Auto Hunting

Even during their class, where the topic was “materials that can be used in an emergency,” which other students disregarded as simply a theoretical subject, Yoo-seong listened carefully.

These raw materials could be used for consumption and energy restoration, as well as for making equipment.

He couldn’t rely only on auto-hunting.

‘I should do as best as I can, with my own efforts, he thought.’

So, even if the other students relaxed and had drinks after classes, Yoo-seong would remain at school to review various teaching materials.

Read, review, analyze.

His efforts were now bearing fruit.

Pug!

A wooden sword swung in a frightening curve, colliding with his arms.

It had enough power to break his bones, but instead, although it was painful, he was able to endure it. This was because he had a woven armband made of vines.

Eucalyptus stalks are tough and elastic. It is used as a raw material for making hunter equipment.

Yoo-seong’s arms, neck, shoulders, and chest were covered in vines, greatly reducing the sword’s impact.

‘He’s strong.’

Yoo-seong could think through the pain. It was the first time an opponent challenged him.

So far, the opponents Yoo-seong encountered had been knocked down by his offensive auto-hunting.

However, this person was different.

Flexible, graceful, yet powerful attacks.

The attacks had trajectories that Yoo-seong could not predict.

Whoosh-

‘How could he have avoided that?’

His opponent had excellent evasion and defensive skills.

They had been fighting for hours. However, his offensive auto-hunting did not seem to make a dent against his opponent.

However, it was the best thing he could do right now… it was the only thing he could do.

‘Whatever…’

His whole body screamed in pain. His heart, lungs, muscles, joints, bones…

‘If I keep attacking him like this, could I defeat him?’

‘Can I beat this unidentified opponent just by holding on more?’

He couldn’t even land a fist.

‘I need to focus.’

This opponent was also human—a human who had also been awake for more than 60 hours.

‘He is probably just as exhausted as I am.’

Yoo-seong wasn’t sure he could defeat him, but if he could stay standing…

‘I could win. ‘

Yoo-seong looked at his slot.

-16-

He still had a supply of energy.

He had to win, no matter what. If he gave up now, his effort for the past eight months would go to waste.

More importantly, he had auto-hunting.

‘Failing even if I had a miraculous skill? What a shameful outcome. I have to win!’

Both his mind and body are exhausted, but he continued to attack, avoid and defend, moving without any hitch.

Yoo-seong was standing beyond his auto-hunting skill. He was fighting with the stamina he had built up, and a determined will.

His simple armor was so tightly crafted that it retained its function even after receiving countless heavy attacks.

-15-

The dumplings he made would help him survive.

-14-

Steadily, it was replenishing the tremendous amounts of calories his body was consuming.

‘How long has it been?’

Finally, his opponent reached his limit.

‘Pug!’

The sound of a wooden sword hitting flesh.

“…”

The wooden word was trembling. The hand that held it was shaking.

Yoo-seong caught the wooden sword and held onto it tightly.

His opponent was still fighting and trying to pull the sword out of his hands, but Yoo-seong’s grip was stronger.

Then, Yoo-seong’s other hand swung down.

Pagak!

The wooden sword broke in half.

“Ahhh!”

His opponent screamed in shock and embarrassment, stumbling backward.

However, Yoo-seong was immediately onto him, catching his already worn-out body.

Papapat!

Three punches landed in an instant.

Kuung!

His opponent was thrown backward and crashed to the ground.

Surprisingly though, the suit’s shielding had not been released. Normally, the shielding broke after receiving heavy damage, and an electric shock ran through the suit.

However, his opponent remained down, not moving.

‘I won… ‘

What spread through Yoo-seong’s head was more relief than joy.

Now, it was finally over. He moved towards the opponent to finish him off.

He raised his fist. However –

-72 hours elapsed. The test has ended.-

He felt a small shock through his body as his suit’s shielding was released.

The test was over.

…

“Wow!”

“Did you guys just see that?”

All hunters in the observation room crowded over the monitor showing the two candidates at Dome 2.

A duel had lasted four hours.

Although there were differences in opinion on who performed better, everyone had overwhelming admiration for the candidates on screen.

Of course, the battle was not that great on an ‘absolute’ basis.

All spectators gathered here were professional hunters. Any of them could overpower either of the two candidates.

However, considering that the two were ‘pure’ – natural, bare body without reinforcements or equipment…

An adult who was good at driving was not a big deal.

But elementary school children, between the ages 7-8 years old – if they could handle the vehicle skillfully, wouldn’t it be surprising?

Their growth potential was immense.

Even a person with a weak physique could be superhuman-like when armed with the best equipment.

However, if a beginner who couldn’t drive was placed on a supercar’s steering wheel, it would result in a tragedy.

To reduce such waste of talents, superhumans were required to train and study until they were qualified for a hunter’s license.

Imagine if these two had the right experience, training, and equipment in the future…

“At first, I thought the woman would win.”

