The F-rank Hunter Who Turned Into a Golem Is Overpowered Chapter 13

Chapter 13

At the same time that Do-jae called for a truck.

Choi Woo-seok’s shop was filled with the sound of music.

~”I’m tired now, honey. I’ve grown tired of waiting, honey.”~

Once again, Choi Woo-seok hummed as he checked over his shop.

Recently, he had been enjoying every single day.

“Heh, business has been so good lately that there’s no time for dust to settle.”

When he first entered this business, there were times when he spent more time swatting flies than making sales.

But thanks to his friendly demeanor, like a neighborhood uncle, and his flexibility with trust and honesty, he managed to establish strong roots in this industry.

Especially as of late, his business had been booming, and a smile rarely left his face.

• Cryma’s Tears
• Troll’s Blood
• Black Wolf Fang
• Wraith’s Cloth

…….

“Check, check, check… heh, how much is all of this worth?”

Choi Woo-seok, holding a stack of papers, was busy checking inventory.

His store also served as a warehouse, so it wasn’t a small place by any means.

With shelves reaching the ceiling, nearly 30 large refrigerators, and seven enormous tanks filled with unknown contents on display, the space was complex and shrinking by the day.

In fact, a new employee once nearly got lost within it after working there for only a few days.

His store, which handled both wholesale and retail, could be seen as a warehouse-style shop.

‘[News Summary 14. Starting with today’s headlines.]’

Beep-.

Beep beep beep-.

During the more idle days, he always kept a 24-hour news channel running.

Although he didn’t have time to watch TV now, his ears were still tuned to the news out of habit.

[The first story today. On the 13th, a massive dungeon break in Japan resulted in over 4,300 casualties, with the number expected to rise as the tally continues. This dungeon break is recorded as the 12th largest in history, with a destructive force…]

“Oh dear, this isn’t entirely something to be happy about.”

Choi Woo-seok paused his humming.

As dungeons increased, so did the volume of transactions.

This was great for those involved in intermediary trading and logistics like him, but it also meant that hunters were dying daily and many civilians were being sacrificed.

Ding-a-ling.

The shop door chimed with a clear sound.

Choi Woo-seok waved happily at the face he saw entering.

“Oh, Do-jae! It’s been a while!”

***********

Clatter!

Beep beep beep beep-.

“Back up! Back up! That’s good!”

Clunk.

“Wow… what is all this?”

“Please help me for a bit.”

“Sure, sure. Just a moment.”

Choi Woo-seok hurried somewhere.

Shortly after, a forklift was attached to the back of the truck.

Then he climbed onto the truck with Do-jae and began unloading the cargo.

“Is all this loot? Wait a sec. I’ll need to get more pallets.”

After filling one pallet to the brim, it still wasn’t enough. With the piled-high pallet unloaded, Choi Woo-seok quickly moved the forklift to fetch another pallet.

Due to the loot’s variety in size and weight, it couldn’t be neatly stacked.

One pallet wasn’t enough to even remove half of the cargo.

“Still, you organized it pretty well by type. Sorting it will be easy.”

It took five fully loaded pallets before the unloading was finally finished.

Do-jae paid the driver the remainder of the fare, then stretched his back.

“Thank you for your help.”

“No problem. I’m used to this kind of work. Want a coffee? I can make iced.”

“Really?”

“Hehe, I recently bought a new machine.”

Do-jae looked at Choi Woo-seok in surprise, his face soon breaking into a sly smile.

“Oh?”

“What’s with that look?”

“Even frugal Mr. Choi has splurged on an expensive appliance, huh?”

“What? You, of all people, calling me frugal is the funniest thing.”

“Haha, just kidding.”

“And by the way, it wasn’t that expensive! I bought it with card discounts and on an interest-free installment plan.”

“I know, let’s go have that coffee then.”

Do-jae placed his hands on Choi Woo-seok’s shoulders and pushed him toward the office.

Choi Woo-seok was just an ordinary human. He had no chance against Do-jae’s strength.

***************

Drip.

Tap tap.

Gurgle gurgle.

“Here.”

“Wait, Mr. Choi, your iced coffee is instant coffee?”

Do-jae looked into the paper cup.

It was half-filled with hot coffee and topped with four pieces of ice, creating a perfectly balanced mix.

“I told you I got a new one.”

Choi Woo-seok proudly glanced at the ice-water dispenser.

It had a sleek design and was quite large.

Choi Woo-seok said it wasn’t expensive, but this was something he couldn’t have dreamed of buying in the past.

“I thought you meant you bought a coffee machine.”

“You must not know much. That thing costs more than most personal coffee machines.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, kid. And besides, I love this instant coffee. It’s sweet, and how can you beat that? The golden mix, man, the golden mix!”

“Yeah… that’s true.”

Choi Woo-seok gulped down the iced coffee in one go.

He then smiled in satisfaction.

Creak. Creak-

“But you’re looking good these days.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Your skin looks better, and you’ve gained some weight too.”

“Really?”

Do-jae hadn’t noticed, but Choi Woo-seok’s observation was true.

