At Seong-jun’s words, spoken in a low voice, Kang Jae-jun wore an absurd expression.
“Ha! What? Is this bastard crazy?”
“You keep calling me ‘bastard,’ but am I your son? And brush your teeth once in a while. Your breath smells like a sewer. Honestly, you’re a nobody, but just because some people suck up to you, you think you’re something special. Don’t you know? Even then, you’re still just bottom-tier E-grade trash. You punk.”
Though higher than F-grade, Kang Jae-jun was still ultimately E-grade.
Of course, compared to an F-grade, he could be considered a proper Hunter, but the fact that he was at the very bottom of the Hunter rankings remained unchanged.
At Seong-jun’s provocation, Kang Jae-jun completely exploded.
“You son of a bitch! You’re practically begging me to kill you! Fine! If I don’t kill you today, my name isn’t Kang Jae-jun!”
With that, Kang Jae-jun raised his fist.
At that moment, Seong-jun suddenly changed his tone and spoke in a sorrowful voice loud enough for everyone around to hear.
“Eek! I-I was wrong! Please spare me! I just thought the treatment we received was too poor… P-please spare me! In the future, I won’t go near you, no, I won’t even set foot near the Taeseong Guild!”
“What are you talking about? You bastard! Die!”
Having already lost his temper and failing to see his surroundings, Kang Jae-jun swung his fist.
Whoosh!
Just as the powerful fist was about to strike Seong-jun’s face…
Thud!
Someone caught Kang Jae-jun’s fist.
“Hmm? What is this now!”
Kang Jae-jun turned his gaze toward the person who had grabbed his fist with a fierce expression.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Hey! Let go! Who do you think you are, jumping in!”
The person who had caught Kang Jae-jun’s fist was one of the Hunters Seong-jun had buffed in the dungeon.
“I am someone who hunted in the same dungeon as this man.”
At the mention of hunting in the same dungeon as Seong-jun, Kang Jae-jun spoke sarcastically.
“Oh! Is that so? Then just go on your way. I thought there was some great connection or something. What are you doing! Let go of this and get lost!”
The man frowned and replied.
“I can’t do that. I received a lot of help from that man. I don’t know the full details, but from what I’ve heard, it sounds like you’re in the wrong. Why don’t you stop here?”
Thanks to Seong-jun’s buffs, they had been able to hunt much more easily and kill far more monsters than usual.
Naturally, they had made more profit than usual as well.
One might think it was just a few buffs, but Seong-jun’s buffs were so powerful that the man couldn’t just ignore the situation.
“Hey, don’t meddle in other people’s business. Let go of my hand and get lost while I’m still being nice.”
“And if I won’t?”
“Ha! I belong to the Taeseong Guild. Can you handle the consequences?”
Since the opponent also appeared to be E-grade, Jae-jun couldn’t pressure him with rank, so he ended up using his guild’s name to intimidate him.
Even though the Taeseong Guild wasn’t among the top ten in the country, it was still a well-known guild.
It meant the name Taeseong alone was enough to easily suppress any nameless small-time guild.
And just as Kang Jae-jun expected, the opponent seemed to flinch.
Perhaps the guild he belonged to was lower than Taeseong.
“……”
However, it seemed his pride was too wounded to simply back down, as he didn’t easily let go of the hand.
Just then.
“You’re from the Taeseong Guild? I also received help from that man, so I guess I’ll have to jump in too. What should we do? For your information, I’m from the Garion Guild.”
The new interloper was the tanker of the party Seong-jun’s group had first met and buffed in the dungeon.
And the Garion Guild, unlike Taeseong, was a giant guild that proudly held a spot in the nation’s top ten.
Perhaps because of that, this time it was Kang Jae-jun who flinched.
“G-Garion?”
Moreover, behind him, members of other parties who had received Seong-jun’s buffs stepped forward one after another.
“I can’t just let this pass either. Oh! For the record, I’m from the Twilight Guild. Well, we aren’t as grand as Garion, but we’re not about to lose to Taeseong.”
“Wow, what is this? Is this a gathering to rank guild names? Then our guild can’t be left out. I’m from the Paewang Guild. I wonder if our guild’s name carries enough weight here?”
The Paewang Guild, along with Garion, was a giant guild listed in the nation’s top ten.
As the situation unfolded differently than expected, Kang Jae-jun released Seong-jun’s collar with a bewildered expression.
Slide.
As he was released, Seong-jun collapsed to the ground and began to cough.
Thud!
“Cough! Urgh! Cough! Cough!”
Of course, it was all an act, but it was so realistic that no one suspected it was theater.
“D-damn it! Kim Seong-jun! I’ll see you later!”
Flustered, Kang Jae-jun eventually fled the scene in a hurry.
Once Kang Jae-jun disappeared from sight, Seong-jun dusted himself off and stood up.
He then expressed his gratitude to the people who had helped him.
“Thank you for your help.”
In response, the people who helped asked if he was okay.
“Are you alright?”
