NOVPUB
Chapter 109
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Bearing the immense weight of the mana field upon him, Suho was neither panicked nor scared. Instead, he just sighed.
So, there’s a human like Ammut after all. Andre was just as enormous, and old, though not quite as ancient. It was baffling how Suho kept coming across such powerful elderly folks.
“Wh-what’s this? You can withstand this?” Thomas Andre was genuinely flustered. According to his secretary’s information, Suho was merely a C-rank hunter. At first glance, the aura emanating from him seemed to be around the B-rank threshold at best.
What’s going on? Thomas thought. Even if he hadn’t exerted his full power, the mana field he emitted should have been more than enough to crush someone of that level. But how? How can he withstand this?
There was an important fact he was missing: a hunter wasn’t defined solely by their mana. Even Andre himself, before his awakening, was considered the strongest human alive due to his highly developed physical abilities. When such overwhelming physicality was combined with mana, the synergy defied description.
The same was true for Suho. A hunter’s rank was determined by the amount of mana they possessed. Indeed, Suho’s mana was significantly lower than Thomas’, but in terms of physical strength...
[Strength: 115]
My training hasn’t been for nothing. A confident smile appeared on Suho’s face as he faced the mana field head-on.
Daily Quests, Iron Body Technique training... Suho had been steadily gaining three ability points a day, all of which he invested entirely into his strength stat. At this very moment, he was displaying the results of this investment. I’m used to gravitational fields!
“Huh? You’re laughing?” Thomas’ eyes sparkled with anger as he observed the young man’s relaxed face. “How dare you laugh in front of me?”
Whoosh!
At that moment, the energy emanating from the old man was infused with a sense of increased seriousness.
Suho’s expression started to stiffen in turn. “Something’s shifted,” he muttered.
Thomas moved beyond a mere show of force, reaching out with his massive hand to grasp Suho’s throat. “Even if you are indeed the child of prophecy, there’s still a pecking order.”
Swoosh!
It was at this point that Suho had to make a decision—retreat or fight back.
But he had made up his mind from the beginning. Of course, I have to fight. Sparks lit up in his eyes as he began to seriously muster his energy.
This is my chance to fight an S-rank hunter. Suho had been curious for a while. He had barely defeated one of the followers of Itarim. The Tyrant was a mere minion, but he put up a tough fight.
I have to become stronger. He couldn’t stop at just that. To ultimately reach where his father was and stand proudly beside him against the Itarim, he needed to improve.
I should be the strongest among humans, at least. If he could be defeated by another human, he didn’t deserve to even take a step onto the battlefield where his father stood.
So Suho had been curious. The moment he learned that Thomas Andre, the S-rank hunter known as humanity’s strongest, had come to South Korea, a thought sprang to existence inside his head: How strong is an S-rank? That thought never left his mind, and now, it was a stroke of luck that the hunter in question had come to him first.
Bam!
Suho met Andre’s incoming hands and grasped them. He felt the immense strength of the old man’s grip.
“Oh?” For a moment, Thomas raised a curious eyebrow. The corner of his mouth quirked up at this unexpected situation. “Are you serious? You think you can compete with me in a test of strength?”
It was utterly ridiculous. After all, he hadn’t come all the way to South Korea just because he held Suho in high regard. This trip was all because of Norma Selner’s prophecy.
I came all the way here to tackle the Glacier Dungeon, and yet... The Glacier Dungeon was a demonic realm that even the Scavenger Guild hesitated to challenge. True to its name, the dungeon was enveloped in extreme cold, making the environment within it incredibly difficult to endure.
Moreover, it was full of scores of powerful magic beasts, meaning countless hunters who ventured inside had ultimately never returned. Indeed, there had been a case where one of the Scavenger Guild’s strong hunters had confidently entered with his fellow members, only to suffer and narrowly escape freezing to death.
Norma’s prophecy had indicated that Sung Suho, a hunter from South Korea, would be instrumental in conquering this dungeon. Following her advice, Andre had decided to head to Korea immediately. But upon arrival, the prophesied hunter absurdly turned out to be a mere C-rank summoner.
To think, a guy like this would dare to take me lightly... Should I just kill him and be done with it? Thomas Andre had never in his life been in a situation where he had to ask someone else for a favor. If he wanted something, all he had to do was order someone to get it for him. Suho’s audacity compounded his frustration.
Now, Andre was contemplating whether he wanted to teach the rookie a permanent lesson. Are the healers good enough to fix him if I rip off both his arms? What if I go for his legs too?
