After checking the deposit records for a long time, Seong Je-hun glared at Kang Jae-jun with a fierce expression.
“Kang Jae-jun. What is the meaning of this? Weren’t you in charge of paying the mercenaries’ daily wages?”
Kang Jae-jun jumped in surprise and hurriedly tried to gloss over it.
“What? That, that’s… it’s insurance! Insurance! Instead of paying them the full daily wage, I was managing a portion of that money separately. I was going to give it to them as a lump sum when they needed it later. And the mercenaries already agreed to this. Ah, no! The mercenaries were the ones who suggested it in the first place!”
At Kang Jae-jun’s words, Seong Je-hun looked at the Audit Team Leader and spoke.
“He says so. If it’s something already agreed upon with the mercenaries, there shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
In response, the Audit Team Leader let out a thin smile and pulled out a pen recorder.
“Is that really the case? Then how do you explain this?”
A recording file began to play.
-Ha!
What’s what?
Look at the way you talk when you’re just F-rank dregs.
To things like you guys…
The recording file contained all the power tripping and verbal abuse Kang Jae-jun had inflicted until now, and it was all being played back clearly.
“…”
“……”
The party members could only wear bewildered expressions as they heard Kang Jae-jun’s voice flowing from the recorder.
And Kang Jae-jun.
“No, that’s not it! It’s not! This is a setup! It’s a plot to slander me!”
He screamed desperately, claiming it was a frame-up and slander.
However, everyone here knew.
The voice coming out was Kang Jae-jun’s, and it was certainly not a fabrication, a frame-up, or slander.
“Kang Jae-jun, you son of a…”
Just as Seong Je-hun, the leader of the party and the team leader, glared at Kang Jae-jun with a grim expression.
“Team Leader Seong Je-hun. The mercenaries said this. They said that you and the others treated them well. They said you treated them as fellow hunters and never engaged in power tripping or used insulting language. Therefore, they hoped that no harm would come to anyone else except for Kang Jae-jun. However, I have a slightly different opinion.”
The Audit Team Leader, who had been staring at Seong Je-hun with cold eyes, continued speaking.
“Shouldn’t the mercenaries’ wage management have been handled directly by you, the party leader, Team Leader Seong Je-hun? Furthermore, does it make sense that something like this was happening within the party and no one knew? Even if you truly didn’t know, that itself is a problem. Therefore, in this personality evaluation, all members of Team Leader Seong Je-hun’s Team 8 will be given a D-rank. Kang Jae-jun, the party involved, will obviously receive an F-rank. Do you have any complaints?”
At the Audit Team Leader’s words, Seong Je-hun bowed his head low.
“……None. And I will apologize to the mercenaries separately. I will also settle the unpaid money out of my own pocket.”
When he said he would apologize to the mercenaries and pay the unpaid money personally, the Audit Team Leader shook his head and said.
“There is no need for that. The unpaid wages have already been paid at the guild level. For your information, they will not be participating in the party starting tomorrow. So, please find other regular mercenaries.”
When he heard the mercenaries wouldn’t be participating in the party from tomorrow, Seong Je-hun’s eyes widened.
“What? What do you mean by that? Are you saying they won’t show up starting tomorrow?”
“Isn’t it obvious? They knew as well. Regardless of the circumstances, they struck a member of the Taeseong Guild, so they know it will be difficult for them to join any party belonging to the Taeseong Guild, including Team 8. And I think that part is only natural as well. So keep that in mind and try to find other regular mercenaries.”
At that, Seong Je-hun sprang up from his seat.
“No, you can’t! We might not care about the other mercenaries, but Kim Seong-jun must be there! His buffs are on a different level from ordinary buffs!”
Kim Seong-jun, an F-rank buffer who was one of the regular mercenaries.
The Audit Team Leader also knew roughly about him.
Just an ordinary buffer who was no different from any other buffer.
In fact, regardless of rank, the buffer class itself wasn’t a class that had a particularly large impact on hunting.
Rather, if one considered hunting efficiency, it might even be better to put one more damage dealer in that spot.