“No, why would someone of your rank let an E-grade melee dealer like that… anyway, I’m glad you seem okay.”
Seong-jun beamed a smile toward them.
“I didn’t expect you all to help me like this. I don’t know when or where we’ll meet again, but every time we do, I’ll show my gratitude by giving you buffs like I did today.”
In fact, the reason Seong-jun had deliberately acted helpless toward Kang Jae-jun was to record the scene and ruin him once and for all.
Unexpectedly, the intervention of the other parties’ Hunters had created an even more convincing picture.
That was why Seong-jun was inwardly wearing a satisfied smile.
Furthermore, he had promised to provide buffs if they met in other dungeons.
Of course, even if it weren’t for them, he planned to buff every party he met to raise his skill levels.
In any case, the brief incident caused by Kang Jae-jun ended without further trouble.
Once the situation was mostly settled, Yu-seon and Gwang-taek approached Seong-jun.
“Seong-jun. Did you tell me to record the video because you knew this would happen?”
When Seong-jun told her to get a good angle and record, she hadn’t known what he meant, but she understood immediately after seeing the ensuing situation.
She had taken out her phone and secretly captured the scene without Kang Jae-jun noticing.
“Did the video come out well?”
“Of course. I have a knack for filming, you know? But how are you going to use this?”
At Yu-seon’s question, Seong-jun wore a thin smile.
“What else? I’m going to post it on SNS immediately. Yu-seon, if you have a friend who is active on SNS, ask them to post the video for you. Make it look like they caught it by chance while passing by.”
Since Yu-seon was one of the interested parties in this incident, there were too many risks in posting it from her account.
Therefore, he planned to recruit one of her friends to post it instead.
As if they had just happened to film it while walking down the street.
“That should work. Okay. I have a friend who fits that perfectly. I’ll ask them.”
Fortunately, she had a friend who was very active on SNS, so Yu-seon said she would give it a try.
“If this video goes up, that bastard Kang Jae-jun will probably suffer quite a bit. In a way, it’s no different from dragging the guild’s name through the mud.”
If it had ended as just a personal dispute, there wouldn’t have been a problem, but it was Kang Jae-jun who had brought up the guild’s name.
If he had dominated the situation, it might have been different, but he had fled after being intimidated by the names of Garion and Paewang.
This itself was no different from disgracing Taeseong’s name, so Kang Jae-jun would likely face significant trouble.
“Anyway, will you be okay? Jae-jun said he wouldn’t let this go. What if he tries to come back for revenge?”
Yu-seon seemed concerned about the final words Kang Jae-jun left as he fled.
Of course, Seong-jun wasn’t worried at all.
“Don’t worry. I’m a Re-awakened person, despite how I look. I can easily handle an E-grade dealer. Anyway, I’m hungry. Let’s go get dinner.”
“Oh! Is it your treat today?”
“Haha, sure. I’ve made a lot of money anyway; I can surely afford one dinner. Let’s go! It’s on me!”
Thus, Seong-jun’s group went to have dinner and a few drinks to celebrate their big success.
***
After dinner and parting ways with the group on his way home, Seong-jun checked his newly generated skills.
[Passive] Priest Combat Arts [Lv. 1/10]
Combat arts learned by combat priests of the Holy Order for self-defense. [While it lacks compared to the combat arts of Paladins, if raised to the maximum level, it
possesses power comparable to a Paladin.]
– Basic martial arts available.
– Basic blunt weapon techniques available.
– Basic magical combat available.
– When using Priest Combat Arts, attack power against dark-attribute targets increases by 20%.
– Automatically imprinted on the user.
Priest Combat Arts was a passive skill that allowed for close-quarters combat despite being a healer, and it was automatically imprinted on Seong-jun upon acquisition.
In other words, with this single passive, Seong-jun was not only able to engage in powerful melee combat, but he could also engage in more dynamic battles by adding holy magic to his combat arts.
‘But still, martial arts and blunt weapons for a priest. It feels a bit unbalanced.’
The important thing here was that, despite being a priest, his primary weapon was a blunt weapon rather than a staff or wand.
[Passive] Blunt Weapon Mastery [Lv. 1/10]
Allows for more powerful and smooth use of blunt weapons. [Recommended weapon: Mace]
– When using one-handed blunt weapons, attack speed increases by 10%.
– When using one-handed blunt weapons, attack power increases by 10%.
– When using one-handed blunt weapons, holy magic efficiency increases by 10%.
– When using one-handed blunt weapons, holy magic cooldown decreases by 10%.
– When using one-handed blunt weapons, holy magic casting time decreases by 10%.
Blunt Weapon Mastery applied only to one-handed blunt weapons. When using a blunt weapon, it had the effect of reducing cooldowns and casting times, let alone increasing attack speed, power, and holy magic efficiency.
‘I can’t give up on the cooldown and casting time reduction effects, if nothing else. Since the recommended weapon is a mace, I should buy a decent one on HunterNet. I wonder if there are maces with options specifically for healers.’
Since the options for Blunt Weapon Mastery were so good, he couldn’t give up on blunt weapons.
