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nMost monsters have an aether coating, but not all were like that.

nIt’s the same with superhumans who have awakened a ‘strong physique.’

nThe most common and simplest way to utilize aether. Strengthen Body.

nThey also have a thin aether coating on their skin, which absorbs aether into their body and converts it into energy they can use.

nIn the first place, human superpowers resembled that of a monster to the point where many say that superpowers are powers of monsters.

nThat’s to say, that thing in front of me is human, but I have to think of it as a monster.

nMana poisoning.

nIt’s a phenomenon that sometimes occurs to people with superpowers.

nSuperhumans who can’t control their abilities.

nThere are at least two to three conditions before a person’s mana is overloaded.

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nOnce they go into the state of mana poisoning they will lose their rational, and it’s impossible to subdue them completely because of their enormous power.

nIn fact, it has to be shot dead.

nClick!

nI looked down at the five grenades in my hands taken from Kim Jitae.

nMost superhumans believe in their own ability, so they don’t often pack a lot of equipment.

nDududu!

nI threw one grenade after the other, then casually fired my pistol.

nBang!!

n“Kuh…!”

nThe grenades which exploded just below its ankle tore the aether protection from its lower body.

nNot missing the chance, I quickly rushed in with my aether blade.

nBoom!!

n“…Hup!”

nHowever, the monster who has recovered from the impact tore up the air by slamming its fist.

nIt felt like a cannon was being fired right at me with its deafening sound!

nHowever, I saw it coming and was able to cut into its heel with my aether blade before sliding to the side.

n“Grrawr!!”

nI must not miss a single chance.

nNo, me, the weak ordinary F-Rank hunter, was not allowed to make a mistake.

nAs soon as I entered its range I quickly rolled to the side and as I rolled, the bulky leg of the monster stomped down.

nCrack…!

nThe floor split into cobwebs and created a crater of more than five meters.

nI took advantage of the shockwave to shoot its face with my pistol before falling far away.

nThen, it instinctively raised its arms to cover its face, even though it had already been shot.

nThat’s the difference between a monster and a human.

nIt failed to abandon its human instincts.

n‘Now!’

nBang, Bang, Bang!

nAftering shooting the monster three times in a row with my pistol, the monster swung its arm and smashed the floor as if it would not allow it.

nBoom…

nBut.

n“…!”

nIts movement was too clear to me.

nHave I ever experienced this before?

nI always had to anticipate and avoid the enemy attacks, and all I could do was be careful and passive.

nCompared to other hunters who were my junior, in the past I had to move my whole body here and there just to catch the monster off guard with a few hits using my poor equipment.

nBut now I can see it clearly.

n‘This…was this how other hunters felt?’

nSelf-confidence in my own ability, and not the lack of!

nBoom, Boom, Boom!

nThe punches of the huge monster were raining down on me to the point where I couldn’t even see the monster above me.

nNo, to be exact, most of the attacks were deflected.

nIt would have been impossible before.

nTo attempt the crazy act of deflecting the punches by absorbing its momentum.

nHowever, I was able to do it.

nThe fists were deflected to the side with my aether blade.

nOr its fist would just graze the edge of my body and miss me by an inch.

nIt was impossible to stop it all completely, so I would shoot its fists with my pistol to twist its trajectory.

nAlthough the aether pistol is a wet tissue when it comes to removing a monster’s protective coating, it is clear that it also contained a tremendous amount of destructive power.

nI was using it defensively.

nAt the right timing if I shoot the right part the impact will surely shake its movements.

nAnd.

nIt soon became an opportunity for me.

n“Kuh!!”

nWhen I cut its throat the monster stepped back in surprise.

nBut even as it stepped back I was already running towards it, and by the time it stabilized, a bomb was already rolling on the floor.

nBa-boom!!

nWhen it lost its balance, shining at the tip of my hand was a blade coated in aether.

nWhat kind of movements were humans capable of?

nWhat swordsmanship did we use?

nDidn’t we just use hard, fast, powerful force to swirl our sword in ignorance?

nAll those swordsmanship, really, is full of inefficient and useless movements.

nHowever, all the swordsmanship I had seen in this world was unraveled in my mind.

nThe swordsmanship of the protagonist, which has been studied and developed for over a thousand years, is not the swordsmanship of modern people like me who is only 30 years old.

nSkill White Swordsmanship (S) – Activated.

nFirst form, Apathetic Introspection

nLike a blossoming flower.

nAnd the raging blizzard.

nA mysterious swordsmanship that seems to have unfolded at my fingertips.

nI know the limits of my body.

nThe talent Swordsmanship A made me very efficient with the sword, and the White Swordsmanship made it possible for me to grow even faster.

nWhile moving as if I was dancing, I went forward as rough as a waterfall, and dived as hard as a typhoon.

n“Grrawr!”

nAs the monster rampaged again, I threw a grenade.

nTo be honest, it was hard for me to close the distance.

n“…Kuh!”

nBoom!

