Chapter 49
It wasn't that he hadn't heard it at all, he just hadn't paid much attention to it.
In fact, since it was quite recent, it was clearly lodged in his memory.
However, ridiculously, Lee Dong-ju, who could be considered the perpetrator, frowns and expresses doubt.
"What did you say?"
"What I said in the waiting room. Seems you don't remember."
Thanks to the clear mention of the location, Lee Dong-ju's face starts turning bright red.
"...!"
"No, before that, do you think you're in a position to question me right now?"
Lee Seong-jun's cold gaze turns to Lee Dong-ju's shoulder where red blood is flowing.
"An archer who can't draw a bowstring..."
The rookie sensation had forgotten, having always received preferential treatment within the guild.
Right now, this place is inside a raid gate.
Moreover, due to some unexpected variables, it has become more difficult than anticipated.
It meant that this had become a ruthless world where unnecessary things could be discarded at any time, even just to survive.
Lee Dong-ju himself, having become injured, could be expelled from the party at any time.
A sardonic smile spreads across Lee Seong-jun's lips.
"If you want to get out alive, you'd better think about future countermeasures."
Of course, he had no intention of discarding him right away, as it could cause unnecessary trouble after clearing the raid.
However, it was sufficiently effective in stopping Lee Dong-ju's useless words.
Lee Dong-ju, his face turning pale, can no longer shout like before.
"..."
Thanks to this, they were able to continue discussing future countermeasures as Lee Seong-jun intended.
"That's right, now is not the time to argue about who's right or wrong, but to put our heads together and think about future plans."
The situation seemed to be settling down naturally due to Kim Hye-young's persuasion.
However, Song Seung-jun's gaze was still fixed on Lee Seong-jun.
'...Interesting.'
It wasn't just because of his earlier impressive performances.
Before being hit by the surprise attack, Lee Seong-jun had detected the subtle presence of the dark elves and was preparing defenses.
Of course, if it had just been sharp intuition, he wouldn't have been this interested.
'His exact strength can't be gauged.'
Considering the skill he showed while hunting the dark elves just now, he's at least A+ rank.
'Thinking about his hidden abilities, he's an expert of S rank or higher.'
But this was merely speculation.
After the battle ended, he continued to observe, trying to gauge his exact capabilities, but all he could see was pitch-black darkness.
Had something like this ever happened before?
He could say with certainty that it never had.
When he first encountered his master, Yoon Min-su, he felt like he was facing an enormous sun, but it wasn't that he couldn't gauge him.
Naturally, curiosity arose.
'I wonder... just how much power he possesses.'
For now, there was no way to confirm his abilities, but there was no need to be disappointed.
In the upcoming battle with the boss monster, he won't be able to hide his skills.
Song Seung-jun, drawing an arc on his lips, takes his gaze off Lee Seong-jun.
"..."
However, Song Seung-jun wasn't the only one showing interest in Lee Seong-jun.
In Jung Yun-ho's case, he was displaying considerable wariness beyond mere interest.
'...This isn't something to just casually overlook.'
For now, it seems like they're joining forces, but what if the raid clearing is confirmed?
They'll immediately turn into competitors.
That's why he needs to make a clear judgment.
'Lee Seong-jun... Has an unexpected dark horse appeared besides Song Seung-jun?'
Jung Yun-ho, furrowing his brow, recalls the memory from just moments ago.
Although the speed was quite fast, he saw it clearly as he was focusing all his attention on the dark elf.
'It was definitely the martial art called Tanji-gong.'
He could be certain because it was a martial art frequently used by martial artists.
However, he could say that both the speed and power were different from the Tanji-gong he knew.
But that was as far as it went.
'In the end, the fact that it's Tanji-gong doesn't change.'
He had become somewhat oversensitive due to facing unexpected situations one after another, but thinking about it coolly, the technique he just used didn't seem all that impressive.
In the end, it doesn't go beyond the level of a substitute.
Eventually, a relaxed smile begins to spread across Jung Yun-ho's lips as he finishes his mental assessment of Lee Seong-jun.
* * *
In front of the raid gate.
Even though all the hunters who could be considered the competing athletes had entered the gate, the number of reporters hadn't decreased at all.
No, even more reporters were flocking in.
"This is huge."
"I heard this year's rookies were special, but I never thought all the masters of the 5 major guilds would come."
It wasn't just the reporters who were showing puzzled and bewildered looks.
Lee Ye-rin, the master of the Phoenix Guild, was also tilting her head.
"I didn't expect everyone to come in person."
Originally, in case of the slim chance of failure in clearing the gate, emergency personnel are deployed who can be immediately sent in.
However, most of the time, it's limited to dispatching high-ranking hunters from within the guild.
But today, guarding the entrance of the gate were the masters of each guild.
Lee Ye-rin's reaction was understandable given that this was truly unprecedented, but An Ho-won, the master of the Reaper Guild, snorts and answers.
"Still keeping that nasty habit of asking questions when you obviously know the reason, I see."
The rookies carrying the future of the 5 major guilds, and moreover, the hunters participating in this raid gate are talents that each guild has invested considerable effort in recruiting and nurturing.
From the perspective of a guild master leading the guild, it was only natural to have the greatest interest.
Rather, it would be strange if the guild masters didn't show up.
"It's not a given."
