Human body types and hunter types can sometimes be related, and sometimes completely unrelated.

However, the man in front of me looked like he was basically wearing a sign that says, "I am a Knight type".

A solidly built, thick upper body and a prominently protruding solar plexus.

The aura of Aether enveloping his entire body, even the knuckle-shaped device worn on his hand.

Judging by the scars scattered on his face and arms, he seemed like a close-combat type hunter.

“Why am I…”

So stupid?

Without needing to analyze this or that, there was the ‘most convenient way’ to check out the opponent.

I used the most convenient method in my mind, and V1 revealed the man’s information.

[Kim Gwantae

Hunter Type - Knight (Warrior)

Physical Grade ‘B’

Affiliation: Tiger Guild (Changwon)

Unique Traits: Madness (★★)

#Overwhelming Strength #One-on-One #Master #Strongman Show #Sub Tank]

“Oh….”

His specs were better than I expected.

As a B-rank hunter, his physical strength must be hundreds of times that of an average adult male.

It was no surprise at all that the stocky merchant was sent flying like a paper airplane.

No, that’s not it.

It’s more like he was holding back his strength.

Crack! Thud!!

A few employees patrolling the black market rushed in, but they were clearly no match at a glance.

Kim Gwantae pounded them mercilessly with his knuckles as if he was shredding meat.

The ferocity of his blow was so intense that the people around him gradually started backing away.

Kim Gwantae cracked his neck as if warming up, then approached the merchant again.

“Give me more money.”

“Ugh... We already made a deal once, that’s it... That’s the rule here.”

“Rules? What kind of rules are you talking about in this lousy black market... let me personally show you that fists come before the law.”

Kim Gwantae slapped the merchant’s cheek repeatedly with his palm.

It looked like he would keep going until the merchant said the words ‘I will return the money’.

Smack.

The merchant’s lips split open, turning not just red but almost blue from the swelling.

The guy looked half out of his mind. Wouldn't he actually die like that?

There was no sign that the assault would stop anytime soon.

On the contrary, the more he hit, the harsher Kim Gwantae’s face became.

[Unique Trait Detected: Madness (★★) activated.]

Madness.

Maybe it’s because he just finished fighting those guys on patrol.

He seemed like the kind of psychopath who gets more excited at the sight of blood, no matter who his opponent is.

True to its name, the trait ‘Madness’ made him beat the merchant even more brutally.

Hey.

He’s seriously going to die.

Unable to watch any longer, I asked Bisu,

“Aren’t you going to help?”

“No.”

“So it’s the merchant’s fault if he dies during a deal?”

“No.”

Bisu’s eyes, fixed on Kim Gwantae, had gone cold and expressionless.

It was obviously impossible for Bisu to take down a B-rank hunter.

But she didn't seem particularly interested in calling for help either.

“There’s someone else who’ll handle it.”

The moment Bisu finished speaking, a low, deep voice rang out from behind.

“That's enough.”

Hearing the man’s voice, I couldn’t help but think of that annoying bastard, Gu Gyeon.

It was the ‘something’ embedded in that voice that drew everyone’s attention.

“……?”

The power of that voice even made Kim Gwantae, who was in a state of ‘Madness’, freeze mid-motion.

Shit, that’s a skill I’d love to learn.

“And who the hell are you? The one in charge here?”

“The only person in charge is Father. I’m just here to clean up messes like this.”

He said ‘Father’, but honestly, he looked even older than Yaksha.

A man appeared to be in his fifties with short-cropped, greying hair.

I wondered if this what a war veteran might look like as he grows old.

The stern expression on his face finally jogged my memory.

He was the one who stood to one side and observed my deal with Yaksha.

“Indeed. To restrain a B-rank hunter, you’d need someone at that level.”

As I nodded in understanding, Bisu asked with a sullen look,

“How the hell do you know that guy’s B-rank?”

Of course I know.

I’ve got V1, which could hack into the Hunter Association’s database linked directly to my vision.

But I couldn’t exactly tell her the truth.

“Just a hunch, that’s all.”

