Damn Hunter Life 50

Damn Hunter Life Chapter 50

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[Hunter Association Official] Successor Leader Woo Sae-geon announces Stage 30 raid roster today at 7 PM

(30_Stage_Formation.jpg)

The raid members for this Stage 30 are Woo Sae-geon, Ja Hyeong-woo, Myo Cho-hui, Jin Seol-woon, and Gyeon Gang-hyeon.

Four core combat members who have achieved great success are surrounding one newcomer from all directions, with successor Gyeon Gang-hyeon being selected for the first time in the center.

As always, please believe in the successors’ potential and the leader’s decision, and we ask for your great support this time as well.

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<Successor Community – Analysis Board>

‘[Discussion Room] Stage 30 Raid Member Skill Charge Status’

/Welcome. This is a space to freely share opinions and discuss designated topics. Those who receive multiple reports or engage in conversations unrelated to the topic may be removed, so please be careful.

*Successor Skills

Woo Sae-geon: 4 out of 6 skills charged (2 expected to be fully charged)

Ja Hyeong-woo: 3 out of 5 heal skills charged (has advanced skills)

Myo Cho-hui: 3 out of 4 skills charged (none expected to be fully charged)

Jin Seol-woon: 2 out of 4 skills charged (none expected to be fully charged)

Gyeon Gang-hyeon: Not disclosed

<Chat>

―Skills are really scarce

―Not scarce, just somewhat poor ㅎㅎ

―This raid composition is: Ja Hyeong-woo and Jin Seol-woon cover Gyeon Gang-hyeon while Woo Sae-geon and Myo Cho-hui handle things themselves

―Just seems like they’re giving Gang-hyeon experiential learning

―Gang-hyeon’s skills are decent though, his attribute affinity seems high

―Then what’s the point, he’s a glass cannon

―Do they really need to use all four elites’ skills just to use Gang-hyeon…? Isn’t that a loss?

―What if something like the Busan Gate happens again? If the mains use all their skills now, there won’t be anything to use then

―You never know, Gang-hyeon might have quite a few skills

―Unless the old man’s gone senile, would he use a newcomer who’s been around less than a month?

―There’s a rumor Gang-hyeon escaped being a sunfish after awakening

―A 24-year-old being called an old man, typical successor community

―How can we help it when honorary retirement (written as retirement, read as expulsion) from Hunter School is at 24

―Is Gang-hyeon Stage 30’s hope?

―?

―Gang-hyeon?ㅋ That trash?ㅋ Drunk-hyeon?ㅋ

―Wow… Balance game difficulty maximum: Woo Sae-geon has gone senile vs hidden card Gang-hyeon

―ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

―ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

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In the silence, keyboard keycaps clicked as they were pressed and released repeatedly.

Woo Sae-geon was writing the final document to submit to the association today.

There was no document more useless and meaningless than raid planning documents. Once inside the stage, everything would inevitably unfold spontaneously.

Therefore, the sincerity Woo Sae-geon put into this differed from the reports submitted after raids. Copy-pasting sentences he’d written in Stage 5 planning documents for the seventh time, just changing names, was tedious.

He could submit it tomorrow morning, but he deliberately said he’d hand over documents today to keep association staff from going home. For that purpose, Woo Sae-geon himself wasn’t returning to his quarters until late at night.

The ‘Sa’ successor has teleported.

“…”

Woo Sae-geon’s hands didn’t stop. The irises in his sunken eye sockets glinted, reflecting the laptop’s blue light.

Soon only his pupils moved. First checking across the desk hidden by the laptop, then the sofa behind, before returning his gaze to its place.

He could tell where Sa Ye-ho was.

“Come out.”

The closest but invisible place – at Woo Sae-geon’s feet.

Sa Ye-ho waited in a crouch, hoping Woo Sae-geon would lower his head under the desk to discover his face, but the waist in the chair showed no sign of moving, only the consistent sound of keyboard typing. Sa Ye-ho made a tsk sound and uncurled from his crouch.

“Hyung, are you really taking Gang-hyeon?”

The reason Woo Sae-geon had been giving Gang-hyeon concentrated gate practice lately was that he had Gang-hyeon as his first choice among newcomers for the next stage.

He valued Gang-hyeon’s practical ability higher than Won Ha-ri’s. Wasn’t that natural? A middle schooler versus a 22-year-old adult.

And he’d already made the decision. The media report had gone out.

Leader Woo Sae-geon had theoretically recorded and memorized all the skills of other attribute successors that he couldn’t directly see or read, reaching the level of predicting which guy had charged which skills how many times without separately checking.

Even when surrounded by hundreds of monsters in stages, he gives instant instructions for others’ skills with split-second judgment.

Even if variables occur like other successors using unplanned skills in urgent situations, his judgment accommodates all irregularities. He leads raids to success.

No one could add opinions to Woo Sae-geon’s decisions. Because Woo Sae-geon didn’t allow it.

“Gang-hyeon will be too much for him.”

So Sa Ye-ho wasn’t raising objections. It was closer to simple concern.

“That bastard Gang-hyeon should have been running long ago. Even now it’s too late.”

