Chapter 96
Jin-Woo soon arrived at the Hunter Auction.
The main building was not tall but was rather wide, leading to an initial impression that, instead of an office building, it was more like a museum or an art gallery. The massive car park seemed to scream out loud ‘We’ll accommodate everyone regardless of whether the participants are in the hundreds or in the thousands!’
The impressive building was standing in the middle of that parking lot.
One could easily guess just how much money the Hunter Auction was making through commissions from the artefact trade.
Jin-Woo exited from the taxi and made his way towards the building, but even before he could take a couple more steps, a formally-dressed man suddenly ran outside first.
“You must be Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.”
“Yes, I am.”
The man checked Jin-Woo’s face and formed a surprised expression. But, he quickly remembered his role and greeted the youth with a welcoming tone of voice.
“My name is Kim Jeong-Ki from the Hunter Auction Appraisal Department. We talked on the phone. Please, follow me.”
Jin-Woo lightly nodded his head.
While leading Jin-Woo towards the appraisal room, Kim Jeong-Ki’s mind was racing.
‘The new rank S that disappeared from the reporters only a short while ago is standing right behind me.’
When he first received the call, he thought it had to be some kind of a prank.
First of all, the supposed effect of the artefact sounded nonsensical, and more importantly, it was because the guy on the phone said that he was the rank S Hunter announced earlier in the day.
‘I almost ended up insulting a rank S Hunter, didn’t I?’
Just how frightened was he after the Hunters Association confirmed that the phone number did indeed belong to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo?
He should thank the lucky stars that he followed the book and didn’t rudely dismiss the call outright.
[….Now officially registered in his new rank, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo has jumped up over five levels in rank, from E to S, through his Re-Awakening process, and it’s revealed that he possesses Mage-type abilities….]
Even now, this young man’s face could be seen plastered on the TV screens mounted on various parts of the Auction house. Perhaps he himself found it a bit too much, since the youth pulled his hood low to hide his face.
They weren’t even talking about Kim Jeong-Ki, but for some reason, he felt a bit flattered as the news broadcast continued to mention Jin-Woo’s name.
‘Should I ask him if we can take a selfie together?’
He shook his head, though. If he wasn’t currently at work, he’d have ‘requested’ for a selfie as well as some autographs. However, he couldn’t do something that rude to a client coming in for an important trade. He had to persevere and hold tight for the time being.
‘Was the corridor from the entrance to here this short?’
They arrived at the appraisal room while several thoughts fleeted in and out of his head. Kim Jeong-Ki spoke with a wistful expression.
“It’s this way.”
The head of the Appraisal Department, as well as the company’s best appraiser, were anxiously waiting inside this wide room. They even gave up on lunch just to be here.
Seeing Jin-Woo’s face, the department head’s eyes opened wider.
‘It’s really the same guy from the news!’
Meanwhile, the appraiser nervously swallowed his dry saliva.
‘In that case, the magic amplification tool is really….??’
No, nothing was certain, yet. Just because the guy was real, that didn’t mean the stuff would be real, too. The appraiser repeated this in his head as if to calm himself down.
Even the best magic amplification artefact created with top materials by the world’s greatest artefact maker pouring out his soul would not exceed 50% in effect.
And then, gathering of the right materials itself would not be easy, not to mention that the manpower necessary and time required to make one should be ridiculous as well. One might consider himself lucky if he got to see one of those artefacts popping up in the market once every few years.
There were willing Mage-type Hunters from around the world lining up in a long-a*s queue to buy such items, but there was literally nothing to sell to them.
Well, there was no need to go as far as the ‘world’ here.
Even locally, the Mage-type Hunter, and often referred to as the Ultimate Weapon, Choi Jong-In was seriously determined to purchase an amplification artefact with ‘50% or more’ effect.
But then, a Hunter who might be a rank S but not widely known, came to visit the Auction while carrying an artefact with 100% amplification effect?
‘That must be nonsense….’
The story was so inconceivable that, if only the guy wasn’t the top-ranked Hunter, they would’ve kicked him in the a*s and thrown him out of the premises already.
However….
They couldn’t refuse admittance to a rank S Hunter. Even if today’s matter ended as a whole heap of nothing, this man would no doubt become an important client in the future.
‘Well, there’s nothing to lose here.’
The appraiser spoke to Jin-Woo, his face a mixture of a slight expectation and several times greater misgiving.
“May…. May I take a look at that artefact?”
Both Kim Jeong-Ki and the department head also stared at Jin-Woo with tense expressions.
“Alright.”
While pretending to take it out from his pocket, Jin-Woo summoned the Bead of Avarice from his Inventory.
“So, this is….”
The appraiser adjusted his glasses and stared at the beautiful round blood-coloured bead. It was an item possessing a certain magnetic charm that made the onlookers gasp out in astonishment involuntarily.
The two men from the Appraisal Department expressed their admiration under their breaths.
“H-mm….”
However, the appraiser was tilting his head while adjusting his glasses again.
“This doesn’t look like an artefact made from a magic crystal or a Mana Stone. Am I correct?”
“Yes, you’re right.”
The appraiser nodded his head.
‘As I thought.’
He had been an appraiser for seven years already. He was able to observe countless artefacts until now, but he hadn’t seen a single crystal emitting a crimson hue like this one.
Most regular crystals emitted a clean bluish tinge, and the higher the grade, the darker they got.
However, this one was a red colour?
The appraiser continued to tilt his head this way and that, before receiving the bead.
When he did….
‘W-what is this?’
Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine. It was because of the unidentifiable power he sensed from the crystal bead.
‘C-could it be….??’
He was frightened out of his wits as he stared at the magic bead. The appraiser was actually a rank B Mage-type Awakened. And thus, he could immediately sense what kind of an item he was holding in his hand.
Cold sweat broke out all over him.
‘Oh my god!’
Goosebumps formed on his skin because of the sheer power emanating from this magic bead, and he hurriedly raised his head to find Jin-Woo wordlessly staring back at him.
‘If the person who brought this here was a low-rank Hunter, then I….’
This was his first time feeling like this.
He lost count how many priceless artefacts he had handled over the years, but this was the first and the only time he felt the strong desire to beat up the person bringing this item for appraisal and steal it.
Unfortunately, his opponent was a rank S.
‘……..?’
Jin-Woo continued to silently stare. The appraiser managed to pull himself together and rein his desire in after receiving that stare.
‘I wanted to rob a rank S?’
Never mind trying, he wouldn’t even dare to imagine doing something like that to a Hunter with such a huge gap in power from him.
Just like how the appraiser did when he was looking at the bead, Jin-Woo was tilting his head at the appraiser now.
‘What’s the matter with him?’
Was he feeling unwell, somehow?
Nonetheless, the appraiser wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and spoke to the department head.
“Excuse me, director. Please turn the camera on.”
“Ah! Yes, hold on.”
The meaning behind that request was that the item in the appraiser’s hand was not a fake. The department head’s heartbeat increased rapidly.
The person to answer Jin-Woo’s call first, Kim Jeong-Ki, also displayed a similar expression.
“Filming will commence now.”
The department head shifted the camera lens over to the appraiser.
The appraiser walked over to the dish-shaped magic energy measuring device. First, he put the bead down and got himself measured.
Bleep-
Numerical values showed up.
Next up, he got measured again, but this time with the magic bead in his hand. The measured magic energy leaking out of the appraiser instantly doubled in value.
Bleep-
After confirming the results, Kim Jeong-Ki’s complexion paled.
“How could this be…..?”
The department head also hurriedly approached closer and confirmed the results, too.
‘100 percent?! It’s really a magic tool possessing 100% amplification effect???’
His heart began pounding harder.
The average commission the Hunter Auction earned from assisting with the artefact trade was around five percent. If an item sold for around 100 billion Won, then they would earn about 5 billion from the deal.
However, even with his vast experience, he could not estimate just how much this crimson magic bead could be sold for.
‘This is a huge jackpot! A jackpot!!’
If there were no one looking, he’d have cried out “Hooray!!” and hug the subordinate employee next to him. Just how much sales incentive would he receive if the deal goes through successfully?
The overwhelming excitement left him utterly breathless.
Kim Jeong-Ki’s reactions were not too different from his superior. He clenched his fists tightly with an ecstatic expression on his face.
‘Yes!!’
If he could get recognised for today’s work, then it’d be only a matter of time before he got a promotion.
“I… will move on to demonstration next.”
The appraiser spoke with great difficulty, his voice trembling non-stop. The two men from the Appraisal Department quickly distanced themselves.The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.
Jin-Woo also took a few steps back.
The camera was filming everything quite well. If one were to appeal to the potential buyers, actual footage was far more effective then simple numerical values.
The appraiser’s eyes were directed towards the camera.
“Let’s get started.”
The blizzard the size of a truck’s wheel began raging on the appraiser’s right hand. He continued on.
“While maintaining this magic energy, I shall touch the magic bead.”
The moment his left hand touched the ‘Bead of Avarice’….
Wheeeeeeiiing-!!!
The blizzard dancing on his hand rocked the entire appraisal room.
“Heok!!”
If the stunned appraiser hadn’t cancelled his magic quickly, the entire room might have frozen solid in an instant.
“Turn the camera off, please.”
“Ah, yes.”
The department head nodded and ran to the camera to turn it off. With that, the artefact appraisal process had been concluded.
