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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 006
Chapter Title: Protecting the Sprout
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The hunter named Yoo Chan-seok could beat Zanabi's 1st Team Leader Kang Hoon if he secured mana at a similar level.
It was a firm assessment—hell, one that made you wonder if it wasn't a bit of an overestimation. No wonder the assistant riding shotgun had unconsciously turned his head toward Lee Se-eun.
—That good?
"Yeah. That's why I recommended he go freelance and handed him a job on my way back."
Kang Hoon, having heard the story, let out a hearty ha ha.
—She really thinks he's got that kind of potential. Makes me regret letting him slip away even more.
"It's one or the other. Either he gets strong enough to be a partner, or this is the end of the line."
Even jumping straight into junior hunter status, Yoo Chan-seok didn't have much left to learn.
"Well, Yoon Sung-hyun seemed keen on recruiting him as a junior for his own team."
—Damn. Doesn't that mean we need to keep an eye out?
No matter how promising a future powerhouse he might be, right now he was just a sprout.
In a situation where things weren't going Yoon Sung-hyun's way, the guy was the type to crush a sprout without a second thought.
"Taebaek's company ethos is survival of the fittest, after all."
—Not that they advertise it outright.
If Yoo Chan-seok didn't come under his wing, they'd make damn sure he never took flight.
"So I thought it over for a bit, but he mentioned wanting a month of training. Seemed perfect, so I handed over the training room allocated to me by the Association."
No matter how big Taebaek was, they couldn't pull any stunts inside the Association's building. Sure, a company like Taebaek could pressure the Association if they really wanted to, but it was still a risky move.
—What about after a month?
"There's a request from Incheon City Hall. I sent him off to Gyodongdo."
It was a Korean government commission. Not exactly ideal turf for Taebaek to meddle.
Private company or individual requests didn't come with much follow-up scrutiny if issues arose, but government gigs triggered all sorts of investigations if something unexpected happened.
"Even Yoon Sung-hyun won't lay a hand on him until he gets back from Gyodongdo."
Sure, he preached survival of the fittest, but deep down, that mindset was rooted in the fear of ending up as prey yourself.
Taebaek was the kind of place that got devoured the moment its position weakened.
—Yeah, figures.
If she funneled him a few more gigs like this after he returned from Gyodongdo, the sprout wouldn't get trampled before it could grow.
"If we build a rapport like this, when Yoo Chan-seok makes it big later, we could team up on joint requests, right?"
—I trust your judgment. Scheming like this is your role at Zanabi anyway.
Lee Se-eun let out an ah ha ha, twirling her hair around her finger as she replied.
"It's hard to be both smart and kind, but I'm pulling it off."
—Bullshit. Heading back to Cheorwon? Good luck.
After hanging up with Kang Hoon, Lee Se-eun crossed her legs, whistled softly, and stared out the car window.
"One month."
A bit short for any massive changes.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
One month was plenty. The first thing I checked was an app on my smartphone, scouting various herbs.
The so-called spiritual medicines.
"Don't need anything ridiculously amazing."
No need for stuff like millennium ginseng rotting away on some snowy mountain peak or ten-thousand-year-old tuber lying buried like a corpse underground.
Truth be told, I couldn't afford it anyway—but honestly, I didn't need it.
"This'll do perfectly."
Scrolling the app, I found a few items hunters used like first-aid kits.
Ampoules packaged in small glass vials. The spiritual herb content was about on par with red ginseng candy.
And the price? Five million won.
"The cheapest ones cost more than a studio apartment deposit."
Once I got my hunter certification, the Association handed out an initial seven-point-five million won subsidy.
Plus the five million from the Incheon City Hall gig, courtesy of Partner Hunter Lee Se-eun. Total: twelve-point-five million.
"At least I can skimp on living expenses for this month."
The empty room Lee Se-eun hooked me up with came with three squares from the Association. My old studio's rent and bills were fixed costs I couldn't dodge.
With this, snag a decent sturdy spear, grab some of those ampoules with the leftovers, and stash the rest.
[Your purchased items are scheduled to arrive today at 4:30 PM.]
Way faster than regular delivery. Must be some agreement to rush hunter requests.
"This is modern life. This is civilization."
I finished buying, tossed my phone onto the bed with a thunk, and stretched.
Back there, getting anything meant legwork every time.
A single spear would've taken two or three hours minimum. Something herbal-ish? Days of waiting, no question.
"Even back on a dying Earth, glad I returned."
I wriggled a bit, letting out an involuntary uugh.
"Recover till the stuff arrives."
Lee Se-eun had pulverized me like sun tofu squished under her ass. If she'd held back even a little...
I limped to the bed and flopped down flat.
I could hobble around thanks to absorbing ambient mana for recovery. Otherwise, I wouldn't have the strength to push a wheelchair.
As I healed and waited, my order arrived.
"This spear'll do."
Nothing fancy, but tough. It wouldn't snap under my current pathetic strength.
