On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons

Chapter 159: #S-rank Hunter Yu Il-Shin (3)

The chairman broke out in cold sweat, speechless. Even the flashes from the journalists paused for a moment. What caused this anticlimactic and awkward silence? I looked at the numbers that showed up from the bracelet.

[MP: 5]

C’mon, guys, why are you acting like this? This isn’t some invasion event like in the Planet of the Monkeys... But it was indeed quite low.

Mana Point, or MP in short, referred to the energy that spread throughout the Earth’s atmosphere ever since the dawn of dungeons and gates. For people to Awaken, their MP had to reach a certain threshold.

Based on their MP, they’d either gain a strengthened physique or a unique magical ability. They were also ranked as follows:

G-rank — 5~99

E-rank — 100~499

D-rank — 500~999

C-rank — 1,000~1,999

B-rank — 2,000~ 3,999

A-rank — 4,000~ 7,999

S-rank — 8,000 and above

I was just a G-rank, almost like any other ordinary citizen.

Still, 5 is too much...!

Moreover, I was now a Mid-tier God Malevolent and Benevolent God, so how could the value be so abysmally low?!

Come to think of it, it was the same situation as back then...!

I received the same results when I was tested with the Classifying Crystal Ball at the Hunter Academy. Was this because I was a god instead of a regular Hunter?

The crystal ball probably couldn’t measure my divine power since it was different from MP.

“Haha, something must’ve been wrong with the device. This is a newly developed product, so I guess there are still areas of improvement. I’m not sure, but many S-rank Hunters have vouched for Hunter Yi-Shin...”

The chairman made some excuses, trying to resolve the unexpected situation. However, the audience merely looked on with suspicion. Honestly, I didn’t really care. I just wanted to get this over with as soon as possible so I could take a nap.

My students, Sung Mi-Ri and Ko Myeong-Ji, stared at me in confusion. As their teacher, it was kind of embarrassing to be viewed in this kind of light in front of them...

Oh, right.

I suddenly had a good idea! If I use Skill Share, wouldn’t this device detect the power of my followers instead?

Hmm, who should I choose?

After pondering for a moment, I recalled Sword Demon, who’d recently become an S-rank follower.

“Skill Sharing, Demon Lord’s Heavenly Sword,” I muttered under my breath.

Soon, my MP, which was at 5, began rising at an alarming rate.

Ruuuumble!

The value in the air stopped exactly at 8,570 MP, crossing the S-rank threshold.

Mr. Lee Ji-Tae lit up. “Oh! The device error must have fixed itself!”

Well, it was lower than I had expected, but it should be sufficient. Still, Choi Bong-Shik’s gaze irked me.

Gosh, he’s smirking at me! What are you acting so high and mighty about? He’s so childish, he pisses me off!

Thinking of my strongest follower, I muttered again, “Skill Sharing, Il-Ho’s strong body.”

Craaaack!

My muscles and bones rearranged, bulging at an exploding rate.

Beeeep!

At the same time, the holographic numbers on my bracelet rapidly rose again.

[MP: 35,000]

It stopped, and a different kind of silence ensued.

“35,000... isn’t that the newest record in South Korea?”

“Hunter Gal Joong-Hyuk had 31,000 MP, but that’s because he equipped the Soul Armor... What the hell is that?”

Choi Bong-Shik’s eyes seemed like they’d pop out from their sockets anytime.

Shocked you, huh? But that’s not all! Hoho, I have one more transformation left.

Smirking like an anime villain, I unleashed my last trump card.

“Skill Sharing, Il-Ho’s Super Strong Body.”

Craaaack!

My bulging muscles compressed with a terrifying force, ready for battle.

“Huh?!”

“Woaaah!!”

Screams erupted from all directions. The numbers rose once again, distorting the surrounding air like mirage.

[35,000... 45,000... 55,000...]

“What the fuck...” Choi Bong-Shik went as pale as a ghost.

I grinned at him.

Look, Bong-Shik. This is me and our Il-Ho’s level. You get it now?

...But when was it going to stop?

[70,000... 80,000... 90,000...]

I think it’s almost time to stop...

Tzzz!

As the MP value went over 100,000, black smoke rose from the bracelet.

Pow!

The device exploded in my face.

“O-over 100,000?! How is this possible?!”

“Reporter Kim, what was the winner of the Hunter-Wars, Hunter Royce’s MP?”

“I-it’s 43,150... If this number is real, then he’s a monster not even the invincible SSS-rank monsters could match...”

Everyone was looking at me like I was some monster. Especially Choi Bong-Shik, who cowered in his spot, unwilling to make eye contact with me. It seemed like everyone was surprised, but nothing could compare to my shock.

This meant that Il-Ho’s MP was at an immeasurable level...

Gosh, I’m scared.

-Muuuuuscles!

The image of Il-Ho yelling while flexing his muscles came to mind.

Il-Ho, you’re really stronger than I am?

