Chapter 32 (2/2)

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“What do you mean by that?”.

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“This is all the money I’ve gathered . ”.

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The man slid a bankbook across the table . Kang Taeshik stared back and forth between the man and the bankbook, then picked it up and checked its contents . The bankbook contained 2 billion won . .

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“And you’re giving this to me… why?”.

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The man replied to Kang Taeshik’s suspicious face,.

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“One of the prisoners under your watch violated my daughter . She hanged herself afterwards . My wife collapsed out of shock and is still hospitalized . ”.

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The man spoke with tears on his face . .

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“And they say the son of a bitch who did it is going to go free in just a few years… How could I sleep knowing this?”.

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The man raised his eyes, and his face was filled with rage and sorrow . .

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“I think you know what I mean by this . ”.

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The man bowed his head,.

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“Please, Hunter-nim! I beg of you!”.

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A quietness fell between the two men . .

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Kang Taeshik leaned back on his chair and fell into deep thought . .

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After some time, he opened his mouth,.

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“Do you know why I went into the Hunter Association’s Hunter Surveillance Department?”.

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“Sir?”.

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“As a B-rank Hunter, I would be considered a high-ranking Hunter . It wouldn’t be strange for me to receive offers from various Guilds . Yet do you know why I chose this job with its shitty pay?”.

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“I… I don’t know . ”.

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The corners of Kang Taeshik’s mouth rose,.

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“Compared to fighting monsters, I much rather enjoy fighting humans . ”.

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For that purpose, working for the HSD was a dream job . He was able to legally beat up other Hunters . And occasionally, if they resisted too hard… He couldn’t help but kill them . .

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‘Couldn’t… help it… . pft…’.

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Kang Taeshik swallowed his laughter . .

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“As you’ve asked, it won’t be much for me to take care of the bugs you’re referring to . The problem is, there will be Hunters other than the bugs in the Dungeon . Well, they’re all bugs to me, but still, what would you have me do about those other Hunters?”.

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At Kang Taeshik’s words, the man frowned disappointedly . All he wanted was revenge for his daughter . As if mocking him, Kang Taeshik put on an ugly smile . .

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“I’m going to ask 1 billion more for taking care of the other Hunters . Does that work for you?”.

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However, if those other Hunters included a Reawakened Hunter, 3 billion would not nearly be enough . His life was on the line, after all . The so-called E-rank Hunter was expelling an oppressive amount of pressure . He was poised to leap at any opening Kang Taeshik showed . The man gulped . .

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‘He’s not an easy target . ’.

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He had the confidence to win . Even before he became an Awakened Being, Kang Taeshik had never lost a duel . Still, it would not be an easy victory . He may need to change up the plan a little . .

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Suddenly, the E-rank Hunter spoke,.

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“Those prisoners… why did you kill them?”.

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“One of them raped a girl . Her father came to me and asked me directly for it . They were beasts that deserved it . All I did was to kill that beast . ”.

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The E-rank Hunter listened without speaking . Perhaps it’d be possible to talk his way out of this . Kang Taeshik moved into action,.

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“After all this, I don’t really feel like killing you . Why don’t you just look away for today? If you promise to be quiet, I won’t touch you guys anymore”.

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Of course, he had no intention of letting them go . But a direct confrontation here could result in him being injured, and he wanted to avoid that . He would let them go, then take care of them one by one later . .

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But the E-ranker laughed in his face,.

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“That’s something you should’ve said before attacking . Now that you’ve failed your ambush, you’re going to try and talk your way out of this?”.

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Well, he was not wrong . Kang Taeshik also smiled . .

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‘So it’s going to be this way after all . ’.

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Then, he would give it all he has . Kang Taeshik’s eyes became filled with bloodlust . His eyes quickly scanned the E-rank Hunter up and down . .

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‘Where did he get the dagger?’.

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Before he had realized it, the E-ranker was holding a dagger . .

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‘Well… whatever . ’.

