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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Harvesting the G-Rank Rift
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Early in the morning, Yeon Sung-hun stepped out of the house.
The rift he was scheduled to explore today was located in Gangwon-do.
After taking an express bus and riding for quite some time, he arrived at the rift he'd applied for in advance.
Unlike usual, none of the other raid members were there.
All three were still suffering from the side effects.
According to Yeon Sung-hun's calculations, the side effects should have been wearing off by now, but things hadn't gone quite as planned.
'Guess the side effects hit harder because the potion's effects were stronger than expected.'
In truth, it was more likely the mental shock from losing one of their comrades.
Losing a teammate in a rift had been a first for everyone in Park's Raid Team.
Yeon Sung-hun had shaken it off quickly, but he was the exceptional case.
In reality, plenty of hunters quit after the death of a comrade.
As Yeon Sung-hun waited alone in front of the rift, someone approached him.
Deep dark circles stood out in stark contrast to his neat suit.
His complexion suggested he hadn't slept in days.
The official in charge of this rift was, surprisingly, a familiar face.
"I'm Na Seong-sil from the Hunter Association's Rift Management Division. Please take care of..."
Na Seong-sil, who had been reciting mechanically, seemed to recognize him as well.
The two men stared blankly at each other, mouths agape.
"...We meet again."
"...Yes, we do."
A brief exchange of greetings was followed by silence between them.
It was entirely the fault of some other Association official's botched preliminary investigation, but Na Seong-sil was still the rift manager who'd presided over the one where a comrade had died.
It wasn't his fault, but he was still the hunter who'd lost a teammate in a rift under his watch.
It was a relationship that couldn't help but feel awkward for both sides.
After a not-so-short silence, Yeon Sung-hun spoke first.
"You're not usually in charge around here, are you?"
"I got demoted after the last incident."
"...That's a shame."
There was no need to explain what "the last incident" meant.
Feeling sorry for him, Yeon Sung-hun clicked his tongue briefly.
In fact, Na Seong-sil's handling of the situation back then had been exemplary.
Once the rift closed due to the hidden clear condition, there wasn't much anyone outside could do, yet he'd taken the optimal steps available: reporting to the Association, mobilizing nearby hunters, and rushing in potions in case Park's Raid Team emerged alive.
Wasn't it thanks to those potions that Yeon Sung-hun and the others, suffering from injuries and side effects, had stabilized so quickly?
Setting aside his role as an Association official, Yeon Sung-hun harbored no real resentment toward Na Seong-sil personally.
If anything, he felt more gratitude.
Na Seong-sil's expression softened as he responded to Yeon Sung-hun's words of comfort.
"It was only natural. I did slack off that day, after all."
"Doesn't every other Association employee do the same? 'Sloppy, half-assed.' I thought that was the Association's motto."
"I get how you usually see us. And well, it's not wrong."
Na Seong-sil gave a wry smile and glanced around.
"Where are your other comrades?"
"It's just me today."
"Hm. I heard your rank went up after the last incident."
"You know about that too?"
"It was my responsibility, after all. I kept tabs on the follow-up."
Na Seong-sil smiled wryly again and fell silent for a moment.
Seeing that he seemed to have something to say, Yeon Sung-hun waited quietly for him to speak.
"...My apologies are very late, but I'm truly sorry about your comrade. I regret it deeply."
Yeon Sung-hun let out a small sound of admiration as Na Seong-sil bowed deeply.
He watched the man bow for a moment before speaking.
"It's fine. Please, stand up."
Only then did Na Seong-sil straighten up, letting out a short sigh.
"...It would've been nice if your other comrades were here too. What a pity."
"I'll pass it on. It wasn't your fault to begin with."
"Still sorry is still sorry."
Yeon Sung-hun smiled faintly at Na Seong-sil's calm words.
His opinion of the man was steadily improving.
"I hope nothing like last time happens today. You can't afford another demotion."
"No lower spots to demote me to anyway... But I double-checked this time, so no worries."
"That's a relief, then."
Yeon Sung-hun chuckled softly and soon entered the rift alone.
