TOP 26

Chapter 26

Into the Wide World

Three months had passed.

I was now facing Yong Tae-su.

“This time, I’ll crush you properly.”

“Hey, can you not say things so scary?”

This wasn’t a life-or-death battle… not really.

It was just sparring.

Although, when fighting Yong Tae-su, there were moments I wondered if it truly counted as sparring. But still, it was sparring.

After the last battle, the remnants of the Gwangcheol faction had been completely absorbed into the Hyeon-woong faction.

And the head of those absorbed forces was none other than Yong Tae-su.

When we first captured the injured Yong Tae-su as a prisoner, there was a lot of debate about how to handle him.

He had been the second-in-command of the Gwangcheol faction, so that was to be expected.

Most of the popular opinions were negative.

Some said he should be killed immediately; others argued that if he lived, the Gwangcheol members would regroup around him.

But in the end, Ji Hyun-woong decided to take him in.

After all, our forces were already stretched thin; letting go of a four-star Hunter so easily wasn’t an option.

Having Yong Tae-su made controlling the remnants of the Gwangcheol faction easier.

Most importantly…

‘The fact that Yong Tae-su’s own will was firm was what mattered the most.’

He had expressed a strong desire to surrender.

Rather than clinging to past glory, he simply wanted to join the Hyeon-woong faction.

And the reason for that was…

“Time to show the results of my training! Hah!”

Ridiculously enough, his goal was only one thing—fighting me.

Apparently, he had lingering regrets from his previous defeat.

Of course, I hadn’t lost to Yong Tae-su even once since then.

Kwah-ang—!

I blocked his massive axe, which was coated in aura, with my Everfrost Sword, also enveloped in aura.

“…Your growth is monstrous. The gap between us seems to be widening.”

“Seems like you have time to talk?”

“Well…”

Yong Tae-su, who had been struggling against me, removed one hand from his axe.

At the same time, in the hand he freed, he held another axe.

“It’s a fake!!!”

Thinking he couldn’t beat me with normal attacks, he had hidden another axe in a pocket dimension.

It was certainly a surprise attack.

But unfortunately, it didn’t fluster me.

Swish—

Even while exchanging blows, I lightly stepped to avoid his strike.

At first, Yong Tae-su could only win by using his “One Punch” skill.

But now, I could easily defeat him without using “One Punch,” and in terms of overall stats and combat sense, I had already caught up with him.

A fake like that was easy to counter with improvisation.

But…

“Hahaha.”

“Why are you laughing…!?”

Even I couldn’t help but be a little surprised this time.

【Yujin! Thrust at 4 o’clock with your spear!】

“Hup!”

Reacting reflexively to Frill’s warning, I leaned back and dodged.

“Too bad. I thought this would work.”

“…Are you both crazy!?”

“Couldn’t be helped. I can’t handle him alone.”

“….”

The spear attack hadn’t come from Yong Tae-su.

“I wanted to win against you at least once myself.”

A burly man with a thick beard, standing side by side with the rock-like Yong Tae-su, holding a spear.

It was Ji Hyun-woong’s attack.

So, I had been sparring one-on-one with Yong Tae-su…

“2-on-1 now?”

I was dumbfounded.

If that was the plan, they could have just attacked together from the start.

A sneak attack like this was cowardly.

“Why, don’t you like it?”

Ji Hyun-woong asked.

I couldn’t help but smirk.

“Dislike it? Not at all.”

I actually liked it.

Lately, I had thought one-on-one fights were far too easy.

I hadn’t dared to ask my opponents to team up because it would hurt my pride.

But now, they had discarded their pride and attacked together first.

“What an opportunity.”

【Yujin really is obsessed with training!】

Frill’s approving voice chimed in.

“Good. That’s the spirit.”

“Then let’s go again!”

Ji Hyun-woong and Yong Tae-su charged at me once more.

Attacks came from both sides.

An axe from the left, a spear from the right.

I lifted a foot and twisted my body.

Not the most stable posture, but my training had paid off.

Even in this stance, I maintained perfect balance.

Hwoong—

Spot-!

