“Come on, faster! There are only seven monsters left. I didn’t think we would be able to get at least 20 today.”

“Youngjae, stop complaining.”

After counting and adding up the possible profits of all of the monsters that they’ve caught, the leader looked around at all of them proudly.

“Jeonyeong, help me out here?”

“Sure.” One of the raid team members replied as they went to help the leader.

“How’s our progress so far?”

“Ten percent,” The team member replied.

“There were fewer monsters than I thought, all of the data from last year is completely wrong.”

“Really? Is it that bad?”

“It’s terrible. We couldn’t even catch at least ten monsters last year and it told us that we would be able to at least get 20.” One of them said and a raid member then noticed their leader’s torn power suit.

“I’ll prepare ten power packs to help.”

“Thanks.” He went to get the power packs as the leader waited.

“We need to succeed in this raid…”

He didn’t wish that a crowd of monsters would suddenly pop up, but they were still having a pretty hard time.

“It looks like just one was able to get the most of them.” The team member said as he came back.

“Huh?”

“Over there.” He pointed his finger towards the nearby forest that had a lot of noticeable footprints.

“Whoever they are, they seem to really know what they’re doing. They already caught 20 monsters so far…”

“Wow. But, is it that really necessary?” The leader said.

Capturing all those monsters in such a short amount of time didn’t sound safe. They needed to catch monsters but they didn’t want to risk the lives of their hunters to such an extent.

“It’s unbelievable isn’t it.”

Their safety was more important to him rather than the money they could get. Nevertheless, he just erased all of his thoughts about anything going wrong and just focused on their schedule. If they continued on as they were, he knew that they would eventually tire themselves out.

Deukdeukdeuk

The sound of Jaehwangs arrowed could be heard from even miles away.

Pang pang pang…

They could hear the explosions and feel the ground vibrate as he launched his attacks, they could also see the smoke going up into the sky from deep within the forest.

Boom…

They immediately heard the sound of a few giant monsters falling down into the ground.

Swoosh… Pong!

He shot more arrows at the monsters.

Deukdeukdeuk

As dozens of monsters started to gather, the other raid team members began to run towards them and help.

“Get ready!”

“…”

“Hurry!”

“Yes, sir!” Jaehwang replied with a bit of an annoyed tone. Seongbin was still with him and they were standing on top of a not so high cliff.

‘This is going to be hard.’

Things only got more tiring as time went on. Seongbin was exhausted but they still worked through it as they were still doing very good. However, things started to get a little more difficult the moment they ran out of energy.

“I need a hand!”

“Got it!” Seongbin joined in and helped him by throwing some spears at the monsters while Jaehwang continued to shoot them down.

Swooshhh

Pong!!

Soon, they were finally able to neutralize the dozens of monsters on their radar. They were running towards them but they got shot down even before they got close.

Swoosh!

Pong! pong! Pong!

Arrows had rained down the cliff as if it was rain.

“Wow…” Seongbin said as she watched him. They were doing a great job as a team.

Whoosh…

“Check the meter”

“We’re up to 440.”

“Alright, let’s take a 30-minute break.”

“Okay.”

Seongbin said in reply to Jaehwang as she sat down onto the ground. Jaehwang needed a rest for a few minutes to give his energy some time to refill. He glanced over towards Seongbin who looked very frightened.

‘How many monsters have we found so far…’

There were so many that he stopped counting a while ago. He looked down at the edge of the cliff as a few drones flew over to keep track of them and the others. He couldn’t see its bottom, it turned out to be higher than he thought.

There was no way that they could stay there for so long because of all the chaos that they’ve caused. They’ve already caught way more than the amount that they were assigned to. They’ve caught about 500 monsters so far but even so, Jaehwang still wanted more to boost their profits.

‘Couldn’t all this be enough?…’ Jaehwang thought to himself exhaustedly. He was trying to get as much possible to help Seongbin with her expenses back home.

“We’ll need to hunt like this for two more days… I don’t think I can do it. Sorry, Jaehwang,” Seongbin apologized. They were completely worn out and they couldn’t go on for much longer.

‘We can’t give up.’ While they were hunting, his experience has seemed to be increasing slowly.

Seongbin sat still with her eyes closed as she was lost in thought and Jaehwang then asked the spirit,

—Do you think that the other hunters are coming?

—Should we guard the area?