nThe monster knew the bomb in my hand was dangerous because it had some intelligence, so it tried to flimsily avoid it.

nBut this is the method I was good at before I gained the talent of swordsmanship.

nThe grenade, which bounced into the air like a basketball, flew toward the rampaging monster as if it had a mind of its own and exploded on its head.

nKnowing that I can’t miss this chance, I quickly stepped back one more time despite my current position.

nThen, there was only one more choice for me.

nI took out the last grenade and pulled the pin.

nI have to throw it.

nClick!

nThe grenade which slipped from my hand slowly fell to the ground.

n“…!!”

nNo matter how irrational they are, all monsters and beasts have the ability to adapt.

nIt noticed my mistake, and quickly rushed at me.

nIt thought it could withstand the explosion and crush me at the same time.

nBut…

nIt was intentional.

nI recovered from my awkwardness in a flash, and looked at the bomb on the ground as if I was looking at a golf ball.

nThe monster was completely defenseless, so I used the side of my aether blade to swing the grenade into its mouth.

nNext, I shot my pistol under its chin like an uppercut.

n“Kuh!”

nWith its mouth shut, I gathered mana into my arms and stabbed my aether blade into its chin.

nThen.

n…Ba-ba-boom!!

nInside the body of the monster an explosion sounded, then it slowly fell to the ground.

nBoom…!

n“Huu…”

nWiping the sweat off my face I burst into a laughter as I looked at the fallen monster.

nBoom…!

nKim Jitae’s lips trembled as he watched a monster capable of crushing him fall to the ground.

n“Oh, my god…”

nIn his view was the back of Yoo Seodam standing tall.

nHe couldn’t believe it.

nBasically, a person with no equipment can “easily” deal with a monster of the same rank.

nThough, it was almost impossible to predict victory.

nWith aether suits and full equipment, at least three people had to rush in to subdue monsters of the same rank.

nIn other words, Kim Jitae thought, “No matter how expensive the equipment is, I can’t defeat the monster of C-Rank alone.”

nThis was common sense to most hunters.

nHowever, very occasionally.

nThere were beings beyond common sense.

nLocated at the heart of the Pacific Ocean, there was a mysterious gate called ‘Hell Gate’ that leads to another world.

nSome hunters would hunt inside and even less would come back alive.

nVeterans who used to travel around that place, where common sense and concepts did not work at all, not only hunted monsters with the same rank as them but were also able to hunt even higher monsters by themselves.

nBut…

nStill, isn’t this too much?

nThe formidable monster, with the sheer strength of at least A-rank, defeated by a F-Rank hunter who only had a cheap pistol and an aether blade?

nKim Jitae himself had been defeated in a battle of strength against it in a matter of seconds.

nA single blow will kill you.

nHowever, Yoo Seodam attacked it without even wearing simple protective gear, and eventually defeated it by fighting.

n“Emergency support units have arrived!”

nBuzz! Group 7. Report to me. How’s the situation?

n“That…”

nSuddenly, Kim Jitae turned his head to check the voice coming from behind.

nThree A-Rank hunters dressed in a grayish-brown suit were sweating.

nA-Rank soldiers from the Capital Defense Headquarters specializing in hunting monsters.

nGroup 7 of the Emergency Assistance Force for Disaster in Seoul.

nThey, who had just arrived in helicopters, were puzzled to see that the situation was already over.

n“What the hell…happened here?”

nWhen asked by Yang Sunyoung, the A-Rank hunter and leader of Group 7 of the support unit, Yoo Seo-dam who arrived earlier answered on behalf of Kim Jitae.

n“I’m a hunter who was just passing by when all of a sudden bull** happens, so I had to take care of it.”

nShe breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Yoo Seodam’s report.

nA monster between B-Rank and A-Rank was wreaking havoc in the middle of Konkuk University Station and the response team was only five D-Rank and one C-Rank.

nNot only annihilation, but also the damage around was thought to be enormous, so they rushed to the scene, but fortunately it seemed to have been handled by a veteran hunter who was passing by.

n“Oh, I’m so glad there was a professional hunter here. I’m going to have to report your achievements to the higher-ups, can you show me your ID?”

n“Of course.”

nSeodam also intended to show her his ID because he wasn’t going to work for free.

nThen, the three A-Rank hunters breathed heavily.

n“F-Rank…I-is that right?”

n“Yes.”

n“…Did you handle that monster alone?”

nIt can’t be.

nHe was the only one still standing, but there has to be other hunters.

nNo wonder Yang Sunyoung thought as such.

nWasn’t he only wearing a black hoodie and sweatpants with a pistol and an aether blade?

nNo matter how strong A-Rank superhumans are, they can’t deal with A-Rank monsters with such equipment alone.

nBut.

n“Yes. This worthless fellow was stuck here, and I dealt with it alone. If you’re going to pay, then give me everything.”

n“Ho…”

nHe admitted the fact.

nShe looked at Yoo Seodam’s ID again.

n‘F-Rank…#15?!’

