Chapter 6 – I Am a Porter, Though.
—
Screeeech.
Screeeech.
The sound of heavy luggage dragging across the ground.
“What, what the heck is all that!?”
“Insane. What kind of equipment is… how much does that even weigh?”
“Must be over 150 kg… Man, I wish I could Awaken too.”
The murmurs of the surrounding citizens.
And then.
【Wow! The buildings are so tall! Look at that. A horseless carriage is moving around!】
Prill’s voice echoed in my ears.
“Prill. You’re making my head spin. Could you be quiet for a bit?”
【But it’s amazing!】
“Sigh.”
They said Prill’s voice could only be heard by me.
Likewise, only I, the contractor, could see her form.
【I can show myself if you want! It’ll take some of my power, but I can make it happen! Should I?】
“No.”
In fact, if she were visible, I’d have to tell her to hide.
The existence of spirits is extremely rare, so I didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention by revealing her.
There was already enough attention on me as it was.
Screeeech.
I strained once more, dragging the pile of luggage.
With all the equipment of five Hunters, it was bound to be heavy.
‘I really need a Spatial Ring, seriously.’
I’ve heard there’s an item that allows you to use spatial storage.
If I had one, I wouldn’t have to go through this kind of hell.
‘Of course, it’s an item that costs tens of millions, so it’s not something I can even dream of getting right now….’
But I will definitely get it someday.
The Spatial Ring.
Still, if there’s any silver lining, it’s that I’m already making the most of what I can gain at the moment.
‘It was a good thing I trained consistently.’
Although I had no choice but to live as a porter, I’ve been diligently following a training routine that could smack even the average Hunter in the face with a machine gun.
It’s tough, but at least I’m capable of hauling this luggage.
And now, I can even use mana.
‘My body doesn’t break down anymore.’
Right now, even if I circulate mana, my body only gets moderately enhanced without any strain.
Even by using an excessive amount of mana, I’ve become much stronger than usual.
‘Of course, my mana is recovering really quickly right now too….’
“Overcharged Mana” was still in effect.
My mana was recovering at an incredible speed.
But, there’s no problem.
Because now, I had a way to deal with it.
‘Authority: One Punch.’
By using this skill, I could release all the mana in my body.
And with tremendous destructive power, too.
‘I won’t have to suffer from excess mana anymore.’
That’s not all.
I’m also saying goodbye to the past, when I could only be a porter even after Awakening.
Now, I could utilize my mana.
I could become a proper “Hunter.”
So.
‘Revenge!’
Finally.
After ten years since my parents’ deaths.
I was finally taking my first step towards revenge.
Screeeech.
Screeeech.
Like that, I headed to the Ironclad Faction’s headquarters.
Dragging the luggage, imagining the future.
‘Yeah. First, I’ll start with the Ironclad bastards.’
I organized my thoughts.
The first thing to do was to leave the Ironclad Faction.
Legally, it wouldn’t be a difficult thing to do.
However.
‘Those guys won’t let me go that easily.’
I was planning to take a hefty severance pay, so there would definitely be trouble.
‘…Alright. Let’s do it that way.’
There’s no problem.
Now that the restrictions of “Overcharged Mana” were gone, I had plenty of cards to play.
***
Thud!
“What… What is all this!?”
In front of Lee Se-han, the Ironclad Faction’s Supply Officer, I threw down the pile of luggage and backpack.
“What else? It’s the result of this 8th Team’s dungeon exploration.”
“…Explain yourself.”
He demanded an explanation, frowning deeply.
Well, the loot was quite abundant this time, unlike the usual dungeon explorations, so I understood his reaction.
“The Mercenary Hunter we brought along turned out to be a Red Hunter. Thanks to her, everyone else died.”
“How did you survive?”
“I was lucky. They fought amongst themselves and ended up annihilating each other.”
“…Hmm.”
I slightly altered the scenario.
It would’ve been too complicated to explain everything that happened.
And I wasn’t obligated to give a detailed report to this guy.
“Anyway, as per the Hunter Law, you know that I’m entitled to half of the equipment I brought back, right?”
“Well, technically, that’s true, but…”
“I’ve recorded all the equipment here, so make sure to give me my share.”
I just needed to secure my own gains.
“Wait a moment.”
Of course, it wasn’t that easy.
“You mean only a porter survived in the dungeon… This matter seems quite serious, so I’ll keep these items for now.”
“What does that mean?”
“Just go for now. I’ll make sure your share is set aside.”
Lee Se-han waved his hand dismissively.
It was clearly a gesture to shoo me away.
“Oh, I’ll handle the report to the higher-ups, so just take a break.”
Acting like he’s being generous, but he’s planning to gobble it all up by himself.
If I report this to the higher-ups, he wouldn’t be able to skim off the top, so he’s trying to block me in advance.