—No one seems to be coming yet.

—How far away do they seem to be?

—About four kilometers southeast… It seems that they’ll be here soon.

—Alright.

Jaehwang replied. They still had some time left to do more hunting but they didn’t want to run into the other hunters. He thought of shooting arrows more carefully and quietly but that could greatly impact the effectiveness of their attacks.

“How many have we caught?” Seongbin asked.

“I think we have enough, we can stop here,” Jaehwang replied, figuring out that they could just make do with what they have now.

Jaehwang stood up from the ground where he was resting and Seongbin then looked at him with a nervous expression.

“I’m sorry. I just…”

“Huh?” Jaehwang seemed confused when Soeongbin apologized out of nowhere.

“Why are you sorry?”

“Uh, well… I know you wanted to hunt more…”

“Don’t worry, we can start again another time,” Jaehwang replied and Seongbin then took a deep breath of relief.

Panhandlers, The end.

Seongbin stood still and stared at Jaehwang for a moment. Although she was relieved, she couldn’t believe that he would agree to her idea so easily even if it was obvious that even he was completely worn out.

“Thanks.” She hesitated a little but she soon expressed her gratitude, however, that wasn’t all.

“Also, I know we’re tired and all but I don’t think we can just stop here. I want to contribute as much as I can to this raid,” Seongbin declared. Jaehwang looked a little confused for a moment and it seems like he just shrugged Seongbin’s idea off.

“What did you say about what we’ve gathered so far?” Jaehwang asked in a low voice. Seongbin thought for a quick second and replied,

“About twenty percent of our goal, but I think we can get at least ten percent more.”

For their safety, Jaehwang wasn’t sure if it was much of a good idea or not.

—I don’t know about this.

—It does sound quite promising.

It was a sudden suggestion but she seemed to be sure about it. Jaehwang thought that she did it for the sake of her pride and she didn’t want him to pity her. He then remembered the past where he felt the same thing and he didn’t want her to feel the same way.

He noticed that she had the same cold gaze that he had developed to protect his own pride in the past.

—Isn’t it a good idea?

The spirit asked.

—She has great skills…

They purposely pushed their limits. A raid won’t usually demand this kind of effort but he ignored those boundaries as he moved on. He knew that time would pass and it would end better than what anyone had expected.

He came to a conclusion and he chose to trust her as well as her abilities because even though her leg wasn’t in good condition, she still supported their team beyond his expectations.

The skill status window then showed up, revealing his skills’ current condition.

Skill Status: Jeon Jaehwang

Effects:

Archery skill: All areas increased by two percent

—

—

???

(Energy shortage)

Current energy: 500 — 498

The spirit had already helped him a lot of times before but he and his skills were not as effective as they should. Time passed by and Jaehwang started to get worried as soon as a few people began to follow his lead.

(If he can’t improve his energy, he won’t be able to level up.)

—Looks like I have no other choice.

—I’m not sure what else to do either.

Jaehwang thought about it for a moment.

—Hey

—What is it?

—You’ve already caught way more than ten, why do you need to catch more?

They’ve been hunting monsters non-stop ever since this early morning.

—Well… I-I’m not sure…

—Have you eaten already?

The only thing on their minds ever since they woke up was them hunting as much as they possibly could.

—Maybe later, right now we need to focus.

Jaehwang replied.

“I think we can do much more. What do you think?”

“S-Sure, let’s do it!” Seongbin hesitated for a second but she soon replied with an excited tone.

Jaehwang then smiled.”Great, let’s get going.”

Jaehwang handed Seongbin the directions and they made their way down the cliff, passing through the field of dead monsters on the ground.

As they kept walking, they began to see more people who were out for the hunt. It was a group that consists of two people, a girl, and a guy. However, the moment they saw Jaehwang they didn’t look so happy.

“That guy…” Jaehwang whispered while being very careful not to let them see that he’s talking about them. “Aren’t they the group that I was first assigned to?”

He carefully looked at them again. They had a bit of a misunderstanding when he decided to switch groups. Clearly, they were still mad about it.

“How… why them out of all people!”

“Wait a second…” The other teams were talking about their plan but then they soon noticed Jaehwang who was nearby.

“What is it?” One of the people on the other team said as he noticed his teammate looking at them with a cold gaze. The teammate then glanced over and saw who he was looking at.

“What are they doing here?” Jaehwang said, looking in their direction.

