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CHAPTER 20: I Became the Successor of a Constellation.
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20
For a moment, he felt the veins on the back of his hand bulge as power condensed within it.
Kangsoo's overhook left his left flank completely exposed.
His fist shot into that opening.
‘This should be enough.’
The moment his fist made contact with Kangsoo's body, something strange happened.
A crack appeared in the wave-like energy surrounding Kangsoo, the ripples of ‘Torrent’.
Like a stone thrown into a calm pond, the energy rippled and then scattered in all directions.
The skill had been forcibly dispelled.
“Kuhk!”
With a dull thud, Kangsoo’s body was thrown sideways.
His feet scraped against the floor as he tried to resist, but he couldn't stop his momentum.
He ended up flying straight into the wall.
*Thud!*
The sound of the impact echoed throughout the test room.
Leaning his back against the wall, Kangsoo dropped to one knee.
He clutched his side, his shoulders heaving as he gasped for breath. Sweat trickled down his forehead.
Minho silently looked down at his own fist.
The training in the soul space, the evolved Danger Sense, and Level 5 Body Enhancement.
He had to get used to it now—the fact that he was different from before.
Kangsoo struggled to push himself up, using the wall for support. Once, twice.
But his legs wouldn't hold him, and he had to put a hand back on his knee.
A bitter smile played on his face.
“I…”
Kangsoo opened his mouth. His voice trembled slightly.
“I… have lost.”
He didn't want to admit it, but he had to accept it. The man before him was a master whose skill was beyond his measure.
“But you can still stand, can’t you?”
Kangsoo shook his head. Slowly, definitively.
“There’s no point in continuing.”
He had been knocked down by the first punch from an opponent who had only been defending.
Even if he had made a mistake and shown an opening, it had been a fatal blow.
If this had been a real fight and not a spar, he wouldn't have given up, of course.
Kangsoo had Awakened as a Hunter after losing a friend to a monster.
Since then, he had faced countless variants at the Hunter Management Department without ever backing down.
‘There are so many skilled Hunters in the world.’
Kangsoo pushed himself up and finally stood. He staggered, but this time he remained on his feet.
He slowly lowered the hand clutching his side and looked Minho straight in the eye.
“Because I know I can’t win. I think this is more than enough for a test.”
His eyes held no humiliation from defeat, but rather something akin to awe.
It was the look of a pro fighter who had battled in the UFC ring and in countless real fights.
The pure admiration one feels when meeting a stronger opponent.
He slowly approached Minho and extended his right hand.
“It was a good experience. To think such skill belongs to an F-Rank….”
Minho calmly accepted the offered hand. Their hands clasped.
Kangsoo squeezed his hand. It was a sincere handshake.
“Thank you.”
Minho replied curtly.
The two men looked at each other for a moment. F-Rank and B-Rank. But in this instant, those ranks were meaningless.
The test was over. The match was decided.
Kangsoo was the first to let go and step back. He touched his side again and smiled bitterly.
“It’s been a while since I took a proper hit.”
There was no self-pity or anger in his words, just the calm acceptance of a fact.
Minho didn't answer. He simply bowed his head slightly as a sign of respect.
Just then, a voice came from the speaker on the test room ceiling.
“The test is now concluded. Thank you both for your hard work. Hunter Kang Minho, please return to the conference room.”
It was Junhyeok's voice. The tone was slightly higher than usual. Minho didn't miss the subtle change.
‘He’s surprised.’
“You go on ahead. I’m going to rest for a bit before I move.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I feel like collapsing right now, but I’m barely holding it together in front of you, Minho. Say hi if you see me around next time.”
“I will. See you.”
Minho bowed to Kangsoo once more before leaving the test room.
“Phew.”
As soon as Minho left, Kangsoo collapsed. He lay spread-eagled on the floor, catching his breath.
A single blow. It had fractured his rib.
“Kang Minho… I’m sure I’ll be hearing that name again someday.”
*Nangjungjichu*. An awl in a sack. A man of his skill was bound to be noticed by others.
And when that time comes, it might just cause a seismic shift in this stagnant Hunter society….
His body groaned in pain, but a gentle arc formed on his lips.
‘I need to train harder. Until that day comes.’
He was a man defeated, but not broken.
***
A heavy silence filled the conference room.
No, to be precise, it was so quiet you couldn't even hear anyone breathing.
