Damn Hunter Life Chapter 19
* * *
Woo Sae-geon, who quietly looked into Hae Mi-jun’s eyes, permitted Hae Mi-jun’s participation with an unreadable face.
An unexpected 5-person formation was completed. They entered the stage without lengthy words.
Woo Sae-geon had shared the operation orders with Hae Mi-jun just before, but this was done through chat.
So what happened to Hae Mi-jun after crossing that threshold, no one could know until they came back out and the stage strategy video was uploaded.
That live broadcast was transmitted throughout South Korea, and more narrowly, to the classrooms of middle school hunters who were attending Korean, English, and Math classes in the morning.
“Has he gone crazy?”
One male student muttered to himself. Actually, it was said for the person next to him to hear.
Starting from this, the classroom became noisy.
“Hae Mi-jun must have lost it. Where does he think the stage is that he just goes in? And Woo Sae-geon-nim actually gave permission?”
“If the Ox successor gave permission, there must be something to it?”
“Did he secretly train? Is he some novel protagonist?”
Even amidst all that commotion, Yoon Cha-on remained silent.
His chest surged with half nervousness, half hopeful excitement.
The students were in an uproar. Bets were even placed on ‘Hae Mi-jun gets injured and comes out, or not.’ Over 90% bet on ‘gets injured.’
“There’s even a long shot here. Long shots are also a disease. How can you bet on a trash successor?”
And bets were also opened on ‘Hae Mi-jun misses a heal and someone else gets injured, or not.’ Here, ‘someone gets injured’ was 95%.
No matter what anyone said, Yoon Cha-on was someone who had seen his successor chase away Ha Gwon-yeong. Without betting any money, he seriously waited for the results.
And that waiting bore fruit.
—
STAGE 26 has been cleared.
—
There were 0 injured.
Most of the points the students used for betting that day evaporated into thin air, and in South Korea, this strategy video rose to become the most-watched video on the site.
As soon as the strategy video was posted, Yoon Cha-on watched the video for 4 hours straight without leaving his seat.
Until the last monster fell, ‘Strategy Success’ was declared, and the video ended.
Even though Yoon Cha-on’s own face was reflected on the black screen, he didn’t move from that spot for a long time.
“Ha……”
Expression returned to Yoon Cha-on’s face like ice breaking. He slumped over onto the table.
His shoulders shook. He hugged his head tightly with his arms.
Uncontrollable laughter of joy surged up from his throat, making the table vibrate.
The past years when he had been disappointed and dejected by the weak power that Successor Hae Mi-jun bestowed upon him were completely forgotten.
* * *
4 hours earlier, the successors who entered this stage space immediately had to furrow their brows at the scorching heat or cover their lower faces with their sleeves.
‘Difficulty D-rank monster Ogre. Ghosts from folklore who suffer eternally in burning hunger inside their bellies. The place where those who committed great sins in life remain is precisely……’
Hell, where fire masses that exist even inside the ogres’ throats burn the horizon bright red endlessly from all directions.
The ogres crane their gaunt necks and look at the successors all at once. To those starving creatures, the existence of humans overflowing with vitality appeared as the only food, the crystallization of desires they couldn’t forget even in death.
The crimson scene also glittered in the eyes of Myo Cho-hui, who was weak against fire due to her Wood attribute.
Ma Cheon-ah, who was free from the flames sizzling on the ground due to her Fire attribute, somewhat hastily drew a circle with her weapon, a butcher’s cleaver.
Swoosh—! A hideous ogre nearby was cut down. Blackened flesh and bones scattered.
Mindless fire demons gathered densely like clouds. It was the beginning of a chaotic battle.
In the bloody battle at the beginning of the strategy, which was like being swallowed whole by a pit of fire, what are the qualities of a healer?
First, distribute heal skills with limited uses so that no comrade falls.
Second, preserve one’s own body in the process.
Hae Mi-jun knew these two things precisely, as if he had learned them from someone in advance.
And he implemented them.
Screech—! Gaunt things with only protruding bellies in naked form thrust their hands wildly. Even in the critical situation, facing the terrible unfamiliar scene, Hae Mi-jun didn’t collapse or scream.
He just raised his staff high.
Hae Mi-jun being torn apart and eaten by ogres didn’t happen. Gurrr—. A spirit in the form of a dragon wrapped around and protected Hae Mi-jun at that moment.
A dragon familiar that boasted the size and majesty of an actual dragon, overturning the ground. Hae Mi-jun knew that Jin Seol-woon was a support-type tanker who fought while prioritizing protecting healers.
Jin Seol-woon sent his familiar behind and extracted Hae Mi-jun who was at the precisely predicted position. Even after successfully rescuing the healer, he was bewildered.
‘I’ve never coordinated with that kid, so how did he trust that a distant tanker would protect him?’
Hae Mi-jun’s action would have been impossible without knowing how well Jin Seol-woon covered his rear comrades.
Also, even though the sensation of a huge dragon familiar wrapping around him would be dizzying, he didn’t show even a hint of it. Anyone experiencing it for the first time would normally be terrified by the feeling of being buried in the ground.
Hae Mi-jun was a different type of healer from Ja Hyeong-woo.
Ja Hyeong-woo had orthodox injury treatment skills, and despite being a healer, debuff skills that contributed to combat by cursing monsters.
On the other hand, Hae Mi-jun possessed skills focused on stamina recovery and status abnormality relief. Poison neutralization was included. Like how he had erased the ugly-colored injury marks remaining on Jin Seol-woon’s arm before.
Certainly, compared to Ja Hyeong-woo, his water ability operation, skill efficiency, frequency…… everything was inferior. But even so, there was value.
