I Possess Too Many Characteristics

Chapter 10

‘But no matter how much I think about it, it’s strange.’

A few days before entering the Gate.

Jeonghyeon tilted his head as he headed to the meeting place.

He had checked the post several times, but there was nothing strange about it.

However, the fact that there was nothing strange made it even stranger.

“No, who does business like such a pushover?”

It was a violation of business ethics, a huge one at that.

Of course, strictly speaking, it wasn’t Jeonghyeon’s concern as the consumer, but one should always think thrice when the contract conditions are too good to be true.

Two D-Rank Hunters,

recruiting two people regardless of rank or experience to go to a 2-level or lower Gate,

with no disadvantage in distribution?

If it was a guild request, it should be sufficient with only internal guild members.

“It smells fishy.”

Jeonghyeon closed his eyes like a seasoned detective in a drama and sniffed.

There was actually a smell.

Jeonghyeon moved his head, following the smell, and opened his eyes.

There was a travel carrier being dragged along by his right hand.

And a strong stench of monsters emanated from it.

“Ugh, having a good sense of smell isn’t always a good thing.”

A Hunter equipment case purchased following Jeongah’s advice from their previous hunt together.

Since the smell from Hunter’s equipment was what it was, it had a sealing function, but even that was limited.

‘Well, in this case, is it the smeller’s fault?’

The sealing function was only meant to prevent ordinary people from smelling it.

The problem was particularly acute because the performance of the newly acquired E-Rank trait was too good.

Adaptation Syndrome and adaptation in real life are separate issues.

Not only did his senses become dramatically more sensitive, but minor inconveniences arose when he exerted force or moved around.

For example, when holding an egg or casually jogging.

He would think he was holding it like usual, but the egg would crack like tofu, and he would almost bump into the person in front of him.

During the few days leading up to entering the Gate, Jeonghyeon had put most of his effort into adapting to his newfound abilities.

‘But it’s not like that anymore.’

Jeonghyeon clenched and unclenched his left hand.

He was much more used to it now, but he wondered if it would be the same once he entered actual combat.

It was also the reason why he couldn’t give up his current party, which guaranteed a safe hunt, even if things smelled a bit fishy.

“But still, it’s weird, isn’t it?”

Jeonghyeon couldn’t shake off his suspicions.

Just like how you can’t help but think of an elephant when told not to, the more you try not to be conscious of something in situations like this, the more conscious you become.

And at that moment, as soon as he stepped forward with his foot, inadvertently putting strength into it.

Crack━

A crack appeared on the sidewalk pavement.

“Oh dear, what do I do?”

Jeonghyeon quickly bent down and examined the broken pavement.

But it wouldn’t magically reattach itself just because he looked at it.

In the end, Jeonghyeon straightened up and looked around.

“Ahem, uh-hum.”

After confirming that there was no one around, he cleared his throat and started walking again.

He didn’t forget to be careful with his light steps.

“Oh, why is this darn Gate located in such a remote place? I didn’t know there were places like this in Seoul.”

Jeonghyeon needlessly looked around and swung his arms.

He was following the address the poster had sent him, but for some reason, the mountain path was sparsely populated and becoming increasingly desolate.

‘This is also suspicious……’

Since he had started to be suspicious, he couldn’t help but notice even these things.

But the location of the Gate wasn’t really a problem.

Gates appear indiscriminately in both urban and natural environments.

The feeling that more Gates appear in urban areas was just a perception.

Occasionally, old Gates that remain undiscovered in the mountains cause Breaks, so the Association conducts regular nationwide patrols.

Besides, it would be strange if there was a lot of human traffic where a Gate was located.

And even if it was in a remote location, there would be Association staff managing the Gate.

Jeonghyeon dismissed his worries, thinking he was being overly cautious.

Just then, the meeting place came into view.

“Hello.”

A temporary Association office and three people standing in front of it.

A man and a woman were standing close together, talking, while another woman stood alone, about three steps away.

As Jeonghyeon approached and greeted them, the man smiled brightly and greeted him back.