Every attendee’s gaze was fixed on the large monitor.
The quad-split screen showed exactly what had just happened.
The moment Minho’s fist slammed into Kangsoo’s side.
The scene of the Torrent skill scattering.
The image of Kangsoo flying into the wall.
Director Han’s hand froze over the table. His eyes never left the screen.
Dai bit her lip slightly. She was trying to suppress her expression, but she couldn't hide the smile spreading across her face.
Oh Jintaek was a different story.
His face was deathly pale. His hands were trembling. His lips quivered.
It was the face of someone who couldn't believe it—no, who didn't want to believe it.
“Th-that’s….”
Now even his voice was shaking. But he couldn't finish his sentence.
The silence was broken by the voices of the other attendees.
“What was that just now?”
“Rewind it! Play it again!”
“Is this for real?”
In an instant, the conference room erupted in murmurs. The silence had exploded into chaos.
The attendees looked at each other, asking for confirmation.
“He took him down in a single blow. A B-Rank.”
“Is he really an F-Rank? Was the measurement wrong?”
Just then, Director Han, who had been silently watching the screen, gave an order.
“Tell them to end the test.”
Junhyeok quickly pressed the microphone button to relay the message.
Team Leader Oh was getting anxious.
If this continued, that F-Rank would undoubtedly become the Zero Hunter and take the lead on this damn project.
‘This can’t be happening. He must have cheated somehow.’
He shot up from his seat. He slammed one hand on the table and pointed at the monitor with the other.
“Th-this is fraud! An F-Rank beating a B-Rank! It’s impossible!”
“Hmm, it's not like you were watching a different screen, were you, Team Leader Oh? Though I agree, Hunter Kang Minho's skills are so good they might as well be cheating.”
The one delivering the sharp jab at Oh Jintaek was Dai, the very person he had just advised to give up on the project.
“That’s not what I meant…!”
Oh Jintaek couldn't finish. He was at a loss for words.
Everyone had watched the fight. The result was clear, and it couldn't be changed now.
Dai smiled quietly in victory.
Her gaze toward Oh Jintaek seemed to say, ‘You should have listened to me.’
He couldn't have missed the meaning in her eyes, but there was nothing he could do but swallow his seething anger.
“He could have used hidden equipment, or…”
The attendees looked at Oh Jintaek. A few shook their heads.
What trickery could there be when he had already been checked several times?
His voice grew more desperate.
“Isn’t it possible he took some kind of drug?”
It was then that the conference room door opened.
The murmuring stopped instantly. All eyes turned to the door.
A Hunter walked in.
A calm expression. No excitement, no tension. Just the face of someone who had finished the task at hand. There was no excessive sense of victory, no arrogance.
But that very calmness made him seem all the more mysterious.
An F-Rank Hunter who showed no agitation after defeating a B-Rank.
His demeanor made others feel as if this result was only natural.
Feeling the gazes of the attendees, Minho slowly walked into the conference room.
And he looked straight at Oh Jintaek.
“If you need a drug test, I’ll take one right now.”
His voice was calm but firm.
“The same goes for an equipment check. You’re welcome to search my body from head to toe.”
Oh Jintaek’s face was filled with bewilderment. Minho’s confident gaze overwhelmed him.
The unsettling fear that he might be wrong began to creep in.
“But before that, I’d like to ask one thing.”
Minho took another step forward.
“Is the fact that I’m an F-Rank so hard for you to accept? Or…”
His voice dropped slightly.
“Does the fact that an F-Rank can beat a B-Rank shatter your worldview, Team Leader?”
Oh Jintaek was speechless. His lips moved, but no words came out.
The hand he had on the table was limp.
Director Han broke the silence that had fallen between them.
“Team Leader Oh.”
His voice was the same as always, but it carried a different weight than before.
“The test was conducted in a completely controlled environment. No equipment was allowed, and no side effects of drugs were observed.”
“But,”
“And above all.”
Director Han looked at Minho.
“The result is right before our eyes, is it not?”
Oh Jintaek slumped into his seat. He had no strength left to resist.
Director Han looked around the conference room, checking the expression of each attendee. Then, he slowly began to speak.
“We will now begin the vote.”
Tension filled the room once more.
“On the matter of approving Kang Minho as the candidate for the Zero Hunter project...”
A majority agreed.
And just like that, Kang Minho became a Zero Hunter.
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