"And this."
I opened the small box to reveal one ampoule. Inspecting the contents, I popped the cap and sniffed. A faint but unmistakable fresh scent wafted out.
And within that freshness, a hint of mana.
"Perfect amount."
Most mana users absorb ambient mana through their bodies, cycle it through their acupoints along the meridians to bring it under control, then store it in reservoirs like the dantian or heart.
If mana was water, acupoints were pipes, meridians filters. Dantian or heart? The tank holding the purified stuff.
The usual method was like pouring from a water purifier and drinking.
"But me...?"
I just use the pipes. Absorb ambient mana into my body, use it on the spot without filtering or storing, then expel it.
No buildup means no massive bursts, but my mana never runs dry, no matter how long the fight.
One of the pillars of my endurance, alongside Paradox Flame. Even after over four hours scrapping with Lee Se-eun, mana never held me back.
"Truth is, with enough time, I wouldn't need this crap."
Like flowing water carving a river wider, the mana I constantly absorb and expel subtly widens and toughens my channels around the clock.
Just breathing makes me stronger bit by bit.
"But no time for that now."
I tap dumped the ampoule into my mouth.
'Got strong like this once, saved another world.'
Result'll be the same this time. I'll make it so. I closed my eyes.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A month later, I emerged from the training room Lee Se-eun had lent me, papers in hand, and headed to the assembly point on Ganghwa Island.
Body condition: peak. I'd maxed out everything doable in a month.
"Hello."
"You a hunter?"
After verifying my cert via smartphone and ID docs, a guy who looked like a civil servant nodded.
"Hunter Yoo Chan-seok, identity confirmed."
Quick additional contract, and I got my advance.
"Departing at nine-thirty AM. Yoo Chan-seok... Group 8."
Patrol area: Eupnae-ri and Gyodong-myeon.
"Detected Alpha Erosion Core location: church at the northern end of Insa-ri. Kindly avoid approaching. Note that the government cannot compensate for any incidents after entering that zone."
Can't help it—if you head where they tell you not to, accident odds spike. An Alpha Erosion Core inherently screamed danger, so caution was a given.
"Got it."
I headed to my assigned seat in the auditorium.
"Feels kinda like heading to reserve training."
The thought soured my mood.
"New faces. Nice to work with."
A few were already seated. Their expressions turned ambiguous at the sight of me. One swept his eyes over me and made a weird face.
"You really a hunter?"
"How else would I be here?"
The guy rubbed his chin at my retort.
"Nah, I feel mana, but... why's it so faint? Even short-staffed, a team with this? Bad luck from the morning."
This? I'm a fellow human with eyes, nose, mouth—what, no basic respect?
Fine. Time to deliver my wishes politely...
"If teaming with me turns your stomach, take it up with Incheon City Hall. You woodpecker-sized prick."
"What?! You lit—"
I reached out and pressed down hard on his head. The guy, halfway out of his seat, got pinned back down instantly.
"Eek!"
He tried rising again. I timed it perfectly—lifted my hand and grabbed his collar, hoisting him up.
His rising momentum plus my lift had his body floating briefly.
Follow-up toss. Thud, and he was sprawled on the floor.
"Sleepy? Crash at home. Don't pick fights with randoms."
Brief commotion. Not many people gathered yet, so stares were minimal.
"You."
But one of them spoke up. Voice from a woman standing there, sword at her waist.
"Ah, iaido style."
I remembered. Last opponent in the cert spar. She'd laid magnetic rails for her quick-draws.
"Han Sang-ah."
"Yoo Chan-seok."
I dusted my hands and offered one to the guy on the floor. Han Sang-ah eyed it, then grabbed and shook.
"Sang-ah, you know this punk?"
Acquaintances? The sprawled guy rose, piping up.
"Yes, Senior. But this guy's no punk-level hunter."
Why's her arm bending backward like that? Same academy, judging by "senior."
"What? Who the hell is he?"
"The one who beat me like a dog in the cert exam."
Facts, no cap... but admitting the "dog" part so bluntly? Most soften it after a beating.
"These days, beating a dog like that'd cause a fuss."
"Ah, right."
Han Sang-ah muttered, then turned to her fallen senior.
"Beat me like a dog."
Wasn't a self-correction demand. Come to think, when I told her to raise her left if it hurt, she actually did. Literal to a fault—hilarious.
"Beat you like a dog?"
"Yes. And I shat blood for a week."
Judging by the buildup, that "shat blood" line was straight facts, no exaggeration.
"Sorry. No idea it'd be bloody shits for a week."
"Not chili paste—blood. And chili might burn your ass, but it doesn't change shit color."
I went silent at the reply. Am I the weird one, or is she? No clue how to respond.
"No way. Mana's barely detectable. Must've been luck."
That's 'cause I don't stockpile mana in my body.
"Even against five seniors, I wouldn't lose—even if unlucky."