Chapter 7.
The Right Attitude
Whoosh—!
A heavy left hook grazed past my head.
“Are they really trying to kill me?”
Judging by the pressure in the air, if it had landed, it would have caused at least a concussion, or at worst, a skull fracture.
I had thought it wouldn’t be that serious since no weapon was used.
But suddenly, the thought crossed my mind that maybe this was just a show of confidence—they could kill me even without a weapon.
“Well, whatever.”
Unlike before when I had to rely on the opponent’s mercy, now I felt confident enough to hold my own in a straight-up fight.
Thud—
Clack.
After dodging Yong Tae-su’s attack, I immediately stepped back and raised my fist.
“Are you really going to try to fight me with your fists? Draw your sword.”
“……”
Well, the thing is, I’m not very good with swords.
Even if I said that, he probably wouldn’t believe me, so I quietly focused on steadying my breath.
“Your confidence is impressive. Then, try blocking this!”
Thwack─!
A massive rock seemed to be hurled toward me.
It was such a fierce charge it almost felt like a huge boulder was flying my way.
“I’ll watch you till the end.”
I narrowed my eyes.
Flinch.
My left fist shot out quickly like a flick.
“Jab!”
Yong Tae-su’s attack was a left jab.
I stepped to the right as I deflected the jab, then attempted a counterattack.
I had found an opening — his abdomen.
I delivered a body blow aimed at that spot.
Bang!
“What kind of defense is that…”
But all I felt in my hand was the sensation of hitting steel.
“That was a good try, but sloppy!”
Yong Tae-su tried to grab me right away.
Since he was stronger in power and durability rather than speed, was his plan to hold me and then beat me?
“If he catches me, I’m screwed.”
I quickly rolled on the floor to slip out of his grasp.
“Huff.”
Fortunately, I managed to dodge, but the unexpected threat made cold sweat drip down my body.
“Hmm.”
Should I say it was fortunate?
Yong Tae-su didn’t follow up with another attack.
Instead, after some thought, he asked me:
“How many stars are you?”
Stars.
A measure of a hunter’s strength.
They range from 1-star to 9-star, with clear criteria distinguishing each level.
According to that scale, I was roughly 3-star.
“Magic power is a different matter because of my trait, but that’s another story.”
“I’m 3-star.”
I answered somewhat stubbornly.
“Three stars, huh…”
Yong Tae-su frowned as if something was off.
For reference, Yong Tae-su himself was 4-star.
Although not an exact science, it’s generally believed that the difference in strength between star levels is at least double.
So Yong Tae-su was at least twice as strong as me.
Of course, there are variables like items, skills, and unique traits, but fundamentally that was the case.
“Interesting.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your physical ability is 3-star, but your magic power seems higher. Yet your combat experience is lacking for a 3-star level…”
“……”
A chill ran down my spine.
He figured all this out in that short time?
“Impressive.”
His assessment was accurate.
Through steady training, my physical abilities had reached the level of a 3-star hunter.
But since I’d only been a porter, I had no real combat experience.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect my attacks to be blocked like that earlier.”
Had I known a 4-star hunter’s torso was that tough, I wouldn’t have aimed for the abdomen thinking it was a weak spot.
And my magic…
“Still inexperienced.”
Currently, my magic power was roughly equivalent to a 3-4 star level.
Because I’d used the “One Punch” skill repeatedly, my magic was almost drained, but thanks to the “Magic Overflow” trait, it quickly replenished.
The problem was that I couldn’t fully control or contain that magic…
And Yong Tae-su had sensed that.
“I can’t help it.”
I still lacked experience in properly managing my magic.
Because of the “Magic Overflow” trait, I hadn’t been able to handle my magic correctly before.
I’d only tried suppressing my magic completely with inhibitors, never maintaining a moderate flow that prevented excess from leaking out.
Of course, I was confident I could master control soon.
I just needed more time.
“Hmm.”
After thinking for a moment, Yong Tae-su spoke.