The rift Yeon Sung-hun was exploring today was G-rank.
The lowest grade.
The rewards were meager, but he didn't mind much.
He was alone today, unlike usual, and above all, his goal wasn't monster hunting—it was something else.
A dim, cave-like rift.
He proceeded relying solely on the faint light of his flashlight.
The interior matched the Association's preliminary report closely enough.
The monsters that appeared were slimes.
The rift's difficulty was extremely low, but Yeon Sung-hun's pace was agonizingly slow.
That was because he prioritized gathering materials over clearing the rift.
"Oh, this grows here too."
He hummed a tune as he carefully harvested a clump of moss from a rock crevice.
Low-rank rifts like this that other hunters wouldn't bother with were a treasure trove for him.
He'd deliberately chosen this remote rift at the foot of a Gangwon-do mountain instead of something near Seoul, and it was paying off.
A good amount of time had passed since he began exploring the rift, and his backpack was now stuffed with all sorts of materials.
"Should've bought an item bag first instead of potions."
He'd gone to the trouble of making special potions with his money and time, but the rift had turned out far easier than expected.
Had the last rift incident made him too cautious?
He shook his head at the sudden thought.
"No need to overtense, but can't get too complacent either."
He had no intention of getting arrogant for no reason.
This was a rift.
With no telling what might happen at any moment, carelessness was as good as death.
And so he scraped together every material he found in the cave as he advanced.
Before long, his backpack wasn't just full—it was on the verge of bursting.
Regretting the lack of an item bag once more, Yeon Sung-hun reached the end of the cave, the rift's final point.
What awaited him there was a massive bear.
"A bear in a cave. How classic."
I wonder if it diligently ate ginseng and garlic.
With a somewhat casual thought, he drew not his sword, but a hunter rifle.
"..."
He quietly aimed at the bear, which hadn't noticed him yet.
And then.
Bang—!
With a short gunshot, the bullet cleanly pierced its forehead.
Yeon Sung-hun grinned.
"The world's a wonderful place. Weapons like this exist."
Guns were weapons that didn't exist in the world where Faust had lived.
In that world, magic abounded, and people who could wield mana were everywhere, so there was no need for something like guns.
"Efficiency-wise, these are overwhelmingly superior."
Magic had the edge in raw firepower, of course, but in terms of efficiency, guns dominated.
A weapon that could kill with one pull of the trigger.
"If these had existed during the continental wars, things would've changed a lot."
His old friend in particular would've gone wild over them.
That comrade, who'd been through numerous large and small wars, had a special interest in weaponry like this.
Recalling his old friend for a moment, he soon began cleanup.
The monster corpses would be handled later by Association or corporate specialists, but Yeon Sung-hun had no intention of leaving everything to them.
He slowly approached the fallen bear.
And plunged his sword into the center of its hide.
Hot blood that hadn't cooled yet spurted out.
Ignoring the gushing blood entirely, he rummaged through the bear's corpse.
No, it was more like full disassembly.
Blood splattered a lot due to his unfamiliar body compared to his past life, but he still demonstrated fairly decent butchering skills.
After a time that wasn't too short or too long, Yeon Sung-hun looked satisfied at what he'd harvested from the bear's body.
This was more than enough success for the rift.
He would've liked to collect some of the bear's blood too, but with his backpack at capacity, there was nothing for it.
Having safely completed the solo rift exploration, Yeon Sung-hun exited.
"...Wh-why are you so late?!"
Yeon Sung-hun hurriedly covered his ears at Na Seong-sil's outburst.
"Do you even know how much time has passed?! I thought another accident happened and I was so worried! So worried!"
He could only give an awkward smile at the echoing voice.
Too focused on gathering, he hadn't realized quite so much time had passed.
A quick glance showed the sun already dipping low.
A G-rank lowest-grade rift did take a fair bit of time to explore, to be fair.
'Yeah, that's understandable to worry about.'
Feeling guilty for no reason, Yeon Sung-hun was about to apologize when Na Seong-sil suddenly covered his eyes.
"...Are you crying?"
"I'm not!"
"You are."
"I'm not crying!"