【Wow! Thug tactics are amazing!】
“Yeah, this guy’s definitely a thug.”
It wasn’t surprising anymore.
I chuckled and spoke.
“You know, I was going to let it slide when you siphoned off the Lamia’s heart, but at this rate, I don’t think I can overlook it.”
“Heh heh. What are you talking about? I have no idea.”
Oh, really now?
Looks like he’s decided to just play dumb.
“I’m in a good mood, so if this case is handled properly, I was planning not to make an issue out of it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? A porter like you? Shut up and get out!”
“But your greed is a bit too much.”
“What!? You punk, what kind of attitude─”
I quietly looked at the fuming Lee Se-han.
Normally, even if he acted like this, I would have no choice but to back down.
That’s just where I stood.
A mere porter.
Even if I had evidence of his corruption, exposing it would likely hurt me more than it would harm him.
I would end up suffering more consequences than the losses he’d incur.
‘That’s why I didn’t make it public and only used it as leverage.’
But.
Would that still be the case now?
‘I’m now a proper 3-star Hunter.’
Given the status a 3-star Hunter holds within the Ironclad Faction, I could easily handle someone like Lee Se-han without using any weak points against him.
Just then, Lee Se-han’s tone softened ever so slightly.
“Hey, um… porter!”
“It’s Kim Yujin.”
“Y-yes! Kim Yujin.”
Had he sensed something ominous because I remained completely unshaken despite his outburst?
Well, his intuition wasn’t bad.
“So, um, that Mana Suppressant? You need it, right? I’ll give it to you for 30. Just do as I say.”
Seeing how he’d suddenly switched from yelling at a mere porter to offering a carrot.
Unfortunately for him, it’s a no-go.
That carrot was no longer something I needed.
‘The Mana Suppressant.’
The only means of suppressing the excessive, runaway mana caused by “Overcharged Mana.”
…was.
That’s right. It’s in the past tense now.
Now that I had the skill “Authority: One Punch,” it was a useless item.
“About that.”
“Yeah! The price went up recently, but I’m giving it to you cheap because it’s you. Got it?”
Of course, I knew.
The price hike itself was one of this guy’s schemes.
“I don’t need it anymore.”
“What!?”
“So, I suggest you drop your greed.”
Lee Se-han’s face turned incredulous.
“Are you out of your mind, punk? What are you relying on to act so cocky?”
“My ability.”
With my current ability, excluding the “Authority: One Punch” skill and Prill, I was at the level of a 3-star Hunter.
Thanks to resolving the side effects of “Overcharged Mana,” I had regained my original capabilities.
And I had no intention of hiding that power.
‘This wasn’t exactly how I planned to reveal it, but this isn’t bad either.’
Step, step.
I moved forward, closing the distance to Lee Se-han.
Then.
Sling-
Thunk.
“Wh-what the hell are you doing─”
“Stay still. I’m not good at handling swords yet, so I might end up cutting you by mistake.”
I pressed the Everfrost Sword against his neck.
“D-do you think you’ll get away with this?”
Shaking in fear from the sudden turn of events, his voice trembled.
My answer was simple.
“Yes.”
Sorry, but I’ve already calculated it all.
Given the current state of the Ironclad Faction and my objective abilities.
Plus, considering what Lee Se-han had done.
Now, I could get away with something like this.
【Wow! Are you gonna kill the thug? You’re more fiery than I thought!】
“I’m not going to kill him.”
Although it was a response to Prill, Lee Se-han seemed relieved to hear it.
“Y-yeah! You won’t be able to kill me anyway, so stop this meaningless thr─”
Thud!
Instead, I punched him square in the mouth.
I didn’t use mana or any skills.
Even though he was Awakened, his stats were no different from a non-Awakened person’s, thanks to his lack of training.
If I had used mana, he really might have died.
“Ugh, urghh.”
Lee Se-han groaned, clutching his bleeding mouth.
【Wow! Can’t you hit him more? This is so interesting!】
“…Is this your first time seeing someone get hit?”
【Yup!!!】
Prill babbled excitedly, her voice trembling with excitement.
Well, it’s probably thrilling to see something like this after ten thousand years.
But I loosened my fists and released the tension from my body.
【Huh? Why’d you stop?】
“Just because.”
I was originally planning to beat him up a little more, but seeing Prill make such a fuss made me lose interest.
It felt like I had become a clown performing for her.
【Aw…】
Besides, there was no need to hit him anymore.
Lee Se-han had already lost his will to fight…
“Hmm? What’s going on here?”
A new character had arrived.
“Ti-hahii!”
Lee Se-han crawled over and clung to the newcomer’s pant leg.
“Hmm.”
With his tall stature, angular face, and a solid body reminiscent of a boulder, the man was unmistakably a Hunter.
This was Yong Tae-soo, the leader of Hunter Team 1 and effectively the second-in-command of the Ironclad Faction.