‘Fuu….’
Jin-Woo was worried after sensing the magic energy exploding out of the appraiser’s hand, but in the end, he got to breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn’t just him, though, as everyone present in the room also spat out long sighs to calm their trembling hearts.
Almost instantly, silence descended in the room.
Jin-Woo quietly asked.
“How much do you think it’ll go for?”
Could he be able to buy the artefact he wanted after selling this guy off?
Well, besides that, he was also genuinely curious about how much a magic tool capable of amplifying one’s magic by 100% would go for.
The appraiser stared at the ‘Bead of Avarice’ with a look of incredulity.
“This…. How can I even think about putting a price tag on this…..”
His gaze shifted over to Jin-Woo.
Gulp.
He swallowed down his dry saliva.
Just where did this man acquire an artefact like this? This wasn’t a problem the appraiser should worry about. He knew that, but still, he couldn’t hold back and asked anyway.
“Where did you find this?”
Jin-Woo looked at Kim Jeong-Ki, not the appraiser, and asked instead.
“Is that question also necessary for a smooth transaction?”
Kim Jeong-Ki avoided meeting his gaze as if he was feeling sheepish, and scratched the back of his neck. The appraiser quickly shook his head.
“No, not at all. It’s just that, I…. I was just too surprised, that’s all. However, when the existence of this magic tool is revealed to the public, everyone would no doubt grow curious about its origins.”
Indeed, the other two men present seemed to be dying of curiosity as well.
‘Well, I guess it doesn’t really matter.’
There was no reason not to answer if they asked him. It wasn’t as if he acquired this bead through less-than-honest means, and also, even if others know, none of them would be able to find another one for themselves, anyway.
Jin-Woo’s lips parted.
Three other people in the room held their breaths and focused on Jin-Woo’s answer, wondering just what might come out of his mouth.
Jin-Woo simply grinned and replied.
“I picked it up in a dungeon.”
Baek Yun-Ho returned to his private office.
“I wish to be left alone for a while, so don’t let anyone in.”
Maybe he found ordering his secretary wasn’t enough, he even locked the door, too. Only after that, he switched on his computer. And then, using the authority afforded to a rank S Hunter, as well as a Master of a Guild, he began perusing every information he could get his hands on.
‘Can it really happen?’
Baek Yun-Ho couldn’t stop thinking about Jin-Woo.
A Hunter that could grow stronger?
But, if not that, then how could anyone explain that man’s strength that had increased to an unrecognisable degree in only a few days?
Baek Yun-Ho’s fingers moved quite quickly.
He logged in to the special Hunter website that only the top-ranked Hunters around the world could access, and searched for any information related to this matter. Unfortunately, it was a waste of time.
‘There’s nothing….’
There was not one Hunter who could improve their stats all by themselves. No, they could only grow stronger through pure luck, also known as Awakening, or Re-Awakening process.
So, should he call that man not as a Hunter, but someone chosen by the gods?
Countless windows repeatedly popped up, only to disappear, and countless texts filled the computer screen without a moment’s rest. Three hours passed by like that.
Getting fatigued from the long hours spent on searching, Baek Yun-Ho leaned against the back of his chair.
‘Maybe, I overreacted?’
That could’ve been a possibility.
Because he was too shocked by the incredible strength Hunter Seong Jin-Woo displayed, he could’ve thought up a crazy theory as a way to explain that.
“…Hahaha.”
What was he doing when things remained so hectic?
Rather than wasting time like this, he should be sending another offer to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, instead. Who knows, that quick-witted Chairman Choi could already be visiting Hunter Seong Jin-Woo with a contract in his hand by now.
Baek Yun-Ho chuckled wryly and began closing all the windows one by one. But, when only a single window was left open….
‘Wait a minute….’
Just for fun, he typed ‘Hunter level up ability’ in the search engine. Of course, there was no result to speak of. Baek Yun-Ho wasn’t expecting anything tangible, to begin with, when he typed that, anyway. It was just that, he was unconsciously repeating the actions he’d perform when searching for something online.
‘Now that I think about it…. I haven’t had lunch today.’
He slowly rubbed his tummy as he belatedly sensed his hunger. Baek Yun-Ho was about to log off the search engine altogether, but then, his eyes gleamed brightly.
‘……..?’
He spotted a certain link with some words below it, found on the fifth page of the search results.
If the linked address wasn’t the forum only Hunters could sign up with, he’d have ignored those words and move on.
Baek Yun-Ho quickly moved the mouse.
[Title: Something weird has happened to me.]
[Description: I can suddenly see my Stats in numbers like in a video game, and I can even increase their values, too. Is there anyone who has experienced something similar to me?]
An ‘anonymous’ had opened a thread with those words.
However, how should Baek Yun-Ho describe this? When he read that, he could feel his breaths quickening, as well as his heartbeat, pounding faster and faster.
‘Surely, others will think that I’ve lost my mind.’
Still, there was nothing to lose by confirming it. Baek Yun-Ho picked his phone up.
- “Hello, sir.”
Soon, the Section Chief of the Second Division, Ahn Sahng-Min, answered the call.
“I’d like you to find something out for me, please.”
Baek Yun-Ho wanted to find out what Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was doing on the day this anonymous wrote those words.
- “Yes, sir. I’ll find out.”
With a short but simple answer, the call ended.
Section Chief Ahn was a talented employee. If Baek Yun-Ho waited for a little while, then that man would find what he needed through any means necessary. However, the result arrived sooner than he expected.
‘Already?’
Baek Yun-Ho quickly picked up the ringing phone.
- “Sir, we fortunately still had some information on hand, so we were able to find what you wanted pretty quickly.”
“Oh, really?”
Baek Yun-Ho smiled brightly.
Now that he thought about it, there once was a time when the entirety of the Second Division was focused on gathering intel on Hunter Seong Jin-Woo after Chief Ahn ordered them. Thanks to that, he didn’t have to wait for long.
- “Yes, sir. On that day, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim was…. Ah, looks like it was during that time. Sir, do you still remember the dual dungeon incident from a few months ago?”
“Yes, I remember.”
- “Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim was the sole survivor of that dual dungeon incident, actually. If I remember correctly, he was unconscious throughout the duration of his stay in the hospital.”
“Oh…. Is that so.”
Baek Yun-Ho formed a disappointed expression.
An unconscious man wouldn’t be able to upload anything on the internet, after all.
‘Increasing your Stat values…. There’s no way such a thing is even possible.’
It all really was an unfunny waste of time in the end. He was getting somewhat tired now. He decided that he’d go home a bit early today and sleep, but then….
- “Uh? Wait a minute, sir. Yes, he was indeed in a comatose state, but….”
From the phone’s speaker, Ahn Sahng-Min’s mystified voice came out.
- “Looks like he woke up on that day, sir.”
Chapter 97
As soon as he heard that, Baek Yun-Ho quickly fixed his previously-slouched sitting posture.
‘He woke up on that day?’
- “Ah, actually, sir. He woke up on the previous day.”
Ahn Sahng-Min amended his answer almost right away. But, Baek Yun-Ho thought that the time difference of one day wasn’t important here. No, the truly important bit was the fact that the possibility of Hunter Seong Jin-Woo posting those words had not dissipated at all.
“….I see. That should be enough. Thank you for your help.”
Baek Yun-Ho ended the call there, and after finding the folder containing a certain file on his computer, he opened it. It was the report compiled on Seong Jin-Woo by the Second Division.
Click, click….
Baek Yun-Ho paid greater attention to Jin-Woo’s recent activities as he browsed through the information. He hadn’t displayed anything particularly interesting before that incident. He lived a typical life of rank E Hunter – got injured often, didn’t make a lot of money, etc.
However….
‘After the dual dungeon incident….’
Baek Yun-Ho was present that day as well.
The Association urgently sought after the aid of the nearest large Guild, which was the White Tiger, and Baek Yun-Ho gladly led the elite assault team and went over there.
That’s when he saw the sight of an unconscious young man being taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
‘Well, I didn’t know that was Seong Jin-Woo back then….’
Just what went down inside that dungeon?
In any case, Seong Jin-Woo had changed completely from that point onwards.
He used to quietly help out with the work of Association until then; but, not only he chose to join up with a freelancer raid team, he even cleared several rank C Gates in a single day, as well.
Without a doubt, something in him changed inside that dual dungeon.
‘This is definitely not your typical Re-Awakening.’
Section Chief Ahn theorised that Yujin Construction was testing out Hunter Seong Jin-Woo’s powers after he went through the Re-Awakening process, but….
‘No, it’s not.’
But, that wouldn’t be able to explain the continued and rather speedy increase in that man’s powers even though his Re-Awakening process should have ended by now.
So, what if….
‘….What if, there is a Hunter who can continuously grow stronger?’
Not only that, his rate of growth was so fast that, within a span of a few months, his powers rose up from the rank E all the way up to rank S?
“…”
Baek Yun-Ho inadvertently let a gasp escape from his mouth.
It was a goosebumps-inducing idea, indeed. Of course, there was no evidence that the anonymous poster and Hunter Seong Jin-Woo were the same person.
However, if Hunter Seong Jin-Woo could increase his strength exactly like how it was written in that post, then just imagining how much further he could grow made Baek Yun-Ho dizzy.
And at the same time….
‘I was being foolish.’
