Chapter 117: Mammal
S-Class Hunter, Jeong Ha-seong.
Despite a few months away from the limelight, he quickly became the center of attention again.
No matter what anyone says, he is the national hero.
Moreover, he has never lost the top spot as an Awakened since his awakening.
[T: Wow*, how many Gates is Jeong Ha-seong destroying right after his return? ;)]
[제*: It’s not as intense as before, but still fierce. How does he have such a fast clear speed while wandering alone?]
Jeong Ha-seong is the best hunter in Korea.
At least in this country, no one could argue against that statement.
But…
The question of “Is Jeong Ha-seong the strongest hunter?” changes that.
Opinions have always been divided over that topic on the internet.
[Fact) But no matter how much we talk here, we won’t know until S-Class hunters actually fight against each other, lol.]
There has yet to be documented combat between S-Class hunters in Korea.
So, questions about whether Jeong Ha-seong is the strongest cannot be easily answered.
But who would’ve thought that this fiery debate would come to an end with a single word from a certain man?
On a snowy afternoon.
Hunters who had stopped by the market were in shock.
They witnessed an unimaginable scene at the entrance.
【Hunternet > Free Board】
[p: Did anyone hear Jeong Hunter and Kim Hunter talking at the market entrance just now?]
[j*: Did I really see that?]
[k*: Weren’t the two on bad terms??]
The ranking one fainting incident.
A scuffle in front of the emergency room.
And after the unavoidable malice, Jeong Ha-seong’s attitude towards the press and so on…
Online, the notion that the national hero and the fourth S-Class were on bad terms seemed almost a given now.
But…
When everyone actually saw the two talking today, Jeong Ha-seong was surprisingly amiable instead of being hostile.
[k: Even with a prejudiced view, they didn’t look particularly on bad terms, did they?]
[j: Which crazy person runs over to ask someone they hate if they wanna grab a bite?]
Thus, anonymous users began to speculate about Jeong Ha-seong’s demeanor.
Some said that there was no animosity between him and Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter, but that the rumors had been exaggerated.
Others argued that they had already settled past grievances.
Some even suggested they were originally close friends, which allowed for a comfortable hostile interview in the media.
Everyone seemed to agree there was no feud between them.
[p: Honestly, if it weren’t for that conversation afterward, I could’ve just assumed the two were just image-managing for each other… ]
A hunter writing on the board burst out laughing in disbelief.
[p: I’ve seen everything, even hunters recruiting at Garion, lol.]
Yeah.
In fact, the more critical topic was this one.
It’s one thing to pass over Jeong Ha-seong and Kim Gi-ryeo exchanging pleasantries.
But mentioning the guild name means the hunters couldn’t resist chiming in.
[블*: [Breaking] Garion Guild accepting S-Class applicants! [Breaking] Garion Guild accepting S-Class applicants! [Breaking] Garion Guild accepting S-Class applicants!]
[j*: If that’s the case, then why did we even hand in our resumes!!!]
[T*: 100% main article material, lol.]
Garion.
That place is a small hunter guild in Korea.
But when it comes to recognition, it could hold its ground against the Korean Magic Tower.
Most importantly, its leader was the famous national hero.
[[Seonhan Daily] Jeong Ha-seong establishes the ‘Garion’ guild… a recruitment frenzy among hunters.]
An elite Appraiser.
The best healer in the country.
Because S-Class had personally organized the best manpower for his comfort, the environment was undoubtedly superior.
– The ranking one founded a guild!
– Oh, if I join now, I can be an original member?!
News of Ha-seong’s guild establishment sent the industry into a frenzy for a while.
So much so that Garion’s email momentarily crashed due to the flood of hunters trying to submit their resumes.
“Haha, I remember being swept up in that atmosphere and submitting my resume back then…”
Thud.
A hunter commenting had put down his fingers from the keyboard.
Looking back, everyone was incredibly passionate at that time.
Some hunters submitted their apps out of pure admiration for Jeong Ha-seong, while others were like hyenas aiming for the hero’s name value.
“If you’re A-Class and gear up properly, you could mess with S-Class. And if by luck, you end up on Jeong Ha-seong’s regular team, your fame skyrockets…”
Those who plotted such plans ultimately met their fate.
Whenever he thinks back to that time, cold sweat breaks out.
– We will now commence the final interview.
All the applicants gathered from various locations were about to face an insurmountable trial.
– Screech!
– Gasp!
– Ouch!
The final interview for Garion was surviving the flames of guild master Jeong Ha-seong.
But the results were more disastrous than expected.
When Jeong Ha-seong genuinely activated his skills, the overconfident hunters collapsed in mere seconds.
He hadn’t actually set fire to anyone.
In fact, most of them were wearing elemental-resistant gear too.
– Aaah! I’m sorry! Stop!
Yet still, the many powerful individuals fell into despair from the surrounding heat.
“I was crazy back then. Seriously, how did I sign an agreement knowing that was on the menu for the interview?”
The interview revealed one undeniable truth to the hunters.
Whether equipped or buffed, there was a deep chasm that could never be bridged between A-Class and S-Class.
[j*: So when all the interviewees were rolling on the floor, Jeong Ha-seong looked at them pitifully and said, ‘If you can’t endure this, you can’t team with me. So, I’m really sorry, but all of you are eliminated…’]
And Garion stopped accepting applications from the following year onward.
For quite shocking reasons.
【20XX Hunter Interview】
[Reporter: Sir! On the 23rd, Garion officially declared it would no longer accept guild members. What was the reason for such an abrupt decision?]
