Chapter 15. Northern Army Guild Pt. 1
It had already been a few days since Lee Jun-Kyeong had met Gunther. In that time, Lee Jun-Kyeong had gone through a few more dungeons and leveled up once. He looked at the blue window that had appeared in front of him.
[Level: 11, Strength: 30, Agility: 33, Stamina: 27, Mana: 37]
Level 11. It came with a dramatic increase in ability. In terms of overall power, it was comparable to a C-Rank Hunter. Standard C-Rank Hunter had around 120 total stat values. It was an incredible growth rate compared to the time invested.
‘The Player ability really is amazing…’
Having experienced it for himself, he could finally believe in its power: to hunt monsters and grow. Unlike other Hunters, who had to hunt blindly while waiting for the interest of the Sponsors, Lee Jun-Kyeong was visibly growing just by hunting monsters. He was improving at speed incomparable to that of a regular Hunter, to the point that everyone was paying attention to him. Still, there was one problem.
‘The higher I level up, the slower my growth will get.’
While it was okay for now, it was a problem that even the Demon King had also experienced. The stronger he grew, the subsequent amount of experience required to grow stronger increased exponentially. So while he was currently at a point where his level would increase even if he only hunted goblins, at some point, it would become for him to figure out how many monsters he had to hunt and how strong they’d have to be in order for him to get stronger.
It was only natural. In fact, if it wasn’t for this problem, then there would have been no way that the Demon King would have died. It couldn’t have been a possibility. Still, he had hope because he could grow by putting in the effort. In his past life, all he ever wanted was to have that chance to improve if he worked hard. It was all Lee Jun-Kyeong had wanted for his entire life.
Lee Jun-Kyeong then observed the bracelet that was wrapped around his wrist, thinking to himself that it was still the same. It was the iron bracelet with the hanging skull, the Familiar he had obtained when he used the summon given to him by <The Sky of the Apocalypse>. He had been hard at work, hunting monsters, as it had said he couldn’t activate it because it didn’t contain a soul. He had hunted, expecting that it would be filled with the soul of a monster, and continued on to hunt the boss.
Still, even after taking down the boss, nothing had changed. He thought to himself that there must be some sort of special ritual or a special type of soul needed. Furthermore, he had a hunch that there was one additional thing he needed to truly activate the soul-containing skull. If he managed to find the correct method, the Familiar would become a great source of strength.[1] However, if his hunch failed, then he wouldn’t know how long it would take to activate it.
‘I’m going to end up having to make a choice.’
The changes that had occurred to him after becoming a Hunter didn’t end there. He still had a few more lines to check in his status window, and they hadn’t been there the last time he had checked.
‘It was an ability I got haphazardly, but…’
It was the second power gifted to him by his Sponsor, <The Sky of the Apocalypse>, after it had sensed his dissatisfaction.
[Authority]
The Authority wasn’t an ordinary power. Most Sponsors gifted their Hunters with skills. While these skills were not only powerful but also essential to being a Hunter, they were qualitatively different from Authorities. For example, it was the difference between one form and endless transformations. While the given skills may differ based on the Sponsor, in reality, there wasn’t much different about them other than the name. In most cases, the types and the effects were similar. In addition, compared to an Authority, skills were often much weaker and incapable of further growth.
Crackle.
A flame rose in Lee Jun-Kyeong's empty right hand. It was the power granted by <The Sky of the Apocalypse>.
[Reign of Fire Lv 1]
While it had a short description without any explanation, Lee Jun-Kyeong already knew what it was as it was the power that had been possessed by the Demon King.
‘This power became the foundation for the Demon King along with the Player ability.’
The Authority, the Reign of Fire, was able to grow infinitely separate from the support of the Sponsor. Furthermore, it was a skill only the player could directly nurture. The faster one had obtained it, the earlier one could strengthen it. It was a power that would become more supportive in the future.
An Authority.
Lee Jun-Kyeong stared at the flames fluttering in his palm for a long time.
Clench.
He clenched his fist and put out the flame.
***
The Northern Army Guild had been expanding at an unprecedented rate, which had been driven through the monopolization of dungeon gates. However, its momentum had been slowed slightly due to the case involving Lee Jun-Kyeong.
The two involved guild members of the Northern Army Guild had ended up punished, but rather than being expelled from the guild, they were only subject to probation. It was another unprecedented decision in a time when there was strict punishment for Hunters who had harmed ordinary people.
“This is complete nonsense!” raged Kim Su-Yeong angrily.
“What’s such complete nonsense?” asked Lee Jun-Kyeong as he was drinking a frozen hot chocolate and gazing uninterestedly at him. He had gone to a dungeon today as well; his initially quickly rising levels had stagnated at 11.
“To think it ended with just a fine… isn’t that complete nonsense?”