He finally understood why Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was so disinterested in signing up with a Guild.
‘Thinking about it from his perspective….’
If he was given an ability where he could theoretically grow stronger infinitely, would he want to enter someone else’s Guild?
Baek Yun-Ho shook his head.
‘Nope, I’d rather make a Guild of my own.’
Who cared about the number one or two Guilds in the country? After all, his own would soon become the best, anyway.
‘This…. Both Choi Jong-In and I have been wasting time chasing after a pipe dream, huh.’
Thinking about Chairman Choi who should be sweating profusely right about now while trying to woo Hunter Seong Jin-Woo, a wry chuckle automatically broke out of his mouth.
However….
‘If my theory is correct, then this matter isn’t something to laugh about.’
In the not too distant future, that man would surely become an existence that would get to control the community of Hunters in South Korea. No, Hunters of the entire world might focus all their attention on him, at this rate.
He needed to completely rethink the plan regarding Hunter Seong Jin-Woo now.
But before all that…
‘I need to meet him face to face and confirm it first.’
Baek Yun-Ho nodded his head. No matter how hard he thought about it, meeting Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was the number one priority.
Unfortunately….
‘….How am I supposed to ask him for a meeting??’
Baek Yun-Ho held his head tightly.
“…”
When he realised that he just made his mind up to meet with a man who didn’t even reply once to the countless requests for a sit-down until now, his head already began throbbing from a migraine.
The appraiser spoke in a shocked tone of voice.
“You… ‘picked’ it up in a dungeon?!”
Jin-Woo nodded his head.
Technically speaking, he did ‘pick’ it up after defeating Vulcan in the Demon’s Castle ‘dungeon’.
So, he wasn’t lying here, was he?
‘You can find something like this inside a dungeon??’
‘Well, it’s not something the current level of craftsmanship can create….’
The appraiser who asked the question, as well as the two members of the Appraisal Department who heard the answer, all carried unconvinced expressions, but since the person himself said so, there was no other choice but to accept it.
And truth be told, it wasn’t really important where this crimson magic tool came from.
‘No, the important thing would be what this Hunter-nim wants to do with it.’
The department head took a step forward.
“It has been confirmed to be a real deal.”
His gaze was fixed on the bead lying in Jin-Woo’s palm.
“Will you commence with the auction with us? We will ensure that you get the maximum amount for this article.”
So, what should Jin-Woo do now?
Before he could decide on what to do with the ‘Bead of Avarice’, he asked for something else, first.
“By any chance, can I purchase a flame resistant defensive artefact here?”
The department head and Kim Jeong-Ki looked at each other. And then, they looked back at Jin-Woo with somewhat awkward expressions.
Jin-Woo was confused by that.
“Did I ask for something I shouldn’t have?”
“No, not at all.”
“Or is it really difficult to find a flame resistance armour, then?”
“Actually….”
The department head smiled and spoke.
“It’s the exact opposite. It’s really easy to acquire one.”
“But, I couldn’t find one online, though?”
“Weapons and defensive equipment with innate attributes cost a lot of money, so they don’t normally appear online all that often. Even still, if you are looking for it, you should be able to find one very quickly. Well, fire-type magic is the most common attack magic spells there are, after all.”
But, of course.
Most of the Mage-type Hunters Jin-Woo met so far either wielded flames or rays of light. He heard that even the rank S Hunter Choi Jong-In specialised in flame attribute magic, too. Not only that, the Shadow Magic Soldiers he controlled also used flames, and even Fangs could breathe fire.
In other words, ‘fire’ type attacks were a pretty common sight.
‘What a relief to hear that it’s easy to find one.’
He did kinda feel a bit pressured after hearing that it would cost a lot, but his mother’s treatment depended on him getting one. As long as he could find one quickly enough, he was willing to pay regardless of what the asking price was.
If the push came to shove, he could sell the ‘Bead of Avarice’, too.
“Can you find one for me?”nôvel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.
“Yes, of course.”
The department head about to exit the appraisal room, but stopped and looked at Kim Jeong-Ki.
“Mister Jeong-Ki? Rather than having our guest wait here doing nothing at all, how about showing him around the items that will go up in auction soon?”
“Ah, of course. I will.”
Kim Jeong-Ki stepped forward.
“Please, come with me.”
So, two men headed off to the display hall exclusively reserved for the VIP clients that exhibited only those ultra-expensive artefacts about to be auctioned off, or still waiting for their willing buyers.
Weapons, armours, Rune Stones, etc., were displayed inside clear glass cases. Jin-Woo stopped in front of a glass display case that contained a longsword. Kim Jeong-Ki approached him.
“Do you see something you’re interested in?”
“No, it’s not that, but….”
Jin-Woo lightly knocked on the glass case.
“Can you really protect these artefacts with such a thin glass? I don’t see any particular security system in here, either.”
Kim Jeong-Ki formed a proud expression.
“They may look that way, but these glasses are reinforced with powerful magical energy by the very best craftsmen. Nothing would happen even if a melee-type rank A Hunter hits them with everything he has.”
“Even when a rank A hits it….?”
Seeing that Jin-Woo seemed rather unconvinced, Kim Jeong-Ki smirked and carried on.
“If you don’t believe me, how about hitting the glass once? If you manage to break it, then I might give you the artefact found inside, Hunter-nim.”
“Hmm….”
Was this reinforced glass really that strong?
‘I can sense some magic energy in it, but…’
Now feeling genuinely curious, Jin-Woo began gathering strength in his right arm to test it out.
Fuu-wook!
In an instant, his shoulder and forearm expanded, and the surrounding air sank under the heavy pressure.
“H-hold on!!”
Kim Jeong-Ki hurriedly blocked Jin-Woo’s way.
“I was only just joking! I wasn’t really asking you to hit it, you know.”
“….Oh. I see.”
“If the case really breaks, then the elites of the Hunters Guild will rush over here. Our Auction house and the Hunters have signed a security contract, you see.”
“Aha.”
….This man, telling joking as if he’s being earnest.
Jin-Woo withdrew his strength. As soon as the heavy pressure emanating from him was lifted, Kim Jeong-Ki quickly breathed a sigh of relief.
‘By the way, this guy… Wasn’t he supposed to be a Mage-type Hunter??’
He was supposed to be a Mage-type Hunter, yet why was his aura so outrageous?
Kim Jeong-Ki wasn’t joking when he told Jin-Woo to hit the glass.
He was thinking that, even though this youth was a rank S, he was a Mage-type, so his physical strength couldn’t actually be that high. But then, when Jin-Woo began concentrating, all the hair on Kim Jeong-Ki’s body stood up and instinctively, he knew that he had to stop the youth.
What a relief it was that Jin-Woo backed off without raising a fuss.
‘Well, Hunter-nim’s hand might get hurt if something went wrong, so this is fine.’
Kim Jeong-Ki consoled himself like that and guided Jin-Woo to other artefacts on display.
After taking a look around once, Jin-Woo asked.
“Isn’t there anything that I can actually touch? Daggers, if possible.”
Since he wasn’t really the type who depended on weapons, he hadn’t paid much attention to the matter until now, but after taking a look at the various equipment on display, he suddenly became curious.
Kim Jeong-Ki’s expression brightened.
The reason for showing off these artefacts to Hunters was exactly for moments like this. Hunters may be sellers, but they were also valuable clients as well.
“Of course, we have them.”
After replying, Kim Jeong-Ki used the mic attached to the collar of his suit just below his neck to summon the staff member in charge of the weapons.
Fearing that Jin-Woo might change his mind, the staff member quickly arrived.
“And this gentleman is?”
The staff signalled with his eyes, and Kim Jeong-Ki nodded his head.
“Ah, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m in charge of the weapons section. Please come with me.”
The staff member guided Jin-Woo and they exited from the VIP display hall.
After seeing those two off, Kim Jeong-Ki spat out another sigh.
‘This Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim seems to possess a talent for surprising people, doesn’t he?’
After regaining some of his calm, Kim Jeong-Ki disinterestedly took a look around him, before he walked over to the glass case with the longsword Jin-Woo seemed to be interested in earlier.
He checked the glass case to see if there was a fingerprint or something since Jin-Woo had been standing pretty close to it, but then, he tilted his head slightly.
“Ng?”
Something was on the upper side of the case.
“What the heck?”
He spotted a crack in the corner of the glass case that was so small, it was easy to miss with naked eyes.
“Since when did this happen?”
He pulled out a handkerchief and rubbed it, but sure enough, it didn’t get wiped away. It wasn’t some dirt, but an actual crack.
“Well, I’ll be.”
Kim Jeong-Ki frowned deeply.
How disappointed Hunter Seong Jin-Woo would’ve been, someone who could be one of their most important clients, if he saw that?
It was a small relief that the crack was near the corner of the case in a hard-to-spot location.
“Tsk, tsk.”
Kim Jeong-Ki tutted audibly and summoned the maintenance team, before exiting from the VIP display hall, like Jin-Woo had done.
Jin-Woo picked up the dagger that the staff member in charge gave to him. If he were being honest, it was rather lousy in quality.
‘It’s far worse than the Knight Killer, which is ranked at rarity B.’
The attack power was not even half of the Knight Killer, too. With a disappointed expression on his face, Jin-Woo returned the dagger.
“How much is this guy?”
“It’s 30 million Won.” (TL: Around $26,830)
Jin-Woo’s eyes widened.