nJesus.

nIt wasn’t the usual F-Rank.

nVeteran hunters, who have survived for as many as 15 years through hard work in a harsh battlefield, is rare.

nEven superhumans with superpowers were often seriously injured or mutilated in battle, or otherwise retired in mental exhaustion.

nBut a F-Rank hunter is in his 15th year.

n‘No matter how ordinary you are, can you do this if you fought on the battlefield for 15 years?’

nNo way.

nShe recorded the information of Yoo Seodam while deep in thought.

nIt was because they needed to contact each other again when they later celebrated his merits.

n“Hunter Kim Jitae, then can we distribute the aether crystal to hunter Yoo Seodam at a 100% rate?”

n“Ah, that’s…”

nWhen Kim Ji-tae became flustered, Yoo Seo-dam spoke.

n“That, there is no aether crystal.”

n“What…?”

nIt is no exaggeration to say that aether crystals, which were extracted from the monsters’ heart, accounted for 50% of a hunter’s revenue.

nSince all monsters had an aether crystal it was natural that Sonyoung did not immediately understand Seodam’s words.

n“It’s not a monster, but a ‘mutated human.’”

n“What?! That’s ridiculous…”

nA society in which superpowers have become universal.

nNow even young children are talented, and if they want they can get an education at the Academy of Superpowers.

nAs the level of education on superpowers has increased, the proportion of those who experience mana poisoning has naturally fallen, so nowadays there are some hunters who have never even heard of the words ‘mana poisoning.’

n“If you don’t believe me…Hey. Kim Jitae.”

n“Yes!”

n“Go down the subway and bring all five of your assholes.”

n“T-that…”

nWhen Kim Jitae began to sweat without being able to speak, Sunyoung also felt something was strange.

nAll five of them, there has to be at least one.

nIf one of the hunter’s blood is analyzed and mana poison was detected.

nThen what Seodam said is true.

n‘But why would he want to hide this fact?’

nObviously, it is embarrassing for a person to be mana poisoned to come from the guild, but Seodam and Sunyoung could not understand why Kim Ji-tae was this embarrassed.

nAs I kept trying to question him, white-clad researchers and men in suits came up and blocked me from the front.

n“The bodies will be examined by us and then returned to their families, so don’t worry and take a rest.”

n“Ah. What. Okay.”

nSeodam nodded his head and checked the pattern on their shoulders.

nThen he frowned.

n‘Kinetic Pharmaceutical Company?’

nIt’s a familiar name.

nFrom what I remembered, it was a company that was clearly gone, but I didn’t expect to see them here all of a sudden.

nI watched them hurrying to clean up the body of the hunters, then I asked Kim Jitae.

n“Hey, are they in charge of the cleanup for Lost Day?”

nWhen I asked Kim Jitae, he was sweating and nodded.

n“Ah, yes. In addition to the health of the hunters, they take care of the bodies of the monsters after a hunt.”

nIn the meantime, Kim Jitae asked if he’s going to be disciplined by the military or not.

n“Strange. As soon as I left the guild, they joined hands with them.”

nSeodam has a bad impression of the Kinetic Pharmaceutical Company.

nAs soon as I was kicked out of the guild, the fact that Lost Day absorbed Kinetic Pharmaceutical Company as if it had been waiting for me to be kicked out of the guild gave me a nasty smell.

nBut there was nothing I could find out right now, so I kept it in the back of my mind.

nI don’t think there’s anything I could do about it as a F-Rank right now anyways.

nLooking at Yang Sunyoung who was looking at me with sparkling eyes I asked.

n“By the way. Can I leave now?”

n“Y-yes? Of course. Now that we have your information, we’ll proceed with the pay settlement process.”

n“Okay. Have a good day.”

n“Thank you for your hard work!”

nShoo!

nWhen Seodam nodded, Yang Sunyoung saluted in admiration.

nKim Ji-tae gulped.

nIt was because he finally realized that a F-Rank hunter, who used to be ignored, was worthy of such a salute from an A-Rank hunter.

nSeodam, who had a happy look on his face, soon approached the hesitant Kim Jitae, and slapped him hard on the back.

nPa!

n“Ugh!”

n“From now on don’t drag it out and make it harder, okay?”

n“Yes? Yes.”

n“Then I’m going.”

nWith Kim Ji-tae whose behavior has changed suddenly on the spot, Yoo Seo-dam left.

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n…Back to the subway where the accident just happened.

n“Shit. The subway is all smashed up.”

nLooking at the scene he eventually went back up and grabbed a taxi.

nKim Jitae was puzzled and asked.

n“Is it common for F-Ranks to hunt B-Rank monsters alone?”

nYang Sunyoung shook her head at him.

n“Though, that’s not entirely correct…if you’re equipped with expensive equipment it’s a different story….”

nBut he was naked without a piece of equipment.

n“It would be tough not only in our country, but also abroad.”

nAnd the next day, as Yang Sonyoung predicted, a video had blown up on SNS.

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