Yet Sa Ye-ho’s sharp gaze didn’t soften.

Woo Sae-geon pressed send on the email and closed the laptop. Leaning his body long against the backrest, he crossed one leg over the other. Without looking down, his long legs skillfully avoided Sa Ye-ho’s body.

“Do you doubt me?”

Sa Ye-ho rested his chin in the hollow of his palm and deflected Woo Sae-geon’s fastball.

“Do you want to say that?”

At this, Woo Sae-geon maintained no reaction, then leaned his head back further.

“Right. I’m pushing him too hard.”

He won’t protect Gang-hyeon from life-threatening danger. Rather, he’ll expose him. This was the method Woo Sae-geon chose to crush the delinquent below his eye level.

“What if he gets traumatized?”

“That’s what I want.”

Woo Sae-geon lifted his head that had been leaning back. Now Sa Ye-ho’s face was visible beyond his legs.

“You can bring me Gang-hyeon stories. But pass on my stories moderately.”

Then Sa Ye-ho properly felt the ‘looking down’ feeling from Woo Sae-geon.

It wasn’t a matter of height difference from chair and floor, from space. It created a sense of height beyond that.

Looking up, Woo Sae-geon was above. His shadowed eyes emitted a fierce gleam.

“Aw, are you sulking?”

Sa Ye-ho grinned. Woo Sae-geon turned his head away.

* * *

Gates and stages that only allow successors have two absolute rules.

Once a successor enters a round, they cannot come out until the raid succeeds. In other words, mid-way team member substitution is impossible.
If the successors who entered are completely wiped out inside, confirming the raid success possibility as 0, the entire Hunter School collapses and the survival of all hunters cannot be guaranteed.

Stages were both the source for maintaining the space called Hunter School, and villains who held all hunters hostage while proposing dangerous games to successors.

Perhaps because of having gates with such dangerous penalties, Korea’s hunters were exceptionally strong. Thanks to this, Korea became a hunter powerhouse where even regular hunters borrowing successors’ power solved gates with nearly 99% perfection.

So what I’m trying to say is, the reality and cowardly logic of this world is that just about ten Twelve Zodiac successors are handling stages under the pretext of national dedication and honor.

‘Stages are the final gateway I must endure for my hunter pension.’

I’m about to appear before the public now. Though it’s still a few weeks away, I’m told I’ll be entering as a panel member starting from the next successor talk show.

I shook my head to clear my worries before the person sitting across from me through the screen found my appearance strange. I took a sip of tea that had no taste.

[“Which successor are you closest with?”]

He said let’s have tea. What is this, school life counseling? Manager Park Yoon-seok asked me this and that with a gently smiling face. Mostly stories about my overall life. Whether I was training well, whether my friendships were smooth…

“I don’t have friends though?”

As soon as I said it, Sa Ye-ho came to mind, but it was too late to correct myself now so I decided to let it pass.

But Park Yoon-seok didn’t seem to believe it much. He smiled with wrinkles like dimples at the corners of his mouth.

[“What about successor Yang Pyo?”]

“Not a friend. He’s younger too.”

[“What about successor Hae Mi-jun?”]

“He’s also a younger brother.”

[“Successor Jin Seol-woon?”]

“We’re not close. And being with me isn’t good for Jin Seol-woon’s image.”

I was just stating facts, but why does this guy keep smiling? It’s uncomfortable.

“5 minutes left.”

True to my delinquent nature, I had declared before starting the conversation that I’d give Park Yoon-seok exactly 10 minutes to talk.

Park Yoon-seok nodded in understanding, then suddenly said something that felt rather abrupt for a main topic, but seriously.

[“Do you remember once saying this?”]

…What is he trying to say?

Park Yoon-seok completely set down his teacup. He leaned forward, coming closer to the screen.

[“I mention this now that you’ve awakened… Gang-hyeon, you suffered terribly when you failed awakening once. The world didn’t even know you were struggling so much and just blindly criticized. Not knowing that your drinking might have been to forget the pain. Back then, I felt sorry and asked to tell the world about Gang-hyeon’s pain, but you refused. …Do you remember that reason?”]

I frowned.

The situation Park Yoon-seok was talking about, judging by the timeframe, was before I possessed this body. In other words, a story I knew nothing about.

I also just learned that Gang-hyeon’s dependence on alcohol wasn’t due to mental problems.

Right, I don’t know. Why that suffering Gang-hyeon hid secrets, why he didn’t defend himself.

What would I do knowing such reasons?

But.

But…

A chill started from my fingertips and toes. Even in this warmly heated room. I recognized it only when I saw my trembling hands with my own eyes.

I know Gang-hyeon’s psychology. I shouldn’t know but I do. And it flows out of my mouth.

“Because if Ja Hyeong-woo found out, it wouldn’t be good.”

My stomach churned. I felt pain as if someone was squeezing my heart inside my ribcage. I raised my hand to clutch my chest.

[“…Gang-hyeon? Gang-hyeon!”]

My spinning vision returned at Park Yoon-seok’s shouting.

“Ah. No. I just felt strange…”