Yeon Sung-hun quietly shut his mouth at Na Seong-sil's shrill yell.
He fully understood the man's mood.
Those inside the rift might be fine, but what about those waiting outside?
Especially so soon after the last incident.
A thirty-something guy with heavy dark circles bawling his eyes out wasn't a pretty sight, but pretending not to notice was the polite thing, right?
Quietly pleased with how much more mature he seemed compared to his past life, he patiently waited for Na Seong-sil to compose himself.
It didn't take long for Na Seong-sil to calm down.
As he took a deep breath to steady his emotions, Yeon Sung-hun quietly asked,
"Want some tissue?"
"...I'm fine. Sorry for the unsightly display."
"No, it's okay. People get emotional sometimes. Especially after what happened last time—I totally get it."
"...Thank you."
Na Seong-sil bowed his head quietly and then looked steadily at Yeon Sung-hun.
And freaked out again.
"What the hell is that look?! That blood?! Don't tell me something really did happen...!"
"Ah, it's not my blood. Don't panic."
"...Was there a fierce battle?"
"Well... I just did a little butchering."
"...Butchering?"
Yeon Sung-hun nodded sheepishly at the flustered question.
"Yes, butchering."
"...Why would Hunter Yeon Sung-hun do that?"
"Just kinda happened."
Yeon Sung-hun smiled awkwardly and fell silent.
Na Seong-sil didn't seem fully convinced but nodded in acceptance anyway, since he wasn't about to explain further.
"I recommend washing up before you head back. Others might get startled."
"Yes, thank you for the consideration."
"No problem... Anyway, good work on this rift exploration."
"You too, Deputy..."
"Deputy."
"Yes, good work, Deputy."
The two men lightly bowed to each other.
Having safely finished the rift exploration, they didn't part ways immediately.
"So, Deputy Na, you'll be in charge of this area from now on?"
"Yes. Seems that way."
"It's pretty remote—don't hunters avoid it?"
"It's only been a few days, but yes. Application rates are much lower than in the capital area. We're utilizing Association hunters as much as possible, but..."
Even that was tough given the Hunter Association's chronic manpower shortage.
Yeon Sung-hun quietly asked as Na Seong-sil trailed off.
"In that case, mind if I help out a bit?"
"...You, a hunter, helping?"
Yeon Sung-hun grinned at the puzzled response.
"Yes, I'll help. Higher-grade rifts get all the demand, while low-grade ones sit ignored, right? I'll take responsibility for those."
"...Low-grade means low income, though. Any other reason?"
Na Seong-sil eyed him suspiciously, trying to gauge any hidden motives instead of jumping at the offer.
Yeon Sung-hun didn't lose his smile at the attitude.
"Who knows. But that's not the point, is it? The point is you lose nothing from it."
"...Insider dealing is grounds for heavy discipline."
"No issue, right? I'm just clearing rifts others skip. You just handle the necessary admin."
"...That much I can approve on my own."
Yeon Sung-hun continued as Na Seong-sil hesitated quietly.
"If you're unsure, you can run it by your boss."
"...Well, if that's the case."
Was it too much for him to decide alone?
Mentioning the boss immediately softened Na Seong-sil's reaction.
"Please take care of it."
"...The way you say it, it sounds like I'm taking a bribe."
"Should I slip you something?"
Na Seong-sil waved his hands at the joking remark.
"Do that and I'll really get fired this time."
"Aren't Association officials iron rice bowls? Always short-staffed."
"Thinking about it, I could probably take a bribe or two and keep my job."
Na Seong-sil smiled wryly and said he'd report positively to his superior.
Expressing his thanks, Yeon Sung-hun finally parted ways with him.
"This should smooth out rift applications for a while."
With the official's help, no pointless red tape.
He could even tackle multiple rifts in a day.
Within his stamina limits, of course—but today's G-rank run gave him confidence.
'Several a day? No problem.'
Material supply wouldn't be an issue for the foreseeable future.
No more buying trash potions to reprocess.
Feeling one step closer to his goal, he smiled quietly.
And so, Yeon Sung-hun steadily moved forward for the future today as well.
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