“What the heck…”

The others couldn’t believe it when they noticed how many monsters they’ve already caught. It wasn’t even that long but they’ve already got almost half of what the all the other teams needed to catch.

There had been lots of disputes with the hunters and by standard judgments, no clan had the exact same strategy or ever seemed to copy anyone else’s.

They obviously didn’t seem too happy to see him, however, when they noticed how many monsters they had caught…

They couldn’t believe it.

“Clearly they’ve only caught so many because they started out hunting early this morning before anyone else. And don’t you think you should apologize?”

“Are you going to leave in the middle of the raid too like how you suddenly left our team?” The guy from the other team mockingly asked.

“I’ve already apologized. There’s nothing more I need to say to you.” Jaehwang calmly replied. “Is this a some kind of joke?”

The two people from the team then seemed to change their expression, they were afraid.

“W-Well..” Their stuttering showed off how scared they were.

He took out his bow with a straight face, making the other two as scared as they’ve ever been. They didn’t know what he was thinking of, he just raised his weapon but there were no monsters to shoot at. Although Jaehwang knew that he can’t hurt them, they were still scared of what might happen.

“W-We weren’t being serious.” One of the guys said as they tried to avoid causing any more trouble. Obviously, Jaehwang could tell what they really meant.

Jaehwang actually felt a little out of place throughout the entire raid. He didn’t want to start any fights or arguments with anyone he just wanted to get this raid done.

‘Ugh!’ Two guys who didn’t know better entered the scene. They were late when things had happened so they were offended by his actions, even one of them charged towards him.

“You think this is a joke!?” The guy shouted as he prepared for a punch.

‘You better hope that you’re strong enough!’

They were high ranked monsters hunters but was that enough of a reason to go against Jaehwang? They didn’t even know exactly who it was and obviously, they were making a big mistake.

Pong! Woosh! Pong!

The guy ran faster and faster but as soon as he approached Jaehwang, he found himself crashing back into the ground.

“Arrrgh!” The guy screamed as he couldn’t believe what had just happened. He felt a pain that he had never felt before.

“You Idiot.” Jaehwang kicked him in the head to make him faint. He didn’t want to be so harsh but since they were in a place where monsters could show up at any moment, his screaming wasn’t helping any of them at all. The remaining person of the two stood in place, frozen with a shocked look on his face.

“Do you wanna try fighting me too?” Jaehwang looked over and asked him.

“N-No please, I beg you.” The guy pleaded.

“Alright then, I guess I’m done here,” Jaehwang said.

“Thank you so much,” The guy replied thankfully.

Panhandlers 2, The end.

Seongbin stood still and stared at Jaehwang for a moment. Although she was relieved, she couldn’t believe that he would agree to her idea so easily even if it was obvious that even he was completely worn out.

“Thanks.” She hesitated a little but she soon expressed her gratitude, however, that wasn’t all.

“Also, I know we’re tired and all but I don’t think we can just stop here. I want to contribute as much as I can to this raid,” Seongbin declared. Jaehwang looked a little confused for a moment and it seems like he just shrugged Seongbin’s idea off.

“What did you say about what we’ve gathered so far?” Jaehwang asked in a low voice. Seongbin thought for a quick second and replied,

“About twenty percent of our goal, but I think we can get at least ten percent more.”

For their safety, Jaehwang wasn’t sure if it was much of a good idea or not.

—I don’t know about this.

—It does sound quite promising.

It was a sudden suggestion but she seemed to be sure about it. Jaehwang thought that she did it for the sake of her pride and she didn’t want him to pity her. He then remembered the past where he felt the same thing and he didn’t want her to feel the same way.

He noticed that she had the same cold gaze that he had developed to protect his own pride in the past.

—Isn’t it a good idea?

The spirit asked.

—She has great skills…

They purposely pushed their limits. A raid won’t usually demand this kind of effort but he ignored those boundaries as he moved on. He knew that time would pass and it would end better than what anyone had expected.

He came to a conclusion and he chose to trust her as well as her abilities because even though her leg wasn’t in good condition, she still supported their team beyond his expectations.

The skill status window then showed up, revealing his skills’ current condition.

Skill Status: Jeon Jaehwang

Effects:

Archery skill: All areas increased by two percent

—

—

???

