Chapter 30
Episode 4: Fate Rides the Wind (5)
“Effort is beautiful in and of itself.”
Kang Chulman had held this belief for a long time. He didn’t know exactly when it started—maybe right after the world changed due to the Great Cataclysm, or perhaps after he became an SS-rank Hunter by defeating countless monsters. The reason or the catalyst was unclear, but Kang Chulman liked effort. He enjoyed leveling up by hunting monsters and found fun in building up a guild through raids. After the world changed, the saying “effort doesn’t betray you” was proven true through levels and stats.
Level Up! Growth!
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Kang Chulman became an SS-rank Hunter because he was addicted to this fun. Many Hunters stop going on raids once their rank rises and they accumulate wealth and fame, but Kang Chulman always stood at the forefront, slaying monsters. The joy of growth overcame the fear of death and drove him into dungeons. This praise for effort extended beyond reality into the virtual world.
Even after becoming an SS-rank Hunter in reality, he wasn’t satisfied and entered the game ‘Higheran’ to eventually become the top-ranked player. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was obsessed with growth, and upon reaching the top, he discovered a new source of enjoyment.
Raising Low-level Characters.
Watching low-level characters grow brought him immense joy. Not just low-level characters, but seeing anyone work hard in harsh conditions filled him with both pleasure and a strong desire to help.
Even now, as he played a game in his guild master’s office, he felt the same way.
– 1st Place: HunterMan
– 2nd Place: Taeseng GilgeoI (I’ll Catch Up)
‘Hmm, they’re working hard to catch up. Still a long way to go to surpass me.’
Taeseng GilgeoI. Originally, this character held the top spot in the Guardian Knight rankings, but after Kang Chulman’s character, HunterMan, acquired the ultimate gear, Taeseng GilgeoI was pushed to second place.
Looking at Taeseng GilgeoI’s character information screen after a long time, he saw that even after being pushed to second place, they were persistently working hard to enhance their equipment and match the ultimate gear. However, it seemed they were slipping in terms of probability.
It looked like they didn’t have as much time or money, as they were struggling to procure necessary materials.
In truth, Kang Chulman’s method was rather brute-force. Spending billions of won on a single game character was indeed excessive.
“If others saw this, they would say he’s crazy, but Kang Chulman didn’t care.
As the guild master of Aisin Guild, one of the most renowned guilds in the country, making tens of billions of won wasn’t difficult for him.
Seeing Taeseng GilgeoI, who was persistently working hard to catch up to him, brought a smile to his face.
“If the gap widens, they’ll just work harder, won’t they?”
For some reason, he felt exhilarated when he saw his rival striving to catch up to him. Wanting to savor this feeling a bit longer, Kang Chulman attempted another cash transaction to enhance his ultimate gear, but he failed.
Despite spending billions on the game, the odds were so low that he still failed.
“Ugh, what a crappy game.”
No matter how much money he had, seeing it turn into nothing was frustrating. He didn’t have the same drive to succeed as when he was aiming for first place.
Furrowing his brows, Kang Chulman tossed his phone onto the desk. At that moment, some good news arrived to lift his spirits.
Knock, knock.
“Yes, come in.”
“We just received a bid for an unresolved dungeon. The rank is B, and it’s located in Cheonma Mountain, Namyangju.”
(TL/C: Cheonmasan (Korean: 천마산) is a mountain in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It can be found within the boundaries of the city of Namyangju. Cheonmasan has an elevation of 810.2 m (2,658 ft))
Nam Heegun, the chief secretary of the Aisin Guild, came in to report.
“Oh, really? Clear my schedule and contact Hunter Han Sang-woo . Let’s depart immediately!”
“I’ve already taken care of that. I’ve canceled your lunch appointment with the Speaker of the National Assembly and scheduled the raid with Hunter Han Sang-woo . It’s set for two hours from now.”
“Haha, as expected from our chief secretary, you know me so well. You deserve a bonus.”
Although he failed at enhancing his gear in ‘Higheran,’ something more exciting was happening in reality.
Raising a newbie hunter!
A smile returned to Kang Chulman’s face.
“Thank you. I’ll prepare for departure.”
“Oh, there’s no need. While I’m on the raid, why don’t you and the secretary team go for a dinner? Consider it a special half-day off.”