Especially in low-difficulty dungeons where comrades barely got injured. His stamina recovery skills advanced the strategy completion by considerable time.
“……”
Woo Sae-geon’s mind worked busily. Thanks to the appearance of a new type of healer, the possible combinations in strategy team formation increased.
He recalled when he had agonized over the team for Stage 26.
‘This time, for the first time, I tried to form a bold formation using only some attributes.’
It wasn’t that Woo Sae-geon had never thought of composing strategy teams with only one or two attributes to match monster characteristics.
However, even though it was visible that forming teams according to compatibility could be advantageous, the reasons he didn’t execute it were: first, he still didn’t completely trust the monster preliminary information provided by gates.
Second, he didn’t believe that younger comrades would fight well without variables.
Therefore, he had only insisted on the safe ‘four-direction 4-attribute formation’ with all attributes evenly present, which was easiest to handle no matter what happened.
Then this time, he formed a team excluding Water attribute for the first time, and although he reluctantly returned to the existing method due to Ja Hyeong-woo’s strong opposition—.
That very guy collapsed, so he ended up bringing in Hae Mi-jun without planning. In the chaotic situation, Woo Sae-geon’s nerves had actually reached their peak before starting the strategy.
But this kid did something.
The last-place member of the Twelve Zodiac, Hae Mi-jun who couldn’t find any talent—his success. If there was a secret, wouldn’t it be just one thing?
The struggle of watching the past 25 stage strategy videos until they wore out, sweating alone.
“I had no expectations.”
It was when they were passing through the exit looking like they’d weathered a storm. Woo Sae-geon, who alone maintained perfect attire without any dishevelment, recited words like a monologue without even looking toward Hae Mi-jun.
“Whether you’d give a proper heal even once, whether you’d avoid an ogre even once with your own power, I didn’t expect it. Actually…… I regretted it. Right after crossing the entrance and seeing the fire hell. ‘I gave permission for nothing.'”
Hae Mi-jun walked following him with his head bowed as if he had committed a crime.
“I made the wrong choice then, looking only at your eyes. Taking someone I’d never brought on a single practice to a stage, what happened to my head.”
Woo Sae-geon lightly exhaled through his nose before uttering his next words.
“What changed that wrong choice into the right choice was your effort.”
Words that would ring in Hae Mi-jun’s ears for a long time.
“Good work.”
One word of praise from the stern eldest brother was more overwhelming than all the successors, no, all the hyungs and noonas combined.
But he didn’t cry. Hae Mi-jun held back the tears welling up in his large eyes and smiled broadly.
Still, the praise Hae Mi-jun wanted most, the praise that could make his heart race the most, could only come from one person in his heart.
A few hours ago, at the moment when Ja Hyeong-woo collapsed on screen, Hae Mi-jun at home had jumped up in surprise.
What should I do, is he hurt? Just when he was stamping his feet in worry, his phone buzzed and startled him even more.
It was a call that came right after Ja Hyeong-woo collapsed.
“Ga, Gang-hyeon hyung. Ja Hyeong-woo-nim!”
[“Yeah. I know too, I saw.”]
What Gang-hyeon hyung said quietly next was shock itself to Hae Mi-jun.
[“You take his place.”]
In the early original work, Ja Hyeong-woo stubbornly pushes through intense training despite everyone’s attempts to stop him, creating an episode where he faints from overwork. Just like now.
In the original story, Sa Ye-ho would participate instead, but Gyeon Gang-hyeon changed the flow based on original information.
It could be said that Gyeon Gang-hyeon had been training Hae Mi-jun all this time for this situation.
“Ho, how can I? I lack ability compared to Ja Hyeong-woo-nim. I can’t do it, I won’t be able to……”
Gyeon Gang-hyeon quietly listened to the tearful words that showed no confidence, then gently persuaded Hae Mi-jun.
[“You can do it, Hae Mi-jun. You know why?”]
Because Gang-hyeon hyung taught me? Hae Mi-jun asked.
[“No, not because I taught you. Because you’re someone who accomplishes things.”]
It really worked out as he said. Hae Mi-jun did it.
However, Hae Mi-jun denies just one thing among Gyeon Gang-hyeon’s statements.
‘It’s right that hyung taught me. The mindset, belief in myself. Hyung created it all.’
Meanwhile, Ja Hyeong-woo, who had collapsed and fallen into deep sleep, woke up 13 hours later.
As soon as he came to his senses, his head spun. He had shown an unseemly sight in front of the successors, in a place where broadcasts were transmitted. He had caused trouble for others.
Ja Hyeong-woo kicked off his blanket and got up, burying his forehead in his palm in regret.
What happened to Stage 26 immediately?
But the news awaiting Ja Hyeong-woo was unexpected good news……
As soon as Ja Hyeong-woo heard the stage news, he immediately called Hae Mi-jun.
“I owe you a debt. Thank you.”
“N, not at all…… Are you feeling alright?”
“Yes. Thanks to you.”
Hae Mi-jun was at a loss and felt honored.
Though the time he received teachings wasn’t long, Ja Hyeong-woo was Hae Mi-jun’s teacher. A very strict teacher who was stingy with praise. It was the first time seeing Ja Hyeong-woo with such gentle eyes.
But Ja Hyeong-woo, gathering his hair that had fallen on his shoulders and tying it up, soon had sharp eyes.
“It seems like you’ve greatly improved your abilities in a short time, but saying congratulations would be rude. It must be entirely the result of your hard work.”
At the question Ja Hyeong-woo asked next, Hae Mi-jun froze up.
“You’ve changed both in ability and mentally. May I ask how you trained to improve this much?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