How much did he say for this measly little dagger??
“How much??”
“30 million Won, Hunter-nim.”
“H-hold on.”
Jin-Woo turned around, and while pretending to rummage around, he summoned the Knight Killer and showed it to the staff member.
“Okay, how much would this guy go for, then?”
It was now the turn of staff to widen his eyes.
“Is this your current weapon? Wowsers. I can definitely sense the touch of a great artisan from this dagger!”
‘No, well, I bought it off the Store, though….’
The staff member hesitated slightly, before raising his voice with a grin.
“It won’t be accurate since I’m not a dedicated appraiser, but at the bare minimum, I think it should cost well over 100 million Won.”
Jin-Woo’s expression hardened.
‘But, uh, I paid 3 million Gold for it in the Store?’
Or was it more like 2.8 million?
Seeing Jin-Woo’s expression, the staff member embarrassedly scratched the back of his head.
“Was I wrong? Since I’m a specialist when it comes to weapons, I thought I could give it a shot, even though it’s not really my place.”
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
Indeed, Jin-Woo was simply shocked by the sky-high price tag, that was all.
But, well….
The first real weapon he held, Kim Sahng-Sik’s steel sword and its attack damage of 10, was supposedly over three million Won in price, while Yu Jin-Ho’s equipment, which the kid didn’t really get to use all that much, also commanded price tags of over 100 million each.
So, he shouldn’t have been surprised by the fact that items with high Stats sold in the System’s Store could potentially fetch high asking price in real life, too.
‘It’s just that I didn’t pay attention to that side of things until now.’
Because he wasn’t too interested in making a quick buck.
‘Wait a minute….’
Currently, he had so much Gold stored in his Inventory that it was practically bursting at the seams. However, if he could buy items from the Store with that accumulated Gold, and then sell them off at a really high price?
Jin-Woo’s head spun pretty quickly then.
‘Doesn’t this mean I won’t have to sell the Bead of Avarice?’
Just as his thoughts arrived at this point….
Waaaaahhh-!!
Were his emotions to blame?
He thought he could hear the loud cheers of the Magic Soldiers hidden inside his shadow.
Chapter 98
“Holy cow! Oppa, those reporters are still outside the building!”
Jin-Ah spoke while looking out of the window.
It was already late in the evening. Reporters who hadn’t given up yet were still gathered around in front of the apartment’s entrance like a storm cloud.
“Look!! Up there!”
After discovering the silhouette of a person by the window, they hurriedly operated their cameras, thinking that it was Jin-Woo.
Click, click, click!!
Seeing all those camera flashes suddenly exploding from here and there, Jin-Ah jumped up in fright and quickly shuttered the curtains. She turned around and sighed softly like a timid little animal.
“Whew….”
Having returned from the Hunter Auction, Jin-Woo was thinking of taking a bit of a well-deserved rest, but he was carrying a rather stiff expression at the moment.
“Should I go downstairs and say something?”
It was fine for those folks to disrupt his rest. However, he was more worried about them disrupting his sister’s studies. Jin-Ah was a high school senior, about to take the most important test of her life.
Wasn’t this the time when some overly-sensitive kids would throw a tantrum just because of the faint footsteps outside their doors disrupting their studies?
‘Well, Jin-Ah isn’t the type to raise a fuss over stuff like this, but….’
But, still – could she even be able to concentrate with all these distracting noises coming from the outside?
Just as Jin-Woo was getting prepared to step forward….
“Nonono, don’t do it.”
….Jin-Ah quickly waved her hands about.
“Oppa, you’re already being slagged off in the internet, you know? So, can you imagine what they’ll say if you chase away the reporters?”
“Slagged off?”
‘Since when did I do something worthy of that treatment??’
As Jin-Woo tilted his head this way and that, Jin-Ah accessed one of the news articles online with her phone and pushed it forward. So, he took it from her.
‘……’
On the screen, he could see the photo of him standing in front of the Association’s entrance, relaxedly answering his phone while being surrounded by a sea of reporters.
Maybe because a professional snapped that shot, even a plain guy like him came out looking pretty good, so he was happy about that. However, when he took a look a bit lower down….
‘His attitude sucks.’
‘He already doesn’t care about the reporters.’
‘He’s way too cool for himself.’
Countless comments with similar nature were posted below the article, and the highest upvoted comment was ‘Mom, I’ve become a rank S!!’
Because the photo and the comment went so well along with each other, Jin-Woo ended up breaking out in a grin.
Jin-Ah in turn became flabbergasted from his reaction.nôvel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.
“How can you smile from that?!”
“But, it is funny.”
“….”
When Jin-Woo showed her the top upvoted comment, Jin-Ah too nearly broke out in laughter, but somehow managed to suppress it. And, perhaps as a rebound….
“No, wait a minute! That’s not important, is it?!”
With a slightly flushed face, Jin-Ah raised her voice.
“Why did you have to answer your phone there?? I mean, there were so many reporters present, you know! Thanks to you, everyone now knows my name!”
Jin-Woo replied confidently as if he couldn’t be fazed by anything.
“Do I really need to observe reporters and their moods when answering my little sister’s call?”
“Euk!!”
Jin-Ah became speechless. No matter how hard she thought about it, he wasn’t wrong, so she couldn’t readily come up with a suitable rebuttal.
‘….I simply can’t win against him in an argument.’
Jin-Woo handed the phone back to her.
“Here.”
Jin-Ah took the phone back with a slightly testy face, and opened her mouth.
“In any case, I’ll be fine, so oppa, don’t mind the reporters, okay?”
“Okay. Got it.”
Jin-Woo nodded his head.
If the current situation persisted, then he might have done something, but then again, the Association did call him earlier to say that these reporters should all receive orders to stay far away from him in a day or two.
‘Well, I can endure that.’
And there was also Jin-Ah not wanting to inflate the situation any further, too.
“By the way, just what on earth happened here?”
Jin-Ah looked at her brother with a pair of mystified eyes.
“My own oppa became a rank S Hunter, and reporters are camping outside our house, too….”
Some said that it’d be difficult to run into a rank S Hunter even once in your entire life, yet there was one standing right in front of her. Not only that, he was her older brother, no less.
Pretty much anyone would react the same way if they were in her shoes. Jin-Ah sounded as if she couldn’t quite believe it.
Too bad, she had no choice but to adjust to the new reality sooner rather than later.
‘Just like how I had to.’
Jin-Woo smirked softly.
And, in order to soothe his sister and her still-stunned heart, he lightly pinched Jin-Ah’s cheeks. Of course, she reacted in the same manner as in the past by kicking him, but….
“Ouch!!”
She instead grabbed her foot and jumped up and down in pain.
“Heeiing~.”
Jin-Ah glared at him from the corners of her eyes as if this was just too much, while Jin-Woo could only shrug his shoulders. It seemed that she’d need quite a lot of time to get used to the fact that her oppa was now a rank S Awakened.
“Oppa, I guess you’ll become a lot busier now, right?”
Jin-Ah cautiously asked him.
“Mm.”
Jin-Woo nodded his head.
There were lots of things he wanted to do, and plenty of work to get through, too – but for now, clearing the Demon’s Castle took priority. He even resorted to buying a flame-resistance defensive artefact for the sole purpose of conquering the upper floors, after all.
His own funds came up ridiculously short so his heart nearly fell to the pit of his stomach, but thankfully, he was able to use one of the Store’s rarity ‘A’ items as collateral and got a loan from the Hunter Auction.
‘I’m in debt as soon as becoming a rank S….’
For some reason, a wry chuckle escaped from his lips.
Well, as long as the items from the Store could be sold off at high prices in auctions, that debt would be wiped clean in an instant, though.
“In that case, it’d get harder to see you, right?”
Hearing that he might get a lot busier in the future, Jin-Ah formed a slightly rueful expression. Indeed, being alone would be a lonesome task.
Without saying anything, Jin-Woo placed his hand on Jin-Ah’s head.
A few days from now….
Once he cleared the Demon’s Castle dungeon, there would never be another day when his sister would have to house-sit all alone.
‘I’ll make sure that happens for real.’
It was then.
Jin-Woo’s eyes narrowed to a slit. His gaze shifted toward the front door.
‘Someone’s coming this way.’
Jin-Ah also noticed her brother’s tense aura. She asked, sounding a little anxious.
“Oppa?”
“Stay in your room for a bit, okay?”
“What’s the matter?”
A presence climbing out of the elevator was walking straight to here now.
‘It’s a Hunter….?’
The suspicious presence emitted a thin and weak magic energy. Jin-Woo couldn’t sense any hostile intentions from this presence, but still, he didn’t feel like humouring an uninvited guest.
Did a Guild send someone over? Or, was it a foolhardy reporter placing too much faith in his own Awakened powers?
Didn’t matter which was which – Jin-Woo wasn’t a gracious enough person to accept with a smile an uninvited guest trying to invade the privacy of his home, when the hour was already well past ten in the evening.
Jin-Woo stood before the door.
‘With that kind of power…’
He didn’t need to summon his weapons. Jin-Woo lightly loosened his muscles. He tilted his head left and right, and his neck issued cracking noise.
And, as he expected….
Thud, thud.
Someone ‘knocked’ on the door, causing Jin-Ah to run into her room in a bit of surprise. Jin-Woo quietly opened the door.
