I Possess Too Many Characteristics

Chapter 34

“Everyone, you’ve worked hard. The end was really tough, wasn’t it?”

In front of the ‘Cursed Castle’ Gate.

It was Jin-wook’s voice, no different from when they entered or exited.

On the other hand, the others,

“You’ve worked hard…… Chief-nim.”

It would be good if they could even answer.

Usually.

“……”

They just nodded their heads, unable to give a proper answer.

Was this hunt particularly difficult?

In fact, it wasn’t.

Except for a few incidents, it was generally a smooth and straightforward hunt.

Especially for Level 1 Hunters Seung-hyeok and Woo-jun, this was almost their first time stepping into a Level 3 Gate, so they didn’t have a good grasp of the difficulty level.

Meanwhile, for Jeong-hyeon,

‘Is this the average for Level 3?’

Unlike Seung-hyeok and Woo-jun, he had no basis for comparison.

Since he had to catch a mutated boss right off the bat in the Spider Rock Cave he entered last time, he thought this level was fine.

Of course, his injuries were much worse than back then.

But Sang-jun was a little different.

‘Why was it so hard this time?’

He had quite a bit of experience with Level 3 Gates.

Usually, if you enter a Gate that matches your level limit, the hunt isn’t that difficult.

And in reality, the Ghoul’s combat power itself wasn’t a big threat to him.

As his thoughts reached that point, Sang-jun’s reasoning naturally led to one conclusion.

Sang-jun’s eyes scanned the other Hunters sharply.

‘As expected, these bastards were the problem, right?’

The other Hunters, who were of a lower level than him, hadn’t done their part properly.

Considering Jin-wook’s power, who joined the battle at the end, it seemed even more so.

If the party had been composed of at least D-Rank Level 3 or D-Rank Level 3 Hunters like himself, they wouldn’t have struggled so much in the final battle.

“Hyung-nim, what’s wrong? Are you tired?”

“Of course I am, you idiot. And you bastard, work harder.”

“Y, yes?”

Seung-hyeok, who had tried to strike up a conversation, was met with unexpected insults.

Of course, it wasn’t that Seung-hyeok hadn’t worked hard.

Everyone had gone through hell and back, and now he was suddenly being snapped at like this.

No matter how much he wanted to look good to him, wasn’t this a situation where his favorability would plummet?

In the first place, it wasn’t like a D-Rank Level 3 was that absolute.

Seung-hyeok wasn’t that far from Level 3 either.

Sang-jun, already enraged, didn’t notice, but Seung-hyeok’s eyes flashed with a fierce glint.

To be honest, even Sang-jun hadn’t shown a performance beyond expectations in this hunt.

Rather than that,

“Hunter-nim Han Jeong-hyeon, you’ve worked hard too.”

“Yes? Ah, yes. Hunter-nim Kim Seung-hyeok, you too.”

“Well, I was a mess at the end, wasn’t I?”

“I would have been the same.”

The more he saw him, the more genuine the unregistered Han Jeong-hyeon, whom he had initially disregarded so much, seemed.

As Seung-hyeok spoke to him warmly, Jeong-hyeon smiled and continued the conversation.

━There’s an unregistered guy joining us today, and I can’t stand the sight of it. You guys know what to do.

This was the message Sang-jun had sent to Seung-hyeok and Woo-jun before coming to the Gate today.

At first, he had agreed because he didn’t like the idea of a mere unregistered Hunter joining their hunt, but now his thoughts had completely changed.

And it seemed that Woo-jun also had similar thoughts to Seung-hyeok.

“You were really good at throwing daggers. And your close combat was amazing too…… Is your injured arm okay?”

Woo-jun especially knew what Jeong-hyeon had gone through in the final battle, so his eyes were filled with respect.

His arm had been torn to shreds.

The bleeding was so severe that it wouldn’t have been strange for Hunters without a Durability trait to collapse from shock.

Nevertheless, the sight of him charging at the last remaining Ghoul with a single dagger, his eyes burning with determination, was a display of fighting spirit that stirred the hearts of many Hunters.

