After parting with Kim Chun-sik, someone came up beside Jeong Hyeon-su.
“Hello. I am reporter Kang Mi-na from the Daehan Ilbo. You are Hunter Jeong Hyeon-su… correct?”
She was a reporter with an impressive hime cut, and she held out her business card.
Her face was familiar. She was a journalist of outstanding appearance who went around looking for sensational articles and drew crowds wherever she went.
“Yes, that is correct.”
“I was truly impressed by your performance on HunterNet. Would it be possible to have a brief interview?”
Kang Mi-na met Jeong Hyeon-su’s eyes and smiled softly.
She possessed a beauty that had probably made many men weep, but to Jeong Hyeon-su, she was merely an irritating reporter.
“No. I am rather busy.”
At that, Kang Mi-na’s eyes flashed.
“Hunter Jeong Hyeon-su, the public is showing great interest in your future moves. Could you say just a few words about that? The promising prospects who climbed the Tower with you have already begun clearing Gates.”
With Garam having produced Jeong Hyeon-su so decisively, and with Songgwang, which had suffered a humiliating disgrace, at the forefront, major articles about the activities of promising rookies were currently pouring out.
“Hunter Chae Mu-hyeon of Songgwang has already begun clearing a D-Rank Gate. Is there any reason you have not entered a Gate yet?”
“Yes. My ability is lacking.”
“Surely not. You are the one who defeated Ling Wehao.”
Kang Mi-na’s eyes flashed.
“I heard from an official that you applied to clear Palbongsan Gate with the Association today. Is that true?”
That was the reason she had come looking for Jeong Hyeon-su.
“At a time when expectations are rising, is it really true that you are going to Palbongsan?”
In many ways, it was material that could draw attention.
It was not a move that a rookie under ordinary attention would make.
“Yes, well. I did.”
“Why?”
“Does a Hunter need a reason to clear a Gate?”
It was the orthodox answer. However, it was not the answer Kang Mi-na wanted.
“Are you saying there really is no special reason?”
“Yes, well.”
“Then is there a set clear schedule from Garam? Including the selection of personnel?”
Jeong Hyeon-su smiled faintly and replied, “I am going alone.”
Kang Mi-na’s eyes widened.
No matter how F-Rank it was, a Gate was still a Gate.
In the current Hunter market, the norm was to form a clear party, and the extent of one’s performance within it would be distributed and announced as contribution scores.
“You are attempting a solo clear? Of that Palbongsan Gate?”
She had wondered if that might be the case, and it was a scoop.
“Then are you saying you intend to take on the same challenge that Alexander and Association President Seon Woo-hyeon once attempted?”
“Let us stop here.”
Jeong Hyeon-su cut her off firmly and drew a line.
Under normal circumstances, Kang Mi-na would have crossed that line and dug deeper, but in that moment, an inexplicable sense of discomfort forced her to stop her coverage.
Just like that, Jeong Hyeon-su disappeared into the crowd.
Wearing a tracksuit and three-striped slippers, among several people in similar outfits walking along the street.
***
A great deal of information gathered on HunterNet. There was no choice but for interest in the Hunter world, which now led society, to be high. In particular, interest in Jeong Hyeon-su, who could be considered the hottest topic in South Korea, was extremely intense.
However, even after several days passed, there was no particular follow-up report.
News had emerged that other rookies had also entered Gates, yet there was no mention of Jeong Hyeon-su. Naturally, the discussion could only burn in many ways.
└Was it not just a fluke after all?
└He got lucky, and now he is scared he will be exposed. Ah, Jeong Hyeon-su’s grades and reputation at Cradle have all been revealed now. Ha ha ha.
Negative public opinion had recently begun raising its head.
People had hoped for the birth of a rising star, but when they looked at the known record of his conduct, there were clearly parts that did not make sense.
There were questions about why Jeong Hyeon-su’s ability, which had crawled along the bottom at Cradle, had suddenly skyrocketed.