Of course, this was only the case for general buffers.
“I don’t know exactly what is so different, but in the end, isn’t he just a buffer? The other mercenaries are just ordinary F-rank damage dealers. Just find new ones.”
“I’m telling you because he’s not a normal buffer! Even though he’s F-rank, he has buff skills that surpass a C-rank buffer. One such person does the work of two or three decent damage dealers! I was just about to recommend him to the guild, so it can’t end like this!”
As soon as Seong Je-hun finished speaking, the party members each chimed in.
“Hah! So you’re saying we have to hunt without Kim Seong-jun’s buffs from tomorrow? Dammit! Then our income is going to plummet again!”
“Ah! Damn! It’s going to be incredibly frustrating to hunt without Kim Seong-jun’s buffs.”
“Kang Jae-jun! You damn bastard! Look what happened because of you! Go right now, apologize to Kim Seong-jun, and bring him back somehow! If Kim Seong-jun isn’t there when we go hunting tomorrow, you’re dead. Got it?”
It had only been twice, but they were already addicted to Seong-jun’s buffs.
When they heard they wouldn’t receive those monstrous buff effects, they completely lost their minds.
Seeing this, the Audit Team Leader wore a puzzled expression.
‘No, they’re reacting like this over just a single buffer? Is there something I’m missing?’
Buffers were treated similarly to support-type awakened, so what was the reason for showing such a reaction?
The Audit Team Leader could not understand their reaction at all.
***
The next morning.
They were supposed to meet at 9:00, but as if they had made a promise, everyone gathered in front of the dungeon around 8:30.
“Why is everyone out so early? You’re thirty minutes early.”
“Hey, then why are you here, Seong-jun?”
“Haha, this is why habits are scary. Since I’ve always been waiting thirty minutes before the appointment time, it turned out like this again.”
In the case of mercenaries, it was basic practice to come out thirty minutes before the main team members arrived and wait.
As a result, even though there was no longer a need to be conscious of others, they had come out thirty minutes early.
“Well, since we’re out early, we can start early and finish early. Anyway, this is the dungeon with the fewest people, right?”
Since people would look at them strangely if three F-ranks formed a party and hunted, they searched for dungeons with as few people as possible.
“Yeah. Among F-rank monsters, this is a dungeon where Skeleton Archers, which are on the tricky side, appear. Plus, since the clear rate is high at 78 percent, they said not many parties enter. There will be four to five parties at most.”
Most monsters that appeared in F-rank dungeons were melee.
Even if long-range monsters appeared, it was usually just a few mixed in among the melee types.
However, occasionally there were dungeons where long-range monsters were the main focus, and this place was exactly like that.
Skeleton Archers, which were long-range monsters, were the primary occupants, and because the strategy was relatively tricky, the number of hunters entering was not large.
Furthermore, since the clear rate was quite high at 78 percent, most people had moved on to other dungeons.
“That’s good. Especially in the case of Skeletons, they are basically dark attribute, so if we have Holy Weapon Enchant, every attack will be a critical hit even without using dark attribute nullification.”
Since Skeletons naturally possessed the dark attribute, for those who fought while encased in Holy Weapon Enchant and Holy Armor Enchant, they were essentially the best prey.
“The fact that they are long-range is a bit concerning, but what can we do? Well, Yu-seon will probably clean up small groups of two or three in an instant, but I brought this shield just in case.”
Gwang-taek said as he pulled out a small circular shield to mount on his arm.
A melee warrior with a shield. It seemed a bit mismatched, yet it strangely suited him.
“Haha, I’m glad it suits you. Anyway, Seong-jun. Don’t you need to use buff skills as much as possible to increase your skill level? It might not be easy to raise your skill level since there are only three party members. Will you be okay?”
In the case of class level, it rose with experience gained from hunting monsters, but skill levels rose the more they were used.
Should it be viewed as a concept of proficiency?
However, Seong-jun’s buffs didn’t last the usual 20 to 30 minutes; they lasted for a whopping 1 hour.
Above all, there were only three party members.