“Excuse me? It’s our job to assist you, guild master… Are you sure about this?”
“Don’t worry about it. The dungeon is only B-rank, which is relatively low, and I’m going in with Hunter Han Sang-woo anyway. There won’t be anything for you to do while waiting outside the dungeon, so just enjoy your free time. You know such opportunities are rare, right?”
Feeling good about the positive turn of events, Kang Chulman decided to treat his chief secretary Nam Heegun with kindness. It was indeed a rare occurrence. Knowing that the secretary team had been working overtime due to the increased workload recently, he offered them a break. When an opportunity arises, one should seize it.
Nam Heegun bowed and accepted the half-day off given by the guild master.
“Thank you, guild master. The car is in the underground parking lot, so I’ll guide you there.”
“Sure, have fun. Don’t worry and just use the company card!”
After giving his final instructions to Nam Heegun, Kang Chulman moved to the parking lot and headed to the unresolved dungeon by car.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had a super rookie. I hope he’s good enough to recommend for admission.”
A joint raid between the guild master of a major guild and a B-rank hunter. Kang Chulman certainly had his reasons for suggesting this.
He wanted to assess Han Sang-woo ‘s potential through this raid. Was he worth recruiting?
Humming a tune, Kang Chulman drove to the unresolved dungeon, eager to see the new talent.
“Oh, Hunter Han sangwoo! You’re already here?”
“Nice to see you. You arrived early too, guild master.”
Han Sang-woo had arrived first. Even though there were still 30 minutes left before the scheduled raid time, he was already there, looking at his phone.
“He seems diligent. He has a solid foundation.”
The raid hadn’t even started, but Kang Chulman was already feeling satisfied.
For a long time, being the leader of a guild, Kang Chulman had developed a trust that anyone who keeps time so well would at least be competent.
“Seeing your effort is quite pleasing. Shall we start the raid?”
“Sounds good.”
Kang Chulman’s expectations for Han Sang-woo were growing. He walked ahead toward the rift. The portal was yellow, indicating a newly-formed dungeon. Once the two entered, it would turn black, and if they cleared it, the portal would either remain or disappear based on the dungeon’s characteristics.
“This is your first time in an unresolved dungeon, right? I’ll go in first, so follow me. Be ready for combat; there might be monsters right away.”
“Yes, understood.”
Veterans should always explain things in detail so newbies don’t get scared.
Kang Chulman smiled kindly and entered the portal.
Then.
Whooosh-!!
[A B-rank dungeon has been entered.]
[Defeat the boss monster to clear the dungeon.]
A message appeared as the scenery changed from a mountain valley to a desert.
But it wasn’t just the background that changed.
“Keekiruk!!”
“Swiiish!!”
Under the scorching sunlight, sharp blades rushed toward them. As soon as they entered the dungeon, monsters lying in ambush launched an attack. It was a fearsome pincer attack with lizard warriors charging from the front and arrows flying from the back, a situation that would overwhelm even someone prepared.
“Hmph, how cute.”
Kang Chulman smirked and effortlessly deflected the ambush. With a broad swing of his greatsword, he created a gust of wind that cut through the arrows and lizard warriors simultaneously.
After blocking the initial assault, Kang Chulman surveyed the surroundings. In the middle of the desert, with half a dozen watchtowers behind him and around 100 lizardmen warriors forming ranks in front.
“It seems to be a typical annihilation-type dungeon. Once the first ambush is blocked, it doesn’t seem like the monsters will draw aggro… These monsters are on the weaker side for B-rank.”
Kang Chulman quickly assessed the battlefield and the dungeon’s characteristics. Meanwhile, Han Sang-woo had also entered the dungeon.
“Starting off with a bang, huh?”
“That’s the thrill of unresolved dungeons. Hunter Han Sang-woo , take care of the watchtowers. I’ll handle the ones in front. Let’s get started!”
Kang Chulman swiftly issued commands and prepared to launch his strategy.
But then.
“Huh? Why aren’t you moving?”
Han Sang Woo wasn’t doing anything. Even though monsters were swarming around, and Kang Chulman had briefed him, Han Sang-woo hadn’t prepared for battle at all. No, it wasn’t just about not being ready for battle—he stood there, arms crossed, without even drawing his weapon. His response was even more baffling.
