Leveling Up From Rank F

Chapter 39

Part 2: Transport Hunter

Ah I see.

Taein was grateful to Im Jeong for helping him, but he wished she could be more gentle with her words.

For starters, you wont have to be jealous of others if you settle on a weapon. Speaking of which, why dont I show you how to use the ax on a Class 5 monster?

Everyone looked at her with uncertainty. They wondered if she was going to show them a video or something. However, she rushed them inside her G63 vehicle, and headed straight to a Class 5 swamp.

The swamp was located in the parking lot of a huge shopping mall. It had been there for 3 weeks now so it was covered with a lid.

Youll see an information window when you enter. You probably havent seen it before since you went into the swamps after the raid had finished. I didnt bring my equipment today so well leave once we see the window. Well come back tomorrow to clear it.

She was so casual about it, but that didnt mean the others had nothing to say to her.

What about the lid? The Hunter Association will notice immediately the moment we touch it. Taein said.

I already got in touch and told them I was going to launch an assault here. So no one will think were stealing if we remove it. It feels like you all keep forgetting that Im a SF member.

You can use that as a reason? Just to view the information window? Kanghyun asked.

Were going to take care of the swamp so whats the issue? There are a lot of swamps and monsters. Were just efficiently getting rid of it first. We assess what can be a threat to public safety so that the Hunter Association can deal with the swamps close to their opening date.

Thats what I was getting at. Would it be okay for us to do as we pleased without getting permission or an assignment? Kanghyun asked with a pressing tone. He was slightly worried they may end up getting a penalty for doing a cursory job.

What would they do, reject me? Theyll do almost anything I ask. They would certainly reject ordinary workers though.

The three Hunters stared at her as if they met a formidable foe.

I shouldnt be telling this to rookies, but anyway, I could give a number of reasons to them. For instance, I could say the swamp is unique, which is why were investigating it.

Kanghyun nodded his head hard with full respect.

Youre not a rookie, Kanghyun. Please try to stop making insensible remarks like that. Jiwoo said, making the young man turn a shade of red.

Unable to make an excuse for himself, Kanghyun stood there, beet-red. He then suddenly turned to Im Jeong and asked another question.

Im not 20 years old yet, so how would this work? Will it be alright?

Ah, about that, it did cross my mind. But then I forgot about it because I was busy. How old are you exactly?

Im 19.

Then I suppose we can change your age? Would it be too sudden if you were to gain 2 years instantly? How many months has it been since you turned 18?

8 months.

We can revise the law to, Those under the age of 18 years and 8 months of age cannot do raids. Would it be too messy then? Why dont we mess it up?

You cant just change the law for my sake?!

Ah! Then, we can add a special clause.

Noona, the Hunter Association can even make revisions to the law?

Noona?!

Jiwoo and Taein gaped at Kanghyun at the same time. Calling her Noona was a little too much, but the young man looked undaunted. Im Jeong also felt like he was being overly familiar.

They can implement regulations too. If its an urgent matter, the president of the Hunter Association and the Chief of the Security Forces can approve and pass them immediately."

By the way, have you ever seen the chief before, Noona? Kanghyun asked.

Of course she has. Taein interrupted.

Its because the SF members said they never saw the chief before. Kanghyun protested to him.

Im Jeong chuckled and sided with him.

People may have seen the former head before, but no one has ever seen our current chiefs face. The chief will always participate in important meetings though. That policy was set by the Hunter Association. However, because the chief is in charge of the most important national institution in the entire country, they could become a target for outside forces. Hence their identity is top secret.

Really? Taein asked in surprise.

It's an era where the strongest Hunter association gives the country a competitive advantage. If their identity is revealed, the intelligence corps from other countries may send special agents to assassinate them.

Thats intense. Then, youve never seen the chiefs face at the meetings, Noona?

Jiwoo chuckled at Kanghyuns question while Taein smacked his head.

They have to hide their identity so why would they show their face?

But how would others know if the chief is there?

From the President of the Hunter Association. The president will confirm the chiefs attendance and then the meeting will commence. Im Jeong explained.

Isnt the president just as important as the chief? Taein asked.

