EP.35
*Kwa-kwak-wak-wak.*
As time passed, the thick dust settled.
“Ugh…???”
Everyone was staring in shock.
“No, is Baek Jihoon really E-rank…?”
This was the Hunter Training Ground.
A place solely owned by Team A.
“Indeed, Team A has their own dedicated space.”
It was a very spacious gymnasium with high ceilings.
Here, various simulations could be conducted, and checks or tests could be performed.
*Phew…*
There was a slight ache, but I was okay.
It was probably just because I was doing something I hadn’t done before.
Everyone was clapping, their faces still in disbelief.
Some members from our department had come down to guide us through the training ground.
“Wow, Manager. Did you know about this?”
All eyes were on the manager.
“Baek Jihoon, with this level, he could easily jump to D-rank! There’s no need to look at anything else! Wow…”
“How did you know?”
“Hmm! I have a knack for reading people.”
The manager proudly puffed out his chest.
I had done well, and he was boasting about it.
Little by little, I was adding points and testing various things.
It was probably wise to adjust points gradually rather than dumping them all at once, as I might need an item to readjust them later.
The cost of such an item was astronomical.
At my current level, there was no reason to make a reckless gamble.
“Wow, Jihoon! You’ve clearly been exceptional, right? You did well from the very first day during the War Memorial Dungeon.”
“Oh right. That’s true.”
Everyone was agreeing and clapping.
*No, back then, I didn’t actually do much…*
It was just that everyone else couldn’t participate because they lacked a special skill.
Compared to now, my basic stats were extremely poor.
*Sigh. What was I thinking back then?*
If the Medusas had any other offensive capabilities, I wouldn’t have survived.
I was just incredibly lucky.
“But is this place only used by Team A?”
“Yes! Of course! We’re Team A! The most successful in the Blue Guild!”
Typically, guilds shared training grounds.
There was no other choice.
Setting up a state-of-the-art training ground would cost billions.
It was evident, considering that building a concert hall filled with expensive sound equipment would require that much.
*I really have good luck.*
Joining Team A was, in hindsight, a tremendous stroke of fortune.
Of course, I was still at the bottom of the hierarchy.
I couldn’t help but be amazed.
“I really need to thank Hyungseok.”
“What a guy! He has more abilities than I expected.”
I hadn’t realized it when I joined, but now I could definitely feel it.
Park Hyungseok seemed to hold considerable weight in the guild.
His obsession with being a Hunter had evidently paid off.
“No, no. Baek Jihoon, how about we test for not just D-rank but also C-rank? Huh?”
The manager suddenly grinned, looking extremely excited.
“Ah, Manager, are you joking? Jumping to C-rank all of a sudden? Jihoon is still E-rank! If he tries to jump two levels, he could end up dead. What if he gets seriously injured?!”
“That’s right. Jihoon, we need to take care of you. That’s how you keep Hunter Lee Sooah…”
The surrounding female Hunters were trying to warn Manager Cha.
“Oh, but listen. He just easily surpassed D-rank level! You all saw it, right? I’m not trying to push him into anything.”
“No, this isn’t a game. Safety comes first! Even if Hunter Lee Sooah were here, she’d definitely oppose this.”
“Hey, Baek Jihoon. What do you say? Don’t you want to give it a try? Men always seek to grow stronger and want to test their limits. It’s in their nature to want to leap into higher difficulties, even if it’s risky.”
He was nudging me to take the plunge.
“I’ll give it a try.”
With a feigned reluctance, I accepted.
Honestly, it didn’t matter much to me.
C-rank, B-rank, S-rank—it was all the same.
After all, my points exceeded those levels by a wide margin.
I hadn’t pinpointed exactly how to allocate my skills, so I hadn’t done that yet.
But I had already raised my basic stats to the average of S-rank Hunters.
*Wow, having surplus points is nice. And if I keep this up, I’ll be able to gather more quickly while raiding dungeons in the future.*
With overwhelmingly strong physical abilities, it would naturally be easier to raid dungeons.
I thought I might earn back points even faster than I spent them.
Much like money generates more money, big capital gathers interest efficiently.
“Come on, Jihoon, don’t overdo it. You’ve only just arrived.”
“Right. We’ll help you, but please don’t push yourself too hard.”
The female Hunters seemed quite concerned.
They appeared to be a bit more timid compared to the male Hunters.
“Haha. Baek Jihoon. Show us the strength of a man. You know what I mean?”
In contrast, Manager Cha was clenching his fists tightly, looking at me.