Clang.
And from the slowly-widening gap of the door, a familiar face of a man could be seen. The man spoke.
“Hyunnng-nim….”
He was even sniffling, too.
Yu Jin-Ho and his reddened nose were standing in front of the door, sniffling like a little kid.
“…..”
Jin-Woo was so dumbstruck that he stood there in a total daze, prompting Yu Jin-Ho to tearfully speak up.
“Hyung-nim. I got kicked out of the house. Dad kicked me out.”
“…”
Now that Jin-Woo took another look, there was a backpack as big as Yu Jin-Ho slung on his back. He was even carrying quite a lot of luggage in both of his hands, too.
“…..Wait, didn’t you live alone already?”
“Well, that….”
Sniff.
“The villa I was living in was under father’s name, and he took it away. He even blocked all my bank accounts.”
A father blocking his son’s bank accounts. All of them. What a movie-like situation that was, but well, this being the top businessman in South Korea, Chairman Yu Myung-Hwan, it sounded rather plausible.
Besides all that, though – what did this kid do to get on his father’s bad side like this?
When Jin-Woo stared with a pair of questioning gaze, Yu Jin-Ho spoke up, his voice trembling.
“So, like, I was wondering, hyung-nim. Can I impose on you for the time being?”
Creaaak….
Clank.
Jin-Woo quietly closed the door, and even proceeded to lock it.
Click.
Worried Jin-Ah had been observing the situation from her room, and once Jin-Woo turned away from the door, she quickly jogged next to him and asked.
“Oppa, who was that? Do you know him?”
Jin-Woo shook his head.
“Nope. Never met him before.”
“You really don’t know him? But, why did he come to our place, then?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure he got the wrong address.”
“…..Really?”
But, it sure didn’t look like that, though.
As Jin-Woo gently but firmly pushed his still-suspicious little sister back into her room, Yu Jin-Ho’s sorrowful voice continued to ring out behind him.
Thud, thud!!
“Hyuuung-niiim!! Hyung-niiiiim!!”
“Dear, don’t you think you were being too harsh on Jin-Ho earlier today?”
“Hmph.”
Yu Myung-Hwan roughly yanked at his tie.
What an insolent little child.
He was about to be gifted with the Yujin Guild, which would no doubt become the Yujin Construction’s core business in the future, yet he dared to answer like that?
[“I’ve decided to work for hyung-nim’s Guild.”]
What?
Follow ‘hyung-nim’, was it?
“That fool deserved it.”
Yu Myung-Han snorted derisively.
If the boy wished to stand on his two feet, then he should do so on his own power, too.
The father thought that he’d teach his son about every choice being accompanied by responsibilities and consequences.
Was it because he was far too agitated? For some reason, it felt like his d*mn tie just didn’t want to come undone. His clumsy and hasty hands caused the tie to be tangled up even more instead, prompting the lady of the Yu family to reach out with her hands.
“Let me do it for you.”
Soon enough, the tie was easily loosened. Yu Myung-Han entrusted himself to his wife’s skilful hands.
However….
The wife began giggling while holding his tie.
“What’s the matter, dear?”
Yu Myung-Han was confused. She had been doing his ties for as long as they were together. So, she shouldn’t have found his tangled up tie all that funny by now.
“My dear. Are you sure you’re really angry?”
“Mm….??”
Did she eat something wrong? Why was she saying something so nonsensical?
Yu Myung-Han tilted his head slightly and took a look at his own reflection in the mirror.
‘What the….’
He was surprised by what he saw.
Why did he look so pleased in the reflection, even though his mouth was busy spewing out complaints only until a second ago?
Feeling embarrassed now, Yu Myung-Han began rubbing his cheeks and chin.
“Today was the first time, wasn’t it, dear?”
“What do you mean?”
“Jin-Ho rebelling against you.”
“….”
That was why he was angry.
Just like how water flowed from the top to bottom, a large corporation would not be able to sustain its massive self if the orders from the top didn’t get delivered to the rest. He believed it was the same story for running a family, as well.
That was why he maintained the exact same type of attitude he’d have when at work while he was home with his family, and he did not accept anyone going against his decisions.
However….
Even though he was feeling angry today, why didn’t he feel bad about it, either?
‘I’m angry, but not unhappy at the same time?’
This situation made no sense when he thought about it.
The madam spoke gently like a mother pacifying a child, as if she had already read everything in her husband’s mind.
“Jin-Ho is trying to do something he feels passionate about for the first time in his life. So, how about cooling your anger a little and cheering him on from the side?”
“…..”
Yu Myung-Han shut his mouth tight.
He found it a bit hard to decipher his own head at the moment.
“For the time being… I shall keep an eye on him.”
“Of course.”
The madam formed a sweet smile and received his jacket as he took it off. However, something happened then.
Yu Myung-Han stared at his wife’s face.
“But, this is quite strange.”
“What is strange, dear?”
“I can see two of your faces.”
“Pardon?”
Just as the madam’s eyes widened, Yu Myung-Han lost his balance and staggered unsteadily.
“Dear?!”
The frightened madam hurriedly tried to support Yu Myung-Han. He shook his head continuously, heavily gasps escaping from his mouth.
“Pant, pant…..”
The madam’s eyes opened wider.
‘Why is there so much cold sweat?!’
Yu Myung-Han tried to keep his eyes wide open to forcefully beat back the sudden feeling of sleepiness, but in the end, lost his consciousness.
Yu Myung-Han reopened his eyes inside the VIP room located in the country’s top university hospital.
One of the doctors in charge approached him to check up on Yu Myung-Han’s complexion. They had been working in a 24-hour rotation schedule to keep an eye on his condition.
“Can you hear me, Chairman?”
“….”
Yu Myung-Han took a quick look around him, and immediately figured out where he was.
“How long have I been here?”
“You’ve been sleeping for the last two days.”
Two days?
The person most likely to be picked as the role model for “hard working” would be Yu Myung-Han. He had never slept for more than five hours in a day in his entire life, no matter how tired he was.
“…..”
Yu Myung-Han resolutely kept his mouth shut, before speaking up as if it was nothing.
“I guess I was quite tired, then.”
He was indeed swarmed with various matters that kept him insanely busy recently. The sudden bout of vertigo and that unshakeable sleepiness were probably the side effects.
However, the doctor couldn’t hide the seriousness from his expression.
Yu Myung-Han was the owner of the country’s top company that employed tens of thousands of people. So, he was already a master at reading people’s expressions.
Seeing the stiffening face of the doctor, Yu Myung-Han asked him.
“By any chance…. Have you discovered something wrong with my body?”
Chapter 99
“Mister Chairman, by any chance, do you have anyone near you who is a Hunter, or someone who’s not a Hunter yet but has been evaluated as an Awakened?”
The doctor suddenly asked about something rather strange.
Yu Myung-Han asked if there was something wrong with his body, yet why was he talking about Hunters now?
Yu Myung-Han asked back feeling puzzled now.
“What are you talking about? Why Hunters, all of a sudden?”
“Have you heard of Eternal Sleep?”
Hearing the term “Eternal Sleep”, Yu Myung-Han finally lost his cool, and his eyes trembled.
The Eternal Sleep Disorder. An endless slumber that no one could wake up from.
Not only was it impossible to wake up from its death-like slumber, but the lifeforce of the sufferer would also decline quite sharply, so it was a necessity to use life support machines that utilised magic energy.
Appearing for the first time after the advent of the Gates, it was a terrifying illness that managed to kill scores of people who lacked the wherewithal to borrow one of those life support machines.
“It’s an illness where you’d be assaulted often by drowsiness, and eventually, you’d be unable to wake up at all.”
The doctor carried a complicated expression. There had not been a single case of the sufferer of the ‘Eternal Sleep’ waking up, so far.
Even if one’s life was extended via machines, you’d still be unable to open your eyes. It was no different from a death sentence for the victims.
“….”
Yu Myung-Han waited for the doctor to finish explaining before asking his question.
“How does that relate to Hunters?”
“The ‘Eternal Sleep’ is widely believed to be deeply related to magic energy.”
There were those people who, by nature, couldn’t endure magic energy all that well. One of the abnormalities displayed by these people after being exposed to surrounding magic energy for a long time was this Eternal Sleep Disorder.
“Wait, isn’t magic energy used to power the life support machines that supply lifeforce to the patients?”
“That is true, but….”
Just like how one could safely use the electricity generated by the dangerous material fuelling the nuclear reaction, the doctor explained, magical devices and magics utilising magic energy did not harm people.
“What you need to be careful with are the Magic Crystals, Mana Stones, as well as people possessing magic energy.”
‘People possessing magic energy…..’
Yu Myung-Han immediately recalled the sole Awakened in his family, Yu Jin-Ho. Meanwhile, the doctor cautiously carried on.
“I’ve heard that your second son is a Hunter, sir.”
When Yu Jin-Ho was mentioned, Yu Myung-Han’s face visibly hardened.
“So, the gist of it is… you want me to never meet my own son? Is that it?”
“If it’s at all possible, that is indeed my recomm…..”
“Don’t make me laugh!!”
Yu Myung-Han abruptly cut the doctor off and empathised his point.
“Don’t speak of nonsense.”
And then, as if he was annoyed, he gestured the doctor to leave.
“Chairman….”