“The man’s attacks weren’t really a joke. Even the last time he raised his fist, his focus was still too intense.”

The hunters continued their frenzied discussions as the evaluation ended, and the candidates were revealed.

The man was Oh Yoo-seong.

The opponent who had a wooden sword was a woman.

Her name was Lee Un-seol.

She was Lee Jae-hak’s younger sister.

“But when the test ended, and the shields were lifted, the man also collapsed.”

“Yeah, he was just standing from sheer willpower.”

There were also disagreements about who really won.

“Anyway, it’s clearly Yoo-seong who won.”

“I don’t think so. Un-seol’s shield wasn’t taken off even after taking his punches. She could still have fought until the last minute.”

The bell rang at the decisive moment.

“I must say that it’s the best result I’ve seen. Even if they took the original examination type with real monsters, those two would still have passed.”

“Right.”

“I’m glad neither of them failed.”

The hunters nodded.

There was one question that was still unresolved. Since the bell rang at the decisive moment, the result of the duel was a draw.

However,

“Who scored more points?”

…

After their exhausting 72-hour exam, the candidates gathered in a spacious resting area as they waited for the results to be presented.

There would only be two outcomes.

Pass, or fail.

Candidates who were considered as passed are expected to cry tears of joy, while the other will cry tears of sadness.

It was a given.

However, there was also an exception. It was Lee Un-seol, who was pouting.

That she would surely pass the test was a fact. There was no way she can’t be in the Top 10.

However, she wanted to be the Top 1.

She had taken it for granted. However, the last opponent she faced…

She remembered a conversation she had with her brother, Lee Jae-hak.

“Well, you’ll realize one day…”

“What?”

“The world is wide.”

Her brother sounded so serious that she had to laugh. Lee Jae-hak continued calmly.

“You haven’t felt it yet… but you should be ready.”

“Ready?”

“The feeling you’ve made other people feel so many times. The feeling that you’re not enough. Losing.”

Lee Un-seol couldn’t take it anymore and stood up.

She walked out of the waiting room and went straight to a man sitting next to a coffee machine. The man was sitting in a chair with a cup of iced coffee. A towel covered his head.

Lee Un-seol spoke.

“Hey.”

“…”

She saw the man raise his head.

‘He looked so exhausted, Lee Un-seol thought as she clenched her fists. He looked like he was in a worse condition than her; how could he win?’

She asked him.

“How many did you catch?”

“…?”

“I’m just asking. I don’t know if I was counting… but how many people have you hunted during the exam?”

She paused, then told him how many she caught before he could answer.

“I caught 52 people.”

The candidates around the coffee machine turned to look.

What was this woman saying?

They were also happy because they passed, but they only hunted around 5-6 candidates on average.

Yoo-seong looked up at Lee Un-seol without expression.

Then, he said briefly.

“46.”

The candidates around the coffee machine had their mouths wide open.

Lee Un-seol’s expression became a little brighter.

“Huh… Then I won.”

She was a young genius.

Her brother advised her to be prepared to learn humility one day in this wide world, but it seemed that it was not going to be this day.

I got six more. That’s what’s important in determining the result.

The 20-year-old young woman smiled with pride and spoke once more.

“Well, you’re not that bad.”

Yoo-seong still had no expression.

“…Thank you.”

As he said those words, a huge screen that filled one side of the waiting room turned on.

The middle-aged man on the screen was Lee Ki-woo, the president of the Association.

-I would like to say a few words before we present the results.-

-It was an unprecedented, therefore difficult examination. Nevertheless, I would like to express my admiration to those who have completed the 72-hour exam, regardless if they failed or passed.-

Everyone held their breath and focused on the screen.

-As we had discussed before the exam started, you will earn one point for each candidate you catch.-

-I think there may be protests for not notifying you in advance, but the preservation of prey and minimization of damage is one of a hunter’s top priorities. It goes without saying.-

-As such, we included the preservation of prey in considering the scores.-

There were numerous reactions around the room.

“What?!”

“Surely…”

-Therefore, a score of +5 for every perfect capture applies, as well as a -3 deduction for unnecessarily violent capture.-

The waiting room was chaotic.

Depending on how safely you overwhelmed one opponent, you can get a score equivalent to capturing five people!

‘Good. ‘ Lee Un-seol was confident. There could be no more sophisticated workmanship than hers.

With such scoring, the gap between the top and the bottom candidates can become even more overwhelming.

‘But…’

Lee Un-seol turned her gaze to Yoo-seong.

‘I’m a little worried. ‘

-Then, we will announce the results.-

Finally, Lee Ki-woo’s face disappeared.

In his place were diagrams that filled the monitors.

Both Lee Un-seol and Yoo-seong saw their results at a glance.

The gap between No. 1 and No. 2 was overwhelming.

What a difference!

Three times!