— If it was really his own ability, he should keep being active. Who does not row when the tide comes in?
— Was he just lucky?
└ Then how do you explain Ling Wehao? Are you going to call that luck too? Ha ha ha.
On HunterNet, the public opinion attacking Jeong Hyeon-su and the stance defending him were engaged in sharp exchanges.
— No, then clear a Gate properly like Chae Mu-hyeon did.
Amid another complicated argument that day, it happened.
— Breaking news) Jeong Hyeon-su update just dropped!
[Jeong Hyeon-su of Garam, Who Wrote an SSS-Rank Miracle! Applies to Clear ‘F’-Rank Palbongsan Dungeon!]
People flocked to the link someone had left in the comments.
— What? He is entering an F-Rank?
— He must be seriously scared. Ha ha ha. F-Rank? Ha ha ha.
— Still, to make it look somewhat presentable, he is going to Palbongsan, which is said to be the hardest among F-Ranks. Ha ha ha. The other kids are already hovering near D-Rank, so what is he doing? Ha ha ha.
— Does Garam really have that little talent? Ha ha ha. Is he even their real son?
└You idiot. Ha ha ha. It is because they cherish their son that they are wrapping him in a safe clear party and sending him to an F-Rank.
At first, mocking comments poured in one after another.
Yet.
— Do these bastards not have eyes? Did you not read the article? It says he is going solo, you idiots.
For a moment, silence fell around the best comment that shot to the top in an instant.
Then came the explosive reaction.
— Wow, this is insane. Ha ha ha. He is attempting a solo clear?
— He has lost his mind. Ha ha ha. Declaring a solo clear of Palbongsan Gate? Where did all those pathetic Songgwang-paid bastards who said he was hiding because he was scared go?
— Alexander, prepare yourself. Ha ha ha.
└What about the Association President?
└└He is Korean like us. Ha ha ha.
— Those middle-aged old-timers used to brag so much that they saw Seon Woo-hyeon and Alexander as rookies in person, but now they are finished. Ha ha ha.
At his declaration of a solo clear, which was practically an open charge straight ahead, the public went wild once again.
In particular, Jeong Hyeon-su’s move to challenge the path once taken by Alexander and Seon Woo-hyeon, who had written legendary myths, stimulated people all the more because his results so far were better than theirs.
— Damn it, where is Garam stock?
— This is the bottom! I am going to spend all my money and buy it. Ha ha ha.
A few sharp-witted people immediately predicted a rise in Garam’s stock and jumped into the stock market.
— Wh-what? Garam is not even listed?
└Yeah, it is the only privately held guild among the Ten Great Guilds. Ha ha ha.
Unfortunately, Garam was a giant guild that had never applied for an IPO on the stock market.
***
After returning from his brief outing, Jeong Hyeon-su immediately began training.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
In the clash with Ling Wehao, he had felt it deep in his bones. The training of his vessel was far too lacking.
It was an area that could not be achieved all at once.
In some sense, increasing mana and obtaining high-level skills might be possible. But making them his own, and molding them in the direction he desired, ultimately required years of effort piled upon effort.
To further increase the intensity of adaptation, Jeong Hyeon-su was holding and swinging a training greatsword as large as his torso.
Swing the heaviest weapon faster than anyone else.
According to his theory, there could be no destructive power greater than that.
His entire body was drenched in sweat, and not only that, but the sweat had pooled on the ground.
Even so, Jeong Hyeon-su did not stop swinging.
It was also important to determine how much the power of the Heavenly Tyrant Ghost King Art had increased based on Tyrant Heaven Energy.
After all, only by constantly checking his own highest and lowest points could he respond optimally in actual combat.
BANG!
The training dummy split cleanly in half. This time, it was a result produced by pure physical strength, without Tyrant Heaven Energy.
