Solo Leveling

Part 4. Rank B Kahng Tae-Sik

Kahng Tae-Sik felt like someone had hit him in the back of his head.

A b*stard that displayed the movement equal to his own speed, which was unmatched within the rank B, introduced himself as a measly rank E just now.

Is he trying to make fun of me?

Kahng Tae-Sik gnashed his teeth.

No, hang on.

Indeed, there was something odd here.

If hes really a high-rank Hunter, there is no reason for him to be here, isnt it?

The jobs these bottom-feeder Association Hunters did were quite obvious. Their main role was to clear those Gates that Guilds and freelancers gave up on because of their low monetary values.

Their earnings were pathetically small compared to other Hunters, and they were not widely acknowledged by other Hunters, either. In other words, there was a very good chance that this b*stard really was an E-rank.

Only that, his abilities were anything but.

Still, a fake registrant wouldnt brazenly work under the Association like this, so

Kahng Tae-Sik eventually arrived at the only logical conclusion.

.Hes a Re-Awakened.

When he thought about it, he remembered the upper echelons of the Association getting a bit noisier with a rumour of someone going through a Re-Awakening somewhere nearby this location.

And, that person was supposedly a Hunter affiliated with the Association.

He shouldve memorised that name back then.

As that matter happened only a couple of weeks ago, if this b*stard had been delaying getting a re-assignment test for some reason until now, it was very much possible for him to remain as an E-rank and assist the Association with their work.

Who couldve guessed that such a guy would show up today?

Kahng Tae-Sik had made sure to perform thorough background checks on the Hunters participating in todays raid, but he had missed the existence of this one.

I really have terrible luck, dont I?

Thats the only conclusion he could arrive at.

I shouldve asked for more money, if things turned out this way.

Kahng Tae-Sik recalled the events of a few days ago while licking his dried lips.

***

A few days ago.

A cafe near the headquarters of the Association.

Kahng Tae-Sik asked the moment he settled down in his seat.

What business do you have with me?

The middle-aged man sitting his opposite side seemed rather haggard for some reason.

He said that hes an owner of some company, didnt he?

Kahng Tae-Sik definitely did not know who this man was. However, he still decided to free up some time after this man continued to call him on the phone, sounding quite desperate and all.

The middle-aged man muttered as if he was speaking to himself.

Ive heard that no one knows what happens exactly inside dungeons.

The mans voice was so soft that Kahng Tae-Sik had to ask again.

What did you say?

This is every cent I have in my name.

The man suddenly presented his bank account book.

Kahng Tae-Sik alternated his gaze between the book and the mans face, before confirming the bank balance printed on the books pages.

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There was a substantial amount of 2,000,000,000 printed there.

And why are you showing me this?

When Kahng Tae-Sik formed a questioning expression, the middle-aged mans head dropped lower.

Among the criminals youre in charge of, there is one who had hurt my little girl. Because of that, she took her own life, and my wife is still in the hospital from the shock.

The middle-aged mans voice became tearful.

Yet, such a b*stard will be able to roam the streets again in a few years time. You think Ill be able to rest easy knowing that?

The man raised his sorrow and rage-filled face.

Im sure you can already tell what Im implying here.

The man lowered his head again.

I beg of you, Hunter-nim!!

A deafening silence descended between these two men.

Kahng Tae-Sik leaned against the back of his chair and fell into a deep contemplation.

Only after a long while passed by did he open his mouth again.

Can you guess why I chose to work for the Associations Monitoring Division?

Pardon me?

The middle-aged man raised his head.

Kahng Tae-Sik explained himself.

As a B-rank Hunter, Im considered as one of the higher ranked Hunters. Large Guilds continue to send their scouting offers in my direction all the time. Yet, can you guess why I persist in doing this job while getting a pittance in return?

I I dont know.

The corners of Kahng Tae-Siks lips arched up.

You see, I I find it more enjoyable to fight against people rather than monsters.

In that sense, the Monitoring Division was like the heaven-sent job for Kahng Tae-Sik.

Well, he could beat up other Hunters in the name of the law, after all. And hed end up killing one or two due to unavoidable circumstances, too.

Due to unavoidable circumstances.. Eh.

Kahng Tae-Sik inwardly smiled and spoke.

Stepping on that insect you told me about isnt going to be difficult at all. However, there will be other Hunters inside the dungeon besides the insect, as well. I might view that b*stard as an insect, but will other Hunters think that way, I wonder?

The middle-aged man formed a disappointed expression after hearing Kahng Tae-Siks rather pessimistic-sounding words.

And here he was, thinking that hed finally get to avenge the death of his little girl. It felt like the heavens were crashing down on top of him.

However, Kahng Tae-Sik formed a sinister smile as if to mock the other man.

This money, plus one billion Won on top of that, to deal with the other Hunters as well. Can you do it?

However, if a Re-Awakened Hunter was among those other Hunters, then the amount of 3 billion Won was not quite enough. Well, his own life was on the line, after all.

The self-proclaimed rank E Hunter was still emitting a sharp, observant air even now. He looked as if hed seize any slight opening there was.

Kahng Tae-Sik swallowed his saliva.

I cant take him lightly.

Kahng Tae-Sik was confident of winning here. He had never lost a single one-on-one fight even before he underwent the Awakening process.

However, even though he could win, it would not be an easy victory at all.

Right now, he had to revise his plans ever so slightly.

With a nice timing, the rank E Hunters asked a question.

Those convicts Why did you kill them?

The father of a girl who was raped by those b*stards came to ask me for the favour. Those b*stards were animals worthy of getting killed. And I simply took care of animals that hurt other people, that was all.