The axe and spear narrowly swished past me.

I dodged the attacks, stepped on the spear shaft, and knocked the axe away.

Kwahk! Kaang-!

“Now it’s my turn.”

“Crazy.”

“…A monster.”

I unleashed an onslaught against the two, who were aghast.

Tukakakakakang—!

“Is that all you prepared? Bring out more!”

“Damn it, Tae-su! Formation E!”

“…Understood!”

It seemed they had trained separately to face me.

‘This is going to be fun.’

I enjoyed it.

I was experiencing a new kind of real combat that I had never faced before.

“Hah… hah.”

“Huah… hoo.”

Yong Tae-su and Ji Hyun-woong exhaled heavily.

“You should train more. That was nothing.”

I, on the other hand, was completely calm.

Their cooperative attacks were impressive, but not threatening enough to pose a real danger to me, who had grown stronger.

“…Truly, there’s no monster like you.”

“How is your growth speed like this? Are you living in some separate time or what?”

Ji Hyun-woong’s complaint stung a little.

He wasn’t wrong.

‘I visited the special training grounds twice more.’

The special training grounds, usable only once a month, had a 100x time multiplier.

I had trained there twice more than most people, using my time far more efficiently.

No wonder my growth speed was fast.

The powers I had acquired were helping my growth immensely.

“Ugh.”

As I recalled the past three months, Ji Hyun-woong struggled to rise to his feet.

He looked me squarely in the eyes.

“Leaving now, Team Leader Kim Yujin?”

“Of course. The last day is over.”

Today marked the end of the short contract period with the Hyeon-woong faction.

‘Thanks to this, I’ve built a solid foundation for growth over the past three months.’

I had gained everything I could here.

I had become accustomed to handling four-star level strength and had accumulated more capital than expected.

Now, it was time to accelerate my growth.

And to do that…

‘I need to leave the Hyeon-woong faction.’

I had to say goodbye.

“No plans to renew the contract?”

“I’ve told you before. No.”

“Too bad.”

I smiled slightly, and Ji Hyun-woong looked disappointed.

Over the past three months, the Hyeon-woong faction had fully absorbed the Gwangcheol remnants and stabilized the region.

I had played a large role in that.

Even in dangerous situations, I didn’t hold back in taking out monsters.

Well, it wasn’t purely altruistic.

I needed real combat experience to grow, and that’s what these actions provided.

I had grown, and the Hyeon-woong faction had secured its place.

So now…

‘It’s time to leave.’

I glanced around with a tinge of regret.

The faction’s shared training ground, Ji Hyun-woong, Yong Tae-su, and…

My three-team members.

“Team Leader, you’re leaving already?”

“Thank you for everything.”

“Ugh! Can’t you stay?”

Since Geum Yang-tae went missing(?), I had naturally become the leader of Team 3.

‘We’ve fought many battles together.’

I had grown attached to them.

Especially the youngest member, who even shed tears when I said I was leaving.

I placed my hand on the shoulder of the rookie, who had just reached the beginning of a two-star Hunter.

“You’ve done well. You’re doing well, and you’ll continue to do well.”

“…Yes. Thank you.”

The youngest, who had been just a fledgling one-star Hunter incapable of proper combat, had endured life-threatening situations without giving up, showing significant growth.

He was a promising Hunter.

At that moment, Ji Hyun-woong approached me and handed me something.

A black paper envelope of unknown contents.

“What’s this?”

I had no idea what was inside.

“It’s a Purple-tier commission from the Blacksmith Guild. Got it a few years ago by chance.”

“…!”

The Blacksmith Guild.

A guild of crafting Awakened in Seoul.

Most high-tier Hunter equipment came from here.

A Purple-tier commission allowed direct requests to a Purple-tier artisan, the second-highest tier.

It was extremely rare and could fetch tens of millions in an auction.

“You’re giving me… this?”

I couldn’t easily comprehend it.

“Well, I have no use for it myself.”

“…Even selling it—”

“Better to invest than sell, right? You seem to need it.”

“….”

Ji Hyun-woong smiled faintly and handed the commission to me again.