***

It had been a brief event, but thankfully, the situation hadn’t spiraled out of control. Some speculated that my bracelet was a defect, so they fetched another. This time, I wanted to show reasonable, more convincing MP values, so I shared the skills of S-rank Hunter Sung Mi-Na.

Thus, the bracelet showed a value of 20,100. Although it wasn’t as impactful as when I used Il-Ho’s skill, the value was still high enough to create a buzz, as it easily surpassed most S-rank Hunters.

Apparently, Sung Mi-Na’s follower notification, which stated that she was the equivalent of two S-rank Hunters, wasn’t false.

“That bracelet from earlier must’ve glitched.”

“Over 20,000! It’s still amazing!”

Everyone was relieved to see the high yet realistic number displayed in the air. However, Chairman Lee Ji-Tae gave me a meaningful look and said with a bow, “We look forward to your active cooperation, Hunter Yu Il-Shin.”

How burdensome. I heard there was an after-party, but I decided to sneak out after collecting the license instead. However, Sung Mi-Na caught me on the way out.

“Why would you leave so early on a day like this? Are you not going to join the after-party?”

“I can’t be bothered. I want to head home, make myself some ramyun, and head to bed after.”

“Tsk, such a bore. Come, I’ll treat you to some Hanwoo.”

Gosh, I feel like I have a crush for her!

“Alright~”

The keyword “Hanwoo” was enough to make me follow her like a child following the Pied Piper.

“Wow, is this really your car?”

I admired the fiery red Mercides Bents parked in the parking lot. Sung Mi-Ri waved at me from inside.

“Don’t be a country bumpkin and get in.”

“Mr. Yu! You’re here!” Her face was flushed with joy.

“Congratulations on officially becoming an S-rank Hunter,” I said, hopping into the car.

“Hehe.

We had a pleasant car ride as we headed to a fancy restaurant for Hanwoo. It was supposed to be a dinner party between me and the Sung sisters. We even headed to the suburbs partly to get away from the paparazzi.

"Why are you guys here? How did you know we were here?" Sung Mi-Na yelled, slamming her fist against the table.

...Yet somehow, there were still unsolicited guests at our table.

Gulp!

Gobbling up meat, Sword Demon then spoke like a samurai, “Mr. Sword God and I are one. Wherever he goes, I will be.”

What a nice line, fit for a movie. If only there wasn’t sauce smeared all over his mouth.

Chew chew—Gulp.

“Hoho. I agree with you. Lin mei must be with Lao Gong[1] wherever he is.” Lin Xiaoming, uninvited guest #2, ate with a dignified posture of a true martial artist, a stark contrast to the gluttonous Sword Demon. The speed at which the meat vanished with each movement of her chopsticks was incredible.

Sung Mi-Na flared up again. “Lao Gong?! You crazy bitch! Did you think I wouldn’t understand if you speak Mandarin? Who’s your husband?! Hey, you! Stop eating right now!”

“Ugh, how old-fashioned. Having multiple wives is normal for heroes. Don’t monopolize our almighty Yu Il-Shin? Your mind is as small as your chest.” Lin Xiaoming stared sympathetically at Sung Mi-Na while fondling her voluptuous chest, which peeked through her qipao.

“Y-you bitch! Take that back! You wanna fight?!”

At that moment, Sung Mi-Ri returned from the washroom.

“Unni...?”

She was dumbfounded to see her older sister snarling like a mad dog at Lin Xiaoming.

“...! Mi-Na is glad to see everyone gathered here~ Hehehe.” Sung Mi-Na smiled brightly, hugging Lin Xiaoming like nothing ever happened.

She’s trying too hard.

“Wow, I’m happy to see that you’re so welcoming of me.” Instead of being taken aback, Lin Xiaoming smiled like a snake, pulling Sung Mi-Na in a crushing embrace.

Sung Mi-Na added more strength in response.

Craaaack!

Did something just crack...? I should probably ignore that.

I quickly shifted my attention back to Sword Demon, who was still scarfing down the meat.

“Why are you here instead of watching over Kang Woo hyungnim?”

Didn’t I assign him and Shin Yoo to be Kang Woo’s bodyguards? Well, he should be fine now since Gustav’s children had been wiped out by Akdol.

“Oh, right!” Sword Demon exclaimed, suddenly recalling something important. He reached into his breast pocket. “I was so caught up with revenge that I totally forgot about it. He left you a message.”

Sword Demon handed me a letter carefully sealed in beeswax.

Huh? A letter in this day and age? How ancient is he?

Even if it was something important, shouldn’t he have called or emailed me? Concealed in the letter was a map to a certain location, and underneath it, was a message written in cursive, seemingly belonging to Kang Woo.

An S-rank dungeon will appear here in the next three days. The SSS-rank item, God of Harmony’s Scales, will be of great help to you, Mr. Yu Il-Shin. So, make sure you get your hands on it.

SSS-rank item, God of Harmony's Scales?

1. Mandarin for husband. ☜