After completing a short hunt as a test of Lee Seon-hwa’s combat abilities, Seong-jun’s party exited the dungeon early.
“Wow! Hunting three B-rank Demon Warriors all by yourself! And you even tanked for us! That was incredible. I mean, I think I could manage it somehow if I had to, but honestly, if I took one clean hit, I’d probably be a goner.”
Lee Seon-hwa had hunted three Demon Warriors using only melee combat, without using a single skill.
What mattered most was that it wasn’t a desperate struggle; she had handled them with ease.
Furthermore, even as she took the Demon Warriors’ attacks with her entire body, she seemed to sustain almost no damage.
In fact, her HP had barely dropped.
Of course, Chang-su, who used incredible speed as a weapon, or Yuseon, who possessed powerful long-range attacks, could also handle three of them at once.
Seong-jun’s buffs were just that powerful.
However, even so, a single solid hit from a monster would have put them in a perilous situation.
Considering that, Lee Seon-hwa’s presence was extremely useful.
In the event of an unexpected situation, she would be able to cover three to five monsters on her own.
“For your first dungeon hunt, your combat sense is excellent. Your natural defense is outstanding too; you should be able to withstand attacks from most B-rank monsters. You’re going to be a huge help to us moving forward.”
Seong-jun also gave Lee Seon-hwa’s combat abilities a high score.
“I’m glad I can be of help. This was my first proper dungeon hunt, but maybe because I’m a Chimera, I didn’t feel particularly afraid of the monsters.”
Strictly speaking, her first battle had been against the Crimson Tiger on Jeju Island.
Even then, she had handled the Crimson Tiger with extreme proficiency.
Just moments ago, she had hunted as calmly and naturally as someone who had been a Hunter for a long time.
This was an ability gained from being merged with a monster; the monster’s instinctive combat senses had been applied to her.
Additionally, her feelings of fear and tension had been dulled.
“Anyway, I’m very satisfied with this test. We’ll start hunting in earnest tomorrow. We’ll aim to clear one dungeon per week, so it won’t be too grueling. Oh! And please give me a list of any equipment you need. I’ll make sure to get it for you as quickly as possible.”
Having confirmed that Lee Seon-hwa’s combat abilities were far better than expected, Seong-jun planned to actively utilize her in clearing B-rank dungeons.
In return, he intended to provide her with any equipment she needed and support her in any other areas where his help was required.
“I’ll do that. By the way, Ms. Yuseon? I need to change my clothes in the restroom. Could you bring the handbag I gave you earlier?”
Since she was still in her Chimera form, Lee Seon-hwa wanted to go to the restroom, transform back into a human, and get dressed.
However, in her current state, with her arms transformed into sharp blades, she couldn’t carry the bag containing her clothes, so she asked Yuseon to accompany her.
“Sure. But you’re older than me, right? You should speak comfortably to me.”
“I’ll do that once we get a bit closer.”
As Yuseon and Lee Seon-hwa headed toward the restroom, Gwang-taek looked at Seong-jun and asked, “But are you really going to accept her into the party? Her combat ability is certain, but we haven’t figured out if she’s trustworthy yet.”
Gwang-taek figured Seong-jun had his reasons, but he couldn’t help but feel a little worried.
“I don’t know about anything else, but she won’t betray us. It’s not that I trust her the way I trust you, Yuseon, or Chang-su; I trust her situation. Ms. Seon-hwa wants to continue her research, and for that, she absolutely needs my help. Plus, she needs our help to avoid any potential trackers. You should try trusting the situation instead of the person, just like I do. Who knows? Before you know it, she might actually become a reliable comrade.”
Seong-jun didn’t fully trust Lee Seon-hwa either.
Her Reliability had just entered the 40s, so what was there to trust?
He simply trusted the circumstances she was in.
She desperately wanted to see the end of her research, and for that, Seong-jun’s help was essential.
At the very least, she was effectively under his control until the research was finished.
Of course, he didn’t know what would happen once the research was over, but it didn’t seem like something that would be completed in a short amount of time.