“Hmph. Petty.”

Just like that, I became the petty guy.

But what could I do?

A fight broke out between a high level hunter and a black market manager, I couldn't help but be intrigued.

Unlike my fights, where even a scratch can mean death, they were about to have a proper ‘battle’.

For someone like me, who lacked real combat experience, this was bound to be a valuable experience.

“I asked the shop next door and they said you didn’t even know it was a rare species and sold the monster cheap. In cases like that, you won’t get any compensation from the black market or anywhere else.”

“Heh… Let’s see if you can still say that when you’re getting beaten so bad you’re pissing yourself. Whether it’s dogs or people, beating is always the cure.”

At this point, it was hard to tell who was from the black market and who was the hunter.

That guy was a hunter, but his actions were no different from those of a thug.

“I heard the government doesn’t hold anyone accountable even if someone dies here.”

“So you were trying to kill him because of that?”

“Yes. That way, these idiots won’t think about cheating me next time I come.”

“No. There won’t be a next time.”

I couldn't help but swallow hard as I watched the thrilling scene unfold.

A chilling, murderous intent radiated from the manager's eyes.

"You're going to die today.”

The black market manager took a battle stance.

What was with that posture?

It was not boxing, nor was it close to Muay Thai or wrestling.

He was not facing his opponent head-on but standing at a 90˚ angle, watching him from the side.

The tip of one shoulder seemed to be aimed directly at the opponent.

“Bullshit.”

A hazy light enveloped Kim Gwantae’s entire body.

The source of power for Knight-type hunters.

White Aether enveloped his body like armor, supporting him firmly.

Kim Gwantae, now armed with Aether, moved his divine form with unrestrained fluidity.

'So fast...!!’

Until now, the fastest monster I’d faced was the 4-star (★★★★) Venomous Centipede.

But in terms of speed alone, Kim Gwantae felt even faster.

In the blink of an eye, he had reached the manager's chest.

Whoosh—

With a chilling jolt of energy, Kim Kwantae swung his knuckles.

They landed squarely on his face with a fluid motion.

Not on the manager's, but on Kim Gwantae’s own face.

Pow!

“??????????”

Judging by the expressions on everyone else’s faces, I’m pretty sure I knew what mine looked like.

What the hell just happened?

Kim Gwantae was the one who threw the punch, yet the one whose face got wrecked was also Kim Gwantae.

In other words, he punched himself in the face.

“Wow… I thought I was seeing things.”

At Bisu’s words, I could only nod blankly.

How could he possibly counterattack in such a way?

One thing was certain: the manager's close-quarters combat technique far exceeded anything resembling conventional logic.

“Ugh… gah…!!”

Startled, Kim Gwantae stumbled back a few steps.

Blood streamed down from the face he was clutching with one hand.

He spat out a few teeth with a ‘ptooey’ and then resumed his battle stance.

As expected of a B-rank.

Even with his face so brutally beaten, the Aether around him didn’t waver in the slightest.

[Kim Gwantae’s Madness (★★) has been activated at maximum level.]

For close-combat Knights, their entire body becomes a weapon.

And true to that saying, Kim Gwantae unleashed punches, elbows, knees, kicks, even tried a headbutt, but the manager didn’t allow a single blow to land.

On the contrary.....

Smack!

“GRAAAAAAAHH!!”

Kim Gwantae’s horrific scream echoed across the square.

While attempting a spinning back kick, the manager made a strange motion, and just like that, his thigh joint was torn out of place.

"Ugh..."

A few of the onlooking guards turned their heads away, unable to bear the sight.

Not only was blood flowing, but pure white bone was poking through the skin, creating a horrific sight.

If a healer didn’t step in immediately, the damage could leave him crippled for life.

“AAAGHH!!”

Writhing in pain, the man soon lost consciousness. Thɪs chapter is updated by n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net

A B-rank Knight, knocked into shock without even lasting a few proper exchanges.

He wouldn't die, but there was no way anyone’s going to take care of him.

“Let’s go. If he dies, the cleaners will take care of it. If he lives, he can crawl out on his own.”