“Was I supposed to hunt too?”
“Excuse me? What do you mean by that…?”
“Didn’t you invite me to join you in the unresolved dungeon? Doesn’t that mean you’re going to carry me?”
In gaming, it often refers to a high-level user helping a low-level user with hunting.
In fact, it might look that way on the surface. The very fact that two people with a significant level difference were coming to a new, more dangerous dungeon without information implied that the higher-level hunter would handle everything.
However, that didn’t mean Kang Chulman intended to do all the fighting alone. More importantly, Kang Chulman’s purpose in entering the dungeon was to observe Han Sang-woo ‘s skills.
But.
“I assumed that was the case… I’ll watch the enemy’s patterns from behind for now. If you need any ‘help,’ just let me know, SS-rank Hunter Kang Chulman.”
“Uh, that wasn’t exactly my intention….”
Kang Chulman tried to explain, but seeing the resolute look in Han Sang-woo ‘s eyes, he trailed off. The dream and hope-filled newbie nurturing seemed to be off to a rocky start, but Kang Chulman didn’t give up hope.
“There’s no way he won’t fight at all.”
With monsters all around and Kang Chulman being a representative SS-rank hunter and the leader of a large guild, Han Sang-woo had no reason to antagonize him. Kang Chulman thought if he led by example, Han Sang-woo would surely join the battle.
But that was just wishful thinking.
“Hm!!”
“Sharaaa!!”
[You have defeated a Desert Lizard Warrior (B).]
[You have defeated a Desert Lizard Archer (B).]
Kang Chulman fought through the ranks and watchtowers of the warriors, but…
“He’s really not fighting!”
Han Sang-woo didn’t lift a finger. Even as the raid progressed, he didn’t change his mind. Despite the endless stream of monsters and Kang Chulman defeating over 300 of them, Han Sang-woo didn’t engage in combat.
“Wow… You’re really amazing.”
All Han Sang-woo did was occasionally clap from behind, seemingly impressed by Kang Chulman’s prowess.
About an hour later, Kang Chulman’s patience reached its limit.
“Hey, Hunter Han Sang-woo ? How about you start taking down some monsters now?”
“Oh… Okay. I’ll help. You seem to be struggling.”
Having fought nonstop for over an hour alone, to hear that…!
Kang Chulman felt a vein throbbing on his forehead but couldn’t show it. His pride as an SS-rank hunter wouldn’t let him acknowledge Han Sang-woo ‘s words.
With a forced, hollow smile, Kang Chulman responded.
“Of course not. I just recommended it for practice. As a hunter, you need to keep your combat skills sharp through various battles.”
“Hmm, you have a point. Okay, I’ll handle all the remaining monsters before we enter the boss room since I might struggle with the boss alone.”
Great!
Kang Chulman cheered internally. He could finally see Han Sang-woo ‘s skills.
Just then, a lizard warrior that looked like a mid-boss appeared on a distant sand dune. Unlike the others, it was larger and wielded an axe instead of a sword or bow.
Han Sang-woo dashed toward the axe-wielding lizard warrior, leaving Kang Chulman behind.
I’ll observe him from head to toe!
Kang Chulman keenly watched Han Sang-woo ‘s battle.
But something felt off.
Thud! Slash!
“Kyarrak…”
Han Sang-woo had simply swung his sword once, yet the mid-boss level monster fell.
“What? It shouldn’t die that easily!”
Kang Chulman was dumbfounded. From his own experience, he thought it would take at least a dozen exchanges for an ordinary B-rank hunter to defeat that monster, but Han Sang Woo killed it in one blow.
Even the one that looked like a mid-boss.
‘Did I see it wrong? I need to watch carefully this time.’
Kang Chulman rubbed his eyes and widened them to focus on Han Sang-woo ‘s next battle.
But.
That was the last monster.
“Oh… What do we do? I wanted to hunt more, but it seems this is the end.”
“What? What do you mean…?”
Kang Chulman followed Han Sang-woo up the sand dune.
But there were no more monsters in sight.
“Really a shame. But I learned a lot from watching your battle, Guild Master.”
Han Sang-woo ‘s tone showed no real regret.
‘I got tricked…!’
Kang Chulman tore at his hair, looking at the portal behind Han Sang-woo that led to the boss room.