“I like you.”
That sounded quite positive.
“…Could this be resolved through talking?”
A glimmer of hope peeked in.
Even though I was forced into a fight, facing Yong Tae-su was definitely risky.
If I wasn’t going to exhaust all my strength in a brawl, it made sense to avoid combat if possible.
“Then let’s talk like civilized people—”
“What nonsense is that?”
“……”
I immediately dismissed my vain hope.
Yeah.
If talking was possible, it would’ve happened already.
Yong Tae-su grinned at me.
“I was just saying it’s been a while since I had someone worthy to feel my fists on.”
Thud!
At the same time, he charged at me, striking the ground with his huge body.
“What a muscle head.”
Cursing him silently, I dodged the punch.
Bang!
His fist smashed into the bookshelf against the wall.
Books and papers scattered, but Yong Tae-su didn’t care.
“Ha! You dodge well!”
His eyes followed my movement as I dodged sideways.
And his fists followed too.
Bang! Bang! Crash!
His punches landed one after another.
With the loud noise, the bookshelf began to break apart.
“Phew.”
【Yujin! Need a hand?】
As I struggled to dodge his attacks, an annoying voice interrupted.
It was Prill, flying wildly behind Yong Tae-su with a cheerful expression.
“Not really a nuisance, I guess.”
At least she was trying to help.
But I had a thought.
“Now?”
【I was just watching because it’s fun! You didn’t ask for help, did you?】
“…Yeah, you’re something.”
【Thanks for the compliment!】
Of course, I hadn’t asked for help.
Because the sudden attack caught me off guard, I hadn’t thought about Prill.
But even if I had, it probably wouldn’t have changed much.
【So it’s okay if I don’t help?】
“Yeah.”
Right now, it was more important to test how well I could handle a 4-star hunter.
Whoosh—!
Yong Tae-su’s flying kick sliced through the air toward me.
Bang!
I barely crossed my arms to block the kick.
“Blocked? How about this!”
He followed with a flying knee strike.
“He’s enjoying this.”
His expression looked extremely pleased.
“So that’s why they call him the ‘Fighting Chicken’…”
His nickname was “Fighting Chicken.”
I had wondered why, but it was simple.
“They say he’s crazy about fighting. And it’s true.”
Except for Ma Gwang-cheol, the boss of the Kwangcheol faction, no one here wanted a real fight with Yong Tae-su.
And here I was, a suspicious outsider who showed up.
I was sure of it.
“Suspicious is just an excuse. He just wants to fight me!”
That was the real reason he brought me here.
“Ha ha ha! Good, good!”
…Anyone could be sure by looking at his wild eyes.
Bang! Thud!
Yong Tae-su happily destroyed the office.
I dodged, blocked, and rolled desperately, surviving like a dog.
“Ugh.”
My whole body ached from the beatings, and it was getting harder to lift my arms from the strain.
“I’m really going to die.”
By plan, I wasn’t supposed to use “One Punch” here.
I needed to leave room for negotiation.
But it would only mean something if I survived this musclehead’s wild eyes.
“…Just use it?”
Just as I was wondering if I should switch plans and cause chaos with “One Punch,”
“Team Leader!”
My savior arrived.
“Uh, uh…?”
“What on earth are you doing!?”
A sharp voice stabbed at Yong Tae-su.
It was Ma Gwang-jin, the head of personnel for the Kwangcheol faction and the younger brother of boss Ma Gwang-cheol.
“Personnel head? Uh, well… um…”
Yong Tae-su couldn’t find a proper answer.
He was so flustered he couldn’t even use the excuse he started beating me for in the first place.
No wonder.
“I didn’t expect someone to show up here…”
I was just as surprised.
Ma Gwang-jin, a thin man reminiscent of a twig, appeared through the window.
…By the way, this was the 5th floor.
He pushed up his glasses with one hand and started scolding Yong Tae-su.
“There’s loud noise in the room, the door is locked, no answer when knocking. So I had to climb in through the window. What the hell are you doing?”