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It did not matter where he had gotten it . Only what he was holding . Kang Taeshik finished a brief analysis . The enemy was a dagger user with a quick body, an ultra short range fighter . His class was probably assassin . Coincidentally, it was the same as his own class . But the bastard only Reawakened a short time ago, so the difference in experience would be massive . He would not have the chance to show off his skills . .

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“This sunbae will teach you a few things . ”.

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Kang Taeshik took out a knife from his waist and mocked the E-rank Hunter . .

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“Can you do something like… this?”.

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Kang Taeshik used the skill, ‘Stealth’[2], and his body became invisible . At his disappearance, the E-ranker panicked and looked around . .

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‘Of course . ’.

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The ‘Stealth’ skill was not just a simple invisibility . .

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Appearance, sound and smell!.

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All the traces detectable by the normal senses of a human being would be erased, that was ‘Stealth’ . Even among the Assassin-class Hunters, only a handful of them could use ‘Stealth’ . Regardless of their rank, only the lucky ones received this skill at their Awakening . .

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‘Surprise, bitch!’.

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Kang Taeshik moved behind the E-ranker in an instant . His back was completely exposed . .

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‘It’s over . ’.

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He had expected a difficult fight, but this was a lot more boring than he thought . If the opponent had anticipated the ‘Stealth’ skill, he might’ve been able to do something . The difference in experience ended up being the deciding factor, after all . .

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‘Die!’.

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Kang Taeshik’s knife stabbed straight towards Jinwoo’s ribs . .

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clang!.

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Two daggers clashed and sparked . With his ‘Stealth’ released, Kang Taeshik’s eyes widened . .

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“How?”.

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The E-ranker’s dagger was blocking his own . .

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Kang Taeshik looked up at the E-rank Hunter’s face in surprise . .

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The man opened his mouth with an expressionless face . .

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“It finally came up . ”.

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“What came up…?”.

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Unable to understand Jinwoo’s words, Kang Taeshik felt an unknown sense of terror wash over him . .

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ring~!.

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Emergency Quest: Deal With The Enemies!.

Those with murderous intent towards the ‘Player’ have been detected . Ensure your safety by dealing with these enemies . .

Enemies to deal with: 1.

Enemies dealt with: 0.

Non-compliance will result in a penalty . .

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Jinwoo confirmed the contents of the emergency quest and sighed in relief . .

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‘This wasn’t all for nothing . ’.

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He had hoped that letting Kang Taeshik make the first move would result in an emergency quest, just like the time with Hwang Dongseok’s party . He tested it to make sure and the results were as expected . The moment Kang Taeshik struck with a killing intent, the message popped up . There was a reason he had refused the offer and pretended to panic . .

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‘Well, I didn’t expect to see him use ‘Stealth’…’.

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When Kang Taeshik disappeared before his eyes, it did surprise him a little bit . After all, the ‘Stealth’ skill was a rare sight to behold . But the moment Jinwoo focused his senses, he was able to feel the man’s presence even with his eyes closed . This was the power of his raised sense stat . At first, he had invested points into it to determine whether he had to fight or run from an enemy, but now it had found another use . .

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‘I got lucky . ’.

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And thanks to that, Kang Taeshik was startled as if he had seen a ghost . .

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“How, how did you?”.

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All that was left was to deal with him and get the quest’s reward . .

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‘If I’m going to fight, might as well get paid for it . ’.

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It was his turn now . .

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Time to attack . .

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The two men put strength behind their daggers, attempting to push towards the other . .

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Their strength was evenly matched . .

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‘Should I try something else?’.

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Jinwoo quickly slammed his foot down on Kang Taeshik’s . .

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crack!.

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“Uwaaaak!”.

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Translator’s Notes:.

[1]: Just a reminder, the Reawakening is Kang Taeshik’s theory in the moment . Jinwoo confirmed before that what he was going through is NOT Reawakening . .

[2]: “Stealth” (은신): Lit . “hide/stealth” . .