“Grrgheghah hihahghsa!”
Lee Se-han pointed at me and shouted something incomprehensible.
I couldn’t understand a word of it, but…
【That bastard is saying, ‘He’s trying to start an insurrection!’ That’s what he means.】
I looked at Prill with astonished eyes.
Did she understand that?
【Ahem! Of course! I don’t hear sound; I read intent, remember?】
She placed her hands on her waist and lifted her chin proudly.
‘So, can we communicate like this?’
【Of course we can!】
‘Oh.’
I was relieved that I wouldn’t look like a lunatic talking to her like this.
“It seems the supply officer isn’t in a state to explain the situation properly. You’ll have to do it. Which team are you from?”
At that moment, Yong Tae-soo turned his gaze to me and asked.
“I’m the porter for Team 8.”
“…Porter?”
Yong Tae-soo’s expression turned to one of surprise.
He must have assumed I was a Hunter.
“Surprising. Did you do this?”
He gestured towards Lee Se-han’s now swollen face.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“He tried to bypass the reporting process and seize what rightfully belonged to me.”
“Mm-mm mphh!”
“You stay quiet.”
Yong Tae-soo silenced Lee Se-han with a single command.
Good.
There were rumours that the two didn’t get along, and it seemed they were true.
“I’m going to need a bit more of an explanation. You, come with me to my office.”
Yong Tae-soo ordered me to follow him to his office without warning.
‘Hmm… This wasn’t part of the plan.’
Meeting Yong Tae-soo here was unexpected.
I had originally planned to go to the Human Resources Officer first.
‘If I had brought up the Red Hunter issue, the negotiations would’ve gone much smoother.’
The Human Resources Officer was in charge of managing the mercenaries, and the fact that the tattooed woman who joined our party as a mercenary turned out to be a Red Hunter would have been a weak point for him.
That way, I would have held most of the cards in the negotiation.
‘I would have been recognized as a 3-star Hunter instead of just a porter.’
It’s a pity.
But it’s not a bad outcome.
‘It’s a hurdle I have to overcome anyway.’
I’d have to report to Yong Tae-soo about this incident eventually, whether it was now or later.
After all, he was in charge of overseeing all the Hunters within the Ironclad Faction.
‘Let’s think positively.’
Although I’d be reporting as a porter, not as a Hunter, it wouldn’t make much difference in the end.
I’d heard that despite Yong Tae-soo’s aggressive demeanour, he was quite fair.
So, I followed Yong Tae-soo to his office.
“Hello, Sir!”
“Have you had dinner yet?”
“C-crazy bastard. Don’t ask him questions!”
“Hmm.”
“S-sorry, sir!”
Everyone we passed on our way bowed their heads to us.
Well, they were bowing to Yong Tae-soo, but since I was walking right behind him, it felt like they were bowing to me too.
‘Is this what it means to borrow someone’s power and influence?’
It didn’t feel bad.
Like that, we arrived at the office of the Team Leader of Hunter Team 1.
【What the… I was expecting more, but there’s nothing here!】
As Prill said, the office was simple.
All it had was a desk, a sofa, and a bookshelf filled with documents.
It was a space that could be described as the epitome of minimalism.
“Sit.”
I sat on the sofa as he gestured.
Then.
Click.
‘Huh?’
Yong Tae-soo locked the door.
“What…?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
He turned around slowly.
The overwhelming presence of a massive boulder seemed to crush down on me.
“You’re not really a porter.”
“…Excuse me?”
“A guy with that much mana is a porter? At least lie with some effort.”
“Wait─”
Before I could say that there seemed to be some misunderstanding, Yong Tae-soo’s words cut me off.
“So let’s hear why a Hunter would pretend to be a porter.”
Why did he have to approach me with such an intimidating look if he just wanted to hear my story?
“Stop! I really am a porter!”
Yes, I’m Awakened. And yes, I will soon become a Hunter…
But I really am a porter right now!
That’s the absolute truth.
But no matter how I looked at it, Yong Tae-soo didn’t seem like he was going to believe me.
“Still lying, huh? Let’s see if you can still say that after taking a beating.”
Swoosh—
He raised his leg and slammed it down towards me.
Crack!
‘…Phew.’
I barely managed to dodge out of the way.
The sofa, which looked quite expensive, was split clean in two.
【Yujin! Are you going to fight!?】
Just as Prill said.
There was no avoiding it anymore.
In that case, I’d have to change my plan.
‘I have to fight.’
I lowered my stance and took a combat position.
And Yong Tae-soo…
“Heh heh heh. Yes, that’s more like it!”
He laughed maniacally and threw a punch at me.
Whoosh—!
I faced the punch head-on.
‘It’s fast! But….’
I quickly assessed the situation.
‘I can handle it.’
—
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