[Jeong Ha-seong: Garion has always aimed for a select few. Therefore, I only wanted to bring in the few who would team with me… ]
[Reporter: So, no one passed the final interview?]
[Jeong Ha-seong: Correct.]
Refusing to accept Awakened who couldn’t withstand his fires!
‘Crazy.’
Thanks to that, Garion became synonymous with a one-man guild.
The national hero hadn’t hired a single hunter other than himself since that day.
Netizens laughed, joking that Garion could only be joined by S-Class members, but…
The reality was much harsher.
A year ago, during a Dungeon Break, Jeong Ha-seong had accidentally burned a colleague.
[Anonymous: Oh, if that’s the case, partnering with the Magic Tower is out of the question. ㅜㅜ]
[ㄴWriter: Yeah, I heard Esther Hunter saying back then she was willing to team up with Jeong Ha-seong, but when they tried mock battles, the curse effects made it impossible.]
While Awakened of the same class could nonetheless venture together if equipped with proper gear,
What did that even mean?
Ordinary people, unfamiliar with the ecosystem of Awakened, often think that having high-grade gear could make one incredibly powerful…
But that is simply impossible.
Hunters possess limits known as [Equipment Slot System].
‘We have a set number of artifacts we can operate at 100% efficiency.’
No matter how strong S-Class is, they can’t be loaded down with items.
If they gear up with elemental defense equipment to block the flames, naturally, they have to remove other essential gear.
Honestly, that didn’t contribute much to dungeon clearance.
Thus, S-Class hunters implicitly walked separately for efficiency.
– Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter, would you consider joining our guild?
But now.
For Garion to accept guild members is simply mind-blowing.
– Thank you for the offer, but it might be hard. Our levels might be too disparate…
And the national hero being disparaged like this!?
Witnesses couldn’t keep their mouths shut.
They interpreted Kim Gi-ryeo’s words in such ways.
[j: Wow*, how can you say to the ranking one, ‘You’re on a lower level, so I can’t team with you’?]
[블*: What’s even more shocking is Jeong Ha-seong’s reaction… He just nodded as if he expected it.]
[ㄴg*: For real. The subsequent reactions are even more shocking.]
The direction of the ‘level difference’ has flipped.
Thus, netizens began to raise a suspicion.
Perhaps the fourth S-Class is an immensely powerful figure, to the point of underestimating Jeong Ha-seong…
[p: Let’s summarize. Jeong Ha-seong inviting Kim Hunter to the guild clearly indicates that Kim Hunter withstood his skills, meaning that absurd ‘final interview’ conditions were cleared, right? Yet in this situation, Kim Hunter said, ‘I can’t team with you because you’re not on my level.’]
[우: I think they’ve already fought before. That’s why Jeong Ha-seong quietly acknowledged him like that.]
If so, then it becomes easier to answer the question, “Is Jeong Ha-seong the strongest hunter?”
[H*: If he can defeat the number one, then he truly is a monster among monsters ㄷㄷ]
[블*: Then if Brooklyn fights Kim Gi-ryeo, who wins?]
[a: VS* spammers starting again.]
Thanks to the new S-Class’s words and actions, the bulletin board buzzed for a while.
Nevertheless, the overall atmosphere wasn’t bad.
After all, that strong hunter ultimately belonged to Korea.
[a*: Given that he had been hiding his rating under the association’s directives, he seems to be aligned with the guild, so I feel reassured that the Dungeon Break response will be well taken care of.]
The hunters on this anonymous site reacted hopefully to Kim Gi-ryeo’s emergence.
However, not everyone in the world can share the same opinion.
—————————==
[Title: Look at the Hunter Net reactions, lol.]
So, you think with him around, we won’t have to worry about Dungeon Breaks anymore??
That dude is obviously a shield fabricated by the association unwilling to admit they can’t catch grade manipulation, lol.
Those pigs probably haven’t heard the end of being called beasts for a while now.
S-Class, and everyone just sucks up to them, it’s hopeless.
—————————==
Meanwhile.
A certain community site was sporting a contrasting atmosphere to the recent board.
Kim Gi-ryeo had called the reporters who visited his house during the previous impromptu press conference, ‘mammals.’
Mammals.
A term used to refer to lesser creatures, he called people that, so the backlash was natural.
[COMMENT(2)]
[Beastman, that bastard is definitely a Chang-ho type. I knew he was sketchy when he started eating the monsters that the Magic Tower had captured.]
[He’ll probably dodge responsibility once something happens.]
Honestly, since correcting his rating, Kim Gi-ryeo’s reputation had been scraping the bottom.
During the impromptu press conference, the reporters on the scene had distorted his unfamiliar terms to create sensational headlines.
[‘Beast-like’ things with no abilities? … The shocking remarks of the new S-Class.]
He was now ridiculed with the nickname ‘Beastman’ among some netizens.
[Title: I’d stake my ears on the fact that Beastman will drop the ball on his duties.]
[Content:
(Predicted excuse)
“Oh, this is a lower-level Dungeon Break, other hunters will be able to solve it, so blah blah blah~”]
[COMMENT(1)]
[For real, the high-grade guys don’t touch the Dungeons that don’t pay well.]
.
.
.
However, this public perception was flipped just days later due to a certain incident.
[Whoa]
[???]
[What?]
Just like that, one blow.
[The ones with no remedy were us.]
[;; It’s natural for someone of such dignity to see others as livestock… ]
[Hello, this is the manager. From now on, this will be the domestic fan cafe for Kim Gi-ryeo. Any defamatory remarks about this hunter will result in a permanent ban. If you’re not okay with it, feel free to leave.]