Ever since Do-jae acquired the Golem’s heart, his body had improved rapidly.

Not only had his skin become clearer, it now even had a glow to it, and his muscles had become more defined, making his frame slightly bigger.

Choi Woo-seok mistakenly thought he had simply gained weight.

Regardless, he looked far healthier than in the past when he often skipped meals or lived off instant ramen.

“But where did you get all of these things?”

“Where else? I got them myself.”

“Seriously?”

Choi Woo-seok gave him a suspicious look.

Do-jae realized what Choi Woo-seok was thinking.

“Boss, you know I’m not that kind of person, right?”

“I know, but I had to ask.”

Do-jae had always brought in random items with little value, and his earnings were never great.

Still, Choi Woo-seok admired Do-jae for saving up steadily and even taking care of his younger brother.

But when Do-jae disappeared for a month or two and then suddenly came back with high-value items, how could he not be suspicious?

“Actually, boss…”

Do-jae hesitated as he began to speak.

Choi Woo-seok was someone he could trust.

Do-jae thought it would be okay to tell him about the powers he had gained and his situation.

However…

“Stop right there.”

“Huh? What?”

“Unless you got that stuff through illegal means, don’t tell me.”

“Why? I thought it would be okay to tell you.”

“That’s precisely the point. It seems like you’ve gone through some major changes, but things like that are meant to be shared with someone who loves you. What if you tell me and I stab you in the back later?”

“Come on, boss, would you really do that?”

“You never know with people. I want to stay a good person in your eyes.”

Do-jae clamped his mouth shut.

Choi Woo-seok was indeed a good person.

If he learned Do-jae’s secret, it might lead to unintended consequences.

Secrets are always tempting to reveal.

Choi Woo-seok didn’t want his long-standing, respectful relationship with the hardworking young man Do-jae to be ruined.

Also, from a more self-serving perspective, this conversation had likely earned him points with Do-jae, and with today’s volume of business, he stood to gain even more.

In short, holding back his curiosity would benefit him both personally and professionally.

“Understood.”

“Yeah, you’ve been around hunters long enough. Don’t go trusting people too easily.”

“And whose fault is that, boss? Oh, by the way, I think I’ll be able to bring my younger brother here soon.”

“That’s great news! You should bring him by here sometime.”

“Sure, I will. Anyway, I’ll head out now. Please make sure the payment goes through.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be generous with the price.”

Do-jae stood up from his seat.

He couldn’t keep a busy person tied down for long.

As he headed toward the front entrance, unlike when he came in…

Thump-thump.

The Golem’s heart began to beat wildly.

Sensing something, Do-jae started looking around.

“What’s up? You looking for something?”

Do-jae’s head turned as he searched the area.

Then his eyes locked onto something.

“Boss, where did you get that?”

One section of a shelf that reached all the way to the ceiling.

Hidden among other items was a half-sphere, a partially hidden orb.

Do-jae slowly approached and picked up the orb.

**************

Where do you think the real power in South Korea lies?

The Presidential Office?

The National Assembly?

Or maybe the Supreme Court?

All wrong.

On the surface, it seems like the president, members of parliament, and prosecutors hold great power, but the real power lies elsewhere.

It’s the Hunter Association.

Nowadays, even a stray dog on the street could tell you that fact.

In an era dominated by humans and monsters, hunters naturally became the centre of power.

And the group that forms the backbone of these hunters is the Hunter Association.

The direction in which the Hunter Association moves is the direction South Korea moves.

How can a group representing self-interest control a country?

Just create a government body.

By establishing an administrative agency that manages and oversees hunters, problem solved.

But the world isn’t that simple.

Various groups sprung up to keep the Hunter Association in check.

Political parties and civil organizations consisting solely of non-awakened people were established.

But of course, none of them grew large enough to challenge the Hunter Association or the Hunter Administration.

Those groups were too weak from the start, and any hint of growth was quickly stamped out.

In a world where power and magic dictate logic, who could stand against the Hunter Administration or the Hunter Association?

However, there is one organization that might be able to resist the Association.

That would be the Extermination Force.

The Monster Extermination Force under the Ministry of Defense.

In a world where wars with monsters never cease, the military evolved into this Extermination Force.

Now that conventional firearms like guns don’t pack the punch they used to, the military is filled with hunters, all under the pretext of national defense.

In particular, the old conscription system was discarded, and only hunters ranked E or higher were recruited, significantly reducing the number of personnel.

On the surface, it might seem like no one would want to join the Extermination Force.

Why not join a guild if your goal is monster hunting? Why become a government employee?

That’s why the Extermination Force chose extermination over dungeon raids.

Their primary mission is to exterminate the monsters from small-scale dungeon breaks across the country and reclaim lands from large-scale dungeon breaks worldwide.

This allowed the Extermination Force to expand its influence.

By acquiring loot from monsters and reclaiming lost territories for rental businesses, they achieved significant economic growth. They also gained public support by emphasizing their role in protecting the country from monsters.

And now…

Do-jae is preparing to take the entrance exam to join the Extermination Force.