Chapter 2

Fate-Seizing Hunter: Chapter 002

Chapter 2

After inspecting their nest, they screamed and scattered in all directions to retrieve their eggs.

“Idiots. Look all you want.”

The hunters from the Han-Young Guild were already far away from the griffin’s nest.

As long as they didn’t make loud noises, there was no risk of being detected by the griffins.

As long as they didn’t make loud noises...

But at that moment, one of the group members slightly raised his head and then sneezed loudly.

“Achoo!!!”

Boom!

It was a loud sneeze that made all the surrounding birds fly away.

“Idiot!!!”

The startled team leader glared at the person who sneezed, but it was already too late.

The griffin, having sensed their presence, was flying towards them at lightning speed.

“Kweeek!”

Boom!

◆Golden Griffin

(LV 535)

A Golden Griffin, which is about 100 levels higher than a regular griffin.

Its attack pattern of diving from the sky at high speed is difficult for even skilled hunters to avoid.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

There was no way to evade or escape from a griffin in the Beast Forest.

However, the hunters had prepared for such a situation.

“Get the machine out!”

“Roger!”

At the leader’s command, someone holding a large bundle took out a device from their pack.

It was a speaker-shaped machine with a megaphone attached. About four of these devices were placed on the ground.

Even in a situation where griffins were about to attack, the man installed the machines without trembling and completed the setup perfectly.

And the moment he activated the machine...

Whirr!

A powerful ultrasonic wave emitted from the machine, enveloping the incoming griffins.

“Kweeek!!”

The griffins lost their balance in the air due to the powerful ultrasonic wave.

Most of them crashed into trees or fell helplessly to the ground.

“This is our chance! Everyone, retreat!”

The machine causes temporary dizziness.

While it can create a sudden variable in battle when used strategically, its effect is not long-lasting.

So, they had to escape before the griffins regained their senses.

Unfortunately, not all the griffins were affected by the ultrasonic attack.

◆Golden Griffin Leader

(Boss)

(LV 600)

This griffin is the leader and boss monster of the Golden Griffins.

Being the strongest individual, it was able to break through the sound wave attack and reach this place.

“Damn! Just my luck...”

Even at the same level, a boss monster is known to be about twice as powerful as a regular monster.

A 600-level boss monster is not an opponent to be taken lightly, even when alone.

“Ranged attack... Fire!”

Since they came to deal with griffins, the group had a high proportion of ranged attackers.

Out of a total of 25 members, more than half, 15 of them, were armed with bows or guns.

Swish, swish, swish~

“Kweeek!”

Beasts generally move faster than regular monsters but have lower attack and defense power due to the lack of equipment.

Flying beasts, in particular, have even lower health and defense.

As arrows and bullets pierced the Golden Griffin, it let out a painful cry and abandoned its straight approach, turning to the side.

It wasn’t running away; it was trying to avoid attacks and look for an opening.

“Seongjin!”

“Sir, Team Leader!”

When the team leader called out Seongjin’s name, a dwarf man came forward with a large wooden barrel, as if he had been waiting for it.

“Use that!”

“Understood!”

The dwarf man fixed the barrel at the right angle and then suddenly shouted.

“Take this, fireworks!”

As he shouted, the barrel opened, revealing dozens of fireworks.

The fuses lit up automatically, and they began to launch one after another.

Swish, swish, swish, swish~

The fireworks, with long trails of fire, flew towards the griffin and exploded in a burst of colorful flames.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

While it looked like a fireworks show, it was far from a pleasant experience for the griffin.

The flames stuck to it like sticky oil, refusing to fall off no matter how much it struggled.

“How’s that! This is my special skill!”

This was Seongjin’s skill.

Unlike regular skills, which only consume mana, this one also consumes items. In exchange, its effect was outstanding.

“Now! Keep pressing the attack!”

No matter how good a skill is, it can’t last forever. The flames would eventually go out, so they had to finish the job before that happened.

Boom, boom, boom!

Even the strongest boss couldn’t withstand a relentless attack.

Thanks to timely skill usage and relentless attacks that didn’t allow for evasion or recovery, the griffin, unable to advance or retreat, continued to be hit.

“Fire!”

Finally, the griffin, riddled with numerous skills, lost its strength and fell from the sky.

Thud!

“We got it!”

Fortunately, all their preparations paid off, and they easily defeated the 600-level boss monster.

If the skill hit rate had been low or more griffins had arrived, there might have been casualties in this dangerous moment.

“Did any items drop?”

The team leader shouted to a guild member who was confirming the fallen boss, but the guild member, after searching the griffin, shook his head.

“No drop.”

“Can’t be helped. Since we’ve already defeated the boss, let’s start butchering it.”

The corpse of a monster, when butchered, provides good materials for making equipment. Especially with a boss monster, rare resources might drop, so butchering is essential.

“Who’s the best at butchering?”

“Jinwoo is the best.”

The man called Jinwoo was one of the porters carrying a large bundle.

“That’s the porter who installed the machine earlier. He handled the situation calmly in an emergency.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

When hunting or completing quests, items and byproducts like butchering are naturally obtained.

If the combatants had to carry these items themselves, it would be cumbersome and hinder their movement due to the weight.

Therefore, large guilds hire porters to transport items and handle tasks like butchering.

Since they are on short-term contracts and not formal guild members, they don’t form parties. This is because sharing experience points would be a waste.

Naturally, porters, who are hired, are mostly of lower levels compared to the higher-level guild members.

Thus, they are of no use in combat, and if monsters attack in large numbers, it’s difficult to protect them, so in emergencies, porters are often the first to be abandoned.