The doctor hesitated, not knowing what to do, but he soon left the room as if he was being chased away after being glared at by Yu Myung-Han’s furious eyes.
He continued to glare at the door the doctor used to escape with barely concealed fury in his eyes.
‘Distance oneself from one’s son, just because one fears the illness getting worse? Is that something a father should even say??’
Sure, let’s say that did happen.
What if Jin-Ho heard that news? What would that boy think of, then?
As a father, he could not bear to burden his son with something that heavy. At least, that’s what Yu Myung-Han believed.The origin of this chapter’s debut can be traced to N0v3l–B1n.
‘Not only that….’
With each passing day, people found more and more practical applications for magic energy, and the number of people innately possessing magic energy was steadily increasing, as well.
So, if you couldn’t withstand magic energy when living in a world like this, didn’t that already mean you had been eliminated from the natural selection?
Yu Myung-Han harrumphed unhappily.
‘I, Yu Myung-Han, have failed to make the cut?’
Such a thing could never happen.
‘I will not submit.’
Even when everyone else ridiculed him and predicted his failure, he always managed to succeed so his detractors could take a good look at him.
He was the very person who, after inheriting the Yujin Construction that barely cracked the top 30 in the country, turned it into the number one corporation in South Korea.
‘So, you think I’ll kneel in defeat over a stupid illness like this?’
He wouldn’t give up.
Yu Myung-Han inwardly told himself this over and over again.
Before leaving, Jin-Woo carefully opened the door to his sister’s room.
As it was still in the early hours, Jin-Ah remained blissfully stuck in a slumber so deep that she’d not be any wiser if someone kidnapped her right now.
Suddenly, he felt worried.
‘There might be a jacka*s or two who’ll try to get closer to her while I’m away.’
Of course, there should be no one stupid enough to harm the little sister of a rank S Hunter, but well, it was hard to tell what was in a human’s heart sometimes.
At least, he needed some sort of a contingency plan.
‘Wait a minute. I can hide my soldiers inside shadows, right?’
Jin-Woo recalled the time when he sent out his Shadow Soldiers on the patrol of the district, in case that serial killer decided to show up again.
Back then, soldiers moved by hiding in the various shades found in the surroundings. By utilising that, he might be able to protect his sister without anyone even noticing it.
Which was good, because he just so happened to possess the perfect candidates for this role.
‘Come out.’
Jin-Woo called out those monster soldiers that had been guarding ‘Fangs’ when they were still alive.
Shururu….
Three of the biggest, burliest High Orcs appeared simultaneously and ended up making the already-tiny room of his sister feel even more claustrophobic.
However….
‘Huh? Why are there only three?’
There definitely had been four guards, though?
Jin-Woo combed through his memories, only to spit out a soundless groan.
‘Ah.’
Only now did he remember that he ‘planted’ one of the guards in the ceiling of the boss room. And naturally, he forgot to extract that guy’s shadow.
‘I guess I should pay closer attention next time.’
Jin-Woo smirked softly, before shifting his gaze over to the three monster soldiers, who used to be High Orc guards while still alive. All of them were elite grade.
They were on another scale altogether when compared to the shadows extracted from the ‘regular’ High Orcs. With these three, they would still be fine even if their opponent was a rank A Hunter.
He wasn’t exaggerating here – the leader of the Hunters’ raid team, the rank A Sohn Ki-Hoon, was pushed to a corner while fighting off three regular High Orcs, after all.
So, there was no reason to worry about these guys.
Jin-Woo pointed with his chin towards the sleeping Jin-Ah. And when that happened…
Shururu….
The guards returned to ‘shadow’ forms and moved along the floor, and they assimilated into her shadow.
‘Very good.’
Hide in there quietly, and when Jin-Ah finds herself in danger, get rid of the opponent, regardless of who it is.
Jin-Woo gave that order to the guards and carefully closed shut the door to her room.
‘I can relax a little now.’
Indeed, he felt less worried.
He made sure to lock the front door properly and exited from the apartment, and found Yu Jin-Ho waiting for him there, just as promised.
“Hyung-nim!”
Yu Jin-Ho greeted Jin-Woo with a bright face.
“Was it okay sleeping in that place?”
“Yes, it was fine, hyung-nim. I had no idea, but motels nowadays seem to feature pretty good amenities.”
Since his little sister was staying at home, Jin-Woo had Yu Jin-Ho stay in a local motel nearby. Thankfully, it must not have been too bad there.
“Until we can find some office space for my Guild, stay there for the time being.”
“Got it, hyung-nim.”
He must’ve been enjoying himself, since Yu Jin-Ho continued to giggle.
Jin-Woo already heard the most of what happened from the kid last night. While listening to the tale, he was hoping against hoping, but to think, this kid would show up here after really rejecting the golden chance to become a Guild Master…..
When he heard that, Jin-Woo was so dumbfounded that he just had to ask, and that prompted Yu Jin-Ho to reply while sounding like a victim.
[“You really came over just because I made an offer?!”]
[“But, hyung-nim, you said I should come!!”]
Even then, Jin-Woo couldn’t really kick to the curve a kid who gave up on a job equivalent to being a chairman of a company just to be next to him.
“Okay, well, let’s go.”
“Yes, hyung-nim.”
Yu Jin-Ho climbed into the driver’s seat of the van, and Jin-Woo settled down on the passenger’s. And the van containing two people drove towards the Daesung Tower.
Yu Jin-Ho sneaked a glance at Jin-Woo.
‘What business does he have in the Daesung Tower so early in the morning?’
He was curious, but he also thought that asking hyung-nim this and that would be quite insolent of him, so his lips didn’t want to part that easily.
Screech.
By the time their van came to a stop in front of the Daesung Tower, though, he managed to work up some courage.
“By the way, hyung-nim. What about this Daesung Towe….”
“I’m off.”
“Eh?”
Yu Jin-Ho hurriedly turned his head to the passenger side. However, the door was already wide open, and hyung-nim was nowhere to be seen.
Didn’t something similar to this happen before?
Yu Jin-Ho scratched the side of his head.
‘Hyung-nim can be so elusive sometimes, you know.’
[You have entered Demon’s Castle dungeon.]
Jin-Woo cancelled his ‘Stealth’ skill.
‘I’ve finally returned.’
Thinking that he had returned to the place where he could cut loose without worry, his heart began pounding harder.
As soon as he walked past the castle’s gates, the mechanical bleep went off as if it was waiting for his arrival.
Tti-ring.
[A new quest is available.]
Unlike the first time he got here, Jin-Woo wasn’t surprised.
Well, the quest he got the first time was called ‘Collect the Souls of Demons! (1)’, after all. He expected the next part of the quest to show up sooner or later.
Jin-Woo opened the message window.
Tti-ring.
[Normal Quest: Collect the Souls of Demons! (2)]
The sovereign of the demons, ‘Baran’, can be found residing on the top floor of the Demon’s Castle. Defeat Baran and collect his soul.
If you succeed in sealing the soul of the Demon King, you will be rewarded handsomely.
Quest generation conditions:
- Completion of ‘Normal Quest: Collect the Souls of Demons! (1)’
- Re-entering the Demon’s Castle
Quest completion condition:
- Slay the Demon King
Rewards:
- One highest grade Rune Stone
- Bonus Stat points +30
- Unknown reward
‘The goal of this quest is to kill the Demon King?’
Jin-Woo’s expression brightened. He no longer needed to go all over the place now. Instead, he just needed to climb up to the top floor of the Demon’s Castle as soon as possible.
And the rewards on offer were excellent as well.
’30 bonus Stat points!’
The previous quest was pretty much slave labour, asking him to collect ten thousand demon souls. And after all that hard work, he ‘only’ received 20 bonus Stat points.
However, he could earn 30 points this time by killing one Demon King. He’d need ten days of Daily Quests, or six level-ups, to match that amount of Stat points. A smile instinctively broke out of his lips at this unexpectedly rich reward.
‘Ok so, what is this highest grade Rune Stone all about?’
Jin-Woo confirmed the details of the first reward next.
Tti-ring.
[Highest grade Rune Stone: Shadow Exchange]
By breaking this highest grade Rune Stone, you can learn a Class-specific Skill.
‘I can learn a Class-specific skill?’
Jin-Woo’s brows shot up.
So far, he had ‘earned’ three Class-specific skills.
The ‘Shadow Extraction’.
The ‘Shadow Storage’.
And finally, ‘Sovereign’s Territory’.
Every single one of them was an indispensable skill. And, just from the mere idea of adding one more skill to his roster, his heart palpitated even harder.
‘What kind of skill is this?’
He wanted to confirm the information on the skill, but the only thing that popped up was its name, and no in-depth explanation was offered.
‘Tsk.’
Jin-Woo could only smack his lips wryly.
‘Well, I’ll find out eventually after completing the quest.’
A Class-specific skill, and 30 bonus Stat points, too. Even when excluding the unknown reward, it was already a remarkable amount of loot on offer. He was really tempted to simply rush up to the top floor in one go, but…
‘Before I start anything, though…’
Jin-Woo summoned his Status Window for the first time in a while.
Tti-ring.