Kim Su-Yeong seemed to have been speaking about the incident.
“Well…”
“You seem to be a very unique person, Hunter Lee.”
Lee Jun-Kyeong stared back at Kim Su-Yeong with his eyes full of doubt.
“What do you mean?”
Kim Su-Yeong clarified, “Weren’t you the one who saved that grandfather, Hunter Lee? Because of that, I had initially assumed that you were a man with a strong sense of justice, but it doesn’t seem to explicitly be the case at all from the way you’re reacting.”
While Kim Su-Yeong’s words were quite probing, there was no malice on his face. He just seemed genuinely curious.
"Just…"
Lee Jun-Kyeong took a moment to think. Why was he so numb to the entire situation? If it were the him from before, he would have been riled up alongside Kim Su-Yeong- no, he would have been even angrier. But for some reason, he wasn’t having that sort of reaction.
‘Grandpa…’
Was it because he was sure the Northern Army Guild wouldn’t harm the elderly man any further? Or was it because he had seen the new appearance of Yeo Seong-Gu?
Deep inside, Lee Jun-Kyeong knew the answer.
‘My rage from this incident is finally settling a bit.’
Erupting into a fit of anger while he was unprepared would only end up hurting himself more. While he wasn’t sure if it would have ended up being a fatal wound or a small scratch, Lee Jun-Kyeong had already decided it would be better to curl up and hide his rage.
“What happened to that grandpa?”
"That…"
Kim Soo-young muttered for a while and then said, "It ended up as a disciplinary warning."
"Disciplinary warning?"[2]
The elderly man had committed the crime of perjury. More importantly, a crime of perjury against a Hunter. But to think it ended with just a disciplinary warning. Lee Jun-Kyeong wondered if the Association had become aware of the situation and didn’t want to bring further attention to the incident.
‘Or Hyung could have gotten involved too.’
It was possible that the guild master of the League Guild, an up-and-coming influential guild, had gotten himself involved. It was a good result.
“Didn’t you also ask for mercy, Hunter Lee? Furthermore, the Northern Army Guild also admitted their own wrongdoing. But, of course, they insisted it was a request, not a threat.”
“Ahh…”
Kim Su-Yeong could have also made an effort as well. Regardless, it was a happy ending. It wasn’t a hopeless, bad ending like before, but rather a bittersweet, happy ending. Lee Jun-Kyeong took a second to ponder some more.
‘This sort of stuff must still be uncommon in this world.’
This was only the beginning of people starting to ride on the strength of their own fist. Those who possessed power would begin to persecute those who had none. Because, to them, their misuse of power would seem like it was the natural order of things to them. It was the Hunter Association’s job to manage and monitor them.
‘But they’ll still end up doing whatever they want.’
If it helped them, they would ignore it, and if it didn’t, they would throw it to the side. Based on what he knew, that was the truth of the Association. However, Lee Jun-Kyeong’s thoughts had gone elsewhere. He was thinking about the fact that his original attempt at helping the elderly man didn’t actually end up leading to an ideal result.‘Was it hypocritical of me to reach out without making sure the end would be alright?’
Originally, he hadn’t made much effort to ensure justice because he had thought that there would have been no further damage to the elderly man, and that the elderly man would have been able to avoid punishment. But, because of his help, both of them ended up harmed instead. So, he wondered, was it just hypocritical to have helped? Should he have seen it through the very end?
No.
‘That’s just arrogance.’
At least at this point, the power he held wasn’t strong enough to depend on. Whether it was the Association or even larger organizations, he didn’t have the confidence to survive against the stronger Hunters. At least not for now. After returning to the past, he had inherited the power of and was following the life of the previous Demon King. However, the path he was taking wasn’t exactly the same. He had been trying only to follow the necessary parts, and the major events he had to endure had not yet occurred.
“For some reason… it seems like things are still going in the same direction,” he muttered.
“What did you say?” Kim Su-Yeong asked.
“I’m just talking to myself.” Lee Jun-Kyeong slurped his frozen hot chocolate and asked Kim Su-Yeong, “How is the Northern Army doing these days?”
He was curious about the status of the Northern Army Guild. If it was the Northern Army Guild that he knew… no.
‘If it’s Gunther…’
There was no way it would end like this.
“They have been quiet,” said Kim Su-Yeong. However, Lee Jun-Kyeong didn’t believe it. It wouldn't be much longer.
Gunther was a hero who would eventually be known as the War King. He had a decisive and cold personality, even going so far as to have been called a tyrannical slayer by ordinary people. His beliefs were to give back what he had received no matter what and not to spare anyone who touched his pride.
“Could you continue to look into the movements of the Northern Army Guild?”
If Gunther had suffered a loss due to Lee Jun-Kyeong’s actions, Lee Jun-Kyeong knew he shouldn’t just forget about them without reason. It wasn’t just because he should be prepared for anything.