Simple as that.

I nodded at Bisu’s words, then turned my gaze toward the manager.

A man whose identity I was curious about to learn.

His face looked unexpectedly honest (?) for a black market manager, and above all, every movement he made was almost artistic.

Just what kind of combat style had he mastered?

Let’s find out.

[This hunter's registration has been revoked. To access records from the day of deletion, you must connect to the central database. Would you like to proceed?]

When did it ever need to ask for permission?

Proceed.

[Connecting the central database… connection confirmed.]

Since it was lost data, there wasn't much information.

The name is Oh Jiho.

Age: 49.

The hashtags used to describe his abilities showed no traits whatsoever.

Meaning he lacked the typical hunter’s arrogance or vanity.

At most, only his physical grade at the time of deletion was visible…… ??????

"What?"

When I suddenly came to a stop, Bisu tilted her head in confusion.

“What’s wrong?”

But I wasn't in my mind to answer her.

Even after blinking a few times or rubbing my eyes hard with the back of my hand, it was still the same.

An unbelievable text unfolded before my eyes.

“This is unbelievable...”

‘E’.

The rank of Oh Jiho, the man who overpowered a B-rank hunter as effortlessly as twisting a child’s wrist.

Was, shockingly, ‘E’.

* * *

Even as I descended underground following Bisu, the shock still hadn't faded.

I was curious whether Oh Jiho's rank would be S or A, but to think it was merely an 'E'.

It was lower than Kim Gwantae, even lower than me.

Something utterly irrational had just unfolded before my eyes.

Could I have neutralized someone like Kim Gwantae the way Oh Jiho did?

And without even a scratch?

I shook my head.

‘Impossible.’

Of course I could kill him.

He’s a close-combat type, but even a slightest graze of Exa can be fatal to most living beings.

But I’d have to endure some considerable losses.

Perhaps the rank system itself is less accurate than we thought?

[The rank system is a guideline developed by the Hunter Association over decades of data collection, factoring in ether quantity, the user's unique abilities, combat effectiveness, and overall threat level...]

Sensing my doubtful look, V1 explained to me.

There was no need for such a lengthy explanation.

After all, I spent the entirety of my stay at Dr. Jin’s lab poring over hunter-related data.

According to V1’s records, Oh Jiho had his hunter license revoked three years ago.

Has his skill level improved by more than three tiers in those three years?

I could only come to the same conclusion as before.

‘It’s impossible, otherwise.’

“Why are you so quiet?”

“Uh… that scene earlier was just too shocking.”

"Right? There's no one who isn't amazed by our manager's skills."

Bisu puffed out her chest with pride as if it were her own achievement.

Her triumphant expression clearly showed her fondness for Oh Jiho.

"I thought you disliked everyone from the black market.”

"That's right. They're all assholes. But Manager Uncle is one of the few decent people here. He's not very talkative, though."

Bisu guided me through the black market like before, and soon we met Yaksha who was sitting cross-legged on the high chair where I first met him.

Fuck.

Does he think he's an emperor?

I stared at Yaksha with a sour look.

His wild long hair reminded me of a beast’s mane, and his sharp eyes resembled those of a tiger.

Even his intimidating fangs alone were enough to make anyone flinch.

He exuded a raw force to be reckoned with.

Yaksha glanced at me and gave me a satisfied smile.

"Your skills have improved significantly."

"How do you know that?"

“You’ve kept up just fine so far, so I can tell.”

It pissed me off, but it wasn’t wrong.

After all, running the Poison Dungeons really did boost my stats in various ways.

Thanks to the ampoules Bisu gave me, I was able to hunt monsters with ease, so it’s fair to say I owed some of that success to Yaksha.

I just didn’t want to admit it.

“Enough talk. Let’s start the deal.”

“Alright.”

Yaksha raised his massive frame and slowly descended the stairs.

The time had come to resume the deal with Yaksha.

The grinding I’d been doing in the Poison Dungeons all this time.

And on top of that, the special deal I had been mulling over.