(Energy shortage)

Current energy: 500 — 498

The spirit had already helped him a lot of times before but he and his skills were not as effective as they should. Time passed by and Jaehwang started to get worried as soon as a few people began to follow his lead.

(If he can’t improve his energy, he won’t be able to level up.)

—Looks like I have no other choice.

—I’m not sure what else to do either.

Jaehwang thought about it for a moment.

—Hey

—What is it?

—You’ve already caught way more than ten, why do you need to catch more?

They’ve been hunting monsters non-stop ever since this early morning.

—Well… I-I’m not sure…

—Have you eaten already?

The only thing on their minds ever since they woke up was them hunting as much as they possibly could.

—Maybe later, right now we need to focus.

Jaehwang replied.

“I think we can do much more. What do you think?”

“S-Sure, let’s do it!” Seongbin hesitated for a second but she soon replied with an excited tone.

Jaehwang then smiled.”Great, let’s get going.”

Jaehwang handed Seongbin the directions and they made their way down the cliff, passing through the field of dead monsters on the ground.

As they kept walking, they began to see more people who were out for the hunt. It was a group that consists of two people, a girl, and a guy. However, the moment they saw Jaehwang they didn’t look so happy.

“That guy…” Jaehwang whispered while being very careful not to let them see that he’s talking about them. “Aren’t they the group that I was first assigned to?”

He carefully looked at them again. They had a bit of a misunderstanding when he decided to switch groups. Clearly, they were still mad about it.

“How… why them out of all people!”

“Wait a second…” The other teams were talking about their plan but then they soon noticed Jaehwang who was nearby.

“What is it?” One of the people on the other team said as he noticed his teammate looking at them with a cold gaze. The teammate then glanced over and saw who he was looking at.

“What are they doing here?” Jaehwang said, looking in their direction.

“What the heck…”

The others couldn’t believe it when they noticed how many monsters they’ve already caught. It wasn’t even that long but they’ve already got almost half of what the all the other teams needed to catch.

There had been lots of disputes with the hunters and by standard judgments, no clan had the exact same strategy or ever seemed to copy anyone else’s.

They obviously didn’t seem too happy to see him, however, when they noticed how many monsters they had caught…

They couldn’t believe it.

“Clearly they’ve only caught so many because they started out hunting early this morning before anyone else. And don’t you think you should apologize?”

“Are you going to leave in the middle of the raid too like how you suddenly left our team?” The guy from the other team mockingly asked.

“I’ve already apologized. There’s nothing more I need to say to you.” Jaehwang calmly replied. “Is this a some kind of joke?”

The two people from the team then seemed to change their expression, they were afraid.

“W-Well..” Their stuttering showed off how scared they were.

He took out his bow with a straight face, making the other two as scared as they’ve ever been. They didn’t know what he was thinking of, he just raised his weapon but there were no monsters to shoot at. Although Jaehwang knew that he can’t hurt them, they were still scared of what might happen.

“W-We weren’t being serious.” One of the guys said as they tried to avoid causing any more trouble. Obviously, Jaehwang could tell what they really meant.

Jaehwang actually felt a little out of place throughout the entire raid. He didn’t want to start any fights or arguments with anyone he just wanted to get this raid done.

‘Ugh!’ Two guys who didn’t know better entered the scene. They were late when things had happened so they were offended by his actions, even one of them charged towards him.

“You think this is a joke!?” The guy shouted as he prepared for a punch.

‘You better hope that you’re strong enough!’

They were high ranked monsters hunters but was that enough of a reason to go against Jaehwang? They didn’t even know exactly who it was and obviously, they were making a big mistake.

Pong! Woosh! Pong!

The guy ran faster and faster but as soon as he approached Jaehwang, he found himself crashing back into the ground.

“Arrrgh!” The guy screamed as he couldn’t believe what had just happened. He felt a pain that he had never felt before.

“You Idiot.” Jaehwang kicked him in the head to make him faint. He didn’t want to be so harsh but since they were in a place where monsters could show up at any moment, his screaming wasn’t helping any of them at all. The remaining person of the two stood in place, frozen with a shocked look on his face.

“Do you wanna try fighting me too?” Jaehwang looked over and asked him.

“N-No please, I beg you.” The guy pleaded.

“Alright then, I guess I’m done here,” Jaehwang said.

“Thank you so much,” The guy replied thankfully.

Panhandlers 2, The end.