Ultimately, Seong-jun planned to log on to HunterNet as soon as he got home and buy a usable mace.
As Seong-jun headed home, he entered a dark, secluded alley to get there a little faster.
“I wondered when you’d show up. You son of a bitch.”
Someone was waiting for Seong-jun in the dark alley.
“Who… ah! Kang Jae-jun? I thought you’d wait a few days, but you came right away? You have better initiative than I thought, hmm?”
It was true. The person waiting for Seong-jun was indeed Kang Jae-jun of the Taeseong Guild.
“Ha! Look at this bastard. Kang Jae-jun? Your speech is getting short. Am I your friend?”
As Kang Jae-jun stepped forward with a scowl, Seong-jun spoke with a thin smile.
“We’re not even in the same party, so there’s no reason for me to treat you like a senior. Right? Besides, isn’t it better that I’m at least calling you by your name instead of ‘bastard’ or ‘punk’ like you? Anyway, seeing how you’ve come back even after being humiliated like that earlier, your learning ability seems quite poor.”
In an instant, Kang Jae-jun grabbed Seong-jun’s collar.
Grab!
“This bastard really wants to die! Hey! You punk! I held back earlier because there were so many people watching, but it’s different now. You could actually die at my hands. So just answer what I ask! Why on earth did you do that! If things were so dirty and annoying, you should have just left quietly. Why did you have to drag me into it!”
With his collar grabbed and his head tilted back slightly, Seong-jun looked down at Kang Jae-jun and spoke.
“Think about what you did. If you were me, would you have left quietly? Also, it would be better for you to let go of this hand.”
When Seong-jun spoke in a quiet voice, telling him it would be better to let go of his collar, Kang Jae-jun let out a hollow laugh and spoke.
“Ha! What’s an F-grade buffer going to do? Did you get shot in the head? Don’t you understand the situation? If I don’t let go, what are you going to do? Unlike before, there’s no one here but you and me. Plus, there are no CCTVs. No one is going to help you.”
“That’s true. No CCTVs, and no one to help. But don’t you know? That applies to you just as well. I’m telling you again, let go. Otherwise, you’ll really regret it.”
“Hehehe, what? Regret? Haha! How could an F-grade buffer possibly make an E-grade melee dealer regret anything? I’m genuinely curious, so why don’t you try it.”
At Kang Jae-jun’s absurd words, Seong-jun’s eyes sparkled.
“If that’s what you want.”
The moment he finished speaking, Seong-jun’s arms, which had been still until then, moved like lightning.
Thwack! Thud-thud!
Seong-jun struck Kang Jae-jun’s abdomen and side in an instant.
“Gah! Urgh!”
From the unexpected pain, Kang Jae-jun let go of Seong-jun’s collar and stumbled back a few steps.
Seong-jun’s physical abilities had also risen tremendously as he reached C-grade.
No matter the difference between the dealer and healer classes, the gap between E-grade and C-grade was something that could not be bridged by class differences alone.
“You said you were curious? I’ll teach you step by step starting now.”
‘Flurry of Reformation’
Having said that, Seong-jun immediately cast the newly acquired skill, Flurry of Reformation.
[Active] Flurry of Reformation [Lv. 1/10]
A combat priest’s reformation skill that inflicts terrible pain on the target’s mind and body, forcibly reforming those who show no potential for change.
– Up to 100 consecutive hits are possible upon casting. [Can be interrupted by the caster’s will during the flurry.]
– When martial arts are applied, damage is fixed at [+1].
– When blunt weapon techniques are applied, damage is fixed at [+10].
– Maximizes the pain inflicted on the target’s body.
– Maximizes the pain imprinted on the target’s mind.
– When applied with blunt weapon techniques, there is a chance to inflict critical pain.
– If the first hit is successful, the target’s will to resist drops significantly.
Casting Time: [Instant]
Duration: [None]
Holy Power Consumption: [50]
Cooldown: [5 Minutes]
Flurry of Reformation was a skill that minimized the actual damage dealt to the target while maximizing the pain they felt; it could be called a type of torture skill.
As Seong-jun cast the skill…
Thwack! Thud-thud! Thwack! Thwack! Thud-thud-thud! Thwack! Thwack!
His fists began to strike Kang Jae-jun’s entire body at an unbelievable speed.
“Argh! Ah! Aaaah! S-stop! Aaaaaah!”
Every time Seong-jun’s fists struck his body, Kang Jae-jun had to endure a level of terrible pain he had never experienced before.
The important thing was that even if he wanted to resist, he strangely couldn’t.
He wanted to draw his sword and cut him down immediately, but for some reason, the thought that he shouldn’t do that was dominating his mind.
“It’s only just begun; it can’t end already. Try to hold out. Show me that E-grade dealer’s grit.”
Thud-thud-thud-thud! Thud-thud! Thud-thud-thud!
Even as he spoke, Seong-jun’s fists did not rest.
And every time his fists landed, Kang Jae-jun had to feel an unimaginable, horrific pain.