[Name: Seong Jin-Woo]
[Level: 80]
[Title: The One Who Overcame the Adversity (extra 1)]
[HP: 24,406]
[MP: 5,019]
[Tiredness: 0]
[Stats]
Strength: 186
Endurance: 145
Agility: 175
Intelligence: 189
Perception: 126
(Remaining points available to distribute: 0)
Reduction in physical damage: 46%
[Skills]
Passive Skills:
- (Unknown) Lv. Max
- Tenacity Lv. 1
- High-Grade Dagger Technique Lv. 2
Active Skills:
- Dash Lv. Max
- Vital Points Targetting Lv. Max
- Intimidation Lv. 1
- Dagger Throw Lv. 2
- Stealth Lv. 2
- Ruler’s Reach Lv. 2
[Class-specific Skills]
Active Skills:
- Shadow Extraction Lv. 1
- Shadow Storage Lv. 1
- Sovereign’s Territory Lv. 1
[Crafting Skill]
Consumable: Divine Water of Life (2/3)
[Equipped Items]
- Red Knight’s Helm (S)
- Demon Sovereign’s Earring (S)
- Demon Sovereign’s Necklace (S)
- Advanced Knight’s Breastplate (B)
- Advanced Knight’s Gauntlets (B)
- Advanced Mage’s Ring (B)
- Intermediate Assassin’s Shoes (C)
His level was already 80. And thanks to him investing every single bonus Stat point on Intelligence, he could see that it exceeded his Strength Stat now.
‘My Intelligence Stat is nearing the 200 mark already.’
The result of that was his total MP now went past 5000.
His MP, or Mana, was a must for one thing. It was like a cheat device that allowed him to infinitely revive his soldiers. But, when he thought about the number of his soldiers increasing in the future, that 5000 MP seemed rather inadequate to his eyes.
‘Fine. Let’s get started.’
Even a second couldn’t be wasted here.
Jin-Woo closed his Status Windows.
Currently, he was standing on the ground floor of the Demon’s Castle. Getting back to the 76th floor, where he temporarily had to stop his conquest, wouldn’t take long at all.
So, he immediately made his way over to the floor-transfer magic circle.
[Floors 1 to 76 have been opened.]
[Which floor would you like to go to?]
Jin-Woo spoke without hesitation.
“76.”
The light gleamed brightly. In the moment it took to blink an eye, his surroundings had changed completely. He was now faced with a vigorously-burning city.
When inside the floor-transfer magic circle, he wasn’t supposed to be affected by the environments outside, but it still felt like his skin was burning up already.
Jin-Woo put the luggage down and pulled two artefacts out. First one was a black robe named the ‘Wind Robe’ by its maker, and the other one was a nameless ring with water-type magic imbued within.
Jin-Woo put on both the robe and the ring.
After putting on the robe and pulling on the hood, Jin-Woo finally felt like he was a true Mage-type Hunter now.
‘….I can feel my body cooling down.’
Just by wearing them, it felt like he was standing inside a refreshingly cool cavern or some such.
‘I wonder, will this work against the flames of the Demon’s Castle?’
Jin-Woo slowly stepped outside of the magic circle. And thankfully, these artefacts proved their expensive worth. The debilitating heat couldn’t affect him at all now, quite unlike the last time he was here.
‘Wait, won’t it be uncomfortable to move around because it’s a robe?’
He couldn’t be sure, so he moved this way and that, but it proved to be surprisingly comfortable. As befitting its name, ‘Wind Robe’, the whole thing felt as light as air.
‘Nice.’
With that, his preparations were complete.
However, it seemed that he wasn’t the only one who had finished his preparations, because demons had picked up on his scent, and had formed a large group to rush towards his position.
If it was in the past, he’d probably fight them off in order to loosen his muscles or search through every nook and cranny of each floor to increase his level.
‘However, right now….’
Now that his mother’s treatment depended on this dungeon being cleared, he couldn’t afford to waste a single second here. Rather than summoning out his daggers like the usual, he instead called out his soldiers first.
Shururu….
His trusty Shadow Soldiers revealed themselves.
‘Where is Fangs?’
Jin-Woo looked for Fangs amidst his soldiers. It seemed that the higher the soldier’s grade, the closer he’d appear, because Fangs had been summoned right behind Jin-Woo.
He took out the ‘Bead of Avarice’ from his Inventory and placed it on top of Fangs’ palm.
“You use this from now on.”
Even though Jin-Woo was supposed to be a Mage-type as well, the amplification effect of the ‘Bead of Avarice’ didn’t work on him. But, he thought it’d prove to be quite helpful to a sorcerer like Fangs.
‘…….’
As if to express his gratitude, Fangs deeply bowed his head.
Thump, thump, thump!!!
Finally, Jin-Woo could see the huge bodies of the demons getting closer.
‘Okay, time to get started.’
After ordering his soldiers to get ready for battle, Jin-Woo grasped both ‘Baruka’s Dagger’ and ‘Knight Killer’ in his hands.
Soon, demons rushed forward like a horde of insects in front of his nose. However, his own numbers weren’t that lacking, either.
With a more relaxed expression on his face compared to his previous sojourn in this place, Jin-Woo bid his time and then, loudly shouted out.
“Go….!”
No, actually, he was planning to shout, ‘Go, now!’
But, even before he could finish his words….
Kuuuuuoooooooohhh—!!
From somewhere high up above his head, a stupendously thick frightening pillar of flames fell in a diagonal line and swept every single enemy away.
“W-what the f*ck?!”
Kuuuuuoooohhh!!
The moment that scary pillar of flames swept by, everything had melted down, whether that be demons or the ground itself.
“Kiiiieeehhckk!!”
“Kiieeck!!”
Demons were incinerated in an instant, and familiar mechanical beeps rang one after the other in his ears.
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
‘No way…..’
Jin-Woo tried to calm his trembling heart and took a look behind him. And he spotted Fangs standing there, now twice the size of what his living counterpart grew to back in the dungeon, busy breathing out grey smoke from his mouth.
Gulp.
Jin-Woo swallowed down dry saliva.
‘Is this the true might of the ‘Bead of Avarice’??’
Since these monsters lived inside the Demon’s Castle, they all must’ve had some amount of innate resistance towards flame-based attacks, but they were all burned away into oblivion, just like that.
“Huh, huhuhuh….”
Once he figured out what was going on, a chuckle broke out of his lips all by itself.
‘Wait, maybe I’ll get to clear this place a lot quicker than I thought?’
Jin-Woo stared at the still-burning remains of the demons as well as at the scorched-black earth and screamed out in joy inwardly.
Chapter 100
Fangs’ power, having been buffed up by the item ‘Bead of Avarice’, was gobsmackingly incredible.
Fuu-woop.
Fangs sucked in so much air that the temperature of the surroundings momentarily dropped to a bone-chilling level. And then…
Kuuuuwuuuu….
He spat out a massive pillar of flames from left to right and literally vaporised all enemies before him.
[You killed a High-Ranked Demon.]
[You have earned 1,700 experience points.]
[You killed a Superior Demon.]
[You have earned 2,200 experience points.]
….
…….
[You killed a High-Ranked Demon.]
The messages telling him that he killed a demon and earned some experience points endlessly popped up in his view. And the tti-ring, tti-rings of the mechanical beeps didn’t want to end for a while, too.
Jin-Woo was all smiles, though.
‘I’ve hit the jackpot!!’
His Mana must’ve run dry, because Fangs stopped attacking.
A single shot from Fangs managed to vaporise the majority of the attacking demons’ group, but there were a few lucky ones who managed to somehow survive the fiery massacre. Jin-Woo simply ordered his Shadow Soldiers to go and get rid of them.
Quietly watching over one hundred of his Shadow Soldiers marching forward in perfect order, Jin-Woo finally felt like the ‘Shadow Sovereign’.
[You killed a High-Ranked Demon.]
[You killed a High-Ranked Demon.]
The feel-good messages continued on. Jin-Woo didn’t even lift a finger and used only his Shadow Soldiers to annihilate the monsters. The biggest contributor among them was, of course, Fangs.
‘Fangs, you beauty….’
Jin-Woo looked behind him – or, more specifically, way up behind him.
He then saw the gigantified Shadow Magic Soldier, previously a High Orc Sorcerer, and the ‘Bead of Avarice’ that had also been enlarged to match his size.
That bead was an item capable of doubling the power of its holder’s magic attack. From Jin-Woo’s perspective, it looked like that bead shored up Fangs’ powers quite nicely, which would’ve been nerfed somewhat after becoming a Shadow Soldier. And it looked like there was some room to spare too.
‘Looks like I’ll have to entrust the ‘Bead of Avarice’ to Fangs for a while.’
Even though he was also a mage-type, he possessed not one skill that might enjoy the amplification effect, so he didn’t have much of a choice here.
Jin-Woo opened his own Skill Window.
[Number of shadows that can be extracted: 127/820]
[Number of shadows that can be stored: 127/155]
‘Shadow Extraction, Shadow Storage, and Sovereign’s Territory.’ All three skills were unaffected by the ‘Bead of Avarice’ whatsoever.
If he wanted to increase the number of slots for either the extraction or storage for his shadows, the sole method available currently was to increase his Intelligence Stat.
Jin-Woo closed the Skill Window.
Meanwhile, the soldiers gathered one by one in front of Jin-Woo after mopping up their quarries.
Seeing the mountains of demon corpses piled up like that, the corners of Jin-Woo’s lips arched up considerably.
‘With this many demons, I get plenty of loot as a result.’
Tti-ring, tti-ring, tti-ring….
