too. So... interested?"
The perfect home: soundproofed for lively siblings, uninterrupted power with river views near business districts.
"Price?"
"4.2 billion won [$3.2 million] for 2,250 sq ft unit."
Reasonable given post-Cataclysm inflation as people crowded limited safe zones—former 1-billion-won apartments now approached 3 billion when available at all.
"Let's contract."
"Excellent choice! No regrets guaranteed. Shall we proceed?"
After thorough inspection, Junhyuk headed back to finalize paperwork.
Despite being newly built, Junhyuk hired contractors for remodeling focused on his siblings' needs plus one personal request: converting part of his bedroom into a hidden space for teleportation circles (too conspicuous for guests). Extensive renovations would take slightly over two months.
Meanwhile, he visited the Association after a long absence for discussion with its Master.
"So you're pursuing mercenary work?"
Having existing contracts required coordination first.
"Yes, initially accepting D-rank requests without disrupting party hunts."
Any newly awakened tank specializing in D-ranks would raise eyebrows—unless it was irregular-famed Junhyuk.
"Hmm... medium/small guilds lacking A-rank tanks will flood you with requests."
"Likely, but we'll see."
Plans always had variables; he kept expectations realistic.
"Registering as a guild?"
"Considering it... While operating solo makes registration unnecessary initially, proper business licensing may require formal structure since I'll maintain an office generating taxable income (unlike tax-exempt hunting)."
"Legally complex... but registering properly prevents future tax evasion accusations."
The Master's reasoning seemed sound despite needing legal consultation.
"Should I register then?"
"Heh... ironic banning guild membership only for you to create one."
"Hardly a real guild—just legal formality while operating solo or small-party scale."
"Would our requests need formal contracts too?"
Existing agreements gave priority consideration without obligation.
"Best that way... though given our history, I'd prioritize Association requests during conflicts."
"Not bad... proper contracts prevent awkwardness compared to blind favors."
"Then I have your approval?"
Receiving confirmation, the Master suggested:
"Might as well register now while here?"
Agreeing, Junhyuk headed downstairs to begin guild creation procedures.