The gaze of Kim Dong-hyun from Radiant Star, who is wearing a sneer, briefly turns towards Oh Kyung-hyun, the master of the White Tiger Guild.
"To be honest, I thought you would definitely not attend, but this is unexpected."
"You're one to talk. I thought you'd be busy preparing excuses for the criminal case you're involved in, but it's surprising to see you here in person."
For a moment, Kim Dong-hyun's brow twitches.
"Preparing excuses? The correct expression would be rectifying misunderstandings, as it's all just a misunderstanding."
"Hahaha! That silver tongue of yours is still the same. If the opportunity arises later, I'll personally pluck it out for you."
The atmosphere was so tense that a fight could break out at any moment, but fortunately, Lee Ye-rin cut off the conversation between the two.
"I'm certainly curious too. I thought you wouldn't come in person since you deployed a mercenary instead of a rookie nurtured within the guild."
She thought he would naturally avoid the place, if only to save face.
Yet, Oh Kyung-hyun, the guild master, showed up in person.
"Well, unexpected circumstances led to using a mercenary, but with Radiant Star Guild reliably taking care of last place, what is there to worry about?"
It was a remark that dug up past shame. Normally, he would have kept silent and looked for an opportunity to counterattack.
But now, Kim Dong-hyun immediately opened his mouth.
"I won't deny it since there are results, but today will be different."
Moreover, a relaxed smile was blooming on Kim Dong-hyun's lips.
"In the case of Hunter Lee Dong-ju, he's a hunter nurtured through the data accumulated by our Radiant Star. Recently, he even underwent quite intensive training tailored to the environment of this raid gate."
Although it varied depending on individual capacity, this meant he was currently the best talent that Radiant Star could independently nurture.
"He's an excellent hunter who can't be compared to mere mercenaries who haven't received proper education."
Kim Dong-hyun's gaze, displaying strong confidence, turns to Oh Kyung-hyun sitting next to him.
"So, don't harbor any false hopes. It's better to just pray that Lee Seong-jun, representing the White Tiger Guild, comes out with all limbs intact without any accidents."
Oh Kyung-hyun's expression hardens.
However, he didn't utter sharp words like before.
This is because he knows that nothing will change by arguing with Kim Dong-hyun here.
'In the end, the results will speak for themselves.'
Of course, Oh Kyung-hyun didn't come to the gate entrance in person without any reason.
'At the time of the contract, Lee Seong-jun showed excessive confidence.'
But it didn't seem like arrogance at all.
It was because of his unwavering eyes and the aura that inadvertently flowed out.
'There's no way he could show such an attitude without any basis.'
There must be a valid reason.
'His combat ability itself is not much inferior compared to the rookies of most of the 5 major guilds.'
Although he hadn't received systematic training, he proved his ability by defeating the villain known as the Shadow Brother.
Of course, as mentioned before, the methods of fighting against people and hunting monsters are distinctly different.
'But considering the excessive confidence shown by Hunter Lee Seong-jun and the fact that he's a returnee...'
He could deduce the conclusion that he must have faced numerous monsters in another world.
Although he probably couldn't take first place as he himself had said, there was a very high probability that he could bring the 3rd place result that Oh Kyung-hyun of the White Tiger Guild had originally aimed for.
'If that's the case, there's no reason to avoid this place.'
Rather, it was an excellent opportunity to see that detestable Kim Dong-hyun's face crumple right before his eyes.
Imagining a satisfying future, Oh Kyung-hyun drew an arc on his lips and ignored Kim Dong-hyun's provocative words, naturally bringing silence to the area.
Of course, the psychological warfare between the guild masters wasn't over.
Rather, An Ho-won of Reaper's gaze was moving more busily than ever, continuing his calculations.
'There won't be any variables.'
Although the variable named Lee Seong-jun had appeared, considering the conversation between Radiant Star and White Tiger earlier and their reactions to it, there was a high probability that he possessed skills not much different from the information gathered beforehand.
'At best, 3rd or 4th place.'
This means he won't be able to join the competition for the top spots vying for 1st place.
In the end, there was only one that could be considered a competitor.
'...World (Nuri).'
Yoon Min-su, he wasn't paying the slightest attention to the conversations between the guild masters, maintaining a posture like a noble crane.
Moreover, there was always an air of composure on his face, as if he had already secured first place.
'But that composure won't last long.'
Song Seung-jun is a force within the existing calculations.
Therefore, he dared to be confident.
'Our Reaper will take first place in this raid gate.'
Yoon Min-su's disciple, Song Seung-jun, could be said to have excellent skills.
However, in the end, he's a knight who has to swing his sword straightforwardly from the front.
In a competition like a raid gate where contribution points need to be collected, he couldn't gain practical benefits.
In other words, Jung Yun-ho, who can approach stealthily as an assassin-type and deliver a fatal blow with one strike, can fight a practical battle collecting contribution points.
'Even if it's an environment where he can't deliver a fatal blow, it doesn't matter.'
The dagger Jung Yun-ho carried is a B-grade artifact, coated with none other than Arachne's poison.
As it's a lethal poison that can instantly kill even a B-grade monster, as long as he succeeds in landing an attack, he can obtain a considerable amount of contribution points.
'No matter how excellent skills one possesses... when it comes to contribution points in a raid gate, they won't be able to surpass the current Jung Yun-ho.'
An Ho-won, inwardly sneering, looked at the entrance of the raid gate in front of him with an expression full of expectation.