This time, an endless stream of item acquisition messages popped up in his view.
‘Well, I got everything I can from here….’
Jin-Woo smiled deeply as he went about acquiring all the loot, and after finishing that up, he climbed up on the back of ‘Tank’, his trusty Ice Bear Shadow Beast Soldier.
The so-called ‘Entry Permit’ allowing him to move to the next floor hadn’t come out yet. Which meant, he had to kill more monsters on this floor.
Jin-Woo ordered his troops to move out.
“Giddy up!”
Tank slowly began trotting forward, and the Shadow Soldiers all followed after Jin-Woo in an orderly fashion.
‘The whole army moving around together is inefficient.’
Jin-Woo thought that all 120 Shadow Soldiers acting as one unit was not quite efficient enough. If the individual soldier was weak, fine, this tactic made sense. But, even the regular soldiers had gone up several levels now and they could more or less hold their own against the demons and still achieve some success.
Not only that, he even had assimilated monsters from a rank A dungeon into his Shadow Soldier army, too. Quite obviously, the overall quality of the soldiers had risen up by a lot.
“Kiiieehhk!!”
“Kiiaahk!”
[You killed a High-Ranked….]
[You killed a…..]
What with his soldiers boasting such a mighty combat prowess, the time taken to move around and search for monsters turned out to be longer than it took to actually kill them.
The thing was, each floor of this Demon’s Castle was as wide as an average city.
‘This will take forever at this rate.’
Jin-Woo divided his soldiers into six groups of twenty. And then, had them scatter around to hunt down monsters.
He gave them two orders.
‘One, kill every enemy you can find.’
‘Two, if the entry permit for the next floor is found, let me know straight away.’
It may not be possible to hold a conversation with his soldiers, but he could still communicate by using simple hand gestures.
Since the soldiers couldn’t pick up any loot, he had to go there personally if he were to acquire the entry permit. Sure, he’d have to give up on other loot beside the ‘floor entry permit’, but his current priority was to get to the top floor as soon as possible.
“Begin.”
With his command, all six groups went their separate ways.
And, a short while later….
[You have earned 1,500 experience points.]
[You have earned 1,500 experience points.]
[You have earned 900 experience points.]
[You have earned 1,100 experience points.]
Experience points began raining down on him from literally everywhere.
‘Looks like my shadows have begun hunting, huh.’
Jin-Woo watched his experience points climb up and formed a pleased expression. However, he soon discovered that something was off.
‘The amount of experience points I get has decreased?’
After arriving on the upper floors, he never once ran into the commonly-found low or mid-ranked demons from the lower floors.
High-Ranked Demons appeared most of the time now, and every now and then, he would find a couple of Superior Demons mixed in among them.
The amount of experience points earned after killing a High-Ranked Demon was 1,700. And from the Superior Demon, a creature one rank higher than High-Ranked Demons, he received the fixed amount of 2,200 points.
However, the amount he was getting at the moment fell far, far short of those numbers.
‘Could it be that the further away they are from me, the less experience points I earn?’
Jin-Woo quietly observed the experience points messages popping up non-stop for a while. The amount earned had definitely decreased, albeit by a small margin. It seemed that he was right about the distance affecting the amount of experience points he could earn.
‘I got to learn about something useful.’
He wouldn’t have found out about this fact without the unique set-up of the Demon’s Castle, which let him know of the information regarding experience points.
He also thought that, he did the right thing by not letting his soldiers go out in groups to hunt on the lower floors. Back then, he wanted to refine his combat style even further by personally fighting the monsters, as well as not wanting to miss out on a single ‘Demon’s Soul’, the so-called quest completion ‘items’.
Still, he didn’t think the reduced experience points weren’t much of a loss.
‘Sure, I’m getting less experience points, but….’
Now that much more efficient hunting was taking place over a greater expanse of the hunting area, the overall rate of the experience points earned was actually a lot faster than before. Even now, the experience points messages were raining down on him.
With the situation being like this, his level that had stayed still since the first battle of this floor suddenly gained a lot of momentum.
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
Jin-Woo clenched his fists tightly.
‘Nice!’
Sure, he felt a bit sore about giving up on loot, but…
‘Levelling up and fast clearing speed, I shall catch these two birds in one go.’
Jin-Woo smiled in satisfaction as he confirmed his level jumping up by two.
His plan was on the money. He got to climb up to the 80th floor much faster than anticipated.
As soon as arriving there, he summoned his soldiers once more.
Shururuk.
119 Shadow Soldiers were summoned simultaneously.
The soldiers and their levels had all climbed up pretty nicely after going on their own groups to hunt monsters and earn a ton of experience points for themselves.Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through Ñôv€l–B1n.
‘Oh? Since when did Tank gain over ten levels?’
Jin-Woo’s eyes opened wider.
Maybe it felt happy after his owner’s interested gaze fell on it, Tank, who had reached level 28 only yesterday, stood on his hind legs and let out a roar of ‘Wuuong’. Jin-Woo wasn’t the only one to enjoy the fruits of the efficient hunting, as it turned out.
He grinned brightly.
“Alright, then. Let’s go!”
Just like before, he divided his army into six groups and had them set off. He then took off alone, as well. He was familiar with acting alone anyway, and he also didn’t really need the soldiers’ help, either.
Excluding Fangs buffed up by the ‘Bead of Avarice’, he was pretty confident of fighting the whole Shadow Soldier army and winning.
However….
‘If Fangs is included?’
In that case, who knows?
If Fangs was indeed included, then things could get really interesting, that’s for sure. In the end, though, it was just him imagining something improbable, anyway.
‘Was it a week or so ago?’
Out of sheer curiosity, and also a bit as an experiment, he ordered Shadow Soldiers to attack him. For the first time ever, the soldiers disobeyed him.
‘I couldn’t tell whether that was from their loyalty to me, or because of another power restricting them….’
They didn’t budge an inch, in the end. Well, as the guy using them as his subordinates, that result wasn’t such a bad one.
Regardless of all that….
‘How come I can’t see any demons?’
After summoning ‘Baruka’s Dagger’, Jin-Woo lightly tossed it over his head and caught it a few times while searching for the presence of monsters.
‘I can tell that they are nearby, but….’
Jin-Woo took a quick look around. He could definitely sense their presence nearby, but he couldn’t spot a single monster.
When was it again?
Didn’t he experience something similar to this before?
It was then, the ground seemed to undulate violently a couple of times, before the earth suddenly shot up.
“Kek, kek.”
“Keeheehee….”
At the same time, three Superior Demons emerged from the ground and surrounded Jin-Woo while letting off rather unpleasant cackles.
Jin-Woo frowned deeply. Demons took that as the sign of their prey being scared, and they scrambled among themselves to throw their wide open maws first at the head of the prey.
It was to call dibs on the tastiest part of a human, the head.
However, when that prey jumped up and spun around once in the air…
Swiiiish!!
Even before Jin-Woo’s feet landed back on the ground, heads of the demons fell with soft thud, thud!! first.
[You killed a Superior Demon.]
[You killed a…..]
“Ah!”
Jin-Woo lightly clapped his hands.
He finally recalled when it happened – it was the last rank C dungeon he cleared with Yu Jin-Ho.
‘Right, those Stonemen back then were hiding underground before bursting out like this, weren’t they?’
Jin-Woo’s expression that had darkened from failing to remember brightened up immediately. It sure felt like he had gotten a load off his chest.
Jin-Woo took care of the loot from the monster corpses, his face still bright, and began walking away again.
But, only after taking a handful of steps, he stopped again.
“….”
Jin-Woo’s eyes were now nailed to the ground.
While glaring at the ground beneath his feet, he spoke up.
“By the way, why aren’t you guys coming out already?”
No one could tell whether the thing that trembled just then happened to be the ground or the demons’ eyes.
Jin-Woo wasn’t able to easily leave the 80th floor.
‘Is there a group of really strong monsters somewhere on this floor?’
Yet another of Jin-Woo’s group returned back to him as shadows. He had no choice but to call them back because his Mana couldn’t sustain the rate of the soldiers’ destruction and revival anymore.
This would be the first time this happened.
From the 76th to 80th floor…
The method of hunting in dispersed groups during the past four floors had yielded the highest efficiency.
‘Is it because fighting against Superior Demons is still too much to ask for?’
For sure, it were the Superior Demons and not High-Ranked Demons that appeared on the 80th floor most of the time. Heck, these Superior Demons even employed petty tricks like hiding under the ground, too.
Even then, he didn’t think these Superior Demons possessed such powers, to be able to push back his soldiers to this degree.
‘Not only that….’
There was something weird here as well. And that would be the groups of soldiers getting attacked all happened to lack a ‘captain-class’ among them.
The groups with Fangs, Igrit, Iron, and Tank were all perfectly fine, but the other two with no captain-class got annihilated.
‘Wait, could it be that the enemy is deliberately attacking the weakest groups first?’
If so, this could only mean that a monster possessing high-enough intelligence to detect the opponent’s weakness existed on this floor. Not only strong, but it even possessed intelligence.
He obviously didn’t know who it, or they, were, but without a doubt, they were proving to be a bit of a pain in the neck.
There were four groups remaining. If he were to include himself, then five.
‘If the enemy has figured out the soldiers’ movement pattern, then their next target is pretty obvious.’
The moment he thought that, Jin-Woo disappeared from the spot.
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