“Ah, hello. Are you Mr. Han Jeonghyeon?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Seo Hanseok, who will be entering with you today.”

“I’m Park Garyeong.”

The woman who was talking with the man greeted him next.

And the woman who was standing alone, looking a bit hesitant, also approached.

“Hello. I’m Nam Jiyun.”

“I’m Han Jeonghyeon.”

She seemed to be the other person who had joined the party with him.

The man who introduced himself as Hanseok gave a brief explanation about Jiyun.

“Jiyun here insisted that she’s a Healer. We weren’t particularly looking for specific traits, but it’s a relief, isn’t it?”

“I…… I’m just an E-Rank Level 1 Healer……”

“Hey, even if you’re E-Rank, having a Healer is reassuring, isn’t it? Even if they’re Goblins, you could get seriously injured.”

“Of course, that’s unlikely to happen if you’re with us.”

Hanseok and Garyeong took turns praising Jiyun, and they seemed quite natural about it.

In any case, it’s good to have a Healer in the party.

Jeonghyeon agreed appropriately and observed the two.

‘Are they people who do this kind of thing often?’

In the MyTV videos, there were so many cases of high-ranked Hunters looking down on others.

That was the reason why Jeonghyeon hadn’t registered his traits on his Hunter ID.

Of course, people would assume that those who don’t list their traits are most likely F-Rank, but there was a difference between openly declaring it and hiding it.

But at least Hanseok and Garyeong didn’t seem like that type.

‘Well, I guess that’s why they formed a party like this.’

As Jeonghyeon was thinking this, Hanseok asked.

“By the way, Mr. Jeonghyeon, what are your traits? You haven’t registered them.”

“Ah…… well, they’re Agility-related.”

Jeonghyeon didn’t specify his rank.

But Hanseok nodded as if he understood.

“I knew you looked agile. It’s a pleasure to have you with us.”

“No, the pleasure is all mine.”

He didn’t show any disappointment and immediately offered a compliment.

He was indeed used to it.

Was it because everyone who was supposed to come had arrived?

Hanseok moved a little away from Jeonghyeon and positioned himself where everyone could see him.

“Alright, we’re about to enter the Gate. There’s nothing much to it, but I’ll tell you what I need to tell you beforehand.”

And he began the briefing that was customary before entering a Gate.

The name of the place we’re entering is ‘Atarok Goblin Village’.

Even though it had a tribal name, they were ordinary Goblins.

The variations within the Goblin species were vast, and the difficulty level fluctuated wildly depending on the modifier attached to their name.

This meant there was no need to worry about that.

“Besides, we won’t be going into the village itself. We’ll only be dealing with the scouts roaming around the area.”

And the explanation continued.

Hanseok said he had a D-Rank Axe Skill trait, and Garyeong said she had a D-Rank Magic trait.

So, they would move with Hanseok at the front, Jeonghyeon behind him, and Garyeong and Jiyun at the back.

Since there was nothing particularly unusual, everyone nodded in agreement.

As Hanseok was about to head towards the Association office, saying,”Shall we enter now?”, he seemed to have forgotten something and spoke to Jeonghyeon and Jiyun again.

“Everything else is fine, but you should be careful of the Goblin poison needles.”

“Ah, yes!”

Jiyun replied in a somewhat loud voice, perhaps because she was nervous.

Hanseok chuckled at Jiyun and added.

“Goblin poison needles, they hurt quite a bit if you get hit.”

‘What’s this?’

Jeonghyeon felt a slight sense of incongruity from Hanseok’s behavior.

It was because he felt like Hanseok’s personality had suddenly changed for a moment.

But that impression was fleeting, and since Hanseok was back to his usual self after turning around, Jeonghyeon tilted his head and followed him.

‘Well, I should be careful of the poison needles.’

It was so common and well-known that everyone knew its effects.

Poison needles that could cause stiffness and even fainting if one didn’t have sufficient resistance, especially if they were physically weak.

But their power was weak enough that they couldn’t even penetrate most simple armor.