His expression was filled with determination.
EP.35 Continued
“Alright, let’s get started~~~ This time it’s C-rank, Baek Jihoon.”
The voice of the manager echoed from the control room as he spoke through the microphone.
I raised my hand high to signal that I was ready.
*Gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-ooong.*
*Whiiiiiing.*
Strange mist began to spread, and the training ground started to take on the appearance of a dungeon.
*Hmm, this place feels unfamiliar…*
It was a somewhat dark environment.
Having visited various dungeons with Chae Suhyeon, I could sense that I had never been in a place like this before.
*Gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-ooong.*
*Thud thud thud thud.*
The sound echoed, causing the ground to tremble.
Even just feeling the vibrations gave me a rough idea of what to expect.
*It’s a giant stone golem.*
*I’ve dealt with similar golems before, but this one is massive.*
Instinctively, I tensed my body.
A slight sense of nervousness crept in, and I knew I had to prepare quickly.
*If I fight this purely with physical strength, it’ll be tough. I need to allocate my skills.*
Even without searching for information, I recognized that I had to be strategic.
*I definitely need a water attribute skill.*
*Let’s see…*
I quickly lifted skills such as Water Bending, Weather Manipulation, Wave Riding, Blessing of Water, and Mist Wave, and before I knew it…
*Thud.*
Amidst rapidly choosing my skills, the giant stone golem arrived right in front of me.
As the enormous figure emerged from the darkness, I couldn’t help but gasp.
*What the f*ck. This isn’t just a giant stone golem; it’s a super giant stone golem!*
It was much larger than I had imagined.
I was expecting a roughly four-story golem, but instead, a ten-story apartment-sized creature appeared.
*Wait, is this really C-rank? What on earth has the manager done?*
I turned my head to look at the control room, but it was nowhere in sight.
Since the simulation had already commenced, there was no turning back now.
*Sigh. I’ve never encountered anything like this before.*
Just because I assigned my skills doesn’t mean I can use them masterfully right away.
Obviously, practice is crucial, which is why a training ground costs such a fortune to build.
Nevertheless, I had only just allocated my skills.
I had never used them before.
*Damn it.*
*I guess I’ll just have to try.*
Though it was somewhat awkward, I felt I could still handle it.
An inexplicable confidence surged within me, accompanied by a sense of challenge.
*First, let’s change the climate.*
I used Weather Manipulation to alter the environment.
Golem types are significantly influenced by climate effects.
In an instant, clouds formed on the ceiling, and torrential rain began to fall.
It was akin to a summer monsoon.
[Durability of Super Giant Stone Golem decreased by -40%.]
[Agility of Super Giant Stone Golem decreased by -35%.]
[Power of Super Giant Stone Golem decreased by -10%.]
[Visibility of Super Giant Stone Golem decreased by -30%.]
…
Numerous messages appeared in the status window.
*Alright, this is it. Now it’s manageable.*
*We’ll set the stage for victory.*
The stone golem now looked noticeably slower.
It seemed to be aware that it was slipping on the wet ground.
*Let’s finish this quickly. This is nothing to worry about.*
I began to move swiftly.
The golem hadn’t seemed to spot me yet.
*I’ll sneak around behind it…*
I navigated cautiously around the golem’s back.
I had some experience from previous attempts and had also seen videos of other Hunters tackling it.
Even if it was a super giant stone golem, it would still operate similarly.
*I’ll use Blessing of Water, then sever the joints with Wave Riding and Water Bending.*
Having enhanced my agility, I found my speed considerably improved.
*Tip-tap.*
“Here we go.”
As I had planned, I activated Blessing of Water.
[Water Attribute Attack increased by +30%.]
[Water Attribute Attack Accuracy increased by +15%.]
[Water Attribute Splash Range increased by +20%.]
…
*Now, time to boost up. Let’s go!*
I decided to utilize the heavy rain pouring down from the Weather Manipulation for the attack.
The super giant golem still hadn’t detected me and was wandering around aimlessly.
*Hey, over here! Not there!*
It was a huge creature but clearly rather dim-witted.
*This needs to end quickly.*
I jumped up to grab hold of the nape of the super giant golem.
*If I can just sever its joints with Water Bending…*
As I approached its neck, just before making my move…
*Huh? What the f*ck?*
It opened its eyes from the back!
*What the f*ck? Why does it have eyes in the back? What is this?*
I was caught off guard and could only feel panic rising.
However, I couldn’t afford to stop now.
To be continued…
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