After briefly stopping the training that had swept through like a storm, Jeong Hyeon-su immediately sat down cross-legged.
In a state where he had wrung out all his strength, he handled an opposing martial art while resting and recovering.
The Black Heaven Return-to-Origin Art.
It was a martial art of erasure based on the power of nothingness.
If mastered, it became an ability close to a supernatural power that neutralized an opponent’s strength. It was also a martial art with tremendous effectiveness against mages in particular.
When he focused his mind and raised the Black Heaven Return-to-Origin Art, a black haze began rising little by little from his palm.
The key was the control needed to adjust this energy with extreme precision.
Concentrating his remaining mental strength, Jeong Hyeon-su shaped the black energy into a circle in his palm, then made it into geometric forms and released it forward.
BOOM!
The flames of the magic circle illuminating the training hall disappeared.
‘No wonder Seon Woo-hyeon feared us.’
It was truly a power that could be called a hard counter to mages. And now, he had obtained the Black Heaven Return-to-Origin Art.
Garam would not disappear as it had before, so he very much looked forward to seeing what expression Seon Woo-hyeon would make.
Then it happened.
“You have arrived.”
“You said you hated media exposure so much, yet what exactly are you trying to do?”
“I only dislike going on broadcasts and babbling. I believe I was being fairly filial to you, Father.”
His declaration of a solo clear would naturally increase Garam’s value and bring it attention. That much was certain.
“Our work has increased. In particular, the Publicity Team cannot leave work, thanks to someone.”
“You are going to treat them well with monetary therapy anyway, are you not, Father?”
Jeong Cheol silently stared at his son, who was joking lightly.
“You have already realized nothingness.”
There was surprise in his voice.
Even if it was not the true essence of the Black Heaven Return-to-Origin Art, understanding the direction it pursued through nothing but the oral formula in a single Secret Manual was a shocking feat.
For Jeong Hyeon-su himself, this was also a martial art he was encountering for the first time. However, the experience and insight of having staked his life on martial arts and glimpsed the end of them greatly helped him interpret the difficult Black Heaven Return-to-Origin Art.
“I was lucky.”
“It is not something to dismiss as luck. Your achievement is indeed at an extraordinary level.”
For Jeong Cheol, it was also something that eased one of his worries.
“I respected your will and applied for a one-person clear, but you must never overdo it. I only hope that you can carry your own weight as a person. I do not want you to become a proud hero.”
“Yes.”
Jeong Hyeon-su listened closely to Jeong Cheol’s words.
He roughly agreed with his father’s words. Though he had no intention of following that will.
“Keep this in mind. You must not overdo it.”
As a Hunter, danger always had to be accepted. But in the end, a parent’s heart could not be helped.
“Yes.”
“If anything happens, fire a rescue signal.”
“Yes, well.”
With Jeong Cheol’s instructions, time flowed on again.
During that time, perhaps because she had felt something in the Tower, Jeong Hyeon-a lived each day faithfully.
When they crossed paths, she was still awkward, but she no longer ignored him completely as she had before.
“Have a safe… trip.”
PANT! PANT!
Leaving behind Jeong Hyeon-a’s farewell, Jeong Hyeon-su headed straight for Hongcheon.
“He has arrived!”
The moment he moved through the magic circle, flashing lights burst forth.
“Hunter Jeong Hyeon-su! Please look this way once!”
“You declared a solo clear of Palbongsan Gate today. Is that true?”
“Could you tell us your specific plan?”
“You have recently become the man who sold out tracksuits and three-striped slippers. Please tell us how you feel!”
“Is your purpose to follow exactly in the footsteps of Alexander and Seon Woo-hyeon?”
“According to the records, the clear party that entered two days ago has not returned. Yet you are still going in alone?”
At the countless questions hurled at him, Jeong Hyeon-su merely smiled.
“One thing is certain. Palbongsan Gate will disappear today.”
Then he immediately vanished beyond the Gate.