“Ah, Hunter-nim Lee Woo-jun. You’ve worked hard. Chief Seo Jin-wook healed me completely…… And if it weren’t for your arrow, Hunter-nim, I would have been dead for sure.”

“Huh? Ah, no problem. I should have been more helpful…… I’ll definitely support you better next time.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

Jeong-hyeon looked down at his forearm with new eyes.

This was the second time he had benefited from C-Rank Healing.

Coincidentally, it was his right arm again this time.

‘Well, it’s the arm I use the most, so it can’t be helped.’

In any case, the power of Healing was truly amazing.

Now, although there were some scars left like scratches, it didn’t hinder his movement except for a slight throbbing pain.

━Healing uses your strength, Jeong-hyeon-ssi, so it’s best to rest and let the rest heal naturally.

He had heard that whenever he received Healing, his strength would drain a little, but he didn’t know there was such a reason.

Jin-wook said so, only glancing at the wound on his back without using Healing.

The wound on his back was relatively minor compared to his arm, and besides,

‘It’s already healed roughly with Physical Enhancement.’

Jeong-hyeon’s natural healing ability was enough to cover it.

Although slower than Healing traits, natural healing was better in this respect.

If it was like this with just an E-Rank trait, what would happen if it rose to D-Rank or C-Rank in the future?

‘Physical Enhancement is really essential too. I wonder if there are any synergies?’

Moreover, it not only boosted his natural healing but also his senses and even his lacking strength, making it a truly versatile and beneficial trait.

Anyway, seeing that Seung-hyeok and Woo-jun’s attitudes were very friendly compared to when they first entered the Gate, he felt relieved.

There was no reason to try to impress them, but it would be awkward to part ways on bad terms.

You never know when, where, or who you might meet in life.

However, only Sang-jun was still glaring at Jeong-hyeon.

‘You, you bastard, I didn’t expect anything from you.’

He was probably annoyed seeing Seung-hyeok and Woo-jun being friendly to him.

It was hard to change people like that.

With such a high level of pride for a D-Rank Level 3, what use would he be?

In terms of rank alone, wasn’t he in a position where there were more people above him than below?

“Then I’ll be going.”

Jeong-hyeon said, bowing to the others.

And he deliberately added a word to Sang-jun.

“Thank you for everything today, D-Rank Hunter-nim.”

“……”

There was no reply, but it was quite amusing to see Sang-jun’s face turn red and blue.

Meanwhile, Jin-wook pointed to the car with his usual inscrutable smile.

“You’ve really worked hard today, Hunter-nim Han Jeong-hyeon. I can give you a ride.”

And Jeong-hyeon had never refused such an offer.

Even if he took public transportation, it would still cost money.

Besides, he was tired after the hunt, and it was annoying to even go out to the bus stop.

Refusal would only delay acceptance.

“Ah, then I won’t refuse.”

Jeong-hyeon nodded and got into the Jeongjin Guild’s car before anyone else.

He even got into the back seat.

‘The passenger seat will be empty anyway when I get off first, right?’

He definitely had his own rational reasons.

◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈

Cha Jun-won was rummaging through documents in his office.

Dozens of information on potential recruits came to the HR Team 2, which Jun-won was in charge of, every day.

Officially or unofficially.

But what good was it if dozens of documents came in?

A Hunter who truly caught Jun-won’s eye was nowhere to be found.

Because there was a set quota, he would select the better ones among them and issue hiring instructions, but they were just ordinary low-rank Hunters.

“Sigh…… Are my standards too high?”

It would be strange if there was a talented person who could satisfy Jun-won, who was close to B-Rank Level 5.

Jun-won closed his eyes and massaged his forehead.

It was after he had been teased by Lee Do-hyung, the team leader of HR Team 1, again today.

━Hey, kindergarten teacher. Any results these days?

Just thinking of Do-hyung’s face and voice, the ballpoint pen Jun-won was holding in his other hand broke without him even realizing it.

“That bastard, if he wasn’t the director’s son……”

Do-hyung was an unawakened.

Of course, the fact that he was the director’s son played a role in him becoming the team leader of Jeongjin Guild’s HR Team 1, but frustratingly, he was also exceptionally capable.

“How can he be so good at spotting talent when he’s not even a Hunter?”