In the event of an accident or if the president dies, the next person in line will take the seat. It wont really matter if they die or not. She answered.

You should express that in a different way instead of saying their death wont really matter. Jiwoo laughed.

Is it tomorrow? Im Jeong suddenly asked.

What is?

The day your EXP goes up by 1.

Huh? Werent you joking about that?

You took it as a joke? Im someone who has never cracked a joke since the day I was born.

She drew a 1 with her finger on the EXP figure engraved on Jiwoo's tattoo.

You sure like skinship.

Jiwoos comment made Im Jeong giggle. She didnt know what it was about what he said that made her so happy, it felt like she had an incurable disease.

Now then, lets get ready and go inside.

The three low-level Hunters got nervous then. They spun their arms around and shook off their feet to loosen their bodies.

The monster wont move as soon as we enter. But just because it hasnt happened before doesnt mean it never will, so be careful. I will go in first. You can trust me, even if I dont have my equipment, I can stall enough for the three of you to escape. Were just going to view the information window which will show the monsters HP. The timer will start but that wont matter for us since were not running a raid today.

Were not going to completely finish it tomorrow, are we? We dont stand a chance. Taein asked.

It doesn't really matter. Well have to go down and see first. If its around 3 million HP, its not like I can't handle it. You have a great Tanker like me by your side."

Im Jeong wasnt trying to be arrogant, it was simply an objective fact. But hearing someone say that about themself didnt make their words that effective.

"Again, don't be so nervous. F-rank Dealers like you guys do raids too, you know. You dont have to feel so mortified, your chakra levels have gone up and your chakra proficiency is high enough. Meanwhile, there are others doing raids without any of that.

Finally, with her words of encouragement, everyone took position. Im Jeong was the first to enter. Now, they werent too scared to go inside. Be that as it may, it was still not easy for them to relax when they were entering a swamp with an inhabiting monster for the first time. The three low-level Hunters were very careful with their breathing, just in case the monster woke up because of the sound.

Im Jeong showed the information window to them when they came down. She briefly explained the map area, found the monster, and even tried to break down the monsters description.

Kanghyun grabbed Im Jeongs hand.

Noona. We can talk about all that outside. This isn't some cafe to chill and talk.

Then he quickly dragged her out of the swamp before she could say anything else. The Tanker saw the three men frozen stiff. They looked like they had ran several kilometers from being chased by a monster.

"How fortuitous. That one had the lowest HP I've ever seen. Youve all seen it right?

No one answered her. They did roughly glance at the information window, but their eyes remained on the live monster for most of the time.

"I think I made eye contact with it earlier. The monster saw me. I'm going crazy. No, before that, I feel like throwing up. What if it remembers me?" Taein rambled, his legs trembling.

Everyones like that at the start. But they change once they see that 1 EXP on their tattoos. Im Jeong reassured Taein.

Fortunately, the next day was their day off, and the three of them agreed to meet up and head to the Extreme Hunter shop to acquire weapons.

***

In the end, they couldnt visit the Extreme Hunter shop.

Im Jeong suddenly called Jiwoo and asked him to meet at the old pizza shop. She said she could bring them the necessary weapons. Jiwoo had thought he wouldn't have to go there while Gyutae was away, but there he was.

When Kanghyun came in grumbling, asking why they were meeting at a pizza store on their free day, Im Jeong gave him a puzzled look.

"This pizza shop belonged to a Dealer who got injured in a raid and died shortly after being taken to hospital. As far as I know, that raid was the one Gyutae had hurt his leg in."

The three of them looked at each other, surprised by what she just said. They checked each other's expression as if to question if the other knew about it or not. However, none were aware of the story except for her.

We have to keep coming here. I never knew the connection. Taein said, to which the two men nodded.

The pizza place was run by a Hunters bereaved family. Even if they didnt go there to eat, the good thing was that they could use the space as much as they wanted.

Footnotes

In Korea, the age system is different from the U.S. You "age" a year every New Year (January 1st) rather than on your birthday. You would add two years to your Western age, because Koreans automatically gain a year on January 1st, regardless of whether their birthday has passed or not.

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