‘One should return everything they have to endure.’
Lee Jun-Kyeong had the same belief as Gunther.
He then got up from his seat and said to Kim Su-Yeong, “Please reserve an E-graded gate as well.”
***
It was time for him to increase the difficulty one step further. The strength of gates differed significantly each time one increased the level of the gate. The higher the grade of the gate, the more severe the difference. There were many reasons for this difference, such as the type, strength, and intelligence of the monsters, or the actual size of the dungeon. Many Hunters still attempted to attack higher-graded gates because it was easier to grab the Sponsors’ attention in more difficult areas.
A Hunter grew through the support of a Sponsor. The more support a Hunter gained, and the more Sponsors a Hunter gained, the better the growth. Of course, there also were other rewards related to the attack on the gate itself.
‘Right now…’
It was time for Lee Jun-Kyeong to go one step further. He had gotten relatively used to Hunting monsters. As much as the slaughtered goblins provided Lee Jun-Kyeong with experience points for levels, they also provided him with more battle experience. He was sure he had enough skills to not die instantaneously after entering an E-level gate.
‘Not only have I gained the Authority…’
He had also gained quite a bit of confidence in his abilities. He could now control the shield and spear-like extensions of his own limbs. There was no reason to delay it anymore. After all, Gunther, Choi Yeong-Seong, the Guild Master of the Northern Army Guild, would make his move soon. Nothing was more foolish than regretting it when the War King made his move. The most important thing was for Lee Jun-Kyeong to prepare in advance.
“Is this the first time you’re attacking a gate with someone other than the Tutorial?” asked Yeo Seong-Gu.
No matter how confident he was, attacking a higher-level dungeon gate was risky; therefore, Lee Jun-Kyeong chose the safe path.
“It seems so. Please take care of me.”
It was safer and more reliable to attack the gate with the League Guild led by Yeo Seong-Gu rather than attempting to solo an E-Grade gate that he had never experienced before. He wanted an excursion, a field trip.
"It's an honor,” said Yeo Seong-Gu.
“Is this the famous Super Rookie?”
Members of the League Guild began arriving as Yeo Seong-Gu was laughing and shaking hands with Lee Jun-Kyeong with a smile.
"It’s an honor to be able to attack the dungeon with the Super Rookie."
They each individually greeted Lee Jun-Kyeong with expressions of welcome. Furthermore, two men spoke with bright smiles on their faces.
“We didn’t know we would be fated to end up meeting the person we had saved before.”
Yeo Seong-Gu introduced the two of them to Lee Jun-Kyeong, saying that they had saved him from the dungeon he had woken up in, where he had met the goblins.
“It’s also great to meet you. My name is Lee Jun-Kyeong.”
Seeing their kind expressions, Lee Jun-Kyeong extended his right hand and introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you as well. My name is Choi Cheol-Yong."
"My name is Lee Han-Seong."
The two said their names and shook hands with him. Lee Jun-Kyeong not only interacted with them but also everyone else in the League Guild.
“...”
He looked around, wondering if there was anyone that he remembered. His eyes moved quickly, examining everyone. He was trying to decide if there was anyone who would become a companion or even an enemy.
‘There’s none.’
Whether it was a name or a face, there was no one he could remember. In the first place, he didn’t know much about the League Guild other than that it was Heimdall’s guild. Everything that pertained to Heimdall had been erased in the future, including information about the League Guild. There wasn’t even an explicit mention of the League Guild within the book. After examining everyone, Lee Jun-Kyeong began to maintain his equipment. He was going to enter an E-Grade gate for the first time. While the League Guild was a great power, no one could guarantee his life within a gate. It was good to be prepared. He had a spear and shield that was of slightly better quality than what had been provided by the Association. He had even prepared armor. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that he had invested most of the money he had earned into his equipment.
“That’s exceptional.”
Yeo Seong-Gu looked over Lee Jun-Kyeong and evaluated him after he finished his maintenance. No one knew how many dungeons the younger man had overcome nor what sort of life he had lived more than Yeo Seong-Gu. In his eyes, Lee Jun-Kyeong was an exceptional Hunter. He felt as though the younger man was a hunter who knew that his life was more precious than anything, including luxuries. Basically, he was a Hunter who knew that his weapons were his most valuable possessions. To Yeo Seong-Gu, Lee Jun-Kyeong was someone he liked the more he looked at him.
“Let’s set off towards the E-Grade Gate! We’ll begin the attack on the Goblin Mage Dungeon!”
The Hunters began to move towards the slightly trembling gate as they finished their preparations.
1. The method hasn’t been specified yet or explained.
2. This is a type of punishment in Korea in which you don’t get any written record of crime or actual punishment/jail time.
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