‘So he wants to leave me a debt of gratitude?’

Not entirely wrong.

If he didn’t have a need for crafting rare equipment, this kind of investment was reasonable.

But…

“Isn’t it a bit much to expect me to hold a debt of gratitude with no other conditions?”

Was it truly worth it for me?

‘Honestly, it is.’

I thought so myself.

But would someone else see the same value?

“Don’t worry. I have a sharp eye for people.”

Ji Hyun-woong didn’t waver.

Seeing his firm gaze, I made up my mind.

“Then I’ll accept it with thanks.”

Helping Ji Hyun-woong once in the future without suffering a loss in exchange for this reward? Absolutely worth it.

And I had business at the Blacksmith Guild anyway, so there was no reason to refuse.

“I hope you continue to thrive in Seoul.”

After securing Ji Hyun-woong’s “gift disguised as investment,” I said my final goodbyes.

“I’ll beat you next time, so be ready.”

“Team Leader! I’ll visit you in Seoul!”

“Here, take this. It’s a gift.”

“Eat it on the way.”

Everyone saw me off in their own way.

【Seems like everyone here really likes Yujin.】

“…Yeah.”

On the way out of the Hyeon-woong faction, I felt a strange warmth in my heart.

Seoul.

The main stage for four-star or higher Hunters.

In other words…

‘I have to go to Seoul.’

To grow, I had to go to Seoul.

Frill asked at that moment.

【Do we really have to go?】

Of course, as a four-star Hunter, I could survive comfortably in the provinces.

But…

“Then I can’t take my revenge.”

That was something I could only do by going.

I had to go to Seoul.

【Hmm… Will we see a lot of new things there?】

Frill, having been trapped for thousands of years, liked interesting and novel things.

I chuckled.

“Of course. It’ll be on a different level from here.”

【Oh! I’m excited!】

“And before that, there will be other interesting things too.”

【Interesting things?】

“The train.”

The most common way to get from the provinces to Seoul was by train.

Cars weren’t safe due to monsters, and most airports were closed except in a few large cities.

I explained the train to Frill.

【So we’re going to take this thing called a train now!?】

“Yes.”

【Wow!!! It’s like a huge carriage, but no horses, and it goes really fast!?】

“Exactly.”

Frill was visibly excited for the train, and honestly, so was I.

‘It’s my first time on a train too.’

I had lived in Seoul with my parents as a child and had no reason to ride trains, and in this place, I hadn’t needed to travel elsewhere by train.

Of course, my experience was more than Frill’s, who didn’t even know trains existed.

But still, I couldn’t help feeling excited.

Then…

【Ah! A Gate!】

“…Damn.”

It seemed our train ride would have to be delayed.

An Eruption Gate had appeared right in front of us.

And the monster that came out was…

【Corpse Golem!?】

“Four-star?”

It was a four-star monster, a Corpse Golem.

“Kyaaaaah!”

“Ugh! Run!”

A rare appearance of a four-star Eruption Gate.

Witnesses scrambled in panic.

“Ugh.”

A four-star monster would be tough even for experienced Hunters, not to mention ordinary civilians.

There weren’t many four-star Hunters in this backwater town.

So…

“If I don’t step in, they’ll all die.”

Not out of some hero complex, but to prevent needless deaths, I had to draw my sword.

“No choice.”

I drew the Everfrost Sword from the pocket dimension.

I had fought many monsters, but this was my first time fighting the undead.

It would definitely be valuable combat experience.

Just as I was about to charge at the Corpse Golem…

“Ugh! Filthy undead! Return to the embrace of God!”

Fwaaaak──!

Someone had charged at the Corpse Golem before I could.

‘Who is that…?’

I instinctively looked at them.

A halo of holy light flickered from their fingertips.

Pure white priest robes.

And emblazoned on the robes… the symbol of Gaia.

‘A priest of the Gaia Church!’

Gritting my teeth, anger surged.

Instinctively, I aimed the Everfrost Sword at them.

‘Die.’

Today…

Perhaps I could achieve at least a fragment of my revenge.