Chapter 31  

The public servant resumed his work after giving Choi Yeonseung an explanation.

They made it a principle to attract the hunter first before checking how good the hunter was, so they immediately offered immigration and permanent residency.

-Why are they doing this?

-Earth’s countries don’t like to lose hunters to each other. Are your nobles like that as well?

-Ah... That is definitely the case.

The goblin nobles also hated losing their subordinates to other nobles. Odaigon?was convinced right away!

“I’ll get a permanent residence visa.” magic

“You’ve made the right choice. Honestly speaking, I don’t think there is a better country for hunters than the United States.”

“I guess I’ll have to see.”

“Haha. You’ll see what I mean once you’ve seen what we have to offer. In any case, I’ll issue you two permanent residency cards. Choi Yeonseung, do you have an existing hunter rating? Your hunter card?”

“Hunter card...”

Choi Yeonseung was about to say he had it but stopped himself. His hunter card had too much information on it. In particular, constellation-related skills!

‘I don’t think I should show it to them.’

“... I lost it.”

“This... Still, the fact that you have been issued a hunter card means there you have a record. Let me find it right now. The United States is connected to the Korean hunter side. Wait... Wait... Ah, there it is. It was last updated 30 years ago. You’re a C+ grade.”

“You don’t use cards these days?”

“No. You can just launch it on your phone or as a hologram like this...”

The man flicked his finger and a small holographic window appeared in front of him. Seeing that made Choi Yeonseung curious. They now had technology he couldn’t even see? Had?computers become this small?

“You have an existing hunter rating, so I won’t do a detailed test. Let’s do a simple test, then a constellation check. Hey, help him.”

“Come this way.”

Choi Yeonseung moved according to the instructions. When they went to the next?room, he saw a crystal ball the size of a soccer ball. A magic power meter! It was a traditional tool that had been used since the early raid days. Its color changed depending on how much magic power was injected into it. One’s magic power was measured by the color’s intensity.

Choi Yeonseung was happy to see the item. However, he soon paused. ‘... Wait, they’re still using this?’

It had been 30 years. Did it not receive any technological advancement?

“Do you measure it with that?”

“Yes? Is there a problem?” The measurer wondered.

“Uh... We had this when I was still on Earth.”

“Ah. We have been using it for a long time! However, this is the latest model that came out last year. It will be completely different from what Hunter Choi Yeonseung used back then.”

“Oh. What features does it have?”

“Its magic power limit has increased tremendously... Once you put your hands on it and inject magic power, you will hear music that puts you at ease.”

“...... !”

‘They don’t know Level Measurement?’

Choi Yeonseung came to a realization. They still hadn’t discovered Level Measurement magic! It had been around 30 years since he was last here, so he thought they would’ve at least found many new magic spells and created new things. However, they still didn’t have Level Measurement magic.

‘Odaigon will jump up and down and say we’re uncivilized.’

It was ridiculous, but asking more questions here wouldn’t change anything. Choi Yeonseung reached out and grabbed the crystal ball.

“How much do I need to put in? Around half the power?”

“You put in as much as you have.”

“Should I?”

“Huh? Of course. You have to inject everything you’ve got into it to measure your magic power accurately.”

‘Say something that makes sense.’

The facilitator could only give him such instructions because he didn’t know how powerful Choi Yeonseung was. If he injected all of his strength into it, he’d blow up this entire building.

‘It doesn’t matter. I’ll just control my strength in moderation...’

Choi Yeonseung’s goal was B-grade. It was impossible to reach A-grade without any achievements. They could only measure up to B-grade with this measurement. He could start over as C+, but there was no reason to do that.

‘It doesn’t matter if it’s B- or B-grade, having that rank will make it easier for me to move around. I’ll just slowly build up my performance from there...’

Light soon flashed, and the crystal ball shattered.

“?! ! !”

[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ is panicking!]