Of course, it was much easier to find a diamond in the rough among the many low-rank Hunters than to find a guaranteed high-rank Hunter.

Even so, there was a clear difference in Jeongjin’s performance before and after Do-hyung took charge of Team 1, so it couldn’t be ignored.

The fact that foreign guilds had exceptionally offered to scout Do-hyung, who was an unawakened, spoke for itself.

What could he say in this situation, even if Do-hyung called HR Team 2 a kindergarten?

Even in Jun-won’s eyes, low-rank, low-level Hunters were nothing more than child’s play compared to high-rank, high-level Hunters.

For example, to truly fulfill their role as a Hunter, they had to fight and win in at least a Level 5 Gate.

‘Because you have to be over Level 5 for mission-type Gates to appear.’

Knock, knock, knock━

Then, a knock broke Jun-won’s train of thought.

━Team Leader-nim, it’s Chief Seo Jin-wook.

“Ah, come in.”

Jun-won straightened his face and put on a smile.

Jin-wook immediately opened the door and entered.

“You’ve been out hunting today, you could have rested and come tomorrow.”

Even though Jin-wook was of a lower rank, Jun-won always treated him with respect and offered him conveniences.

Jin-wook, a 1st Generation Hunter.

Because he was reluctant to climb to a high position himself, the Chief position was something that those around him had forced him into.

His experience and expertise were impeccable, and Jun-won had received a lot of help from him.

Jun-won had suggested several times that he could be casual when they were alone, but Jin-wook had refused every time.

“It wasn’t that hard. It was nice to take a walk after a long time.”

Jun-won offered him a seat, and Jin-wook naturally sat down.

In fact, there was another reason why Jin-wook came straight after the hunt.

“More than that, about Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon, whom you personally asked me to look at.”

“Yes, how was he in person?”

“You absolutely cannot miss him.”

“Is he that good?”

Jun-won’s eyes widened slightly.

Of course, it was his order to have high expectations for Jeong-hyeon and to have Jin-wook personally observe him.

But Jin-wook’s reaction was incredibly surprising.

━I don’t think it’s necessary.

━Well, it’s a waste of money to hire him, but he’s useful.

━He’s not bad.

Because his evaluations were notoriously harsh.

There were many cases where a Hunter who was deemed”not bad”ended up doing an excellent job after joining.

It was practically Jin-wook’s highest praise.

‘But to say I absolutely cannot miss him?’

Frankly, he was a little bewildered.

Was Sang-soo’s fuss really true?

No, it was strange even considering that.

Perhaps sensing Jun-won’s mood, Jin-wook continued.

“At first, I didn’t have high expectations because he was unregistered, but…… it’s a bit strange.”

“Strange, how?”

“Just based on his current abilities, he’s a little below me.”

“What?”

Jun-won raised his voice in front of Jin-wook, which was unusual for him.

What did that mean?

A little below Jin-wook?

He was a C-Rank Level 3 Hunter with experience that couldn’t be expressed in mere numbers.

It was a level that a Hunter who had just awakened a month ago, especially an unregistered one, couldn’t reach.

“But it’s strange that he hasn’t registered his traits.”

“What do you mean?”

“As you know, Team Leader-nim, most unregistered Hunters are usually F-Rank. There aren’t any anymore, but if they’re the opposite, it’s because they have ridiculously high ranks like A or S.”

“That’s right…… Perhaps?”

“Yes, it’s too ambiguous.”

Jun-won nodded and fell into thought as Jin-wook agreed.

He was right.

It would be understandable if he was around F-Rank Level 3 with slight deviations, or if he had completely unconventional strength.

But why would a Hunter who was clearly around C-Rank do that?

“I know this will sound like a joke, but there’s a possibility of rank-level growth.”

“……?”

Rank-level growth?

Jun-won had to think for a moment about what he had just heard.

But no matter how many times he thought about it, Jin-wook’s words didn’t change.

Jun-won carefully started speaking.

“Then……”

Jin-wook nodded.

“I don’t really believe that such an absurd thing is possible either, but…… if we can recruit Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon, I can assure you that it will be the best decision for Team 2, no, for the entire Jeongjin Guild.”