“Thomas! Calm down!” Laura, sensing the escalating situation from afar, urgently called out to try and restrain him. “You’re not planning to kill him, are you? Remember why we’re here!”
But once Thomas was in such a mood, no one could stop him. Even in his advanced age, he was truly a demon of the battlefield. If someone dared to show off their strength in front of him, they wouldn’t be left alive.
He exerted even more power on the hands grasping his. “Don’t worry, Laura! What an age we live in! Even if I break him, healers will surely fix him up. Hahaha!” Thomas’ forearms swelled up as if they might burst as a ferocious laugh erupted from him.
Suho faced him with an equally savage expression, teeth bared. Bring it on!
[The “Pain Tolerance” skill mitigates the pain.]
[The “Pain Tolerance” skill mitigates the pain.]
Daily training for the Iron Body Technique had repeatedly broken his bones, so this level of pain was routine for him. Ammut had always emphasized that true warriors could draw out their full strength even amid such pain. Like master, like disciple. Suho now wholeheartedly agreed with Ammut’s words.
The demons he had encountered in one of the fragmented pieces of the demon realm had been so riddled with mad blood poison that simply being alive was agony for them. Yet, even in that pain, they burned with a single-minded intent to kill and devour their foes. But ultimately, the last one standing was Suho.
If he’s only coming at me with brute force, I stand a good chance! Suho sincerely believed he could win this test of strength against Thomas Andre.
“Graaaah!”
“Hahahahaha!”
Boom, boom, boom!
As Suho and Thomas Andre’s energies clashed, a tremendous mana storm swirled around them. It decimated everything in sight.
“Thomas! Thomas, stop it!” Even amid the chaos, Laura’s voice resonated like an echo, desperately trying to reel Thomas in.
Suddenly, there was a screech of tires. A black sedan arrived on the scene, and a man stepped out—none other than Jinho.
“Thankfully, I’m not too late.” He quickly surveyed the situation, seeing that the two hunters were in a standoff, and heaved a sigh of relief.
Jinho had been checking on Suho all day in real time, especially after getting off the phone with the Black Tortoise Guild. He had just received word from his secretary that Thomas Andre, the S-rank hunter who had suddenly landed in Korea, was headed toward Suho’s house.
If it weren’t for the memories of my past life, I might have overlooked this. Jinho now had memories of a time long forgotten, and he remembered exactly who Andre was. They were moments so terrifying that even recalling them was daunting. In those memories, all he did was writhe in pain and scream.
I never thought I’d encounter the Scavenger Guild like this again. It was shocking that no matter how old Andre got, he was still Thomas Andre. Jinho could feel the fear welling up inside himself just from seeing the old man’s face.
Of course, in Jinho’s past memories, Thomas had never directly harmed him. It was the Scavenger Guild’s hunters who had tortured him nearly to death. And Jinho vividly remembered why that had happened.
At that time, I was Jinwoo’s only weakness. Recalling how powerless he was back then, Jinho clenched his teeth.
The moment he heard that the Scavenger Guild had returned to South Korea, Jinho had no choice but to instruct his employees to immediately trace Thomas’ movements and report back to him. It was out of fear. The Andre he remembered was an unpredictable man, and if he had been Jinwoo’s only weakness back then... Now, Suho has become his weakness.
He couldn’t delay any longer. Although he didn’t know why Thomas was looking for Suho, there was only one way to resolve this situation.
Yoo Jinho quickly recognized Laura, Thomas’ secretary, and approached her swiftly. Standing beside her, he intervened to attempt to stop this senseless power struggle.
“Thomas Andre!” Yoo Jinho called out his name calmly and politely. After all, an S-rank hunter would surely be aware of everything happening in the chaos, and even a soft voice would reach him. “My name is Yoo Jinho. I’m the CEO of Ahjinsoft.”
Boom, boom, boom!
Although it seemed like the world might shatter at any moment, Jinho continued, “If you do not step back immediately, I will have no choice but to take action.”
“What?”
Twitch.
When he heard those words, Thomas tore his complete focus from Suho for the first time. He had already sensed that a new figure had approached, but the energy he felt from Jinho was merely that of a D-rank. As if the insolent brat in front of him wasn’t enough, now another pathetic worm was here to dare spout nonsense at him.
Thomas looked at Jinho with an expression of utter disbelief. “So? Who cares if you’re a CEO of some company? Do you have a death wish?”
“Thomas! Stop it!” Laura, standing beside the CEO, shouted more seriously than ever. “Mr. Yoo is one of our guild’s major shareholders!”
“Oh, I see! Where are my manners?” At that moment, Thomas’ murderous intent completely melted away.