Being abandoned is actually a fortunate outcome, as they can still run away if they regain their senses.

In more malicious guilds, porters are sometimes used as bait to distract monsters.

Thus, the survival rate of porters is much lower than that of hunters. However, people become porters for one reason: money.

Boom! Boom!

The man, who appeared to be in his early 20s, was skillfully butchering the griffin.

He took on this job as a porter ultimately for the money.

After one dungeon run, he earns 2 million won.

While it’s not a large sum considering the risk to his life, there are no other places where he can earn 2 million won in a day, so he has to earn money this way.

Most porters have urgent reasons to gather money quickly.

Song Jinwoo, who was diligently butchering the griffin, was no exception.

While Song Jinwoo was dissecting the griffin, the team leader called over a man with a gesture. This was the man who had sneezed and attracted the boss monster.

“Are you still with us?!”

“I’m sorry.”

Activities in the dungeon are not only dangerous for porters.

Even the strongest and most skilled hunters can die in an instant in the dungeon. Thus, the team leader’s anger was understandable.

The team leader continued to vent his anger for a while and then glared at the man with burning eyes.

“Idiot! If you make one more mistake, I’ll really kick you out!”

“I’m sorry!”

Meanwhile, Song Jinwoo finished the butchering.

Impressed by the neat and clean work, the team leader said with interest.

“Hmm~ Good job. You separated everything into top-quality materials in such a short time?”

Butchering is a basic life skill that improves with higher levels, but the quality is also determined by the butcher’s movements.

The difficulty of butchering increases with the level of the monster. Despite butchering a 600-level monster, all the materials were of top quality.

His movements were frighteningly fast and precise. In the middle of a hunting ground, where time is of the essence, quick butchering makes the party safer.

“Your name is Song Jinwoo, right? I see why the guild recommended you. Well done.”

“Thank you.”

Song Jinwoo bowed his head in response to the team leader’s words. It’s always good to be in the team leader’s good graces.

However, not everyone thought highly of Song Jinwoo.

Many hunters, who risk their lives to catch monsters, have bad tempers.

Among them, there’s always one who enjoys bullying the weak.

“Hey, Song.”

A man with a large greatsword approached Song Jinwoo with a gleam in his eyes, as if he had found a toy.

He always calls Song Jinwoo “Song.”

“...”

Song Jinwoo, who had experienced this many times, remained expressionless and ignored him, but the man didn’t stop there.

“Hey, you. Why are you ignoring me?”

Song Jinwoo sighed inwardly as he looked at the man, Choi Kanghyun, who had been bullying him for some reason.

He glanced at the team leader, but he was already looking elsewhere.

‘Even if he knows, he won’t take my side, I guess.’

Choi Kanghyun, who bullied Song Jinwoo, may seem insignificant, but he is a high-level hunter with a level over 500 and has completed his second-class promotion.

In the guild, second-class promoted members are important resources. If a mere porter like Song Jinwoo got angry, no one would take his side.

Knowing this, Song Jinwoo tried not to show his emotions and walked silently.

But Choi Kanghyun didn’t stop.

“Hey, you! I’m talking to you.”

Choi Kanghyun tapped Song Jinwoo’s cheek with his hand and laughed unpleasantly.

“Song, you money-grubber. You’re still alive today, huh?”

Song Jinwoo had no choice but to respond, albeit as briefly as possible.

“Yes.”

“Ha~ You made some money today? Just 2 million won for butchering and carrying stuff, I’m so jealous.”

The wages of a hunter and a porter are not the same. Choi Kanghyun surely earns much more than Song Jinwoo.

He knows this but still says such things just to tease Song Jinwoo.

“...”

When Song Jinwoo fell silent again, Choi Kanghyun laughed slyly and tapped his arm.

“Are you collecting all this for your sister? Ha~ What a good brother.”

Mentioning his sister made Song Jinwoo, who had been maintaining his composure, stiffen.

“Art is expensive, isn’t it? I heard your sister plays the violin?”

“...Where did you hear that?”

“Song, you’ve been running around with bloodshot eyes, only caring about money. It’s already a famous story in this line. Didn’t you know?”

It was a beautiful story of dedication for his sister, but Choi Kanghyun was deliberately distorting it.

“So, isn’t it wrong for poor people to even try music?”

“...”

The stress hunters experience while running dungeons is naturally high. So, they have ways to manage that stress.

Choi Kanghyun, in particular, was already famous in this line for bullying easy targets like porters.

The guild was aware of this but turned a blind eye because he was a high-level user and didn’t cause any other significant issues.

So, the weak always had to endure.

Song Jinwoo, despite being furious when his sister was mentioned, suppressed his anger.

The best way for Song Jinwoo to earn a lot of money in a short time was to be a porter.

Of course, there were people like Choi Kanghyun in the Han-Young Guild, but because it was a large guild, the payments were reliable.

And because the guild members were strong, the death rate of porters in combat was much lower compared to other guilds.

If he joined another guild, he would likely face even worse treatment.

Knowing this, he tried not to show his emotions, but Choi Kanghyun showed no signs of stopping.

“Is your sister pretty?”

“...”

“Many musicians are pretty. Do you have a photo?”

“No.”

“Come on, show me a photo. Who knows? If I like her, I might treat her well...”

As he said this, Choi Kanghyun made obscene gestures with his fingers.

“If she’s pretty and tasty, I might take good care of her even if you die in the dungeon. How about it?”

This time, Song Jinwoo almost couldn’t hold back.

He wanted to punch that dirty face, but a high-level hunter wouldn’t be affected by just a punch.

Biting his lip until it bled, Song Jinwoo finally spoke.

“...I’ll pass.”