“……”
“If you have a mouth, try answering. Oh my, you’ve broken everything, huh? Why don’t you just tear down the whole building?”
“……”
Watching quietly, Ma Gwang-jin was clearly Yong Tae-su’s nemesis.
Though only about 1-star level as a hunter, he used his intelligence to defeat the musclehead Yong Tae-su.
【Wow! The weak guy is using words to take down the strong guy!】
“Go weak guy!”
I naturally cheered for Ma Gwang-jin.
My battered body was screaming in pain anyway.
“Wait, wait!”
“What? After causing all this mess, you think you have something to say?”
“Y-yeah. That’s because… this whole thing is suspicious because of that guy!”
Yong Tae-su pointed at me, shouting.
He seemed to have finally remembered what excuse he could use for all this.
Ma Gwang-jin pushed up his glasses again and looked at me.
“Hmm? You’re… Kim Yujin?”
It seemed he recognized who I was.
Though there were fewer than 100 hunters and porters combined in the Kwangcheol faction, remembering even a lowly porter like me was impressive.
“That’s why I wanted to see this guy first.”
And this was why I had gone to see the personnel head first.
Ma Gwang-jin was competent in his work.
I thought there was a chance for ‘negotiation’.
“Not that I liked the guy at all…”
Anyway, I tried to answer.
“Yes, that’s right—”
“That guy lied to me!”
…Yong Tae-su’s outburst ruined my attempt.
“Lied? What do you mean?”
“He said he was a porter to me, but he’s actually a 3-star hunter!”
Yong Tae-su wore a triumphant smile, as if he had finally found an excuse to escape his hellish lecture.
But unfortunately for him, Ma Gwang-jin was focused on something else.
“…A 3-star hunter?”
“Yeah! And yet he said he was a porter. What a ridiculous lie!”
“Oh.”
Ma Gwang-jin looked at me with a new-found interest.
No wonder.
Most hunters in Kwangcheol faction were 1 or 2-star.
A 3-star hunter was a rare talent here.
“Besides, considering our ties with the neighboring Hyeonwoong faction, 3-star hunters are highly sought after.”
Knowing all this, I was confident.
They would have to treat me differently.
Unlike before, when I was just a porter.
And it started by clearing up Yong Tae-su’s misunderstanding.
“Greetings, Personnel Head. Porter Kim Yujin.”
“Hey, look at that! Still lying to the end!”
“I’m not lying.”
“How can you be a porter… huh?”
“I said I’m a porter.”
“Ah, no… that’s impossible…”
But the misunderstanding wasn’t easily cleared.
To be exact, Yong Tae-su didn’t want to admit his mistake.
It couldn’t be helped.
I drove the point home.
“I’ll say it again. I’m porter Kim Yujin from Team 8.”
“Uh, uh… okay…”
“Well, thanks to you, I almost died.”
“…Misunderstanding.”
Yong Tae-su turned his head, avoiding eye contact.
“Didn’t expect this guy to be so petty.”
At this moment, the right words just wouldn’t come out.
To be honest, I was a bit grudgy.
“Aha. I see. Oh, you misunderstood.”
I said ‘misunderstanding’ clearly as Yong Tae-su looked away.
Still no answer from him.
Then I glanced at Ma Gwang-jin, who had been quietly watching.
“You’re going to back me up, right?”
With a look that meant just that.
Ma Gwang-jin sighed deeply and spoke to Yong Tae-su.
“Team Leader, apologize.”
“No, no… I had enough reason to misunderstand!”
“So what? That’s why I tell you to think before you act. It looks like this could have been settled with words, but you just wanted to fight, didn’t you?”
“…No, that—”
“Team. Leader.”
The personnel head’s authority was strong!
Yong Tae-su, Kwangcheol faction’s 1st team leader and a 4-star hunter.
In the end, he lowered his head to me.
“Oh, sorry for the misunderstanding…”
Finally, the attitude was right.
