Edited By: Sebas Tian
It was obvious that they were following Kim Yoo-Naâs orders.
Because of that, he had to make sure that his family was safe before leaving.
Kim Yoo-Na said that she would help, but Hyun-Soo knew that his parents wouldnât just accept the offer, so there was a need for him to convince them.
âI need to show them how beneficial it is to have a son thatâs a hunter. I want to pay them back as much as I can since theyâve gone through a lot.â
He thought of this while walking to the location he promised to meet her and saw Kim Yoo-Na.
She was with her sports car, which he was used to now.
However, there was something else.
âKatrina?â
âYeap, thatâs me!â
ââ¦Iâm sorry. I tried to leave her behind, but I couldnât.â
Kim Yoo-Na apologized with an extremely exhausted tone.
âIâm not sure how she found out about my scheduleâ¦Hye-Na probably told her. Whew, Iâm sorry.â
Her facial expression showed that she was exhausted.
It was unbearable, but since she tagged along to a couple of hunts, Hyun-Soo just let it pass.
Katrina was like a little sister that was reckless.
Since Kim Yoo-Na was weak against younger siblings, she wasnât able to saying anything harsh to her.
It applied to Hyun-Soo as well.
ââ¦..â
ââ¦..â
The two looked at each other and after releasing a heavy sigh, they entered the car.
Since Kim Yoo-Naâs car only had two seats, Katrina followed by driving a huge sedan.
Kim Yoo-Na spoke while driving.
âRegarding your parents, I think itâs going to take some time. But, it wonât take too long. Iâm planning on having people guard the place until then. Is that okay with you?â
âYes, thatâs fine with me.â
Hyun-Soo nodded his head when she suggested that they continue using the discrete hunters to keep guarding the place.
âTheyâre guards that work for 24 hours.â
âThe group that attacked you are attack groups that are pretty powerful within the nation. What I found out was that theyâre having internal issues. Theyâre trying to make it so that it seems like an individual planned this instead of a leader giving the order.â
âThen, will there be any additional issues?â
âIâm not so sure about that. Itâs not just that, but their powers have been split into three. There are rumors that the leaders are step-brothers and they all have different goals. I think the youngest, whoâs known to be aggressive, attacked you that day.â
âI see.â
âIt somehow reminds me of a wealthy family.â
They usually appear in dramas or news and fight over power and money and the brothers reminded him of them.
âIâm not wrong either. Hunters that are above S rank are considered a one-man company.â
Even if theyâre not a S rank, groups and guilds that have high-ranked hunters can be compared to companies.
There are those that move after receiving confirmation from the business community and after growing, there are those that become a worldwide company.
âItâs not weird for them to have internal issues. But, I feel uncomfortable by the fact that I was involved with one of them.â
âWeâve contacted the chief executive. Itâs going to take a while to find out what theyâre up to. Since theyâve split up, I think theyâre acting on their own.â
But the hunters that were guarding his family were skilled, so he wasnât worried and heâs never been at a disadvantage for accepting Kim Yoo-Naâs suggestion.
âBut, where are we going?â
He came out since she asked, but she never mentioned where they were going.
Kim Yoo-Na answered without much thought.
âHunting of course.â
***
Roaaaaaaaaaaar!
Boom!
A deer with a large body fell.
The deer cried for the last time.
The sound of their cry filled the entire portal.
âPant, pantâ¦â
My chest kept on going up and down as I was catching my breath.
My mouth has been dry for a while.
âIâmâ¦going to dieâ¦â
He finished the hunt in the third portal that he entered today.
A hunt that two hunters usually participated in.
And Hyun-Soo did three of those today.
âItâs been awhile since Iâve done the first one and it looked like the monster was going to drop a lot of money so I attacked it like crazyâ¦â
He was doing fine in the second hunt.
But when Kim Yoo-Na suggested that he do a third one, he felt dizzy.
No groups or guilds would participate in three hunts in one day.
âItâs better than staying home and doing nothing, but doing three all of a sudden.â
When the two first started working together and they did three hunts, Kim Yoo-Na saw how exhausted Hyun-Soo was and after that, she tried to control the number of hunts.
But, sheâs suddenly suggesting that he participate in three hunts today.
âAre you exhausted?â
âN, no. Iâm fine.â
He was actually so exhausted that he wanted to die, but Hyun-Soo stood up as if he was feeling fine.
However, he couldnât help his shoulders dropping and his legs dragging.
Hyun-Soo used Interface to check his condition.
âStamina level is 23%â¦no wonder. Man Iâm tired. But, I did make a lot of money today.â
He was tired, but after thinking about the money that was going to be in his bank, he felt a bit better.
Kim Yoo-Na complimented Hyun-Soo and approached the dead monster.