He was confident that as long as he had enough time, he could increase her Affection Level as much as he wanted.
Just then, Seong-jun’s phone rang.
“Oh? It’s Brother Gyu-taek.”
Since the call was from Gyu-taek, Seong-jun answered with a puzzled expression.
“Yes, Brother Gyu-taek. What’s going on?”
— Seong-jun.
Where are you right now?
“Me? I’m at the hideout building we just bought. Why?”
When Seong-jun said he was at the hideout, Gyu-taek spoke in an urgent voice.
— Something has come up regarding your uncle.
I’m heading your way now, so wait just a bit.
At the mention of something happening to his uncle, Seong-jun’s expression hardened instantly.
“Regarding my uncle? What exactly happened?”
— I’ll tell you the details when I get there.
I’m on my way, so it won’t take long.
It seemed too complicated to explain over the phone, so Seong-jun agreed.
“Alright. I’ll be waiting on the first floor.”
When Seong-jun finished the call, Gwang-taek asked cautiously, “What is it? What happened? Did something happen to your uncle?”
“Judging by his voice, it sounds like something urgent. He said he’d tell me when we meet. I have a rough idea of what it might be, but I’ll have to hear the details first.”
He wasn’t certain, but Seong-jun had a suspicion.
“Then let’s go together.”
When Gwang-taek offered to go, Seong-jun shook his head.
“No. If my hunch is right, this is something I have to handle. I’ll go alone. I’ll let you know immediately if I need help.”
If his suspicion was correct, there was no need to involve the others.
To be precise, he didn’t want to involve them.
He might have to show a darker side of himself.
Seong-jun left the basement and headed to the first floor.
A short while later, Gyu-taek arrived at the hideout.
“Seong-jun!”
***
As soon as he stepped out of the car, Gyu-taek hurried toward Seong-jun.
“Brother. What do you mean something happened to my uncle? Is it… related to that man, Park Yoon-su?”
In the current situation, the only thing involving Gyu-taek that could be a problem for his uncle was something related to Park Yoon-su.
That’s why Seong-jun asked. Gyu-taek nodded.
“That’s right. You had a hunch. After we let Park Yoon-su go, I kept a secret eye on him. But as they say, old habits die hard, and he ended up setting foot in a gambling den again. So, as you suggested, I let his location slip to the loan sharks. But that’s where the problem started. Apparently, Park Yoon-su told the loan sharks he had a source of money and sold out your uncle. Now the loan sharks are on their way to find him.”
After hearing the summary of the situation from Gyu-taek, Seong-jun let out a sigh.
“Sigh, so it ends up like this. I gave him a final chance because I’ve known him since I was a kid, but I guess I was wrong to do that. They say once someone is addicted to gambling, they’ll sell out their parents and children; I guess a friend is no exception. Tsk. So, is that bastard Park Yoon-su with the loan sharks?”
He was someone Seong-jun had once followed and called “Uncle.”
He had also been close to Seong-jun’s actual uncle, Lee Seon-jae.
That was why Seong-jun had given him one last chance, even handing him money before sending him away.
Yet, he hadn’t just returned to gambling; he had even sold out Lee Seon-jae to loan sharks.
The only silver lining was that the loan sharks hadn’t reached his uncle yet.
“The loan sharks are in Seoul, and Park Yoon-su is being held separately in Incheon.”
“The bastards haven’t gone to see my uncle yet, right?”
“Not yet. But don’t worry. I’ve put our guys on it, so the loan sharks won’t be able to meet him. They’re highly skilled; they can easily handle a few thugs.”
The men Gyu-taek had stationed at Lee Seon-jae’s house were special hires for dealing with monster corpses and Mana Stones, and every one of them was former special forces.
Even against a gang, they would easily prevail, so what was there to fear from some low-life loan sharks?
“Thanks for looking out for him.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s only natural. Anyway, are you going to see Park Yoon-su right away?”
When asked if he was going to find the source of the trouble, Park Yoon-su, Seong-jun shook his head.
“No. The immediate problem isn’t Park Yoon-su; it’s the loan sharks. I should go find them. You know where they are, right?”