That meant the number of times he used buffs was small, and naturally, there would be a significant hindrance to raising his skill level.
“Ah! That. I was actually thinking about that problem for a while, but the answer was closer than I thought. I’m going to give buffs to any party I meet while hunting.”
The solution Seong-jun found was to mindlessly hand out buffs.
“Huh? You’re going to just give buffs to any random party?”
“Except for the Enchants and healing skills, I’ll just give the five basic buffs. I want to raise those quickly for now.”
It was a natural point, but he intended to use Holy Weapon Enchant and Holy Armor Enchant only for his party members.
This was because he didn’t intend to reveal them to others until he received his re-awakening rank evaluation.
However, since there was no need to hide the five basic buffs, he planned to cast them on every hunter he met to quickly raise his skill levels.
Since the levels had reset as the skills evolved, it was certain that he could raise them to a certain level quickly.
“I guess so. Although the other buffs are also amazing, the core of our party is ultimately the Enchant buffs. That alone will make a huge difference in hunting speed compared to other parties.”
“But Seong-jun. Even if you give them buffs, shouldn’t you receive a buff fee? Your buffs aren’t just any ordinary buffs, so it’s a bit of a waste to give them out so mindlessly.”
When Yu-seon asked about receiving a buff fee while giving them out, Seong-jun smiled and shook his head.
“If I ask for a buff fee, there will be people who won’t take the buffs. Besides, even if I receive it, how much would I get? In the time it takes to bicker over a buff fee, catching one more monster would be more profitable for my mana.”
Receiving a buff fee was a decent option, but if he did that, there would be times when they would haggle over the price, and there would be cases where they wouldn’t take the buff at all.
Rather than enduring such hassle, Seong-jun decided it was more comfortable to just give out buffs as he met people and be on his way.
“Does it work out that way? Well, I guess that could be true. Fine. Do as you wish. Anyway, let’s go in quickly. We have to make money. Money.”
“Shall we then? Now! Let’s begin our first hunt!”
As Seong-jun led the way into the dungeon, Gwang-taek and Yu-seon followed behind him.
***
After entering the dungeon, Seong-jun’s group continued their hunt smoothly.
Perhaps because every attack turned into a critical hit thanks to Holy Weapon Enchant, they could clear enemies with just basic attacks in one shot without even having to cast skills.
Furthermore, since most were small groups of two or three, they were cleared with just Yu-seon’s bow attacks, and Gwang-taek only stepped forward once in a while.
It was a given that Seong-jun didn’t have to step forward at all.
Swoosh!
Boom!
Crumble.
With one shot of Yu-seon’s bow, the bones shattered and collapsed, leaving only the bones of the Skeleton Archer and F-rank magic stones in that spot.
“Haha, easy. This is so easy. It’s almost at the level where Yu-seon is sweeping everything alone.”
“It’s thanks to Seong-jun’s buffs. If I had to hunt without buffs, it would take ages to catch one? But really, the sensation is amazing. Hunting feels great when it’s one shot, one kill.”
When would an F-rank Ranger ever enjoy the sensation of one shot, one kill?
To be blunt, unless a high-rank hunter of B-rank or higher entered an F-rank dungeon to hunt, one shot, one kill was impossible.
“I want to feel that sensation too, so don’t catch them all by yourself and leave at least one behind.”
At Gwang-taek’s words, Yu-seon gave a small smile.
“That might be hard. I can’t purposely slow down the hunting time for your sake, right? I have to catch them quickly and go catch others.”
Yu-seon had truly met her perfect day.
As they were gathering the bones and magic stones of the skeletons they had just caught.
“Oh? It’s another party.”
It was the first time they had met another party since entering the dungeon.
By the looks of it, they didn’t seem to have finished hunting but appeared to be retreating to find a safe place for a short rest.
“Haha, hello. I think it’s been well over an hour since we entered, but this is the first time we’ve seen anyone else besides us.”
At Gwang-taek’s words, the man who seemed to be the leader of the other side spoke with a smile.