What amateur was he to break the crystal ball? If he couldn’t even hide his strength properly, what was he going to do in the future? Even Choi Yeonseung was taken aback. Didn’t he control his strength properly?

“Ah. I’m sorry. This item was slightly broken... I thought it would still be fine, but I didn’t expect it to shatter like this. I’m sorry.”

“... I-I see.” Choi Yeonseung was relieved. He thought he had made a mistake.

“Here it is.”

The color of the crystal ball darkened.

“Ohhh...!”

The measurer was amazed. Choi Yeonseung was quickly filling it up with magic power. Considering how much he injected into it, he should at least be either B- or B.

‘I appraised?myself?properly.’

Unlike the Abyss, it was difficult to show his skills on Earth where civilization was established. It wasn’t like he could grab someone and beat them up while saying, ‘I am strong, admit it!’?He had to demonstrate it according to the set rules of the location he was!

‘I’m sure they’ll understand what I just showed.’

One's strength wasn't determined by their amount of magic power. However, based on his performance, wouldn't they at least give him a grade of B-?

“What’s next?”

“You can fill out the questionnaire here.”

-Have you signed a contract with the constellation ‘Warrior Stained with Madness and Blood’?

-Write something to insult?the?Warrior Stained with Madness and Blood.

......

......

‘... This is childish, but?it?definitely works.’

If he had a contract with that constellation, cursing at them would’ve been enough to anger them. It was a simple but effective method!

This constellation son of a b■tch!

Choi Yeonseung wrote this with a sigh. He felt like an idiot, but...

***

‘No one’s watching, right?’

The measurer hesitantly glared at the report screen. Just looking at the hunter’s magic power, he was well qualified to be B-grade. Of course, he had to rate it as a B-. However...

-Measurer. Take this money.

-No. What else now... No, isn’t the amount higher than last time?

-What are you talking about? I don’t remember seeing this envelope. Isn’t it something that you dropped?

-......

-Measurer. If you don’t mind, just listen to me. We are from the Ambitus clan.

The Ambitus clan was one of the largest clans that were growing rapidly in the United States in recent years.

-As you know, it is tough to find talent. Even those who only ranked C-grade during their first measurement are already considered a great talent. All types of large clans would come and try to grab them.

-... What are you trying to say?

-Hahaha... If you see a decent talent, lower their rating slightly, then contact us. Just consider it as a mistake in the grading process... This isn’t the first time it has happened, right?

-!!!

A bribe!

The measurer’s voice shook as he spoke.

-But if I get caught...

He was a public servant of Dragon Industry. If they found out about what he had done, he wouldn’t just get fired. They offered a good amount of money, but his fear was greater. The Ambitus clan member replied with a cold expression.

-Just don’t get caught.

-No, just because I don’t want to get caught doesn’t mean everything will work out, does it?

-Measurer. You are already in the same boat as us.

-......!

-Do you want to get off now? This isn’t the first time you accepted our payment…

The measurer realized?he had been deceived. They kept giving him bribes without asking for anything in return, so he just kept taking them...

Was it for a time like this?

The members of the Ambitus clan comforted him. He had swung the whip, so it was time to give the carrot.

-Think about it, measurer. I’m giving you one million dollars. It isn’t a bad deal. We are making this gamble because we trust you. We will also reward you again if you introduce us to a really good hunter.

After listening to their threats and conciliatory words, the measurer eventually agreed.

‘I accepted the money, so I have to?uphold my end of the bargain.’

The problem was that even though some time had passed, he hadn’t been able to introduce anyone.

A talent wouldn’t appear just because he?was told to present one. He was also wary of manipulating the rating in front of others. His life would really be in danger if he got caught.

Nobody was looking right now, so this was a golden opportunity!

‘In my heart, I want to introduce the hunter called?Odaigon, but...’

Odaigon?was an Abyss?returnee, and there were testimonies that he was very capable. Since there was too much interest in him, it was dangerous to set him up. He couldn’t tamper with Odaigon’s rating. Choi Yeonseung was a martial artist that people showed little interest in, so he was perfect.