While it was true that Park Yoon-su was the root cause, he was currently locked up and couldn’t move.
The real problem was the loan sharks who were directly targeting his uncle.
Therefore, Seong-jun planned to visit them.
“I’ve already identified them. But unlike typical loan sharks, these guys are fairly large scale, so they have a fixed location. Their numbers will be significant. If I call the guys now, they can gather within 1 hour. It’s better if we go together.”
“It’s fine. It’ll just be noisy if we all swarm in there. I’ll go alone.”
Rather than causing a scene by bringing a crowd, Seong-jun decided it was better to go quietly and handle it himself.
“You’re going alone?”
“Why? I may be a Healer, but I’m still an A-rank Hunter. No matter how many there are, ordinary people can’t do anything to me. So don’t worry and just give me the loan sharks’ location.”
Even if one were only F-rank, the moment they awakened as a Hunter, they possessed several times the combat ability of an ordinary person.
Furthermore, Seong-jun was an A-rank who was nearly S-rank.
With his physical abilities alone, he could easily handle hundreds, even thousands, of ordinary people.
“I guess I’m worrying about nothing. Hold on a second.”
After telling Seong-jun to wait, Gyu-taek took out a piece of paper and wrote down an address.
“Here. It’s a three-story building, and the loan sharks use the whole thing. The boss is in the third-floor office. We’ve identified about fifty people, and since six of them left in a car, they’re likely headed to your uncle. Well, we’ll handle things on that end, so don’t worry.”
Taking the address from Gyu-taek, Seong-jun smiled.
“As expected, Brother Gyu-taek. You’re thorough. Then I’ll leave that to you and head over there.”
Finished, Seong-jun went to his car and drove to the address on the note.
***
It was a little after 3:00 PM.
After parking his car in a quiet spot, Seong-jun pulled his hood low and walked slowly.
A moment later.
‘Is this the place?’
He stopped in front of a three-story building located a short distance from the main road.
After re-checking the address, Seong-jun stepped inside.
*Thud, thud.*
Just as he entered the first floor, two burly men approached him with simple smiles.
“Oh, what brings you here? Looking to borrow some money?”
Seong-jun turned around without responding.
Then, he closed the glass door and turned the lock at the top.
*Click!*
He had locked the door.
“Hmm? What kind of situation is this?”
Realizing he wasn’t just someone looking for a loan, the men’s expressions turned fierce.
Seong-jun looked at them and asked in a low voice, “Is the boss here?”
The men looked dumbfounded.
“Ha! What? ‘Is the boss here?’ Is this brat crazy? Is the boss your friend? You’re just a kid, and you’ve got no fear.”
The men spoke as they approached him threateningly.
Seong-jun, who had been watching silently, suddenly lunged forward.
*Pow!*
He landed a punch on each of them.
*Thud! Thud!*
The impact was so great that they were sent flying into the wall.
*Crack!*
“Urgh!”
“Gack!”
He had controlled his strength; if he had used even a little more, they would have died instantly.
“What! What’s going on!”
“Who the hell are you!”
When he took out the two men in an instant, the other men on the first floor came swarming out.
There were about twenty of them.
“I don’t have time. Let’s finish this quickly. It’ll be a pain if the boss runs away.”
If the boss realized something was wrong and fled, finding him again would be a hassle.
Seong-jun wanted to clear them out quickly and head to the third floor.
*Flash!*
Moving with incredible speed, Seong-jun threw punches at the men.
*Whoosh!*
*Thud! Thack! Thud! Thud!*
They fell one by one; it was truly one shot, one kill.
“Gah!”
“Ack!”
*Crunch! Snap! Crack!*
“Aaaargh!”
No matter how tough these men were, against a Hunter, they weren’t even mice before a cat; they were mice before a tiger.
Since his base stats were nearly S-rank, ordinary people couldn’t even follow Seong-jun’s movements with their eyes.
***
The loan shark office on the third floor.
“But Boss. If we get the money from that Lee Seon-jae guy, are you really going to let Park Yoon-su go?”
