36 The Temple

AN: Happy New Year! I'm back from relaxing, reading mangas left and right!

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'When I awakened, I thought I would finally be able to get my family on the right track. But it seems my fate is a cruel one.

'Being an awakened is a rare opportunity for people, depending on the rank, you would be set for life.

'Sadly, that isn't the case for me. If you disregard my slightly abnormal strength and regeneration. Then, it's embarrassing to call me a Hunter.

'There are those opposite of me; those that are at the top of the pyramid. People such as Kara the Winged Catastrophe, Aela 'Fortress' White, and so on so forth.

'However, even I have my own title within the Hunter's community of Korea. I'm dubbed as the World's Weakest. Amazing, I know. A mirror opposite compared to the two that I just mentioned.'

And right as I was going through my thoughts, people started greeting me.

"Yo~ Sung! You arrived!"

"Sung, thanks for coming."

I bowed towards the people that gave me hypocritical greetings out of relief and kindness.

"Sung! Sung! You ate yet!?" a familiar voice shouted just right beside a food shack, and he seemed to be with a new face.

"Yeah, Mr. Kim Sang-Shik. Thanks for worrying about me." I said with a smile on my face. But right as I turned the other way around, my smile turned into a sigh.

"That man, is he a powerful Hunter? Everyone seems to be happy seeing him." the unfamiliar man asked Mr. Kim. I've probably lost count of how often this scene happened already.

"Hehehe... You wouldn't know since he came right after you quit. His nickname is the World's Weakest."

'Sigh, there they go again.'

"The World's Weakest? Not the strongest?" the man asked with a confused brow, but Mr. Kim replied quickly to erase the confusion.

"Bro, that's what we call S-Rank Hunters. Sung is considered to be the weakest. I mean, he's weak enough to get hurt in an E-Rank Dungeon..."

"Is he actually the weakest?" yet the man still couldn't figure out where Mr. Kim was leading the conversation.

"Yeah, he's probably the weakest of us all."

"He's actually that weak?"

"So, that means our dungeons will be weak as well since he came." Mr. Kim said with an assured face. And his earlier statements now finally clicked inside the man's head.

"Ah... I see." the man nodded, and I felt his eyes staring at me. "Hey, he might hear us. Let's end it, for now, fu fu..."

'I've been hearing you, old geezers... ha!' I didn't dwell on it any longer but walked to the food shack to get myself a cup of coffee. Sadly, it seems luck is always stingy, but there isn't any left.

As I walked away with drooping shoulders, someone shouted out for my name. "AH! JIN-WOO! YOU'RE HURT AGAIN!"

'Ah. The kind Miss Ju-Hee is here too? She's a lifesaver, literally.'

We gave each other our pleasantries and talked about why my face was banged up.

"You even went to the hospital?" worried asked, but the only thing I could respond with was the same old, "Yeah..."

I gave the reason I got hurt in an E-Rank dungeon. But my excuse wasn't able to ease Miss Ju-Hee's worries in the slightest.

"They didn't even bother to bring in a healer just because they were safe?" I casually nodded, "Yeah... instead, they brought those cheap health potions with unknown side effects."

However, this seemed to have gotten her to worry even more. How I wish I should've just kept my mouth shut. "Jin-Woo! You shouldn't take those potions! Haven't you seen the news if you buy from sketchy places!?

"You should only get from trusted sources like Sanctum! Home of the creator of potions, armors, weapons, and more!" And it seems she is now fangirling.

"You don't have to worry; I didn't take any of those. Even so, buying a certified potion from Sanctum is expensive for a Hunter as weak as me. I can't earn money as I please."

Indeed, Sanctum-certified products are goods that a Hunter must always have if they want to live. They might hurt your bank, or even worse, in dept.

As we continued talking away the minutes, we failed to notice a girl of my age just sitting casually behind me. "AH!" Miss Ju-Hee and I yelped in surprise, yet the unknown girl's gaze didn't falter.

There wasn't anything striking about the girl's appearance; she was as average gets. Blacks hair that's straight with bangs, the typical Korean look.

But there was this one thing, one thing that I'm sure of. The girl's dangerous!

With all my encounters with death, nothing made me feel this intimidated before. It was like swinging on a reaper's scythe.

"Hm. I see." was all the person said before walking away. She left us hanging with confusion apparent on our faces.

But before we could talk about it, everyone was getting called to get ready to enter the gate. "Well, looks like everyone's getting ready to go into the gate. Let's go as well."

"Okay." was all she said before we walked together.

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'Nothing better than observing the subject like a fellow weak Hunter!' I thought as I made my way into the soon-to-be double dungeon.

I observed Jin-Woo, quietly, that was until he screamed with his friend.

I paid no attention to them, but with my eyes, I could clearly see that stone-faced bastard watching Jin-Woo.

I wasn't supposed to do anything to that Architect or whatever his name is, but he dares to spy around my family? And from then on, I decided to have my fun with his system.

Anyway, we made our through the dungeon with ease, but I made sure to stay below the C-Rank fire mage Hunter, Song Chi-Yul. Didn't want to garner too much attention, after all.

Whenever Jin-Woo was about to get hurt, I would 'accidentally' always kill whats attacking him. Didn't want my research material dying now, would I?

Soon enough, we made a vote to whether we power through or go back. Without suspense, the majority that won was for the group to fight on.

As we walked the corridor made of stone, complaints started going off as we had walked for over half an hour!

'I swear, if I get my hands on that Architect, I will turn him into a stone grinder to sharpen our kitchen knives!' My thoughts were raging at how uselessly long this path was.

Hell, Jin-Woo and that B-Rank Healer are even having a lover's quarrel, but Jin-Woo is too dense to notice her advances.

"IT'S HERE! THE BOSS ROOM!" someone shouted. Everyone's flashlight immediately pointed at the large doors, "I've never seen a room with this type of door before..."

And, of course, the group had moments of arguing that the room was too dangerous. Couldn't blame them. If I didn't have my powers, I would refuse to enter that room. It just screams, 'Do not enter!'

As we made our way inside, blue flamed torches lit the walls, immediately showing the giant statues that littered the sides.

'Disgusting. This Architect guy couldn't even automate his own lighting system and instead has to manually do it! But his golem creation technique is worth stealing!' I thought to myself and was already eying the tablet-holding statue.

I walked up to the Architect and pretended to read out his commandments. Under the veil of his cloak made of stone, I saw his grin.

'Sure, sure, You'll be quick work once I ragdoll your existence with Enkidu.'

"First, worship the Lord."

"Second, praise the Lord."

"Third, prove your faith."

"Those who do not follow these commandments, will never return alive."

"Uhuh. Whatever you God-feeling beings want, sure." I shrugged; I wasn't going to do it anyway.

*BANG!*

Immediately as I said that the doors to the room slammed shut. "WHAT!? THE DOORS JUST CLOSED!" someone screamed.

"What do we do now!? Miss Park! What will you do now!?"

A hopeful looked at me, probably seeking to be saved since I appeared to be as strong as Mr. Song Chi-Yul.

"Yeah, well, I missed the part where that's my problem."

"...".

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(CHEERS!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR, MY AMAZING READERS!