It was a weapon that one should be wary of but was easy to let one’s guard down against.

It could be easily dismissed, thinking that he was saying that because he was with a novice Hunter.

◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈

The Hunter Association, spanning 30,000 pyeong （approximately 24.8 acres）.

As large as the site was, the main building was magnificent, but most of the Association’s important departments were located underground.

This was to preserve their ability to respond in case of unforeseen terrorist attacks or even the worst-case scenario of a Break.

‘Investigation Division 3’, which investigated Hunters who committed crimes, also known as Villains, was located in the sunless underground.

Investigation Division 3 was the branch that investigated incidents that occurred within Gates among the numerous crimes committed by Villains.

And inside that office,

“Hmm……”

A woman was dozing off.

Short hair that didn’t reach her shoulders and fair skin even without makeup.

Even though she looked sloppy with her eyes closed and drool dripping from her mouth, she was Cha Yerin, the head of Investigation Division 3.

And someone called out to Yerin urgently.

“Chief!”

“Huh? What is it? What’s going on?”

Yerin woke up with a start.

It was Investigation Team Leader Kim Seokung who had woken her up.

“We caught them!”

“What are you talking about? Caught who?”

“‘Mask’! We got a call from the Monitoring Center! We’ve secured their location!”

“What?”

Yerin, who had been listening with a disinterested expression, jumped up from her seat.

Mask.

A Villain duo who teamed up to kill inexperienced Hunters inside Gates, disguising it as an accident.

One of them had a Magic trait and used it to change their face, making it incredibly difficult to track them down.

They were presumed to be at the end of Level 2, yet they targeted newbie Hunters, which made them even more despicable.

Their crimes exploited the fact that the level of response capability varied greatly from level to level, especially among lower-level Hunters.

“They’ve been quiet for a while, but there was another accident in Seoul recently, and a staff member said it seemed a bit suspicious afterward. Hyuncheol went to the Monitoring Center to check, and it seems to be them. But……”

Seokung, who had been speaking excitedly, suddenly trailed off.

Yerin urged him on.

“Speak up! Where are they?”

“Well…… they’ve already entered the Gate. Atarok Goblin Village.”

“What? Are you kidding me……”

Yerin covered her forehead with her hand and turned her gaze.

The empty seat across from Seokung’s.

Originally, Response Team Leader Jo Seokhyeon should have been dispatched immediately, but he had already been sent to the countryside to handle another case.

That was probably why Seokung was hesitant.

But they couldn’t afford to delay when there was a high probability of another crime occurring.

Yerin shouted as if there was no need to hesitate.

“What are you doing? I’ll report to the Director and follow you right away, so hurry up and get the rest of the Response Team and move out!”

“Huh?”

“You’re a B-Rank with some experience, you should be able to do something! Can’t you hear me? Get out there!”

“Yes, sir!”

At her sharp command, Seokung hurriedly dashed out of the office.

Yerin let out a deep sigh.

The estimated rank of the Mask duo was D.

Even though he was currently in an office job, Seokung was a skilled B-Rank Hunter who had temporarily taken on Response Team duties, so it should be easy for him.

Even if Response Team Leader Jo Seokhyeon hadn’t been away, he wouldn’t have been able to enter a 2-level restricted Gate, so there was no difference in actual combat power.

The only problem was whether the Hunters who entered with them would be alive or dead by the time Seokung apprehended the Villains.

It was unlikely that those guys would have formed a party with other Hunters and entered the Gate for no reason.

‘I can’t just sit here.’

Yerin quickly tidied up her clothes and rushed out of the office.

The Mask duo were notorious criminals that Investigation Division 3 had been monitoring for a long time.

Naturally, it meant that the entire Investigation Department was paying attention to the case.

She had to hurry and join them to ensure a successful resolution.

There was no room for complacency when dealing with Hunters.

That was the motto of Investigation Division 3 ever since Cha Yerin, a Hunter with an A-Rank trait, was appointed as the head.

Yerin’s footsteps quickened as she hurried through the clean underground hallways of the Association.