“Tsk, are you joking? Of course, we have to deal with him once the job is done. Do you know how much trouble that guy has caused us? Take out everything inside him that’s still healthy and sell it off.”
Park Yoon-su had sold out his friend to beg for his life, but his end was already decided.
“I figured as much, so I’ve already prepared for the surgery. I was worried you might actually let him go after all that preparation. Hehe.”
Judging by their words, it didn’t seem like they intended to give him a peaceful death.
But at that moment.
*Bang!*
Someone burst into the boss’s office.
“Huff! B-Boss! We’re under attack!”
At the word “attack,” the boss’s face twisted.
“Attack? What kind of bullshit is that! Who’s attacking!”
“I-I don’t know! He looks like a young guy, but he’s incredible! I think he’s a Hunter!”
When he heard it was a Hunter, the boss scrambled to his feet.
“W-What? A Hunter? Why would a Hunter be here? Is he a Villain?”
An ordinary Hunter wouldn’t attack a loan shark office; he assumed it was almost certainly a Villain.
Then, the boss heard his employees’ screams.
“Aaargh!”
“Aaaaack!”
“Gack!”
The screams grew closer, until finally.
*Crash!*
One of the employees smashed through the office door and tumbled onto the floor.
Seong-jun entered behind him, his hood pulled down low.
“Are you the boss?”
At that, a massive man who had been talking to the boss quickly pulled out a knife and lunged at Seong-jun.
*Clang!*
“You brat!”
Unfortunately, the knife he thrust did absolutely no damage to Seong-jun.
*Thump!*
He didn’t dodge or defend; he simply took the knife hit, but naturally, the blade could not pierce Seong-jun’s skin.
“Tsk.”
Seong-jun clicked his tongue lightly and swung his fist.
*Wham!*
“Squeal!”
*Crack!*
The man was sent flying into the wall.
Looking at Seong-jun, the boss spoke in an urgent voice.
“W-Wait! You look like a Hunter, and you know that using force against a civilian as a Hunter is attempted murder, right?”
Even a professional fighter would receive an aggravated sentence for fighting a civilian.
What more needed to be said about a Hunter?
But unfortunately, such threats didn’t work on Seong-jun.
“Ha! You’re threatening me when you should be on your knees begging? Fine. I was going to spare your life, but since you’re talking about attempted murder and whatnot, it seems better to just kill you all and silence you.”
At Seong-jun’s words, the boss turned pale.
“N-No! I misspoke! I’ll do whatever you say if you just spare my life!”
His opponent wasn’t just some thug; he was a Hunter.
No matter how powerful someone was in the mundane world, they were nothing before a predator like a Hunter.
Seong-jun walked slowly and stopped in front of the boss, asking in a low voice, “You know the names Lee Seon-jae and Yu Mi-ran, right?”
They had been the topic of conversation just a moment ago, so how could he not know?
“Huh! How do you know those names…”
“Tsk. A guy running a big loan shark business like this should have at least done a background check on his targets. If you’d done even a little investigation, you would have known who their nephew is.”
What on earth did he mean?
Nephew?
“N-Nephew?”
Seong-jun removed his hood.
“Yeah, nephew. That would be me.”
The boss’s eyes widened as he recognized Seong-jun’s face.
“Huh! S-S-Saint Kim Seong-jun?”
He had just been reading an article about Seong-jun on the internet.
His face had been splashed across the headlines so many times that it was impossible not to recognize him.
The boss’s face turned ashen.
I Became an EX-Class All-Rounder Priest Chapter 85
E-book Release Date: 2025.11.14
Author: Kim Hyeon-jun
Publisher: Heo Heung-beom, Park Geon-won
Published by: Poten
Address: [04783] 10th Floor, 8 Yeonmujang 11-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul Phone: 02-6320-8500
Fax: 02-6320-8585
ISBN: 9791175302167
Price: 100 Won
c Kim Hyeon-jun 2025
This e-book is protected by copyright law.
Since this e-book was published under a contract with the author, unauthorized distribution, reproduction, dissemination, or sharing is prohibited without the written consent of both parties.