âThe antlers are supposedly good for the body.â
ââ¦..â
He thought he got used to everything related to hunting, but he still wasnât used to Kim Yoo-Naâs sudden actions.
âEven if she does look as gentle as a deer, but saying that itâs good for the body with a bright smile is a bitâ¦â
Now that he thought about it, he was so focused on killing the monster, that he kept on forgetting to use Interface.
He did control himself from grabbing the items after Katrina started tagging along.
âI should check now. Interface!â
Hyun-Soo used interface on the antler that Kim Yoo-Na was cutting with a knife.
ââââââââââââââââ-
[Khalifaâs Antler]
A soft antler that hasnât been growing for that long.
It continuously provides a high level of heat and has the tendency to change its form.
Effect: Upon intake + Stamina 20 [Duration: 2 Hours]
ââââââââââââââââ-
Hyun-Soo slightly turned his head and looked elsewhere.
His eyes landed on a large tree that was big enough for five arms to wrap around it. The way it was lying on the floor was hideous.
ââ¦It can make it look like that even though itâs soft? Then what kind of monster is Khalifaâs Antler in the high-ranked portals?â
Just thinking about it made him shudder and Hyun-Soo approached Kim Yoo-Na.
âDo you know what kind of effect this has?â
âNo, but doesnât it look like itâs effective just by looking at it? Itâs an antler. Iâm just taking some with me just in case.â
âYouâre probably the only person that cuts the antler with a bright expression while calling the monsterâs horn antler.â
Instead of saying what was on his mind, he suggested on cutting more.
âIf youâre going to take it, might as well take all of it.â
ââ¦..!â
Kim Yoo-Naâs head shot up.
She thought for a moment and moved the knife to the root of the antler.
âWould youâ¦like to take some too?â
âI wonât decline if you offer some.â
Kim Yoo-Na was cutting it first, so he couldnât intercept, but she offered some to him.
He was grateful of course.
âI couldâve missed it. I should try making something with it.â
It increases the stamina and it was rare to find an ingredient that upgrades it.
But, thanks to Kim Yoo-Na cutting it first, he was able to obtain the ingredient without Katrina being suspicious of him.
Katrina probably observed Kim Yoo-Na while working together because she kneeled beside her and watched.
âThankfully, this will help pay for the bodyguards.â
Kim Yoo-Na didnât ask him to pay or ask for anything in return, but he still had to pay them back.
If possible, maintaining the give-and-take relationship is important.
He wasnât comfortable with being indebted, so if he kept on receiving, then heâll be at a disadvantage.
And.
âIâm tired of debt.â
His thoughts mustâve shown on his face because Katrina looked at him worriedly and after slightly smiling at him, she focused on Kim Yoo-Na cutting the antler.
Cutting the antler took more time than the actual battle.
After Hyun-Soo kept on using his skill, they were able to completely cut off the antler.
â******drink!â
ââ¦Oh. Okay. Thanks.â
As soon as she exited the portal, Katrina took out a water bottle and gave it to him.
â*******************â
Katrina squatted down in front of Hyun-Soo, who was drinking the water, and said something.
âShe said she wants you to grow stronger as soon as possible.â
Kim Yoo-Na quickly tied the antler on the roof of her car and translated what Katrina said.
âThat I agree with. Thatâs why I increased the number of hunts.â
âIf Iâm able to level up quickly, then itâs fine with me. But, thatâs not as easy as I thought.â
After he became a C rank, he didnât get much experience points when he hunted in a green portal by himself.
âYouâre right. Technically, if you hunted by yourself in a blue portal, then youâll level up much quickerâ¦â
âBut, Iâm not that skilled yet. And in our current situation, creating a large group isnât a good idea.â
Because of this reason, most of the C rank hunters remain at this rank.
From here, they needed connections, power and money.
However, that didnât mean that Hyun-Soo was leveling up at a slow pace.
No, it was actually pretty fast.
Despite that, there was a reason why Kim Yoo-Na was being hard on him.
âThe place that youâll be going is a team that requires strong and elite hunters. Thatâs why the team color is important since they base it on everyoneâs skills.â
Hyun-Soo listened to Kim Yoo-Na while holding the water bottle.
âIf you do get to go to the base, then itâll be difficult for me to help you like before. Itâs all up to you when it comes to adapting. If I were to step in and protect you, then theyâll definitely say that Iâm favoring you and itâll make it harder for you to adapte. Do you understand?â
âYes, I understand.â
Itâs obvious that peopleâs expectations would be high since theyâre surrounded by skilled hunters.
Hyun-Sooâs trip to the US was almost confirmed and Kim Yoo-Na explained the next step.
âI guess sheâs worried that I might not adapt well when I get there.â
Well, her teammates from before were all A rank hunters.
So itâs obvious that the other teammates in the US were just as strong as them.
âA C rank among the A rank huntersâ¦â