The rank E Hunter was listening without saying anything. It seemed quite likely that talking might work here. Kahng Tae-Sik went straight to persuading the other man.

Although the matter had come down to this, I dont wish to hurt you. How about ignoring todays matter altogether? As long as we make this deal here, I promise I wont try anything to you and your group.

Of course, he couldnt let a potential source of trouble fester.

That was why Kahng Tae-Sik was thinking. There was a chance that a head-on fight would result in him getting badly injured, so hed get out of here first, wait for an opportune moment, and dispose of all the witnesses one at the time.

However, the rank E Hunter snorted derisively.

You shouldve said those things before you tried your little tricks. You want us to ignore everything just because you failed your sneak attack?

That man didnt say anything wrong there.

Kahng Tae-Sik smirked in dumbfoundedness.

In the end, you want to have a go, is that it?

Well, in that case, hed have to go all out, then.

The light shimmering in Kahng Tae-Siks eyes became colder. His sharp glare quickly swept across the rank E Hunter top to bottom. And his forehead creased up for a second.

Where did he get his dagger from?

Since before he had noticed it, the E-rank Hunter was holding a dagger.

Well It shouldnt be too important, is it?

It didnt matter where that weapon came from, indeed. Whats important here, though, was the type of the weapon.

Kahng Tae-Siks quickly concluded his assessment.

The class that used daggers and utilised quick movements; his opponent was a super-close type damage dealer.

Most likely, his speciality was assassination.

What a coincidence that their specialities happened to be the same.

However, this guy only underwent his Re-Awakening not too long ago. The difference in experience should be absolutely massive. He might not even be able to properly utilise the skills at his disposal.

Let me teach you a thing or two as your senior.

Kahng Tae-Sik extracted a knife from his hips and smirked derisively at the rank E Hunter.

Can you do something like this?

And then, Kahng Tae-Sik activated his Stealth skill, thereby disappearing from the spot.

That caused the rank E Hunter to get flustered and he hurriedly looked around his vicinity. Kahng Tae-Sik could see his naked panic and confusion quite clearly.

But, thats so obvious.

The Stealth skill didnt only make ones body go transparent.

The body, the sound, and even the smell!

The skill that cloaked everything about the person activating it!

That was the Stealth skill in a nutshell.

There were only a handful of assassin-type Hunters who could use this skill in the entire world.

Utterly unrelated to ones ranks, you just had to be a lucky few who unlocked this skill when going through the Awakening process.

Lets end this in one hit!

Kahng Tae-Sik swiftly moved to the rear of the E-rank Hunter. His back was wide open, unguarded.

This is the end.

He was expecting to engage in a bitter battle, but it turned out to be a rather simple fight in the end. If the opponent was getting ready to counter the Stealth skill, then itd not be this easy at all.

As expected, the difference in experience decided the victor today.

Die!

Kang Tae-Siks knife aimed at the spot just below the E-rank Hunters ribs and powerfully stabbed forward.

However!!

Clang!!

Two daggers collided in the air and sparks flew off.

With his Stealth skill deactivated, one could now see Kahng Tae-Siks wide open eyes.

What?! But how!!

The E-rank Hunters dagger had accurately blocked off his own dagger.

Unable to hide his shock, Kahng Tae-Sik raised his eyes and looked up at the E-rank Hunters face.

And that Hunter opened his mouth with a totally unimpressed face.

Oh, so now you decide to pop up.

Wha-what did you say?

Unable to understand the words of this rank E Hunter, Kahng Tae-Sik suddenly felt this inexplicable fear in his heart.

Tti-ring!

[Emergency Quest: Kill all the enemies!]

There are lifeforms holding murderous intentions towards the Player. Kill them all in order to secure your own safety. If you do not follow this instruction, a corresponding penalty will be given.

The number of enemies left to kill: 1

The number of killed enemies: 0

Jin-Woo confirmed the Emergency Quest message and breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasnt a waste of time.

He was kinda worried, that if Kahng Tae-Sik didnt take the initiative, Jin-Woo wouldnt receive the Emergency Quest notification. It was quite unlike how it was with Hwang Dong-Seok and his gang back then.

That was why he tested the System out, and it was as he expected.

The moment Kahng Tae-Sik revealed his murderous intent, the message popped up.

He wasnt just mindlessly chatting with the guy, or revealing his panic, or showing off openings for nothing until now.

I really didnt know he could use Stealth, though.

Actually, when Kahng Tae-Sik did disappear in front of his eyes, Jin-Woo was slightly taken aback.

Well, Stealth was a pretty rare skill, after all.

But, when he concentrated a bit harder, he easily and accurately sensed Kahng Tae-Siks every movement. So much so that he could close his eyes and still find his target with no problem.

This was the effect of his enhanced Perception Stat.

He continued to invest on this Stat just so he could tell whether he should fight or flight, but today, he learned of a new use for it.

I got lucky.

Thanks to that, Kahng Tae-Sik was getting shocked out of his mind as if he had seen the ghosts of his ancestors.

But, how?!

And now, when Jin-Woo takes care of this murdering b*stard, hed be able to enjoy the quests delicious rewards.

If Im going to fight anyway, then I might as well get everything Im supposed to, no?V/\\IssT n0(v)eL/b(i)(n)./ for the b/est novel reading experi/en/ce

It was his turn now.

From now on, hed start attacking for real.

The two daggers locked in a deadly embrace continued to push against each other.

It seemed that their strength was about the same.

It was here when Jin-Woos eyes gleamed dangerously.

In that case, should I find an opening somewhere else?

Jin-Woos leg moved in an instant, and he stomped on Kahng Tae-Siks foot.

STOMP!!

Uwaahk?!

< Chapter 32 > Fin.