‘They won’t complain that I’m giving them a martial artist, right? He definitely has the right amount of magic power...!’ The measurer wrote the words ‘no changes’ in the report and sent it.

He didn’t see anything!

***

Choi Yeonseung: C+.

Odaigon: B-.

“... ? ”

Choi Yeonseung made an anxious expression. He thought he would get a B-...

‘Has the average magic power of hunters increased? No, the measurer was clearly surprised. Did the standards change in the meantime?’

Odaigon?was a B-. He seemed to have hidden his skills quite a bit. It was obvious since, in terms of skills, even A-grade hunters would be below?Odaigon.

“Are you finished?” Several limousines stopped in front of the two of them as they walked out. A hunter with a familiar face stood in front of them. It was Richard Parker.

“What’s going on?”

“I said I would compensate you some more. You have nowhere to go, right? Follow me. I’ll let you stay at my home.”

-Master. Isn’t this guy acting suspicious?

-What do you mean?

-He’s suddenly being all kind.

-... Are you suspicious of him because he’s a human?

-N-N-No. How could I...

Odaigon?hurriedly waved his hand, but his heart had already been revealed. Having dealt with various humans the moment he came out of the dungeon, Odaigon had already accumulated the greatest level of distrust.

‘The human race is annoying, troublesome, greedy, and has insignificant magic.’

An uncivilized race that couldn’t even use Level Measurement and Item Measurement!

-It’s fine. He’s treating us like this because we saved his life. And we have nowhere to stay anyway.

-If he does anything, then I will scold him.

-Yes. I’m looking forward to it.

Choi Yeonseung said so and got into the back seat of the limousine.

“Oh. There is a minibar inside. Your family seems a bit big.”

.

“... I don’t know much about it, but the Parker family is recognized by the industry.”

“I see.” Choi Yeonseung answered nonchalantly.

Richard frowned. Other people were surprised or cautious when they heard the Parker family’s name, but Choi Yeonseung was treating them like stones.

‘Maybe it’s because he’s been lost in the Abyss.’

“Is there only alcohol here? You don’t have?Cola? Cola, not Pepsi.”

“... If you want one, then I’ll buy it...”

“No. It’s fine. I’ll just drink water if you don’t have one. Come to think of it, I haven’t drunk Cola in a long time.”

Having returned after so long, he began to crave it, but Choi Yeonseung originally pursued an ascetic diet.

-Yeonseung. Do you want some candy?

-Eating sweets causes muscle loss.

-Yeonseung. Do you want to go play?

-Sleeping late will cause muscle loss.

-Yeonseung. I want to introduce you to a really nice person...

-That will cause muscle loss as well...

-Stop it, you madman!

Of course, now that he had awakened as a constellation, his body wouldn’t get ruined just because he took a sip of Cola. Nevertheless, one’s mindset was always important.

Choi Yeonseung looked at Richard and asked, “So, when are you planning to give me all your assets?”

"Cough! Cough!”

Richard coughed as if to clear his throat.

“I’m just kidding.”

“W-where did you hear that?”

“I think I heard someone say that if someone could save them, they would give that person all their assets... Well, I don’t really intend to take it, so don’t worry. I don’t want much.”

“... What do you want?”

“Not much, really. Let me stay somewhere until I get settled. I’ve been in the Abyss for so long that?I can't just immediately get used to this. I don’t know anyone.”

Richard nodded at Choi Yeonseung’s words. He expected things to be like that. Choi Yeonseung had been wandering in the Abyss for thirty years.

“It doesn’t matter. You can stay as long as you want.”

“Oh. You are generous.”

“... This is the least I can do for?the person who saved my life. I am Richard Parker. Don’t look down on me too much.”

-Renting a house isn’t that hard, right, Master?

-Before I left for the Abyss, it was already hard to purchase large houses here on Earth. Things here work differently from your kingdom, Odaigon.