“I agree. Since the clear rate is high and the monsters are tricky long-range types, there are much fewer people compared to other dungeons. Well, thanks to that, we feel like we’re hunting a bit more comfortably. But why are there only three of you? Where did the others go?”
Since he judged that they wouldn’t be roaming the dungeon with only three people, he seemed to think other party members were somewhere else.
This time, Seong-jun stepped forward and spoke.
“Ah! We are just the three of us going through slowly. Anyway, you couldn’t have finished hunting already, so it seems you’re on your way to rest?”
“Yes, we were on our way to take a short break for mana recovery. But you’re roaming the dungeon with just three people? Huh! Haha, even if it’s an F-rank dungeon, it would be a bit difficult for three E-ranks to roam. By any chance, are you D-rank?”
They seemed to think Seong-jun’s group was at least E-rank.
Even if it was an F-rank dungeon, they couldn’t imagine three F-ranks roaming around.
Therefore, he wondered if D-ranks had entered an F-rank dungeon for fun.
“Well, it’s manageable. Oh! Anyway, one moment please.”
After saying that, Seong-jun immediately began casting the set of five buffs on them.
Wuuuung! Wuuuung! Wung!
As he cast Walker on the Wind, Elemental Blessing, Strength of Steel, Body of Steel, and Stamina of Steel.
“Huh? Wh-what is this! B-buffs?”
“Gasp! They are buffs, but what is this crazy increase? This is completely different from the buffs I know!”
“Woah! Cr-crazy! This isn’t just better than an E-rank buff, it’s not even a D-rank buff. I’d believe it even if you said it was at least a C-rank, no! a B-rank buff!”
“Are these really the buffs I know? There’s no way buffs could be this efficient. Is he r-really a high-rank buffer?”
The people who received the buffs each spoke in surprise.
Since they had been raiding dungeons for a long time, they had used buffer mercenaries before, but they had judged that it was more beneficial to put one more damage dealer in that spot rather than bringing a buffer along.
Even if it were an E-rank buffer’s buff, it would be so, but Seong-jun’s buffs were far surpassing the efficiency of general buffs.
“Cough, thank you. By the looks of it, you seem to be a buffer of C-rank or higher. All three of you wouldn’t be C-rank, so are you giving them a carry?”
With such monstrous buffs, even if those two were F-rank, they would likely fly through an F-rank dungeon.
Therefore, he thought Seong-jun, a high-rank buffer, was giving them a carry.
“It’s not quite like that, just for various reasons.”
“Haha, I’ve asked something unnecessary. I understand. But why did you give us buffs…”
Whether he was giving a carry or whatever, it was usually hard to find cases where a buffer or healer gave buffs or heals to another party.
This was because they had to refrain from using skills as much as possible for mana management.
“The truth is, I’m in the middle of raising my skill levels. If we happen to meet again while hunting, I’ll cast them for you again.”
Seong-jun honestly said he was in the middle of raising his skill levels.
“Ah! Haha, I see. Anyway, thank you. To receive such a high-rank buff. It seems we should postpone our rest and go out to hunt again. We can’t let this amazing buff go to waste by resting.”
At the leader’s words, all the other party members also agreed.
“Of course! With this level of buff, we could sweep through Skeleton Archers!”
“Huh! We can’t let this buff go to waste just for mana recovery. Let’s go!”
In the end, they gave up on resting and headed back to the hunting grounds.
“Then we will be on our way.”
“Yes, have a safe and pleasant hunt.”
After parting with them, Seong-jun’s group also set off again for their hunt.
—
I Became an EX-Rank All-rounder Priest Episode 7
E-book publication date 2025.11.14
Author | Kim Hyeon-jun
Publisher | Heo Heung-beom, Park Geon-won
Publishing House | Poten
Address | [04783] 10th Floor, 8 Yeonmujang 11-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Phone | 02-6320-8500
Fax | 02-6320-8585
ISBN | 9791175302167
Price | Not for Sale
© Kim Hyeon-jun 2025
This e-book is a work protected by copyright law.
Since this e-book was published by contract with the author, unauthorized transcription, reproduction, distribution, and sharing are prohibited without the written consent of both parties.